Chapter 125: Is All of This Within Your Plan?
It's a coincidence. Too much of a coincidence.
It was so coincidental that even Archer, the top hatchet man of the Counter Force, didn't believe it was a coincidence. Although Archer was somewhat annoyed that what he thought was a vacation was actually being used as a tool by the Counter Force again, he had grown somewhat accustomed to it over the years since signing his contract.
Besides, this mission suited his inclinations far better than the previous tasks the Counter Force had assigned him. So, Archer didn't mind acting as the Counter Force's enforcer one more time.
Except...
Archer, holding the [Pseudo-Anubis] he had projected, looked at the Stand-blade in his hand with some doubt. With just a Noble Phantasm (Stand) like this, how exactly did Emiya Shirou defeat Berserker earlier?
Swordsmanship ability? It was there, but compared to the martial arts of the great swordmasters and divine-tier heroes Archer obtained through projection, the swordsmanship added by [Pseudo-Anubis] was essentially negligible. Using the swordsmanship provided by [Pseudo-Anubis], he would be better off using [Nine Lives: Shooting the Hundred Heads] learned by projecting Berserker's weapon.
As for the attribute boosts... that tiny increase could never result in a stat sheet that surpassed Berserker's.
Did Emiya Shirou truly defeat Berserker with this Noble Phantasm (Stand)? Archer, who had a very clear understanding of Berserker's strength, looked at Shirou with hidden suspicion. Could this guy, having seen Archer's goal in the future through his Mystic Eyes, have deliberately used this false information to guard against him?
"...No doubt, after projecting [Anubis] and realizing its power isn't enough to defeat Berserker, you're probably thinking exactly that, Archer."
Emiya Shirou, who appeared to be confronting Archer with a look of iron determination, was secretly thinking this to himself. As a fellow user of Projection Magecraft, Shirou knew the weaknesses of this craft better than anyone.
First, the magical energy consumption went without saying. If not for the help of [Pseudo-Atum]'s Stand ability, Shirou wouldn't have been able to maintain these continuous projections. That was the first point.
Second, Projection Magecraft cannot truly and completely project a person's experience. By the same token, the reason the stats of Shirou's projected [Pseudo-Anubis] stacked so high was thanks to the stat-monster that was Berserker.
But Archer, who hadn't "eaten" Berserker's experience, could only project the original [Anubis]. Furthermore, as the corresponding stat rank automatically drops by one level after projection, Archer's [Pseudo-Anubis] was undoubtedly in a crippled state right now.
"When I explained the ability of [Anubis] earlier, I deliberately held back a detail regarding its activation conditions just for this moment. After all, the [Anubis] we project doesn't possess self-awareness like the real one.
Or rather, Projection Magecraft hasn't reached the level where it can create a living consciousness. With that gloomy personality of yours inherited from Kiritsugu, what will you think when faced with this gap between expectation and reality?"
Archer would inevitably become suspicious. He would feel that the information Shirou had provided earlier was intentionally fed to him to mislead him.
As long as Archer formed this perception—becoming distrustful of [Pseudo-Anubis] and everything Shirou projected—then it would be Shirou's victory.
Because just like in the world of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, the reason Shirou could defeat DIO was largely because he successfully projected DIO's [The World]. Only by using the time-stop of [Pseudo-The World] against the time-stop of [The World] did he have a chance to overcome that invincible Stand.
Similarly, Archer, who also knew Projection Magecraft, could project any of the Stands in Shirou's arsenal. Once Archer projected Shirou's stored Stands, Shirou's greatest advantage would turn into his greatest disadvantage.
This was also why, after projecting [Pseudo-Anubis] and fighting Berserker, Shirou began to act separately from Rin's group. It wasn't just because Shirou wanted to save Sakura quickly. It was also because as long as Archer was present—having successfully projected [Pseudo-Anubis] and gained a Stand user's perspective—Shirou could not project truly powerful Stands like [Pseudo-The World] or [Pseudo-King Crimson].
Doing so would be equivalent to neutering half of Shirou's capabilities. Of course, the trade-off was that currently, Archer also couldn't figure out which information Shirou had chosen to share was real.
'However, even so, I probably only have one chance for a single strike. After all, having successfully projected a Stand, my future self—whose internal world of [Unlimited Blade Works] now records the existence of [Anubis]—has already become a Stand user.
He can see my Stands...'
Thinking this, Shirou noted that besides the projected [Pseudo-Anubis] in his hand, only [Pseudo-Atum] remained by his side to provide magical energy. As for [Pseudo-Crazy Diamond], he had canceled the projection after saving Sakura.
But even if he hadn't canceled it, it wouldn't have mattered. Both [Pseudo-Anubis] and [Pseudo-Atum] were the type of Stands that required specific conditions to trigger their abilities. And [Pseudo-Crazy Diamond] was essentially a healer. They were all Stands that wouldn't cause much impact even if Archer projected and copied them.
Therefore, Shirou had to land a killing blow on Archer the moment he used a powerful Stand like [Pseudo-The World], preventing Archer from projecting it in response. Or, he had to defeat Archer without using Stands like [Pseudo-The World] at all.
To instantly defeat Archer—who possessed the [Independent Action] skill and wouldn't die immediately even from a fatal wound, but could linger for a while and likely receive support from the Counter Force—in a single strike...
'...Thinking about it that way, it really is quite difficult.'
The preparations were complete. Emiya Shirou, whose mind was now incredibly firm after calculating all his schemes and strategies, thought:
"But, this is enough."
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