Chapter 57: This King actually has to get serious against the likes of you!
Targeted by such a vast number of Noble Phantasms, even while standing within his own Unlimited Blade Works, Shirou couldn't help but feel a sense of awe.
"In that case, let me respond to you with every sword I have!!"
Saying this, Shirou raised his right hand above his head. Every single sword upon the wasteland rose from the earth at that moment, soaring into the sky to charge toward those originals baring their fangs in the heavens, vowing to contest their supremacy!
And at the moment those swords were about to collide with the Noble Phantasms scattered across the horizon, Shirou's raised right hand suddenly clenched.
"Broken Phantasm!"
In an instant—
Noble Phantasm after Noble Phantasm, following Shirou's command and trailing blue streaks, slammed into that massive golden net.
Boom boom boom—!!!
The clouds, dyed gold by the power of the Gate of Babylon, dispersed amidst countless deafening roars that made one's eardrums vibrate. In the blink of an eye, a massive hole appeared in the cloud layer; the sky suddenly cleared, revealing a brilliant azure.
Such a spectacular scene naturally fell into the eyes of Saber and Irisviel behind him.
"To be able to fight that Archer to such an extent... that Orihara, he really is...!?" Irisviel stared wide-eyed at the boy's back, her heart shaken beyond words.
She could not understand how a child could possess such immense power. That was the Great "King of Heroes," yet he could battle such an existence to this degree; it was truly unbelievable.
Not only Irisviel, but Saber shared the same sentiment. A realization even crossed Saber's mind that she wouldn't have dared to imagine before.
"Could it be... he really can win against that Archer...?"
Looking at the azure sky where the clouds had been swept away, Irisviel and Saber stood dazed on the spot, watching this unprecedented battle.
Humans, Heroic Spirits... until now, no one would have thought two such existences could fight like this. With the power of a top-tier Heroic Spirit like Gilgamesh, he should have crushed almost any enemy. No matter who the opponent was, or how grand and epic their legend, he could pull out a counter-measure Noble Phantasm.
Yet, facing this boy who had absolutely nothing to do with epic myths, he was forced to fight to such a point.
If the Sword of Rupture, Ea were still here, he would never be in such a pathetic state. But even without his EX-rank Noble Phantasm, the remaining Gate of Babylon was enough for Gilgamesh to look down upon most Heroic Spirits.
However, he was now caught in such a stalemate while facing a human—a child among humans at that.
"This King... is actually being pushed by such fakes...!!"
The Great "King of Heroes" being cornered by fakes he despised was a situation that had far exceeded Gilgamesh's original expectations. In his view, even if Shirou possessed a Reality Marble, and even if that mental landscape could reach the level of Iskandar's Ionioi Hetairoi, he shouldn't have been a match.
But everything happening now overturned Gilgamesh's assumptions and slapped him hard across the face.
"It's not over yet! What are you dazing for, King of Heroes!"
Shirou's shout startled Gilgamesh. Immediately after, he saw the golden sword swung by Shirou, who had already rushed close.
His speed completely exceeded the limits of a human. Even as a Heroic Spirit, Gilgamesh's heart jumped; he hurriedly pulled a sword from the Gate of Babylon to block.
Clang!
A solid hit. The sudden collision of metal rang out, and the steady force made Gilgamesh's arm go numb.
The sword Gilgamesh used to defend had shattered, and Shirou's was naturally the same. But the moment the Noble Phantasm broke, a pale blue light surged in Shirou's empty hand, and a pitch-black longsword appeared immediately after.
"Curse you!"
Gilgamesh retreated repeatedly, hurriedly pulling weapons from the Gate of Babylon to counter the swords swung by the approaching Shirou.
Clang!
Sword met sword, creating fierce sparks from the impact. Both Noble Phantasms shattered again, but Gilgamesh was forced to stumble back several steps.
At this moment, Gilgamesh discovered to his horror that his strength was actually inferior to a child's.
"Bastard!"
Exasperated, Gilgamesh pulled out another Noble Phantasm and hacked viciously at Shirou's neck. At the critical moment, Shirou projected a sword to block Gilgamesh's attack. Then, he swung his blade back with an even more violent offensive.
The originals Gilgamesh pulled from the Gate of Babylon were smashed to pieces one by one by the fakes Shirou copied in an instant. This relentless assault left Gilgamesh staggering and retreating.
"Damn it!!"
Whoosh!
Several Noble Phantasms shot down from the sky at high speed, briefly forcing Shirou back. Even though Gilgamesh had lost thousands of Noble Phantasms in the previous clashes, he could still pull them out so easily, showing just how vast the number of weapons stored within the Gate of Babylon truly was.
Having finally created distance from Shirou, the feeling of being forced to retreat made Gilgamesh grit his teeth. Anger and humiliation mixed at this moment; the King of Heroes' eyes were now bloodshot.
"This King actually has to get serious against the likes of you...!"
Whoosh whoosh whoosh—!!!
Hundreds of Noble Phantasms trailing golden light shot out in an instant, frantically attacking Shirou's body. Facing such an attack, Shirou's gaze focused.
"Full Projection... Continuous Duplication... Fire!"
In a flash, blue light surged all around. Corresponding Noble Phantasms were projected one by one, immediately tracing azure trajectories to collide with the incoming weapons.
Boom boom boom—!!!
Accompanied by deafening sounds, the swarm of Noble Phantasms that had rushed toward Shirou was wiped out. Immediately following, Shirou violently threw a longsword in his hand at Gilgamesh.
"Taste this!"
The longsword spun and flew through the air, arriving near Gilgamesh's body in an instant. Seizing this opportunity, Shirou aimed his right hand toward Gilgamesh and suddenly clenched it.
"Broken Phantasm!"
Boom!
A massive amount of dust and smoke instantly filled the area; a giant crater measuring a thousand meters appeared on the wasteland.
His magical energy should have been insufficient, but the gem he obtained at the Tohsaka residence earlier was now glowing in Shirou's pocket, replenishing his mana.
As the smoke cleared, Gilgamesh was revealed in a wretched state, his golden armor severely damaged.
"Damn it...!"
If he hadn't pulled a shield from the Gate of Babylon at the critical moment to block, even he might have been forced out of the war by that single strike.
Read ahead (60 chapters) by supporting me on buymeacoffee com/varietl or ko-fi edwriting