"..."
Artoria slowly raised her arm.
A pillar of light descended at once.
"?"
A snow white world enveloped Shirou.
He quickly realized that it was a surging wave of light.
Radiance like the light at the end of the world, accompanied by Mana so intense it could scorch the skin, swallowed everything except Shirou.
"Ciel-san? Noel-san? Rita Rozay-en!"
Shirou turned around in surprise, then froze.
All three of them had stopped moving.
The member of the Twenty-Seven Ancestors and the girl from the Burial Agency alike stood frozen in place, expressions of surprise still on their faces.
No matter how many times Shirou called out, none of them responded. The same was true of Sister Noel, who was huddled on the ground and trembling.
On closer inspection, it was not just them. Everything had come to a standstill. Even the snowflakes hung motionless in the air.
"..."
Shirou turned toward Lady Avalon and the figure who appeared to be Artoria.
It was that pillar of light reaching into the sky.
The instant it touched the ground, everything had stopped.
Shirou was stunned. Was this some kind of time stopping "Magic"?
A "Fairy Domain" or "Idea Blood" could alter the laws of the surface world to a certain extent, and a "Reality Marble" could do the same. But interference with spacetime across such a vast area should have been impossible.
Spacetime manipulation on this scale should have been corrected by the world itself. "Time Alter" and "Lair of the Beast King" were perfect examples.
Yet Artoria had somehow accomplished it, almost as though she had become the ruler of the texture itself.
"...I have silenced the outsiders."
In that utterly silent world, only Artoria's calm voice continued to echo.
Only moments ago, Shirou had sensed a trace of warmth in her voice. Now it had become cold and merciless once more.
"Are you really King Arthur... Artoria?" Shirou asked.
The surrounding space was engulfed by a tremendous torrent of Mana.
It was not ordinary Mana.
It was magical essence of a purity Shirou had never felt before.
Gilgamesh and Karna had produced similar reactions when releasing their Noble Phantasms. It seemed to be a form of energy known as divine aura.
However, the divine aura Artoria now radiated was beyond anything he could have imagined.
Near the end of the Fourth Holy Grail War, Artoria should have returned to her Britannia.
What in the world had happened?
Though she possessed the form of a woman, Artoria no longer seemed human.
She was neither a Knight who led the Round Table nor a king from the distant Age of Gods.
She was a tempest, a specter, a calamity, power itself given form.
Outwardly, she was a mature woman of breathtaking beauty.
Yet her presence reminded Shirou of an ancient legend from this land of Western Europe.
The King of Storms, the Wild Hunt.
The woman bearing Artoria's features spoke.
"I have cast aside the title of King Arthur. I am now known as the Lion King."
"...The Lion King?"
"That's right, Shirou! As you can see, Artoria is now neither a Servant nor a human."
"Like me, she has obtained the highest rank of Clairvoyance! And hers is an 'Eye that Sees Through the Future,' which is far more useful than mine."
Lady Avalon spoke cheerfully.
"If we had to give her existence a reasonable definition... Oh, I know."
"She is the incarnation of the Holy Lance, 'Goddess Rhongomyniad'!"
"Rhongomyniad... the Goddess of the Holy Lance?"
Shirou cried out.
He remembered a rumor he had once heard from Aesc.
The Holy Sword and the Holy Lance were both extremely dangerous existences, each carrying a different blessing, or perhaps a curse.
The Holy Sword halted the growth of its wielder's body and made them ageless and immortal, while the Holy Lance affected its wielder's mental and spiritual structures.
Shirou finally understood the reason for Artoria's tall, full figure.
It was likely the result of her body naturally maturing after she lost the Holy Sword.
And her transformation into "Goddess Rhongomyniad" was probably the result of the changes the Holy Lance had wrought upon her mental and spiritual structures after she wielded it for so long.
"Heh heh. As expected of my favorite disciple. You catch on quickly~"
Lady Avalon spoke happily, as though none of this had anything to do with her.
"How long?"
As realization struck him, Shirou suddenly asked, "How much time has passed since then...?"
The Lion King replied, "After we parted, I was returned to the Hill of Camlann in my original lifetime."
"!?"
Shirou's mouth fell open in disbelief.
"...Fifteen hundred years?"
"By the human calendar, yes. Fifteen centuries," the Goddess replied with a cold nod.
"How could something like that happen...?"
Shirou now understood why Artoria had appeared here.
He also understood what kind of existence she had become.
Only one final question remained.
His voice hoarse, Shirou asked, "What is your purpose?"
As the words left his mouth, he felt his shoulders trembling.
His instincts warned him that the cruelest words imaginable were about to fall from the Goddess's lips.
"My purpose, or rather, my wish, is to save the Kingdom of Britannia."
"Don't be ridiculous!!"
Shirou furiously interrupted the Goddess's declaration.
He had never felt such overwhelming anger and sorrow before.
"Wasn't this already settled?! Didn't you finally understand?! Didn't you give up on it?!"
"You promised me back then... You decided to abandon that wish, so why are you bringing it up again now?!"
To save Britannia.
That had been Saber Artoria Pendragon's wish during the Fourth Holy Grail War.
By erasing every trace of her own existence and causing the figure of King Arthur to disappear, she sought to bring salvation to Britannia.
It was the final, desperate wish of a girl who regretted her life, made as she stood on the verge of death.
"..."
The Lion King's dignified, solemn face showed no trace of emotion. Ignoring Shirou's protests and accusations, she continued her explanation.
"What I intend to do is not merely alter history.
"With my current power, my Authority, I am fully capable of returning to the past and changing the history of the planet itself."
"But that alone would not be enough. Merely denying the existing history would not be enough."
"The events that have already been fixed in place, in other words, the current foundation of the Human Order, must be completely denied. Only then can..."
"What are you even talking about? You just want to prevent Britannia's destruction, don't you?"
"I already understand! I understand perfectly! I understand that foolish, pointless wish of yours better than anyone!!"
Shirou's roar was filled with exhaustion and despair.
He had always known that Artoria was stubbornly obsessed with her convictions and hated losing, but still...
"As you say, saving Britannia is my ultimate objective. It is not a desire born from personal greed."
"Pointless."
Shirou ground his teeth.
"No matter how many times you make me say it, it's completely pointless! Stop this nonsense!"
"Britannia doesn't need you to save it. It cannot be saved. The past is already over!"
The Lion King replied without expression, "Shirou, how can you lie to me so calmly?"
"Wh..."
"No matter what you say, my decision will not change."
The Goddess's yellow green eyes gleamed.
"This is the final conclusion I reached after wandering the surface for fifteen hundred years."
Shirou felt sick enough to vomit.
"You're going to deny your entire life over something like this?
"Just to change Britannia's fate... you're going to make yourself, the very person named Artoria, disappear?"
"...?"
The Goddess frowned at Shirou's words.
Lady Avalon's shoulders trembled as she covered her mouth, desperately trying not to laugh.
What was wrong with these two...?
The Lion King spoke with a puzzled expression.
"Why would you say that, Shirou? I have never wished for my own existence to disappear."
"What...?"
Was she not planning to save Britannia through "self annihilation"?
The Lion King quietly shook her head.
"You have misunderstood, Shirou."
"In life, I failed to protect my country."
"I became king to protect Britannia, yet I failed to fulfill that duty."
"As you said, that result has already been decided."
"The Sword in the Stone must have chosen the wrong person. That is why I have decided that this time, someone more suitable will become the King of Britannia."
"So we've come right back to the same problem, haven't we? In the first place, 'saving Britannia' is impossible."
"It is possible."
The Goddess of the Holy Lance declared it without hesitation.
"I know someone who once protected the kingdom as King Arthur."
"If he takes my place, then this time, Britannia will surely be saved."
"Stop talking nonsense, Artoria!!" Shirou shouted.
"That person is you, Shirou," the Lion King said.
"What?"
Shirou sucked in a sharp breath, his mind going blank.
The world spun around him, leaving him dizzy and disoriented.
"Shirou, how can you lie to me so calmly?"
"Saving Britannia is not impossible."
"I know someone who once protected the kingdom as King Arthur."
"That person is you, Shirou."
"..."
The red haired boy was utterly speechless.
His throat felt blocked, and he could not force out a single word.
"My objective is for you to draw The Sword of Selection in my place and become the King Arthur of this world."
The Goddess of the Holy Lance spoke in a deep, utterly emotionless voice.
"Rest assured. I will not erase my own existence."
"When that time comes, I will serve at your side as a Knight, attending upon you, the true King. That will be my atonement."
This was the answer the Lion King had reached during her lonely pilgrimage of fifteen hundred years.
This was the dream Goddess Rhongomyniad had seen with her eyes that perceived every possible future.
The Goddess who had once been the King of Knights asked him a question.
"Shirou, will you become my king?"
"...I refuse."
Shirou clenched his teeth and snorted.
He could not refute Artoria, but he absolutely could not accept her idea.
"I don't want this. I won't accept it... Something like this is completely meaningless."
Unable to understand, the Lion King asked, "This plan would make everyone happy. Why would you reject it?"
"That... should be obvious."
"Unless you explain it clearly, I cannot understand."
"Because you're an idiot, Artoria! That's why you can't understand!!!"
Shirou screamed hysterically.
Lady Avalon covered her mouth, but the Lion King remained unmoved.
Her human emotions had probably been worn away long ago by the passing centuries and the corrosion of the Holy Lance.
"I see. I understand now... Perhaps, from your perspective, my actions are a betrayal of you."
"It seems we can never understand one another, Shirou."
"Yeah, go ahead and think that. Artoria is a hopeless idiot anyway."
"...My King."
Lady Avalon shot the Lion King a look, and the latter nodded.
While Shirou and the Lion King had been speaking, the Magus of Flowers had already retrieved the Tenth and Nineteenth "Idea Blood." Two small cubes floated above her palm.
The Lion King announced, "The time has nearly come. We should take our leave."
"Are you running away, Artoria?!"
Twin blades wreathed in hellfire appeared in Shirou's hands.
"I only came to greet you today. We will meet again in the near future."
The Goddess of the Holy Lance met the boy's gaze with her brilliant yellow green eyes.
Shirou attempted to control the Lion King's movements with the "Enchanting Mystic Eyes."
Unfortunately, the laws of this world were entirely under her control. The Mystic Eyes could not even activate.
"The next time we meet, we will be enemies, Shirou."
"Wait!"
Shirou leaped forward and charged at the Goddess.
The instant he drew near, the Lion King raised her hand and fixed both him and the surrounding space in place.
"Since you have no intention of accompanying me, there is no reason for you to follow. This is where we part."
"Artoria!"
The Lion King studied Shirou from close range. For some reason, she paused briefly before speaking.
"Do you intend to stop me from destroying the Human Order? I will give you that opportunity later, provided you can defeat me."
Shirou shook his head and spoke slowly, emphasizing every word.
"The Human Order doesn't matter to me. And I have no intention of defeating you."
"Artoria, I'm going to save you."
"Ah..."
So that was it.
The Goddess finally understood.
She understood why Shirou had refused, why he had grown angry, and why he had called her plan "meaningless."
"This plan would make everyone happy. Why would you reject it?"
"That... should be obvious."
The Lion King had believed her wish was perfect. Everyone would be saved, and a flawless history would be born.
But Shirou did not see it that way.
Because only one person would not be saved.
Artoria Pendragon.
That was why he could not accept it.
That was why he refused to acknowledge it.
This time, the Savior, Shirou, was not fighting to protect the Human Order.
He was fighting to protect a girl named Artoria Pendragon.
"I hate seeing people who work hard go unrewarded."
Words spoken fifteen hundred years ago echoed through the Goddess's mind.
"That would be far too meaningless. Far too unrewarding."
"I know it's a childish ideal, but I still want to believe that the harder people work, the happier they can become."
"Saber, you have to be happy, okay?"
"That really is just like you, Shirou. Heh."
The Lion King smiled faintly once more, then pressed her slender finger against the boy's chest.
A gentle yet searing white light swallowed him.
"Thank you for caring so deeply about me."
The Goddess gently stroked his cheek as she spoke.
Shirou lost consciousness in an instant.
When he came to, he found himself lying in the snow. Both the Goddess and the female Magus had disappeared.
"What just happened?"
Ciel's voice rang out, showing that time had begun to flow once more.
"Shirou! Are you all right?!"
"Yeah, I'm fine. But the 'Idea Blood' was taken. Sorry."
"Why are you still worried about that now? Let me heal you!"
"No, it's fine. I'm really all right. I just don't have much strength at the moment."
With Ciel supporting him, Shirou rose to his feet.
He looked in the direction where Artoria and Lady Avalon had vanished, but he could no longer sense anything. Not even the faintest trace of Mana remained.
For a moment, Shirou wondered whether it had all been a dream.
Unfortunately, it had not been a dream after all...
Shirou gazed at the strand of golden hair resting in his palm and murmured.
"The Lion King, Artoria."
...
The Child of Einnashe had been completely destroyed, and the Rail Zeppelin could have resumed its journey some time ago.
"It looks like it's finally over."
Yvette lifted her eye patch with one finger and gazed into the thick fog in the distance.
When they had returned to the train, the passengers were voting on whether to abandon everyone still stranded on the snowy plain, resume the journey, and escape the danger zone.
In the end, the train had only remained because Rin Tohsaka, Luvia, Olga Marie, Reines, and Yvette had used force to suppress everyone in the carriage.
The girls had also learned from the acting manager that Shirou was fighting an Ancestor.
Whatever was happening out there, it was a battle in which none of them could intervene.
Even a Lord of the Clock Tower would probably have been powerless to help.
All they could do was remain inside the warm carriage, praying in silence as they waited for everything to end.
Would Shirou make it back alive?
Anxiety spread among the girls.
Even the usually optimistic Edelfelt had gone pale after learning how much danger the man she loved was in.
"He'll be fine. That guy always finds a way."
Rin Tohsaka, who had remained silent until then, suddenly spoke.
The girls looked at her in surprise and found her expression calm yet resolute.
Her eyes showed an unwavering conviction that Shirou would return alive.
"That's right. You're absolutely correct. Shirou will definitely be fine."
Luvia spoke with equal confidence, pride clear on her face.
Seeing their certainty, Olga Marie nervously pressed a hand against her chest.
If he could come back...
The girl thought that if even a miracle like that could happen, then perhaps she could also...
Before long, several figures appeared through the distant mist.
Two unfamiliar women wore the habits of nuns. The sight of members of the Church immediately put the magi on edge.
Beside them was a flamboyantly dressed blonde noblewoman.
"The former manager...!?" one of the magi exclaimed in surprise.
And then there was the final figure.
"Shirou!!"
The girls threw open the train windows and waved joyfully at him.