Shirou, who returned from the Fairy Kingdom

One of the treasures stored in the "Gate of Babylon," it is said to be able to instantly rejuvenate a person's body.

This is a spiritual herb that the Hero King picked up on his journey to the Underworld in search of immortality, and it can naturally also be used as a healing potion.

As soon as it entered his throat, Shirou felt his limbs become lighter, and the magical energy in his body began to flow faster again.

"Thanks, Arch..."

The red-haired boy looked up to express his gratitude, only to find that the King of Heroes had already quietly disappeared.

……

……

"The Lesser Grail should be what it is... Quietly accept the soul."

Kirei Kotomine quietly watched Irisviel, who had lost her breath.

When Kirei Kotomine shattered the android's heart, he also carefully applied magic.

Although her physical body is completely dead, her function as the Lesser Grail remains unchanged.

Compared to uncontrollable androids, this kind of control is much easier—that's the order he received.

Kirei Kotomine approached Irisviel's body with a blank expression.

In order for the deceased Irisviel to continue to function as the Lesser Grail, a series of magical procedures must be performed.

The young man crouched down and reached out his hand towards the corpse, but just then—

Irisviel, whose death had already been confirmed, suddenly widened her eyes.

"Kirei Kotomine!!!"

The silver-haired, red-eyed android pulled out a short sword from somewhere, lunged forward, and plunged the sword into Kirei Kotomine's chest.

“Ugh…!?”

The young agent let out a mournful cry and punched away the android that tried to tackle him.

Kirei Kotomine looked incredulous: "How is this possible..."

He had just confirmed that Irisviel was indeed dead... but why...?

"!"

Is it because of Archer?!

Incredibly, Archer was defeated by Shirou.

The moment he was defeated was precisely the instant Kirei Kotomine pierced Irisviel's heart.

Archer's soul entered the Lesser Grail, impacting Irisviel's body and creating the illusion that she was dead.

But Irisviel quickly adapted to the fifth soul and then resurrected—

However, this does not explain why she was able to survive after her heart was shattered.

At that moment, Kirei Kotomine noticed that Irisviel's blood-stained chest was radiating a golden light.

—It was the sword sheath of the King of Knights that saved her.

"Avalon," operating at full power, is continuing to heal Irisviel's injuries.

That guy, Shirou Amamiya... he actually left his sword sheath with this woman?!

This was Kirei Kotomine's miscalculation.

How could anyone go to the battlefield against the King of Heroes and the King of Knights without bringing their strongest defensive armor? That's insane!

Kirei Kotomine staggered backward.

He looked down at the short knife embedded in his chest.

Unsurprisingly, this was also a Noble Phantasm projected by Shirou; otherwise, it would have been impossible for the android's strength to pierce through Kirei Kotomine's steel-like body.

but……

This time, Kirei Kotomine seems to be having good luck.

The dagger was inserted shallowly, about two centimeters away from the heart.

If the sword tip had been just a tiny bit forward, Kirei Kotomine would have been killed on the spot. No matter how powerful he was, he was still just an ordinary human.

Thinking of this, Kirei Kotomine couldn't help but sneer:

"What a pity, androids. Even 'God' is on my side."

For a martial artist like Kirei Kotomine, a surprise attack is only effective the first time; he will never allow his enemy to touch him again.

While directing his Shadow Servants to pin Irisviel and Assassin to the ground, Kirei Kotomine reached for the short sword at his chest.

"--------Bang!"

A heavy, crisp gunshot pierced the dark underground cavern.

What's that sound...?

Irisviel frowned.

This is……

Assassin's eyes widened.

She knew those cold, deadly gunshots better than anyone else.

After all, she had almost died in that gunshot.

"………………?"

Kirei Kotomine stared incredulously at the short sword lodged in his chest.

The trembling hand froze in mid-air.

There was no longer any need to draw the dagger.

With the sound of the gunshot, a bullet fired from the darkness struck the base of the hilt of the short sword, propelling the blade into the heart of the operative.

"Ugh...!"

Kirei Kotomine vomited a mouthful of blood, then raised his head to survey the surroundings of the large underground cavity.

"Who is it...where are you...come out...come out!"

In the final stages of his life, the surrogate stared wide-eyed, frantically searching for the sniper.

However, the man (Emiya) certainly wouldn't show himself easily.

He had only accepted Shirou's request to secretly protect Irisviel and Assassin.

Now that the mission is complete, there is naturally no need to respond to anyone's call.

After roaring in frustration for a long time, Kirei Kotomine finally exhausted his last bit of strength and collapsed limply.

"...Objective accomplished."

As the spirit Emiya folded and stowed away her sniper rifle, she slipped back into the darkness.

"The rest is up to you, Shirou."

Let me see how you save the world.

---------------

Volume 1, Chapter 100: My Adoptive Sister Morgan Lefebvre

There are less than two hundred steps to the gate of Ryudong Temple.

Alright, let's charge forward in one go!

Shirou cracked his knuckles, just about to take a step, when he noticed the silver-haired woman lying at his feet.

"Big sister Avalon? Don't sleep in a place like this, really, you'll catch a cold."

The side effects of the second "Royal Command Spell" also returned to Lady Avalon.

This time, she didn't even have the energy to maintain her spirit form; her expression was pained and her voice was weak.

"I'm sorry... Master, let me rest for a bit."

"...what's wrong?"

"It's nothing, I just haven't exercised in a long time, and climbing such a high mountain suddenly made me a little tired."

Shirou quickly waved his hand: "No, no, no, normally no one would climb a mountain and get so tired that they collapse on the ground, right?"

Ms. Avalon bit her lip, propped herself up on her slender body, and leaned her back against a tree.

"Master... I need to rest here for a while. I'll leave the rest of the battle to you."

Only one "Royal Command Spell" remains; let's use it to the fullest to defeat Saber.

"understood."

Shirou nodded, and before leaving, he gave her a long look: "Don't catch a cold, okay?"

"Are you someone's mother?!"

Watching the boy's retreating figure, Ms. Avalon smiled and closed her eyes.

The nightmare demon had a dream after a long time.

……

……

It all started with the rumor Merlin heard.

It is said that a child prodigy appeared in a village near Tintajer.

He did not appear to be the child of local farmers; no one knew his origins. He had soft features unlike those of Welsh, Picketts, and Saxons.

This red-haired child, only 7 years old, is able to use incredible projection magic.

Merlin found the rumor quite strange; such an event had not been anticipated in her ever-present, all-seeing eyes.

So, the court magician took time out of his busy schedule to personally go to Tintagel to see the child.

"……………………Huh?"

The female magician, revered as a "sage" by humans and honored as a "teacher" by fairies, uttered a surprised and flustered sound.

The "all-seeing eye" didn't reflect anything.

She could see nothing, absolutely nothing, in the boy before her.

This is the first time something like this has ever happened.

Merlin possesses the highest level of "clairvoyance," which is proof of her status as a candidate for Grand Caster.

With those incredible eyes, she can see through the "present".

Not only what's happening on every piece of land on this planet, but also in worlds that aren't this world—

The Flower Magician's eyes can even see the "present" of parallel worlds.

However, now, something has appeared that she cannot see through either.

This is the boy named Shirou standing right in front of me.

Although it was their first meeting, he showed an expression of utter disgust when he saw her.

Although it's a bit much for me to say this, there's no one who would dislike Merlin because of his appearance.

Men would be captivated by her beauty, and even young children would lower their guard...

The female magician soon realized a fact.

Although she couldn't see through Shirou, Shirou, in turn, knew about her.

why?

Merlin was known as the great prophet by the people of the kingdom.

She couldn't see the future directly, yet she could speak of everything about it, all because of her exceptionally intelligent mind.

Merlin soon realized that the child named Shirou—his soul did not come from anywhere in this world.