Please Play Fate/GO With Me

The young man, having experienced the cruelty of the world, saved others and was saved by others. To prevent people from being killed, he was forced to kill some, yet he couldn't save all those suffering beings.

In the end, the young man placed his wish upon forging, his only skill, and forged ceaselessly, hoping that one day he could create a divine artifact capable of saving all living beings.

As this blacksmith came to understand the strengths, weaknesses, and usage of all weapons and armor, he also, subtly and unconsciously, became a martial arts master proficient in all weapons.

But it wasn't enough. He still hadn't found the way to forge the sword in his heart.

Humans grow old, even the strongest bodies decay, and souls, unable to withstand the corruption of time, become ugly. Sins, like weeds that can't be burned, continuously grow;

Through his Mystic Eyes, Shirou saw the lonely figure of that young man. Over endless years, he transformed from a promising youth into a venerable elder, day and night, ceaselessly swinging his hammer, quenching and smelting. He wasn't just forging steel, but also forging his heart, making it ever more resolute.

When ideals and reality develop in completely opposite directions...

What should be done?

Swing the hammer, forging the belief of saving all beings into the iron bones;

What should be done?

Stomp the bellows, blowing the thoughts of being saved into the furnace;

What should be done?

Quench and smelt, tempering his entire life into the blade;

This blade is forged for all beings alone;

The Mystic Eyes witnessed the life of this existence, transforming all his experience and ideals into his spiritual foundation. The red-haired Heroic Spirit youth stood there, his resolute gaze fixed on the black-clad man.

"Devour him!" Perseus waved the reins in his hand, and the Demonic Beasts let out roars, charging at the youth.

Shirou held a sword in one hand and projected a giant axe-sword with the other. It was more like a weapon-shaped, hard chunk of rock than an axe-sword. He spun, sweeping away the charging Demonic Beasts with unreasonable brute force.

Extreme speed and ferocity, brutal and invincible—this was the secret technique summarized by the Great Hero Heracles from countless battles: Nine Lives Blade Works. It could bring out the maximum power of a weapon, manifesting in various forms, from anti-personnel to anti-army, even capable of attacking a fortress, depending on the situation.

While projecting the Noble Phantasm, the young man copied the Heroic Spirit's skills, experience, and brute strength. A horde of Demonic Beasts like this was no problem at all.

Shirou looked at the black-clad man and asked with a smile, "I heard you have many Noble Phantasms. I'm quite skilled in that regard too."

"Die!" Perseus's eyes turned crimson, his expression frenzied. He raised his scythe-like sword and slashed straight down.

"A spirit who has lost its way, let me guide you to peace." Shirou swung the axe-sword again, as if imbued with immense power. The slash stirred up a gust of wind, making swishing sounds.

Chapter 52: The Craftsman's Combat Style

Having forged countless sharp blades and weapons, he could discern the essence of any weapon with a single glance, understanding its strengths and the optimal way to wield it.

Naturally, the weapon's weaknesses and limitations were also perfectly clear. While pursuing sharpness, it had to possess sufficient hardness to avoid being too brittle and enough flexibility to prevent bending.

The Demon Sword HARPE in Perseus's hand was a peculiar weapon, like an eagle's claw. It had the body of a long sword but was only sharpened on one side, with a curved tip like a scythe.

Possessing the lifelong experience of that blacksmith, Shirou instantly understood how to use this weapon. The length of the blade, the sharpness of the edge, its weak points—everything was analyzed clearly under his Mystic Eyes.

The giant axe-sword swung like a blacksmith's heavy hammer, each strike aimed at the sword's weak points from the most treacherous angles, displaying an aura as if it intended to destroy the opponent's Noble Phantasm.

With his understanding of weapons and absolute superiority in power and martial skill, the impact of every swing of the axe-sword knocked aside the scythe-like sword and sent the charging Demonic Beasts flying. Despite being surrounded, he still forced the black-clad man into a continuous retreat.

His body was constantly being repaired by the black mud, but his palms had gone numb from the impact of the immense force. Although it was a Demon Sword that couldn't heal wounds, it couldn't harm him in the slightest.

The giant axe-sword now seemed like a divine blacksmith's hammer radiating intense heat. Even a god-given sword would have its sharp edge chipped or blunted, and its blade would eventually break if this continued.

Perseus struggled to parry under the immense force of the axe-sword.

Shirou suddenly turned and thrust his right hand, which held the sword. The scabbard directly struck Perseus's abdomen. The explosive force sent him flying backward, rolling several times on the ground before spitting out black blood.

"Ah, my apologies. Because divine artifacts from the Age of Gods are rare, I became a little interested and studied its structure. Perhaps this is the work of a blacksmith god." Shirou looked at the sword in the black mud Heroic Spirit's hand, lowering his right hand holding the katana.

In the previous battle, the young man hadn't used his right hand at all. But now he had seen enough. It was time to understand everything.

Shirou raised the axe-sword with his left arm, clad in a red bracer.

"Damn it! Damn it! Bite him!" Perseus roared in anger. The Demonic Beasts, their eyes red, charged at the youth.

BOOM!!! The giant axe-sword once again swept away the charging Demonic Beasts, then followed through with a downward slash onto Perseus's head.

"Emiya! You won't finish this so easily!" At the critical moment, the black-clad man finally snapped out of his rage. He raised the Rider-class's reins and summoned that black winged horse. Perseus's eyes glowed red as he used this Noble Phantasm.

The winged horse flapped its wings, emitting black light, its overall attack and defense greatly enhanced. It directly knocked aside the descending axe-sword. The black winged horse carried Perseus into the sky. He wasn't a hero known for his martial skills, but now he was finally displaying his true strength.

A black comet descended from the sky, transforming into a pillar of destructive light, as if to pierce the earth, diving straight towards the youth below.

Shirou looked up at the sky, casually sheathed the axe-sword into his barrier, and calmly raised his left arm wrapped in red cloth. A strong purplish-pink light emanated from his palm, transforming into seven brilliant, colorful lights, like seven enlarged cherry blossom petals, blocking in front of him.

—Rho Aias

This was the conceptual Noble Phantasm created from the bronze shield covered in seven layers of oxhide, used by the hero Aias, Achilles' cousin, to block Hector's fatal spear thrust during the Trojan War. The defensive power of each petal was comparable to an ancient city wall.

When the black comet collided with the petal-like light shield, the black light's impact shattered the petals one by one, and the impact's power was consequently weakened. Finally, when only two petals remained, the two sides became locked in a stalemate.

"How about it? Is there no other way? Spirit of vengeance." Shirou asked with a light laugh, continuously channeling the maximum output of mana into Rho Aias. In the void, the Holy Grail within his spiritual foundation endlessly supplied him with mana.

Perseus, riding the black winged horse, looked at the sturdy shield he couldn't break and roared back.

"Surround them! Gorgon!"

"It's not over yet!" Perseus roared, directly controlling the winged horse and changing its direction of charge. The black winged horse bent its knees and directly rammed the light shield, pushing Shirou into the air and flying upwards with him.

"What!" Shirou felt himself being pushed straight into the sky. While the opponent's power was no longer enough to break through the defense equivalent to two city walls, he was now flying into the sky, pushing two city walls along with him.

Even though the opponent's mind was currently corrupted and their personality twisted, they were still a hero who was active in the Age of Gods, known for their adaptability and mastery of various Noble Phantasms.

The next moment, a sharp, piercing roar erupted from the den, sounding like an angry curse or a sorrowful wail.

"ROOOOAR!"

"ROOOOAR!"

Thousands of surging beasts charged forward, surrounding the girls and immediately separating them from the boy.

"Shirou-senpai!" Only Mash, holding her shield, was thrown to the outer perimeter.

"Mash! You go help Shirou! We'll handle things here." Yukino, who had summoned Atalanta, said as she drew her bow to its full draw and shot through the monster's head.

"Yes, we'll catch up right after we finish these monsters," Yuihama said, activating her Noble Phantasm. Hundreds of golden swords rained down from the sky, piercing the Demonic Beasts underground.

"I know! Senpai, please don't get hurt!" Mash raised her shield and charged with all her might, chasing after Shirou, who had been knocked away by the black Pegasus.

"Don't worry, who do you think you're talking to?" Asuna's Dojigiri Yasutsuna flashed with lightning, manifesting four figures wielding different Noble Phantasms, each displaying their unique skills. The final bolt of lightning struck the charging horde of beasts.

"I know!" Mash gritted her teeth, smashing her greatshield against the charging Demonic Beasts and quickly pursuing Shirou, who had been sent flying.

At this moment, Shirou, pushed into the air, was being carried higher and higher by the Pegasus, his situation becoming increasingly unfavorable.

"This is a real headache. I didn't expect this kind of move," Shirou said, his feet landing on a cherry blossom light. He abandoned maintaining his Noble Phantasm and instead used the moment before it shattered to leap high into the air.

"Hahaha! Giving up, are we! Emiya! Die! Repent in the underworld!" Perseus let out a wild laugh. The black Pegasus accelerated again, breaking the sound barrier and transforming into a black comet, charging towards the boy with terrifying speed. The force of the extreme speed meant that if he were hit, he would be instantly pulverized.

The moment Shirou jumped, he projected a massive iron cross shield, which descended directly from the sky, colliding with the black Pegasus and activating its Noble Phantasm: — Lord Camelot.

This shield was extremely similar to the one Mash held. It was a new Projection Noble Phantasm that Shirou had learned by observing with his Mystic Eyes. It was the Noble Phantasm of the Knight of the Round Table, Galahad, the ultimate defense formed by the center of the White Castle Camelot and the Round Table where the Knights sat.

It differed slightly from Mash's Noble Phantasm, being closer to Galahad's. While sacrificing some defensive power, it possessed the ability to counter-attack.

The black comet collided with the brilliant white light. As the black Pegasus broke through the defense, the greatshield emitted a dazzling bright light, releasing energy identical to the comet's, transforming into a rainbow that struck the black Pegasus, disintegrating it directly and disappearing into the air along with the greatshield.

Chapter 53: A Blade That Cleaves Destiny

In the high sky, two figures continuously fell. Perseus jumped off the Pegasus at the last moment, and at this moment, he fell towards the ground simultaneously with Shirou.

They were already at a considerable height, overlooking the entire city spread out below them.

Shirou, facing downwards, had wind rushing into his mouth, his cheeks trembling and shaking irregularly.

"It's not over yet!" Perseus summoned his flying shoes at this moment.

"This is what I was waiting for!" Shirou's eyes widened in anger. He threw the samurai sword in his hand into the air and projected Gan Jiang · Mo Ye with both hands, a pair of short swords with black and white colors and a Tai Chi pattern, tossing them towards Perseus.

He stepped on the thrown scabbard with his right leg, using it as leverage to instantly appear before Perseus. He projected dual swords with both hands and slashed down from left and right.

Perseus wanted to dodge, but the thrown dual swords had already returned, their blades surrounding him, leaving him nowhere to escape.

The black man grunted in pain and froze.

As he swung the black sword, the white sword flew back and struck Perseus's left back.

The moment the white sword was swung, the black sword flew back and struck Perseus's right back.

Finally, he projected a third pair of black and white dual swords, their blades lengthening into two long swords, which both struck Perseus!

The entire action was fluid and continuous, a nearly perfect three-hit combo.

Its name was: — Crane Wing Triple Slash!!!

"Ughhh!!!" Perseus let out a final scream. Under the boy's combo, he lost the strength to fight. Six deep wounds, and the final two slashes from the long swords, rendered his hands immobile. His Noble Phantasm also lost its magical energy supply and had no effect, causing him to fall straight down.

Indeed, he possessed different Noble Phantasms, but he had a fatal flaw: using other Noble Phantasms at the same time as activating one. Previously, when Perseus used the Chivalric Rein to have the Pegasus charge, he could not use any other Noble Phantasm.

The moment he summoned the flying feather shoes was his weakest point.

Shirou aimed for this moment and delivered a killing blow.

At this moment, the falling boy was still a hundred meters from the ground. His sharp eyes had already spotted the pink-haired girl rushing towards him, shield in hand.

"Shirou-senpai! I'll catch you." Mash below spread her arms, looking as if she wanted to recreate the classic scene of a knight embracing a princess.

"No need, really." Shirou looked at the girl with amusement, projected the flying feather shoes, which he had already analyzed with his Mystic Eyes, and flew down.

"See? I'm fine on my own." Shirou raised his right hand and caught the samurai sword that had just fallen from the sky.

"Mmm..." Mash lowered her hands, seemingly disappointed.

At this moment, a heavy thud echoed from behind as the black man who had fallen to the ground landed. He was already emitting a faint glow, about to return.

The control of the black mud had receded, and Perseus seemed to have regained his sanity. His eyes were no longer crimson, but he still looked at the boy with full of anger.

"What did 'I' do to make you so angry?" Shirou asked, confused.

Perseus, having regained his senses, looked even more ferocious. Veins bulged on his face as he excitedly said, "Even if I'm freed from corruption, I still can't accept your 'justice'! I curse you even as I disappear! Emiya!!!"

"It's not over yet! Hahaha! Even if I'm defeated, the magic circle will still activate. After I disappear, Gorgon will become a completely uncontrollable monster, and you will still be killed. Fall into the underworld in despair and regret!"

"This is the price for denying our achievements and acting arbitrarily. I will kill you! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! This world that denies heroes has no need to exist!"

Perseus let out a frantic roar in his final moments before disappearing.

The instant he vanished, a hysterical roar echoed from the dark beast den. The sound was so hoarse it sounded like his throat was tearing apart, making one's hair stand on end and their body tremble. It was more disgusting than the most repulsive wild beast, more terrifying than the most horrific scream—a sound that a normal beast could not produce.

Unlike the sad, melancholic roars before, this was the roar of an enraged monster, a curse, a declaration to destroy everything in the world.

At this moment, Da Vinci, detecting the abnormal magical energy reaction, appeared via holographic projection and cried out in alarm, "Shirou, this is bad! The demonized Gorgon has gone berserk, and Perseus's Holy Grail is with her. If the Temple of Ten Thousand Demons is unleashed into the real world, everything around us will dissolve!"

"What should we do, Shirou-senpai? My Noble Phantasm can at most protect those nearby. Everything else will be destroyed," Mash said nervously.

"I know. Leave it to me. Mash, thank you for working so hard for this world." Shirou smiled lightly as he patted his junior's head. The girl had already done enough; the rest was up to him.

Shirou gazed at the black nest not far away, which was larger than a gymnasium, resembling a demonic den formed by twisted, coiling black snakes.

"It's not a big problem. I just need to cut down this dark temple, right?"

"Cut? How can we cut through it? We don't have the Axe of Marduk here, nor is the goddess Quetzalcoatl present," Mash asked.

"What are you talking about? We don't need to trouble that feathered serpent deity. This sword is enough," Shirou said with a confident smile to the girl.

"This is...?" Mash questioned.

Shirou drew his sword for the first time, reciting the incantation to unleash his Noble Phantasm, which was also the lifelong belief of the sword's creator. The blade emitted a golden light, and a crimson aura of blood surged forth uncontrollably the moment it was unsheathed.

There was once a youth who, with a heart full of justice, desired to save the world. After countless struggles, he discovered that humanity's ultimate fate was destruction—a grand tide that mortal power could not stop.

So, the youth chose to do the only thing he could. Since he couldn't project a divine construct, he would forge it with his own hands.

From then on, the youth became a blacksmith, dedicating himself solely to forging a divine weapon that could cleave a future for the entire world.

The ultimate sword he pursued throughout his life;

Not a steel blade to sever mortal flesh and bone;

The sole desire of my life is the reckoning of hatred;

To sever karma, to sever fate, to sever sin;

—Its name: Liberation of Destiny.