A/N: Hey peeps! Here's the next chapter and the final part for the Holy Sword Arc. Just an FYI to any complainers, any scenes where I glossed over details, assume they went pretty much like in canon. Not very many, but just enough for a quick Reviewer Review:
1.) Leaving Galilei in a body bag is actually not so much being generous as allowing there to be something to bury. Shirou's not so heartless to deny him at least that much. Though I feel you guys might like how he gets punished.
2.) Xiphos is the true name of my W.I. Shirou, what he was in his original incarnation as a literal Primordial God. It was the name he was given as well as the title of his father, Basilleus that was given to Shirou, simply due to his nature as a 'sword that protects'. In a sense, Shirou is the reincarnation of a Primordial demigod who became a full god, tossed his godhood aside, and was then trapped in an endless cycle of life and death, rebirth and renewal. His divinity was sealed willingly, but he could always reclaim it, if the situation were extreme enough. More than this though, and it would be spoilers.
Now that that is out of the way, time for the disclaimer...
DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own any franchise or references used in this fanfic, as they are the respective properties of their respective owners, publishers, creators, and authors. Any OCs used are either my own or used with permission and/or proper credit given to their creators. This fanfic is a continuation of an AU of Marcus Galen Sands' own fanfic 'God Slaying Blade Works' using references to several fanfics and franchises credited as used to the best of my abilities, a meshing of canon and fanon lore in a manner that makes sense without over-relying on plot armor, and my own original ideas thrown in every now and then. This is a FREE FANFIV of a FANFIC, as in an UNPAID FAN-MADE FICTION of a FAN-MADE FICTION that I wrote for ABSOLUTELY NUDDIN'. So if you paid to read this, then you got ripped off. And if you do not like it, then you do not have to read it. Nobody is making you.
And now...
STORY START:
King of Wrought Iron Book 2: Guardian of DxD
Twentieth Forge: Dawn of Hope Shining at the Night of Despair's End-Part II
Heaven-Biblical Pantheon
Third-person P.O.V.
[Insert 'Drive' by Incubus]
Within the confines of the Christian Biblical Pantheon's section of Heaven, the angels were running around in a tizzy just short of like a bunch of chickens with their heads cut off in a minor panic. The reason for this was the very same reason why a certain Archangel of the Seraphs was staring listlessly at the ground in a state of utter shock practically speechless as the chaos around him barely drew his attention compared to just what he was looking at occurring in a certain Japanese town at that moment…
"Michael! Are you seeing this?!" Shouted out the Archangel of Justice, Uriel, but the Archangel of War didn't respond. He saw it alright. How could he not? After all, for the first time in nearly two thousand years, they could detect a signature similar enough to Father's to cause Heaven's System to react to it.
As if that wasn't enough, that very same signature radiated an aura similar to a God who supposedly died at least four thousand years before Father did, and yet gave off a slightly modified version of the One God's Battle Standard in a clear message from Father…
'...My Will is still here, even if I no longer am...'
Michael could only stare in utter speechless silence, as for the first time in a very long time, the Archangel of War and leader of the Seraph of Heaven was rendered unable to comprehend what he was seeing to the point his mind utterly blanked out for the first time in no one knows how long...
Scene Change
Within Shirou's Reality Marble
Unknown P.O.V.
Inside the world of the [Unlimited Blade Works], a bizarre sight is occurring in the form of two unusual entities interacting with the sword making up the core of Shirou's inner world when there shouldn't even be anyone other than Shirou himself within this world of infinite arms and armors whenever he dives into his inner world to interact with the said weapons within it. All the weapons both react to their presences in a similar manner to their respective natures.
The figure almost solely meddling with Shirou's core sword is obscured in a light that causes all the weapons considered 'holy', 'blessed', or 'sacred' within this world of infinite weaponry to resonate with his presence, yet his face is obscured by the very same light he emits, while a grayish off-white robe flows about his person and pure white hair. His body is also spectral and see-through, as though a phantom whose sole reason he hasn't faded away yet is due to the unique nature of this world he found himself within, whilst struggling to adjust the properties of the core sword to assist the efforts of what is occurring on the outside.
The other figure is enshrouded within darkness so deep, it was as if his body is made of the very substance and his features equally hidden from any eyes who'd see him, if there were anyone else in this world to witness them as he simply stared at his 'roommate' for lack of a better term as if he were being an idiot. Every demonic, cursed, or corrupting weapon within this world resonated with his being in a manner few would mistake as being in the presence of one of their ilk. It was a meeting between a demon and a god who were forced to share this space with one another for the sake of ensuring their world's survival just mere months ago on the outside, yet within this space may as well have been centuries for how slow time seemed to flow within it compared to the outside.
"You do realize how stupid of an idea this is for you to pull, right? You're going to give your children a heart attack, you know..."
The demonic entity's words of chastisement went ignored by his divine roommate as he continued his task for the sake of ensuring his message gets across properly without causing any unintended problems for their host before he responds.
"...perhaps...it will...but still...must be done..."
The divine entity struggled to say as he finished up putting the finishing touches on what modifications he performed upon Shirou's core sword, and as he finished, he wiped a bit of sweat from his brow as what looked to be chains visibly manifested upon the blade, but with an obvious series of cracks forming upon them as he nodded with a satisfied air about him at his handiwork.
"Well, as happy as I am to see them suffer a mini-heart attack, I still have to ask YWCH, what the hell are you trying to pull with this one?"
YWCH, otherwise more commonly known as the One-God of the Christian Bible, simply looked at his compatriot and shook his head. "You do know what this sword is, as well as what these chains represent, do you not?"
"Of course I do! They represent our host's sealed divinity! This sword ever gets broken free of these chains, he'll cease being mortal and return back to his position as one of the divine! What I'M asking is what the fuck you are thinking by messing with it like you were just now!"
The demonic entity simply glared at YWCH with obvious anger and annoyance, but given just what this sword was, it was understandable just WHY he'd be reluctant to mess with it, given what it represents and its role within Shirou's soul. Given how their 'host' reacted to them trying to mess with his soul in the first month, it was understandable why he'd not want to touch to core sword at all. He very much nearly had his soul destroyed by that cursed sword. It was an absolute ABOMINATION that defied the very natural order of the world to even exist at all.
YWCH simply shook his head and responded why he was doing this. "You and I both know how much our host has suffered and put up with, in ALL his lives since his decision to lower himself to the mortal plane of existence. All I am doing is loosening the chains preventing his true, full power from being brought to bare."
"Yes! My point exactly! He CHOSE to fall from godhood! How do you think he'll react to you giving him the option to become a god again? What if he doesn't WANT to be one again?! Huh?!"
"Which is precisely why I set it up so unless he draws far too much power or seeks his old strength again, he'll have the option whether or not to fully reclaim his power permanently or only temporarily. That's what made it so tiring for me to do this, but given what we asked of him, its only fair to grant him this much of an assistance."
"...just so we're clear, if he starts getting pissy about this again, I'm blaming you and throwing you to the wolves. I am NOT getting blamed for this one YWCH..."
"Heheheh...you worry too much...Lemegeddon..."
"Hmph! Don't say I didn't warn you..."
Lemegeddon, the Lesser Key of Solomon and the demon who commanded the 72 Demon Pillars of the Ars Goetia. The two voices Shirou heard were none other than theirs, who thanks to the time-space fuckery typically involved in inter-dimensional travel between parallel worlds, ended up within Shirou's Reality Marble during their dying moments as they faded from the world as they died after sealing Beast 666/Trihexa.
The two truly died at that moment, but thanks to a twist of fate similar to how [Basilleus] did with his line, were able to entrust a portion of both their wills and their power to Shirou as he crossed the Dimensional Gap and entered their world. This was part of the reason as to why Shirou had something of a serious mood swings during the first few months as things started to finally stabilize once more. That was the reason they both knew better than to mess with Shirou's inner world too much anymore after he literally gave his 'tenants' a stern talking to at sword point about trying to literally renovate his soul after squatting there without his permission or consent.
Needless to say, their temporary residence and presence within his soul is going to cause a LOT of headaches for a certain Sword Forger in the days and months to come…
[End Song 'Drive']
Scene Change
Kuoh Academy
Third-person P.O.V.
Back in Kuoh Academy, where Shirou made a rather bold and impressionable entrance, baring the Battle Standard of the One-God of the Christian Biblical Pantheon, all eyes were gawking at him, save for one set which simply grinned at his presence, which radiated a sense of divinity that had not been felt by the world in at least six millennia, but for the man himself has not had access to it for at least millions of years of collective jumps throughout time and space from endless loops of life, death, rebirth and renewal.
"Welcome back Shirou...no...Xiphos..."
Kurotetsu stated with an obvious grin, but without looking at his friend responded in a manner that got his grin to deflate a bit.
"Sorry Tetsu, not back fully. If anything, I'd rather never be back to this state indefinitely."
"So only temporary then." Kurotetsu shrugs a bit in disappointment. "Ah well. Just seeing a sliver of your former true power is impressive enough."
Shirou then turned to look at Yuuto, seeing him in some dire straights and barely keeping himself conscious from his ordeal, and simply extended his presence outwards, the golden ash emitted from the cracks in his body flowing over the Devils and Exorcists present, but rather than harm any of them, it healed and rejuvenated them, restoring their energy and healing their wounds somewhat. Not enough to be back at full strength, but enough to no longer be in serious danger of dying outright anymore.
Then while keeping his gaze on Yuuto, Shirou spoke up next whilst tossing something to the Gremory Knight, which he barely caught before looking to see what it was. It looked like a crystal, yet gave a golden light that seemed to resonate with the golden ash the Sword Forger was releasing as Shirou spoke up next in response to his confusion.
"W-wh-wha..."
"That, Kiba, is what Galilei murdered your friends for: a crystal housing the affinity for Holy element. It's only right for you to receive this, as the one they wished to survive in their stead, and to honor their memory by putting it to good use."
The eyes of those gathered widened somewhat, as in a turn they had not expected, took a closer look at the crystal, which had blood on it from when Shirou ripped it out of Freed's body when he killed him. The crystal then began to glow, and ephemeral visions of Yuuto's friends appeared, causing the Gremory Knight to begin crying, as they all began to coalesce and enter into his body, as a new sword was generated by this. [Sword Birth]'s Balance Breaker, [Sword of the Betrayer].
Yuuto's tears continued, as Shirou saw the sword, yet knew he would never use it. He could copy it, but he still couldn't use it. That sword was for Kiba Yuuto and Kiba Yuuto alone, yet even so he still smiled at helping the boy, if only a little bit. Shirou was about to say something next, but then he was interrupted before he got the chance by a certain treacherous cadre who decided to interrupt the touching scene and ruining the mood with his cry of outrage towards Shirou…
"IMPOSSIBLE! He is supposed to be dead! How do you have Father's Battle Standard?!" Kokabiel shouted out while throwing a few tainted light spears at Shirou, only for the Holy Sword Shards to rise up in his defense of their own volition...oh no...Shirou turned to glance what everyone's reactions were, just as he was worried about...
...and there he dropped the bombshell that resulted in utter silence descending upon the battlefield. Galilei had a look of dawning realization as to why so many things that shouldn't have happened had happened being explainable if God was dead, the Devils were shell shocked by the very notion that God had been dead along with the four original Satans after the war, as for Griselda and Xenovia, they were utterly crushed in spirit. Irina, whom was still knocked unconscious, didn't react, but Xenovia was distraught while Griselda worried for her ward.
She was high enough ranked to not have to worry about getting in trouble for learning of this secret, but Xenovia...she'd most likely be excommunicated if the Church were to discover she learned something as classified like this. Galilei simply roared in maddened laughter, shouting how it made sense, but Shirou cut him off before he could do any more harm than he's already done to the people present.
"That's enough out of you."
Suddenly a ludicrously heavily cursed sword materialized and launched itself right at Galilei, impaling him through the chest and eliciting an unholy scream of pure pain and shock as he fell limply to the ground, his eyes lifeless as if a puppet had its strings cut. When the sword dispersed into motes of golden light, it revealed necrosis where it impaled Galilei, but otherwise no apparent injuries remained on his corpse.
All eyes went wide at this, but Kurotetsu simply stated in such a flippant manner exactly what he thought on the matter. "I warned him he'd die in the truest sense. Now his soul itself has been destroyed by Shirou for messing with [Angra Mainyu]'s infernal mud." The gawking looks several present gave the living construct didn't even phase him in the slightest, though one certain Fallen Star of God made his fury known.
"Just who or what are you, Emiya Shirou?! You wield power that should be beyond mere humans, yet you choose to live as one. You claim to stand for peace, yet wield such overwhelming power. You are a living contradiction in every sense of the word, yet you stand in the way of my plans! WHY?!"
Kokabiel's ranting rage and ire are vented in that one shout of rage, but Shirou simply stares at the traitorous Cadre with a look, not of outrage, anger, or pain, but of pity and disappointment as he responds.
"You ask me what I am Kokabiel? You wish to know who I am, Fallen Star of God?" Kokabiel then realizes something as he stares into Shirou's gold and silver gaze, practically seeing through him and his very soul itself being laid bare before that piercing gaze of his, as the Sword Forger continues. "Tell me something. It's been bothering me for a while, but just why did you fall from grace? What was the reason you blackened your wings for? Hmm, Kokabiel, the Fallen Star of God?"
Shaking his head as the Holy Sword Shards revolved around him in mid-air, Shirou continued his words, his attempt to grant Kokabiel one final chance at walking away and lessening his punishment, but knew that unless he took a certain approach he was familiar with, he wouldn't get it as Kokabiel responded his eyes narrowed. "And why does it matter how I fell?"
Shirou simply glared at the rogue Cadre, pinning him to the spot as if a sword were held at his very soul and the Sword Forger responded in kind. "Because you have strayed, Fallen Star of God."
Kokabiel simply looked at Shirou, unable to understand what he meant by that. Anger seemed to rise out of him as he spoke his mind for the first time in who know how many centuries, something about Shirou's presence making him want to tell him. "'I have strayed'? And just how have I strayed? When I noticed my brothers and sisters fell, I knew, when Father died, that someone needed to look after them, to prevent them from losing their way!"
"...you deliberately blackened you wings and chose to fall..."
"That's right...did you know? Human were Father's favorite creation. Oh, he'd never admit it, but they were. Unlike us angels, who were constant, humanity was ever shifting and changing, growing stronger and weaker over time, and finding countless ways to compensate and improve over time." Kokabiel said with a fond smile on his face, but then turned to an angry scowl as he glared at the Devils present as he continued. "But then the Devils began to twist Father's creations, targeting humans for their own selfish reasons! That was the reason why father declared war upon the Four Original Satans, the real reason why, a man as dedicated to peace as he was, could no longer stand idle as he watched his children suffer!"
All the eyes of the gathered Devils and humans present awake to hear this widened as they realized the reason why Kokabiel was trying to restart the war, the real reason he did all of this…
"...and what of Anastasia Kitsugomi? How did she fit into all of this?" Kokabiel went quiet and had a saddened yet fond smile on his face as he recalled the woman in question...
"...she and I met, just before the Berlin Wall was torn down, in a coffee shop she was working in at the time overseas. Ana knew who I was, but even so, she still accepted me for who I was. She gave me hope after losing Father, she was the only thing I had left after losing Father's light..." Kokabiel then turned towards the very surprised Devils present, those who weren't even there at the time, his rage showing once more… "But then a Devil killed her, simply to get at me! A way to get back at me for the friends he lost in the Great War! I made him pay for it, but even so, it didn't bring her back, or make me feel her loss any less!"
Shirou simply looked at Kokabiel, neither judging nor condemning his actions, simply letting him get it all out, while every one else present and conscious enough to comprehend why the Fallen Star of God was doing all this simply were shocked the reasons being listed were what they were.
"When the Great War ended, the Devils had lost their original Four Satans, Heaven and the Angels lost Father and most of their members, while the Fallen still had most of their forces! We could have won the battle and ended the war right then and there, but Azazel, the coward, chose to retreat instead! I took Father's loss just as badly as he did, but even so to retreat when we had the distinct advantage and waste it?! INEXCUSABLE!"
Those present, other than Kurotetsu and Shirou, were surprised by Kokabiel's outrage, and just as taken aback by the reasons he was listing, as he continued his rant. Shirou then spoke up, yet his tone was still not surprised in the slightest. There was no anger or outrage, nor any sadness or pity. Simply understanding.
"So your reason for restarting the Great War is because you didn't like how it ended? You are dissatisfied with how the leaders of the three factions have been acting in the years since?"
"That's right! Michael, as much as he tries, cannot replace Father. He's been keeping Father's system going, but the system was never meant for anyone but Father to use it. I'm honestly surprised he hasn't Fallen yet, given how the supposedly straight-laced brother of mine was willing to go through with such a deception as keeping not only Father's death a secret, but also passing the shards of [Caliburn] off as [Excalibur]." All those present suddenly stared at Shirou, seeing the Caliburn Shards reacting to Shirou's presence giving a whole new significance to the reason as to just why he refused to wield them.
"When the Original Four Satans died, the Devils at least had their Civil War to keep them in check, but then they took to desecrating Father's favorite creations to replenish their ranks! Twisting them into their own foul kin just to stave off extinction! How many of them actually chose to become Devils? How many of them weren't tricked into becoming one for their own selfish gain?! Hmm?!" Rias and Sona both understood that one question, given that they knew not all Devils were as kind or compassionate towards their peerages as they were.
"And as for Azazel! Don't get me started on that cowardly bastard! He constantly complained about not having a family, yet he blew his chance at having one when Mikoto left him! What has he done outside of Sacred Gear research into trying to produce new or artificial ones like Father did? Nothing! That's what! Incompetence is the only thing the leaders of the three factions have done since the war ended! I've been trying to continue where Father left off, continuing in his place while the others try to forget what he stood for! I-"
"-gave up..."
Shirou P.O.V. Shift
"Wh-what?" The Fallen Star of God looked shocked by my interruption, the sheer disbelief on his face clear evidence he couldn't wrap his mind around what I merely stated as a fact from what I gathered. Now I suddenly realize just why I can't seem to stand Kokabiel and am irritated by him no different than a certain red-clad bowman I just can't help but overlap the image of over the rogue Fallen before me.
"You gave up." My tone grew colder as I said this, the absolute intention to beat the notion of restarting the war out of his head clear in my tone of voice.
"How dare you! I am the only one who hasn't forgotten about what Father wished for when he created humanity! How have I given up?!"
"If you were truly intent on continuing where the Big G left off, then by all means please tell me: Why did you put Raynare into a coma and nearly killed her? How can YOU ever hope to replace your father if you failed with your own daughter?!" He simply froze at that, but I didn't stop there. Oh no, someone needed to beat the lesson into that thick skull of his, and since the Big G entrusted saving this world in his place to me, that role falls to me to fulfill.
Kokabiel seems to roar in outrage, as a series of magical circles appear, and from within them come a small army of countless armors, made of tainted light, revealing themselves as the army of three-hundred angels he was said to command. They were all essentially magic constructs remotely controlled by Kokabiel's will, but could act semi-independently from him as needed in battle. Simply put, a small army of third-rate Kurotetsu knock-offs. I'm insulted, and judging from the nonplussed glare he leveled at them, so was Tetsu.
As I began to flare out my power, the Caliburn Shards began to react, and in a flash of light, a seventh shard appeared, and the seven of them all began to resonate as a voice, that same voice I heard just days ago from [Caliburn Destruction], rang out, and judging from the shocked gazes of the others, they heard it too…
"We are here good smith, we are here to be remade, just as you were..."
Within the depths of my soul, I felt an instinctive cry out, a singular request from one sword on the hill at the center of my inner world, reacting to these fragments and seeking to answer their plea. I felt something hot trickle down my cheeks, before realizing it was tears of crimson, in a reddish-orange color...ah, that's right...they were tears of rusted iron blood, befitting a sentient sword in human form like myself...the pain of this blade resonated from the depths of my soul like few others ever could as I spoke up, almost like in a trance.
"What would you like to be?"
"Make us whole, Child of Steel. Make us whole..."
Not even Kokabiel could prevent what I was about to do, as I raised my left hand, palm upwards, as though requesting to be handed something from the shards, but then I chanted something that sent an obvious chill down the spines of those behind me and to the foe before me as I began my work…
"I am the Bone of my Sword"
"My Body is Made out of Swords"
...there was an obvious echo to my words, as I chanted the first verse of my personal aria, one befitting a man made of swords, like a vow, an oath made upon my very soul…
...as he chanted this verse, all seven of the Caliburn Shards began to dismantle and melt themselves down, reforming back into the most basic form of a swords base components as an ephemeral image of its true form appeared in Shirou's hand, serving as the mold from which it would properly reform from...
"Iron is my Blood and Glass is my Heart"
"With Body of Steel and Soul of Fire"
...the next verse I spoke reflecting my nature as one who could be a frail as glass and easily knocked over with a feather, yet when it comes to what's truly important, will be as unbreakable as the strongest of steels…
...the reforming Caliburn started to sharpen and refine itself, Shirou's inherent nature as a blacksmith seeking nothing less than perfection in his craft allowing no defects in his works to be found anywhere, resulting in Caliburn being properly formed not simply as a parade arm, but a legitimate weapon viable for combat...
"I have created Infinite Blades"
"Striking my Iron upon my Hill"
...at this verse, a phantasmal hill of swords formed around me, as the forge within my soul partially manifested in a manner that allowed me to work my best, reflecting the countless toils of labor and endless duty I perform to this day and will continue to the end of existence itself…
...as they witnessed the sight of a hill of weapons, they got a glimpse of Shirou's inner world, and yet that glimpse alone was enough to reveal just how many weapons and struggles he has endeavored to never forget, nor how many countless tales of warriors he has the full knowledge of...these weapons are all orphans, no different then he, all of whom lost their true owners...
"Forged from Heaven's Feel"
"In my Left hand lies Hell's Wrath"
...as I chanted this line, the melted down portions of [Caliburn] had solidified, and the blessed metal used to reforge the fragments into usable swords was redistributed in a manner that was purely aesthetic in nature, giving the otherwise golden sword a silvery blue accents that coupled well with the gold of the holy metal…
...Kokabiel's attempts to prevent Shirou from reforging the blade had not only been hindered by the barrier of golden ash and burning flames, but also by sword that manifested in response to the fallen Star of God's attempts to interrupt, most notably the swords of the Knights of the Round, eagerly awaiting for their King's sword to be reforged proper for its new wielder...
"Tempered through Hell's Flames"
"And held in my Right, Heaven's Joy"
...as I chanted this line, the heat of the flames intensified, tempering the blade in question as it is sharpened and refined to the very pinnacle of what could be achieved, and strengthened in a manner that only a legitimate blacksmith could ever hope to achieve and not some third-rate hack of an alchemist's piss-poor attempt at sword-smithing…
...Kokabiel recognized several of the blades blocking his path, as well as did the Exorcists and Devils in questions in the know about certain swords whom were present, as Arondight, Galatine, Clarent, and even other weapons of the Knights of the Round defended Shirou and the still-reforming Caliburn...
"Have withstood Eternal Pain to create countless Swords"
"Caring not for either Glory nor Reward"
...as I chanted this verse, the aura of Holy Light began to increase as the sword began to finalize its restoration, and while slightly different due to the change in materials, the overall design remained unchanged, aside from being stronger than when it was first drawn from the stone in the city of Roan 1,500 years ago…
...realizing he couldn't break through, Kokabiel simply watched as a sword his Father forged and had seen broken with his own two eyes was remade proper-no, if anything it had been remade even stronger than when the One-God first forged it...much to Kokabiel's shock...
"Broken and Reforged, Shattered and Remade, Yet still I Stand, Nameless and Forgotten"
"Needing no other reason to do what is right, for it is never wrong to help others"
...as I finished up reforging the blade, an aura of absolute sanctity broke out as I began to magically cool the sword held in my awaiting left hand while [Excalibur] was still held in my right, a ray of light suddenly shone down upon me from the heavens themselves, much like how it had for its previous wielder when it reacted to his presence…
...as Shirou was finishing up the blade, all watched as the sword began to emit an aura unmistakable, and was felt all the way to Kyoto, where it resonated with the unborn children growing within Vocaloid's wombs, yet its reach didn't just end at Japan; it was felt all around the world...
"For the True Child of Steel decrees atop the Hill of Swords..."
"So I pray, as the Fire still burns..."
...as I cooled the blade in my left hand, it hissed quite a bit as I lifted the blade to give it one last look before it finished, and chanted the final verse of my personal aria, as I held both the Sword of Hope's Light and the newly reforged Sword of Selection in my hands…
...as Shirou finished his greatest work to date, throughout the world, several different pantheons and factions were reacting to his presence...in some cases, it was the desire to eliminate a potential threat to their plans, in others it was a desire to reunite with an old friend whose presence had not been felt in thousands of years, but for certain parties related to Gaia, they all grinned as the revelation made by a certain Envoy of theirs was proved correct...now they would be testing his worth in their own respective ways in the days to come...
"[Unlimited Blade Works]"
"[Mugen no Kensei]"
...and the Sword of Selection, [Caliburn], was once more reforged anew, ready and eager to be of use to its new wielder in battle once again in his left hand, while in his right he held the Sword of Hope's Light, [Excalibur]…
...and the situations he'd get caught up in would require him to get involved in the world's affairs, simply for no other reason than to keep his promise to both YWCH and Lemegeddon...though even they would find his luck to be utterly bizarre in the types of situations Shirou tends to find himself in…
Third-person P.O.V. Shift
Kokabiel, once the blinding light that kept him from seeing what Shirou was doing, prepared his summoned constructs to battle Shirou once and for all. Glaring down at the Sword Forger, his intentions clear as day who his first target will be to kill to fulfill his plans. "So you managed to reforge Father's sword. If you think that will help even the odds against you, then think again! It's a battle of 301 against 1 single man! You're outnumbered!"
Shirou, simply looked down at [Caliburn] in his hand, before smirking as an idea seemed to flash behind his burning gold and sparking silver eyes, before he responded in a taunt of his own towards the Fallen Star of God's attempt at intimidation…
"Wrong...it's not 301 against 1..."
Shirou's words confused those present as he began to start cracking as golden ashes began to pour out of his body, whilst he chanted his signature original aria...
"Trace. On."
...and suddenly in an equally blinding flash of light, there stood not one, not two, but SEVEN Emiya Shirous, each with a slightly different attire and air about them, and each one holding a slightly different weapon, but it was clear what they were: [Caliburn]'s form modified to fit the fighting style of the respective clone and the power best suited for it…
"What the fuck?!" Kokabiel gaped in disbelief as those behind Shirou weren't doing much better believing what they were seeing, gaping at what they saw with their own eyes...
"It's Seven against 301!"
...and in place of the one Shirou were now Seven distinct copies of Shirou, but there were slight differences between them, reflecting their strengths and weaknesses, as well as their differing aspects they represented of Shirou's entire personality.
One of the Shirou's present had worn a hood over his head made of his [Shroud of Martin] and had a few different swords on him, including the one he used to kill Galilei just a short while earlier. He also had two short swords sheathed with the same feeling as the sword he used to kill the Archbishop of Genocide along with a pair of daggers that felt like they were modified from [Caliburn Transparency] and [Caliburn Nightmare] respectively. Assassin Emiya, wearing equipment meant for stealth and sneak attacks in combat.
Next to him was a Shirou wearing a lightly armored and speed-oriented set of light weight armor and a short scythe and chain with the aura of [Caliburn Rapidly] and [Caliburn Ruler] modified into a chained weapon for agile hit-and-run attacks designed with speed in mind. He had a streamlined design to his armor and a sprinters build meant solely for speed in combat. Rider Emiya, though he won't have much strength due to a lack of a mount.
Behind them were two other Shirous. The first one had a hood like the first, but without any mask concealing his features. He wore the white mantle with the [Shroud of Martin] underneath like a hooded mantle, while holding a staff emitting an aura similar to that of [Caliburn Blessing], modified into a staff with a bladed ends on both sides. He was the lightest in terms of armor, and seemed more geared towards support than anything if the intellectual gleam in his eye was any indication. Caster Emiya was ready to lend his support.
Next to him was a Shirou who was eerily similar to a certain red-clad bowman of a Counter-Guardian whom needed no introduction. Aside from his eyes being heterochromatic gold and silver and half his hair still being rust red, and his cloak being white instead of red, he'd be a dead ringer for the guy. Archer Emiya, whose tongue was just as sharp as his Counter-Guardian counterpart and his tendencies just as irritating with [Caliburn Mimic] taking the form of a bow for him to use in battle to fire off projected blades from.
The next Shirou taking the lead in front had a bit of a firmer physical build, like that of a brick shit house, armored bracers and shin guards with metal-plated finger-less gloves on both hands and coverings over his shoes. On his back was a massive greatsword that radiated an aura of holy-based destruction, matching its wielder's aura of physical power and destructive dark instinct. Berserker Emiya, wielding a modified [Caliburn Destruction].
Standing next to him was a leaner version of Shirou, in a lighter armor with speed and mobility in mind while wielding a spear-like weapon that gave off an impression of having been modified from several of the Caliburn Shards, utilizing the aspects of [Caliburn Rapidly] and [Caliburn Mimic] to create a holy lance designed for the purpose of speed in mind. Lancer Emiya, who focused on speed and agility rather than brute strength.
On the other side of Berserker Emiya was on wielding a two holy swords, one of which is obviously the reforged [Caliburn], but also [Excalibur]. He actually was the real Emiya Shirou, simply because his physical appearance and such have not really changed in the slightest unlike his doppelgangers. Given the theme of the copies generated, he is essentially Saber Emiya. And he is the one with the two legitimate holy swords while the others are simply modified projections of the reforged [Caliburn] with the abilities and traits that best suit them and their class' skill set.
"Zabaniya Blade Works: Steel Fantasia!" The Emiya Seven shouted out before the fight started between the Fallen Star of God and the seven Sword Forgers.
[Insert 'The Spiral' by RE:MAKE]
The Emiya Seven started to split up, each one taking a different position depending on their particular skill set and weapon of choice as they split up. Archer and Caster Emiyas took a rearguard position, lending ranged support of arrow and runes respectively while Berserker, Saber, and Rider Emiyas took a vanguard position. Assassin Emiya pulled a Houdini to take Kokabiel by surprise the first chance he got. As for Lancer Emiya, he pulled a stunt that Kokabiel oh so loved to hate while he was distracted by the Saber, Berserker, and Rider Emiyas…
"[Rhongonmyniad]!"
Tracing the divine spear of King Arthur himself, Lancer Emiya then launched the holy lance like a javelin straight at the center of Kokabiel's front line, blasting a hole right through the middle of his forces, taking out a good chunk of his summoned constructs, and forcing Kokabiel himself to take to the sky in an attempt to dodge the blast that literally ripped right through his summoned forces. Lancer Emiya dodged out of the way just in time to avoid a counter attack from the surviving summoned troops, but unfortunately landed right in the spot where Kokabiel then proceeded to blast the area with his tainted light spears, skewering him alive and forcibly dispelling Lancer Emiya in a shower of blood, shattered steel, golden motes of light, and dissipating shadows.
Not letting up for a moment, the remaining Emiya Six proceeded to whittle down the remaining 146 summoned constructs and Kokabiel, a full near-half the original numbers taken out in that one attack before Lancer Emiya's fall. Saber and Berserker Emiya were launching a forward assault against the majority of the remaining summoned constructs, but Rider Emiya was distracting Kokabiel by pulling a sneak attack, using the chained scythe like a kusarigama to chain the Fallen Star of God and drag him to the ground. When Kokabiel broke out of the chains holding him down, Assassin Emiya revealed himself behind Kokabiel, aiming for a sneak attack from his blind spot.
However, Kokabiel grabbed the lingering length of the shattered chain and dragged Rider Emiya closer to him, using him as a human shield to ward off Assassin Emiya's sneak attack, before supposedly taking a tainted light spear through Rider Emiya's body and Assassin Emiya's own heart. However, said Assassin Emiya was actually an illusion created using the modified [Caliburn Nightmare] and he reappeared using [Caliburn Transparency] in a manner similar to presence concealment to get the drop on Kokabiel using one of the three cursed swords on his person. By switching places with a traced sword, he pulled a decoy maneuver.
Held in his hands were two of the Origin Swords Shirou's fragment who became the assassin known as the Second Magus Killer and known as the Queen's Silver Dog. On his back was the very same longsword Shirou used to kill Galilei, but in his hands were the other two cursed blades as the part of the set. [Kiritsugu] was remaining in its sheathe, warded against the blade and useless against Kokabiel, given his inherent divinity as a renowned Fallen Angel from the Book of Enoch.
In his left was a sword that was dark steel blue in color with splashes of red along the edge giving it a far keener and sharper looking edge. In his right was the matching part in a dull gray bordering on darker shades with a brown, almost yellow vein like pattern running along the blade. Bringing his left hand down, Assassin Emiya intended to slash Kokabiel with the Sword of Severing and the Sword of Binding to limit his combat capabilities and mobility, but all he managed to do was graze Kokabiel with [Natalia] and just barely missed binding him with [Maya], before being countered with a tainted light spear impaling him through the chest and head, shattering yet another illusion-based decoy, much to his ire.
"Damn you boy! Fight me face to face, coward!"
"Why not pay more attention to your rear?"
"Wha-?!" *FWOOSH* *BOOM*
Kokabiel suddenly took a flaming fireball exploding right to the face, with metallic shrapnel hitting him and knocking him right out of the air, landing on the ground with a barrage of arrows fired by Archer Emiya following up Caster Emiya's use of a rune-engraved metal container housing highly combustible and extremely flammable oils and chemicals in a makeshift mystic shrapnel bomb. Using Assassin Emiya's distraction, the duo were able to clear out quite a number of Kokabiel's summoned constructs before lending their assistance in grounding the Fallen Star of God. At least for the short moment it lasted.
With a roar of outrage, Kokabiel then proceeded to create and fire off spears of tainted light and shot them off like missiles that sought out their targets. Archer and Caster Emiya both noticed and tried to dodge, but Caster Emiya was too slow and got skewered. He was more of a supporter than an actual front-line fighter, but at the very least the runic traps he set up along the ground around Kokabiel went off when he got 'killed', thanks to the dead-man-switch runic array he set it up with. They activated in a flash of fire and light, impaling and taking out about another half of the remaining summoned constructs, but missing Kokabiel as the Fallen Star of God took to the skies once more to evade the traps just in the nick of time.
That one suicide attack took out 68 of the remaining 146 summoned constructs. Only 78 of them were left out of the original 300, and Berserker Emiya began to bulldoze his way through them as he made his way towards Kokabiel, leaping to slam his modified copy of [Caliburn Destruction] into the Rogue Fallen's side, unleashing a wave of destructive force sending him to the ground with each swing, but the remaining Emiyas knew Berserker Emiya wouldn't last for long on his own. So Archer Emiya decided to not be such a dick for once and lent a bit of covering fire to his Berserker counterpart.
While Archer Emiya was firing off arrows to give Berserker Emiya a bit of an edge over Kokabiel, Saber Emiya finished off the remaining group of summoned constructs, just as Berserker Emiya slammed Kokabiel into the ground one final time before he grabbed [Caliburn Destruction], held him in place, and prevented Berserker Emiya from avoiding getting skewered through the chest and abdomen. His eyes went blank for a moment, before Berserker Emiya's battle continuation kicked in, keeping him alive long enough to pull a combined kamikaze attack with Assassin Emiya using [Maya] and [Natalia] overloaded and broken, no different from a Broken Phantasm as part of a suicide attack to at least weaken the Fallen Star of God.
The reason why Assassin Emiya disappeared for a bit was to grab something he knew was on school grounds real quick and apply it to [Maya] and allowing it to bind onto Kokabiel's wounds inflicted by the destruction of the Sword of Binding. What he laced the blade with, was none other than some very flammable alcohol from the school chemistry lab. By binding that into Kokabiel's wounds, it would essentially numb his body, hindering him while also having the additional bonus of making his own name being invoked backfiring on him. Literally, as it would ignite the alcohol-laced wounds due to the Sword of Binding's mystical effects.
Though the two died, they still managed to deal one final insult to Kokabiel by forcing that last avenue of attack to harm him when he began to generate his holy fire, only to ignite his own wounds in the process. They were cauterized near instantly, but it still managed to slow him down enough to make the fight a bit easier. The Fallen Star of God, on the other hand, was less than pleased with such an underhanded tactic. In fact, he was utterly livid with Shirou at the moment. The second the flames blinding him ceased, he lashed out at the nearest enemy he could sense, which just so happened to be Issei, who tried to get in on the fight while he still could.
"Guh! Let go you damned crow!" Issei shouted in frustration, having a literal chain of tainted light wrapped around his arm as Kokabiel attempted to drag him to himself. He grit his teeth in a bit of pain as his skin hissed a bit from the light harming him, but at a reduced rate thanks to being under partial dragonification.
"How about you get over here and fight me?!" Kokabiel shouted, not realizing he grabbed someone other than Shirou in his literal blind rage at the moment. He began to pull, forcing Issei to plant his feet and drag through the dirt, leaving trails from the physical attempt to not get any closer to Kokabiel than he already is.
"No way! If that's the case, then I'll just chop off my arm first!"
"Go ahead if you want, but first move two inches to the right."
"Wha-?!"
Suddenly an arrow shot out from Issei after doing exactly what the voice said, as Saber Emiya appeared and pulled Issei away from the fight, taking him to the others as Archer Emiya suddenly appeared firing off arrows, drawing Kokabiel away, much to a confused Issei's stammering surprise.
"Ise-boyo, what were you doing trying to fight Kokabiel in this condition? You're still injured and exhausted!"
"Shirou-wha-but you just-"
"Archer Emiya."
"Right...dude, the other, Archer you is-"
"-a total dick. I already know."
Their banter was interrupted by Archer Emiya having to jump away as an enraged Kokabiel literally smashed the ground in front of him, forcing Archer Emiya to flee backwards after the building he was standing on was literally collapsed by the sheer brute force behind Kokabiel's fist just then.
"Ise-boyo, get back with Gremory and the others. I'll clean this up." Shirou wasn't taking 'no' for an answer from his tone, but Issei, with a quick 'gift' restored a bit of Shirou's stamina to help him keep the fight going for at least a while longer.
"Give the damned crow a good beating from me Shirou!"
Giving a nod of acknowledgment for the assist, Saber Emiya then ran up to join Archer Emiya, the two nodding as they both had an idea. Tracing two sets of [Kanshou] and [Bakuya], Archer and Saber Emiyas began chanting for a modified version of the signature technique created using the Married Swords in perfect unison…
"Spirit and Technique, Flawless and Firm"
Throwing the pairs of twin black and white blades, Archer Emiya and Saber Emiya both began to trace even more copies of the Married Swords to overwhelm Kokabiel in a cage of swords…
"Our Strength Rips the Mountains, Our Sword Splits the Waters"
Throwing more and more flying swords like something out of a flying circus act in a literal curtain of steel flying about in a demented boomerang-like fashion as all the copies of [Kanshou] and [Bakuya] began to spin repeatedly and center around the Fallen Star of God, caging him within a literal curtain of blades…
"Our Names reaches the Imperial Villa"
"Trace Overedge!"
As they chanted that, those present were witness to the two sets of Married Swords within Archer and Saber Emiya's hands suddenly splinter and grow from shortswords into longswords, cracking and splintering along the lengths to resemble a pair of wings, one black as ebony, the other white as freshly fallen snow, as the two held them in a manner that resembled wings as they descended upon Kokabiel, like an angel falling from grace as it drags a sinner down to hell with it...
"The two of us cannot hold the Heavens together"
Kokabiel's eyes widened as he realized what was about to happen, yet could only brace himself for what comes next as both Archer Emiya and Shirou slammed the Broken Phantasms down upon the Fallen Star of God right as the flying copies of the Married Swords fly right into him, detonating all of them simultaneously as the finished their chant…
"Two great men sharing a life!" *Ba-Ba-Da-BOOM*
And all of them suddenly turned into deadly shrapnel that tore through Kokabiel's body from every possible direction. If he were a normal human, that would have possibly killed him. But since he was a Fallen, Kokabiel was made of far sterner stuff than that. Neither Archer Emiya nor Shirou believed for a second that was enough to actually kill him.
"[Twelve-linked Crane Wing Realm]!"
After detonating the chained explosions of Broken Phantasms, Archer Emiya and Shirou both landed a bit away from Kokabiel, expecting and waiting for him to retaliate in a manner they'd have a hard time dealing with so easily. As a consequence, while paying careful attention to the dust cloud kicked up from the blast, Archer Emiya posed a very good question…
"...there's no way he went down that easily..."
As if in response to confirm that very same question, a spear of tainted light suddenly shot out of the dust cloud, aimed right at the real Shirou! Archer Emiya pushed Shirou out of the way, taking the blow in his stead as he muttered just one last word before dissipating into motes of golden light, shattered steel, blood, and shadows…
"...all up...to you...now..."
[End Song 'The Spiral']
Sighing to himself as he stared at Kokabiel, Shirou simply looked him dead in the eye as he eyed up his condition. The Fallen Star of God was no longer in as pristine condition as he had when he first arrived. If anything, Shirou forced him to actually fight seriously for the first time in a long time. So used to fighting those weaker than himself was he, that when someone actually put up a challenge for once, he was actually starting to feel both irritated and eager for once.
Shirou could tell. Kokabiel was a total battle junky, but not simply due to the thrill of combat, but simply due to forgetting his pain in grief by throwing himself into battle as a way to vent his frustrations and rage he normally kept bottled up inside of himself. From the clashes he had with him, Shirou got a good idea of his opponent's mindset for battle. Kokabiel was using combat as an outlet for his pain and grief.
Not exactly the healthiest method for dealing with the pain of losing loved ones, but then again he had no room to judge such methods, given his own methods for such things was possibly as bad if not worse in some ways. Seeing as how he was now forced to face Kokabiel by himself, he decided it was time to start giving Kokabiel a taste of just why making an enemy of him was a bad idea.
With a battle roar that would have made Honored Herakles proud, Kokabiel launched himself at Shirou, dead set on killing him for the numerous insults he's made, be they intentional or unintentional on his part, while Shirou is intent on kicking the Fallen Star of God's can and take him down a few pegs. Conjuring a pair of tainted light spears, Kokabiel lunges towards Shirou, who defaults to his original suicidal Nitō-ryū using a modified form with both [Excalibur] and [Caliburn] instead of a his usual shortswords.
After meeting him in the middle, Shirou and Kokabiel began a high-speed exchange of blows, with Kokabiel's anger and rage driving him on, but most of all, his pain and grief. He might be able to hide it behind his actions and his words, but Kokabiel's blades and strikes all show the truth of his heart. Shirou could see through him. He was simply a man in pain, lashing out at the world itself in his misguided grief and rage. He has strayed from his original goals. In trying to pursue the goal he strove for, he has inadvertently become the very anti-thesis of his ideals.
Just like Kiritsugu. Just like EMIYA. And Shirou was irritated even more so by this simply because Kokabiel doesn't even seem to realize just how wrong he is, or even how far he has strayed from his intended goals. Kokabiel, for his part, is puzzled by Shirou and his actions thus far. He has shown no outrage, nor sadness, no hatred, not even pride. The only thing he felt from Shirou's swordplay was merely a void. As if he was empty inside. Yet when he looked at Shirou's eyes, what he saw was that of disappointment, but more than that, irritation. It was as if somehow Kokabiel had slighted his opponent in someway, yet he knew not how he did so.
Slamming their weapons against each other in a final clash, Shirou then spoke up for the first time since directly addressing Kokabiel with the full intention of fighting him as he spoke up.
"Shine as a beacon of hope, symbols of the fae..."
Kokabiel's eyes widened at that, as he knew what Shirou was planning with that particular chant. In a sudden desire to end this fight, Kokabiel tried to force Shirou back, but instead ended up in a sword lock as Shirou refused to give Kokabel the chance to escape…
"Oh Sword of Selection, Oh Sword of Hope's Light..."
Shirou pressed the attack, not allowing Kokabiel to pull too far back and even chasing the Fallen Star of God when he tried to take to the air, only to be forced to go aground when Shirou jumped on a platform of golden motes of light allowing him to run in the air after him, causing Kokabiel to grimace as he understood his opponent could fight an aerial battle just as easily as he could if given the opportunity…
"Cleanse the corrupted, Cleave the wicked..."
Kokabiel tried to get out of range, but was too late, Shirou allowed him to get far enough away to perform this next attack unimpeded as both holy swords in his grasp began to shine and gathered energy upon the blades in response to his chant…
"[Cross-Calibur]!"
...and unleashed it upon the Fallen Star of God in arcs of literal slashes of light cleaving through the air itself in literally visible slashes, cleaving through the air and Kokabiel's body, forcing him to the ground after being physically pushed back and sent through the concrete wall of a nearby school sport's club, in the form of a nearby dividing wall for an outdoor tennis or racquetball court.
The rapid flurry of dual-wielded slashes of light horribly shredded his body's already straining muscles to the point he could barely stand on his own, never mind continue the fight. Even flying would be impossible for him now, given he only has one of his wings still in good enough condition as the rest got literally sheared of all their feathers from the flurry of slashes from Shirou's last barrage. He was barely standing as it was, yet Shirou didn't even need to make a move to end the fight as someone else decided to end it for him.
Without a word of warning, an armored figure of white and blue, eerily similar to Ddraig's Balance Breaker swooped in and knocked Kokabiel out, before picking his unconscious body up and shouldering him as he turned towards the assembled Devils, Exorcists, Kurotetsu, and Shirou as he responded to the blatant combat stance Shirou was giving the guy.
"Sorry for taking so long. Azazel dropped this on me to capture this guy to bring back for him to punish personally at the last possible moment."
The figure spoke up, and addressed them. Though he had an arrogant and disrespectful tone, Shirou could tell the guy wasn't an enemy. At least not at the moment. Then he looked towards Issei as he continued.
"Plus I wished to see what my rival was capable of. Frankly, I'm slightly disappointed by how weak you are, Red Dragon Emperor. Though there is yet potential for our fated battle."
"I see. It's been a while, White One."
"Indeed it has, Red One."
After revealing that this new arrival was Albion, the White Dragon Emperor and Ddraig's eternal rival, The host to [Divine Dividing] declared Issei his fated opponent to fight to the death one day, took Kokabiel into his custody, and left, but not before riling Issei up with his arrogance.
Shirou, however, didn't focus too much on the conversation. If anything, he was more focused on his 'scent' than his words. His magic...it 'smelt' just like a certain old acquaintance of his, but rather than the scent of the Kaleidoscope, it 'smelt' like 'dragon' in its place...he was actually wondering...could it really be…
"Wait!"
All eyes turned to look at Raynare, as she glared daggers at her 'father', who just barely remained awake long enough to see her, but when he stormed up to him, the armored figure tried to bar her path, until he recognized that look on her face, and wisely moved out of the way. Dense as he may be, Vali knew better than to step between a pissed-off woman and the subject of her wrath.
"R-raynare...why are-" *SLAP*
Raynare didn't even let him finish before slapping him so hard, she actually managed to move him just a few inches. Given the circumstances and how she couldn'teven do that much before, it was a testament to her increase in strength from the Assassin Piece she received from Shirou. She then looked at Shirou, waltzed up to him brazenly in front of everyone, and in clean view of her 'father', proceeded to french kiss Shirou in front of everyone, much to the shocked surprise of those gathered.
Shirou was stunned, Kokabiel looked like his spirit just got crushed, and utter chaos broke out from the mixed reaction that got out of all those present. Raynare also sprouted six wings as she did this. The two she had originally, a new pair grown from the Servant Piece, and a third pair grown from finding a purpose she could focus on.
Turning to look at Kokabiel, she then gave him her piece before addressing Shirou.
"Don't expect my children to be named after you, father. As for you master, I'll await for your return back at home.~"
Raynare then sashayed away seductively, with an obvious pep in her step at her vindictive retribution towards Kokabiel as well as managing to stun Shirou to the point he froze up for a few minutes. Once he snapped out of it, Vali had already taken Kokbiel away and he realized he was sitting down.
After sitting down on a piece of rubble, Shirou was interrupted from his musings on this development by a certain rather irate Sitri Heiress as she cleared her throat to get Shirou's attention.
"Ahem."
"Hmm? Yeah Sona-kaichou? What is it?"
"Emiya, don't you think you're forgetting something?"
Shirou frowned, wondering what he was forgetting about, and when Sona saw his face, a vein started throbbing visibly on her forehead as she told him what she wanted from him.
"Surely you don't expect to NOT be expected to help clean up the mess you made during the fight you took part in, do you?"
The smile she gave him was not a very kind one. In fact, it promised absolute pain if he said anything but yes and didn't do what she asked him to do. All in all, the situation was resolved, but he still had some clean-up left to do and muttered one thing before getting to work…
"Root-damn my E-ranked luck..."
A/N: And THAT'S the chapter peeps! For the swords used by Assassin Emiya and Shirou against Galilei and Kokabiel, those were the Origin Swords Shirou used in the fanfic 'From Fake Dreams' by Third Fang. Look up the fic if you want their basic stats and abilities. As for the Zabaniya Blade Works: Steel Fantasia, that was basically something I came up with a while back. By combining his tracing, the reforged Caliburn, his Void Avesta authority, and a conceptual weapon that allows him to split himself into differing aspects of his original self, Shirou created a bastardized version of Hundred-faced Hassan, the Assassin of the Fourth Holy Grail War's, Noble Phantasm Zabaniya: Delusional Illusion.
This was the whole damn reason as to WHY I feel Shirou qualified for the Faker class at all and my justification for it. Faker is the extra servant class with the ability to create body doubles and falsify any information on themselves. In order to defeat them, you must figure out the riddle behind their existence and solve it. Shirou is the undisputed King of Fakers; his riddle is the one puzzle that can NEVER be fully solved.
Next few chapters will be a few interludes, with an omake lewd for the side story. Until next chapter, PEACE OUT!