With each defeated Heroic Spirit, Gray's mind grew increasingly distorted, and her thoughts became more twisted.
Finally, she grasped the true essence of this Butterfly Magecraft.
It was a complete substitution of personality and spirit.
Yet, when compared to Orlocke Caesarmund's Butterfly Magecraft, her sister's version was even more remarkable.
The Butterfly Magecraft implanted within Gray wasn't just a transfer of personality and spirit; it was a thorough replacement!
It simulated the Holy Grail, recreated the events of the Fourth Holy Grail War, completed the records of the King of Knights, Artoria Pendragon, and served as a bridge to a place separated by time and space, driven by an obsession that spanned over 1,500 years.
Through spiritual replacement, Gray's own spirit was replaced with that of the King of Knights, Artoria Pendragon.
While she would take Artoria's place and continue to exist in that separate realm, Artoria would be able to manifest once again in this world using Gray's physical vessel.
In this way, through the guise of spiritual and soul substitution, it managed to deceive the Counter Force and cement its existence in the records.
Her sister's brilliance was truly astonishing, capable of conceiving such a powerful magecraft.
Perhaps it was the result of her sister's relentless obsession over the course of 1,500 years.
But...
"I don't want to disappear..." Gray whispered, wrapping her arms around her knees, her face buried in them, tears cascading down her cheeks.
Genuine thoughts of desperately not wanting to fade away consumed Gray's mind.
For the first time since her existence began, she wanted to be selfish.
But it was too late.
The Heroic Spirits responsible for completing the records had already met their end, and the guardian of the ritual had departed the scene.
She... had no escape route left.
The ritual had already been set in motion.
Her spirit was being torn away from her physical form, while countless shadowy hands reached out from the other side of that realm, dragging her towards a place where time ceased to exist.
Fear ceased to hold any significance.
Panic lost its meaning as well.
All that remained was a forced march towards the inevitable end.
This path had been determined by their ancestors, who created the ritual plans over 1,500 years ago.
But...
"I don't want to disappear..."
Who would willingly choose to disappear?
No one.
Gray didn't want to disappear either, nor did she want to wander aimlessly on the other side, swallowed by solitude.
Yet, her pleas fell on deaf ears.
No one would respond to her.
The endless dark hands grabbed hold of her spirit, forcefully pulling her toward that realm where time ceased to exist.
However...
Someone responded to her.
A gentle palm slowly extended from amidst those endless dark hands, pushing her spirit downward.
A soft voice whispered in her ear, "Then refuse it."
Grey's eyes fluttered open, and her spirit came face to face with another spirit.
And it was none other than Artoria Pendragon, the King of Knights.
"I had no intention of returning to the mortal world. All I want is the Holy Grail. Refuse it and live your own life. If no one is here to bestow their blessings upon you, then allow me to be the one to do so," Artoria expressed.
She disrupted the ritual and gently guided Gray's spirit back into her body.
...
A sigh escaped the woman's lips.
"My foolish little sister... the king has already arrived. What do you hope to achieve by lingering in that place?"
...
Shirou burst into the room along with the others, only to find that the substitution ritual had already come to an end.
He turned his gaze towards the now awakened Gray and asked, "Are you okay?"
Tears welled up in Gray's eyes, yet she vigorously shook her head.
Someone had blessed her.
The King, the legendary King of Knights who was supposed to be resurrected using her body, had chosen not to come back through her. Instead, the King blessed her to forge her own path in life.
Shirou felt at a loss for words, unsure of how to console her, He could only sigh inwardly.
His Noble Phantasm had unveiled the sequence of events.
In the end, all he could do was sigh as the situation unfolded unexpectedly, yet in a strangely predictable manner.
Artoria had refused.
Everyone huddled around, forming a circle with Gray at its center.
In that moment, Shirou abruptly turned his head, a hint of doubt crossing his face.
"Artie—?"
"Shirou, what are you talking about? Artoria isn't here," Arcueid chimed in.
Shirou didn't respond; he simply gazed ahead, his focus fixed on something.
There—
There was nothing.
To both Arcueid and himself, it appeared empty, devoid of any presence.
Nothingness.
However, influenced by his Noble Phantasm, a label materialized before his eyes.
[Spirit of Artoria Pendragon]
There was no foul language, no profanity or strange nameplate were present.
When the Eternal King appeared in his youthful form, his Noble Phantasm resembled the interface of an online game rather than the foul-mouthed and crude version from the dream world.
Even though he couldn't see Artoria, the presence of the nameplate left no room for doubt—she was there.
Gray looked up with eyes brimming with tears.
Maybe it was because of the nature of the substitution ritual.
Her spirit was undeniably linked to the spirit of the King of Knights.
Only Gray could see it. Before Shirou, Artoria tenderly reached out to cup his face, but her hand passed through as if he were a specter.
It was only natural. The figure before him wasn't the true living Artoria, but rather her spirit and consciousness.
Spirits were invisible to ordinary people; only spirits could see one another.
Artoria's ethereal hand caressed his face, yet there was no hint of regret or disappointment on her expression. She simply embraced him gently. Although her body and hand phased through him, her smile and happiness made it feel as if she had truly embraced him.
She whispered gently, "My king..."
Nobody heard it, not even Shirou.
But Gray was the one who saw and heard it.
Artoria, noticing this, turned around and locked eyes with Gray.
She raised a finger to her lips, motioning for silence. Then, with a gentle smile, she started to fade away, gradually becoming transparent.
However, to her surprise, she couldn't completely vanish.
Artoria was taken aback and questioned herself, "Why... can't I go back?"
...
In the forest outside of Adra Castle, a woman gazed at the castle that had reappeared from the fairyland.
Pulling back the hood that concealed her features, she slowly turned her back and started to walk away.
"What a troublesome... little sister."
Beneath the hood, her countenance displayed a stunning resemblance to both Gray and Artoria. With crimson eyes resembling a scarlet moon, she wore a relieved smile on her face, and two sharp canine teeth peeked through her lips...
"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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