The momentary light vanished in an instant.
The intersection of two distinctly different magics, space and time, and soul... brought forth a terrifying power capable of annihilating everything.
In the final moment of death, the only sight reflected in his eyes was a blinding white light, before his body disintegrated.
"Is this what death feels like...?"
He quietly closed his eyes, thinking this, but the darkness did not come as he had expected.
No, it seemed he was still alive.
Soon, he realized it.
Because his soul had not settled nor had it reached the destination it was supposed to.
Opening his eyes, Roy found himself in a dreamlike place.
The scenery around him flowed, just like the Avalon in his dreams, here too was a mix of countless colors, with vibrant petals constantly falling in the gentle breeze. All he could see was a sea of flowers stretching infinitely along the horizon.
There was no sunlight here; the sky was a curtain of pink and blue, yet it radiated a colorful halo. Light and a gentle breeze echoed throughout this world, creating a warm and peaceful atmosphere.
If it weren't for the absence of the familiar white tower and the annoying figure of the incubus, he would have really thought of this place as some scenic spot in Avalon.
However, the scenery here was enough to amaze him, rivaling the stunning view he had when he first entered Avalon.
"What a truly beautiful sight."
Roy squatted down and picked a colorful flower, bringing it to his nose to inhale its faint fragrance.
He had both touch and smell.
This was not the Avalon of his dreams.
Then he looked at his arms, waved the arm that should have been torn off, and found that the wounds on his body had healed completely.
His body was restored, and both his sense of smell and touch remained, but the magic crest and the saint graph were gone.
A spiritual form...? But does a spiritual form with senses really exist? And where exactly was this place?
After confirming that he was not in a dream, he began to analyze his situation. Just then, he heard an ethereal voice coming from behind him.
"Isn't it beautiful? That's how I feel."
"After all, this is the beautiful world I took a long time to construct."
"Who?!"
Roy, who had been admiring the scenery, suddenly heard the voice behind him and instinctively became alert.
He turned around and saw a graceful figure in a white dress, a beautiful silhouette wearing a golden crown, smiling at him... she was the owner of that voice.
Irisviel?
At this moment, if it were Emiya Kiritsugu or Artoria present, they would surely call out the name of this woman immediately.
However, this was not her; Roy already knew her true identity.
Seeing her, he could guess without a doubt where he had been taken.
Thus, Roy nodded slightly to the woman in front of him, then smiled and greeted her, "It's good to see you still exist."
"Mm, thank you for saving me."
"Because the Holy Grail was suddenly invaded by the soul of that saint, I lost my control as the Greater Grail and could only fall into a brief slumber until you defeated him, allowing me to awaken again."
At this moment, the Holy Grail, appearing as the Holy Maiden of Winter, Justeaze Lizrich von Einzbern, wore a faint smile as she expressed her gratitude to Roy, "I must thank you and all the Servants for everything you've done."
Then she gracefully walked towards Roy.
The white garment danced in the wind, and as Roy gazed at the Holy Maiden of Winter, who was so close, he couldn't help but be mesmerized. Her flawless, beautiful face, complemented by the grace of her garment, made her look like a queen in winter, attracting him irresistibly.
However, his attraction was merely admiration. He harbored no impure thoughts towards such a beautiful and holy woman.
To this, the Holy Maiden of Winter smiled gently, gracefully displaying her beauty.
But Roy quickly got to the point, "Since you are here, it means that the Holy Grail still possesses the ability to grant the victor's wishes, right?"
"Indeed, the final victor."
"I still have the ability to fulfill wishes." She affirmed with a smile. "So, as the final victor, what is your wish?"
Hearing the Holy Grail's affirmative reply, Roy pondered for a moment before asking her.
"Can any wish be fulfilled?"
"Yes, the Holy Grail has accumulated a tremendous amount of magical power from the ley lines, far beyond imagination. Although a considerable amount has already been consumed, the remaining magical energy is still sufficient to grant wishes."
She smiled and gave a positive reply.
"I see..."
"Then can you restore everything affected by the Holy Grail War?"
"Restore... so you mean to erase all the harm?"
"Can you do that? I mean restoring the buildings and natural environments destroyed by the angel to their original state and returning the humans who died or were transformed because of the Holy Grail War back to their previous forms. Can you accomplish these two points?"
"Yes."
"Very well, then please fulfill this wish of mine. By the way, Holy Grail, I am also a target who died because of the angel, so I should be able to be resurrected, right?"
In a short time, Roy's brain raced with thoughts, and he finally came up with this mutually beneficial approach.
A method that could both resurrect himself and eliminate the enormous impact they had caused was to exploit a bug in the Holy Grail, to make a single wish that could encompass multiple situations.
However, this time, the development of the situation was not as smooth as he had anticipated.
The Holy Grail shook its head.
"That's not possible. Although I can accomplish wishes that reach the realm of reversing life and death by utilizing the vast magical power accumulated from the angel and the Holy Grail, I'm sorry, I do not have the ability to resurrect you."
"Why?"
Roy swallowed hard.
"…"
The Holy Grail did not respond, merely lowering its gaze and silently looking at Roy.
"I see, so it's indeed because of my own circumstances, isn't it? This annoying identity of being a Foreigner has really brought me a lot of trouble..."
Hearing that he was once again excluded, Roy inevitably felt a bit disheartened, but thinking about his special nature, he quickly guessed the reason and soon felt relieved.
"Then there's nothing that can be done."
"I'm sorry..."
"No, you don't need to apologize. This is my own issue; it's I who am being unreasonable. But before I leave, may I ask you one more question? Holy Grail."
"Please, go ahead."
The Holy Grail nodded slightly.
"When the Holy Grail disappears, what will happen to my soul? Will it completely dissipate into the universe, or will it, like you, sleep in the realm of the Holy Grail?"
"…"
A moment of silence.
"I'm sorry, I can't determine where your soul will ultimately go."
The Holy Grail shook its head and replied, "Your soul is very special, and even the Heaven's Feel cannot provide a definitive conclusion about your existence. I can't give you an accurate answer to this question."
"I see... Thank you."
"Then please continue to fulfill the first wish." Roy continued.
"Do your utmost to restore all the people who died in this Holy Grail War and all the destroyed buildings."
"I'm sorry, I can't help you with that."
A hint of sadness surfaced in the depths of the Holy Grail's gaze, but Roy remained quite indifferent to it.
"It's alright; you've already helped me a lot. At least I won't feel regret in the end."
"You are the true saint."
"Hah, I'm not a saint, just an ordinary person... an ordinary person who doesn't want to involve others." Roy shook his head slightly.
"The abnormality of this Holy Grail War, whether it's the appearance of the Count of Monte Cristo or Amakusa Shirou Tokisada's seizing of the Holy Grail, is a result of the changes I brought about, causing the scale to expand to this degree and affecting so many people."
"For me, my current actions are not some grand act of saving the world; it's merely a form of atonement."
"I'm just an ordinary person who wants to make amends for my mistakes."
Upon hearing this, the pure white maiden draped in the robe shook her head and gently caressed his face with her snow-like hands, resting her forehead against his as she said, "Then as you wish."
"Thank you, for giving me a chance to atone for my sins."
"No need to thank me; this is everything you deserve."
"I'm very sorry that I couldn't save you in the end."
With a final farewell, the vast magical power gathered, and blinding light instantly enveloped Roy.
The Holy Grail released hundreds of years' worth of magical energy gathered from the ley lines of Fuyuki City, along with the enormous magical power reserves generated during the angel's existence, completing the great feat of reversing life and death in that moment.
In the blink of an eye, Roy's vision was drawn to the white radiance before him. Through the light, he could feel the breath of life gradually reviving.
The wish began to be realized.
...
Unable to contact...
No matter how hard he tried to reach Waver, that underperforming student, he couldn't get through.
It was no wonder, though; given that student's magical abilities, along with the loss of Rider's protection, he probably had already died in the angel's indiscriminate absolute destruction, or he might have been transformed into an undead creature by the light.
And that fool, Roy, had jumped into the Holy Grail's core with the Jeweled Sword, triggering an explosive burst before disappearing completely.
Kayneth sat on the rubble, troubled as he dealt with the aftermath and thought about how to explain it all to the Clock Tower.
They were all dead. Every single one of his students... both the ones he had brought and the new ones... had perished in the Holy Grail War, and this filled him with a painful sense of responsibility as a mentor.
And that wasn't all; once the Clock Tower and the Holy Church arrived in the city and saw the undead creatures wandering through the ruins and the concentration of ether, things would only get worse.
In a situation that affected the entire world, even he, as the Lord of the Clock Tower, would not escape blame.
Meanwhile, on the other side, there was still a bit of magical energy left in Artoria, who was desperately searching for survivors among the ruins.
However, it seemed that the number of survivors in the entire city had dwindled to almost none.
All had perished in this mythical battle.
It was time to leave. If he didn't go now, he wouldn't be able to.
Kayneth stood up, preparing to leave.
At that moment, a rising surge of magical energy enveloped the entire city like a white shroud.
The boundary between life and death was completely overturned in that instant.
"What is this?" Looking at the falling white curtain, it was as if time had flowed backward within the light; buildings were rapidly restoring, and people were being revived.
Kayneth rubbed his eyes, finding it hard to believe.
This was a miracle that reversed life and death.
Artoria, at the top of the ruins, stared blankly at the earth bathed in sunlight once again, a smile appearing at the corners of her mouth.
"Is this the miracle of the Holy Grail? Indeed, you are the final victor... Master."
The immense magical energy was rapidly dissipating; most of the world-altering magical power accumulated by the angel was being destroyed under the starlight of the holy sword, no longer as terrifyingly inflated as before.
Now, it had achieved a miracle that reversed life and death for the entire city, completely exhausting everything the Holy Grail had gathered.
At this moment, the pure white figure of the Holy Grail became illusory and extremely unstable, as if it could disappear at any moment.
In her final moments, she looked seriously at Roy, doing her best to offer her last sincere blessing to this lost traveler with her remaining strength.
"Though I cannot see your outcome, I wish to give you my final blessing."
Her voice was soft, and her pure white figure began to dissipate in the light.
"I wish you a life of peace and no worries."
"I wish your soul can return to its true home."
"I wish you eventually find a happy ending."
As the faint halo completely disappeared, Roy grasped the shimmering points of light floating in his right hand, also expressing his gratitude.
"Thank you for your blessings; I look forward to it as well."
After expressing his thanks, he quietly watched the Holy Maiden of Winter's disappearance, seemingly bowing his head slightly, but quickly stopped himself and turned away, stepping into the gradually fading light.
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