"Who… exactly are you?"
Even though he was already being held hostage, and the strongest fortress he and his servant had constructed was being eroded at an astonishing speed by the waves of chaos, Shirou did not show the slightest hint of panic.
On the contrary, he looked at the man before him with great curiosity, asking, "And what is your wish, Alaric?"
Would this man named Alaric stand as an obstacle to Shirou's salvation?
Just as Shirou and Semiramis had anticipated, if things did not go smoothly, if numerous obstacles arose, or if even he were to be defeated, he could still calmly accept failure…
But this did not mean Shirou would give up—
Shirou wanted to know—what exactly was Alaric seeking?
Without answering Shirou's question, Alaric immediately raised his head and locked eyes with the huntress who was aiming at him.
The huntress, dressed in beautiful green attire and black over-the-knee boots, had a charm that came from features resembling animal ears and a tail.
Her gaze was as sharp as a beast's, and her hair, unkempt and naturally grown, lacked any of the refinement of a noblewoman's elegance.
Her true name was Atalanta, the famed huntress from Greek mythology.
Atalanta was celebrated for her swiftness and for being the first to strike the Calydonian boar during a legendary hunt.
Moreover, she was also one of the Argonauts, the band of heroes who journeyed with Jason in their quest for the Golden Fleece.
Not only that, Atalanta possessed a speed second only to Achilles. Her bow was a gift from the moon goddess Artemis and allowed her to control the trajectory of arrows with magical energy.
Once fully drawn, her arrows would be enhanced to Rank A; if imbued with additional magical energy, their destructive power could rival that of missiles, something even the resilient Karna could not ignore.
But at this moment, Alaric was far too close to Shirou, so close that Atalanta couldn't risk a clean shot, and Tiamat—who was unleashing the waves of chaos to seize control of the Hanging Gardens—was not an opponent Atalanta could attack either.
Having arrived only after Alaric's forceful intrusion into the Hanging Gardens, Atalanta had already missed the most opportune moment to intervene. Rescuing Shirou from Alaric's grasp was impossible.
Realizing this, Atalanta merely drew her bowstring taut, fixed her piercing gaze on Alaric, and shouted, "Who are you? If you bear the honor of a hero, then face me in fair combat!"
It wasn't just Atalanta—Semiramis, who had been resisting Tiamat's cursed Mystic Eyes, also abandoned her efforts the moment Alaric got close to Shirou.
The control of the Hanging Gardens was slipping away from her at an alarming pace.
If her self-proclaimed greatest and strongest Noble Phantasm, the Hanging Gardens, could be considered a massive bounded field, then within this garden, all of Semiramis's abilities would be ranked up, her fame raised to the highest level, and her attacks granted advantageous modifiers.
But against that goddess, none of it mattered. This was clear from the moment Alaric revealed the goddess's true name and the waves of chaos surged forth.
"The outcome is already decided. What more is there to say?"
Alaric glanced at Semiramis and Atalanta and said, "I have no intention of denying Shirou's plan. I simply need to use the Holy Grail first."
Indeed, Shirou sought to use the Holy Grail's resources to materialize his soul, but this did not mean his actions were in fundamental conflict with Shirou's.
Regarding Shirou's grand wish to save all of humanity, Shirou harbored a significant amount of curiosity.
What kind of world would emerge from the materialization of all human souls, achieving immortality as a species? Would it be a reality anchored in possibility, or would it birth an infinitely chaotic and powerful future from this spark?
"What is your wish?"
Realizing the implications of Shirou's words, Shirou chuckled softly and asked, "Can you tell me?"
"Your wish is to save all of humanity. My wish is simply to save myself. I want to rescue my soul."
Shirou released his grip on Shirou, allowing him to break free from the restraint.
But this did not mean Shirou was out of danger. He was still too close to Alaric—close enough to be decapitated in an instant.
Not even Achilles could save Shirou in such a moment.
"Self-salvation, you say? It seems you have your method to achieve it. After all, the Holy Grail manifests wishes according to one's understanding of the means to realize them."
Shirou looked at Alaric and said, "Since you know my wish, then—why not let me help you achieve your salvation?"
"My method… will surely be the right one."
"Not enough. Using your wish to encompass mine—there aren't enough resources for that. I need to ensure my success."
Alaric gazed at the waves of chaos engulfing the Hanging Gardens, eroding the stakes Semiramis had placed throughout the structure after chanting for three days and nights, transforming the gardens into Tiamat's domain.
"So your wish is also the materialization of the soul? Seeking the reappearance of the Third Magic, Alaric—"
With just a few words, Shirou deduced that Alaric's method of self-salvation was also the reappearance of the Third Magic, long sought by the founders of Fuyuki's Holy Grail system.
Soul materialization—Heaven's Feel.
However—
"If it's just the materialization of your soul alone, the Holy Grail's magical energy is entirely sufficient. How does that conflict with my grand wish?"
Shirou couldn't help but ask, "Or is it that your wish goes beyond that?"
"My wish is nothing more than that. But—I will not settle for just that. Whether the Holy Grail can fulfill my request is still an unknown."
The Hanging Gardens continued to move forward, but it was no longer under Semiramis's control. Tiamat now commanded it, slowly advancing toward the Yggdmillennia castle.
Below, although Achilles and Karna noticed the aurora shooting into the castle, they were each engaged in their battles.
Moreover, their Masters had not issued any commands, so as Servants, they had no reason to withdraw.
This disparity in information led to the quiet transfer of control over the Hanging Gardens. The primordial god seized the largest and strongest fortress.
Ancient divine beasts rose from the black mud—these were the eleven beasts of Tiamat. Even the colossal venomous serpent Bašmu, which Semiramis could only summon in a partial form before, was among them.
There was even Lahmu, creatures Alaric had previously encountered in Mesopotamia.
Yet these changes did not attract Alaric's attention. His focus was entirely on the young man beside him.
The wish to save humanity—that was not wrong.
Alaric could affirm the righteousness of Shirou's wish, but it would not influence him. Alaric's primary goal remained his salvation.
"This is the reason for your actions, interfering in our Holy Grail War as a third party."
Shirou said calmly, "You've been planning this for a year, haven't you?"
"Of course. I originally thought I'd have to adjust my plans, but who would've thought I'd run into you that day?"
Alaric's expression shifted to one of sentimentality as he said, "When fortune comes, the heavens and earth assist; when it leaves, even heroes are powerless. The moment I saw you, the outcome was already decided, Kotomine Shirou."
"I underestimated you, Alaric."
Shirou shook his head helplessly and said, "It seems I wasn't cautious enough about you. Was it because of the Ruler's presence?"
If not for that Ruler, who seemed to stand as his opposite, Shirou himself wasn't sure how much attention he would have paid attention to Alaric.
After all, with Karna and Achilles at his side, he was practically invincible.
"Your defeat lies in underestimating me. How much could Jeanne d'Arc, as Ruler, really hinder you?"
Alaric smiled and said, "Of course, if you had been too cautious, it would've been troublesome for me as well. I waited a long time for you to construct this Hanging Gardens."
Since this falsehood was interwoven into reality, the materials for the Gardens must also exist in the real world. A certain amount of soil and rocks from the ruins near Baghdad, Iraq's capital, must be transported and assembled to prepare for its activation.
The required material costs, to put it simply, amount to the price of purchasing a small country.
As such, The Hanging Gardens of Babylon is essentially an unusable Noble Phantasm in a regular Holy Grail War. While the material costs are one issue, the bigger problem lies in the necessity of performing a ritual that requires chanting for three days and three nights.
This ritual is essential for driving a stake of "truth" into the fabric of "falsehood."
These three days and nights are not metaphorical—they truly require Semiramis to chant for 72 hours. The larger the desired garden, the more stakes must be driven into the ground throughout the space.
For this reason, unless a sufficiently spacious hiding location is secured beforehand in an ordinary Holy Grail War, the Hanging Gardens is a completely meaningless Noble Phantasm.
Moreover, Semiramis will not take the initiative to create the Hanging Gardens unless she first determines that her Master is an interesting individual.
Not only would the material costs be too much for someone like Alaric to handle, but the idea of relying on sheer charisma to win over this Assyrian empress is outright delusional.
Thus, he waits.
For the past seventy years, Shirou has been preparing. Utilizing his position within the Holy Church's Eighth Sacrament Assembly, he wandered across the Middle East recovering holy relics, amassing an extraordinary fortune in the process.
His desire to save all humanity, his grand wish to abandon personal hatred and love all of mankind, is a form of charisma that even the most ancient poisoner—the Assyrian Empress—could not resist.
"You've accounted for even this step—"
Shirou said helplessly, "Then you must have a great deal of confidence in your success, no?"
"Who knows? In any case—"
Turning to look down at the battlefield below, Shirou slowly extended his hand:
"The Greater Grail is already mine."