Chapter 153: O Sun, Obey Death! The Funeral of the Gods by the Spear of Lightning!
"Emiya, that is…!"
When Shirou projected Vasavi Shakti, a genuine anti-divine Noble Phantasm, both Miach and Thanatos displayed expressions of shock. Neither god had expected to witness such an exaggerated weapon manifest in reality.
The radiance of that god-slaying spear seemed as though it would pierce straight through the eyes of both deities present.
—Vasavi Shakti. It was a spear of annihilation composed of lightning, one of the exceedingly rare weapons in existence capable of felling gods. A spear of light that could only ever be released once.
Legend held that, in order to secure victory for his son Arjuna in their epic duel, Indra approached Arjuna's opponent, Karna, and persuaded him to relinquish his invulnerable golden armor, thus placing him at a disadvantage. Indra thought Karna would refuse, perhaps even prepared to use force, but unexpectedly, Karna surrendered the golden armor without hesitation.
Karna's integrity was so lofty that even Indra was compelled to respect his will. As compensation for surrendering the golden armor, Indra bestowed upon Karna his divine spear—Vasavi Shakti, a weapon fit to slay gods.
The spear's power lived up to its name. Once unleashed, it carried the might to annihilate all things. Even a god could not resist it!
But because its power was too immense, mortals could not wield it freely. Even Karna himself could only fire it once, and upon doing so, would fall into unprecedented weakness.
It could be said this was little different from a self-destructive weapon, a Noble Phantasm of life-and-death gambles!
And now, in order to oppose true divine might and authority, Shirou forced himself to project this god-slaying spear. The act alone placed unbearable strain upon his body—his form might well collapse before he could even release the spear.
But Shirou would never abandon the fight at this stage. He had to push forward to the very end.
Yet before releasing the spear, he questioned Miach:
"God Miach, did you truly choose to become Ouranos's accomplice of your own will? Does Miss Naaza of the Azure Apothecary know what you've done? If you return to Tenkai, how will she be able to face it?"
At Shirou's words that pierced the heart, Miach fell into silence.
At last, he spoke quietly: "I've already told you—gods are always selfish. Gods only pursue what they do not yet have, and never care for what they already possess. Love, hatred—such things mean nothing to gods. Perhaps a rare few will trouble themselves with mortal emotions, but most are like me—we only seek the value we desire."
"..."
Shirou silently shook his head. He did not know if Miach's words were wholly true. Perhaps, deep inside, he was hoping that Miach had some other reason—that he was aiding Ouranos against his will.
Or maybe Shirou was foolishly fantasizing about a melodramatic reason—such as Miach doing all this only to help his follower Naaza.
But unfortunately, it was not as Shirou wished. Or even if it was partly so, it was but a tiny fragment of the truth.
The vast difference between gods and mortals meant that equality in the truest sense could not exist. To gods, mortals were at best treated like pets… hardly true love or hate, but rather an arrogance born of higher existence.
And precisely because of this, Shirou's resolve became absolute.
"I live to pursue justice. I die to pursue justice. Even if I've strayed from the path of justice, I have never lost the belief in its pursuit." Shirou's voice rang firm. "Miach, Ouranos—if you truly are the culprits behind all this disaster, then there is only one thing left for me to do—and that is to bury you evil gods who created these calamities!"
"Bury me? Do you think you can accomplish such a thing in your condition!?" Miach retorted. "Look at your broken body. I don't know what weapon you're trying to create, but after a whole night of battle, you are already at your limit. Even if I do nothing, your body will collapse on its own and fade into nothingness."
Miach's words left Shirou unable to deny them. Because they were true.
A night of endless battles: fighting the artificial angel, battling Hermes, creating the sea monster, forging the Sword of Promised Victory to make Ais a hero, and finally clashing with the god Miach. Too much had happened in a single night.
Any one of those trials would have been enough to wear down the will of a man, to drive his body beyond its limit.
Yet Shirou had endured, through sheer superhuman resolve, pushing past every torment and agony, surviving until now.
But even he had finally reached his limit.
Vasavi Shakti was a weapon too unique—projecting it was no less difficult than projecting Ea itself. For him now, it should have been impossible.
And yet, Shirou betrayed no fear. No despair, no pain—only a quiet raising of his shattered hand, continuing his projection of this ultimate weapon.
"Boom!"
Gradually, a weapon composed purely of lightning formed in his grasp. The spear's shape exceeded the very limits of human comprehension—madness and chaos surged upon it, while an indescribable aura of death swirled around it. That same distortion of death also began to twist Shirou's own being.
"Emiya, stop this at once!"
Thanatos could see Shirou's struggle. It was like a mad race—whether Shirou could complete the projection of the god-slaying spear before the backlash destroyed his body.
And it was clear—the side effects were faster, breaking his body apart like cracked clay.
At the same time, Miach, realizing Shirou's dire state, mercilessly poured fuel on the fire by using his authority and divine power to worsen Shirou's condition.
Miach's authority could influence the bodies of nearby beings. Originally, it had a limited range, requiring proximity to affect Shirou.
But with his divine power fully unleashed, he could inflict countless debuffs upon Shirou even from a distance.
Thus, already straining under the projection of the divine weapon, Shirou was dealt even greater wounds by Miach's interference. He was driven utterly into a corner.
"Emiya, do you have any strategy left?"
Thanatos looked on with helplessness.
He wanted to help Shirou—if he could, he would have sacrificed his own return to Tenkai to hold Miach at bay. But because of special circumstances, Thanatos's path to return had been cut off. That meant he couldn't even self-destruct to return.
The only thing he could do was use his authority over souls to take Shirou's soul, at least preserving a fragment after his body's death. But in that case, Shirou could no longer influence Orario's future.
"Don't worry. I may not have a strategy, but there's still a chance worth betting on."
Shirou took a deep breath. His body was nearly finished, yet his spirit burned hotter than ever. As though oblivious to how close he was to death, he continued his mad projection.
At the same time, without a sound, he created a dagger. While everyone's attention was fixed on the lightning spear, he hurled the dagger toward a certain spot nearby.
"??"
Seeing Shirou's action, Miach instinctively thought Shirou was attacking him. Though he doubted his opponent had any strength left, Shirou had performed miracles before. Miach dared not underestimate him, and prepared a defense.
But this time, Miach was mistaken.
Shirou's target was not Miach himself, but the doll Miach had used earlier to channel the power of the Chains of Tenkai.
"Slash!"
As the doll was pierced, the Chains of Tenkai returned to Shirou's hands.
Yet Shirou did not use them to attack Miach. Instead, in a strange maneuver, he wound the chains around the tip of the god-slaying spear.
"Calm down for a moment… Vasavi Shakti…"
Under the binding of the Chains of Tenkai, the rampaging spear grew calmer. What should have incinerated its wielder along with its release was subdued somewhat, the damage to Shirou's body weakening.
Seizing the chance, Shirou pushed on to his final projection.
"Projection Overload!" "God-Slaying Spear!"
A projection beyond limits. A creation beyond mortals.
In that instant, Shirou's consciousness nearly burned away into nothingness. As his body split apart, memories of his life flashed through his mind—the years of striving, yet leaving behind so little.
But because of that, he could not take a step back. Even if it cost everything, here he would forge a miracle of mortals!
"Boom!"
Shirou's body began collapsing. Just like the legend of Karna, whose flesh was torn apart with blood after losing his golden armor when wielding the spear, Shirou's state was even more wretched.
And this self-sacrifice resonated with the legend of Vasavi Shakti, causing Shirou's projection to proceed smoother than ever before. It was the most flawless projection of his life.
Thus, the strongest god-slaying spear began to take form in his hands. Forged of crimson lightning, its true shape revealed itself, filling the underground chamber with endless thunderbolts, transforming the entire space into a boundless sea of lightning!
"Know the mercy of the King of Gods. Indra, open your eyes. This single strike is extinction itself! Burn it all. Vasavi Shakti!!! —O Sun, submit to death!!"
The God-Slaying Spear was completely formed. Before Shirou's body could utterly collapse—
A miracle occurred.
Though the price for this miracle was incomparably great, Shirou had indeed projected a god-slaying weapon that should not have been possible to project.
"Rumble!"
With the complete release of the God-Slaying Spear, the net of divine power that Miach had been using to suppress Shirou was instantly pierced through.
Space itself seemed to go mad, whipping up storms.
Faced with this violent impact that nearly tore apart even space itself, Thanatos could no longer keep his footing. He could only crouch low on the ground, using the corner of his eye to glimpse what was happening in the distance.
Then he saw it—the spear of lightning, like a sharp needle, instantly pierced through the vortex of divine power.
Miach, who had unleashed the tide of divine power at the cost of self-detonating his descent and returning to Tenkai, was swiftly torn apart by the spear Shirou had projected.
In less than a second, Miach's vortex of divine power, along with his very being, was completely pierced through by the spear!
As a weapon truly meant to slay gods, the God-Slaying Spear—"Vasavi Shakti-
O Sun, Submit to Death"—possessed a power that even true gods could not withstand.
All forms of defense, even divine power itself, could not block this absolutely fatal strike.
"Rumble!"
In the end, lightning pierced through everything, annihilating all.
Shirou's strike heavily wounded the god Miach on the spot, nearly killing him.
Of course, Miach would not actually die. With Shirou's current strength, he could not truly kill a god.
"Crash!"
A beam of light from the Heaven Ladder pierced the sky, symbolizing that a god had lost their projection in Genkai and was forcibly returned to Tenkai.
According to the laws of Genkai, once a god returns to Tenkai, they cannot return here for a very long time—perhaps even forever.
At the very least, for tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or even longer years, the god Miach would no longer be able to appear in Genkai.
"Is it… over…?"
Witnessing the departure of a god, Shirou's heart was filled with mixed emotions.
To personally return a god to Tenkai—this was the most outrageous feat he had ever accomplished, something truly befitting the title of God-Slayer.
However, Shirou himself had paid a tremendous price.
His body was already riddled with wounds, battered beyond recognition. The fact that he was even still alive, not dead on the spot, could only be called a miracle.
Thus, after the battle ended, Shirou, without even a trace of resistance, collapsed directly onto the ground.
Weakness enveloped his entire body, leaving him unable to move at all.
At this moment, Death God Thanatos immediately lifted Shirou onto his back without hesitation and hurried back to the surface, to regroup with the other dark factions.
Too many things had happened tonight, all chaotic and overwhelming.
But at least one thing was certain: the city of Orario would be completely transformed from this point forward.
If Evilus wanted to uncover the truth of this city and even oppose Ouranos, Emiya Shirou would be indispensable.
No matter what, Shirou's body must be restored.
As Thanatos thought this, considering what kind of existence might heal Shirou's body, he suddenly noticed in the distant sky—a sudden beam of divine light broke through Tenkai.
"What!?"
He had not expected to see this light of divine power again.
Thanatos was dumbfounded.
Most importantly, the feeling it gave him was extremely familiar. If he was not mistaken, this was the divine radiance of the god of nightmares, Ikelos.
At the same time, as the light of divine power appeared, the Heavenly Ladder suddenly lit up, completely piercing the air of dawn.
"Ikelos returned to Tenkai? Who in the world did this?"
Thanatos could hardly imagine that anyone could force a god like Ikelos to return to Tenkai.
Since the annihilation of Evilus years ago, when many evil gods were sent back to Tenkai, no god in Orario had been forced back.
Yet tonight, counting Miach whom Shirou had just defeated, two gods had been sent back!
Even Thanatos could not help but feel astonishment at such an unbelievable fact.
"Wait… could it be that the one who sent Ikelos back was…"
Thanatos recalled the incident years ago, when Evilus was annihilated, instinctively remembering a certain god who had personally purged all evil gods.
If it was that god's power, then sending back Ikelos would be natural.
But that god should have already left Orario!
She should not have returned to this city!
"Why? Astraea? Why have you, the Goddess of Justice, returned here?"
Thanatos felt a certain conviction in his heart, certain that this must have been done by the Goddess of Justice.
"It seems not only have we taken action, but Ouranos has not been idle either… This labyrinth city, Orario, is finally about to be completely changed."
Thanatos sighed, yet at the same time his expression brightened.
For the more chaotic Orario became, the weaker the influence of Order grew, and the less control Ouranos had over this city.
That meant a greater chance of uncovering the truth and breaking free of their constraints.
But before that, healing Shirou was his most urgent priority.
Thanatos quickly took action, carrying Shirou to find a place for treatment.
.
.
.
On the coast of Port Meren.
"Amazing… amazing! Truly incredible!"
Ikelos, overwhelmed with excitement, shouted loudly, dancing in elation.
After the Sea Demon was destroyed by Ais with Excalibur, Ikelos had immediately found the monster's remains and, using his nightmare authority, recreated the corpse of the Sea Demon.
Because Orario had just suffered a massive disaster, the negative emotions of despair and fear were overwhelming, allowing Ikelos' authority to reach its peak.
By sheer force, he revived the Sea Demon once more, causing yet another wave of chaos and despair, conveniently also clearing Shirou of blame.
Of course, Ikelos had not done this for Shirou's sake.
He had done it to pursue madness and chaos.
For he was a true evil god.
And under Ikelos' power, the resurrection of the Sea Demon once again shook Orario. Countless people were numbed by this absurd reality, many even giving up hope.
Seeing the terrified, despairing mortals powerless before him, Ikelos was ecstatic.
To him, this was the ultimate high.
Ah, look—mortals, as small as ants, trampled at will by gods!
This was the sight befitting Genkai, the stage mortals should face!
Ikelos reveled in the trembling expressions of the pitiful lambs, so thrilled that he could not help but cheer.
"Hahaha! Go, Sea Monster, crush them! Kill them! This is the gods' toy box!"
Ikelos cried out joyfully, but suddenly felt a strange sense of detachment, as if his body no longer belonged to him.
In an instant, he felt part of his body forcibly separated.
"Ahhh—"
When he came to his senses, Ikelos realized—it was his head that had been severed from his body.
"Slash!"
A sword descending from Tenkai had appeared out of nowhere, beheading him.
But a god's resilience was not so easily undone by mere decapitation.
Ikelos' body soon began to regenerate. Yet the divine power consumed in doing so meant he had violated the laws of Genkai, and was now forced to begin returning to Tenkai.
Like Miach, Ikelos still had an extremely short time left to enact vengeance upon the one responsible.
However, when Ikelos saw the culprit—when he saw the goddess standing in the distance, with brown hair and a white dress radiating bright aura—his expression revealed realization.
"Astraea… Astraea… You've actually returned…"
"Yes, I have returned," said the goddess named Astraea, her voice gentle. "To realize justice, to restore order to this city, I have accepted Ouranos' invitation. I will once more return to the labyrinth city Orario, to administer order, and prevent evil gods such as you from running rampant."
"Realize justice? Maintain order? Hahaha, don't make me laugh!" Ikelos sneered at Astraea. "Others may know nothing, but as Ouranos' former black-gloved hand, I know very well all that he has done, and why the Astraea Familia perished! I even know exactly why you, Goddess of Justice, left this city in the first place!"
"And what if you know? You will soon be returning to Tenkai, Ikelos."
"Yes, I will return to Tenkai soon, but I am ever more eager to see how this city will develop!" Ikelos laughed manically. "For you, the Goddess of Justice, to become Ouranos' lapdog—what a hilarious spectacle! And you, representing justice, and that man who pursues justice—you two, what kind of sparks will fly when you collide? Ah, I don't want to leave, just one moment more, only a moment longer!"
"No, Ikelos. It's time for you to depart."
Astraea said this, slowly raising her right hand.
In both sky and earth, countless swords slowly appeared.
Weapons that had gone down in history, famous for eternity, manifested around Ikelos, and with a gentle motion of the Goddess of Justice's hand—
"Slash!"
Faced with this storm of blades piercing his body, Ikelos of course did not sit still.
But under Astraea's divine authority, his divine power and authority were completely sealed.
In the end, countless swords tore Ikelos' body to pieces.
"Rumble!"
The only god capable of slaying gods in Genkai—the Goddess of Justice, Astraea—had returned.
As the light of the Heavenly Ladder pierced through dawn and enveloped all of Orario, gods and mortals alike became aware of this truth.
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