Chapter 121 – The replica surpasses the original

Charlotte Smoothie: "He really projected Shiki's two swords?"

Gion: "So if Arton wanted to, he could even project my sword?"

Tashigi: "Shiki's two famous swords, Kogarashi and Oto, are superior to my Shigure. If Arton can project those two blades, then he can definitely project my Shigure too..."

Black Maria: "Shiki's expression doesn't lie. Arton's two blades at least made Shiki think they were real for a moment."

Black Maria: "Fufu~ seeing a legendary pirate with such an expression is quite satisfying."

Whitey Bay: "No wonder Shiki has that look on his face. If Arton projected and copied Dad's Supreme weapon, he would probably have a similar expression."

Kozuki Hiyori: "If the famous swordsmiths of Wano knew about this projection ability, they would surely feel furious…"

Ulti: "Whatever, just hurry up and start fighting!"

Although the diary holders all knew that Emiya Shirou's projection magic could replicate swords, seeing Arton actually demonstrate this ability still left them quite surprised.

Of course, the most surprised was Shiki himself.

"What kind of ability is this?"

"Why do you have my swords in your hands?"

Shiki looked at the two blades at his feet, then frowned and asked Arton.

The two swords in Arton's hands looked remarkably like Shiki's long-held Kogarashi and Oto.

As someone who had held Kogarashi and Oto for decades, Shiki was intimately familiar with his two swords.

He knew exactly how long and wide the blades were, what the hilt looked like, and the patterns on them.

Shiki knew them inside out.

And everything matched perfectly with the two blades in Arton's hands.

If Kogarashi and Oto weren't still at his feet, Shiki would have thought Arton had stolen his swords.

"Projection magic, it's a kind of magic that materializes magical power to create mirrored replicas of the original. You can also understand it as a type of ability."

"When projecting other things, it's different, but when I project swords or similar weapons, the blades I project will be infinitely close to the originals."

As Arton spoke, he suddenly stamped his feet on the ground, turning into a blur as he charged at Shiki.

In just an instant, their Kogarashi and Oto clashed a thousand times.

This made Shiki frown even more.

The two blades in Arton's hands made him feel as if someone else was flirting with his long-time companions.

This feeling made Shiki extremely unhappy.

"Projection magic, huh? What a 'nice' ability."

Shiki gritted his teeth, emphasizing the word "nice."

"Thank you for the compliment, Shiki. This is actually the first time I've used this ability."

"Your two blades are the first objects I've ever projected."

As Arton spoke, he launched a few more attacks.

Shiki frowned deeply, feeling a strange sense of unease.

At this moment, Arton wasn't using the slashes he had employed earlier.

Instead, the techniques Arton was using now gave Shiki the illusion that they were similar to the techniques he used before he lost his legs.

"How is that possible?"

Shiki shook his head, dismissing the odd thought.

He looked deeply at Arton and the two Kogarashi and Oto in Arton's hands, frowning as he said:

"Copies are just copies in the end."

"No matter what, the two swords in your hands are just high-quality fakes."

With that, Shiki covered his foot weapons with Armament Haki and instantly kicked two powerful slashes at Arton.

Arton swung his sword to block, but with a cracking sound, the blade in his hand broke.

Hancock: "It broke?"

Gion: "Is it because the quality of the copy is lower than the original?"

Charlotte Smoothie: "Even so, if it's Arton using it, it shouldn't be that fragile."

The breakage of the Kogarashi and Oto created by Arton's projection magic puzzled the diary replica holders.

However, Shiki's face showed a smile.

"Just as I said, a copy is a copy."

"Arton, do you really want to keep fighting me?"

"When you were using fire and lightning powers earlier, you must have consumed quite a bit of stamina, right?" Shiki said with a smile.

"My stamina is none of your concern, Shiki."

"Although the previous fight did take a toll on me, but now I'm in peak condition." Arton responded with a smile.

This is another advantage of using the template challenge roll.

Arton had already discovered that after using the Emiya Shirou template, his stamina returned to its peak state.

What's more, Arton learned from the system that as long as he progresses from the current stage of Emiya Shirou to the next, his stamina would reset again.

If the current stage of Emiya Shirou's stamina was not as strong as Arton's usual stamina, his stamina would reset to his usual state.

And if the current stage of Emiya Shirou's stamina was stronger than his usual state, Arton's stamina would reset to the current stage of Emiya Shirou's stamina.

And after the battle, Arton would retain the stamina of the current stage of Emiya Shirou.

"Besides, do you think destroying my projected Kogarashi and Oto ends everything, Shiki?"

Arton showed a mysterious smile.

Then he waved his hand, using projection magic again.

In an instant, another pair of Kogarashi and Oto appeared in Arton's hands.

Not only that, after projecting Kogarashi and Oto, Arton threw them like arrows directly at Shiki.

Then, Arton projected more than a dozen Kogarashi and Oto and threw them at Shiki.

This scene left the observing swordsmen, such as Tashigi, Charlotte Smoothie, Charlotte Custard, Whitey Bay, and Gion, utterly astonished.

They imagined if Arton projected their swords and used them as arrows, the feeling would definitely be unpleasant.

Shiki felt the same way.

As he deflected the blades coming at him, his face grew increasingly sour.

Seeing his cherished swords not only duplicated but also casually thrown away was far from a pleasant experience for Shiki.

"Damn you, Arton! Are you trying to anger me so I'll lose my composure in battle?"

"If that's your plan, you'll be disappointed."

"They're just fragile copies. No matter how many there are, it doesn't matter."

Shiki snarled at Arton.

"Is that so? But your expression doesn't seem as composed as your words, Shiki," Arton said with a smile, as his hands glowed with magical light again.

However, this time the magical glow in Arton's hands was even brighter than when he previously projected Oto and Kogarashi.

"Shiki, although I said that when I use projection magic, the weapons I create can only get as close as possible to the original blades."

"But that applies to those swords that can be considered Noble Phantasms."

"And your Kogarashi and Oto, they are merely high-quality blades."

"With such weapons, I can create copies that are as strong as the originals."

"Even better, I can surpass them."

As Arton finished speaking, the magic in his hands instantly formed new Kogarashi and Oto.

This time, the projected Kogarashi and Oto were even of higher quality than the original weapons held by Shiki.

***

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