Chapter 586
In other words, this guy is...
"?"
The blonde girl also noticed Shirou in mid-air.
"Who are you?"
The girl spoke in a rude tone, using words with an archaic style.
"This Imperial Mountain belongs to me. You should know the consequences of trespassing without permission."
I will tear you apart, devour your flesh and blood, chew your bones to dust, and throw them by the roadside...
Despite her adorable face, she uttered words that sounded like something out of the old Ishtar.
To be fair, she and the mountain are quite well-matched.
Shirou said, "You must be Ibaraki-dōji?"
The girl looked surprised. "Huh? You know me!?"
That's right... I am the master of this sacred mountain, and I lead the demons of the Origin Thieves here!
Ibaraki-dōji was the last of the seven knights summoned to this era by King Gilgamesh.
It is a well-known yokai in Japan, one of the demons who wreaked havoc in the capital during the Heian period.
Considered a subordinate of Shuten-dōji, who dwells on Mount Ooe, she fought against Watanabe no Tsuna no Tsuna, one of the Four Heavenly Kings, during Minamoto no Raikō's "Demon Extermination on Mount Ooe" expedition with the Four Heavenly Kings.
In the Rashōmon legend, she appears as a "beautiful woman".
According to Shirou, she refused to be disciplined after being summoned by Gilgamesh, and then fled Uruk under the threat of Ushiwakamaru.
The guy I thought was missing is actually still alive, and has amassed an astonishing amount of power and influence.
Ibaraki-dōji frowned as he observed Shirou, noticing that his attire looked somewhat familiar.
"... Are you perhaps an envoy sent by that detestable king?"
Haha, join my ranks! Serving me is far more meaningful than being a weak king!
Although you are not of my kind, you possess the superpower to fly... Hmm, I don't know why, but I'm quite fond of you!
Why not use that strange power you possess for my purposes?
"... I am not Gilgamesh's messenger," Shirou replied.
Ibaraki-dōji blinked. "What? Not sent by that guy to persuade me to surrender?"
Never mind, I'll repeat myself: I will not be at anyone's beck and call!
I am a demon, the lord of Mount Yu, the king of all demons! Go and tell your kings, from now on this place will be ruled by the chief of demons!
Ibaraki-dōji seemed to be busy training his animal friends and was completely unaware of what had happened in the past six months.
Shirou said, "Gilgamesh is long gone. He died a heroic death to fulfill his mission... I am his successor."
Ibaraki-dōji was somewhat surprised.
"Dead? Hmph, what a coward. It was definitely the right decision not to follow that guy."
Ibaraki-dōji's words were excessive, but Shirou wasn't angry.
She had no connection with the King of Heroes, nor any sense of obligation to help Uruk.
A ghost only needs to live freely as a ghost.
Although I sympathize with what you've been through...
Being summoned to this era without authorization and given a job that is not suitable for them, it is understandable that they want to escape.
But I'm sorry, I won't let you do whatever you want anymore.
Ibaraki-dōji and her Magical Beast have occupied the temple of the goddess Ishtar, a situation that cannot be turned a blind eye to.
In the worst-case scenario, the Magical Beast will treat this place as a second Blood Temple, and start capturing humans and breeding their own kind again.
Shirou must nip the problem in the bud before it even begins.
"..."
Ibaraki-dōji sensed the hostility in Shirou's words.
"Human, do you wish to wage war against me?"
The blonde girl burst into laughter.
The human standing in mid-air exhibits very weak magical reactions.
Even at most, it's only one-twentieth of my own, right?
Ibaraki-dōji instinctively judged the relative strength of her and Shirou.
This guy is weak, I can easily take him down!
With that thought in mind, the petite body of the demon of Mount Ooe was enveloped in raging flames.
"If you think I'm still a demon at the Servant level, you're sorely mistaken!"
During the six months I spent on this land, I gradually regained my former strength!
You shall understand with your own life the formidable reputation of Ibaraki-dōji, who once struck fear into the hearts of Heian-kyō!
Ibaraki-dōji slowly raised his right arm.
According to legend, Ibaraki-dōji's right arm was cut off by Watanabe no Tsuna through a trick.
Now, this right arm of the demon, lost and regained, has transformed into a terrifying monster itself.
A gigantic, demonic claw, large enough to tear the earth apart and hot enough to burn everything, aimed at Shirou in mid-air.
But--
"Ibaraki-dōji, I'm truly sorry for causing you any unnecessary misunderstanding."
"?"
The demon girl frowned, as if something was amiss.
"Because Siduri said that a king should share joy with his people, I deliberately suppressed my Spirit Origin output..."
The next instant, an unbelievably vast divine Divine Aura surged across the sky above Mount Ebih.
"Fortunately, Ishtar built the temple in such a remote place where no one comes."
I no longer need to worry about being seen by others, and I can use my power to my heart's content...
Shirou spoke quietly.
Having finally returned to the Age of Gods, all I do every day is work in the temple.
Although the High Priestess helped Shirou relieve a lot of the pressure he had accumulated by using her body, he also needed to release pressure beyond sexual desire.
Ibaraki-dōji's shoulders trembled. "W-what... Are you bluffing?"
You'll soon find out whether it's a bluff or not.
With that, Shirou activated his Noble Phantasm.
It is neither a "Fae Domain" nor a "Inherent Barrier".
That was proof of Shirou's existence as a human who fought in the Seventh Singularity.
It's like a reward for completing a level.
To fight against the God of Origin, they abandoned their humanity and reclaimed their divinity.
The end of the road that Shirou Amamiya reached as a mortal.
"--"The world, it too, must obey the law of an end (nammu duranki)."
At that moment, ripples called "Spacetime Quake" appeared beneath the boy's feet.
Soon, a large amount of black mud overflowed from that turbulent and unstable spacetime.
If Ibaraki-dōji had participated in the Tiamat campaign, he would know what this thing was.
The oldest substance on the planet, the primordial ocean from which life Origin, the Chaos Tide.
Although Ibaraki-dōji didn't know what it was, a feeling he had never experienced before welled up in his chest.
It is fear.
Why am I scared even though it's a ghost?
If Shuten found out, he would definitely laugh at her, but the girl didn't care about that anymore...
"--!"
The Chaos Tide that was eroding the world suddenly shattered like a mirror.
The void shattered.
A hand reached out from the Imaginary Space on the other side of the Chaos Tide and grasped Shirou from bottom to top.
"Ah??"
Ibaraki-dōji craned his neck to its limit and opened his mouth to its widest extent.
"How is this possible... You... What exactly are you...?"
The sight that the demon leader saw, his eyes wide open, was—
Shirou's figure disappeared, replaced by a black and purple giant over a hundred meters tall.
The giant, simply by standing there, seemed as tall as the sacred mountain.
Wrong...
Although they stand on two legs, giants are perhaps closer to dragons or beasts than to humanoid beings.
It possesses an extremely rich Dragon Kind characteristics.
It has magnificent and imposing horns, ferocious cross-shaped pupils, and a jaw full of fangs.
The Wings that sprouted from the back of the black giant were like rolling black clouds that blotted out the sun.
The god of the end times has descended here.
Volume 8: 369 Shirou, skilled at taming beasts
"..."
Tiamat (the young girl) put down the kitchen knife in her hand and suddenly looked up.
Those eyes, reflecting the Inner Sea of the Planet, gazed at the dim sky of the Underworld, as if they could see the distant surface of the earth through layers of shadows.
The Goddess of Creation sensed it--
Shirou is now connected to his true form (the Sea of Origin).
Just as the literal meaning of fusion suggests, it represents a state where you are in me and I am in you.
"What's wrong, Mother?" Ereshkigal asked curiously.
Tiamat paused for a moment, then said:
"Shirou... I've finally united with my mother... Hehe, I'm so happy."
"Huh? Oh?"
Ereshkigal blushed. "Mother... what do you mean by this union?"
Union? Is that what you mean by union?
Tiamat shook her head. "It's nothing."
Ereshkigal sighed, "Alright, if there's nothing wrong, stop looking around. Aren't we still cooking?"
It was clearly her mother who said, "Even in the Underworld, we can't be idle; I want to prepare a bento for Shirou."
Since you've said that, let's get to work... Look, this is chopped too finely."
"Yes, Mother knows. I'm sorry, please don't be angry."
Tiamat and Ereshkigal are preparing Shirou's lunchbox for tomorrow noon.
Crops cannot be grown in the Underworld; the only living things are the Azaka Shirou left behind.