Fate: How About a New Savior?

As if her tone hadn't changed at all, Shiomi felt a headache coming on and slowly raised his hand.

Even after reclaiming the Holy Sword and freeing herself from the Holy Lance's hold, she seemed unchanged. Facing Artoria, now wielding both the Holy Lance and the Holy Sword, Shiomi wasn't sure he could hold out until Morgan and the others arrived.

"It's okay, sensei..."

Gray, dragging her exhausted body, slowly approached.

"King Arthur... doesn't intend to fight you."

A faint smile rose on Artoria's face. She wouldn't admit she was wrong, and her earlier tone had simply been a tease at Shiomi's expense.

"I have to admit, you were right about one thing, Tenkei."

Relieved, Shiomi had already guessed what she was referring to.

"Mm."

"My choice was 'happiness for the next visitor to this planet.' After everything ends, I entrusted the future of this world to those who would come later. To future visitors, whether it's humanity or myself, we're just remnants of the past."

She had made that lonely choice fully aware of what it meant.

And yet, for reasons even she couldn't comprehend, she had invited her fellow people to journey with her to the end.

"...To borrow your words, even if humanity is destined to go extinct someday, I don't want it to be through something like the Incineration of Humanity. At the very least, it should be like quietly ceasing to breathe in a dream, reaching the end of its time as a primate."

Shiomi touched his head, voicing what he truly thought.

"So whether it's you or the King of Magecraft, I'll do everything I can to reject it."

"That's quite the lofty goal. My plan's already been stopped by you all. I imagine the King of Magecraft will meet the same end."

Artoria gave a gentle nod. She extended her hand to Gray, who had reached Shiomi's side, gesturing for her to come closer.

A bit puzzled, Gray stepped forward under Shiomi's encouragement.

Artoria placed her hand on Gray's shoulder, and as if something was being pulled away, Gray felt the resonance she'd always shared with King Arthur gradually fade.

"...What is this?" Gray asked.

"A gesture that hardly qualifies as an apology. My sister forced her fate upon a group of people, and in the end, it fell onto you. I'm simply reclaiming what I can. There's nothing I can do about what's already happened."

Even with her humanity restored, Artoria still retained the divine power of a goddess.

With that power, she severed the "fate" between herself and Gray.

The hair that had once turned gold from their resonance returned to its original, pure silver.

"Finally, in the end, I managed to do something good."

Shiomi supported Gray, who had collapsed from exhaustion and fallen asleep, and gently picked her up.

"Thanks to your efforts, I was freed from the binding of the Holy Lance. But it wasn't meaningless." Artoria smiled as she looked at Shiomi. "I've learned a truth—one that only I, as the King of Storms, could know."

"What kind of truth?" Shiomi asked.

"The truth about the King of Magecraft. You once told me that he appeared before you and said he would only consider you a real threat if you could resolve the seven Singularities," she said. "But your understanding was mistaken. What he really meant was—the seventh Singularity is where his absolute confidence lies."

"Because it's the only one that predates the King of Magecraft, from humanity's primordial dawn when people still lived in ignorance?"

"Exactly. The other six Holy Grails, along with the emissaries bearing the names of the Demon Gods, and the Magi—descendants of the King of Magecraft—who spread across the world and lived until their awakening, they all originate from his era, existing within the timeline up to 2016. But the seventh Holy Grail was sent back by the King of Magecraft himself. It marks the first step in the incineration of human order—the very foundation of human history. Only that Grail can lead you to the Temple of Time, a place outside of the proper timeline."

Every word Artoria spoke carried immense weight. Despite the fatigue from battle, Shiomi forced himself to stay alert and commit everything to memory.

Maybe his expression was too serious, because Artoria gently reminded him:

"You don't have to look so grim. Even after becoming the King of Storms and gaining the same perspective as the King of Magecraft, there's still one thing I can't figure out—your identity."

"My identity?"

"Why did the King of Magecraft want your submission? And why did he personally try to kill you? The mystery of your origins—something even you haven't uncovered—may be the key to defeating him," Artoria sighed softly. "That's what my instincts tell me. After all, even Odin entrusted you with his weapon. You must be special."

Shiomi couldn't help but joke, "Don't tell me I'm Odin's reincarnation..."

"Not possible. Odin still watches from beyond the world, his eyes seeing through countless dimensions," she refuted calmly. "Giving you the spear was the furthest he could intervene."

"...Fair enough." Shiomi felt a little bad for saying that.

"The Singularity's collapse has stopped, the Holy Grail's been recovered... It's about time to say goodbye." Artoria reached out and grasped Shiomi's upper arm.

The Chaldea Mystic Code that had been replaced earlier reappeared on his body, fully restored—along with the last remaining Command Spell.

Behind him, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed up the tower.

The first to arrive was Morgan.

And then the others followed.

"Let's part ways here… not sure if we'll ever meet again."

As Shiomi said his farewell, he suddenly felt Artoria's grip tighten.

"And finally, as an apology from me, your one and only kin—"

Before Shiomi could react, Artoria's soft, dry lips closed over his.

Swish—

Two spears pressed against the back of his head.

Morgan and Scáthach had raised their weapons.

"Care to explain, husband?"

"I was worried you'd die fighting, but this is what you were doing? I'm disappointed, dear disciple."

"You bastard! What did you do to Father!?"

"Dad, you're the worst."

"Next time we dive into a Singularity, maybe we should freeze Dad until the final battle."

"Caren, that's a dangerous idea!"

After letting go of Shiomi, Artoria walked back to her ruined throne, sat down, and watched everyone vanish in the light that marked their departure from the Singularity.

That glow slowly consumed Camelot, wrapping around the now-lonely peak of the tower.

Realizing they would never meet again, a tinge of sorrow crept into her heart.

She still wanted to help him…

Artoria slowly closed her eyes, waiting for her consciousness to fade. As her thoughts drifted away, she seemed to hear something.

"Please come this way."

She instinctively opened her eyes but was met with a blinding light. After a while, her vision adjusted.

A boundless field stretched before her, flowers and grass blooming together in eternal spring, untouched by the passage of time.

In the distance, someone sat amid the sea of flowers.

She slowly walked toward that figure, without any doubt or question.

There was no need for either.

Artoria knew this person better than anyone—just as that person knew her.

The blonde girl sitting among the flowers spoke softly without turning around:

"Didn't think we'd meet like this. Mind telling me your story?"

"Of course. But our stories aren't all that different—just like you and me."

"Not everyone gets the chance to tell their story. There's plenty of time here... or is there something urgent?"

"I do have something important, but you're right—we've got time. So... let me tell you about Tenkei."

"Shiomi? That does sound intriguing."

With that, the two of them sat in the warm breeze and talked quietly.