Shirou's clones number 30 million

"Is that not allowed?"

After staring at each other for a few seconds, Sanzen Kaishirou was the first to retreat.

"Hmm...okay."

Those who have nothing to lose are fearless; the ancients were right...

Chapter 504 Actually, I was cursed and couldn't move forward.

Chapter 504, Section 505: Actually, I was cursed and couldn't move forward.

"Eris, could you please handle the matter of gifting the artifacts? As for the list, use mine."

"Of course. Should I call them over right away?"

"Wait a moment!"

Kotomine Shirou suddenly spoke:

"Before that, I need to go back and talk to them. I suddenly withdrew on the eve of defeating the Demon King, and I need to explain that clearly."

"How do you plan to explain this?" Sanzen Kaishirou asked curiously.

At the very least, when the same thing happened to me, it was hard to think of any good reason other than to tell the truth.

"To be honest, I was suddenly summoned by a god and threatened, who said that I was too entangled with the divine realm and was not qualified to fight the Demon King."

"Who threatened you? It was clearly an attempt to bribe you!"

"Hmph...! Lord Eris, take me back."

“Thank you very much for your cooperation, Shirou Kotomine.” Eris stood up and bowed slightly. “I believe that even without Mr. Kotomine, your team will be able to defeat the Demon King.”

"I accept your good words."

......

"Shirou, you're awake! We're already at the Demon King's castle, why did you suddenly faint?"

Alice.

Kotomine Shirou surveyed his surroundings and thought to himself:

It seems that the flow of time in that space is different from that in the present world.

"I'm sorry to have worried you. I'm afraid I won't be able to accompany you on the rest of the journey..."

"What does this mean?" Huihui asked in surprise.

"Actually, I was just summoned by the goddess Eris."

As Kotomine Shirou pondered the reasons, he slowly explained:

"She said that I was cursed by the Demon King long before I met you."

"Anyone in the world can defeat the Demon King, but I cannot."

"Because I will die the moment I meet the Demon King."

"Huh...? What kind of strange curse is this?" Darkness exclaimed excitedly. "It sounds terrifying! Can you pass it on to me?"

"I'm not kidding." Shirou Kotomine tapped her on the head and said irritably, "Anyway, that's it. I can't appear in front of the Demon King, and I can't meet him."

"Seriously? In that case, it seems we'll have no choice but to head back." Alice's face showed a hint of disappointment.

"No, I'll wait for you here."

Kotomine Shirou shook his head slightly and said seriously:

"Having come this far, how can I give up so easily? At the very least, I'm not willing to give up."

"So go ahead, even if I'm not there, I believe you can defeat the Demon King."

"Moreover, although my body is no longer here, my heart is with you."

“Impossible!” Huihui said without hesitation. “Without you, I would only have one chance. In a place like the Demon King’s Castle, I would be no different from an ordinary person and would never win.”

"Don't worry about that. I just had a discussion with the goddess Eris, and she agreed to give each of you a divine artifact or skill."

As he spoke, Shirou Kotomine looked at the second most reliable member of the team.

"Alice, when they choose the artifacts later, help them think it over carefully and don't choose randomly."

"Leave it to me! I'll do my best for Shirou as well."

"Then I'll leave it to you. I'll wait here for your triumphant return."

......

"Hello, Megumin, Alice, and Darkness."

"It really is the goddess Eris! So, everything I just said was true?" Megumin asked in surprise. "Lady Eris, is there really no way to lift the curse on Shirou?"

Eris, who had been watching the whole thing, naturally knew what she was talking about.

"Unfortunately, the only way to break the curse is to kill the Demon King."

"It seems we must defeat the Demon King as soon as possible." Alice's expression was unusually solemn. "Otherwise, if Mr. Shirou accidentally runs into the Demon King, it will be terrible."

"Now I have another reason to defeat the Demon King." Huihui hugged the staff even tighter.

"The three of you, in order to help you defeat the Demon King, I will give each of you a divine artifact."

Eris enlarged the list of artifacts and laid it flat on the ground.

"There are all sorts of powerful artifacts, skills, and knowledge here; you can choose any one."

"Considering that the three of you are eager to defeat the Demon King, I suggest that you choose an equipment that can immediately form combat power."

"So many divine artifacts!" Alice's eyes lit up as she excitedly looked at the list on the ground. "The divine artifacts passed down from our ancestors must have been chosen from this list, right? I never thought I would have such an opportunity."

“A jade pendant with infinite magic power, a staff that can precisely select its target, Miss Megumin, I think you can choose one of these.”

As they were talking, Alice suddenly noticed that Megumin was staring at another picture. The description said that carrying this item could increase the power of all magic tenfold.

"Your explosive magic is already powerful enough. What's the point of making it ten times more powerful? Do you want to destroy the world?"

"Explosive magic that can destroy the world in one strike?"

"Don't get all excited! Choose this staff. It won't damage a single blade of grass or tree around you, except for the target you want to hit."

"That wouldn't feel impactful."

"This is exactly what you need! Without this staff, you'd just be an ordinary person in the Demon King's Castle, wouldn't you?"

"Huh...? Can the magic from this staff penetrate the castle roof? I'll choose this one then."

Alice breathed a sigh of relief; she had finally gotten one sorted out.

"Lord Eris, I already possess the divine artifact passed down from my ancestors. Can I still choose?"

"Sure, that artifact isn't bound to you; it's not yours alone. Besides the artifact, you can also take a look at these powerful skills."

"Thank you for your help."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than Darkness's voice suddenly rang out:

“I have made my choice, Lord Eris.”

Alice looked in the direction of the sound and saw a Guardian skill.

It can absorb damage for teammates; within a certain range, the damage received by teammates will be transferred to the user.

At the same time, when subjected to a fatal attack, it will automatically enter an immortal state for ten seconds.

"That really has Miss Darkness's style."

I need to make a careful choice.

"...This skill is good, Lord Eris. I've made my choice too."

Alice chose an aura-type status skill. Once activated, friendly units within a certain range will receive a series of powerful buffs, such as mana recovery, stamina recovery, increased defense, enhanced attack, and increased speed.

"These are all good choices. I wish you success in defeating the Demon King and lifting the curse from Kotomine Shirou."

After seeing the three off, Eris turned to look at the open space on one side.

"Shirou, it's over."

"Thank you for your hard work, Eris." Shirou Sanzen Kai immediately appeared.

"It's just saying a few words, what's so hard about that?"

"I mean you came specifically to remind me. If it weren't for your reminder, I probably wouldn't have known what happened until the moment I was punished."

"Isn't this what a friend should do?"

"Thank you. I'll treat you to dinner tomorrow; I'll cook myself."

"Eh...? It's been a long time since I've tasted Shirou's cooking. Then I won't be polite."

Chapter 505 Is this the attitude when asking someone for help?

Section 506, Chapter 505: Is this the attitude one should have when asking others for help?

"Seiya, come out for dinner!"

A few seconds later, Ryuguin Seiya, with a towel draped around his neck, walked out of the training room.

"You did it?"

"Yes, let's continue our cultivation after we finish eating."

As Sanzen Kaishirou served him rice, he casually asked:

What level are you now?

"What level are you seeing?" Ryuuguin Ryuuya didn't answer, but asked instead.

"As for hiding it from me too? Caution is a good thing, but excessive caution is unnecessary."

Even so, Shirou knew that he couldn't change Shirou's personality with just a few words.

"When you reach the maximum level, remember to let me know. Everyone has a level cap; some people have a higher cap, some have a lower one, but for the vast majority of people, level 100 is an insurmountable limit."