Shirou, who returned from the Fairy Kingdom

“…………”

Metatron was not angered by Shirou's provocation; he merely twitched his eyebrows slightly.

"Although I really want to bring relief to the earth right now... the most basic procedures still need to be followed."

Shirou frowned: "What are you planning to do?"

"I'll give you a little... time."

Although the archangel's tone was completely calm, one could sense absolute confidence and composure from it.

"As we all know, it took God seven days to create the world—"

Since that's the case, I'll give you seven days.

You can use this week before the end of the world however you want; I won't interfere.

Whether it's repentance or indulgence, whether it's self-abandonment or preparation for rebellion, I will turn a blind eye.

Accept it with gratitude—this is the Lord's final mercy.

"Could it be that after all that smug talk, he actually couldn't possibly wipe out all of humanity?"

Shirou provoked him again.

However, this is not entirely a provocation.

Shirou felt that Metatron must have some unspeakable reason for giving them seven days.

"Think what you want, Holy Sword Wielder."

The archangel's eyebrows twitched again: "If you are unwilling to accept, you can challenge me at any time—"

I will send you back to where you were at any time.

Sending me back to my original world? Is there really such a good thing?

If it were a day ago, Shirou would probably have thought that with great enthusiasm.

but now--

Shirou glanced at Sajō Aika, whose eyes were closed, in his arms.

Putting the world aside for now, he thought, I can't abandon this child.

"...Saber, what should we do?"

Atalanta asked nervously.

She believes that whether it's fighting against angels or not, starting a war now is not a wise choice. Saber doesn't even have a Master to provide magic for, does he?

After a brief silence, Shirou's back space rippled, revealing a pure white airship.

"Ready to withdraw."

As he spoke, the boy walked toward Metatron—or rather, toward Leticia, who was directly below her.

Archangel Metatron did not use Leticia's body, but directly occupied Joan of Arc's spirit origin manifestation.

Therefore, the French girl's body is no longer of any use to her.

Shirou carried Leticia on his shoulder and returned to his own spaceship.

Achilles was also preparing to leave with Atalanta.

Having witnessed the whole process, he now understands Ayaka Sajou's intentions. Although he still hates that girl, he has decided to rebel against the tyranny of the archangel.

"See you in a week."

Metatron watched as Shirou's airship and Achilles' chariot departed.

Besides them, there were others who were unwilling to leave.

Amakusa Shiro drew his sword, unable to accept the reality that the world was being destroyed because of his own wishes.

"Master."

Semiramis came up behind him and began to activate the last of her magical power.

The archangel intends to requisition her hanging gardens and transform the queen's throne into the throne of God that illuminates the world.

Semiramis, of course, could not accept this outcome, so she also intended to settle things with the thieves who had seized her territory.

Even knowing it's like a moth drawn to a flame—

Amakusa Shiro's arm glowed crimson.

"By Command Spell, Assassin... flee! You shouldn't die here in vain."

"Varied!?"

Semiramis's eyes widened.

She never expected that her Master would betray her at this time.

This is an unforgivable crime, and it would be perfectly justifiable to be so enraged as to tear him to pieces.

But she didn't even have a chance to complain anymore.

Under the force of the Command Spell, Semiramis's body disappeared from the Sky Garden.

……

……

"Saber... Thank goodness! You're alive! We thought you were dead!"

On the way out of the Sky Garden, I heard a familiar, excited female voice.

Shirou and Atalanta turned their heads and saw Rider riding on the back of a hawk.

Shirou's lips twitched slightly: "Where did you go?"

"Listen to me, Saber~~~~"

With a mournful expression, Astolfo recounted his grand adventure after separating from Shirou.

It turns out that after he freed the "illusionary horse that no longer exists in this world," he jumped to a completely unknown place... in other words, he got lost.

Lacking both "intuition" and "revelation," he wandered around inside the air fortress for half an hour before accidentally ending up outside the garden.

What awaited him there was the self-defense technique of the Sky Garden: the Black Coffin...

Having barely escaped the enemy's fire from the fortress, they met just as they were about to go find Shirou.

What happened up there? Why did you leave?

Astolfo asked with a puzzled look.

"Ah...could it be an elopement!?"

He covered his mouth, his gaze shifting back and forth between Shirou and Atalanta.

"..."

Shirou was in no mood to explain to him right now; he'd have the people from Yggdrasil explain the situation to him when they got back.

"Could that be... the army of angels?"

Atalanta gazed at the distant, gradually shrinking aerial fortress.

She saw countless white wings enveloping the dark fortress.

From the "Ninth Step" to the "First Step".

Angels have a sacred yet strange appearance. They were originally a collection of wings, but as their rank increased, higher-ranking angels gradually acquired the form of giants.

Judging from their Spirit Origin reactions, every angel above the "Fourth Tier" possesses at least Servant-level combat power.

Furthermore, the number of wings is constantly increasing.

If the scene described in the scriptures is true, then at least one million angels will be flying around this area of ​​the sky.

The Heavenly Kingdom's army has a combat strength of over one million at the level of Heroic Spirits...

Atalanta felt suffocated: to be honest, even if the entire Throne of Heroes were used, she didn't know if she could contend with it.

"Assassin, you didn't escape."

Shirou gazed at the fortress in the sky and muttered to himself.

Atalanta frowned slightly: "...Do you care about her a lot?"

Shirou shook his head: "I can't forgive her for betraying Aika, but..."

I was just thinking, it would be great to have a mage like Kamishiro with me in a moment like this.

Even if you master the magic of the Age of Gods, it's not that impressive in a one-on-one situation.

But if it's about fighting against an army, magicians become crucial.

Shirou narrowed his eyes: Especially those mass-produced armies that possess immense power but lack substance.

"..."

Atalanta was secretly taken aback.

Despite this overwhelming sense of despair, Shirou showed no sign of frustration; instead, he was already contemplating how to defeat the archangel.

"He truly deserves to be my future husband," the young woman thought wistfully.

Shirou: "Never mind... Since she doesn't want to come with us, there's no way to force her."

Atalanta: "Yes, I can understand the captain's feelings about not wanting to abandon her ship..."

The next instant, the "Red" Assassin appeared on the chalk deck of Enhangwen.

Shirou: "?"

Atalanta: "?"

Semiramis: "..."

The three of them looked at each other awkwardly.

-------

Volume 5, Chapter 246: Aika's body is barely cold, and you...

From the moment the Holy Grail War ended, the human world had one last week of activities remaining.

Although the archangel, who was responsible for all of this, claims that "this is God's mercy," no one should be grateful for it.

Almost without any suspense, after the Thousand Trees informed the Magic Association and the Church of the Holy Church of the events, both organizations decided to keep the matter a secret from the general public.

Doing so will at least allow the human world to maintain basic order and civilization for this last week.

However, even this could not stop the spread of rumors, after all, Metatron had sent down pillars of light all over the world.

Despite the extreme secrecy surrounding these countries, doomsday theories still prevail.

The association began preparations for the final battle against Metatron, while the church abandoned its fight against the angels and calmly accepted the Lord's judgment.

Although the magicians were unhappy about this, given that the God's Secretary Metatron had already decided to destroy the world, the church had already done more than enough by not turning around and helping the angels attack the magicians.

Metatron's fighting force, besides the planetary-level archangel herself, also includes a legion of one million angels she summoned, ranging from the "Ninth Ladder" to the "First Ladder".

As for the Mage Association's fighting strength...

The mysterious passage of time in this world after the end of the Age of Gods is far faster than in other worlds, so the level of modern magic is not ideal.

The Clock Tower lacks figures like the Aozaki sisters, and the Twelve Lords are far inferior to Kenneth.

No matter how you look at it, the extinction of humanity is already a foregone conclusion.

……

……

In a spacious room in the city of Mirenia.

The magic circle drawn on the ground emitted a soft white light.

In the center of the magic circle was Sleeping Beauty, as beautiful as a delicate flower.

At the outer edge of the magic circle, the red-haired boy placed his palm on the circuit.