C452

"Hmph," Gilgamesh let out an arrogant snort.

"Mongrel, does seeing me again strike fear into your heart?" Gilgamesh smirked, clearly enjoying his own perceived superiority. "Brings back some unpleasant memories, doesn't it?"

Shirou chuckled dismissively, "Ignorant bastard, you speak as if you have some great wisdom. But the future is filled with endless possibilities, and the past is just a fading footprint for me. It holds no importance now."

"Ignorant?" Gilgamesh's eyes narrowed, a cold glare emanating from his red irises. He crossed his arms and said, "Fine, I'll let you keep that little sliver of pride you have—for now."

Shirou scoffed, "I see you're thinking of how to fight me."

"Mongrel!"

Gilgamesh's anger flared as he snapped at him, "Don't push your luck!"

Ignoring him, Shirou shifted his attention to Solomon, who was approaching them with steady steps.

Solomon's face was as calm as still water, completely without a ripple, as he said evenly, "You two seem as close as ever."

"Close?" Gilgamesh scoffed, barely concealing his disdain. "Solomon, I expected better from you. Have you gone blind in one eye to think we're close?"

Solomon calmly asked, "Is this what Merlin referred to as... 'tsundere'?"

"Huh? What's that?" Gilgamesh blinked, genuinely confused.

Changing the subject, Shirou turned to Solomon. "Did you sort out the problem with your magical energy?"

"Your subordinate channeled some of her magical energy to me using her magecraft. Marisbury also supplied me with some using a Command Spell, so I'm not lacking."

"Morgan, huh... Hmph. I'll settle the score with her sooner or later!"

He then shifted his focus to the shadow behind King Solomon. "Merlin, how much longer do you plan on hiding behind Solomon?"

"Ahh, it seems I can't fool the king's eyes," Merlin said with a sigh as he stepped out from the shadow.

Turning to him, he asked, "Has your anger subsided, my king?"

"...Even if you were to step out of the tower, things will never end so simply!"

Merlin scratched the back of his head, looking somewhat disappointed.

Solomon eyed Shirou curiously. "Is this another example of Tsundere?"

Shirou shot him a glare, "Stop throwing that term around!"

Gilgamesh interrupted, "Mongrel, set aside your messy personal affairs for now and look up. It seems like something is about to happen."

Prompted by his words, Shirou quickly looked upward.

Above them, the sky was painted with an aurora of myriad colors, resembling chains that bound the enormous dragon's head. Yet, with the emergence of a sinister humanoid figure from the dragon's neck, a bone-chilling roar sent ripples through the aurora, as if it might break free at any moment.

Gilgamesh smirked, "Such an unsightly creature. A truly fitting image for a mongrel."

Amid the group, Shirou stood firmly. Gilgamesh was on his left, Solomon on his right, and both Merlin and Scathach were close behind. Folding his arms, he stared at the dragon head struggling in the sky.

At that moment, a tall figure garbed in red soared in from afar.

"Brother! Brother!"

The pitiful cry reached them, and his eyes shifted to see the figure in red holding a young girl in his arms.

As soon as the girl was gently placed on the ground, she sprinted towards him, tears streaming down her face, and hugged him tightly.

"Brother...!" she choked through her sobs.

The soldiers around them tensed, opening their mouths to shout, "Let go of—"

But before they could complete their warning, a gesture from him silenced them.

The girl in his arms was none other than Fujimaru Ritsuka.

"Brother... brother... I was so scared!" she sobbed.

He spoke in a soothing tone, "It's alright now. Your brother is here."

"Is this some kind of jest? That child is the king's sister?"

"The princess, her Highness?"

The surrounding soldiers looked at each other, their faces filled with disbelief. Their eyes then turned back to Ritsuka, as if attempting to make sense of this unexpected situation.

Even Scathach and the others shifted their attention to Ritsuka, whose cheeks were wet with tears. Their faces showed a blend of surprise and curiosity.

Shirou's eyes scanned the place, finally landing on Gilgamesh's face.

Gilgamesh shot a quick glance at Ritsuka, who was cradled in Shirou's arms. With a cold snort, he turned his back, pointedly ignoring them.

Shirou crouched down, softening his stern expression to one of tenderness. He gently patted her head and whispered, "You're safe now. Brother is here."

She wiped her tears away, nodded, and hesitantly asked, "Where's big sis, though?"

"Don't worry, she's safe."

Of everyone in the room, he was least concerned about Sakura. Thanks to Tiamat's protection, she was arguably the safest one here.

Just then, Gray, Artoria, and Arcueid made their entrance.

Shirou rose to meet Artoria and her group. After a brief moment, he directed his attention to his knights. "Galahad, Gareth, take my sister to Illya and the others."

"Understood," they both chimed in, moving closer to gently rest their hands on Ritsuka's shoulders.

Ritsuka couldn't help but tighten her grip on her brother's sleeve, her voice tinged with tears. "Aren't you coming with me, brother?"

He met her eyes and reassured her, "I'll be right behind you, okay? You go on ahead."

"But... but..."

Her face crumpled, tears cascading down her cheeks.

He lightly tapped her forehead, "Don't be stubborn, Ritsuka."

Even though her eyes were still brimming with tears, she finally let go.

He then turned to Artoria, "You should head out as well."

She gave a subdued nod, "Understood."

Merlin shot a glance at her, letting out a quiet sigh but keeping his thoughts to himself.

Arcueid gestured towards herself, "Am I going out too, Shirou?"

"Yes, you should leave."

"Why?" she asked in confusion.

"I need you to look after my sister."

"But—"

Before she could argue, he added, "You're not my subordinate, so this isn't an order, but a request."

She paused for a moment, then gave a sincere nod, "Okay."

She then joined Artoria and Gray, making her way over to Galahad and Gareth.

His eyes lingered on Artoria for just a second before addressing everyone else, "I'm entrusting my sister to you all."

"Consider it done!"

With that assurance, they all left, taking Ritsuka with them.

Gilgamesh couldn't resist, "Finally, the melodrama is over. It was almost nauseating."

Shirou chose to brush him off, instead turning his attention to a familiar tall figure in red – the Counter Guardian Emiya!

He offered Emiya a nod of acknowledgment before shifting his gaze to the sky. 

Emiya, on the other hand, looked at him with a hint of disbelief.

Okita Souji caught up with them and stood beside Emiya, gazing at Shirou, who was not far away. She seemed taken aback for a moment.

Then her usually impassive face broke into a look of sheer astonishment. She pointed at Shirou, asking, "Emiya, is that the 'Eternal King' Karna mentioned?"

Emiya simply nodded.

"And that's... you?" she pressed further.

Another nod from Emiya, this time with a layered mix of emotions.

She shook her head, still trying to wrap her mind around it. "To think that another version of you from a parallel world would be the Eternal King who's been in slumber deep in the Throne of Heroes. This is unbelievable!"

Emiya looked equally stunned before finally saying, "Please... don't say any more."

Yes, that was him.

And yet, it wasn't.

He couldn't believe it. Among the infinite number of worlds out there, there was another version of himself—a different Emiya Shirou—who had chosen a completely different path in life.

The weight of this discovery filled him with a swirling mix of complicated emotions.

His early life, marked by the tragic loss of his parents in the flames of the Fourth Holy Grail War, and then being adopted by Kiritsugu and inheriting his unwavering sense of justice, had set him on his destiny — a path that eventually led him to make a pact with Alaya, binding him as a Counter Guardian.

He had taken each step toward justice, committed to his cause, only to meet a tragic end. It was as if he was sinking, step by step, deeper into his own vision of justice.

And yet, there was another him...

An alternate version of himself who had strayed from this path!

This version of himself wasn't walking alone or wallowing in loneliness. He was surrounded by comrades — even the ever-arrogant Gilgamesh stood beside him.

Why?

Why was there such a huge difference between their lives?

Emiya's heart was filled with bewilderment.

...

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