Chapter 130: Chapter 54. I Will Take Away Your "Hope"
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I Will Eventually Embark on the Path of No Return Called a Hero [Arc2] - 54. I Will Take Away Your "Hope"
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The Holy Grail War must not involve ordinary people; this is an ironclad rule that must never be violated.
Seeing the people emerging from the mist with vacant eyes, Cyd fell silent.
They are ordinary people, without any magical power or signs of martial training. Yet each of them holds a small surgical knife, their hollow eyes staring fixedly at them.
Are they here with ill intentions?
"Jack, I told you that as long as you don't involve ordinary people, I wouldn't do anything to you," Cyd said, slamming [Reforged Pandora] onto the ground. "Aren't you going to explain your actions?"
"I'm sorry, Ruler big brother," Jack's figure flashed through the dense fog, her somewhat immature voice echoing around them. "We want to win and achieve our wishes, but it's not possible anymore. We don't have enough artificial people here, and Mom has no magical power, so she can only help the priest and that bad woman."
"I see. So that's how you managed to bring so many people in under our noses," Cyd said, twisting his neck and raising [Reforged Pandora]. With a flash of black light, the black box transformed into a scythe, which Cyd rested on his shoulder. "It seems you are determined to continue your way. Then I must keep my promise and make you withdraw."
Since Shirou Kotomine can silently bring Jack to the Hanging Garden, he can naturally use the same method to bring many ordinary people up. The purpose is simple: to delay time, relying on the fact that the Ruler would not attack ordinary people.
"What should we do? They are merely possessed; we can't hurt them," Jeanne said anxiously.
It was very effective on this village girl.
"Ruler, you're a hero, right?" Jack appeared behind someone who looked like a nurse. "Mom has read about your legend. You streaked across the world like a meteor. Though you didn't save everyone, you gave people hope and the chance to wait because you would eventually come to save them. That's why they continue to live with all their might."
"Are you that great of a person?" Atalanta tilted her head.
"No," Cyd twitched his mouth.
"But we didn't live to see that moment," Jack's innocent smile faded as she slowly stabbed the knife into the nurse's abdomen, blood beginning to spread on the white nurse's uniform.
"Because we never even got the chance!"
"Wait!" Jeanne's eyes widened as she gripped her battle flag, wanting to rush in to stop it but was held back by Cyd.
"Don't be hasty. That person isn't dead yet. If you rush in, Jack might go for the kill," Cyd said, shaking his head.
"We were abandoned before we were even born, becoming roadside trash with no chance to hope or wait. We became food for stray dogs," Jack continued to slice upward with the surgical knife, more blood flowing out, yet the nurse seemed strangely unaffected, as if her belly had not been cut open.
Jeanne turned away with a pained expression.
"No one saved us, no one loved us. We are the unneeded existence. So we want the Holy Grail. We want a chance, a chance to be loved."
Vengeful Spirits.
This is the true form of Jack the Ripper, a collective of vengeful spirits from thousands of abandoned fetuses.
Atalanta closed her eyes. She was also abandoned by her parents but was a bit luckier than Jack. At least she was born; though abandoned, she did not harbor much resentment. The life she experienced might be the splendid life that the princess Atalanta could never have, and she felt, not from lust, power, or money, but pure love.
Perhaps the praise wasn't wrong; she got a chance, a chance to wait, and Cyd did come to her, giving her the pure love she sought.
"Ruler, you never came to our side. You didn't save us. It's your fault as the hope of everyone. So…" Jack pulled out the surgical knife and revealed an innocent smile. "You won't take away our hope, right? This is something we fought for ourselves."
"That is not hope," Cyd lowered the scythe to the ground and slowly walked towards Jack, dragging it with his left hand. "You have not been without love."
"Is that so…" Jack's face fell, like a child whose request was denied.
"Then I will have to cut you into pieces."
Jack pushed the nurse toward Cyd and jumped back, hiding in the fog.
"Heal her. Leave Jack to me," Cyd grabbed the nurse by the collar and threw her towards Jeanne.
"Okay!" Jeanne hurriedly caught the nurse, who had lost consciousness due to excessive blood loss.
"Do you need my help?" Atalanta summoned the Bow of Heaven.
"No, not needed. After what that child said," Cyd scratched the back of his head. "I'm not as great as the praise suggests. Even if they had waited for me, I couldn't have saved everyone. I am just a mortal. I never thought it was my fault for not arriving sooner, but…"
Cyd turned to Atalanta with a helpless smile.
"Now that I am here, I still want to try to save them."
"You really are a foolish man," Atalanta sighed lightly, retracting the Bow of Heaven and crossing her arms. "She won't thank you."
"I'm not doing this for thanks. Shouldn't you know that best?" Cyd waved his hand and walked towards the crowd with the surgical knives.
"Ah, I should know best, your hopeless nature," Atalanta lowered her gaze. "But I am also the one…"
Without any warning, the crowd erupted in chaos, the gleaming surgical knives thrusting at Cyd's vital points.
"Clang----"
The surgical knives shattered upon touching Cyd, countless scales emerging from the cape on Cyd's right shoulder, forming two enormous dragon claws.
"I might be a bit rough. Please bear with it for a bit."
Cyd snapped his fingers, and the dragon claws swept around, sending the people attacking him with broken knives crashing into the walls. To prevent them from moving more, additional scales emerged from the claws, completely covering them, leaving only openings for breathing.
"This way, you won't be able to use them as hostages."
As the dragon claws slowly retracted, Cyd stepped forward, cracks spreading like a spider's web, and the terrifying wind blew away the surrounding fog. Jack, who had been hiding in the mist, revealed herself.
"It's time to end this."
Cyd appeared in front of Jack like a streak of light, raising the scythe filled with intense death energy high.
"Why!"
Jack screamed. She was no match for Cyd, and without the fog and hostages, she was merely a third-rate servant against a Ruler specialized in attacking women.
"We just wanted to be loved! You can't do it! You can't save us! Do you want to take away our hope?!"
I see…
If you think you haven't been loved and want to use the Holy Grail to obtain love, if you truly believe the Holy Grail is your hope…
"I'm sorry, but I have to take this [hope] away!"
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