In a sparsely populated forest on the edge of Fuyuki City, two figures, like phantoms, clashed at high speed. Towering trees were as fragile as paper in their presence; even the aftershock of their battle caused swathes of trees to collapse.
Creatures living in the forest fled their nests in droves, heading deeper into the woods, trying to escape the dangerous area.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, a group of migrating animals stopped in their tracks. Seconds later, their bodies shattered into chunks of flesh, and a pungent stench of blood filled the air.
"Archer, give up. You're no match for me."
Shirou Emiya, wielding a bloodstained short sword, stood on high ground, looking down at Archer. A cold smile played on his lips. He was completely different from his former self. Not only had his physique entered the realm of the superhuman, but the magical energy within him was like a river, endless and inexhaustible, so he didn't need to worry about its consumption.
As for Archer, he knew everything Shirou knew. The experience accumulated from countless battles was completely absorbed and digested by Shirou in the short ten-plus minutes of combat, coupled with magical power far exceeding Archer's.
It could be said that Shirou Emiya was in the most advantageous position. He could see through all of Archer's attack methods and abilities with a single glance, perfectly devising the best response.
And he, Shirou Emiya, besides completely absorbing Archer's abilities and experience, also possessed power that Archer could never have.
Thinking of this, Shirou Emiya raised his hand. His normal arm began to liquefy into a jelly-like substance. Then, the liquefied arm forked into three tentacles, each bearing the light of projection, and three short swords appeared simultaneously.
Whoosh!
In the next second, the three tentacles entwined with short swords lashed out at Archer, instantly enveloping him completely. The earth and vegetation were cut into pieces of varying sizes. Archer could only rely on Rho Aias to barely resist.
'What exactly is this?'
Watching the layers of Rho Aias shatter, Archer looked up at Shirou Emiya above with a solemn expression. Why, even though we're both Shirou Emiya, is your style completely different from mine?
Logically, Archer should possess the same power as Shirou Emiya, but unfortunately, he didn't know how to turn his arm or even his body into this thing.
However, after this period of fighting, Archer hadn't been completely idle. He had discovered that the power Shirou Emiya was using was somewhat similar to the heroic spirit state corrupted by Angra Mainyu, with endless magical power, an unusual fighting style, and a strange aura.
However, Archer couldn't confirm this yet, because compared to the appearance after being corrupted by Angra Mainyu, Shirou Emiya still possessed self-awareness.
Crack!
Just as Archer was pondering what had happened to Shirou Emiya, a harsh sound suddenly rang out. When he came back to his senses, he realized that his strongest defense was about to be breached.
Seeing this, Archer knew that now was not the time to think about these things. His eyes began to sharpen. No matter what happened to Shirou Emiya, he only had one thing to do, and that was to kill Shirou Emiya and end the pathetic and foolish dream of a hero of justice!
Thinking of this, Archer no longer hesitated and dispelled Rho Aias amidst Shirou Emiya's puzzled gaze.
"What's wrong, Archer? Have you realized the gap between us and are you ready to give up?"
"Shirou Emiya, you've seen it, haven't you?"
Archer looked at Shirou Emiya expressionlessly. When Shirou Emiya used his abilities before, Archer already knew that Shirou Emiya had obtained the memories of his future.
"Ah, I saw it, your pathetic life."
"You saw it too, huh? That makes it easier. Then, use your eyes again to see the world I arrived at, a pathetic and ugly world to the extreme!"
After speaking, blue magical energy, like flames, appeared around Archer's body. In the blink of an eye, the dissipated magical energy enveloped everything around. Shirou Emiya above was stunned when he saw this scene, and then black magical energy also ignited. The two began chanting in unison.
"I am the bone of my sword."
"Steel is my body."
"And fire is my blood."
"I have created over a thousand blades."
"Unknown to Death."
"Nor known to Life."
"Have withstood pain to create many weapons."
"Yet, those hands will never hold anything."
"So as I pray,"
"Unlimited Blade Works!"
When the chanting of the two ended simultaneously, vast magical energy began to reconstruct the scenery of the world. After the light of magical energy disappeared, the original forest had turned into two endless sand dunes. In the sky filled with yellow sand, the entire world was filled with all kinds of swords.
Every sword bore the traces left behind after fighting and killing. Several huge gears in the sky kept turning, and the entire world seemed to be composed of swords.
This was Archer's, or rather Shirou Emiya's future greatest achievement, the magic closest to the realm of magic, 'Reality Marble', a world that materialized the scenery of one's heart, a world composed of countless sword tombstones.
"What's wrong, Archer? You don't think I can't do this, do you?"
On the sand dune, Shirou Emiya pulled out a long sword from his side and asked Archer opposite him with a smile.
"......"
Opposite him, Archer didn't reply to Shirou Emiya, but silently pulled out a sword and rushed out. Behind him, swords flew from the sand dunes, forming a huge sword curtain closely following him.
"Betting all the swords?"
Shirou Emiya looked at Archer, who was approaching rapidly without saying a word, and muttered to himself. Countless long swords also flew up behind him, and his body turned into a black line to meet Archer. Today, only one of them could walk out of here alive!
In an instant, countless long swords intertwined in the sky, and dazzling sparks kept flashing. Hundreds of long swords shattered every second, but more long swords were projected out immediately. The sound of blades clashing filled the entire world.
On the sand dunes, the figures of Shirou Emiya and Archer appeared on one sand dune after another. Their arms turned into afterimages, and the sound of blades colliding constantly echoed in the air. Short swords shattered one after another in the clash, but new weapons would be projected out immediately.
Pfft!
Suddenly, a huge wound appeared on Archer's shoulder, but Archer didn't care about it. Instead, his attack became more and more violent, completely turning into an exchange of injuries for injuries, just like a completely enraged beast.
"Heh, futile struggle."
Facing the beast-like Archer, Shirou Emiya sneered and taunted. Two tentacles stretched out from his back again, projecting out weapons to join the attack.
After a few short seconds, Archer's body suddenly smashed into the sand dune, and blood dyed the yellow sand beneath him red. The long sword that had already been broken in his hand fell weakly to the side.
"You lost, Archer."
Shirou Emiya walked step by step to Archer's side, looked at Archer lying on the ground staring at him, and said expressionlessly. From beginning to end, Shirou Emiya had not suffered any fatal injuries, and could be said to have completely defeated Archer.
"Cough cough! I lost, I didn't expect I would lose... Kill me!"
Archer lay on the ground, turning his head to look at the sand dunes scattered with broken sword blades. A relieved smile suddenly appeared on his face. He turned back to look at Shirou Emiya in front of him. If it was the current Shirou Emiya, then the miserable life like his own in the future should not happen again.
At least, he will no longer embark on the path of pursuing so-called justice and heroism.
"Farewell, another me."
Shirou Emiya looked at Archer in front of him. As for hatred towards Archer, Shirou Emiya didn't have such a thing, because this was himself, the one who once dreamed of becoming a hero of justice and succeeded in realizing it.
It's just a pity that the so-called hero of justice is so pathetic and ridiculous.
He will personally kill Archer here, and also kill the past self who dreamed of saving everything and becoming a hero of justice.
Immediately, Shirou Emiya raised the sword in his hand and aimed it at Archer's heart. The light of magic gradually lit up on the blade, illuminating the similar faces of Shirou Emiya and Archer at the same time.
"Farewell!"
"Senpai!"
Just as Shirou Emiya was about to stab down, a figure suddenly blocked in front of Archer. Along with the sound of the sword blade piercing flesh, Shirou Emiya stared blankly at Sakura Matou, who had fallen into Archer's arms. Fresh blood dripped from the silver-white blade onto the sand dunes.
"Sakura... Why are you here?"
Shirou Emiya released the long sword in his hand, his face full of panic as he looked at Sakura Matou, who had fallen into Archer's arms. He had never expected that Sakura Matou would appear here, even blocking in front of his sword.
"Senpai..."
Sakura Matou raised her hand and stroked Shirou Emiya's face, looking at his and Archer's worried eyes. Her purple eyes were filled with satisfying and extremely twisted love. In her opinion, both Shirou Emiya and Archer were her senpai.
Her forever most beloved senpai!
"Sakura, don't talk yet, I will definitely save you!"
Looking at Sakura Matou, whose life aura was constantly weakening and was already in a dying state, Shirou Emiya completely fell into panic at this moment, completely ignoring why Sakura Matou could forcibly break into the Reality Marble, and the fact that she suddenly appeared in front of him.
He just hurriedly canceled the Reality Marble, wanting to take Sakura for treatment.
"Wait!"
Just then, Archer stopped Shirou Emiya, gently placed Sakura Matou in his arms on the sand dunes, and looked at Sakura Matou with an incomparably solemn expression. Archer, who had crossed countless battlefields and survived countless hellish wars.
Even in this situation, he still maintained a trace of sanity. At this moment, he had already noticed something was wrong, and his eyes stared fixedly at Sakura Matou on the ground.
At this moment, Sakura Matou, although still maintaining her former gentle appearance with purple hair, in Archer's eyes, he seemed to see the blackened Sakura Matou, the Sakura Matou that he had personally seen who had already been contaminated by All the World's Evil.
"Archer, what exactly do you want to do? Do you want Sakura to die here?"
"Think carefully, how could Sakura, as an ordinary person, sneak into the Reality Marble without us noticing?"
"......"
Hearing Archer's words, Shirou Emiya froze in place, lowered his head to look at Sakura Matou, and began to think about this question. And most importantly, before, when fighting with Archer, he felt that the contract between himself and Saber had disappeared.
"Senpai is really mean. It was clearly such a touching scene. Senpai, shouldn't you be so moved that you swear to be with me forever? You even have to expose me."
At this time, Sakura Matou, who was lying on the ground, opened her eyes, looking at the two people in front of her with loving eyes, and said with a hint of shyness on her small face. She clearly had a hard time finding an opportunity to save Senpai. Shouldn't he be holding her and crying at this time, vowing never to leave her?
Or is it because... another Senpai is on the side, afraid that he will be jealous?
"Sakura, you....."
Shirou Emiya looked at Sakura Matou, who stood up and seemed to be completely out of danger, in disbelief. Clearly, that sword was still stuck in her chest, and fresh blood was constantly dripping down the blade.
"Senpai, are you talking about this?"
Sakura Matou turned her head to look at Shirou Emiya, raised her hand with a sweet smile on her face, and pulled out the long sword that pierced her body little by little in front of Shirou Emiya, then threw it aside, and the wound pierced by the blade began to heal rapidly.
"Sakura, what do you want to do here?"
On the side, Archer looked at Sakura Matou expressionlessly, but the hard-to-hide guilt and pity in his eyes still exposed Archer's truest thoughts. He clearly knew what kind of things had happened to Sakura Matou.
"Of course, I want to be with Senpai forever...forever, both Senpai."
"Sakura, what are you talking about?"
Shirou Emiya looked at Sakura Matou in confusion. Could it be that besides himself, there was also Archer who was with her?
"It's just like what Senpai you are thinking. We will be together forever and ever."
As soon as she finished speaking, dark red magic flames ignited on Sakura Matou's body, her purple long hair gradually turned white, and a pair of dark red pupils looked at the two with twisted love. The shadows under her feet began to lengthen continuously, and the endless black mud gushed out like a spring.
"Come on, Senpai, let me be together forever, never to be separated again!"
The black mud submerged the sand dunes, and countless tentacles swallowed the figures of the three people. A few seconds later, a purer black mud suddenly began to erupt, instantly submerging the sand dunes and spreading towards the entire Reality Marble, until finally the world originally composed of swords completely turned pitch black.
........
........
The next morning, in the remote forest where Shirou Emiya and Archer had fought before, Lu Minghao was yawning boredly on a big tree, occasionally looking down at the traces left by the battle between Shirou Emiya and Archer.
Suddenly, a figure appeared on the previously empty space. The hollow eye sockets were filled with endless silence and despair. Even after leaving the Reality Marble, he still stood motionless in place like a puppet.
"Oh, it seems the effect is good."
Above the big tree, Lu Minghao looked at the difficult figure below, and felt the aura of Archer, Saber, and Sakura Matou mixed in the other person at the same time. A happy smile appeared on Lu Minghao's face.
Immediately, Lu Minghao jumped down from the tree and landed in front of Shirou Emiya at this time, raised his hand and waved it in front of him, but it was a pity that Shirou Emiya at this time did not respond at all, just kept muttering something in his mouth.
"The most important person is no longer here, the inherited honor has also been abandoned, becoming an empty shell and doing nothing, this remnant body, doing nothing."
"This taste is right!"
Hearing the words muttered in Shirou Emiya's mouth, Lu Minghao's eyes lit up. Isn't this a proper giant hero's speech? If there is another Holy Grail War ended overnight, it would be perfect!
It's just a pity that the current Heroic Spirits can't gather seven, and he, Lu Minghao, is one of them. It is completely impossible for the giant hero to realize the Holy Grail War overnight, because he will be killed by Lu Minghao.
