The effect of the [Efficiency Pill] faded, and Shirou Muramasa slipped out of a state resembling enlightenment. His mind and body gradually calmed, leaving behind an empty sense of loss.
On the surface, these efficiency boosters seemed harmless. But the danger lay not in their ingredients — rather, in the psychological dependence they created.
That was the nature of Doraemon's gadgets. Mass-produced in the 22nd century, most were cheap, convenient tools. But misuse them even slightly, and the side effects always struck hard.Nobita had learned this the hard way countless times — every shortcut came with an unforgettable lesson.
Shirou had used the pill for less than half a day, and already he'd regained the magic and techniques he once wielded at eighteen.
He still hadn't reached the level of Red Archer — in either sword origin, projection, or reinforcement magecraft — but his current ability was undeniably far beyond the Shirou Emiya who stumbled into the Fifth Holy Grail War.
Now he understood clearly. At eighteen, his skills were nowhere near those of Servant EMIYA. Still, every spell he used revolved around his awakened origin — the sword. Projection, reinforcement… they came to him as naturally as breathing.
As a magus, his quality wasn't far off from Rin Tohsaka herself, that so-called prodigy.
Yet the state of his eighteen-year-old body also revealed something else. The future reflected by the [Time Wrap] must have been a future without Doraemon. Otherwise, his power wouldn't have been so limited.
After all — just one [Efficiency Pill] could take an ordinary person and push them into the realm of magecraft. And a single bottle contained hundreds. Enough to turn Shirou from a commoner into a genius among geniuses.
"If any magus knew about this pill, they'd go mad. It could erase the gap of bloodlines and crests — turning talentless nobodies into prodigies overnight."
For that reason, Shirou gave up on the idea of locking himself into his eighteen-year-old body with the [Time Wrap].
His future self was remarkable. A first-generation magus, yet already rivaling heirs of prestigious lineages, the kind raised on centuries of tradition in spiritual lands like Fuyuki.Had he been born in Europe, under the eye of the Clock Tower, his talent would surely have been sealed away — his body reduced to a research specimen.
But Shirou knew why he rejected that "shortcut." His future self's body and magecraft were already fixed, every choice fossilized into a single outcome. The foundation, the style, the very awakening of his sword origin — all locked in place.
"From the scars of my future body, I can read my past and predict my path. If I followed it, I would become someone of note in the Clock Tower — perhaps even walk the path of true magi, chasing the Root."
Yet all of those grand achievements had crumbled the moment Shirou summoned Doraemon. With Doraemon's gadgets, every future goal could be reached effortlessly. In truth, even the Root of Akasha seemed less impressive than a single blue robot cat's toolbox.
It was like the world's richest man winning a petty lottery — tasteless, hollow, meaningless.
But at the same time, with Doraemon by his side, Shirou now stood at the entrance of a road that shone brighter than any future he could have reached alone.
The Shirou without Doraemon had a high ceiling. The Shirou with Doraemon? His ceiling couldn't even be measured.
"If I can't accomplish anything with Doraemon here, then I'm no different from Nobita."
Resolved, Shirou chose to carve out his own path. His first step: use the knowledge he'd gleaned from his eighteen-year-old body to fully awaken his own magic circuits.
Magic circuits only needed to be opened once. After that, they would lie dormant inside him, waiting for a mental "switch."
The process wasn't difficult — at least not for him. Back then, Emiya Kiritsugu had deliberately taught him wrong methods, forcing Shirou to reforge his circuits from scratch every single time. It was like rebuilding the wiring and screwing in the bulb every time you wanted to turn on a lamp.
But with his future body's experience, the circuits awakened with a single thought.A faint current crackled inside him, spreading from his brain through his veins. Every organ, every drop of blood, every cell seemed to blaze with activity under this baptism of power.
This wasn't strengthening — it was compatibility. His body had become aligned with the nature of mana itself.
That was the essence of training circuits: increasing the body's affinity with the lines of magic. The higher the affinity, the faster and stronger the flow.
"Next… the switch."
Closing his eyes, Shirou pictured a simple longsword, modeled after the [Lightning Sword Pill] resting by his side. The blade gleamed with sharpness, trembling faintly as though alive.
That trembling meant his circuits were open — life force transmuted into sword-shaped mana, a magic outside the five elements.
Soon, a scabbard appeared as well, calming the blade the instant it slid inside.
"…Done."
Joy flashed across Shirou's face. He had opened his circuits. He was, officially, a magus.
But it wasn't enough.
His eyes turned toward the [Lightning Sword Pill] at his waist. The next step was to transform it into his personal magic crest — his sword's seal.
Magic crests were the legacies of magi. Lifetimes of mysteries carved into flesh, ready to be activated with a single breath of prana. Normally, they were built from ancient relics, buried and cultivated for generations.
Shirou's plan, however, was simple: turn the [Lightning Sword Pill] itself into his crest. His sword seal.
For most, it would be an impossible task. For Shirou, with his sword origin and Doraemon's pills, it was trivial.
Creating a sword seal meant creating magecraft unique to him. With it, he could project blades that defended of their own will. He could embody the pinnacle of swordsmanship within a single strike.
Unlimited Blade Works. Sword Return to Origin. Sword of Flying Blades. Sword Beyond the Sword.
One by one, the arts gathered in his mind.
And at the center of it all — the gleaming edge of the Lightning Sword Pill.