Fate: I Will Eventually Become the Hero of Justice II

Chapter 355

The malice emanating from Astraea's being carried within it profound curses and the accumulated malice of the goddess herself. Yet, he smiled and spoke, "How kind you are, goddess."

"What...!?" she was left dumbfounded. "King of Men, have you... lost your mind?"

He waved off those around him and proceeded to slowly step out of the army formation, venturing alone into the vile pool of evil mud.

The onlookers were astounded.

Could there truly exist someone like this? Someone who would willingly tread into the cursed pool of malice, alone?

"You are really kind..."

Astraea's expression twisted with anger as she proclaimed, "I am the embodiment of evil, a fallen goddess!"

"No, you are a benevolent goddess," he countered. "Your actions were driven by concern that this 'evil' would bring ruin to humanity. So, you took it upon yourself to contain all this 'evil' within you."

She scoffed, her voice dripping with defiance. "What utter nonsense! I am the fallen god, the goddess of evil! Everything I do is aimed at punishing those humans who have forgotten us gods! Curses and calamities, they're all part of our divine retribution! I am the embodiment of darkness and chaos!"

"Stop deceiving yourself. You're a kind-hearted goddess. If you were truly an evil god, you wouldn't be able to wield that Noble Phantasm," he asserted, pointing towards the scales clutched in her hand.

Astraea's eye twitched, her composure faltering for a moment.

"If this so-called 'evil' is my burden, then I won't deny it. I'll accept it, and I'll bear it tenfold, a hundredfold."

Young Shirou walked calmly through the cursed mud, just as he had done nine years ago when he walked through "All the World's Evil."

Unfazed and relaxed, the curses and the surrounding malice posed no threat to him whatsoever.

And why should they? As the King who had shouldered the burden of "All the World's Evil" and the "Vampiric Evil," how could a mere goddess's "Divine Evil" possibly harm him?

Scathach glanced at the King as he fearlessly striding through the cursed mud and let out a mixture of emotions, muttering, "Here it comes..."

"What's going on, Scathach?" Galahad asked in confusion.

She gazed at Young Shirou, her expression turned remorseful and tender.

A flicker of understanding crossed Young Shirou's face, his features softening as he spoke, "The clearer the water, the easier it is to become muddied. If you've lost sight of your true self, I'm here to help you rediscover it."

Astraea stood dumbfounded, unable to comprehend the situation. "This can't be happening... How is this even possible?" she stammered in disbelief.

Someone... Someone was actually traversing her "Divine Evil," claiming to help her, a fallen goddess, return to her true self? How could such a person exist? How could there be someone like this?

Evil, in all its forms, was universally regarded as degrading and undesirable. No one willingly embraced it or acknowledged its existence. Even if this cursed malice was that of a benevolent goddess, no one would affirm it.

The presence of the fallen goddess, entangled in darkness, seemed utterly inconsequential. Ultimately, she would be forgotten, fading into obscurity.

Yet, against all odds, there was someone defying the common sense, bravely treading through the very depths of this "evil," drawing nearer to her.