the living [comprehensive]

The strong body born for fighting has finally reached its limit, and the heavy heart has received a brutal blow from the protected person; in such a difficult situation, the guardians can only continue to fight with the instinct of the body.

However, even the innate fighting instinct cannot dispel the haze in the hearts of soldiers.As if they were in the darkness where they couldn't see their fingers, they were in a state of panic and didn't know where to go.

However, at this moment when everyone is exhausted, and even some people are desperate.

The off-string arrow flew through the night like lightning and cut through the clouds, and the magic power attached to the arrow made the dark and cold air burn.As the sharp arrows pierced through the huge head of the monster standing high, the magic power spreading like a gust of wind swept across the entire wilderness where the battlefield was located.

In the warm white light, all the black monsters in the magic storm were wiped out, and even the blood and rancidity they brought were completely wiped out.

The bright white magic flame gradually extinguished, leaving only flickering spots of light floating around the surviving guardians and children.Bathed in the bright moonlight, they were as quiet as if they were in some peaceful place; only the corpses scattered on the ground reminded them that the tragic battle that was destined to be defeated just now was not a nightmare.

Some guardians who were still in shock began to thank the miracle, and some even wept with joy.The leader of this team of guardians gathered up the shattered red robe and walked towards the direction of the arrow.

The joy of turning a corner has not yet faded, but the brain that is used to thinking from the perspective of a leader has cooled down.The calm Middle Eastern youth glanced at the children who abandoned their numbness and hugged and cried, and their companions who supported each other. While being relieved, their minds were gradually filled with questions.

Just now, it was clear that several guardians had completely despaired and lost their will to fight; now, they disappeared like the world evaporated.Where did they go?

Also, why did this young man who fought with him but was not a guardian become the most powerful guardian he had ever seen?Could it be that the wish made by the other party is a more pure and selfless wish than everyone else?

Hiding deep doubts in his heart, the young man smiled encouragingly, and looked at the young man standing in front of him: "This time, thanks to you. You are welcome to be one of us."

The young man standing in the center of the battlefield was tainted with a murderous aura, but there was no gloomy look in his eyes.Standing with a bow, his red robe fluttered, and the remaining magic power fluctuated into faint light floating around him.

Keenly aware of the youth's suspicion, the young man who had just become a guardian did not point it out.He just looked up at his tall companion, showing a gentle smile: "Sorry, I'm a step late."

"Shirou Emiya", who was supposed to be the guardian when the factory exploded, unexpectedly delayed until this time.The changes caused by his own arrival also caused the guardians to suffer a near-extinction disaster in advance.

But now, all mistakes have been made up.As long as his wish can come true, the guardian's tragic fate will be changed. At that time, Archer can also get rid of the heavy sorrow brought by the guardian's fate.

Archer...

Shirou's smile faltered because of the figure that appeared in his mind.He still walks side by side with the young man with a comforting smile, but his heart seems to be falling into the bottomless abyss of sorrow.

Archer would definitely be angry; maybe even, he wouldn't bother himself anymore.

However, Archer can probably guess a bit, right?At a critical moment when there is no other way, I will definitely choose to be a guardian.

After all, that guy even knows a little bit better about the soul of "Emiya Shirou" than himself.

Turning the longbow condensed with magical power into invisible, Shirou's eyes that were originally flickering with sadness regained their clarity.

Maybe the decision he made will annoy Archer, maybe the heavy wish he bears will put Archer in a dilemma someday in the future.

However, my wish must be right——

Taking the wish that he made in a hurry that day as the highest belief, Shirou and his companions walked through the long yellow sand and the blazing flames of war.

Since parting from Heroic Spirit that day, Shirou has never seen each other.There was only one time when he was seriously injured and half asleep, he vaguely felt the familiar magic power pouring into his body like a tide, filling his body and at the same time erasing the dull pain all over his body.

"Archer?" Shirou called out while half asleep.He wanted to hold back that powerful hand, but in vain.

That guy Archer, is he messing with himself?

After fully waking up, Shirou thought about this question seriously.

If you are really annoyed with yourself, just ignore it; if you don't show up in front of yourself because you are angry, but you can't worry about it, it's really...so cute.

Captured this subtle warmth in the endless fighting, the immature guardian showed a shy smile, and slowly tightened the fingers that still had the aura of a heroic spirit.

The team of Guardians is still on the move.However, something that cannot be ignored brought the undercurrent to the surface gradually.After a certain battle, Shirou was dragged to an abandoned tower.

What awaited Shirou was harsh interrogation.

"Because I left my rotten comrades alone before, I don't know what it was like when they died." After narrating with a little guilt, the eyes of the Middle Eastern youth who led the team suddenly turned cold, "However, there will be It’s too strange that you disappear for no reason when you give up on yourself. This all happened after you became a guardian, right? You must know something!”

Shirou remained silent.

The guardian who fell into despair did not transform into a monster, but disappeared into this world directly; this change indeed caused him.

However, thinking of the panic that the truth might bring, Shirou decided to keep silent: "I don't know. You just need to know that I am fighting to protect this land and my companions."

"Then," the Middle Eastern youth said in a commanding tone, "tell me your wish. Or, show me your wound."

Although they haven't been together for a long time, Shirou has established a tacit understanding and trust with the young man in front of him in frequent battles.Therefore, facing the other party's impolite but to the point questioning, he widened his eyes in surprise.

"Among our companions, only your wish is unknown. As a guardian, it is no secret that your body will start to rot one day in the future; but you don't treat your wounds in front of us." The young man's voice grew stronger. He became angry, mixed with restless anger, "What are you hiding!"

"I actually..."

Accompanied by the sound of the sharp blade cutting through the cloth and skin, the boy's words came to an abrupt end.His shocked eyes followed the sword that pierced his chest, and looked straight at the person who attacked him.

It seems to be the fate of "Shiro Emiya" to save countless people but not be able to achieve self-salvation.

The moment he chooses to become a guardian, the boy's future is already doomed——

—Assassinated by his comrades who fought side by side—

In a trance, the boy seemed to have returned to the moment when the Holy Grail War ended, and his whole body seemed to be seized by the black mud that spread and piled up under his feet.However, this time, without the protection of the sheath of the holy sword, and without the girl knight standing in front of him to destroy the source of despair, the boy could only allow himself to be overwhelmed by a strong sense of suffocation.

The unyielding teenager struggles in the silent world, trying to resist the arrival of despair.The scene he saw by lowering his eyes unintentionally made all his movements stop at that moment.

The sword stabbed by his companion seemed to be just for a test, and the sharp point of the knife stopped abruptly the moment it cut through the skin and touched the ribs.And at the cut wound on his chest, there was no flesh turned out, and there was even no bleeding.

What the boy stared at with his eyes so wide that they almost cracked his canthus was the deep and rich black like a bottomless abyss under the cracked skin.

"Saving the guardians who are in despair—this is my wish. Even if life ends at the moment when hope is shattered, it is better than turning into a numb walking dead after the soul is burned." When facing the restraining force, the boy made a promise I made this wish, "If anyone is going to bear the despair after these hopes are shattered, then I will bear it."

The young man who is determined to save the "Guardian" himself bears the pain and darkness in others' hearts with his immature body.The pain that should not have been borne by him was superimposed on his body, and all the despair in the heart of the guardian of the end of life was entangled and condensed in his soul.

The boy has already become the embodiment of the despair of the Guardians.It's just that, with no haze in his heart, he has come to the present safely, and he is even unaware of his transformation.

— until now.

The young man let go of his hand in shock, and took a big step back.Shirou slowly drew out the sword that pierced his body, staring at the horrible black wound and muttering to himself.

"I... when did I transform into a monster?"

Did Archer already know about this?

So, Archer didn't want to show himself in front of him, was it because he wanted to avoid the end of killing himself with his own hands?

Looking up in thought, Shirou was shocked to find that the young man who wanted to stay away from him had already stepped on the edge of the tower.

The young man, who would fall to the bottom of the tower if he moved back an inch, was unaware of the danger, and just wanted to run away from the boy who had turned into a monster from inside his body.

The moment the young man stepped into the air, the confusion and injury in Shirou's heart disappeared without a trace.

——When your companion is in danger in front of you, how can you stand by and watch? !

Leaping forward suddenly, Shirou grabbed the young man at a critical moment and threw him to a safe place.However, he himself fell forward due to inertia.

The body lost all strength due to pain and fatigue, and the youth's feeble body fell downward like a shooting star in the dark night——

The author has something to say: Sorry, this chapter is very long, so I will post it in two days, 233 will be sweet tomorrow, I promise!