Devil's Bodhisattva gently lowered her head, then raised her compassionate, bright gaze towards Shirou and Mordred with a gentle smile. "Isn't Mr. Assassin wondering what my true goal is? Very well, I shall tell you. I'm here to provide salvation. I will make the Earth my body—no, I will become countless Earths, saving all the people across the connected multitude of worlds from the endless sea of suffering. I will send them to that happy, carefree Paradise. Ah...just imagining that feeling makes my body tingle deliciously. It will be truly exquisite."
She licked her lips as she gazed at Shirou and Mordred, her moist bright eyes full of anticipation. "I can sense it—both of you have your own troubles. Come, allow me to guide you to Paradise."
"Don't even think about it," he gripped his spear tightly.
Mordred clung to her chalice, glancing uncertainly at the third eye on its surface.
Beast... Against an enemy like this...
Should she...really use it?
Shirou gripped his spear tightly. Undoubtedly, the Devil's Bodhisattva was highly likely to use Heaven's Hole again.
As an existence on the level of grand-class Heroic Spirit, his power couldn't be denied... But facing a Beast that theoretically could only be vanquished by the Seven Grands...
The pressure was truly immense!
However...
Glancing briefly at his daughter, still staring seriously at her chalice, he took a deep breath and tightened his grip on the spear.
With a flap of his cloak, the red cloth fluttered dramatically, his modest frame shielding Mordred behind him.
Feeling her view obstructed, Mordred lifted her head slightly, gazing deeply at eternal king's back.
At this time, the colossal Devil's Bodhisattva, whose figure now dwarfed planets, folded her legs and brought her hands together in gesture – each palm was as large as a small planetoid.
From behind the saintly halo of light surrounding her head, sacred rays shone out, as pristine as the sun.
Not good! Shirou yelled internally.
"Mordred—!"
He hurriedly turned in an attempt to shield her from the blinding illumination.
But it was too late.
Both Mordred and Shirou were engulfed by the sacred blaze.
Only then did the gentle, merciful voice of the Devil's Bodhisattva leisurely resound: "May you be reborn in Paradise, no longer sinking into the bitter sea of saṃsāra."
As Mordred was still adjusting her chalice, it had failed to pierce the holy light.
She only felt a whirl of vertigo, as the world transformed around her...
"This is..."
Mordred stopped short, looking around with a slight furrow in her dark eyebrows.
She was surrounded by a sea of flowers, butterflies of bright colors fluttering past and sprinkling glittering specks of pollen like stardust.
"This place is..." she trailed off with a shudder, as though recalling something. She took off running east, remembering a lake where she had often fished when her stomach felt empty, roasting the catches over a small fire.
She raced along the familiar path leading to the lake. As she drew nearer, her pace slowed. She emerged onto a grassy clearing and stopped short, stunned by the sight.
There before her lay the beautiful lake she knew, its waters shimmering green like flawless emerald. Fairies laughed brightly, skipping over its surface.
"Hey, isn't this Mordred? You've come back!"
The fairies greeted her eagerly one after another.
Mordred stood frozen in shock.
Yes.
This place...
Her original hometown...
Tintagel!
Untouched by war or betrayal - everything was as beautiful as she remembered from the beginning.
Gazing at the shimmering lake, she covered her face with one hand.
"Mordred, what's wrong?" The fairies flew over, their voices filled with concern.
"It's nothing...I just..." She wiped her eyes quickly, offering them a awkward yet bright smile. "Everyone, I'm back."
She leapt into the lake, swimming joyfully like a carefree child again.
The fairies laughed and played with her.
Such bliss!
"I'm back...I'm really back!" she cried.
But...
But...
If I'm back...
Then that manor in my memories...
Would it still exist?
With apprehension, she headed in the direction she recalled the old manor being.
But her memories felt pretty distant now, even a little fuzzy.
She thought pretty sure it was this way, but got lost a bunch of times at the forked paths, having to try over ten times before she finally put her finger on the right trail.
Mordred spotted faint smoke in the distance - perhaps a sign of people. As she drew closer, a manor came into view. It wasn't very big; was this the same one from her memories? It seemed familiar yet different - her recollections had grown so unclear.
But the path had led her here. This must be the place. Probably...
Unease crept over her as Mordred approached the manor. She pushed the door open hesitantly. "I...I'm...I'm back," she stammered.
There were two people in the kitchen. A man stood over a pot, cooking food that smelled absolutely delicious. Nearby, a woman bearing a striking resemblance to Mordred gazed longingly at his cooking, a blissful yet drooling expression on her face. Unable to resist, the woman reached to take a piece of meat, only for the man to swiftly smack her hand.
"Ow!" she yelped adorably.
"We'll eat together when Mordred gets back," the man said gently.
"Just one piece, please!" the woman pleaded, gazing up at the man hopefully.
"Nope."
"Oh...fine," she sighed, lowering her head in dramatic disappointment.
Just then, the man and woman turned to see Mordred standing by the door.
The woman looked startled briefly before a warm smile spread across her face. "Mordred! You're back."
"I...I..." Seeing the woman with an almost identical face staring at her with caring aqua eyes, Mordred struggled to speak.
The man put down his cooking utensils and walked over, giving her head a gentle pat. "Got yourself all wet playing by the lake again, didn't you?" he said kindly. "You should change into something dry before you catch a cold."
Mordred looked into his warm, fiery eyes, completely unsure how to respond or what expression to show.
Meanwhile, the woman sneakily snatched another piece of meat.
The man looked over helplessly. "Artie, no more stealing food. Go help Mordred get into some dry clothes."
"Oh, okay!" Artoria grabbed one more piece before leading the dazed Mordred into the house. She helped change her into a fresh outfit.
Mordred's mind was in a complete fuzz the whole time.
An illusion...it's an illusion...!
Mordred steeled herself, beginning to resent this unrealistic illusion.
Artoria led her back out to sit at the dining table, now lavishly set with sumptuous foods.
"Do you know what today is, Mordred?" the man asked gently.
"I don't know," Mordred stated bluntly, having composed herself. This had to be an illusion.
The man simply smiled. "Why, today is your sixth birthday!"
He brought out a cake he'd made specially for her, placing it before Mordred and sticking in six flickering candles. Their glow illuminated her stunned face.
Exchanging a knowing glance with Artoria, the man began to clap a beat as they sang in harmony, "Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you!"
Artoria beamed. "Congratulations our little princess...today Mordred is six years old!"
Six years old...
It came flooding back to Mordred - memories of her past.
Ah, that's right. Now she remembered.
When she was six, she'd left this warm manor behind, thinking it just a brief parting and she'd still have a chance to return again someday...
But since that day, she never came back.
Not even until her death.
Tears began streaming down her cheeks.
"Why are you crying, little princess?" The man asked worriedly. He wiped her tears with his sleeve, gently patting her little head. "You've cried yourself silly. Who's bullied you? Tell Father and I'll stand up for you."
"No... no one bullied me," she choked out. "No one..."
She lowered her head, desperately stuffing food into her mouth as tears streamed down her cheeks.
Yes, that's right.
This was an illusion.
But...
Even if it's an illusion, what's wrong with that?
Mordred's face broke into a smile amidst her tears. "I'm back!"
...
Get the latest chapters up to Chapter 1245 on my Patreon: patreon.com/bcloud