When the image took shape.
The sun began to fall.
In the curtain of its setting it exerted its remaining heat.
The boundary line of the concept world was being eroded.
The earth cracked inch by inch, replaced by the setting sun casting its light over the land.
Countless blades extended.
"These…"
Gawain gripped the Sword of Revolving Victory, unable to hide his shock as he looked around, "All of these are noble phantasms?"
"Individual and the concept world, fantasy and reality…"
"From behind!m?"
Gawain turned quickly.
Shirou drew his blade, "Swap inside and outside, rewrite the reality of the concept world according to my idea."
"It's the closest thing to a magecraft's greatest ritual, the Bounded Field."
Flames began to burn, Shirou's sword-point aimed at Gawain, "As the Knight of the Sun, Sir Gawain, how do you view a concept world filled with blades?"
"In my view they are a proof… even if there is no tomorrow, burn with abandon; if there is a tomorrow, swing your blade to the very last moment!"
"—It's a Bounded Field!", Gawain's face was full of incredulity.
On the distant horizon, under the burning clouds, the half-set sun hung low.
Steel arrows planted in the earth stood, constantly burning themselves.
Even facing the vast blazing sun that made everything else seem like a speck, they had not extinguished their own light.
"What on earth are you?", he shouted.
"Just a mere human," Shirou's tone was calm.
"Mere human?"
Gawain wanted to press the other down with his holy sword and make him open his eyes.
'A human can open an Bounded Field?'
'A bunch of noble phantasms stuck in the ground?'
Shirou's sword-hand rose slightly without gripping the hilt, thousands of blades flew up together, black and dense, standing in midair, "Sorry Sir Gawain. It's a bit of cheating, but please attempt to challenge the supreme realm of blades and spears, Unlimited Blade Works!"
"Naive."
Gawain fearlessly swung his holy sword, "You think that will defeat me?"
"Under the sun, I am invincible!"
BOOM!
Flame and blades collided.
The Bounded Field produced a circular vacuum area.
———
"Break through the enemy encirclement!"
Mash cut down the stern knights directly ahead.
"As expected, they're protecting us!"
The refugees realized this.
"Although we don't know why, hurry and run while you can!"
"Fou~"
"Hurry!"
Da Vinci, who had cleared a path, said, "These knights' reinforcement speed is quite fast; if we don't move soon it'll be too late."
"The defeated knights… seem to be disintegrating."
Fujimaru Ritsuka noticed the knights fallen on the ground would immediately decompose into golden particles.
Just like a Servant's departure.
Roman's voice sounded in the communicator, ["From the reactions, they still belong to humanity, but they've become infinitely close to heroic spirits."]
["Like life-forms remodeled with mana into weapons?",] Olga Marie guessed.
Roman continued, ["Humans couldn't possibly do that. From this, that Lion King is undoubtedly a heroic spirit."]
["Setting that aside, another large group of knights has appeared."]
Olga Marie's tone grew anxious, ["You must run… at this rate, sheer numbers alone will wear you down!"]
"But what about Emiya Senpai, and there are still many who haven't escaped…"
Mash had just seen Gawain draw his sword and strike at Shirou, then both vanished.
No aura could be perceived.
["You've already done enough. It's impossible to fantasize about saving everyone!"]
Olga Marie clenched her hand, ["Emiya surely has his method. We take care of ourselves first, don't become a burden!"]
If they lacked this judgment, her role as director would be over.
"That's right, Mash."
Fujimaru Ritsuka decided, "Evacuate quickly while protecting the refugees as much as possible!"
["Wait, there's mana reaction in other directions too!"]
Roman suddenly said, ["There are… more people choosing to fight!"]
"He broke through the east side, you're on the west. Perfect, we can divide the pressure."
"No time to waste, go!"
Fujimaru Ritsuka moved first, and told the woman she'd brought, "Please follow us."
"I will," The woman hugged Rushd tightly.
'God, please keep the benefactor safe.'
———
"How could this be?"
With unbelieving eyes, under the setting sun the fighting Gawain gradually sensed something wrong.
"Finally noticed?"
Shirou stood at a distance, noble phantasm after noble phantasm raining down from the sky, washing the earth over and over, "Sun Knight Gawain, under the sun, your power is three times greater than at other times."
"However…"
He pointed to the sun on the verge of burning out at the horizon, "Now it's sunset."
"The legend says that you were pulled by the Round Table knight Lancelot into sunset and struck with a grievous blow."
"Because of that legend, at sunset you are destined to walk toward defeat."
"In other words, in this world, you cannot defeat me, Sir Gawain."
[A/N: Just boasting; Shirou didn't know if such a tale truly existed.]
"What a joke."
Gawain was a little shaken by Shirou's words.
His attacks grew fiercer, but he did not lose reason.
His blade burned with pure flame, making him look as if he were swinging the scorching sun itself.
Even having lost the blessing of triple strength.
But Gawain was among the best of the Round Table knights and showed no sign of yield.
Under the deadly rain of blades…
"HAAH!"
Vast mana poured into the blade.
Within the Sword of Revolving Victory, a pseudo-solar operation took place.
Like the sun emitting rays, sweeping across the noble phantasms.
The extending sword-light melted the incoming noble phantasms, and Gawain deftly controlled the holy sword to cleave the erupting sword-light toward Shirou.
"This sword is the very body of the sun!"
Mana released without reservation.
"It is the sun-fire that burns away all impurity."
Gawain roared, "If you can block it, try, EXCALIBUR GALATINE (Sword of Revolving Victory)!"
It wasn't the roar of starlight.
The sword's extension was as substantial as a rainbow.
If the Sword of Promised Victory severs with starlight, the Sword of Revolving Victory scorches and burns with the sun.
Under this scorching magical light, anyone or anything will be cut down, felled.
It's an A+ ranked anti-army noble phantasm.
Facing such radiance, sheer numbers would be meaningless, so Shirou drew the king of constant victory's sword.
The Sword in the Stone.
Not the Sword in the Lake.
But the chosen king's sword that Artoria drew when she became king.
A symbol of authority.
Its name: "Golden Sword of the Victorious (Caliburn)!"
The moment its true name was pronounced, a dazzling golden light bloomed.
Compressing magic power many times that of the projection itself, converting it into heat, releasing it as particles of light.
Ordinarily such a super-threshold mana release, this true-name liberation, would be almost tantamount to suicide, breaking the limits of one's mage circuit.
However, the light that rose around him kept repairing his body.
Avalon!
The secluded land.
Light meeting the sun.
A blinding shining noon covered the sunset and red clouds.
Huge energy in the Bounded Field swelled and swelled again.
Like an energy ball compressed to the extreme and then bursting.
Destroying everything.
Gawain, seeing Shirou release his noble phantasm, was pale with shock, "That sword… impossible, how can you wield that sword, this is impossible?"
"What's impossible?"
Through the explosion, Shirou broke through the mixed dust and smoke to stand before Gawain, already with the holy sword Excalibur and the cursed sword Balmung appearing in his hands.
Sword-light reflected dozens of times per second.
"Who exactly are you?"
Gawain questioned while defending against the assault:
"The Sword in the Stone should be the sword of King Arthur. The King holds a noble phantasm, why can you wield it?"
You can imagine how much Sir Gawain's mind was exploding right now.
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