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(Fate) Chapter 254: Using the Night Sky as a Canvas, the Stars as a Paintbrush
🕑 Added 2025-01-10 17:14:36 +0000 UTCEnkidu’s voice broke through the rising tension.
The earth responded to her call as vines emerged from the ground to coil around both men, halting their clash before it could escalate further.
"This beautiful night does not belong to you all tonight, and... Gil, haven’t you noticed? Someone has been watching you with the gaze one reserves for a clown," Enkidu remarked, her eyes shifting toward a shadowy corner.
Hearing this, Gilgamesh also turned his gaze toward the darkness.
Realizing she had been discovered, Ishtar stepped out of the shadows with a theatrical clap of her hands, her face showing a mix of disappointment and amusement as she came into view.
"As expected, it’s you, Ishtar," Enkidu, who was usually calm and composed, suddenly revealed a clear look of disdain upon seeing her.
Gilgamesh’s expression darkened as well.
With a slight scoff, he shook off the vines binding him, and the golden ripples of the Gate of Babylon dissipated, indicating he had lost interest in continuing the fight.
Hercules, too, relaxed, lowering his weapon as he sensed Ishtar’s divine aura and realized her connection to the events at hand.
"No more fighting? What a pity... Oh well, my attention wasn’t on you all tonight anyway,” Ishtar said with a smirk before her gaze once again lifted toward Promise in the sky.
Rin Tohsaka and Shirou Emiya exchanged relieved glances.
Both let out quiet sighs of relief, at the same time feeling amused at how Hercules and Gilgamesh had almost clashed yet again.
At that moment, one of their companions gasped and pointed to the heavens. "Hey, look! What’s Promise doing up there?"
Hearing this, the assembled group instinctively paused, their attention drawn upward.
There, seated atop the Pegasus, Promise held a pure white brush, painting against the dark canvas of the night sky.
With each stroke of his brush, stars began to appear where there had been none, twinkling like jewels against the once-blank expanse.
At first faint, the stars grew brighter and more numerous, illuminating the sky and forming a breathtaking tapestry.
This phenomenon didn’t just captivate those gathered at the foot of the Bull of Heaven.
The enigmatic figures observing from afar and the ordinary townsfolk, drawn by the sudden calm after the earlier chaos of thunder and wind, all noticed the transformation of the heavens.
"...Hercules, do you remember what Meleager and Actaeon told us? About that incident in the Kingdom of Calydon?"
Jason asked, his voice tinged with realization as he stared at the starry scene unfolding above.
Before Hercules could respond, the Amazon Queen Hippolyta interjected.
"The Kingdom of Calydon... could it be about the legendary Calydonian Boar Hunt associated with the goddess Artemis?"
When Hippolyta said this, Rin Tohsaka and Shirou Emiya, who were surprised to hear it, subconsciously recalled the ancient legend engraved in the myth that has been passed down through the ages.
"With the night as the canvas and the wishes lit by everyone as the brush, on that night, the boy favored by the gods, together with Atalanta, the daughter of the goddess, offered their sincere blessings to the moon goddess Artemis.
Blessing the moon god who illuminates the night, forever pure, beautiful, and happy..."
Hippolyta softly hummed an ancient ballad she once heard from a wandering bard, her voice weaving the story of old as if calling it back to life.
As her song trailed off, the stars in the sky multiplied, spreading across the once-empty canvas of the night, adorning the darkness like scattered jewels.
"So… Promise is painting?" Shirou Emiya muttered, his tone filled with both awe and disbelief.
"Seems like it,” Rin Tohsaka replied with astonishment. "It really does look like he’s painting. Those scattered stars clearly form a pattern, and judging by their shape… it’s obviously that divine beast right in front of us."
Her words were abruptly interrupted.
"No way! Why?! This is ridiculous!" Ishtar burst out, her eyes wide with outrage. "This kind of offering should be for me! Why is it being wasted on that cow?!"
As her protest echoed, Enkidu and Gilgamesh simultaneously cast disdainful glances at her.
That cow? That’s your Bull of Heaven! Are you disowning it now or something?
Normally, they would have mercilessly mocked Ishtar’s absurd behavior, but at this moment, neither had the energy for it.
Because…
"Impressed, aren’t you? Envious, aren’t you?”
Jason’s smug voice broke the silence, louder than anything else.
He puffed out his chest, raising his chin as though he were the center of attention, as though all this was his doing.
"This is Promise’s painting!"
"His art resides in the heavens! That brush in his hand was crafted by none other than the great god Hephaestus. The vast azure skies and the deep black night are his canvases.
"That’s why gods and heroes alike crave his art!
"To be painted is the ultimate honor, a symbol of his recognition, his friendship, and the mark of a true hero. And I, Jason, captain of the Argo, am immortalized as part of his masterpiece!"
His voice rang with triumph, his expression smug and self-satisfied.
After all, he had poured endless effort into securing his place in Promise’s work, only achieving it in this Holy Grail War.
As Rin, Shirou, Hippolyta, and even Jeanne d’Arc cast envious glances toward Jason, Enkidu tilted her head curiously.
"Hm… are you talking about this?” she asked innocently, revealing a painting in her hands.
It was a vivid depiction of the ancient forest Promise had created for her just days ago.
Jason froze, his jaw dropping as his eyes widened in disbelief.
"Wait, what?! Why do you have one too?!"
Just as he was filled with disbelief.
"It's over,"
Hercules suddenly spoke, interrupting the ongoing communication among the crowd.
Yes, it was over.
Promise stopped his brush, and the stars in the sky had already adorned the night completely.
From his perspective atop Pegasus, the painting wasn't particularly clear.
But for those standing on the ground, looking up at the sky and the night, it was undeniably vivid.
The stars drawn by Promise were perceived by the earth's inhabitants, autonomously forming the image he had created.
At that moment, even Waver, far away in the Clock Tower, stepped out of his office, lit a cigarette, and gazed distantly in this direction.
He had already guessed who was responsible and fully understood Promise's identity.
"A bull... and a goddess?"
The one speaking these words was just an ordinary person.
In the snowfield city where the Holy Grail War had erupted, the sudden disappearance of the hurricane and thunderstorm caused many people to step outside.
Being the nearest location, it was naturally the clearest view.
So the upward gazes of these people became the perfect reflection of the scene.
What appeared before them, drawn by the celestial stars, was a golden bull.
Beside the bull stood a beautiful and elegant goddess.
She extended her hand as if to soothe and calm the wrathful bull of Heaven.
"...This is truly unbelievable."
The chief of police in the snowfield city rubbed his forehead.
To bea honest, he had no idea how he would explain this modern-day miracle to everyone the following day.
Meanwhile, on the other end of the phone, the Heroic Spirit Dumas was laughing wildly with excitement.
And the painting of the stars converging in the night sky tonight would undoubtedly be photographed, preserved, and widely spread.
In the years to come, it would become one of the world's most mysterious events.
"Haha... Hahahaha!"
After recovering from the shock, Ishtar could no longer suppress the joy in her heart. All the elegance and pride of a goddess were completely thrown away at this moment.
She was so excited that she almost rolled on the ground in front of everyone.
Because the goddess in the sky was obviously her!
How to describe Ishtar's mood at this time... It was as if she had originally just gone out and inadvertently saw a gem, and she didn't care much at first, but when she bent down to pick it up, she saw that the gem was so beautiful, it was one of the rarest treasures in the world... This was probably the emotional ups and downs.
Enkidu and Gilgamesh once again looked at Ishtar with extremely contemptuous eyes, as if mocking her for her lack of vision.
But secretly, they were actually itching with hatred.
Why!
At this moment, Gilgamesh shouted in his heart.
'How could such a stupid woman be worthy of being depicted in the night sky?
Even if someone were to be engraved, it should have been me, me, who should have been the one praised, and envied for such glory!
Gilgamesh looked angrily at Promise in the sky, angry that he didn't draw him, the hero king!
At this moment, if the Holy Grail appeared in their hands, even Enkidu would probably be unable to help but make a wish to be depicted in the night sky by Promise.
As for Ishtar's reaction, Heracles and Jason were undoubtedly the calmest.
After all, this was a goddess.
Since she was a goddess, it was normal.
During the Argo's adventure, the heroes had actually reached a consensus in their hearts, that is, among the difficulties of the journey, the goddesses were the least necessary existence to be afraid of.
Because it was very simple to deal with a goddess, and it only took one step to get there.
That was to throw out Promise.
Goddess, here's your Promise!
As long as he was thrown out, no matter how angry the goddess was, she would instantly calm down and reveal an expression of "I can't do anything about you."
It had to be said that this trick was indeed universal, but it seemed that there was one goddess who was an exception.
That goddess, upon seeing Promise thrown at her, would probably be so scared that she would take out her scepter and swat him back.
At the same time, apart from Ishtar, the most excited one was undoubtedly the other protagonist in the painting, the Bull of Heaven.
After seeing the painting in front of him, the Bull of Heaven actually squatted down, lay on the ground, and mooed, expressing his obedience to Promise.
If it were anyone else, Ishtar would naturally be enraged, but at this moment, she only had two words for the Bull of Heaven's response—satisfaction!
Seeing this, Promise smiled and skillfully comforted the Bull of Heaven before finally discovering the people on the ground.
Slightly startled, he patted the Pegasus's head, and the latter immediately understood as she carried Promise and landing in front of everyone.
Everyone stared blankly as the Pegasus flapped its holy wings, carrying the promise in immaculate holy garments.
"Why are you all here?"
Promise asked softly, a gentle smile on his face, clear and bright emerald eyes sweeping over everyone present.
After meeting his gaze, everyone fell into a brief daze.
"We are here to witness your trial."
Noticing something was wrong with Saint Jeanne of Arc and the others beside him, Jason, who was already used to it, stood up with a chuckle and said.
Trial? What trial was there to conduct..
'You want a cow, right? No need for you to do anything, I'll personally pack it up and deliver it to you... 'This was Ishtar's current thought.
'You still want to pack it?
Don't bother, Goddess, I'll come myself! ... 'And this was the Bull of Heaven's inner thought right now.
Upon hearing this, Promise looked at Rin Tohsaka and Shirou Emiya again, as well as some of the students from the Clock Tower who had come along, and naturally understood what was going on.
Just as he was about to say something with a smile, he seemed to have noticed something.
After a slight pause, his gaze fell on Rin Tohsaka again, and he looked directly into her eyes.
Looking into the clear emerald eyes of Promise, the latter couldn't help but turn her head away and even raised her hand to cover her eyes.
But no one thought Rin Tohsaka was wrong, even the Amazon Queen estimated that she wouldn't be able to withstand the gaze of Promise at this moment.
So that's how it is...
