Pandora, a pitiful woman who has lived from the age of the gods to the modern era, believed she had an important duty and has suffered for six thousand years because she couldn't fulfill it.
And... she had no friends.
This was one aspect of the original story that Shinji found most baffling. How could someone who lived for thousands of years and desperately wanted friends have none? This portrayal was beyond ridiculous.
In fact, this very point became crucial in Illya's redemption in the original story!
One could only admire the original author's bold imagination. Not only did they radically alter Pandora's myth, but they also added such a setup, seemingly forcing a happy ending.
What started as a light-hearted magical girl story turned into a serious and dark narrative by the end. Even aiming for a happy ending couldn't bring back Kuro.
In short, Kuro's death was truly tragic!
In all the versions of Pandora's myth that Shinji knew, none portrayed Pandora as a gift to humanity from the gods. She was always a doll sent to punish humanity, disguised as a gift.
But in this world, everyone believed that Pandora's Box was an omnipotent wish-granting device, a gift from the gods!
Adaptation is not random creation, and historical retelling is not fabrication!
Brother Hiroyama, while many myths in the Fate series are subtly altered from their real-world counterparts, this time you've changed nearly everything!
The only thing that's the same is the character names... No, even the characters aren't the same!
Where did you put Pandora's husband? Don't tell me you want me to play the role of... cough cough!
Shinji quickly shook off this immature idea, dismissing it due to the age gap spanning thousands of years. It was simply unacceptable!
Becoming an elementary school student is truly unthinkable! He had some standards, even if it was legally permissible, it still felt wrong.
Out of a good-hearted desire to help, Shinji thought, since living was so painful for her and life itself brought only suffering, then he might as well help her find peace in death.
If dying was the happiest thing for her, then making her happy was a noble act, free from base desires.
"I... still can't trust you."
Julian, after a long silence, finally spoke, staring straight at Shinji.
Shinji was unfazed by this, indifferent to Julian's lack of trust.
"I already said, believe what you want. I'm just offering another choice. Besides, the box can't be opened. And even if it could, how would you close it? Aren't you supposed to save the world? The black mud composed of those 'unrealistic wishes' would destroy the world and all of humanity."
Julian raised his hand, "Ah, I know, one Holy Grail (Miyu) is not enough, and the other (Illya) can't be activated without the corresponding base."
Saying this, he used displacement magic to transfer the bound "Rin" to his side.
"So, until I confirm the facts, you stay put, or I'll kill her. The threat that the Heroic Spirit (Red Archer) mentioned before must have been referring to you, right?"
Faced with this non-threatening threat, Shinji's expression changed, and he angrily retorted, "You despicable scoundrels! Let her go!"
Seeing Shinji's enraged expression, ready to charge at him, Julian felt more confident, then calmly stated:
"As long as you don't move, this woman won't be harmed. But if you do, I can't guarantee I won't make a mistake."
Hearing this, Shinji made a show of clenching his fists, his face a mix of distress and anger, finally glaring hatefully at Julian.
"If you dare harm a single hair on her head, I'll destroy this world myself!"
Shinji's words, devoid of any hint of a joke, only strengthened Julian's confidence, confirming that this woman was indeed extremely important to him.
With her as a hostage, this powerful man wouldn't dare make a move! Julian could focus on verifying the astonishing truth Shinji had just revealed!
Meanwhile, on the other side.
Left in the gap between worlds, Rin half-closed her eyes, watching the broadcast on the screen without expression.
Despite Shinji's seemingly heartfelt words earlier, Rin felt no emotion.
"That bastard acted so convincingly!"
Rin clenched her fists, cursing, admitting Shinji's performance was too realistic, making it seem like he genuinely cared about her!
Taking a deep breath to suppress her irritation, Rin turned to Gilgamesh, also left behind, and asked.
"Is what Shinji said true? Has Pandora's Box really been opened?"
Ignoring Rin's lack of proper etiquette, Gilgamesh snorted and remained silent. Such disrespectful subjects deserved no guidance from him!
Seeing Gilgamesh's refusal to acknowledge her, Rin huffed inwardly, calling him petty. Despite their familiarity, he was still so stingy!
The scene returned to the broadcast—
Darius was furious, but due to his displacement magic failing, he couldn't directly intervene.
Reduced to a shadow behind Julian, Darius continuously berated Julian, who was trying to convince Emilia that she had already opened the box.
"Emilia, how is it?"
"I... I don't know."
Clutching her head, Emilia shook it repeatedly, overwhelmed by Shinji's shocking revelation.
The box was opened? It had already been opened?
Emilia couldn't believe it, instinctively denying it. She had suffered for six thousand years over this, and now someone told her it had already been opened? She couldn't accept it.
Believing it would render her six thousand years meaningless, a laughable tragedy!
Thus, her subconscious was rejecting it!
Shinji wasn't surprised. Despite the pain, those six thousand years were lived. Anyone told their thousands of years were meaningless would refuse to accept it.
Julian understood this too, taking a deep breath and tearfully shouting.
"Please! Try to believe it, Emilia! Just try to believe it once!"
Hearing Julian's cries, Emilia paused.
She knew Julian said this for her sake.
After thousands of years, someone genuinely cared about her feelings, wanting to help her find happiness. Understanding this, Emilia felt a sense of release.
Even if the truth was as the man said, that the box had been opened long ago, those thousands of years wouldn't be meaningless.
—Because, in these six thousand years, Julian alone made it meaningful.
"Okay, I'll try."
Hearing Emilia's somewhat relieved voice behind him, Julian turned, seeing her emerge from the box's gap.
Seeing her relieved expression, Julian remained silent, simply staring.
Watching Emilia, displaced by magic from the box, Shinji's expression didn't change, but he felt a slight relief.
"What should I do?"
Emilia asked Shinji, who simply replied with four words.
"Believe without doubt."
...
The true battlefield had narrowed to one place: the fight between the Great Hero and Dark Sakura. In the other battlefield, Unlimited Blade Works, the battle between Red Archer and Shirou had stopped, turning into a verbal showdown.
Shinji didn't focus on the battle between the Great Hero and Sakura, confident that leaving it to the Great Hero was the most reasonable choice. Only he could bring Sakura the liberation and redemption she needed in the final moments.
Handling it himself might be easier, but it wouldn't be redemption, just a resolution.
As for Shirou, there was no need to worry.
In shounen manga, a protagonist's resolve is unbreakable, a core and essence of such stories.
—Never give up!
Like Naruto, breaking his spirit or making him give up was a fool's dream.
This trait, whether reasonable or not, was the essence given by the original author or the genre of shounen manga.
In the real world, it's like a rule set by the world's will, unchangeable by others or reality.
Shirou's determination, like any shounen protagonist's, was unyielding.
Red Archer's attempt to use reality to convince Shirou was akin to Nagato trying to convince Naruto, presenting facts and reasoning, but the opponent's stubbornness remained unshaken.
Thus, Red Archer felt only two things at this moment.
Helplessness and despair!