Crossover Anime: Starting with Bankai from Demon Slayer

Chapter 263 Goodnight, Machiri

The old gem stood there quietly, and then sighed again.

It's like watching a child who has gone astray and is ultimately beyond redemption.

"Machiri, do you remember me?"

Zelrich's voice was soft, yet it struck Zheyan's soul like a heavy hammer.

"A hundred years ago, on this land that was not yet polluted."

"You, Justisa, and Tohsaka Eito."

"The three of you stood before the Greater Grail's magic circle and, in my witness, made a vow together."

Zelrich raised his hand and lightly touched the stiff Crest Worm with his fingertips.

"do you remember?"

"Machiri Zorgen—I remember you resolutely abandoned your family's honor and traveled across the ocean to this Far East in order to eliminate all evil in this world and to free humanity from suffering."

"Back then, your eyes were so clear and so determined."

"You said you wanted to become a partner of justice, and that you wanted to use the Third Law to save all of humanity."

"But what about now?"

Zelrich shook his head, his tone filled with disappointment.

"Look at yourself now."

"To survive, you turned into this disgusting worm."

"In order to survive, you trampled on your vows and defiled Justesa's sacrifice."

"To survive, you're even willing to destroy this city and countless innocent lives."

"Where exactly did Machiri, that magician with lofty ideals, die?"

"Shut up... shut up!!!"

The Crest Bug let out a shrill cry, trying its best to stop the Jewel Elemental from continuing its incessant chatter.

He was scared.

He wasn't afraid of death; it seemed almost certain to happen now.

He was suddenly afraid—that his past would be brought up.

He fears accepting himself as Machiri, and subjecting him to a profound trial and interrogation of his soul.

"What do you know?! You are a high and mighty mage! You possess near-infinite lifespan! How could you possibly understand the fear of death that mortals have?!"

"Once I become Death, once I become a god, I will naturally return to save this hopeless world! Unlike you, who only looks down upon mortals!"

"Ideals? Can those things put food on the table? Can they keep me alive?!"

"As long as I can live... as long as I can reach the source... what does it matter if I become an insect? What does it matter if I become a demon?!"

"As long as the result is right, the process doesn't matter!!"

Zelrich heard his roar but was not angry; instead, the look of pity in his eyes deepened.

"Is that so... So you've completely forgotten?"

"You've forgotten the look in Justeza's eyes when she transformed into the Holy Grail, and you've forgotten the hope she entrusted to you."

Zelrich straightened up and stopped looking at the insect.

He turned around, his gaze piercing through the thick layers of rock, looking out at the world, at the night sky ravaged by war and magical storms.

Originally, I didn't intend to interfere in the present world.

Zelrich said slowly, "If I interfere arbitrarily, it will cause changes in the world line, and sometimes it will lead to even bigger trouble."

"but...

""

He stroked his beard and gave a meaningful smile.

"This time, the situation is a bit special."

"I've seen countless timelines: in some worlds, Fuyuki City was engulfed in flames, and Kiritsugu Emiya risked his life to dig out a child named Shirou."

"In some worlds, the corruption of the Holy Grail led to the extinction of all humanity."

"In another world, you not only survived, but also successfully drove that poor little girl insane, turning her into the incarnation of an evil god."

"Only this one line..."

'

Zelrich reached out, as if grasping something unseen in the void.

"Because of a variable that does not belong to this dimension intruding, the gears of fate have taken a strange turn."

"That man named Asuka... and that little girl who, though weak, struggled desperately..."

""

"And then there's the four-eyed man who travels through different timelines—"

"They created a hopeful worldline that I had never foreseen."

Zelrich lowered his head and looked at the dirty inkstone again.

"On this timeline, there is no absolute despair."

"So, Machiri, as an old friend, this is the last mercy I can give you."

"Stop being so stubborn."

"Your path ends here."

Having said that, Zelrich simply swung his jeweled cane like a sword.

"Second Magic: Multidimensional Refraction"

In that instant, it was as if the space was folded together by countless mirrors.

A dazzling, seven-colored light burst forth from the top of the cane.

That was the radiance from countless parallel worlds, a dimensional blade powerful enough to sever cause and effect and erase existence.

"No!!!!"

Zang Yan let out a final, desperate scream.

He sensed it.

That was a direct attempt to erase his very existence.

Under this light, everything was revealed, from his hiding places around the world to the fragments he inhabited within others, and even all the mystery and magic he had accumulated over the centuries.

They were all completely removed from the timeline at the same time.

"I don't want to die!! I haven't... I haven't..."

'

"Yustissa... Tohsaka Eito... You've all lied to me!! You've all lied to me!!!"

Until the very last moment, the old insect showed no remorse.

He cursed the world, cursed fate, and cursed his two long-dead old friends.

In that seven-colored radiance.

The ugly marking insect, along with all the surrounding swarms of insects, instantly turned into nothingness particles.

It's as if it never existed.

The light dissipated.

Zelrich put away his cane, stared at the empty altar, and remained silent for a long time.

Goodbye, old friend.

May you find yourself again on the other side of nothingness.

After he finished speaking, the old man's figure began to fade.

Time began to flow again.

.flame!!"

Tokiomi Tohsaka snapped back to reality, realizing he was still in the posture of casting a spell, with only half of the incantation in his mouth.

But to his surprise, the target had disappeared.

Just moments ago, Matou Reiken was about to detonate the Greater Grail and was shouting wildly, and there was that overwhelming swarm of insects...

In the blink of an eye, they all disappeared.

"What...what's going on?!"

Tokiomi was stunned, and he looked around blankly.

The great cavern was deathly silent, with only the magic loop on the distant rock wall emitting a faint red glow.

The oppressive feeling of destroying everything, the suffocating malice, all vanished without a trace.

"Hey, sir."

Shiba Kaien put down his spear, scratching his head in bewilderment. "Where's that old monster? Did he run away?"

"No...it's impossible for him to run that fast..."

'

Tokiomi walked up to the altar and looked at the empty ground.

There wasn't even a trace of insect magic left there; it was as clean as if it had been purified by the gods.

"This feeling..."

Tokiomi keenly sensed the faint dimensional fluctuations remaining in the air.

That was the aura of true magic, surpassing all other magic.

"Could it be...?"

'

Tokiomi suddenly thought of that legendary figure from the family.

The mage who once taught Ancestor Tohsaka.