Chapter 336

【"Can't win."】

【Sieg knew he was really dead this time, but he didn't flinch or escape; honor and vows beyond instinct supported him to stand here.】

【"If I die, I die."】

【Sieg raised his great sword high, deciding to welcome his curtain call with the strongest power.】

【Perhaps some would think this is a waste of effort, and some would mock, why bury your life in just one second.】

【However, only Karna in front of him did not mock, sincerely accepting his own blow.】

【Question: What will be the final result of this battle?】

【A: Sieg resists Karna's attack, fails and dies.】

【B: Sieg resists Karna's attack, chooses to escape because he can't hold on.】

【C: Sieg resists Karna's attack, successfully blocks it and completes a counter-kill, defeating Karna.】

【D: Astolfo arrives to save him, taking Sieg and escaping.】

【E: Astolfo arrives to save him, but cannot block Karna's attack, and is killed together with Sieg.】

【F: Astolfo arrives to save him, successfully blocks Karna's attack, and Sieg subsequently successfully counter-kills, defeating Karna.】

【Please answer within 1 minute, overtime is considered giving up.】

Waver: "This, should not be able to block it, right?"】

Conqueror King: "Definitely can't block it."】

Conqueror King: "That kind of power, unless there is a powerful defensive Noble Phantasm, otherwise it is impossible to block."】

Kayneth: "No, according to the consistent development, the ending is often the most incredible one."】

Kayneth: "I choose C!"】

【Ding! Kayneth answered incorrectly, 1 Saint Quartz deducted.】

Kayneth: "..."

Conqueror King: "Pfft, Director Kayneth, you guessed wrong again this time."】

Kayneth: "... feel like this quiz is targeting me."】

Rin Tohsaka: "Could it be that he escaped?"】

Karna: "No, he won't escape."】

Rin Tohsaka: "It doesn't have to be an active escape; maybe it's D, being dragged away by Astolfo."】

【Ding! Rin Tohsaka answered incorrectly, 1 Saint Quartz deducted.】

Rin Tohsaka: "???"】

Feng Xi: "This child really doesn't learn."】

Feng Xi: "Just like Director Kayneth said, since C is already wrong, then choose F."】

【Ding! Congratulations to Feng Xi for answering this question correctly, obtaining 3 Saint Quartz.】

Kayneth: "I %￥@#￥@"】

He wanted to give himself a few slaps; how could he lose his nerve after one mistake.】

Karna: "..."

Sieg: "..."

Sieg was completely stunned; he actually defeated Karna!】

This joke is a bit too big.】

Mordred: "Actually, really counter-killed!"】

Is this kid Sieg so weird?】

Couldn't even beat me before, and it's only been a few days, and he can counter-kill Karna.】

Are you cheating!】

Fiore: "How is this possible! How could Astolfo block Karna's Vasavi Shakti!"】

Caules: "Astolfo, did you hide any trump cards you didn't use?"】

Astolfo: "Uh, do I have any (; ? )?"】

Caules: "This, should have."】

Astolfo: "This, seems like I really don't."】

【The answering time has ended; the video continues.】

【"Oooooooooh————!"】

【Accompanied by Shirou's roar, Karna's long spear descended.】

【The pressure of this spear was so immense that it made one feel it was not something of this world that could be resisted.】

【Despite this, Shirou did not retreat a single step.】

【"Know the mercy of the King of Gods."】

【"The evil dragon shall fall."】

【"Indra, look upon me with awe."】

【"Toward the light and shadow of all ends."】

【"Extinction, lies in this one strike."】

【"Now, the world shall reach its sunset."】

【"Burn completely—'O Sun, Abide by Death'!"】

【"Strike down—'Fantasy Great Sword, Fall of the Heavenly Demon'!"】

【Two massive energies collided, whipping up a frenzied storm in the space.】

【The powerful impact felt as if it would destroy the very ritual of the expanded space they were in the next moment; Kairi, watching the battle, was forced to lie flat on the ground by the tremors.】

【However, in this clash of waves, Karna clearly held the overwhelming advantage.】

【Although it was the Fantasy Great Sword at maximum power, it still could not compare to an Anti-Divine Noble Phantasm.】

【In just a second, the twilight was torn apart by the powerful spear tip.】

Shirou: "To think, he actually cleaved the attack open!"

Waver: "As expected of the legendary god-slaying spear, what terrifying power!"

Siegfried: "My Noble Phantasm is completely no match for the opponent's."

One has to admit, among the Servants in the group, besides Gilgamesh's EA and Ishtar's Mountain-Shaking Star's Salary, no one's Noble Phantasm power is greater than Karna's god-slaying spear.

Rin Tohsaka: "With this power, how on earth did Astolfo block it?"

Astolfo: "Hmm (ヘ), I'm also very confused—"

Achilles: "..."

【The next second, Shirou would definitely be pierced through the body, blasted until not even residue remained.】

【At this moment, Shirou suddenly realized.】

【Although he had no energy to look back on his short but fulfilling life, a thought suddenly surfaced in his heart.】

【He wanted to live.】

【It wasn't that he didn't want to die, nor was it that he wanted to live, but rather he had found a wish.】

【He had found a small, tiny, ordinary wish.】

【That girl had said he didn't need to fight, didn't need to force himself to find meaning in life; just living was enough.】

【Having this thought was very gratifying, truly very gratifying.】

【To her, it might have been just a casual remark, but Shirou believed these words were more important than just simply living.】

【His current wish was to see her.】

【If he died here, he wouldn't be able to see her; just this alone made Shirou feel from the bottom of his heart that consuming this life had its value.】

【Even if he had to say goodbye the next time they met, he still wanted to see Jeanne.】

【To realize this, he could not die now.】

Jeanne: "Eh? (,, ゜Д゜)"

Shirou: "Ah? (? ?)"

Bluebeard: "Ahhhhhh—"

Rin Tohsaka: "Does this count as a confirmed fact?"

Feng Xi: "It shouldn't count yet, after all, Jeanne hasn't expressed her stance."

Illya: "Does this count as a whirlwind marriage? After all, they've only known each other for a few days."

Jeanne d'Arc: "Don't talk nonsense!"

Shirou: "Um, as for me right now, I don't have that intention toward Miss Jeanne yet, so—"

Illya: "Oh my, it's only a matter of time."

Shirou: "..."

Gilles de Rais: "I'll kill you! I must kill you! Shirou!!!"

【"By the Command Spell, I order my body—"】

【At this moment, Shirou saw Siegfried appear before his eyes.】

【Shirou didn't know what to say to the other party, he could only look at him with a firm gaze.】

【Siegfried smiled, nodded, and disappeared before his eyes.】

【The next moment, the swelling sword Qi surged like a giant wave, pushing Karna's attack back.】

【The overwhelming disadvantage began to turn into a stalemate, or rather, an advantage.】

【Karna looked at this scene, no longer knowing what expression to show.】

【What was originally a clash between sword and spear had now turned into a contest between the wills of two Servants.】

Rin Tohsaka: "He actually pushed it back! Is this a counter-kill?"

Siegfried: "Impossible. Even if Shirou's will is strong, my Noble Phantasm still cannot compare to Karna's. Moreover, Karna's will is not necessarily inferior to Shirou's."

Waver: "That's right, that person is, after all, a hero who has been through hundreds of battles."

【Shirou's will to survive was indeed strong, but compared to the iron will Karna had forged throughout his life, it was still lacking.】

【The divine spear slowly pushed the sword back again; there were no miracles, no coincidences, and no reinforcements—】

【No, this really couldn't be said for sure.】

【"Haaaaaa!"】

【In the astonished gaze of everyone, a figure intervened in this clash.】

【But, the intervention was completely meaningless.】

【The Anti-Divine Noble Phantasm "O Sun, Abide by Death," with its power sufficient to kill gods, was not just against heroes; even magical beasts, phantasmal beasts, divine beasts, shields, castles, barriers, and other existences were meaningless before it.】

【Unless—】

【"I won't let you throw your life away, ahhhhh!"】

【A small figure blocked in front of Shirou, and a round shield was erected.】

【"That shield, what is it?"】

Kairi: "Astolfo! And you said you weren't hiding any Noble Phantasms! What is this?"

Astolfo: "Ah (? ?)?"

Astolfo: "What Noble Phantasm is this? Why do I have no memory of it at all? Could it be that I have amnesia?"

Karna: "..."

Karna had already recognized this shield and felt quite speechless.

Iskandar: "Eh? Isn't this yours, Achilles—"

Achilles: "... hem, that's right, this is my Noble Phantasm."

Everyone: "Ah???"

【"What's this? A shield?"】

【Time returned to before; Astolfo looked at the thing Achilles gave him, looking completely bewildered.】

【"This, wouldn't it be your Noble Phantasm?"】

【Achilles: "Yes, take it, I'm giving it to you."】

【Astolfo: "What?"】

【Achilles: "If you can use it to block Lancer's attack, perhaps you can find an opportunity."】

【Astolfo: "No, that's not it... that's what you say, but... are you serious?"】

【Achilles: "Yes, I'm serious. Hey, don't worry, this is just me keeping a promise; it has nothing to do with you. If you don't want it, just give it back to me."】

【Astolfo hurriedly hugged the shield to his chest, looking conflicted: "Is that promise really that important?"】

【Achilles: "——Yes, very important."】

【Astolfo: "Then I'll accept it."】

【Achilles: "I'll tell you its true name. This shield is my world, everything I have felt through my own body."】

【This was the god-forged armament commissioned by Achilles' mother, Thetis, and forged by Hephaestus for Achilles; it projected the world Achilles had seen, and its true name is—】

【" 'Achilles Cosmos, the Little World that Encompasses the Azure Sky'!"】

Amakusa Shirou: "Sigh (ｕДｕ〃)..."

Empress: "┑(@Д@)┍"

What are you doing!

Achilles, what are you trying to do!

It's one thing for you to go fight Atalanta and let Jeanne go, but now you've even given your own shield to the enemy, and from the sound of it, you're preparing to help them deal with Karna.

What do you want? Do you have a grudge against Karna? To help the enemy deal with him like this!

Rin Tohsaka: "You, this is really not as practical as just switching sides directly."

Atalanta: "You brat, what exactly do you want to do?"

Achilles: "..."

Don't look for him; he wants to be quiet right now.

He also doesn't understand what kind of operation he is performing in the video. But looking at the situation, it seems to be related to the promise Chiron made him keep before he died.

Teacher Chiron, what exactly did you say!

【The world engraved on the shield rotated and unfolded, forcefully blocking Karna's attack.】

【This uses a world as a shield, so except for Anti-World Noble Phantasms, any attack can be blocked, even Anti-Divine Noble Phantasms are no exception.】

【"You're lying..."】

【Kairi looked at this scene, his whole person stunned.】

【The god-slaying spear that he originally thought had no means to be blocked was actually blocked.】

Rin Tohsaka: "It actually really blocked it! And it looks like a complete defense!"

Feng Xi: "Achilles' shield is a defensive barrier-type Noble Phantasm. Once activated, almost all attacks can be completely defended against, except for Anti-World Noble Phantasms that specifically counter barriers."

Achilles: "You know quite a bit."

Waver: "In other words, even an Anti-Divine Noble Phantasm cannot break its defense."

Achilles: "Of course. After all, what is recorded on this shield is my world."