DOTM: Chapter 605/606

Chapter 605: Energy Clone

Rune magic, unconstrained by the Root, was the magical system Scáthach was researching and perfecting. It could now be re-termed as Rune Magecraft.

Ethan was indeed interested in anything that could enrich his knowledge and expand his magical understanding.

The Land of Shadows… what use was it to him?

"Although the Land of Shadows is now nothing but a barren wasteland, it hasn't truly turned into nothingness. There's still something there that you'll definitely find interesting."

"What?"

Scáthach didn't keep him in suspense. Seeing that Ethan was genuinely interested, she immediately gave him the answer.

"Energy," Scáthach said with a smirk. "Lots and lots of energy."

"Oh?"

Ethan did need a large amount of energy. He had already prepared to connect to planes like the Arcane and Holy Light, just waiting for the right time to begin extraction.

He hadn't expected Scáthach to offer the Land of Shadows as compensation. He just didn't know how much she would give him. If he drew too much energy, would something bad happen to the Land of Shadows?

"Aren't you afraid the Land of Shadows will be affected by this?"

"The Land of Shadows shouldn't have existed for a long time now. What does it matter if it's destroyed?"

Scáthach was known as the Queen of the Land of Shadows, the Guardian of the Demonic Realm, but in truth, she had never taken this identity seriously.

The so-called Land of the Dead was only relevant to Celtic mythology, and Celtic mythology…

"If you say so, I have no more reservations."

Since Scáthach was willing to give the entire Land of Shadows as compensation, Ethan had no reason to refuse. He even gave her some extra private tutoring over the next few days, helping her with the basics so she could perfect her Rune Magecraft faster.

Time passed day by day. There was always much to do, and Diana was always by his side, making Ethan feel that his days were fulfilling and not boring at all.

The only regret was that whenever he wanted to take things further, Diana would always refuse, and what made him even more frustrated was that her reason was always the same.

"Let's consider such things when you're older!"

"..."

A frustrated Ethan wanted to get back at her during combat training, but the result was always him being lectured by Diana afterward. As for Ada, she definitely wouldn't agree too. That woman was too shrewd and knew exactly what he was planning.

After a period of calm and stable days, Ethan had roughly figured out the state of his body and the limits of his spellcasting.

Overall, compared to his previous peak, he was indeed weaker, both physically and in magical power level. Strictly speaking, he currently had no magical power. Any magical energy condensed or absorbed would be drawn into that black spot in his spiritual universe, leaving none for himself.

Now, Ethan cast spells by consuming the divine power within his body. Some simple, low-consumption spells were unaffected, but those that required a large amount of power were more strenuous. This meant that his divine power reserve was not as deep as his former magic power reserve.

However, due to its higher quality and the special nature of divine power, his casting speed and energy consumption were lower.

Overall, his strength had decreased, but the impact was not significant. Once he grew older, he would be able to recover his former level.

"The problem is... when will I grow up?"

He now understood why Merlin had that expression back then. His divine body clearly wouldn't grow as fast as an ordinary one. The growth of this body required immense energy.

Furthermore, he discovered that this energy consumption wasn't simply a matter of accumulating a certain type of energy.

Just as Ethan already had a profound understanding of arcane energy, the deep magical power he had accumulated previously inherently possessed arcane properties. After this vast magic became nourishment for this body, it developed a certain degree of resistance to arcane energy. This meant that his idea of using arcane energy to rapidly stimulate growth was a failure. It wasn't that arcane energy completely lost its effect, but that it gradually weakened. After a certain point, although it could still be absorbed, its effect on growth was far less than that of new energy.

"It seems I need to go and receive the energy from the Land of Shadows."

Ultimately, what he needed was fresh, massive energy. This aligned perfectly with his original training path. He just needed to continue doing what he had been doing before.

Sitting on the clean, slightly warm sand, Ethan looked at Diana not far away and suddenly wanted to cast an illusion to tease her.

While casting the illusionary clone, Ethan suddenly had a strange feeling that he could modify this illusionary clone.

He didn't think much of it and just followed the feeling, and then something miraculous happened.

Ethan created a clone that was almost a physical entity. This clone was entirely condensed from energy but was otherwise completely indistinguishable from him.

What was even more miraculous was that Ethan could control this clone freely, as if it were part of his own body. Whatever the clone saw or touched, the sensations were immediately relayed back to him. Even with an extra clone, he didn't feel disoriented.

Two completely different perspectives appeared in his consciousness without conflict. His powerful mental strength ensured that even when operating in dual mode, he wouldn't feel uncomfortable or overwhelmed.

"Energy clones?"

It seemed quite similar to Ego's ability, but Ego's main body usually rested while controlling his clones. Ethan wasn't sure what it felt like for Ego, but he found this type of clone fascinating.

While the feeling was still fresh, Ethan created two more clones. Three identical Ethans stood before his main body, yet he could clearly distinguish which visual feed belonged to which clone. He could easily control all three clones to perform any action his main body could, and even have them do different things simultaneously.

"This is quite interesting."

Seeing that Diana had turned around and was looking over, Ethan immediately sent the three clones rushing toward her to attack. Besides trying to startle Diana, he could also test the combat power of the clones.

The results came quickly. The clones' combat power was quite ordinary. Although Ethan's mental strength and reaction speed were strong enough to control three clones at once, the power carried by each clone wasn't high. If he wanted stronger clones, he would need to use more energy. Since the clones drew energy from his main body, the energy transfer caused a brief delay, indirectly weakening their strength.

So, although the three clones were physical entities and managed to catch Diana off guard, they were quickly defeated once she recovered.

"You really hit hard."

"No, it's about the same force I've been using for sparring these past few days."

Watching the three clones lie motionless on the ground, Ethan sat there rubbing certain parts of his body—all the spots where the clones had been hit.

Diana walked over, laughing as she checked on him.

There were no visible injuries, but her memory was sharp. The spots where Ethan felt pain were the exact same spots she had struck on the clones.

When she told Ethan what she had discovered, he immediately understood. For the clones, it was one hit each, but for the main body, which received all the sensations, it was equivalent to being hit multiple times in the same spot. Naturally, it hurt more.

A golden exclamation mark suddenly appeared above Ethan's head (a real golden exclamation mark condensed from divine power). He suddenly had a bold idea.

Although there was no one else around, Ethan covered his mouth and leaned close to Diana's ear, whispering his idea very quietly.

Then he was beaten up. He was beaten so badly that he couldn't even maintain the clones, which turned into pure energy and returned to his body before she finally stopped.

The following days were uneventful, no different from before. After confirming that there would be no major changes in the short term, Ethan called Scáthach and prepared to return to find Illya, stopping by the Land of Shadows on the way to collect the compensation Scáthach had promised.

"Do you want to go and see?"

Diana still hadn't returned to her world. It seemed her promise to spend more time with Ethan wasn't just talk. At the same time, she was very unhappy with a certain Main God who was coveting her boyfriend.

She knew that with her current strength, she couldn't confront that Main God, but being able to observe her 'opponent' up close would give her a clearer goal and more motivation to improve.

"Then let's go!"

Diana and Scáthach stood next to Ethan. They didn't go to the teleportation room but teleported directly from the island. For people like them, this kind of travel was instantaneous, so there was no need to worry about anyone suddenly needing him.

To be safe, he specifically informed Logan and Banner of his whereabouts, telling them where he was going. If something unexpected happened, at least someone would know what their captain had gone to do, rather than thinking he had just disappeared or run away.

With a casual wave, the teleportation spell, which had almost become instinctive, was released without warning. Compared to the past, when a magic circle would appear followed by a bright flash of light, Ethan's plane teleportation was much simpler now.

In the blink of an eye, without any dazzling light or shadow effects, they were already standing in the courtyard of the Emiya residence.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 606: The King Who Doesn’t Want to Believe in Himself

Looking up, Ethan saw Illya sitting there, bored and spacing out, and Artoria sitting beside her, also spacing out.

"Oh? Why the listless look?"

Because Ethan and the others appeared too abruptly, without any warning, by the time Artoria realized there were outsiders present, she could already see that it was Scáthach.

Having seen her before, Artoria didn't immediately switch to a combat stance, but she still maintained a certain level of vigilance.

"Uh... these two are..."

Just then, Shirou happened to walk out carrying a tray with some fruit and drinks, apparently for the two of them.

He didn't panic upon seeing Scáthach. The Shirou of this world hadn't truly participated in the Holy Grail War. Although he had encountered some strange things, overall, he was still a high school student with no combat experience, unlike a true warrior who would remain cautious.

"What? Don't you recognize me?"

To everyone's surprise, the first to speak was the child who looked even younger than Illya. Such a cute child easily drew goodwill, but why did his tone sound so strange?

"Shirou... this child... seems to be..."

As the only Servant with combat ability among them, Artoria was the first to sense Ethan's unusual nature. After observing him for a while with a frown, Illya asked uncertainly,

"Ber...ser...ker?"

"Quick reaction, Illya."

"Huh?"

Shirou's surprised exclamation and Scáthach's quick glance around the room happened almost at the same time, but Cú Chulainn wasn't there.

"Cú Chulainn isn't here?"

"Mr. Cú Chulainn said it's a rare chance to live a relaxed life in the present world, so he wanted to experience what ordinary life feels like. He found a job and said he'll be back after work."

According to Shirou's explanation, because Ethan had severed Cú Chulainn's contract with his Master, Kirei Kotomine, Cú Chulainn didn't want to return to Kirei. Additionally, with the Holy Grail War inexplicably destroyed, he didn't want to go back to the Throne of Heroes for the time being, so he decided to stay at the Emiya residence.

Fortunately, Cú Chulainn wasn't the type to freeload. He went out to work and earn some money, occasionally buying things to contribute to food and lodging costs.

Shirou didn't object or show dissatisfaction. He already had Artoria living there for free, and his sister Illya was quite wealthy, so Cú Chulainn staying there wasn't a big deal.

Aside from Sakura and Taiga, Shirou's guardian, being surprised by the sudden influx of guests at the Emiya residence, they didn't dwell too much on these people's identities.

Only when Taiga learned that Illya was actually Kiritsugu Emiya's daughter did she momentarily lose her composure. Otherwise, everything remained calm.

"So all the Heroic Spirits from this Holy Grail War are just staying in the present world and haven't gone back?"

Sitting in the same living room again, Ethan leaned comfortably against Diana—this was the only benefit of being smaller, being able to nestle in her arms. While chewing on orange segments Scáthach occasionally offered him, Ethan endured the scrutinizing gazes of several people and asked about what had happened since he left.

"That seems to be the case... According to what Tohsaka told me, the few Heroic Spirits I've met haven't left."

Shirou counted. Including Ethan, he had met six of them. There was only one Rider-class Servant he hadn't met yet, so he wasn't sure about their situation.

"Everyone seems to be enjoying a peaceful life. That's a bit surprising to me."

In Shirou's understanding, Heroic Spirits were powerful heroes summoned for battle and bloodshed. With the Holy Grail War canceled, he thought they would have left immediately. He hadn't expected them to enjoy such ordinary, quiet days, seemingly not the bloodthirsty warriors he had imagined.

"After all, before becoming Heroic Spirits, they were people too."

Ethan looked at the somewhat awkward Artoria across from him.

"Besides, not everyone enjoys this kind of life, right?"

The one in front of him was definitely not among those who did. Without the series of events that occurred during the Holy Grail War, Artoria hadn't resolved her inner turmoil. She was still pursuing that distant dream, but because the Holy Grail War had ended so abruptly, she now felt lost, unsure whether it was truly over. She was also protecting Shirou and Illya, considering it part of her duty.

Once she was sure there was no danger, she would ask Shirou to terminate their contract and leave. Ethan had once said that this world seemed to be slowly returning to its original state, which might mean the Holy Grail War could still reappear. She wanted to wait until things recovered, so there might still be a chance to participate again.

Shirou glanced at Artoria beside him. To this day, he still couldn't figure out what the young-looking female swordsman usually thought about. Most of the time, she just sat there quietly. Aside from slight changes in expression during meals, she was like a statue.

When he learned that Artoria had participated in the previous Holy Grail War as Kiritsugu's Servant, he had wanted to ask her more about Kiritsugu. But every time he brought up the topic, he noticed her expression turn unpleasant, so after the first couple of times, he stopped mentioning it.

He had also been curious about her identity because the true identities of the other Heroic Spirits he had met were no longer secrets—one of them was even his future self, who didn't seem to like him very much.

Although unbelievable, he had accepted that fact and was curious about who his own Servant really was.

An unknown hero? A hero from the future? Or a well-known legend?

Unfortunately, he still didn't know the answer.

Listening to Shirou explain that Cú Chulainn had already worked three short-term jobs in half a month and had even found a relatively long-term temporary job before one ended, it seemed he had adapted very well to modern life.

Medea was living with Sōichirō Kuzuki, who was also diligently learning swordsmanship from Sasaki Kojirō when not working.

His future self, Emiya, was living at Rin's house. Rin, who already had a strong "ojou-sama" (young lady) aura, now had a tall, butler-like figure following her, which made her aura even stronger.

Additionally, everyone's Magic Circuits had recovered. Although they still couldn't cast magecraft, they could feel their magical power again, suggesting that the rules distorted by Ethan were close to being fully restored.

Despite this, the Servants had no intention of fighting again and continued living peaceful daily lives.

"This is quite nice, isn't it? It's rare to 'come out' like this. Isn't it good to enjoy a different kind of peaceful life? Don't you agree, Artoria?" Ethan looked at her as she calmly opened her eyes and met his gaze. "Or should I call you Arthur Pendragon?"

"Pfft!"

"Pfft!"

Two people spat out what they were eating or drinking in shock at Saber's identity.

One was Shirou, her Master and the owner of the house.

The other was Diana, whom Ethan was leaning against. She sprayed orange juice all over Ethan's head. Ethan suspected she did it on purpose. How could such a small shock cause such a big reaction?

Shirou, on the other hand, was genuinely startled. Even Scáthach beside him showed a hint of surprise—she hadn't expected the legendary King Arthur to be such a young girl.

"You really know my identity."

"Of course."

Wiping his hair clean with the towel Shirou handed him, Ethan sat up straight. He wondered if it was his imagination, but after he sat properly again, the sense of dissatisfaction directed at him seemed to lessen.

"Presumably, you also know my actual situation."

"Yes."

Ethan's answer caused Artoria's hands, which had been resting on her lap, to clench tightly. She wasn't nervous because her identity was revealed, but because she wanted to ask Ethan a few questions. She hadn't terminated her contract with Shirou, not just for the reasons mentioned earlier, but mainly because she had been waiting for Ethan's return.

"Then do you think... my wish has a chance of being fulfilled?"

"That depends on what your wish actually is." Ethan casually fiddled with the pile of orange segments in front of him, arranging them like puzzle pieces, as if completely uninterested in the topic. However, his words still caught everyone's attention, so no one minded his apparent distraction. "Are you hoping to save the Britain you once ruled, or are you hoping to save Britain?"

"Is there a difference?" Artoria didn't quite understand what Ethan meant.

"If it's just Britain, I'd say it's doing quite well and doesn't need you to worry about it."

Without waiting for Artoria to ask, Ethan continued.

"If it's your Britain, although that country fell into chaos, you didn't die. Although you were close to death, healing isn't that difficult. So you could completely rely on your own strength to solve those problems. Once everything was settled and the country was back on track, wouldn't that be saving Britain?"

"No... I think..." Artoria seemed to lose all her strength at once, sitting there with her head down. "I think... I can't do it."

"So you're willing to trust a cup, but not yourself?"

Artoria fell silent. Meanwhile, compared to saving Britain or anything else, the others were focused on another point.

"Didn't die?"

(To be continued.)