Chapter 37: Answer

Light rose into the night sky.
Still in my yukata, I scolded my old man who was lying in the grass. He just waved me over, patting the ground beside him, telling me to lie down too. When I complained that my yukata would get dirty, he laughed.

“Just wash it again, what’s the problem?”

That ticked me off. This yukata was brand new. And washing one was no easy task.

But my father only laughed again at my protest. He even went so far as to say I could just take it to the cleaners. That kind of wasteful talk made me want to kick him.

Still, he watched me with a fond smile as I stubbornly stood my ground. Flustered, I pouted my lips, when suddenly he called my name.

“Shirou… If you really want to learn magecraft, there’s one thing you absolutely have to remember. Do you know what it is?”

It was so sudden. No matter how many times I’d begged him before, he had always stubbornly refused to teach me anything about magecraft. For him to say something like that now—I thought the end of the world must be coming.

This had to be a test. If I didn’t answer correctly, I’d lose the chance I’d been waiting for. But… what was the one thing I absolutely had to remember?

Frowning in concentration, I racked my brain. My father simply watched me in silence.

“…That it mustn’t be found out?”

“And why do you think that?”

“Because… Grandpa always said magecraft isn’t something you can just go teaching people.”

“He did say that. But—wrong.”

“Then… you’re not going to teach me after all?”

“…Well, it’s not completely wrong either, so I’ll teach you properly.”

“Really!?”

“Yeah. That’s why you need to remember carefully what I’m about to say.”

“O-okay…”

Then my father said:

“Magecraft invites conflict. That’s why you must never use it in front of others, and because it’s difficult to control, you can’t neglect your training. But the most important thing is—”

He sat up, gazing at the fireworks.

“Magecraft must never be used for yourself. It’s only to be used for the sake of others.”

I learned many things from my father. But I’ve made up my mind to cast most of them aside. To abandon ideals, and live only for one person.

To live only for Saber. If it isn’t necessary for her, I’ll throw everything else away.

Father said magecraft brings conflict… If I want Saber to be happy, then I must drive conflict away. That’s why I’ve even thought of giving up magecraft altogether once this battle ends.

I think he’d smile and forgive me. But I also think he’d feel lonely.

“――Father.”

It’s unfilial of me, after inheriting his teachings, to turn away like this. But even so—

“Watch me live my life the way I’ve chosen!”

I roared at the enemy standing before me. Archer, fused with Shinji’s soul, projected Kanshou and Bakuya into his hands.

I didn’t fully understand what Shinji had done. The only thing I knew for sure was that he had made an irreversible decision.

“Shinji!”
“Emiya!”

Blade clashed against blade. Kanshou against Bakuya. Bakuya against Kanshou.

I’d been in fights before. But I never thought I’d find myself in a life-or-death struggle like this.

“Shinji!”

This fight isn’t for anyone else. It’s mine alone.

I’m using magecraft for my own sake, even though I was taught it should only ever be used for others. I’m betraying the most important lesson I was ever given.

“Shinji!”

I just want to stay with Saber. For that reason alone—I will kill my best friend.

“Shinji!”

After several exchanges, I understood. Whether it was because of being “resummoned,” or due to his fusion with Shinji, Archer’s combat ability was clearly diminished. His projection skill was leagues above mine, but his movements were sluggish.

“――Tch.”

The pained voice was Shinji’s. No matter how fine the weapon, if the wielder couldn’t handle it, it was wasted. I could win. I was sure of it. And the very next moment, Shinji left a fatal opening.

I stepped in. If I could neutralize him, I could go to Saber’s aid. My impatience pushed me forward. I swung Kanshou in a decisive strike—only to see Shinji smiling back at me.

Then a burning pain ripped through my back.

“…You really are straight to the point, aren’t you?”

Shinji muttered in Archer’s voice, half-amused, half-exasperated. Through the searing pain in my back, I clung desperately to consciousness by focusing on his words.

“You used to get into fights all the time, but that straightforwardness of yours—it’s the same now as it was then. That’s why you were always covered in injuries…”

He never learns.
Shinji muttered with a sigh.

It made my blood boil. To not see through such an obvious feint—I deserved his scorn. This was a battle I absolutely couldn’t afford to lose, and yet I’d acted recklessly on impulse. That mistake was my downfall.

“Farewell, Emiya.”

No one was coming to save me. Everyone else was fighting on their own battlefields. I was the only one disgracing myself like this.

Shinji raised Kanshou.

“...Shi…nji…”

This was the end. It was over. Face down on the ground, I couldn’t defend or evade.

My death was only a second away. And in that instant, I imagined what would follow. Once Shinji killed me, he would rush to Artoria’s side. He would kill Saber.

Saber would die. To leave her with that possibility—I couldn’t allow it. I had to find a way. Some way to survive this hopeless situation—

“――Projection, start.”

In less than a split-second of thought, I arrived at the answer: Projection. When I bring forth projected objects, I can control their placement to a degree. I projected three swords directly into the path of Shinji’s Kanshou, turning them into a shield.

A shrill clash of metal rang out. Shinji’s face twisted in surprise. I used that opening to twist my body. Pain ripped through me, but I could still move.

When I glanced at my wound, countless blades were embedded deep in my back.

“…Haa.”

Staggering back to put distance between us, I let out a quiet breath.

The wound was bad. Deep. Though it was slowly healing, I couldn’t face Shinji head-on again right away. I’d have to change my tactics.

Maybe from blood loss, my head felt frighteningly clear.

“――Projection, start.”

I have to survive. If I die, Saber will grieve. And making Saber grieve—that’s the one thing I must never allow.

…No. Enough excuses. The truth is, I want to live. I want to stay with Saber, always. And for that—I’ll cut him down. I’ll cut down my best friend since middle school.

“…What the—”

Shinji’s eyes widened at the eight blades that appeared, floating above me.

“Don’t underestimate me!”

Shinji countered with his own projection, eight swords to match mine. The blades clashed and shattered, leaving him with a grimace of pain. But I couldn’t afford to worry about that. I projected ten more blades of different kinds. To meet them, Shinji projected ten as well.

And then—

It broke.

That’s the only way I can describe the phenomenon that unfolded before my eyes. Shinji clutched his head, writhing in agony as his entire body twisted into something grotesque.

“Wha… what the hell is that…!?”

The incomprehensible sight made me dizzy. Shinji’s eyes rolled back as he let out a beastly roar. At the same time, more than a dozen swords appeared above him and flew at me.

“Kh—!”

I hastily projected the same number of swords to intercept. Shinji only roared louder, and projected even more.

“Sh-Shinji! What the hell are you—!?”

I didn’t know if my voice even reached him. He just kept screaming, endlessly projecting sword after sword. Their numbers continued to multiply.

By the time I realized how bad it was, it was already too late.

A storm of blades came flying at me—far beyond the maximum number I could project at once.

“――――!”

I shot down as many as I could, using Kanshou and Bakuya to smash the rest. But there was a limit to this repetition. Each time Shinji projected, his appearance changed. As I exchanged projections, I began to understand the cause.

My projection is different from ordinary magecraft. I summon a replica contained within my mindscape, my Reality Marble. That’s what my projection truly is. Most likely, each time Shinji projects, he’s being invaded by Archer… that is, by Shirou Emiya’s Reality Marble.

Shinji, who isn’t even a proper mage, is being eroded by a Heroic Spirit’s Reality Marble. Of course his mind and body would break. The collapse of his body is probably a direct result of that.

“…Shinji.”

I called his name, but he only growled like a beast.

“I’ve decided to live only for Saber. So… I will kill you.”

As I spoke my resolve, memories of Shinji flooded my mind: the times we played together, fought together, studied together, trained in club activities together.

Tears welled up. My voice trembled.

“…I’m sorry, Shinji.”

At my words, Shinji’s roar faltered for a moment. I looked at his face instinctively. Somehow, it seemed like he was smiling.

――Don’t apologize, Emiya.

Shinji fights for Sakura. Sakura is also precious to me. But I didn’t choose her. I even aim to defeat her as my enemy.

People say justice exists in as many forms as there are people. Just as I became the champion of justice for Saber alone, Shinji became the champion of justice for Sakura alone. Both are justice. Both are wrong. There’s no need to apologize, and I mustn’t. To speak words that deny myself, after discarding Sakura and Shinji and choosing only Saber, would be unforgivable.

“…Here I go, Shinji.”

I took a deep breath. The number of Shinji’s projections far exceeded my limits. At this rate, I would be crushed. So—

“――――I am the bone of my sword.”

If Shinji is going to exceed my limits, then I will exceed my own.

Petals bloom. Seven blazing rings of the heavens unfurl. I deployed the strongest defense an Archer could muster before me, blocking Shinji’s projections, while continuing the incantation.

I already knew the method. Caster was supplying ample magical energy.

“――――Steel is my body, and fire is my blood.”

Back when Kiritsugu was still alive, my world was limited to the Emiya household grounds. At that time, protecting that place was enough. But as I grew, my world expanded—and I began to see the clash between ideal and reality.

“――――I have created over a thousand blades.”

I couldn’t help but laugh bitterly. In the end, I hadn’t saved even those closest to me: Mitsuzuri, Sakura, Shinji… none of them.

This is the result of turning away from what I truly needed to save. I should have realized it sooner. The few I can save… even then, it requires pouring my entire self into it.

“――――Unaware of loss. Nor aware of gain.”

I am breaking. The overflowing magical energy tears my very existence apart.

This is the burden I bear for saving just one.

“――――Withstood pain to create weapons for one. Waiting for one’s arrival.”

What I can save is limited. And the one I must save has already been decided. People place what is most precious to them at the center of their hearts. Most sit there themselves. But my seat has been empty for ten years. Yet…

“――――Dwell in this heart is only one.”

Now, it is occupied. Someone dearer than anyone else, someone I want to make happiest above all, sits at the center of my heart.

I will save Saber. I will live with Saber. This is a world made solely for that purpose.

“My fate was――――‘Unlimited Blade Works.’”

The moment I spoke the True Name, everything shattered and was reborn.

Flames surged. Burning fire forged boundaries, reshaping the world. Beyond my vision lay a limitless wasteland. Countless swords stood in perfect order.

This is the world of Shirou Emiya. A graveyard of swords, devoid of life. A Reality Marble containing infinite blades.

“End of the line.”

I would not repeat my earlier mistakes. I shot down each and every one of Shinji’s countless swords, closing the distance step by step. I froze before the twisted form of my former friend.

Archer had already fulfilled his wish and finished his role. Farewell words had been exchanged.

So I spoke to Shinji:

“Goodbye, Shinji.”

I cut his neck, and killed him…