Chapter 91: Displacement Magecraft
Why is the body so sticky, as if drenched in blood?
Why is the body so heavy, to the point that even breathing feels difficult?
Why did Emiya Shirou suddenly cross the distance between them and appear right before his eyes?
These were questions that, at the very moment time-stop ended, should have inevitably surfaced in the minds of everyone whose time had been halted, causing them to subconsciously ponder these sudden changes.
But in Gilgamesh's case, they didn't actually exist.
Even in its deactivated state, the "Sha Naqba Imuru Star that Knows All and is All" was enough to allow Gilgamesh to quickly clarify the current situation the instant time began to flow again.
Therefore, in the shortest possible time, Gilgamesh understood everything.
Relying on the Rank A+ "Independent Action" skill granted by the Archer class, even while suffering from a fatal wound that should have killed him instantly, he still possessed a sliver of strength to open his "Gate of Babylon" with lightning-fast hand speed.
The Elixir of Immortality, the Potion of Youth, the Philosopher's Stone...
Among the many undying drugs and healing medicines recorded in various myths and legends, if Gilgamesh could just pull out a single one, he could instantly recover to full health.
As long as he could reach that place...
Emiya Shirou had only managed to nearly kill him with that brief time-stop because of a moment of carelessness.
There was no way he could succeed a second time!
As long as he still...
Swish!
!!
First came the sound of air being sliced.
Then, Gilgamesh felt as though he had lost all sensation in both hands.
Thud!
Along with the sound of something hitting the ground, he saw the image of his own arms falling to the earth.
"HAAAAA!!!"
A scream erupted from Gilgamesh's mouth.
.
.
.
.
Indeed.
Just as the unactivated "Sha Naqba Imuru" allowed Gilgamesh to quickly assess his surroundings and make the wisest judgment, Emiya Shirou—who possessed a "Clairvoyance" known as having read the plot—would also exaggerate the capabilities of Gilgamesh, Nasu's favorite son, as much as possible.
How could he possibly underestimate Gilgamesh?
How could he give Gilgamesh such an opportunity?
Even as Gilgamesh tried to reach into the Gate of Babylon for medicine, the other gates he had opened alongside it were not idling; they opened one after another, locking their targets onto Emiya Shirou.
Even Gilgamesh's most trusted "Enkidu: Chains of Heaven"...
...was pulled out by Gilgamesh under the pressure of "Pseudo-Anubis," a Stand bearing the name of an Egyptian god, intending to bind and attack Emiya Shirou to stall his steps.
However, setting aside whether the divinity judgment of the TYPE-MOON world could apply to the world of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, "Pseudo-Anubis"—or its original version "Anubis"—were not gods, nor were they weapons used by gods.
They were Stands—products left behind on a blade by a master smith hundreds of years ago after his spiritual energy reached ultimate sublimation during the forging process.
In other words, aside from the name, nothing about them was related to divinity.
Furthermore, when Emiya Shirou gripped the Stand known as "Pseudo-Anubis," it was no longer Shirou who felt fear. He didn't need to worry about whether those Anti-Divine Noble Phantasms would continue to work against "Pseudo-Anubis."
Instead, it was Gilgamesh's turn to worry.
Would Emiya Shirou, who possessed stats even more exaggerated than Berserker's, land an attack on Gilgamesh before the Noble Phantasms from the Gate of Babylon could fire?
The answer was obvious.
"It's over, Gilgamesh.
You, who should have returned to the Throne of Heroes ten years ago, go back now to the place where you truly belong."
As he spoke, another "Pseudo-Anubis" appeared in Emiya Shirou's other empty hand. He aimed a swift blade at Gilgamesh's neck: "Of course, I'm not talking about the Throne of Heroes.
But Hell. The Hell ruled by the god you hate the least has come to collect your sin-filled soul. [Atum]!!"
"Pseudo-The World" disappeared.
In the world of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, in the hands of DIO, "The World" was the strongest Stand besides "Star Platinum."
After all, "The World" was the only Stand capable of matching a "Muda Muda" rush against "Star Platinum," whose punch speed was so fast it felt like stopped time and whose power could instantly shatter diamonds two meters in dimension.
But since the one Emiya Shirou projected was "Pseudo-The World", the Stand's stat panel would drop by one rank compared to the original.
Thus, once time resumed its flow, the golden, muscular humanoid Stand "Pseudo-The World" began to gradually vanish from Emiya Shirou's side, transforming into another purple-and-white, heart-adorned mechanical humanoid Stand—
"Pseudo-Atum"!!
Compared to D'Arby the Elder's "Osiris," which possessed the unreasonably powerful ability to extract souls without the target's consent—even if just a blood relative agreed—D'Arby the Younger's "Atum" was not quite as heaven-defying, as it could only extract the soul of the person involved.
But in exchange, it didn't require consent.
As long as you defeated the opponent—regardless of the method of victory—you could extract their soul!
"But you probably can't hear these words anymore, Gilgamesh."
The moment Gilgamesh was defeated, "Pseudo-Atum," which could touch Gilgamesh's soul, followed Emiya Shirou's command to seize the soul and activate its ability, stuffing it into a card Shirou had pulled out at random.
Just like the Displacement Magecraft in the neighboring Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya, it was turned into a Class Card. Emiya Shirou remarked: "Of course, if you really don't like it, you can also call this 'Displacement Magecraft.'"
"Before you truly go to Hell, I can try to use this 'Displacement Magecraft' to empty out the treasures in your Gate of Babylon.
Since you're already a dead man, there's no use in keeping so many treasures, is there?"
Having said that, Emiya Shirou—not knowing if Gilgamesh's soul inside the Class Card was still conscious—finished taunting him to leave him to rot in impotent rage within the card.
Satisfied, he turned his head toward Saber's direction and said: "Next is you, Kotomine Kirei!"
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