Shirou's salvation is not wrong, but humanity cannot bear the weight of his wishes.
Blindly imposing one's desires would only strip humanity of its possibilities. Jeanne d'Arc was certain of this.
As her armor turned pure white, the saint finally revealed the true name of her Noble Phantasm: La Pucelle.
Raging flames erupted, roaring toward the entity known as the Greater Grail. By borrowing the power of the primordial goddess, the activation of the Noble Phantasm masked much of the commotion.
However, Shirou and Semiramis, standing in front of the Greater Grail, immediately sensed the danger. Achilles, on the other hand, was held back by Sieg and couldn't stop the onrush of flames.
Shirou and Semiramis were forced to use magecraft for defense due to Chiron's interference.
The flames, flickering in the sky, rushed toward the Greater Grail at astonishing speed. The rotating solar wheel attempted to block the raging inferno!
"O Sun, become my armor!"
Not long after Tiamat unfolded the Sea of Life and altered her own Saint Graph, the Hero of Charity, Karna, finally returned!
The spinning solar wheel brought a sense of immense reassurance as if it could withstand Jeanne's self-sacrificial strike.
Boom!
At the moment the flames clashed with Karna's solar wheel, his figure wavered. The wheel, which should have been enough to block the attack, allowed the flames to bypass it, surging toward the Greater Grail!
Even though Karna stood amid the raging flames, he remained unscathed, as if even without the solar wheel, the fire could not harm him.
"Not enough mana—"
Failing to stop the flames, Karna's expression finally shifted. He immediately chased after the fire that was relentlessly approaching the Greater Grail.
Earlier, to fend off that astonishing blade of light, Karna had pushed the solar wheel to its limit, draining the artificial mana supply near exhaustion. He had come dangerously close to his limits.
After Shirou's betrayal, Yggdmillennia's Gordes, upon learning of the situation, had completely severed the mana supply to the Red Servants!
As a result, Karna now possessed less than a tenth of his usual power. It wasn't just him—
Thud.
As the flames engulfed the Greater Grail, an arrow pierced Achilles' chest. He too had been cut off from the mana supply to the Red Servants!
Having depleted the mana reserves in his body during his battle with Sieg, Achilles could no longer unleash his full divine speed. Now, even a god-infused arrow had pierced his chest—
Yet, this was not enough to kill him!
With A-rank Battle Continuation, Achilles could still fight for a short while even with his heart pierced! But in the current situation, he was powerless.
The flames consumed the Greater Grail, destroying the artificial construct in an instant.
Shirou, standing alone in front of the Greater Grail, could only watch helplessly as the flames roared past him, reducing sixty years of obsession to ashes. He could do nothing to stop it.
At this moment, he lacked the special mana supply route needed to activate his Noble Phantasm, Twin Arm - Big Crunch. The mana cost was far too immense, and while he could have obtained mana from the Greater Grail, there was no time to do so.
Faced with Jeanne's La Pucelle, Shirou was forced to pin his hopes on Karna. The outcome, however, was as it was.
Karna's performance was disappointing, but Shirou did not fault him. Silent fury simply spread in his heart.
Seventy years of obsession had come to an end—no one could accept that lightly.
"Ruler!"
Shirou's angry questioning was drowned out by the sound of surging waves, as the primordial goddess—still in her draconic form—cast her gaze in their direction. The overwhelming divine authority she exuded was impossible to resist, even for a demigod.
Fully aware of what lay in the hands of the Knight King, the primordial goddess, unlike Alaric, had no intention of holding back or using this as a mere test. Instead—
Buzz!
The blazing radiance pierced through Achilles, who was still standing. Against the attack of the primordial goddess, Achilles was utterly defenseless.
His entire chest was vaporized. Not even Battle Continuation could allow him to keep fighting after this!
Yet Achilles was merely secondary. The primordial goddess's true target was the newly summoned Knight King, Artoria Pendragon!
"Enough, Tiamat."
At this moment, Alaric's voice rang out, forcing Tiamat to lower her gaze. A clear, gentle voice echoed in his mind: "Don't be afraid. Mother will protect you."
"This is nothing I can't handle."
Hearing this, Alaric smiled, raising a hand to pat Tiamat's massive draconic claw. Its hard surface felt as though she were patting the earth's crust.
Seeing this, Tiamat said nothing more. She decisively deactivated her draconic form and reverted to her youthful appearance.
However, this time, having consumed a large amount of mana, Tiamat leaped onto Alaric's back, wrapping her legs tightly around his waist as if she would never let go.
"I'm so tired, so tired. I worked hard for you humans!"
Pouting like a spoiled child, Tiamat wriggled her face, completely ignoring Merlin's gaze from a distance.
In response, Merlin merely shrugged.
The primordial goddess's attitude toward Alaric wasn't something Merlin could influence. It only surprised him a little.
After all, Merlin couldn't help but feel somewhat helpless in the face of the goddess who had taken his place.
Patting Tiamat, Alaric walked toward Artoria alongside Merlin.
Alaric had already decided to leave this world—a decision made the moment he awakened. However, he postponed it to test his strength and put an end to this war.
Seeing Merlin's reappearance only confirmed this decision.
After all, Merlin wouldn't show up unless something significant was happening. Alaric's transformation into his larva form had unsettled him.
Staying in this world to oppose it entirely was unnecessary for Alaric.
Stripping resources from the world could certainly sustain Alaric, but whether it would be sufficient remained uncertain.
To ensure his survival at the cost of the world—this was not the future Alaric sought.
The Demon God King Goetia burned away humanity to replace the celestial body and become the foundation of a new world. His plan envisioned a world without death, where a new humanity would emerge.
But Alaric would not do the same. Fully unleashing his power would only mean plundering and stripping the world, with nothing being created in return.
If the stars themselves were depleted to ensure his survival, humanity would not be able to endure after losing the celestial body.
Wouldn't that make him an absolute tyrant?
Yet Alaric could not abandon this principle, for it was the foundation of his existence.
At this moment, the Knight King's cold voice rang out: "Merlin, stay away from this knight, or explain yourself clearly—"
Summoned by the Counter Force to fight for the Grail and the world, the Knight King Artoria Pendragon didn't fully understand the current situation. However, she had observed the actions of the primordial goddess.
Moreover, Merlin's presence made Artoria suspect a conspiracy was at play.
"Oh my, my, my, the situation is quite simple. Nothing's going on at all!"
Merlin smiled cheerfully and said, "The Grail is gone, and little Artoria, you no longer have any reason to be here, right?"
Hearing this, Artoria frowned slightly.
Artoria, who had always been puzzled about why she was summoned, still hadn't fully grasped what exactly had been destroyed by Jeanne's self-sacrificing strike, leaving her somewhat confused even now.
With the Greater Grail shattered, the Heroic Spirits who had been summoned through it were forcibly returned. However, due to the continued connection with their Masters, some Servants were still supplied with enough magical energy to remain active. For example—
"Father, what's the situation with your materialization here?"
Mordred finally mustered the courage to speak, trying to suppress the twitch at the corner of her mouth and maintain a semblance of normalcy in her conversation with Artoria.
Only now noticing Mordred, Artoria's expression froze for a moment before softening into a gentle smile. "Mordred, I didn't expect to meet you here. As for the reason I'm currently materialized—"
Even though Mordred had asked, Artoria couldn't provide a definite answer.
Seeing Artoria's baffled expression, Mordred decisively turned her head toward Merlin and Alaric, who were nearby.
Mordred was also quite surprised by Merlin's presence. It wasn't too unusual for Artoria to have become a Heroic Spirit, even though the reason for her materialization remained unclear. That was still within the realm of understanding. But Merlin? That deceitful magus—how could he even die?
Just as Mordred was about to direct her frustration at Merlin, Alaric, who had been observing the confused Artoria, noticed that Artoria's gaze had shifted to him, clearly puzzled by his appearance.
Although Alaric had restored his black hair, his facial features hadn't changed, which only deepened Artoria's confusion.
Not just Alaric—there were many people and events here that left Artoria utterly perplexed.
Where was this place? Who had summoned her here?
Artoria, who had formed a contract with the Counter Force and embarked on a journey in pursuit of the Holy Grail, found herself unusually curious about her current situation.
But before she could voice her questions, a boy's voice rang out.
"Mr. Alaric!"
Returning to his usual form, Sieg, enduring the physical discomfort brought about by the backlash of his artificial body, slowly made his way toward Alaric. Even Jeanne's unconscious vessel was left for Astolfo to care for as Sieg pressed forward.
"Sieg, you're impressive."
As Sieg reached him, Alaric smiled at him. "That's the kind of determination you need—to fight desperately for survival.
I've been feeling like I've lost that drive lately. Seeing you reminded me that I need to work harder!"
After witnessing Sieg's battle, Alaric became more determined to face the future with greater intensity and decisiveness.
Having achieved much and gained much, Alaric's mindset had subtly shifted at some point. He had begun to let down his guard against many dangers he once took seriously, relying on his unparalleled strength and even allowing certain threats to grow unchecked.
Reflecting on this now, he realized—
'That's not how you temper yourself.'
Alaric acknowledged that he had been reckless, underestimating his opponents' power.
These were world-renowned heroes—existences he absolutely could not afford to underestimate.
Was it because he had once matched the King of Heroes in strength? Or because he had participated in mythological battles?
The growth of his experiences had caused Alaric to lose sight of his self-awareness, leading to unnecessary complications.
Faced with ALaric's praise, Sieg, who had been planning to say something, froze momentarily before responding awkwardly, "Thank you."
Ignoring Merlin and Artoria nearby, Alaric smiled and patted Sieg's shoulder. "I originally planned to use the Holy Grail to resolve the problems with your body, but it seems that's no longer an option.
You should consider obtaining the priest Shirou's Command Spells—they might help alleviate your condition. It's essential for survival, so don't suppress that desire.
Keep at it, young man!"
The destruction of the Greater Grail didn't particularly concern Alaric, but it did mean Sieg's problem couldn't be resolved. Sieg's artificial body couldn't withstand the dragon's blood coursing through it, which explained why the areas where Command Spells vanished turned black.
Even if the Command Spells were exhausted, the energy Sieg gained from Frankenstein could still act as a life-support system.
As long as Sieg ensured the presence of these two, he could survive without worry.
Ruffling Sieg's hair, Alaric suddenly noticed how much the boy had grown. Smiling, he said, "You've grown up so quickly! I hope we'll meet again someday."
"..."
Sieg seemed unable to find the words to respond, but he could sense that Alaric's mindset had changed somehow.
As this shift in Alaric's heart took place, the aurora that had stood like a pillar of light in the abyss began to recede, collapsing into the core of the planet. The land that had been carved away returned to its original state.
Abandoning this resource, Alaric resolved to embark on a new journey, seeking a different future.
He sought a path of coexistence that truly belonged to him—a path where he could walk alongside beings like Sieg, members of humanity.
At this moment, Merlin seemed to sense Alaric's determination and said, "You need to be careful from now on."
"Don't worry, Merlin."
Alaric's lips curled into a confident smile as he replied with unwavering certainty, "I've mastered the art of running away!"
Before Merlin could respond, Alaric let go of his hold on a certain matter.
The ensuing ripple was no longer an unconscious phenomenon but a tangible event flashing vividly before Alaric's eyes.
The records of the world shimmered before him until a familiar pulse reached him—a sensation Alaric knew well. Though their encounters had been few, he remembered it clearly.
"Hmm?"
With just a slight shift of his consciousness, absolute authority actively manipulated the location of his manifestation.
It wasn't just Alaric's choice; the world, filled with familiar energy, was also inviting him—or perhaps this was a mutual convergence.
As time flowed, what felt like an eternity passed. The flickering tremor before Alaric's eyes vanished with the restart of his singular manifestation.
A brand-new world appeared before him, but Alaric felt no joy.
Because—
"It seems I've encountered quite the formidable guest."
A tyrant dragon with pale golden eyes, clad in black combat gear and wielding a pitch-black Sword of the Stars, pointed their blade directly at Alaric from afar.