Chapter 833
In the morning, at the Amamiya Residence's dojo, two people wielded bamboo swords in the morning light, the sound of the wooden swords clashing together crisp and rhythmic.
Afterwards, she sat on the veranda wiping her sweat, Shirou went to the kitchen to help, and then they all enjoyed a hearty breakfast together.
At noon, she would bring Shirou's forgotten lunchbox to school to find him.
The two went to the rooftop together and shared lunch under the blue sky.
In the evening, she and Shirou walked side by side through the shopping street, discussing whether to eat salmon or chicken that night.
When passing by a red bean cake stall, Shirou would stop, buy two, and then give one to himself.
The setting sun cast long, long Shadow of the two people, which overlapped and became inseparable.
In the evening, laughter from a variety show came from the television in the living room.
She stood by the kitchen sink washing dishes, while Shirou wiped plates beside her, and the two chatted casually about what had happened that day.
It had nothing to do with war, nothing to do with the fate of Britain, nothing to do with the future of humanity—just some trivial, meaningless, yet heartwarming chatter.
Even for me... can I live like an ordinary woman?
The goddess didn't ask the question aloud; she just thought about it in her mind and then shook her head.
"Artoria."
Shirou reached out his hand to her.
The Lion King stared at that hand for a long time, then slowly shifted his gaze elsewhere.
"Sorry."
She didn't reach out to shake his hand.
"I can't live with Shirou."
Shirou frowned.
"Although you've confessed your feelings to me, it's too late."
The goddess's voice returned to calm, as calm as a frozen winter lake.
"I'm no longer the Artoria you knew... The girl you remember is nowhere to be found."
She looked down at her hands.
Long, slender, fair fingers, the fingertips gleaming with a luster that seemed otherworldly.
"I am nothing but an empty shell now, not even a woman."
I cannot empathize with humans, and I cannot regard humans other than Shirou as life forms equal to myself.
She paused for a moment.
Even my beloved Shirou... I only see you as a tool to achieve my goals.
I have hurt and betrayed you time and time again.
Someone like me doesn't deserve to stay by your side at all.
"I don't care about that kind of thing at all --"
That's enough.
The goddess interrupted him with a resolute tone.
I lost.
I will no longer be obsessed with saving Britain, nor will I cause Shirou any more trouble.
So, let's leave it at that.
"Etc!"
Shirou reached out and grabbed her wrist, his fingertips brushing against her skin—
But it passed right through.
It was like catching a gust of wind, a wisp of fog, or a wisp of smoke about to dissipate.
His fingers slipped through the goddess's wrist, but he grasped nothing.
"Why... Artoria, your body!?"
The Lion King's expression remained unchanged, as if he had known this would happen all along.
"A lion that has lost its kingdom has no reason to continue existing."
"Just wander alone like this, until I disappear completely."
The gods who once ruled this planet vanished thousands of years ago—their power manifested as natural phenomena, and their souls returned to the Inner Sea of the Planet.
The reason why the Goddess Rhongomyniad can continue to exist in the modern era is because the source of her power is the fabric used to replace the era of gods.
Even so, she was inevitably affected by the Counter Force from both the planet and humanity.
To this day, The Lion King has been fighting the Counter Force with his sole belief in saving Britain.
The so-called King of Storms and Wild Hunt are nothing more than vengeful spirits left on the earth.
Since it is a vengeful spirit, it has the potential to become a Buddha.
When the goddess's obsession fades, her existence will also become less significant.
Now, the Lion King has given up on his dream.
It wasn't because of failure, but because she finally admitted it.
After the fall of Britain, and after meeting Shirou, she reclaimed her womanhood.
"It's nothing. I've lived like this for the past 1,500 years, and nothing will change in the future."
"Probably in a few hundred years, I will transform into a natural phenomenon and disappear completely."
The goddess quietly recounted her final words.
"Thank you, Shirou... for letting me feel that long-lost heartbeat at the very end."
"Wait, wait, wait! What are you doing saying goodbye to, talking to yourself all this time?"
Just as Shirou was about to angrily step forward to argue with her, laughter that seemed completely out of place in the atmosphere rang out.
"Shirou, you got dumped, huh? Heh~"
A soft laugh came from behind, and a slender arm wrapped around Shirou's waist.
Although the force wasn't great, the coldness transmitted through his skin made Shirou freeze.
With her other hand, she pinched the boy's chin; her long, slender fingers resembled a snake in winter.
"!!!"
Shirou turned his head and saw a woman whose face was covered by a black veil.
"Who are you...!"
The Lion King stared in astonishment, his face, which had already given up on everything, now showing utter shock.
Why are you here...?
A woman in a black dress pressed close to the boy from behind, stroking his face with her long, slender fingers as if she were handling a delicate work of art.
Her gaze passed over Shirou's shoulder, locking directly onto the goddess with a hint of almost provocative pleasure.
The evening breeze lifted a corner of her black veil, revealing her upturned lips.
It was a bewitching, enigmatic smile.
The Fae Consort, a witch from the Pan-Human History who had met Shirou several times in the past.
She is also the older sister of Artoria Pendragon, Morgan le Fay.
Her laughter was as sweet and dangerous as honey laced with poison.
"My foolish sister, since you no longer need this child..."
The witch brought her lips close to Shirou's ear, speaking both to the boy and as a declaration of war against the goddess.
"Then I'll accept Shirou without hesitation."
"!!!"
The Lion King clenched his fists in frustration.
"What... what's going on...?"
In the illusionary world, Illya stared blankly at the Pure White Beast that appeared before her.
It resembles both a cat and a dog, and also has physical characteristics of a rabbit and a squirrel, but it's definitely not that cute little animal...
Like a giant beast from a tokusatsu movie, it roared, opened its blood-red maw, and unleashed a shockwave filled with intense magic.
"Waaaaah...!!"
Illya quickly set up her defenses, which prevented her from being blown away.
Its roar alone is so powerful; if you were to be touched by its claws, the consequences would be unimaginable.
What exactly is that monster?
Just as Illya was at a loss, Chloe rushed forward.
"Wait, Kuro! This is dangerous!"
Chloe swung her twin swords at the White Beast, but it merely wagged its tail and sent the girl flying.
"Are you alright, Kuro?"
"Ah... it's nothing... even though my body is so huge, I'm so agile..."
Chloe stood up from the ruins and wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth.
"This is astonishing... Is this beast the true form of True Magic ☆ Meli?"
"Ruby, do you understand?" Illya asked her wand for help.
"Hmm, so that means..."
"That means?"
"True Magic Girl Meli's true identity is actually the mascot of Magical Girl anime!"
"How is that possible?!"
Illya dodged the White Beast's attacks while making sarcastic remarks.
"Hoo hoo hoo, as expected of Miss Illya, she doesn't forget her mission even at a time like this."
Don't make me sound like all I do is complain!
While flying through the air, Illya turned her head and fired a magic bullet while spitting it out.
"Fire!"
It's not as effective as I expected.
The magic bullet struck the White Beast's fur, but didn't even leave a scorch mark.
"As expected, it didn't work. Although Miss Illya's magic output has recovered, the enemy's magic power is on a completely different level from that of the Heroic Spirit."
If we're only talking about magical reaction, it's even better than the goddess from before.
This was an enemy that she and Kuro couldn't defeat on their own, Illya quickly came to terms with reality.
"The enemy doesn't seem like someone we can communicate with... By the way, where are Rin and the others!?"
The girl immediately thought of her only helper at the moment.
But they haven't made a sound since they were knocked away.
Ruby: "It seems they've just passed out. Those two are pretty tough, so they should be fine."
"Ruby, you're so mean..."
I should be a little worried about them, though I kind of think so too, Illya thought.