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Chapter 251 Choice
Chapter 251 Choice
The blade slashed down from the void.
In that instant, the entire dream shattered with a sound that struck straight to the heart.
Infernal Wolf.
This is the name that the bird found deep within its soul, a name stolen from the raccoon.
The power to devour the spiritual energy of others is only a part of the Zanpakuto's ability, entirely based on Asuka's turbulent past, revealing its wildest side.
By now, he also knows that this name is merely a mutual understanding between him and Hato, a pseudonym born entirely from his own will.
But it's enough.
Perhaps only the white shadow of that day knew its true name, and it was unwilling to tell the birds.
But none of those things matter.
The important thing is that he's furious right now.
The blade sliced through the sky, releasing a raging inferno that devoured all illusions.
The black wasteland vanished as quickly as shattered glass, and the whispers of the Holy Grail turned into distorted echoes that gradually faded into the distance.
In that suffocatingly silent moment, the bird's consciousness seemed to be violently dragged from the deep sea back to the surface by an invisible giant hand.
Suddenly, a blinding golden light shone before my eyes.
The bird instinctively squinted its eyes, tensing every muscle in its body, preparing to face the unknown impact.
But nothing came.
When his vision cleared, he found himself still standing in the square of Ryudong Temple.
Or rather, on the ruins of this square.
The sticky black mud submerged the temple steps, pillars, and even the distant mountain gate, turning them into a swamp that slowly writhed like living things, silent and eerie.
The golden pillar of light still connects to the hole in the sky, but that hole is now larger.
A black and red vortex churned within it, as if it might fall to the ground at any moment.
"
...Tsk.
Asuka raised her hand to press her temple, which was still throbbing slightly, and quickly scanned her surroundings.
Those who were originally enemies or allies—Artoria, Kiritsugu Emiya, Tokiomi Tohsaka, and even the cunning and scheming Ryouken Matou…
At this moment, they all looked like soulless wax figures, stiffly immersed in this black mud.
Their expressions ranged from ferocious to serene to pain, clearly indicating that they were deeply trapped in their most desired and most feared nightmares.
Not far from him, Kamado Sumire was huddled beside Haiyan, kneeling in the black mud.
This girl, who had always persevered through gritted teeth and even dared to confront heroic spirits, now had her eyes closed, a faint and fragile smile on her face.
The black mud had already reached above her knees and was slowly spreading towards her body.
"Damn it..." Asuka cursed under her breath, trying to move her feet.
But the black mud beneath his feet seemed to come alive, tightening suddenly as if countless invisible little hands were gripping his ankles.
A strong feeling of nausea assaulted his soul.
This black mud contains not only magic, but also a form of spiritual pollution.
It roars, it curses, it tries to drag all intelligent beings that come into contact with it into an abyss of madness.
He unleashed his spiritual pressure and slashed down, shaking the mud apart.
But those things quickly reassembled, like a swarm of tireless parasites.
Calm down, Asuka.
A familiar voice rang in his ears without warning.
The bird's pupils contracted slightly.
A ripple, like waves, spread through the surrounding space.
A figure dressed in a black kimono suddenly appeared out of thin air and landed lightly on the black mud in front of the bird.
Familiar black, tousled hair, a languid posture, and those black eyes that always seemed somewhat nonchalant.
"How did you get out?" Asuka asked, somewhat surprised.
This being, which should have existed only in the spiritual world, has now appeared in reality in a very clear physical form.
Instead of lying on his side or sitting casually as usual, he stood with his hands behind his back, staring solemnly at the Holy Grail suspended in the air.
This is the truth about the Greater Grail that I've mentioned before.
Instead of directly answering Asuka's question, the young man raised his hand and pointed to the hole above his head that was constantly overflowing with black mud.
Whether it's the long-cherished wish of the three starter families or the dreams of those Servants, none of it matters in the face of this thing.
The young man took a step, and the black mud under his feet automatically retreated the moment he touched it, as if it were afraid of something.
He walked to the center of the square and looked at the people who had fallen asleep.
The reason these people can't wake up is that the Holy Grail is reading their wishes and using them as a blueprint to weave an inescapable prison.
Once the black mud completely fills this space, the consciousness of these people will be assimilated by the Holy Grail.
At that point, they will no longer be human or heroic spirits, but puppets of this malice, mindless zombies fulfilling those twisted desires.
Asuka looked at Sumire's unguarded face and frowned in displeasure: "How can we break this situation?"
The black-haired youth remained silent for a moment.
He turned around, his gaze sweeping over the crowd before finally settling on the silver-haired woman who was hovering directly beneath the Holy Grail, her figure now blurred and indistinct.
Irisviel.
There is only one solution.
The young man's voice turned cold, devoid of any emotion.
Destroy the container.
"What do you mean?"
[It means to kill her.]
The bird looked at the pained figure.
Before he could make a decision, the young man spoke again: "This is the only solution. Only by destroying this core can we forcibly sever the connection between the mortal world and the Heaven's Grip."
Only in this way can this nightmare end, and only then can this world possibly be saved.
The young man's words were so firm, but Asuka remained silent for a moment.
It wasn't that he was reluctant to take action; he didn't even know this woman, so he didn't feel any psychological burden if he were to actually fight her.
only...
'
...I'd like to ask, what would be the consequences if this ceremony were forcibly interrupted?
Asuka gripped her Zanpakuto tightly, her gaze meeting the young man's dark eyes: "You've seen it too, this strange change in the world."
"Would it really be okay to sever the connection between the Lesser Grail and the Heaven's Grail?"
The young man clasped his hands together and closed his eyes.
This area will be destroyed by the malice within the void.
Most of Fuyuki City will be reduced to ruins, and countless people will lose their lives.
really.
Just as I expected.
"But this is a necessary sacrifice to stop this evil." The young man paused, seemingly applying final pressure on the bird:
[And, Asuka, you have no time to hesitate.]
Even if you don't sever ties... this black sludge will spread like a plague throughout Fuyuki City. Eventually, thousands will die in their sleep, their bodies melting into the mud.
The black-haired youth took a step closer, his familiar face filled with a sense of urgency.
This is a simple arithmetic problem: Bird.
[Should we sacrifice the few people present, a portion of the population in this area, the people of Fuyuki City... or the entire world?]
Isn't this a choice that had to be made?
As he listened to his analysis, Asuka's hand holding the knife began to tremble slightly.
He had never encountered such a dilemma before, one that required sacrificing innocent lives to save even more...
This kind of logic, this kind of cold calculation...
It's absolutely terrible.
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