Chương 447: C447
"Rest assured, I only love myself. I won't trouble myself with anything beyond that."
After a pause, he asked, "Speaking of which, you mentioned you've found a way to achieve victory?"
Shirou nodded.
Gil's curiosity was piqued. "Pray tell, what might it be?"
Shirou pointed to his chest and said, "There was an invisible vortex buried deep within my soul."
His most dependable abilities, the Mortal series—[Wisdom of Mortal], [Heroic Mortal], and [Leader of Mortal]—formed the cornerstone of the Eternal King's record.
Back in the Fourth Holy Grail War, when he first acquired the [Wisdom of Mortals], his shisho explained that this wisdom stemmed from his own experiences as a mortal and as someone who had been targeted by nasty and malicious person. This ordeal pushed him onto the heroic stage, igniting within him the wisdom intrinsic to mortals.
Afterward, Spartacus ignited the flame within him, setting off the awakening of [Heroic Mortal]. Gilgamesh explained that this newfound power stemmed from the realm of suppression.
Both of them were right. The person Scathach had warned about was none other than himself. He was the one who had dragged himself onto the stage of heroes.
Gilgamesh had a point, too. [Heroic Mortal] undeniably drew its essence from the realm of suppression, representing the embodiment of human karma.
Yet, lurking within his soul for a decade, Crimson Moon revealed to him the presence of an invisible vortex deep in his heart.
Whether it was [Wisdom of Mortal], [Heroic Mortal], or [Leader of Mortal], each of these skills had been achieved through his own efforts. They were extracted from that unseen vortex through his determination, each time he accomplished a noteworthy feat.
In reality, he had harbored doubts for a while now about the true essence and origin of these innate skills within the Mortal Series. After all, innate skills were something that Heroic Spirits gained only after their deaths — the culmination of their heroic deeds and legends. These skills remained static, impervious to growth or decline.
However, as a living human being, he had somehow acquired these innate skills and was able to continually enhance and strengthen them. No matter how you looked at it, this was not normal.
He never really knew why it was the way it was. He just chalked it up to some weird side effect of Transmigration. But when Crimson Moon revealed this secret to him, he couldn't help but dig deeper.
He was self-aware enough to know his own weaknesses, so he couldn't ignore where these new skills were coming from.
So, after consuming Crimson Moon and replenishing his mana, he took a deep dive into his own soul to check things out. Just like Crimson Moon had mentioned, he really did find a hidden vortex swirling around inside.
The Mortal Series were all skills born from that vortex. He was shocked at the time, as he had never known that such a thing existed deep within his soul.
It was this invisible vortex that led him to decide not to wait for the war to end but to confront Merlin and the Knights of the Round Table right away.
...
"Invisible vortex...?" Gil questioned.
With a serious tone, Shirou replied, "It's a hidden Noble Phantasm I never knew I had deep inside me. It's called [Mortal Awakening]. My fourth Noble Phantasm."
"Mortal Awakening?" Gil was genuinely surprised; he'd never heard of such a thing.
And he had no clue that Shirou even had another Noble Phantasm up his sleeve.
Shirou shrugged slightly. "It's normal that you don't know, even I only discovered it not too long ago,"
He paused for a moment, then looked at Scathach. "During the Fourth Holy Grail War, you mentioned sensing an unusual aura in me. What you probably sensed was this Noble Phantasm deep within my soul. And when you all see flames in my eyes, it's the manifestation of this Noble Phantasm, [Mortal Awakening]. The ironic part is that no one, including me, noticed this."
"Mortal Awakening..." Scathach said softly, raising an eyebrow.
Gil gave a skeptical frown. "And what exactly is this Noble Phantasm good for?"
"It's a tool for growth and awakening. [Mortal Awakening] converts my achievements and great deeds into a sort of record. This allows me to evolve and develop, up to the limit that those records can support. Even the records of the Eternal King came about through this process."
Gil looked both puzzled and skeptical. "So, you're saying you want to awaken even more? Seems like you've run out of so-called 'great deeds' to record, though."
Shirou nodded. "You're right, and I can't just activate [Mortal Awakening] whenever I want. It only happen subconsciously when I accomplish something big or hit some new milestone in my life. It's pretty much tied to my own personal growth. Kind of funny when you think about it—I can't even control this Noble Phantasm of mine. I have no clue how it got there or why it's buried deep inside me." He laughed softly at this irony.
Gil questioned, "If it's out of your control, then how can you say it'll help you win?"
Shirou smiled, "Apart from being the Eternal King, there's another big thing I left unfinished more than fifteen hundred years ago."
Scathach looked surprised. "Wait, my king. I thought you'd completed all your great tasks by then?"
He shook his head. "Not exactly. Sure, I killed Vortigern and Crimson Moon, and became the Eternal King. But if Merlin had deceived me back then, there would have been no way for me to return to the present world. I would've castrated him and kept expanding my kingdom. I would have stretched it to the ends of the world, making the Mediterranean my own backyard. That's my unfinished business—the empire I never got to build!"
"And that's why there's a gap in my record, one that extends beyond my role as the Eternal King. It was the Emperor!"
He took a moment before going on. "Normally, [Mortal Awakening] acts on its own, beyond my control. But because there's this gap, this Noble Phantasm has room to evolve. And with that evolution, this King might actually be able to command it!"
Gil pointed out, "Yet, you lack the resources to fulfill this so-called imperial feat, and your achievements as the Eternal King are already etched into human history—unchangeable."
Shirou chuckled lightly. "What I'm missing can be borrowed or taken from others. Thanks to a certain bastard, I already have the pieces I need to fill that gap in my record. I've also amassed the A+++ mana required to evolve 'Mortal Awakening.' So, I have all the conditions in place."
"Is that why you took care of those disloyal knights as soon as you manifested?"
"Exactly. Why would I waste magical energy if I wasn't sure I would be able to a win?" He replied with a smile.
Gil gave him a knowing smile. "Could there be another reason? You're still influenced by the part of you that's Fujimaru Shirou, after all. The pure, idealized Eternal King that humanity hoped for wouldn't take such actions in this context. You've admitted it yourself—you're not invincible. Losing sight of your vulnerabilities could lead you to lose yourself entirely. Remember why you started this journey, especially now that you've come so far. That's a lesson you taught me. So, don't lose yourself, Shirou."
Shirou's smile faded, and he looked at Gil with a piercing gaze. "You're getting on my nerves, Gil."
"Ah, but this time, I'm the listener," Gil laughed.
With a snort, Shirou turned away.
Curious, Scathach asked Gil, "What did you mean by that?"
Gil glanced at Shirou's retreating form. "You probably know what I'm talking about, the flame in his eyes has changed."
Scathach remarked, "Isn't it natural? The King has been through so much; it's only expected that he would grow."
Gil let out a quiet laugh. "Admiration and awe are often the furthest from true understanding. Enkidu can understand and empathize with me, but Eternal King...? Heh. It's quite laughable. As I thought, only flawed people can understand each other the best. When his flame finally burns out, I'm sure it will be quite the spectacle—a moment worthy of my admiration."
With a smile, Gil walked off to follow Shirou, leaving Scathach standing there, her brows knitted together in thought.
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