You call this a projection?

His body fell heavily to the ground.

Unlike Gilgamesh and the others, who had been frozen in time and had no idea how they had lost, Assassin had not been subjected to Time Stop. He was undoubtedly able to see exactly how he had been defeated during that final exchange.

”A magnificent strike...”

Assassin, gasping out these words with his final breath, offered his praise from the bottom of his heart. This wasn’t merely a congratulation to Emiya Shirou for winning the duel; it was also because, until this moment, Assassin had never imagined he would fall in such a manner.

It wasn’t a gap in swordsmanship. It wasn’t that Emiya Shirou had used some incomprehensible ability. It wasn’t even a matter of who struck first.

Rather, it was because Emiya Shirou had discovered a very subtle weakness, which led to his defeat in this duel.

The Infinite Sword—or one could call it the Infinite [Tsubame Gaeshi]. It was indeed an undodgeable secret technique. Even Emiya Shirou, when first encountering this sword skill, had thought about how to evade it rather than meeting it head-on.

But unfortunately...

Clatter!

As Assassin collapsed, the blade of his weapon, which had been struck away, spun through the air and fell from the sky, piercing the ground. Only the hilt remained tightly gripped in Assassin’s hand.

Yes, this was the countermeasure Emiya Shirou had specifically prepared for Assassin—for the Infinite [Tsubame Gaeshi].

Without using other abilities, no matter how fast Emiya Shirou was while holding [Pseudo-Anubis], there would still be a brief transition period between the first strike and the second.

Furthermore, when facing the Infinite [Tsubame Gaeshi], Shirou didn’t just have to block two strikes; he had to block infinity. He needed to use an infinite number of slashes to parry Assassin’s infinite slashes.

Compared to Assassin, who could swing blades that transcended time and space simultaneously, Shirou could not achieve that. Even if the interval between his first and second strikes was incredibly short, in the face of infinite frequency, that ”short” interval would be stretched out to feel very long. Eventually, Shirou would be unable to stop the onslaught. He wouldn’t be able to block the Infinite [Tsubame Gaeshi].

In other words...

Since the countless slashes Assassin swung were all happening at the same time, if the blade of Assassin’s [Laundry Pole] were broken, would his infinite slashes lose all their edges as well?

That is exactly what Emiya Shirou did.

Using the absolute power granted by [Pseudo-Anubis], he struck down Assassin’s blade, turning all those infinite slashes into nothing but air!

”Emiya-sama... were you prepared for this all along...?”

Lying on the ground, Assassin looked up at the bright moon in the night sky and said: ”Before I even swung this Infinite Sword, you had already seen through my path.

You even seized the weakest point in my sword’s trajectory to break my blade... such precise timing, and such an unexpected way to shatter the Infinite Sword.

Forget encountering it; I hadn’t even considered that such a thing could be done.

...No, even if I could have imagined it, I wouldn’t have been able to turn that imagination into reality.”

Assassin wasn’t being humble. Emiya Shirou’s seemingly ordinary movement of breaking his blade was, in fact, not simple at all.

Would the Infinite [Tsubame Gaeshi] be unleashed? At what moment? And after it was unleashed, what was the force behind the strike?

These questions were things only Assassin should know. Emiya Shirou shouldn’t have been able to know them at all. To achieve this, Shirou had to solve all the aforementioned variables.

This required not only immense strength and agility but also the insight to instantly see through an enemy’s flaw, and the courage to trust one’s judgment and act without hesitation.

Having possessed all these traits and successfully shattering the Infinite [Tsubame Gaeshi], Emiya Shirou had undoubtedly surpassed him in every aspect.

Truly...

”Yes. From beginning to end, my target was your blade, Assassin.”

Emiya Shirou, slowly canceling the projection of [Pseudo-Anubis], spoke calmly: ”I believed that only by aiming for your blade could I use a sword to break your Infinite Sword.

That was my thought process.”

As for how Shirou actually did it? It wasn’t that complicated.

[Pseudo-Anubis] itself possesses a Stand ability: once it sees a technique, it will never be defeated by that same strike again. Or rather, it completely memorizes the attack pattern, allowing for a total counter.

By simply projecting and scanning the [Laundry Pole] in Assassin’s hand, Shirou had memorized the Infinite [Tsubame Gaeshi] in his heart.

Even if he couldn’t yet swing the same technique as Assassin on his first try, the [Pseudo-Anubis] held in his hand would help him find the flaw in the move and guide his body to attack that specific weakness.

”I see. As expected, then.”

Upon hearing Shirou’s affirmative reply, Assassin didn’t ask how he did it. Under the moonlight, he spoke with satisfaction: ”I have lost this duel. I lost completely. This feeling is a first for me...”

Thinking back, Emiya Shirou, who appeared to be merely swinging with great force—wasn’t his swordsmanship a form of ”returning to simplicity”?

It wasn’t ”Infinity,” and it wasn’t ”Zero.” It was the fastest, strongest, and simplest strike delivered after seeing through the enemy’s flaw.

Meaning, not just the duel... he had even lost in terms of the way of the sword.

However, having engaged in such a duel and seen the endless nature of swordsmanship, what reason did he have to be dissatisfied?

With these feelings, Assassin slowly disappeared, surrounded by the motes of light his body transformed into. And through the ability of the Stand [Pseudo-Atum], which had appeared beside Shirou at some unknown point, Assassin’s soul—after his total defeat—was seized into Shirou’s hand.

Announcement!

New Fanfiction!

Hikigaya’s Path to Become a Jujutsu Sorcerer is Wrong as Expected

Following an unusual request from Yotsuya Miko, the world of Jujutsu is unveiled to the Service Club. However, Cursed Spirits are merely the beginning, as this world harbors far deeper secrets.

Magic and swords, curses and abilities, and the beautiful girls gradually gathering around... This kind of youth romantic comedy is definitely a huge problem.

Multi X-Over (Jujitsu Kaisen, SAO, Amagi Brilliant Park and others)

Read ahead (100 chapters) by supporting me on buymeacoffee com/varietl or ko-fi edwriting