Shirou's Thirty Million Avatars

"I also think Nero's singing was better." Kiritsugu Emiya nodded slightly in agreement.

The verdict was clear.

Realizing this, Artoria lowered her head in disappointment.

Even when Irisviel and Taiga Fujimura later voiced their support, she paid them no heed, lost instead in self-reproach over her failure.

"Forgive me, My King. This is all my fault."

Lancelot kept his head bowed too, his eyes fixed on the ground, his heart brimming with regret.

With only five people total, if he had spoken up before Kariya used his Command Seal, the King would have won.

"No, this has nothing to do with My Lord Lancelot."

Artoria shook her head slightly and let out a soft sigh.

This Holy Grail War was over now.

Seeing this, Nero smiled and said:

"It seems I am the victor. Then, O King Arthur, whose face mirrors mine, speak—what wish do you seek to fulfill?"

"What point is there in saying it now?"

"Oh...? It appears you carry quite a few unspoken burdens."

Nero's gaze instinctively shifted to Kiritsugu Emiya.

Kiritsugu nodded in understanding, then activated a Command Seal:

"By this Command Seal, I command you, Saber, to speak your heart honestly."

Artoria shot him a glare of fury, but bound by the Command Seal's constraint, her mouth began to recount that one wish against her will.

"I often wonder—if someone else had pulled the sword back then, not me, would they have done better?"

"'The King does not understand the hearts of men'—that phrase keeps echoing in my mind."

"What exactly are the hearts of men? No matter how long I ponder, I can never find the answer."

"So my wish is to return to the past, to restart the selection ceremony, and choose a more fitting king."

As she finished, the Command Seal's effect faded. She immediately gripped her sword hilt, glaring at Kiritsugu as if ready to strike him down at any moment.

"You bastard! How much further will you mock me?"

At that moment, a thousand words surged in Lancelot's heart, desperate to be spoken.

He wanted to tell her that Tristan, who had said "The King does not understand the hearts of men," often regretted speaking without thinking.

He wanted to tell her that the King had done well enough—there was no one more suitable.

He wanted to tell her that the past was past, and no matter how painful or bitter, she had to move forward.

Yet in the end, he said nothing.

Because as a traitor, he felt he had no right to speak such words.

After a long silence, Lancelot picked up his sword and walked slowly toward her:

"My King, the victor of this Holy Grail War is already decided—Her Majesty Nero."

"When five Servants have died, the Holy Grail will take form."

"Aside from Assassin, only one of us—you or I—can remain."

"So, if you please."

By the end, the blade in his hand was aimed straight at Artoria.

"Very well."

Inside the Colosseum, the two familiar figures began a long-awaited duel.

Watching them clash, Kariya Matou sank into thought, his heart churning with emotion:

So even heroes immortalized through the ages still harbor regrets.

Compared to her, what were his own petty troubles?

"Mr. Emiya, could you..."

Noticing him trail off mid-sentence into silence, Kiritsugu asked in surprise:

"What is it?"

"No, nothing."

Kariya Matou shook his head slightly and let out a soft sigh.

He had originally planned to ask Kiritsugu to look after Shirou in the future.

But before the words left his mouth, he suddenly remembered that Shirou's parents were still alive—there was no need to trouble Kiritsugu.

Just then, a piercing pain shot through his body.

Kariya coughed up several mouthfuls of blood, his gaze instinctively drifting to Lancelot, who was still locked in battle with Artoria in the distance.

"My body has already reached this state? Lancelot didn't even use his Noble Phantasm."

Sensing his Master's condition, Lancelot couldn't help but pause.

Seizing his distraction, Artoria charged forward.

The tip of her sword pierced Lancelot's chest in an instant, while her own heart was struck by the blade in his hand.

Looking at Lancelot's stunned expression, Artoria smiled and said:

"Forgive me, Lancelot, My Lord. This is one of the things I've always wanted to do."

"I want to apologize to you. If I had revealed my gender from the start and never married Guinevere, none of us would have ended up in that outcome."

At that moment, the guilt in Lancelot's heart deepened further.

"No, everything is my fault. The reason I participated in the Holy Grail War was to see my King once more, hoping you would personally punish me."

"But I never expected my sins to increase rather than diminish."

"If we can meet again next time, I will not repeat the same mistakes."

As they bowed their heads in mutual apology, their bodies turned into Spirit Particles and gradually vanished.

Seven minus two, the remaining Servants numbered five.

Realizing this, Nero unconsciously looked down at the Crystal in her hand.

A black light flickered, and in an instant, it transformed into a black cup.

"Is this the Holy Grail?"

"It seems so, this is the Holy Grail." Kariya Matou nodded slightly and sighed, "Pity it's been corrupted and can't be used. Your Majesty, how do you plan to dispose of it?"

"Naturally, I'll leave it to my Master to handle."

"That works too. Then, this Holy Grail War ends here..."

Before he finished speaking, the Colosseum's stands, walls, trees, and ground began to fade, turning into countless petals that vanished in an instant.

"Time to leave? Wait a moment, I haven't said goodbye to my Master yet."

As she spoke, Nero flickered and disappeared from Kariya Matou and the others' sight.

"Is it over already?"

Kariya Matou looked puzzled, thinking to himself:

Assassin is still alive, Kirei Kotomine hasn't lost his Master qualification. Is the end of the Holy Grail War judged by the Holy Grail's ownership?

Or did something go wrong on Kirei Kotomine's side, causing Assassin to vanish?

Elsewhere, Shirou, who was comforting Rin Tohsaka alongside Sakura, suddenly noticed the table disappearing. He quickly pulled them up to prevent a fall.

"The City of Rome is vanishing. Is this a sign that the Reality Marble is about to close?"

"Exactly, that's right."

Nero appeared out of thin air beside Shirou, handed him the black Holy Grail, and said with a smile:

"This Holy Grail War is over, and it's time for me to leave."

"Huh...?"

Shirou's face was full of shock. I haven't done anything, just came out for a stroll, and the Holy Grail War is already over?

"Did Kariya do it?"

"That's right, little Master. The Holy Grail is yours to keep. Though it can't grant wishes, it still has collectible value."

"You're leaving just like that?"

Nero seemed in good spirits, laughing for a while before turning serious: "This journey has been very pleasant. Well then... see you in another world, my Emperor's Husband."

Chapter 25: From Today On, Surname Tohsaka

Section 25: Chapter 25: From Today On, Surname Tohsaka

Several days after the Holy Grail War ended, inside the White Mist Space.

"Kariya's dead after all. What a shame." Coachman Shirou remarked.

"It can't be helped." Young Shirou shook his head slightly. "On one hand, he'd rather die than eat a Devil Fruit and turn into a bug; on the other, no one can save someone who's determined to die."

"Didn't you say before that no one actively seeks death?" Celestial Dragon Shirou chuckled lightly.

"I take that back. People are different from people."

With that, Young Shirou extended both hands and said with a subtle expression:

"By the way, something big happened on my end today—something that could affect my future life. It's too troublesome to explain, so let's just shake hands."

"What kind of big thing? Is Kiritsugu Emiya going to adopt you? Or are you becoming Shirou Kotomine again?"

Coachman Shirou suddenly realized and asked in surprise:

"It's not like they'd send me to an orphanage, right?"

"Shake hands."

"Hold on! At least give us time to reason it out."

"Is that necessary? Looks like you're still too well-fed."

Young Shirou sighed in exasperation, then suddenly reached out and touched both of their faces.

The moment skin made contact, fresh memories from the split surged into all three minds at once.

After a long pause, Celestial Dragon Shirou looked puzzled and asked in surprise:

"You were adopted by Aoi Tohsaka? So from now on, your name's Tohsaka Shirou? The Tohsaka family finances?"

"Hearing that from your mouth feels oddly off," Young Shirou frowned, paused, then added, "That's right. From now on, I'm part of the Tohsaka family."

"Tohsaka Shirou..." Celestial Dragon Shirou murmured the name softly, then broke into a grin again. "That name... sounds like you married into the family for Rin Tohsaka."

Coachman Shirou, lost in some thought, glanced around and said casually:

"Isn't that a good thing? Back when I went by Kotomine, I'd visit the Tohsaka house often. My relationship with Rin and Sakura was pretty much like siblings."

"No, to be precise, it's more like brother and younger sister," sighed Shirou, now bearing the Tohsaka name. "After all, Rin's birth month is older than mine."

"Yeah, I can already picture her forcing you to call her 'big sister' at some point."

"Age is just a number. It's not like it's a few months' difference."

"Wait! Do you guys hear something?"

"Huh...?"

Celestial Dragon Shirou and Tohsaka Shirou exchanged a glance, fell silent, and held their breath, straining to listen to the distant sounds.

Soon, a faint snoring reached their ears.