DOTM: Chapter 591/592

Chapter 591: Why Fight to the Death?

Strictly speaking, this move wasn't just one strike.

First, the giant Four-Armed Wisdom King swung the four long swords held in its hands in succession, and finally, all its power condensed into a pillar of light dozens of meters long that smashed down from above.

This move, which Ethan replicated using magic, lacked the various rule-like effects formed by the convergence of numerous concepts found in the original version.

Six Realms Five Rings - The Divine Figure of Kurikara he unleashed was purely a construct of condensed magical energy.

However, that didn't mean its power was weak. Such an enormous amount of mana, even if simply hurled forward, wasn't something an ordinary person could withstand. The few individuals standing before him all had their strength limited due to the Servant summoning system. It could be said that Ethan's attack was exploiting the limits placed on their mana.

As for the "special effects" of earth, water, wind, and fire, he didn't use any of them. He simply struck them with pure mana, making everyone dizzy, then condensed a massive blade of mana—dozens of meters long—to deliver the final blow.

Fortunately, they were in the Mirror Dimension Ethan had created. Otherwise, this final strike would have completely razed the Emiya residence and several surrounding houses. But here, it only caused spatial tremors, and even the excess scattered energy was absorbed by the surrounding "mirrors" and returned to Ethan's body.

This meant that because the final blow didn't directly strike his opponents but instead hit empty space, all the released mana was reabsorbed by Ethan. He hadn't spent much effort at all, wasting only a small amount of energy during the initial four strikes that took down the Servants.

"Now... I think we can have a proper talk."

The four Heroic Spirits were all feeling helpless. Archer was silently debating whether to activate Unlimited Blade Works to break free of Ethan's Bounded Field.

When Ethan had been gathering power for his final strike, Archer had already prepared to use Unlimited Blade Works. However, when Ethan's final blow struck the ground instead of them, it made everyone fully realize that this attack could have killed them, yet he hadn't delivered a killing blow.

He decided to hold back and observe what this strange Berserker was trying to do.

He wasn't the only one with that thought. The others could all see that Ethan had no intention of killing them. The difference in strength was too great. The four Servants together couldn't withstand even one of his attacks. If he truly wanted to kill them, there would be no need for such theatrics.

"What exactly do you want?"

Cu Chulainn slung his red spear over his shoulder, signaling that he had given up fighting. Trapped within this space, unable to leave even if he wanted to, he had no other choice.

"To completely end this boring farce."

"I don't quite understand what you mean, but it seems you don't intend to win this Holy Grail War?"

Sasaki Kojiro sheathed his sword and hung it behind his back again. He noticed that aside from some soreness and dizziness from the shock, he hadn't suffered any actual injuries.

"What a powerful move. Although I can't tell if it truly counts as swordsmanship."

Judging by the way the opponent had condensed mana for the attack, it didn't seem to be traditional swordsmanship. However, the attacks swung by the Wisdom King's torso and the force technique used in the final strike were authentic sword techniques. Although he wasn't the real Sasaki Kojiro, he was confident in his judgment.

"This was the move that defeated the real Sasaki Kojiro. I just casually copied it and used it. It can only fool some laymen."

Six Realms Five Rings - The Divine Figure of Kurikara was not just an offensive technique. The theories contained within it had condensed into something akin to a law. When used against an enemy, it wasn't as simple as hurling a massive cluster of energy.

"Is it that person's swordsmanship?"

Aside from being amazed that he could witness this move, Sasaki Kojiro was also astonished that Ethan even knew it. Who exactly was this man?

He wasn't the only one wondering about Ethan's true identity. Everyone present was pondering the same thing.

Based on Ethan's appearance and the various techniques he had displayed, they compared him to numerous powerful figures from history and legend. However, no matter how they tried, they couldn't find a match. The few possibilities they had were overturned when he used this move.

The beings they thought of had no connection whatsoever to someone capable of performing this technique, unless there was some unusual interaction within the Throne of Heroes that they couldn't perceive.

"Berserker, why didn't you kill them?"

Illya, who had remained silent all this time, finally spoke. When Ethan had the absolute upper hand, she thought the Holy Grail War would soon end, and she would be the final victor.

But unexpectedly, everything changed. After unleashing a "big move," Ethan stopped attacking, and from his words, it seemed he had no intention of following her orders.

"You were never truly interested in this boring ritual, the Holy Grail War, were you?"

Illya didn't reply, only glared at Ethan unhappily.

"What you really care about is why your father abandoned you and chose to adopt a stranger as his child here instead of coming to get you."

"..."

Illya stayed silent. Although Ethan had exposed her deepest feelings, she didn't want to admit it.

But his next words shattered her composure.

"Your father didn't refuse to come for you... he couldn't. You must understand the difference."

"Wh... what do you mean?"

"You're a smart child. You know what this means."

Ethan patted Illya's head—or rather, her hat—tilting it to one side. Illya didn't care that her hat was crooked and just stood there blankly.

Ethan withdrew his hand and waved casually. The Mirror Dimension dissolved silently. A cool breeze swept through, and everyone realized they had left his Bounded Field and regained their freedom.

But no one left, not even Sasaki Kojiro. Aside from Archer, who wanted to understand Ethan's goal, the others were bound by their own principles. Since Ethan had clearly defeated them and then released them, they wouldn't act recklessly.

"We can talk properly now, but before that, it seems I need to help you with a certain problem."

"What problem?"

As Ethan walked toward him, Cu Chulainn felt an uneasy premonition. It wasn't just him; even the Master hiding in the shadows sensed danger and began using a Command Spell to forcibly summon him back.

"You came right to me, and you think you can still leave?"

Ethan raised his hand lightly as if slicing through the air. Although it was just a casual motion, everyone felt as if something had been severed.

"This is... you cut off the connection between me and my Master?"

"The one who killed the Magus that summoned you and then seized the Command Spell to control you? Do you really consider him your Master?"

Cu Chulainn hadn't expected the other party to know his situation so clearly. He could only sigh helplessly. "I'm just following the rules of this war, even if I find that guy quite annoying."

Unfortunately, that person possessed the Command Spell capable of controlling him. He was powerless to resist. Most Heroic Spirits, once manifested as Servants, didn't care much who their Master was, as long as they weren't unbearable.

Originally, Cu Chulainn had accepted his current Master, but he hadn't expected such a change. The connection between Master and Servant could be severed so easily?

He knew that powerful magi could theoretically achieve this, but Ethan made it look effortless, as if he had merely waved at empty air.

"Is this your goal?"

Archer watched from the side. When he realized what Ethan had done, he seemed to understand why Ethan hadn't killed them. There were four Servants here, and with Ethan himself, that made five. If all of them suddenly lost their connections with their Masters, they would either be subdued by Ethan through special means or return to the Throne of Heroes once their mana supply was cut off.

Either way, most of the competitors would be eliminated, leaving only the Magus hiding in the shadows and the Rider who had yet to appear. With Ethan's strength, neither would pose any real threat.

"Goal? My goal is for everyone to sit down, eat, chat, and talk. Since we've gone through all this trouble to come to the present world, don't you think we should at least enjoy ourselves?"

"Huh?"

Cu Chulainn had been waiting for his mana to run out and for his form to dissipate, but to his surprise, he found he wasn't disappearing. Upon closer inspection, he realized that Ethan had only severed his link to the Command Spell, not the mana channel between him and his Master. In other words, he was still receiving mana from that irritating priest.

But none of that was as shocking as Ethan's words. No fighting, just sitting down to eat and talk? Did he misunderstand what the Holy Grail War was about?

"No misunderstanding. I understand the essence of the Holy Grail War very well. After realizing what it truly is, I found it to be nothing more than a farce. It's not worth fighting to the death. It's better to use this opportunity to do what we really want."

"So... what is it that you want to do?"

Archer looked increasingly confused by Ethan's intentions, but Ethan didn't answer. Instead, he turned to Sasaki Kojiro.

"When you return, tell Medea that I want to speak with her Master."

(To be continued.)

Chapter 592: The Disrupting Bystander

Sasaki Kojiro left without saying a word, while Archer and Cu Chulainn were more concerned about something else: Ethan seemed to know the true identity of the Caster.

"It's Medea?"

Putting aside her various other identities, Medea, as a Caster from the Age of Gods, answering a summoning in the Caster class, was undoubtedly an opponent to be taken seriously.

Of course, they didn't need to worry about Medea right now. The problem before them still hadn't been resolved.

"I'm very sorry for damaging your warehouse."

Ethan appeared before Shirou without anyone noticing. Artoria, snapping back to her senses, hurriedly raised her sword and took a defensive stance.

"When...?"

She hadn't even noticed when or how Ethan had approached her Master, and she realized she couldn't stop him in time as he extended his hand, filled with powerful mana, and placed it on her Master's shoulder.

The expected explosion or impact didn't happen. Instead, a soft golden light spread across Shirou's entire body, and his wounds healed at a speed visible to the naked eye. Even the dust on his clothes disappeared.

"This..."

"Consider this compensation."

Although Ethan knew something inside Shirou allowed him to recover faster than normal people, no one else knew that. It was better to offer a favor now to make later matters smoother.

"Oh, by the way, could I borrow your living room for a talk? I don't like standing outside in the cold winter wind chatting."

"Ah, I don't mind. Please come in."

Shirou was still completely bewildered. Although Rin had just explained the basics of the Holy Grail War to him, including that these people were all legendary heroes who had become Heroic Spirits summoned to the present as Servants, the information was simply too much to take in.

He had been swept into a major battle in confusion... more importantly, their combined efforts had been easily defeated by Ethan, and he had thought he was about to die.

Unexpectedly, things took a sharp turn. The powerful hero who had just defeated them didn't want to kill anyone and was even politely asking to use his living room to talk.

Everyone entered Shirou's living room one after another. Even Illya, who had been standing blankly at a distance, walked over at this point.

Her gaze lingered mostly on Shirou. Aside from Shirou himself, who was too dazed to notice, everyone else picked up on it, but no one said anything. They figured they would soon learn the reason.

Ethan sat down casually, while Shirou, having changed his damaged clothes, brought out fruit and hot tea for everyone. When the refreshments were set on the table and everyone was seated, the atmosphere turned awkward.

Just a while ago, they had all been trying to kill each other. Now they were sitting around a table together. The tension was palpable.

"What do you want to talk about?"

Archer didn't sit but leaned against the wall behind and to the side of Rin. From that position, he could defend from the front and didn't have to worry about attacks from the sides or behind.

Even now, he hadn't lowered his guard.

"No need to rush, Emiya... Actually, my goal has little to do with yours. We don't have any real conflict."

"Emiya?" Rin looked at Archer curiously, then glanced at Shirou beside her. "Emiya" was also Shirou's family name, but she thought it was just a coincidence.

Archer didn't think so. Ethan had specifically glanced at Shirou when saying that name, making his expression darken. He had already suspected Ethan possessed some special ability to know Servants' true identities, and this confirmed it.

"Oh? So your true name is Emiya? I don't recall any hero by that name," Cu Chulainn said curiously. He had been wondering about both Ethan's and Archer's identities, and this only deepened his curiosity.

"Heroic Spirits... have no concept of time."

Ethan casually peeled an orange as he spoke, slipping into his usual spoiler mode. He was far too used to doing this, effortlessly dropping critical information with a few words.

Everyone understood immediately. Rin and Cu Chulainn, being the quickest to react, glanced repeatedly between Shirou and Archer.

Shirou's mind had been a mess because of everything that had happened, but that didn't mean he was stupid. In fact, he was quite intelligent and talented. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been chosen as a Guardian of Humanity in the future.

After regaining some composure, he also understood what Ethan meant and turned to Archer with surprise.

Although there were differences in hair color, hairstyle, and skin tone, their facial structures were similar. Rin, shocked, even reached out and rubbed Archer's hair to check if it felt the same.

"Did you come here just to reveal our identities?"

That sentence alone confirmed everyone's suspicions, and Rin could no longer stay calm.

"Why... why would you become a hero worthy of the Throne of Heroes? What about me? Will I become a great magus in the future?"

Archer looked at Rin helplessly. Though troubled by her behavior, he still answered honestly.

"I don't know what you achieve in the future, since we don't interact much... and, I haven't ascended to the Throne of Heroes."

"Haven't ascended to the Throne of Heroes?"

His words surprised everyone except Artoria, who looked at him with slight curiosity.

Rin was confused. "Didn't you say Servants are Heroic Spirits from the Throne of Heroes?"

"You can ask this... seemingly all-knowing Berserker." Archer closed his eyes again, clearly unwilling to talk more about himself. "Maybe he even knows if you'll become a Heroic Spirit in the future."

Everyone turned to look at Ethan again. They wanted to see if he truly knew everything.

Ethan took a sip of tea before speaking.

"Although, from a certain perspective, there isn't anyone ordinary in this room... not everyone becomes a Heroic Spirit like Cu Chulainn."

When he said that, he noticed Artoria's hand clench slightly. Of everyone present, only Cu Chulainn was a Heroic Spirit in the true sense.

Artoria and Archer were not traditional Heroic Spirits. Archer, after Shirou grew up, became a Guardian of Humanity, a unique existence. His appearance here was both coincidence and another mission to protect humanity.

Artoria's case was different. She wasn't dead at all. Her time was frozen at the moment before her death, and she had joined the Holy Grail War as a Servant, hoping to obtain the Holy Grail to fulfill her wish. She would remain in this state until she either obtained it or let go of her obsession.

After she released that obsession and accepted death, she still wouldn't ascend to the Throne of Heroes, but would instead go to a special realm called Avalon, similar to a personal heaven for a chosen few.

Of course, Artoria didn't know about that yet, and Ethan didn't intend to tell her. He merely smirked and said, "Being a Guardian isn't easy, is it?" teasing Archer.

Archer's mouth twitched, but he said nothing, pretending not to hear. Rin's endless questions about her potential future as a Heroic Spirit helped draw attention away from him.

"You..."

Ethan rubbed his chin, then glanced at Illya.

"You two are somewhat similar. You weren't originally destined to become Heroic Spirits, but... certain unavoidable circumstances led to you being favored by special existences."

"What do you mean?"

Illya hadn't expected to be brought up. As a hybrid of a homunculus and a human—and the Lesser Grail herself—she believed she had no possibility of becoming a Heroic Spirit.

But from Ethan's words, did that mean she would in the future?

"No, how do you know so much about the future? Could it be... you're also a Heroic Spirit from the future?"

"My situation is special. I don't exist in the past, nor am I a hero of the future." Ethan shoved the orange slice into Illya's mouth to shut her up. "I'm similar to a certain delinquent who tends to bite his tongue when chanting. We're both observers of this world."

The others didn't understand who he was referring to, but Artoria suddenly tensed up.

"The one who bites his tongue when chanting... could it be...?"

"That's right, it's that guy."

"Could it be... you're him...?"

"It's not what you think. I don't actually know him at all."

Artoria let out a long breath of relief. For a moment, she thought Ethan had come specifically to target her. If that were true, her wish would be impossible to realize.

Ethan watched her relax and quietly sit back down. Then he tapped the table lightly, and the door, which had been closed, suddenly opened.

"Since you're already here, come in and talk. Don't worry, there are no traps here."

(To be continued.)