Chapter 3: Unlimited Blade Works
"This is... the power of a Heroic Spirit!"
Shirou quickly focused his attention on the small white dot in the lower right corner of his vision, opening the status panel.
The next moment, the translucent panel appeared before his eyes.
[Name: Orihara Shirou]
[Gender: Male]
[Age: 7 years old]
[Height: 134cm]
[Race: Human]
[Bloodline: None]
[Special Abilities: 『Unlimited Blade Works』]
[Physical Strength: 6 to 240 (10)
Neural Reflexes: 7 to 361 (10)
Vitality: 6 to 334 (10)
Mental Power: 27 to 137 (10)]
Looking at the panel that appeared before him, Shirou raised his right hand and clenched it.
"I wonder if I have the fighting strength to face other Heroic Spirits now..."
Normally, Servants summoned by humans are only clones of the original Heroic Spirit.
However, the Servants summoned in Fuyuki City, due to the power of the Holy Grail, are able to completely replicate the personality and power of the corresponding Heroic Spirit.
Among these, only Saber, who manifested with her actual body, was likely an exception.
Although he possessed the power of a Heroic Spirit, Shirou understood that, in a head-on fight, he would find it difficult to win against anyone other than Assassin.
Furthermore, his Reality Marble, Unlimited Blade Works, was slightly different from that of the future Heroic Spirit Emiya from the other world line.
A Reality Marble, as a visualization of the inner world, naturally changes based on the practitioner's heart.
Therefore, Shirou's inner world was naturally different from that of the future Heroic Spirit Emiya.
The swords not present in his memories failed to appear in that inner world.
The ones that did appear were those impressive Noble Phantasms from Shirou's memories.
For example, Kanshou and Bakuya, Gae Bolg, and so on...
"But that doesn't matter. As long as I can see the prototype, I can essentially analyze and replicate any Noble Phantasm below EX rank, with the exception of Divine Constructs."
And in this Holy Grail War, wasn't there exactly one Heroic Spirit who possessed the prototypes of all Noble Phantasms?
But this brings up something Shirou previously didn't want to think about.
"Participating in the Holy Grail War, huh..."
In the past, because he was powerless, Shirou never considered this.
But now, Shirou, with his crystal-clear memory of the death preceding this, had made up his mind.
Not only to protect those he wished to protect but also to become stronger, Shirou was determined to step into this Holy Grail War.
Right at the moment he made his decision, Shirou suddenly felt an itch on the back of his right hand and couldn't help but lift it for a look.
On the back of his raised right hand, crimson lines began to appear and take shape.
"This is... a Command Spell?"
The Command Spell is a magical tattoo that appears on the back of the hand or wrist, and it is the exclusive sign for a mage participating in the Holy Grail War.
Looking at Mark on the back of his hand, Shirou's eyes couldn't help but brighten slightly.
"In that case, this will be perfect for adding a helper for me."
Murmuring this, Shirou no longer hesitated and left his home directly.
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The time had reached one o'clock in the morning.
Hazy clouds obscured the bright moonlight, casting a murky gray light.
The city streets were empty, with glaring neon lights and flickering, illusory streetlamps.
Shirou arrived alone at the riverside public park.
A quiet park late at night is easily reminiscent of a graveyard.
In the empty square, the dim light of the street lamps emphasized the frightening darkness and silence.
The air in Fuyuki City at night had clearly changed, and Shirou could sense this now.
The Holy Grail War had quietly begun.
"I will perform the summoning here."
Having selected the location, Shirou took out the prepared materials and began setting up the summoning ritual.
"First, draw the pattern of the magical array on the ground."
Shirou projected a sword and began drawing the magic circle on the ground.
"Around the center, draw four arrays of 'Annihilation' and 'Extinction' to form the summoning circle."
While Shirou was preparing his summoning ritual, several other summonings were taking place simultaneously elsewhere.
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In a corner of Miyama Town in Fuyuki City, on a clearing interspersed with densely packed trees.
Waver Velvet, after confirming that no one was around, cautiously began preparing his summoning ritual.
He took a live chicken from his backpack. Looking at the native chicken flapping its wings in his hand, the highly nervous Waver glanced around uneasily.
Although it was actually unrelated, secretly performing the summoning ritual made Waver feel as if he was committing a crime.
Taking out a small knife and slitting the chicken's neck, Waver quickly drew the pattern of the magic circle on the ground while the chicken blood was still warm.
"Close, close, close, close, close, I say it five times in succession, but the moment of overflowing must be destroyed."
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While Waver was preparing the summoning ritual fearfully, the same ritual was also being performed in the underground workshop of the Tohsaka residence, not far from the local leyline.
Of course, the materials used by Tohsaka Tokiomi were undoubtedly superior and more luxurious than Waver's.
The magic circle he drew with the melted liquid of a large number of gems was emitting a faint, glowing light.
"Let the silver and iron be the essence. Let stone and the archduke of contracts be the foundation. Let the four cardinal gates close."
"Let the three-forked road from the Crown come forth and let the circulating winds be a wall. Let the gates of the four directions be closed, and let the three-forked road to the kingdom circulate."
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Meanwhile, in the distant Einzbern Castle, Kiritsugu Emiya was checking the completion of the magic array drawn on the chapel floor.
"Is it really okay with such a simple ceremony?"
To Irisviel, who was guarding him nearby, the preparations seemed a bit too plain, which was somewhat unexpected.
"You might be disappointed, but the summoning ritual for a Servant doesn't actually need such a grand spiritual ceremony," Kiritsugu explained while carefully checking the mercury-drawn pattern for any distortion or smudges.
Seemingly satisfied with the completion of the magic array, Kiritsugu nodded and stood up.
On the altar lay the Sacred Relic—the sheath of the legendary Holy Sword.
"With this, the preparation is complete."
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From ancient times to the present, the night has continuously been imbued with a mysterious aura.
Ghost stories, specters, murder cases, strange disappearances...
Some of these are exaggerated, while others are real, but regardless, the characteristic of the night was established a long, long time ago, at a time unknown to people.
The Hour of the Demon.
Apart from the need for concealment, this is also why the Holy Grail War is held at night.
At this moment, Orihara Shirou, standing in the Riverside Park, feeling the biting winter cold of Fuyuki City's night, stood before the magic circle, raised his right hand, and chanted the spell.
"I declare---"