Chapter 5: Archer's Long-Cherished Wish
Wrong Application Method?
"So, this young man has been maliciously guided in the wrong direction?" At Master Roshi's house in Dragon Ball's Seventh Universe, the master frowned upon seeing this scene.
"As a teacher, this is a failure of duty." Dan Moroboshi, who was starting a dump truck to violently ram into Gen Otori to train his mental fortitude, shook his head before driving the engine erratically toward Gen.
"Heh heh... Wanting to pass down one's legacy to their child while simultaneously preventing them from stepping into the fields they once traversed—this only makes one more curious." Orochimaru, the Shinobi World's foremost scientist, went straight to the heart of the matter. Having seen through it clearly, he roughly deduced Kiritsugu's unspeakable reluctance to teach Shirou.
"My Reinforcement Magecraft... is wrong?"
Silently watching all this, Shirou's mind went blank.
He was stunned.
Why did Kiritsugu never want to teach him magecraft every time he asked?
The dream he passed down to him...
Was it truly sincere? Did he genuinely want him to inherit it?
"He didn't teach magecraft..."
"The Boy Who Inherited a Legacy."
In the Fourth Holy Grail War timeline, Kiritsugu grew increasingly frustrated.
He shook his cigarette pack, wanting to light another.
But it was empty...
And that wasn't all.
The enemy's taunts made him reflect deeply.
"How laughable. As a mentor, you didn't even teach him the necessity of Magecraft or how to activate Magic Circuits."
Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald's scornful words dripped with contempt.
In two different locations simultaneously,
Both Kiritsugu and Shirou found themselves in awkward positions.
Yet Shirou simply smiled.
It was true the ideal was borrowed.
What mattered was making the dream his own.
"Everyone, please don't look at me like that..."
"Actually, anyone can do this."
"If you're interested, I can teach you the most basic Reinforcement Magecraft."
Shirou was generous with his knowledge.
But his fellow students shrank back in fear and resistance.
Admiring Shirou's courage was one thing; wanting to imitate his recklessness was another.
Speaking of which,
What kind of father was this?
Even setting up your own son shouldn't be done like this.
If Shirou actually died during training one night, no one would even know.
Truly unforgivable!
"It's not that bad..."
Unexpectedly, Shirou still defended Kiritsugu. Watching his future self who had already mastered Reinforcement Magecraft on screen, his eyes shone with brilliant warmth: "I think Kiritsugu must have had his reasons."
"The Kiritsugu I remember was kind and strong."
"He was the one who saved me from that fire that engulfed all of Fuyuki."
"From that moment on, I was determined to follow his path and become a Hero of Justice. Making it into the top 10 of this ranking proves my efforts weren't in vain."
Shirou's gratitude toward Kiritsugu came from the heart.
The starting point of his dream was that summer night.
He would never give up, persisting until the very end.
...
Not just in the Type-Moon worlds.
In the Naruto world, the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi waved his hand, ordering this tale of perseverance and resilience to be recorded in textbooks.
This was his first directive to the publishing department since his previous promotion of "The Third Hokage being the strongest in history."
"Children need an aspiration in their hearts—to become Hokage."
Similarly, they needed a role model they could witness with their own eyes—Shirou Emiya.
...
Then the screen flickered.
With stirring music, the gears of fate began turning.
The boy named Shirou finally emerged from his cocoon.
"Sword drawn, resolve firm."
"His journey of dreams begins here."
"No hardship or obstacle could stop the boy's advancing footsteps!"
The still-weak Shirou progressed from ordinary to strong, step by step.
Nearly dying when Rider tied him in the forest!
Watching helplessly as Saber took Kuzuki's punch to the chest!
Losing his Servant!
Devising strategies to overcome powerful enemies!
Cooperating with Lancer!
Steadily improving, learning combat, able to exchange blows with Caster's Master Kuzuki.
Witnessing Archer's surprise attack that eliminated Caster during the Caster elimination battle.
Bit by bit.
Growing stronger.
Even those who initially doubted him now sighed in admiration.
This undying Golden Rule was a pearl that even the poorest talent couldn't tarnish!
Accumulated beliefs built a formidable mental network.
No enemy could make him fall.
He might be defeated, but he never gives up.
"The boy who was instantly killed by the blue spearman initially has now grown strong."
"When the mighty Heracles sought to kill his savior, he stepped forward, enduring a sliced abdomen without retreating!"
"Witnessing the serpentine Medusa draining his classmates' life force within the school, he did not flee but chose to shatter the barrier!"
"Facing Caster, a formidable enemy capable of breaking rules, he held onto hope even when Rin Tohsaka was close to giving up."
"Using the mana extraction method taught by Archer, he employed Projection Magecraft to confront the enemy Master head-on, reversing a desperate situation!"
"The subsequent battle was a direct ideological clash between him as a Hero of Justice and his future self!"
"Even when his body could not withstand the backlash of Magecraft, he gritted his teeth and pressed forward!"
Borrowed ideals are not without use.
Years of accumulated experience and a mind tempered by near-death encounters.
Simultaneously, he developed sword-attribute Magecraft aligned with his origin, refining his skills and body.
His mastery of sword forging had no equal in Fuyuki's Magecraft community.
Except for that person...
Except for his future self.
The mere thought of clashing ideologies with his future self.
Plunged countless people into confusion.
If their future selves revealed how tragic the path they had chosen would be.
What would they think?
Would they not waver?
Even Kiritsugu from the time of the Fourth Holy Grail War, having witnessed his own downfall, now fell silent, unable to speak.
Moreover.
Across countless dimensions, many who knew their actions would lead to eternal damnation—if they learned they would ultimately fail.
Would they not consider retreating?
"Perhaps some would retreat."
"But those with unwavering conviction... absolutely would not!"
A timely interjection brought the discourse to an end.
On the screen, the reunited Saber and Archer groups embraced and smiled.
Yet everyone overlooked the red-clad, silver-haired man standing in the shadows.
"Trace on!"
Countless replica swords plummeted from the sky.
Fortunately, Saber swiftly pushed the boy aside.
This action finally made everyone realize that Archer was the person the editor had mentioned...
"Ohohoho... I see. That explains how he knew the boy's training method was flawed earlier." In Frieza's space base, the cosmic emperor Frieza watched the intriguing scene with keen interest, forgetting about planet trading, eager to see more.
"But... the present self against the future self... whether in clarity of conviction or personal strength, he falls far short, doesn't he? Or... as the Protagonist, might his conviction be stronger?" Light Yagami gripped his pen, his sharp mind instantly analyzing the situation... but distracted, he nearly wrote his own name in the Death Note.
Under the gaze of all.
Archer ignored Rin's scolding and calmly responded to her questioning.
"I will personally kill Shirou."
The screen zoomed in on his subtly clenched fist.
Heroic Spirit Emiya slowly stated his reason for participating:
"This is the sole remaining wish of me, who has become a Guardian..."