Chapter 56: Caliburn, The Golden Sword of Assured Victory
Hearing Shirou's slightly mocking words, a fire of rage ignited in Gilgamesh's crimson eyes, yet the corners of his mouth involuntarily curved into a sneer.
"Hmph! Do not be too arrogant, you mongrel!"
Behind Gilgamesh, ripples began to light up once more, the golden radiance reflecting across half the sky as Noble Phantasm after Noble Phantasm shot forth!
Swish swish swish——————————!!!
Facing the rain of Noble Phantasms descending from the heavens, Shirou simply opened both hands with palms out. The swords upon the surrounding wasteland all seemed to receive a call at this moment, uprooting themselves one after another and charging straight toward the weapons Gilgamesh had projected.
Boom boom boom!!!
Successive explosions rang out, turning the entire wasteland into a massive battlefield.
Watching from not far away, Irisviel and Saber were already shaken beyond words, their eyes fixed on the two figures at the center of the conflict.
At this moment, Gilgamesh, refusing to believe his eyes, continued to pull Noble Phantasms from the Gate of Babylon and hurl them. Golden ripples appeared in ring after ring, and in the blink of an eye, the number of weapons had reached into the hundreds.
Confronted with such a dense, rain-like assault, Shirou needed only a slight thought for the swords on the wasteland to immediately take flight, rushing into the sky to collide with those Noble Phantasms.
Shirou didn't even bother looking at the sky. He casually pulled two different longswords from the ground and began walking toward Gilgamesh.
Of the two swords in his hands, one was pure white throughout, its blade etched with golden patterns as brilliant as sunlight, emitting a sense of supreme holiness.
That was the sword King Arthur pulled from the stone upon her ascension—Caliburn: The Golden Sword of Assured Victory. Only one with the qualifications of a "King" could unleash its true power.
Shirou was no "King." He was still far from understanding the meaning of kingship. Furthermore, the sword in his hand was not the "original," but merely a replica. Not only was its quality lowered by one rank, but he also could not "True Name Release" it. However, the destructive power generated by letting it undergo a "Broken Phantasm" was still not to be underestimated.
When Saber saw Shirou holding that sword, her gaze froze instantly, and her lips parted in disbelief.
"Wait... that looks like my..."
At this moment, Shirou had neither the inclination nor the time to answer Saber's confusion.
Fortunately, Gilgamesh was also unable to "release" the Noble Phantasms from his Gate of Babylon; otherwise, things might have been troublesome. But on second thought, even if Gilgamesh could do so, his own magical energy reserves wouldn't allow for such recklessness. Besides, hadn't his Master, Tohsaka Tokiomi, died? No, there was no point in thinking about that now.
Aside from Caliburn, the other sword in Shirou's hand was dark red, with a long, blood-red crack running down the blade that shimmered with a bloodthirsty intent.
The true name of this sword was Dáinsleif. It was the cursed sword owned by King Högni in Norse mythology. This sword carried a powerful curse that brought ruin; all who held it would walk toward death. At the same time, legend said it was a demonic sword that "once drawn, would not return to its scabbard without taking a life."
In the stories surrounding the goddess Freya, King Högni of Denmark engaged in the famous "Eternal War" with King Hedin of the Saracens because of this sword's curse.
Back when Shirou first copied these two swords, they had cost him a massive amount of magical energy because the originals were of very high rank, both reaching A+. Fortunately, these had been prepared in advance; otherwise, the mana consumption alone would have put Shirou at a disadvantage in this battle immediately.
This was the advantage of Unlimited Blade Works: one could copy and store Noble Phantasms ahead of time and retrieve them whenever needed.
Now, Shirou was wielding Caliburn and Dáinsleif, slashing away any strays from the swarm of Noble Phantasms firing at him.
Although the quality of the Noble Phantasms in his hands wasn't particularly high—and couldn't even compare to the originals Gilgamesh brought out—Shirou's "Projection" was special. It wasn't as simple as just projecting the physical weapon.
As long as he held a projected Noble Phantasm, Shirou could read the martial arts and skills of its previous owners.
Simply put, by projecting the Sword in the Stone, Shirou could access the swordsmanship Saber possessed during the period she held Caliburn. After all, the Excalibur Saber currently held was not her original sword, Caliburn.
This ability to read the martial prowess of past holders allowed Shirou to hold his own against any Heroic Spirit. Since Shirou now possessed the power of Heroic Spirit EMIYA, he was naturally different from the Emiya Shirou in the anime who only awakened Unlimited Blade Works as a teenager; his strength far exceeded that.
And precisely because of this, Shirou was now able to face Gilgamesh with such composure.
As Shirou destroyed the Noble Phantasms that came near him, Gilgamesh's expression became solemn.
"How... can a mongrel's swords..."
"You don't understand?"
Shirou threw Dáinsleif from his left hand. The crimson longsword traced a scarlet streak across the sky and then, upon colliding with the incoming Noble Phantasms, exploded violently! The sudden surge of magical energy turned into a powerful shockwave that knocked the descending weapons aside.
Simultaneously, Shirou, tightly gripping the pure white glowing Caliburn, advanced toward Gilgamesh again.
"You, who possess countless Noble Phantasms, are at the apex even among Heroic Spirits. However, though you are a King, you are not a warrior. You did not choose the path of mastering a single Noble Phantasm to its limit."
Gilgamesh naturally possessed martial skills, but they weren't enough to let him compete in close quarters against Servants like Saber or Lancer.
More importantly, this was Shirou's world of swords. As long as they remained within this mental landscape of Unlimited Blade Works, every move Gilgamesh made could not escape Shirou's control.
"Therefore, in the matter of combat, even I can defeat you!"
While speaking, Shirou pointed Caliburn straight at Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh's handsome face was now contorted with rage at being so provoked by Shirou.
"..."
Gilgamesh narrowed his eyes at Shirou, speaking one word at a time.
"That head of yours that crafts fakes... this King will blast every bit of it into dust!"
The anger of the King of Heroes transformed into thousands of golden ripples, lighting up the sky of this space. The Gate of Babylon had now been deployed to its limit by Gilgamesh; the ripples and the Noble Phantasms they revealed covered the entire horizon.
Looking up, it was like a massive golden net being woven.
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