Just before Shirou was about to land his decisive blow, the already blurry scene was swallowed by darkness, causing Blaze, who had been watching with excitement, to shout:
"Huh? Wait, what?! Why did it stop there?! At least let me see how that ends! Hey!"
"...Did something happen to Shirou?"
Recalling the previous times something similar had occurred, along with the missing fragments in her own memories, Amiya quickly arrived at a conclusion.
Something must have happened to the current Shirou.
Even before the image went completely dark, the scene had already become increasingly unclear. The only thing that remained relatively visible was Saber herself.
That alone clearly showed that Shirou's condition at the time was far from good.
In fact, it was likely quite severe.
Amiya understood well the strain of obtaining immense power within a short period while still possessing the body of an ordinary person.
Touching the ring on her finger, she found herself lost in thought.
"Strictly speaking, the problem occurred on Rin's side and mine. As the sources supplying magical energy, we suddenly lost our ability to provide mana. Shirou's body was only being held together by a delicate balance, and once the supply stopped, everything collapsed."
Seeing Amiya immediately identify the issue, Illya answered.
Even knowing what was going to happen, neither she nor Rin could have prevented it.
After all, they had been facing another powerful Servant at the time.
The golden Archer.
Just when victory was within reach, he had stolen the opportunity from them and casually bombarded them with several Noble Phantasms, interrupting their mana supply.
Shirou's body had essentially become a structure maintained by an extremely delicate balance.
Only their continuous flow of magical energy kept it from falling apart.
The moment that supply was cut off, the structure naturally collapsed.
"..."
Though none of them truly understood the principles behind magecraft, they could still grasp the simple explanation Illya had deliberately used for their sake.
After some time, the image gradually lit up again.
The picture remained somewhat blurry, but they could still make out Saber in the distance.
Her injuries were slowly healing.
As for Shirou, his eyes had already lost all focus.
He knelt on the ground, holding a badly shattered blade.
The only reason he had not fallen over completely was because the broken sword was embedded in the ground, supporting his body.
Just like Shirou himself, the fragments of the blade supporting him were gradually crumbling away piece by piece.
Once Saber had mostly recovered, she approached him.
However, she did not attack immediately.
Instead, she lowered her head and quietly observed the now battle-incapable Shirou.
After watching him for quite some time and meeting his unfocused gaze, Saber finally lifted her head and looked around.
The black mud surrounding their battlefield had begun to surge much more rapidly.
At this rate, the enormous cavern would likely be completely filled within a matter of minutes.
The black mud was harmless to Saber.
For Shirou, however a normal human forcefully stitched together with a Servant's body, it was a completely different matter.
"Do you still refuse to surrender?"
Raising her sword and pointing it at him, Saber asked.
Despite his terrible condition, Shirou could still speak.
And he rejected her without hesitation.
He did not even understand why he was rejecting her.
No matter how hard he tried to think, his mind was completely blank.
Yet his mouth continued to answer on its own.
The Holy Grail?
The black mud?
What were those things?
Why was he trying to stop them?
He could not understand.
Yet he felt no resistance toward the idea.
On the contrary, he had engraved that purpose deep within his heart and accepted it as his own goal.
"..."
Looking into those unfocused eyes that nevertheless still burned with determination, Saber understood exactly what he was thinking.
After a moment of contemplation, she reached her conclusion.
"Hmph. If that is your answer, then your journey ends here!"
Gripping her sword with both hands, Saber thrust it toward Shirou's chest.
Out of old sentiment, she had originally hoped to recruit him.
That way, he might have lived a little longer.
But now that he had become a true warrior, she felt obligated to grant him a warrior's death.
Rather than lingering somewhere and dying slowly in misery, dying on the battlefield was the proper fate of a warrior.
Perhaps this was also the most fitting ending for the man before her.
"Shirou!"
All they could do was watch helplessly as the black holy sword pierced through Shirou's chest.
There was nothing they could do.
Even Amiya, seeing this scene for the second time, could feel the overwhelming despair emanating from it.
The first time, she had not understood the burdens Shirou carried.
Now that she did understand, the despair felt even deeper.
"Sa...ber..."
First, he looked down at the sword piercing his chest.
Then his gaze shifted toward the woman clad in black armor standing before him.
At this final moment, he finally remembered her name.
Saber.
Saber.
Perhaps it was a final burst of clarity before death.
At that moment, the pupils that had long since lost their focus regained their former sharpness.
Yet Shirou felt no despair over his defeat.
In fact, it was quite the opposite.
He knew exactly what he needed to do.
He did not know why, but he knew he had to deal with the black mud surrounding him.
The first step, however, was removing the sword lodged in his chest.
Grasping the sword with his massive right hand, Shirou tried to pull it out.
But it was futile.
Leaving aside his physical condition, he was simply not strong enough to overcome Saber. All he could do was watch as the black holy sword slowly sank deeper into his chest until the hilt finally reached his body.
"...Farewell, Shirou."
Seeing that he was still trying to struggle, Saber spoke her final goodbye.
Then, without any further hesitation, she hurled both man and sword into the nearby sea of black mud.
At some point, traces of the black mud had already contaminated his body.
The amount was minuscule, but for a dying ordinary human, it was already a lethal dose.
Perhaps because his body had been fused with a Servant's flesh, the black mud was not only eroding him but also maintaining his vital functions.
However, it could only sustain him for a little while longer.
During that time, the black mud would continuously consume both his body and his mind.
So...
A short pain was better than a long one.
Saber chose to grant Shirou a swift death.
"..."
As Shirou sank deeper and deeper into the black mud, his lips still seemed to be moving.
Muttering something.
But from where Saber stood, she could no longer hear him.
"What an idiot."
Saber could not hear him.
That did not mean everyone else could not.
Standing close to Shirou, Blaze clearly heard his final words and could not help cursing him.
Even at a time like this, he was still worrying about other people?
Could he not care about himself for once?
After the black mud completely swallowed Shirou's vision, the scene before them once again faded into darkness.
Unlike the darkness from previous occasions, however, they could clearly see movement all around them this time.
That meant they were now inside the black mud itself.
Although they knew it could not affect them, the sight still left them deeply uncomfortable.
"This... is not the end yet, right?"
Even though Talulah already knew how things would eventually turn out, Shirou's current situation made it difficult to imagine what could possibly happen next.
After suffering such a devastating wound and then being thrown into the black mud, survival seemed completely impossible.
In response to Talulah's question, Illya remained silent.
She knew the answer everyone wanted would reveal itself soon enough.
Click.
A sudden sound echoed through the darkness.
"That was... the sound of a firearm being cocked?"
The noise came and went in an instant.
Most people present could not identify it.
But for Exusiai, that sound was practically engraved into her DNA.
She might forget apple pie one day, but she would never forget the sound of a weapon being chambered...
Well, actually, it might be the other way around.
"Stand up, Emiya Shirou."
A deep male voice echoed through the darkness.
It sounded somewhat similar to Archer's voice, yet noticeably lower.
The moment they heard it, the previously restless members of Rhodes Island instantly felt much more at ease.
"Do not forget what you are supposed to do. Is a mere fatal wound enough to stop you? Grab hold of it, and move forward."
Without waiting for Shirou's response, the man continued speaking.
"..."
Question marks immediately appeared over the heads of everyone from Penguin Logistics and Reunion.
A mere fatal wound?
They understood that he was trying to encourage Shirou.
It was just that his choice of words was somewhat... unique.
"The Boss would have said it way better than that."
Croissant muttered under her breath.
"Even the old fossil would have done a better job."
Frostnova quietly added.
"Cough, cough..."
Although they had no idea who "the Boss" or "the old fossil" referred to, Amiya knew exactly who the owner of that voice was.
"That is also Shirou, you know? Similar to Archer's situation. Right now, he can only appear like this because the black mud has invaded his right arm."
Seeing that everyone seemed to agree with the earlier complaints, Illya explained.
After Illya finished speaking, both Amiya and Blaze could clearly see the awkward expressions spreading across everyone's faces.
Before the others could dwell on their embarrassment, a pair of golden eyes suddenly appeared.
Against the endless darkness of the black mud, they stood out with startling clarity.
"Good. The battlefield lies ahead, and there is only one thing that needs to be done—"
Before the voice of the Nameless Hero could finish speaking, Shirou's voice overtook it.
"—Destroy the Holy Grail and stop the black mud from pouring out."
Shirou spoke in an exceptionally deep tone.
For a moment, several people almost failed to recognize that the latter sentence had come from Shirou himself.
The tone was simply too similar.
Yet upon listening carefully, the difference became apparent.
When the former spoke, there was a sense that nothing really mattered.
Shirou, on the other hand, spoke with unwavering conviction.
The pair of golden eyes seemed to lock onto something within the darkness.
In the next moment, everyone felt as though they were rising upward.
As they emerged from the black mud, the scene became bright once more.
The image was clearer than it had ever been before.
Shirou stood there, gripping a silver wire-hook in his right hand.
It was with that hook that he had pulled himself out of the black mud.
And in his left hand...
Was a black gunblade.
"I am the bone of my sword—"
A crimson sleeve covered his right arm, while a black sleeve covered his left.
Aside from those sleeves and a pair of black trousers, there was nothing else covering his body.
Everyone could clearly see the exposed skin beneath.
Seeing someone they knew dressed like that felt a little strange.
But beyond that, they did not have any particular reaction.
If there was one thing that drew attention, it was the black sword still embedded in Shirou's chest.
As for the wounds he had suffered during the earlier battle, they were now obscured by crimson markings similar to those on Saber's body.
Combined with his cold expression, he no longer resembled the Shirou they knew.
It was almost as if...
He had gone down a darker path.
"...!"
Saber clearly had not expected Shirou to suddenly reappear under such circumstances, much less launch another attack.
However, Shirou showed no sign of pride at catching her off guard.
He simply raised the gunblade and aimed directly at her chest.
The round was already chambered.
All he had to do was pull the trigger.
"So as I pray... Unlimited Lost Works!"
Because Saber had not anticipated the attack, Shirou's ambush succeeded.
The bullet struck her armor.
Though it failed to penetrate completely, that was enough.
The instant Shirou finished his chant, countless swords erupted from the point where the bullet had landed.
One after another, blades burst forth and pierced Saber's body.
"Ah... you've become stronger, Shirou."
Even with countless swords skewering her body, Saber did not immediately fall.
She remained standing, looking at Shirou.
Her voice was gentle.
Just like the Saber Shirou had first come to know.
"...Thank you, Saber."
After a moment of silence, Shirou suddenly spoke.
Those words of gratitude carried many meanings.
He thanked her for all the help she had given him in the past.
He thanked her for what she had done moments ago, allowing him to survive long enough to gain the power needed to solve the problem before him.
Even though the price he would have to pay afterward was extraordinarily harsh, Shirou did not care.
Holding the gunblade in his left hand, he walked past Saber.
He had no intention of delivering a finishing blow.
Large amounts of black mud were already rising from beneath her feet, swallowing both her and the swords impaling her body.
The last thing Shirou saw was her faint, satisfied smile.