Shinji Matou at Your Service

Where is Shinji?

He was in midair, right in front of the hole opened by the Holy Grail, which was filled with the souls of Heroic Spirits.

This position allowed him to ensure that no one could sneak away, and after the final victory was decided, he could tell them the correct method of making a wish, avoiding any mishaps.

Naturally, when he fell, he fell straight into the hole.

Before he could stabilize himself and return to the real world, the hole suddenly started to shrink rapidly, as if something was forcefully compressing it.

Caught off guard, Shinji was momentarily stunned.

"What the hell is going on?"

"The ritual is complete, so the passage is closing."

A deep voice sounded from behind him. When he turned around, his surprise only deepened.

"Araya Souren? How are you here? Weren't you dead?" — or rather, returned to stillness.

"Do I look alive to you?"

"..." Well, no, not really.

Araya's current state was very similar to Shinji's just a moment ago: no physical body, only a soul. Because they were inside the space of the Holy Grail, his soul hadn't left the world like the others and could continue existing.

"How did you end up here?"

"Because of the remnants of Fabro Chaos. His Genesis Soil shares the same origin as that black mud. When Fabro's consciousness perished, the remaining Genesis Soil connected with the Holy Grail, and my soul was drawn in."

Perhaps because he knew he couldn't defeat Shinji, or maybe because his plan had already succeeded, Araya Souren spoke frankly, holding nothing back.

"Since my origin is stillness, I wasn't assimilated by Angra Mainyu, and I've been here ever since you purified the Holy Grail."

"So I saved you, then," Shinji snorted. He had thought Shiki and Tohno Shiki's Mystic Eyes were foolproof, but it seemed there were always unexpected coincidences.

"My death was also because of you—twice. I didn't even get to use my backup body."

Like Touko, Araya could create backups of himself and switch bodies. However, unlike Touko, who could swap at the moment of death, Araya had several limitations.

"That's because you brought it on yourself. Who told you to target my friends? Whatever, it's pointless to talk about that now. Tell me, what's with the passage closing? Did you do that?"

In such a situation, Shinji wouldn't have given him the chance, nor would he feel any guilt.

"I was merely exercising my rights as a Master and made a wish to the Holy Grail."

"Going to the 'Root'?"

That had always been Araya's sole wish, unchanged throughout.

"Yes, and to grant Roa eternity."

"What did you say?"

Hearing this, Shinji's face darkened immediately.

"Roa? That bastard is here too?"

"Yes."

On reflection, it wasn't impossible. Roa had obtained Arcueid's power, elevating his soul to a higher dimension. He wouldn't decay with time, nor would his soul wear down due to an incompatible body. He had become a near-eternal spiritual being. He could maintain his sense of self amidst the Genesis Soil and the curse of Angra Mainyu.

"Where is he?"

"He's already gone. He's obtained what he wanted."

"That's impossible. The Holy Grail doesn't work for Dead Apostles."

Shinji was certain of this. Back when Justeaze had become the Holy Grail, Zelretch had specifically taken measures against this.

"Direct utilization, no, but reusing a creation? That's possible."

It was a reasonable explanation. A simple example: if you asked the Holy Grail for money, and then gave that money to a Dead Apostle, the money wouldn't disappear, right?

"What exactly did you do?"

"I asked for the true Genesis Soil.'

"What the F!"

Shinji cursed out loud.

What exactly was the true Genesis Soil"

It was the Sea of Life, Tiamat's womb that birthed all living things. It was the material used by the goddess Nuwa to create humanity. There were even rumors that Enkidu was molded from the Genesis Soil.

Fabro's Chaos and Angra Mainyu's black mud were degraded versions of this substance. Shinji knew better than anyone what it meant for Roa to obtain this thing.

Only now did he realize that the prophecies of Scathach and Gilgamesh weren't about Jeanne or the handling of the Holy Grail—they were about these two individuals who should have been long dead.

Unfortunately, it was a bit too late.

...

At the same time, outside the hole, where Shinji had previously been standing, someone was laughing wildly in midair.

A figure with sculpted features, long golden hair, and small, round glasses.

Although this was a stranger to everyone, there was something oddly familiar about his expression and mannerisms.

"I am now truly immortal. I have finally obtained eternity."

Yes, this was Roa, the true Roa, in the form he had before reincarnating.

Alone, he faced everyone below—Masters, Servants, the Overseer, and even the spectators who had no part in the Holy Grail War. His calm and composed demeanor was a far cry from the desperate and miserable state he had been in just a few days prior.

Let's rewind a bit, to the moment when Shinji fell into the hole.

Because of his startled cry, everyone's attention had been drawn to him.

Then, Roa appeared. So brazenly, so casually, he emerged in full view of everyone.

At first, everyone was dumbfounded.

Who was this? Why did he suddenly show up? Why was he standing so high up? And where was the person who had been standing there before?

The more analytical types, like Waver, Medea, and Touko, pondered how this man had appeared, and how he had survived the earlier ambush to become what he was now.

Touko, in particular, was especially taken aback. She had declared that the enemy had been wiped out, yet here she was, proven wrong they are.

The action-oriented types, like Artoria, immediately released their Mana Burst, leaping into the air, swinging their sword as they asked:

"Where's Shinji? What did you do to him?"

Roa didn't dodge, didn't defend. He let the holy and divine sword cleave him in two, all while continuing to speak in a gentlemanly manner:

"I didn't do anything to him, nor could I. As much as it pains me to admit it, he's a monster even greater than I am in some ways."

That statement was perhaps the highest form of praise Roa could give to Shinji.

Twice they had fought. The first time was an unprepared encounter for both, the second time was a premeditated hunt for both. In both cases, Roa had lost miserably. If it hadn't been for his fusion with Kirei Kotomine, his coincidental entry into the Holy Grail, and Shinji's purification of the Grail while standing near the hole, Roa wouldn't have known how to deal with that terrifying guy.

"All I could do was accelerate his growth and invite him to a place all magus dream of—the end of the path of magecraft: the 'Root.'"

Those words sent a chill down the spine of every magus present, especially the girls who had complicated ties with Shinji. Their faces turned deathly pale.