Part 78: And thus I pray, Unlimited Blade Works

Music: Nightmare








My left hand is burning.
One of the Command Spells disappears.


"Whawhy? This is the only way now, Shirou…!"

I don't know.
I don't know anything about that.
All I know is that you'll disappear if you use that.
I won't allow that.
And I can't forgive myself for not being able to let her use her sword freely and for not being able to save Tohsaka myself.



Saber falls to her knees.

She sure has been eager to do that lately.

…Just releasing the sword gets her like that.
You can't use that sword in your condition.
So wait.
If you can't use that sword, I'll make one that you can use!

Video: Projection (mirror)

The static effect in this video inflates the file size ridiculously and it takes forever to download. Please pause it after you start playing to allow it time to download fully before watching it. It's worth it.

If it is an opponent you cannot match in real life, beat it in your imagination.
If you cannot beat it yourself, imagine something that you could beat it with.

With that said, it's obvious.
That's the only thing I can do.
So make it.
Make something that will not lose to anything. Always imagine the strongest. Imagine the best imitation that will deceive everybody, even yourself.













Music: Clashing Souls

"Ah"
I spring up.
My whole body is burning and my left hand feels like it's on fire.



"Wha? That sword is my…!?"
Saber's voice is filled with blank amazement.
She is staring at what I'm holding, which should not exist here.

"Ah"
Does the sword have a will of its own?
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"







The golden sword does not stop and, as if pulled toward it, slashes through the giant's arm.



All the blood in me regurgitates.
But there's no problem there.
The sword broke.
That is impossible. If I imitated that sword, it cannot be broken.
It broke because it was not sufficient.
My image of it fell short of the real sword.

""
His eyes stare at me.
The giant sword is swung to really kill me this time.

I don't care about that.
He's not my opponent.
For Emiya Shirou, there is only one opponent.
The sword just now wasn't perfect.
The unbreakable sword broke because there was a flaw in the assumptions.
If I am to duplicate it, I cannot only duplicate its shape… I must also reproduce the maker!











I know that without being told.
What I must do is simple.

Music: Stop

"Projection, start."

I concentrate.
I am challenging myself. No deviation or compromise is allowed.







"Gikuu, uh, aaaa, a"



Judging the concept of creation,
hypothesizing the basic structure,
duplicating the composition material,
imitating the skill of its making,
sympathizing with the experience of its growth,
reproducing the accumulated years,
excelling every manufacturing process
"Kuhah, ahhhhhhhhhhhh…!!!!"















Music: Sword of Promised Victory



"!"
The giant howls.







The sword blocks the numerous blows smashing madly…!

"…!"
But this is it.



I'm tossed away.
As soon as my consciousness returns, the sword must have left everything in my hands.
I am easily thrown away by the attacks I was easily blocking until now.

"Haah"
The senses in my arms are already gone. My wrist is about to rip off as I can see the red meat.

"Kuh…!"
My legs won't move. All my muscles must have stopped working.
I can't stand up.
I made the sword that surpasses Berserker.
But that's all.
As I am only a maker, I cannot handle the sword!

A shadow engulfs me.
He must know who he needs to kill first now.
Berserker pursues me like wind, and…



Swings his sword.

But his sword is deflected.
"Eh?"
As I stand there in blank amazement, I notice another hand over my hand.











If Berserker attacked me like a gust,
Saber must have rushed to me like a gale.
Having rushed to me, Saber turns around and







The sword of rock breaks.
A flash of the golden sword smashes the giant's axe-sword, slashes into the hard body, and

Music: Stop



But that's only for an instant.
The light disappears and silence returns to the forest.
"Haah."
Strength departs from my body.
The body that was so hot starts to cool down.
The sword is disappearing from the tip.

""
I watch it absent-mindedly.
We stand next to each other, holding the same sword until it disappears completely.

Wind blows through the forest clearing.



"This is Caliburn… the sword from the stone of selection. My sword that was forever lost.
But"
"That was not your sword. That was only an illusion made by this man."
Saber nods quietly.

"It was an imitation after all. It is a sword that will never exist again.
But still"
Berserker's chest splits open.
Slowly.
From the wound made by that light, he crumbles away like sand.



"That illusion cannot be underestimated. I did not expect it to destroy my body seven-fold with a single blow."
He puts no emotion into his dying words.
The mad warrior follows his role until the very end, and his existence disperses as if fading into the air.



I feel dizzy.
It must be the cost of using such excessive magic. My blood that ran wild is crushing my brain with too much oxygen.
…And on top of that, I have a headache like my head is splitting open.
It's because the enemy has disappeared and the thing numbing my pain has disappeared.
The dizziness and the headache come at me as if to make up for what has accumulated.

"!"
"Shirou…!?"

Saber supports my collapsing body.
But she can't have any energy to spare to care for me.

"…No, I'm fine. My bones are broken here and there, but it's not fatal. That healing thing is working, so it'll be fine."
"What are you saying? You used projection magic of that level, so you must rest right now."
"…No, but…"
There's someone I have to talk to first.



Saber prepares herself.
Ilya is staring at the place where Berserker used to be with empty eyes.


"…Good. I do not know your intentions, but we would not wish the trouble of chasing you. Accept your"

"…! No, Saberdon't hurt Ilya. Since Berserker's gone, she's…"
I stop Saber with my remaining strength.





Staring at the ground, Ilya murmurs,


"…No way. Did you die, Berserker…?"
She sounds like an abandoned child.




"Ahn, ahh…!"
Suddenly.
Falls to the ground like a doll being switched off.

"Wha?"
I don't know what's going on. I just stare at the girl on the ground.
"…Gah, gohu…!"
As if to replace her, Tohsaka gets up.
Berserker's hand has disappeared and it seems she's finally free.



""
I must have relaxed seeing Tohsaka's safety.
I feel like I'm about to faint.

But I can't whine like that.
Even though we defeated Berserker, we're still in the forest.
We have to push our wounded bodies and get out of this forest now.