Sparks flew between the dual swords and the single blade.
The sound of metal clashing rang out.
Sparks ignited.
A battle between a fake and a genuine article.
Both were Shirou, but they lacked skill.
However, there was a difference. The time spent training was about 10 years.
Rolling with Lancelot, rolling with Artoria... it was enough time to become a swordsman.
The more their swords clashed, the faster Shirou became.
Seeing this, Archer was flustered and focused on defense.
In the time it took Archer to swing his dual swords twice, Shirou's blade had already swung twice in an instant.
Parrying, deflecting, clashing bodies... Archer was confused whether this was a fight or a brawl.
But as a Heroic Spirit, he wouldn't go down easily.
Therefore, Archer launched a counterattack.
His swordsmanship, specialized in close combat, was like an iron wall, but conversely, Shirou's agile swordsmanship looked like it would inflict fatal wounds if even a single opening was shown.
Meanwhile, Rin and Luvia watched the scene and hiccuped.
"Hic... wow? Shirou fights better than us?"
"Hic, yes, indeed. He's the embodiment of hard work."
Shirou was close to a seasoned swordsman who could fight skillfully.
Archer, watching such a Shirou, couldn't hide his fluster, and as they exchanged countless sword strikes, his dual swords began to break.
"This is...!?"
Shirou's weapon was still intact, but Archer's weapons were not.
"Tch, Trace On."
He discarded the dual swords and created new ones to counter Shirou.
Shirou was not shaken by Archer's ability.
"Hah!"
Conversely, Archer was shaken by Shirou's unwavering figure.
Archer now realized he was fighting a completely different version of himself, but he never imagined he would be this strong.
Because Shirou had to endure with sheer grit against Artoria's swordsmanship and Lancelot's complex martial arts, his skill in swordsmanship was a notch above Archer's.
For Archer, such teachers were only temporary, and his swordsmanship was completed by accumulating experience as a Guardian. Thus, the difference between swordsmanship learned over a long time and swordsmanship acquired through experience was like heaven and earth.
"Impossible... No matter what, isn't it strange for a modern person to surpass a Servant?"
"That's right. Unless he learned from someone specialized in swordsmanship, that's..."
And then Rin remembered.
Who had taught him swordsmanship...
'Ah, the people from the Round Table taught him, right? Yeah... I forgot since they were incarnated.'
Due to Kirei's disappearance, Rin had to learn Chinese martial arts on her own, so she had no connection to swordsmanship.
"Did the King make him like this?"
"No, I taught him as well, but Sir Lancelot taught him half of it."
"Lancelot..."
Gawain bit his lip at the name Lancelot.
"I see I was still immature."
"?"
Artoria decided not to ask about the sudden remark about immaturity, but her doubt did not disappear.
Meanwhile, the fight between Archer and Shirou intensified.
Sparks flew.
The swords heated up.
The blades were honed.
As a result, Shirou's sword began to sharpen even more, and Archer could only become more flustered.
Shirou was facing Archer in the realm of the unconscious while exchanging memories.
『His heart does not break.
He does not pity such a choice.
That ideal is beautiful and hard to deny, but because he walked a path different from his current self, he could not understand.
However, even if the process is cruel and brutal, denying the pursuit of one's dream is an insult, so he swung his sword.
To see his sincerity. To observe his pride.
I will simply move forward.』
As Shirou read Archer's memories, his swordsmanship became more refined.
Like hammering (memories) metal (Shirou) on an anvil (Archer) to harden it, Shirou became stronger.
He does not deny the self-loathing towards Shirou.
He did not deny the Ally of Justice that is Shirou.
He did not deny Shirou's ideals.
He did not deny Shirou's despair.
He did not deny Shirou's choices.
'Still, I don't want to lose to myself, you know?'
That was Shirou's true feeling.
The battle between the fake and the genuine article was truly earnest.
Archer did not stop.
He made Shirou stronger as if hammering him.
Shirou's sword turned red.
The sword began to burn from the sparks.
Meanwhile, Archer's weapons began to melt from the heat.
Just then, the Servant who intervened was Rider, Boudica.
"Wait, stop! If this goes on, one of you will die! Aren't you all too excited?"
"Boudica?"
"Phew, indeed. It seems they got too excited."
"Shirou, Archer, that was an excellent sparring match. But if you go any further, one of you will surely die."
"That is correct. No matter how excited you are, you must stop when it is time to stop."
"Hic, wow..."
"Shero~ Will you marry me!"
With the sudden confession, Shirou's brain began to lag.
"Huh? Did I hear that wrong?"
"Uh-huh? No, I definitely heard it correctly."
"Me too."
"Me as well."
"......"
"No! Shirou belongs to everyone (Sakura, Rin)!"
"Shirou is mine!"
Then, as Boudica hugged Shirou.
"Huh?"
"Yes?"
"Mmmph (I can't breathe, Boudica...)"
"Drown in your ideals and die..."
Meanwhile, the sparring atmosphere turned into a confession atmosphere, and it became a mess.
Eventually, at 3 AM, they followed Shirou to the Emiya residence, where they were guided to the guest room to rest.
Morning came, and numerous dishes were laid out on the table prepared by Emiya and Boudica.
There was rice, and there were also sandwiches that could be eaten simply.
It was an unmatched combination, but it was made additionally considering Luvia was a foreigner. If she didn't eat it, she could eat it later, so it didn't matter.
The combination consisted of rice, grilled fish, miso soup, natto, and pickled ginger.
"""""Thank you for the food."""""
As everyone ate deliciously, Archer thought:
'Is this a Holy Grail War? It's a Holy Grail Peace Treaty...'
There was Shirou, who had easily surpassed him, but he was also having his mental state shredded without being given even a minute or a second of respite.
His future self fought his past self, but Archer's pride was hurt that he couldn't overwhelm him.
Eating deliciously, brushing teeth afterwards... a peaceful daily life...
'If it's going to be like this, was there any meaning to the Holy Grail War?'
Archer felt this way, but he also thought that such a situation wasn't bad.
As Rin and Luvia fought in the yard of the Emiya residence, received treatment, and peace reigned...
=============
"...Lancer?"
"What?"
"Why is there no news?"
Bazett and Lancer were left with only anxiety and discomfort due to the excessive peace.
"They didn't say where to meet, so isn't it inevitable?"
"...That's true... For now, Master, how about we take a look around?"
Bazett felt frustrated just sitting still, so she had no choice but to nod at Cú Chulainn's words.
"Let's go out for now."
=============
Berserker Faction
"...."
"That tickles."
Chirp, chirp~
Meanwhile, at the Einzbern mansion, a girl was playing with a bird.
A homunculus implanted with Mystic Eyes and a Dragon Reactor, a girl created by rapid growth. Even if the Holy Grail War ended, she would live for only a year at best.
Even with appropriate emergency measures, she would live for about 10 years at most...
An old man of the Einzberns must have been desperate. He had quickly created the ultimate Master.
It took time to acquire the genes of a fairy and genes related to a Dragon Reactor, and after that, he was killed without even a piece of flesh remaining by the madness-afflicted Heracles.
Why was he killed?
It was the result of depriving a girl who had been born only a few years ago of her freedom of self through suggestion and hypnosis, and forcibly injecting knowledge about the Holy Grail War.
And in that process, even though Heracles was summoned as a Berserker, looking at the young girl reminded him of his daughter. But also, a (godly) hatred arose towards the existence that deprived even freedom, leading him to kill the Einzbern old man.
As a result, with the user who cast the suggestion and hypnosis dead, she succeeded in resisting with her Mystic Eyes and Dragon Reactor. Consequently, she gained freedom, but she became curious about her older sister, Illyasviel, who was the cause of her birth, and moved to Fuyuki.
And for the sake of the girl, with the help of Sella and Leysritt, she was able to go to Fuyuki, and was now staying at the Einzbern mansion.
Meanwhile, looking at the girl who didn't have long to live, the two maids began to worry about the Holy Grail War.
Surely, a Holy Grail War would be a battlefield where blood splatters.
It was a question of whether the pure Emilia could handle it.
But if there was a fact the two didn't know, it was that it would be a long time before they realized that this Holy Grail War was not a battlefield but a peaceful Holy Grail War.
And Heracles, watching from behind Emilia, simply smiled a fatherly smile at the pure girl's smile.