"Indeed, if we're going to do this, just having an Inherent Domain won't be enough. If you want to get stronger, that's right. How about we use your Mystic Eyes to strengthen yourself from head to toe?" A woman wearing a black mage's robe said at this moment.
"I agree with Medea's assessment," Da Vinci said.
"That's interesting, let's do it," Cú Chulainn also agreed.
"Medea!" Shirou exclaimed in surprise upon seeing the blue-haired, pointed-eared woman emerge. Even the traitorous witch was here.
Medea smiled as she looked at the boy and said, "Oh my, it seems you have memories of meeting me too. But in which world was that? Hehehe."
"I feel like I'm getting more and more confused about the situation..." Seeing the black sorceress known for slaughtering hundreds of children, and now the traitorous witch Medea, Shirou suddenly felt uneasy.
"Well, the Heroic Spirit system is full of mysteries, and there are things even I don't know. So you don't need to worry about it," Da Vinci said comfortingly.
In the end, with the help of many mages from the Age of Gods, or geniuses from various fields, the concept and method of creating a Spiritron Dress were finally perfected. Finally, the Holy Grail was used to create this special Spiritron Dress that would evolve as he grew stronger internally.
Shirou used the Holy Grail to develop a Spiritron Dress unique to him. This transformed his Inner World into a 'Phantom Spirit' of sorts, which remained dormant normally.
When Shirou needed it, he could connect to Chaldea through the FGO system and summon this Spiritron Dress as a Heroic Spirit to possess him, thereby turning his ideal self into reality and allowing him to become his ideal Heroic Spirit for a certain period.
This was something that should have been impossible, but through the Holy Grail, the omnipotent wish-granting machine, this miracle was achieved with its immense magical power. Just like his Projection Magecraft, the more complete and stronger his imagined self became, the stronger his Spiritron Dress would become.
Relying on the vast magical power provided by the Holy Grail, the boy's Mystic Eyes connected to the past, present, and future, to other worlds, parallel dimensions, or even the universes of Lostbelts, searching for his so-called 'strongest' self.
In different worlds, there were beings extremely similar to him, closely connected to him, perhaps his past life, his future, or his parallel selves.
An archer with white long hair, wearing a Kyudo uniform, possessing a Mythic Dress.
A craftsman with short red hair, who lived for forging and died for forging, reaching a divine realm in this field.
A man who, after endless years, achieved miracles greater than magic, found the distant Utopia, and reunited with his beloved girls.
A white-haired Heroic Spirit in white clothes who stood alone before the Primordial Mother Goddess...
Which one was the strongest? The boy did not know yet.
All he could pursue was to become the strongest he could be at that moment, nothing more.
After that, Shirou just walked out of Da Vinci's workshop. Several Heroic Spirits were standing at the entrance, openly eavesdropping.
"Hey, Shirou, are you here to ask me out on a date?" a graceful JK-clad fox-eared girl said with a smile, playfully punching him.
"Ah... Ah! Suzuka Gozen." Hearing the familiar voice, Shirou was stunned for a moment before recognizing the girl before him. Unlike when she was combined with Yuihama during a summon, this beautiful appearance was her true form as a Heroic Spirit.
"Shirou, have you finally accepted my invitation?" The tall, voluptuous woman in armor said with teary, moved eyes and opened her arms to embrace him.
This time, Shirou recognized her immediately and quickly retreated, shouting, "Hey! Raikou, wait! Don't come any closer!"
"Huh? Why are you so cold? Did I do something wrong?" Minamoto no Yorimitsu asked, on the verge of tears.
"No, if you hug me, it'll be bad in all sorts of ways," Shirou said, waving his hands.
"..." Ushiwakamaru stood to the side, silently watching the man who had once patted her head like a brother.
"Brother? Is it really Brother?"
"Brother from another world! He's so much like my brother at home in every way."
It was then that Shirou noticed two identical little girls, with different skin and hair colors, looking at him with wide eyes.
"Illya? Two Illyas!" Shirou exclaimed in surprise, seeing the two little girls. The silver-haired girl was dressed like a pink magical girl, with a pentagram ring beside her. The other was in red and black, and her clothing style felt somewhat familiar, and a bit revealing.
"I'm Kuroy! Nice to meet you, Brother~!" Little Kuro blinked and said.
"Eek! I didn't expect to see Shirou here too. Illya, that's great, now we have three brothers! It's practically a harem~!" Ruby flapped its wings, twisting its body in the air, saying happily.
Illya stood frozen, as if slightly tempted for a moment, but then angrily shouted with a blushing face, "Ruby! Shut up for now."
Illya, her face slightly flushed, turned to the boy and introduced herself, "Hello, Big Brother, I'm Illya."
"Why don't we find a place to sit and chat?" Shirou looked at the two girls. Judging by their appearance, they weren't the Illya he knew. He then smiled with relief.
"Sure," Illya and Little Kuro agreed.
After that, Shirou sat down with the two girls to talk and learn about their world. He was surprised to learn that in their world, Kiritsugu had ended the Holy Grail War, and Illya had lived a normal life, but then got involved in other incidents.
"So there are worlds like this too," Shirou sighed. The girl didn't have to be a Lesser Grail to participate in the Holy Grail War; instead, she became a magical girl as a ten-year-old elementary school student, collecting Servant cards and fighting to save her important friends.
"Actually, I was startled when I saw Brother with black hair too," Illya said with a smile.
"Yes, Illya, Kuro, you both worked very hard, it's truly amazing!" Shirou reached out his hands and patted the two girls' heads, praising them, sincerely hoping their efforts would lead to ultimate happiness.
"Hehehe, Brother praised me," Illya said happily, her eyes narrowing.
"Really, don't treat me like a child..." Little Kuro, whose head was patted, mumbled softly with a blushing face.
"Alright then! Where's the kitchen? I'll treat you all to a good meal today!" Shirou rolled up his sleeves, full of enthusiasm.
"Really! I'll help. My brother's cooking at home is super delicious!" Illya said happily.
"Is your cooking good too, Big Brother? Who's better, you or my brother at home? If you can't satisfy me, you'll have to compensate me," Little Kuro said with a mischievous smile.
"No, I don't know unless we compare," Shirou shook his head with a smile. He had lived two lives, and in his previous life, he had traveled across most of the globe, accumulating a lot of experience.
And so, to the anticipation of all of Chaldea, Shirou took care of all the cooking that day, bringing tears of happiness to all the staff. Finally, with reluctance, they watched Shirou return to his original world.
Chapter 50: Perseus Appears
After returning home from Chaldea, Shirou had been practicing these days, gradually familiarizing himself with this new power. In the FGO system on his phone, there was a new card with a question mark. The Class was a question mark, and the Level was a question mark. The card art was also blank, just like the meaning of this Spiritron Dress's core. It was currently very weak but possessed infinite possibilities.
Ever since the incident where his sister was attacked by a monster, Shirou had been training with even more dedication. In the mornings, he would practice with Mash at the Kyudo Club. At noon, he'd have lunch with his friends at the Service Club and discuss plans for the day.
At the Service Club, Shirou sat with his friends, eating lunch and talking about the amazing things he had seen at Chaldea.
"Huh? Senpai went to Chaldea before? And you met everyone there?" Mash asked in surprise.
"Yeah, everyone was really kind and welcoming. The staff also told me to take good care of myself," Shirou said with a smile.
"I see. It's good that everyone is doing well. That's the most important thing," Mash said, feeling a bit nostalgic for the people at Chaldea.
"Oh, and a few knights from the Knights of the Round Table and the Knights of Fionn asked me to send their regards. You're quite popular at Chaldea, Mash," Shirou added.
"Eh, the Knights of the Round Table, fine, but the Knights of Fionn…" For some reason, Mash seemed a little displeased.
"Mash, you're really popular at school, aren't you? Definitely not to the extent of giving yourself away to Iroha," Yuihama chimed in.
"Shirou, haven't you heard? Mash has been recommending FGO to people both inside and outside of school, telling them what good people they are. She's a woman of great sin, having broken the hearts of countless young men," Asuna said with a laugh.
"Asuna-senpai, please stop! That's not what I meant!" Mash exclaimed.
"I've heard about that too. You've even earned nicknames like 'first-year mixed-blood beauty' and 'barrette fanatic,'" Yukino added from her book, glancing at Shirou and smirking. She made a V-sign under the table with her free hand.
Shirou broke out in a sweat. This person really wanted to compete with him in everything.
"But it's great that you're so popular, Mash. Maybe you'll find someone you like," Shirou said with a smile.
"Senpai, you idiot!" Mash suddenly puffed out her cheeks and scolded him, poking a meatball in his bento with her chopsticks before turning away sulkily and starting to eat.
"Indeed, you are an idiot. In that case, I'll take this delicious-looking meatball then," Asuna said with a smile, picking one up.
"Hmph, idiot! Idiot! Delicious~!" Yuihama joined in, grabbing another meatball without hesitation and popping it into her mouth with a blissful smile.
"I think everyone is right," Yukino said, reaching her chopsticks towards the bento as well.
"Wait, leaving me none is too much!" Shirou's special four-happiness meatballs were gone. That was the only meat he had prepared for himself.
"It's your own fault for not making enough for yourself. This is a return gift, don't be shy," Yukino said, placing some vegetables into Shirou's bento.
No, you could have been a little more polite before. Your ice-cold beauty image is completely ruined. Shirou looked at the radish in his bento and felt a pang of sadness.
"Shirou, here, this is from my portion," Asuna said with a gentle and considerate smile, placing a slice of cucumber into his bento.
The cucumber was cut neatly into perfect circles, a cute, girlish touch, but even so, I'm not happy about it.
"Yep, it's all your fault, Shirou," Yuihama said, holding back a laugh.
This girl doesn't even know what's going on, but she's taking advantage of the situation to eat the meatballs and now she's giving me food I don't like.
"It's Senpai's fault!" Mash still looked quite upset.
"Fine, I'll pretend I didn't say anything," Shirou said glumly, eating his all-vegetarian meal of radish, cucumber, potato, and eggplant, which he had exchanged for four large meatballs. The taste was surprisingly decent.
But he really wanted to eat meat. Humans are omnivores; both meat and vegetables are essential. Otherwise, the nutritional imbalance would lead to unhealthy reactions in the body. Even vegetarians, when giving up meat, must be careful to obtain alternative nutrients from other ingredients. (Monthly fee group 694936135)
And if they only cared about satisfying their taste buds, like these girls who only thought about snatching meat.
If one day they realized their figures had gone out of shape, their bellies round and large, it would be their own doing, and they shouldn't blame him.
"Shirou, are you thinking of something rude?" The girls looked at him in unison.
"No, I was just thinking about how good everyone's skin has been lately, so radiant and glowing, hahaha," Shirou replied, looking away.
At that moment, a void opened somewhere in another dimension. A man in black sat there, black worms surging within his body, constantly repairing it. The process was nearing completion.
Perseus, a Heroic Spirit corrupted by black mud, had originally manifested as a Rider. He possessed Pegasus, the winged horse born from the Gorgon's body, and was known as a Heroic Spirit with multiple divine Noble Phantasms.
One was 'Chivalric Rein,' which originally allowed him to maximize the abilities of his mount, Pegasus, unleashing a super-high-speed, comet-like charge, a supreme technique that was both offensive and defensive.
After being corrupted by the black mud, Perseus's class became unknown. This Noble Phantasm, combined with the Holy Grail's blessing, had transformed into the ability to summon and command hundreds of Demonic Beasts.
The second was 'Cloak that can freely change appearance and aura.' He had used this to silently appear behind Shirou before. If he hadn't been blasted away by Raikou's Noble Phantasm used by Asuna, he would have succeeded.
The third was 'Sword of the Undead Slayer – HARPE.' It was more like a sickle than a sword, capable of nullifying immortality and preventing wounds from healing.
He also had Winged Sandals for walking on air, a Bronze Shield for tracking movements, and a bag for storing monsters.
"Revenge! Revenge on Emiya! That man who denied everything we had!" Perseus said, his eyes red. He opened a bag and released the giant body of a monster, which slithered along the ground like a snake.
In the afternoon, Shirou's phone vibrated. Little Da sent him a message.
"Shirou! Chaldea received intel! Perseus's trace has been detected!"
"Understood! This time, he won't get away!" Shirou said, clenching his fist and hitting his palm, his fighting spirit soaring.
For days, the young man had been enduring, like an ancient, skilled archer who would wait in the leeward side of a prey's path for hours, even a day and a night, conserving energy only to unleash it at the moment the target appeared, piercing its eye without damaging its hide.
Chapter 51: The Sword-Forging Heroic Spirit Shirou
The place where the black-clad man, Perseus, appeared was a plaza near the sports center. He was instantly isolated from the outside world in this pocket dimension. Coming to this vast area was the perfect battlefield for him to lure Emiya here, then sever his head.
And from the large void behind him, a giant monster wrapped in black sludge emerged. It had dark wings and a tall, alluring female form, but its tailbone was connected to a long python's body, dragging on the ground.
Its long black hair had several deep purple snake heads with fangs at the tips, and its crimson eyes had lost all reason, becoming those of a terrifying monster bent on destroying everything.
"Gorgon! Let's take our revenge here! And let Emiya die in despair!"
This was the strongest monster Perseus had summoned with the Holy Grail's help – Gorgon. She was originally a mother and goddess to Demonic Beasts, but now she had completely transformed into a berserk monster.
Originally, Perseus, as an enemy, could not have commanded a monster of this level. In legend, Perseus had used Gorgon's head multiple times to turn giants and enemies into stone when facing danger. It was this legend that allowed him to summon a part of Gorgon.
The giant demonic beast here is not Gorgon's true body, but a fake forcibly twisted by the Holy Grail using a portion of Gorgon's Spiritron Dress. Besides possessing immense destructive power, it has also undergone some degradation.
Within the beast's nest, the continuous roars of monsters could be heard. Then, they were brought into Gorgon's beast's nest to be tamed. This time, the final attack was about to be launched.
"Haaaaaaah! I will destroy the world Emiya hoped for, just as he destroyed our glory! Let him go to the underworld to repent!"
Perseus let out a maniacal laugh.
"Roooooar!" The giant demonic beast, Gorgon, spread her dark wings and roared. Her crimson eyes had completely lost their sanity. She summoned a colossal beast's nest, her Noble Phantasm, 'Temple of Ten Thousand Demons'.
"Break through this barrier, establish this temple in the real world! Devour! Slaughter! And then destroy!" Perseus roared.
Swarms of demonic beasts roared, their cries hoarse as they swiped their claws at the world's defenses.
"This won't happen as you wish." Just then, the young boys and girls finally arrived.
"I'll leave these demonic beasts to you all. I'll handle this man." Shirou said to his companions, then turned to look at the completely broken Heroic Spirit. No, he was definitely someone completely different from that legendary heroic figure now.
"Since it's evil, I shall slay it!" Shirou's gaze turned cold. Facing the most wicked and evil enemy before him, for his family, for his friends, for this world, no matter the reason, he had to eliminate the monsters in front of him.
Connected to Chaldea's phantom Spiritron Dress via the Holy Grail, he was summoned to the world where the young boy was.
Within the system, the snow-white card face changed at that instant. Lightning coiled around the card, transforming into a golden knight standing upright, sword held across his chest.
A white, powerful light enveloped the young boy. His Inner World had undergone a unique transformation under the Holy Grail's modification.
As his training became more proficient and his resolve solidified, this time the completion rate was even higher. His Mystic Eyes were still open, his strong upper body bare, his hair had turned red, and he wore a white cloak.
Only his left arm was wrapped in red holy cloth, and in his right hand, he held an exquisite samurai sword.
This was a divine artifact, forged over a lifetime of crafting tens of thousands of blades, ultimately surpassing ordinary weapons. Though considered a failure, when it unleashed its greatest power, it was enough to cleave a world.
As he held the [Tsumikiri Muramasa] in his hand, the combat experience of a swordsmith who had reached the realm of gods in the art of forging in a certain world also flowed into the young boy's mind. He had forged various styles of weapons throughout his life, clearly understanding the strengths and weaknesses of every inch of each weapon, and naturally, he had mastered the methods of using those armaments.
His amber Mystic Eyes bore witness to the blacksmith's life. Born into a blacksmith family, with exceptional talent, a boy who harbored justice.
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