Type-Moon, the Path of a Magician

Chapter 58: We Will Finally Reach the Root

The so-called "vortex" by the magician is the vortex of origin. It is the "cause" of everything and the starting point of various phenomena.

Since the theorem holds that as long as there is a "cause" there will be a "result", in terms of existence, this is the "ultimate knowledge".

The name of the vortex of origin, or the name of the "state of existence" of the vortex of origin. Even if the origin is the ultimate, it is still limited, so this is just a generalization for the sake of ease of understanding.

But there is no doubt that the ultimate goal of both the magician and the seeker is to reach this pinnacle of existence, which is the root that Tōsaka Tokiomi has been longing to touch, that is, to reach the legendary [Whirlpool].

There are many ways to reach the root, and they are not repetitive.

The three great families started the Holy Grail War, attempting to use the Greater Holy Grail as an aid and utilize the Third Law to help magicians reach the root; Orange once said that he tried to achieve the perfect prototype of human beings, that is, the realm of "emptiness", by making puppets; or it could be that Ryougi Shiki was born to be connected to the root.

But no matter from the perspective of results or process, attempting to reach the root cause in any way is extremely difficult, even a fantasy.

Therefore, those who have reached the source are still rare so far. Even a magic family that has passed down the tradition for dozens of generations cannot reach it even if they try their best.

But now an outsider has arrived here in an impossible way and state.

Xia Yuan's soul successfully reached the root as the first generation magician, completing the long-awaited realm that magicians who had been passed down for more than ten or even dozens of generations could not reach.

……

……

Watched the Winter Saint disappear.

After a moment of emotion, Xia Yuan turned around without any reluctance and stepped into the starlight gate behind him.

In a daze, he lost consciousness.

The orientation was reversed and the head was dizzy, as if falling into an abyss with no head or bottom. As expected, this was a whirlpool with no end.

Xia Yuan, who was in a coma, could not understand what state he was in or where his soul was going, but some huge and irresistible force was pulling at his soul, pulling it to somewhere.

Unable to resist or break free, Xia Yuan could only close his eyes and allow this inexplicable force to pull him along.

Fortunately, this process was not too long. After only a few minutes of involvement, his soul had traveled an unknown distance and was led into the [Vortex] in the blink of an eye.

When he opened his eyes again and regained consciousness, the confusion and discomfort he had felt had all disappeared without a trace, even the indescribable colors were gone, and what appeared before his eyes was instead a spotless white earth.

The roads continued to extend under his feet, but there were countless of them. These extended roads were like countless futures, appearing before him.

As far as the eye can see, there is no end to every road, which means that for every future, every road will never end.

At this moment, the empty sky above was shining with warm sunshine, but it started snowing again.

In the spring snow, the flickering light makes the world more beautiful and holy. It is so peaceful and quiet, it seems like a good place for the soul to rest.

"It doesn't look like the underworld..."

"Did my soul go to heaven, or did it stay in the Holy Grail world?"

Looking up at the warm sun above his head, stretching out his hand to hold the falling snow, Xia Yuan walked on this boundless land with a hint of sadness in his eyes.

Obviously, he still felt regretful about his death, but he didn't say much. He just walked along a certain extended road.

"I advise you not to move."

Another voice suddenly sounded.

"Ok?"

From the tone, it can be identified that the owner of the voice this time is not the Heaven's Cup. Xia Yuan turned his head and saw a quiet and elegant black-haired girl wearing a kimono walking towards him in the flying snow.

"Are you...Root Style?"

Seeing this very familiar yet unfamiliar figure, he asked tentatively.

"That's right. Although I am indeed connected to the Root, I still prefer people to call me Ryougi Shiki."

Gen-shiki greeted him.

"I'm sorry, Miss Ryougi Shiki."

"Haha, it's okay, it's just a name." Ryougi Shiki said with a smile.

"It seems that you really know a lot. Even though you don't have high-level futuristic vision, you can still know the direction of the entire world. Even though you are very weak, your soul has reached the highest level. Even the origin of time travel cannot assimilate you."

"You are really special."

"Crossing the Root, assimilating? So... So this is the Root Vortex. The feeling of disharmony and drowsiness before crossing the vortex turned out to be the Root assimilating me."

When he saw this girl, Xia Yuan already knew where he was.

"That's right. The [Vortex] will indiscriminately assimilate all beings that go deep into it. If a soul goes deep into it, it will inevitably be assimilated. Even the Second Magician cannot avoid this. Only beings who are truly connected to the root and inhabit the root can reach this place."

"Like... you and Sajo Aika?"

"Sajo Aika, are you talking about the girl who is also connected to the root? Although I have never met her formally, it is true that she is also a magician who is connected to the root. For us, this place is actually no different from home."

After all, being able to enter and exit the Root, the lifelong pursuit of a magus, as freely as if it were one's home, is something that only the Root Shiki and the Root Princess can do.

"But compared to us, you are the most surprising one." Ryougi Shiki looked at Xia Yuan carefully and continued.

"You have no connection with the Root, but you can enter as a soul and pass through the Root intact to the depths. Even the Vortex cannot assimilate you, which means that the height of your status has reached the highest, but your own form of existence and the power you possess are not the highest. This is really strange."

"Reach the Supreme? Do you mean... the Transcendent?"

Listening to Ryougi Shiki's explanation, Xia Yuan lowered his head and fell into deep thought.

Just as Ryougi Shiki said, the only people who can pass through the Root with their souls and not be assimilated are probably the Transcendents who are close to reaching the end, except for the Princess and the Root Shiki who are connected to the Root.

[Awakened One] [Taoist Ancestor] [Holy Spirit] and [Outer God]

"You are indeed very similar to those who transcend, but you are not. Compared to what they have cultivated or reached, you are more like a form of existence from outside the world."

Foreigner...Foreigner.

But in this state, I am not a transcendent person at all. I am just a poor man, a poor man whose body has been completely destroyed and whose soul can never return to his hometown.

Seeing Xia Yuan's loss, Ryougi Shiki gently touched his head and comforted him softly: "Don't be so sad, you are also a magician, isn't it the magician's wish to arrive here? Now that you have achieved the ultimate goal of a magician, you should be happy. And your soul will not be in danger of being assimilated no matter how long you stay in the root."

"So before you worry, take a good look at this place first, and then tell me how you feel after arriving at the Origin Vortex as a magician? How is it?"

how do you feel?

The first generation of magicians reached the source, and no one would believe it even if they said it was a miracle.

If any other magus had reached the source, they would have been overjoyed at having fulfilled their long-cherished wish, but for me...

Looking at Ryougi Shiki's bright smile, Xia Yuan couldn't help but smile bitterly.

"Thank you for your comfort, Ryougi Shiki, but my wish has never been to reach the root. I just want to live a good life, a peaceful life, and live a stable life with my friends and family."

"Family? So you've already considered this world your home? Foreigner."

Ryougi Shiki tilted her head in confusion.

"Well, I've already considered it my home. I'm different from the Foreigners you imagine. I don't have their powerful powers, long life, or forbidden knowledge. I'm just an ordinary person, an ordinary person who somehow traveled through a world or dimension."

"My thoughts are not profound, and my expectations are not great. I am happy because of beauty, and sad because of pain. In fact, even seeing you here makes me happy."

She covered her mouth and chuckled: "Are you happy to see me?"

"Yeah, I'm glad to see you."

Xia Yuan nodded.

"Haha, me too. I'm also very happy to meet you, a guest from another world."

"However, there is one thing that is wrong. You are not as ordinary as you think. In fact, your soul contains your own special power, but you just haven't discovered it."

"I have special...powers?"

"That's right, you are definitely not ordinary." Ryougi Shiki nodded slightly and continued, "Why don't you try to think about yourself? For example, further explore the field from zero to infinity."

"Learn more different kinds of magic, even compatible magic. Your personality actually has infinite compatibility. It is better to say that the soul personality that cannot even be assimilated by the root has what kind of value. There is no need to explain too much. You also have the potential to become the supreme being."

"From zero to infinity, compatible with magic and sorcery, with the potential to become the highest... This is really a high compliment. I can't imagine that I have such a talent."

"That's not a compliment, that's a fact."

Ryougi Shiki smiled slightly and pointed at his chest.

"So that's how it is. Now I finally understand why the inhibitory forces want to kill me. It turns out they are afraid of me. Are they afraid of my talent?!" Thinking of this possibility, Xia Yuan covered his head and widened his eyes.

"Yes, the potential you possess is immeasurable. They don't want another existence that is difficult to control to appear under their noses, so they wanted to restrict you and kill you in the beginning. But now it's over."

"Yeah... After all, now I am just a soul."

"No, that's not the case." Ryougi Shiki shook her head and corrected him.

"The Holy Grail War has ended, and the Heavenly Grail has completely disappeared, but the miracle of the birth of the Third Law has been successful. The Winter Saint blessed you while fulfilling your wish. The remaining light points in your soul at this moment are her blessings to you, and also her thank you gift to you."

"Just like the inheritance between the Fifth Magicians, the Third Magician has deeply imprinted those light points containing the afterglow of the Third Law into your soul. Do you know what this means?"

"Does this mean that I...have obtained the third magic?"

"Your answer is correct. If it is just an ordinary soul, then it will never be able to meet the requirements of such a huge magic as the Third Law.

But you are different. Even though the Five Laws are at the pinnacle of mystery, your soul can easily adapt to it. Mystery will succumb to higher mysteries. Compared with you, a visitor from the alien starry sky, this is just the third law. "

Ryougi Shiki put down his hands, smiled and continued: "So congratulations, now you are not just a visitor from the alien starry sky, but also a veritable third magician, the third magician belonging to this world."

"The third magician?!"

Xia Yuan was startled and quickly touched his chest to feel it carefully. Just as Ruliang Shiki said, he felt that there was indeed something inside.

That ball of fire deep in the soul and these specks of starlight contain not only the essence of one's own soul but also the remnants of the third law.

No, these are not remnants, but more like a few sparks. These dots of fluorescence are quietly sinking in one's soul.

Is this the gift that the Heaven's Cup gave me?!

This is truly a gift that is hard to repay.

"Now, the false angels have been completely destroyed, and all those who died in the Holy Grail War have been resurrected thanks to your efforts.

So congratulations, the Third Magician, your efforts have successfully saved many people and further balanced the boundaries between magic and science in the world. Now your identity has been recognized by the Root."

"And I am here to express my gratitude to you on behalf of the world and all of humanity."

Ryougi Shiki smiled slightly and expressed gratitude to Xia Yuan on behalf of the world.

"Your achievements are comparable to those of the great heroes in myths and epics."

"No, don't thank me. I didn't do anything remarkable. Rather, it was because of me that the situation got out of control and so many innocent people were implicated. What I did was just a way to atone for my sins."

"You don't have to feel guilty. You've done the best you can. If you weren't there, the next disaster would still happen. The evil of this world would still spread across the land, and many people would die as a result."

Ryougi Shiki shook his head and corrected Xia Yuan's thoughts. "So, why not do as the Hero King said, Xia Yuan-kun, and hold your head high! This is what you have earned merit and praise for. You have saved many people who should have died. Because of your efforts, the Holy Grail War has come to an end. There will never be a Fifth Holy Grail War again."

"You are a hero!"

A hero?

Xia Yuan looked at his hands in a daze.

It turns out that I have saved many people without realizing it...

Toosaka Tokiomi gave up his long-cherished wish and left Fuyuki City with his family to avoid this disaster. Teacher Kenneth would not have died and would probably have returned to the Clock Tower. Waver probably realized his own shortcomings and found his true goal.

He made a wish to the Holy Grail to revive all those who died in this Holy Grail War.

And that guy Matou Gan is probably somewhere in the city, looking at his resurrected self with a confused look on his face. He is a little unhappy that he didn't kill that guy Emiya Kiritsugu completely. And those bad guys will probably be resurrected as a result.

I don’t know if they can cope with it, but I can’t help them anymore. They have to rely on themselves for the rest of their lives.

"Are you worried about your friends?"

"Well, they are all unreliable guys. I don't know if they can cope with the life ahead... Of course I am worried."

"If you're so worried, why don't you go back and take a look yourself?" Ryougi Shiki chuckled and said, "You should like life there more than here."

"Go back? Can I still go back?"

Entering the vortex of origin and then returning to reality again, this kind of thing is simply unimaginable. Even Xia Yuan couldn't help but be stunned when he heard it.

"Of course you can. The Root can hold anyone in this world, but it cannot hold you, the soul of the Foreigner who cannot be assimilated."

"The key is actually hidden in you. The [Third Law] hidden deep in your soul will show you the way back. As long as you want to leave, it will guide you."

"You mean..."

Xia Yuan raised his hand and squeezed the heart that no longer existed, then stared at Ryougi Shiki who was standing in front of him.

"As you can imagine, the essence of magic is a means or product to reach the Root. When you have mastered magic, entering and exiting the Root may not be impossible. As long as you want to leave, it will serve as a signpost to show you the direction."