Chapter 697

Its field far surpasses the knowledge and wisdom that humanity has accumulated over only a few thousand years.

"... Shirou- sama!"

Leinys tried to remind him to stop using that thing (the belt) and at least use a Projection Noble Phantasm to fight back.

But Shirou turned around and gave her a reassuring look.

"... Ugh."

Although she was still very scared, Leinys decided to trust him this once.

The blonde girl watched Shirou's retreating figure and heard the call of the King of Storms.

"Take this, Thirteen Fangs!"

The pitch-black vortex of magic was almost like an underground storm, with its violent energy raging and destroying everything around it.

Although it is extremely small in size, the power contained within it surpasses that of a real hurricane.

The magic sliced through the cave ceiling, then slowly reversed, gradually converging into the inside of the Black Holy Lance.

There wasn't even a chance to pray.

From the Miko's lips came the incantation to unleash the true name of her Noble Phantasm.

"Shining in... the spear of the end (Rhongomyniad)" --!!

Almost simultaneously, Shirou also unleashed his Noble Phantasm.

"Forever wandering... the spear of the end (Rhongomyniad)"--!!

The Light of the End released by the genuine Noble Phantasm and the toy that wasn't even a fake engulfed everything.

Pitch black and pale.

Two beams of light from the far end collided in the center of the tomb chamber, unleashing unimaginable energy.

This forced Leinys to close her eyes.

The roar was deafening, and the entire Catacombs shook violently.

After a long time, the blonde girl sensed the burning light gradually fading through her eyelids, and she opened her eyes—

Shirou was still standing there, the pseudo- Holy Lance in his hand had turned to ashes, but he himself was unharmed.

Opposite him, the Artoria the Miko knelt on one knee, the Holy Lance in her hand returning to calm from its berserk state.

The Holy Lance duel ended in Shirou's victory.

"This... how is this possible..."

The Artoria the Miko wore an expression of disbelief and trembling.

"This body is already the perfect Artoria, and I have pushed the power of Rhongomyniad to its limit... that's right."

There is no reason to lose.

She possesses greater power and magic than Shirou.

Although the Holy Lance Rhongomyniad in her hand was Projection of the Tower at the End of the World, it was far superior to the inferior version of the Holy Lance that Shirou had casually forged.

There's no reason for us to lose.

Not only her, but Leinys thought the same way.

She had assumed Shirou would win through strategy, but to her surprise, he simply went straight for it and won.

"What exactly happened? Why...?"

A sound mingled with despair and anger echoed throughout the space.

"Even if I sacrifice Gray, I still can't become the real Artoria...!"

"..."

Shirou remained silent, then walked up to her, gripping the Erosion Blade Gold.

The Artoria the Miko looked up at Shirou and asked in a very sorrowful tone.

"My king, what is it that I lack... what am I missing?"

At first, she only communicated with everyone coldly through her longing, as if she had completely forgotten about this incident, revealing...

Intense emotions.

"Artoria."

Shirou looked at her with great sympathy and asked.

"Did you properly verify Gray's identity when you absorbed her?"

"What's the meaning...?"

Upon hearing his question, the Artoria the Miko frowned in confusion.

"I couldn't confirm it, because she was always... wearing a hood... so..."

Shirou said calmly, "Perhaps in your memory, Gray was an introverted child who always wore a hood."

However, since I took her from the village three years ago, she has gradually become able to show her face to the public.

Humans are creatures that grow; she doesn't seem to have covered her face with a hood for the past year.

You were unaware of these things, which had been hidden underground for three years.

"!!!"

The Artoria the Miko's eyes widened.

If it wasn't Gray that I absorbed back then, then who was it!?

Just then, a new commotion arose in the underground space.

Everyone turned around to look—and then they saw someone who should absolutely not be there.

Gray came running over, panting.

Instead of wearing the grey hooded cape that was so distinctive, she changed into a clean and neat Western-style dress.

"Where have you been all this time?" Leinys asked.

"I asked Mr. Bersac, and he told me that the King went to the church's crypt to look for me... More than that..."

Gray looked at the Artoria the Miko with a surprised expression.

"You are... what's with that face...!?"

Gray certainly knew of the existence of the Corpse King, because she was another version of herself in the world.

They exist in opposition as Artoria's "ideal" and "reality," and have known about the existence of the Corpse King since Gray awakened ten years ago.

As the "real" Gray, she has a face that is not her own.

She used to be very insecure and always hid her face with a hood.

But later, with Wang's guidance, she regained her confidence and gradually stopped hating that face.

On the other hand, the "ideal" Corpse King does not possess a face of his own.

That's why she always wears a mask, because behind the mask—there's nothing.

"What's going on? Why is Gray here? Shouldn't you have been absorbed!?"

"Huh? Absorption? What's going on? What happened while I was gone!?!"

Gray was utterly astonished by the Artoria the Miko's face; she seemed completely bewildered by the situation.

Leinys looked at Shirou.

It now appears that Shirou discovered the truth during his battle with the Artoria the Miko.

Shirou said, "Gray, tell everyone what happened... If you tell them, they'll understand."

The Silver-haired girl blinked in confusion, then spoke.

"Um... after I argued with Wang, I went straight home..."

It's a little embarrassing to say, but my mom could tell right away that I had just been crying, and she kept asking me what happened...

I told her that I had accidentally injured His Majesty, and she told me to change into a beautiful dress and attend the village celebration that evening, where I could apologize to His Majesty...

After I changed my clothes, my mother disappeared and locked me in the house. Add was also taken away...

"Ah."

Leinys had already grasped what had happened. "How could such a thing happen..."

Not only her— the Artoria the Miko also stared wide-eyed. "How could this happen...?"

The moment she realized the truth, the face she was covering with her hands began to change rapidly.

"Huh? What happened? What exactly happened?"

Gray looked back and forth between the two, puzzled. Shirou then told her the truth—

"Your mother disguised herself as you and came here to be absorbed by the Corpse King."

"... Huh?"

Gray stared blankly.

When she looked at the Corpse King again, her features had changed from Artoria's face to the face of the woman she knew best.

"Mother...?"

Several seconds passed before Gray snapped out of her daze and asked, "Why?"

Why did Mom do that!?

"Well, of course, it's to protect you," Shirou explained.

"If the village finds out about the argument you had with me, the plans that were temporarily shelved may very well be brought back to the agenda."

Last time I stood against the majority and stopped the villagers, but this time I might not be on your side, Gray.

That's probably what your mother thought.

Gray asked in astonishment, "Mom tricked the Corpse King into taking over her body before everyone found out?"

Shirou nodded. "Yes, that way, no one will ever take my daughter away again."

Leinys stroked her chin. "I see. The Corpse King did not obtain Gray's body; she only obtained the body of the God Child's mother."

Even though she was Gray's mother, a blood relative, she was a flawed product who failed to become Miko; her body was far from qualified for Artoria's.

The ritual failed; the Miko's fusion was not perfect.

That's why he lost the Holy Lance duel; even with "World Correction," he couldn't beat Shirou.

"This... is not right!!"

Gray suddenly shouted, and everyone turned to look at her.

The girl exclaimed excitedly, "My mother has supported my fusion with her for a long time. How could she possibly risk her life to stop the plan?"

Because my mother was so devout, she wanted me to become a true Miko more than anyone else.

So I've thought about it before... if it could fulfill my mother's wish, I would willingly accept the plan.

How could someone like her suddenly ruin the village's plans for my sake?

"That... that's her acting," Shirou said.

"Acting skills?"

After Gray asked that question, Shirou nodded and replied.

"That's right, your mother might have the talent of an actress. She not only fooled the Corpse King, but also the villagers and her own daughter."

She never wanted Gray to be taken away from her from the beginning, so she pretended to cooperate with everyone for the past ten years.

She had been planning to replace her daughter with herself for a long time, but it didn't work out because of my appearance three years ago.

This is why she was able to act so decisively—this time, she had to protect Gray.