Shirou's Thirty Million Avatars

Shirou paused, then spoke slowly:

"Actually, I'm not from this era. I'm a future person who traveled back in time ten years from now."

"Of course, only my consciousness and memories came back, like a reincarnator in a novel."

"If I remember correctly, you only have one month left to live."

As those words ended, Sakura looked up at Kariya Matou. Her eyes were still hollow, but her expression had shifted slightly compared to before.

"Kariya will die?"

"Yeah, he'll die."

Shirou nodded slightly and continued:

"According to normal development, this evening, Kariya Matou will summon Lancelot in the Berserker class."

"The remaining six Master-Servant pairs are: Tokiomi Tohsaka and the King of Heroes Gilgamesh, Kiritsugu Emiya and King Arthur Artoria..."

"Tokiomi Tohsaka is killed from behind by Kirei Kotomine in a sneak attack. Gilgamesh then forms a contract with Kirei Kotomine..."

"After that, through Kirei Kotomine's scheme, Kariya Matou discovers Tokiomi Tohsaka's corpse, and Aoi Tohsaka witnesses this scene."

"Aoi Tohsaka mistakenly believes Kariya Matou is the murderer of her husband and hurls abuse at him, causing him to mentally collapse. He chokes Aoi Tohsaka, leaving her in a vegetative state for years to come."

Hearing this, Kariya Matou couldn't help but say:

"Impossible! I would never lay a hand on Aoi."

Shirou stared at him for a while, until Kariya looked away, then said:

"Don't rush to deny it. You should know very well that what I'm saying is the future."

"To me, it's all things that have already happened. To you, it's things that haven't happened yet."

"Next, let's talk about Kiritsugu Emiya."

"He had a dream—to save the world..."

"However, the Holy Grail was already corrupted during the Third Holy Grail War... In the end, Kiritsugu Emiya used a Command Spell to make Artoria destroy the Holy Grail with her Noble Phantasm."

"Though he succeeded in destroying the Holy Grail, the black mud inside leaked out, causing a major disaster."

"After that, Kiritsugu Emiya, having fully awakened, found a red-haired youth in the ruins and adopted him, naming him Shirou Emiya."

That's right—if he told the truth about being Shirou Kotomine, it would be hard to earn their trust.

After all, Kirei Kotomine's personality was too vile. Having been taught by him for ten years, there was no way he could be seen as a good person.

Compared to him, even a radical Hero of Justice was easier to trust.

So Shirou decided to fabricate the later part of his story.

Of course, it wasn't entirely made up—this was the normal development.

"...A few years later, Kiritsugu died, and I inherited his dream, devoting myself to becoming a Hero of Justice."

"Since the Greater Holy Grail's accumulated magical energy hadn't been fully used, the Fifth Holy Grail War began ten years later."

"At that time, I summoned the same Servant as Kiritsugu—King Arthur Artoria..."

"After that, Sakura was transformed into the Black Grail... And I lost my life without saving her."

Listening to that story, so vivid it felt real, Kariya Matou clenched his frostbitten hands into fists. His body trembled uncontrollably as he gritted his teeth and muttered "Zouken Matou."

"That bastard! Dying like that is way too easy for him."

Shirou was silent for a few seconds, then asked in a low voice:

"So, are you still going to give up on this Holy Grail War?"

"I don't know." Kariya Matou shook his head slightly, his expression dazed. "The Holy Grail is already corrupted. It's useless. With my physical condition, I can't keep taking care of Sakura either. I really don't know what to do..."

Chapter 7: Audience with My King

Section 7: Chapter 7: Audience with My King

Looking down at Shirou's small body, the words he had intended to say—entrusting Sakura to him—became hard to voice.

After a sigh, Kariya Matou suddenly slapped himself in the face and thought:

How pathetic. As the only adult here, I'm actually trying to rely on a child.

Even if Shirou is from ten years later, he's only seventeen—still a kid.

"Shirou, I'll call you that."

"I believe what you said, but at this point in time, your biological parents should still be alive, right?"

"They are." Shirou let out a light sigh. "But I lost my memory in an accident ten years ago. My biological parents are complete strangers to me."

That makes sense.

Kariya Matou fell silent for a moment.

Setting aside issues of blood ties and memory, the fact was that the Holy Grail War was ongoing. If Shirou lived in an ordinary family, his family might be targeted by other Masters.

From what he'd described, both Kiritsugu Emiya and Kirei Kotomine were the type to stop at nothing.

Moreover, Kiritsugu Emiya was his respected adoptive father.

If his biological parents had been killed by his adoptive father...

At that thought, Kariya Matou gritted his teeth, his expression gradually hardening.

No choice. He had to rely on himself.

"Shirou is definitely joining the Holy Grail War, right? In that case, I'll join too."

"My body is already spent, but I can still hold out for another ten days or half a month."

"I'll enter the Holy Grail War, knock some sense into that bastard Tokiomi, and show him that there are things in this world far more important than magecraft."

"When the Holy Grail War ends, if I'm still alive, I'll personally take Sakura back to the Tohsaka family. Compared to the Matou family, Sakura is better suited to the Tohsaka name."

"Same for you, Shirou. When everything's over, I'll personally send you home. Then, I'll do everything I can to explain things to your biological parents."

Seeing the resolve on his face, Shirou fell silent for a moment.

After a long pause, he said softly:

"Thank you."

"No need."

A faint, strained smile crept onto Kariya Matou's face, and he continued:

"Time to summon the Servant. Lancelot, huh? That works. Do you have a Holy Relic ready, Shirou?"

"Yes."

"It's freezing. Aren't you cold, Shirou?"

"Not really. After all, I made this snow myself."

Kariya Matou chuckled. As he turned, he noticed Sakura clutching the hem of his clothes. After a moment's thought, he asked:

"We're going to summon a Heroic Spirit. Do you want to come watch, Sakura?"

"Mm."

"Then... put on a few more layers. The whole Matou estate is buried in snow now, and the basement is even colder."

"Mm."

The three returned to the basement. Seeing Zouken Matou frozen into an ice sculpture, Sakura stopped in her tracks, her gaze growing increasingly hollow.

Seeing this, Kariya Matou hesitated for a few seconds before quietly asking:

"Shirou... Zouken... what about him?"

"He's ready for burial."

Hearing that, Kariya Matou let out an inexplicable sigh of relief.

Good.

He was genuinely worried that Zouken Matou might not be dead—like reviving the moment the snow melted.

"The snow is covering the Magic Circle on the floor, and that ice sculpture of Zouken is just unsettling to look at. How about we move to another spot tomorrow and summon the Servant then?"

"No. Today."

Shirou slowly walked over to the ice sculpture of Zouken, pondering for a moment, then said:

"If it bothers you, then let's do this."

As he spoke, he raised his right hand and punched the ice sculpture.

The next moment, the entire sculpture shattered, scattering into icy powder that fell onto the snow-covered ground, vanishing without a trace.

"Now you can't see it. As for the Magic Circle, grab a broom and sweep the snow away. The circle should still be usable."

"Alright. Let's do it today, then."

Kariya Matou let out a long sigh and didn't insist further.

"...Wheel of Heavenly Condemnation, appear! Guardian of the Scales!"

With a burst of intense light, a Servant clad entirely in black armor, radiating a dark glow, materialized on the Magic Circle.

As his magical energy was drained, Kariya Matou's legs gave out, and he collapsed weakly to the ground.

"Without adding a separate Mad Enhancement spell, Lancelot's base stats are indeed a bit lacking. But Servants don't rely solely on stats—combat skill and Noble Phantasms matter more."

Shirou paused, then continued:

"Have Lancelot step off the circle. It's my turn."

Kariya Matou pressed a hand to his chest, panting lightly for a moment before speaking:

"Come forth, Lancelot."

The black-clad Servant stepped out of the Magic Circle, walking silently step by step to Kariya Matou's side.

"Now, it's my turn."

Shirou's figure flickered, vanishing without a trace in an instant.

When he reappeared, he was already holding a pair of lady's riding boots in his arms.

Watching Shirou place the boots in the center of the magic circle, Kariya Matou couldn't help but ask:

"Is this the Holy Relic you prepared, Shirou? High heels bought off the street like that shouldn't be able to summon a Servant, right?"

That's right—Nero's riding boots had very high heels, so calling them high heels wasn't far off.

"These aren't something bought off the street. Don't worry, I'm confident."

Shirou waved his hand, signaling him not to be concerned.

Then, he began chanting the summoning incantation:

"Fill..."

As the final line of the incantation ended, a rain of petals suddenly fell in the basement, and the once dim space instantly became bright and radiant.

A golden-haired girl appeared atop the magic circle. She wore a red dress, held a strangely shaped longsword, and the front hem of her skirt was semi-transparent.

The girl stood leaning on her sword, glanced around, and her gaze settled on Shirou. Smiling, she asked:

"My Lord, are you my Master?"

"That's right, I am!"

The moment Shirou finished speaking, the sound of someone kneeling came from behind him, along with a slightly trembling male voice:

"King, I pay homage to My King."

Nero followed the voice to look behind Shirou, staring at Lancelot, who was kneeling on one knee, for a moment before smiling and saying:

"Rise. Though I don't recall having a Champion like you under my command, since you've become a Heroic Spirit, you must have deeds worthy of pride."

"So, no need to bow your head. You may stand tall and proudly tell me your name."