Sinking…sinking….sinking...…..
He felt as if something was pulling at the soles of his feet. Other than the sensation of sinking, Shirou could feel nothing else.
He opened his eyes. Around him was a mass of liquid, and he was submerged within it, yet he did not feel any difficulty breathing.
Only that sense of separation grew increasingly clear…
Then Shirou saw a silver grappling hook flying toward him. It latched onto his left hand and began pulling him upward.
A pure silver hook, a pure silver rope both looked extremely sturdy.
Finally, Shirou was pulled out of the water and dragged onto land by the rope.
"Yo, you are here? The feeling of drowning is unpleasant, right?"
Before Shirou could react, a very familiar voice rang out.
The voice was familiar, but the tone and manner of speech… were definitely not something Shirou himself would use.
"It is you."
Lifting his head, Shirou saw the owner of the voice.
It was "him"...himself. The Emiya Shirou who was in the mud, wearing red sleeves and black sleeves stood above him, looking down.
And the place they were in was naturally the massive underground cavity beneath Ryūdō Temple.
"Of course it is me. After all, I was the one who pulled you here!"
The other party waved his hand, his expression extremely vivid.
At the very least, Shirou did not think he himself would ever make such a mocking expression.
"You pulled me here…? I still have things to do. I am not going to entertain you."
Hearing this, Shirou frowned.
Although his memories were somewhat hazy, he still remembered repeatedly projecting the Caladbolg and blowing apart the Catastrophe several times.
It was only at the end that his mind and magical energy collapsed first, preventing him from delivering the final blow to the tornado.
But if he was brought here… perhaps he could still push a little further?
"Do you think I interrupted you from solving that so-called Catastrophe?"
Seeing Shirou's expression, the other instantly understood what he was thinking.
"..."
Shirou did not respond. He did not really want to engage in conversation with him.
On a primal level, he felt an instinctive rejection toward this Emiya Shirou, like the feeling of wanting to avert one's eyes after seeing something filthy.
For convenience, he decided to call him… Emiya Kuro.
It sounded almost like an insult to himself, but he needed a way to refer to him.
The reason he did not use "Shirou Black" was because he himself currently used Shirou name more often; calling the other that felt strangely awkward.
"Sigh… seriously. I was the one who pulled you up from the abyss, you know? Can you at least trust me a little? I finally managed to retrieve you while that guy's magic power was low."
Sensing that Shirou did not trust him at all, Emiya Kuro' sighed in complaint.
"…Why not just let me finish dealing with the Catastrophe first before dragging me in here?"
Looking at him and acknowledging that he had indeed pulled him out of the water Shirou reluctantly listened.
If it was not anything serious, he would stop paying attention.
"Unfortunately, you are not capable of resolving that Catastrophe."
Emiya Kuro' sneered lightly before continuing:
"Let me think… you forced yourself to use the Caladbolg three times, even ignoring your magic circuits screaming in protest to cast spells. And you still think you have the ability to keep using magic in the short term?"
"Forget magic, you should even be thankful if your body can still move at all. In this condition, do you think you can still handle that Catastrophe? Do not make me laugh."
"Have some self-awareness, half-baked magus."
Each word from Emiya Kuro' struck deeply into Shirou's heart.
He was right. Shirou had already failed his final projection. Why did he still believe he could resolve the Catastrophe?
Without magic, without magecraft, he was nothing more than an ordinary human.
"So you have shut down already? Have you lived in comfort for too long to handle even this much setback?"
Emiya Kuro' continued when he saw Shirou fall silent.
"I…"
Shirou tried to speak, but before he could, he was interrupted again.
"But I suppose that is only natural. After all, you are missing something, right?"
Emiya Kuro' stroked his chin as if convincing himself.
"Missing something?"
Shirou frowned slightly at those words.
Missing what? Memory?
His memories from that Holy Grail War?
....
"It is not the time yet. When the time comes, you will understand on your own… now, where were we?"
Realizing he had slipped up and said too much, Emiya Kuro' shot Shirou a sideways glance and immediately cut off the topic.
"The part where you insulted me into shutting down."
Although Shirou felt contempt for the other's riddling way of speaking, he had no choice but to cooperate for now.
He wanted to recover the memories related to the Holy Grail War. Right now, this person was his only lead.
Even if the other was unpleasant, he still had to force himself to engage politely.
"Not that. That was just me insulting you. I mean the serious part… ah right, half-baked magus. That is where I stopped."
After thinking for a while, Emiya Kuro' finally remembered where he had left off.
"..."
Shirou wanted to say something, but decided against it.
This Emiya Shirou felt like something was broken. He briefly wondered whether Archer should throw this guy into the water and drown him.
"What is that expression? I am helping you here!"
Noticing Shirou's subtle expression, Emiya Kuro' was certain he was thinking of something unpleasant.
After all, no matter what, they were both Emiya Shirou. Although Shirou had experienced more, the core of them was still similar.
At least compared to the red one and the black one, this version of him was the closest to the Shirou standing here.
At least for now…
The black one's magical corruption was too strong. Although the magical energy was faint, it was still slowly eroding Shirou.
If left alone, the Shirou in front of him would eventually sink completely into the abyss.
But as he said, he was here to help.
"Help me…?"
Hearing this, Shirou did not immediately trust him just because he claimed to be helping.
After all, he might be connected to the Holy Grail.
Anything related to the Holy Grail could not be trusted even himself. And when he first met Emiya Black, the other had been soaked in the Holy Grail's black mud.
"A mere Catastrophe. It is nothing difficult."
Emiya Kuro' shrugged indifferently.
This crisis was easy to solve. Destroying the Catastrophe entirely was not even necessary, it was simply Shirou overcomplicating things.
But his method of using magic was too crude. It was nothing more than brute force.
The result was that he exceeded his own limits and still failed to defeat it.
"..."
Seeing Emiya Kuro' dismiss the Catastrophe so lightly, Shirou did not refute him.
Perhaps he could not do it but maybe this guy could?
"Do not look at me like that. I cannot directly help you. At most, I can give you a hint."
Emiya Kuro' sneered, noticing Shirou's thoughts.
"A hint…?"
Shirou tilted his head in confusion.
"You already understand it in your heart, do you not? Against that Catastrophe, you are not completely without options."
Before Shirou could think further, Emiya Kuro' leapt down from above and walked toward him.
"Are you talking about… Saber's sword?"
As he approached, Shirou felt a subtle pressure and instinctively wanted to step back.
Unfortunately, behind him was the same murky water. Another step back and he would fall into it.
"At a time like this, you are still thinking about someone else's weapon? Do you not already possess it yourself? The only thing Emiya Shirou truly has."
Unlike before, Emiya Kuro' now walked forward without any smile. His expression was cold, and his tone equally sharp.
"I cannot activate the Reality Marble right now, let alone envelop anything with it."
Feeling the pressure from the other, Shirou steadied himself and stepped forward instead.
Even if he was at a disadvantage, he could not lose in momentum.
"Is there not another way to use it?"
Shirou paused at those words.
He knew what the other meant.
Another way to use Unlimited Blade Works, rather than projecting to engulf the enemy, it could be directly forced into the target's body and activated internally.
But that method…
"You are afraid, are you not? Afraid of sinking further? Afraid of becoming something that is no longer yourself?"
Standing right in front of him, Emiya Kuro' stared directly into Shirou's eyes, which faintly glowed with gold.
"..."
Faced with such overwhelming presence, Shirou found it difficult to deny.
But the other was not wrong.
It was precisely because he feared losing himself that he had avoided it until now.
Originally, he had planned to sort out his emotions before taking the next step…
Looking at Emiya Kuro', who was half a head shorter than himself, Shirou's mind flashed through many scenes from games Exusiai and Croissant liked to play.
In situations like this, it was usually when the other party would propose some kind of condition such as taking control of his body.
"Honestly, you really are troublesome."
However, things did not develop as Shirou had expected. Emiya Kuro' suddenly turned around and tossed something toward him.
"Huh? This is…?"
Seeing the small object flying toward him, Shirou barely had time to register what it was before his hand instinctively caught it.
Opening his palm, he finally saw what had been thrown at him.
It was a crimson bullet… or rather, a black bullet covered in red patterns.
It looked extremely ominous.
"This time, someone else has paid the price for you. The rest is up to you. Surely you are not incapable of pulling a trigger, are you?"
Emiya Kuro' said, still facing away from Shirou.
There was no need to teach him how to use it or where to aim. The moment Shirou grasped the bullet, all the knowledge and technique required to use it had already been etched into his body.
"…Thank you. I thought you would make some strange request, like wanting to go outside or something."
Holding the bullet, Shirou immediately understood how to use it. At the same time, his body began to turn semi-transparent.
It seemed to indicate that he was leaving this place.
"I am not interested in that kind of thing. Besides, I am not as patient as you. I might just go on a killing spree if something goes wrong."
Emiya Kuro' replied self-mockingly.
Still facing away from the gradually disappearing Shirou, he added:
"By the way, all of the black one's magical energy is in this. You do not need to worry about his influence anymore. You should be grateful to him."
After saying this, Shirou's figure disappeared.
Emiya Kuro' did not care whether Shirou had heard his final words or not. It would not change anything either way.
He would probably figure it out after a few sleeps anyway.
Turning around, Emiya Kuro' looked toward the direction of the pool.
The originally murky water had become much clearer, though it was still unfathomably deep.
He stood there silently, watching the pool, allowing the red patterns on his left arm to spread upward.
...
Inside the back seat of the vehicle, Shirou suddenly opened his eyes and sat up.
The first thing he felt was weakness and pain throughout his body.
Opening his left hand, he saw the black-red bullet resting quietly in his palm.
It was something created by "him." As a projection-derived object, simply possessing it allowed Shirou to instinctively understand how to use it.
The magical energy within it felt familiar. It was very similar to the energy emitted by the crystal Amiya had taken out during the conference room incident.
But unlike that time, Shirou did not feel resistance from it.
"Is this… the village? Everyone has gone to assist with evacuation?"
Clenching the bullet again, Shirou pushed open the car door and stepped outside.
Although his body was weak, walking was still possible.
The moment he got out, he heard the chaotic voices of people around him, along with faint raindrops falling on his body.
He paid no attention to any of it and instead looked toward the approaching tornado.
It was still a long distance away, perhaps they had enough time for the entire village to evacuate.
But this place was definitely beyond saving. Those who fled could only escape elsewhere.
And the Catastrophe would continue forward, destroying lives along its path.
Thinking this, Shirou began walking toward it.
To the eyes of the fleeing villagers, he was an anomaly. But they could not even take care of themselves, let alone worry about others.
Already weakened, walking against the flow of people drained his remaining strength further.
Crash—
A fully loaded backpack knocked Shirou to the ground. The person carrying it continued running without realizing what they had done.
"Haa…"
Struggling to steady himself, Shirou kept his left hand tightly clenched.
Fatigue, dizziness, and rising nausea flooded his senses, this was only the second time he had ever felt this terrible.
The first time… had been during that fire.
Ah… this time, there would be no "hero of justice" to save him. He had to do it himself.
His whole body felt as if it were weighed down with lead. Even standing up was difficult.
At this rate, let alone stopping the Catastrophe he might need someone to come and rescue him instead.
Through his haze, Shirou heard a low voice:
"The battlefield is right ahead! Why are you not acting? Stand up! Move!"
A trace of magical energy flowed from Shirou's left hand into his body.
Although it was not much, it was enough for his current state.
He straightened his body. The dizziness and nausea vanished.
At this moment, Shirou's eyes glowed with a faint golden light as he stepped forward toward the Catastrophe, step by step.
"Shirou! What are you doing? Get back to the vehicle! Evacuation is about to begin!"
A person walking toward the Catastrophe was far too abnormal. Someone immediately reported the situation to Rhodes Island personnel assisting with evacuation.
Upon hearing that it was a red-haired, non-featured man, almost everyone immediately thought of Shirou.
Fortunately, Shirou's movement speed was not fast. Under the full sprint of Penguin Logistics, they still managed to catch sight of him.
"Is that… Mr. Shirou? Was he not unconscious? Why is he here?"
On the other side, Dobermann who was monitoring the Catastrophe's movement and the A1 squad, who had nearly finished assisting villagers with evacuation also noticed the disturbance.
But no matter how loudly they called his name, Shirou gave no response, continuing slowly toward the Catastrophe.
"What are you doing! Do you not want to live anymore? Get back here!"
The fastest among Penguin Logistics were Texas and Exusiai. The two arrived almost one after the other and blocked Shirou's path.
"..."
Shirou did not speak. He looked at them once, then turned his gaze back toward the Catastrophe.
Exusiai only felt that something was wrong with him, but she could not quite pinpoint what.
Perhaps it was the faint golden glow in his eyes.
"You still want to try again?"
Seeing Shirou's gaze fixed on the Catastrophe, and recalling his earlier attempt to destroy it, Texas immediately understood his intention.
He wanted to gamble everything and strike it down here.
Shirou did not respond, but he stepped forward.
Texas took a step aside on her own accord, letting him pass.
"You are not stopping him?"
Exusiai asked, confused.
Confused as she was, she still trusted Texas's judgment and Shirou's intention.
"Prepare yourselves. After Shirou fires once, no matter what happens, we are tying him back into the vehicle."
Texas bit down on the half-eaten Pocky in her mouth. She did not take another piece, just watched Shirou move forward.
That kind of expression… she could not refuse it. If mishandled, this could become a lifelong psychological scar for him.
Rather than let that happen, it was better to let him try once more.
According to Dobermann's report, Shirou's three previous attacks had significantly reduced the Catastrophe. Maybe this time it would be enough.
She did not know. But she knew no one here could stop him.
"..."
Shirou walked further forward and stood at the edge of the village, staring directly at the approaching Catastrophe.
The Catastrophe was moving slowly. The several-kilometer distance would take time to cross, giving villagers enough time to evacuate.
Compared to Shirou's memory, it was already much smaller than at the beginning but still larger than after his two Broken Phantasm strikes.
This meant the tornado was still condensing, with no sign of weakening.
At this moment, Shirou's vision contained only the Catastrophe. Everything else had faded from his mind.
It seemed two people had tried to stop him earlier?
He did not know.
He gathered the remaining magical energy in his left hand, forming a red-black gunblade.
"I am the bone of my sword—"
As the chant began, the bullet seemed to activate, its red patterns glowing faintly as Shirou loaded it into the weapon.
Black lightning burst from his left hand as magical energy surged outward.
He raised the gunblade, aimed at the point in his vision, and pulled the trigger.
A thunderous blast echoed out. The black-red bullet shot forward.
Standing closest, Penguin Logistics could not understand why Shirou had changed his fighting style to using a firearm, but they were certain of one thing:
He was absolutely not normal right now.
"That is…"
Dobermann had sent A1 ahead to bring the vehicle over, while she stayed behind with Penguin Logistics, ready to go all the way.
As temporary commander of this operation, she had that responsibility.
That massive firearm in Shirou's hand… if she remembered correctly, it was the weapon of Operator Nameless.
But it was still just a gun. What could a single shot accomplish?
However, Shirou's previous three attacks, each like a miniature Catastrophe had already forced her to abandon that line of thought.
"So as I pray—Unlimited Lost Works!"
Seeing the bullet pierce into the Catastrophe and precisely strike its target, Shirou decisively completed the latter half of the chant.
As the chanting ended, a massive sword pierced out from within the tornado.
Immediately after it came a second, then a third… countless blades of swords and weapons continuously emerged from the point Shirou had aimed at earlier.
With each one that appeared, the size of the tornado shrank. Until finally, when the tornado completely disappeared, all those weapons also dissolved into magical particles and faded away.
The Catastrophe was resolved by a single Noble Phantasm.
The point Shirou had aimed at was the very center of the tornado's formation. If the Caladbolg had been fired there from the beginning, two shots would likely have been enough to eliminate it.
Unfortunately, Shirou had not known that at the start.
"Unlimited Lost Works" was an attack mode in which Unlimited Blade Works was directly generated inside the enemy's body.
If used on a human, they would likely be torn apart in an instant.
But "Lost…"—what exactly had he lost?
That was something Shirou did not know.
"Yan State expletive Shirou, that was way too cool! You literally blew up a Catastrophe with one shot! Is this not even better than Exusiai?!"
Seeing the Catastrophe pierced and erased by countless blades, the members of Penguin Logistics immediately rushed over.
Croissant even went so far as to completely dismiss Exusiai, who also used firearms.
However, Exusiai did not have time to argue. Most of her attention was on whether Shirou was okay, and the rest was on the massive gunblade in his left hand.
A super huge gunblade, how could that not be cool?
"Are you alright?"
Seeing Shirou's golden pupils, Silence asked.
Texas also frowned, scanning Shirou's body repeatedly to check for injuries.
"I am fine… I am okay."
Seeing their concern, Shirou forced out a somewhat strained smile.
Then his eyes returned to their usual color. The pain, dizziness, and various discomforts that had been suppressed all came rushing back at once.
His footing immediately became unstable, and he felt himself being supported by the others.
"Stop lying. There is no way you are fine. Your body temperature could probably bake an apple pie."
Supporting him so he would not collapse, Exusiai complained.
His torso was extremely hot, while his limbs were cold.
And his eyes were clearly unfocused. If they had not caught him immediately, he would have collapsed unconscious again.
But now that the Catastrophe was gone, Shirou finally had time to rest.
"…That is a bit of an exaggeration regarding the apple pie."
Hearing Exusiai's analogy, Shirou responded without thinking.
His tone, however, was noticeably weak.
"That is not the point! Just rest properly! We will take you to the office… Miss Dobermann! Can you contact the medical staff at the office?"
Seeing that Shirou could still respond, everyone finally relaxed a little. Croissant immediately turned to Dobermann for help.
After all, Shirou's condition earlier had indeed been abnormal, especially his eyes and overall presence…
Fortunately, the current Shirou no longer had that strange feeling about him, and could even still respond to Exusiai's jokes.
This was the Shirou they knew. The earlier one had been somewhat frightening.
"…Yeah."
Listening to them, Shirou did not argue.
He really was tired.
Every part of his body hurt. His head was spinning.
But it was worth it.
He had defeated the Catastrophe before it arrived.
He had pulled the entire village back from the brink.
Watching the children nearby cheer and shout in joy because the Catastrophe had disappeared, Shirou felt… that it was not bad.
After all, there was too much suffering in this land. A little good news like this helped balance things out.