In that very moment, Nameless was completely transformed into light.
Radiant, dazzling, and overwhelmingly warm light.
A light brimming with hope — a light that pointed toward the future!
It was as if a miniature sun had risen in that very spot, shining in all directions.
Countless scenes flashed rapidly.
These scenes showed the many worlds Nameless had experienced — battle after battle, salvation after salvation, and choice after choice...
Then, a narrator's voice appeared — familiar and gentle.
[With a finite life, he faced death and despair itself.]
[Knowing the end would come, he repeated the cycle of meetings and farewells.]
[…A brilliance of unmatched splendor!]
[A fleeting journey, like a meteor's flash.]
[This... is a tale of love and hope.]
This was the past of Nameless — and also the future that the young Shirou Emiya was about to walk.
The past and the future intertwined completely.
Nameless used his own body as fuel, passing everything — every bit of it — to the young Shirou.
He passed it on to his past self!
Shirou reached out, trying to touch him—
But like a hand reaching for a soap bubble, the figure floated weightlessly and dissolved into light.
With the flood of light—
A faint magical glow appeared on Shirou's left arm. One after another, magic circuits engraved by Nameless were transferred to him.
Magic energy... was, in a way, another form of life.
To pass on one's magical energy was to pass on one's life — one's everything.
Nameless had completely disappeared from this world, from this timeline.
All viewers watching this scene were shaken to the depths of their souls—
AlmightyMiddleFinger-[God… Nameless actually sacrificed himself to empower his younger self!]
GlazingAtItsFinest-[Nameless is eternal! Whether past or future, he defends humanity, unwavering until death!]
PostNutRealityMarble-[Sigh... It's really tough being Nameless. Even his weaker self had to be empowered by his sacrifice.]
NotSunKnight-[Please, Shirou... accept your future self's legacy. Drag that arrogant king down from his throne!]
Chaldea.
Mash, dressed in casual home clothes, looked slightly dazed,
"Why… why is the narrator's voice mine?"
Yes — that gentle female narration voice earlier — it was hers.
She felt as though she had forgotten many, many things.
Things that should never have been forgotten. But no matter how hard she tried, she simply couldn't remember.
"Don't worry, Mash. Alaya will eventually reveal everything." Doctor Romani looked at the frowning girl with heartache and quickly tried to comfort her.
"Mm… Doctor."
Mash nodded, continuing to obediently watch the video.
Yet, in her mind, she couldn't help but recall the boy she had met earlier. When she met him, she had inexplicably begun to cry and blurted out, "Senpai..."
Since then—
Every morning when she woke, for some reason, she found tears in her eyes.
This happened from time to time.
Like waking from a long dream — one she could never recall.
It was all so strange.
Leonardo da Vinci spoke in awe, "As expected of Nameless — truly fearless in the face of death!"
"That's humanity — full of hope and miracles."
Doctor Romani suddenly felt tears welling up in the corners of his eyes.
An inexplicable feeling welled up in his heart. One that words could never express. It was just a feeling—
"To be born as a human... I feel so fortunate."
Doctor Romani couldn't explain why he felt this way.
Could it be... I wasn't human in my past life?
"Even with the legacy, young Shirou will still struggle to defeat the King of Heroes..." Da Vinci sighed lightly.
Even the future version of him had failed — how could a young boy possibly succeed?
"No. He definitely can."
Mash placed a hand over her heart and replied with absolute certainty.
The other two glanced at her, said nothing more, and silently continued watching the video.
=================
In the video:
Gilgamesh stood atop a streetlamp, watching with interest. "Fascinating. You willingly sacrificed yourself to pass your remaining mana and magecraft circuits to another."
This guy... he was really that confident?
Confident that a mere boy could defeat him?
What arrogance!
"I once thought you worthy to fight me... but it turns out you're just a fool! A fool who couldn't even face me himself. How could your younger self possibly succeed?"
The respect Gilgamesh once had was now completely replaced with ridicule.
"Heh... A hero of justice? A world where no one gets hurt? How laughable. Your so-called equality and protection... nothing but the wailing of the weak."
As he mocked wildly—
The boy stood up.
His eyes were especially bright as he looked up at the king.
"I once wanted to run away. But I found... I just couldn't stand by and watch others die. You can call me hypocritical, you can call me foolish, even arrogant."
Shirou let out a soft sigh.
The video showed a series of flashbacks.
Conversations with Nameless, talks with Rin Tohsaka.
So many people had tried to persuade him to give up.
But... he just couldn't.
"I just want to protect the people around me. To protect those I can. So even if my dream is a foolish one, even if all that lies ahead is emptiness... I still will!!!"
The boy lifted his head and stared straight at the king, filled with unprecedented resolve.
Anyone who saw him at that moment would know — he possessed a courage that feared nothing.
Though he may die nine times, he would never regret — and would search high and low for the answer.
"Haha, you idiot. Even your dream of becoming a 'Hero of Justice' is just a borrowed lie!"
Gilgamesh laughed even more mockingly.
"You're just a cheap imitation—a faker. You can't save anyone!"
Buzz!
Countless golden ripples burst forth behind him — one weapon after another emerged.
[Gate of Babylon] once again released its full power.
The King of Heroes put away Ea and said condescendingly, "Rejoice. As a king, I have dignity. Taking you seriously would be a loss on my part."
A foolish Faker like him didn't even deserve Ea.
The Gate of Babylon unleashed its devastating power.
An endless barrage of Noble Phantasms flew like a Gatling gun toward Shirou.
But just then—
A figure suddenly rushed between them, swinging a holy sword to block the entire barrage.
Artoria had arrived!
She had finally defeated her enemies and came to aid the boy against the invincible King of Heroes.
Seeing this—
Mordred shook her head slightly.
"In the end... it still comes down to relying on Father."
Even with the legacy of his future self, it would take immense time to fully absorb it. No one could master everything in an instant.
Even a genius like her — couldn't do that!
Which meant...
She'd lost her bet with Gawain again???
She'd have to go learn mashed potato recipes from that spud-loving knight and help him torment the rest of the Round Table?
"Haha, Mordred, it looks like you've lost again!" Gawain beamed like the sun.
I never lose!
Their bet was that King Artoria would be the one to defeat the King of Heroes. Now that she had arrived, Gawain had clearly won.
(T/N: Don't celebrate too early bruh.)
Just then—
The always silent King Artoria, with her sea-blue eyes fixed on the screen, whispered, "Just wait. You'll see... why he is who he is."
"Uh…"
Gawain was left speechless.
Could there still be a twist?
No way this boy, who'd just received a legacy and had never used a magic before, would beat the King of Heroes… right?
No!
Impossible!
Even the Nameless of the future had failed — how could a mere boy possibly succeed?
I swear on my noble, fair, just, and kind title as the Knight of the Sun — it's absolutely impossible!
============
In the video:
The armored female figure of Artoria stood protectively in front of Shirou.
"Shirou, let me face him next. You should rest for now."
She had finally defeated her foes and arrived just in time to help.
At that moment, Artoria had resolved — even if it cost her life — she would take down this tyrant!
"No, Ria — go and destroy the Grail. If we don't stop it soon, the black mud will swallow all of Fuyuki City. Many people will die!"
Shirou refused without hesitation.
Even in such dire circumstances, all he could think about... was saving others!
His words left Artoria stunned. "You're just a regular human — humans can't fight Heroic Spirits!"
"Trust me. This time... I won't lose."
Shirou placed a hand on her shoulder. A youthful smile lit up his face.
"When this battle's over, I'll keep teaching you how to cook."
"…Okay. I believe in you! May victory be yours!"
Artoria bit her lip and ultimately chose to believe him. She turned and headed for the black mud.
She planned to use her remaining mana to release her Holy Sword and destroy the Grail once and for all.
The boy quietly sighed—
"Ria, I really am not a qualified knight. I can't save you, the King of Knights."
"No, you are a true knight—my Master!"
Artoria smiled.
"Whatever else we want to say, let's talk about it after this battle!"
Her smile was incredibly gentle—so gentle it could melt a person's heart.
At that moment, she no longer seemed like a powerful king, but just an ordinary girl waiting for her beloved to return.
After she turned and left...
"Hahaha! Hahaha! Fool! With you having abandoned Saber's support, how could you possibly oppose this king?"
Gilgamesh couldn't hold back his laughter.
"A faker like you! Don't tell me… you think you're some sacrificial pawn buying her time?"
His laughter was utterly wanton, utterly arrogant, utterly delighted—
As if he'd just witnessed the most absurd clown performance.
At that moment, he completely lost all expectations for the boy before him.A conceited, overconfident mongrel.
"Indeed, I am a faker."
But Shirou suddenly smiled.
From his left arm—bearing the legacy of the Nameless—magical light abruptly burst forth.
Streaks of blue magical energy crackled across the ground like arcs of lightning.
"You know," the boy said, standing amidst the surging blue magical currents, looking up at his foe, "My sword projection isn't about creating swords—it's about shaping my own heart into form!"
"The time has come—this is the day when the arrogant tyrant shall be devoured! Hero King Gilgamesh—no, you, whose mind has been rotted by the black mud… Prepare to witness yourself shattered! "