The establishment of the Time Travelers Alliance began in the first year of Conan

Chapter 396 The Alliance is the Holy Grail
Fujimura Taiga, no, disciple Zero, felt that Shi-chan had been acting a little strange since this morning.

This is actually the fault of the "Alliance".

……

After Lin Sheng and Conan reunited, the "Alliance" now has a core member.

After carefully considering the current situation, the two of them felt that the future was becoming clearer and clearer.

The statement "We have already won" is not just empty talk.

After all, who still remembers the original purpose of the [Alliance]?
"The historical momentum of World War V seems to have overwhelmed World War IV, and from this point of view, our advantage is indeed very large."

Lin Sheng concluded, "The appearance of Black Alice and Fujimura Taiga indicates that the Fifth World War in this universe is bound to happen."

"Looking at it this way, activating my [Realistic Marble] might actually be a good move," Conan sighed.

Even the famous detective didn't know why things had developed to this point.

Is this the terrifying force of historical inertia, or has the effort of the alliance finally yielded results?

Fortunately, neither of the people in the principal's office is someone who would easily get caught up in this.

Ultimately, if a person is destined to have a future that they consider acceptable and relatively happy, it's hard to say whether they should continue to resist.

This is especially true when the factors leading to this future are so complex and intertwined.

As a great man once said, we must distinguish between subjective and objective factors, and this applies to judging the myriad things in the world in general.

Therefore, although the new discovery allowed the Alliance to make more thorough preparations, surprisingly, the original plan continued to proceed smoothly and according to schedule.

The current plan is indeed the optimal solution.

The reason is the same as why Weber preferred to use his infiltration techniques to make a deal rather than use Weber City's objectives.

Conan's Reality Marble, and the purpose of everyone who comes here, all have only one goal—to obtain the Holy Grail.

Black Sakura and Black Alice's actions were more like sabotage behind enemy lines, attempting to gain an advantage in a small area and wage a war of annihilation.

Unfortunately, the total number of people on the entire battlefield did not exceed twenty.

Even setting aside Lin Sheng's decisive action of having Merlin and Gilgamesh provide separate support.

Even if, by some chance, Kirei Kotomine really falls into Kurokawa's hands, Lin Sheng's side still has a significant advantage.

"Kiritsugu, you and Maiya head to Beika Bridge immediately. Next, Kuroi will definitely take advantage of the commotion at the school to try to replicate what happened in the [Editorial Matters]."

Lin Sheng directed Kiritsugu to move from the Matou residence to another key location.

"The enemy will definitely use Caster and Ryunosuke Uryu, and these two..."

Lin Sheng paused, remembering the sudden loss of contact with Caster—the timing of the disconnection didn't match up.

"If the analysis results are correct, they will still cooperate with our actions."

Whether it's due to historical inertia, or their character designs, or Conan's character design, Lin Sheng added in his mind.

"I understand." A sigh of relief could be clearly heard from the other end of the communication.

……

Emiya Kiritsugu is really lacking a leader right now.

He once thought he would be someone who was good at planning and even making decisions.

However, this persistence and assertiveness must be considered in relation to the circumstances he is in.

Now I am the one who has pressed the big red button to launch the nuclear missile.

Regardless of what happened at the harbor, or the current matters concerning this [Unique Marble]—

He could only watch as things spiraled out of his control, potentially for the better or for the worse.

And this was especially true after learning of the recent appearance of another Irisviel.

"It's just... as ridiculous as those comic books Alice used to read."

Kiritsugu Emiya completely failed to understand that his original wish should have only concerned war and peace among humans on Earth.

The current situation is as absurd as some anime characters encountering a cosmic-level crisis immediately after leaving Earth.

The shock of such a vast difference even makes the appearance of an evil version of Alice seem less dramatic.

Even if we follow the "fate" described by the "Alliance," only a few hundred people will die in the end.

But could trying to save the "fate" of these few hundred people lead to the destruction of an entire universe?!
The scales, which symbolize life, should now have their numbers completely reversed.

That is to say-

Kiritsugu Emiya should immediately abandon this decision to change his fate.

He should immediately return to the embrace of fate.

Just like... just like what he did in the "historical inertia" of World War IV.

In fact, before Lin Sheng's phone call, [Emiya Kiritsugu] was making such a struggle.

He did indeed consider whether or not to betray the Alliance.

because--

On the vast ocean of space, there are two ships.

One ship contains three hundred universes, while the other ship contains two hundred universes...

Sacrificing the minority to save the majority—isn't that Kiritsugu Emiya's principle?
And no proposition is more in line with "his justice" than the one that [Emiya Kiritsugu] is facing now.

For the existence of [Emiya Kiritsugu], [historical inertia] seems to have never left.

He had been having this nightmare ever since he survived his encounter with Black Ellie.

Although he only became aware of the existence of another Alice through that Assassin, in the dream, it was as if he had truly entered the interior of the Holy Grail once again.

Mud that reached above ankles, the mournful cries of the dead echoing in the sky…

It would be many, many times more tragic—not just one planet, not just one Irisviel.

The sun was the color of the corpses, and it even looked as if it were truly made up of countless piled-up corpses.

The Dyson sphere, composed of countless corpses, was filled with tar and boiling ashes produced by the burning, which were then blown by the howling solar winds to every corner of the "solar system".

The planet wept for him, lamenting the terrible destruction caused by those who strayed from their destiny.

All the evils of this world are but a drop in the ocean compared to such a tragedy.

Every moment, countless more celestial bodies fall toward the center of that star, and what the sun sprays is not solar wind but a sea of ​​blood—not just human blood, but also the blood of gods and all things.

This is the price to pay for hope, and it seems that this price will never stop.

The mountains formed by corpses grew at a visible rate, and on such a vast scale, the piled-up flesh resembled water flowing down the rocky outcrops like waterfalls.

The blood and flesh of people came together to form the oceans, mountains, and all things on this planet.

When Kiritsugu looked around, he saw that every star in the sky and every planet that orbited them was like that.

In such a realistic dream, it would be hard to understand why one wouldn't feel swayed or want to betray the dream.

Even after the battle of blood and flesh ceased, the lingering spirits refused to rest.

They are all warriors of "justice," glorious "heroic spirits," continuing to fight for their respective great ideals on that eternal battlefield.

In other words—this is the peaceful world Kiritsugu wanted.

Fortunately, Kiritsugu Emiya's first reaction to this was to question it.

This dream was clearly someone trying to tell him something, and it was based on the procedures that Conan had repeatedly emphasized in the League's training manual.

Kiritsugu always severed the connection before "that thing" could tell him anything.

But without a doubt, the thing placed at the very center of the "sun," the thing everyone is fighting over, has already shown—

Can that thing really exist in this world?
However, this is something that Alaya "feels" particularly regrettable, if it even has such a thought called "regret".

Even though He tried to use the "historical inertia" of the Fourth Shinobi World War to make Kiritsugu Emiya make a choice that would benefit Him, the man ultimately refused.

The Alaya-vijnana cannot even comprehend this—if it could even think.

The wisdom of all people is the Alaya consciousness, and the thoughts of all people are the Alaya consciousness.

If things had gone according to their original "fate," only a few hundred people would have died.

Given such a large "disparity in power," why would Kiritsugu Emiya still choose to obtain the Holy Grail?
……

In Lin Sheng's view, Kiritsugu breathed a sigh of relief, and then immediately asked himself another question.

"Mr. ZC-01, the Alliance... can indeed save this universe, right?"

"Don't worry, Kiritsugu, the Alliance has already saved a universe in the past." Lin Sheng's words were filled with strong confidence.

"To tell you the truth, even in the worst-case scenario, the Alliance can buy this universe as much time as it needs."

Kiritsugu continued, "Even without the Holy Grail?"

Lin Sheng frowned almost imperceptibly, but he really had no reason to lie about this.

“Even without the Holy Grail,” Lin Sheng paused, “the situation would be much more complicated. The Alliance would be tied down, and it wouldn’t be able to solve the problem once and for all.”

“I understand,” Kiritsugu repeated, then added, “I will help you obtain the Holy Grail.”

This is also the biggest reason why Alaya's plan failed.

It wasn't that Kiritsugu Emiya wanted to obtain the Holy Grail, but rather that the Alliance needed to obtain it.

Moreover, the Alliance never fights a battle unprepared.

Just like many "cases" in this universe that grant task forces the authority to act expediently, it's important to let members know the purpose of their mission in order to better achieve that purpose.

Although some task force members who find things troublesome may rigidly follow the plan.

However, each task force leader must thoroughly understand the ins and outs of the entire plan before setting off.

Therefore, even though the Alliance concealed some information from Kiritsugu, the consequences of each part of the plan and its necessity were explained in detail.

For Kiritsugu Emiya, the current Holy Grail is not the "Holy Grail"; the current "Alliance" is the "Holy Grail."

【Alaya】This point was wrong from the very beginning.

To persuade Kiritsugu Emiya to give up the Holy Grail, you first need to convince the Alliance that the disadvantages outweigh the advantages.

Therefore, after Kiritsugu hesitantly revealed his dream, Rin's reply only strengthened his resolve.

"Yes, the Holy Grail is indeed the source of chaos, but they have not seen the true nature of the matter."

Considering Kiritsugu's importance, Lin Sheng offered a rare explanation—anyway, he wasn't afraid of Kiritsugu jumping ship now.

He then reassured Kiritsugu.

"If you give up, no matter what consequences you see, I can guarantee that the consequences of giving up will be many times more serious than that."

Kiritsugu on the other end of the communicator couldn't help but give a bitter laugh—he truly couldn't imagine anything more despairing than what he was witnessing.

But when Kiritsugu hung up the call, his gaze became even more resolute.

He only wanted one hope... The Holy Grail was neither the hope nor the miracle for this Kiritsugu Emiya.

And the [Alliance] is.

Therefore, in any case.

He wants to save the world.

……

"Someone has made a move against Kiritsugu."

This was Lin Sheng's first sentence after ending his call with Kiritsugu.

"They probably took advantage of the chaos at the academy to try and make a move using Black Alice's character design or the momentum from the Fifth Holy Grail War."

Conan didn't even turn his head. After confirming that the plan, aside from some adjustments, would largely proceed according to the original scheme...

He was also simultaneously working to quell some unrest that had broken out within the academy.

"Notify Kenneth to take a group of armed detectives to the academy's port and water sports center respectively."

"In addition, Yongli Jiuyin began to block the river channel and arranged for people to go to the seaside park on the other side to guard it."

"The academy's ferry, lock the rudder valve, and at the same time, send the armed reconnaissance team—no, send Lancer personally to guard the ammunition depot at the western suburban training ground."

"At the same time, tell Yan Ye that he needs to come to the ferry, as the enemy may use this as an opportunity to make a move."

"At the Central Hospital, have Yue Liang lead a group of medical personnel to handle the aftermath..."

After quickly finishing some arrangements in the principal's office, Conan responded to Lin Sheng's words.

"It was expected, just a little late."

Lin Sheng and Conan are both very good at analyzing people's psychology; it's their forte.

If we were to name the one that the League is least worried about right now, it would undoubtedly be Kiritsugu.

It's not just that he can still use [Time Control], which gives him invincible defense in the reversed timeline.

"They definitely don't understand where Kiritsugu Emiya's trust in us lies."

The projection in the air and Conan exchanged a smile.

—The Alliance completely and utterly saved a universe!
Nothing is more believable than "examples".

Even if we take a step back and assume that Kiritsugu Emiya really wanted to betray, to which side should this character defect to?

Having learned the "truth," even if it's only a part of the truth about "fate," Kiritsugu Emiya could no longer go back to the past.

Just like I mentioned a long time ago, the difference between the "Alliance" and Kiritsugu is that Lin Sheng is truly capable of trying to do this.

He could even clearly see that Kiritsugu's wish, in addition to its essence of "peace," also contained ideals such as "equality and freedom."

To put it bluntly, what he really wanted, in a crude but reasonable way, was—"the ability to choose how to die."

After the Alliance showed this man a part of the current state of the universe, Kiritsugu could never go back.

“Blindly copying others is not a good idea,” Lin Sheng said with some emotion. “Fuyuki Bridge, Mika Church… no matter which [historical inertia] it is, it’s just the same few tricks over and over again.”

“After all, it’s like the dual timelines,” Conan said, his expression unusually relaxed after hanging up the phone. “Even if we don’t want to, or even if there are other methods that would make it easier to eliminate us, it won’t work.”

When it comes to the power of "historical inertia," even Conan from "this universe" is at a loss.

Its rigidity is on the same level as its power.

Conan couldn't help but recall something happy—

"Lin Sheng, do you know?" His voice was tinged with a teasing laugh, "In the academy's coding system, the name of the Holmes has been changed to the Sea Demon."

The enemy was forced to reveal a weakness.

For those who fail to perceive the difference between "compilation matters" and "historical inertia," perhaps the actions of Black Alice and Black Sakura are still debatable.

But from the perspective of the [Alliance], it's all too obvious.

"I guess tonight's banquet is just following the historical pattern of the Three Kings' Banquet," Lin Sheng casually revealed the truth.

Conan wanted to make a bet with Lin Sheng: "Let's deduce who will ultimately have the Holy Grail?"

Lin Sheng replied, "What's the difference? This is only the 'third day'..."

Upon hearing this, Conan nodded in agreement.

"That's a bit of a shame, because I'm definitely going to be off work today no matter what."

Lin Sheng's projection waved its hand.

"Let's not talk about that anymore. Let's see what the plan is for tomorrow."

Before leaving this guy alone in jail, we must squeeze every last drop of value out of him.

……

On the 'third day' and the 'second day', there is a plan that is very important.

That is—Irisviel, I mean this Irisviel of the universe.

The reason Lin Sheng arrived at the church a step late was that he was at the time arranging Alice's whereabouts with Conan.

Having been thoroughly "trained" in the dual timelines of this universe, the two have always been able to easily grasp the key points.

The Holy Grail is the most important thing to focus on right now.

It's not just about whether it can actually grant wishes, but rather that the person who "picks it up" and the last person to do so represent the final outcome of historical inertia.

As for those minor details of "historical inertia," Lin Sheng wasn't saying they weren't important, but rather that they had little significance in shaking the process rather than the ending.

Even as the truth is further uncovered, the Alliance now has a deeper understanding of the situation in the Type-Moon universe.

But the original plan was not disrupted; on the contrary, it became even more necessary to pay attention to it.

Given the changing circumstances, this plan now needs some modifications.

After ending his call with Conan, Lin Sheng refocused his attention on the plans for "the next day".

However, this means there are many people and places that need to be utilized.

Sigh... Lin Sheng also hates this kind of plan—

To be precise, after successfully and perfectly saving the world once, the plans that required sacrifices became even more dreadful.

"Alright." Thinking of this, Lin Sheng couldn't help but sigh.

"Since I can't stop it, let me see how to make up for it with a perfect ending."

Despite his optimistic attitude, Lin Sheng was well aware that the inevitable "historical inertia" was still an inescapable obstacle for the alliance.

Fortunately, it seems that the League has at least a happy and blissful "third day".

……

Irisviel felt that perhaps there really was something wrong with the world.

From her perspective, she did indeed see the Holy Grail displayed in the Trophy Showroom.

The jewel-encrusted base and heavy gold cup gleam under the protection of bulletproof glass and the surrounding lights.

This couldn't help but cause a sense of panic within Irisviel.

That is your future self—

A cold, golden cup, like one displayed to showcase certain victories.

However, the next moment, the heartbeat in her chest and the pulse in her blood vessels gave Irisviel a sense of reassurance mixed with doubt.

Once you have a physical body, are you still the "Little Holy Grail"?

And just as she was trying to get closer to see if she could activate the power of the "Holy Grail"—that's how it's written in fairy tales.

The next moment she appeared in the familiar castle.

As an ordinary person with a physical body, Irisviel obviously has no ability to resist changes in the [timeline].

Lin Sheng's arrangements for her were very simple, and he didn't even need to reveal any information to her.

Once she is sent to the "Einzbern Consultation Room," she will naturally do the thing that is most favorable to the "historical inertia."

And that was indeed the case; the historical inertia of World War V completely ignored Black Alice's actions.

These "developments," which are merely for the sake of the normal development of "historical inertia," immediately put Irisviel, or rather, White Irisviel, into practice.

“Dingle bell…Dingle bell…”

Just as Irisviel was trying to follow her previous plan and search for some relevant clues...

In the empty castle, the familiar sound of a telephone ringing could be heard.

Irisviel picked up the microphone, and a cheerful voice came from the other end.

"Master-chan—!" Disciple Zero's voice was tinged with fear. "I had that nightmare again!"

I heard that the familiar, comforting voice on the other end of the phone wasn't there as it used to be.

Disciple Zero started to whine to Master: "And that terrifying monster, no matter who it is, and who I am, why am I here..."

"May I ask who you are?"

Before Irisviel could even ask her question, a terrifying "Oh ho" came from the other end of the phone.

"Oh no! Even Shi-chan has forgotten something!"

"Master Alice, I am your disciple Zero!"

"Disciple Zero?" Irisviel felt that the situation was getting stranger and stranger.

She couldn't help but turn her gaze to the window.

Unlike the bright and sunny morning just moments before.

The weather outside the window now felt as if she had truly returned to that ashen castle of the past... gloomy.

"Zero," Irisviel said instinctively, choosing the nickname she felt suited to the unknown child's voice, "Where...are you now?"

"Master Alice, I'm at home?" The person on the other end of the phone seemed puzzled.

"You've even forgotten the consultation room you opened at the foot of the mountain?"

Irisviel unconsciously repeated the words of the child who claimed to be her disciple.

"Einzbern—Consultation Room?"

"Oh no, I still have so many questions I want to ask you! Like Archer in that book, that golden guy..."

Disciple Zero had no defenses against him.

With just a few simple words of conversation, Irisviel was quite convinced.

I definitely need to go to the counseling room at least once.

(End of this chapter)