Emiya Shirou doesn't want to work overtime

What an ideal world it would be: a world without desires, where everyone is equal, without war, and without crime.

"People need to be saved, whether they are those trapped in disasters or those caught up in wars. They all need to be saved. If I could, I would do everything in my power to save them."

"But humanity doesn't need to be saved. The human group still has a bright future. All its shortcomings are part of humanity. We should be tolerant, not choose to eliminate them."

Amakusa loathed humanity, yet also loved it deeply.

These should have been two extreme attitudes, but they have miraculously been mixed together.

But that's not the case.

Amakusa loathed concrete people—criminals, politicians, magicians who disregarded life. What they loved was abstract humanity, the human race as a whole. No matter how much they loathed concrete people, they loved abstract humanity immensely.

But Emiya is different. Emiya loves people. He loves not only abstract humanity, but also concrete people, whether they are criminals or civilians. He will do his best to save them.

Emiya also believes that humans with these flaws are the true humans, which is the biggest difference between Emiya Shirou and Amakusa.

Chapter 210 This is the promise I made.

"is it?"

Amakusa Shirou Tokisada gazed at Emiya Shirou with eyes that seemed to see through everything.

He did not refute Shirou Emiya's words, not because Shirou Emiya's ideas convinced Shirou Amakusa, nor because Shirou Amakusa was unable to refute them.

There are countless arguments that refute Shirou Emiya's beliefs and the ideas he expounds.

But nothing can be changed.

For Amakusa Shiro Tokisada and Emiya Shirou, this debate over their beliefs was meaningless.

Both are speaking from their own perspectives: one believes humanity needs to be saved, while the other believes humanity does not.

The question of whether humanity needs to be saved has no right answer, and no one knows whether what Amakusa Shiro Tokisada did was the right thing.

What if, as Amakusa Shiro Tokisada said, the world becomes a better place? Or what if, because of Amakusa Shiro Tokisada's wish, humanity is destroyed?

These are all unpredictable things; without testing, no one can draw any conclusions.

Moreover, these two people, with their unparalleled convictions, could not possibly be persuaded by a few words.

They were left with only one path.

"Perhaps, you are the last obstacle to the wish I pursue."

At this point, Amakusa Shiro Tokisada sighed, his voice filled with intense hostility.

Anyone who tries to stop him from saving humanity, no matter who they are, will be his enemy.

"My wish cannot be fulfilled unless I defeat you."

Amakusa Shiro Tokisada's eyes were filled with determination, and wave after wave of fighting spirit erupted from his body.

I must defeat you with my own hands!

"I'll return those words to you as well, Amakusa!"

A katana with a reverse blade appeared in Shirou Emiya's hand.

In the midst of such a dangerous Holy Grail War, where he could be caught in the aftershocks of the Heroic Spirits' battle at any moment, Shirou Emiya had not used this weapon that could not harm anyone for a long time.

Even under such circumstances, despite the conflict of beliefs, Shirou Emiya did not intend to kill the other party.

After all, Amakusa Shirou Tokisada is different from those summoned Heroic Spirits. He has undergone the Holy Grail's incarnation and is a living person. Emiya Shirou would not treat Amakusa Shirou Tokisada with the same attitude he would have towards a Heroic Spirit.

Of course, there is also the most important point: on the way to the center of the Greater Grail, Shirou Emiya's soul is in an extremely unstable state.

Not to mention the countless wounds on his body and the poison gas that constantly eroded his will.

Having traversed this long road, Shirou Emiya is no longer able to project those weapons with special abilities. Now, he can only use his reverse blade, which he hasn't used in a long time, to fight Amakusa Shirou Tokisada in front of him.

Amakusa Shiro Tokisada also conjured a katana out of thin air.

Amakusa Shiro Tokisada was merely a minor saint in the Far East. His combat strength was only third-rate among the many heroes of the Throne of Heroes, far from being powerful, and could even be described as weak.

This is why Amakusa Shirou Tokisada had no hope of winning the Holy Grail during the Third Holy Grail War. As a Ruler, he had no power to fight against true Heroic Spirits except for the two Command Seals that he could control.

Once the battle begins, Amakusa Shiro Tokisada will only be able to die here.

So he was unwilling to accept this, and in order to realize his wish to save all mankind, he kept hiding himself for 60 years.

"Zheng—!"

It was as if it were meant to reflect the battle between the two.

Outside, the Great Grail, which appeared as a sphere suspended in mid-air, suddenly emitted an extremely dazzling light, as if a god had descended upon it, illuminating the surroundings while trembling violently.

“Boom boom…!”

A pulsation, like the beating of a heart, suddenly appeared from the Greater Grail, causing its outline to vibrate.

"Wha...what happened...!?"

Jeanne d'Arc, who had been guarding the Greater Grail, was taken aback by the scene before her.

“Ooooo…!”

Shakespeare, who had been bound by Masters Shishikatsu Kairi and Astolfo, let out a moving cry, stretched his head toward the radiant Great Grail, and shouted loudly.

"Clash! Clash! That's the light that bursts forth from the battle between beliefs! That's a desire powerful enough to illuminate the world!"

Joan of Arc's hand, gripping the holy banner, slowly tightened, and her expression underwent a dramatic change.

Anxiety gradually appeared in Joan of Arc's eyes.

"Are you... fighting?"

As Joan of Arc gazed at the Holy Grail, which was shimmering with light, her expression betrayed her deep concern.

As a Heroic Spirit, she has no physical body and is transformed into magical energy and devoured the Greater Grail the moment she comes into contact with it. Even with a strong will, she cannot resist it.

Moreover, she is currently in a state of possession, and even if she leaves, the person she possesses can quickly move to a safe place.

But in front of her was the Greater Grail, and she didn't know if the object she had set up to protect herself could be safely transferred if she came into contact with it.

Even if Jeanne wanted to help Shirou Emiya, she had to restrain herself because she was responsible for the person she possessed and had to keep her promise.

"So, you'll come back safely, right?"

Joan of Arc murmured softly.

Inside the barrier, she tried her best to stop Shirou Emiya from setting up such a crazy plan, which was a situation with no chance of survival. Jeanne could not let Shirou Emiya lose like this for the sake of the Holy Grail.

She is ready to unleash her second Noble Phantasm to safely transport everyone here out.

But Shirou Emiya simply extended his little finger, aimed it at Jeanne d'Arc, and responded to her with an unwavering gaze.

"I will stop Amakusa Shiro Tokisada's wish, and I will return alive from the Holy Grail. This is a promise, a vow, and a commitment I make!"

Looking at Shirou Emiya's unwavering expression and his blood-stained hand, Jeanne d'Arc did not answer, but continued to unleash her Noble Phantasm with all her might.

She deeply regretted not having persisted and stopped Shirou Emiya's actions.

Perhaps this way, I will feel less guilty.

Now, Joan of Arc could only kneel on the ground in devotion, her hands clasped tightly together.

He kept praying in his heart, praying that Shirou Emiya would come out unharmed, praying that Shirou Emiya would defeat Shirou Amakusa and win the final victory in the Holy Grail War.

"Shirou————"

Joan of Arc murmured to herself.

Chapter 211 The Battle Within the Holy Grail

"Whoosh—!"

In this flower field that brings immense happiness, a sharp katana slices through the air like a bolt of lightning, dissipating all the air currents.

"Drink!"

With a loud shout, Amakusa Shiro Tokisada strode forward, slashing his weapon fiercely at Emiya Shirou in front of him.

Even though Shirou Emiya was now just a soul.

Even though Shirou Emiya was already covered in wounds at this moment.

Without the slightest hesitation, Amakusa Shirou Tokisada used all his strength to viciously slash at Emiya Shirou's head.

Faced with the thunderous slash of Shirou Tokisada, Shirou Emiya suddenly raised his reverse blade to block it in front of him.

"clang----!"

A crisp sound was rang out the next second.

Although Shirou Emiya in his spirit form was covered in wounds, his hands were completely unharmed.

Just then, Amakusa Shiro Tokisada's fierce slashing katana was deflected by Emiya Shirou's tightly gripped reverse blade, emitting dazzling sparks and accompanied by a powerful force that sent him trembling backward.

"continue--!"

Amakusa Shirou Tokisada was not discouraged at all when his attack was blocked. Rather, it would be strange if such a simple attack could have caused damage to Emiya Shirou.

With an even stronger aura than before, he continued to approach Emiya Shirou.

The katana in his hand transformed into a whirlwind, relentlessly slashing towards Emiya Shirou with the help of the airflow that swirled around the blade.

These strikes, in terms of both force and direction, were extremely precise, so precise that Shirou Emiya found them incredibly difficult to handle.

Amakusa Shiro Tokisada was not a particularly famous swordsman during his lifetime, and there are very few legends about him using weapons in combat; he basically did not possess any superb divine skills.

But he was still a hero after all, and his skills had been honed enough. Although he couldn't compare to a sword master or some Saber-class Servants, his swordsmanship was still quite good.

"call--!"

A highly regular and rhythmic breathing pattern, imbued with magical energy, burst forth from Shirou Emiya's mouth.

It seemed like he hadn't used the breathing techniques he had learned in a long time.

To be precise, it had been a long time since I had used the surge of magic to activate the breathing techniques I had learned.