chapter 8:Type-Moon, the Heroic Spirit I Summoned is Myself

She couldn't sense the terrifying pressure emanating from Lucian the way Shirou Emiya could.

But Shirou Emiya was, after all, Shirou Emiya.

So, after a brief deep breath, his eyes grew resolute. Even under Lucian's overwhelming sword presence, he still roared and charged toward Lucian, raising his wooden sword.

However, the outcome... was inevitable.

A light sound followed.

The wooden sword was knocked into the air and landed softly nearby.

With a soft thud, Shirou Emiya collapsed beneath Lucian's sword, lying spread-eagle on the ground, staring blankly at the blue sky.

Even though he lost, he hadn't even caught a glimpse of Lucian's sword strike.

His mind was a blank; he didn't understand what had just happened.

This sudden turn of events shocked Sakura Matou, who had been watching from the side, ready to intervene if Lucian was injured. Her eyes widened in surprise.

She bit her lip and silently blinked.

As for Lucian, he frowned and sighed silently.

His impromptu duel with Shirou Emiya had been, aside from a momentary curiosity, a test of his current condition.

And now, Lucian had his answer.

The result, however, wasn't what he had hoped for.

"This... is terrible," Lucian muttered, shaking his head in frustration.

The experiment had made him more aware of how weak and useless his current body was.

It was nothing compared to the projection of his former self, which had wielded a sword for nearly twenty years, unstoppable in any storm.

Although he retained the memories and sword skills from the projection, right now, Lucian had the posture but no sword to back it up.

His current form could only intimidate others, nothing more.

Faced with the stark contrast, Lucian couldn't help but feel an intense dissatisfaction with his own body... He had become a shadow of his former self, and there was no going back.

---

At the Emiya residence,

It was early afternoon.

After enjoying a meal prepared by Shirou Emiya, a master chef, Lucian sat alone in the open-air corridor, basking in the warm sunlight, resting.

Under the warm sunlight, and having eaten not long ago, Lucian couldn't help but yawn.

"Why do you look sleepy again?" Shirou Emiya, emerging from the kitchen, noticed Lucian's lazy demeanor and said, "Didn't you take a nap this morning?"

"Maybe it's because of the nightmare I had," Lucian replied, not looking very energetic.

Hearing this, Sakura Matou stepped out of the kitchen and gently asked, "Brother, would you like to take a nap in the sun? I can bring you a pillow and blanket."

Lucian looked up at the cloudless sky and said, "That's a good idea, but... judging by the time, he should be arriving soon."

Just as he finished speaking, there was a sudden knock at the door.

Shirou Emiya went to open it, only to find a furious Shinji Matou standing there, clutching several books.

Before the surprised Shirou could ask why he was so angry, Shinji stormed inside, heading straight for Lucian as if he had anticipated it.

He angrily threw the books in front of Lucian and shouted, "You jerk! Didn't I tell you I had a date with my girlfriend today? Why were you calling me nonstop?!

…Here, these are the books you wanted!"

Picking up the books, Lucian noticed they were historical texts from the late Shogunate period, including accounts of Souji Okita and other figures. Smiling, he said, "Thanks, Shinji."

Without paying any more attention to Shinji, Lucian began reading the books.

"You... you jerk!" Shinji, clearly angered by the lack of response, was about to lash out but was held back by Shirou.

The two of them bickered for a while, until Sakura stepped in, her tone serious as she pointed at Lucian.

Both of them stopped and, seeing the previously lazy Lucian now completely absorbed in his reading, they were stunned.

"Shhh... Quiet," Sakura said softly but firmly. "You two, stop arguing!"

The pressure from her words made both Shinji and Shirou instinctively nod, though they quickly realized—wait, isn't he the one at fault here?

However, even Shinji reluctantly fell silent after a soft click of his tongue.

Time passed.

By sunset, Lucian had finished reading the books in his hands. Stretching, he returned to the living room, where he found Shinji still sitting idly.

Surprised, Lucian said, "Shinji, why are you still here?"

Shinji, already in a bad mood, heard this and his face darkened.

"You idiot! Because of you, my date was ruined. My girlfriend even broke up with me, and you're asking why I'm still here?!"

"Broke up? No big deal." Lucian waved dismissively, saying, "If she dumped you that easily, she was probably after your money. You're better off."

"Honestly, you should thank me. If it weren't for me, she might've taken both your money and body by now... Oh wait, she left so easily—yeah, she was just after your money. She probably would've bailed once you started getting serious."

Before Shinji could respond, Shirou was already holding him back with practiced ease, saying, "Shinji, calm down! Don't do anything rash!"

"Let me go! I'm not done with this idiot!"

Ignoring the commotion, Lucian calmly walked over to Sakura and sat beside her.

"Brother, it's getting late. Should we head back?" Sakura asked softly, as if used to the chaotic scene.

"No, Sakura. I'll stay here tonight. Could you let Grandpa know?" Lucian shook his head.

"This..." Sakura hesitated but then nodded, "Alright, in that case, I'll stay with you here tonight."

Later that night, after dinner, Shinji left, casting a glance at Sakura and giving her a meaningful look.

Sakura hesitated, then saw Shinji out in silence.

As they walked along the road outside the Emiya residence, Shinji suddenly clicked his tongue again, frowning in frustration.

"Hey, when are you planning to make that guy leave? Don't forget, Grandpa's deadline is almost up!"

Sakura remained silent, her head lowered.

Seeing this, Shinji became even more irritated and shouted, "Do what you want. Whatever happens to him has nothing to do with me!"

With that, Shinji turned and walked away, leaving Sakura standing quietly for a moment.

When she returned to the house, Lucian was already gone.

"He went to his room to rest," Shirou said, tidying up the dinner table. "I don't know what's with him today—he's so tired. He ate and went straight to bed!"

Hearing this, Sakura smiled faintly and said, "I'll go check on him."

She stood outside Lucian's room for a long time before biting her lip and quietly asking, "Brother, are you awake? May I come in? There's something I'd like to talk about."

"Sakura? I'm sorry, I'm really exhausted today. Can we talk tomorrow?"

Sakura was silent for a while before replying softly, "I see. Sorry to bother you."

She turned and walked away, the moonlight casting a long, thin shadow behind her.

Inside, Lucian listened to her leave, sighing softly after a long pause. "I'm sorry, Sakura."

With that, his eyes became resolute.

Summoning the Book of Heroic Spirits, Lucian thought back to his earlier battle with Shirou.

Despite having the memory of the simulation, he realized that he couldn't immediately bring out his full combat potential.

Lucian wasn't foolish—he had noticed Sakura and Shinji's strange behavior recently. It was clear that something was coming, likely related to the Holy Grail War.

He had to act fast.

The engraving of the Heroic Spirit could wait no longer—he had to begin tonight. Only by doing this could he protect himself in the coming events and have the power to make his own choices.

"System, prepare for the second simulation."

At his command, the black book in his hand flipped open automatically.

In an instant, Lucian's vision darkened, and once again, he found himself floating above the map of Edo-period Japan, his soul detached from his body.

The ink on the pages of the black book swirled, forming lines of text in the Book of Heroic Spirits.

Anchor Point 1: Late Edo Period 

Location: Kyoto, Japan 

Identity: Samurai

You have gained the talents from the Holy Relic: Mind's Eye (False), and Swordsmanship Genius! 

Mind's Eye (False): The ability to instinctively and intuitively avoid danger through intuition and sixth sense. 

Swordsmanship Genius: You possess the same swordsmanship talent as Souji Okita!

…

Anchor Point 2: Late Edo Period 

Location:Yingzhou, KyotoThe Great Fire of Kyoto

Age: 18 

Identity: Swordmaster

Remaining simulations: Two 

Would you like to begin the simulation?