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IBHJ Chapter 64
🕑 Added 2023-02-01 01:17:42 +0000 UTCNow that he was no longer being pursued by Assassin, Shirou discarded his leather jacket into the river and let out a triumphant laugh.
Tokiomi was struck by Kiritsugu's Origin bullet, which completely destroyed his Magic Circuit and Magic Crest. Kirei then severed Tokiomi's arm, which bore the Command Seals.
Hahahahaha!
This is hilarious!
Though it's a shame only a small piece of Kiritsugu's face was cut, the fact remains that the master of Gilgamesh has lost his qualification to participate in the Holy Grail.
Although Gilgamesh was able to maintain his form using Archer's class skill "Independent Action," he no longer had any Command Seals or source of magical energy. It was likely that he would first turn to Kirei or seek out another contract. With no time to observe Shirou, this was the ideal moment for him to flee Fuyuki City.
Without hesitation, Shirou hurried back home to pack his belongings. As he surveyed the wreckage caused by Spartacus, he couldn't help but think that the Fujimura couple should receive insurance compensation for the damages.
He gathered all the cash and valuable luxury items in his house and placed them into a suitcase, then headed to the Miyama train station and purchased a ticket to Hokkaido.
The train was scheduled to depart at 22:30, and it was currently 19:35, so Shirou had some time to spare. First, he made his way to the outskirts of the forest where he found Spartacus lying on the ground, massive and unmoving.
Shirou approached him, placing a gentle hand on the giant sword that he himself had projected and gifted to Spartacus. He said apologetically, "I'm sorry, Spartacus. My Grail War has come to an end. I have to leave."
Although Spartacus had initially attacked him, he had been a great help during subsequent battles. Shirou was weak, but Spartacus was a hero to the weak. Now that the weak one had secured a path to freedom, he had to bid farewell to his hero.
"Farewell, Spartacus. I know it's impossible, but I still wish you the best of luck in the war," He said with a hint of sadness in his voice.
With a heavy heart, Shirou set out.
He made his way back to the police station, where he warned the police chief of a potential catastrophic fire that might occur soon and urged him to stay vigilant.
The Holy Grail had already been corrupted by All the World's Evil, and no matter who emerged victorious in the war, the arrival of evil was bound to cause a massive fire. Shirou wasn't a god, he could only save himself. He couldn't directly save others, and no one would believe him. But by hinting at the danger to the police chief, he could potentially save some lives.
As for Kirei and the others, Shirou had no intention of getting involved. They had their own karma to face. No one would come out unscathed, given that the Holy Grail had already been contaminated. By continuing to participate in the war, they were only bringing themselves closer to death and punishment.
With Gilgamesh no longer a threat, Shirou could finally escape this battlefield that was soon to become a living nightmare.
Finally, Shirou hypnotized himself and entered a dream world to visit Scathach.
"Hold it!" Shirou yelled as he saw two spears aimed at him simultaneously.
"Slacking off again, Shirou?" Scathach asked, lowering her weapons and fixing him with her piercing red eyes.
"My battle is finished, Shisho," Shirou replied, a smile spreading across his face.
"Really?" Scathach asked skeptically, "Have you defeated Gilgamesh?"
"His master's Command Seals are gone. Even with his Independent Action, he wouldn't risk losing, so he won't pay any attention to me. I can take this chance to hide and get away from Fuyuki City," Shirou explained, "Gilgamesh has no reason to pursue me for the Holy Grail. I am not the Grail, after all."
"Is that so... then why are you here now?"
"I am here to express my gratitude to you, Shisho. Without you, I would have died at the hands of Diarmuid."
"I couldn't possibly accept this gratitude," Scathach said, smiling and shaking her head.
"You can, Shisho," Shirou said, hesitating for a moment before mustering the courage to ask, "Will you enter my dreams in the future to continue training me?"
"Of course," Scathach replied without hesitation.
"In that case, I entrust myself to you for the rest of my life," Shirou said, smiling.
"Shirou..." Scathach's usually composed face showed a hint of hesitation.
"Is something wrong, Shisho?" Shirou asked, concerned.
"Are you sure you want to entrust yourself to a woman who is so depraved and distorted?" Scathach asked, her expression serious.
"Shisho, you are not depraved or distorted in any way!" Shirou declared, and for the first time in a long time, he smiled without any hint of tension or stress. "Well then, I'll head out first. I don't want to miss my departure time."
Shirou's smile was free of worries, innocent, and unburdened, revealing a side of him that was previously hidden by his soul. For a moment, his smile was as pure as a child's, and the scarlet fire burning brightly within him revealed a glimpse of his true self.
"Shirou -!"
As Shirou was about to leave the dream, Scathach called out to him.
"Yes, Shishou?" Shirou turned to face her.
"You - are my disciple!"
"That's right!" Shirou laughed and walked away.
Scathach was left alone in the sea of carnations.
She looked up at the dark sky, and the sky mirrored her heart.
Scarlet, chaotic, and corrupted...
...
Shirou arrived back at the station, and it was precisely 10 PM. Reflecting on everything he had experienced during the war, he couldn't help but feel grateful to have made it out alive.
Time ticked by, second by second.
It was 10:20 pm and the subway conductor began checking tickets. Shirou gathered his luggage and prepared to leave, but as he rose from his seat, he spotted someone not far away. His eyes narrowed at the sight of the golden-haired person.
A sound, like a snap, echoed in his mind and his heart dropped. The other person, Gilgamesh, was leaning against the wall.
"Faker, where are you off to?" Gilgamesh teased, a playful smile on his lips as he looked at Shirou. The man was dressed in black casual wear.
"Why are you here?"
This was strange, Shirou thought. Even if Gilgamesh had Independent Action, his Master had been killed. He should have signed a contract with a new Master to maintain his existence. Was he consuming souls or devouring fresh blood to do so?
But something was wrong, Shirou realized as he stared at Gilgamesh.
This entire development was wrong!
Gilgamesh's aura was abnormal, not like a typical Servant, but also not like his own Demi-Servant. Instead, it was like that of a normal Servant with a physical body.
"You... you took on flesh?!" Shirou yelled in shock.
Gilgamesh let out a triumphant laugh. "Your questions are so childish, I despise answering them! Look up, Faker! Your hero... your sword and shield... have come for you!"
As soon as Gilgamesh finished speaking, a giant sword descended from the sky with a whoosh, splitting the train that was about to depart right in front of Shirou.
"Boom!" The ground shook and the train was cut in half.
Shirou's eyes widened and he stared in disbelief at the giant sword. He followed its trajectory upward, and in an instant, he saw the familiar giant.
But the giant had changed. He was now black all over, exuding a manic aura, and was surrounded by a black mud that was like corruption.
"Roar!" The giant let out a powerful roar that shook the sky.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!" Glass windows in the surrounding buildings shattered one by one, causing panic among the people on the street who ducked and covered their heads.
This was the morning star of rebellion, the hero of the weak!
"That black mud... that corruption... that's All the World's Evil!" Shirou's eyes filled with disbelief as he looked at the rolling black mud on Spartacus. He was familiar with the existence of All the World's Evil, and he knew that it could devour the nature of a Servant, causing the Saint Graph of the Servant to reverse and turn into an Alter Servant.
But...
"What? How did this happen? Irisviel, the Lesser Grail is still alive and the servants are not yet dead. How did this evil come to be? How did it infect Spartacus?"
"Hold on!"
"Is it you who unleashed this?" Shirou asked incredulously, his face filled with disbelief.
"Yes, it's me, the king!" Gilgamesh answered with pride.
"Why did you do it?" Shirou asked, his anger growing.
"To destroy this false kindness, to get rid of this mongrel, and to regain power in the hands of the king!" Gilgamesh declared.
Shirou's fists clenched as he glared at Gilgamesh with fury. He noticed that Gilgamesh's chest was caved in as if someone had shattered his ribs with a single blow, and there were also traces of dried blood at the corners of his mouth.
But Shirou didn't care about any of that, he was focused on Gilgamesh, and his anger boiled within him.
Just one step away.
He was so close to escaping from Fuyuki City. All he needed was one step.
But just as he took that step, Gilgamesh grabbed him!
"Run, faker! Otherwise, your hero, your sword and shield will smell your cowardice and hack you to death!" Gilgamesh laughed maniacally. "Hahahahahahahaha—!!!”
Spartacus roared in response.
"Roar roar roar roar roar roar roar—!!!”
And with the giant sword, given to him by Shirou through Projection, he swung down towards Shirou, like a mountain range falling.
Shirou quickly rolled to the side to dodge the blow.
The great sword hit the ground—
"Boom!!”
The ground split open in a massive crack.
Shirou ran, filled with fear.
Just one step away.
One step away from freedom!
"Why! Why?!!" Shirou screamed in his mind.
"Run, run! But you cannot escape your fate forever," Gilgamesh called out, still laughing loudly. "Will you become the hero of this era or will you remain a degraded mongrel? Praying to gods is pointless, worshipping Buddha is useless! Choose! For my evil has already descended!"
