Chapter 6: TOP 10, Curtain Call
A battle of fate.
Present, future.
The two collide.
The regret lies in their disparity—the moment for their destined battle has not yet arrived.
On the verge of confrontation,
The red-haired youth lightly hummed while forging weapons.
Everyone thought the battle was about to begin.
Unexpectedly, the red-clad Archer revealed the truth.
Shirou's continuously operating Magic Circuits were severely overloaded.
Repeatedly reproducing high-purity imitation Noble Phantasms had exhausted his magical energy.
If he continued to overdraw his life force, the being named Shirou Emiya might perish on the spot without anyone needing to strike him down.
Exhausted, he collapsed.
Watching helplessly as the man who threatened his very existence approached.
[Clang--!]
The created imitations shattered into dust.
Emiya, wielding twin blades, looked down at the crouching Shirou and mocked that this was his most fitting end.
He casually ridiculed his past self.
The red-clad figure representing the dead end of ideals, holding high the name of purge, threw his blades toward the bowed and crushed youth.
Is this truly fair?
Even if it means killing oneself.
At this point of extreme disparity in combat power, where even physical strength differs so starkly.
Must one still strike the fatal blow?
The audience's hearts hung in midair as Emiya raised his blade.
Even Shirou before the screen unconsciously clenched his fists.
At the same time, the voiceover resonated once more!
"At this critical moment."
"Luck and courage shone brightly."
"The inherent goodness from beginning to end saved the boy's own life."
At the crucial moment.
A girl's resolute voice rang out.
A contract was formed with Saber.
As the magical afterglow faded, the golden-haired knight in a blue dress and silver armor stood before him.
"Defeat him!" The Fourth Holy Grail War Saber, protecting Irisviel, felt her heart clench witnessing this highlight.
She could hardly imagine how her past self, who had spent time with the boy, would choose when faced with such a cruel ordeal.
But now, as an observer, Artoria shared the same emotions as the countless people watching before the screen.
Defeat Archer!
In an instant, the Servants' battle resumed.
After watching for some time.
Viewers who had come to understand the Type-Moon setting eagerly awaited the moment when Red Archer would be exhausted.
Hoping he would abandon hunting his past self.
They thought this battle would come to an end here.
They also believed the conflict would conclude with Archer's defeat.
Assuming the battered and depleted Archer had no more cards left to play.
Yet, they were wrong.
The clashing of swords.
The descending curtain formed a new challenge.
The twilight glow illuminated the earthen slope, as the heavy gears integrating the sky creaked and groaned.
The red-clad figure standing on the hill of swords rose gracefully, and the bounded field known as Unlimited Blade Works manifested.
Throughout the scene, Saber could not bring herself to take the initiative to attack.
But Shirou, entering the hill of swords, experienced a sudden enlightenment, as if comprehending the structure and operation of sword creation.
Thus, the two exchanged a single blow.
The scene extended from the horizon to midair.
An irritating way to leave things unresolved.
"Who won in the end!?"
"They cut it off at the most critical part?"
"A clash of convictions—what was the outcome??"
Amid the viewers' clamor.
The screen contracted and transformed, revealing Shirou's astonished face.
Opposite him, Emiya took Rin hostage and turned to leave.
Generously leaving time for Shirou to hone his skills.
"And so, the decisive battle of fate was about to begin."
"At the Einzbern Castle, the origin and end of everything."
In the place where the mythic battle had previously taken place.
Red Archer and Shirou, standing before the staircase, staked everything.
Fighting recklessly with all they had.
In this battle, Shirou relied on no one.
When the black mud descended upon the world, it was the man named Kiritsugu Emiya who saved him.
In the lonely, empty household, it was Sakura Matou, with her budding affection, who carefully accompanied and cared for him.
When he was attacked by Lancer at school, it was Rin, running over with her family's heirloom jewels, who healed him.
When facing Lancer once more, it was Saber, summoned in response, who protected him with her sword.
Again and again.
Infinite gratitude, infinite tempering.
After all he had been through, he would protect all that was beautiful, safeguard those who had once helped him.
A battle of Unlimited Blade Works, staking his convictions and risking his life.
Wounds multiplied, and pain was inevitable.
The end of a dream—he recalled the city crushed by black mud, remembered that sky.
He also understood the tear-streaked face of Kiritsugu, who seemed redeemed after saving him from the rubble.
Golden light surged from the boy's battered body.
The outpouring of magical energy sent Archer's sword flying.
The output finally matched the self he had always pursued.
"I can lose to anyone, but I must never lose to myself."
Just as you deny who I am now!
"I, too, will do everything in my power to deny the self that abandoned its ideals!"
Smoke and dust scattered.
Two figures on the chaotic battlefield clashed once more.
Conviction, combat.
The impact filled everything within Emiya's sight.
Witnessing the boy charging forward with reckless abandon,
The arm raised before Shirou froze in place, the strike never falling.
The faint dialogue in his ears felt like a return to childhood—his innocent self proclaiming to Kiritsugu:
"Leave it to me, Dad's dream."
"..."
Can't stop it, huh? How cruel...
Did that version of myself truly exist once?
"..."
The blade remained still as Shirou's gleaming dagger shone with dazzling radiance.
The scene extended into the distance—the vast Unlimited Blade Works ultimately engulfed in white light.
Did Emiya lose?
Perhaps.
He lost to the past, or to the ideals still lingering in his heart...
"This is the story of a hero who upholds justice."
"His dream will not be broken."
"He will not become what he would in the future."
"Whether trapped by dreams or born for them, no matter how others criticize—he remains noble and kind!"
"Tenth Place Among the Ten Great Protagonists! Shirou Emiya!"
As the words faded,
A solemn, grand melody echoed, and Shirou raising his sword appeared on screen.
Vibrant lines outlined his face, his resolute expression frozen in time.
The brilliant light faded, coalescing like illusory bubbles into blank white text.
Juwon's voice gently resonated.