Chapter 93: Illya? Illya!
"Given the manifestation of that Cursed Technique, the Cursed Spirit that came to rescue Jogo must be the one representing the forest.
But... can concepts like forest really be grouped together with the earth, volcanoes, and the ocean?"
Natural disasters such as volcanic eruptions, landslides, and tsunamis still happen today, and consequently, humanity's negative emotions toward them continue to endure.
Even in the centuries and millennia to come, humanity may not necessarily find a way to completely counter them.
But the concept of the forest... Perhaps hundreds of years ago, many people living in villages still feared the dark, unknown forests, but that kind of emotion should be nearly completely dissipated in today's technological age.
Aside from a few special regions, the modern world is completely free of forest areas that could instill much fear.
At least in modern times, the concept of the forest is completely inferior to those phenomena that cause pure natural disasters.
However, since this Cursed Spirit was born an unknown time ago, it's natural for it to have accumulated a vast amount of Cursed Energy.
Also, if Jogo's statement about receiving the 'world's' support was serious, areas covered with vegetation are far more common than rare settings like volcanoes.
"And the form of that last utterance sounds quite similar to the Fox God spirit from before. Is it also a man-made Cursed Spirit?
No, the commonality should be in a different aspect..."
The strange cry emitted by the unknown Cursed Spirit at the end—Emiya didn't understand the unknown language, yet he felt as if the corresponding meaning directly flowed into his mind, allowing him to comprehend the intent of the words.
However, since it was only a simple cry, Emiya couldn't be sure if that was truly the case.
"And finally, the most serious problem: my body..."
Emiya tried to inject strength into the arm gripping the sword hilt to push himself up, but the attempt ultimately failed.
Before deploying Unlimited Blade Works, Emiya had considered this situation, and even consequences much worse than this.
His Reality Marble and Projection Magecraft were, after all, transplanted from the Heroic Spirit EMIYA. And humans and Heroic Spirits are completely different entities, structurally and physiologically.
If one couldn't understand the exact situation, trying to imagine embedding a piece of mechanical limb into the body might be an apt analogy.
When using Unlimited Blade Works, his body suffers a backlash due to the difference in their mental landscapes, most directly manifesting as those burning-like scars on his body.
The Cursed Energy of a third-rate Sorcerer is completely insufficient to support Emiya's deployment of a Reality Marble, forcing him to overdraw his life force to squeeze his Magic Circuits and body for a limited quota.
Emiya's fusion rate with the Heroic Spirit Emiya, and even other 'Shirou Emiya's, had indeed improved remarkably after arriving in this world, but this kind of fundamental fusion, unimaginable to ordinary people, could not be completed overnight.
Perhaps in more than ten years, Emiya could truly master the Reality Marble called Unlimited Blade Works, and consequently, derive techniques and a world unique to his current self. But that is a long time away and has little relevance to him now.
In fact, the mere fact that his body is only exhausted and not on the verge of collapse is already better than Emiya had originally anticipated.
In any case, dying is impossible. Perhaps his physical condition will largely recover in a few days, and then he will return to the routine of constantly exorcising Cursed Spirits.
"Well, that's fine.
The enemy has fled, the Barrier is dismantled, and the Jujutsu High support should arrive soon.
I'll ask you to hold on a little longer."
After a final glance at Aoi Todo, who was still motionless after face-planting, Emiya could finally no longer support his body and slowly collapsed into the scattered flowers.
.
.
.
It hurts.
It hurts, hurts, hurts, hurts.
His hands, shoulders, thighs, and even his heart... all of these places were, without exception, pierced by blades.
It wasn't external slashing; the blades were growing outward from inside his body. That's why the pain was so intense, making even every breath feel like a razor blade slicing his throat.
And yet, Emiya was intimately familiar with this feeling.
If he were to use Unlimited Blade Works by recklessly overdrawing his body without limitation, the final result would be exactly this—his body failing to withstand the power of the Reality Marble, leading to a backlash where blades grew from within.
Before.
That feeling was probably not far removed from Mahito suffering from Idle Transfiguration.
But even so, Shirou Emiya was still dragging this broken body forward through the large cavern in the mountain, just to reach that dream-like object not far away.
The core of the Holy Grail War, rumored to grant all wishes, the Leyline beneath Fuyuki City that had accumulated magical power for decades—the true Greater Grail.
"This... this is the last time...
I have to Project..."
His entire person approached the massive pit like a zombie, but Shirou Emiya's body suddenly stopped.
He was no longer clear why he had come here, and he barely remembered why he absolutely had to destroy the object before him. He only knew that this was very important to him.
But at that moment, terrifying images suddenly flooded his mind.
That was the consequence of him daring to use Projection Magecraft further—forcing the power of the Reality Marble to operate as an ordinary human exacts a toll on more than just life force; it consumes memory, and even the soul.
But he couldn't die yet. Someone was waiting for him to return, a girl with purple hair who would gently call him 'Senpai.'
The existence named 'Shirou Emiya' was ultimately still just an ordinary human.
He didn't want to die, and even more than that, he didn't want to be unable to return to that girl's side.
However, the Greater Grail was right in front of him. If he couldn't destroy this thing, everything would still...
"Hey, Shirou, do you want to live? No matter what kind of life, no matter what kind of form, do you want to keep living, Shirou?"
It was a figure with a crown and long white hair, seen from behind. She walked step-by-step in front of 'Shirou Emiya,' closer to the Greater Grail.
That figure was very familiar, but... he couldn't call out the full name anymore.
"No, Illy... I'll do it..."
[Big brothers are born to protect their little sisters.]
[Since you call me 'Big Brother,' then I am your brother. Even... if we're not related by blood.]
Relevant memory fragments finally emerged in his decaying mind—the scene where he declared himself her brother.
But the emotion of fear was spreading. He wasn't just afraid of his own death; he was more afraid of being unable to leave this large cavern, unable to fulfill his promise to the girl.
No matter what, all of this could only be achieved if he lived.
"..."
"I want to... live!"
The ordinary human named 'Shirou Emiya' finally cried out his true wish and thought.
But he quickly realized that the cost of his continued life meant the one to die could only be the person before him.
"No...!"
Hearing 'Shirou Emiya's choice, the girl in white before him did not look sad. Instead, a gentle smile formed on her face.
"That's good.
I'll let you see a 'miracle.' This time, it's really amazing.
After all, this is true Magic."
The ability to create miracles, to summon Heroic Spirits from the distant Throne of Heroes—the true function of the Greater Grail—the Third Magic: Heaven's Feel.
Activating this power could not only permanently shut down the Greater Grail but also repair 'Shirou Emiya's shattered soul and extract it from his broken body. This was the only way for this ordinary human, who had overdrawn his body, to survive now.
"It doesn't matter, come back...
Come back..."
The name was right on the tip of his tongue, yet 'Shirou Emiya' couldn't utter it no matter what.
His heart, already pierced by blades, was convulsing with even greater agony, but as an ordinary person, how could he possibly have the ability to reverse the current situation?
"Didn't you say the big brother has to protect his little sister?"
The girl, who was gradually approaching the Greater Grail, suddenly turned her head and smiled as she answered the crying boy.
"That's right... Because I'm Shirou's sister.
So, I have to protect my little brother."
After leaving these final words, the girl resumed her steps, gradually walking into that dream-like area.
"Illy... Illya!"
The name finally returned to him.
But in this situation, what could he, having only recalled a name, possibly do?
"Illya!!!"
That's right, they hadn't known each other for long, as the entire Holy Grail War only lasted seven days. Could a deep bond be formed in just those seven days?
Perhaps it was precisely because this bond had grown so deep that the girl had no possibility of stopping or turning back.
"Illya, Illya... Illya!!!"
Having nearly lost the ability to think, only this name remained in his mind.
The heartbreaking cries continued. 'Shirou Emiya' wanted to follow her figure, but this broken body could not cross that short distance no matter what.
Thud
With the sound of a closing door, the girl was permanently gone from existence in this world.
And the Holy Grail War thus ended—
.
.
.
"Illya?"
Emiya subconsciously called out the name, and his entire being finally awoke from unconsciousness.
He raised his head and saw a broad face, realizing that he seemed to be lying on the person's lap. "Yo, you're awake, kid?"
The face offered him a perfect, toothy smile.
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