Chapter 225 - 223: The Destroyer of Worlds

The "Ally of Justice" is, without a doubt, the eternal theme of the Type-Moon world.

What the Type-Moon world lacks least are those individuals who wish to save humanity.

Although in a world where the Counter Force known as [Alaya] exists, the survival of the human race is not a problem at all, [Alaya] only guarantees the survival of humanity as a collective species.

It does not extend to protecting every specific individual within humanity.

Wars, plagues, massacres, human experimentation... these events—which have occurred in human societies across other worlds and have caused massive deaths—still happen in the Type-Moon world.

They are viewed as the necessary price paid for the development of human history, and no interference will ever be made regarding them.

However, for humans who lack the perspective of [Alaya], it is precisely these individuals—tangible and visible—who are the ones they truly wish to save.

If someone were to turn a blind eye to such imminent death, how could anyone believe they truly wished to save humanity?

This confrontation between the individual and the collective...

An individual perceives a portion of humanity being sacrificed as a "cost" under the grand strategy of species continuity, and thus develops the desire to save them. Meanwhile, the collective (the Counter Force) feels that these individuals are being unreasonable, believing that from a broader perspective, only sacrifice allows the human species to achieve true growth—much like how the massive deaths caused by the Black Death paved the way for the Renaissance after trampling the theocracy that had ruled Europe for centuries.

If this is a necessary step for the development of civilization, why should humanity stop it?

The Counter Force is the collective that feels unable to comprehend this, and thus moves to stop the individuals who attempt to intervene.

Their clash has consequently derived one story after another—stories belonging to the Type-Moon world, stories Shirou Emiya saw in his previous life's memories.

And in one particular parallel world, this confrontation is even more...

"<Fate/Apocrypha>..."

When the sunlight once again reflected into Shirou Emiya's pupils, and the surrounding environment shifted from the cave covered in rock and dirt within the Great Holy Grail's central cavity to a bustling urban landscape, he realized immediately that he had been sent by the Counter Force to some unknown parallel world.

Furthermore, this parallel world was certainly not the end of the 5th century that Saber had wished to reach.

Since this was some point in modern time, Shirou Emiya naturally had to use the simplest method to confirm exactly which timeline this parallel world belonged to.

Thus...

[Pseudo-Hermit Purple]!!

As Shirou Emiya's right hand, wreathed in purple thorns, slammed into a camera that he had also projected, a photograph of a white-haired youth wearing the vestments of a Holy Church priest was psychically generated.

Along with this photo, others were generated: a photo of the white-haired youth picking up trash in the Middle East, and a group photo of him with Kirei Kotomine and an old man who resembled Kirei but was much older.

"Shirou, what is this?" Saber looked at Shirou Emiya, bewildered.

This was because Saber, unable to see Stands, had no idea what Shirou was doing.

It was also because Saber could not comprehend it: clearly, the wish she made to the Great Holy Grail was to return to the past to save Britain. How could the Great Holy Grail let her return here, to a place that was clearly not Britain?

'Obviously, it's because the Counter Force doesn't want you, Saber, to actually go back to the past and change the history of Britain.

And incidentally, they want to drive me, the "Destroyer of Worlds" (who personally destroyed the inner world of [Pandora's Box]), into another parallel world.'

...Although this was likely the truth, given Saber's current state—having finally seen hope only to step into despair—Shirou Emiya naturally would not state this so bluntly.

Instead, after realizing which parallel world this was and recalling the wish Saber had made, he said euphemistically: "Saber, do you remember what wish you made originally?"

"Of course I remember. My wish to the Holy Grail was to return to the past, to the day of the selection of the King! But..." Saber grabbed onto this lifeline Shirou Emiya offered.

She looked at Shirou Emiya pleadingly, saying, "...This is not the Britain I know at all. Even if it is a parallel world, I cannot feel any trace of Britain on this land!"

She had not traveled to the Britain she was familiar with.

Saber had been fully prepared for the possibility of traveling to a parallel world's Britain after choosing to follow Shirou Emiya's advice.

But no matter how much of a parallel world it was, it should still look like Britain.

This was clearly a modern country from the knowledge the Holy Grail had given her, not her Britain!

"Yes, Saber, your wish was to return to the day of the selection of the King. But if, and I mean if..."

Shirou Emiya used [Pseudo-Hermit Purple] to slap the camera in his hand once more. After generating a new photo, he turned to Saber and said:

"...What if someone else also used the Holy Grail to make that same wish?

Just like you, Saber, they wanted to return to the day of the selection of the King to take your place and pull out the [Sword in the Stone]."

Having said this, Shirou Emiya flipped the photo in his hand.

He allowed Saber to see the figure in the photo—a figure that, to Saber, could never be unfamiliar.

"Mo, Mordred...!?

"Saber, you should know that the Mystic Eye I have is the [Future Sight] that can see through the future."

'The person in this photo really is Mordred; then this place is indeed...'

After silently lamenting this, Shirou Emiya replied with the excuse he didn't know how many times he had used: "And in the scenes I see with my [Future Sight], this person who looks so much like you, Saber, she has also participated in this parallel world's Holy Grail War.

And her wish is also to return to the day of the selection of the King.

Tell me, when someone else's wish overlaps with yours like this, what kind of choice would the Holy Grail make?"

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