Emiya Shirou doesn't want to work overtime

Because he didn't understand why Shirou Emiya would do this, why there would be someone trying to understand the enemy in a war where one's life is at stake.

If this were in my own country, I would not hesitate to impale someone like Shirou Emiya with a steel spear.

Mercy to the enemy is cruelty to oneself; this is a truth even new recruits understand.

A person who lowers their guard against the enemy will sooner or later die at the hands of others.

But why don't I feel disgusted by such a person?

"How tragic! Why would God allow such a fate, such a tragic destiny—!"

Standing beside Lanlu, Vlad III's eyes were also filled with sorrow as he passionately rebuked what had happened to Lanlu.

"To be able to eat only what one loves, yet still maintain one's faith! This is the kind of genuine love I pursue—a love that is selfless and without pretense!!!"

"Before such a noble person, I am willing to risk all the protection of my faith!"

Vlad III's language is filled with confidence, approval of his master, and accusations against others.

Then, looking at Shirou Emiya who seemed completely unprepared, he softly uttered a sentence that he felt he would never say.

"Thanks--!"

Vlad III suddenly understood why his Master had such a strong appetite for Shirou Emiya.

Only Shirou Emiya, as the enemy, did not see himself or his Master as monsters.

Only Shirou Emiya, as the enemy, understood Master's nobility, the pain he had endured, and everything he had sacrificed.

How could he possibly dislike someone like that?

No matter how angry I am at the world, I cannot be angry at it.

Because he, like his Master, was an incomparably noble person, an incomparably noble hero.

"However, next time, you will become food in my wife's belly!!!"

With these vicious words in his hand, Vlad III carried Lanlu, who had exhausted himself from drastically suppressing his appetite, and left the place.

Emiya Shirou also quickly headed towards the cafeteria. Although with his current physical condition, he could indeed go without food for a long time, it didn't mean that Emiya Shirou was willing to starve.

It's just that I was so engrossed in forging that I forgot about time.

Looking back now, it was the moment when Shirou Emiya realized that he only had one day left until the final battle.

If I don't find the key quickly, I won't even be qualified to participate in the final battle.

Those who are not qualified to participate in the final battle will be deleted by Mooncell along with their Servants.

Therefore, time is of the essence for Shirou Emiya. He must race against time to get to the arena and find a way to locate the key.

Shirou Emiya even has to face the menacing Rin Tohsaka.

For Shirou Emiya, who possesses a weapon that can increase his luck stat, it only took him a few hours to find the second key.

The day of the decisive second battle arrived quickly.

Admittedly, Shirou Emiya knew the best way to deal with Vlad III: set the entire Nichijou Plain on fire.

By exposing Vlad, a vampire, to the sun, Shirou Emiya could defeat him without expending much effort.

However, out of respect for Vlad III, Shirou Emiya did not choose such a method to confront him. Instead, like Vlad III, who was a warrior, Shirou Emiya challenged him as a warrior himself.

Shirou Emiya could also sense that Vlad III here also felt immense disgust for the identity of a vampire.

Chapter 578 Innocent Monster

As always, Kirei Kotomine stood before the gate that seemed to be locked by chains, wearing that meaningful smile, and looked at Shirou Emiya who was walking towards him.

"Welcome to the battlefield. Are you ready?"

"There is only one door, and only one group can return to the school building. If you are prepared, then open the door to the final battle."

With these words in mind, Kirei Kotomine, who was standing in front of the door, slightly stepped aside.

These were almost identical words to those before, so Shirou Emiya no longer needed to confirm them. He took out two keypads from his hand and placed them on the door.

"Crack! Crack! Crack!"

The deep mechanical sound rang out again, as if something was being heavily pulled up. The door, which had looked extremely ordinary, began to gradually transform into a machine the moment the key was inserted.

The door slowly opened, and looking inside from the outside, it was still completely dark.

Without any hesitation, Shirou Emiya stepped into the darkness once again.

A faint blue light began to emanate the moment Shirou Emiya stepped in.

In just a few seconds, the surrounding area returned to normal brightness.

Meanwhile, Vlad III and Lanlu were already standing within the blue barrier in front of Shirou Emiya, scanning him.

The surrounding blue light kept moving upwards, and the elevator started operating the moment Shirou Emiya stepped in.

Lan Lujun remained the same, staring intently at him with extremely hungry and sticky eyes, swaying his body while muttering something under his breath.

"What do you taste like? I really want to take a bite!"

She made no attempt to hide her desire to eat Shirou Emiya, and her words carried an extremely strong sense of oppression in the confined space.

"Hey, if I beat you, can I eat you?"

Lanlu-kun seemed to be asking something, bombarding Emiya Shirou with questions, yet she answered them herself, unable to conceal her intense appetite.

"It's just a pity that everyone who fought until now has disappeared, and you're going to disappear too!"

At the very moment Lanlu Jun finished speaking, Vlad III, who was standing next to him, also showed an extremely puzzled expression.

"Hey Master, where's your Servant?"

Seeing Shirou Emiya standing alone opposite him, even Vlad III, who was somewhat deranged, sensed something was amiss.

This is the final battlefield, the place where followers fight each other to determine the victor.

Not bringing in the followers would be suicidal.

Even so, Vlad III still couldn't sense the slightest trace of a Servant around Shirou Emiya.

It's as if the man in front of me doesn't have any servants of his own.

Emiya Shirou could only shake his head with a wry smile.

In the final battle, there is basically no need to hide.

Even if you lie and say that your Servant is an Assassin, the other side can still deduce that you don't have a Servant at all.

If Assassin can truly conceal his presence to the point of near-absence, even in such a confined space, without being detected by Servants, then Assassin would likely be the strongest class in the Holy Grail War.

With such a concealed aura, it's even possible for a Servant to protect their Master behind their back while the Assassin can silently kill the Master.

The protection a Servant has for their Master is almost nonexistent in the face of an Assassin.

Moreover, if Shirou Emiya truly possessed such a powerful aura concealed by an Assassin, Ranji would have perished here long ago and would never have had the chance to reach the final battlefield.

After much thought, there is only one possibility: Shirou Emiya simply doesn't have his own Servant.

With this judgment in mind, when Vlad looked at Shirou Emiya again, he was met with an unwavering gaze.

The next second ——————

"Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!!!!"

A maniacal laugh came from Vlad III's mouth.

"That look, that look! I knew I wasn't wrong, I knew I wasn't wrong at all!!!!"

He felt it, he felt it—Shirou Emiya's unwavering spirit, his indomitable will, his soaring fighting spirit.

He didn't care whether Shirou Emiya had his own Servant or not. No matter how Shirou Emiya understood them as monsters, he was still his enemy, the object that his Master wanted to devour.

Praise and gratitude are acceptable, but Vlad III will never show mercy to his enemies.

"Just imagining piercing such a noble enemy, bathing in a tide of blood, makes my heart pound like a constantly tolling bell."

Vlad III, half-crouching, his manic expression radiating intense fighting spirit and killing intent, enveloped Shirou Emiya.

He couldn't wait to fight Shirou Emiya and pierce someone like him.

"The moment is drawing near, even the frantic pace of the elevator feels endearing!"

The rising speed of the surrounding blue light began to slow down, and the elevator soon came to a stop.

The clown standing next to Vlad shrugged in an incredibly comical and exaggerated manner.

Through the two holes in the mask, she stared intently at Shirou Emiya with her dark, almost viscous eyes.

"My stomach is growling! I want to eat something delicious right now!!!"

The final battle has officially begun.

The originally cramped and enclosed environment rapidly changed; the steel plate floor and the space shimmering with blue light vanished in an instant.

A vibrant green figure instantly filled Shirou Emiya's entire field of vision.

Everything around was covered by the several-meter-high emerald green grass.

Even with its best efforts, the sunlight could only faintly illuminate the world beneath the grass.

Just as the arena for Ichi no Tsuki no Omoita is on an island, the final battle is actually on the sails of a ship sailing through a stormy sea.

The arena and the final battleground are located in different places.

It's merely meant to provide you with a reference for the situation on the battlefield.

The entire battlefield was covered by endless grass several meters high.

Everything around was pitch black, with not a single vacant plot of land.

Shirou Emiya could only fight Vlad III on what was called a plain, but was actually an extremely complex terrain.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, my wife. It's finally lunchtime, and this meal will undoubtedly be delicious!!!"

A familiar voice came from in front of Shirou Emiya.

That was Vlad III, holding a dark gold spear and revealing his sharp teeth.