Chapter 246

It was around 5:30 AM.

As dawn broke, the ramen shop owner, who had been diligently delivering food since 5:00 AM, happened to pass by a meteorite crater. He stopped his motorcycle when he saw the black cube in the center of the crater, wearing his usual expressionless face, and stood there observing.

"—Well, this is unexpected."

"Those people managed to push the Einzberns to this extent."

"Or perhaps they no longer have the will to keep hiding?"

The expressionless ramen shop owner, wearing a headscarf, muttered to himself.

"How careless, they'll be discovered..."

"But then again..."

Saying this, the ramen shop owner restarted his motorcycle and turned around.

"What does this have to do with a ramen maker like me anyway?"

The motorcycle sped away, chasing the morning light. Even in the apocalypse, the ramen shop owner's delivery life continued!

  ...

"Hey, wouldn't this scene make a good ending?"

Shinji suddenly asked, pointing at the resolute figure of Kirei walking towards the dawn, catching Gilgamesh and young Gilgamesh by surprise.

Young Gilgamesh smiled and commented, "It does look like the ending of a second-rate movie, symbolizing a heart full of hope or something. But for this world, hope seems to no longer exist."

"Really? Was it never there to begin with?"

Shinji leaned back on the sofa and continued in a casual tone, "In my opinion, that box was always a bluff. If it truly was Pandora's box and had never been opened, it would mean that all the evils of the world—greed, deceit, slander, suffering, and so on—had never been released.

If that were the case, human life now should be as peaceful as before the box was opened, with no disasters or hardships. But that doesn't seem to be the case.

In the millennia of human history after the box appeared, plagues and disasters—things that were supposed to be sealed in the box—were still rampant. Isn't that contradictory?

Perhaps, in another sense, Pandora's box had already been opened, but neither humans nor the clay doll knew it. It might even be possible that the remaining Elpis (hope) had been released..."

(Elpis: Greek, commonly translated as Hope. However, Elpis in Greek carries a much broader meaning, including unrealistic hope. In a sense, this part of Elpis's meaning is a punishment far more terrible than any tangible disaster.)

"Hmm?" Young Gilgamesh squinted his eyes slightly.

"But it's just a guess. If it really is so..."

Shinji didn't continue, instead recalling what Angelica had said about the "symptoms" of this world in the original story.

In a sense, Angelica's description of the "unknown particles" in this world closely resembled the steel earth and the SIN factor.

However, if this world were truly transitioning to the steel earth, it would be beyond salvation, with no hope of redemption.

The Holy Grail, the last hope inside Pandora's box, wouldn't matter; no one could save it. It would be doomed. After all, the steel earth is irreversible.

But... Gaia's behavior this time didn't match that of the steel earth, leading Shinji to suspect that this world might not be transitioning to the steel earth but something else.

If the world were truly heading towards the irreversible end of the steel earth, Gaia wouldn't be so active. She would just lie down and signal the universe, given that the steel earth has no hope.

Of course, from the perspective of the steel earth, Gaia isn't a good entity. So, her plea to young Gilgamesh to save Illya might just be a ploy to use Illya to stop Darius from escaping.

After all, if the Earth is doomed, and Darius plans to take the complete history of humanity through a hole to another world to rebuild a new world and human history, that would be unacceptable to Gaia.

As long as Illya is alive, the history of humanity in this world isn't entirely over, so Darius can't escape.

This explains why Gaia used Illya, a clueless child, as a tool to stop Darius from fleeing.

Not only does she want to stop Darius, but she also wants Illya to change the past, ensuring that humanity never has another chance to escape!

Of course, this is just Shinji's conspiracy theory. Personally, he doesn't dislike the adorable mascot-like Tanaka-san.

"It feels like you're thinking about something strange, big brother..."

"I just think it's a bit much for a light-hearted magical girl story to suddenly turn into a serious apocalyptic scenario."

"No, big brother, you're missing my point. I meant that I can't see through your thoughts, which makes it interesting because I can't predict the future of this world with you in it."

"Hmm? Isn't it destined for destruction?"

Shinji rolled his eyes, dismissing young Gilgamesh's words. If it were truly the steel earth, no one could save this world, and everyone should just give up.

But for the few remaining humans...

There might still be some hope.

...

"Impossible, impossible! How could this be? Absolutely impossible!"

Seeing the cracks on Pandora's box and the cessation of the black mud's flow after the recent attack, Julian's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Just that... just that! How could it... how could it! It's a lie! It's a lie! It's a lie!"

Thanks to some unknown intervention from a certain Gaia suppression force, the enhanced Gáe Bolg managed to stop the black mud!

Simultaneously, the shockwave from Gáe Bolg shattered and dispersed all the black spirits!

"Sorry, Julian! This is the reality!"

The heroic giant shouted, his eyes resolute and unyielding, ready to face Julian in a final showdown!

"Julian! If you're going to kill one for the sake of the whole, I will become evil as many times as necessary! Are you prepared for this, hero of justice?"

Hearing the familiar words, Shirou was shocked. What was this? Something didn't seem right.

Who is the hero of justice?

Evil? He calls himself evil?

"Anyway, thank you, other world's me."

Seeing Shirou about to ask, the heroic giant smiled gently and expressed his gratitude before taking a deep breath.

"Projection, start!"

A massive sword was projected and thrown forcefully at the platform where Julian and the others stood!

Boom—!

This was a major scene from the original story: Gilgamesh vs. the heroic giant. This time, Miyu replaced the assisting Kuro!

"Catch this, Miyu! Only this card can deal with that spirit!"

Illya threw the only remaining Archer class card she had to Miyu.

"Illya, what is this..."

Illya turned, her face serious, and said to Shirou, "This world has no future! So please, don't harbor any naive thoughts. No one can save this world, so... at least reclaim Miyu's future!"

"So, what happened to this world? What does it have to do with Miyu? What is the Einzberns' goal? What is that black cube?"

Lancer's voice interrupted, "During a battle, it's better to ask fewer questions!"

Hearing this, Shirou lowered his head, clenching his fists tightly. After a long pause, he asked again.

"Then, let me ask one last question. Is our fight... just?"

"At least, in my view, it's not evil."

Leaving this comment, Illya rode Berserker forward. At the same time, Lancer and Bazett ran past Shirou.

The enemies weren't just one; there were also Red Archer, Beatrice, and Julian. Time was of the essence!

At this moment, Red Archer, standing beside Julian, looked at the approaching group and spoke calmly.

"For now, it would be better to retreat. However, if you consider this the final battle, just tell me who the enemy is."

"Damn it!"

Julian cursed, then raised his right hand. The black cube, which had been shrouding everything, rapidly shrank at a visible speed!

Finally, it became a small, glowing black cube that fell into Julian's hand, marking the end of the battle.

"I felt it..."

Transformed, dressed in a black suit, with lifeless eyes, Erika—or rather, Emilia, the girl of Pandora—lowered her head and murmured softly.

"The spear just now carried the presence of a force that judges us..."

"Is that so... We finally found it..."

Saying this, Julian walked slowly to Emilia and handed her the small cube.

Before leaving, Julian didn't forget to use displacement magic to appear behind Miyu and make a threat!

"The Holy Grail will be mine!"

"Don't run!"

The heroic giant roared, but it was useless.

After Julian's words, they all disappeared along with the stone mountain, leaving behind a curse-like statement.

Of course, traces of the endless battle remained.

As he left, Red Archer maintained his cold expression, glancing briefly at the dejected Shirou, who stood with his head down, biting his lip and clenching his fists.

Red Archer knew that their next encounter would be the true final battle, not only between them but also the last showdown between him and Shirou.