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The cold blade sliced through the night sky, aimed straight at Shirou's face.

His expression remained stoic as the black muds surged with a crackling sound, swiftly forming a wall that effortlessly intercepted the blade.

The dreadful curse took hold, causing the blade to corrode and shatter upon contact with the muds.

In the blink of an eye—

A black fist burst forth from the mud wall, poised to strike the assailant. Yet, in a crimson flash, the attacker had already retreated to a safe distance.

Frowning, Shirou decided against pursuing the enemy. Just then, Sakura arrived through the imaginary passage and stepped into the space, her face mirroring his astonishment, "Where... Where are we?"

Shirou surveyed their surroundings and couldn't help but reveal a look of surprise.

Before him stretched an expansive crimson wasteland, a desolate expanse that seemed to stretch on indefinitely. The ground beneath his feet was cracked and barren, devoid of any signs of life. Strewn across the scorched earth were countless swords, a vast sea of gleaming metal.

In the distance, the flames danced on the far-off horizon, their fiery tongues licking at the colorless sky. The crackling inferno cast an eerie glow, painting the landscape in shades of orange and red, intensifying the ominous atmosphere that hung heavily in the air.

Above, the sky were veiled in obscurity, a symphony of spinning gears. Massive cogs and mechanisms churned and turned, their metallic groans echoing through the desolation.

This world was intimately familiar to him.

In fact, he knew it all too well, having used it during the Fourth Holy Grail War.

Its name was...

"Unlimited Blade Works..."

A silver light flickered across the distant sky.

"Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh—"

A barrage of swords soared through the air, hurtling towards Shirou from a distance.

In a swift motion, the black muds surged, morphing into a colossal black hand that intercepted every blade, capturing them within its grasp.

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle!

The curse of the muds took hold, reducing the blades to mere fragments.

"Buzz, buzz, buzz—!"

Responding to an unseen force, the surrounding swords stirred to life. Like shooting stars, they launched a relentless assault, homing in on Shirou and Sakura from all directions.

Useless!

Shirou maintained a composed expression as the roiling black muds coalesced into a colossal sphere, resembling a protective shield that encased both Shirou and Sakura.

"Clang, clang!!"

The swords descended upon the muds, generating resounding clashes of metal. Yet, in the blink of an eye, they were disintegrated by the powerful curse of the muds.

However—

Driven by a mysterious force, the magical energy imbued within these swords began to detonate.

"Boom, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble—!!!"

A succession of explosions erupted.

Despite being surrounded by the pitch-black mud, glimpses of dazzling fireworks could still be seen.

There was no doubt that this incredibly familiar technique was none other than the "Broken Phantasm"!

Unlimited Blade Works, combined with Broken Phantasm...

There was no mistaking it—the one who had just launched the attack was the Heroic Spirit, Emiya!

But the Holy Grail War had already ended a long time ago, and the Greater Grail had been completely destroyed. It seemed impossible for any Servant to appear again.

Could it be that he had taken on the role of a Counter Guardian?

But even if he had assumed the position of a guardian, there was no reason for him to initiate an attack!

And certainly not in this location.

Shirou frowned, his brow furrowing in confusion.

"Boom, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble—!!!"

Explosions ripped through the black mud, but they failed to harm him in the slightest.

Shirou maintained his composure, but this attack ignited Sakura's anger. Her face turned solemn and serious, emanating a murderous intent.

Her vibrant eyes emitted an unusual pale purple glow, shimmering harmoniously and forming two "X"-shaped purple glow.

In the blink of an eye,

"Swoosh, swoosh—"

A black tide surged around her.

"Hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate—"

"Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill—"

"Die, die, die, die, die, die—"

As the black tide emerged, an overwhelming and purely malevolent presence, different from All the World's Evil and the Vampiric Evil, started infiltrating Shirou's heart through the Evil Flowers.

It was the immense malevolence embodied by Tiamat.

This immense and destructive malevolence, brimming with hatred, managed to breach the defenses of the black muds, taking on the same essence, and was absorbed by the Evil Flowers. Like a weighty hammer, it struck deep into Shirou's heart, triggering the Vampiric Evil and tormenting his mind.

Shirou clutched his head, his face contorted with pain, and pleaded, "Sakura, please refrain from using Tiamat's power in front of me!"

"Ah... yes!" Sakura hastily deactivated Tiamat's power.

She vividly recalled her brother's earnest request, urging her not to use her mother's power, especially not in front of him.

Shirou let out a sigh of relief, feeling the tension ease from his body.

Right now, the Evil that held by Tiamat was also the evil of the beast, and it seemed to effortlessly merge with Shirou, who served as the vessel for all things evil.

But he had already pushed the boundaries of how much Evil he could carry. If he were to absorb Tiamat's evil, who knows what consequences it might bring?

"I'll handle this. There's something I need to say to that person."

Sakura nodded in understanding and replied, "I understand, brother."

Shirou stood confidently amidst the field of swords, harnessing the power of his "Heroic Mortal" skill to activate his "Clairvoyance (C)" and scanned the distance.

And there, as expected, he spotted a figure that seemed all too familiar—a tall youth with white hair, standing amidst the field of swords.

There was no doubt about it. It was the Heroic Spirit Emiya.

But something was off about the current state of this Emiya. Not only was he garbed in a tight-fitting black outfit, but he also emitted an unsettling aura. He didn't resemble the usual manifestation of Heroic Spirit, but rather seemed like a Servant tainted by the black mud or a corrupted Heroic Spirit.

The fact that he appeared in this place was already strange enough, but to see him in such a corrupted state added to the bewilderment.

Truly perplexing, to say the least.

Especially considering Shirou had already looted All the World's Evil.

The Heroic Spirit Emiya summoned a black longbow and the spiral sword, directing his aim towards Shirou and Sakura. With a swift release of the bowstring, the sword shot forward like a streaking comet.

Shirou swiftly waved his hand, projecting numerous shields to intercept the incoming attack. As a protective measure, he enveloped both himself and Sakura with the black muds, creating a barrier of sorts.

"Boom, rumble, rumble, rumble—!!!"

The spiral sword slammed into the shields and the black muds, causing a huge explosion.

Though the defensive shields were pierced, they couldn't penetrate the black muds.

Shirou raised an eyebrow and waved his hand, dismissing the shields. "Are you not interested in communicating, or are you simply unable to do it?" He furrowed his brow, observing Emiya, who was still trying to press on with the attack.

"Alright, time to give you a little taste of bitterness!"

He concentrated, causing the black muds to gush out like a spring, spreading in all directions from his position. Everywhere it touched, the cursed blades hissed and transformed into molten iron, merging with the black muds.

Countless black hands emerged from the swirling mass, extending towards Heroic Spirit Emiya.

Emiya skillfully maneuvered through the air, deftly dodging the clutching black hands. Whenever he couldn't avoid them, he swiftly projected a torrent of swords to slow them down.

"Eaaaaaa—"

Emiya came to the realization that facing the Evil was no simple task. The swords surrounding him started to quiver and, in the blink of an eye, they soared backward, converging in mid-air to create a cluster.

"Brother... What is that...?" Sakura's eyes widened in astonishment.

Shirou was just as shocked. This scene seemed strangely familiar to him.

All sorts of swords from the sword grave had gathered together, creating a kingdom of blades that ruthlessly attacked him.

But he couldn't help but smile. "I've pulled off this move before, so it's not gonna work against me."

He extended his palm, commanding his magical energy to surge. With a strange rumbling sound, his arm emitted a bluish, circuit-like pattern.

"Zap, zap!"

Electric blue lightning crackled in his palm, and in the blink of an eye, a radiant holy lance projected before him.

—Rhongomyniad!

Usually, Divine Construct Noble Phantasms couldn't be projected. Even Heroic Spirit Emiya would have to pay the price of breaking down his own Saint Graph if he wanted to project Excalibur.

But Shirou was an exception. Rhongomyniad, the Holy Lance, was already in his possession and recorded within his own memories, allowing him to project it directly.

However, it demanded an enormous amount of magical energy, and projecting it would cause his magical circuits to ache.

As for the projected Rhongomyniad, Shirou could unleash its power, but activating the Tower of Light mode was beyond his reach.

Nevertheless, it would suffice to handle those swords.

Confronted by the sword kingdom resembling a torrential rain, Shirou infused his magical energy into the projected Rhongomyniad.

In an instant, Rhongomyniad sparkled with a brilliant light, its overwhelming magical power warping the space around it.

He raised the Holy Lance high, taking aim at the sword cluster, and cried out, "Shine at the end of eternity, Rhongomyniad!"

"Boom—!"

A thunderous explosion of light erupted.

The unleashed light, untamed and searing, roared like a dragon as it surged towards the cluster of swords.

"Boom, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble—!!!"

The swords were reduced to ashes in the thunderous light!

Heroic Spirit Emiya narrowly avoided the onslaught of this roaring light. However, as he tried to make his escape, he was caught off guard by black mud that emerged from behind him, transforming into hands that restrained him and pulled him towards Shirou.

Sakura gazed at her brother with surprise, wondering if he had such peculiar tastes.

Unaware of her thoughts, Shirou used the black mud to bring Emiya before him.

He glanced at the Heroic Spirit, who appeared devoid of will, and raised an eyebrow before asking, "Are you even aware of what's happening?"

"Aaaaaaaa—" Heroic Spirit Emiya fought against the restraining black hands. His struggle was as futile as Diarmuid during the Fourth Holy Grail War.

Shirou's brow furrowed. Using his Leader of Mortal skill, he bestowed the Unyielding Will onto Heroic Spirit Emiya.

In that instant, Emiya ceased his struggles, and his wild eyes regained a touch of clarity.

He looked at Emiya and asked, "Do you even recognize who you are?"

Emiya raised his head and gazed at Shirou, his expression vacant and distant.

"Brother... It seems like he's completely devoid of consciousness," Sakura commented, her curiosity piqued as she observed Heroic Spirit Emiya. She couldn't help but notice the uncanny resemblance between him and her own brother.

"Indeed, he's nothing more than an empty vessel with power. But it's odd for him to appear in this place."

As he spoke, Shirou plunged Rhongomyniad into Emiya's heart.

The body of Heroic Spirit Emiya dissipated into spiritual particles

"This is such a pointless fight. But why did this lifeless shell without any consciousness show up here? It's really strange," Shirou furrowed his brow, his confusion evident.

"Look, brother! There's something!" she said, pointing towards the spot where Emiya's body had vanished. He turned his gaze in that direction and spotted a card.

Curiosity piqued, he reached out and picked it up. The card had the appearance of a tarot card, featuring the image of an archer, with the word "Archer" written below in English.

Shirou couldn't help but feel taken aback. "A Class Card?"

...

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