C400

Gil shook his head firmly and stated, "I've already agreed, and backing out is not my style. Besides, I have complete confidence that I won't lose!"

As he spoke, Gil's expression turned serious, and his eyes glowed with a flicker of red light.

Seeing this, Shirou also turned serious. He knew that Gil was about to fully unleash his [Sha Naqba Imuru]!

His certainty stemmed from the notification of his own Noble Phantasm—

[Gil has lifted the suppression of Sha Naqba Imuru]

[In 1.7 seconds, Gil will prepare to bombard Chloe with 34 Noble Phantasms! The Protection from Arrows will be ineffective! Counterattack strategy is…]

His Noble Phantasm was operating in a way that he could understand, giving him crucial insights into the impending danger.

He quickly assessed the situation and took action. He applied three layers of [Kalaripayattu C], which he had previously copied from the Enlightened One, onto Chloe.

As anticipated, 1.7 seconds later, Gil's torrent of Noble Phantasms was unleashed, but the target wasn't Chloe; it was Illya!

In a rush, he immediately applied a layer of [Instinct C] and two additional layers of [Kalaripayattu C] to Illya.

Illya swiftly transformed Sapphire into a magical energy sword and, skillfully blending the defensive concept of [Kalaripayattu C] with her instinct, managed to deftly evade the relentless onslaught of Noble Phantasms.

"Sorry about that, Eternal King. The future you saw has already been seen by me," Gil's smile was bright as his relentless barrage of Noble Phantasms forced both girls into a defensive position.

"And I know you did, but what you didn't see coming was that I did!"

Gil fell silent, and the red light in his eyes intensified.

Shirou also stopped speaking, his eyes ablaze with unwavering determination.

Illya and Chloe weaved through the battlefield, skillfully switching between offense and defense. At times, they relied on [Instinct], while at others, they used [Kalaripayattu], along with other strange skills.

Despite their exhaustion, they pushed forward, the sweat pouring down their faces hardly slowing them down. They understood the stakes - this was about more than just a simple battle. Gil and Shirou were using them as proxies in their own personal battle.

However, this was no ordinary battle of projectiles or magical energy; it was a confrontation of omniscience, a contest of minds and foresight.

The battle of the all-knowing Noble Phantasms raged on, and each side managed to secure a victory in alternating rounds. It was clear that they were evenly matched, with neither able to gain the upper hand.

However, Illya and Chloe were utterly exhausted, their bodies drenched in sweat from the never-ending battle.

But just when it seemed like they couldn't go on any longer, Shirou stepped in with a brilliant plan. He used Merlin, Gawain, and a group of skilled magi and knights, to support the girls.

With Merlin's illusion, a hundred clones of Illya and Chloe appeared, overwhelming Gil and his defenses. Despite Gil's efforts to bring out legendary shields and the Shield of the Gods, they were no match for the amplified abilities of Illyas, Eternal King's enhancements, and the extra power from the Grail's Crystal.

In an astounding display of strength, Illya shattered Gil's defenses and held a magical energy blade against his neck.

Gil sighed, "Ugh, I lost. Didn't think you'd tap into the Grail's power as well. Fine, I'll stick to our agreement. You can borrow my card and use it until you find a replacement."

"You hear that, Chloe?" Illya's face lit up with joy as she hugged Chloe, a wide smile on her lips, "We did it! You don't have to die!"

Chloe: "..."

"Ew, stop hugging me! You're all sticky, and it's super uncomfortable!"

"Huh? Really? But I can't help it, I'm just so happy!" she giggled.

"What's there to be happy about?"

"Because now I have a sister!"

"Sister? Who's your sister? And don't call me Chloe, I'm not Chloe."

"Then what should I call you?"

"Call me Illya,"

"What? That won't work! We'll get all mixed up! Choose a different name!" Illya pouted, crossing her arms. "But not that one, it's off-limits!"

"I'm not changing it," Chloe replied, turning away and starting to walk off.

"Come on, pick another one! Please, just pick another one!" she pleaded, chasing after her.

At some point, Irisviel, who had been following along, couldn't help but smile and said, "This ending is truly wonderful."

Shirou approached Gil, who was gently caressing the Chains of Heaven, and asked, "You could have turned the tide of the battle in the end, couldn't you? So why didn't you do it?"

"Because if we kept fighting, your magical energy would've been completely drained. And then, even if I won, you wouldn't have been convinced," Gil replied with a smile.

Shirou retorted, clearly displeased, "You're lying! It's obvious that if we had kept fighting, you would have suffered a more humiliating defeat!"

"Hahaha, I won't argue with you, kouhai-kun," Gil chuckled. "Now that I'm ten years old, and you're six, being the older one means I have to indulge the younger one, I suppose."

Shirou's mouth twitched, and he pulled out the Rhongomyniad, pointing its shimmering white-tipped spear between Gil's legs.

"Come on, you're a king, don't get all worked up like this!" Gil nervously sweated.

He scoffed and put away the holy lance.

"But are you sure about this?" Gil asked, "Without having regained my other half, and with you being incomplete, the chances of defeat are pretty high."

Shirou pondered and asked, "Who is my enemy?... No, what is the enemy of this world? Why couldn't you see beyond 2004?"

"I have no idea, even my Noble Phantasm can't provide an answer for that. But there's something I do know.

"What is it?"

Gil locked eyes with him and replied, "If you were to go alone on this mission, the chances of you not coming back are over ninety percent."

Shirou fell silent for a moment and then asked, "So, the true reason you manifested here is..."

"Yeah, it's all thanks to the advice you gave 'me' during the Fourth Holy Grail War. Without that, I doubt this version of myself would've ever be here. So, I figured I'd offer a helping hand."

After a brief pause, he grinned and added, "But if you've already made up your mind, then forget about it. Just remember, when you need help, return my other half, and I'll be there to help you, kouhai-kun."

His face darkened, and he took out the holy lance and bombarded Gil.

"Here's my last piece of advice for you. Make sure you handle your affairs properly before heading to that world," Gil chuckled and made his escape.

Shirou put away the holy lance and gazed at the distant scene of the reunited Einzbern family.

"Hey, Mom... Look, I brought her back."

"Hmm."

"Mom... Mom..."

The three of them wrapped each other in a tight hug, and a sense of pure happiness filled the air.

Shirou glanced around and saw Sakura and the others who had rushed over, standing there and watching silently.

Gray, her eyes shimmering with a touch of blue, approached him and gently asked, "My king, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, why do you ask?" He responded, a hint of confusion in his voice.

Gray, or rather, Artoria, tried to speak, but no words came out.

No one else noticed, but she did.

In the king's heart, there was a heavy burden because the expression on his face was exactly the same as it had been fifteen hundred years ago, during the onset of the Little Ice Age.

How she wished she could share some of his worries and burdens.

But did she have the right to do so?

Fifteen hundred years ago, she didn't have that right.

And even now, after fifteen centuries, perhaps she still didn't.

Artoria's hand clenched tightly.

"Oh! Big brother shrank again!" Ritsuka pointed at him.

"Yeah, he shrank again."

He smiled warmly, extending his hand to gently pat Ritsuka, who stood about half a head shorter than him.

Sakura approached, wearing a serious expression as she advised, "Ritsuka, you should show respect to your big brother."

"I... I understand," she mumbled, shrinking back and timidly nodding in response.

He turned to gaze at the setting sun, the fiery red color seemingly draping the city in its final golden hue as it prepared to sink below the horizon.

Then, he turned back to face everyone and said with a warm smile, "Let's go home and have dinner."

"Okay!" Ritsuka's face lit up with a smile.

Artoria watched his profile intently, her fists clenched.

What secrets lie behind that smiling face of yours, my king?