Xyrin Empire
Chapter 479: Key of Avalon

Chapter 479: Chapter 479: Key of Avalon

"Although I’m not sure what happened, this guy finally seems to have some semblance of a clue."

Tohsaka Rin sighed this remark after witnessing Emiya Shi Lang take the initiative to ask Saber to train him in swordsmanship. Previously, Emiya Shi Lang’s perpetual lack of self-awareness as a master, and even complete absence of any drive to fight, had been a source of great frustration for this young lady. But now, whatever the reason may be, at least Emiya had shown a desire to gain strength, to want to defeat someone, and that was enough to make her more than delighted.

Who, in Emiya’s heart, did he now wish to defeat?

Perhaps he himself didn’t know.

He always dreamt of becoming a force for justice and sought a way to save everything without having to hurt anyone or sacrifice anything. Such thoughts sounded very naive, but the intention was not wrong, to begin with. However, what would you do if you discovered someone could be detestable to such an extent, so evil that even breathing the air around them would be considered a waste of human resources?

But the conflicts in Emiya Shi Lang’s heart were his own affair. Although he was an unprecedented do-gooder, fortunately, he was not weak. I knew he could handle his problems, so there was no need to invest too much attention in Emiya, who was obviously using training to numb himself for now.

What I should be concerned about now was the young girl waiting in the small building behind the dojo.

In the yard, Emiya, who was practicing swordsmanship – or rather, being drilled by Saber – and the watching Tohsaka Rin currently had no energy to pay attention to this side of things. I tugged on Sandora, who was enthusiastically studying barbecuing with Tsuruya, and led her to the bleak remains of the only structure left at Emiya Residence – ​​behind the large dojo.

There was a small room here for temporary rest, directly accessible from the dojo. When we pushed the door open and entered, the purple-haired, frail girl inside was staring out the window, lost in thought, with unfocused eyes, not even noticing us approaching.

The original plan was to begin the transfer that morning, but because Avalon needed time to adjust the Leaving World Garden’s auxiliary buildings, it had been postponed until the evening. Fortunately, Sakura still had the freedom to return home late occasionally at the Makoto Family, and with Rider "missing" and Makoto Shinji being an untalented waste of space, the only one left to search for clues through the power of the contract was Sakura, the summoner herself. With such a pretext, Sakura managed to stay at Emiya Residence until now.

"Ahem..."

After being ignored for nearly three minutes, I finally gave up on trying to awaken the girl in front of me by my mere presence and coughed loudly twice, finally jolting Sakura back to reality.

"Ah, it’s Senior Chen Jun, I am terribly sorry."

The startled girl immediately stood up and then frantically apologized for her distraction.

From the fleeting look in her eyes just then, I saw deep confusion and anxiety. The reason for such emotions, I could probably guess a little.

During her contact with Emiya that day, the sensitive girl must have sensed his subtle abnormalities. Then, when she was supposed to go home in the evening and was suddenly asked to stay, it led Sakura to a host of messy conjectures. But after staying, not only did Emiya not come to see her, but he was also busy practicing swordsmanship in the yard with Saber. Even Tohsaka Rin uninvitedly lingered until now, while she had been left alone in this room for so long. Such abnormal circumstances naturally weighed on her mind – if it weren’t for her absolute trust in Emiya, she probably would have become restless a lot earlier.

And seeing that the person who appeared before her was not the familiar Emiya, nor Saber or Tohsaka Rin, but rather the almost stranger "a friend of Emiya’s foster father and the friend’s relative", Makoto Sakura naturally became even more perplexed.

"It’s okay," I said casually, waving my hand dismissively, "Makoto Sakura, right?"

To this knowingly redundant question, the girl paused for a moment, then uneasily nodded her head.

"Yes, and you’re Rider’s summoner too, right?"

In an instant, the girl’s pupils dilated to their maximum, her face undisguisedly showing strong vigilance and shock.

"You are magicians!?"

Makoto Sakura immediately assumed a defensive stance. As Rider’s true master and having been exposed to the world of magicians since childhood, Makoto Sakura’s knowledge in some areas was undoubtedly countless times richer than Emiya Shirou’s. In an instant, she even thought of Rider, who had disappeared the day before, "So that’s it. No wonder you arranged for your own ’sister’ to enter the school was to eliminate those there..."

"Don’t be nervous, we’re not enemies, and you should know that Rider is fine, after all, the contract between you two hasn’t been broken, has it?"

These words immediately calmed the girl down, but her wariness did not diminish in the slightest. However, that was to be expected. I simply smiled indifferently, while Sandora casually glanced at her. Instantly, the hands Sakura was holding up in a defensive posture involuntarily drooped.

"It’s just to prevent you from accidentally hurting yourself," Sandora told Sakura, who looked panicked. "Come with us."

Under the cover of night, the dojo at the Emiya Mansion was empty, lit only by the faint moonlight, appearing serene and ordinary. The bemused look on Makoto Sakura’s face, as we brought her there, lasted until I softly snapped my fingers in the air.

Space rippled slightly, and the phase-shifting device set up in the dojo’s parallel space was immediately activated. Everything within the area, including the several of us, was transferred to another phase. What was hidden before was now starkly revealed.

In the empty dojo appeared a crystal platform bathed in soft light. A wide platform covered with what looked like an imprisoning energy shield held a tall woman with long purple hair, her back to us, until our nearing footsteps drew her attention.

The impatient Rider immediately turned her head, still holding half a chip in her mouth. The first thing she saw was me walking in front, and she immediately lifted the gaming console in her hand, "Chen! How on earth do you jump the platform on the third level!"

Us: "..."

I was about to tease her first—could she even play the game with a blindfold on?

"Rider!" After an initial moment of befuddlement, Makoto Sakura finally reacted and shouted as she hurled herself forward, and the latter, who hadn’t been aware of the girl because of the Ghost Energy Barrier, stood up happily to greet Makoto Sakura.

Then the two idiots both crashed into the crystal platform’s shield.

I knew it wasn’t polite to laugh at this time, but I just couldn’t hold it back!

After banging her head on the rigid energy shield and feeling dizzy, Makoto Sakura stood up while rubbing her head. She looked at the crystal platform where Rider was with astonishment. It was clear that Rider was temporarily imprisoned on this platform. Even the contract between them was almost severed due to the presence of the energy shield. No wonder she couldn’t perceive Rider’s location over the past two days; was she imprisoned here by someone?

"Rider, wait a moment, I’ll figure out how to get you out..." Makoto Sakura said hurriedly, and then started looking for possible runes on the crystal platform, but the thing was not made with magic power, so her attempts were of course unsuccessful.

"Sakura, don’t worry, I’m fine."

Seeing her summoner so anxious, Rider quickly bent down and reassured her, "This platform is harmless to me."

"What is happening?"

It was only now that Sakura finally remembered our existence. She turned her head and asked us eagerly. On the surface, it seemed her servant had been imprisoned by us. However, Rider’s attitude didn’t seem to match that assumption, leaving the girl utterly puzzled.

"Well, as you initially guessed, we were the ones who fought with Rider at the school, and afterward, she was captured by us. But now, she is undergoing treatment from this crystal platform. She was severely corroded by our special energy during the battle, and without this crystal platform, she would have turned into a crystal statue in a few minutes."

"Sakura, he’s not lying to you, and he’s our friend."

The tall, purple-haired woman, even kneeling on the crystal platform, still stood half a head taller than Sakura. Therefore, when she comforted the girl before her, the scene was reminiscent of a mother imprisoned in a crystal cell consoling her daughter, although this metaphor was a bit on the peculiar side...

Facing two individuals of unknown identity who had recently attacked her servant, Makoto Sakura was clearly lacking sufficient trust in us. But Rider’s words carried much weight in her ears. After the former’s introduction and explanation, Sakura went from being extremely defensive to gradually warmer, and then to full of curiosity and amazement, finally letting go of her guarded stance.

"The situation is as follows," after concluding the entire matter in collaboration with Rider, I summarized, "Perhaps we can aid you, and you can be at ease, we harbor no hostility whatsoever."

Makoto Sakura, with a complex expression, hung her head low and leaned slightly against the crystal platform behind her. Perhaps because her "tainted" past had been so thoroughly understood by strangers, she felt too ashamed to lift her head to face us. But whether it was I or Sandora, when we looked at the girl, our eyes held nothing but benevolence and calm, devoid of any scorn or mockery. Under such a gaze, Sakura finally mustered the courage, yet with a tone full of doubt, she asked, "But... why? Why would you help someone like me? Is it because I am not human... that you would commit such inexplicably kind acts?"

Geez, had this girl already become so despairing of the human race?

Even though she couldn’t confirm whatever I would say, I didn’t wish to deceive her. After a brief contemplation, I still shook my head, "To be honest with you, this assistance isn’t completely without compensation. We are conducting a certain experiment, and if it succeeds, we will gain tremendous benefits from this world, and the mission we are undertaking will make significant progress as well. But all this is predicated on causing no harm to the world itself and bearing no ill will towards humans. This is an exchange, and strictly speaking, it’s a decidedly advantageous and unfair trade for us."

The girl with purple hair looked at me surprised, clearly not expecting me to be so candid about our motivations. But soon after, she displayed a relieved smile, "I trust Rider, so I trust you too. As long as you don’t harm Senior Emiya, even if you want to conquer the world, it has nothing to do with me."

Hey! That’s something you just say for the sake of it, alright? If the two little ones outside busy barbecuing heard you, human civilization would really be in for a shock!

But to hear such words coming from a girl who always seemed so gentle and vulnerable, it really was unexpected.

Beneath that gentle exterior, had she harbored hatred for this world? Perhaps not yet, but at the very least, she had grown indifferent to all humans except for Emiya.

If she wasn’t facing such a special "alien" like us, she probably would never have uttered such words. Thus, her potential fate as the vessel for the Black Holy Grail could be seen as understandable.

But that day would never come.

"Rider, your body should pose no significant issues by now. I will power down the crystal platform, and you won’t need to use your magic power."

The purple-haired woman nodded, then took a step back, curiously "watching" as I worked on the crystal platform. Meanwhile, Sandora gently pressed her fingertip to her ear, and immediately, golden lines extended from her body, forming a rectangular gateway akin to a mirror beside her.

"Link to Avalon established, preparing to board regular life forms. All personnel ready for reception."

"What is this?"

Having gained her freedom, Rider looked at the gateway with curiosity. I gave her a slight smile, "The gates of Avalon, a path to another world. Come with us."

Having said this, I was the first to step into the gateway, shimmering with a mysterious glow. Rider and Makoto Sakura exchanged a glance, then with resolute nods, they stepped through it together.

Once the momentary dazzle of light faded, the first thing to catch the eye was the glittering Fairy Lake in the Elf Forest of East Avalon. As an extension of the World Tree’s branches, East Avalon possessed the most majestic Life Field. For Makoto Sakura, whose body had been scarred by modifications, these energies were extraordinarily beneficial.

"Is this... is this your planet?"

After shaking off the disorientation of the transport, Makoto Sakura was struck with deep astonishment. The scenery before her, describable only in fairytales, rendered her nearly speechless. It took a full two minutes by the enchanting Fairy Lake for her to come up with the only possibility.

"This reminds me of the era of myths," Rider said with an unusual tone as she crouched down, scooping up a handful of clear water from Fairy Lake, "Such dense and pure energy, only those mystic sources long dissipated into history would possess it. Could this be Heaven?"

"It’s just a special space," I replied, and noticing Makoto Sakura’s initial disregard for the term "Avalon," she finally picked up on it, her face showing both shock and realization. However, the words she was about to say were interrupted by the light sounds of hooves.

Elf-form Lilina and Artemis in a green hunting suit rode out on a unicorn from a small path in the forest, followed by twenty ravens gliding in the air behind them.

"Sorry, there was a bit of an issue with the coordinates. We’re late."

Artemis dismounted nimbly, this time without face-planting, while next to her, Lilina fared less well due to her short stature. The little girl tried several times but couldn’t muster the courage to jump down, finally just turning towards us with open arms: "Hug!"

Sandora stepped forward and promptly hoisted the deliberately cute little troublemaker down.

"This is Artemis, the manager of Avalon’s residents."

"Moon God?" Sakura immediately grasped the implication behind the name. It seemed that in the Fate universe, myths and legends were common knowledge with those on Earth.

"I made a bit of a mess on the moon once," I glanced sideways at Artemis, who immediately turned her head away in embarrassment, "but recently, I’ve had a job transfer working as the chairperson of Avalon’s community committee."

Sakura and Rider stiffened in an instant.

"This one is Lilina, Goddess Priest, Avalon’s Deputy of Divine Power, Female Pope of the Life God Sect," I pointed to the little elf who’d just been flicked on the forehead by Sandora for her bad behavior. "Of course, that’s the official story. In reality, she’s just a dummy who recently rebranded herself as ’Ting? Lilina? Dang,’ claiming it was to achieve a spiritual fusion with her goddess..."

"Let’s not talk about that," Lilina’s face flushed red, then she muttered awkwardly.

"You can fill in the blanks now."

After finishing the brief introductions, I nodded at Sakura and Rider and said,

Rider remained thoughtfully silent, but Sakura drew in a deep breath, then exclaimed with an unprecedented excitement, "So aliens and all that stuff are lies, right? You’re actually the ancient gods that disappeared, aren’t you? Avalon and all that, it’s really the heaven that vanished before mortals’ eyes thousands of years ago, isn’t it?"

I quietly watched the girl who was somewhat losing control due to a series of shocking events, then smirked after she calmed down: "What do you think?"

As my words fell, even Rider collapsed in shock.

After handing Sakura and Rider over to Artemis to take them to the Leaving World Garden, I let out a sigh and asked Lilina, "How’s the prediction from Bubbles coming along?"

"With over a ninety percent success rate," Lilina said, for once with a serious look on her face. "If successful, Sakura will become the most powerful Heroic Spirit Killer in the entire Fate universe, but as the Key of Avalon, she will also lose her human identity. According to my stunning achievements in psychology, she’ll agree to the experiment despite knowing the consequences. As for Rider, she’s just the first test subject once Sakura’s transformation is complete. The success rate for her is one hundred percent, since she’s already undergone a transformation using Ghost Energy before, so the rejection effect should be minimal."

"Mhm, that’s good, but there’s something I’m curious about. According to the plot, there should be a Soul Container of Makoto Zangyan in Sakura’s heart, but after scanning twice, there was nothing alien inside her except for the Engraving Worms. You’re more knowledgeable in mysticism—did you notice anything?"

"Nothing," Lilina shook her head but didn’t pay much attention to the matter, "Maybe it’s just a plot deviation. That old man, Makoto Zangyan, may have hidden his soul elsewhere, and it’s because of this that he narrowly escaped today. However, letting Sakura take her revenge after her transformation might also be a good choice."

I nodded, not too concerned about it. My original thought was that if Makoto Zangyan’s Soul Container really was inside Sakura, then today I could have let the Spiritualists of Dark City modify the old man into a ghost slave or something. But it seems the plot had a slight deviation, and the old man was fortuitously spared.

"What about Lin Xue? What did that girl say?"

"Everything is worth it, not just for us, but for Sakura too."

Lilina’s lips curled up with a mischievous smile. (To be continued, if you wish to know more, please visit www.qidian.com. More Chapters are available, support the author, support genuine reading!)