I Am Honkai

"So, that's the power of the Command Seals… temporarily restoring divine authorities, the abilities split apart when the Greater Grail summoned you?"

Amakusa Shirou Tokisada stood motionless, his gaze calm as he looked down at his bloodied chest, eyes drifting to his heart held in Selene's grasp.

"That's right—it was all thanks to the Command Seal," Selene replied, clutching the soft, tender 'flesh' with an unsettling fascination as she gave a slight nod.

Command Seals were indeed marvelous things, able to break through certain limits on a Servant's class. Just after destroying the Golem Royal Crown, Selene had released her protective shroud, the National Defense Machine God.

Using the Command Seal system, she had contacted her Master, Celenike, in advance to issue a precise command: Rider, restore your powers!

Ordinarily, as Rider, Selene could not use teleportation abilities or other powers attributed to Caster and was limited to short-range movement via spirit form. But with the help of the Command Seals, Selene was able to temporarily regain her authority as the Herrscher of the Void.

She had located this place by using the residual Honkai energy fluctuations left after her attack on the Hanging Gardens and Red Servants as coordinates, enabling her to teleport here instantly.

"A little short, was I?" Amakusa mused. "Just a bit more time, and the Greater Grail would have been filled…"

According to his plan, Amakusa intended to use the Hanging Gardens' spatial transfer array to bring the Greater Grail from beneath the Millennia Castle to the surface. After Lancer Karna's sacrifice, he could finally bring salvation to all humankind.

With the Grail's power, Amakusa would have brought the Third Magic to the entire world, allowing the materialization of all people and achieving universal salvation.

No bitterness, no resentment toward his fate—only the lament of his own weakness, which Amakusa accepted with an unusual calm.

As for Black Rider's nonsense about having "a small knack for spatial techniques"—Amakusa wasn't about to believe a single word of it, even in death.

Precision teleportation, spatial restraint, dimensional sealing—and you call that a "small knack"?!

"It's a failure, then, Atalanta," Amakusa sighed. "The promise I swore to you so assuredly… I, Amakusa Shirou Tokisada, could not fulfill it after all…"

Thud.

With his heart destroyed, a mortal wound even for one granted a human body by the Greater Grail, Amakusa's body began to go cold. Blood spilled freely from the gaping hole in his chest as control over his body gradually slipped away, his knees buckling as blood poured from his mouth, nose, and ears.

Cough... "Black Rider… May I ask a favor, if only for a man on the brink of death? What is the wish that brought you here?"

"My wish?" Selene gave a light chuckle, shaking her head. "Do you mean the Greater Grail? It has no capacity to grant my wish. I came here with a mind toward entertainment…"

"…The goal I seek," she continued, "I will realize one step at a time by my own means. As for the Greater Grail, I will keep my word and bestow the fruit of victory upon the Yggdmillennia family."

"Then… prepare to bid your old friend one final farewell… Danic."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Listening to the familiar voice, Amakusa Shirou Tokisada raised his head with difficulty, meeting the gaze of a man who, like him, had waited for sixty years without aging.

"Danic… after sixty years of waiting, this time… you've been dealt a winning hand."

Indeed, any ordinary human would die instantly from having their heart torn out, yet Amakusa Shirou Tokisada, as a unique Servant manifested with a corporeal body, did not perish immediately.

Through his blood-soaked vision, Amakusa saw Danic approach with the surviving Yggdmillennia Masters at his side, assembling in the final battleground of the Romanian Holy Grail War.

Danic's Servant, Black Lancer Vlad III, newly healed, stood with Celenike, Fiore and Black Archer Chiron, Caules and Black Berserker Frankenstein, Gordes and Black Saber Siegfried—all gathered.

The surviving Red Assassin Semiramis, now immobilized, Red Lancer Karna pinned to the ground, and the bewildered Ruler, Jeanne d'Arc, were also present. This was the full assembly of the Holy Grail War's remaining participants.

Oh, and that certain Red Saber, who had already given up on the fight—at this moment, she and her Master, Kairi Sisigou, were 'happily' fleeing the scene.

"Amakusa Shirou Tokisada," Danic said, stopping a few paces from him with an expression devoid of emotion. "Our second battle… and I have won."

"Ah, you've won… I wonder, had I been the one to summon Black Rider, might I have been able to achieve salvation for all of humanity?"

"…"

With his most formidable foe acknowledging defeat, Amakusa lay dying while the Greater Grail—the omnipotent wish machine—was nearly within Danic's grasp. Yet Danic remained silent, his face solemn, devoid of any joy.

After several days of interaction, Danic had come to understand Selene's nature rather well. In short, she was tolerant of flattery but had no patience for those who tried to push her around.

Selene's methods had shown that, so long as there was no conflict of interest, and as long as one treated her well—even if only superficially—she would at least be inclined to reciprocate.

"Danic, go on and talk with your 'old friend.' This Holy Grail War is over!"

As for Danic's little worries and uncertainties, Selene was certainly aware of them, though she had no interest in addressing them.

After saying this, Selene's hand tightened as she crushed the still-beating heart into a twisted mass of flesh and blood.

Magic Activation: Simulation · Flame!

Whoosh!

Violet flames burst from Selene's hand, instantly incinerating the flesh to nothing, not even a single speck remaining.

Gurgle… The destruction of his heart (Spirit Core) plunged Amakusa Shirou into an even graver state, blood streaming freely from his mouth and nose, mingling with the pool already spilling from his chest.

"It's… vexing, really… losing to chance… or fate…"

With these words, Amakusa's body slumped forward with a soft thud, collapsing into the blood he had shed as his lifeless eyes gradually lost focus.

In that moment, Amakusa Shirou Tokisada's expression froze.

"M…Master…" Semiramis's feeble voice called out. She longed to reach his side, yet in her current state, even drawing breath demanded every ounce of strength she had left.

Standing before Semiramis, Selene paid no mind to the empress's resentful glare. "Not so fast, Queen of Assyria. I'm rather intrigued by that little collection of yours, the Hanging Gardens."

"What now, Your Majesty?" Semiramis's figure began to fade as her mana supply dwindled. "Do you not intend to kill me, for the glory of your victory?"

"You? Part of my glory?" Selene laughed. "Don't flatter yourself. Yes, you're unique in your way, but nothing more. Your death is inevitable; I could end you in an instant."

"Whether you cooperate or not makes no difference to me," Selene said, smiling. "All I need is your Spirit Core and memories."

Crunch!

"Urgh!"

In a swift move, Selene dislocated Semiramis's arm and placed her hand upon her head, violet mana particles seeping in. "Imperial Privilege: Soul Reading, Synchronize, Extract, Imprint!"

In an instant, the light in Semiramis's eyes faded, her spirit form growing increasingly transparent as the violet-red energy coursed through her, threading through her veins like glowing strands.

Squelch!

Soon, Semiramis's spiritual form entirely dissipated, condensing around her heart, transforming into a black-gold sphere the size of a small fist, faintly glowing with violet light.

"All the data I needed for 'construction' is stored within here. Yes… I think Seba will love this." Selene muttered, pocketing the sphere into the Honkai Dimension before turning toward the last remaining Servant.

His comrades fallen, and the light in his eyes dimming, Karna's expression had become one of sheer determination.

"The time has come. To die in fierce battle would be a worthy end…"

Boom!

Burning his mana, igniting his Spirit Core, Karna's flames surged to the heavens, blending with the fires ravaging the forest around him.

The ground beneath him fractured and turned to scorched earth, lava erupting into the sky, forming a spectacular display of meteor showers.

Clang!

Raising her hand to stop Black Saber Siegfried and the other Servants from drawing their weapons, Selene regarded Karna, the warrior hurtling toward her, a wound on his chest, and said, "I'll handle this."

Whoosh!

Hovering mid-air, his battle-lust locked onto her, Karna's golden spear blazed like pure mana fire in his hands.

The golden gem on Karna's chest, symbolizing his connection to the sun god, burned with a fierce intensity, with radiant golden lines emanating from it like solar rays. It extended outward, almost like a radiant sunburst, as the golden spear in his hand blazed.

"Black Rider, face me in a final duel!" Red Lancer Karna's voice held an unshakable resolve, with golden light flashing across his spear's blade.

Whoosh—!

The power of his final attack was akin to unleashing his Noble Phantasm. Although he no longer had a mana supply, Karna had ignited his very Spirit Core. Even without mana reinforcement, this one strike carried all his remaining might.

Vmmmm—Boom!

"Divine Spirit's Shield," Selene muttered, raising a large triangular shield glowing with violet energy. A deafening blast erupted as Karna's attack struck the shield, transforming the ground beneath into molten lava and sending a violent tremor through the surrounding earth.

Kachin!

Reaching out, Selene grasped her Black Abyss White Flower, the spear springing back into her hand, sending stones flying with a burst of force. In that instant, Selene lunged forward, her foot smashing into the ground and creating spiderweb cracks that spread through the ruins of the Hanging Gardens.

The impact sent a cascade of debris skyward, forcing Danic and the others to step back under the protective barrier of their Servants.

Although Karna's eyes tracked Selene's movement, his body could no longer keep up with her speed.

Karna's instincts screamed at him as he attempted to twist mid-air, stabilizing himself for one last strike, but Selene closed the distance, swinging her spear in a crushing horizontal arc that struck his shoulder armor.

Although the blow failed to shatter his golden armor, Karna's skeletal structure and internal organs couldn't withstand the accumulated damage, dislocating his arm and causing his spear to fall.

Time seemed to pause as Karna fell to one knee, his hand bracing against the ground to keep himself upright. His body trembled, exhausted beyond its limits. Blood dripped from his mouth, while his eyes, filled with red veins, stared unyieldingly at Selene.

"This is… the end… the fight is over… To have fought such a worthy opponent upon this summoning… I am truly fortunate… My only regret…" Karna's voice grew faint as his spirit faded, "is that I failed to achieve victory for my Master…"

With these final words, the Hero of Charity lowered his head as he closed his eyes in surrender.

Gradually, his body dissolved into shimmering golden particles, his spirit ascending until nothing remained before Selene's gaze.

Leaning on her Black Abyss White Flower, Selene extended her hand to touch the dissipating golden lights. In a voice only she could hear, she murmured, "It's over… the journey ends. It's time for me to return."

"Your Majesty…"