"Thank you, Sakura," Arthur murmured, a faint smile appearing on his lips as he felt the sudden surge of power coursing through his body.
He planted his feet firmly on the ground, adjusting his stance as he raised the spear toward Gilles' monstrous body. Every muscle in his body tensed to the limit as he channeled absolutely everything into that single action.
Instinctively, everyone retreated even further.
Even without fully understanding the extent of that power, their instincts screamed danger.
"Would this be considered some kind of blasphemy?" Arthur tilted his head slightly, a cold, cruel smile forming on his face. "Nah… I doubt even Jesus would forgive what this filthy trash has done."
"You're going to suffer the worst kind of death possible." His voice dropped, heavy with intent. "You'll experience hell itself in your final moments… before being sent there."
The spear began to shine.
An intense golden light—almost unbearable to look at—wrapped around Longinus, a sacred power so pure that it was intolerable to anyone tied to the dark arts.
The sound… was strange.
It was as if something was in the middle of a countdown.
"How ironic…" Arthur let out a low chuckle. "A demon being killed by the spear that pierced Christ."
He pulled his arm back.
And then—
"Releasing the twin restraints of the Holy Spear. Countdown initiated."
The world seemed to hold its breath.
"May a sacred miracle illuminate my path."
His eyes gleamed.
"BRILLIANT SPEAR OF DESTINY — LONGINUS!!"
He roared and threw it.
BOOM—
A colossal beam of golden light tore through the sky, so intense that its presence could be perceived even beyond the planet's atmosphere. The visual impact was devastating, as if the heavens themselves had been forcibly split open.
And then, a scream that did not sound human echoed.
A shattered, broken sound, filled with pure, absolute agony.
His gigantic body was pierced by the holy spear—but not destroyed instantly.
The sacred energy began to consume him slowly and relentlessly.
His flesh disintegrated layer by layer, as if it were being rejected by existence itself. His tentacles writhed chaotically, crushing his own body in a futile attempt to escape the pain.
"Ryuunosuke—?!"
The voice came out distorted and fragmented.
Two consciousnesses trapped within the same hell.
"This… this hurts…! This isn't… art…!"
"It's beautiful…! Isn't it…? Isn't it beautiful?!"
The voices overlapped in a desperate and conflicting chorus.
One cried while the other laughed.
But even the laughter began to break as the sacred light engulfed everything.
"No… no…! I won't accept this! I won't accept—!"
His body began to collapse.
The grotesque structure he had created fell apart, unable to withstand the overwhelming pressure of that energy.
Even his soul was being torn apart.
"I… am not… finished… yet…!"
His voice failed amid a long and cruel suffering.
Exactly as Arthur had promised.
An end worthy of everything he had done.
Imbuing the sub-skill "Judgment" from my Anubis ability into the spear was far more effective than I expected.
In addition, he had subtly manipulated the laws of life and death so that Gilles would feel the maximum possible pain before finally dying.
"Artie," Arthur called without taking his eyes off the target.
Artoria nodded—she had easily understood his intentions.
Just like him, she wanted the absolute end of that creature.
"Light, be released from the ends of the world."
Her voice was low, almost inaudible.
"Split the heavens and bind the earth, anchor of the storm…"
A golden glow silently ascended into the sky, nearly imperceptible amid the overwhelming radiance caused by Longinus.
Then, a colossal golden structure emerged above the clouds, formed by countless interwoven bands that rotated like a divine drill, descending slowly to deliver judgment upon the sinners.
Artoria had reduced its size, yet it remained overwhelming.
"Sacred Judgment."
She murmured.
And then, the pillar collided directly with what remained of Gilles.
And everything that was left of him was annihilated.
"...Ahhh~"
Arthur let out a long, heavy breath, his body finally relaxing.
The cost was evident—even for him.
As a Heroic Spirit, his limitations imposed by the Grail still existed, and that attack had pushed his body to its limits.
Even with the assistance of Sakura's Command Seals, his mana reserves were dangerously low.
"Even though I didn't do anything, the subjugation of Caster is complete! Hahahaha!"
Iskandar's loud voice broke the silence.
He approached with wide strides, throwing an arm over Arthur's shoulder with enthusiasm, as if this had been just another glorious battle.
But even he knew that without Arthur, things would never have ended like that.
"Looks like that Command Seal wasn't meant for us." Iskandar scratched his head.
Turning to Waver in the chariot, he asked, "Master, since the blow that destroyed Caster was delivered by Lancer, this Command Seal rightfully belongs to him. Do you have any objections?"
"No," Waver replied.
He just wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible and reunite with his mentor and strategist, Kayneth.
"Well then…"
Seeing Waver's state, Iskandar sighed and said his farewell, "I'll take my leave here. I hope that next time we meet, we can have a proper fight."
After laughing a few times, Iskandar jumped back into the chariot, pulled the reins, and departed without looking back.
Soon after, Arthur returned to where Iri and the others were waiting.
As for the mess Caster left behind—that was something for the authorities to deal with.
"That has nothing to do with me."
---
While they played in the soft snow, laughing and leaving scattered footprints across the white field, a portal suddenly opened in the middle of the area, distorting the air with a faint magical hum.
Despite the initial surprise, none of the girls panicked.
They knew exactly who it was.
"Arthur!"
Their voices rang out almost at the same time, filled with surprise, relief, and barely contained joy as they saw the familiar silhouette emerge from the portal.
"I'm back, girls," he said with a calm smile, as if his return were the most natural thing in the world.
Sakura was the first to move.
Without hesitation, she ran toward him and threw herself into his arms, burying her face in his chest as if to confirm he was truly there.
Right behind her, Kohaku came with the same energy, hugging him from the side, laughing lightly as if trying to hide how much she had missed him.
Caren didn't run with them. She walked calmly up to him—but as she got close, she raised her leg and delivered a direct kick to his shin.
"You took too long to come back," she said, crossing her arms, her face slightly pouty.
"You're becoming more and more of a tsundere, Caren…" Arthur grumbled, letting out a small sigh as, with his one free hand, he patted Sakura's head, then Kohaku's, and even Caren's—without asking permission.
"I AM NOT A TSUNDERE!!" she shouted, landing several more kicks on him.
Hisui stayed a bit farther back at first, but her gentle eyes followed his every movement in silent attention. Still, she couldn't resist for long—she stepped forward slightly and tilted her head, allowing him to pat her as well.
Fujino approached and simply observed him in silence, waiting for him to do the same for her.
Illya, on the other hand, hesitated.
She stood a few steps behind, holding the hem of her coat, clearly wanting to approach… but unsure how.
Arthur noticed her.
He let out a small chuckle and extended his hand, gently placing it on her head.
The simple gesture made Illya freeze for a moment before she completely relaxed, closing her eyes with a small smile she couldn't hide.
"Sakura…"
The voice was weak.
Aoi covered her mouth, her eyes already filled with tears, trembling slightly as she stared at the scene before her. She wanted to move forward, wanted to run, wanted to embrace her daughter…
But she couldn't.
Her feet wouldn't move.
"Mother?"
Sakura murmured, surprised as she noticed her behind Arthur.
But the light in her eyes quickly changed.
The surprise vanished—and in its place came indifference.
Rin stood right beside her, hands on her hips, cheeks puffed with frustration, clearly annoyed at being ignored.
But as she sensed the weight in the air…
She fell silent.
Her gaze shifted between Sakura and Aoi, and for the first time, she said nothing.
The other girls, sensing the abrupt change in atmosphere, instinctively stepped back, giving them space.
Sakura's gaze pierced through Aoi like an invisible blade.
And that broke something inside her.
The weight of guilt, the weight of her choices, the weight of Tokiomi's death.
Everything came crashing down at once.
Aoi's legs gave out, and she collapsed to her knees in the cold snow, covering her face as her sobbing burst out uncontrollably once more.
Seeing that, Sakura froze, her eyes trembling.
She quickly looked away, as if unable to bear the sight, and almost instinctively buried her face against Arthur's chest again.
Her fingers clutched his clothes tightly.
And then, she began to cry as well.
Rin remained standing, her eyes watery, her lips trembling.
But she didn't cry.
She clenched her teeth tightly, trying to stay strong—as if that was the only thing she still had control over.
"..."
All around them, silence reigned.
None of the girls said a word—they only watched.
Arthur didn't interfere or interrupt the moment.
His hand gently moved through Sakura's hair in a steady, silent gesture, offering the only comfort he could in that moment.
Time passed slowly until the sobs subsided and the tears began to fade.
Then, Sakura was the first to move.
She pulled away from Arthur's embrace with some hesitation, taking a deep breath, her eyes still red.
Then she took a few steps toward Aoi.
She stopped in front of her and gently extended her hand.
Her fingers touched her mother's face, softly wiping away the tears still falling.
"Don't cry…" her voice came out low, almost a whisper. "You'll get wrinkles if you keep crying like that, Mom."
Her words were simple and direct, but they were enough to completely shatter Aoi's already fragile emotions.
She grabbed Sakura tightly, pulling her into a desperate embrace, as if afraid she might disappear again.
And she cried once more—this time even more intensely.
Because Arthur had told her how he met Sakura, she knew that if it weren't for him, Sakura would have been completely destroyed—both physically and mentally.
And that thought was unbearable.
---
(End of Chapter)
A/N: Maybe my disgust toward Gilles de Rais, combined with the fact that he actually has a fanbase, made me go a bit overboard with his execution.