I really didn't want to burn it.

"Shirou... I'm sorry."

This apology, uttered across countless parallel worlds, left the besieging red-clad hero bewildered. He had never imagined that he would hear an apology from his adoptive father.

The heroic spirit stood there stiffly, as if it had been immobilized by Medusa's magic eye.

"I'm sorry... Shirou."

Kiritsugu Emiya, however, continued to call out his child's name.

He saw the child's life journey, the child who inherited his dream, the child's unfortunate life, and the pain the child carried.

Therefore, he had to respond to his child, even if he couldn't change the child's fate, at least he had to acknowledge Shirou's efforts.

Emiya Shirou heard his father's call and revealed a childlike, sunny smile.

He finally remembered his dream when he first became a Heroic Spirit—what would he say if he had the chance to see Kiritsugu again?

As a child, he would always boast to his father about things he was proud of. Now that he has become a Heroic Spirit, he can finally boast to Kiritsugu.

Unfortunately, this idea has long since faded away in the cycle of reincarnation.

And now, he has finally remembered.

That was the sentence he had prepared countless times to say to Kiritsugu Emiya.

"Dad, I did it. I kept the promise I made to you, and I became a champion of justice."

Emiya smiled with relief.

These are precious memories that I could never obtain, even if I killed my past self a thousand times over; they are my true and heartfelt wishes.

Kiritsugu looked at his child and took back his words of apology.

He tightened his arms around the other person and whispered.

"Shirou, thank you for choosing to be my son. I... am proud of you."

"Dad..."

Tears welled up uncontrollably.

Having gained his father's approval, he ultimately couldn't control himself.

"Oh dear, what happened?"

A gentle voice came from inside, and both Emiya and his son were stunned.

Irisviel looked at them with a smile, and not only her, but also Chloris, Ritsuka and others looked at them with the same "auntie smile".

"Ahem! This is just a moment of affection between father and son."

Kiritsugu coughed twice, trying to cover up his embarrassment.

"Oh, that's wonderful. The Emiya father and son have finally come to understand each other."

Li Ang said with a look of relief, and wiped away non-existent tears from the corners of his eyes with a white handkerchief that appeared out of nowhere.

"That talkative guy." *2

Emiya and his son simultaneously raised their weapons, aiming their guns and arrows at a certain national advisor.

"You bastard, go die a million times!" *2

Chapter 174 Li Ang: I'm going to die. I'm going to get yelled at to death by A-Zheng when I get back.

"What's the situation now?"

After the repairs were completed, Kiritsugu felt refreshed. He straightened his collar and asked with a serious expression.

Li Ang rubbed his cheek and replied, "Not good. The Holy Grail is half broken, and a lot of black mud has leaked out. Fortunately, Ryougi Shiki restrained it. Couldn't you have gone a little easier?"

Kiritsugu snorted coldly. He looked around and found that the entire cave was submerged in black mud, and the air was filled with a powdery black gas.

Above them, a black dot gathered at the center of the cave ceiling.

At this moment, the black hole had transformed into a small black sun, and the figure of a loli goddess at its center was about to be swallowed up by the black hole.

Although it was slightly lessened by Ryougi Shiki's sword strike, it was still much larger than before.

Ryougi Shiki had no choice, since the black mud in the Holy Grail hole was far too dangerous. Unsure if she could clear all the black mud with one strike, she could only prioritize killing the "nuclear explosion" outcome.

"I never imagined that the Holy Grail that Wang pursued was such a thing... Is this the truth behind the fire four years ago... It's simply unforgivable!"

Looking at the black hole that resembled the sun, Weber roared angrily.

"Oh my, brother, are you finally motivated?"

Weber sneered: "Of course, this is a war I didn't finish four years ago."

Beneath the black hole, Gilgamesh, Kirei Kotomine, and the others stood, each radiating golden light.

It seems that Gilgamesh used his Noble Phantasm to provide them with protection.

However, apart from those few shadowy servants whose faces were completely obscured, everyone else showed expressions of relief after surviving a disaster. Their faces were extremely pale, as if they had indulged in excessive sexual activity.

"Haha! Li Ang, even if you can't use that rune again for a while, what tricks do you have up your sleeve now?"

Gilgamesh looked at Li Ang with pride, anticipating a pleading or nervous expression from him.

To Gilgamesh's disappointment, however, Leon showed no frustration or despair, calmly watching Gilgamesh and his companions.

It seems he had anticipated this scenario, and so far, the situation has remained within his expectations.

"Medea, are you still going to follow this guy around? Even though you already know the true nature of the Holy Grail."

Leon tilted his head and looked at Medea, as if confirming something.

"Well... I can only apologize, Your Highness Li Ang."

Medea removed her hood, revealing her exquisite face with distinct elven features.

“At least they haven’t betrayed me, so I don’t want to betray them either,” Medea replied with a wry smile.

"Is that so? What a pity."

Li Ang stroked his chin and said with a regretful expression.

If Medea chooses to leave Gilgamesh and Kirei Kotomine, then they will gain an absolute advantage.

pity……

However, Leon was not surprised that Medea would make this choice.

After all, Medea has always been a stubborn woman.

Once she sets her mind on something, she will stop at nothing to achieve it.

In the original Fate story, the fact that she let go of the child captured by her first Master, Atram, shows that she still has a compassionate heart.

But later, in order to be with Ge Mu, she used all sorts of methods, including attacking innocent passersby.

Now, Medea has also made a stubborn decision, choosing to stand with Gilgamesh.

"Hahaha! Well then, Li Ang? What do you have to say now? I'm here to take your life!"

Gilgamesh roared disdainfully at Leon.

"That's really scary."

Li Ang let out a laugh similar to that of Kizaru.

"You bastard...you deserve to die!"

Gilgamesh unleashed the Gate of Babylon, and countless Noble Phantasms appeared behind him.

"Each each other!"

Li Ang's expression was relaxed and disdainful, but a hint of seriousness flashed in his eyes.

"Leave the Holy Grail and Gilgamesh to me; you all choose your own opponents."

As Leon led his troops toward Gilgamesh and his men, he gave them instructions in a low voice.

"The black mud will become increasingly unstable, so everyone should try to finish this as quickly as possible!"

"Whatever, I only have one opponent."

Emiya Kiritsugu stared wide-eyed at Kotomine Kirei's upturned lips.

"Shirou, let's attack together, father and son!"

Upon hearing this, Red A immediately whistled.

"Now it's interesting."

As Li Ang and the others drew closer, Gilgamesh's smile grew wider and wider.

"It doesn't matter, the Holy Grail is about to descend."

Kirei Kotomine looked up at Kurokawa and spoke slowly.

"Then let's postpone it until then!"

Medea raised her staff and fired a magic bullet at Leon.

Although the magic bullet only hit the black mud on the ground and exploded into a small mud flower, it was like the sound of a whistle in a match that started the fight between the two sides.

Chloris took the lead and hurled vines at Medea in an attempt to pull her down from the sky, while the others also found their own opponents.

As for Li Ang, he naturally went to Gilgamesh.

A bolt of lightning struck Gilgamesh's armor directly.

"Hmph, you have a lot of tricks up your sleeve, but it's all useless now!"

Gilgamesh said coldly.

However, this time he didn't smash the Gate of Babylon wildly as before, but instead unleashed a sword flashing with lightning.

The weapon hovered above Gilgamesh's head, directly absorbing the lightning bolt unleashed by Leon.

“Every single Noble Phantasm has its own purpose; that’s what you taught me, Leon!”

Gilgamesh shot out two chains in an attempt to capture Leon.

"There's been some progress... but it's still not quite there yet."

Leon, wielding a shield made of yellow runes in each hand, deflected Gilgamesh's attack.

"Hmph, all you can do now is talk big. Let's see how long you can keep it up!"

At Gilgamesh's command, the array of Noble Phantasms floating in the void rushed towards Leon.

The roar shook the entire cave, and the flashes of light from the continuous explosions seemed to be sweeping away all the black mud inside.

Don't be fooled by Gilgamesh's usual practice of simply throwing Noble Phantasms; this time, he chose quality over quantity.

Although the number of Noble Phantasms was far less than the carpet bombing of the past, Gilgamesh's precise control maximized the destructive power and characteristics of these Noble Phantasms.

Faced with all sorts of strange and unusual Noble Phantasms, Li Ang had no choice but to choose the safest way to deal with them—destroying them before they got close to him.

The ground, covered in black mud, was pelted with fragments of the Noble Phantasm, raining down upon it. At this moment, Leon had no choice but to go all out to deal with Gilgamesh's attack.

But Gilgamesh's onslaught did not stop.

The Noble Phantasm struck like lightning, its momentum seemingly capable of obliterating Li Ang's location and even the cave itself, relentlessly attacking.

The others in the cave had already moved away from the two of them, because their fight was so intense that anyone who wasn't careful could get caught up in it.

But the two men's attacks did not stop; instead, they gradually became more and more intense.

At this moment, Leon was at full power. He not only used his shield to deflect the Noble Phantasms aimed at him, but also used his magical chains to grab Gilgamesh's two large weapons and swept away the Noble Phantasms around him like a yo-yo.

"Gilgamesh, do you intend to fight like this until the end of time?"

During a lull in the attack, Li Ang uttered a sarcastic remark.

"Hmph, do you think I'm that stupid?"

Gilgamesh drew his iconic cylindrical sword.

He raised the sword that had split the heavens and the earth, and then the blade began to spin.

"Leon, die for me! Enuma Elish! (The Star of Divergence!)"