Chapter 323

Ishtar: "In the end, all tragedies are caused by humans themselves."

【Jeanne: "That's right, you were absorbed by 'Jack the Ripper,' perhaps absorbed... even if I can defeat you, I can't save you anymore."】

【"How could this be?" "Don't!" "We, we are..."】

【"You should understand, I will start eliminating you now."】

【Without any wavering, Jeanne began the Baptism Chant.】

【Not transcendence, but elimination.】

Atalanta: "Jeanne! Are you planning to!"

Jeanne: "... his is the best method."

Amakusa Emiya Emiya Shirou: "For these children, this might be the best ending."

Atalanta: "What nonsense! How can you be so heartless! They are already so pitiful!"

Achilles: "Big Sister..."

【"Stop! Ruler, stop!"】

【Just then, Atalanta suddenly intervened to stop Jeanne, blocking all the children behind her.】

【Her right hand was dyed black, clearly possessed by an evil spirit.】

【"What do you want to do? They are just children! They are harmless spirits, not even belonging to evil! They are victims, pitiful souls crushed by the world! Why do you have the heart to destroy them?"】

【Jeanne: "... rcher, you should understand, those children cannot be saved; letting the souls of these children return to a place of peace is true compassion."】

【Atalanta: "What kind of compassion is this! Saving is your duty as a Saintess! Saintess of Orleans, why don't you draw your sword on the battlefield, only waving your flag? Isn't it because you don't want to kill people! In order not to let your hands be stained with blood..."】

【"Is that what you think?"】

【Atalanta's words clearly angered Jeanne, her voice turning cold: "Because I didn't use a sword, my hands are clean? How is that possible! From the moment I threw myself into the war, my hands were equivalent to being stained with blood. Don't look down on me too much, I have no hesitation in destroying them!"】

【Atalanta: "Then, then, you are not a Saintess at all..."】

【Jeanne: "You are right, everyone calls me a Saintess, but only I have never thought so."】

Bluebeard: "That's not true! You are the greatest leader who can lead the country and the people to victory!"

Bluebeard: "You woman, how dare you insult the Saintess like this!"

Atalanta: "Did I say something wrong! Look at you, then look at her in the video, you are just the same!"

Achilles: "Big Sister! Calm down!"

Atalanta: "How can you tell me to calm down! Those children, those children, they were clearly the most pitiful ones, if I abandon these children, who else will love them..."

Achilles: "..."

【Atalanta: "You say you want to let their souls return, it's just simple killing! I won't let you do this!"】

【But just then, a child walked out, looking at Jeanne blankly.】

【Jeanne half-squatted down to look at her levelly, saying: "What is it?"】

【"You... even if you kill us, do you feel it doesn't matter?"】

【The child's words were like a sharp sword, piercing Jeanne's chest.】

【Did she really not want to save them? No, she really couldn't save them.】

【As long as the legend of Jack the Ripper still exists, these children will never be transcended.】

【The child seemed to understand Jeanne's meaning, saying: "Even so, even so, we still have to continue moving forward."】

【At this moment, all the children's wavering and fear disappeared, and they walked forward one by one, preparing to welcome the final judgment.】

【"Don't, don't, don't go, don't go!"】

【Atalanta wanted to stop these children, but they all avoided her one by one.】

Atalanta: "No, you can't go over..."

Achilles: "Big Sister, they have already realized it, and they have made their own choices."

Atalanta: "Woo woo..."

Demon God King: "Hmph, the sins of adults, yet letting a group of children bear them, it's really disgusting."

Kotomine Risei: "May your souls find redemption..."

Sieg: "Children..."

Six-Sisters Reika: "Jack, my Jack..."

Jack: "Mother, don't cry, am I not fine now?"

Six-Sisters Reika: "Yeah."

【"... his can't be helped."】

【"Yeah, this can't be helped. May you find peace."】

【The chant continued, and the children naturally held each other's hands, disappearing one by one, calmly accepting their own death.】

【This was not repeated death, but elimination as the literal meaning stated.】

【These children will be excluded from the cycle of reincarnation; no matter what kind of Holy Grail War it is, they will never be summoned as "Jack the Ripper" again.】

【It looks like salvation, but it is not actually salvation.】

Atalanta: "Jeanne d'Arc, you!"

Amakusa Shiro: "Atalanta, this is the best method."

Reika Rikudou: "Then, Jack, she..."

Feng Xi: "No, Jack will continue to exist as a Heroic Spirit, but these evil spirit children will not appear again."

Feng Xi: "From now on, Jack is no longer a collection of resentment, but a truly independent individual, Jack the Ripper."

Jack: "Am I... myself now..."

Feng Xi: "For you, it might not make any difference."

Reika Rikudou: "Is that so? That's great."

【In the darkness, only the last girl remains, gazing at Jeanne with pure eyes.】

"Will we disappear?"

"Yes, because this is the way of nature."

"I see, so that's how it is. We can't go back anywhere, and we can't go anywhere. We can only keep going in circles, keep walking aimlessly, but never arrive anywhere."

【The girl smiles:】 "Are you sad?"

Jeanne: "... o, you are just going where you should go; this is not something worth being sad about."

"That's why you don't cry."

【Jeanne closes her eyes and completes the final chant.】

"—May the departing souls find rest (Pax. xeuntibus)."

"You are truly pitiful."

【The girl disappears, everything ends, and the consciousness of Jeanne and the others returns to reality.】

Waver: "It's over. Although I know there is no afterlife, I still hope these children can be reborn into good families and not experience such pain again."

Irisviel: "Yes..."

Atalanta: "Damn it..."

Atalanta: "Ruler, you killed them, right?"

Jeanne: "... es, I killed them."

"Is that so? You are also the one who does the cutting? Those children just wanted to live, and you are also the one who tramples on them?"

【Atalanta climbs up shakily, tears seeping from her eyes along with deep murderous intent.】

【At this moment, Atalanta and Jeanne are no longer a matter of stance, but true enemies.】

"They could have been saved."

【Atalanta smashes a wall with one punch and growls:】 "They could be saved, they could be saved! Even if my power couldn't do it, the Holy Grail should have been able to save them!"

Atalanta: "That's right, there's still the Holy Grail! They could have been saved by the Holy Grail!"

Achilles: "Big Sis..."

Feng Xi: "Stop making a scene!"

Feng Xi: "Even if you could use the Holy Grail to save them, what could you do? Can you count on Amakusa Shiro to give you the Holy Grail!"

Feng Xi: "Don't forget, you can only make one wish."

Amakusa Shiro: "..."

Atalanta: "..."