For Shirou, the words dark clouds and Catastrophe appearing together amounted to the worst possible news.
If it were a tornado-type Catastrophe, he could simply fire a Noble Phantasm at it and blow it apart.
But something happening in the sky?
How exactly was he supposed to deal with that?
Even if he used Caladbolg combined with Broken Phantasm, he would probably need several shots just to blast a hole through it.
And judging by the way the storm clouds were gathering...
The affected area likely covered all of Chernobog.
There was simply no way to bombard something on that scale.
"...!"
Just as Shirou was staring at the abnormal sky, he noticed a second signal flare.
This one was the smoke type.
According to Blaze's earlier explanation, this kind of flare meant Rhodes Island had encountered trouble.
Red meant a critical emergency.
Blue meant a minor complication.
Looking at the red smoke drifting through the air, Shirou immediately stopped thinking about everything else.
Grabbing the axe-sword, he sprinted toward the direction Rhodes Island had retreated.
"So similar in appearance... and yet, the conviction remains."
Watching Shirou depart, the Wendigo made no move to stop him or ask further questions.
He merely watched the retreating figure.
Very similar.
Yet ultimately different.
The person he knew did not possess that blazing conviction in his eyes.
And yet, both Archer and the young man before him shared one trait.
Whenever something happened, they were always the first to charge forward.
That crimson figure disappearing into the distance reminded him of that day.
The only question was whether their endings would be different.
After Shirou's figure disappeared completely from sight, the Wendigo finally turned away with his halberd and shield.
He had responsibilities of his own.
Not only did he need to deal with the rioters, he also had to warn Talulah and the others about the Black Snake's schemes.
Last time, Archer had stopped the Black Snake's plans.
This time, only they could do so.
"What is that...?"
Meanwhile, Shirou, carrying the axe-sword and sprinting at full speed, finally spotted the Rhodes Island operators wearing their distinctive jackets.
And at the far end of the street stood a gigantic...
Stone statue?
It looked somewhat fantastical.
Then again, considering Originium Arts existed, it was not particularly unreasonable.
Actually, now that he thought about it, he had fought something similar before.
Although that one had been made of bones.
From his position, Shirou could clearly see the statue and the damage left on its surface by Rhodes Island's attacks.
He could only conclude one thing:
Stone really was hard.
Crossbow bolts, firearms, and Arts had all struck it, yet none seemed particularly effective.
Something that large...
Should he use Caladbolg with Broken Phantasm?
No, that would probably blast everyone in the entire area away before it destroyed the target.
That was not an option.
What about charging in with Kanshou and Bakuya?
It felt like it would take quite a while to chop the thing down.
And they did not have that kind of time.
Everyone needed to get out of the city as quickly as possible.
While running forward, Shirou considered possible solutions.
Then he remembered something.
He was still carrying an axe-sword.
"Since you are already here, you might as well serve one last purpose."
Looking at the weapon, Shirou immediately decided to use it.
Besides, it had proven quite effective against that giant earlier.
The only issue was that numerous people stood between him and the stone colossus.
Getting directly into position would be troublesome.
After quickly surveying his surroundings, Shirou projected a silver rope into his free left hand and tied one end around the axe-sword.
Then he hurled the weapon toward a nearby building.
The axe-sword embedded itself firmly into the structure.
Using the rope as a line, he swung himself upward.
Standing atop the embedded axe-sword, Shirou gained a clear view of everything ahead.
A hooded figure was directing Amiya and the other operators as they launched attacks against the stone giant.
That must be the Doctor.
Although Shirou could not hear the specific orders being given, the flawless coordination between multiple squads and even among individual operators within those squads made it obvious that the Doctor knew exactly what they were doing.
"Shirou, the Doctor wants to speak with you."
Just as Shirou was observing the battlefield, a medical operator below called out to him and tossed up a communicator.
When Rosmontis had launched him from the aircraft, he had left everything behind except his Mystic Code.
From that height, there had been a very high chance the communicator would be destroyed upon landing.
And even if it survived, he had no way of recalibrating it under such dense Originium interference.
So he had simply abandoned the idea of bringing it.
The communicators carried by Rhodes Island personnel were different.
There were plenty of people capable of maintaining them, and the shorter communication distance greatly reduced interference.
"This is Shirou."
Squatting atop the axe-sword, Shirou caught the communicator, put it on, and spoke.
"Attack the ground. Slow its advance... and the person standing on the billboard in the rear, is that you?"
The first part was clearly directed at the Rhodes Island operators.
The last question was aimed at Shirou.
The Doctor's voice sounded hoarse and somewhat weak.
Yet when issuing commands, there was a strange quality that made people instinctively want to trust them.
Perhaps it was what people called presence.
Or maybe leadership.
"A billboard...?"
After thinking for a moment about where a billboard might be, Shirou finally realized that the Doctor was referring to the axe-sword he was standing on.
From a distance, it was an easy mistake to make.
"From your position, can you provide long-range fire support? The operators have already gone through multiple battles and are extremely exhausted. Their current firepower is not enough to seriously damage that stone statue."
After determining Shirou's location, the Doctor quickly made an assessment.
If Shirou tried to force his way through the crowd to reach the front line, it would take time.
But they could not simply clear the battlefield either.
Without the personnel behind them, the supporting fire would disappear.
Combining the information from Amiya, the others, and the data available through PRTS, the Doctor quickly arrived at what seemed to be the optimal solution.
Shirou would serve as long-range fire support and help relieve the pressure on the frontline.
"I can, but we cannot afford to waste too much time here. A Catastrophe is about to arrive. We need to get everyone out of Chernobog as quickly as possible."
Listening to the Doctor's proposal, Shirou rejected it.
Under normal circumstances, it would indeed be the best choice.
Wear the enemy down.
Set traps.
Slowly eliminate the threat.
But these were not normal circumstances.
A Catastrophe was closing in behind them.
They did not have the luxury of dragging this out.
"A Catastrophe?"
The Doctor paused slightly upon hearing the word.
"Someone has forcibly accelerated the arrival of a Catastrophe. Those storm clouds gathering overhead are very likely a precursor. We need to evacuate immediately!"
Hearing the Doctor's confusion, Shirou did not think much of it.
He simply assumed the Doctor was unsure what type of Catastrophe was approaching.
"...Can this information be trusted?"
Amiya's voice entered the conversation, sounding noticeably tense.
"I cannot guarantee it. But people are definitely turning infected corpses into Originium dust to increase the Originium concentration in the area. Combined with those abnormal storm clouds, the possibility of a Catastrophe is extremely high."
Shirou could not say it with absolute certainty.
But he was unwilling to gamble.
Too many clues pointed in that direction.
And on top of that, there was the overwhelming sense of dread he himself was feeling.
"I understand. Doctor, Ace, Shirou... let us concentrate our firepower and drive the enemy back in one decisive push. We will buy enough time for the other operators to withdraw. If this route is blocked, then we will take another path!"
At this moment, Amiya chose to trust Shirou's judgment.
The matter he mentioned had already been reported by Blaze earlier.
It pained her deeply.
Yet there was also a sense of helplessness.
This was the reality many Infected faced.
It was one of the defining tragedies of Terra.
"Understood."
Ace immediately agreed.
"Delay them... take a detour..."
Meanwhile, the Doctor began calculating how to hold back the stone giant with the fewest personnel possible.
"No. There is no need to make things so complicated. Just have the operators clear a path."
As the others continued discussing delaying tactics and alternate routes, Shirou directly interrupted them.
Planting his foot firmly, he pulled the axe-sword free from the building and dropped back to the ground, gripping the weapon tightly.
He had already memorized the terrain ahead.
The stone giant was not going anywhere on its own.
While observing from above, he had also searched for whoever was controlling it.
Unfortunately, he had found no suspicious individuals.
That plan would have to be abandoned.
The civilians and enemies behind the statue had already fled in fear, so collateral damage was no longer a major concern.
As for the surrounding buildings...
Most of them were already half-destroyed.
A little more damage would not make much difference.
"I understand. All personnel, move to both sides!"
After hearing Shirou's suggestion, the Doctor did not hesitate.
They immediately issued the next order.
If they were going to rely on delaying tactics anyway, then the supporting fire from the rear was no longer essential.
In that case, trusting Shirou was worth the risk.
After all, the stone giant was not as tall as a skyscraper.
The most straightforward solution would simply be to shove through it using that building-sized sword everyone kept talking about.
The only reason it had not been considered earlier was because the energy consumption was supposedly enormous.
"Haa..."
Looking at the path being cleared before him, Shirou took a deep breath.
His eyes locked onto the target ahead.
His grip tightened around the axe-sword.
Countless eyes were focused on him.
Shirou paid them no attention.
At this moment, every ounce of his concentration was directed toward the massive stone figure before him.
In Shirou's vision, the movements of everyone around him seemed to slow down.
He could clearly see Amiya extending her hand as black Arts energy gathered, preparing to strike the statue's head.
He could see Ace bracing himself behind his shield, receiving a downward strike from the giant.
At the moment of impact, Ace subtly angled the shield, dispersing the force of the blow.
He could see the tiny wounds left behind by bolts and bullets.
Every detail entered his field of view.
Ordinary attacks struggled to inflict meaningful damage on the giant stone construct.
Physical attacks in particular were largely ineffective.
From what he had observed, Amiya's Arts and the attacks of the other Casters were producing the best results.
Of course, physical attacks being ineffective depended entirely on the level of force involved.
If he attacked using projected Noble Phantasms, the results would likely surpass even Arts damage.
Although only by a certain margin.
Against something of this scale, even charging in with Kanshou and Bakuya would require considerable effort.
But the weapon in his hands was different.
This was the axe-sword wielded by Illya's Servant.
Berserker.
Its appearance was savage and crude, to the point that many would hesitate to even call it a sword.
But that was not what mattered.
When Shirou used Projection Magecraft, he could inherit a portion of the original wielder's skills.
Ordinary techniques, however, were not what he intended to use.
What he sought to reproduce now was far beyond any normal swordsmanship.
What he intended to use was not an ordinary technique.
It was the skill of its owner.
"Projection... Loading—"
Magic circuits rapidly spread outward from his right arm, extending across most of his body.
Surprisingly, it was not nearly as painful as he had expected.
Perhaps all the daily magical training he had been doing recently was finally paying off.
After all, in those memories, that Shirou had borrowed Archer's left arm to project this axe-sword, along with the technique and monstrous strength with it.
The price paid for doing so had been enormous.
What Shirou was attempting now was to recreate that very move.
"That is... Evade! Everyone, evade!"
Noticing the powerful wind blowing from behind, the Doctor turned toward its source.
The culprit was Shirou.
Seeing his current state, and remembering how strongly he had insisted on clearing the battlefield, the Doctor immediately ordered the operators fighting the stone giant to disengage and retreat.
Their instincts were screaming a warning.
The Shirou before them was extremely, extremely dangerous.
In truth, the Doctor's order was unnecessary.
The operators had already sensed the disturbance coming from Shirou's direction and were withdrawing on their own.
"Nine Lives!"
From the deep breath he took after landing until this very moment, only a few seconds had passed.
The stone giant had not even managed to pull back the arm it had used to attack Ace.
The instant Shirou completed the invocation, it was as if the sound of a firearm being cocked echoed through the air.
In the next moment, he vanished.
One instant he stood at the rear of the Rhodes Island formation.
The next, he had appeared directly before the stone giant.
Under the influence of the projected technique, the axe-sword guided Shirou's body.
Almost instantaneously, eight slashes erupted forth.
Each slash carved a massive wound through the giant's body.
Long trails of destruction extended from its front to its back.
The overwhelming majority of the statue's form was shattered apart.
Before anyone could even react, Shirou drove the axe-sword into the giant's chest.
Then came the ninth strike.
The final slash.
The next moment, the stone giant collapsed completely.
Its enormous body disintegrated into countless fragments of rock, crashing onto the ground in a deafening avalanche.