บท 219: Chapter 214: The Last Rising Sun Part 4
All this road I've traveled. All my experiences. Who I really am...
When I think of the people I had to face in this journey. The misfortunes I went through. All the people, friends and family I met. All of that feels like a bucket of cold water on top of me.
All those memories, good and bad; memories that have made me who I am.
"I am not to blame for the vast majority of my misfortunes."
I looked up at the sky dropping onto my back.
"But I am to blame for the choices I've made."
I may cry, I may scream as much as my lungs will allow me to, but I, at the end of it all....
'I will never regret who I am.'
That's why...
"Aoi-sama, you have to live. You have to see your daughters grow up. You have to see me win this war. Let me take you on a tour of Konoha. I'd like you to see the place where I was born. Maybe then I can feel closer to you even if all my hands can cause is suffering."
I am not a good person. I am aware of that. In the eyes of others I am nothing but a ruthless villain. And I know it. I know it perfectly well. I know I'm being too hypocritical, but for all the pain I cause, let me cause a little happiness.
"I'm not a hero. I don't want to be a villain. So..."
I will simply be a person who will bear all the pain of his sins. For which I will never repent, for if I did repent, it would be disrespectful to all those who hate me.
So, I got up from the ground and looked at the trees in the forest. The sudden light of dawn blinded me.....
***
"How long was I here?"
Ignoring the fact that his eyes are a little red after crying like a little kid, the sun was already peeking over the horizon.
He felt dizzy from so many things suddenly exploding in his mind, but he still found the strength to get up and walk back to the hospital.
His mind is still in disarray. So, on this short walk, Toru wanted to put all his thoughts in order. He had to reflect a bit on everything and let his mind slowly calm down.
For this, among the trees of the forest, his body vanished, disappearing from anyone's sight.
-At the Hospital-
The beep of the machine monitoring the patients' vital signs echoed off the four white walls.
Aoi, who was lying on the stretcher, had empty eyes and her breathing was very slow. Beside her, Toru held her hand. His eyes were still hurt from last night. He was looking down at the floor with his bangs covering his eyes.
"I wasn't by her side to protect her..."
At least, though severely traumatized, she is still alive. Even if her mind is lost, she is still in there somewhere. Even if he can't move her body on her own, she is still in front of him. The woman who took care of this poor devil.
He looked up and saw Aoi's eyes.
"Looking at you like this reminds me of when I was still living in Konohagakure. The memory of an old friend who was also hospitalized like this after trying to kill his older brother..."
Toru smiled wistfully. Though from anyone's point of view that wouldn't be a memory that someone should cherish with nostalgia.
Aoi wasn't listening to him, but he continued to speak to her.
"Thinking of that memory, of how Sasuke was cured of that... I... know someone who can heal your wounds."
But that person was from a different World. There was no way she would come to this World just to heal Aoi. But that had a solution. At least that's what this boy thought.
"It will be difficult, but to succeed in bringing that person here I have to win this war. When I win, I'll find a way to travel between worlds. I will bring that person here and ask her on my knees to help you. She surely hates me, but she is not a bad person. She will understand and help you."
Toru shyly let go of Aoi's hand.
This woman's hand was warm. It reminded him of his mother's hands.
"You're a good mother, Aoi-sama. Rin and Sakura sure are proud of you. So, please wait for me. I will make you happy again together with your daughters. I will do it even if it costs me my life."
But unlike his last moments in the Shinobi World, this time he is not throwing his life away. Toru is simply risking death in order to save what matters most to him. The beautiful memory of that mother and her daughters. The memory of that team of shinobi children led by that man with the stoic expression.
His own happiness and the happiness of these people.
"Goodbye, Aoi-sama. This time I won't promise anything. Making promises with me is like summoning the devil. Everything that can go wrong, will go wrong. Therefore, I will pray that everything will turn out well."
And with that, leaving aside that he entered the hospital in his dematerialized mode since the police have followed him here, he turned around and tried to leave as his body faded away. However...
"¡¿...?!"
He opened his eyes and felt a strong dizziness. He staggered and fell to his knees. At that, he saw his hands and they were fading into white particles.
"I see..."
He understood.
"I wasted a lot of mana yesterday. It was obvious this would happen. I'm running out of time. I can't stand alone anymore. I need a Master immediately."
Everything must end this very night.
-Enzō Mountain Temple-
Emiya Kiritsugu was sitting at the entrance of the temple where the well-kept wooden planks glistened in the sunlight. Thinking deeply about this whole situation, he took a puff on his cigarette and sighed out a small cloud of smoke after a few seconds.
He already had everything planned. Right now he just had to wait for the right moment. The time had come to end this war. And, together with the end of the war, his wish, the salvation of mankind, would come true. Moreover, all the sacrifices he had made so far would be worth it when the end of this path showed itself.
"Kiritsugu"
She appeared walking in front of him.
Artoria, who was still in despair as the night before, someone who was impersonating Rider, kidnapped Irisviel. Remembering this, she looked at the man with vacant eyes.
The methods this man used were somewhat worse than what Assassin did. She clenched her fist thinking about that, but saved her anger for later.
"Hm... you should watch your back, Saber. He's still out there."
"He?"
Artoria was confused.
"Never mind. I've already thought of something. For now continue as I have planned. We'll start this very night."
Artoria, at Kiritsugu's words, wanted to ask: What will happen to Irisviel? But she knew that the man would not answer her. Instead, he would simply ignore her.
He had already assumed Maiya's death at the hands of the imposter and Irisviel's possible death. Besides, he had said so before. His words after having Maiya kill Sola-Ui and Kayneth were clear. He didn't need to talk to Artoria about it anymore, as she won't understand no matter how much they explain it to her.
"... Alright..."
With those short words, Artoria turned around and walked away from the place.
***
'Will it all end today?'
She thought after seeing the two-wheeler in front of her. She was left thinking hard about what those words involved. And thinking about the end of things, she thought about her own final moment.
"I waited in that tree for the sword to be returned to the Lady of the Lake..."
She closed her eyes and felt herself back in the past. She saw the knight who led her to the place of her death. The knight who followed her to the end even if the Knights of the Round Table lost their way....
He was there for their king; the king who condemned them all....
"Bedivere..."
She wondered...
'With all that happened... Why did you still follow me?'
It was then that the words of the deserting knight came back to her mind: 'King Arthur doesn't understand people's hearts'. And all that accompanied by the kind smile of the lone Assassin.
Even if she was surrounded by people, she went along the path of her ideals in complete solitude.
'Is the salvation of my nation what I really wish for? To fix something I caused myself?'
It was not yet time to find an answer. She felt that everything would be resolved at the end of this war. For now she had to prepare for tonight.
-Commercial district-
"Thank you for your purchase."
The woman behind the counter made a reference to Toru, who had just shopped at this very bakery.
"If I want to finish this today..."
Toru didn't want to be pessimistic, but at least he'll have a snack before everything goes to hell. As a desperate measure, he planned to kill one of the remaining Masters of this war.
He still has enough mana left to stay in this world until just before midnight, but it won't be enough to fight.
Anyway...
"I have to think it over. If nothing happens before midnight, I'll start killing people to avoid disappearing."
Now it only remains to wait for everyone to come out of their hiding places and fight with all their might to the death.
-Abandoned subway-
This was one of the now deceased Caster's bases that Kiritsugu was never able to find and where this person was able to find all the information he wanted.
"Now I know who Emiya Kiritsugu is."
Kirei adjusted his shirt sleeves and smiled. Near his feet lay the lifeless body of Irisviel von Einzbern.
"I just need to destroy your dreams and the Grail in front of your eyes..."
The taste of wine will be better when Emiya's misfortune shows itself at his feet. That is the meaning of his life. That is what he has been searching for all this time. Thus, with the command seals he obtained from his deceased father who was killed by Kayneth, the smile of his victory showed on his face.
"You're having fun, aren't you?"
Golden light materialized beside Kirei. Gilgamesh, the man's Servant, was pleased with the result his slight manipulations showed.
"Not yet. Not until I find Emiya Kiritsugu."
"And how are you going to find him?"
"I'm not going to find him. He will come to me. His nature won't allow him to leave me alone."
"Sounds interesting, yes. I suppose you feel the same way about the jester?"
"Jester...? You mean Assassin? Ha... He's not important anymore. He's been without a Master for over three days now. His body shouldn't be able to handle this alone anymore."
"I don't think it's that much so. Independent Action on a Servant can do wonders. And that, on someone who can get mana by killing, is even more interesting, don't you think? Imagine how he'll try to attack you to gain my Grail. That's where the jester's show ends up being pierced by the blades of my Gate of Babylon."
Gilgamesh walked in front of Kirei with a slight relaxed smile.
"Just imagine the tears the Jester is going to shed as his body vanishes into thin air."
"Hm... that will be something I'll see about later. For now, let's continue as agreed."
"As you command. Oh, my Master."
Said the golden man wryly.
-Somewhere else-
He crawled through the darkness of the alleys like the worms dwelling inside his body. The wounds Assassin caused him finally healed even if it was quite difficult to stay conscious in that situation.
The man fell exhausted on some garbage bags after walking so much. There, once he realized everything that had happened, he began to cry in regret for his decision.
Now he had nothing left to lose. All this had turned into hell.
"Berserker..."
That dark knight appeared at his side, staring at him silently. Unlike his wild attitudes, this time he was calm, as if he somehow understood what his Master had done.
"We will end all this... I will end this war even if I destroy the Grail with my own hands..."
Berserker's eyes flashed red through his armor. With that, the wild beast vanished enveloped in the black particles and the man, Kariya, sighed as he recalled the scene.
When, despite being hit with brain-jarring power, he tried to get up to look at his assailant.
"Assassin..."
And in that moment, he saw in Assassin the look of an angry beast crying silently. He saw a monster in the darkness protecting Aoi. He protected her just like that day in that park.....
'If someone must win... maybe...'
-Fuyuki Center-
The sun began to set on the horizon, ushering in the dark night where this war will intensify.
In front of his Mystic Eyes, the opportunity to win this war showed itself; the path filled with the blood of enemy Masters and Servants.
Anything to fulfill his wish.
"Hm..."
He looked at his hand, which seemed to fade with faint glowing particles.
'I'm not going to allow this...'
He clenched his fist tightly and stopped the process. He wasn't going to disappear. He never would, for right now in his eyes was the determination to crush every enemy that stood in his way. And there is one enemy in particular that he wants to kill with his own hands.
"Matō Kariya..."
The last forbidden banquet of this war has begun.
To be continued...
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