Shirou's Thirty Million Avatars

This glance made Artoria sense a certain malice, and she couldn't help but demand:

"What deal did you make with Caster?"

Kiritsugu Emiya looked away, still deliberating whether to tell her the truth, when Nero suddenly spoke:

"I will heal his wife, and in exchange, you shall have a fair contest with me."

"I see."

Artoria breathed a quiet sigh of relief—at least it wasn't an order to forfeit outright.

Unexpectedly, Kiritsugu Emiya had actually done something good.

"Fine, come on!"

With that, she gripped her invisible sword and assumed a battle stance.

Seeing this, Nero smiled and said:

"It's not a fight. I don't like brawling, so the contest will be conducted through singing."

"What? I refuse."

"You don't have the right to refuse."

Nero chuckled lightly, then turned to look at Kiritsugu Emiya.

"Sorry, Saber."

Kiritsugu Emiya bowed his head slightly, raised his hand bearing a Command Seal, and declared loudly:

"By my Command Seal, I command you, Saber, to compete with Her Majesty Nero in a singing contest. The loser must abandon the Holy Grail."

With one Command Seal spent, he turned and left the arena without looking back.

Chapter 23: Say the Same Thing as Me

Section 23: Chapter 23: Say the Same Thing as Me

"That damn bastard!"

Artoria gritted her teeth as she watched Kiritsugu Emiya's retreating back, sorely tempted to run him through from behind.

Nero sized Artoria up and down, then said with a smile:

"O King Arthur, who bears the same face as I, your strategic prowess I humbly admit surpasses mine. But if it's a contest of art, I will never lose."

Artoria was silent for a few seconds, then looked up and asked:

"How will the winner be decided? You can't just say whoever wins, wins."

"Simple! After we both finish singing, let Kariya and Lancelot vote by a show of hands. Whoever they say wins, wins."

"And if they disagree? Then it's impossible to decide a winner, isn't it?"

"Don't worry, I've already accounted for that. So we'll add three more people: Kiritsugu Emiya, Irisviel, and Taiga Fujimura, who's currently carrying her around looking for a doctor."

Artoria immediately began calculating in her mind.

Nero's singing had two modes: one was superb, a heavenly voice; the other was terrible, completely tone-deaf.

From that perspective, she had about a fifty-fifty chance.

Among the five voters, Irisviel and Lancelot would definitely choose her.

And that limping man would likely choose Nero.

That meant the final key would be Taiga Fujimura and Kiritsugu Emiya.

She didn't know Taiga Fujimura, so she'd set that aside for now. But Kiritsugu Emiya—he wouldn't give up the Holy Grail so easily.

If she had a chance to win, he wouldn't hesitate to support her.

Three out of five—good odds, almost a sure thing.

"Fine, but I demand you heal Iri first."

"No problem." Nero said with a smile.

At that moment, both sides believed their chances of winning were high, almost certain.

Aoi Tohsaka, who had been searching everywhere for Kariya Matou to ask about Sakura's situation in the Matou family, suddenly caught a whiff of blood and unconsciously stopped in her tracks.

Sniff, sniff...!

Following the direction of the scent step by step, she entered a small alley off the roadside.

The next moment, a scream rang out. Aoi Tohsaka stood frozen, her whole body swaying unsteadily.

She braced herself against the wall, staring fixedly at the corpse in the distance, unable to believe her own eyes.

That husband of hers, always so confident—was he really gone?

Leaving her alone—what was she supposed to do now?

About ten minutes later, Kiritsugu Emiya ran into the arena with his wife on his back.

Beside him followed Taiga Fujimura, who looked like a high school girl.

"Your Majesty Nero, please save Irisviel."

"Rest assured, I shall begin at once."

The red longsword in Nero's right hand instantly transformed into a ball of red flame, floating in her palm.

She lowered her head, gazing at it reluctantly for a moment, then let out a soft sigh. Her left hand pressed against Irisviel's chest.

A flash of golden light appeared, and a beating heart materialized in her palm, instantly condensing into a cube.

Slowly extending her right hand, the flame turned into a red beam of light and entered Irisviel's body.

In the blink of an eye, Irisviel, who had already lost all signs of life, slowly opened her eyes.

At the same time, a powerful heartbeat echoed from her chest.

Within seconds, her body had fully recovered.

"I's Primal Fire is the strongest Noble Phantasm. Now that it has become your heart, it still retains its original functions. Use it well from now on."

Lying in Kiritsugu Emiya's arms, Irisviel glanced around at the crowd, her gaze involuntarily stopping on Nero's left palm.

"Is that... an unformed Lesser Grail?"

"Indeed. Once two more Servants die, it will descend."

"Why am I still alive?"

"I used a Noble Phantasm to replace your heart and saved you."

"Thank you."

Irisviel bowed her head slightly, then turned to look at Taiga Fujimura.

"Earlier, after I passed out, I owe you a great deal for your help. Thank you so much!"

"N-no need to be polite." Taiga Fujimura stole a glance at Kiritsugu Emiya and asked cautiously, "Are you Mr. Emiya's wife?"

"That's right."

In an instant, Irisviel understood her thoughts and couldn't help but smile.

Still, this wasn't the time to tease an underage girl.

"Your Majesty Nero, what do you plan to do about the remaining two Servants?"

"Hmm... The only Servant left alone is Assassin."

Nero chuckled lightly, her gaze sweeping over Artoria and Lancelot.

Lancelot immediately stepped forward and spoke on his own:

"In that case, please allow me to take my own life."

"My Lord Lancelot, it hasn't come to that yet." Artoria couldn't help but interject. "What happens next depends on the outcome of my contest with Nero."

Lancelot remained silent. As a knight of King Arthur, he wanted to tell her that everyone present was a supporter of Nero, and the contest's result was already decided.

But he simply couldn't bring himself to say it.

Besides, deep down, he still clung to a sliver of hope.

If Nero's song was as good as the first one, the King would surely win.

"Let's begin the contest, Nero." Artoria spoke again.

"Alright, shall I go first?"

"Yes, you go first."

Artoria nodded slightly, her expression serious as she thought:

If Nero's song is like the second one, I'll have to give it my all.

Still, ever since I became King, I haven't sung at all, so I'm a bit out of practice.

In any case, I hope her song is as good as the first one.

"I shall begin now."

Nero smiled faintly and started singing again.

The first line was perfectly normal, practically flawless.

But the second line took a sharp turn for the worse, every word out of tune.

The third line, the fourth line, and onward, the singing had devolved into a Gian concert.

"I have finished. Now, it's your turn to perform."

"Mm."

Artoria nodded slightly, thinking to herself:

It seems I'm sure to win.

This kind of contest is a bit unfair.

Still, it saves some effort.

Artoria sang a nursery rhyme. Her voice wasn't particularly beautiful—just passable. But paired with her dignified expression, it created an excellent visual effect.

As the song ended, Artoria asked nervously:

"How was it?"

Nero was the first to applaud, then turned to Kariya Matou with a smile:

"Kariya, you start."

"Yes!" Kariya answered without hesitation. "The victor is naturally Your Majesty Nero!"

The moment he finished speaking, he activated a Command Seal and said again:

"By this Command Seal, I command: Lancelot, say the same words as me."

"What?"

At that moment, Lancelot dared not meet Artoria's eyes at all, his heart filled with regret.

If he'd known Kariya would use a Command Seal, he should have spoken in support of the King the moment she finished.

As long as he was fast enough, Kariya couldn't have stopped him.

In the end, he could only grit his teeth and say reluctantly:

"The victor is naturally Your Majesty Nero!"

Chapter 24: See You in Another World