Chapter 389: Return, or a New Beginning?
Under the light of the setting sun, the sky looked as if it were burning. There were golden, resplendent clouds of fire blooming, and the golden-red clouds rolled wantonly in the wind. The mountains in backlight became black silhouettes, making everything in the sky appear even more beautiful and magnificent.
The world that follows will be reconstructed by Princess Kiyohime. Soon, the shopping street in the town will be reopened, encouraging merchants traveling the world to come here, and the prosperity will continue. With the supervision of the fox dancing girl and the ninja Danzo, at least she won't go berserk over strange things.
Afu and Tasuke have their own plans, but as long as the brother and sister can be together, that is better than anything else.
Although Shirou also wanted to take Afu and Tasuke with him, it was destined to be impossible. He and the children were in different worlds, each with their own place to return to, so they could only bear the pain of parting.
After saying goodbye to the children and leaving the village, the time to leave had finally arrived. One step ahead of Shirou, Gudako's body began to emit a fluorescent glow; this was the sign that her soul was about to return to Chaldea.
"Gudako-chan! Goodbye~!" Illya waved her hand.
"Awoo!" The big white bear behind her also lifted its paw.
"Goodbye, Illya-chan, Mr. Bear. Will you be returning to Shirou-senpai's world after this?" Gudako asked.
"Mm! But after that, I also want to go check out Chaldea. If Mother is there!" Illya smiled and agreed.
"You're always welcome! Let's play together then!" Gudako smiled and agreed. She was already looking forward to seeing what it would look like if three identical-looking girls formed an "Illya Task Force."
"Mm, Shirou-senpai... about that..." Gudako suddenly stopped at this moment, looked toward Shirou's side, and hesitated to speak.
"What is it?" Shirou asked, looking at the young girl in confusion.
"...No, it's definitely fine! After I go back, Mash and I still want to visit you at your home." Gudako shook her head and said to Shirou with a smile.
"Oh, you're always welcome. You worked hard this time, so when you come, I'll cook something delicious to reward you." Shirou agreed readily.
"Mm! Mash and I will both look forward to it!" Gudako smiled and agreed.
A blue vortex rotated rapidly, and white lightning spanned between world and world. Gudako took the first step and left this world.
"Gudako-senpai! You've finally woken up." Mash walked up happily and took the young girl's hands.
"Ah, Mash, I'm back." Gudako looked at the short, pink-haired girl wearing glasses and revealed a warm smile. Although it was just a dream for her, as far as she was concerned, it was as if she had experienced a long and thrilling journey.
Suddenly transported to the Warring States period, facing terrifying Heroic Spirit Swordsmen, being chased and fleeing, going to crusade against Oni that slaughtered army villages, while also taking care of children, and even getting her stomach pierced once—she was truly spending every moment racing against time. In that world, she sometimes even felt that every single second was that long.
But now that she was back in Chaldea, the place where she and her companions worked hard to save human history and survive, everything that happened before seemed to become ethereal, truly as if it were a dream.
"Speaking of which, I saw Shirou-senpai over there. Can his information be detected here too!?" Gudako suddenly thought of something and looked at Da Vinci urgently to ask.
"..." Da Vinci was silent for a while, then finally looked at Gudako and shook her head.
Gudako lowered her head in disappointment and said: "How could this be... Can the coordinates of neither Shirou-senpai's world nor Rin-san's world be detected anymore..."
"What exactly happened to Shirou-senpai?" Mash, on the side, also frowned and said.
"Is there really no connection to Senpai's world anymore?" Gudako asked in confusion.
Da Vinci shook her head, sighed, and said: "Chaldea is now completely repaired, and all functions are fully equipped. Even so, I still haven't been able to find the coordinates left behind by the world where Shirou is. Perhaps it's because it's now in a different cosmic dimension from us. Even if Chaldea wanted to do something, it wouldn't be able to. Sigh... it's truly troubling."
Sherlock Holmes, who was puffing on his pipe, chimed in: "This is unavoidable. Originally, having two different future worlds already meant they were not in the same cosmic dimension. The reason you were able to meet was merely because two continuously extending lines happened to intersect by chance. After passing this intersection point, it is impossible to meet again."
"It doesn't matter! As long as there is fate, we will definitely be able to meet again! Besides, Shirou is very strong, so don't worry about these things. Go back to your room and get some rest." Da Vinci clapped her hands with a smile, urging the two of them.
"Mm." Gudako nodded.
Rustle, rustle! At this moment, several Servants arrived upon hearing the news: a Wa-no-kuni samurai holding a long sword, an Oni girl with two horns on her forehead, a red-haired ninja boy, and Kiyohime, who was standing at the doorway peeking her head in to observe quietly. There was also the fox shrine maiden lady who was blocked outside the door, flicking her three tails and curiously investigating the situation inside.
"So Gudako is already back? I heard you met Miyamoto Musashi?"
"Welcome back, Master. May I ask, after that, my Mother... no, Miss Kato..."
"Since so many people are here, let's have a banquet! Have the cat-maid in the kitchen make some appetizers to go with the drinks, and let's all drink together!" Shuten-douji suggested.
Da Vinci walked forward and said to the assembled Servants: "Alright, alright, don't block the door. Gudako is already very tired. Whatever you have to say, wait until she has rested well. Make way."
Gudako smiled and waved her hand, saying: "It's not that urgent. Musashi is a very, very amazing swordsman, and she even had a duel with Kojiro there!"
"Ho oh, the outcome is truly intriguing. No, if possible, I would have liked to experience the exquisite nature of the Niten Ichi-ryu myself." Sasaki Kojiro said, cupping his chin.
Gudako turned her head to look at the ninja boy. "Kotaro! Miss Kato is already fine. Shirou-senpai repaired her body, and now she has decided to stay in Shimousa Province to help the people there rebuild their homes."
"Is that so? That is truly great." Kotaro replied, sighing in relief. He kept his eyes covered, but the slightly upturned arc of his lips betrayed his happiness for the person he cared about.
"Mm, Princess-sama is also very welcoming to Miss Kato, and also..." At this moment, Gudako involuntarily turned her head to look at Kiyohime, who was peeking in.
At this moment, Kiyohime blushed and said: "If you are going to sleep, I can be responsible for warming the bed, using my flames."
"Eh?! As expected! I should really go rest now! Mash!" Gudako hurriedly changed her tone and said.
"Mm! Okay! I will spread the futon for Senpai!" Mash also nodded repeatedly.
...............
At this time, on the path in the fields as the sun was setting, there were only three people left: Shirou, the silver-haired little girl, and the purple-haired girl floating in the air.
"It's such a pity. The Holy Grail was damaged after being swallowed by the Serpent. Otherwise, I would have been able to obtain a physical body capable of moving in the human world like Saber and the others," Illya said.
BB then comforted the girl, saying: "It's okay, it's okay! Even without the Holy Grail, we can just build one ourselves!"
"Eh? Sakura... no, BB-chan, do you have such incredible abilities?"
BB dropped her hands, shook her head, and said helplessly: "I don't. When I had the authority of the Moon Cell, it wasn't impossible. But now, I am just an individual separated from the Moon."
"Is that so..." Illya also followed suit, lowering her head in disappointment.
"However..." BB suddenly jumped up and pointed at Shirou excitedly: "However!!! Even if BB isn't there, doesn't Shirou-senpai exist!"
"Don't go jumping back and forth like that." Shirou retorted. This child really loved to act.
"Ehehe~!" BB gently tapped her own little head and stuck out her tongue.
"No! No! When did Shirou become so powerful! Has he grown into such a remarkable figure in the years I've been gone!" Illya said in surprise. Even for a god, it's not something just anyone can do, especially creating a physical body out of thin air—there are various rigorous requirements involved.
"Well, the remarkable one isn't me, but truly, many, many things have happened." Shirou looked at the petite girl. Her life was far too sad; her mother was destined to die, and her father, Kiritsugu, could not stay by her side. Instead, as an adopted son, he had enjoyed Kiritsugu's care and had even received the large fortune and the Emiya mansion that Kiritsugu left behind.
If Kiritsugu hadn't implanted the sheath into his body to save him at that time, perhaps Kiritsugu would not have aged so rapidly or had his magical power decline. Perhaps he might have thought of a way to enter the Einzbern castle and return to Illya's side.
He actually owed the girl a lot.
So... Shirou opened his mouth, smiling gently and firmly: "But, Illya, as long as I am here, I promise that I will definitely make you happy!"
"...Wha! Wha...!" Illya blushed and didn't dare to look into Shirou's eyes. She turned around, held her face, and said in confusion: "What's going on? As a homunculus, I shouldn't be running a fever, right?"
"Illya? What's wrong?" Shirou asked in confusion.
Illya turned back around, glared angrily at Shirou, and shouted in a coquettish voice: "Eh! Enough! Since that's the case, Shirou, you better take responsibility! I am absolutely going to follow you for a lifetime! As long as my magic power is still there and hasn't disappeared, I will stay by your side!"
"That's it! Activate your ability in this world and then run away directly!" BB waved her hands, offering a strategy.
"However, this world is indeed still missing something. With Musashi and Kojiro, oh, right! It would have been better if I had called Tamamo Cat over at that time! BB-chan is a genius!" The purple-haired girl realized with a clap of her hands and shouted in pleasant surprise.
"No, no, you guys would absolutely end up fighting!" Shirou blocked the purple-haired girl and said.
"Let's stop joking here! At this point, I have to thank myself for having this kind of power." Shirou looked at the palm of his hand and muttered in a low voice.
His eyes flashed with white light, and the dazzling light emerged from every inch of his skin and pores. This light was a miracle, the beginning of all creation, and it appeared out of thin air in Shirou's hand. The massive energy finally converged into a mysterious ring of light, and the fluctuations inside were exactly the same as the Holy Grail.
The ring of light entered the girl's abdomen, and she gained immense power; her spiritual body underwent a comprehensive transformation.
"Then, let us leave here too." Shirou extended his palm toward the girl, making an invitation, preparing to take Illya to Chaldea.
"Mm." Illya smiled lightly and placed her small hand into the man's hand.
"Oh~! BB-chan will lead the way!" The purple-haired girl ran into the open portal of light first.
The moment Shirou entered the white portal of light, he felt as if time had stopped. While his body walked along with Illya, his soul was summoned to another place. He saw a maiden standing on a platform, under a small tree.
"Alaya..." Shirou looked at the maiden and said in a low voice.
It turned out that on the other side of the return portal, Alaya had been waiting there for a long time.
"You used the power of gods to reconstruct a physical body for Illya, but as a price, the White God has also noticed Illya at this moment. Because Illya borrowed the power of gods, she is like an existence that has made a contract with the gods. You have reached a situation where you must win."
On the side of Chaldea, Gudako briefly described the experience to Da Vinci and then said goodbye to return to her room to rest. Just as she walked out of the command center, she saw a mysterious man with silver-gray messy hair and a hat, leaning against the wall and looking over here in a cool manner.
"Count~! You're back too!" Gudako greeted him with a smile.
"What are you saying? I have been in Chaldea the whole time. Also... Gudako, go back to your room, don't go to sleep yet, look at the thing on your desk." The Count lowered his hat and said.
"Eh? Is there something there?" Gudako asked in confusion.
The Count, wearing a hat, smiled mysteriously, flipped his cloak, brought a gust of wind, turned around, and left.
"Eh eh? What's going on?" Gudako tilted her head in confusion.
"Senpai, let's go back to our room first." Mash suggested.
"Okay! Let's do that!" Gudako nodded in agreement. She grabbed Mash's small hand and skipped toward her room.
Watching Gudako and Mash leave, their backs gradually becoming smaller.
Da Vinci, the acting manager of Chaldea, let out a deep sigh.
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