Shinji retreated to his workshop and embraced a life of being a recluse.
Scáthach was heavily injured during her battle with Lancer, and despite receiving Rune magecraft treatment, she still needed time to recover. Similarly, Shinji also needed time to deal with some issues.
Firstly, there were four Noble Phantasms brought back by Berserker.
Based on Scáthach's keen eyes, she determined that the rank and nature of the four Noble Phantasms were the same as Shinji had previously analyzed. They could exert power without needing to release their true names. However, the types of the four Noble Phantasms differed from Shinji's expectations, and each one was unique. It seemed that Gilgamesh, when projecting the Noble Phantasms, was not randomly throwing them, but rather choosing and planning carefully.
Among the four Noble Phantasms, Shinji was most interested in the "sword," a true sword. The sword had a straight and clear blade, displaying extraordinary quality. The sword was not edged, with a blade length of about 55cm, a hilt length of about 15cm, and a blade width of about 5cm. By modern standards, this could be considered a short sword, but in ancient times, especially before the Spring and Autumn periods, this was the standard style of a sword.
Without a doubt, this was a standard ancient sword from an era even older than the Spring and Autumn period, a time when myths still prevailed in the land of China.
How did he know? Because the center of the sword's blade was engraved with ancient characters. According to Scáthach, these were the oldest characters in the East, the origin of Chinese civilization, created by the ancient sage Cangjie. Each character contained a powerful and mysterious force, making it the Eastern version of the "Primal Rune."
The sword's blade had a total of four ancient characters, separated by a cross-shaped mark, with each character occupying one slot. Although Scáthach did not receive the inheritance of the Eastern ancient characters, she had experience with the "Primal Rune." She quickly deduced the meaning of the characters based on the scattered power emanating from the characters.
The four characters corresponded to the elements of water, fire, and wind, which were the foundational theories of constructing the world in both the East and the West.
The ancient sword with the four characters of earth, water, fire, and wind made Shinji instinctively think of a famous sword in Eastern mythology. This sword appeared in many mythical and legendary stories, most notably "Journey to the West" and "Fengshen Yanyi." It was the signature treasure of Mo Liqing, the first of the four demon generals and later one of the Four Heavenly Kings—Qingyun Sword.
In Eastern mythology, Mo Liqing was by no means a great god, and his treasure couldn't be considered top-tier. But precisely because of this, it was possible for Gilgamesh to casually throw it away without any remorse.
The more Shinji thought about it, the more likely it seemed. He flipped over the sword he received from Lancelot and found that the inscription on the back of the blade also happened to consist of three characters. The first character from top to bottom was somewhat similar to modern characters, while Shinji didn't recognize the second and third characters. However, ancient Chinese characters originated from pictographs, which means they evolved from pictures. These two ancient characters indeed looked like clouds and a sword—whether they truly resembled them or if it was just Shinji's preconceived notion remained unknown.
Regardless, there was only one way to find out—give it a try.
In Eastern mythology, very few treasures required releasing their true names. Most of them had a unique usage called "sacrifice." Based on the world view of Type-Moon, this "sacrifice" was likely to involve infusing magical energy.
Shinji, thinking this way, pressed the inscription of "earth, water, fire, wind" and infused it with his magical energy. Then...
The treasured sword floated in the air, and the character representing "wind" emitted a radiant light. A black whirlwind burst out, blowing Shinji's hair in disarray.
At this moment, Shinji had long forgotten to tidy his hair, only knowing to hold the treasured sword and laugh foolishly.
"Hehehe, hahaha!" His laughter, with a crooked smile, made Kariya roll his eyes, and Scáthach, being more direct, slapped her disciple on the forehead.
"What's so funny? If you know the origin of the sword, then hurry up and explain."
"Oh, oh." Shinji touched his forehead. "If I'm not mistaken, this should be the 'Qingyun Sword' from Eastern mythology. The sword has inscriptions, divided into four characters: earth, water, fire, and wind. According to the description in Berserker's Noble Phantasm, it should belong to the category of military Noble Phantasms. However, most Chinese Noble Phantasms have high versatility. They can be used against individuals, armies, and even for siege warfare. They are highly cost-effective Noble Phantasms. Uncle, let Lancelot formally transfer all ownership to me, and let me try it."
Kariya, who was already aware of Shinji's plan while Scáthach was appraising the Noble Phantasm, was about to agree when Scáthach said, "No need to transfer. You can obtain full ownership of the 'Qingyun Sword' at any time."
"Eh?" The uncle and nephew were stunned and said in unison, "Why?"
"Because Archer has already abandoned ownership of the Noble Phantasms when projecting them, and Berserker's ownership of the Noble Phantasms obtained through 'A Knight Does Not Die with Empty Hands' is only valid when the Noble Phantasms are in hand. When he handed the 'Qingyun Sword' to you, it was still ownerless."
Lancelot, due to his "Mad Enhancement," had almost lost his ability to speak, so Kariya couldn't inquire about the details of his Servant's Noble Phantasms until Scáthach discovered the secret and explained it.
"Shinji, try turning the Noble Phantasm into spiritual particles. Once you complete this process, you will officially acquire full ownership of the 'Qingyun Sword.'"
Upon hearing Scáthach's words, Shinji attempted to release the physical form of the Noble Phantasm, similar to how he controlled the "Sickle of the Hunted Serpent."
The next second, the "Qingyun Sword" disappeared from Shinji's hand, only to materialize again a few seconds later.
This cycle repeated several times, and Shinji revealed a satisfied smile. Then, as if he had thought of something, he looked up at Scáthach with hopeful eyes.
"Sensei, can Sakura and Uncle also possess Noble Phantasms through this method? It would provide them with even greater security."
"Unfortunately, no," Scáthach shook her head. "Noble Phantasms are a part of Heroic Spirits or similar entities. They don't exist in a manner that allows free conversion between spiritual particles and physical form, unleashing their corresponding powers. Even I, unless I materialize as a Servant, can only possess weapons that rival Noble Phantasms, not 'Noble Phantasms' of Heroic Spirits."
"You acquired the Noble Phantasm through the method of 'Divine Descent,' which is a special case I haven't even seen. You already possess the unique ability of Heroic Spirits to transform spiritual particles, while they do not."
"Moreover, the process just now can also be considered as Archer transferring the Noble Phantasm to you, requiring all four conditions."
"I see, that's a shame," Shinji sighed with regret. Upon careful consideration, it made sense. The transfer meant one party relinquished ownership while the other party acquired it.
Kariya turned around and comforted Shinji, saying, "It's okay. I already have a new Mystic Code, and it's enough. Even if I obtain a Noble Phantasm, I might not be able to withstand its consumption."
"Don't worry about the consumption; these few Noble Phantasms don't require much magical energy," an unnamed short-handled Noble Phantasm in Scáthach's hand spun around. "You and Sakura will be fine."
"I see..." Kariya nodded, but then his movement suddenly paused. "Wait, Sensei, are you saying..."
"I'm saying that you can't possess a Noble Phantasm like Shinji does, but it doesn't mean you can't use them."
Wisdom obtained from being outside the world overflowed from her crimson eyes, a true wisdom of the magical realm.
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