Chapter 143: Fierce Battle with the False God! Grasp the Only Chance at Victory!
Hermes, as if to dispel all doubts, began explaining in a proud tone—bit by bit—the many efforts the gods had made over the long years in order to use divine power in Genkai.
Even the so-called Spirits were nothing more than an experimental product created by the gods to craft beings capable of wielding divine power in Genkai.
Moreover, just because the Spirits developed independent will and turned away from the gods' wishes, the gods decisively abandoned the entire Spirit race.
This kind of extreme cold-heartedness was difficult even for Hestia to accept. She found it hard to believe that the gods were such inhuman beings.
However, Shirou had already expected this from the beginning.
Or rather, he had long guessed at the relationship between the Spirits and the gods.
Long ago, he had predicted that the Spirits were likely sacrificial subjects in divine experiments on divine power.
After all, when he came into contact with Spirits, he noticed that their bodies were of this world's races—hardly any different from monsters of the dungeon.
And yet, divine power, which should never exist in Genkai, was present inside them.
This clearly implied that Spirits were probably the result of gods injecting divine power into some lower world creatures—beings who only came into existence through that process.
A thousand years ago, the Spirits had helped humanity fight back against the dungeon and even repelled the Three Great Catastrophes.
Yet in the present day, there was barely any mention of them in the world.
If nothing unexpected had happened, it was highly likely that the gods who created the Spirits had deliberately abandoned them, and denied their very existence.
To treat the Spirit race—who once saved the world—with such heartless disregard proved that the gods lacked even a shred of humanity or kindness.
This led Shirou to conclude that the gods had a specific reason for actively discarding the Spirits.
And now, Hermes' attitude simply confirmed Shirou's suspicions.
The Spirits had once given up everything to save the world—including Ais Wallenstein's mother, who sacrificed herself to fight back against the calamities.
Yet the gods showed neither reverence nor gratitude toward their own creations, viewing them merely as disposable sacrifices.
This attitude reignited the fury burning inside Shirou's heart.
The flames of anger that had only slightly abated after the attack on Babel now flared again, burning hot in his chest.
"!!!"
Because of this, he wasted not a second longer. He wasn't going to argue with Hermes using words.
Since the gods were so cruel, then he would use a mortal's iron fist to teach them what human wrath truly meant.
"BOOM!"
Taking advantage of Hermes' distraction while he was boasting at length, Shirou launched a decisive assault.
Empowered by the Beast of Shattered Death Fangs, Shirou charged forward at a speed invisible to the naked eye, directly aiming for Hermes himself.
But despite his incredible speed, Hermes' artificially-created angel still managed to detect his movement.
As a being born from the same roots as the Spirit race, the Artificial Angel's body was filled with divine power.
Aside from not possessing the divinity of a god, its power was on par with a true deity.
Relying on this divine power, it easily caught up with Shirou's charge, shooting forward like an arrow loosed from a bow, and collided head-on with him.
"Bang!" "Bang!" "Bang!"
This was a battle so intense it defied description.
In his transformed state under the Beast of Shattered Death Fangs, Shirou's and the Artificial Angel's combat strength far exceeded the level of any adventurer in Orario.
If one were to assign levels to their strength, it would be Level 9—or even beyond.
Especially the Artificial Angel—its oppressive power, driven by divine energy, made it feel like a true god.
If it weren't for the massive enhancements granted by the Beast of Shattered Death Fangs, Shirou in his normal state would've been instantly annihilated.
"CRACK!"
In the midst of their fierce and rapid battle—one that was impossible for the eye to follow—Shirou was struck three times by the Artificial Angel.
His shoulder, abdomen, and back were all directly hit, leaving bloody holes in his body.
If not for the monstrous regenerative abilities provided by the Beast of Shattered Death Fangs, he likely would've lost his ability to fight at that very moment.
However, this battle wasn't just a one-sided slaughter.
Despite facing the powerful Artificial Angel, Shirou found a chance to counterattack, unleashing a devastating blow that tore through its body.
"SPLAT!"
A crimson magical spear burst from inside the Artificial Angel's body!
Thanks to the Beast's special ability, Shirou could summon magical spear clones anywhere—even inside an enemy's body.
The Artificial Angel could never have expected a weapon to suddenly erupt from within, violently tearing its body apart from the inside out.
"Did it work?!"
Seeing the Artificial Angel impaled by the spear, Hestia shouted with joy, even jumping with excitement.
But in contrast, Shirou's face remained cold and serious.
Because he could tell that the Artificial Angel's power was far beyond what he had anticipated.
Even being pierced by a weapon from within, it still wasn't enough to defeat it.
Indeed, despite being run through, the Artificial Angel's expression didn't change in the slightest.
It simply pulled the spear out, and its body began to heal rapidly, returning to a completely uninjured state in mere seconds.
The sight reminded Shirou of Revis and Filvis, those monstrous beings who gained power through the corrupted Spirits—creatures with equally terrifying regenerative capabilities.
They were almost unkillable.
And that made sense.
Because as Hermes had admitted, both Artificial Angels and Spirits were products of the gods' experiments—efforts to create beings capable of wielding divine power in Genkai.
Given that, their natures were identical—possibly exactly the same.
The only difference was that the Artificial Angel lacked a sense of self—it had become the true sword of the gods, incapable of independent will.
It was clear the gods, having learned their lesson from the creation of the Spirits, no longer wished for their weapons to possess consciousness that might one day oppose their creators.
By doing so, they created the perfect weapon—a blade without thoughts, incapable of betrayal.
But this very perfection had its flaws—and could prove to be the key to victory in this battle.
If Shirou's hunch was correct, he might have found a way to defeat the Artificial Angel!
"BOOM!"
While Shirou was forming his plan, the Artificial Angel also began to treat Shirou as a critical threat that must be eliminated.
Its body surged with divine power, covering itself in flame-like energy, and a pair of massive divine wings appeared behind it.
This was clearly the origin of the name "Angel."
In form alone, it resembled the saviors of humanity from myth.
The only problem was—this was no savior. This was a puppet created by the gods to fulfill their selfish ambitions.
"GAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!"
Suddenly, the Artificial Angel unleashed a deafening roar from its mouth.
The piercing scream completely destroyed Shirou's hearing, and even caused his brain to shake violently, making it impossible for him to think clearly.
At the same time, the Artificial Angel's figure vanished like an illusion, and in the blink of an eye, reappeared at Shirou's right side like a ghost!
"Piercing Spear of Execution!"
Shirou wouldn't let it attack him so easily.
At that critical moment, he launched a magical spear, striking hard at the Artificial Angel's location.
But the Artificial Angel, believing that Shirou's regeneration was inferior to its own, fought with a mutual-destruction mindset.
"BOOM!!!"
Shirou's body was pierced by the Artificial Angel's hand blade.
But at the same moment, his spear pierced through the Angel's shoulder.
This round of battle could be said to be a draw, with both sides landing blows—but Shirou's injuries were clearly far more severe. His recovery rate was also vastly inferior to that of the artificial angel, and his entire body was beginning to go numb.
By contrast, the artificial angel's wounds were healing at the speed of light, and it immediately launched a follow-up assault after gaining the advantage.
Thus began a brutal and close-quarters tug-of-war between the two.
"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!"
Shirou used every ounce of strength he had to resist the artificial angel's attacks, while the angel tried every method it could to inflict the same level of injury on Shirou as it had earlier.
Though the Beast of Shattered Death Fangs granted Shirou recovery abilities comparable to a beast, it still couldn't match the complete divine power fueling the artificial angel.
If he took a few more hits at that same level, his body would surely collapse and break down entirely.
"As a mortal, being able to fight an angel that is close to godhood to this extent is already praiseworthy enough, Emiya Shirou."
Hermes spoke with a smile, his demeanor that of someone watching a play whose ending had already been decided—just waiting for the curtain to fall.
In truth, after this bloody battle, Shirou's injuries were already extremely severe.
His left hand was nearly completely useless, and his entire body was covered in wounds pierced through by divine power.
Though the Beast of Shattered Death Fangs continued to heal him, the mental pain Shirou was experiencing was something it couldn't restore.
The artificial angel, on the other hand, was a being that completely lacked reason.
It had no concept of "pain," nor did it understand the meaning of such a sensation. In other words, pain simply didn't exist in its mind.
When both suffered injuries of the same magnitude, Shirou not only took more physical damage, but also suffered intense mental strain from the pain and trauma—an undeniable disadvantage.
Under such circumstances, the longer the fight dragged on, the worse Shirou's condition would become.
The battle with the artificial angel would only grow more one-sided and brutal, until he was eventually defeated.
But Shirou clearly had no means to change this situation.
He had no technique to instantly kill the artificial angel, nor could he withstand the overwhelming attacks of divine power.
Given that, the tide of battle could only continue to tilt against him.
"What now? Is there really no way to turn this around?"
Watching everything unfold, Hestia wore a pained expression.
She desperately wanted to help Shirou—but she had no way to do so.
Because of that, a thought even crept into her heart:
To release her divine power, regardless of the cost.
Even if it meant returning to Tenkai and ending her time in Genjai—she wanted to save Shirou from this nightmare.
But that thought was instantly seen through by Hermes.
With a smile, Hermes said, "Oh dear, you can't give up on yourself just like that, Hestia! You're Bell's main god, and you're destined to walk with him to the peak. How could you just abandon your own divine life here?"
"What kind of joke is that!? My own familia is in danger right in front of me—how could I possibly stand by and do nothing!?"
Hestia shouted at Hermes, ready to throw everything away, even if it meant self-destruction.
But Hermes calmly countered, "Of course I know what you're thinking.
But I also know—you won't make that decision. Emiya Shirou is your familia, yes, but so are Bell and the others.
If you return to Tenkai now, what happens to the rest of your children? Are you really going to sacrifice your entire familia for one person?"
"..."
Hermes continued, "And besides, Hestia—you're not even a combat god, are you?
Even if you release all of your divine power, how much of a chance do you have against my artificial angel, which was crafted entirely from divine power?
Do you really believe that the strength of a mere 'goddess of the hearth' can stand up to a weapon of slaughter created by gods over countless years of research?"
"..."
Hestia fell silent at those words.
She had been completely cornered by Hermes' logic and forced to face her own powerlessness.
In the end, Hestia took a deep breath and asked, "Why? Why would you do this? Didn't the gods descend to Genkai because they loved the children of this world?"
"That's just your own wishful thinking," Hermes replied quietly. "Over the span of a thousand years, perhaps a few gods truly did hold that belief—trying to build familial bonds with mortals, treating them like their own children.
But do you really think all gods feel that way?
For gods who live for hundreds of millions of years, do you think mortals, who live for only a few decades, truly qualify to be called family? Or to be loved by gods?"
"Something like that…"
"No, it's impossible.
Even if it happens, it's nothing more than a rare exception—perhaps even just the self-indulgent fantasy of a few foolish gods! In truth, gods and mortals are completely different lifeforms.
Just as humans cannot experience true romantic love for animals, gods cannot hold genuine affection for mortals."
Hermes went on, "In the end, gods love only themselves.
That's because the very concept of 'gods' was born from a pursuit of absolute self-evolution!
The belief written into the very genes of living things—to absorb all resources and grow stronger—was taken to the extreme.
That's what led gods to conquer Tenkai and become supreme beings. Unlike weak mortals who huddle together to survive, gods exist through complete independence.
However, mortals are still a lucky species.
Due to our long lifespans, we gods suffer from crushing boredom and lack any sense of danger.
So we began to develop irrational fantasies and expectations about mortals who constantly struggle between life and death.
Some gods even fell into delusional love with these fragile creatures.
That's exactly why I want to create a hero.
A pile of weak and pathetic mortals is meaningless.
They're not even worthy of being called a third-rate drama!
Only those rare mortals who rise above all others, who burn everything to become a falling star, can produce the perfect drama—a form of entertainment that brings joy even to the gods!"
Hermes calmly described his understanding of the relationship between gods and mortals.
In his eyes, mortals were little more than aphids for divine entertainment.
Though gods could squash them with a single step, the rare individuals who emerged from the masses as "heroes" were enough to make the gods pause, cheer, and be moved.
As twisted as this view was, it undeniably reflected the beliefs of most gods.
But Hestia simply could not accept such a cruel and elitist worldview.
Above all, she could never accept Hermes' idea that most mortals are worthless, and only heroes deserve to exist.
"You're wrong, Hermes!
Mortals don't exist for the gods' amusement!
Even the supporting cast in the shadows of the stage has their own will!"
Hestia shot back, as divine light began to emanate from her body.
Hermes responded with a smile, "That's not a very godlike way of thinking, Hestia.
For a god to see themselves as equal to these fragile ants—this kind of phony kindness, do you really think it can change anything?"
"I'm not trying to change anything—because from the beginning, there's nothing that needs changing!"
Hestia declared loudly, "Maybe you do represent the will of most gods, Hermes.
Maybe most of them don't understand or accept mortals, treating them like toys!
But mortals are not pawns to be moved around by the gods! Their beliefs and determination exist for their own survival, not to entertain the gods!"
"You think the will of ants has value?"
"Mortals are not ants! Their potential far exceeds that of the gods! They're stronger than the so-called great gods!"
"What a laughable claim. You're just deluding yourself."
"Call it self-delusion, call it naivety—say whatever you want.
But at the very least, I believe in the potential of mortals!
I believe the people of Genkai are not playthings of the gods!
Someday, they will break free from this prison of Genkai and reach even further than the selfish gods!
That miracle—only mortals can achieve it!
And to protect that miracle, to protect the future of mortals, I will sacrifice, I will watch over, I will believe in them until the very end!!"
As she spoke, the divine light on Hestia's body grew brighter and brighter.
She had fully made up her mind. Even if it meant burning herself out, releasing her divine power, and being forcibly returned to Tenkai—she would stop Hermes, and end this chaos.
But just as her divine power was about to burst forth—like the blazing sun bringing dawn, ready to tear through the darkness shrouding Orario—a hand gently stopped her.
"Shi… Shirou?"
Seeing the man step in front of her, Hestia's expression was one of confusion and surprise.
Shirou, dragging his battered and broken body, took a deep breath and slowly said:
"I'm sorry to interfere with your will and resolve. But… my battle isn't over yet. Could I ask you to watch until the very end, Hestia?"
Hearing Shirou's words—his exhausted voice, yet completely undiminished resolve—Hestia was stunned for a moment.
Then, slowly, she nodded.
With firm determination and a hopeful expression, she quietly said:
"Good luck, Shirou. Don't lose to that thing! No—you won't lose to that thing… right!?"
"Of course not. After all… I'm your familia, Hestia."
With those words, Shirou placed his hand on Hestia's small head and gently ruffled her hair, causing her to blush in embarrassment.
Then, having finished this simple gesture, Shirou suddenly stepped forward—to face head-on the irrational, overwhelmingly powerful artificial angel.
Even though his opponent possessed strength on par with the gods, he didn't flinch in the slightest—because now, he had found his final chance to win.
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