Shinji Matou at Your Service

"Thank you all for your trust and support all this time."

"At the same time, I must apologize. This Holy Grail War is closely related to me. I'm sorry for dragging you all into this. I'm sorry for making you participate in such a meaningless battle."

At this point, Shinji bowed his head deeply.

"It wasn't entirely meaningless."

Chiron stepped forward and said warmly, "Although it's a pity that our wishes weren't granted, meeting Achilles again and gaining an outstanding student like you is more than enough."

"Teacher…"

"Hey, Assassin, you've got it wrong."

Achilles patted his shoulder.

"We weren't dragged into this; we chose to participate. If we didn't want to, we wouldn't have answered the summons. Got it?"

"Achilles…"

"If anyone should be thankful, it's me. Without you, I wouldn't know how to achieve my dreams."

Atalanta squinted her eyes, her smile pure and beautiful.

"Atalanta…"

"I had a lot of fun, so it doesn't matter."

Astolfo held his head, innocent and carefree.

"Astolfo…"

"Same here. Meeting you and Archer… If I can make some progress with my electric magecraft as you said, then I've hit the jackpot."

Caules winked.

"Uncle Gordes thinks the same. Without your help, his relationship with Siegfried wouldn't be so good."

"Blah, blah! It has nothing to do with him!"

Gordes "exclaimed in anger," but his red eyes had already betrayed his true feelings.

Shinji turned his gaze to Artoria and Jeanne, who both smiled, understanding each other without words.

Nearby, Mordred acting tsundere: "Don't look at me. We're enemies."

"You all… I see."

Shinji smiled wryly.

"Exactly!!!"

Several voices responded in unison.

"Then should I not give you the apology gifts I prepared?"

"Don't even think about it! We know you have good stuff. Hand it over!" Caules quickly jumped over.

"First, the Servants. Behind me is the Holy Grail. Although wishes have been made, they haven't been granted yet, so the ritual isn't over. If you want to stay in the present world, just touch it to obtain a physical body."

"Haha, this is the best gift."

Achilles rushed forward eagerly. The moment his hand touched the outer wall, his aura changed from that of a mystical being to that of a true human.

The reborn hero clenched his fist and nodded in satisfaction.

"Good, very good."

With his example, the other Servants no longer hesitated and followed suit. Chiron hesitated for a while but ultimately couldn't resist his two students' hopeful gazes and stepped forward as well.

In the end, only Jeanne didn't touch the Holy Grail. As a pseudo-servant, she didn't have the option of gaining a physical body.

During this time, Shinji removed the boar skin he was wearing and used his magic to repair the damage, then handed it to Atalanta.

"I'm returning this to you."

"This is—the Boar of Divine Punishment?"

Atalanta was stunned. Was this her Noble Phantasm?

"It's no longer Divine Punishment. There was an incident, and the Divine Punishment reversed, now it's the Boar of Blessings. The effect hasn't changed, but the restriction has—it can only be used by those with pure hearts. I hope you don't mind."

"Of course not."

Atalanta wagged her tail. A Noble Phantasm suited for a pure heart was perfect for her.

"Glad to hear it. Next, Rider's Master."

"M-me?"

The homunculus boy who was called out walked over timidly.

"Stand still."

As Shinji spoke, he placed his hand on Sieg's forehead. Accompanied by an indescribable glow of spiritual particles, Sieg felt his body become much lighter.

"What's happening?"

"This is Spartacus' Noble Phantasm, Crying Warmonger. Your body is too fragile, but with this, you should become much stronger, and your lifespan should increase. Once you return, have the fat guy give you a check-up. I hope you can live well and see this world with your own eyes."

Sieg bowed deeply: "I will. Thank you. I have always been grateful."

"Wow, you're amazing, Assassin."

"Get off me. Even though you look cute, I don't want to be hugged by a guy."

Astolfo pounced with a "whoosh," only to be slapped away by Shinji.

"Boohoo, Assassin is bullying me."

"Stop acting cute. Also, return Pegasus to me."

"Boohoo, let me play with it for a few more days."

Although it was only a short time, Astolfo had grown fond of Bellerophon.

"No, I'm leaving soon. Quick, return it."

"Boohoo, Assassin is so stingy."

Reluctantly, Astolfo returned Pegasus.

Shinji then broke off a piece of the Greater Grail's outer and handed it to Sieg along with the Balmung:

"Also, help me give this to Jack. With this, she can grow up normally like other children. And this—this is a Noble Phantasm left by Siegfried. You hold onto it first and give it to Miss Toole when you return."

"W-wait, why give it to Toole?" Gordes protested.

"Because none of you can use a Noble Phantasm. Only homunculi made with the Einzbern family's techniques can."

Shinji explained with a smile. Einzbern homunculi could even house the souls of heroic spirits, let alone Noble Phantasms.

"But there are many others besides Toole."

"Well, you have the best relationship with her."

"Who, who has a good relationship with her?"

"Indeed, it's the best. Siegfried left a message before he left. After he's gone, Toole will protect you, and objections are invalid!"

Of course, Shinji made this up on the spot, but he believed Siegfried would be happy with this outcome.

Gordes instantly deflated. No matter how dissatisfied he was, he couldn't go against Siegfried's final "wish."

"Caules."

"Here, here."

Seeing it was finally his turn, Caules was ecstatic.

"I have a favor to ask. Regarding Leticia's information, please handle it well. The Association and the Church must not find out."

Shinji spoke in a voice only the two of them could hear.

Leticia was an ordinary girl, but after being possessed by Jeanne, she became a special case. To the Mage's Association, she was a "pseudo-servant" who bore the power of a heroic spirit in a human body. To the Church, she was a saint's vessel. If either organization found out, she'd end up a lab rat, and her family could be implicated.

Shinji couldn't bear to see this happen, and neither Caules nor Fiore wanted to see it either. Entrusting it to them was the best choice.

Caules, being a smart person, quickly grasped Shinji's meaning: "I understand. Leave it to me."

"Well then—"

"Uh, don't you have anything to give me…?"

"No."

Hearing this, Caules' expression immediately fell. Doing a favor without any compensation—how could Shinji be so cruel?

Shinji found it both frustrating and amusing: "Alright, alright, don't give me that look. There's no item, but there's a path. Do you want to hear it?"

"Go ahead."

"To reassure the Clock Tower, they'll need to send someone to London as a hostage. Try to secure that spot… I'm not messing with you. Hear me out. Without this, how could you study at the Clock Tower? I've already chosen the department for you: Modern Magecraft Theory, in the El-Melloi Classroom. Trust me, just go. You'll understand once you're there."

"Alright, alright, I'll go, I'll go, isn't that enough?"

"Mr. Shishigou."

"Oh, you're including me too."

Shishigou, who had somehow ended up standing next to the manly beauty, shrugged his shoulders.

"I've thought it over and decided to lift the curse on you."

"Uh, didn't I say that'd be fine?"

"I don't think it's fine."

Shinji waved his hand nonchalantly, "Mo-chan, could you do me a favor and hold your Master down?"

"Don't call me Mo-chan!"

Mordred protested while raising her arm.

"Alright, Mo-chan."

"Hey, hey, are you rebelling?"

Ignoring Shishigou's complaint, Mordred used her B-rank strength, which did not match her slender arms, to pin him down.

"I am the rebellious knight after all, and now that I have a physical body and you no longer have Command Seals, what can you do to me?"

"Nice job."

Shinji gave a thumbs-up with one hand and drew the Scepter of the Goddess with the other.

A white halo representing purifying power and a blue light symbolizing the Third Magic entered Shishigou's body, quickly expelling a mass of black shadow.

The shadow constantly changed shape, sometimes forming terrifying faces, other times condensing into the shape of a demon.

Seeing this, Jeanne unfurled her holy flag and softly chanted:

"Let the thirsty souls be satisfied, filling the hungry souls with good things."

"In the deep darkness, let the suffering ones bound by iron be redeemed."

Under the baptism of the saint and the holy relic, the filthy curse instantly dissipated.

"All done."

Shinji put away the scepter and walked over to Artoria, "Sorry, I don't have anything to give you."

Artoria shook her head, her emerald eyes shimmering with warmth: "I have already received the best gift. Being your servant is the best gift."

"Is that so? Then—"

Shinji finally turned his gaze to Jeanne, "I've done everything I needed to do. According to our agreement, I'm here to accept the judge's verdict."

"Very well."

Jeanne pointed her holy flag at Shinji's nose and said sternly, "Black Assassin Matou Shinji, for participating in the Holy Grail War irregularly, violating the rules—I, Ruler Jeanne, hereby expel you! Do you have any objections?"

"No objections!"

Shinji shook his head with a smile, "No need for the judge to act personally, we'll leave right away."

Jeanne put away her holy flag and gave a gentle smile, slightly different from her usual one: "I'm really glad you kept your promise."

"Me too, I'm glad to have met you. Will we have a chance to meet again?"

"We definitely will."

Jeanne glanced at Justeaze in the back row, her voice soft.

"Really? Then..."

"Wait."

Caules jumped out again, "You're just going to leave? Aren't you going to say goodbye to my sister and Miss Reika?"

"There's no time."

Shinji looked longingly in the direction of Trifas and sighed, "Better not to meet."

"You're heartless."

"Sometimes you have to be. You know that best."

"Indeed, so I'll scold you harshly in front of them."

"Do as you please, I won't hear it anyway—Old man, I'm done here, let's go."

"Stand by my side, what about you guys?"

The last "you guys" was directed at Shirou and Semiramis.

Shirou chuckled: "No need to worry about us, we'll leave on our own. Matou Shinji, here's a final gift for you."

"What gift?"

"I have a move that can result in mutual destruction, its power is roughly equivalent to Excalibur. When you can face this move head-on, you can challenge her—watch closely."

Shirou stepped out of the ark and stood in mid-air.

"Ultimate (Art) (Sword) Technique: Eight Hundred Thousand (Explosions)!"

In an instant, the wind and clouds changed color, and a thunderous roar shook the heavens and the earth.

At the moment the katana was swung, the katana itself first collapsed.

Immediately afterward, the EX Noble Phantasm suspended below, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, which had withstood countless attacks, split along its central axis and shattered continuously during its descent. Within seconds, the vast garden had turned into countless fragments.

Moreover, these fragments continued to self-destruct, as if continuously being slashed by the katana, eventually turning into dust that scattered with the wind, taking the temple space based on the garden with it.

Along with the collapse of the garden, Shirou's body also disintegrated. Each time the garden broke, a crack on his body would burst. As the garden turned to dust, he too dissolved into spirit particles and dispersed into the air.

"Amakusa Shirou Tokisada is thus defeated. Congratulations to everyone for saving the world. From now on, please continue to protect this beautiful world."

Simultaneously, Semiramis's body also began to vanish. Having been struck head-on by Mordred's Noble Phantasm, she should have exited the stage long ago, but an unknown power had sustained her existence. Now, with that power dissipated, she too could no longer remain in the present world.

Zelretch looked up at the sky and spoke.

"Let's go too—the 'Greater Grail' remaining in this world will cause significant problems. Please transport it to the inner side of the world."

A few petals floated down in response.

"Then—"

The space shifted, and the figures of Zelretch, Shinji, and Justeze became increasingly blurry.

"Goodbye..."

"Bye-bye..."

"Until we meet again."

Everyone waved farewell, even Avicebron, who had not spoken a word. This was also the last scenery Shinji saw in this world.

Soon, the three had completely disappeared, and Artoria lowered her arm, lost in thought.

"Is this alright?"

A teasing voice sounded in her ear—it was Merlin.

"What do you mean, 'alright'?"

"I mean your response to his 'confession'. It's not easy to meet a suitable person, right?"

"It's okay. I will tell him next time we meet."

Artoria's attitude was as resolute as ever, just like her sword and spear.

"I have a feeling that day won't be too far off."

"Indeed, he probably doesn't know that you, having made a pact with the Counter Force, are now similar to a Heroic Spirit, the same in any world. I'm suddenly looking forward to the scene of your reunion with him. Ah, why don't I have the ability to observe parallel worlds?"

Artoria ignored Merlin's chatter; she had more important things to do.

"Mordred, I have a few days left. Will you accompany me to roam around nearby?"

"Sure, sure."

Mordred nodded repeatedly, "There are so many delicious foods in Bratislava. We didn't have time to try them last time; this time, we must enjoy them to the fullest."

"But I didn't bring any money."

"Neither did I, but it's okay—Master, money!"

"Now you remember me, huh?" Shishigou complained.

In the distance, more than a dozen bird golems lined up, and Roche waved continuously from above.

"Teacher, and everyone else, I'm here to pick you up..."

Sunshine fell, illuminating everyone's faces, bringing a brilliant conclusion to this war destined never to be made public.