The Youth had endured the cruelty of the world. He had saved others and been saved by others. To keep people from being killed, he had no choice but to kill some himself, yet he could not save all those suffering souls.
In the end, the Youth placed his wish in the only craft he excelled at: forging. He forged without end, hoping that one day he could create a divine weapon capable of saving all living beings.
When that blacksmith had mastered the strengths, weaknesses, and proper uses of every weapon, when he could forge the finest weapons in the world, he had also quietly become a martial master proficient in every kind of armament.
But it still was not enough. He still had not found the way to forge the blade in his heart.
People aged. Even the strongest bodies decayed. Souls, too, were corrupted by time and became ugly, while evil grew wildly like weeds that could never be burned away.
Through his Magic Eye, Shirou saw the Youth's lonely back. Across endless years, he became a promising youth, then a venerable old man, hammering day and night without pause, quenching and smelting. He was not merely forging steel—he was also hammering his heart into ever-greater resolve.
When ideals and reality moved in completely opposite directions...
What should he do?
Swing the hammer and beat the conviction to save all living beings into iron bones.
What should he do?
Work the bellows and blow the thoughts of being saved into the furnace.
What should he do?
Quench and smelt, tempering his entire life into the blade.
This blade was forged solely for all living beings.
The Magic Eye bore witness to that existence's entire life, incorporating all his experience and ideals into the Spirit Origin. The red-haired young Servant stood there, his resolute gaze fixed upon the black-clad man.
"Devour him!" Perseus snapped the reins in his hand, and the Demonic Beasts howled as they pounced toward the Youth.
Shirou held a sword in one hand and projected an enormous axe-sword with the other. Calling it an axe-sword was generous; it looked more like a weapon-shaped chunk of hard stone. He spun, sweeping away the lunging Demonic Beasts with unreasonable Monstrous Strength.
Swift and fierce, brutal and invincible—this was the Secret Technique Heracles had developed through countless battles: Nine Lives Blade Works. It could draw out a weapon's power to its utmost limit, manifesting forms suited for anything from anti-personnel combat to anti-army warfare, or even attacks capable of destroying fortresses.
As he projected the Noble Phantasm, the Youth also copied that Servant's techniques, experience, and Monstrous Strength. A herd of Demonic Beasts at this level was no problem at all.
Shirou looked at the black-clad man and smiled. "I hear you have plenty of Noble Phantasms. I'm fairly good at that myself."
"Die!" Perseus's eyes turned scarlet. Looking utterly crazed, he raised his scythe-like sword and cleaved down.
"Restless dead who have lost your heart, let me lay you to rest." Shirou swung the axe-sword again, its blow seemingly bearing ten thousand tons of force. The strike whipped up a shrieking blast of wind pressure.
The Craftsman's Way of Fighting
This body had forged countless precious blades and fine weapons. With a single glance, he could see through a weapon's nature and strengths, and understand the best way to wield it.
Naturally, he also understood every weakness and limitation of a weapon. In pursuing sharpness, it needed enough hardness and durability not to become brittle; it needed flexibility without bending.
The demonic sword HARPE in Perseus's hand was an unusual weapon shaped like an eagle's claw. It had the body of a longsword, but only one sharpened edge, while its tip curved like a sickle.
With the lifetime of experience belonging to that blacksmith, Shirou instantly grasped how this weapon was used. Its blade length, edge sharpness, weak points—everything was thoroughly analyzed beneath his Magic Eye.
The enormous axe-sword swung like a blacksmith's heavy hammer. Every blow targeted the sword's weak points from the most vicious angles, carrying such force that it seemed intent on destroying the other man's Noble Phantasm.
With an absolute advantage in weapon knowledge, strength, and martial skill, every swing of Shirou's axe-sword knocked aside the scythe-sword before sending the pouncing Demonic Beasts flying. Even while surrounded, he still forced the black-clad man back step by step.
Black mud constantly repaired his body, but the impact of that tremendous force had already numbed his palms. Though his demonic sword could prevent wounds from healing, it could not harm his opponent in the slightest.
The enormous axe-sword now resembled a Crafting God's hammer glowing with scorching heat. Even a divinely bestowed sacred sword would have its sharp edge chipped, curled, and eventually broken under such punishment.
Perseus desperately struggled to parry against the axe-sword's tremendous force.
Shirou suddenly turned, thrusting out his sword-holding right hand. The sheath slammed directly into Perseus's abdomen. The explosive force sent him flying backward, crashing onto the ground and rolling several times before stopping and vomiting black blood.
"Ah, sorry. Divinely bestowed Noble Phantasms from the Age of Gods are hard to come by, so I got a little interested. I thought I'd study its structure. Perhaps it was made by the god of blacksmiths." Shirou looked at the sword in the black mud Heroic Spirit's hand and lowered his right hand holding the katana.
The Youth had not moved his right hand once during the previous battle, but he had seen enough now. It was time to understand everything.
Shirou raised the axe-sword high with his left arm, clad in a red bracer.
"Damn it! Damn it! Bite him!" Perseus roared furiously, and the Demonic Beasts, their eyes scarlet, all pounced toward the Youth.
Boom!!! The enormous axe-sword swept away the charging Demonic Beasts once again, then continued its arc and cleaved down onto Perseus's head.
"Emiya! Don't think it'll end this easily!" Finally snapping out of his rage at the critical moment, the black-clad man raised Bellerophon high and summoned that black Pegasus. Red light glowed in Perseus's eyes as he unleashed this Noble Phantasm.
The Pegasus beat its wings and radiated black light. Its offensive and defensive power surged dramatically as it directly knocked aside the descending axe-blade. Carrying Perseus, the black Pegasus shot into the sky. He had never been a hero famed for martial skill; only now did he truly display his proper strength.
A black comet descended from the heavens, becoming a pillar of light infused with destruction. As though it would pierce the earth, it dove straight down toward the Youth below.
Shirou looked up at the sky, casually stored the axe-sword in his bounded field, and calmly raised his left arm wrapped in red cloth. A pinkish-purple radiance burst from his palm, transforming into seven dazzling streams of light. Like seven enlarged cherry blossom petals, they stood before him.
—Rho Aias
This was a conceptual Noble Phantasm formed from the Bronze Shield wrapped in seven layers of cowhide, which Aias, Achilles's cousin and a hero of the Trojan War, had used to block Hector's lethal spear strike. Each petal possessed defensive power comparable to an ancient city wall.
When the black comet struck the petal-like shield of light, its black radiance shattered the petals one by one, and the impact weakened accordingly. At last, it stalled when only two petals remained.
"What now? Have you run out of options, hateful dead?" Shirou asked with a light laugh. His hand continuously poured maximum magical energy into Rho Aias, while the Holy Grail within his Spirit Origin supplied him with magical energy without end.
Riding the black Pegasus, Perseus saw that he could not break through the sturdy shield and turned back with a loud roar.
"Surround and destroy them! Gorgon!"
"It's not over yet!" Perseus roared. He directly commanded the Pegasus to change its charge trajectory. The black Pegasus bent its knees and thrust the light shield upward, shoving Shirou into the air and carrying him skyward.
"What?!" Shirou felt himself being pushed straight toward the sky. The enemy indeed no longer had enough power to break through defenses two city walls thick, but he was pushing two city walls into the air.
Even if he had been mentally polluted, even if his personality and heart had become twisted, he had once been a hero active in the Age of Gods, renowned for his versatility and for wielding many Noble Phantasms.
The next instant, a shrill, piercing roar erupted from the nest. It sounded like an enraged curse, yet also like a sorrowful wail.
"Roaaaargh!"
"Raaaooow!"
A stampede of thousands of rushing beasts surged forth and surrounded the girls, immediately cutting them off from the Youth.
"Shirou-senpai!" Only Mash, holding her shield, had been knocked out to the perimeter.
"Mash, go help Shirou! Leave this place to us." Yukino, summoned through Atalanta's possession, drew her bow to its full extent and shot straight through a monster's skull.
"That's right. Once we deal with these monsters, we'll catch up immediately." Yuihama activated her Noble Phantasm as she spoke. Hundreds of golden swords descended from the sky, piercing Demonic Beasts one after another.
"Got it! Please, don't get hurt, senpai!" Mash raised her shield and sprinted at full speed, chasing after Shirou, who had been knocked away by the black Pegasus.
"Don't worry. Who do you think you're talking to?" Lightning flashed from Dojigiri Yasutsuna in Asuna's hand, forming four figures wielding different Noble Phantasms. Each displayed her own abilities, before the final bolt of lightning blasted into the charging beast horde.
"I know!" Mash gritted her teeth, smashed aside a lunging Demonic Beast with her massive cross-shaped shield, and hurried after Shirou.
At that moment, Shirou, being pushed into the sky, was driven ever higher by the Pegasus. His situation was becoming increasingly unfavorable.
"This is really a headache. I didn't expect a move like this." Shirou planted both feet on the cherry blossom light, abandoned the Noble Phantasm's maintenance, and used the instant before it shattered to leap high into the air.
"Hahaha! Giving up, are you? Emiya! Die! Repent in the underworld!" Perseus laughed madly. The black Pegasus accelerated again, breaking the sound barrier and becoming a black comet that hurtled toward the Youth at terrifying speed. The force generated by such speed would crush him instantly if it struck.
The instant Shirou leaped, he projected an enormous iron cross shield. It fell from the sky and crashed into the black Pegasus as he deployed his Noble Phantasm: —Lord Camelot
This shield was extremely similar to the one Mash held. It was a new projected Noble Phantasm Shirou had learned by observing through his Magic Eye. It was the Noble Phantasm of Galahad, Knight of the Round Table—the ultimate protection formed from the Round Table at the heart of Camelot, the City of White Walls, where the Knights of the Round Table sat.
It was slightly different from Mash's Noble Phantasm and closer to Galahad's. In exchange for sacrificing some defensive power, it possessed the ability to counterattack with the shield.
The black comet collided with brilliant white light. When the black Pegasus broke through the protection, the great shield flashed brightly and unleashed energy equal to the comet's, transforming into a long rainbow that struck the black Pegasus. It disintegrated immediately, vanishing into the sky along with the great shield.
A Blade That Cleaved Fate
High in the sky, two figures continued falling. Perseus had jumped from the Pegasus at the last moment, and now he and Shirou plummeted toward the ground together.
They were already extremely high in the air. Looking down, they could see the entire city below.
Because Shirou was facing downward, wind poured into his mouth, making his cheeks tremble and twitch irregularly.
"It's not over!" Perseus summoned the shoes that allowed him to fly freely.
"I've been waiting for this!" Shirou's eyes widened furiously. He flung the katana in his hand into the air and projected Gan Jiang · Mo Ye in both hands—a pair of black-and-white short swords bearing taiji patterns—which he threw at Perseus.
He stepped on the sheath he had flung out with his right foot, borrowing its force to instantly arrive before Perseus. He projected twin swords into both hands and slashed down from the left and right.
Perseus tried to dodge, but the twin swords he had thrown had already returned. Their blade trajectories surrounded him, leaving nowhere to escape.
The black-clad man let out a pained grunt and froze in place.
As Shirou swung the black blade, the white blade flew back and slashed Perseus across his left back.
The instant he swung the white blade, the black blade flew back and slashed Perseus across his right back.
Finally, he projected a third pair of black-and-white twin swords. Their blades lengthened into two longswords, both of which came down upon Perseus!
The entire sequence flowed like water, seamlessly connected into an almost perfect three-part combo.
Its name was: —Crane Wing Triple Slash!!!
"Aaargh!!!" Perseus let out one final scream. Under the Youth's relentless strikes, he lost the ability to fight further. Six deep wounds covered him, and the final two longsword slashes had rendered both his arms immobile. His Noble Phantasms lost their magical energy supply and ceased functioning as he fell straight down.
He indeed possessed various Noble Phantasms, but he had one fatal weakness: when activating one Noble Phantasm, he could not use another simultaneously. Earlier, when Perseus used Bellerophon to make the Pegasus charge, he had been unable to use any other Noble Phantasm.
The instant he summoned the flying Winged Sandals was the moment he was at his weakest.
Shirou had targeted that exact instant and delivered the killing blow.
The falling Youth was still about a hundred meters from the ground when his sharp eyes spotted the pink-haired girl rushing toward him with her shield raised.
"Shirou-senpai! I'll catch you." Below him, Mash opened her arms, apparently intending to reenact the classic princess carry.
"I'd better not." Shirou looked at her with amusement, projected the Winged Sandals that his Magic Eye had already thoroughly analyzed, and flew down.
"See? I'm fine on my own." Shirou raised his right hand and caught the katana falling from the sky at just the right moment.
"Mm..." Mash lowered her arms, seemingly disappointed.
A dull thud from behind them followed as the black-clad man hit the ground. His body was now glowing faintly, on the verge of returning.
The black mud's control had dissipated, and Perseus seemed to have regained his sanity. His eyes were no longer scarlet, but the way he looked at the Youth remained full of anger.
"What exactly did that 'me' do to make you this angry?" Shirou asked in confusion.
Having regained his senses, Perseus's face instead became even more savage. Veins bulged across his excited face as he said, "Even freed from the pollution, I still cannot accept your 'justice'! Even if I disappear, I will curse you! Emiya!!!"
"It isn't over! Ahahaha! Even if I'm defeated, the ritual will still activate. Once I disappear, Gorgon will become a giant monster completely beyond control. You will still be killed. Fall into the underworld in despair and regret!"
"This is the price for denying our achievements and acting as you please. Kill you! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! This world that denies heroes has no need to exist at all!"
Perseus unleashed a crazed roar at the very moment he vanished.
The instant he disappeared, a hysterical roar came from within the dark beast nest. It was so hoarse it sounded as if its throat would tear apart. It made people's hair stand on end and their bodies tremble. More sickening than the most revolting beast, more terrifying than the most dreadful cry, it was a sound no normal animal could make.
Unlike the sorrowful, melancholic howls from before, this was the enraged roar of a monster. It was a curse, a proclamation to the world that it would destroy everything.
At that moment, Da Vinci appeared through a holographic projection after detecting an abnormal magical energy reaction. She cried out in alarm, "Shirou, this is bad! The monster-turned Gorgon has gone berserk. Perseus's Holy Grail is with her. If the released Temple of Ten Thousand Demons appears in the present world, everything around it will be dissolved!"
"Shirou-senpai, what do we do? My Noble Phantasm can only protect the people nearby at most. Everything around us will be destroyed." Mash spoke nervously.
"I know. Leave it to me. Mash, thank you for working so hard for this world." Shirou smiled and gently patted his junior's head. The girl had worked hard enough. Leave the rest to me.
Shirou gazed toward the enormous black nest in the distance, larger than a gymnasium. It looked like a demonic cavern formed from countless black snakes twisted together.
"It's not a big problem. I just need to cut down that dark temple, right?"
"Cut it? How can we cut through it? There's no Axe of Marduk here, and the goddess Quetzalcoatl isn't here either." Mash asked.
"What are you saying? There's no need to trouble that feathered serpent goddess. This blade is enough." Shirou smiled confidently at the girl.
"This is...?" Mash asked doubtfully.
For the first time, Shirou drew the blade in his hand. He began to chant the incantation to release its Noble Phantasm, the lifelong conviction of the one who had forged this blade. Golden light shone from the blade, while crimson bloodlust surged forth uncontrollably the instant it left its sheath.
There had once been a Youth who held justice in his heart and wished to save the world. After countless struggles, however, he discovered humanity's fated destruction. It was the tide of the age, something mortal power could not stop.
So the Youth chose to do the one thing he could. Since he could not project a god-forged Noble Phantasm, he would forge one with his own hands.
From then on, the Youth became a blacksmith, devoted solely to forging a divine weapon that could cleave open a future for the entire world.
The ultimate blade he pursued throughout his life;
Not a steel blade meant to sever mortal flesh and bone;
What I seek is to settle all grievances;
Sever causality, sever fate, sever sin;
—Its name: Liberation of Destiny.
Before you continue