C77

Shirou's eyes opened and he was brought back to reality. He scanned his surroundings, but Gilgamesh was nowhere to be found. Suddenly, he heard a weak voice calling out to him.

"Shirou...!"

He turned to see Scathach lying on the ground, only half of her body visible. Despite her weakened state, she was looking at him with a joyful expression.

He rushed over to her side, taking her hand and offering her his magical energy. "Shisho, are you already at your limit?"

"This is just a phantom, it will disappear on its own. But there is something I must tell you."

"What is it?" He asked, a hint of concern in his voice.

"I deceived you. I manipulated and coerced you into staying in Fuyuki City. It wasn't Gilgamesh, but rather me, the wicked woman," Scathach admitted.

He smiled. "So that's what happened,"

"Did you already figure that out?" She asked, her voice tinged with interest.

"You've hinted at it multiple times. I wasn't aware of it before, but now I get it."

She studied Shirou's bright, fiery eyes and smiled. "Yes, you're free now. You don't have to continue participating in the Holy Grail War anymore."

But Shirou shook his head. "No, Shisho. I will still participate."

Scathach was puzzled. "Why? Are you afraid of Gilgamesh's tyranny? Don't be misled by his tough talk. He doesn't dare to kill in this place. This is a sanctuary and he fears the Enlightened One. I won't deceive you anymore. Gilgamesh can't hurt you here. You're safe, Shirou. You don't have to participate in the Holy Grail War anymore. You don't have to confront an adversary you cannot defeat. Do you understand?"

"I don't understand," he said, "I only know that right now, there's only one Servant and I will emerge victorious. So, wait for me to return, shisho, and teach me the Primordial Rune."

She was taken aback. "Why? Why would you say that to someone as mean as me?"

Shirou's eyes burned with a bright light and he smiled. "Because even you, shisho, have a troubled heart. I will bring you freedom."

Scathach was stunned by the young man's sunrise-like smile and the beauty of his eyes.

He stood up and turned his gaze towards the Enlightened One. With a smile, he asked, "Forgive me, Enlightened One. May I borrow some of your Karma for a while?"

The flame in his eyes flickered slightly.

[Counter Hero C-]

[Kalaripayattu C-]

"Only two skills can be copied. The rest of the Karma is unattainable, but that's enough." Shirou smiled.

The Enlightened One remained in deep meditation, unresponsive.

Shirou spun on his heel, his hands clasped tight around his black gloves, his eyes alight with determination. "Fujimaru Shirou, heading out!" he proclaimed with a smile.

Scathach watched him go, her face twisted into a bittersweet smile. "A matchstick that burned itself out, but sparked a flame brighter than its own," she mused. "As a mentor, I have been outdone by a madman without reason..."

But her thoughts were swayed by the presence of the Enlightened One. She turned to him and asked, "And what brings you here, Shakyamuni?"

The Enlightened One simply sat in meditation, offering no response.

"And what is that flame?" Scathach pressed.

The Enlightened One opened his eyes and replied, "It neither arises nor perishes, neither defiled nor pure, neither increases nor decreases."

"And what does that mean?" Scathach asked once more.

The Enlightened One merely closed his eyes and resumed his meditation.

"In a sense, those of you who have witnessed the truth of the world are even more wicked than I, that man, or even Gilgamesh," Scathach lamented before vanishing back into the outside world.

...

Shirou stood atop Mount Enzou, gazing upon the sprawling city of Fuyuki as it was engulfed in flames and dark forces descended from the sky. He furrowed his brow in concern as he realized the magnitude of the situation.

"It's gotten this bad already?" he muttered. "This is beyond my control. I may have to seek help from the Clock Tower or the Holy Church. But first, let me take care of the aftermath."

With a determined smile, Shirou took a step forward. The black mud at his feet transformed into two large black wings, lifting him into the air as he soared towards the black tower.

As he flew, Shirou utilized the power of the Grail within the black mud to analyze his own abilities.

[Fujimaru Shirou]

Class: Caster

Strength: E

Endurance: E

Agility: E

Mana: EX

Luck: E

Noble Phantasm: Unlimited Blade Works (E ~ A++), Evil Flower of Freedom (EX)

[Class Skills:]

Territory Creation E-

Item Construction E-

[Innate Skills:]

Clairvoyance C

Magecraft C-

Mind's Eye (True) B

Wisdom of Mortals D+

Heroic Mortal C

Evil Flower A+

[Copied Skills:]

--- Honor of Suffering C-

--- Unyielding Will C-

--- Triumphant Return of the Sword C-

--- Wisdom of Dun Scaith C-

--- God Slayer C-

--- Collector C-

--- Charisma C-

--- Golden Rule C-

--- Counter Hero C-

--- Kalaripayattu C-

(AN; The term 'Inherent Skill' has been updated to 'Innate Skill' for better accuracy. Fortification Creation to Territory Creation, Item Creation to Item Construction, and Eagle Eye to Clairvoyance.)

...

Previously, Shirou lacked the magical energy to use the skills he replicated with "Wisdom of Mortal." However, now, with the power gifted by the mud, his Mana attribute had reached the EX level, allowing him to effortlessly use these skills without any worry of running out of magical energy.

Moreover, with the skill [Evil Flower A+: Embrace the darkness, and steer your heart towards the light, for even sadness can bloom beautifully,]

Shirou could feel that this skill, acquired through embracing the mud, could absorb the evil of humanity and convert it into his own magical energy through the mud. This meant that as long as evil people exist, his magical energy would continue to grow.

Suddenly, a black dagger sliced through the night sky and headed toward Shirou.

He turned his gaze and watched as the dagger approached. His expression was calm and his eyes were even more tranquil. The only movement came from the flame in his bright eyes, which seemed to be there but wasn't.

The black mud formed a barrier of protection in front of Shirou, blocking the incoming attack.

"Clang!"

The dagger collided with the mud barrier, producing a metallic sound.

In the next moment, the mud, which was even darker than the black dagger, swiftly cursed and corroded the weapon. The black particles evaporated like snowflakes.

"Sneak attacks like this are no longer effective," Shirou said with a faint smile.

The black mud was his avatar, acting according to his will and serving as his second self.

Through his [Clairvoyance C], Shirou gazed down and immediately spotted the black humanoid who had attacked him.

"That's...Assassin? How did it become like this?" he muttered in surprise.

Shirou landed on the ground and stared at the hundreds of Assassins, a sight that filled him with disbelief.

Their appearance was truly frightening.

"Aaaaaah!!!"

The abomination charged toward Shirou.

The assassin had been consumed by the black mud and merged into a single entity, though it had lost its reason. Nevertheless, it could still detect a Saint Graph from Shirou and knew that it had to be destroyed.

Despite the abomination rushing forward, he remained composed.

In the next moment, a giant hand made of black mud appeared behind Shirou and lunged toward the head of the abomination.

Assassin instinctively sensed the danger and reflexively dodged.

"Boom, boom, boom, boom!"

The black hand mercilessly pounded the ground, making a sound like thunder. The earth split open like a spider web.

The assassin moved with lightning speed, sensing an opportunity to attack Shirou from behind. With over a hundred blades in his hands, he rushed towards Shirou, intent on reducing him to nothing more than a pile of meat. But just as the assassin was about to strike, a black hand erupted from the ground, grabbing him and pulling him away from Shirou.

"Gotcha," Shirou said with a smile.

The assassin struggled against the grip of the mud hand, hacking at it with all of his knives, but to no avail. The hand was harder than diamonds and the knives were unable to make a single mark.

As the assassin continued to struggle, Shirou watched him intently, his eyes flickering slightly. Suddenly, two new skills appeared in his mind.

-- C- Keeper of Hidden Knowledge!

-- C- Encyclopedic Mastery!

"Don't worry," He said to the captive assassin. "I'll set you free."

With just a thought, another huge black hand appeared and wrapped itself around the assassin. And with a slight squeeze, there was a sharp cracking sound as a faint, snow-like light shone between the two giant hands.

Suddenly, the spirits of the slain assassins appeared before him.

"Have we been released...?"

"Are we released...?"

"Was it you who freed us, Caster?"

"I wouldn't say I freed you, I merely did what I could," Shirou replied.

"Thank you, Caster... your eyes are simply breathtaking..."

"However, we still have one of our brothers trapped in this world. You must be cautious," the Assassins warned before fading away like snowflakes.

Shirou nodded, acknowledging their advice. Just as he was about to leave for the Black Tower, he heard a defeated voice that sounded all too familiar, "Is that Caster?"

He turned to see Kiritsugu, his face expressionless and pale, stumbling towards him from the sea of flames.

"Kiritsugu?" Shirou called out in surprise.

"You're going to deal with that mud, right?" Kiritsugu asked.

Shirou nodded in affirmation.

"Take this with you," Kiritsugu said, handing over Artoria's scabbard to Shirou.

He accepted Avalon and looked up at Kiritsugu, "Why don't you go? This is not like you, Emiya Kiritsugu."

"Caster... do you know what it's like to have everything you've ever believed in and held dear betrayed? The world is no longer worth fighting for," Kiritsugu replied, his gaze distant and empty.

As he stumbled away, Shirou reached out to him but hesitated.

That man had been betrayed by his own justice and Shirou was now being pulled by his own hatred to offer help.

"I... hesitated after all,"

Shirou tightened his grip on the scabbard. "Isn't there still much to protect and cherish, Kiritsugu?"

With a determined expression, he turned his back and marched towards the Black Tower. The firelight illuminated his profile, and his bright eyes shone brighter than the flames.

The flame of awakening burns everything in its path!

...

Next 89 Chapters are up on my Patreon: patreon.com/bcloud