Each speck of light that touched the ground once again condensed into swords. This familiar sight made Emiya realize that he was still within his Reality Marble.
Or rather, this was not just a Reality Marble but the world deep within his heart, the ntal landscape that carried his thoughts and will.
The spirits who had exhausted their strength to pave the way for his victory were no longer here. The powerful Scorpion Beast Antares had also vanished without a trace.
On the boundless snowfield, only he and the [Holy Sword] remained, along with a goddess standing quietly beside him.
At this mont, the radiance of the [Holy Sword] had completely faded.
The two divine beings who had elevated it beyond the mortal realm and into the domain of the gods had now completed their respective missions: the divine artifact [Orion's Arrow] had returned to the heavens after fulfilling its purpose, and the [Manifestation of the Gods' Will] had also reached its limit.
[Excalibur Artemis]—[Excalibur]
Now, the Holy Sword that severed the [End] was no longer a tool of the gods. However, its other essential properties had not dissipated, still recording the constraints set by the divine will of thirteen goddesses.
"Artemis," Emiya softly uttered the goddess's na.
Her eyes shimred with a crystalline light, "Thank you, Shirou. She and I have finally found salvation."
Emiya was silent for a mont, "...I'm sorry."
"No, please don't say that."
The goddess shook her head, "Gods do not die. Even if we depart temporarily, we will ultimately be reborn."
She paused for a mont, "So, in order for us to et again, please live on with a smile."
"Yes," Emiya responded softly.
"Perhaps it will take a hundred years, a thousand years, or even ten thousand years. By then, our fates will intertwine once more."
"Emiya, when that ti cos, I am willing to once again beco your sword—", The goddess left a gentle kiss on Emiya's lips.
At the highest point of his ntal landscape, thick black clouds lood, with sporadic snowflakes drifting through them, symbolizing an endless winter. However, the layer of dark clouds gradually thinned, as if breaking free from so heavy restraint, until a crack finally appeared.
Moonlight poured through the opening like a silver waterfall, dyeing the world in a sacred radiance.
Emiya opened his eyes once more, seeing a crescent moon hanging in the sky.
———
In the heavens, within a divine sanctuary undetectable by any god.
Artemis opened her eyes.
"How long... have I been lost? Has ten thousand years passed?", She murmured to herself.
"In terms of ti, about three minutes have passed since your 'death' in the lower world," Another goddess spoke.
Artemis heard the voice.
"Eh?", Artemis blinked in confusion.
She looked up and saw two figures standing over her.
One was a goddess with golden hair and red eyes, dressed in an ornate black-and-gold divine robe, the Goddess of the Underworld, Ereshkigal.
Her golden hair shone brilliantly, and her form-fitting robe outlined her enchanting curves. Occasionally, the hem of her skirt lifted, revealing her long, slender legs, stirring an irresistible allure.
The other goddess had long, sky-blue hair, with beautiful curved horns atop her head. Her voluptuous figure was wrapped in a pure white divine robe, revealing a tantalizing glimpse of pale skin at her chest.
The Goddess of Creation, Tiamat. Her gentle yet alluring deanor exuded maternal warmth, making one yearn to sink into her embrace.
These were goddesses who had not descended to the lower world and had remained in the heavens.
With their divine power and the authorities of the Underworld and Creation, they easily restored Artemis's divine radiance and healed her godly body.
In less than three minutes, Artemis, who had temporarily "died" or rather been lost, was pulled back into the heavens.
As for their purpose—
"What exactly happened in the lower world?", The two goddesses leaned in close, their eyes sparkling with curiosity.
"That child who forged a divine artifact—was he cute?", Ereshkigal asked with interest.
"How old is he this year? When will his soul enter the Underworld?"
"Did you have children? How many?", Tiamat was particularly fixated on the topic of having children.
They were impatient to hear the 'story," unwilling to wait even a re ten thousand years.
The Creator Goddess, Tiamat, declared, "This is my temple. If your story doesn't satisfy , I won't let you go so easily~"
"Eh?!", Artemis exclaid in shock.
The heavens and the lower world were separated by the rules established by the gods. Even the gods of the divine realm could not use their power to peer into the lower world. The only way to learn about events in the lower world was through the words of gods who temporarily returned.
For gods who, due to various reasons, laziness, social anxiety, indecisiveness, or simply still waiting in the long queue for descent, could not visit the lower world, this was their most entertaining pasti.
Now, Artemis had beco their target.
And this ti, the situation was even more complicated. These two goddesses had keenly sensed Artemis's divine will earlier and had actively joined the [Goddess Resolution] ritual.
Artemis had originally hoped that her close friend would participate instead. However, that goddess seed to have chosen, once again, to spend ti in bed, likely lost in a dream, missing the entire event.
After hesitating for a mont, the Moon Goddess spoke: "A lot of things happened. In short, I t that child, and from that mont, our fates beca intertwined..."
Thus, the goddess began recounting a story, one that had been embellished.
———
Before Emiya's consciousness entered the ntal landscape...
Two identical-looking goddesses were engaged in a fierce brawl.
Artemis: "Move aside! I want to make a vow with Shirou to 'love each other for ten thousand years'."
Manifestation of the Gods' Will: "I've always been the one by Shirou's side! Useless goddess, don't push your luck!"
"You're just a re manifestation of divine will! Can you even bear the responsibility of loving Shirou?"
"You're the one who ssed everything up, and I had to clean up your ss! Do you know how many tis I had to kneel in apology to Shirou because of you, useless goddess?"
"We are one and the sa! You're insulting yourself!"
The goddess and her own manifestation wrestled on the ground, pulling each other's hair and rolling around.
In the end, the manifestation of divine will erupted with unprecedented strength, rcilessly beating the original goddess, binding her with a rope woven from moonlight, and even stuffing a sock (also made of moonlight) into her mouth.
"Mmm-mmm... (There's no way you could defeat ...)"
"This is the power of love," The manifestation kicked away the useless goddess, tidied up her appearance, and leisurely prepared to welco Emiya's consciousness.
———
Shirou Emiya slowly opened his eyes, his consciousness gradually erging from the haze. The surroundings were eerily silent, as if everything had been sealed away in a distant past.
He lifted his head and looked at the do of the Elsos Ruins, which had once enclosed them like a cage. Now, it was completely empty. The shattered stones and drifting dust seed to have long since been carried away by the wind.
The scorpion behemoth, Antares, had vanished without a trace, and the overwhelming pressure that once shook the heavens and earth had also disappeared, as if it had never existed.
The goddess Artemis was gone as well. That pure and beautiful figure had streaked across the sky like a falling star, fading away into the vast expanse.
The whole world felt so empty.
Shirou lay on the ground, gazing up at the night sky. A crescent moon hung on the horizon, with wisps of thin clouds drifting lightly, like a fine thread suspended in the void, dividing the silent world.
He stretched out his hand, his fingertips trembling slightly, trying to reach that distant crescent moon.
Yet, the emptiness in his grasp reminded him that everything had already passed. The moonlight slipped through his fingers, its cold radiance reflecting on his face, as if answering with an endless silence.
A journey beneath the boundless night... chasing the unseen moon...
No, that wasn't quite right.
The gentle moonlight wrapped around his fingertips like silk, cold, yet real.
The very existence of this light was proof that the journey had not been aningless.
He looked up at the crescent moon, and the ring on his finger reflected a soft blue glow, as if resonating with the distant sky.
"Shirou—"
He heard that familiar, gentle voice.
"Riveria... neesan."
Riveria approached Shirou Emiya, slightly out of breath. The blood on her face had long since been wiped away, but the front of her garnt was still stained with traces of deep red. Those vivid marks seed to be the lingering echoes of battle, yet to fully fade.
She stopped beside Shirou, her gaze carrying exhaustion, yet filled with a reassuring warmth.
The moonlight bathed Riveria's erald-green hair, casting a soft halo around her, adding a touch of sacred brilliance to her silhouette.
She slowly raised her hand, as if she wanted to say sothing, but in the end, she simply gazed at Shirou in silence.
After Riveria, Hedin stepped forward. His face was deathly pale, even weaker than Riveria's. His once radiant platinum-blond hair now bore signs of dryness and fatigue.
Yet, his expression was unusually relaxed. His lips even curved into the faintest of smiles. A rare sight on the face of Hedin, the [White Fairy's Magic Wand].
On the other hand, Hogni, the [Black Fairy's Demon Sword], seed to be in better condition than Hedin. He remained silent, as always, maintaining that cold and distant deanor.
However, deep within the black elf's heart, emotions surged restlessly. His silence was not due to coldness, but because he simply didn't know how to speak.
Hogni's gaze was fixed on Shirou, his face appearing calm, yet his mind was in turmoil, 'Should I say sothing? No, I can't... it's too awkward... What should I even say...?'
"To have survived that whirlpool of fate... King of Swords, you too now possess the power to defy destiny."
Shirou smiled openly, "Thank you."
At the very least, he could tell that this was ant as praise.
Friana also walked up slowly. She crouched beside Shirou, furrowing her brows slightly as she hesitated, staring at him as if pondering sothing important.
"...My Philosopher's Stone. You need to tell the Adventurers' Guild that it was shattered to defeat Antares. Make sure they compensate ," She extended a finger and lightly poked Shirou's cheek, her tone serious.
Then, after a brief pause, her expression softened slightly, and she smiled faintly, "Also... well done, kid."
"To accomplish such a feat at just Level 2... it's honestly beyond words."
Shirou shook his head lightly and spoke softly, "This battle had nothing to do with levels."
Now, he finally understood.
This battle was not about an adventurer's level. Even if he had been a higher level, the only difference would have been having more leeway to chant Unlimited Blade Works against Antares. And perhaps lasting a little longer with his own magic power, reducing his reliance on the four elves for mana.
Because this ti, their enemy did not belong to the realm of adventurers. His true opponent was not the latent Level 5 scorpion behemoth, but—the goddess Artemis.
Thus, levels were irrelevant. What truly mattered was resolve, willpower, and the salvation and sacrifice brought by the goddess.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that the final light that overca the Moon Goddess's Arrow, destroyed Antares, and freed the imprisoned goddess. More than 90% of its power ca from the True Divine Weapon, Orion's Arrow, and the goddess's thought projection.
However, for a mortal of the lower world, even forging that remaining 10% was an unprecedented, reality-defying achievent.
And for that, he owed special thanks to the contributions of the elven companions.
Before today, Shirou had never realized just how much magical energy was required to forge an imitation divine weapon, even with a confird blade core. At Level 2, his magic reserves likely wouldn't have been enough to sustain his Unlimited Blade Works Reality Marble.
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