Chapter 173: Shirou Becomes the Enemy of Justice, Karma's Flames Ignites the Goddess's Body!
Shirou used the Eternal Flame to ignite Unlimited Blade Works.
"Boom!"
The scorching flames instantly enveloped the surrounding space, causing even the Goddess of Justice, Astraea, to feel a palpable heat. The flames seemed to bore through the sky, threatening to reduce the entire world to ashes.
All the ashes finally piled up and, through the continuously burning flame, transformed into a distinct longsword, like fire, like will, and most importantly, never to be extinguished—the Eternal Flame Sword!
"What exactly is that..."
Astraea's face showed a flicker of emotion as she looked at the gradually forming flame sword in Shirou's hand. She watched the unprecedented weapon with disbelief but did not retreat, instead silently standing her ground, watching Shirou's flame sword completely take shape.
"Are you not going to stop me?"
Shirou was clearly puzzled by Goddess Astraea's behavior. Observing that Astraea hadn't acted at all, he asked with a trace of confusion, "Why didn't you attack me while I was forming the weapon? Is it the arrogance of a God? Or do you want to show your composure? I don't think the Goddess of Justice would be ignorant of the principle that 'arrogance invites defeat.'"
"Indeed, the reason I didn't stop you is not arrogance," Astraea quietly replied. "The previous exchange has made me fully understand that Shirou Emiya, you are not an ordinary human. As a mortal, you possess the genuine qualification to challenge a God."
"In that case..."
"The reason I didn't strike at you halfway is because I want to defeat you honorably," Astraea looked at Shirou. "I am fighting this battle to realize Justice. If I used despicable means, even if I won, I could not realize my Justice."
"What exactly is this Justice you speak of?"
At this point, Shirou couldn't help but question Astraea's attitude.
Astraea had always claimed to 'fight to realize Justice,' but Shirou didn't understand the essence of the Goddess Astraea's so-called Justice.
After all, Shirou didn't believe Astraea couldn't see the criminal actions of Ouranos, nor did he believe Astraea was so foolish as to be manipulated by Ouranos.
The fact that she stood here, fighting him regardless of the cost, must be for some important reason.
"What I seek is the Justice of the world," Astraea stared intently at Shirou. "Not the justice of an individual, nor the justice of a certain group, but the true Justice that can encompass every individual, every race, and even the Gods in the world."
"So what is that Justice?"
"It is Order," Astraea finally gave her answer. "The destination I seek, the end of Justice I have reached, is the continuation of Order."
"Order?" Shirou was slightly surprised.
"Yes," Astraea slowly responded. "Do you remember I said that after leaving Orario, I traveled to a place called the sword-smithing city Solingen? In that city, I witnessed a nation struggling to survive, surrounded by enemies. I witnessed a group of frail and insignificant humans huddling together for warmth, seeking survival through firm will, mutual unity, and unified planning."
"However, the people of the Solingen were not born united, helping each other, and surviving in a difficult environment. In fact, according to the city's history, the Solingen was in a state of chaos without order for at least several hundred years. Endless wars and disasters impacted everyone in that territory, yet no one had the power to resist."
"Because the power of humanity is weak. Even a single human with great ability cannot change the world, much less eliminate all the enemy hordes and monsters to protect everyone. In such an environment, let alone Justice, no one could even secure the basic right to survival."
"This situation lasted for centuries. Perhaps out of the need for survival, or perhaps due to the birth of a certain hero, the chaos that shrouded the land of the Solingen was erased, and the initial Order was established. Relying on the birth of Order, the populace was no longer a disorganized mess, waiting to be slaughtered. Instead, they could act together under the leadership of a leader, with a common will, to explore the world and strengthen themselves. Only by having power could they protect the weak, and only then could Justice be realized."
" Solingen continuously established various forms of Order over hundreds of years, and every rule was set for the continuation of the city-state and the survival of the populace. Whether it was the militaristic training from a young age or regarding the blacksmith as the most valued profession and powerful weapons as the foundation of existence... the history of Solingen is a process from disorder to the establishment of Order, and then from the initial establishment of Order to its complete perfection."
"Relying on solid and reliable Order, the populace gained strength, the city gained security, and Justice was fulfilled. And all of this is built on the foundation of Order. If Order does not exist, nothing will be completed, and Justice can fundamentally never be realized!"
Astraea's passionate speech described everything she had witnessed and comprehended over the years. She realized that Order is the prerequisite for Justice, and only by maintaining Order can Justice be maximized.
It must be said that Goddess Astraea's viewpoint has its rationality. The continuation of Solingen proves the necessity of Order for the survival of the mortal race.
However, Shirou still didn't understand what this had to do with her needing to assist Ouranos in eliminating him. Why did she absolutely have to destroy him?
Seeming to notice Shirou's confusion, Astraea continued, "Shirou Emiya, haven't you understood yet? You are the greatest enemy to the Order of present-day Orario, and even the entire Genkai."
"I am the enemy of Genkai's Order?"
"Yes."
Astraea looked at Shirou, staring directly into the man's eyes. "The Order in Genkai did not exist from the start. Everything originated from the descent of the Gods a millennium ago. The Gods who first arrived in Genkai did not understand their responsibility and acted recklessly, causing great chaos."
"This situation continued for centuries until the construction of Babel and the birth of Orario. Only then did the Gods, led by the Old God Ouranos, formally establish the Order of Genkai: Gods grant Falna to mortals, and mortals use the Falna to kill monsters and return the favor to the Gods."
"Although the essence of this Order may not be perfectly correct, and although the Gods may have other objectives in Genkai, this Order has indeed brought long-lasting peace to Genkai. It is everything the Gods established after descending that resulted in the peace and prosperity of Genkai today. Even if the Old God Ouranos has his own selfish motives within it, his merits absolutely cannot be overlooked."
"However, what about everything you have done, Shirou Emiya?" Astraea glared at Shirou. "Compared to the Gods who established Order in Genkai, compared to the Gods who maintained the peace of Genkai, spending a millennium to turn Genkai into its current peaceful state, what have you done? You have neither established Order nor maintained Order. On the contrary, everything you have done has been nothing but the destruction of Order."
"Think about what would truly happen if everything you've done came to pass! If the system established by the Gods is destroyed by you, Genkai will return to the era without Falna. And how will mortals fight monsters without a God's Falna? Without Babel suppressing the Dungeon, the Dungeon monsters will once again sweep across the land, and the Black Dragon of Extinction will utterly destroy everything."
"The existence of Order is the foundation of Justice, and the establishment of Order is true Justice! Therefore, I choose to realize true Justice, to fight to maintain the Order of Genkai! Conversely, as the one destroying the Order of Genkai, Shirou Emiya, you are absolutely the enemy of Justice!"
Goddess Astraea made her declaration with cold words, branding Shirou with the title of "Enemy of Justice."
Shirou, undoubtedly, fell silent in the face of all this. He never expected Goddess Astraea to deny his actions and regard him as a necessary target for subjugation based on such a reason.
The problem was, the Goddess's perspective wasn't entirely wrong.
The current Shirou was preoccupied with destroying the Order established by Ouranos but had never considered how a new Order would be established after the old one was destroyed. He was only focused on annihilating everything he disliked, forgetting that these very things were the cornerstones for maintaining peace and Justice.
If the cornerstones cease to exist, Justice cannot exist.
Everything will cease to be.
Shirou's actions would not only fail to save this world but would become the chief culprit in its destruction, the source of all evil!
"It seems you are beginning to understand how unjust your actions are," Astraea looked at Shirou. "If there is still some conscience in your heart, if there is still a sense of responsibility for world peace deep within you, instead of arbitrarily destroying everything and indulging in the desire for destruction, then just quietly accept my judgment and meet your death! Because only your death can save the precarious Order of Genkai and allow the collapsing Genkai to regain the same peace and tranquility as before."
"The same peace and tranquility as before?"
Astraea's words triggered a reaction in Shirou. Shirou, who had been silent and unable to refute Astraea, seemed to have finally found his argument, challenging Astraea: "Goddess, do you really believe that the past Genkai, the past Orario, possessed peace and tranquility?"
"..."
"I admit that your argument has its correctness; the establishment of Order is indeed a prerequisite for realizing Justice. But there is an even more important aspect to this prerequisite: the established Order must be a correct Order!"
Shirou looked at Astraea. "Human kingdoms govern the world with law, because law can maximize the adherence to Order by every individual and can fundamentally establish a correct Order. But what about Orario? This is a city without law. No one can restrain others on the level of Order; they can only rely on morality for meaningless treaties."
"And most importantly, in this city, only mortals must abide by Order; Gods do not need to abide by Order. To the Gods, Genkai is merely a playground where they can do anything they want without any punishment. That is precisely why the former Dark Faction, and even Ouranos, could arbitrarily brutalize others and commit all sorts of unforgivable evil acts."
"Goddess Astraea, you say Order is necessary for realizing Justice. Then, can a flawed Order be tolerated? Does an Order riddled with loopholes need to be maintained? If you believe this is correct, then the sacrifice of the Astraea Familia, the former dependents who lost everything to realize Justice—their sacrifice was worthless and meaningless!"
"..."
Shirou's words plunged Astraea into a long silence.
Astraea clearly hadn't expected Shirou to speak such sharp words, fundamentally negating the theory she had built.
However, Astraea was clearly not convinced by Shirou. She looked at Shirou with a flat, cold gaze and slowly spoke, "Perhaps you are indeed correct. Perhaps the Gods are the greatest obstacle to the destruction of Order and the realization of Justice for Genkai. But I will not change my choice! Even if the current Order of Orario is flawed, even if this path does not lead to Justice, I have no other choice. At least for me, this is by no means the wrong choice."
"Indeed, for you, Goddess Astraea, maintaining the current Order not only prevents chaos from sweeping Genkai and causing innocent casualties, but also safeguards the souls of the Astraea Familia. It is a win-win for you," Shirou quietly nodded, acknowledging Astraea's judgment. "However, you have your choice, and I have my conviction. I do not recognize the Order established by the current Orario as the path to Justice, nor do I believe everything the God Ouranos has done can be forgiven and tolerated."
"I will destroy everything! Even if destroying the existing Order brings unprecedented chaos, or even leads to the downfall of Genkai, I will not stop! Because I have long since given up on pursuing Justice. What I seek is no longer Justice, but protection—simply protecting what I want to protect! If the world deems my actions wrong, if Justice deems my choice foolish, then I will become the enemy of the world, I will become the enemy of Justice!"
Shirou's tone slowly rang out. He then abruptly raised the Eternal Flame Blade in his hand. All the swords in Unlimited Blade Works had been utterly destroyed, and the thousands of blades, now fragments like snowflakes, circled around and finally converged in Shirou's hand.
Thus, the sword born in his hand was an unprecedented one—a sword that seemed formless yet had a shape, that seemed light as a feather yet carried the weight of a thousand ton a truly unique sword. Shirou slowly raised the sword in his hand, pointing it towards Goddess Astraea—
"Boom!"
Even though Shirou had not yet taken any action, an astonishing strike had already rushed towards Astraea. The sword, composed of pure flame, seemed to shatter the very space itself. Unlimited Blade Works began to tremble before this ultimate attack!
"..."
Although Astraea was prepared to deal with Shirou's attack, she was still surprised by the unprecedented strike Shirou unleashed.
She created a large number of swords, instantly transforming thousands of blades into a shield and a wall, barely managing to block Shirou's attack. However, as the flames shattered her swords, they seemed to avoid touching her body, yet caused damage to some unseen part of her.
"..."
Astraea spat out blood. She found it incredibly hard to believe that she was wounded despite not being hit head-on.
"It seems you don't understand what happened, Goddess of Justice," Shirou stared at Astraea, then swung his sword again.
This time, the flame slash Shirou released was even more intense than before. The scorching flame was like a rushing sun, suddenly appearing before Astraea.
"Boom!"
Facing such an exaggerated attack, even by creating swords, Astraea found it difficult to completely block Shirou's flame. Her body was slightly struck, igniting her robes. Despite her shoulder being exposed, the Goddess's expression did not change at all. Instead, she abruptly raised both hands, completely unleashing her full Authority.
"Rumble!!"
In the blink of an eye, countless swords, as if to annihilate the world, appeared from behind Astraea. Each sword was a weapon infused with Divine Power, thus forming a torrent of Divine Power!
However, what Astraea hadn't expected was that as she prepared to release the torrent of Divine Power to crush Shirou, flames began to ignite from her hands, feet, and entire body. Shirou hadn't made any moves, yet the flames were unmistakably wrapped around her.
"Could it be... your flame ignites the flame of the soul..." Astraea finally realized something. "The flame released by your slash is not merely pure fire, nor is it true flame. It is the flame of the soul, capable of igniting the soul! Therefore, even if your attack doesn't directly hit, it can still burn my body, because you are directly igniting my soul!"
"That's right," Shirou nodded, confirming Astraea's judgment. "This is not Hestia's Authority, but my Authority—my true ability is this Karma's Flames that can ignite the soul, an ultimate flame that can burn even a God's soul!"
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