Chapter 327: The God Perceives All
The God's white radiance completely suppressed the golden light representing the Emperor's faith. The heavy fortress giant split into two, smashing the ground to rubble as it sank deep into the earth.
Ancient monarchs often took the Heavens as father and the Earth as mother, believing that gods and buddhas lived in the sky. They took pride in standing higher than all others—much like the Hanging Gardens of Babylon or high altars built upon mountains to offer prayers.
As the hegemon of Western Europe, Charlemagne naturally possessed such a sky-reaching castle—at least in this world of fantasy. This fortress served as the concrete manifestation of his life's military achievements, becoming a giant robot to campaign on his behalf.
Had Shirou not appeared, Charlemagne would have used the continuous flow of magical energy from Artoria and Jeanne to drive this giant castle-robot to trample every "pagan" nation in this world, forcing all of humanity to convert to Christianity and cast themselves into the arms of the Lord.
Had he succeeded, he truly would have become an unprecedented saint in the hearts of the faithful, perhaps even achieving apotheosis to be worshipped as a divine figure alongside the Virgin Mary. At the very least, he would have been the first beneath Christ himself.
Rather than letting Charlemagne's fanatical and twisted wish come true, Shirou—having finally seen through everything—chose to actively connect with the White God. This time, it was not a fate destined before birth, but a choice he made himself to face the White God.
With a clear mind, Shirou unleashed unprecedented power, completely shattering the newly completed Castle-Giant Noble Phantasm and eliminating Charlemagne, who had not yet mastered the gargantuan weapon within this dream world.
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The moment the youth re-established contact with the White God, atop a frozen, snow-capped mountain in a distant world, the White God standing at the summit suddenly widened His eyes. He sensed an existence He had overlooked until now.
Previously, it was perhaps a case of "darkness beneath the lamp." A person does not pay attention to a birthmark they've had since the beginning; one grows accustomed to it. But if that birthmark were to vanish and then suddenly reappear, it would be different.
Perhaps, in His subconscious, the White God did not wish to disturb His own longing for beauty, thus automatically ignoring the youth's existence.
But in this moment, everything changed.
The Earth of the three worlds—isolated from all others—and the frozen Chaldea were reactivated in an instant.
In two other worlds, a girl with black twin-tails and a young girl with long, straight hair both felt something. Though separated by vast distances, they simultaneously looked toward the sky.
The Emiya Shirou who was once human, the EMIYA who was once a Heroic Spirit, and the God who once possessed humanity—under the influence of a subconscious spark, they had protected those precious to them to realize a deep-seated longing for happiness.
These memories had been buried by the deified White God beneath a massive daily stream of information. Consequently, the three worlds and Chaldea had been isolated outside the reach of the vast universe governed by the God. Though time had stopped and connections were severed, the people had lived their lives in relative peace.
Even though Chaldea and Shirou's world had been targeted by the Black Mud monsters (the enemies of the White God) and the Counter Force, and despite many disturbances, they had managed to cope. Everyone had protected the peace of their world.
Yet, compared to the Primordial Creator God, those hardships were insignificant.
From this moment on, however, these worlds entered the White God's sight. Now a complete deity whose divinity far outweighed his humanity, what choice would the White God make upon discovering the existence of Shirou and Chaldea?
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Within the palace, now a mess of broken debris, the bronze-skinned woman appeared.
"Congratulations, Shirou. You defeated the Charlemagne of the dream world. As expected of a God who creates all things and can keep multiple Evils of Humanity as pets, your power is truly terrifying. Even top-tier Servants are no match for you," Scheherazade said as she walked in.
"This isn't my own power, and it's not over yet. I have to go to the other world, defeat his true body, and rescue Artoria and Jeanne!" Shirou looked at his palm, understanding for the first time the extraordinary scale of the power he now wielded.
At the same time, he realized once again how hopeless it was to oppose that God. He currently possessed the same authorities as a divine avatar, but the main body of the God possessed infinite avatars.
"No, there is no need. You have already won," Scheherazade said.
"What do you mean?" Shirou asked in confusion.
"Because the Charlemagne of the real world no longer has the strength to fight anyone. Even a child could kill him." Scheherazade waved a hand to manifest an image. Inside a luxurious bedroom identical to the palace, behind silk curtains, lay a thin, haggard old man with white hair.
His features were strikingly similar to the robust middle-aged Emperor from the battle, but he was skin and bones, his eyes sunken—a pitiful sight that suggested he might pass away at any moment.
"He is... Charlemagne?" Shirou asked, startled.
Scheherazade nodded. "Yes. Over two years ago, the Jungle Witch took the form of a Germanic beauty and approached him as a concubine to gain the chance for cooperation. Even she didn't expect Charlemagne to age so rapidly; that's why this dream world was merged so hastily. Now that you've defeated him here, his plan to merge reality with the dream to gain new life is no longer possible."
"You don't need to worry about the Witch for now. Although she's persistent and will surely turn up again, you don't have to fear her in this world. Otherwise, I wouldn't have appeared so openly to meet you," Scheherazade added with a shrug.
"What happened?"
"That cold-blooded woman immediately decided to discard the poor Emperor once he lost his utility. This world was supposed to be the final stand; after all, with someone as strong as Charlemagne, she might have been able to use the bones of the Paladins to summon all twelve of them here. Charlemagne sensed the Witch's schemes, but the old man seems to truly love her. He wanted to keep her by his side as a 'specimen' and sent hundreds of Church priests, including an Arch-Magus of bishop rank—a disciple of Turpin, the great mage second only to Merlin. So, the Witch is currently being pursued and is fleeing this world in disgrace. Serves her right," Scheherazade sneered.
"I see. Then this matter is temporarily settled," Shirou said with a sigh of relief.
"Exactly. You just need to head over to the reality side, and you can rescue your companions immediately," Scheherazade said.
The real Charlemagne's body had aged to the point where he couldn't even use magical energy properly. Thus, even with the Holy Grails, he had to rely on transferring the magical energy of Artoria and Jeanne to the dream world.
In the 8th century, the 71-year-old Charlemagne had less than a year to live. For an Emperor, this was a rare longevity.
However, the lack of modern medicine and decades of constant campaigning had severely overtaxed his body. Charlemagne had become frail; he needed two people to support him just to walk and spent most of his time in bed or a chair.
Aging and death are laws of humanity. To mitigate them, one would need modern healthcare. For instance, Queen Elizabeth II, who took the throne before thirty, is now 92 and still appears in public thanks to her medical team. (Because of this, her eldest son, Prince Charles, is also now 70 years old.)
"Emiya Shirou... you've finally come. You've truly become so much younger," the old man on the bed opened his eyes and looked at Shirou with envy.
Charlemagne spoke like a man at the edge of a cliff catching a final straw. "Will you really not stay? Even if I offer to adopt you as my son and pass all my lands to you?"
"This isn't my world. I have family and companions waiting for me to return." Shirou shook his head.
Charlemagne said despondently, "It is no good thing for a man to know his own future. Knowing a bad end is coming but being powerless to change it... My sons and grandsons are not worthy of the trust... yet I can find no better candidates. The Frankish Kingdom is destined to fall."
"..." Shirou looked at the decaying Charlemagne and suddenly remembered Kiritsugu sitting on the porch that night. But while this old man had three heirs, none were qualified.
In history, Charlemagne left his throne to Louis the Pious, and by his grandsons' generation, the empire was split into three—the precursors to France, Italy, and Germany. Western Europe was never unified again. His life's work was like water flowing east, never to return.
Even Napoleon, brilliant as he was, failed to unify Europa before his empire collapsed. The same was true for the ambitious and evil Hitler. In the modern era, with nationalism rooted in hearts, unification is even more impossible.
'If Kiritsugu saw me now, what would he think?' Shirou couldn't help but wonder.
"Scheherazade, can't you help him?" Shirou asked.
She shook her head. "Regrettably, outside of the dream world, my magecraft is not enough to restore youth. Charlemagne's time is up; changing the body won't change fate."
"Enough. My life has been magnificent. I leave my name in history and have outlived my enemies. I need no pity. The key is here; your companions are in the secret room behind the fireplace. Go." Charlemagne pointed a trembling hand.
"Thank you." Shirou took the cross-shaped key and thanked the old man before walking toward the fireplace.
The old man watched the youth enter the secret room with wide eyes. His outstretched fingers seemed to want to grasp the youth's back, but he couldn't close his hand. Finally, his arm dropped.
"To think it wouldn't be passed down... I truly feel regret... such regret..."
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The fireplace was clean, without any soot—it had never been used, yet was frequently cleaned. Shirou opened his Mystic Eyes, understood the mechanism instantly, and twisted the candleholder above. The fireplace moved with a heavy thud.
Behind it was a stone staircase. Shirou entered, and Scheherazade followed. After descending about fifty steps, they reached a secret chamber ten meters underground.
It was surprisingly spacious. In the center stood a high, temple-like structure resembling the castle Shirou had destroyed in the dream, though smaller. At the ends of the structure were pillars like robotic arms, holding the beds where the two girls slept.
Shirou placed the cross key into a slot in the center. The castle reacted, and two red lights like lanterns appeared. Shirou tensed, worried the "robot" might crush the girls, but the arms slowly lowered them to the ground.
"Artoria! Jeanne! Are you okay?" Shirou ran forward to pull them from the stone beds.
"Rest easy; they will wake soon," Scheherazade said.
Shirou nodded, feeling their steady breathing.
"Now, Shirou... I have fulfilled my mission. Can you pay me the corresponding reward? You should be able to do it now, right?" She looked at him expectantly; she had only ever had one wish.
Suddenly, a strange sound interrupted her. Shirou received a communication request from Chaldea.
Mash's face appeared in a holographic projection. The staff in the command room looked frantic.
"Shirou-senpai? Did I get it wrong again?! So tiny!" Mash cried.
"He really is small!" Gudako added, leaning in.
Shirou was about to snap back when Da Vinci's voice cut through. "Little Eggplant! This is no time for that!!"
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Let's go back several dozen minutes.
Inside the security organization in the snowy mountains, red lights flashed and alarms blared.
"What happened! Investigate immediately!" Da Vinci shouted.
"Yes!" The staff frantically operated their machines. Problems that had been hidden for so long were now erupting.
"The cause of the malfunctions we couldn't find—we have a discovery!" someone shouted. "Chaldea's connection to the Throne of Heroes was blocked by a wall of spiritrons! Our signals were being intercepted by an invisible interference wall!"
It was as if people wandering in a pitch-black maze suddenly had the lights turned on.
"Sixty-seven major issues... no, sixty-eight, sixty-nine, seventy!! Ahh! I can't process them all! Call the night shift!"
"Multiple Singularity reactions detected! Rank A++ or higher! It's just like the Temple of Time!"
"How can this be?! Beast signatures detected! Traces of the Sins of Humanity!"
"What is going on?!" Da Vinci's hands never left the console. Even a genius like her felt her brain reaching its limit.
"Da Vinci, we're here to help," Gudako and Mash arrived.
"Gudako, sit down! Mash, take the Doctor's position! Find Shirou's coordinates first; something might have happened on his end!"
Mash quickly searched. Because Chaldea had data on Shirou's travels, she found a match quickly.
"I've detected Senpai's coordinates, but... eh?!" Mash gasped. "There are two reactions!"
"Never mind that, just open one!" Gudako pressed the button.
The moment the image expanded, the White God on the screen and everyone in the command room locked eyes.
Everyone froze in shock, feeling as if they were being peered through by an absolute gaze.
"Not good!! Cut the connection!" Da Vinci screamed.
But the moment they made eye contact, the result was decided. In the center of the command room, a white humanoid silhouette appeared. Cubes of data stacked from the ground up, forming a body.
The White God hadn't moved; He had created a new avatar there—constructing a divine body for descent from nothingness.
Gudako rolled up a piece of A4 paper and poked the silhouette. Before it touched the shadow, the paper hit a transparent barrier and disintegrated into fine particles.
"Uwawah!" She dropped the paper, which vanished completely upon hitting the floor.
"What do we do?!" Mash asked Da Vinci.
"Connect to the next coordinate! My theory was right. We must find Shirou. He is the only way!"
"Yes! Connecting now!"
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Back in the palace, Shirou received the call.
"Shirou-senpai? So small! Did we get the wrong person? But little brother, you are so cute!" Mash said with a dazed smile, looking like an obsessed fan.
"Stop saying 'small'! If you're looking for the Senpai from the high school archery club, that's me," the elementary-school Shirou snapped.
"Eh?! It really is Senpai! Why? Did you find a legendary Noble Phantasm that turns handsome men into cute boys?!"
"There's no such thing!" Shirou retored.
"Hey! Little Eggplant! Stop indulging your hobbies! The one here is almost fully formed!" Da Vinci yelled.
In the center of the command room, the White God's avatar finished its construction. The moment His eyes opened, Chaldea's fate would no longer be in their hands.
"Listen, Shirou! The White God has come to Chaldea! We can't escape, and we're no match for Him. I'm sending you the coordinates of the White God. If anything happens, we're counting on you!"
Shirou was stunned. The God hadn't come for him—He had gone for Chaldea first.
"What should I do?!"
The White God's avatar in Chaldea raised a hand. The video feed between Shirou and the command room suddenly turned white, leaving only the hiss of static.
"Hey! Da Vinci! Mash! Can you hear me? Gudako!"
Shirou got no answer. Inside and out, Chaldea was enveloped in a blinding white light that swallowed the snowy mountain. Beyond the white expanse, there was no longer anything to see or hear.
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