"By the command of my Command Spell, Saber, destroy the Holy Grail!"
Amid the blazing city, Kiritsugu Emiya wandered aimlessly. His dream of using the Holy Grail to achieve world peace had been shattered.
He would never forget what the Holy Grail had shown him. "Want eternal peace? Then kill every human being in this world!"
What a joke. If every human being in the world disappeared, what use would peace be?
Lying atop the ruins swept over by the Black Mud, he used his hands to clear away the rubble piece by piece. At that moment, he suddenly realized that this feeling was exactly what he had wanted.
There was no need to sacrifice anyone. He could extend a helping hand to everyone equally, and no matter whom he saved, no one would have to die.
With that thought, Kiritsugu sped up his movements.
"Alive! He's alive!" The man who had once become every mage's nightmare, known as the Mage Killer, burst into tears.
"Thank you, thank you for being alive! Even if you're the only one, I've finally found a living person!"
Kiritsugu Emiya cried and laughed at the same time. His expression of gratitude toward the heavens was enough to make one envious.
The only two Masters left in Fuyuki City after the Holy Grail War had practically both been broken. Kiritsugu was like this, while that Magecraft Priest smiled like a child playing with vectors.
Kiritsugu Emiya excitedly embraced the survivor he had found. Held in his arms, the red-haired little boy coughed twice.
In the darkness, he struggled continuously.
Where was this? He did not know.
He could not breathe. There was no sight, no sound, no smell, and no sense of touch!
The only thing left was an inexplicable sensation of weightlessness. That feeling of being stuffed into a water balloon in outer space lasted for who knew how long, until at one point, he felt something slam into him viciously.
It felt like being hit by a rocket shooting into the sky, and he lost consciousness instantly.
"An unfamiliar ceiling! Huh, why did I say that?" In Fuyuki City Hospital, the red-haired little boy opened his eyes. "Wait, I can speak Japanese now? This is... a hospital? Ah, my head hurts."
The ward door opened, and a young man entered. "Ah? You're awake? That's wonderful! My name is Kiritsugu Emiya. What's your name?"
"Emiya... Kiritsugu?" Looking at the young man's face, the boy nodded, then shook his head. He more or less understood his current situation. He had fucking transmigrated!
It was easy enough to figure out. He had been a modern Chinese shut-in, and he had read more fanfiction than textbooks. The decor here was clearly Japanese, and combined with this Mr. Kiritsugu Emiya, if he still could not recognize where he was, he ought to see a neurologist.
Kiritsugu Emiya already looked like he had during Fate/Zero, and he was still alive. That explained everything.
"Fate/Zero?" he murmured.
"What?"
"No, nothing. It's just that I seem to be unable to remember anything."
Given the situation, it was better to pretend he knew nothing. His head was still wrapped in bandages, so the conditions for faking amnesia could not have been more perfect.
"Is that so? You've even forgotten your name?"
"Mm!"
"Then let me give you one. How about Shirou? Emiya Shirou. From now on, you'll live with me."
So I transmigrated into Emiya Shirou? Emiya... Shirou?
"Hey, what's wrong? Don't you like the name?" Since Shirou had no reaction—well, he would call him Shirou for now—Kiritsugu assumed he was dissatisfied with the name.
"Mm... huh? No, it's nothing. Shirou has a nice ring to it, and Emiya sounds good too. It's a pretty good name. I like it." The newly named Emiya Shirou replied expressionlessly.
"Hey, hey, don't look so lifeless. You're still so young." Kiritsugu did not seem satisfied with Shirou's answer.
"...What does it matter? I only look lifeless. It's not like I'm dead!" Shirou did not want to speak anymore and rolled his eyes at Kiritsugu.
...Damn it, this kid was fine when he kept quiet, but once he opened his mouth, he was infuriating!
"Then how do you feel now? Is there anywhere that feels uncomfortable or hurts?" Kiritsugu asked.
Shirou did not answer. He simply pulled the IV needle from the back of his hand.
"Hey, don't push yourself!" Kiritsugu could not help worrying when he saw that.
Ignoring Kiritsugu, Shirou threw back the blanket and tore off the bandages around his body with his hands.
Hiss—
No one knew where Shirou's tiny body got such strength, but he tore off every bandage on him in a single motion.
"Hey! You—"
Kiritsugu had wanted to ask why he was forcing himself, but when he saw Shirou's perfectly uninjured body, he could not say a word.
"It's fine. I recover quickly. These injuries have already healed."
"..." Such recovery ability... was this child some kind of humanoid Phantasmal Species? He was almost on par with Avalon!
This was no joke. When Kiritsugu had dug Shirou out, Shirou had been half-dead, though he could clearly still be saved.
Compared to Shirou in Fate/Zero, his injuries had been much lighter, so Kiritsugu had not implanted Avalon into Shirou's body.
But judging by the current situation, even without Avalon, Shirou's recovery ability far surpassed that of Kiritsugu Emiya. It had practically exceeded the bounds of humanity.
Was it because of the Holy Grail? Kiritsugu Emiya thought. After all, the Holy Grail was a product of the Third Magic. As something born from magic, even if that magic was incomplete and merely a half-finished product, it could not be understood through ordinary reasoning.
But what was the truth? Let us rewind—
Generally speaking, people who transmigrated arrived after dying, and Shirou was no exception. He should not have transmigrated in the first place, but while he was dead, another soul crashed into him, causing the two spiritual bodies to merge into one.
The driver responsible for the accident was also quite a famous figure: Ulquiorra Cifer, the Cuarenta Espada under Aizen in Bleach!
Because Ulquiorra had died more thoroughly, Shirou successfully gained control of the merged spiritual body. In White Ichigo's words, he had become the king.
After the two souls fused, Shirou gained all of Ulquiorra's abilities. Since Ulquiorra was already dead, most of his power had been lost and needed time to recover, but abilities such as High-Speed Regeneration remained intact.
Everyone knew just how absurd Ulquiorra's High-Speed Regeneration was. So long as his internal organs remained intact, even missing limbs could be restored.
The injuries he had suffered in the fire were severe, but to a Great Void, they were nothing. If not for his missing power, he could have recovered the moment Shirou transmigrated.
And with that, the rewind ended.
Before you continue