[NEW CHAPTER: PLEASE READ BELOW]
[I read all the feedback, both positive and negative, and I will take them into account. I also have a few things to say: first, I won't stop writing this story until it ends, which will probably happen this or next year.
[Second, this is my next project, whether you like it or not. I have already written 70 chapters and will do a mass release in a few months when the story officially comes out.
[Third, a valid criticism I saw was the MC was a child, and it's jarring to see him act too intelligent or too immature. This is something I tried to balance in the story, showing his wisdom because he's a prodigy while also retaining the fact he's a child and makes mistakes. I hope I succeed.
[Fourth, a few people did not like the story or the MC because he's not Edward. I cannot do anything about that. This story is not for you since I'm actively trying not to write characters like him. I hope you find another story to read.
[Finally, my Naruto fanfic is done. I won't update it, so don't get your hopes up. I wrote the story because I was so angry at a Naruto fanfic, but once I calmed down, my motivation and the story were instantly destroyed. I tried to continue once, but I soon realized it was pointless.
[Thank you for your time and patience.]
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As the group entered the temple, the next person to stop them was Tohsaka and Shirou's teacher, Souichirou Kuzuki.
"Mr Kuzuki!" Shirou did not expect to meet his teacher there.
"Shirou, Tohsaka," said Kuzuki in a calm tone. "I did not expect the situation to reach this stage so quickly."
"Why are you involving the school children in this fight?" asked Tohsaka.
"You don't understand. I will do whatever is necessary to ensure her victory and safety."
"Ah, love, what a beautiful yet destructive force," sighed Edward.
"Really?" asked Tohsaka, looking at him with fiery eyes.
"What? I may disagree with his actions, but I can respect them."
Tohsaka snorted before looking at her teacher, "I will deal with him."
"No, he's Shirou's opponent," said Edward.
"Why? I don't think he has much of a chance."
"Hey," added Shirou.
"It's true," said Tohsaka before waiting for Edward's explanation.
"Haven't you realized who is coming next?"
"Rider," she replied after a short ponder.
"Do you think he has a remote chance against a Servant?"
"You're right, but you should do something to help him."
Edward did not argue with her and patted Shirou on the shoulder; his body shone with golden light.
"This should help you hold him long enough until Saber comes to rescue you. Let's go." He took one step and appeared behind Kuzuki with Tohsaka next to him.
"You could have given him the strength to defeat his enemy," she complained.
"You give me too much credit," he replied as they flew toward the inner part of the temple. As expected, Rider appeared before them.
"Remember, her identity is Medusa, so look out for her eyes," reminded Edward before disappearing. At the center of the temple, he saw Medea on a black throne, holding a long staff.
"You know, I'm looking forward to this fight more than I care to admit," said Medea. "This might be my only opportunity to defeat you."
"I'm afraid you'll be disappointed," said Edward, looking around the room. He detected his room was a bounded field, granting her the home-field advantage.
'If I remember correctly, Medea's Bounded Field allows her to use magic on par with true magic,' thought Edward.
"We'll see." Medea's cape floated behind her like bat wings, and she flew in the air. Ten small purple magic circles appeared around her before firing purple beams. Edward felt the surrounding space-time had been influenced, making his actions slow down and the space restricting him.
'Using space-time magic on me?' He raised his staff, and ten magic circles materialized before him, firing golden beams. The mini space-time continuum that Medea created around him was forcefully destroyed. The golden beams continued their path and soon overwhelmed the purple beams.
Medea teleported to her right to evade, but more golden beams reached her. She pointed her staff forward and opened a spatial hole that swallowed the beams and sent them outside the temple. Edward calmly tapped his staff on the ground, and another spatial hole appeared behind, returning the same golden beam.
Medea moved her body to evade, but one of the beams grazed her shoulder, making her grunt. Before she could react further, ten more beams rushed toward her, so she used spatial teleportation again.
To her horror, she did not teleport to her chosen destination but appeared before Edward, who had ten more golden beams waiting for her.
[Space Blockade]
Medea mobilized all her mana and the boost from her Bounded Field to create countless layers of spatial walls before her to block the beams. Her action brought her a moment of respite to physically move her body away from Edward.
Medea looked at him, sighing heavily, "Fighting you is the same."
"And how is that?"
"Like a teacher teaching their students — no, even worse, like an adult teaching a child their first step. It's really frustrating."
"Haha, I imagine it is," said Edward with a smile. "So, what's your next step?"
Medea no longer hesitated and summoned a curve dagger; this was her Noble Phantasm–Rule Breaker. It had only one purpose—to destroy magic. She flew toward Edward with no hesitation.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Her blade easily cut through the golden beams, and Edward placed a towering ice wall between them; she sliced through it like a piece of paper.
"Not bad, but that is far from enough to win you this battle," said Edward as he tapped his staff on the ground, forming cracks and small rocks. He used a simple spell from childhood, Waddiwasi Charm or the Projectile Jinx.
The stones flew with unparalleled might, forcing Medea to stop her advance and evade. Her Rule Breaker only worked on magic and not physical objects. So, although she could cut off the spell put on the rocks, it would be too late as the velocity of these things was enough to damage her body severely.
Medea suddenly screamed. Although she tried to evade, the rocks were too fast, and two penetrated her legs. She tried to cast a shield spell, but a golden beam hit instead of rocks, tearing it apart. Finally, two rocks pierced her hands, dropping Rule Breaker.
"I'm…defeated," she said.
"That you are," nodded Edward, walking before her. He wanted to kneel so he could look her in the eyes and on the same level, but his sense of danger suddenly activated, so he moved backward while trying to summon Rule Breaker to his side.
A weird spear descended from the sky, stopping his Summoning Spell, but he anticipated this move and had secretly used invisible strings to pull the dagger to his side.
Holding the dagger, he looked in the air in the corner of this room, "Gilgamesh, why are you intervening in things that don't concern you."
"Everything between Heaven and Earth concerns me and is my business," declared the King of Heroes boldly.
"I'm here to help," yelled Tohsaka, rushing into the room. She looked at Edward, then Medea, and Gilgamesh. "Who's the blondie?"
"King of Heroes," replied Edward.
"Gilgamesh?"
"You're here at the perfect time," said Gilgamesh, cutting their conversation
"What do you mean?"
"Do you know your servant betrayed you?"
"What nonsense are you talking about?" asked Tohsaka.
"You see that dagger in his hand? With it, he can sever the Servant-Master Contract between you two, regaining his freedom."
"Is that true?" asked Tohsaka, looking at Edward, but his eyes were on Gilgamesh, "I cannot wait to rip those Clairvoyant Eyes from your socket. Such a gift should be left to someone like you."
"Haha, if not for your current situation amusing me, I would have ripped you apart for your insolence."
"Answer me," yelled Tohsaka.
"He's telling the truth," replied Edward calmly.
"Why?"
"Don't you know who I am? Do you think someone like me will allow anyone to have dominion over him?" explained Edward, who plunged the dagger into his heart. Tohsaka looked at her arm and saw her Command Seals had disappeared; she looked at Edward with gritted teeth. Although she had only known him briefly, Tohsaka thought of him as someone close to her. Tears flew in the corner of her eyes.
"I trusted you. I thought of you as a father figure. I…"
"There is no need for this. I'm a person who keeps my word. Since I said I will help you win the war and teach you magic, I will keep my word," said Edward. "But things have to be done my way without a looming threat over my head."
"R-really?"
"I don't need to lie to you."
"Then, why didn't you say this sooner," she wiped out her tears. "Make me shed tears for no reason." Edward rolled his eyes; this girl can change emotions like changing clothes.
"How boring," said Gilgamesh. "Since you're no longer entertaining, you can go die."
Countless golden space breaches materialized behind him, followed by different weapons emanating from them.