C357

With each defeated Heroic Spirit, Gray's mind grew increasingly distorted, and her thoughts became more twisted.

Finally, she grasped the true essence of this Butterfly Magecraft.

It was a complete substitution of personality and spirit.

Yet, when compared to Orlocke Caesarmund's Butterfly Magecraft, her sister's version was even more remarkable.

The Butterfly Magecraft implanted within Gray wasn't just a transfer of personality and spirit; it was a thorough replacement!

It simulated the Holy Grail, recreated the events of the Fourth Holy Grail War, completed the records of the King of Knights, Artoria Pendragon, and served as a bridge to a place separated by time and space, driven by an obsession that spanned over 1,500 years.

Through spiritual replacement, Gray's own spirit was replaced with that of the King of Knights, Artoria Pendragon.

While she would take Artoria's place and continue to exist in that separate realm, Artoria would be able to manifest once again in this world using Gray's physical vessel.

In this way, through the guise of spiritual and soul substitution, it managed to deceive the Counter Force and cement its existence in the records.

Her sister's brilliance was truly astonishing, capable of conceiving such a powerful magecraft.

Perhaps it was the result of her sister's relentless obsession over the course of 1,500 years.

But...

"I don't want to disappear..." Gray whispered, wrapping her arms around her knees, her face buried in them, tears cascading down her cheeks.

Genuine thoughts of desperately not wanting to fade away consumed Gray's mind.

For the first time since her existence began, she wanted to be selfish.

But it was too late.

The Heroic Spirits responsible for completing the records had already met their end, and the guardian of the ritual had departed the scene.

She... had no escape route left.

The ritual had already been set in motion.

Her spirit was being torn away from her physical form, while countless shadowy hands reached out from the other side of that realm, dragging her towards a place where time ceased to exist.

Fear ceased to hold any significance.

Panic lost its meaning as well.

All that remained was a forced march towards the inevitable end.

This path had been determined by their ancestors, who created the ritual plans over 1,500 years ago.

But...

"I don't want to disappear..."

Who would willingly choose to disappear?

No one.

Gray didn't want to disappear either, nor did she want to wander aimlessly on the other side, swallowed by solitude.

Yet, her pleas fell on deaf ears.

No one would respond to her.

The endless dark hands grabbed hold of her spirit, forcefully pulling her toward that realm where time ceased to exist.

However...

Someone responded to her.

A gentle palm slowly extended from amidst those endless dark hands, pushing her spirit downward.

A soft voice whispered in her ear, "Then refuse it."

Grey's eyes fluttered open, and her spirit came face to face with another spirit.

And it was none other than Artoria Pendragon, the King of Knights.

"I had no intention of returning to the mortal world. All I want is the Holy Grail. Refuse it and live your own life. If no one is here to bestow their blessings upon you, then allow me to be the one to do so," Artoria expressed.

She disrupted the ritual and gently guided Gray's spirit back into her body.

...

A sigh escaped the woman's lips.

"My foolish little sister... the king has already arrived. What do you hope to achieve by lingering in that place?"

...

Shirou burst into the room along with the others, only to find that the substitution ritual had already come to an end.

He turned his gaze towards the now awakened Gray and asked, "Are you okay?"

Tears welled up in Gray's eyes, yet she vigorously shook her head.

Someone had blessed her.

The King, the legendary King of Knights who was supposed to be resurrected using her body, had chosen not to come back through her. Instead, the King blessed her to forge her own path in life.

Shirou felt at a loss for words, unsure of how to console her, He could only sigh inwardly.

His Noble Phantasm had unveiled the sequence of events.

In the end, all he could do was sigh as the situation unfolded unexpectedly, yet in a strangely predictable manner.

Artoria had refused.

Everyone huddled around, forming a circle with Gray at its center.

In that moment, Shirou abruptly turned his head, a hint of doubt crossing his face.

"Artie—?"

"Shirou, what are you talking about? Artoria isn't here," Arcueid chimed in.

Shirou didn't respond; he simply gazed ahead, his focus fixed on something.

There—

There was nothing.

To both Arcueid and himself, it appeared empty, devoid of any presence.

Nothingness.

However, influenced by his Noble Phantasm, a label materialized before his eyes.

[Spirit of Artoria Pendragon]

There was no foul language, no profanity or strange nameplate were present.

When the Eternal King appeared in his youthful form, his Noble Phantasm resembled the interface of an online game rather than the foul-mouthed and crude version from the dream world.

Even though he couldn't see Artoria, the presence of the nameplate left no room for doubt—she was there.

Gray looked up with eyes brimming with tears.

Maybe it was because of the nature of the substitution ritual.

Her spirit was undeniably linked to the spirit of the King of Knights.

Only Gray could see it. Before Shirou, Artoria tenderly reached out to cup his face, but her hand passed through as if he were a specter.

It was only natural. The figure before him wasn't the true living Artoria, but rather her spirit and consciousness.

Spirits were invisible to ordinary people; only spirits could see one another.

Artoria's ethereal hand caressed his face, yet there was no hint of regret or disappointment on her expression. She simply embraced him gently. Although her body and hand phased through him, her smile and happiness made it feel as if she had truly embraced him.

She whispered gently, "My king..."

Nobody heard it, not even Shirou.

But Gray was the one who saw and heard it.

Artoria, noticing this, turned around and locked eyes with Gray.

She raised a finger to her lips, motioning for silence. Then, with a gentle smile, she started to fade away, gradually becoming transparent.

However, to her surprise, she couldn't completely vanish.

Artoria was taken aback and questioned herself, "Why... can't I go back?"

...

In the forest outside of Adra Castle, a woman gazed at the castle that had reappeared from the fairyland.

Pulling back the hood that concealed her features, she slowly turned her back and started to walk away.

"What a troublesome... little sister."

Beneath the hood, her countenance displayed a stunning resemblance to both Gray and Artoria. With crimson eyes resembling a scarlet moon, she wore a relieved smile on her face, and two sharp canine teeth peeked through her lips...