Pain.
All I felt was pain beyond explanation as my Reality Marble clashed with Kiritsugu's Origin Bullet, along with something else.
A world of infinite swords resisting the power of severing and binding, along with another alien reality within me, And I was caught in between the three.
Kiritsugu's Origin Bullets were created from his very ribs in his life, using his dual Origin of Severing and Binding as the base.
For most Magi, this bullet would first sever their Magical Circuits and then bind them haphazardly, completely ruining their futures as Magi. In the case of Family Crests, it was even worse as these bullets would destroy entire legacies.
This was one of the main reasons why Kiritsugu, in many realities, is feared as the Magus Killer. Because he literally kills the Magus's future completely and utterly.
The bigger problem right now, however, is that I am not facing regular Kiritsugu. I am facing his servant version.
A servant version who has a far deadlier version of the Origin Bullet in the form of a Noble Phantasm that he hasn't even unleashed yet throughout this fight.
"W-What is happening to him?"
"I-I don't know! I've never seen or even heard of anything like this!"
Luvia and Rin stared with disturbed and worried expressions as swords started to jut out of my body. A result of my reality marble going all out in rejecting the Origin bullet's power.
However, the pain of swords poking out of my body is far more manageable compared to the pain I felt in the depths of my very soul.
Kiritsugu's Origin Bullet is a conceptual weapon designed to attack the magic circuits of a magus, which exist within the very soul of a human.
But my soul is currently not empty.
Aside from housing my reality marble, my soul is also home to the Class Card, which houses my servant self.
That is where the problem is coming from.
Counter Guardian EMIYA's reality marble, which usually remains dormant within the Class Card due to my deliberate suppression, is now fully unleashed within my body due to the disruption of spiritrons within my soul caused by the origin bullet.
The result is a clash between my reality marble, EMIYA's reality marble, and the origin bullet's power.
My body and my soul have been literally turned into a conceptual battlefield.
A green glow washed over me as Rin and Luvia tried to use some kind of magic, probably a healing spell, based on what I could feel. But I knew it would be a futile effort.
A larger shard of a sword punched through my shoulder, spraying blood all over their bodies, much to their horror.
"W-Why is it not working??"
"The Grandmaster! We need to contact him-"
"How!? We are stuck in this mirror world until we kill that Supernatural Killer look-alike!"
Despite my senses being focused within myself to observe the damage and try to mitigate it as much as I can, I still heard and saw everything around me just fine.
That is why I saw something that made my blood run cold.
An explosion rang out in the area, forcing the girls to look towards the fight going on a little distance from us.
Miyu was wearing clothes similar to Cu Chulainn, the Lancer Servant, which meant that she had used Install on her Class Card.
She bobbed and weaved through Kiritsugu's attacks with ease, and retaliated with swift strikes that put Kiritsugu on the backfoot, forcing him to use us as hostages by shooting at us.
But Illya would not allow it.
I felt my heart skip a beat as Rho Aias, a version of it with only five petals, manifested in front of Rin, Luvia, and I, stopping the bullets.
'No.'
Those emotionless golden eyes that reminded me too much of my servant counterpart simply glanced at us and returned to fighting. Kanshou and Bakuya gracefully danced through the air while she took full advantage of her shorter stature.
'No!'
With machine-like precision, she projected low-ranking Noble Phantasms, turned them broken, and threw them with extreme force towards Kiritsugu, causing explosions after explosions.
But Kirtisugu would not go down that easily.
"Time to use my Trump Card"
I felt it, the surge in his mana as Irisviel flooded him with all her power, using her own Noble Phantasm, The Song of the Grail.
Kiritsugu was going to use his Noble Phantasm, and I could only watch helplessly.
"Chronos Rose."
Kirtisugu's Innate Time Control magecraft manifests as a Noble Phantasm. That is what Chronos Rose is.
In a single instant, he disappeared and reappeared in his place, as if nothing happened.
However, in the next instant, countless bullets peppered Miyu and Illya, getting past their innate magic resistance and damaging them severely.
Miyu could no longer stand as she bled from several bullet wounds, while Illya simply stood her ground, despite sporting similar bullet wounds, the only saving grace being that she activated Rho Aias partially during the attack, saving both of them from fatal wounds.
For a split second, I saw my vision warp, and a scene from my nightmares manifested.
Blood everywhere, a stone giant held back by chains, a laughing King of Heroes.
And the cooling corpse of my sister beneath his feet.
'NO!'
"W-Wha...?"
"....Is he even human?"
I ignored the girls' words and stood up straight.
My blood pooling at my feet, boiling the very ground I stand on since my Blood is Fire.
EMIYA's reality marble wants to rebel against me? Fine. I will devour it whole. Because My Body is Steel.
I took out my dagger and plunged it straight into my heart.
"EMIYA-KUN/SHERO!!"
I ignored the girls and focused inwards.
I guided the Kaleidoscopic energies within the dagger and forcefully connected it to my magic circuits, and by extension, my very soul.
Kiritsugu's origin bullets contain the concept of severing and binding. So, what if I use it to my advantage?
Instead of bolstering my reality marble to supress EMIYA's power and the bullet's power, I did something else entirely.
I pushed the power into the concept of severance and binding using the dagger as the conceptual medium.
I 'Severed' the concept that defined the power within the Class Card as 'Borrowed'. I severed the concept that says that the power I draw from the Class Card's servant is 'External'.
Then, I 'Bound' the concept of mana, the 'vessel' of the Servant, the Ghost Liner, into myself. I bound the blueprint upon which the Servant's power courses through their body, their version of magic circuits, into my own magic circuits.
I severed EMIYA's ego and reality marble. Returning his Ego to the throne through the loss of his spirit core, and isolating his reality marble within the card.
As for said spirit core that I separated and hollowed out? I merged it with my own soul.
My ego and reality marble replacing the hollowed-out portion within the core.
With the change done, I removed the dagger from my chest, while the swords that were piercing my body slowly retreated back into my reality marble.
Then, with a thought, the Install came undone.
Yet, nothing changed.
The moment the Archer Card flew out of my body, it immediately started to destabilize, now that the true power of the servant within had been removed, and only a copy of EMIYA's ego and reality marble remained trapped within.
Dark energies surged through the card before it erupted in a shower of swords, like a fragmentation grenade, and exploded outwards. The Reality Marble isolated within it through Kiritsugu's Severance and Binding exploding outwards with the loss of EMIYA's power.
What remained of the Card turned into ether and dissipated into the air.
Thus, the Archer Class Card that started me on this path in the first place came to an end.
But this is not the end of my journey.
My skin, now permanently tanned throughout. My hair, now stark white. A complete reflection of my potential future self.
In essence, I am now an incarnated servant. EMIYA's full power at my fingertips.
Mana surged around me as my body now directly drew in the world's power without the need to convert it into magical energy.
A golden staff manifested in my hand, not even needing me to use my aria, thanks to my new power.
Instantly, healing energies erupted from the staff and enveloped the girls and I, healing their wounds and my own easily.
While it was nowhere near the true power of the staff, it would do for now.
Kiritsugu must have felt the change within me, as he and Irisviel were staring at me with wide eyes.
Taking advantage of their distraction, I moved with my full power.
I knew, despite the boost I've now gained to my baseline, I am still nowhere near as fast as Kiritsugu.
That is why the element of surprise is essential.
Moving through the battlefield, I discreetly placed the Staff of Asclepius, the same one I used before, beside Illya and Miyu to heal them.
Then, I rushed Kiritsugu.
You want to kill my sister? Then, I'll show you what happens when someone tries to harm my family.
Heracles's axe-sword materialized in my hand, my enhanced body now able to handle its full power without the need for the class card.
Kiritsugu must have realized that he is now in danger since he abandoned his Calico and instead took hold of his Thompson.
But it is already too late.
"Nine Lives Blade Works"
The technique that was originally developed by Heracles to defeat the Lernaean Hydra, adapted into a technique for close combat.
Replicating Berserkers' full power, I struck with the technique that could bring down such a legendary monster.
Upper Arm.
The strike went clean, cutting through Kiritsugu's right arm, severing it completely.
Collarbone.
Kiritsugu tried to dodge, but at this moment, his agility means nothing when faced with Berserker's godlike swiftness.
The axe-sword cleaved through his collarbone, crushing his torso, deforming it into a grotesque form.
Windpipe.
The pain never stopped Kiritsugu, showing his resilience.
"Song of the Grail!"
Irisviel unleashed her Noble Phantasm's full name, indicating that she, too, was going all out.
Once again, he tried to dodge while Irisviel worked on healing the damage being done to him, barely saving himself from being beheaded, but the axe-sword still managed to crush a part of his neck.
Temple.
This time, he was far too weak to do anything but close his eyes and accept his fate.
For a brief moment, I saw a proud smile on his face before the axe-sword finally crushed him with overwhelming might, reducing him into a mess of flesh and bone that rapidly faded into the ether.
With only four of the nine strikes, I took down the enemy.
Irisviel smiled sadly as tears flowed down her face. Yet, she still held a proud look.
She spread her arms open, a wordless gesture that I understood.
Without hesitation, I plunged the axe-sword through her torso, making her disperse as well.
'It is finally done.'
By this point, I would normally be exhausted beyond recognition, yet I felt nothing.
Dismissing the sword and looking at my hands, which now reflected the worst version of myself, I could not help but smile wryly.
'I guess, we can never truly escape our fate, huh?'
I picked up the class cards and put them away in the dagger's storage, finally gathering the courage to look the girls in the eye.
Rin and Luvia were tending to Illya and Miyu, who had released their Install by this point. The wounds on their bodies had healed with the staff.
Yet, despite their exhaustion, I saw the fear and anger in Illya's eyes, just as well as I saw the naked hope in Miyu's own gaze. I also saw the suspicion and worry in Rin and Luvia's gaze.
Seeing their gazes, I could not help but smile wryly again and unconsciously scratch my cheek.
"....So, fancy meeting you all here, huh?"
"...Emiya-kun. You have a lot to explain."
'....Looks like this is going to be a long night.'
--------------------------------------------
Shirou's new look: (Click here for image)
------------------------------------------
Author Notes: I know what some of you guys will think and say that this kind of merging method is not canon to both series, and you would be right. This is an AU, so I decided to change a few small details here and there to give Shirou a good upgrade path.
Read 5 chapters ahead on Patreon: patreon.com/Ruijard1
Ps: Happy New Year to everyone!