Chapter 1581: Wengfaluo Si 3.7 (595)

fate/Shirou Family's Dinner Today.

"Finally, finally, finally—!"

Rin Tohsaka excitedly spread her arms and burst into uncontrollable laughter.

"White Ego has finally begun searching for his own wish! I told you so—White Ego's 'self' is like a sapling crushed under a heavy stone on the ground; only when he realizes he doesn't need to 'save the world' will the stone be moved aside, allowing his wish to regrow."

Sakura watched her sister like this and couldn't help but laugh.

"Sister really likes White Ego, huh."

"Who, who likes him? Sakura, you better not be making things up!" Rin's face flushed crimson in an instant, though she tried hard to recompose herself, her index finger unconsciously twirling a strand of hair by her cheek, "I—I just don't want to see someone who's struggled for thirty million lifetimes not get a happy ending. Although White Ego hasn't found his wish yet, at least he now has the motivation to seek it—and that's a good thing!"

"Indeed." Archer leaned against the wall, arms crossed, "But 'Rin doesn't like White Ego'—I can't pretend I didn't hear that. I remember when Rin came home last time, she bought a White Ego figurine keychain? How rare for the young lady to find a hobby outside of jewels."

"Th-that was a limited-time mail-order exclusive! If you don't buy it, it's gone forever! And I just… I just grabbed it on impulse!" Rin Tohsaka glared fiercely at Archer, "Don't ruin my moment here, Archer!"

——

"Where did Little White Ego's shadow run off to?" March 7 and the others followed Little White Ego through the gate, but beyond it lay only an empty, circular plaza.

"Look—"

"Xilian pointed forward at a glowing golden nymph perched on the railing."

"He has already stepped ahead, racing toward his own destiny."

"Ahead of the circular plaza stretches a long, wide road; beyond it, Aglaea and Tipho await the group."

"Really, we've taken such a long detour," Safir sighed helplessly.

"Now that we're all here together, everyone has arrived." Feng Jin smiled.

The group arrived before the hero's statue. After briefly greeting Tipho and Aglaea, Tipho gazed at Xilian in disbelief: "And… although we've already met, seeing her 'seed' bloom into a flower before my eyes still moves me deeply."

"With 'memory' as fabric, this attire shines so brilliantly… just as it is now, the people shall weave the 'future' for Opherus."

Xilian looked up at the sculpture: "Here… is the endpoint."

Tipho nodded: "Yes, only by passing through the final 'pathway.' Little White… has already set off ahead."

"What lies behind that door?"

"Wandi: 'The first seal of the Iron Tomb is the battlefield White Ego built from bones and corpses.'" Wandi said.

"Safir: 'The second is the projection of his inner longing—his 'wish' and 'despair'.'"

"Xie Die: 'He forged a path from regret, anger, and sighs…'"

"Feng Jin: 'When all this has faded, what power remains for him to imprison 'Destruction'?'"

"Nakesha: 'The answer is already on the verge of emerging.'"

"Tipho surveyed the garden around her—flowers of every color sprouted from stone cracks and tree roots, warm signs of life pushing through."

"This place is filled with traces of his existence; even distant heartbeats can be heard… yet one thing is missing…"

"Aglaea gazed at the hero's statue, sunlight catching his chest: 'His… 'self'.'"

Star: "Everyone thinks Karkhal fell long ago. But it has stood for a thousand years, anchored by a thread of 'self,' solely to shelter all beings from the black tide. What White Calamity is doing is no different."

——

Attack on Titan.

"Passing through the final 'pathway' should lead us to the battlefield against the Iron Tomb." Armin took a deep breath, turned to look at Eren beside him, "Eren, are you… nervous now?"

"If I said I wasn't nervous, would you believe me?" Eren wiped sweat from Armin's forehead with his hand—his fingertips slick and damp—"But I shouldn't be nearly as nervous as you are."

During this time, Eren heard that the Military Police had mostly been summoned inside Wall Sheena to construct underground works for the royal family to evade the Iron Tomb, while his own Survey Corps had greatly reduced expeditions beyond the walls, shifting from active outer exploration to internal defense.

"Although humanity has faced dispersing forces from the heavens many times before, this time is different—you should know that, Eren."

"I know. Commander Erwin told me: if the Iron Tomb's impact exceeds our predicted threshold, I must transform into a Titan immediately."

Titanization can withstand most of the impact; though the massive body can't cover a force of about a thousand, it's more than enough to protect everyone from the 104th Training Corps.

The key is, Eren's regenerative ability far surpasses that of ordinary humans—as long as he isn't instantly killed by the Iron Tomb, there's still room to act.

"Well, when the Iron Tomb's impact comes, Eren… even if you Titanize, you must still be careful to protect your nape." Mikasa added, still uneasy.

"Alright, this isn't the first time we've dealt with something like this." Eren waved his hand, "Don't worry—I've gone through this several times already."

——

Xilian smiled warmly at Xing: "Let 'memory' become a shooting star, once again, to pierce the slumbering night."

Xing gathered her resolve; she knew deep down that after taking this step, there would be no turning back.

Aglaea: "The scepter once bestowed upon us a cold and distant name."

Tipho: "The oracle has proclaimed our unchanging fate countless times."

"But in the verses of 'Exploration' and 'Creation': tomorrow, the stars will sing thus… 'The Child of the Path, Tipho—The Romantic Weaver, Aglaea—'"

Aglaea smiled knowingly, turned with Tipho, and their forms gradually blurred and faded.

"At the end of the burning path, they bathe once more in golden light…"

"Crossing countless pathways, until we reclaim what was lost."

"Do you still remember, Kheslan of the Dawnless?" Xilian gazed afar at the statue with arms outstretched, "At the end of the cycle, all things scatter. In this dream, you will awaken, reborn as the laughing child."

"But if you open your eyes and look back at yesterday, you can see the clear footprints of fate. Finally, even the 'hatred' of that blazing fire is swept away by a breeze…"

"Leaving only 'love' to etch time into memory."