Chapter 196: Chapter 196: Blackened Artoria! Double Standard Emiya Archer

[ Even if Shirou Emiya vowed to bring Sakura home, more than ten years of suffering and torment had already made Sakura incredibly self-deprecating, believing that being with Shirou Emiya would only defile him. ]

[ The desire for happiness and an extremely humble inner self made her incredibly afraid of loss, and also made Sakura contradictory and mentally unstable. ]

[ However, in daily life, she appeared so normal. The two of them washed clothes and cooked together, and Sakura even smiled again, as if they were already living the life of an old married couple. ]

[ …..]

~Projection of All Worlds~

“Sigh, after dwelling too long in darkness, even the first glimpse of sunlight becomes terrifying—yearning for its warmth yet fearing its burn.”

“Sakura’s heart is far too harsh on itself. This self-loathing will only deepen her wounds!”

The spectators could only watch with sorrow as Sakura trembled, her very presence whispering “I don’t deserve him” beside Emiya Shirou.

After living under the same roof, their two hearts gradually drew closer. This warm period of time was perhaps Sakura’s most precious treasure.

~Type-Moon World, Fifth Holy Grail War Worldline~

“Sakura… what exactly did she go through, that she doesn’t even dare to touch this small yet warm happiness?”

Rin Tohsaka lowered her head and buried it in her arms, not wanting Shirou Emiya beside her to see her crying.

“Trust Archer! He’ll bring Sakura back.”

Shirou Emiya didn’t know what to say to the sad Rin Tohsaka, because he felt a subtle sense of unease seeing his parallel self and Sakura falling in love.

Shirou Emiya shook his head. Although he didn’t know if Sakura in this world had suffered such torment, the most urgent task now was to bring Sakura over first.

“Mmm…”

Rin Tohsaka’s muffled voice sounded. Now was indeed not the time for sadness. Although she believed Archer would definitely bring Sakura back.

…..

[ Shirou Emiya wanted Sakura to achieve victory and use the power of the Holy Grail to restore her body, so he planned to team up with other Masters. He thought of Illya. ]

[ At this moment, in the forest of the Einzbern family, Artoria, having been corrupted by a mysterious black shadow, directly transformed into Saber Alter. Due to her corruption, her entire armor turned black with red patterns! ]

[ Even the holy sword in her hand changed, with the sacred golden patterns turning black. She also gained an eye patch to conceal her identity. She casually released a black-red light cannon that directly melted the thick castle wall, destroying everything in its path, turning the castle into ashes. ]

[ “Boom—!” ]

[ Shirou Emiya, who had just arrived, was also knocked to the ground by the aftershock. Fortunately, Rin Tohsaka, who had arrived with the same idea, deployed a shield, blocking the aftershock for him, thus saving him from disaster. ]

[ Wherever the corrupted Artoria passed, the surrounding flowers and trees withered, and purple flames burned in the places where the magic cannon had destroyed. ]

[ …..]

~Projection of All Worlds~

“Wait—isn’t this Saber Alter the same one who resolved the Shinjuku incident alongside Emiya Alter? So she wasn’t forged through divergent experiences like Emiya Archer , but rather born from Artoria’s outright corruption?”

The viewers from other worlds fell silent, looking at the exaggerated magic cannon. Is this the legendary “blackening makes you three times stronger“? Both Emiya Alter and Saber Alter seemed excessively strong.

~Type-Moon World, Fourth Holy Grail War Worldline~

“Kiritsugu, if I’m not mistaken, that’s our home.”

Irisviel looked worried, not because she was heartbroken over the ruined castle, but because she was worried about Illya.

And looking at Saber Alter, she might not even remember Illya. What if she really didn’t show mercy?

“It should be fine. Since Shirou plans to ask Illya for help, he should protect Illya…”

Kiritsugu Emiya said this, but he was actually unsure.

He didn’t know the relationship between Shirou Emiya and Illya, nor did he know if Shirou Emiya knew that Illya was his sister!

…..

[ Berserker, to protect Illya, directly transformed into a red light and rushed forward, arriving in front of Saber Alter in the blink of an eye, about to strike with his huge blade! ]

[ But he was swept away by Saber Alter, who had already taken an attacking stance, and was sent tumbling through the air before falling onto the surface of the lake. He was then tightly bound by black tendrils extending from the lake! ]

[ Illya, realizing something was wrong, quickly shouted, “Get out of there! If you get entangled by that thing, you’ll never come back.” ]

[ However, before Berserker could break free from the restraint, he was pulled towards Alter Saber, who was holding Excalibur, and his heart was directly severed! ]

[ To everyone’s surprise, Berserker’s eyes glowed red, and he stood up again, the fatal wound that should have killed him immediately disappearing. ]

[ Saber Alter held her sword with both hands, black-red magic covering the longsword in her hands. The black-red magic cannon was already poised to fire. Shirou Emiya, seeing the imminent danger, quickly ran towards Illya! ]

[ The next moment, a surging torrent of magical energy, carrying a destructive aura, swept towards Berserker. Shirou Emiya immediately hugged Illya, shielding her with his body. ]

[ “Boom—!” ]

[ With a series of explosions, a huge mushroom cloud appeared before everyone’s eyes. Amidst the continuous explosions, the once luxurious Einzbern palace was reduced to ruins, with purple flames burning everywhere! ]

[ Archer, holding Illya and Shirou Emiya, emerged from the explosion’s flames, then unceremoniously threw Shirou Emiya onto the ground. ]

[ When it was Illya’s turn, in contrast, Archer gently placed her on the ground with both hands. ]

[ “Archer… you really are something!” Shirou Emiya complained speechlessly, seeing the clear preferential treatment. ]

[ …..]

~Projection of All Worlds~

“Hiss!! Is this power not excessively strong? And if I’m not mistaken, wasn’t Berserker just die?”

“This feels similar to releasing the Noble Phantasm Excalibur, the only difference is that Saber Alter seems to be using it as a normal attack, and it feels like there’s no cooldown.”

Everyone from other worlds was curious about Berserker, who had seemingly died and then stood up again. The last one with an immortal trait was Tiamat, and it took King Hassan, a Grand Servant, discarding his Grand title to bestow the concept of death upon her.

But more than that, everyone was amused by Emiya Archer throwing himself.

What a clear double standard.

“Hahaha, typical preferential treatment. Illya gets gentle handling, Shirou Emiya gets a hard throw. As long as he doesn’t die, it’s fine!”

Seriously, how much do you hate your past self? This double standard is too obvious, it’s almost written on your face, no, it is written on your face.

~Type-Moon World, Fourth Holy Grail War Worldline~

“I didn’t know before, but now I do. Heroic Spirit Emiya definitely knows Illya’s identity.”

Kiritsugu Emiya breathed a sigh of relief after seeing Emiya Archer save Illya.

Emiya Archer is from the future, even if it’s a different worldline, he must know some things!

But, isn’t he a bit too hard on himself? He threw himself without any hesitation, but was gentle with Illya. Even I, as a father, think you’re being a hypocrite.

~Type-Moon World, Kaleid liner Prisma Illya Worldline~

“…Archer! This is too much.”

Shirou twitched his mouth.

I know you hate the Shirou Emiya who once held unrealistic ideals, but your preferential treatment is too obvious.

That being said, it was just a complaint. After all, Shirou still thought Emiya Archer was very reliable. To save Illya from such an attack, he truly was a reliable man.

~Type-Moon World, Fifth Holy Grail War Worldline~

At this moment, Emiya Archer had already rescued Sakura and, incidentally, “gas exploded” the Matou household.

Rin Tohsaka looked at Sakura’s lifeless eyes and heartbreakingly hugged her, constantly blaming herself. Shirou Emiya and Emiya Archer were sensible enough not to interrupt their sisters’ emotional reunion.

Only… Shirou Emiya stared at Emiya Archer, subtly taking a few steps back.

“Honestly tell me, do you still have thoughts of killing me?”

Emiya Archer, who had just returned, naturally saw the scene played in the video, but showed no apology.

“You’re overthinking it. Since your counterpart in that world gave up on his ideals, then my counterpart in that world probably just purely dislikes you.”

Emiya Archer couldn’t help but think to himself,

“So what if I have a double standard? Illya is my sister… Even if I can’t change you, you can’t change my dislike for you.”

…..

“Sigh!”

At this moment, the residents of Fuyuki City sighed, looking at the ruined castle.

They actually called this a gas explosion??

It’s truly a ’nuclear-peaceful’ Fuyuki City, exploding once a day. If you don’t leave, we’ll leave, alright… You can continue fighting. Many residents silently began packing their bags, preparing for a spur-of-the-moment trip.

They couldn’t stand this broken place for another second. It felt like another part of the world was more peaceful, at least there they knew how they would die…

…..

[ “Berserker!!” Illya, who had just been put down, ran forward anxiously. ]

[ And Emiya Archer seemed to sense something, blue light appearing in his hands as he projected Kanshou and Bakuya, instantly forcing back the black shadow that appeared behind Illya! ]

[ “I am your opponent!” Emiya Archer’s expression remained unchanged, pointing Kanshou towards the black-robed figure in front. ]

[ “Cha!!” The black shadow made a sound like Ultraman and disappeared from its spot. ]

[ Emiya Archer chased after it without thinking, but heard Rin Tohsaka’s call from behind, “Archer… I’m counting on you.” ]

[ “Hmph!” Red Archer turned to look at Rin Tohsaka, a smile playing on his lips, then he leaped and pursued. ]

[ …..]

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