Chapter 469

[Editor's note: This chapter breaks our content rules, so it has been condensed into a summary of its story events.]

The scorpion-like beast commander Girtablilu unleashes its full strength, growing into a gigantic, heavily armored monster. Tomoe Gozen fears it has become too powerful to stop, but Shirou remains calm. Rather than fight it head-on, he uses powerful magical eyes to immobilize it, then beheads it with his sword, Yamato.

Afterward, Shirou finds himself in a dreamlike vision, hearing a sorrowful song over a barren, primordial ocean. He tries to contact Merlin but receives no answer. Fighting to stay alert, he recognizes the lonely woman singing above the sea as Tiamat, the ancient creator goddess and mother of life.

Tiamat approaches him with overwhelming joy but keeps her distance, afraid of hurting him or being rejected again. Sensing her love and loneliness, Shirou introduces himself, embraces her, and assures her that she need not hold back out of fear that he will hate her. She finally returns his embrace and experiences a rare moment of peace and happiness. Shirou then awakens beneath the trees, with sunlight shining through the leaves.