Shirou, who returned from the Fairy Kingdom

"Huh?" Shirou blinked in confusion.

Just then, he sensed an incomparably powerful aura.

Turning his head, Shirou stared in disbelief, speechless with astonishment—

He saw the "Red" spearman peeling the golden armor off his own body.

The great hero, who was constantly spitting out blood, gripped a jet-black spear that exuded an overwhelming sense of holiness.

This...this is...

It's beyond just a sense of déjà vu; this is clearly something Shirou experienced not long ago!

in other words--

When I returned from Avalon, I found myself in a timeline before my Noble Phantasm duel with Karna!

A bead of cold sweat trickled down Shirou's cheek.

This wasn't because I was nervous about the upcoming rematch with the formidable Karna, but rather because I was amazed by this strange time travel.

I clearly only used Lady Avalon's magic to create a body that resembled a spirit particle, so why did it turn out like this?

Wait, it resembles a spirit particle...

I feel like I've heard Morgan say this word before—

It seems to be something like "spiritual particle transfer"...

Breaking down the human body into pseudo-spiritual particles, and then projecting those particles onto a timeline of the past or future through calculations... never mind! For now, whatever happens, happens!

"Saber, quick! Don't stand here! Let's run!"

Astolfo uttered the same words that Shirou remembered.

"No, I can't escape."

"Why?"

"Huh? Why!?"

Astolfo was so anxious he was about to cry.

"You should run away, Rider."

Shirou said, "Karna's target is me. If you escape alone, your chances of success will be much higher."

"Huh? Don't talk nonsense. How could I possibly abandon you? I still owe you a lot of favors!"

"Alright, let's run away. Besides, I never intended to lose to him in the first place."

"Saber..."

Astolfo, just like before, was persuaded by Shirou and helplessly held his head in his hands.

"Aaaaaaahhhhh! I know, I know! I don't care anymore! Do whatever you want!"

"Don't just die like that! If you die, I definitely won't let you off easily!"

Of course, Karna still did not stop Rider's escape; he only had Shirou in his eyes.

"........."

Responding to Lancer's fighting spirit, Shirou slowly drew the holy sword from the void.

In the previous Noble Phantasm duel, he only managed to free the Star Holy Sword from the Six Paths Restraint.

The holy swords, which number less than half, are not as powerful as Karna's God-Slaying Spear.

Although there were unexpected factors involved, the fact remains that the Holy Sword was completely defeated by the Thunder Spear, and Shirou's body was destroyed by "Sun Wheel, obey death."

Ultimately, with a hero as noble and upright as Karna as its opponent, the Star Sword could never unleash its full power.

Even if Shirou tries again, he'll probably get the same result.

"Are you crazy... Lancer! I'm leaving!"

Atalanta, who had come with Karna to intercept Shirou, clicked her tongue.

His primal instincts told him that if he stayed there, he would be drawn into it as well.

She glanced at Shirou, but the red-haired boy showed no sign of backing down, so she cursed him as an "idiot" and disappeared at the end of the corridor.

On the other side, Karna's magical power had reached its limit.

Shirou must unleash the power of the Holy Sword in the next second, or his hard-won recovery will be pierced by the lightning spear.

My thinking became clearer.

Shirou was certain of the full extent of his combat power.

King Arthur Albion possessed a "treasury containing the Infinity Blade," which included numerous divine weapons such as Excalibur and Ehangwen.

The sword-making skills possessed by the magician Shirou Amemiya, including his creative concepts, basic framework, constituent materials, production techniques, and the material projection that is reproduced through the accumulation of time.

If Shirou's power represents "infinity" and "infinity," then Karna's spear that kills God is "the ultimate one."

This is not a philosophical debate, but a real-world problem.

In a one-on-one situation, Shirou currently has no Noble Phantasm that can rival that spear.

If only I could use Gilgamesh's Ea!

Unfortunately, that thing appeared on the Ban List for this Holy Grail War, just like the "Blade of Chaos" and the "Aegis of the Gods".

Arthur Albion is the strongest Heroic Spirit, who defeated the savior of the Star Nemesis.

Even if the opponent is the strongest spearman, there is no reason for them to lose.

Why is this happening——

Ultimately, it's because I'm too weak.

Shirou Amamiya is too weak.

The counterfeit (Faker) cannot unleash the true power of that king; it's that simple.

Right now, he's like a certain Gold Saint, Slowheart, from the early stages of the Fourth Holy Grail War.

All the battles so far have been fought by simply throwing countless Noble Phantasms around like sand, and then crushing everyone with sheer strength.

Therefore, once a formidable enemy like Karna, who has pushed power to its extreme, appears, his previously proud violence seems clumsy and unbearable.

How to do?

Very simple.

All I need is to become that king.

Shoshirou now wields two great powers—they are now combined into one.

"------"

Adjust your breathing and infuse your arms with all the magic power in your body.

Just use any weapon you can handle.

Tens of thousands of practice sessions gave Shirow a thorough understanding of the series of projects that followed.

Go forward even further.

To defeat the strongest spearman, the imposter must become the true savior—

"—Projection, begin (Trace On)"

gaze--

His twilight-colored eyes saw through the Star Holy Sword he held in his hand with perfect clarity.

The heart of the crown dragon beats in the chest cavity, ceaselessly transforming into a surging torrent of magical power.

It's gradually changing.

Knowledge and memories that Shirou didn't know flowed into his body.

That was the battle experience of the king who once saved the world.

That was battle intelligence from the Holy Sword Wielder who cleaved the moon.

"------"

Anything that Shirou can see and understand, no matter how much, can be copied.

No.

That's not copying, it's projection.

What Shirou is projecting and receiving is not the Star Sword itself, but the life of the swordsman who wields it.

……

"I want this child to become my disciple."

"Huh? Who wants to be a nightmare demon's apprentice?!"

"I want to be Artoria's apprentice! Hey! Let me see Artoria now! Get her born before she's even born yet!"

"There is no child named Artoria here. Forget about it!"

……

"Nice to meet you. I am Morgan, the daughter of King Uther and Igraine... and your sister."

"You can't walk without looking ahead, my dear brother. Haven't you learned anything from Master Merlin?"

"Yes, I am Mo... Wait, wait! What are you doing! Let me go! You rude scoundrel!"

"Wait... let me go! Let me go now! Do you even understand what's going on?!"

……

"You said you intend for me to inherit the throne... May I ask, what are your reasons for thinking this way?"

"Is Merlin's training too arduous? Or is my adorable brother simply a coward, afraid to shoulder the responsibilities of a king?"

"Sigh...you want me to be happy? Do you even know what you're saying?"

"Gulp, you... you really like your older sister that much...?"

……

Memories from a certain king kept flooding into Shirou's mind.

Incredibly, Shirou felt those memories were incredibly real.

Rather than having a very happy dream, it was more like recalling sad memories that had been forgotten.

……

"Completed through shared experience and empathy."

Shirou slowly regained consciousness.

"Project completed (roll out), full projection (Bullet), standby (clear)."

When Shirou raised his eyes again, all the lingering hesitation and doubt had vanished.

Karna, bathed in the sunlight, naturally noticed this as well.

At this point, they no longer needed to communicate with words.

All you need to do is focus all your willpower on the next strike.

"Feel honored, Kshatriya... I, the king, will be your opponent."

Shirou murmured calmly, raising the Star Sword high in his hand.

Now, he finally understood that he had misunderstood how to use the holy sword.

It's only natural that Shirou would suffer a crushing defeat.

But it's fine now.

Since he was the king who saved the world in the past, there is no reason for him to lose to any hero.

As a reward for having once killed myself, I will now show you the true glory of my holy sword.

Amidst the ever-expanding torrent of magical energy, Shirou unleashed the true name of the Noble Phantasm in his hand—