Journey to Find Heroic Spirits

"Yes," Emiya nodded.

Receiving an affirmative answer, Kiritsugu fell silent. His rational analysis had been correct, and his intuition hadn't deceived him.

But this answer was beyond his expectations, striking a heavy blow to the dead sea of his heart.

Is this my end?

Emiya continued, "I inherited your ideal and became an ally of justice. I've been doing what I believe is just all over the world. In the end, I signed a contract with the Counter Force, constantly killing, killing to save. Mountains of white bones piled up beneath me, and I eventually became numb. This is my end, the end of an ally of justice."

His expression turned sorrowful. This was the past he was most unwilling to bring up. Now, he told Kiritsugu all of it, hoping to bring him salvation and make him abandon that tragic ideal.

Hearing Emiya's words, Yuxian felt a pang of sympathy. He walked over, patted Emiya's shoulder, and comforted him, "You are a true hero, Emiya. You are the ally of justice, and no one will deny it."

Yuxian admired people like Emiya, who could consistently uphold their sense of justice from the bottom of his heart. How many people in this world could achieve what he had?

His actions were worthy of respect.

"Thank you, Shirou."

Kiritsugu dropped the cigarette butt in his hand and spoke again, his tone very sincere.

He was not a hesitant person. Since the desired outcome could not be achieved, he would decisively abandon it.

He turned his gaze to Yuxian and asked, "What should we do? You must have already made plans."

Yuxian nodded at him, then looked towards Artoria on the other side.

Chapter 18: This Time I Will Sleep Longer

At this moment, the King of Knights was no longer as spirited as before. Her expression was mournful, and her gaze was somewhat vacant.

Losing the Holy Grail, their hope, was a far greater blow to her than it was to Kiritsugu. Kiritsugu could decisively abandon everything when he realized his goal was unattainable.

Artoria couldn't. All her tragic aspirations were pinned on the Holy Grail. Now that her hope was shattered, she felt as if she had lost everything and was without direction.

Mash supported her, and even the gentle junior student didn't know how to comfort Artoria.

This outcome was cruel to her, but Yuxian had to do it. Only then would she awaken. This was ten thousand times better than what she had envisioned for herself.

If she had truly made that unrealistic wish to the Holy Grail and become a dog of the Counter Force, it would have been even more cruel to her.

Yuxian couldn't imagine what the situation would be if her knights received this news.

Given the Knights of the Round Table's loyalty to her, they would surely go mad and do unthinkable things.

Walking up to her, Yuxian said softly, "It's time to wake up from your dream..."

He pointed to the hole in the sky that was continuously spewing Black Mud. "Wake this dream yourself with the sword in your hand."

Yuxian could have made Kiritsugu use a Command Spell to force her to shatter the hole, but he wanted Artoria to make the decision with her own will.

He wanted her to take action herself, to follow her heart and break free from that unrealistic fantasy.

Yuxian believed she could do it. She was the renowned King of Knights, admired by many.

She possessed such spirit; it was merely temporarily clouded by a little confusion. As long as she awakened herself, she would surely succeed.

She would not disappoint them.

Artoria's face was filled with sorrow, and the hand holding her sword began to tremble. Her heart was trembling.

She had to personally sever her dream with her own sword. She had no choice; she had to do it.

She wanted to be an ideal king, but first and foremost, she was a knight.

As the King of Great Britain and the Lord of Camelot, she had many shortcomings. But as a knight, she was a model for all knights, the knight among knights, the King of Knights.

Humility, Honor, Sacrifice, Valor, Compassion, Honesty, Justice, Soul.

The code of chivalry told her to eliminate evil and protect the weak.

"Miss Artoria..." Mash's face showed distress, and she began to speak.

Artoria raised her hand to stop Mash, preventing her from saying more.

She composed herself, stood up straight, her eyes becoming resolute. In this moment, she transformed back into the invincible King of Knights, holding the Excalibur, admired by countless people.

She raised the golden sword high and loudly proclaimed its true name—

Excalibur

A blinding sword light streaked across, illuminating the dark Great Chasm as if it were day. It was dazzling, yet people couldn't help but gaze at it.

This brilliant light seemed to cleanse the soul, instilling strength in the hearts of those who saw it.

The hole in the sky shattered, and Black Mud poured down like rain. This Black Mud was like a curse; if it touched someone, their spirit would be corrupted.

Mash immediately raised her shield and, without hesitation, released its true name—

Lord Camelot

Towering walls stood before everyone, shielding them from the contamination of the Black Mud.

As long as the heart did not yield, the walls of this chalk-white city of Camelot would never collapse.

Looking at the familiar city walls before her, Artoria seemed to return to her domain, her Camelot.

Her expression softened, her body slowly faded, her eyes filled with reluctance and nostalgia, but more than anything, with release.

Yuxian softly murmured, "I look forward to meeting you again, my King."

On Camlann, Artoria awoke from her slumber to find Bedivere, the last knight to serve by her side, before her.

"Return this sword to the Lady of the Lake."

After giving this final command to Bedivere, she closed her eyes once more, leaning against a tree, her heart filled with relief.

She no longer yearned for the Holy Grail, accepting her predetermined fate, and her contract with Alaya vanished along with it.

"This time, I will—sleep a little longer—"

The rain of Black Mud finally stopped.

Without the support of the Greater Grail's magic, these disgusting things slowly dissipated with time.

The Fourth Holy Grail War in Fuyuki City had finally come to an end.

Yuxian could finally breathe a sigh of relief, the taut string of his nerves finally able to relax.

In the center of the Great Chasm, as the Black Mud receded, Irisviel, who had been buried beneath, gradually revealed herself.

Illya let out a cry and tried to run to Irisviel's side.

But someone reacted faster than her. Kiritsugu took several quick steps and instantly rushed to Irisviel's side, holding her tightly in his arms.

"Irisviel..."

Kiritsugu, who never showed his emotions, was weeping tears of joy at this moment.

He hugged his wife tightly, the woman he deeply loved. Never before had he felt such fear of loss, never before had he so desperately wished for a miracle.

He had lost almost everything for the sake of his ideals; at this moment, he didn't want to lose anything more.

"Kiritsugu..."

Hearing Kiritsugu's call, Irisviel slowly awoke. She softly called Kiritsugu's name, reaching out to caress the tears at the corners of his eyes.

Kiritsugu eagerly grabbed Irisviel's hand and placed it on his cheek, feeling that familiar tenderness.

His wife was still alive; he hadn't lost her.

Kiritsugu Emiya could no longer maintain his composure and began to sob loudly, releasing the emotions pent up inside him. He cried like a child, unrestrainedly...

Yuxian had no confidence that Irisviel would survive. To still be alive under those circumstances could be called a miracle.

It must have been the Avalon within her that protected her. The isolated Ideal Land, truly worthy of being called the strongest defensive Noble Phantasm.

Not a bad ending.

In fact, Illya also played a part in this. If not for Illya's strange little bottle of medicine, Irisviel wouldn't have held on until that final moment.

Illya's medicine carried her wish for everyone to be happy, and fortunately, it truly achieved the result Illya desired.

The potions, which usually had all sorts of strange effects, miraculously produced the most fitting outcome for Illya's wishes at that moment.

ps: The unreachable Lancer, cries...

Chapter 19: Grow Up Quickly, Sakura

The Holy Grail War had ended, but the Greater Grail still existed. Yuxian informed Kiritsugu of this matter.

Kiritsugu stated that he would handle it and ensure the complete dissolution of the Greater Grail.

The days without the Holy Grail War were simple, yet warm. This was the life Yuxian had wanted.

With free time, Yuxian asked Emiya to teach him Projection Magic, something he had planned for a long time.

Emiya said with surprise, "Master, you never had the patience to learn Projection Magic before. Why are you suddenly interested now?"

Yuxian argued, "Crisis awareness! Do you understand crisis awareness!"

He didn't know what kind of image he had in Chaldea before, but he guessed it was the extremely lazy type, which fit his past personality quite well.

Yuxian wanted to continue being lazy, but considering the various situations he would encounter in the future, he felt uneasy without learning some skills.

Emiya patiently taught Yuxian, dissecting the details of Projection Magic piece by piece, making it easy for even a beginner like Yuxian to understand.

Perhaps Yuxian's aptitude for magecraft was indeed good, or perhaps it was Emiya's teaching. Yuxian quickly mastered the techniques of Projection Magic.

"The rest will depend on Master practicing more and gradually becoming proficient."

Emiya smiled with satisfaction upon seeing Yuxian succeed in projection after such a short period of study.

Yuxian didn't expect to be able to use Projection Magic to Emiya's level; that was unrealistic.

He only needed to master the method of using Projection Magic and be able to project items when necessary.

A few days later, at Tokiomi Tohsaka's funeral, Yuxian attended with Sakura.

Although he had promised Rin he would take Sakura to see her, he hadn't expected it to be on such an occasion.

Sakura cried heartbrokenly; in her heart, Tokiomi Tohsaka was still her father.

Losing a father was an incredibly painful thing for a six-year-old girl.

Rin Tohsaka suppressed her grief, not shedding tears in front of her sister. She hugged Sakura and comforted her softly.

Only a year older than Sakura, she showed the responsibility of an older sister, appearing very strong at this moment.

Yuxian watched them quietly from a distance, not disturbing them. What the two sisters needed now was to lean on each other to get through this difficult time.

Many people attended Tokiomi's funeral, from all walks of life, and the ceremony was solemn.

Although Yuxian inwardly looked down on Tokiomi Tohsaka a little, he had to admit that he could be called a winner in life, lacking nothing in wealth or status, and his wife and daughters were quite outstanding.

Apart from his wish to reach the Root, he truly lacked nothing else in his life.

Recalling the funeral of Kariya Matou not long ago, which only had a handful of attendees, Yuxian felt a pang of emotion. Tokiomi Tohsaka still had to bear the blame he deserved.

After the funeral, Sakura reluctantly said goodbye to Rin.

Makiri Sakura was deeply affected by Tokiomi's death, becoming frail and confined to a wheelchair.

Sakura walked up to her, threw herself into her embrace, and softly called out, "Mom."

Makiri Sakura stroked Sakura's hair, constantly giving her instructions. Sakura nodded obediently, without a hint of impatience.

On the way back, Yuxian held Sakura's small hand, walking slowly. He wanted to give Sakura more time to recover from her recent sadness.

After spending some time together, Sakura had gradually become more familiar with Yuxian and was no longer as shy as she was at the beginning.

She was a well-behaved child, always quiet wherever she was, lacking the liveliness expected of her age.