A Dimensional Journey Begins with the Dragon Clan

Chapter 1207. The Killing Continues

Knowing that she shouldn't kill him, she still killed this person who shouldn't be killed. Saber is now just a prisoner of obsession - just like Diarmuid's rebuke to him at the last moment, she stepped over many corpses and wanted only the miracle of the wish-granting machine. This is the truest side of Saber at this moment.

"Even so, I still want the Holy Grail."

The tears dripped onto the trembling gauntlets, mixing with Berserker's blood that flowed down the blade.

"If you don't do this, my friend...if you don't do this, I won't be able to make any compensation to you at all."

"——It's really sad. Even now, are you still looking for excuses for fighting?"

A nostalgic voice.

Looking up, the knight was looking at the tearful king with his usual calm eyes, like a calm lake. He abandoned the contract with the Master and freed himself from the crazy spell while the gap had not yet disappeared.

"Lancelot..."

"Yes, I am very grateful. Perhaps, this is the only way I can express my thoughts to you..."

Looking at the sword that pierced his body with a compassionate look, Lancelot smiled bitterly and continued.

"Actually... I wanted you to punish me personally. King... I really hoped that you would blame me for your anger..."

Lancelot, the traitorous knight who was called the culprit of the Round Table's flaw, spoke sadly to the only friend who never blamed him until the end.

"If I can be punished by you...if you can ask me for compensation...then I will definitely believe in atonement...I will definitely believe that one day I will find a way to forgive myself. ...The princess should be the same..."

This is the regret of a certain man and a certain woman. They had the same ideals as the king, but were too weak to carry them out.

These two people were never redeemed until their death. They felt deeply guilty for betraying the most important people, and they carried this guilt for the rest of their lives.

Who should I tell about this kind of pain? Who should I blame and how should I get relief?

With a deep sigh, Lancelot relaxed his body and fell into the arms of the Knight King. The body in his arms was very light, and Saber couldn't help but feel a lump in her throat. The Servant's body gradually disappeared, and it was almost weightless.

"Even though it was in this form, I still borrowed your chest in the end..."

As if dreaming in a nap, the Knight of the Lake murmured and sighed calmly.

"To die in the king's arms, in front of the king's eyes...haha, I am just like...a loyal knight..."

"You—don't say that—"

Saber answered anxiously. She had something else to tell him before he disappeared. She hoped he would understand.

It's not "just like", but "exactly like".

She wanted to tell him, you are a loyal knight. No one knows better than me how sincere you are to your country and your king.

So don't blame yourself anymore. Even if it was a mistake that shouldn't be made. Your character can't be overturned by such a mistake.

I don't want to humiliate you, I don't want to lose you. It is because of this desire that I can sincerely deny the so-called sins you have committed.

This was Altria's true thought, but——it could not be the salvation of that knight.

The knight closed his eyes as if he was sleeping, and his body was gradually disappearing. Seeing that he would soon disappear, Saber still didn't know what to say.

"Lancelot, actually you...!"

You are not a sinner - what does this mean to him?

Even if someone denies his guilt, the one who is most troubled by this sin is not anyone else but himself.

Why didn't I notice his lonely thoughts at that time? Why didn't I free this noble soul of the knight from his almost crazy self-blame?

——The king does not understand other people’s feelings——

I heard these words as I left the round table - who said it?

The knight's corpse said nothing more, and with the last rays of light, he disappeared.

"——Wait…wait…Lance——"

Staring at the empty arms that had lost their weight, Saber whimpered.

She couldn't even make a sound. She didn't allow herself to make even a single sound. Facing the loyal knight's final moments, she couldn't even say a word of comfort to him. What right did she have to cry now?

The king can only be lonely and proud——

I said this to myself, wondering how many people's thoughts and worries I had ignored while looking for a way to save the country.

Gawain, who sacrificed himself heroically, and Galahad, who died for his mission, what were they thinking about in their last moments? Did they also die with regret and reluctance? Why can I insist that this is not the case?

Saber cried inconsolably, feeling as if countless thorns were cutting her heart in pain.

Could it be that as a king, I shouldn't be so high and mighty——

  If this is the case, will it not lead to a disastrous ending? Can everyone be saved?

“…It’s not over yet.”

What came out from the sobbing throat was the persistent voice of the King of Victory.

"It's still possible to make amends... It's not too late... I still have the Holy Grail. I still have a miracle that can overturn fate..."

Saber supported herself with the sword of victory and stood up.

Even if I can't listen to people's hearts, even if I am scolded as the king of arrogance, it doesn't matter at all.

Even so, as long as she could personally win victory for her hometown and her subjects, that would be enough - that was what she demanded of herself, what she had to do as a "king".

As long as we can get the Holy Grail, we can make up for everything and correct all mistakes.

Now, this belief is everything to Saber, who has chosen the path of the king.

Covered with wounds, Saber took a step forward.

  ···········

The killing continues.

Bullets. Daggers. Poison. Bombs.

Penetrate. Rip. Burn. Submerge. Overwhelm.

I never doubted its significance. After carefully weighing its value, I chose the side that the scale leaned towards. The other side should be left empty, so I killed. Kill, kill, and keep killing.

Yes, that's right. Someone must be sacrificed to save the majority. If the happy side is more than the unfortunate side, then the world is closer to being saved.

Even if there are countless corpses under your feet.

If lives are saved as a result, the most important things are the lives that are being protected.

"——Yes, Kiritsugu. You are right."

He turned his head and saw his wife standing beside him. She approached Kiritsugu with a gentle and loving smile and stood shoulder to shoulder with him on the pile of corpses.

"I knew you would come to accompany me. I believe that if it is you, you will definitely get here."

"Eri——"

It was a familiar face that he missed. But something seemed a little off.

  Perhaps it was because she was wearing a black dress that he had never seen before. Although this was also one of the reasons, Kiritsugu still felt that he had overlooked something important. By the way, how is Saber? How are the remaining three groups of enemies? Where is Kotomine Kirei? There are too many questions. What should I ask?

Kiritsugu had no choice but to ask the question he originally wanted to ask.

"Where is this?"

"This is the place where your wish will come true. The inside of the Holy Grail you seek."

Irisviel answered with a smile. Kiritsugu was speechless and turned his head to look around.

Black mud that rolls in waves like the sea.

Everywhere there were mountains of dried corpses, which were gradually sinking into the sea.

The sky was red, as red as blood. Amid the black mud rain, a dark sun dominated the sky.

The wind is a curse and sorrow.

If I were to use a word to make a metaphor, this place - if not hell, then where else could it be?

"You said... this is the Holy Grail?"

"Yes, but don't be afraid. This is just something like an unformed dream. Now it is still waiting to be born."

Look there—Irisviel pointed to the sky. Kiritsugu mistook the black vortex in the sky for the sun at first. That was the center of the world, a "hole" in the sky. The darkness inside was unfathomable, and the density seemed to be able to crush everything.

"That is the Holy Grail. It has no form yet, but the container is already full. All that is left is to pray. It will change into the form that corresponds to the wish entrusted to it. Then it will acquire the form and shape of the real world and appear in the 'outside world'."

"..."

“Well, pray quickly. Give it a ‘posture’ quickly. Only you are worthy of defining its form. Kiritsugu, pray to the Holy Grail.”

Kiritsugu said nothing, just staring at that terrifying "hole".

Any normal person would not think that the hole was a good thing. But even so, why could Irisviel still smile so calmly? That's right, her smile was the most abnormal thing.

To say why-

"……Who are you?"

Kiritsugu suppressed the fear in his heart with anger and asked his wife in front of him.

"If the preparation of the Holy Grail is complete, it means that Irisviel is dead. Then, who are you?"

"I am Irisviel. Just think of me like that."

Kiritsugu raised the magic spear in his right hand—the muzzle of the Contender that he had been holding during the battle with Kirei was pointed at the person in front of him.

"Don't lie to me, answer quickly!"

Facing the muzzle of the gun filled with murderous intent, the woman in the black dress smiled somewhat dejectedly, as if she was expressing sympathy for Kiritsugu who was forcing her to tell the truth.

"...Yes, I don't deny that this is just a mask. I can't communicate with others if I don't borrow a 'body' that already has a personality. I pretended to be like this just to convey my wishes. However, the personality of Irisviel that I possess is genuine. I was the last person to contact her before she disappeared. So I inherited Irisviel's last wish. She hoped that I would appear in her 'original form'."

After hearing this, Kiritsugu understood it intuitively.

This place is called "Inside the Holy Grail", so the person in front of me who calls himself "someone who is no one" should be——

"——Are you the consciousness of the Holy Grail?"

"Well, that's the correct explanation."

Through Irisviel's body, it nodded in agreement. But now, Kiritsugu frowned in confusion.

"Impossible. The Holy Grail is just pure 'power'. It is impossible for it to have any consciousness."

"It may have been like this before, but it's different now. I have consciousness and desire. My wish is 'I hope to be born into this world'."

"How can it be……"

It's so weird. It's so unbelievable.

If this is true, then it is not the "wish-granting machine" that Kiritsugu pursues, which can be manipulated at will.

"——Since you said it has consciousness, let me ask you, how will the Holy Grail fulfill my wish?"

As if she had encountered a problem, Irisviel tilted her head slightly.

“Kiritsugu, you should understand this question better than anyone else, right?”

"……What did you say?"

"Your very existence as a human being is already infinitely close to the Holy Grail. That's why you can remain rational even when communicating with me like this. If it were an ordinary human, they would have a mental breakdown the moment they were touched by that mud."

Irisviel spoke cheerfully and happily.

For some reason, her smile made Kiritsugu's heart stir.

"You already know how to save the world. So I will follow your example and fulfill your wish as you have always done."

"What are you—saying?"

Kiritsugu could not understand it. Because he was unwilling to understand it in this way no matter what.

"Answer me, what exactly does the Holy Grail do? What will happen if that thing comes to the world!?"

In response to each other's irrelevant answers, Irisviel sighed helplessly and nodded.

"——There's nothing I can do. Then, I'll just have you ask your own heart."

The white and soft palm covered Kiritsugu's eyes——

Then, the world went dark.

There are two ships floating on the sea.

There were 300 people on one ship, 200 on the other, a total of 500 crew members and passengers, and Emiya Kiritsugu. Assuming these 501 people were the last remaining humans in this world.

Next, Kiritsugu only needs to act out a scene based on the following proposition and roles.

"Both ships have fatal holes in their bottoms, and Kiritsugu is the only one who has the technology to repair the ships. While one ship is being repaired, the other will sink. So, which ship will you choose to repair?"

"...Of course it's the ship with 300 people."

"After you make the decision, what will you do if two hundred people on another ship arrest you and ask you to 'fix this ship first'?"

"This……"

  Before he could answer, a machine gun appeared in Kiritsugu's hand.

The gun suddenly fired bullets like an automatic machine. Kiritsugu could only stare blankly at what was happening before his eyes.

One bullet pierced through four people, and in an instant, all two hundred people were shot dead.

"——Correct. This is Emiya Kiritsugu."

Kiritsugu watched motionlessly as the ship carrying the mountain of corpses gradually sank into the sea. Every corpse on the deck seemed to be someone he knew.