Chapter 57

Boom!

A deafening explosion echoed through the air. Julian's body was forced back amidst the smoke, a shallow wound on his face slowly seeping blood.

He looked up to see Keqing charging at him again, her form surrounded by lightning. Waving the card in his right hand, Julian chanted the name of his Noble Phantasm.

"Coexistent Spiral Right Hand!"

Shadowy hands formed from black mist shot toward Keqing, swiftly encircling her.

With a flash of her left hand, a Thunder Mark was cast, and Keqing appeared outside the encirclement.

"301-Second Eternal Ice Palace!"

No sooner had Keqing escaped than a massive ice palace enveloped her, locking her inside. Raising her thunder-wreathed sword, Keqing stabbed at the ice wall.

Clang!

A resounding crash echoed within the enclosed space, as her attack was entirely repelled by the seemingly impenetrable ice.

Meanwhile, Julian's voice rang out in her ears.

"You, who claim to come from the realm of gods, show me your so-called power, the one that can leave a mark in the city of gods. Otherwise, sleep eternally in this palace of ice for 301 seconds."

"Hmph!"

Snorting coldly, Keqing carefully observed her surroundings, rejecting offers of help from her chat group members. The purple Vision at the nape of her neck glowed brightly. Since childhood, Keqing had diligently practiced the Yunlai Swordsmanship, firmly believing that with dedication and purpose, progress was inevitable. She had never abandoned her training for a single moment.

"My sword shall shine forth!"

Lightning enveloped her sword, gathering until it condensed into a single point. Keqing took a deep breath, her form blurring as she lunged forward, her blade flashing with violet electricity.

The condensed lightning pierced through the ice wall, which had withstood the pseudo-spiral sword's onslaught without a scratch, hurtling towards Julian, who wore a look of disbelief.

"Cut through the clutter!"

Lightning streaked through the sky, with dozens of violet arcs slicing through Julian's body. Keqing stood before Julian, who collapsed to the ground, unable to rise. Wisps of black mist were beginning to disperse.

"Why?" Julian's fading visage looked at Keqing, his voice filled with confusion. "Why could your attack disperse my consciousness?"

Sheathing her sword, Keqing looked at the dissipating figure of Julian, her voice steady and composed. "Because my heart is steadfast, and my diligence knows no rest."

"Ah, so that's it," Hiroshi's voice rang out behind Keqing. He gazed at her in awe, asking, "The Path of True Sincerity?"

"What?" Keqing, crouching down to inspect Julian's now-exposed body, heard Hiroshi and turned her head to ask, "Did you say something, Honorary Knight of Mondstadt?"

Hiroshi smiled, waving his hand. "No need to be so formal. Just call me Hiroshi."

"Julian!" A young girl dressed in a black and purple gown rushed over, heedless of Keqing and Hiroshi, and knelt by Julian's side.

Seeing the girl approach cautiously, Hiroshi looked at the dispersing black mist and curiously asked Keqing, "What was that technique you just used? How did your sword manage to attack Julian's consciousness?"

"You mean the Yunlai Swordsmanship?"

Keqing unsheathed her sword once again, smiling. "It's a sword technique passed down in Liyue. When a practitioner reaches unity of body and spirit, the technique channels the power of their will."

The sunlight gleamed off the blade, and Keqing spoke with a hint of admiration. "Legend has it that in the past, there were martial artists in Liyue who reached god-like levels of mastery. They protected their lands even in times of chaos, leaving behind a mark belonging solely to humans. Though it may not be as grand as the Geo Archon, they carved a place for humankind."

Someday, I will leave my own mark in Liyue.

Sheathing her sword, Keqing blushed slightly. "I'm sorry. Suddenly being summoned to this human-dominated world and fighting these strange creatures must have made me overly excited."

"No problem. You looked amazing," Hiroshi said plainly as he gazed at Keqing standing in the sunlight. "And I believe that someday Liyue will be a city led by humans."

"Hm?"

Keqing gave Hiroshi a curious glance and then smiled softly.

"I also hope that Liyue will flourish under the guidance of humankind."

She gestured towards Julian, who lay collapsed beside her, along with the girl at his side, and asked Hiroshi, "What should we do with him? I want to finish the mission quickly and return to Liyue to deal with my official duties. Plus, I need to report this matter to the Geo Archon."

Grabbing Julian by his collar, Hiroshi handed the young girl, Erica, to Keqing, smiling. "I thought you disliked relying on the power of gods, so why do you need to report to your Geo Archon?"

"Isn't that only natural?" Keqing responded matter-of-factly, as they began walking towards the others. She looked up at the azure sky, her voice calm. "Although I dislike relying on the power of gods, Liyue has coexisted with them for millennia. Whether or not the Geo Archon chooses to protect Liyue in the future, as a god who has protected our land and a leader of our people, anything significant involving other worlds must be reported. However, it doesn't mean I have to blindly accept his judgment."

"Well, that's your choice." Hiroshi descended from the platform, smiling as he saw Klee waving enthusiastically at him.

"Let's quickly wrap up this mission. It looks like everyone in the chat is getting impatient."

Thud!

Julian's body landed in front of Shirou Emiya, who looked down at the young Gilgamesh walking away. Hiroshi gestured towards Erica, who Keqing had brought over, and said, "Shirou, these two are yours to deal with."

"Thank you," Shirou said, giving a polite nod before turning to Aqua. "Lady Aqua, could you heal their wounds?"

"Huh?!"

Aqua looked at Shirou in shock, pointing at Julian, who lay on the ground, blood still flowing from his wounds. "This guy is your enemy! Why are you asking the Great Water Goddess to heal him?!"

"Please," Shirou bowed deeply, his voice sincere. "I still have things I need to say to Julian. He can't die yet."

Aqua sighed, clearly exasperated. "Fine, fine. What a hassle."

She approached Julian, giving Erica a disgusted wave as if she were shooing away a bug. "Move aside, move aside."

Once Erica stepped back, Aqua extended her hand toward Julian, and a white light appeared.

"Healing!"

Within the glow, Julian's bleeding wounds began to close. After a moment, his fingers twitched, and he opened his eyes.

"All done," Aqua dusted her hands off before stepping aside, calling to Shirou, "Remember, you owe me a favor! I won't ask for much—just a steady supply of premium liquor. Got it?"

"Understood, Lady Aqua," Shirou responded.

He looked at Julian, who had sat up with Erica's help, and after a moment of silence, asked, "Julian, what is your true goal?"

"Julian, huh..."

Julian raised his head to look at Shirou, his lips curling slightly. Glancing around at those gathered, he spoke quietly. "My goal?"

"My goal is to save humanity from the impending destruction and to end the curse that has haunted the Einzbern family for a millennium," Julian continued coldly, his eyes shifting to Erica. "And to kill Pandora."

"You!"

"Heh." Julian smirked at Shirou, who seemed infuriated by his words. "Do you even understand what's inside Pandora? That so-called 'hope' left by the gods is nothing but a curse destined to be released at the world's end. Normally, Pandora wouldn't be opened, nor could she be killed. But the world is running dry, and its destruction is near. To prevent that curse from being unleashed during the salvation process, Pandora must be killed the moment the box is opened."

"Julian!"

Shirou interrupted Julian's words with a furious shout. Looking down at Julian, lying on the ground, and Erica, who was helping him, he seethed, "Erica is your sister! You and that ancestor of yours, Darius, are so arrogant! What makes you think you have the right to decide whose life is sacrificed for this so-called salvation?!"

"Enough already!"

Shirou looked up at the azure sky, watching a flock of birds fly by. He reached down to pat Miyu's head, taking her hand in his own. Staring at Julian, Shirou said loudly, "Julian! The game of being a hero of justice is over! From now on, I'll be the one to save this world!"

"A game?"

Julian struggled to his feet, looking at Shirou holding Miyu's hand. He gave a faint smile.

"Shirou Emiya, if you call my attempt to save humanity a mere game of justice, then does that mean your efforts to save the world are also just another hero game?"

"No, although I will save the world, I won't become a hero of justice."

Holding Miyu's hand, Shirou smiled gently. "I'm just Miyu's older brother. To give Miyu a happy future, I will save this dying world."

"Do you really think..."

Staring at the smiling Shirou and Miyu, Julian's calm demeanor cracked, replaced by rage. "Do you think you can accomplish anything by yourself?! Salvation without sacrifice is impossible! Stop being so naive, Shirou Emiya!"

"The omnipotent Wish-granting Machine—the Holy Grail—is the only way to achieve salvation perfectly."

"Or are you saying..."

His voice rising, Julian used his last reserves of strength to shout, "Do you believe you can surpass that omnipotent miracle?!"

Looking at the exhausted Julian, Shirou shook his head and spoke evenly. "I don't think I can surpass that miracle."

"But! I already have my own miracle."

Shirou looked at the chat group members who had come to his rescue, smiling. "With this miracle, I believe that even saving the world is not out of reach."

Standing tall beneath the sunlight, Shirou seemed like a pillar that would rise to hold up the world.

Julian looked at the people gathered around Shirou, perhaps understanding something.

"I see... With such companions, perhaps you really could save this world."

Taking Erica's hand, Julian murmured, his voice filled with an unclear mixture of emotions. "But what will happen to Erica...?"