Chapter 642

Incidentally, Ishtar has already returned to Uruk.

After all, if she weren't there, Gugalanna appeared out of nowhere near the Persia Gulf, Siduri and the others would probably have a heart attack.

In this way, Shirou's purpose for this trip can be considered accomplished.

What remains is the cleanup work after the Holy Grail War.

More than twenty hours have passed since Shirou arrested Francesca, the mastermind behind the Holy Grail War.

Shirou handed her over to El-Melloi Classroom, where they, along with the police, would be responsible for the investigation and evidence collection.

The Greater Grail will be safely dismantled by Lord El-Melloi II and Rin Tohsaka, who have relevant experience.

The "Aurora Fall" project and its subsequent "Prosperity of the Abyss" plan were halted.

Those who colluded with Francesca are currently being apprehended, and their capture is only a matter of time.

Now only one question remains --

"Shirou."

"!"

Suddenly, a dark figure silently appeared beside Shirou, startling Tiné and Haruri.

"Assassin... He's still alive!?"

Ignoring the girls' surprised shouts, the True Assassin slowly turned to Shirou and reported.

"Xiaochun is out of danger and is now being cared for by Sigma... I came here specifically to thank you, thank you."

"Tsubaki is out of danger, that's great... but I didn't do anything."

The assassin girl stared intently at Shirou, then shook her head.

"No, thank you so much."

Although Shirou completely denied it, she clearly sensed something while spending the entire night with Tsubaki Kuruoka.

--In the quiet of the night, a presence crept into the room where she and Chun were.

When he left the hospital, people there and the police said Tsubaki Kuruoka had at most three days to live.

At first, the True Assassin didn't believe it, because the girl had miraculously awakened from her vegetative state.

However—that was merely a final burst of energy before death.

The day after leaving the hospital, Tsubaki Kuruoka's condition deteriorated rapidly; she became unconscious and developed a high fever.

By the evening of the third day, even her magical reactions had become extremely weak.

"I probably won't survive tonight..." the True Assassin thought sadly.

Just as Assassin held Tsubaki Kuruoka's hand, spending the last moments of the girl's life with her—

Death God has arrived.

The True Assassin initially mistook the deathly aura entering the room for an enemy attack, but upon closer inspection, he discovered that the other party was not hostile.

Could it be that Rider (the Pale Rider) has returned...? But something doesn't seem quite right.

Although both exude an aura of death, they are slightly different from Rider.

The assassin girl knew that difference; she had experienced it firsthand many times in the past few days in the real world.

It is Divine Aura from paganism.

An aura of death of unknown origin enveloped Tsubaki Kuruoka.

As the True Assassin hesitated whether to drive away the uninvited guest, she saw a faint smile appear on the girl's face.

Did I have a happy dream?

Having realized this, the True Assassin did nothing more.

Then the next morning--

Tsubaki Kuruoka miraculously opened her eyes again and was able to move freely.

When asked about her situation, the girl said she had a dream last night.

Deep underground.

The silhouette of a long, narrow cage, the ghostly pale firelight, gently enveloped me.

Assassin felt it was incredible and unbelievable, so he called the police to investigate Tsubaki Kuruoka.

The conclusion was that the pathogens infecting the Tsubaki Kuruoka * had completely disappeared.

"So what exactly happened? Shirou, what did you do to Tsubaki Kuruoka?" the True Assassin asked.

Shirou said calmly, "Didn't I say I didn't do anything..."

If you must express gratitude, then thank the goddess of the Land of the Dead.

The wise and virtuous goddess decreed that Xiaochun's soul, which was originally intended to be accepted, would remain in the mortal realm.

"I see. Shirou asked a certain goddess for a favor..."

Assassin said earnestly, "If possible, please allow me to meet that goddess. I would like to formally express my gratitude to her."

Although she is an incompatible pagan god, her compassion is deeply moving.

"Your intention is enough, Ereshkigal... She's gone now."

She and Ishtar were merely echoes left on earth by the gods.

When Ishtar built a temple on earth and called upon Gugalanna, her Authority was restored to a level close to that of the divine being.

However, after Gugalanna was sent back to Uruk in Parallel World...

After Filia was temporarily put to sleep in preparation for dismantling the Greater Grail.

Then there would be no place for them in this world.

"Really... nothing was left behind... Lady Ishtar..."

Haruri looked sad.

Goddess... even though you say that, you still love humans deep down, don't you...?

That's why she could face her disappearance so calmly; I definitely couldn't do that.

I'm so unwilling to accept this...

The goddess was so dazzling, yet she vanished without leaving a trace...

"It's not that nothing was left behind."

"Mr. Shirou?"

Haruri blinked, and then she heard Shirou say something.

Even if Ishtar was merely an echo of a god, even if he only appeared briefly in the world for a few days—

But traces of her existence must have been recorded by Human Order.

Ishtar didn't fail to return to the Inner Sea of the Planet; rather, she returned to her seat along with the other Heroic Spirit, becoming part of the unified concept of the goddess Ishtar.

For the Heroic Spirit Throne, who have no concept of time, perhaps it is precisely because of her experience of living alongside humans that the possibility arises that "Rin Tohsaka could become Ishtar's vessel."

Haruri's eyes widened in surprise. "You mean... Ishtar (Filia) is actually the Origin of Ishtar (Rin Tohsaka)?"

"Is it because the goddess has experienced the trials of the modern world that she is willing to accept a girl from the modern world?"

"It's just my guess... Of course, she herself would never admit it," Shirou said with a smile.

It's almost time to leave.

As the sun rose above the horizon, a figure appeared in the forest.

"I've come to pick up my Master."

The green-haired Servant walked up to Shirou and the others as he spoke.

At that moment, Haruri suddenly spoke up, "Lancer, have you considered letting this child come with us to Uruk?"

The girl suggested to Enkidu that she take the silver wolf with her.

She believes that Silver Wolf, like herself, is a victim of this Magecraft world, and has nowhere to belong in this era.

"Well, I've actually considered that option, but..."

Enkidu crouched down and stroked the silver wolf's fur. "Master, it seems it wants to stay in this world."

"Once the Greater Grail is completely dismantled, you will disappear on your own. Who will take care of it then?"

"Yes, I've certainly considered that, so I took some time to discuss it with my allies."

"Ayaka has expressed her willingness to raise my Master."

After discussing with Saber, Enkidu decided to entrust his Master to Sajyou Ayaka for care.

A natural spirit (Sajyou Ayaka) and an artificial spirit (a chimera)...?

Furthermore, Sajyou Ayaka is currently unaware of her true identity.

Shirou frowned and reminded him, "It's going to be tough."

"I said the same thing to Ayaka."

Enkidu repeated the other party's answer, "She said, 'I have already come to this realization.'"

"Well, with the people from El-Melloi Classroom around, they probably won't just leave her alone."

Shirou decided he shouldn't worry too much.

"So..."

The matter has been explained in detail, and there should be nothing missing.

"Let's go, Mr. Shirou."

Haruri urged.

But Shirou remained standing there, unmoved.

Oh, right.

There really is one last thing to do; I almost forgot because I was so busy.

"Assassin, please take Haruri and Tiné to a safe place."

"?"

The assassin girl was momentarily confused, frowning as she observed Shirou's expression. When she came to her senses, she sighed helplessly.

"... Fool."

Assassin picked up Haruri and Tiné, one in each arm, and had Silver Wolf follow him.

Shirou and Enkidu, who remained behind, exchanged glances.

"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."

"It's alright, hehe... Finally, no one's bothering us anymore."

No words were needed; they gazed at each other in tacit understanding.

Although the Holy Grail War has ended, sometimes battles don't need a reason at all.

That's the situation now.

"Let me see for myself just how strong you really are."

Enkidu couldn't wait any longer and opened his arms wide.

The magic hidden underground within a radius of several kilometers of Snowfield began to gather towards the ground beneath his feet.

"Speaking of which, that attack that defeated Gil really did have a limited number of uses, huh? You've already run out of uses for it?"

"Even without using the Excalibur Works, I'm more than capable of dealing with you."

Enkidu frowned slightly. "He doesn't know how to accept other people's kindness."

If you want to find excuses for failure, do it now. Don't wait until you lose, or people will look down on you.

Shirou dismissed the spearman's provocative remarks.