Chapter Summaries

Archer revived after Artoria cut him down, and Sesshoin explained how she and Alaya had altered him. Shirou demanded to know how to make Archer die, but Alaya hesitated to answer.

• Artoria's attack shattered Archer, but his body reassembled and healed in flames.
• Artoria recognized Sesshoin as the one who had changed Archer and demanded an explanation.
• Sesshoin said she had encouraged Archer to follow his desires in pursuit of justice and had added her creations to Alaya's modifications to let him revive endlessly.
• Shirou asked how they could make Archer die, while Alaya turned away and stammered.
• Illya demanded that Alaya explain what she had done, while Miyu frowned without joining the accusations.

Shirou confronted Alaya about installing Iron Heart in Archer, while Sesshoin used the revelation to turn the group against Alaya and undermine Archer. Archer insisted he had chosen Iron Heart and that it had nothing to do with his constant revivals, but Sesshoin silenced him and left him barely alive, forcing Shirou to consider whether to flee.

• Shirou called out Sesshoin for manipulating the group and asked Alaya what had happened to Archer.
• Alaya admitted that she had installed Iron Heart in Archer, prompting Artoria and the others to condemn her.
• Sesshoin mocked Archer’s sacrifices and tried to convince him that the people he had protected cared only about him, not his justice.
• Archer said he would still choose to have Alaya install Iron Heart and denied that it caused his constant revivals.
• Sesshoin choked Archer with black mist, then released him and declared that he could die.
• Shirou caught the barely breathing Archer and wondered whether they should run.

Shirou tried to talk his way out of the confrontation with Kiyohime Sesshoin, but she attacked and surrounded him and his allies with multiplying Demon God Pillars. As Sesshoin prepared to capture Shirou and kill the others, Heracles charged in to break through the pillars.

• Archer told Shirou that the final battle would take place there, prompting Shirou to suspect Archer had been arranging events from the start.
• Kiyohime Sesshoin struck Shirou before he could finish speaking, and his weapon broke as he blocked her palm.
• Sesshoin accused Shirou of relying on underhanded tactics and said she had seen countless versions of him through Lord Zepar.
• Sesshoin multiplied the Demon God Pillars until they surrounded Shirou and his allies, declaring that capturing Shirou would ensure their defeat.
• Heracles charged with the sword gifted by Hermes and used God Slayer of Hundred Beasts to shatter the Demon God Pillars before Shirou.

Shirou tried to protect Miyu by convincing Sesshoin that Archer had manipulated her into a trap. Sesshoin believed him and turned her attention toward Archer, while Shirou’s improvised bluff remained in play.

• Shirou hugged Miyu and dodged the Demon God Pillars after being told to protect her and create an opportunity.
• Shirou claimed that Archer had already arranged Sesshoin’s defeat and asked why she had come to this world.
• Sesshoin said she had come to find Shirou, and Shirou redirected the conversation toward Archer’s supposed plan.
• Sesshoin revealed that Alaya had sealed the world off, while Alaya wondered whether Archer had stolen a seven-day trial version of that ability.
• Shirou claimed Archer had lured Sesshoin to Fuyuki and summoned King Hassan to trap her there.
• Sesshoin believed Shirou’s explanation, and Archer pretended to be surprised by how much Shirou knew.

Shirou realized Miyu was connected to the method for defeating Sesshoin and gambled on exposing her to danger. His gamble gave the Old Man of the Mountain a chance to strike, leaving Sesshoin frozen after the Evening Bell rang.

• Sesshoin taunted Shirou and claimed she had already won, while Shirou struggled to understand Miyu's role in defeating her.
• Shirou remembered Gilgamesh had mentioned a method involving his younger sister and suspected Miyu was the key.
• Sesshoin declared that Miyu's mission was complete and announced the Evening Bell.
• Miyu blazed with light as Shirou revealed the opening that allowed the Old Man of the Mountain to ring the Evening Bell.
• Sesshoin showed shock and froze, giving Shirou and the Old Man of the Mountain a chance to kill her.

Shirou and King Hassan weakened Sesshoin by using Grand Authority against her Beast power, but King Hassan faded before Shirou could finish her. Sesshoin began absorbing everything around her, and Shirou had Angelica evacuate the school while he and the Heroic Spirits stayed behind.

• Shirou’s words revealed Sesshoin’s name, and a sandstorm gave King Hassan the opening to strike her fatal wound.
• King Hassan explained that he had used Grand Authority to counter Sesshoin’s power, then urged Shirou to take her head before fading away.
• Angelica told Shirou that Miyu’s special modification and the cards were connected to the source of the Grand power.
• Sesshoin began spreading Demon God Pillars and declared that she would absorb everyone as nourishment.
• Shirou had Angelica transport the school and its occupants away, leaving him, Artoria, Heracles, and Archer behind.
• The remaining group fell to the ground, and Shirou noticed that Archer had stayed with them.

Archer revealed that he had been deceiving Sesshoin and could destroy himself to stop her from using his body. As Saber and Heracles fought off Sesshoin’s Demon God Pillars, Archer prepared an attack that would burn his Spirit Core and destroy everything.

• Sesshoin bound Archer with Demon God Pillars and declared her intent to merge with him and spread love throughout the world.
• Shirou ordered Saber and Heracles to attack, and their Noble Phantasms destroyed several Demon God Pillars before replacements blocked them.
• Archer laughed at Sesshoin and told her that he had been deceiving her about his condition and could choose to die permanently.
• Archer said that protecting humanity was his duty and announced an attack that would burn his Spirit Core and destroy everything.

Archer revealed that he had prepared for Sesshoin and defeated her with a close-range attack that unleashed countless swords inside her body. As the Demon God Pillars crumbled and the pink space cracked apart, Sesshoin lamented that she had come so close to her goal.

• Archer told Sesshoin that he had made final preparations to guard against her and declared that they would end things together.
• Archer fired his final attack, and the Demon God Pillars failed to stop the bullet from reaching Sesshoin.
• The bullet struck Sesshoin and unleashed countless swords through her body, dealing her a fatal blow.
• Sesshoin reacted with pleasure and said that she had almost succeeded in becoming one with Archer.
• The Demon God Pillars crumbled, and cracks spread through the pink space as it began to collapse.

Shirou saved Archer from dying alongside Sesshoin by having Heracles fire him like an arrow. Shirou and Archer escaped the collapsing space, where their allies welcomed them back.

• Shirou asked Heracles to fire him toward Archer, and Artoria urged him to go.
• Heracles launched Shirou, who grabbed Archer and refused to let him sacrifice himself to stop Sesshoin from reviving.
• Shirou reminded Archer of the people who would suffer if he died and asked whether Archer had summoned King Hassan to have him forge a sword that could cut through anything.
• Archer admitted he had acted out of self-satisfaction and agreed to leave with Shirou.
• A gate brought Shirou and Archer back to a church, where their allies cheered as Archer collapsed and Shirou sat up.

Shirou reflected on the burden of justice and the failures of those who pursued it while Sakura comforted him. He concluded that the stains of fallen warriors were among the reasons they had failed to achieve the justice they sought.

• Kiritsugu embraced Archer and celebrated that he had saved everyone and become an Ally of Justice.
• Kiritsugu regretted the sacrifices he had made and the way he had condemned Archer’s life.
• Shirou wondered why justice was so heavy as Sakura hugged him from behind at the church.
• Shirou questioned why people were merciful toward evil people but harsh toward those who upheld justice.
• Shirou concluded that the stains of fallen warriors were one reason they had failed.

Shirou confronted Alaya about saving Archer, and she proposed making him a Guardian to buy time. Angelica reminded Alaya of her promise to limit Shirou to two missions, and Alaya agreed to arrange the missions and a Greater Holy Grail; Shirou accepted but questioned which Spirit Core she meant.

• Shirou reflected on how the Dragon Slayer’s companions became evil dragons and turned him into a scapegoat.
• Alaya told Shirou that Archer might still be saved, but they were running out of time and needed a Greater Holy Grail.
• Alaya proposed that Shirou become a Guardian so she could buy time, but Shirou accused her of exploiting him.
• Angelica reminded Alaya that Gilgamesh had secured a promise that Shirou would undertake only two missions.
• Alaya agreed to arrange Shirou’s missions and the Greater Holy Grail, and Shirou accepted before asking about the Spirit Core he had used before.

Shirou learned that Miyu’s anomaly had let the Einzberns create a card capable of summoning Thor, then set out to deal with the troubles surrounding it. He appeared in Shimousa Province and was mistaken for a bandit by a samurai.

• Angelica explained that the Einzberns had changed their plans from making a Heracles card to creating Manny’s card, and Miyu’s anomaly enabled the creation of the Thor card.
• Shirou reassured Angelica that he needed to resolve the troubles regardless, then told Sakura to wait for him while he handled them.
• Shirou found himself in Shimousa Province, where a samurai questioned him about demons and bandits.
• Shirou bluntly asked whether the samurai was calling him a bandit, leaving the samurai speechless.

Shirou tried to pass himself off as a wandering samurai when a samurai demanded to see his identification papers. He projected papers and a sword, leaving himself with a low-ranked Noble Phantasm he considered selling.

• Shirou projected identification papers and introduced himself as Sengo Muramasa.
• The samurai questioned Shirou's papers, his claim to be a samurai, and his habit of calling himself an old man.
• Shirou claimed to be a wandering samurai, but the samurai accused him of being a merchant's pampered son.
• Shirou projected a sword matching the samurai's and modified it into an E-rank Noble Phantasm.
• Shirou considered selling the sword to earn money and inspect the currency of the era.

Shirou Emiya encountered a girl carrying her little brother while a demon chased them, and killed the demon with one sword stroke. The frightened girl mistook Shirou for a threat and begged him to spare her brother.

• Shirou realized he had unnecessarily created a sword, while a samurai accused him of making it appear from nowhere.
• The sky darkened, and the samurai ran away after spotting a demon chasing a girl with a child on her back.
• Shirou cut the demon in half with one stroke and considered tearing apart future demons with his bare hands.
• The girl begged Shirou not to kill her little brother, Asuke, and offered to work for him.
• Shirou tried to reassure the girl, but his words frightened her and made the child cry.
• Shirou projected a mirror and questioned his life as the girl pleaded with him to spare Asuke.

Shirou learned that he had been sent to an unfamiliar place without a clear mission and questioned Afeng about why she and her brother were alone. Afeng revealed that they had gone into the mountains for food because their parents had died.

• After Shirou comforted Afeng and her brother with food, they told him about themselves and helped him identify the era and place.
• Shirou recalled that Alaya had sent him there because the system detected a problem, though she knew little about it herself.
• Shirou considered the strength of his Spirit Core and his ability to create powerful swords, including divine weapons.
• Shirou asked Afeng why she and her little brother had gone out alone, and she explained that they were gathering wild fruit because there was no food at home.
• Afeng told Shirou that her parents had died.

Shirou comforted Afeng and Asuke after learning their parents’ fate, and accepted being their grandfather. As they traveled, Afeng described the samurai lords’ brutality and crushing taxes, leaving Shirou wondering why the people had not rebelled.

• Afeng told Shirou that samurai lords beat her father to death over unpaid land tax and that demons took her mother after she sent Afeng and Asuke to escape.
• Shirou embraced Afeng, called himself her grandfather, and comforted her as Asuke joined in calling him Grandpa.
• Shirou killed several weak monsters and demons with a single slash while traveling with the children.
• Afeng said the samurai lords were cowards who had beaten her father because he used a little millet porridge to care for Asuke.
• Afeng explained that the government claimed six parts of the harvest and the people four, but collectors demanded even more, prompting Shirou to ask whether anyone had ever rebelled.

Shirou decided against starting a revolution and arranged to live with Afeng and Asuke in their village’s thatched hut. He learned that monsters had recently begun appearing in the village, while the samurai tasked with protecting people mostly fled.

• Shirou recognized Afeng’s vague account of a rebellion as the Shimabara Rebellion and considered the era ripe for revolution.
• Shirou abandoned the idea of starting a revolution because it would disrupt history and distract him from his mission and forging a blade.
• Shirou invited Afeng and Asuke to live with him, and they agreed.
• Afeng explained that monsters had become more numerous in recent months and were now appearing in the village.
• Afeng told Shirou that most of the samurai ran away from the monsters.

Shirou followed Afeng toward the village and found two samurai struggling against a powerful demon at the entrance. As Muto Nagahide and Sanada Izou prepared to make a desperate stand, Shirou watched and planned to intervene.

• Shirou encountered another demon at the village entrance and saw it attack two samurai.
• Shirou recognized one samurai and judged that the demon was stronger than the one he had fought earlier.
• Shirou projected King Hassan Shield Me and watched as the samurai struggled to hold off the demon.
• Shirou decided to use the fight to show his strength, get information from the samurai, and protect the villagers.
• Muto Nagahide trembled as Sanada Izou charged the demon, and the villagers began fleeing.

Shirou killed two demons, but the villagers mistook him for one and fled. He gave Sanada Izou and Muto Nagahide bells and ropes and told them to follow him, leaving them unsure what he wanted them to do.

• Shirou killed the two demons, but the villagers fled in terror when they saw him.
• Sanada Izou stayed behind while Muto Nagahide collapsed and trembled, and Shirou criticized them for abandoning the villagers.
• Sanada Izou offered his and Muto Nagahide's money to appease Shirou, but Shirou told them to give it to the villagers instead.
• Shirou projected bells and ropes, handed them to Sanada Izou and Muto Nagahide, and told them to follow him.
• Sanada Izou asked Shirou what he wanted them to do, then asked what they should call him.

Shirou finished installing exorcism arrays with the help of Sanada Izou and Muto Nagahide, then bought rice from a frightened villager and cooked a meal. As the group gathered to eat at his new home, Afeng fed her little brother while the two samurai hesitated over etiquette.

• Shirou scolded Sanada Izou and Muto Nagahide for standing idle, and they helped him hang bells for the exorcism arrays.
• Muto Nagahide tried to demand rice from a villager, but Shirou struck him and corrected his behavior.
• Shirou paid a villager for a sack of rice and told him to buy food for his family.
• Shirou and the others hunted a wild boar, and Shirou cooked their meal at the thatched hut.
• Afeng fed Asuke while Sanada Izou and Muto Nagahide watched, and Shirou told them to eat.