"Roarwooo!"
A MinOttarur wielding a stone axe roared at Shirou.
One roar after another echoed endlessly through the cavern.
None of it affected Shirou's focus.
Greatswords rested firmly in his hands, his fighting spirit surging.
The girl's trust resonated clearly within his heart.
When it came to protecting someone he cared about, Shirou was never careless.
He would give everything.
"Come," he said calmly.
"Let the slaughter begin."
"Roarwooo!"
Provoked, the MinOttarurs stopped posturing.
They lowered their bodies like charging bulls and rushed forward.
At the same moment, a clear and melodious voice rang out behind Shirou.
It was the chant of a mage.
[O proud warriors, archers of the forest,]
[The encroaching plunderers are before you, take up your bows.]
[Answer the call of your kin, nock your arrows.]
As the chant continued, a crimson magic circle spread outward.
Streams of magic power converged toward Lefiya.
In that instant, she was like a beacon in the darkness.
A sharp killing intent radiated outward, announcing her presence to every monster nearby.
Drawn by it, several MinOttarurs that had been charging Shirou abruptly changed direction, rushing toward Lefiya instead.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Shirou's greatsword flashed.
The enemies around him fell in pieces.
Seeing the MinOttarurs attempting to break through, Shirou hurled his greatsword without hesitation.
It pierced straight through one of them.
[Kindle the flames, lights of the forest.]
Shirou abandoned the remaining enemies and leapt back to Lefiya's side.
Standing at her center, he cut down every MinOttarur that came close.
More shadows surged forward.
Shirou raised his voice.
"Come!"
"Let's see who survives this."
[I command you to loose arrows, fire arrows of the elves.]
"Roarwooo!"
They charged again.
Lowering their massive frames, the MinOttarurs rushed in with all their strength.
What greeted them were blades.
Projected weapons manifested around Shirou.
In the next instant, they transformed into arrows and shot forward, unstoppable.
[Descend like rain, burn the barbarians.]
Shirou felt the shift.
"The chant's finished," he muttered.
"My job's done."
Lefiya had reached the final segment.
Her staff was raised.
Magic power surged to its peak.
Only judgment remained.
[Volley Fire Javelin]
The air trembled.
The sky itself seemed to flicker.
Countless fiery arrows poured down from above.
Golden light rained like a meteor shower, as if divine punishment had descended upon the earth.
Blazing arrow-shaped magic streaked through the air, smashing into the ground.
The bombardment engulfed everything.
Everything-except the small space where Shirou and Lefiya stood.
The burning light pierced through monster after monster, detonating the ground and erasing the MinOttarurs in an instant.
Dozens of them vanished.
This was the power of magic.
"...So this is it."
Shirou quietly took it in.
"First time seeing it up close, but the power really is terrifying."
Each light arrow Lefiya released rivaled one of Shirou's Broken Phantasms.
In a closed environment like this, even if there were ten times as many MinOttarurs, Lefiya could still wipe them out with a single cast.
That was something Shirou couldn't do.
Broken Phantasm was only a derivative use of Projection magic.
A technique.
Not a spell.
No matter how much Unlimited Blade Works grew, the explosive power of Broken Phantasm itself wouldn't increase.
Only two factors mattered.
The amount of prana poured into the weapon.
And how efficiently Shirou used that prana.
Unlimited Blade Works might one day strengthen Projection itself-
Improving accuracy.
Reducing consumption.
Making projections closer to their originals.
But enhancing the explosion afterward?
That would be unnatural.
"Shirou-san, I did it!"
Lefiya looked around at the cleared battlefield and the magic stones scattered across the ground.
Overjoyed, she rushed over and grabbed Shirou's arm, speaking excitedly.
Just moments earlier, when the MinOttarur's charge had nearly reached her-only a finger's width away-she hadn't panicked.
Not just because she trusted Shirou.
But because she trusted herself.
Even if Shirou hadn't arrived in time, she knew she could have dodged without being hurt.
That confidence was new.
And it was the result of her recent training.
"It looks like your effort paid off," Shirou said softly.
He gently stroked her head.
Lefiya nodded.
"And... thank you, Shirou-san. For taking care of me all this time."
She stepped back and bowed deeply.
Every bit of care Shirou had shown her-
Crafting her equipment.
Forging her weapons.
Teaching her how to fight.
She remembered all of it.
Shirou quickly helped her up.
He had never expected anything in return.
It was simply habit.
Helping others.
Looking after them.
Especially girls younger than him.
Whenever he saw someone like that working hard, he was reminded of his sister.
Miyu.
She must still be fighting against her fate somewhere.
Even without him.
Looking at Shirou, who treated her with the same calm dedication as always, thoughts stirred within Lefiya.
Although she had joined the Familia earlier.
Although she was a higher level.
Standing in front of Shirou, she always felt like the junior.
"...When I look at you, Shirou-san," she said with a smile,
"It feels like I've gained an older brother."
Shirou's body froze.
An older brother.
It had been a long time since he'd heard those words.
This was another world.
He had no relatives here.
No siblings.
Aside from Miyu... who else could call him that?
Emotion welled up inside him.
Lefiya, unaware of his thoughts, laughed softly.
"Does Shirou-san think of me as his little sister too?"
She tilted her head.
"Come to think of it, I've never asked about your family. Do you have any siblings, Shirou-san?"
Shirou looked at her.
His expression turned serious.
"...Is that really okay?"
"Eh? What do you mean?"
Lefiya blinked, confused by the sudden shift.
Shirou answered without hesitation.
"I mean you."
"Be my sister."
--------More Bonus Chapters!!!!
Every 300 power stones = 1 Bonus Chapter