Chapter 164: Karma-Fire Ignites Unlimited Blade Works!
The news that Astraea had announced the execution of Ryuu sent shockwaves throughout Orario. Especially those who had close relationships with Ryuu were thrown into chaos.
Familiag!
In the tavern of the Hostess of Fertility, a teacup slid off the counter and shattered. However, at this moment, no one in the tavern paid attention to such a trivial detail.
Everyone was stunned by the shocking news just delivered to all of Orario by the guild.
"Hey hey hey, did you hear that, meow!?"
Anya Fromel, a catgirl waitress, frantically spoke up.
"..."
The other waitstaff, and even the tavern owner Mia Grande, couldn't help but furrow their brows, astonished by the reality that Ryuu was about to be judged.
"W-What is going on?" waitress Lunoire nervously asked. "Why was Ryuu imprisoned? And why is she being judged? Most importantly, the one judging her is Goddess Astraea? Wasn't she Ryuu's former patron deity?"
"..."
No one in the tavern could respond to Lunoire's questions.
Everyone was thrown into confusion and unease.
At that moment, Syr suddenly spoke up: "...Everyone, I'm sorry, I'm just going out for a moment."
"Ah, Syr! Where are you going, meow—!?"
Anya tried to stop her, but was held back by the tavern owner Mia.
Everyone could only watch as Syr disappeared out the back door of the tavern.
"Could Syr be trying to rescue Ryuu?"
"No, no. Syr's just an ordinary person, not an adventurer. There's no way she'd do something like that."
"But Syr and Ryuu are really close. Surely she'd want to help."
"...So what do we do? Just watch Ryuu get executed without doing anything?"
"Meow... It's all Ryuu's fault, meow! She made Syr act weird, the tavern feels so gloomy, and she's making the cats so worried!"
Everyone in the tavern of the Hostess of Fertility sank into helplessness.
They looked at each other, unsure of what to do, speaking in half-hearted tones, and even the other kitchen staff shared the same mood.
Seeing that no one could focus on their work, owner Mia said nothing, simply walked to the front counter, slammed the door shut, and hung up a "Closed" sign.
"Mama Mia?!"
"For the next three days, the tavern will be closed. You don't need to come to work."
Mia's words shocked the members of the tavern.
In all the years of operation, this was the first time the tavern had closed.
Undoubtedly, this was Mia's decision. As the owner, she cared about Ryuu's safety, but could not openly oppose the order of Orario. This indirect method was her way of showing her stance.
Once Mia, as tavern manager, clearly expressed her support, the waitstaff instantly showed determined expressions.
The girls who had seemed ordinary waitresses now exuded the aura of seasoned warriors, their expressions sharp and alert.
"Let's go! We'll rescue Ryuu, meow!"
Anya's voice symbolized the will of the entire tavern. They had resolved to act to save Ryuu.
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Babel Tower
Another round of the gods' council convened.
Unlike the previous discussion regarding Sword Demon Shirou Emiya, this time the gods gathered unequivocally to discuss the execution of Ryuu Lion.
As usual, Astraea, as the executor of the execution, silently sat in the main seat, her eyes lightly raised in indifference. She did not care about the many piercing gazes of the surrounding gods, calmly accepting their scrutiny, her demeanor utterly unshaken.
"Astraea..."
Unlike last time, when Loki had spoken first, this time it was the goddess of beauty, Freya, who spoke first.
She lightly touched her teacup, her expression sharp as she looked at the goddess of justice, and slowly asked: "Why judge Ryuu? Wasn't she your former follower?"
Facing Freya's straightforward question, Astraea did not immediately respond.
The goddess of justice merely glanced at Freya as if seeing through something, then slowly said: "Ryuu was indeed my former follower, but her crimes are undeniable. Even after the Rudra Familia abandoned their dark operations, she continued a five-year-long hunt against them, affecting countless innocents. This sin requires the judgment of the sword."
Freya couldn't help but frown at Astraea's overly official explanation.
Astraea's words contained no emotion toward Ryuu; her cold attitude treated Ryuu as if judging a stranger.
If this were any ordinary person, Freya might have only commented briefly. But with Ryuu as the judged, Freya lost her composure.
"Are you really going to judge her? Is there truly no leeway?" Freya glared at Astraea. "At least delay the judgment a bit..."
"Freya, the decision to judge Ryuu was made by the god Ouranos and the guild," Astraea calmly replied. "If you have objections, you should present them to Ouranos. I am merely the executor of the judgment, and have no authority to make any decisions myself."
"Astraea..."
Freya felt the same helplessness she had felt with Loki earlier—Astraea once again deflected using Ouranos.
As ordinary gods, they knew Ouranos's power and status were unquestionable.
Astraea, by contrast, was the only god among them capable of balancing Ouranos.
Not only did she wield justice with extremely high authority, but her fame and popularity were arguably the highest among all gods in Genkai.
Had Astraea chosen to oppose Ouranos, countless gods would have followed.
But as Astraea clearly stood on Ouranos's side, no god could resist his decision, even if displeased.
"I say, Astraea, the specific arrangements for the execution haven't been decided yet, right?"
When Freya was silenced by Astraea's overwhelming presence, Loki suddenly spoke.
"Indeed."
Astraea nodded.
The guild had only just issued the order to execute Ryuu, so the specific execution site and procedures were not yet finalized.
Loki, knowing this, deliberately suggested: "In that case, let Freya's Familia handle the security at the execution site, how about that?"
"Freya's Familia?"
Astraea raised an eyebrow at Loki.
Loki smiled faintly. "I know Ouranos distrusts my Familia, so I won't volunteer them. But Freya's Familia should be fine—they are capable, and have no personal connection to Ryuu Lion, so there's no chance of overstepping."
"..."
Astraea fell silent, then after a brief hesitation, slowly nodded. "Fine. I will propose this to Ouranos. If approved, you will be notified immediately."
"That's enough."
Loki smiled, exchanged a glance with Freya, and said no more.
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After the gods' council concluded, the execution of Ryuu Lion was quickly announced to all of Orario.
Loki's proposal, once conveyed by Astraea to Ouranos and the guild, was approved.
Freya's Familia would serve as guards at the execution site.
This news shocked many. They did not expect the execution of Ryuu Lion to involve Orario's top-tier faction, Freya's Familia.
Most people didn't think executing Ryuu Lion would have major consequences, nor anticipate any complications.
But in the three days leading up to her execution, Orario became a hotbed of changes and hidden currents.
The tavern of the Hostess of Fertility closed, with all staff running around the city.
Loki's Familia was again placed under confinement by Ouranos, forbidden from taking action over the next few days.
Hestia's Familia faced similar restrictions: neither gods nor followers were allowed to act.
The Ishtar and Kali Familias had been captured by Astraea from the start, their treatment similar to Ryuu's, though as gods, they could not be executed like mortals.
Additionally, Hermes took some action regarding Ryuu's execution, though it seemed prompted by Freya's request.
Because of prior incidents, Hermes owed Freya's Familia a favor, and now discreetly moved with his recently healed follower Asfi, acting throughout Orario and even seeking external help.
All his actions were covert, avoiding guild attention.
Time gradually passed, and Ryuu's execution day approached.
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The fierce battle between Shirou and Heroic Spirit EMIYA had been raging for an unknown duration.
As the projection of Unlimited Blade Works itself, EMIYA's strikes aimed to utterly destroy Shirou's spirit and grind down his will.
"..."
After being pierced countless times by innumerable swords in his chest, Shirou finally could no longer maintain his resolve and fell to his knees.
However, the number of swords Shirou could control within Unlimited Blade Works was far from enough to contend with his opponent.
At this point, the number of swords he could manipulate was only in the hundreds. To reach the level necessary to resist Unlimited Blade Works itself was still an unimaginably distant goal.
If he wanted to defeat Unlimited Blade Works, or even reverse it to completely consume this inherent Reality Marble, the number of swords required would be beyond imagination.
Thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, millions…
No. Even if he consumed all the swords on this Sword Hill, it probably still wouldn't be enough.
"What's the matter? Planning to give up?" Heroic Spirit EMIYA smiled at Shirou. "Well, it makes sense. You must have realized that with your strength, it's impossible to forcibly control all the swords in this field. Because, as the name Unlimited Blade Works implies, the number of swords here is infinite. Infinity means an uncountable number. You can never control all the weapons on Sword Hill, let alone control more than half to balance against me. Half of infinity is still infinity."
Although Heroic Spirit EMIYA's words were cold, they accurately reflected the current reality.
Merely controlling hundreds or thousands of swords made it impossible to defeat him within the realm of Unlimited Blade Works.
If Shirou wanted to defeat Unlimited Blade Works itself, it would not be a matter of quantity, but of pushing himself to the utmost to create the ultimate sword.
If Unlimited Blade Works was a system that shattered a soul into a thousand fragments, transforming it into an endless "∞," then Shirou's task was to shatter that infinity with his single sword.
However, the difficulty of such a feat was unimaginable.
Shirou's projections had limits; it was impossible to project beyond himself. Especially here, in the spiritual world, even if he projected Vasavi Shakti as before, any tangible object could not contend with absolute infinity.
To defeat infinity, he needed something intangible, an abstract concept.
For that, he had to search—to find the ultimate sword that might exist.
"If you still can't find the answer, then die, Shirou Emiya."
Heroic Spirit EMIYA sneered.
He raised his right hand again, summoning hundreds of swords this time, surrounding Shirou from all directions.
Without a hint of hesitation, he thrust the swords toward Shirou, completely encasing him.
Boom!
Amid the spreading smoke, Shirou's figure was entirely engulfed.
From earlier, his body had grown increasingly difficult to sustain; the weakness of his spirit manifested as fragility of the body in the spiritual world.
So now, he could not possibly withstand the multitude of swords attacking from all directions.
However, what Heroic Spirit EMIYA did not expect was that, after the smoke cleared, Shirou reappeared almost entirely unharmed.
No, to describe him as unharmed was inaccurate.
His current state was more like forcibly holding off the impact of hundreds of swords, enduring the pain of being pierced by the blades.
"This shouldn't be… your spirit should be reaching its limit…"
Heroic Spirit EMIYA's eyes widened as he stared at Shirou.
Shirou exhaled and quietly answered, "Indeed, my spirit is near its limit, my will is barely holding after this prolonged struggle. But I am not fighting you with my own strength."
"Not with your own strength?" Heroic Spirit EMIYA was slightly taken aback, then coldly replied, "I see. It's those outside helping you, huh? Heh, seems you've got quite the
connections in this life—they're risking everything to maintain your broken body. But how long do you think this can last? Spirit and body—under endless torment, one side will always reach its limit first."
"Exactly as you say," Shirou quietly nodded. "If I cannot find a way to defeat you, if I cannot surpass you in this spiritual domain, I am doomed. Sooner or later, I would have collapsed."
"Then why struggle pointlessly? Do you think I would show you mercy? Unfortunately, I am not truly a conscious being—I am merely the manifestation of your origin. The reason I attack you is not out of malice. In reality, your origin itself is collapsing. Shirou Emiya has abandoned justice; this is the inevitable fate that comes from that."
Heroic Spirit EMIYA declared coldly.
Shirou took a deep breath and silently nodded. "You are right. You are my origin. I am trapped here because my origin itself is collapsing. So no matter what I do, or how far I go, I cannot defeat my own origin."
"In that case…"
"However, while one cannot defeat their own origin, to surpass the original origin, to even change it, is not impossible!"
"What?!"
Hearing Shirou's words, Heroic Spirit EMIYA's eyes widened, unable to comprehend.
Shirou took a deep breath and slowly spoke:
"My origin is the sword. Long ago, when I walked the path of justice, I pursued a road I could never truly reach. I gave everything, even splitting my soul into infinite fragments, in a fantasy to reach that infinite end. But infinity does not exist. Justice does not exist. Chasing what does not exist, dying meaninglessly—this life, I once rejected!"
"Yes, you rejected that false justice and chose to save the one truly worth saving. But that also brought destruction upon the current you."
"Yes. I was already destroyed once; everything about me vanished in that battle. Now, I have changed. I abandoned justice, abandoned the pursuit of infinity, but to abandon does not mean to remain stagnant. When people abandon something, they often gain something new."
"Something new?"
Shirou's gaze fixed firmly on the Sword Origin before him. "In this world, skills reflect one's soul. They reflect one's will and origin. Just as my former self pursued justice to the point of transforming into Unlimited Blade Works, after coming to this world, I continued to grow, chasing justice. But I did not gain more sword power; instead, I gained another power."
"What? You mean—?"
"The Karma's Fire… since the first time I absorbed divine power, this skill has been constantly growing. I once thought it was a power granted by the gods, an ability I gained from divine energy. But in truth, divine energy itself has no attributes. Different gods wield the same divine power yet possess completely different authorities. This means that the Karma's Fire I gained was not because divine energy gave me that fire, but because divine energy ignited the fire already in my heart!"
"Yes. After coming to this world—or rather, even before coming here—after abandoning justice and my original origin, my origin itself changed. Unlimited Blade Works' denial of me was not because I abandoned it, but because another force spread within me, threatening it. The Karma's Fire, while replacing the sword's existence, reshaped my origin entirely—it became fire. My origin changed from 'sword' to 'fire.' That Karma's Fire is the true power I now possess!"
Shirou spoke all that he had realized through the battle, fully transmitting his will to the Heroic Spirit EMIYA before him.
Heroic Spirit EMIYA remained silent for a moment, but did not deny Shirou's words. Instead, he quietly said:
"Even so, you still cannot change everything. Your new origin has yet to manifest into real power. That small flame alone cannot rival a Reality Marble containing thousands upon thousands of swords!"
"Yes, you are right," Shirou nodded. "But this small flame, no matter what, will never go out!"
"What?"
That must be Hestia's authority, he realized. He heard her call, felt her warmth.
As the goddess of the hearth, she possessed the "Immortality" authority, able to ignite a fire that never extinguishes. Under her influence, the flame within him would never die. No matter if he were killed a thousand times, ten thousand times, the fire ignited by his will would never cease!
As he spoke, visible flames erupted from Shirou's body.
The blaze burned around him, yet did not destroy him. Instead, it spread outward from Shirou.
Whenever his flames touched a sword on the field, the sword was completely destroyed, reduced to ash under the fire.
Boom!
Ultimately, the eternal flame filled the entire plain, transforming Unlimited Blade Works into a truly blazing forge!
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