You call this a projection?

Will they win? They will die.

Relying on the magical energy provided by numerous Command Spells and the intelligence on Saber collected during the Fourth Holy Grail War, Kotomine Kirei was able to pin Saber in place.

This wasn’t like Kuzuki Souichirou, who briefly suppressed a mana-starved Saber in close combat through the sheer bizarre nature of his Assassination Fist and the stat boosts of Reinforcement Magecraft.

In this timeline, Emiya Shirou was no longer supplying Saber with mana using a flawed method of opening Magic Circuits...

No, given Shirou’s condition in the original work, the magical energy in his body couldn’t even support basic Reinforcement Magecraft with the lowest consumption, let alone supply a Servant.

Saber, manifesting with such meager mana, performed exactly as one would expect in that original scenario.

But now, things were different. Using the Ripple (Hamon) Breathing technique—which could be considered a natural Magic Circuit in the Nasuverse—differs from local mana extraction methods that are ”all output and no input” and consume the user’s life force.

As time passes, Ripple Breathing gradually strengthens the user’s vitality. In other words, Shirou was supplying Saber with mana by strengthening and increasing his own magical capacity.

Even though Shirou had been practicing Ripple Breathing in the Nasuverse for less than a night, it was enough to free Saber from the tragic mana deficiency of the original story.

If Kotomine Kirei truly tried to engage Saber in close combat with his martial arts—which weren’t inferior to Kuzuki’s—Saber, who now had enough mana to freely use her mana-heavy [Mana Burst], would show him exactly what ”brute force overcoming skill” looks like, even against a swordsmanship that touches the Second Magic!

Yet, even so, Saber could not gain an inch against Kirei. Under Kirei’s precisely calculated footwork and the traps he occasionally threw out—enough to bind Saber for a moment and allow him to pull away again—Saber remained firmly tied down.

Kirei still felt he could not truly defeat Saber. The end result of continuing this fight would inevitably be his death the moment the Command Spells on his arm were exhausted.

However, the same logic applied to Emiya Shirou as a fellow Master. Kirei simply needed to wait patiently. He only needed to wait for the news of victory from Gilgamesh, who was far stronger than Saber.

And then, there was no ”after.” Because in the very next second...

Time stopped.

In this world of stopped time, only Emiya Shirou—the possessor of [Pseudo-The World]—could move freely.

”Even though I fully expected your arrogance, I didn’t think you’d still refuse to wear your golden armor even after a crushing defeat, Gilgamesh.

Though even if you wore it, it probably wouldn’t matter. That golden armor wouldn’t provide much defense at a time like this anyway.”

One second passed.

Those Noble Phantasms capable of burning heavens and boiling seas in their respective myths were now like mere models on a shelf. Aside from being decorative, they had no effect, allowing Shirou to walk unimpeded directly in front of Gilgamesh.

”AH!!”

The fist of [Pseudo-The World] beside Shirou struck, likewise unimpeded, aiming straight for Gilgamesh’s heart—a clean pierce through the chest.

He gripped Gilgamesh’s heart, his Spirit Core, firmly within the right palm of [Pseudo-The World], which was still impaling and stuck inside Gilgamesh’s body.

”They say that if a normal person is implanted with a Servant’s heart, they might inherit everything from that Servant.

Memories, innate skills, Noble Phantasms... if I used the power of [Crazy Diamond] to swap your heart with mine, I could obtain every treasure within the [Gate of Babylon] without even needing Projection. However...”

The right hand of [Pseudo-The World] slowly tightened. Blood began to spray from Gilgamesh’s heart under the crushing force of the Stand’s grip.

”That would also mean that I, having implanted your heart, would have to accept everything about you. Under that powerful will of yours that even ’All the World’s Evil’ could hardly influence, I would become another version of you.”

Shirou’s face showed not a hint of hesitation, only disgust. ”Let’s forget about such a revolting idea.”

With that, as Shirou’s words fell, the palm of [Pseudo-The World] finally closed into a tight fist. The heart of Gilgamesh, originally held in his palm, was crushed into fragments of shredded meat and scattered!

——Two seconds passed.

Time resumed its flow.

The battlefield situation inside the Fuyuki Church underwent a fundamental change in that single next second.

Pshhht!!

”Mon... Mongrel...! You filthy mongrel who only knows how to copy and create fakes... you actually...!? How dare you do this to this King...!?”

In the time stop, Shirou had been Gilgamesh’s target. Even without using [Sha Naqba Imuru], the visual bonus provided by the Archer class was enough to lock onto Shirou firmly.

Like a cat playing with a mouse, Gilgamesh should have been the one to decide when the game ended and when Shirou died. That was how it was supposed to be.

Yet in the next second, without Gilgamesh even knowing what happened, Shirou had bypassed every obstacle. Not only that, but he had somehow destroyed Gilgamesh’s heart!?

In Gilgamesh’s knowledge and perspective, only one type of ability could achieve such an impossible feat. And Shirou, this mongrel he couldn’t see through, actually...!?

No, he couldn’t die yet! His newly granted life was proof that even the heavens and destiny were supporting him, wanting him, the Great King, to rule humanity once more!

Before his mission as King was complete, how could he die? He had to do something. He had to do something!

”How unsightly, Gilgamesh.”

Shirou severed Gilgamesh’s hands just as they reached for the [Gate of Babylon]. ”But the ’severed hand’ look actually suits you.”