Shirou had long thought about how to further strengthen himself.
Under the integration of the Divine Blessing, many of his abilities had become directly tied to his level.
Both Projection Magic and Unlimited Blade Works would only grow stronger as his level increased. They could no longer be improved through other methods.
And yet, Shirou was already satisfied.
After all, even his counterparts in other timelines had no way to further enhance these two abilities.
Although it was only a Level 3 increase, Shirou had already surpassed the original Heroic Spirit Emiya in both Projection Magic and Unlimited Blade Works, reaching a deeper, more refined realm.
Not to mention the increase in magic power granted by the Divine Blessing.
In his previous life, Shirou had once heard an evaluation of Shirou Emiya.
"Don't overestimate Shirou's magic power."
"And don't underestimate his Projection Magic."
As long as he had sufficient magic power, Shirou had no absolute nemesis. He could always project the appropriate weapon to break through any situation.
In a sense, he was a poor man's version of the King of Heroes.
However, just as the saying went-what makes you can also break you.
The Divine Blessing greatly enhanced these two abilities, but at the same time, it blocked off the possibility of strengthening them through intense short-term training.
That said, Shirou still had areas he could improve.
Broken Phantasm.
The principle behind Broken Phantasm was simple.
Projected Noble Phantasms were detonated to produce a wide-area explosion.
But this method was already beginning to show its limits.
Against monsters on deeper floors, its effectiveness dropped sharply.
As levels increased, monster durability grew stronger. Pure magical explosions struggled to deal meaningful damage.
On top of that, as Projection Magic improved, the magic power required to project Noble Phantasms continued to decrease.
That, in turn, further reduced the destructive power of Broken Phantasm.
It was frustrating.
But Shirou wasn't without ideas.
He found inspiration in his own title.
"...A specially ordered magic sword?"
Tsubaki put down her forging hammer and looked at Shirou in confusion.
After all, the destructive power of a magic sword came entirely from the magic sealed within it, not from the weapon's physical quality.
There had never really been such a thing as a custom-made magic sword.
"That's right," Shirou said calmly. "I want a top-tier magic sword."
"The weapon form should be an arrow."
"The built-in magic should be explosive fire."
"There's no need to worry about durability or discharge limits."
"I'm going to fire it as an arrow."
This was the solution Shirou had arrived at.
If the explosion of a Noble Phantasm was no longer enough, then he would switch to specialized explosive arrows.
And what could be more suitable as an arrow than a magic sword?
In this world, magic swords were essentially magic scrolls in weapon form.
Each had a limited number of uses.
Once those uses were exhausted, the weapon would shatter.
When Shirou had first arrived in this world, he had already wondered-
Was there anything more suitable to serve as his arrows than magic swords?
After all, the magic of this world was equivalent to Noble Phantasms in the Type-Moon system.
That meant he was about to go from detonating Noble Phantasms...
To firing Noble Phantasms.
The increase in power wouldn't be small.
And on top of that-
He could still detonate them.
A double explosion.
Just imagining it was exhilarating.
"So you're planning to shoot magic swords as arrows..." Tsubaki muttered.
After thinking it through, she quickly understood Shirou's intention.
"You're really going all in on your title, huh?"
Seeing that Tsubaki had grasped his idea, Shirou immediately expressed his thanks.
Tsubaki waved her hand dismissively.
Naturally, she would give him preferential treatment.
After all, in a sense, Shirou could already be considered her disciple.
"So," she asked, "when do you need it? Is it urgent?"
"If possible, the sooner the better," Shirou replied. "I'm going on an expedition in a week."
"An expedition? That explains it."
Understanding the situation, Tsubaki stood up and tossed a forging uniform toward Shirou.
"This is...?"
"To help out, of course," she said matter-of-factly. "Other commissions can wait. Let's focus on your magic sword first."
Hearing her words, Shirou felt genuinely moved.
He quickly put on the uniform and followed after Tsubaki.
"Master, let me show you how much I've improved," Shirou said confidently. "I guarantee you'll be surprised."
"Haha," Tsubaki laughed. "Then I'll look forward to it."
-
"Ah... I'm exhausted."
Shirou yawned as he returned to the Loki Familia, his body heavy with fatigue.
Three days had passed since he placed the magic sword order.
After three full days of work, the top-tier magic sword he had commissioned was finally complete.
During those three days, Shirou had barely rested.
Aside from assisting Tsubaki, he spent most of his time secretly learning magic sword forging techniques.
Although he would eventually absorb the experience embedded within the magic sword itself, Shirou knew that knowledge alone wasn't enough.
Just like the Noble Phantasms he projected.
Some of them had once been wielded by individuals who reached divine levels of skill.
But had Shirou himself reached that level?
Of course not.
Knowing and mastering were two different things.
So he seized every opportunity to learn.
Anything that could make him stronger was worth learning.
Because of that-
He had barely slept for three days straight.
"There are still four days until the expedition..."
"That should be enough time to reforge my equipment, right?"
Eager to incorporate the newly learned techniques, Shirou looked up at the Twilight Mansion with tired eyes and headed inside.
Right now, he wanted nothing more than rest.
Familiar with the route, he walked to his room, opened the door, and collapsed onto the bed.
Then he froze.
...Was his pillow always this warm?
Struggling to lift his head, Shirou's eyes met a familiar pair of golden ones in the dim room.
"Ais?"
"What are you doing here?"
Shirou scrambled off the bed.
Only then did he realize that what his head had been resting on-
Was Ais's lap.
"I used the key you gave me," Ais said calmly. "I've been waiting for you here for three days."
Hearing this, Shirou remembered.
He had given Ais a key to his room.
Originally, it was so she could come by and take snacks whenever she wanted. Shirou was often away, so giving her the key had seemed convenient.
There was nothing important or private in his room anyway.
But none of that mattered now.
What mattered was-
She had waited for him for three days.
"...Were you waiting for something important?"
"I want to learn swordsmanship."
"...?"
Shirou was completely bewildered.
Learn swordsmanship?
You're the Sword Princess.
Who could possibly teach you?
Seeing his confusion, Ais spoke with a rare hint of urgency.
"I want to learn the swordsmanship you used to defeat Goliath."
Ah.
So that's it.
Nine Lives Blade Works.
Good eye.
Unfortunately-
"I'm sorry," Shirou said honestly. "I haven't fully mastered that swordsmanship myself."
Hearing his answer, Ais puffed out her cheeks slightly.
The expression was unexpectedly adorable.
Seeing this, Shirou realized she had misunderstood and was about to explain-
When he suddenly heard her clear voice.
"Brother."
"...Eh?"
What?
"Since Brother often teaches Lefiya," Ais continued seriously, "please teach me too."
Shirou's eyes widened.
His mind screamed.
The relationships are completely messed up!
And it's not that I don't want to teach you-
I literally can't!
Yet-
Looking at Ais standing there, serious and sincere-
Shirou found himself unable to refuse.
That's right.
Shirou could not refuse.
--------More Bonus Chapters!!!!
Every 300 power stones = 1 Bonus Chapter