章 358: C358
"Why can't I leave?" Artoria glanced at her palm, feeling the prickling sensation of cold sweat forming on her beautiful face.
This doesn't make sense! Usually, when she refused the resurrection of her physical body, she would naturally be drawn back to her trapped form within the time rift. But now, she was stuck, unable to return.
It was like someone had purposefully intertwined themselves with that realm of temporal stagnation, erecting a barrier that blocked her path back.
Artoria's mind wandered to her sister, a skilled magus.
From the moment she was on the verge of revival, she knew that her sister had orchestrated this entire incident.
Without a doubt, her sister had won. Her sister had successfully deceived her, luring her away from the timeless realm and blocking her route of return.
A sigh escaped Artoria's lips, and a troubled expression clouded her face. It wasn't resurrection or another chance to walk the mortal realm that she yearned for, but rather the Holy Grail.
And, most importantly...
"Artie?" Shirou asked again.
She covered her face and turned around, running away quickly.
At first, this whole situation presented a rare opportunity to reunite with the King—the young and gentle King she had first encountered at Ector's estate.
She just wanted to embrace him secretly and then disappear.
It shouldn't have mattered; it was merely a fleeting whim of hers.
Yet, who could have foreseen that her sister would cunningly take advantage of her lack of self-control, leaving her with no way back.
She was well aware that the King couldn't see her presence since what stood before him was only her intangible spirit, imperceptible to the naked eye.
However, the King sensed her. This forced her to flee because she couldn't bear to face him.
Shirou scratched his head, wearing a somewhat troubled expression.
In his eyes, it seemed like there was just a floating nameplate, constantly appearing and disappearing, as if Artoria's spirit was playing hide-and-seek behind the walls.
Every now and then, the nameplate would peek out, but whenever Shirou turned his gaze, it would quickly retreat behind the wall again.
This situation prevented him from having any communication with her. He couldn't see her physical form or hear her voice; all he could see was the label "Artoria's spirit."
And when the duration of the Install came to an end, even the label "Artoria's spirit" would vanish from his sight, leaving him with no way to see her whatsoever.
Shirou walked over to Waver and smiled, saying, "The matter isn't over yet, right, Great Detective?"
Waver looked at him, feeling a mix of familiarity and unfamiliarity, "Yes, there's one final thing."
"Then I'll leave the rest to you, Great Detective!"
Waver nodded and couldn't help but ask, "Are you... are you truly Fujimaru Shirou?"
"Didn't I mention this before? I'm the Eternal King, but more importantly, I'm Fujimaru Shirou. Just think of me as the version of me who teamed up with you in the Fourth Holy Grail War, the one who hasn't awakened yet."
Waver didn't understand what had happened to him, but he nodded to show that he got the general idea.
Shirou clapped his hands, grabbing everyone's attention, and flashed a smile as he spoke up, "Alright, everyone! Let's have our brilliant detective, Mr. Waver, reveal the final puzzle to the mystery of Adra Castle!"
All eyes were locked on Young Shirou, who now donned a crown and the armor of the Eternal King. It was so dazzling that it was impossible to look away.
Peeking from behind the door, Artoria clung to the wall while stealing glances at Shirou, who shone like a star.
He glanced at her and said with a smile, "Artie, why don't you join us too?"
"Um...!" she quickly hid behind the wall again.
Clearly, she still couldn't bring herself to face the King.
Taking a deep breath, Waver gathered himself, addressing everyone with a solemn tone. "And finally, the crucial piece of information is that the child of Geryon Ashborn currently inhabits the body of Jiroubou Seigen Tokitou!"
Waver led the group towards the garden. At this moment, Gray approached Artoria, who had been discreetly observing Shirou from behind the wall.
After a brief moment of hesitation, Gray spoke up, "Um... If you're okay with it, you can use my body to communicate with the Eternal King."
Artoria was taken aback by the suggestion, but soon a smile graced her lips as she nodded in gratitude. "Thank you."
Gray lowered her head. "Please... please don't mention it," she said softly.
This King hadn't taken away her body; instead, she bestowed a blessing and allowed Gray to forge her own path in life. Now that the King was facing difficulties, she couldn't just stand by and do nothing.
Moreover, Gray noticed something else.
The ritual had further transformed her body, infusing her with the Dragonheart and the Dragon Factor of the King of Knights. With every breath she took, an endless surge of magical energy coursed through her, and her body overflowed with an unprecedented vitality.
At the same time, there was an unmistakable connection between her and the King. It was like they shared a deep familiarity, and it was her magical energy that kept the King of Knight's spiritual presence alive in the physical world.
Artoria couldn't help but sense it too.
It felt as if she was back in the midst of the Holy Grail War, except this time Gray had assumed the role of her Master, in a sense. The only difference was the absence of the binding Command Spells with their strong constraining force.
Without a doubt, her sister had a hand in this.
If one were to put it into words, it was as if something had been specifically tailored for her, drawing inspiration from the Holy Grail system. However, Artoria was in the dark regarding the specifics.
The one thing she was certain of was that her sister had managed to deceive the Counter Force. By simulating the Fourth Holy Grail War, she had extracted her spirit from the timeless realm, only to sever her way back. And to top it off, she had made Gray her pseudo-Master.
Artoria couldn't help but release a sigh.
Her initial goal had been to obtain the Holy Grail, but given the present situation, could she still take part in the Holy Grail War?
A throbbing headache began to take hold, yet Artoria had no choice but to resign herself to the current circumstances.
However, the King was here...
The thought of facing the King made her feel the urge to squirm!
She concealed herself within Gray's body, while Gray discreetly followed the crowd.
Led by Waver, the group made their way to the underground workshop.
As Waver disclosed the puzzle, a horde of dark beasts and evil spirits materialized, launching a relentless assault. Yet, to no surprise, they effortlessly fended them off.
It was to be expected. Even disregarding Shirou and the others, the sheer fact that Lorelei's magus could effortlessly vanquish these evil spirits spoke volumes.
With the group victorious against these evil spirits, they now set their sights on obliterating the cocoon of Jiroubou Seigen Tokitou. However, Orlocke Caesarmund interjected, raising his voice to stop their intentions.
Waver looked at Orlocke and said, "It seems this matter is indeed related to you, Orlocke Caesarmund."
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