Hey, I am back, and HAPPY NEW YEAR.

God can't believe it's already 2023, I am so not ready for this...

Anyway, I got Muramasa in NA FGO, and both Jalter and Hokusai from the GSSR, there goes my luck for the year...

TimeDiver, the thing with the iPhone is a mistake on my part. I've fixed it in the previous chapter.

keybladelight, Zouken wishing to be immortal is something he's achieved, but he became a wraith instead.

the god wolf, yes well... guns.

581, Reinshin Amara, indeed, that is why we don't talk about the moon.

Gur40goku, I'm pretty sure Nameless and Emiya are the same (as in still Shirou from the future), just different manifestations.

Dasgun, O.O

Bardock123, codywhite162, Toa Solaric, thanks. As for the Omake, the latter.

Phantom117a, sUbSoNiCSoundwave, in my mind, I am writing Shirou as someone who prefers using an assault rifle, as compared to Kiritsugu who prefers a sniper... If that makes sense.

TheEmeraldMage, yep, Zouken will be dealt with.

Nameless, my rolls for the New Years Banner was weird... I have two accounts, my main (with Castoria, and which I'm saving for Morgan), and my sub (no Castoria). So I did the GSSR on both accounts, I got Jalter and Hokusai on my main, and a second copy of Heroine X in my sub.

Not the worst. Then I decided to roll for Muramasa in my sub cuz I didn't wanna touch my Morgan (and Melusine) funds. Drained my whole sub acc with nothing to show for.

Then I decided to YOLO two 10 shots in my main acc... He came home... Idk if I should be happy or salty.

Ghostly, that is something you'll have to find out.

AblazedNightmare, ?

WildFreedom, this is fanfiction, and I've seen sweatdropped used a lot. So I guess...? As for Shirou being a lot less interesting of a character and more typical... I guess my take on him is boring to you, sorry...

Anyway, here it is.

XXX

Soichirou stood inside Ryuudou Temple, watching the massive black cloud of Crest Worms in the sky.

"Soichirou-sama."

The teacher turned to see Medea with her hood up, but the hood did nothing to hide her worried expression.

The former assassin greeted, "Caster, is there something wrong?"

The ancient witch turned her gaze to the clouded skies, "Please stay indoors, it is not safe."

Soichirou regarded her for a moment, before he turned his gaze to the worms in the skies, catching occasional flashes from the raging battle, "Are you not confident in your own abilities, Caster? A Bounded Field, is what it is called, was it not?"

He spared her another glance, "Not to mention, your own Servant."

Medea furrowed her brows, "I am confident in my own abilities, and I trust Assassin to an extent, but not to the point that I will entrust him your life."

Soichirou nodded, "I see..."

He turned back to the battle that raged off at a distance, "Tell me, do you know what is going on?"

Medea let out a breath, "I... know some of what is happening."

The assassin sensed her hesitation, and instead changed his question, "Then do you know if Emiya is involved?"

The Caster's eyes widened in surprise, "Emiya? If you mean the Master of the seven kings..."

She paused, before nodding, "Yes, he is involved. In fact, his Servants are fighting against the swarms."

Souichirou hummed, "I see, then we have nothing to worry about."

Medea blinked, "Come again?"

The assassin turned away from the entrance of the temple, "Emiya Shirou is trained by Emiya Kiritsugu, he has the makings of an assassin. But he is unlike the both of us."

The Caster frowned, "... How so?"

Souichiro spared the side a glance, spotting Issei and his brother, along with their fellow monks huddled together at a distance doing whatever, "He has his own code of justice. If possible, he will not let harm befall upon innocents."

Medea raised an eyebrow, "You sound... confident in him."

The assassin snorted humourlessly at that thought, "No, it is simply an observation."

Souichirou added, "Have Assassin keep a look out on the swarm, Emiya and his Servants are strong, but better safe than sorry."

(Linebreak)

At the same time, at the church, Kirei stood on the roof as a Bounded Field kept the Crest Worms away.

He glanced back where Gilgamesh stood, "Are you not going to join in on the fun, my King?"

The King of Heroes scoffed, "Is that a joke, Kirei?"

Kirei smiled, "A rhetorical question, my King."

Gilgamesh snorted, "Good, I would be very disappointed if I had to explain why I should not waste my treasures on such abominations."

"But that brat's Servants are doing pretty well against the worms, not to mention the red Archer."

The two didn't turn, for they easily recognised the voice to be the Hound of Ulster.

Cu looked at his Master, "You sure you don't want me to go out?"

Kirei chuckled, "No, not yet. It is not time for us to fight, not all out at least."

Gilgamesh raised an amused eyebrow, "Explain."

The priest chuckled, "I shall not spoil the surprise, my King."

The King of Heroes thinned his lips, before snorting, "Very well, I shall wait. I am nothing if not a generous king, after all."

(Linebreak)

At the Einzbern castle, Illya stood in her room, looking out of the window at the clouded skies, "What is going on?"

Sella's voice reached her ears, "According to Leysritt, Emiya Shirou and his allies are currently engaged in combat against Matou Zouken."

The maid looked at the swarm of Crest Worms in the skies, "Those are Matou Zouken's Crest Worms, and while they do not seem to be targetting our castle, I have raised the defensive Bounded Field."

Illya nodded, "Not that it will do much if he actually tries to get us."

The girl smiled as she glanced back, "Well, it's not an issue, Berserker is strong enough anyway."

Heracles snorted, which sounded like a growl, but both females had spent enough time around the ancient hero to know that he meant well.

Illyasviel glanced at her maid, "How's Liz doing anyway?"

Sella closed her eyes, "She is currently taking cover at the Emiya residence alongside Matou Sakura and her two Servants. I believe as long as Leysritt does not do anything to rile them up, she will be safe."

The white haired girl nodded, "Good, tell her to continue."

The maid nodded, "As you wish."

Illya turned back to the window as Sella left the room, and she furrowed her brows, "Emiya... Shirou."

(Linebreak)

With the redhead, the young man swapped his rifle for his grenade launcher, quickly firing a few rounds at the giant swarm of Crest Worms.

To his pleasant surprise, the grenades did a little more than clearing up a path for Saber Artoria and Lancer Artoria, the explosions easily wiping out the smaller sized Crest Worms.

Taking advantage of the openings their Master created, both kings dashed forward, swinging both Excalibur and Rhongomyniad at the swarm of Crest Worms, while their Caster counterpart stayed with said Master.

Both holy weapons shone with power, the blessings of the Fae killing more Crest Worms with every swing from their wielders.

The two kings closed the distance between themselves and Zouken in mere moments, earning a chuckle from the ancient magus.

Zouken smirked even as the two Servants were upon him, weapons poised to strike, "As expected of a Heroic Spirit, your prowess really is nothing to scoff at."

Both Saber Artoria and Lancer Artoria swung their weapons, slashing and piercing through the ancient magus.

Yet, to their surprise, Zouken simply dispersed into more Crest Worms that immediately tried to swarm around the two blondes.

In response, they simply let loose a Mana Burst each, blowing the worms away.

Lancer Artoria frowned, "This is rather disturbing."

Saber Artoria nodded as she swung the Excalibur in an arc, destroying more of the Crest Worms, "Agreed."

Zouken laughed as he watched the three Servants and their Master breeze their way through his Crest Worms, "Disturbing, are they? I'm flattered."

He was cut off by an explosion, courtesy of Shirou's grenade launcher, but just like before, Zouken simply reformed from a number of Crest Worms.

The ancient magus shook his head with a dry smile, "Such impatience, a far cry from your father I suppose. Or rather, shall I say, like father like son."

Zouken chuckled at Shirou's serious expression, "Since you don't seem to have time to humor an old man, let us take this up a notch, shall we?"

The squeaking grew louder, and the chamber started to shake, bringing alarm bells to the two Servants.

Then, something crashed through the cells, and both Lancer Artoria and Saber Artoria barely managed to raised their weapons just in time to block a strike.

Only then did they see what had attacked them, a giant Crest Worm almost the size of an elephant, having used its horn and fangs in attempt to crush the two blondes.

Caster Artoria furrowed her brows as she tapped her staff on the ground, blasting more Crest Worms away from her and Shirou, "That's..."

Shirou narrowed his eyes, running Structural Analysis on the worm, and while he managed to grasp quite a lot about the worm, it wasn't an inanimate object, and was too complicated for him to fully grasp everything.

The redhead spoke out quietly, "Caster, can you check if that giant worm linked to Matou Zouken's main body?"

The twin tailed blonde blinked, "Eh?"

She looked down as both Saber Artoria and Lancer Artoria pushed the giant worm away with their weapons, the former quickly engaging the worm in battle, while the latter kept the smaller swarm of Crest Worms at bay.

Caster Artoria nodded, "I can, but it'll take some time. Crest Worms and familiars are not my strongest point in magecraft, but it's doable."

Shirou reloaded his grenade launcher, "Good, I'll be counting on it then."

The magus frowned with a worried expression, "But I won't be able to protect you."

The redhead fired a grenade that took out a number of Crest Worms, "Don't worry, I'll be fine, I'll stay here with you anyway."

Caster Artoria sighed, "Fine, I'll need ten minutes."

Shirou nodded, "Done."

He scanned the chamber, before making a mental count on his ammunition. He had a few magazines worth for his rifle and pistol, but he only had twelve shots left in his grenade.

Firing the rest of his grenades to clear up more space around them, Shirou swapped the grenade launcher for his rifle.

The redhead pulled the trigger, letting out a barrage of bullets, each taking down one Crest Worm.

The carbine wasn't as effective as the grenade launcher, but Shirou's superb aim made up for it. But unfortunately, without Caster Artoria supporting him, the M4 Carbine alone wasn't enough.

Shirou took a short breath, "Trace... On!"

A dozen nameless swords appeared around him, before shooting out and spinning as they did, taking down countless more Crest Worms.

The twelve spinning swords circled around both Caster Artoria and her Master, keeping most of the Crest Worms away while the redhead used his rifle to take out any worms that slipped through.

Zouken watched with glee as the four held their ground against his worms.

He was impressed, for despite having three Servants, Emiya Shirou did not let them do all the work. A far cry from what a traditional Master would do, but the redhead wasn't a traditional magus either.

In fact, with his unique form of magecraft and use of firearms, Zouken dared to say that the young man was almost matching his Servants in taking down his Crest Worms.

The ancient magus reformed from a cloud of Crest Worms once more as Lancer Artoria tried to skewer him with her lance, "Impressive, despite having to face one of my larger worms, you still find the chance to attack me."

The busty king narrowed her eyes as she unleashed a Mana Burst once more to keep the smaller Crest Worms away.

But before she could give her own response, the chamber shook heavily once more, heavier than before.

Zouken smirked, "How about we bring this up another notch."

Lancer Artoria's eyes widened as another wall crumbled, an elephant sized Crest Worm crashing through the walls yet again.

The older king grunted as she thrust her spear forward, unleashing a dense beam of energy at the worm.

Yet, to her surprise, despite being burned by the light of the spear, the worm still pushed on towards her against the power of her spear.

On a side, Caster Artoria glanced at Shirou when she noticed her two counterparts fighting the larger Crest Worms, "Shirou!"

The redhead controlled his blades to take down more of the smaller Crest Worms, his rifle moving and taking down more of them, but he too noticed the second giant worm.

Shirou thinned his lips, "Keep going, they'll be fine."

The Caster paused, before she nodded, continuing to analyse the structure of the Crest Worms.

A small cloud of Crest Worms tried to flank the twin tailed blonde, but she paid them no heed.

She didn't need to, as an exploded from a grenade engulfed them, followed by a few swords slicing through more of the worms.

Caster Artoria held back a smile as she directed her focus on analysing the giant Crest Worms once more, and her Fairy Eyes focused in on what she wanted to see.

Her Fairy Eyes saw everything, nothing could be hidden from them, no lies, no deception.

The true nature of the Crest Worms, more specifically, the giant ones that her fellow blondes were fighting, all revealed themselves to the Nameless King like an open book.

The blonde's eyes snapped open, "It's done!"

Shirou spared his Servant a glance, "How'd it go?"

Caster Artoria stared at him, "Yes, while most of the smaller ones can be barely traced back to him, both of the giant ones are definitely connected to Matou Zouken."

The redhead nodded, "Good to know."

Shirou turned and gave the area a brief scan, 'Okay, time we ended this.'

The redhead backed up to stand by Caster Artoria, "Caster, I'll need some time."

Caster Artoria brandished Chasteifol, "Got it."

Shirou knelt down while Caster Artoria started to keep the worms at bay with her magecraft.

After a brief second, the redhead took a deep breath, "I am the Bone of my Sword."

His magic circuits flared, "Steel is my body and fire is my blood."

Shirou placed a palm on his chest, keeping his mind focused and clear despite the buzzing around him, "I have created over a thousand blades."

"Unknown to hate, nor known to love."

The amount of magical energy in the redhead tripled, "Have withstood nothing but emptiness."

Shirou opened his eyes, staring straight at the figure of Matou Zouken, "Yet these hands will always push forward... So hear my roar..."

"UNLIMITED BLADE WORKS!"

A ring of flames shot out from Shirou's feet, engulfing the entire chamber, and before anyone could react, they were no longer in the basement.

Instead, they were inside Shirou's Reality Marble.

All three Servants stared at the scene around them in shock and surprise. For while despite having heard that Shirou had one, seeing it in person was very much different than hearing about it.

Matou Zouken raised an impressed and amused eyebrow, "A Reality Marble, I am impressed, especially for one of this level."

He chuckled, "If the Clock Tower learns of this, you'll be in a lot of trouble young man."

Shirou snorted, "Well, what they don't know won't hurt them."

Zouken laughed, "Very true."

The ancient magus tilted his head, "But pray tell, what good will this do? Surely maintaining this is no simple task, and in the end, a Reality Marble is no more than a Bounded Field of the highest quality."

Shirou smirked, and in the blink of an eye, every sword stabbed in the ground around them shot upwards, taking down most, if not all of the smaller Crest Worms.

Zouken's eyes widened as he felt a huge portion of his worms taken out, and only then did he notice the swords floating in the air.

The old magus calmed himself, "... So this Reality Marble gives you an ability similar to that of the King of Heroes, I underestimated you severely it seems."

The redhead snorted as his Servants watched with caution, "But even if I kill every worm here, there's no guarantee your main body will be affected, if at all."

Zouken chuckled, "Ah, so you know that much."

Shirou nodded, "That's why I can't let you leave, not yet, at least."

The redhead reached for his holster, drawing Kiritsugu's Thompson Contender and wasted no time loading a copy of the late assassin's Origin Bullet.

Shirou aimed the gun at Zouken, and as he did, a dozen swords shot out and pinned the two giant Crest Worms to the ground.

Zouken chuckled, "A gun? Is that your grand plan to kill me?"

The redhead's lips curved upwards, "Yeah, it is."

Shirou pulled the trigger, and a loud bang sounded through the area, but the bullet did not hit Matou Zouken, or at least, not the body that bore the appearance of the old magus.

Instead, the redhead had shot the bullet at one of the giant Crest Worms, a small bullet wound appearing on the sides of the worm.

The three Servants blinked in confusion, and Saber Artoria asked, "Shirou, why did you-"

She was cut off when they all saw Matou Zouken's face, turning pale white as he stumbled.

The ancient magus grunted as the remaining Crest Worms around them dropped like flies (pun intended), "W-what... did you... do?"

Shirou lowered the Thompson Contender, popping open the gun to remove the now empty shell, "I shot your familiar with an Origin Bullet."

Zouken stumbled again, the Crest Worms that made up his body slowly falling apart, "An... Origin Bullet?!"

The redhead nodded, "Well, I can explain how it works, but I don't think you'll last long enough."

The ancient magus coughed, and his eyes widened when he felt the pain.

It started off as a throbbing dull pain, but in the blink of an eye, that pain increased a thousand-fold to the point that all Matou Zouken could feel was pain.

Something he never thought he could feel ever again.

Soon, every Crest Worm fell to the ground save for the ones that made up Matou Zouken's body, but even then they were all falling apart quickly.

Shirou loaded the gun with another copy of his father's Origin Bullet, "This is the end, Matou Zouken."

The ancient magus' magic circuits were already shot, and considering the nature of Zouken's existence, which relied heavily on his own familiars, another bullet would definitely kill him.

Zouken seethed, "This... isn't over..."

A cold expression appeared on Shirou's face as he aimed the gun at the other giant Crest Worm, "It already is."

Another loud bang sounded through the area, and every Crest Worm fell to the ground unmoving, including the worms that made up Zouken's body as the Origin Bullet severed and reconstructed the already irreparable magic circuits that made up the consciousness of Matou Zouken.

Silence befell upon them, and Saber Artoria asked, "Is it over?"

Shirou nodded, "It should be."

He glanced back at them, "Check for any magical signatures, I'll remove the field."

The Reality Marble vanished, revealing the chamber once more, and Caster Artoria looked at her Master, "I don't feel any magical signatures around the area."

Lancer Artoria and Saber Artoria both nodded, "Same here."

The redhead nodded and headed for the stairs, "We're done here then."

The three Servants nodded, and they quickly followed their Master out of the mansion, meeting the sight of the now clear skies of Fuyuki City.

Caster Artoria glanced at the redhead, "So... it's over."

Shirou nodded, "For Matou Zouken at least... and Sakura's suffering."

Saber Artoria thinned her lips, "Shirou... That gun you used, Kiritsugu had it before, didn't he?"

The redhead nodded as he glanced down to the Thompson Contender holstered at his waist, "Yeah, a gun that fires a Mystic Code in the form of a bullet, my final inheritance from him."

Lancer Artoria caught on to what her Saber counterpart was looking for, and she sighed, "Saber..."

The younger blonde ignored her older self, "That was how Kiritsugu crippled the Master of Lancer in the previous Holy Grail War."

Shirou paused, and he realized it might have been why Kiritsugu didn't have the best relationship with Saber.

The redhead nodded, "Yes, I believe so."

The blonde king stayed silent for a while, before she spoke up once more, "I see."

Shirou glanced at her, "Saber-"

Saber Artoria cut him off, "You believed that to be the best course of action against Matou Zouken, and considering the circumstances, the enemy was despicable."

She let out a deep breath, "Besides, it is a simple a weapon, you are not Kiritsugu."

The redhead blinked, before he nodded, "Yeah."

The blonde king smiled slightly, "Then it is fine."

Caster Artoria sighed, "Shall we head back then?"

Shirou nodded, "Yeah, the others should be heading home too."

A short while later, back in Shirou's home, the redhead and the three blonde Servants walked through the gates.

The door slid open, revealing Sakura, Rin and the other Servants.

The twin tailed girl smirked, "Well well, can't believe you actually pulled that off."

Archer snorted, " Considering he had seven Servants with him, it shouldn't be a surprise."

Lancer Artoria chuckled, "We simply held the Crest Worms back, Shirou did the rest."

Medusa asked, "If you don't mind me asking, how did you manage?"

Shirou opened his mouth to answer, but Archer beat him to it, "Emiya Kiritsugu's Origin Bullets, right?"

The younger man nodded, "Yeah, Matou Zouken relied heavily on his Crest Worms, at least according to Kiritsugu's hypothesis in his notes. Either way, the bullets would've crippled him at least."

Shirou looked at Sakura, "Speaking of which, are you okay, Sakura?"

The purple haired girl smiled gratefully, "Yes, I am okay now. I think the worms are gone, or dead, at least."

The redhead nodded, before he glanced at Caster Artoria, "Do you mind giving her a scan, just in case?"

Caster Artoria nodded, "Of course."

The twin tailed fairy king approached the girl and held her staff in front of her, and a faint glow engulfed Sakura for a moment.

The Caster nodded, "She's clean. There're still traces of the worms, but they'll disappear eventually."

Mordred smirked and patted Sakura on the shoulder, "This is good news, right Master?"

Sakura smiled happily, "Yes!"

Shirou smiled, "Now then, how about I whip up a feast to celebrate?! We still have time to go shopping."

The young man glanced back at the maid, "What about you? I don't mind if you wanna join."

Leysritt considered the idea, before shaking her head, "No, thank you for the offer though, I should report to Lady Illyasviel."

Shirou hummed, "Suit yourself I guess."

The maid nodded, before leaving the house.

(Linebreak)

Later that night, Shirou and Archer had both cooked up a feast, much to the pleasant surprise of most of the Artoria Servants.

Sakura and Rin had both spent a lot of time talking together, along with Medusa and Mordred.

The seven blonde Kings, on the other hand, simply fed their faces.

Now, Shirou stood in his shack, putting away his firearms.

"I'm honestly surprised, Emiya Shirou."

The redhead turned to see his older alternate self with his arms folded, "Archer."

The Counter Guardian gave him a lazy wave, "Putting away your guns?"

Shirou nodded, "And maintaining them, yes. What are the others up to?"

Archer chuckled, "Your Servants are all lazing around, same for Mordred. Rin and Sakura are cleaning the dishes, and Medusa is helping."

The redhead nodded, "I see."

The white haired man snorted as he leaned on the frame of the door, "Can't believe I'm here making small talk with you of all people."

Shirou spared him a glance, "Did you need anything?"

Archer shook his head, "Not really actually... Sakura's situation was one I couldn't fix. Hell, I didn't even know until I became a Counter Guardian."

The redhead nodded, "I see."

The white haired man looked at his younger self, "I told you that we are not so different, didn't I?"

Shirou nodded, "You did."

Archer snorted, "I take that back, we may be the same person, but you and I are not alike at all, not one bit."

The redhead gave him a questioning look, and the Counter Guardian smiled, "You managed to save Sakura, you can actually fight back, something I couldn't do in my Holy Grail War."

Archer looked around the shack, "And this... Your workshop is a lot better than mine."

Shirou smiled dryly, "It couldn't have been that different."

The white haired man scoffed, "If you call a simple carpet and a bunch of scrap metal a workshop."

The redhead grimaced, "Oh."

Archer snorted, "Well, it's not that bad. Being a blissful idiot wasn't the worst, at least compared to what I'm doing now."

Shirou nodded, having seen exactly what Archer had become, "Yeah."

The white haired man shook his head, "Myself aside, what are you going to do about Illya?"

The redhead sighed, "I don't know yet. I need to see if she really is my sister."

Archer stared at him for a while, before speaking up carefully, "In my time, Illya was really Kiritsugu's daughter. Like Sakura, I didn't find out until I left. I can't say if it'll be the same, but it is likely."

Shirou nodded, "I see."

The white haired man nodded, "Yep."

The redhead glanced at him, "'In my time', huh? You sound like an old man."

Archer grimaced, "... That never happened, okay?"

Shirou waved him off, "Whatever."

The white haired Servant sighed, "Speaking of which, when are you having that duel with Saber?"

The redhead put away the last of his bullets, "I'm thinking tomorrow."

Archer raised an eyebrow, "So soon?"

Shirou nodded, "Yeah, well, better get it out of the way. I know it's been bugging Saber for a while now."

The older of the two nodded, "I see, I'd say I'm rooting for you, but well, seeing Saber kick your ass seems to be funnier."

The redhead snorted, "Thanks for the vote of confidence."

Archer chuckled, "I'll leave you to it then."

Shirou sighed as the man walked away from the shack, and he quickly put away the rest of his stuff.

That night, Saber Artoria dreamed.

She stood in a very familiar city, surrounded by flames and buildings in ruins.

The blonde knew where she was, the giant void in the sky gave it away.

The final day of the Fourth Holy Grail War.

Footsteps reached her ears, and Saber Artoria's eyes widened when she saw a familiar mop of red hair.

(Linebreak)

The next morning, Shirou stood in the dojo opposite of Saber Artoria.

Mordred stood at a side with everyone else, and she folded her arms, "Seriously, he wants to do this indoors?"

Archer chuckled, "Yes, but I'm sure it won't be in the way you think."

Saber Artoria held her sword in her hands, hidden away by the Invisible Air, "Just a fair warning, Shirou. I won't hold back."

Shirou smirked, Kanshou and Bakuya appearing in his hands, "I never thought you would."

Rin sighed as she walked up to stand between them, "Seriously... What the hell are you thinking, Emiya-kun?"

Sakura smiled, "It's something they have to do, Nee-san."

Shirou raised an eyebrow, "You know, I've been meaning to ask, why is Sakura calling you Nee-san?"

The brunette waved it off, "We'll tell you later. You two ready?"

Saber Artoria nodded, "Yes."

Shirou sighed, "Yeah."

Rin nodded as she backed away to the side of the room, "Okay then, begin!"

"Trace...on!"

In the blink of an eye, Saber Artoria dashed forward, and Shirou barely managed to raise his swords to block a slash from the Servant.

It was only thanks to Shirou changing his chant to his Aria for Reinforcement that he wasn't on the floor.

Saber Artoria smirked, "Oh, you blocked my blow?"

Shirou grunted as he struggled to even hold his ground, his knees trembling from the amount of force pushing down on him.

Kanshou and Bakuya both cracked, and the redhead cursed, "Set: Time Alter!"

Saber Artoria pushed, and both swords shattered, sending Shirou crashing into the wall of the dojo.

"Triple... Accel!"

Saber Artoria dashed forward again, but this time, Shirou dodged her swings, and he started to chant, "I am the Bone of my Sword."

The blonde king continued her onslaught, and with Time Alter still in effect, the redhead dodged every slash by a hair's breadth.

"Steel is my body, and fire is my blood."

"I have created over a thousand blades."

Saber Artoria continued to swing, and copies of Kanshou and Bakuya appeared in Shirou's hands over and over again, shattering with every swing from the Servant.

"Unknown to love, nor known to hate."

The blonde king furrowed her brows. Physically speaking, Shirou couldn't match her blows, not one bit, but even then, none of blows aside from her first one was landing.

But that wasn't what frustrated her. They had agreed to a duel, and Saber Artoria had expected to understand her Master through trading blows.

"Have withstood nothing but emptiness."

Yet every swing, every clash they had exchange, Saber couldn't feel anything behind Shirou's blades.

They were empty, and Saber Artoria couldn't feel any of Shirou's thoughts behind them.

"Yet, these hands will always push forward."

"So hear my roar... UNLIMITED BLADE WORKS!"

The ring of flames surged out from Shirou's feet, and everyone found themselves in the Reality Marble.

Rin and Sakura watched in awe, the former gaping, "A completed Reality Marble..."

A smirk appeared on Archer's face as Shirou grabbed a copy of Kanshou and Bakuya from the ground.

Shirou took a breath, "Saber, this duel is to show you my true self, to show you I am not my father. This world is a manifestation of my soul."

Saber Artoria took the time to look around her.

The field was a lush green, with patches of empty dirt scattered around. Weapons of every kind laid around them.

Swords, spears, arrows.

Guns.

The king of Britain looked at the owner of the world, "I see... This is what you meant."

Saber Artoria chuckled, "I was honestly expecting to simply cross blades with you."

Shirou asked, "What do you think?"

The King of Knights looked around, "It is a sight to behold, I won't deny that."

Saber Artoria approached one of the swords stabbed in the ground, a very familiar sword, "This... this is Caliburn..."

The redhead nodded, "Yeah."

The blonde placed her palm on the hilt, and nostalgia hit her, "How?"

Shirou opened his mouth to answer, but before he could, Archer cut him off.

"Unlimited Blade Works, its a form of magecraft that can reproduce any weapon the use lays his eyes on. That includes weapons seen in memories."

Everyone looked at Archer, who had spoken those words, and Rin asked, "Wait, so you're saying Emiya-kun saw that sword in her memories, and now he can use it?"

Archer smiled dryly, "Well, that is another thing."

The man grabbed the sword from Saber Artoria's hands, tossing it to Shirou, who caught it easily, much to Mordred's surprise.

Shirou shook his head as he stabbed the sword back into the ground, "Even if I can use this sword, I am not worthy. In the end it is but a fake."

Saber Artoria sighed, "I see..."

The redhead's smile dropped, "Now, let's continue, I'll show you everything I have."

A ghost of a smile appeared on the blonde's face, and they dashed towards each other.

(Linebreak)

Meanwhile, in London, a middle aged man with long black hair sat in his study.

A few knocks on the door reached his ears, and he answered, "Come in."

The door opened to reveal a girl with grey hair wearing a hood, "Master, you have a message from your sister."

The man raised an eyebrow, "What is it?"

The girl walked to her teacher's desk, handing him an envelope, and the man blinked, "A letter?"

The girl nodded, "Yes, she said it is confidential."

The man hummed as he took out the letter and gave it a read.

The girl blinked when she noticed her teacher tightening his grip on the sheet of paper more and more as his eyes scanned the letter, "Master?"

The man sighed as he lessened his grip on the sheet, "That little..."

He massaged his temples, "After going so far to step down from the list..."

The girl asked, "Is anything wrong?"

The man shook his head, "No, or rather, yes..."

He looked at her, "Go pack up for a month, Gray."

Gray blinked, "Huh? Why?"

The man slid his chair back, pulling out a box from his drawer, "Because we're going to Japan. Something has happened, and I am to investigate."

XXX

So that's the chapter. Not my best, honestly...

Oh yeah, and no omake this chapter... I'm too dead to bust one out hahaha.

The next chapter will follow up and finish the duel, then I'm thinking of doing a filler chapter.

Probably a water park or the beach.

So yeah, until next time.