Inside Unlimited Blade Works, Red Archer felt a profound despair as he looked at the Shirou in front of him, who refused to abandon either his ideals of justice or his desire to make everyone happy.
This past version of himself had become even more deranged than he had been! Back then, he had turned to sacrifice a few for the greater good after realizing it was impossible to save everyone, but this Shirou was different.
He placed his wish to make everyone happy on the same level as his ideals of justice! This meant that he was unlikely to make the decisive shift in approach that Archer had made.
"Idiot! What's wrong with your head?"
Unable to bear it any longer, Red Archer yelled at Shirou, who remained unwavering in his stance.
"Those two ideals inherently conflict with each other! How do you plan to uphold both? Your naivety has its limits! It's impossible to fulfill both wishes simultaneously! Such an option doesn't exist in reality!"
"I know!" Shirou replied immediately, his expression serious and his voice loud, "But I will never give up! Whether it's becoming a champion of justice or hoping for everyone's happiness, I won't abandon either! If such an option doesn't exist, I'll spend my life searching for or creating it!"
"Incomprehensible, incomprehensible, incomprehensible!"
Repeating the word three times, Red Archer was on the verge of madness. If Shirou had only insisted on becoming a champion of justice, he might have given up trying to break his will.
But this wasn't the case! The situation was even more troublesome! Shirou's mind was so set on his dual ideals that if he continued this way, his fate would be even worse than Archer's.
Red Archer believed Shirou's eventual outcome would be worse than his own, but no matter how he tried to persuade or pressure him, Shirou refused to give up either ideal!
Realizing he couldn't shatter Shirou's will, Red Archer abandoned the idea of killing him to erase his own existence.
Killing him wouldn't matter if his will remained unbroken; it would be as pointless as killing the Great Hero. However, Shirou's unrealistic and defiant attitude made Red Archer want to kill him out of sheer frustration!
"By ignoring reality, you'll ultimately die chasing an illusion. Can you accept that?"
"Yes, it doesn't matter. Even if I die chasing my dreams, I will never give up!"
Shirou looked directly at Red Archer, his expression resolute and his voice strong and unwavering.
Seeing this display, Red Archer finally shook his head in resignation, inwardly admitting his defeat.
He couldn't understand why such a fool, a character straight out of a manga, existed in reality. It defied all logic!
He himself had never been this stubborn!
...
Reality.
Supported by Miyu, the Great Hero hobbled over to Shinji, clutching his chest. After catching his breath, he handed a card to Shinji.
Seeing the Berserker card, actually a Berserk Lancelot card, Shinji didn't say anything.
At the last moment, Dark Sakura had regained her clarity and accepted her liberation from the Great Hero, finding solace in her final moments.
This was the best ending for this world's Sakura. Any other outcome would have been impossible.
Shinji had no problem using the dead for his purposes, like summoning their teacher occasionally as a tool, but when it involved people close to him, he found it intolerable.
Even if it meant being called a hypocrite, it didn't matter. Who doesn't have personal desires and selfishness?
Shinji didn't see any problem with this and felt no shame about his selfishness.
"Matou Shinji, was everything you said just now true? That woman is Pandora or something..."
Illya, who had arrived almost simultaneously with the Great Hero, asked Shinji, frowning.
Having used some tricks to eavesdrop on Shinji's words, Illya had a rough understanding of the situation.
"A woman who has lived from the age of the gods to the present, simply unbelievable."
Luvia, looking at Emilia not far away, her eyes closed and hands clasped in front of her, couldn't help but marvel.
The Great Hero, who had learned everything from Illya, was the first to realize something.
"So, Julian's true wish is just for that girl?"
As soon as he said this, Julian, who overheard it, gritted his teeth and clicked his tongue.
Unlike Shinji, the Great Hero wasn't the type to mock Julian for not being a true champion of justice.
If it had been Shinji, he would have started taunting Julian by now, reminding him of the times Julian had criticized him from the perspective of a champion of justice.
At such a moment, Shinji would have relished the opportunity to throw it back at him:
"Well, look at you! You gave me so much grief before, but in the end, you're just doing this for one person! And you call yourself a champion of justice? Do you even deserve the title?"
"Can I have this card? To replace..."
Before Illya could finish asking for the card in Shinji's hand, he bluntly refused.
"No."
Illya pouted and puffed out her cheeks at his response.
"How much longer do they need?"
Luvia asked, just as Emilia opened her eyes, looking relieved and light-hearted as she faced the anxious Julian.
"How is it?" Julian asked eagerly.
"I can't explain it, but I feel much lighter. It's as if the weight that's been pressing on my heart is slowly lifting."
Hearing this, Julian's expression brightened. If Emilia felt this way, then it might really be working! And what that man said might actually be true!
"Julian, thank you. Because of you, I had the courage to start accepting this possibly false truth that would render the past six thousand years meaningless. And because of your existence, these six thousand years weren't completely meaningless."
Julian, hearing her heartfelt words, blinked, then lowered his head to hide the tears streaming down his cheeks.
Seeing Julian biting his lip to hold back his tears, Emilia gently placed her hand on his head, softly ruffling his hair.
"Julian, I'm so glad to have met you."
At that moment, Julian couldn't hold back anymore and broke down completely.