Shirou, who returned from the Fairy Kingdom

After all, the so-called ladder to heaven is just hundreds of glowing rectangular glass panels, each suspended in mid-air with no connection between them.

If she fell, she would only face certain death, as she would no longer have the protection of the Holy Maiden.

"Laetitia, give me your hand."

The girl looked up at Shirou, then hesitated before nodding and releasing his body.

"Please, please don't let go..."

And so, Shirou, holding Leticia's hand, began to climb toward the throne a thousand meters above.

How terrifying... It really is terrifying...!

Leticia's legs trembled uncontrollably.

However, the trembling gradually subsided as time went by—

The warmth and strength emanating from Shirou's palm gave her an indescribable sense of security.

----------

Volume 5, Chapter 254: Come, enter Mother's womb!

After crossing all the steps, Shirou and Leticia returned to the garden they had seen a week earlier.

"...It came later than I expected."

The final, strongest boss is right in front of you. A girl with several wings sprouting from her back and her whole body shrouded in golden holy light stands there like a guardian.

"Metatron."

“Savior, I knew you would appear before me again.”

After all, you're a man whose obsessions border on foolishness.

Although she possessed the exact same beauty as Ruler, her aura made Shirou feel completely unfamiliar with her.

Shirou still harbored doubts: could he really bring himself to hurt Jeanne's face?

Now his doubts were completely dispelled—this guy had nothing to do with Ruler, he was just someone else in the guise of a saintess.

Shirou scoffed, "Don't talk like you know me so well."

The archangel's face remained cold, only his lips moved: "Ah, of course I know you very well."

After all, you were personally chosen by me as the "Preservator," and you bear the weighty mission of watching over the old humanity and protecting the new.

"...?"

What on earth is this guy talking about?

Shirou frowned involuntarily.

There are so many things I want to ask, but time is running out.

While I was confronting Metatron here, Mo and the others were fighting against an army of a million angels below.

"...Ladycia."

"Yes, Master."

Shirou got into position, and Leticia took out the Flame Sword that Shirou had given her.

"Want to fight me? Before that, you probably have a lot of questions for me, right?"

"...Your goal is to stall for time, isn't it? Try to win me over with conversation."

Metatron nodded.

Like her dignified and solemn appearance, she was an honest archangel who did not hide her intentions.

"Sorry, I'm not interested in hearing your grievances."

"Whatever you want to know, I'll pry it out of your mouth after I beat you up!"

Shirou gripped the holy sword tightly.

—The atmosphere of a decisive battle is about to erupt.

"Yeah."

The God's Secretary raised her slender arms.

At the same time, her magical reactions continued to increase.

It was beyond description in seconds; with each frame Metatron moved, the magical reaction increased several times over.

Of course, Shirou and Leticia were prepared for this.

They both moved at the same time.

Archangels are perfect and invincible.

If there is one weakness to her, it is that she cannot remain in full battle form indefinitely.

The reason why life exists on Earth is because its distance from the sun is just right.

If Metatron remains constantly focused, this planet will likely soon face permanent desolation.

Therefore, the moment before she switches to her serious form is Shirou and his team's chance to win!

"————————"

The golden light enveloped everything.

The Hanging Gardens, Tulipas, Romania, Eurasia, and even the entire planet are bathed in the glorious light of the archangels.

This means that no miracle happened.

Shirou and Leticia's planned surprise attack failed.

Tenfold grace, 1,365,000 blessings, 72 pairs of wings, 365,000 shining eyes, 49 jewels, and a crown.

—It appears here.

"...'The omniscient and omnipotent One will rule (Univers Immortelle Metatron)'."

Shirou was the only one who heard Metatron recite the Noble Phantasm release phrase.

The reason is that time and space were frozen by the archangel before the Noble Phantasm was unleashed.

“I’ve stopped time in this world except for you, so there’s no need to worry about delaying things, right?”

"I told you I'm not interested in chatting with you! Oath (Ex) —"

The red-haired boy roared as he charged toward Metatron, who had evolved from a little girl into an adult, his hands radiating scorching heat.

Ms. Avalon's reassuring older sister broadcast did not come on.

Within the barrier where time has completely stopped, the Round Table Resolutions cannot be used because the archangel has frozen "the spacetime of this world".

Since that's the case, let's use this tactic—

"Holy sword, draw your blade!"

Shirou shifted his offensive stance, increasing his magic output once again.

If the spacetime of this world were to freeze, then summon the power of other spacetimes—

The overwhelming phantom resonated, overlapped, and accelerated in the red-haired boy's hands.

That was the Star Sword from an infinite parallel world, summoned by Shirou Amamiya's destiny and appearing once again in his hands.

The distorted starlight rushed and sped along.

Finally, thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of millions of phantom holy swords formed a bursting golden lightsaber that could no longer maintain a stable shape.

With a roar, Shirou unleashed the maximum firepower he knew.

"Unlimited Excalibur Works" —!!!

……

……

"Sword of Promise of Victory"

Class: EX Type: ? ? ?

Effective range: ? ? ? Maximum capture: ? ...

Unlimited Excalibur Works.

The largest and strongest Noble Phantasm possessed by Shirou Amamiya symbolizes the pinnacle of his abilities as a Holy Swordsman.

This could also be seen as proof that the "projection" of a magician, whose origins lie in the sword, is transcending the realm of magic and reaching the realm of the divine.

The scope of "projection" is no longer limited to the holy swords he has known or used; even the inner sea of ​​stars in parallel worlds can resonate with him.

However, the fact that a copied holy sword will be downgraded will not change.

The lake maidens from thousands, tens of thousands, even hundreds of millions of universes acknowledged Shirou Amamiya's justice, and the numerous holy swords transformed into a beam of starlight that transcended the multiverse—

True to its name, the ultimate, strongest, and noblest fantasy of salvation.

……

……

"————————"

Metatron vanished in an instant.

The archangel's body, along with his divine core, was completely vaporized by the heat of the holy sword.

No one could withstand such immense energy for more than a moment, not even the supreme divine scribe.

The blazing light that shot from the boy's hand pierced the sky and disappeared completely at the edge of the starry sky.

"Did we win...?"

The thought flashed through Shirou's mind for a moment, but he quickly dismissed it.

Time, which had been frozen in place, did not resume its flow, and Leticia and her companions, who were fighting below, remained standing motionless like statues.

Ignoring his almost broken body, Shirou barely managed to assume a fighting stance, his gaze searching for Metatron's figure.

But the next second, three golden halos appeared out of thin air and bound his body tightly from above.

"It was incredibly powerful; I shouldn't have tried to catch it with my hands."

Metatron, who should have vanished with the stardust, reappeared with a nonchalant expression.

"If I weren't able to resurrect infinitely, I would have been completely annihilated by that light just now."

Shirou stared at her.

As expected, it wasn't so easy to eliminate him, Archangel Metatron.

Although she claims to have survived because of her immortality, even if Shirou uses Harpe, he probably wouldn't be able to harm her in the slightest.

The two are too far apart in level, and mystery will lose its power in the face of a more powerful mystery.

According to the original plan, Shirou was responsible for the feint attack, while Leticia was the main force for the frontal attack.

However, Metatron saw through their surprise attack at a glance and immediately stopped the time of everyone except Shirou.

Of course, Metatron did this not only from a combat perspective—

"Through that attack just now, I'm once again certain..."

Amamiya Shirou, I knew I hadn't misjudged you. Your brilliance is not a falsehood, but a manifestation of a sublime and beautiful spirit.

You are the culprit who brought the world's primate civilization to a standstill, and at the same time, you are the savior who protected humanity until the very last moment.

Next, I will announce your punishment—”

Metatron announced in a flat, monotone voice.

"Shirou Amamiya, you will live on forever as the only remaining individual of the old humanity, and become the guardian of the birth of the new humanity millions of years from now."

"Yeah……"

Shirou stopped struggling.

Captured by Metatron's power, he was unable to move or even draw out magic.