"Shirou Emiya!"
"Julian! As I thought, I must defeat you for Miyu to find happiness!"
"Projection, start!"
Assessing creation concept.
Imagining basic framework.
Replicating material composition.
Imitating production technique.
Synchronizing growth experience.
Recreating accumulated years.
Surpassing all completed processes—
In this very moment, a sword born from fantasy is forged!
A massive sword, reminiscent of a blade capable of slaying entire battleships, materialized above Shirou Emiya's head. He reached up and grabbed it with both hands. With a shout, Shirou glared at Julian, whose eyes widened in disbelief.
"Mountain-Cleaving Sword!"
The colossal sword, dwarfed by Shirou who looked like an ant in comparison, swung down at incredible speed towards Julian. The blade sliced through the air with a deafening roar, hurtling toward Julian with unstoppable force.
The wind preceding the strike lifted Julian's hair, and a vast shadow loomed over him. His pupils contracted, and for a fleeting moment, Julian thought he was in a nightmare. How could a mere human swing something like that?
"Lord Julian!!"
A frantic voice rang out. Several streaks of golden light shot across the sky, shattering the immense Mountain-Cleaving Sword just before it struck Julian.
Angelica landed swiftly beside Julian, another wave of golden light slicing apart the enormous fragments of the shattered sword as they fell from the sky.
"Lord Julian, new powerful enemies have appeared out of nowhere. Please stay alert!" Angelica cautiously guarded Julian as she relayed the new situation.
Julian exhaled slowly, attempting to calm himself. Without sparing a glance at Angelica, who had just saved him, he looked down at Shirou Emiya and Hiroshi's group that had suddenly appeared below.
"A spatial teleport, perhaps?" Julian pondered. To the Einzbern family, who had developed their displacement magic to swap space, spirits, and even concepts, spatial teleportation wasn't anything extraordinary. Although Julian was perplexed by how so many people had suddenly come to Miyu's rescue along with Shirou Emiya, the conclusion was unchanged—his mission to save the world would not fail.
Raising his head, Julian glanced at Miyu, whose eyes were brimming with tears as she looked down at Shirou. Julian frowned. Where was Beatrice in this crucial moment?
"Angelica, retrieve Miyu. I'll handle Shirou Emiya myself," Julian ordered Angelica, his gaze shifting to Hiroshi's group that had just arrived. With a wave of his hand, countless mud spirits surged toward them like a flood.
Boom!!!
A deafening noise echoed, and a cloud of dust rose high into the air.
Julian gestured, summoning a gust of wind that blew away the dust. He squinted—a massive Mountain-Cleaving Sword had formed a bridge, connecting the ground and the elevated stone platform, bridging the gap between two former friends, who now faced each other as enemies.
A flash of mana glimmered in his hands as Shirou Emiya projected two sword-like Noble Phantasms. He glared at Julian, whose eyes were sunken from sleepless nights, and shouted, "Julian, if you're willing to kill one for the sake of the many, then I will stand on the side of evil no matter how many times it takes. Are you prepared, Hero of Justice?!" With a powerful thrust, Shirou launched himself at Julian.
Julian watched as Shirou disappeared from his spot, leaving behind a sonic boom. The shockwave kicked up a cloud of dust, causing Julian's hand, which held a card, to freeze momentarily. He glanced at Angelica, who had not yet left, and said, "You deal with that guy."
"Big brother..."
Illya and Miyu couldn't help but step closer to the massive sword bridge that Shirou had just forged.
Illya, using her mana-enhanced vision, watched Shirou, who dashed by her at supersonic speed. The words "big brother" caught in her throat. Spinning around, she saw Shirou gently patting Miyu's head as strong winds gusted around them.
"Aaaahhhh!"
With tears in her eyes, Illya spun and flew upward due to the shockwave of Shirou passing by at supersonic speed. In that moment, she deeply realized—this was not her brother. This was Miyu's brother.
"My brother doesn't have this terrifying speed or strength!! Aaahhhh!"
After finally coming to a stop, Illya, holding her head in despair, looked down at Shirou and shouted.
Below, Shirou gently wiped away Miyu's tears, smiling softly as he said, "Miyu, this time, I will definitely protect you."
"Mm." With her brightest smile, Miyu nodded slightly.
"Then I'll be right back." Shirou took a step forward and gave Miyu a gentle pat on the head, smiling, "Your big brother will be back soon."
He crouched down, looking ahead at his old foe who blocked his path. The projected blades reappeared in his hands, and Shirou yelled, "I never imagined that this time, it would be the opposite of last time!"
Angelica gazed at Shirou Emiya, whose forehead was streaked with white hair. Golden ripples formed behind her, and she said solemnly, "I will never let you pass!"
Shirou's lips curled into a smile as he held the swords tightly, ready for battle.
"Big Brother Shirou! Klee and everyone are here to help you!"
A clear, cheerful voice rang out. Shirou turned his head to see several familiar faces, ones he had only seen in the group chat's avatars, now appearing not far behind him.
Instinctively, he opened the chat group, seeing the mission announcement prominently displayed.
Reading through the group chat, Shirou took a deep breath, filled with a surge of joy. He spoke from the bottom of his heart, "Thank you, everyone."
Closing the group chat, Shirou let out a relaxed smile. Originally, he had approached this battle with a resolve to sacrifice his life.
Though he could now freely wield his power and had grown significantly stronger, Julian's side was not to be underestimated.
Angelica alone—capable of firing countless Noble Phantasms and manipulating spatial replacement—was no easy foe. And then there was Beatrice, along with an endless army of mud spirits.
Shirou had initially been prepared to sacrifice his life to kill Julian and eliminate the threat to Miyu. But now, with the support of his new friends from the group chat, he felt more at ease. Though he hadn't known them for long, their behavior showed they were undoubtedly good people.
As for their power, Shirou trusted it completely. Each member's strength was clearly indicated in their personal profile, and Shirou had already reviewed everyone's information. He could rest easy now.
With newfound confidence, Shirou gripped his swords again. He looked back at Miyu, who was watching him anxiously, and gave her a reassuring smile. Shirou crouched low once more, turning into a blur as he charged towards Angelica.
Meanwhile, Rin Tohsaka stared in a daze, tugging on the nearly disheveled Luvia beside her. "Was Shirou always this strong? And what was that earlier?! How could mere human projection magic replicate divine constructs, let alone wield them?! Am I dreaming?!"
Slapping away Rin's hand, Luvia tightened the sweatshirt around her exposed chest and said seriously, "Rin, snap out of it! The enemy is approaching!"
On the Mountain-Cleaving Sword bridge, mud spirits began to swarm.
Illya landed ahead, her hand holding a Heroic Spirit card. A pink light flashed, summoning the Saber Class—King Arthur. Holding the legendary Excalibur in both hands, she repelled the mud spirits, then took a few steps back and shouted, "I won't let you interfere with Big Brother and Miyu, not now!"
"Brother Hiroshi."
Hiroshi, who was pondering his newfound ability, suddenly felt a tug on his sleeve. He looked down to see Klee standing by his side. Crouching, he asked with a smile, "What's wrong, Klee?"
With a concerned look, Klee pointed to Illya, who was fighting off the enemies. "Brother Hiroshi, I want to go help that big sister over there. Can I?"
With a gentle smile, Hiroshi patted Klee's head and nodded, "Of course you can, Klee. Do what you want to do. I'll be right behind you, protecting you."
Standing up, Hiroshi raised his right hand, and a burst of energy gathered in his palm.
"Projection, start!"
A deep crimson greatsword, one from his memory, appeared in his hand. He handed it to Klee, who was curiously watching, and said with a smile, "Here, take this new toy I made and go have fun."
"Hey! What are you doing?!" Rin Tohsaka, who had been readying her gems, shouted furiously at Hiroshi.
She had turned around upon hearing the projection spell again and saw the young black-haired man projecting a massive crimson greatsword and handing it to a little girl who looked no older than eight or nine.
"Alright," Klee nodded, grabbing the specially adjusted handle of the greatsword. She shot Rin a quick glance, then, holding the greatsword aloft, she charged at the oncoming mud spirits.
For a moment, the cries of the mud spirits and Klee's adorable battle shouts echoed in tandem.