Chapter 124: The Counter Force: Why Am I Taking the Blame for This?
"...It seems you weren't lying when you said you accidentally awakened Mystic Eyes that could see the future while on the verge of death."
After a moment of silence, Archer admitted it frankly. However, the first to react to this admission wasn't Emiya Shirou or Saber.
It was Tohsaka Rin.
She stared at Archer with a look of utter stupefaction. "Heroic Spirit EMIYA? ...EMIYA? EMIYA!?"
Rin had thought that after all the spoilers Shirou had dropped, nothing could possibly surprise her anymore. She didn't expect that just after accepting the spoiler that there might be something truly wrong with the Holy Grail War, Shirou would drop such an explosive revelation on them.
EMIYA, Emiya, Emiya Shirou...
"Does that mean, Archer, you..."
Rin hurriedly looked at Shirou, then turned her head to look at Archer. She hadn't thought so before, but after Shirou said it, Rin truly discovered that Archer and Shirou did look quite alike... No, no, no, wait!
Since Archer was very likely Emiya Shirou, then she, who had summoned Archer (Emiya Shirou) without using any catalyst, wasn't she...?
"Lancer, what is the situation right now?"
Seeing Rin suddenly fall into a blushing silence, Bazett quietly approached Lancer and whispered: "Why do I feel like this Holy Grail War has become very strange ever since Saber released her Noble Phantasm?"
Emiya Shirou and Tohsaka Rin had suddenly become antagonistic. Then there was the Counter Force, and the fact that the true name of the Archer Rin summoned was Heroic Spirit EMIYA—an agent of the Counter Force. Even with Bazett's lower-than-average emotional intelligence, she could feel that after Shirou's spoiler, the simple ending where they won the war and found a way to deal with the tainted Greater Grail had become uncertain.
Even Lancer put away his cynical smile. With a serious face, he kept his eyes fixed on Archer and replied to Bazett without turning his head: "Yeah, things have become complicated. Although I've been annoyed by that red guy since the moment I saw him, I didn't expect his hidden identity to be this.
And to be that kid's future self as a Heroic Spirit... If that's the case, I roughly understand why the Counter Force chose to let this guy manifest."
Lancer, unaware that Shirou's growth and power came from a sudden awakening of past-life memories and the acquisition of a system, subconsciously assumed Archer was the same as Shirou. Even though their ideals seemed to have diverged greatly—one still wanting the Grail after learning the truth behind the scenes, and the other serving as the Counter Force's lapdog to prevent anyone from obtaining it—their abilities and power should be the same.
If anyone could defeat Emiya Shirou, it would likely only be Emiya Shirou himself.
Saber, having also heard this spoiler, was struck by another heavy blow. Archer was very likely the future Emiya Shirou and an agent of the Counter Force. Didn't that mean that even if the Greater Grail was purified, the Counter Force would not allow her to wish upon the Grail to save Britain!?
Unwilling to believe such a thing, Saber gripped her Holy Sword tightly with both hands, her expression somewhat distorted as she questioned Archer loudly: "Archer! Who exactly are you!?"
"Saber..."
To this, Archer—who had become a Heroic Spirit in a timeline similar to the Fate route, though one where he supported Saber's wish rather than choosing to let her give it up—harbored a very special feeling for Saber. After all, Saber was like a feminized version of himself. Even their wishes were similar: Saber wanted to go back to the past to stop herself from becoming King Arthur, and he wanted to go back to the past to kill his self who wanted to become a Hero of Justice.
But feelings were feelings. Archer, who hadn't truly reached "that point" with Saber, saw his relationship with her as that of confidants bearing similar ideals. He quickly shifted his gaze, ignoring Rin's questioning eyes.
Instead, he projected [Pseudo-Anubis]—the Stand sword that Emiya Shirou had once projected—into his hand. Pointing the tip of the blade at Shirou, he continued his previous topic: "Then, Emiya Shirou, since you can see the future, you should know my goal."
[Anubis], a Stand that can be seen even by non-Stand users. Or rather, the Stand [Anubis] resided within this antique-like blade. Of course, that wasn't the point. The point was that through Shirou's previous projection, Archer had also recorded this Stand into [Unlimited Blade Works]. By projecting [Pseudo-Anubis] now, he was practically using action to prove Shirou's words.
"Yeah, I know."
Holding the same [Pseudo-Anubis] and pointing the blade back at his opponent, Shirou responded to Archer with the same movement: "Because you abandoned your ideal of being a Hero of Justice, you want to kill your past self who hasn't yet become a Heroic Spirit and a Guardian."
Case closed. Archer really was an agent sent by the Counter Force to prevent the Holy Grail War from proceeding smoothly. Hearing Shirou's answer, and seeing that Archer did not deny it, Lancer thought to himself from the sidelines, feeling he had seen through to the truth.
After all, as long as Emiya Shirou died, Saber, having lost her Master, would inevitably exit the stage. Among the remaining people, except for Illya—a Master from the Einzbern family—the other Masters had little interest in making a wish.
As long as Emiya Shirou was out, Archer—who held the [Pseudo-Anubis] Shirou had used to defeat and nearly kill Berserker—would surely become the final victor. That is, let the Counter Force handle the Grail.
This was also what Archer meant when he didn't refute Shirou's words. Following this plot development and plugging in Shirou's previous deductions, even Archer felt he was a "tool" sent by his boss (the Counter Force) to prevent the birth of a winner.
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