"Even though you only asked me to hold this thing back... it'd be fine if I took it down, right?"
The moment Shirou said that, Artoria could only stare at him in blank amazement.
Take it down?
Take down that otherworldly monster, swollen to more than a hundred meters above the ground, a thing that was practically evil given form?
Saber did not believe Shirou could do something like that.
True, he held another Excalibur Morgan in his hand, but judging from the output of the [Hammer of the Vile King] he had just unleashed, there was still an enormous gap between it and the holy sword in her own hands.
The sword itself was the same, but the difference in magical energy between their users was simply too great.
Even if Shirou released it with everything he had, it would be hard for him to reach the level of an A++ anti-fortress Noble Phantasm.
At best, perhaps an A- anti-army Noble Phantasm, or a B- anti-fortress Noble Phantasm.
Even if he could instantly carve away part of its flesh, a creature like that would regenerate in no time.
If it was to be killed for certain, then she had to be the one to release the holy sword.
Saber believed that destroying the sea demon should be her duty, and yet...
Why was it?
Looking at Shirou's back, Artoria felt an odd sense of reassurance.
His back was not broad at all, and his arms and legs were slender. At the end of the day, he was just a child.
And yet Saber found herself thinking that if it were him, then maybe he really could do it.
"Understood. I'll leave it to your judgment."
Saber gave a solemn nod, then showed a faint, gentle smile.
"I'm looking forward to seeing what you can do."
Shirou looked at her deeply once, then rushed out of the forest without hesitation and vanished into the mist.
"You don't seriously believe that brat can defeat the sea demon, do you, Saber?"
Lancer asked with a mocking expression.
Saber said nothing. She simply raised her invisible sword.
After that final exchange of glances with Shirou, she suddenly understood something.
Conviction did not need anyone else's approval. As long as you believed in it yourself, that was enough.
And when it came to an enemy, what was needed was not words, but crossed blades.
"Lancer, monster born because of me, let us settle this here!"
With her fighting spirit reignited, Saber raised the holy sword high and slashed at demonic Diarmuid with a strike wrapped in [Invisible Air].
...
...
Archer was watching from far up in the sky, looking down at the monster that had appeared on the outskirts of the city.
"What a disgusting sight. It's an eyesore."
Gilgamesh rested his chin on one hand and lounged lazily against the airborne king's throne, Vimana, while his Master, Tokiomi Tohsaka, stood respectfully beside him like an attendant.
Archer spoke with open disgust.
"I already knew this age had become so ugly that it was beyond saving, but I never expected it to produce filth this revolting.
Really, I ought to simply sweep the entire surface of this planet clean and make it look more fitting for my garden.
Don't you agree, Tokiomi?"
The King of Heroes from the Age of Gods lamented the decay of the modern era even as he casually uttered such outrageous words, paying the monster's threat no mind at all.
Standing beside him, however, Tokiomi Tohsaka was inwardly frantic.
The world of Magecraft had countless rules, and above all of them stood one supreme principle: [secrecy].
The monster's appearance had already violated the secrecy of Magecraft. Not only could it endanger the continuation of the Holy Grail War, it could also ruin Tokiomi Tohsaka's reputation as the overseer of this land.
Even for the sake of the prestige of the Tohsaka Family alone, he wanted that monster eliminated as quickly as possible.
"My King, that creature is a pest ravaging your garden. I beg you to show mercy and wipe it out!"
"That is the gardener's job."
Archer coldly rejected Tokiomi's plea.
"Or what is it, Tokiomi? Are you trying to mock me by treating my Noble Phantasms like a gardener's hoe?"
"I would never dare! But as you can see, other than you, there is nothing in this world capable of defeating it.
Now is the perfect chance to display the majesty of the King of Heroes. I beg you to reconsider!"
Gilgamesh let out an irritated snort, then raised his hand.
Golden ripples spread above the flying vessel, launching several gleaming Noble Phantasms that exploded over the writhing mountain of filthy flesh below.
In an instant, a third of the monster's body was blown away.
But before Tokiomi could even enjoy that for more than a few seconds, the twisted mass of flesh swelled like a balloon and covered over the damaged area.
Just as Saber's [Instinct] had judged, this otherworldly sea demon possessed nearly endless regenerative ability.
Its structure was so simple that it had virtually no weak point at all, nor would being wounded impair its movements.
More than that...
Even if the grimoire serving as the sea demon's core were destroyed, it still would not leave the surface.
"...We're going back, Tokiomi. I have no desire to keep looking at this filth."
Archer's crimson eyes were full of disgust as he spoke with contempt.
"Please wait, King of Heroes! If you were to use that Sword Of Rupture kept in the deepest part of your treasury..."
Those words made the atmosphere around Gilgamesh change at once.
"Tokiomi, you fool!!!"
The Sword Of Rupture, Ea was the supreme Noble Phantasm that the King of Heroes regarded almost as a second self, surpassing everything else in the Gate of Babylon.
And just as Archer was about to fly into an even greater rage...
An abnormal presence and shockwave coming from somewhere in the distance struck every participant in this Holy Grail War with sheer awe.
...
...
"Huh? Master! Are you really going to do that?"
"Yeah, why not?"
Shirou's nonchalant reply made Lady Avalon pause for a moment.
She returned to her physical form and grabbed the red-haired boy's wrist, stopping him just as he was about to cast the "Dead Count Shapeshifter."
"Wait, wait a minute! Didn't I warn you before?"
Lady Avalon admonished Shirou with a seriousness she had never shown before.
"You must not use these three Command Spells unless absolutely necessary."
No matter how hard Shirou racked his brain, he couldn't remember her ever actually "warning" him; at most, it could only be called "incitement."
Shirou frowned. "With my current strength, I can't take down that monster. Doesn't that mean I have no choice but to use it?"
"Um, but… if Master can just stall the monster, we can leave it to Saber to handle afterward, right?"
Shirou shook his head. "I can't leave everything to her. I'll take care of this monster myself.
After all, it's partly my fault that it turned out this way, I didn't destroy the Spellbook right away because I wanted to study it."
"But the 'Dead Count Shapeshifter' consumes your life. Are you sure that's okay?"
Shirou looked into the Magus of Flowers' eyes, as beautiful and dreamlike as ever.
"To be honest, what happens to that monster doesn't really matter. Whether it's destroying the monster or protecting the city, it's really just an excuse I made up on the spot."
He lowered his head, staring at the red and black markings on the back of his hand.
"I just want to meet my future self.
Ever since I heard you say that Magecraft can achieve a form of time travel, I haven't been able to stop thinking about it.
Avalon-nee-san, I don't know what your true purpose was in preparing the 'Dead Count Shapeshifter' for me, but I'm truly glad. I'm so glad you're my Servant."
The red-haired boy looked up again, his expression deadly serious. "So don't stop me, or I'll send you back to the Throne of Heroes right now."
"..."
Lady Avalon opened her mouth as if to say something, but seeing the clear hostility in his eyes, she wisely stayed silent.
"Alright, I won't say any more."
"It's not like you'd listen to me anyway."
"Hmm, that's what we agreed on back then, wasn't it~"
Lady Avalon said with a gentle smile and transformed back into a spirit.
Shirou focused on the three patterns on the back of his hand and poured Mana into them.
At that moment, he sensed a massive creature behind him, staring intently.
Although a colossal otherworldly Sea Demon loomed ahead, as vast as a mountain and capable of devouring a city, the presence behind him far surpassed the Sea Demon's.
Shirou knew the name of "that," so he paid it no mind.
Even as "that" radiated a malice strong enough to pierce the skin and paralyze the nerves, Shirou remained completely unfazed.
He was entirely focused.
As Mana circuits throughout his body ran rampant, Shirou glimpsed a twilight scene in a haze.
A sword appeared before him.
Most of the blade was buried in the burning earth; it would have to be pulled out.
Of course, his frail child's body couldn't manage it.
So, he activated the Command Spell.
"Command my body with the Command Spell."
The markings on the back of his hand glowed crimson, and his body was enveloped in blinding light.
Lady Avalon had once said that the "Dead Count Shapeshifter" was not simple Reinforcement Magecraft, but a higher-difficulty spell.
It constructs a magical array within the boy's body, separating a specific space from the "flow of time"—achieving "time manipulation" limited solely to his own body.
Compared to "time tampering," like reversing causality or interfering with the past, this self-limited "time adjustment" is far from being called a miracle (Magecraft).
"They say it's Grand Magecraft, closest to magic… I think it's called the 'Fixed-something Barrier'? Never mind."
That's right.
The "Dead Count Shapeshifter Command Spell" compiled by Lady Avalon is, in essence, a Reality Marble.
…In another world, it's called "Time Alter."
Although it is the Grand Magecraft closest to true magic, it is still not magic, especially since its scope is limited to one's own body.
The advantage lies in the fact that, being a Reality Marble activated within oneself, it is immune to the "corrections of the world."
But with that comes a corresponding limitation, the span of time it can "adjust" is extremely narrow.
Under normal circumstances, it can only accelerate one's own time by a few multiples, roughly the maximum for a human.
However, thanks to the infusion of a Command Spell linked to a massive Mana flag, combined with Lady Avalon's transcendent Magecraft skill, the "Dead Count Shapeshifter" became a miracle, with a duration of "three minutes" and an effect of "accelerating time ten years into the future."
By hastening his own time, Shirou successfully reached the "future ten years ahead."
The drawback of this Magecraft is the tremendous strain it places on the body.
Time-manipulating magic inevitably causes discrepancies in the flow of time between the inside and outside of the Barrier, especially when spanning a full decade.
Once the Barrier collapses, a natural force arises to fill the temporal gap, known as the "correction of the world."
This compensatory force, of course, targets the "manipulated party." Shirou's internal Barrier, his very body, is compressed and twisted to reconcile with the original flow of time.
Although Lady Avalon had minimized side effects as much as possible, achieving such an extreme effect without harming the body was impossible.
As the "Dead Count Shapeshifter" activated, Shirou's physical form underwent a colossal transformation, perfectly reconstructing his self from ten years later.
He was still far from his prime. His face retained the babyish look Morgan would mock, and he had yet to reach 170 cm in height.
But it was enough.
Enough to draw the sword before him.
He grasped the blade embedded in the scorched earth without hesitation.
If a sword is planted before him, there is no reason not to pull it out.
Shirou drew the sword.
Then, thinking he should at least catch a glimpse of "that," he turned his head.
Sure enough, standing there was a man named Shirou Amamiya.
It was the past life the boy had once abandoned, believing he had long forgotten.
…
"——————————!!!"
The shockwave rippled through the battlefield, felt by every Magus and Servant in the Holy Grail War, a force powerful enough to make their souls tremble.
At first, they assumed it was just another gas leak somewhere in Fuyuki City, but it was actually the birth of an incredibly powerful "something."
Gilgamesh, the King of Heroes, was the first to sense the overwhelming aura.
He narrowed his crimson eyes with displeasure, as if gazing toward a point farther than the edge of the night sky.
Seconds later, a faint smile appeared at the corner of the Golden King's mouth.
"......Faker."
Gilgamesh turned to the Magus beside him.
"Tokiomi, I forgive your earlier discourtesy."
"Ah, really…?"
"Hmph. It seems this Holy Grail War does have a few interesting mongrels after all."
Seeing the King of Heroes wear such an expression, Tokiomi Tohsaka was stunned, and at the same time, a thought struck him.
The final Servant had finally appeared.
The mysterious Servant who could not be detected by the "Spiritron Disk" had finally revealed himself.
Faker?
Was that his Class?
Just like the Avenger summoned by the Einzbern in the previous war, an Extra Class outside the Seven Knights, Faker!
…
…
At the same time, Rider and his Master rode atop the Divine Bull Chariot, streaking through the night sky like a purple bolt of lightning toward the outskirts of Fuyuki City.
"Hm…?"
Sensing a powerful aura, Rider yanked the reins sharply. The bull let out a long, furious bellow, and the chariot, traveling faster than the speed of sound, was forced to stop hundreds of meters above the ground.
"Eh? Eeeeaaahhh!"
Waver Wilvet screamed, his slight frame thrown forward by the sudden stop. Just as he was about to plummet, a thick, strong hand grabbed him.
"What the hell, Rider! Why the sudden brake?! I almost died! Are you trying to kill me?!"
Waver flailed like a rabbit caught in an adult's grip, shouting and struggling.
Rider didn't reply. He simply placed his Master back in his seat, then pinched his chin, scanning the direction where the Sea Demon writhed.
"I thought that monster alone was impressive.
But this… this is something truly extraordinary…"
…
Saber and Lancer, locked in fierce combat, leaped backward simultaneously.
Keeping a wary eye on each other, they then, almost instinctively, turned their gaze toward the distance where "something" had appeared.
Irisviel bit her lip, silently praying for the young man in her heart.
"Please stay safe, Shirou."
…
…
At that moment, Assassin, weaving through the skyscrapers, felt the city's wind shift without warning and instinctively halted her steps.
She couldn't hide her astonishment, staring blankly as she murmured to herself.
"That scent… could it be…"
…
…
Somewhere.
A man lurking in the darkness raised his Walter sniper rifle, equipped with infrared night vision, swiveling the scope toward the vicinity of the Sea Demon.
His sixth sense as a killer told him that something earth-shattering was about to happen there.
…
…
Red hair, like burning flames, swayed in the night breeze.
His twilight-colored pupils were calm and gentle, yet carried an inhuman, inorganic quality.
He couldn't be called handsome; some might even consider him ordinary.
Yet any woman, without exception, would be deeply drawn to him—that was the kind of inexplicable magical charm his youthful face radiated.
At first glance, he seemed slender and fragile. But beneath his clothes lay a body well-trained, solid, and muscular, harboring perfected martial arts skills and a limitless, boundless sword.
"..."
Lady Avalon silently watched Shirou Amamiya, who had reclaimed the "future," and let out a dreamy smile.
Welcome back, "my Arthur."
…
…
Alright, let's get ready.
After taking a few seconds to confirm the state of his new body, Shirou drew a deep breath.
A brilliant, fluorescent green light pierced the thick night fog.
"—Trace On."
The words served not only as the incantation for Projection Magecraft but also as the trigger for Shirou Amamiya's Personality Awakening.
A body that exists solely for battle, and a mind that exists solely to survive.
Shirou used Projection Magecraft to switch the functions of his brain. He did not simply transform his body into a combat form. Instead, he used his mind to reshape the body for battle.
From that moment, his muscles no longer moved in a purely biological way. His blood vessels rerouted the flow of blood, and even breathing became unnecessary.
That's right. Shirou completely discarded the "human" parts useless in combat, replacing everything with combat-ready components and gears.
Spreading terror, slaughtering fairies.
Suppressing calamities, devouring the city.
That tyrant who trampled and dominated Britannia with overwhelming power—
The "Nameless King" has returned.