Chapter 11

The sounds of fighting could be heard from all directions. It was a battlefield, one that they were dropped right in the middle of. There was no warning, only battle. It was shocking and disorienting, but she needed to pull herself together. However, the moment that she was beginning to regain her bearings, she noticed something.

It all happened so quick that she had no idea what had happened until it was too late. She felt a hand on her back, before she was pushed away. The next thing she saw was Shirou's body sent flying.

The image then changed, to a time before the American singularity, this time they were on a pirate ship. Hector appeared directly in front of her, before once again, she was pushed aside. When she recovered, she saw Shirou in her place, Durindana stabbed into him.

And on and on it went, Shirou doing his best to protect her whenever he could. It was something she hated, yet, she couldn't help but be thankful for it. It did likely save her life on many occasions. Not to mention the many others when they were attacked at Chaldea.

The nightmares were still the same, filled with seeing Shirou doing what he did best. Not just for her, but for everyone. It really was no wonder why he was missed by so many heroic spirits. Though, it was Mash, Ophelia, and Olga Marie who were hit just as hard as she was.

Shirou had known Ophelia from the Clocktower and was one of the first who went out of his way to try and befriend her. She could understand that pain. Shirou was someone who always felt like he knew what to do, or at least, he didn't hesitate to make choices.

That sadness may have continued, if not for the strange dream she had. She saw him. She could recall that dream like it was yesterday. She didn't know how, but she was sure that they had connected briefly somehow. She had to believe that it was true, because it meant that he was alive.

Alive, but getting into trouble as he always tended to do. Ever since then, whenever they had a chance, they would attempt to replicate that connection they had. Though, it seemed impossible at the moment. She knew, that if they could just connect to him for even a moment, they would be able to do something.

The few dreams she had where she felt she had seen him were nothing more than brief flashes. Then, there was the strange Ruler they had met on Hestia's Island in Atlantis. He had said they would meet again in the future, but he gave her a beautiful gem that held an even more beautiful flame within. "A gift, I'm sure you will find it useful in time." That was all he said, before he departed, confusing her.

Even now, she remained puzzled as to what his true identity was, though he claimed he wasn't all that important. Though, she knew that was a lie. He had some personal stake in both Atlantis and Olympus, mostly with Zeus. Most of the servants guessed he was a Greek hero, or maybe Roman, but with his cloak and scarf being able to disguise him, it was impossible to tell.

She even remembered the somber tone of his voice when they faced Aphrodite and Artemis. If Orion had Artemis to face, Ruler had to face Aphrodite. Her power didn't seem to work on him as it did everyone else, with him standing defiant in the face of her song. The way he spoke of Aphrodite and Hestia told her that he was just like Orion.

He was familiar, but also foreign. Even Mash, Olga Marie, and Ophelia said so. Even the way he interacted with each of them was enough to tell them something was familiar about him. She felt safe around him, as safe as she felt when Shirou was still with them. She had entertained the idea that he was a future heroic spirit of him, but there wasn't much linking him with Shirou.

Then again, they had never seen him go all out. Each of his fights ended up with him far away from them, before returning with news of his victory. He possessed his own unique noble phantasms, ones she had not seen Shirou trace, or a specific one he was incapable of tracing, such as the divine construct he wielded as a sword.

She was determined to get answers the next time she saw him, as he did tell her he would see her again, likely in another lost belt. She was thankful she was able to think like this, even within a dream. It kept her mind off of her nightmares, as well as the scenes of Shirou.

It was then that she saw something, a clear picture. She could even feel a pull, almost as if a beacon was calling to her. That was when she saw it, a blade piercing into Shirou's side, his black jacket torn in a few places, with a sleeve missing. He had multiple wounds, mainly on his left arm where the missing sleeve was, as well as a few cuts on his face and a bloodied nose.

The man in front of him was a huge, easily standing over Shirou, his eyes blazing with flames. Though, he also had cuts of his own, however, they weren't comparable to the blade in Shirou's gut. She reached out her hand, trying to yell his name, but no words came from her mouth. She was sure that her vocal cords would have strained from how badly she wished to call out to him.

Shirou grabbed onto his weapon and looked up at his opponent with a defiant expression. The man sneered at his defiance, before kicking him from his weapon, causing him to land far away. She had to save him, if this was real, she had to save him. It was her turn this time, but she didn't know what to do.

She saw him struggle upwards, though he still remained on one knee. A hand was placed over the wound he just sustained. She looked back towards the man, who was now wielding a shotgun instead of the large combat knife he wielded before. He leveled it at Shirou, before letting out a disgusting laugh that angered her.

"Shirou!" She screeamed out, before seeing that the scene she watched had been replaced with the ceiling of the room she was now in. Her hand outstretched towards the ceiling. She was breathing heavily and couldn't fight the feeling of helplessness washing over her. She had seen him, yet, she was still unable to help him when he needed her the most.

She clenched her fists tight as she felt some tears welling up in her eyes. Before she could continue to feel sorry for herself, she heard the door to her room open. She looked up to see Ophelia, her eyes communicating urgency. "You need to come with me now! We might have found a way to connect to Shirou. Bring the gem."

"Wait! What do you mean?" She asked, trying to get some clarification. Though, in the back of her mind, she felt like her dream was more than just a dream. 'Was it possible that there was a chance to help him? Could they contact him?' Ophelia walked up and helped her to her feet.

"Just trust me, this will be the best shot at finding him." She said with a small hopeful smile. It was one that Ritsuka couldn't help but share. If there was even the smallest percentage of a chance, she would take it.

There were many thoughts and emotions going through Shirou's mind as of the current moment. He had been driving around to check for any kind of disturbances, only to smell the odor of blood and iron coming from the park. It was strong, so much so that he found himself remembering some of the atrocities he had witnessed in his life.

It was a horrible stench, one that he knew was unnatural. This resulted in him quickly making his way towards the area it had come from. The closer he got, the more familiar scents managed to make their way to him. Mia, Caroline, and Ophelia being the cause of said scents. The fact that they were in the same vicinity as the other one, he knew that something was wrong.

The moment he knew his daughter, as well as Caroline and Mia, were in danger, he shed any semblance of patience. Thankfully, he spotted Caroline holding Ophelia as she ran from the area. The look on Caroline's face told him that whatever was in there was likely more than Mia could handle. However, what infuriated him the most, was the scared expression on Ophelia's face as she held onto Caroline.

The moment his motorcycle hit the curb, he ditched it, activating his circuits and bursting into the park. It was the fastest he had ever ran in his life, though he didn't care about that at the moment. He was able to quickly make out Mia firing off some arrows at someone, the source of the scent.

The figure was slowly approaching her, likely not even considering her a threat. Shirou had already began to trace a weapon the moment he stepped into the park, with it finishing just as the figure began to lift a baseball bat of some kind into the air to strike her. Penthesilea's spiked ball and chain appeared in his hands, his magecraft allowing him to use it just as she did, spinning it wildly to the side of himself before firing it off towards Mia's attacker.

His attack reached his target, flinging him away from Mia. In a burst of speed, he appeared in front of Mia, being sure to check on the relieved girl. He knew that she was afraid, but she had nonetheless stood her ground in the face of a god. He knew why she did it, which only made his anger spike. Considering everything, he was able to guess the identity of the divine being.

He didn't take his eyes off of the god. He asked if she was alright and quickly told her to escape and to place the small swords he kept in the bag on his bike around the park to set up a bounded field. "Trace on." He spoke, his circuits each bursting to life. In one hand appeared Hearth's Heart, in the other, was the sword of Tomoe Gozen.

He took a deep breath, before deciding to step forward. He could hear Mia's feet making their way out of the vicinity, heeding his words. It was better for no one to be around, as he could finally go all out against his opponent. He had grown angry before, remembering the time with the amazons, but this time it was even worse.

It was a constant pounding in his head, wishing to inflict violence on something. He knew that it was likely a product of Ares, but he didn't care. The only person he could inflict such violence upon was Ares himself. Multiple thoughts went through his mind, the main one, why was he here?

Judging from the expression on the god's face, he was surprised by his appearance, so it wasn't for him. There was Ophelia and Caroline, but they were both daughters of Aphrodite, which he'd have no reason to go after. Though, he had a feeling that he was searching for Aphrodite. If that was the case, then going after Ophelia and Caroline made sense.

The question was how he realized she was there. If gods wished to hide themselves, they could do so easily. He had to consider that someone had helped him. If that was the case, then Shirou had to be sure to leave a message. Whether you be god, monster, or titan, he would not back down.

"A human?" Ares spoke, his voice grating on Shirou's nerves. "A mere human dares to intervene in the matters of the divine?" Shirou's eyes narrowed, with Ares quickly picking up on it.

"If you think I'd allow you to target my daughter, then you must be dumber than you look." He replied, causing Ares to scowl. However, his expression then turned into a bloodthirsty grin.

"Ah, so you're the one that she chose to stick around with? Well, well, well, if today isn't my lucky day. I meant only to speak with her, but with you here, I can simply destroy you and show her why staying here was nothing more than a mistake." Shirou gripped his swords tight, trying and failing to calm himself down.

"Then she'll come running back to me. Though, before I kill you, I might as well enjoy myself by breaking you." He said with an arrogant laugh. Shirou couldn't stand it, it was taking everything just to prevent himself from charging forward and gutting him right there.

"You're delusional if you really think that will happen. She's not going anywhere with you, nor will I allow you to hurt her." He then lifted his swords up into a stance. Ares looked at him with some surprise, before letting out another laugh.

"The human attempting to fight a god is calling me delusional? Ha, you must really amuse her with those ridiculous thoughts in your head. I can't wait to pummel you into the ground and show you just who you're dealing with. I'm the God of War, and you? You're just a weak, puny, little human."

Shirou gritted his teeth, before he smirked at Ares. "I'm sure Dite would beg to differ." Ares let out a low growl at his words, before lifting up his weapon.

"When I'm done with you, you'll beg me to kill you." Ares said with a sneer, before running forward, with Shirou finally feeling some relief as he did the same. He had to admit, Ares's appearance was slightly intimidating, though it was mainly because of their height difference. However, Shirou didn't care at the moment. He only cared about killing the god in front of him.

Ares swung his bat down, aiming for his head, however, Shirou quickly deflected the blow, while sidestepping and sending a strike of his own in return. Ares quickly pivoted and summoned a combat knife to block his attack. He pushed the sword away, before throwing a kick towards Shirou, who quickly dodged the blow by rolling away. To his dismay, Ares was already attacking him when he regained his bearings.

Shirou quickly brought up his swords to block the attack. The moment the bat hit his weapons, he could feel his arms want to buckle. Tomoe Gozen's katana even slightly cracked, though Shirou quickly reinforced it to hold. It was evident that Ares possessed incredible physical strength. However, he further reinforced himself, pushing it to the limit and managing to redirect it to the ground before jumping back and gaining some space.

"Well it seems like you can actually put up a fight. That's good. Though, I'm curious about those patterns. Maybe I'll tear them out of you once I'm through with you. But, for now, try not to die too soon." Ares said with a twisted smile. The sight of it made Shirou's blood boil. He quickly charged forward again, with Ares once again swinging his bat, but Shirou ducked underneath and threw two strikes.

The first was simple, being a basic thrust, with the follow-up coming after Ares turned his back to him to dodge. Shirou aimed his sword in a way that wouldn't allow him to dodge his attack so easily. However, to his frustration, Ares moved his weapon to block the blow in a way that told him about something troublesome. It was also something very annoying.

Considering what he knew of Ares, it wasn't as troublesome as it could be, but it was still a problem nonetheless. Certain servants had such a skill, Instinct. Despite his anger clouding his mind up, he could still recognize such a skill, considering he was trained by servants in possession of it. He likely wasn't at the level of Arturia, or Athena, so it still meant he had a chance.

Ares quickly followed up by launching a series of attacks on his own. Shirou was already starting to see red at this point, however, no matter what state of mind he was in, he still had access to a skill that could fight this, Mind's Eye.

The thing was, as he fought back and parried blow after blow, with Tomoe's sword becoming weaker and weaker, he began to feel something. It was familiar. Something he had managed to bury. With every clash, images flashed through his mind. The faces of his friends, of his family, each passing through his mind. Ritsuka's smiling face weighed heavily on his mind, knowing that he could still be with her.

Mash's voice echoed in his ears, hearing her sweet voice, yet knowing he likely wouldn't hear it again. The memory from Solomon's Temple when she had sacrificed herself, the smile she flashed them before she disappeared. 'What was a shield without a sword?' He thought to himself. He tried to ignore those thoughts, it was in the past, he did what he had to do to save them. Yet, he wondered if what he did was truly the right choice.

He thought about the Director, Olga Marie, and how hard she worked when Marisbury died. She was prideful and had a tendency to speak candidly, yet, he knew that it was simply a facade that hid an insecure girl. One who only wanted recognition and, most importantly, to have someone to call a friend. Yet, he allowed himself to be pulled into another world. 'No, I saved her. In order to save her, I had to do it. She was injured and...' He noticed Ares's bat had switched into a greatsword.

He mainly only noticed because he felt the blade making contact with him a few times. His face had a few cuts on it and his jacket was had a few rips in it by now, yet, Shirou was still managing to keep up, despite Ares power and speed steadily increasing. He could feel it easily, but that was when he saw Ares move much faster than he had the whole fight, with Shirou moving on autopilot to block the blow.

He heard the sound of steel shattering, Tomoe's sword falling to pieces and slowly dissipating into embers. The sight only fed into his anger, his body reacting and holding his sword in a new stance. His form switching and focusing on attacking. He threw a flurry of attacks, yet Ares seemed ready to intercept each attack, an annoying grin on his face the whole time.

However, Shirou could tell that Ares wasn't expecting such resistance, nor did he expect him to fight him like this. 'Kill him.' A voice called out. His thoughts telling him what to do. 'Destroy him, now' They fed into anger, 'Save them.' He knew what he had to do. 'You are too weak.' Another voice whispered inside his head. 'You couldn't save them.' Memories flashed through his mind, all the lives he saw lost, those he was unable to save. 'You let Sakura die.'

'Why are you here when they aren't? You don't deserve the life you have.' Shirou could feel it, his spirit was fighting itself. His body was becoming more pained, he felt like his soul was unstable, as if blades wanted to burst from within himself, only being stopped by other blades. 'You abandoned them when they needed you.'

Then he saw Chaldea and all of his friends, both servants and humans. Though, the one he focused on was Ophelia Phamrsolone. The first friend from Chaldea he had met, even though he technically met her before Chaldea. He was supposed to have seen and spoke with her once more, to be able to share his experiences in the singularities and share some with her along with Mash and Ritsuka.

Yet, that time never came. He was in another world, with Ophelia likely thinking him dead. He abandoned her, as well as the others, because of his own selfish desires. Desires and a life that he didn't deserve. Why did he deserve to receive all of this happiness and love when so many others were dead and suffering? Yet, what did he do? He wasn't even trying to live up to his ideals anymore, instead, focusing only on his family.

Emotions other than anger were beginning to cloud his mind and heart. He was sacrificing the lives of others for his own happiness. 'No, that's not true.' He thought, fighting back against it, but it was a losing battle. Much like the physical one he was fighting with Ares. "In the end, you can neither save others, nor yourself." Those familiar words entered into his mind once again.

Here he was, facing the embodiment of war, once again drawn into a battle. "You will continue to do so until it destroys you in the end." The clashing of swords reverberated through the air, likely to be heard for miles if not for the bounded field. "You abandoned everyone by coming here." The words stabbed into him worse than any physical blade. The image of Archer alone on a hill of swords flashing into his head, the figure flashing and replacing his form with his own.

He didn't deserve what he had. He had selfishly abandoned his duty. Why would Hestia, Aphrodite, Athena, and Artemis care for someone like him? There were others more worthy of such attention, rather than him, someone who survived when others died. Someone who was a killer, only focusing on protecting others, choosing to kill one to save ten. Ready to kill for his ideals if it was for the greater good.

His mind then conjured up an image of him of blowing away monks in order to kill one person, even killing someone he saw as a surrogate sister. One by one, Shirou imagined himself shooting down his enemies, focused only on his goal, every muzzle flash switching him with Emiya Alter. He then came to the image of Taiga, except, his mind substituted it for those he loved. As she raised the gun, the memory began flashing between Hestia, Athena, Artemis, and Aphrodite.

He was beginning to feel cold, his heart shaking, mended cracks beginning to break, with others appearing. His mind focusing only on one goal, killing Ares. His inner world becoming unstable and blades threatening pop out. Cursed blades called out to him, with holy blades trying and failing to dull their cries. Hestia's flame slowly turning black, roaring wildly within his heart.

He could feel a certain blackened sword calling out to him, whispering in his mind. 'Crush your enemies with overwhelming might. Make them fear and submit to you.' His body was running on overdrive, his circuits spinning wildly, likely to burst at their current rate. However, his sword skills remained the same, matching Ares blow for blow, his sword even cutting him a few times and nearly making contact with his face.

Suddenly, Ares brought his sword down once again, with Shirou having to block the attack because of the speed. The moment he did so, Ares pulled back one of his hands and threw a punch, hitting Shirou directly in the face and throwing him back into a tree. The tree then cracked, causing Shirou to quickly move before it fell onto him. He could feel that his nose had broken.

He quickly brought his hand up and fixed it back into its original state. Ares smirked, before placing his sword onto his shoulder. "This was fun, I must admit. All that rage and anger, it was a nice change from what I'm used to. You are the first human in a long time to last this long. Though, in the end, you really are nothing but an imitation of the genuine article." He said with a laugh while pointing back at himself. "Aphrodite will see that once she sees me standing over your broken body."

"Enough playing around, I have to see to what's rightfully mine." Ares then burst forward, with Shirou activating his shield from his watch. Ares's sword blasted into it, creating a large shockwave and nearly dislocating Shirou's arm. Before Shirou had any time to react, Ares grabbed onto it and forcefully tore it from his arm and kicked him away, causing him to tumble onto the ground for a few feet.

Shirou noticed a tree nearby, deciding he needed to get behind it to create a moment of separation. He quickly scrambled to his feet just as he saw Ares changed his sword into the from of a shotgun. Shirou brought his arm and quickly dashed for the tree when he heard the boom of the gun go off. The next thing he felt was multiple projectiles hitting his arm and digging into it. Without his reinforcement, he had no doubt that it would have likely tore his arm apart and rendered it useless.

However, he made it behind the tree. "How typical of a human. You cling to life despite knowing your end is near. Why don't you just embrace your fate and die already!?" He heard Ares yell out in frustration before hearing another gunshot that splintered the tree. "I'm a god! I'm war! What makes you think you deserve what you have?! You're just a pathetic human who is nothing more than a passing fascination to her. Just give up and die!"

Shirou's anger spiked again, though he didn't even notice anymore. Without another thought, Shirou ripped his shredded sleeve off and spun around the tree and charged towards Ares. Ares quickly fired off another round, however, Shirou swung his blade, his anger and determination causing the sword to light up with black and red flames, and destroyed the projectiles.

Ares seemed to be caught off guard for a moment, allowing Shirou to swing his blade forward, managing to cut his face and glasses. Though, any feeling of accomplishment was quickly diminished, when he felt the sensation of a blade in his body. He looked down and saw what appeared to be a large combat knife in his side. Ares then punched the sword out of Shirou's hand, before bringing a hand up to his own face.

Sure enough, Ares saw golden ichor in his hand from the wound. He looked back towards Shirou, who had now grabbed onto the blade of the knife and was struggling slowly to pull the blade from his body. He looked up towards Ares, gazing right into his rage filled fiery eyes without any fear, no, he was looking into them with contempt and hate. His eyes slowly turning more steel than golden brown.

It was like static was beginning to buzz in his ears, faint familiar voices calling out to him within, but he ignored them. His only objective was to rid the world of the god of war. He knew how to win, but he was still fighting against himself. Even now there was still a spark holding out, refusing to acknowledge the images of Archer and Emiya Alter. Even now, he ran away from those futures. Yet, all dreams come to an end when the dreamer wakes. His mind then reminded him of the cold truth of who he was, the Fuyuki flames, both times he had seen them, flashing through his eyes.

Then he felt Ares kick him off of the blade, though Shirou hardly registered it. Knowing he was on the ground, he automatically began to make his way to his feet. It was difficult, yet, he knew that he couldn't give up. He wouldn't fall. Slowly, he could tell that something was beginning to break, and when it did, he'd no longer be himself. His mind, soul, and body warring against itself, surely all three would give.

He made his way onto a knee, looking up, but he didn't see Ares. All he saw was a version of himself covered in blood. 'Hero of Justice? Don't make me laugh. It's only an ideal steeped in blood, including the blood of the innocent.' Shirou's eyes relaxed, before feeling his circuits beginning to call on his weapons. 'Yet, that ideal is one that I found beauty in. Even though I know that the end point remains the same. Alone on a hill of swords, the lives of the many outweigh the lives of the few. Very well, I'm...'

He saw the other him level a gun towards him. Before he could finish his thoughts or worry about fighting, he saw the images of his family, of his son and daughters, of everyone waiting for him. For the first time, he didn't feel anger, only regret. Why? Because he knew what would happen if he continued on this path. Suddenly, it felt like everything slowed to a stop.

He felt like he could hear a faint echo calling out to him. He tried to focus on it, focusing all of his senses on what the echo was. Slowly but surely, he began to hear a voice calling out to him, commanding him to do one thing. It was a very familiar voice. "There's n...ry much...time...Have to...urry." One he had given up hope on ever hearing again. "Get..." He made out the beginning, before hearing it again. "...up!" Everything felt fractured, so he tried to piece everything back together the best he could.

The voice, he remembered it. 'That's right, that's...' "Get up, Shirou!" The voice yelled out clearer. He could then make out the face of who was speaking. "You promised that you'd stay alive until I found you!" Shirou winced a bit, his mind recalling when he made said promise. "You can't allow something like this to beat you down, not after all we've been through. Remember what you fight for, who you fight for!"

Was he not beginning to choose that before she said that? Apparently, she knew what he was thinking. "That isn't you. You aren't Archer or his Alter, Shirou. Remember what you fought for. Remember what's most important." Shirou let out a deep breath, his mind telling him that it was humanity. Was that not what was most important? Yet, his soul and heart were telling him that wasn't the case.

He could feel something there. He closed his eyes and searched, before seeing multiple people begin to flash through his mind. It flashed through many servants, Medea, Circe, Jeanne and Jeanne Alter, Arturia along with her variants, Nero, Scathach, Raikou, Medusa and her sisters, Anne and Mary, Drake, Shuten Douji, Medb, Ishtar and Ereshkigal, Okita and Nobunaga, Musashi, Ushiwakamaru, Serenity, Atalanta, Artemis, Mordred, Kiyohime, Parvati, Meltryllis, Carmilla and Elizabeth, Martha, his sisters from another world, and so many others he was close with.

He even saw Leonidas, Moriarty, Hector, Mozart, Heracles, Orion, Cu Chulainn, Lancelot, Gawain, Tristan, Bedivere, Karna, Siegried, Kintoki, Tesla, Edison, Babbage, Old Man Hassan and the other Hassan with him, Fergus, Iskandar, Robin Hood, Arash, David, Caster Gilgamesh, and even Merlin along with all of his other friends he had made while journeying through singularities. He was remembering now, the bonds he had made, why these heroes all chose to fight. What they all believed in.

Then it changed, showing him Rin, Sakura, Taiga and her grandfather, Bazett, Issei, Ayako, Sigma, Lord El Melloi, Gray, Reines, Luvia, Flat Escardos, Caren Hortensia, Hansa Cervantes and his quartet, until finally showing him his mother, Maiya. They were the ones who were still at home, who he had fought to make sure had a future, even if he didn't have one. But, was that really what he was fighting for? Didn't he fight so humanity as a whole could have a future? 'No, I fought for...'

His thoughts were cut short when he was shown more people, this time it showed him Olga Marie, Da Vinci, Sherlock Holmes, Sylvia, Muniere, Mao, Romani, with the final people shown being Ophelia, Mash, and Ritsuka Fujimaru, along with Fou. These were those important to him in Chaldea. The ones he had befriended and tried so desperately to save. The memories lingered on Olga Marie, Ophelia, Mash, and Ritsuka, with Shirou feeling the cold within him beginning to heat up, as if his reality marble had been lit with a flame.

"You're our hero, Shirou. That's all that matters in the end. No matter what, you are a hero, but this isn't you. Please, Shirou, remember what you fight for, what you love." Shirou once again winced in pain, but this time, it was from him trying to fix himself. Trying to remember, to fight off the rage induced in him. "We're still here, Shirou, and we'll keep going until we can get to you. Remember, you have people that care for you, and no matter what you believe or try to tell yourself, we all care about you and we all love you."

The faint sound of a hammer striking an anvil could be heard within his soul. His mind tried to tell him that he didn't deserve it, it tried to drop a cage around him, but her words broke through it. "This has nothing to do with deserve Shirou, it's simply the way things are. Quit letting your guilt drag you down and fight back! If you want to be a hero, then become the hero we all know you can be!" She yelled out, breaking through the steel his mind had put up. "Become the hero your family needs!"

Those words triggered another flash of images, Hestia, Athena, Aphrodite, Artemis, Rhea, Hera, Apollo, Mia, Zoe, the hunters, Caroline, Thalia, Miyu, Annabeth, Ophelia, Ritsuka, and Lacy all showed up, all lined up in front of him, his family. His mind shuffled through many memories, landing back onto his little sister, Miyu, who Hestia had named his daughter after. Her brother and what he did in order to save her, he remembered it. Another version of him, yet was unlike him as well.

"Thank you, Ritsuka." He whispered, though he was sure that she heard him. He closed his eyes for a moment, before opening them and seeing her, Mash, and Ophelia standing in front of him. "I'll be waiting for you all." He said softly, with each of them reacting to his words in different ways. He didn't know how they pulled this off, but he had a feeling it had something to do with dreams, Casters, and a certain little witch girl from Salem. Perhaps they had a little help from his side as well, though he wasn't sure of what that could be at the moment.

All at once, the three of them spoke in unison. "We'll be there soon, so stay alive until we get there!" They all said, before he felt whatever connection they had weaken. However, he heard them say a few more things before it completely disappeared. "Win, Shirou, you can do it!" He concentrated and was sure that was Mash. "Thank you for the gift." That one was Ophelia. "I'll be expecting a warm welcome and a great meal." Ritsuka definitely said that. He couldn't help but be amused at her words as the connection was lost.

He shook his head and took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. "I am the bone of my sword." He spoke his aria with renewed confidence. The sound of the hammer strikes grew louder and faster. Within his reality marble, flames roared wildly, sparks went flying, and his current self melted down into molten steel. Hammer strikes sounded off, steel began to take form. More heat and more strikes, a sword was forged anew. Regrets, he would have no regrets. He would no longer doubt himself. No longer would he punish himself.

He would no longer hold himself back. He wasn't alone.

The sound of a shotgun reverberated through the air. The next moment, the sound of the projectiles hitting steel could be heard. If any were watching, they would see Ares previous victorious laughing demeanor quickly be replaced with surprise. In front of Shirou, planted firm as a castle wall, was a tower shield that had a cross shape to it. Usually, Ares was able to know the information about whatever weapon was in front of him. However, only now was he realizing that he couldn't read any of the weapons the human had used against him.

It was impossible, yet here it was. There wasn't much that could stand up to his divine weapon, yet that shield didn't even budge against the projectiles fired from it. The human's sword was likely given to him by Aphrodite, so he knew that it could stand up to it, but nothing else should have that capability. Then again, this human was using some sort of strange magic to keep up with him. It didn't matter, he knew that he'd just fall into the same pattern again.

He was the embodiment of war, which meant that the concept of war was his to mess with. The human wasn't just fighting him, he was also fighting himself. That's why he was unbeatable by humans. He might as well have been invincible. Then again, that's what it meant to face a god. All he had to do was to use his power to finish this fight before Aphrodite showed up.

He took a step forward, but suddenly stopped when he noticed fiery red magical energy begin to swirl around the area. Fiery red arcs of energy began emanating from behind the shield. That was when the human stood up and stepped to the side of the shield. He was different, much different. Underneath his tore up black jacket was some sort of sleeveless body armor of some kind. The blue shroud he had was now wrapped around the arm that had no sleeve.

His eyes were steady and calm, yet focused. Ares could also see some glowing runes placed onto various parts of his clothes and body, seemingly written with the blood from his wound. Said wound seemed to have now been cauterized. The way he stood and even the way he breathed was far different. It was as if he was an entirely different person. 'He should still be affected by my power, so why doesn't he look angry? He should be seeing red!'

Ares let out a low growl, angered at the change in his opponent. However, it didn't matter. He was still better than him, considering they're earlier battle. Then he noticed him speak, "I am the bone of my sword." The words seemed to dig into his very soul. For a moment, it appeared as if three people were standing behind the human. A red clad warrior with white hair, a black and gold clad warrior with a darker skin color and golden cracks forming on his body, and what appeared to be a man similar to the human fighting him now, only dressed in feudal japanese styled gear with a white cloak flowing behind him.

He then felt like multiple blades were pointed towards him, as if steel had manifested and was facing him. It reminded him of when Hestia had stood up to him and threatened him. The feeling of a cold blade against his throat. He wouldn't dare admit that he felt a cold chill down his spine. It was impossible. Red arcs of energy then appeared in his hands, forming into two weapons.

One was white and shaped like a single edged sword with a ying-yang symbol near the guard. The other appeared to be a black and red bayoneted handgun of some kind, with the blade having red hexagonal patterns engraved into it. Even now, Ares could still see those three behind him. It was as if their spirits were there. He had to end this. No matter what, this human was too dangerous to keep alive.

Shirou stood with Kanshou and Bakuya in his hands, feeling them empower him now that they were together. 'No more fear. No more running away.' Shirou held the weapons in his hands, already feeling that these were his usual preferred weapons. Already, the style he forged by tying all the experiences of blades in his reality marble into one was telling him these were what he needed. 'It's time to find out what kind of hero I am.' "You called me an imitation of the genuine article earlier."

"Well, in the end it doesn't really matter." Shirou then readied himself, settling into a stance. "There's no rule that says a imitation can't surpass the original." Ares sneered at his words, his shotgun taking on the form of a greatsword again. "Steel is my body and fire is my blood." He activated the runes and his reinforcement once more, before also tapping into Hestia's flame. Normally, he'd need his sword to control it, but he was confident he could control it without the sword now.

Within the next second, he burst forward in a flurry of flame, catching Ares off-guard by the speed of his advance. He swung his sword, aiming to slash his chest, however, Ares stepped back and used his free hand to guide the sword away while he lifted his weapon up to kill him. Shirou followed through with the movement, before maneuvering Kanshou underneath the arm that was still following through with his attack and pulling the trigger, sending multiple bullets with every pull of the trigger directly into Ares's armor, the force pushing him back a bit and catching him off-guard again.

"Trace bullet, Sword barrel, full open!" Shirou yelled out, continuing to follow through his movements and spinning around with the momentum to hit Ares with a kick to the chest and making him stumble backwards. The reinforcement and the runes on his boots being able to give him enough power to create space as seven swords were formed in the air around him, before they fired off at frightening speed.

Ares attempted to predict the attacks, even managing to block a few, however, that was a mistake. The moment he began to block the attacks, they exploded on impact. the explosions kicked up dust and obscured the area, but Shirou was sure he was sent a decent ways away. Without waiting, Shirou began firing Kanshou into the smoke, making sure to overload the bullets. "I have forged over a thousand blades."

Despite shooting into the smoke, Shirou heard a loud roar that blew everything within a large diameter around Ares away with great force. The flames in his eyes were roaring uncontrollably, his jacket had now been torn up worse than Shirou's. He could feel Ares using more of his divine power to try and mentally attack him again. However, Shirou wasn't going to allow that to happen again.

He realized that Ares had access to war as a concept, and that he used it to make him fight like a berserker, rather than fight like he should have. His plan to face Ares was never to charge straight at him with a sword, he'd have to fight him as if he were a servant. He would use multiple tricks to get the best of him. "Enough, I know who I am now. Those tricks won't work on me." He said, before throwing Bakuya toward the god and firing Kanshou at the same time, using his mana burst to retreat back towards the shield.

Ares dodged the blade rather than trying to block it, likely believing it would explode again. He then began to charge forward, allowing his body armor to tank most of Kanshou's bullets. Shirou's eyes narrowed at the act, but made no other gestures. "Forged in flames. Tempered by desire." He grabbed onto Mash's shield and fired a few more times, before lifting the shield up and blocking an attack from Ares greatsword. Shirou quickly overloaded Kanshou and turned it into a broken phantasm, before jumping backwards and throwing it towards Ares.

Ares grunted and was about to dodge Kanshou, but Bakuya had finally returned and struck him in his unprotected back, stabbing into him. Bakuya caused Ares to curse and miss a step, allowing Kanshou to strike him in the arm, exploding once contact was made. Once Shirou landed, he began to draw on the experience of the shield. Ares's arm was now leaking ichor, with an injury in his back. His anger had now reached its boiling point.

However, Shirou wasn't going to allow him a chance to use it. He charged forward with the shield and put all his weight behind each of his swings, making Ares have to block and parry each strike, though it wasn't like it was earlier. Now, Ares was being pushed back by the sheer power of the noble phantasm's strikes. Shirou jumped forward and delivered another large swing that Ares blocked, however, he was easily thrown away by the weight of the blow. 'I can't allow even a second of respite.' Strangely, Shirou felt like he was a bit stronger than usual, but decided to ignore it.

Shirou then threw the shield forward, allowing it to bounce off the ground once, causing it to cover Ares's sight line. He quickly batted the shield up, though Shirou appeared right after in a burst of flames, with even some pink magical energy beginning to trail behind him too. In his hands, was a large slab of sharpened rock, that Shirou simply swung without abandon, striking Ares directly in the chest and once again tossing him far away.

Shirou allowed Heracles's sword to return and jumped up to quickly grab Mash's shield once again. "Once withstood pain to bear the weight of justice, searching for salvation." Without stopping, Shirou ran forward and jumped up, and kicked the shield downwards towards Ares, who managed to dodge and planned on kicking the shield away. However, Shirou flipped over the shield, before allowing it to return and causing Ares to kick nothing but air.

Shirou quickly traced another weapon, before Ares swung his weapon around to chop Shirou in half. Being able to read said attack, Shirou ducked underneath and managed to slip behind Ares. He quickly wrapped his arms around his midsection, drawing on the experience of his traced weapon, and lifted Ares up with all of his might, before flipping over and suplexing him into the ground. He quickly rolled away and grabbed Quetzalcoatl's sword from the ground and swung it into the dirt, where Ares was.

Luckily for him, Ares had managed to dodge the attack, but also threw a kick that actually made contact with Shirou's gut and threw him into a tree. Ares was about to charge forward, but the moment he stepped forward, a large explosion threw him off his feet. As he was falling, he noticed what looked like jewels on the ground. He could feel magical energy in them, telling him that the human set them up somehow.

Shirou could tell Ares was getting furious, and probably embarrassed, since he was giving him so much more trouble. However, he wasn't close to being done. "This is now my path, I have no regrets!" Every line of his aria was being spoken by instinct, yet, he could feel it was right. If Ares knew what was happening, he made no effort to intervene. 'Not that he could.'

Shirou quickly traced a weapon when he saw Ares burst over with an insane speed he hadn't shown before. His sword came down and Shirou quickly parried it with an unfinished katana that had a red cloth for a handle. He parried another strike, before Ares attempted to grab onto him by the throat, which he succeeded in doing. But Shirou had already traced another weapon and quickly swung it into Ares manhood.

Ares quickly let go, allowing Shirou a second to catch his breath, before bringing up Muramasa's hammer once again, and delivering a hard uppercut to Ares's chest, knocking him upright. Shirou then dug deep into Muramasa's skill set and delivered a simple downward slash that blasted Ares away once again. The sword in Shirou's hands then crumbled and broke, being a failure, he knew it wouldn't bother the old man too much.

"I'm going to kill you!" He heard Ares scream out! His size then began to grow up until he appeared like a giant, his eyes were glowing and Shirou was concerned he was about to use his divine form.

However, it was already checkmate. "The heart of the blade is..." Shirou then held out his hand before thrusting it down onto the ground. "...Unlimited Blade Works!"

Flames then began to form cracks throughout the ground, before said flames began to spew out of them. A large ring of fire then began expanding from around Shirou, before swallowing up everything within a large radius. The bright light expanded from Shirou's hand, that steadily grew until everyone was inside of the world.

A large crescent moon now hung high up in the new world, along with multiple different stars glittering throughout the sky. Constellations made to look like a flame, a heart, an owl, and a bow were also visible thanks to their uniquely colored stars, made to match the ones they were meant to represent.

it was a clear sky, with a few clouds that allowed snow to softly drop down onto the grass, leaving a small blanket of snow on the ground. There was a large hill where a brilliant flame was being contained by numerous katanas and swords. Other than that, there was also some pink roses that dotted the landscape.

There wasn't many illusions in the world, save for the usual castle walls behind Lord Camelot, or some pyramids behind some staffs. They were simply mirages only visible if you looked closely, but they added to the beauty. The world had changed completely from when Shirou had last seen it. It was updated and now focused on his current life, though he could still see reminders of his time in Chaldea scattered around the world of infinite swords.

"What the hell is this place?! What have you done?!" Ares screamed out, causing Shirou to sigh in disappointment, as he wanted to appreciate his world more. Shirou turned to see Ares back to his earlier size, which was a surprise. However, since he was asking like Shirou did something to him, that meant his size was negated in here. He wondered if his divinity was cut off too, since this was effectively another world, meaning he had no way to draw from the power he normally did.

"This place is my Unlimited Blade Works, my soul made manifest over the material world. In essence, this place is my world. What I did was drag you into it so I can finally kill you." He answered coldly, not so much as trying to mince his words. Ares sneered at him, before changing his sword into a shotgun again.

"What did I say earlier? You're nothing but a weak human! No matter what you do, you won't be able to kill me. We're immortal." He said in an obnoxious and annoying tone. He held up the shotgun to shoot at him, however, Shirou made a wave of his hand, and a sword intercepted the weapon, hitting it out of Ares's hands.

"You don't understand, do you? This is my world, Ares. In this world, I'm the god." He replied, making multiple other blades fire off at him, causing Ares to bat them away with his vest turned shield. He quickly retrieved his sword and focused in on him. However, Shirou simply grabbed a sword from nearby and his bow materialized out from his bracelet. Shirou nocked a twisted arrow, Caladbolg III onto his bow, though it was just an altered version of Medb's Caladbolg.

He quickly pulled back the bow, causing arrow to release a large amount of magical energy. "My love is twisted in madness. Caladbolg." He then loosed the arrow, aiming at Ares, who brought his shield up to block the attack, only for a large explosion to rock the area. Shirou idly wondered if he should give that to Ophelia as a special arrow to get her out of tough spots. Considering the chant needed for it, he thought it would be fitting.

A large bronze shield then flew out of the dust and debris, aiming right for Shirou's head. Before it could hit him, a large sword appeared in front of the attack and caused the shield to ram into the side of it, before falling to the ground. He could see Ares now, it appeared his arm was now useless from blocking that attack. However, he seemed far from giving up, as he charged forward with his sword in hand. Shirou held out his hands, two weapons flying into them.

One was a katana without a guard, only a red cloth hanging in its place. The other was a seven branched spear, both belonged to one thought to be a war god from his homeland. Shirou spun the spear around and charged it with magical energy, lightning beginning to emanate from the spear. It seemed to catch Ares by surprise, but he still attacked regardless, with Shirou parrying his attacks with both weapons.

Thanks to Ares next to useless arm, he wasn't able to generate nearly as much power as before. He summoned five more blades, all encircling Ares and himself, before stabbing the spear into the ground. "Trace on, burst release." As he finished his words, Ares swung his sword towards Shirou, who burst forward with the mixed power of Hestia and Aphrodite, dodging underneath the attack while delivering a swing of his own.

He then burst again and again, repeating six times, each time changing weapons, until he was holding the seven branched spear. With the charged blade, he thrust forward, sending a large bolt of electrical magical energy directly into Ares's chest, sending him flying. Shirou then spoke out, "Those were the weapons of Nagao Kagetora, someone whose skill and strength made her recognized as the God of War."

"You can't win, Ares. Just accept your defeat as a warrior should." He said plainly, though he knew Ares wouldn't do that. Then again, Shirou would fight until the bitter end too, so he had no place to judge. Ares let out a loud roar, once again sending a large shockwave out from around him. His eyes were full of hate, but his injuries and leaking ichor told Shirou that this was over.

He was kind of surprised, as he didn't expect Ares to fall prey to his own rage so easily. Then again, he knew if Ares went full divine spirit, he'd have some trouble. Though, Shirou could still fight without needing to see, especially within Unlimited Blade Works. "This has come about because of your own actions. You started this when you made your amazons come after my daughters, who proceeded to threaten to kill one of Aphrodite's daughters."

Ares was pissed, it was plain as day, but that was when he caught on to what Shirou had said. "All because of a stupid prophecy. Then you try to take Caroline and my daughter away to use as bait or hostages to get to Aphrodite, while being intent on killing a member of Artemis's hunters. Did you really think there would be no consequences? Or were you really that arrogant to believe you could do as you pleased just because you were a god?" He asked, before stopping a few feet in front of the injured Ares.

Shirou was angry, but he was trying to remain calm right now, he wanted to try and maintain his remaining magical energy and his adrenaline, since his wounds weren't in the best of shape. He needed nectar or ambrosia, but he didn't have any on him, nor did he bring his first aid kit. Thankfully, the pain was keeping him up, despite having broken and cracked bones here and there, along with the cuts and bullets he took. He then heard Ares begin to laugh.

"You're kidding me. You're the one we've heard about? The sword?" Shirou raised a brow at that, vaguely recalling a prophecy Rhea had told him. He chuckled once again, "That's rich. Daughters of steel, that was your children with Athena and Aphrodite?" He questioned, before laughing in an irritating tone. "What could they ever hope to accomplish? The children of two weak goddesses and a human freak. Do they know their mothers are a virgin and a wh..." Shirou called Kanshou to hand, before taking a step forward and raising the sword, which allowed Ares to finally attempt another attack, swiping upwards and managing to cut over his eye, though Shirou's eye was still intact.

Ares quickly went for another series of blows, however multiple swords and spears, noble phantasms, impaled his legs and back causing him to fall to his knees. Shirou wanted to cut off his head, but held himself back, despite being disgusted by Ares. Ares then let out a cruel laugh. "I'll never stop! You can't hide from me. Maybe you'll beat me again, but I know those little ones can't defend themselves. No matter what, I'll always revive. So, how are you going to save them huh?! How are you going to protect them from me?!" Shirou only peered at him with cold eyes.

"These weapons belonged to the greatest heroes to have ever lived. Ranging from the first heroes, Gilgamesh and Enkidu, all the way to people like Billy the Kid and Nikola Tesla. Their weapons have special characteristics, according to their legends." He explained in a calm and cold voice, reminiscent of Athena. Multiple weapons appeared behind him. Red spears, blacked swords, scythes, cursed blades, and stuff like that. "What if a weapon used to kill a god were to kill you? What if the weapon rendered your immortality and divinity null?"

The more he spoke, the more he noticed Ares face begin to understand what he was saying. "I am going to kill you, Ares. For what you've done before and what you will continue to do. I'm going to make sure you can't come after my family ever again. If that means making the gods my enemies, then so be it. I'd burn Olympus to the ground if it meant protecting my family, Ares." Shirou stated, before reaching into his back pocket and pulling out a strange bullet with magic writing all over it.

He called Bakuya to his other hand in its bayoneted handgun form and loaded the bullet into the chamber before raising the gun. His eyes widened for a moment, feeling a familiar surge of energy that caused him to close his eyes. He could feel four flashes of heat, before he decided to open his eyes.

Standing between Ares and himself was Hestia, Athena, Aphrodite, and Artemis. He couldn't help but be surprised by Artemis's arrival, since he remembered that she was still with her hunters.

Artemis and Athena were both facing away from him, both having their respective weapons leveled at Ares, even though he wasn't going to go anywhere with the noble phantasms currently pinning him to the ground, including Black Keys. Hestia and Aphrodite though, both were facing him. From the second his eyes opened, both of them were inspecting him closely. He saw Hestia's eyes narrow in on Kanshou and Bakuya. Aphrodite seemed to be looking deep into his eyes after she looked over his other wounds.

He noticed Athena peer over her shoulder and focus in on Bakuya. The look in her eyes told him that she knew of the wielder of the gun in his hand. Their focus was solely on Ares and him, none even trying to look around. Shirou felt like if they did, they wouldn't worry so much. Hestia and Aphrodite both walked forward, with Hestia walking up and placing her hands on his face. Aphrodite placed her hand onto Bakuya and slowly made him lower it.

He could feel both of them using their powers on him. What anger he was feeling towards Ares calmed and the emotions he felt towards his family and the four who were here pushed to the front of his mind. However, there was something they didn't know, their powers weren't actually doing much. They were likely under the impression Ares's power had taken control over him, or still had control and were trying to counteract it.

"Shirou, it's over, we're here now." Hestia spoke softly, with Shirou flashing her a small smile. She seemed happy to see it, which was a good thing. "We can go home." Shirou let go of Kanshou, but kept Bakuya in his hand. He shook his head at her words.

"Not until this is finished." He replied calmly, with Aphrodite grabbing onto his free hand.

"Shirou, killing him isn't worth it. It's only going to cause problems for the children. I understand you want to kill him, I'd like to do so myself, but it'll only make the gods more nervous." She said while looking into his eyes. They then heard Ares let out a small chuckle.

"All of you are on his side? Even you Hestia? Look at what he's done to me?! Father will still forgive you if you present this human to him. Otherwise, you're all traitors." He stated confidently, a smirk on his face. "Will the two of you really turn your backs on father?" He asked Athena and Artemis. "Will you let your family fall into chaos Hestia?" Hestia didn't react to his words, only watching Shirou. "Aphrodite, is thi..." Ares began to speak to Aphrodite, however, she quickly turned and snapped her gaze onto Ares, he eyes glowing with pick divinity.

"SILENCE!" She commanded in a tone that none had heard from the goddess of love before. It was so strong and domineering that it actually made Hestia, Athena, and Artemis jump from being startled. Her words clearly being enhanced by her charmspeak and divine power, with her hair slowly flowing in the air from the sudden influx of power she was commanding. The words were so powerful, that Ares's mouth audibly clinched shut with his eyes widening.

"You scared my daughters, you attacked and injured my love, and you think you get to be free?" She asked with an exasperated, even slightly mocking, tone. "However, let me get this one thing straight, you never try to call or find me again. As a matter of fact." She walked over to him, before bending down with an amused expression to look into his eyes. "If I thought we could kill you without repercussions, I'd do so without a second thought." Aphrodite said with an icy expression. "You've committed the deadliest two sins in my eyes, you attacked my children and attempted to kill my love. From now until I say so, you will never dirty my name by speaking it ever again."

They noticed her words working on him, causing him major discomfort from such a forced order. Ares sneered at her, Aphrodite merely huffed at him. "I will stand with my love, with the father of my darling babies. Your offer is nothing but empty words, that the rest won't even humor. Right, ladies?" Aphrodite asked, being a bit worried since they weren't reacting at all.

"I have spent many years going over countless scenarios, ever since the Amazon's attacked Shirou and threatened to take our daughter." Athena choosing to speak at this time. "I love my daughter and..." She then paused, before peering back towards Shirou who met her gaze. Her expression softened, "...I love you, Shirou. So, I choose to stand with you. Wherever that may path may lead us, I'll be there." She finished with a faint smile, before turning back towards Ares. Artemis's eyes glowed with divine power and her anger was easily noticeable.

"I want to kill you, Ares. Your Amazon's already made a mess once before. Now, you attempt to kill Mia, one of my most trusted hunters?! You also frightened Ophelia, and attempted to kidnap her. If I could kill you now, I would. However..." she too turned to look towards Shirou, "...I too stand with the father figure of my hunters and my friend Shirou Emiya. Whatever comes from this, my bow is yours." She finished, turning back towards Ares when she began to feel a bit embarrassed. The other goddesses were all surprised and slightly puzzled by Artemis's choice of words, but decided to figure it out later. They still needed to do something.

"Hestia, please talk some sense into them. This could lead to a rift in Olympus, all over a mortal man? Please Aunt Hestia." He asked with a pleading tone, trying to pull on her heartstrings. However, Hestia was not happy.

She turned, flames then formed around her slowly changing into a bluish color. "I warned you to stay away, Ares. I told you that if you pursued Aphrodite, I would let him kill you." She answered, looking straight at him. His eyes revealed his shock and horror of his situation. "Shirou is my husband." She stated proudly, causing Ares's to nearly snap his neck by how fast he looked up at the two. His eyes then wandered down to see the two wedding rings they both wore. "You have caused him a lot of emotional, physical, and spiritual pain Ares. You've targeted our children, our family, simply because you were jealous and too immature to handle Aphrodite breaking up with you after divorcing Haphaestus."

"You've had many opportunities to turn away from your actions. To become a better god, but you just couldn't do it. I'm disappointed in you Ares. You could be so much more, yet you refuse to change, just as the others refuse to do. Change is coming, Ares. Whether Olympus likes it or not. So, what will you do?" She asked, however, just as she asked that, Shirou lifted multiple large noble phantasms into the air, pointing them down towards Ares.

"Shirou, stop. Killing him is not the right choice." Hestia said again, though, the others had their own thoughts on the matter.

"We should just kill him now, especially because of his actions." Artemis interjected, "He wanted to kill Mia and Shirou. He didn't care about what repercussions he may face from Aphrodite or myself. That's because all Ares cares about is himself and war. What he did is a step too far."

"He scared my little girls and would have likely harmed them. Judging by Shirou's wounds, he was going to crush Shirou mentally, spiritually, and physically before killing him off. He would have tortured him and it would have been celebrated by Olympus if reported, simply because of that ridiculous prophecy. Honestly, it doesn't matter if he dies, he'll revive at some point after we kill him, by that point the girls will be ready to defend themselves. As for Olympus, I'm sure they'll take our word over his." Aphrodite pointed out, her anger plain as day.

"Olympus will find out eventually. They always do. Letting him live is the best way to ensure that we remain safe. What if he swears on the Styx to not mention any of this and we let him go. Shirou's identity is still hidden, as are the existences of our children. You're all angry, I understand, but we have to be smart about this." Hestia explained, before deciding to question the one with wisdom, "Athena, what do you think? What is our best course of action?"

Athena took a step back and joined the small group some feet away from Ares. "We must remain hidden until our eldest daughters can fend for themselves. That's what I think." Aphrodite and Artemis both frowned, with Hestia smiling, "However, letting him go now is unwise, even if we make him swear on the Styx. He will find ways to go after Shirou and the girls. We have to create fear, make him and anyone else following after him to never want to target them again. This will also make father not try to look for Shirou, especially if we make Ares incapable of telling him a name. Father heard the prophecy and you know how he is with prophecies."

she then took a deep breath before continuing. "We sow fear and keep Shirou and our family hidden. It's the only way to come out on top without losing anything." She finished, before looking over at Ares, then Shirou. "Do you have something that won't kill him but will send a message the other gods won't be able to ignore?"

Shirou hummed to himself, before holding up Bakuya. Athena actually looked a little scared of the gun, even scared of him, which saddened him a bit. His sadness must have shown, because Athena was about to speak to him again, but was interrupted by Aphrodite. "Darling, you wait here until I give the signal, okay?" Shirou could only nod at her words.

Hestia and Aphrodite both walked up to Ares and appeared to be telling him their conditions. While waiting, Artemis and Athena both made their way to Shirou's side. Artemis appeared nervous, while Athena was still a bit worried about his earlier expression. Shirou watched the pair talking to Ares, keeping an eye on any tricks, before he spoke. "It's still me, Thena. I haven't changed." He whispered to her.

"How am I supposed to know that for sure? Ares has control over the concept of war, which includes mental warfare as well." She replied with a sigh, causing Shirou to smile a bit. "When we get home, the first thing we're going to do is double check everything, then we'll figure out a way to fix what's damaged." Shirou could only let out an amused huff, knowing she was serious. He had to admit, he actually enjoyed that serious side of her. It made the other sides of her stand out more.

'You have to tell him, Artemis, now's your perfect chance.' Artemis shook her head. 'Now is definitely not the right time. Something is different about him, even this world we are in is different from when we bonded together that one time. I just need to know that the Shirou I speak to, is the same Shirou I bonded with. Besides, I want to do that when we're home alone, it is a rather personal matter.' She mentally replied, hoping Shirou was still Shirou.

'You left the hunt the moment Mia's prayer came in, looking to help Shirou. You care for him, Artemis. You must show that to him when you tell him the truth. Wait until you are home, but don't back down, otherwise I'll take over.' Diana stated with a confident huff. Artemis let out a low growl. "Shirou, when we return home, will you allow me to bandage your wounds? I'm surprised you're even still standing up." She said, grabbing his arm and helping him stay upright.

Shirou looked over and thought for a moment before replying, "Uh, sure thing. Thanks for the help, Artemis, and thanks for supporting me with Ares. I'm sorry I didn't get to Mia sooner. Now that I know that you think of me as a father figure for the hunters, I'll work even harder to make sure nothing happens to them." His words caused Artemis to freeze, before looking away with a barely noticeable smile. The hunters were more like her sisters, not daughters, but she would admit that many probably looked to her in that light.

She did know that the younger hunters looked up to Shirou, such as Mia's group, so it wasn't a lie. Even the other hunters looked to him for advice on occasion, simply because of his relationship with herself. She described him in that way to see how he'd react. He reacted rather positively, so she hoped that wouldn't change. Before she could speak to him further, Aphrodite gave Shirou a signal.

Shirou's adrenaline was gone and his magical energy was very low, but he was sure that he had enough for one last bullet. He walked toward Ares, who was now free of the weapons. He looked at Shirou with a smirk and look of contempt. He then mouthed, 'Remember what I said.' Shirou's eyes narrowed, as Ares turned with a victorious expression on his face. Shirou quickly brought his gun up and without a second thought, fired the origin bullet.

To most, it appeared like a bullet glowing with magical energy, but it was actually one of the most dangerous tools in Shirou's arsenal. He wasn't sure if the bullet would kill him right away, but he knew that unless Ares came crawling back to him, or he got aid from a mage, that the bullet wouldn't stop piercing him with blades. The gunshot caused Ares to turn a bit, only to feel the bullet hit him in the side. He let out a small grunt, before turning to look at him with angry eyes. "By the end of this, you'll beg me to kill you." Shirou said, closing his eyes and allowing Unlimited Blade Works to disappear.

Once outside in the real world, Hestia quickly reminded Ares of his oaths, who was beginning to groan in pain, with ichor spilling from his lips, before he quickly flashed away. Hestia was surprised when she saw Ichor on the ground where he was once standing. She sighed, hoping this plan of Athena's was going to work. Inwardly though, she was furious. Despite her calm demeanor and attempt at being diplomatic, her anger was bubbling over. The others might have thought she was incapable of it, but that was very wrong.

She held back a lot. The moment she heard Ares was fighting Shirou, her heart dropped and the room started spinning. She wanted to turn Ares into ash for even daring to target her husband. Then she saw Shirou with his wounds. Once again, she wanted to burn him from existence. Shirou was hers and she was his. Seeing his wounds hurt her to look at. Yet, she had to try and be the voice of reason.

She couldn't let herself get consumed by rage. So, she focused on getting the problem fixed, so they could go home peacefully.

Needless to say, once they returned home, all four goddesses fussed over Shirou's injuries. Before, they had to keep themselves in check with an enemy around, but at home, they were free to do as they pleased. Shirou was exhausted, his magical energy was lower than it had been in a very long time. Then there was his injuries, Artemis was in charge of caring for that, but they weren't pretty.

Athena focused on checking the state of his mind, trying to find the remnants of whatever Ares may have done to it thanks to his powers. While, Aphrodite and herself focused more on Shirou's soul and emotions. It was very hectic, but Shirou simply smiled and joked around a few times without care, which only worried them more.

Thankfully, Rhea, Caroline, and Mia were available to watch over the kids while they took care of Shirou. She let out a sigh. Whatever happened, she just hoped that her husband was going to be okay.

Athena had to admit, what she found after looking at Shirou was a bit surprising. Hestia and Aphrodite would likely be able to confirm what she thought after observing him for awhile, but Athena was sure that Shirou was almost as good as new. Before, Shirou's mind was a mess that had been fixed after multiple tragedies. The fire he was in, followed by everything leading up to his arrival in their world, had done a number on him.

Rhea's assistance had helped mend things that had been damaged, but the rest of the care needed had to be provided by Hestia and everyone else as time went on. The moment they all found out about Shirou fighting Ares, they were sure that they'd find his mind in fractured but steel-like state. Hestia hadn't known about it, but Athena did. If that is what happened, then he would have likely ended up similar to the alternate Shirou she had seen in his dreams and memories.

Considering the level of mental attack Ares power had, she was sure that his mind would defend itself in the only way it knew how, focusing on a single objective for the greater good. Only keeping the basic of basics about himself, while shedding everything else that was unnecessary. It was a valid theory that she had come up with, yet, Shirou had somehow managed to fight back against it.

She would admit to being a bit frightened of him when she saw Shirou wielding that gun, but for now, it seemed her fear was misplaced. His mind had somehow managed to hold itself together, if not becoming stronger and more stable. She hadn't seen anything like it. The fact that it happened, meant that something must have happened to Shirou while he was fighting Ares. Whatever it was, she was thankful for it. However, she was going to be sure to keep an eye on him anyways, just in case.

She was careful and precise with every wound she stitched. There was also the multiple broken, cracked, and even fractured bones he had. Luckily, Shirou could have nectar, otherwise she knew he'd be in terrible pain. She had managed to talk the others into checking on their children and putting them to sleep after the long day, leaving her alone with Shirou.

She was glad that he seemed okay, but she was worried about the fact that the others had said something may have changed about him. Artemis couldn't see anything that seemed different, in fact, Shirou seemed a bit more lively than before. She wondered what could have happened during his battle with Ares.

She was interested in how he managed to defeat a god. Granted, Ares wasn't exactly known to be the strongest on Olympus, but he was still one of the twelve and not many mortals could hope to face a god. Still, Shirou wasn't just any mortal. She shook her head and continued with her aid.

"I'm sorry you have to do this, Artemis." Shirou said to her, wincing as she continued to bandage a few places. Artemis only shook her head, before deciding to reply.

"It's not a problem, Shirou. Caring for hunters is part of my domain, after all." She then began to place some bandages onto the cut on his left eye. "You're lucky he didn't manage to damage your eye." She said, with Shirou letting out a small chuckle.

"I suppose I should be glad luck was on my side for once." He replied, with Artemis raising a brow, before letting out an amused huff in response. The room then remained silent, save for the sounds of Artemis's movements and their breathing. Artemis could tell that Shirou was exhausted. Whatever happened during his fight, it seemed to take a lot out of him. The fact that his muscles and ligaments were torn or strained in multiple places, painted a very clear picture of Shirou pushing his body beyond its limits.

She knew about his magic, but she didn't know that he had weapons that could harm him to such and extent. Unless it wasn't necessarily the weapons doing it. Then again, she couldn't imagine what else there was. She hummed to herself as she continued to do her job. "Were injuries like this a common occurrence before?" She asked, with Shirou closing his eyes and letting out a small hum.

"Maybe not to this same extent, but also, I've had worse on a handful of occasions." He replied, with Artemis stopping momentarily, causing Shirou to open his eyes and look at her. She couldn't imagine injuries worse than this, other than maybe death. "It's complicated to explain, but I usually always had a capable healer nearby. The main thing that saved my life during the worse injuries, I no longer have access to. I left it to a friend who was injured, hoping that it might save her life when she really needed it."

Artemis wondered what that object was, especially if it was capable of healing wounds worse than his current ones. Even with nectar, Shirou's current wounds were still pretty bad. He then pointed towards his throat, where Artemis saw a faint scar where it looked like someone tried to cut his head off. "Nothing short of beheading me would kill me, probably." He said, adding in the probably at the end. "That was a near miss, as well as someone attempting to hang me." He lifted the white shirt he had changed into and saw multiple other scars.

"These spots are now reinforced, which probably saved my life multiple other times. Maybe even during my fight too." He continued, before leaning his head back again. Artemis couldn't help but run her fingers along a few of them, especially the ones shaped like holes. "They feel normal enough, but underneath those scars are blades that have knitted my wounds back together, including even my bones and muscles. What's been broken on me now are the parts that haven't been injured, the ones cracked may be because Ares managed to hit me hard enough." He said with a wry smile.

Artemis couldn't help but be a bit shocked at his words. "Sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. It's just something that I'm thankful for. It's saved my life many times." Shirou reassured her, probably because of the look on her face. However, Artemis only shook her head.

"It's fine. If it made you possible for you to be here, then it doesn't bother me too much." She answered with a reassuring smile. Shirou let out a small chuckle at her reply. "It's a shame, I would have liked to see what it was that saved you." She continued, but was surprised when Shirou brought a hand to his chin as if he was thinking to himself.

"I wonder..." He whispered, before closing his eyes and holding out his hands, with his circuits coming back to life. Artemis was about to reach out and stop him, since she didn't want him taxing himself like that, but once she felt the power from him, she stopped herself. He appeared to be mouthing words to himself, similar to the structure of some kind of process.

To her surprise, the image of a beautiful gold and blue scabbard began to appear in the air in front of Shirou's hand. There appeared to be some sort of lettering on it, though she was unable to read the writing, which was surprising. Though, what really got to her, was the feeling it emanated. It felt like nature and peace. It was the most beautiful and comforting feeling for a goddess associated with nature like her. It was only visible for a few seconds, before it disappeared.

Shirou opened his eyes and let out a sigh. "I guess I couldn't show you after all." The sadness in his words were unmistakable, telling her that he didn't even know what he had done. Artemis couldn't help but look back towards him with some awe.

"Shirou, what was that?" She asked, unable to hide the wonder in her words. In all her time as a goddess, she hadn't ever felt something like that. For all his talk of magic, and for all her knowledge of the world, this was the first time she would call something truly magical. Shirou looked at her questioningly. "That scabbard, there was a scabbard right there. It felt like nothing I've ever experienced before." As she finished speaking, Shirou's eyes slightly widened, before a small smile appeared on his face. He held his fist close to his chest.

"My connection hasn't been completely lost yet." He whispered to himself, almost as if he could barely believe it. He took a deep breath, before shaking his head. "That was Avalon, The Everdistant Utopia. It is the scabbard of King Arthur, and represents the utopia that Arthur sought. It's not like other noble phantasms, it's a genuine relic that holds mystery untouchable by humans or gods. It was crafted by the fairies and can grant a limited version of immortality through regeneration, so long as you have a connection with Arthur, the original wielder." He informed her in a tone of remembrance.

"It can shield the user by phasing the body into Avalon, the home of the fairies. Though, I believe only the original user can use it like that. It is the ultimate defense, and if I'm being honest, I believe it is something on par with, if not greater than, true magic." He finished with a small smile on his face. "I thought I had lost its image, but I'm glad to know that it's still with me, even if that connection is so faint." Artemis looked at Shirou and knew that he was thinking about Arturia. He spoke of the legend and said King Arthur, but she knew who he was speaking about.

Arturia and all her variants held a special place in Shirou's heart. Even when compared to other servants, she was definitely special, only matched by a select few. She hated to admit it, but his expression was beginning to bother her. "Thank you, Artemis." She heard him say to her, causing her to come out of her musing. She looked back towards him, seeing him inspecting looking his bandages. "Not just for this, but for everything. I know that we may not be the closest, but I'm still glad that you're here. I know that my children love you, especially Ophelia."

Artemis couldn't help but smile at the mention of Ophelia. She was a very cute child and was a joy to be around. Her skill with the bow was truly impressive as well, especially for her young age. "When she talks about the time you've spent with her, well, I'm sure anyone would probably think she was talking about her mother." At those words, Artemis froze. She was happy for those words, but it was just a reminder of something she forgot about. More like she chose to forget it, but still.

"Uh, sorry if that came out weird. I meant it as a compliment." Shirou attempted to apologize, likely thinking he offended her, but couldn't have been more wrong. The longer Artemis thought about it, the more she began to second guess herself. 'Are you kidding me?' She heard another voice sigh in the back of her head. 'You two are alone and this couldn't be a better time! You know what, no, I'm taking over.' Diana spoke, causing Artemis to stiffen, catching Shirou by surprise and causing him to flinch.

Before she could even think to fight back, she felt herself be pulled back. It was a strange feeling, almost like falling slowly into a pool of water. 'No, wait, stop!' She attempted to call out, however, Diana wasn't listening. She understood why, but still, she had just as much right to be the one to tell him as she did. After a moment, she found herself looking through her own eyes but not having control. Inwardly, she frowned and tried to thrash around, causing her body's muscles to twitch slightly.

From Shirou's point of view, Artemis had simply gone catatonic for a moment, until something happened. It was still Artemis, but her features seemed to soften and her age seemed to progress to her mid-twenties, her hair being auburn and her eyes being silvery gold in color, which was different than usual. She then stretched out like she was just waking up, or had been trapped in a small box, somewhat reminding him of a cat. "Oh, wow, it's been a long time since I've felt this good." She said, her voice sounding warmer and easy-going, kind of like a big sister. She then turned her gaze towards him, before leaning in a bit closer, causing his cheeks to slightly redden because of their close proximity. "Oh, don't be scared. I just wanted a closer look at you. Experiencing something in person is different than if your looking through a screen, you know?"

Shirou honestly had no idea how to respond. She was acting very different from just a few moments ago. Then he noticed her scent was subtly different. The scent had notes that reminded him of some servants. 'Adding to that, her different features and attitude.' He thought for a moment, before narrowing his eyes a bit. "Diana?" He asked with a bit of wariness. She looked at him with surprise for a moment, before smiling.

"Wow, you were able to figure that out pretty quickly. Usually it takes me explaining it for others to understand." She said with a small laugh. She then reached up and began to fix her hair, placing it in a braided bun. "But, yes, I am Diana, Roman equivalent of Artemis. It's a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance." She said while holding out her hand. Shirou raised a brow, but decided to take her hand. She hummed as he shook her hand, "Interesting, your touch really doesn't disgust me. Well, that's good, otherwise that would have been embarrassing." She said while rubbing the back of her head with a nervous laugh.

Honestly, he was a little freaked out at seeing Artemis like this. Granted, it was Diana, but it was the same body, just aged up with different color eyes and hair. Though, he couldn't help but smile a bit at her actions. Her attitude actually made him more comfortable, since it reminded him of some heroic spirits. "I agree. Um, I didn't know that you two could just switch like that. Are the others like that too?" He asked, wanting to know in case it happened.

Diana hummed for a moment, before answering, "Oh, not really. Artemis and myself aren't that different when it comes to our aspects, so switching isn't that big of a deal really. With the others, it'd be harder. I doubt you ever see Minerva. Vesta may make an appearance if she really wants to. As for Venus, well, nothing would change even if her aspect changed." She then made a face like she was mimicking Aphrodite, "As she says, 'Love is universal', ugh, how you can put up with her lovey dovey attitude is beyond me. I will say that you've been seeing more of her Venus persona, which is an accomplishment, but still too bubbly and lovey dovey for me." She finished with a little shiver.

Shirou had to stop himself from laughing, since this Artemis seemed a lot more open. "I must say, you seem a bit different from Artemis." He said, but noticed Diana make a small wince at the mention of her name. "Can she still hear all of this?" He asked, with Diana nodding.

"Oh, yes. She's probably trying to say I'm embarrassing her, but I don't really care. I showed up for a very important reason. One that my other self is too much of a coward to bring up." At that, Shirou couldn't help but grow more serious. If the Roman aspect powered through and took over, especially in a house full of Greek goddesses and demigods, then it had to be very important. Shirou groaned a bit as he sat up straighter to listen.

"What is it? I know I'm not at a hundred percent, but I'll help however I can." He spoke in all seriousness. He knew that he had access to things that could numb his injuries and allow him to fight with injuries. Nightingale would have killed him for even thinking like that, as well as Hestia, Athena, and Aphrodite, but if Diana said it was important, he'd do what he needed to.

Diana's eyes widened in surprise, before a warm smile made its way onto her face. "It seems that your nature to help hasn't changed at all, that's good. But, it's probably not what you're thinking." Shirou couldn't help but be puzzled by her reply. "There are two children in my camp, twins, in fact. One boy and one girl, they're two years old." 'Okay, not what I was expecting to here. Wonder why she has two children at her camp. Did someone leave them in the forest?' He thought to himself, before shaking his head.

"I see. Did you need me to take them in? Emiya's are known for taking children in after all." He replied, half jokingly. He was serious about taking them in, and his family did take in people that needed it. His mother gave him the name Emiya after the man who saved her and allegedly him. He took her in, so it wasn't a lie. He'd already taken Thalia as well, so it wouldn't be a problem. Not to mention, Lacy and Ritsuka were both still babies, so they had the supplies to do so. That wasn't mentioning the talk he had with Athena, who was likely to have another brainchild with him soon.

However, that wasn't the case. Diana paused, before laughing nervously. "Uh, well, that's kind of the thing." She paused, "Wow, this is harder than I thought." she muttered to herself. She then cleared her throat, "Um, the children were born in a very unconventional way. In fact, it was almost like that 'Story of the Bamboo Cutter' from your homeland". She continued while scratching her cheek with a nervous laugh.

Shirou knew that story, as did most Japanese people. It was one of their most famous stories. It was also known as 'The Tale of Princess Kaguya", but he didn't know how that related to what she was saying. Unless Diana was saying they literally found her in a tree or something. 'Then again, with nymphs, it could be possible.' He thought, before looking back to Diana. She was looking at him expectantly, before realizing he was confused. She sighed, before taking a deep breath.

"They're our children, Shirou. Born from the moon and the wilderness, found within my grove under an ancient tree. My other self and I are both stumped on the exact details, but it's true. They possess aspects of our Greek and Roman side, making them quite special, which is also why I took over, since I have a stake in this too." She then finished talking, before letting out sigh of relief. "Well, that wasn't so bad." She smiled, before looking back towards him. "Shirou?"

Honestly, he wasn't sure what to say in his current state. Needless to say, he was shocked. He opened his mouth to reply, but nothing came out. He blinked for a few seconds, before sinking back into the couch he was placed on. "That's a surprise." He managed to get out some words, but couldn't think of anything else. Hestia was one thing, Athena another, but Artemis and Diana? It was official. He didn't understand a thing about the world of gods he was now in. The fact that he felt like his home was simpler than this was saying something.

"Shirou, are you okay?" He heard Hestia call out, before she emerged from the hallway. She then stopped, before looking at Shirou and Diana. "What happened?"

Laughing could be heard in the halls of the Amazon compound. Many of the amazons were puzzled, but gladdened to know their lady was in high spirits. Of course, they could never know exactly why such a thing was occurring. "Serves that idiot right. Now, I'll have the major authority with him being weakened and nearly dead, and my amazons being in higher number." Bellona laughed and was overjoyed at seeing her brother lose so spectacularly.

Then again, she had to admit, Shirou was a grand warrior. In his maddened state, he still managed to hold his own somewhat, at least managing to survive without dying. But after whatever happened to him, he was shown to clearly be the better warrior. His tactic was smart, not fighting him head to head was a smart choice. Still, she would have killed to be able to see the Black Sword his amazons told her about.

Alas, if he used it, it was when he had disappeared from her sight. She wished to know how that came to be, but knew that heroes needed to have trump cards. She hoped he enjoyed the small boost she gave him on a whim. He would have won without it, but now she had a reason to meet the man. He had peaked her interest, and she was going to meet him, it was only a matter of timing.

She wasn't able to see into the Greek's domain, but she was able to feel from her connection to Mars, that his counterpart was being shredded from the inside out. Whatever was done to him was not something pleasant. She smiled as she took a drink from her wine. "And so the sword conquered war. To the victor, the spoils." She let out small sigh. "Now, what spoil shall I send?"

And done, boom! I did it. I finished and was actually pretty happy with how it turned out. There were plenty of things I could have changed and things that could have went different, but I chose this and enjoyed it more. It was actually fun to write. Now, onto the story. Honestly, this was my first time writing such a long fight scene, not to mention, making it seem appropriate. Now, before someones tries to call bull, Ares is a god, he was beating Shirou, but Shirou had more in his arsenal and wasn't fighting Ares like he wanted, at first. This Shirou is someone who is used to fighting beings much stronger than he is, so he's experienced in it, not to mention he was trained by some of the strongest and greatest heroic spirits. Not to mention the flame of Hestia, Aphrodite's divinity, and the overall higher quality of magical energy he has. He's also stronger because his body has been slowly acclimating to the world and the power he got from Hestia and Aphrodite. The boost he got from Bellona was a stamina and durability boost, since his body was banged up. He also has access to noble phantasms, so duh.

I wanted to make this fight make some sense, without making Shirou seem broken. Maybe I succeeded, maybe I didn't, who knows. This was also our peek into what Chaldea was doing, kind of. They'll have more parts as the story goes on, showing more of that, but they are still looking for him. How did they get to speak with Shirou? Can you guess how? Ha, anyways, I wanted to make Shirou finally get over his issues, since this was sort of the climax before Miyu, Annabeth, and Ophelia's time to shine comes up. Shirou had to come to grips with being a hero and what kind of hero he is, while confronting his fears and guilt. This Shirou is more like Miyuverse Shirou in mentality by the end of the story, if that makes it easier. We also got our second look at Unlimited Blade Works, this time it was different from when we saw it last. Hope you liked the changes.

There was also someone that mentioned Shirou's sword Hearth's Heart name being cheesy, well, Hestia named it, what did you expect? But, it'll be referred to by different names as the story goes on. Speaking of swords, Shirou used Kanshou and Bakuya this chapter, which I was glad to make him use. I wanted them to be kind of rare, since this Shirou doesn't want to be like Archer and Alter, so we haven't seen them much. There's also references to other heroic spirits, so I was glad to include those. Let me know what you think of his new chant, I sort of made it quick, so I'm not sure how it came out.

I also wanted the conclusion to be fitting, but within reason. I had the goddesses all show up, each reacting differently, but I hoped I captured what they may have reacted like in this story. There's also the ending, which some of you called already, but I hope it was up to your guys expectations. I also had fun writing Diana. I wanted to make her different from Artemis, but also a bit more like FGO Artemis, so it was kind of hard to do. So I went with this version, hope you all enjoyed it. Then there's the ending, I had to add in a little teaser for a goddess who hasn't been mentioned in awhile. We'll also be getting more info on what Aphrodite, Athena, and Hestia thought about what happened, as well as the change in Shirou. If Shirou was a cracked but mended sword before, he effectively melted himself down and reforged himself, so I'm sure you can imagine their reactions.

Next chapter will likely be a timeskip, probably two years, just to show Thalia and her friends on a quest, unless you want to get right into the Canon storyline with the Lightning Thief. I do need to show Shirou and Sally together one more time, but I could get that done and still do the timeskip to canon start time. Eh, we'll see. I know you all like seeing Thalia and stuff, so I might just do another chapter with her, as well as show off Shirou with his daughters some more, as well as that Shirou and Sally scene. Also, I'm glad some of you like the relationship Shirou has with Aphrodite. It is one of the more fun dynamics I have fun writing, and she was a big part of Shirou getting to where he is now, which is why she's alluded to in his UBW chant, along with Hestia. I want to write more scenes with Shirou and the goddesses, as well as Shirou with his children, so hope to see more those scenes coming.

Anyways, I think that's all. I hope you all enjoyed reading this chapter. I had a lot of fun writing it. I'll work on the Reading Chapter next, but another story chapter may come out too, so look forward to it. I've been thinking about stories with leveling systems and wanted to do one, but wasn't sure what sounded fun. Shield Hero is one, but I also like Danmachi. Plus, a bunch of others. Ugh, nevermind, just thinking. I still have plenty to write currently, it was just random thoughts in my hand. Anyways, thanks for reading, I hope you all enjoyed. I appreciate the reviews and feedback, it helps a bunch. feel free to ask me questions, I usually answer. Once again, I hope you all enjoyed and, as usual, until next time.