Chapter 93. The Noble Phantasm Wholesale Market and the Fool's Sword Named "Gold"
Spirit Temple Ruins. The night was as dark as ink, and the starlight was sparse.
Though they had just experienced a "team-building activity" in the form of beating a mutant Hellhound, the atmosphere in the camp felt somewhat split. The members of the Knights of Fianna sat on one side of the campfire, maintaining standard military posture, silently polishing their weapons and armor. Their grim demeanor made it look as if they were about to march against a Demon King the very next second. On the other side, the Argo Heroic Faction was... a different, stomach-aching sight altogether.
"Waaaaah... my Holy Sword... my legend... my first time..." Argo was clutching the broken crystal hilt, crying like a three-hundred-pound child who had lost his favorite toy, his face smeared with snot and tears. "I just pulled it out... I didn't even have time to look cool with it... and it just snapped! What kind of third-rate script is this?! Who's the writer? I'm sending blades! The quality of this sword is trash—did you buy it from a 99-cent discount store with free shipping?!"
"Shut up, you idiot." Olna—who was munching on a large piece of roasted meat (from the Hellhound; a bit tough, but chewy)—kicked Argo's rear with a look of disdain. "It's broken, so what? You were just going to wave it around anyway; it's not like you'd actually kill anyone with it. A fire poker would be more useful. Why don't you sharpen the stub and use it as a dagger?"
"You don't understand! This is romance! A man's romance!" Argo retorted in grief and indignation, even rolling on the ground. "A hero without a Holy Sword is like fries without ketchup! Soul-less! Besides, daggers are for assassins; I'm going to be a Knight!"
"Um... what are 'fries'?" Wishe asked curiously, adding another new term to her notebook.
"Ignore him, he's having an episode." Shirou Emiya sat by the fire. Though his face was still pale, his eyes were exceptionally focused. Before him lay several items: the broken crystal blade, the lightning-attribute magic stone taken from the Direwolf King, and a pile of rare metals and ancient wood scavenged from the temple ruins.
"Emiya, are you really going to use those to fix it?" Crozzo leaned in, his brow furrowed as he looked at the materials. As the ancestor of Magic Swords, his intuition told him this wasn't simple. "That crystal is high-purity mana—the so-called Orichalcum Prototype. It's hard but incredibly brittle. Fusing it with metal or wood... that's theoretically impossible. It's like trying to embed a diamond into tofu without breaking the tofu."
"Theoretically, yes." Shirou looked up with a confident smile. "But... I'm a blacksmith who doesn't listen to reason. Besides, I have a blueprint."
"Trace — On."
Emerald mana circuits lit up on Shirou's left arm like precise integrated circuit boards. But he didn't rush to fix the weapons. Instead, he turned his gaze to his own empty right sleeve.
"First... I have to fix myself. Otherwise, forging artifacts with one hand is a bit too difficult."
Shirou reached out with his left hand and grabbed the broken crystal blade. "Analysis... Deconstruction... Reconstruction."
Though this Spirit Sword was broken, the "Pure Mana" and "Ancient Mystery" contained within it were the perfect adhesives for his Dragon Bone prosthesis. His limb, which had collapsed due to space-time rejection, needed exactly this kind of high-purity medium to act as a "buffer layer."
Hum—
To everyone's astonishment, the incredibly hard crystal blade began to melt, turning into a pool of liquid emitting a soft white glow, looking like heated mercury. Without hesitation, Shirou pressed this liquid against his right shoulder.
"Urgh!" The intense pain made Shirou grunt, cold sweat instantly beading on his forehead. It was the agony of bone growth and nerve reconnection—like countless army ants crawling through his veins while simultaneously drilling holes into his bones to set up shop.
"Emiya!" Wishe tried to step forward in worry.
"Don't come closer... I'm fine." Shirou grit his teeth, forcibly controlling the mana flow. "Fusion... Solidification!"
The light faded. A brand-new arm appeared before everyone. It was no longer the ghastly white bone from before, nor was it in an unstable translucent state. This arm had a texture like white jade, with faint golden circuits flowing beneath the skin. On the back of the hand, where his Command Seals used to be, a faint crystal sword mark emerged.
[Dragon Bone Prosthesis · Spirit-Enhanced Version]
Strength: Level 5 (Hardness comparable to Orichalcum). Traits: Mana amplification, auto-repair, vastly increased resistance to curses.
"Phew... finally don't have to be a one-armed swordsman anymore." Shirou clenched his fist, feeling the long-lost sensation of power. This hand was stronger than before; he could even feel the flow of mana in the air like a radar with a sense of touch.
"S-So cool..." Argo watched, dumbfounded, forgetting to cry even as a snot bubble hung from his nose. "Brother Emiya, can you teach me that? I want to regrow limbs too! That's a top-tier survival skill!"
"Regrow your brain first. Also, wipe your nose." Shirou gave him a flat look.
Then, he stood up and stretched his new arm. His gaze swept across everyone present.
"Next... is the main event." Shirou's eyes sharpened like a famous blade about to be unsheathed. "Since we're going to cause a ruckus in the Royal Capital, our gear can't be
shabby. Especially against the Black King and that stitched-up monster... we won't make it without some 'Finishing Moves.'"
"Finishing Moves?" Olna's eyes lit up. "You mean... you're going to forge artifacts for us?"
"Something like that." Shirou cupped his hands, and the space behind him seemed to distort. "Although my mana isn't enough to deploy my Reality Marble, I can use these high-grade materials and my 'memories' to provide each of you with a 'Noble Phantasm' (Pseudo)."
"Noble Phantasm?" Everyone was confused.
"It's... a 'cheat' that makes you stronger." Shirou didn't bother explaining; he simply got to work.
Shirou picked up Argo's electrified wooden sword, the remaining crystal shards, and the high-purity lightning magic stone. "Argo, you've always wanted a 'Holy Sword,' right? Then I'll give you a sword... worthy of the title of 'Future Great Hero.'"
"Trace — Resurrect."
Shirou closed his eyes, the image of a blonde girl pulling a sword from a stone surfacing in his mind. It wasn't the later Holy Sword that could split the stars, but the magnificent, hope-filled Sword of Promised Victory that symbolized the "Selection of a King." It had broken once, but precisely because it had broken, he understood the meaning of reforging it.
"The core of this sword is Lightning. Its body is Wood and Crystal. But its concept is—'Golden Victory'!"
BOOM! Golden lightning exploded in Shirou's hands. Crozzo had to put on protective goggles, watching in horror. "Is... is this forging? This is clearly causing a natural disaster! Is he pouring thunder into wood?!"
Ten minutes later, the light faded. A brand-new sword lay quietly in Shirou's hand. Its design was flamboyantly ornate: the hilt had a blue enamel texture, and the blade was a hybrid of gold and crystal with golden lightning flowing inside. It looked like a decorative piece, but the divine aura was unmistakable.
[Sword of Brave Victory (Caliburn) Pseudo · Thunder Version]
"Here." Shirou tossed the sword to Argo. "The name of this sword is 'Caliburn.' Although it's a fake right now, as long as you hold it, it will respond to your Luck. Remember, before it truly becomes the sword of a King, it will not break. But if your intentions are foul... it might explode."
"Waaaaah! So cool! Too cool!" Argo caught the sword with trembling hands. The moment his palm touched the hilt, a tingling current surged through his body, making him shiver. "This... this feeling..." Argo gave it a swing. Zzz-zt! A golden arc of electricity sliced through the air, leaving a scorched trail on the ground and an afterimage in the atmosphere.
"This light effect! This hand-feel! This is Main Character treatment!" Argo's face flipped instantly from grief to a smug, manic laugh as he struck what he thought was a cool pose. "With this! Any Demon King! Any Minotaur! They're all just appetizers! Brother Emiya, I love you to death!"
"Stay away from me, I have a thing about germs," Shirou said, pushing away the lunging Argo.
Shirou turned to Olna. "Olna, your axe is too light. For a power-type warrior like you, a weapon needs not only sharpness but 'Weight and Explosive Power.'"
"Exactly! I love 'em heavy!" Olna rubbed her hands in excitement.
Shirou picked up a large piece of black meteoric iron. "Trace — Projection."
He recalled the Berserker named Sakata Kintoki and the axe in his hands that shone with golden lightning. It was the incarnation of the Thunder God, the pinnacle of Monstrous Strength.
"This axe is named 'Golden.' Though the material is black iron, I have injected the concepts of 'Lightning' and 'Monstrous Strength' into it."
Clang! Clang! Clang! Shirou's left hand turned into a phantom, striking the anvil frantically. With every hammer blow, the meteoric iron shrank, but its density multiplied.
[Golden Eater — Pseudo · Black Iron Version]
A massive, jet-black single-edged axe appeared. Its design was rugged and wild, with red lightning patterns carved into the handle.
"Try it," Shirou pointed to a nearby boulder.
Olna grabbed the axe with one hand. "Heavy! But I like it!" She let out a low growl, her muscles bulging as she swung down.
BOOM! There was no resistance. The boulder—three people high—was pulverized into dust, and even the surrounding ground was shattered. Arcs of golden electricity still danced on the blade.
"Hahaha! Amazing! Now this is a weapon!" Olna stroked the axe lovingly. "Emiya, I've decided: from now on, you're my exclusive blacksmith! I'll chop anyone who tries to steal you!"
"Wishe." Shirou looked at the girl who had been observing silently. "Your archery is good, but it lacks decisive lethality. Wind magic is fast, but it lacks penetration."
"So?" Wishe looked at him warily. "Are you going to make one of those weird weapons for me too?"
"Not weird, it's 'Art'." Shirou pulled out a special piece of wood—the core of a Spirit Tree—and a tendon from the Hellhound (purified).
"Trace — Encore."
This time, the image in his mind was the red-haired Knight of the Round Table, Tristan. The Demon Bow named "Failsnaught." It required no arrows, for sound was its arrow. It was a magic bullet that never missed, an invisible killer.
"This bow has no string." Shirou bent the Spirit Wood into an elegant curve and condensed mana into threads. "It will respond to your mana, converting it into a hybrid of 'Sonic Waves' and 'Wind'."
The light faded. A silver longbow, as elegant as a harp, appeared in Shirou's hand. It looked more like a musical instrument than a weapon.
[The Sorrowful Fantasia (Failnaught) · Pseudo · Spirit Version]
"Hold it." Shirou handed the bow to Wishe. "Try pulling that invisible string."
Wishe took it skeptically. Her fingers brushed the void. Hum— A crisp harp note sounded. Immediately, Swoosh! An invisible vacuum wave shot out, instantly piercing a tree a hundred meters away, leaving a smooth circular hole.
"This..." Wishe was stunned. "Invisible arrows? And... this sound..."
"It interferes with the enemy's hearing," Shirou nodded. "Not only that, this bow carries the conceptual correction of 'Always Hits.' As long as your gaze is locked on the target, the arrow will track automatically. This is to compensate for your drop in accuracy during mobile combat."
"Wh-Who said my accuracy drops!" Wishe blushed. "However... since you put your heart into it, I'll reluctantly accept it." She hugged the harp-bow tightly, clearly loving it beyond words.
"Finally, you, Crozzo." Shirou looked at the red-haired youth who had been watching with longing eyes.
"I probably don't need one..." Crozzo said, a bit self-deprecating. "I only know how to forge; my combat power is weak."
"Who says blacksmiths can't fight?" Shirou laughed. "In my hometown, there's a legend of a blacksmith who made a hammer even the God of Thunder wanted." (He was actually thinking of Mjölnir).
"A hammer?"
"Exactly." Shirou pulled out the final piece—a chunk of incredibly heavy, high-density adamantite. "Your magic swords are powerful, but the biggest issue is that they are 'brittle.' So, you need a weapon that can withstand mana bursts while also serving as a forging tool."
"Trace — Phantasy."
Shirou pressed both hands onto the adamantite. He crushed the concepts of "Lightning," "Gravity," and "Pulverization" into it. This wasn't just a weapon; it was a mobile "Anvil."
Rumble! As the weapon took shape, the ground sank three inches. It was a square, ancient-looking short-handled war hammer, its head covered in Runes and faintly emitting thunder.
[The Hammer of Thunder (Mjölnir) — Pseudo · Artisan Version]
"This hammer can be used for forging; its mana conductivity is ten times that of a normal hammer," Shirou introduced. "And in battle... you can throw it. It will automatically track enemies, crush their skulls, and then fly back to your hand."
"For real?!" Crozzo lifted the hammer with difficulty. So heavy! But... when he injected mana, it suddenly became light as a feather. "Amazing!" He tried throwing it. Whoosh—! The hammer flew out, smashed a rock, curved in the air, and landed steadily back in his hand.
"This is great! With this, I can forge while I fight on the battlefield!" Crozzo was moved to tears. (Wait, who in their right mind forges during a fight?)
"Alright, everyone is geared up." Shirou clapped his hands, looking at his revamped teammates.
Argo the clown with the Golden Holy Sword (Pseudo). Olna the Berserker with the Lightning Great Axe (Pseudo). Wishe the Archer playing the deathly fantasia (Pseudo). Crozzo the Blacksmith throwing the Hammer of Thunder (Pseudo).
This lineup... no matter how you looked at it, looked like a bunch of players using cheats to stomp a starter village.
"Um..." Yuris (the Werewolf) and Elmina (the Dancer), who had been silent, leaned in. "Um... Brother Emiya? Master Emiya?" Yuris rubbed his hands with a flattering smile. "You see... we're teammates too, right? Can you... hook me up with one?"
"Huh?" Shirou raised an eyebrow. "Who was it that said human weapons were trash earlier?"
"Who? Who said that? I'll bite him to death!" Yuris declared righteously. " I've always said Master Emiya is a Divine Smith descended to earth! I'll fight anyone who says otherwise!"
"Me too!" Elmina blew a kiss. "Just give me a good blade, and I'm yours tonight~"
"..." Shirou sighed. What a bunch of realists.
"Fine." Shirou picked up two leftover scraps. "But materials are low; I can only make you some 'small gadgets'."
Ten minutes later, Yuris received a pair of boots engraved with wind runes—[Talaria (Pseudo)] (a degraded version of Hermes' boots). "Allows you to double-jump in mid-air and increases move speed by 30%."
"Wahoo! I'm taking flight!" Yuris put on the boots and began zipping through the trees, fast as a monkey.
Elmina received a pair of [Kanshou and Bakuya] imitations (dagger version). "These daggers have an attraction property. When one is thrown, the other generates magnetism, pulling you toward the target. Perfect for your assassination style."
"Perfect! Now I can stick to Lord Yuris even better!" Elmina brandished the daggers excitedly. "Stay away! You freak!" Yuris shrieked.
"Alright." Fianna watched the "problem children" testing their new gear, her lip twitching slightly. "It looks like a circus... but I have to admit, this team's combat power has definitely jumped a tier."
"Helga, Lazar," Fianna ordered. "We should prepare as well. The coming battle... might be difficult."
"Yes, Commander."
Shirou walked to the edge of the cliff, looking toward the distant Royal Capital. Black mist still shrouded the city. But in his Mind's Eye, that darkness no longer seemed so terrifying. Because behind him stood a group of heroes who—though they looked silly—possessed "Infinite Possibilities."
"Let's go." Shirou turned around and threw on his red coat (also projected). "Let's go deliver a 'big gift' to that Black King."
"Objective: The Royal Palace Sewers!" "Operation Code: [Brute-Force Clear with All SSRs]!!"
"OHHHHHH!!!"
The cheers of the group echoed through the forest. The adventure of the Mythological Age had finally reached its final chapter. Carrying "Noble Phantasms" from the future, this fledgling group of heroes was about to turn that decaying Royal Capital upside down
New Fanfiction!
You call this a projection?
What is a sword?
After Shirou Emiya awakened the memories of his past life and obtained a system that allowed him to travel to other worlds, his horizons were broadened by witnessing the wonders of those realms, and he suddenly reached a moment of enlightenment.
"Only swords... how could it be such a limit!"
Shirou Emiya: "Trace on!"
"False Magician's Red"
Consequently, by the time the Holy Grail War officially began...
Rin Tohsaka exclaimed in agitation:
"This isn't Projection at all!"
Crossover with Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, Jujitsu Kaisen and others.
Read ahead (60 chapters) by supporting me on buymeacoffee com/varietl or ko-fi edwriting