"Focus your strength from your legs upward—channel it all into the bow!"
A stern, commanding voice suddenly rang out from empty space around Emiya.
Instinctively, Emiya followed the voice's instructions without question. He drew a sharp breath, gathering all the strength he could muster.
A spark of magical energy glowed faintly at the tip of the arrow in Emiya Shirou's hand.
Somehow, guided by that voice, he found it remarkably easy to concentrate his energy, as if aided by some unseen force.
From their vantage point along the corridor, the Servants, Masters, and homunculi watched as a ray of dazzling light burst forth from Shirou's fingertips.
Whoosh—!
Only after the flash did the sharp whistle of pierced air reach their ears. Using nothing more than a crude wooden bow and the most basic wooden arrow he had projected, Emiya had just fired a supersonic shot.
It was simply impossible for such a shabby bow to produce this kind of power.
The arrow didn't merely pierce the previous arrows embedded in the tree trunk—it shot straight through the tree and even punctured the stone wall behind it.
A tiny, perfect hole was left behind in the stone, proof of the arrow's extraordinary strength.
"Incredible—!"
Astolfo couldn't help but exclaim. To his eyes, the worn-out bow Shirou used was barely suitable for twenty meters at most. It was already astonishing that Shirou had stretched that range to a hundred meters. But to pierce a thick tree and a solid stone wall beyond—that was simply beyond belief.
Emiya suddenly felt a wave of dizziness overtake him. His knees buckled, and he sank halfway to the ground.
"Emiya!"
Astolfo hurried forward to support him, but a strong, steady hand had already reached out first.
"Thanks."
Emiya accepted the offered hand and slowly rose to his feet, trembling slightly as he looked up to see the gentle expression of Archer of Black, the Servant with neatly combed brown hair and a calm, scholarly aura.
Despite Shirou's impressive physical endurance, he'd still severely overtaxed himself. He had stood tirelessly beneath the punishing sun, firing arrows continuously without pause. One hundred arrows a minute—even someone with Emiya's remarkable constitution and battle-hardened stamina could not sustain this indefinitely.
Only when that voice snapped him out of his trance did Emiya finally notice his extreme fatigue and numbness overtaking his arms.
The bow in his hand shattered into shimmering fragments of magical energy, dissipating into the air before everyone's eyes.
For reasons he couldn't fully understand, Shirou had subconsciously projected the damaged bow he'd once painstakingly repaired—in its original, broken state.
Surprisingly, the homunculi observing from the corridor silently shed tears, deeply moved and inexplicably fulfilled by the sight before turning away.
They had watched Emiya Shirou from the start—from his struggles to shoot beyond forty or fifty meters, to finally achieving a hundred meters but missing his target, to hitting his mark accurately, and ultimately reaching this extraordinary point of precision.
Every single witness had been captivated by Shirou's unwavering perseverance. No matter the era, the sheer resolve to never give up resonated deeply with everyone.
It was a quality everyone aspired to but rarely achieved.
Astolfo finally reached Shirou's side, holding him steady.
"Sorry..."
Shirou glanced apologetically at the two Servants next to him, noticing the gathered crowd in the corridor, suddenly aware that he'd likely caused another commotion.
Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap!
Applause echoed clearly through the corridor. From the shadowy depths of the castle hallway emerged Vlad III and Darnic, approaching slowly.
Almost all the Masters, Servants, and homunculi had gathered. Naturally, Vlad III and Darnic wouldn't ignore such a scene, arriving quietly to observe.
"You will undoubtedly become someone worthy of being remembered as a Heroic Spirit, Master of the King of Knights."
Vlad III's praise rang clearly, his respect for Shirou evident in his voice. The gathered Servants nodded silently, acknowledging Vlad's words with approval. Even among legendary heroes, someone possessing Shirou's sheer determination and resolve would be considered exceptional.
"Thank you, Rider, Archer...and Archer's Master."
Astolfo and Archer gently helped Shirou back to his room. Fiore followed quietly, guiding her wheelchair into the room as well.
Neither Astolfo nor Archer possessed the magecraft needed to properly check Shirou's condition.
"You can call me Fiore," she offered gently, placing her hand carefully upon Shirou's wrist, examining his internal state.
Though she wasn't a medical specialist, magecraft was versatile enough for such a simple diagnostic task.
"How is he?"
Astolfo asked worriedly. Emiya had saved his life before, and after witnessing Shirou's severe injuries, Astolfo was understandably concerned.
"You've only opened eight Magic Circuits?"
Instead of directly answering Astolfo, Fiore turned her question toward Shirou with a puzzled expression.
Emiya Shirou nodded uncertainly. Originally, he'd naturally possessed just a single active circuit. After learning the breathing styles in the Demon Slayer world, three more had activated spontaneously. Then, when he'd developed the Demon Slayer Mark, another four circuits had unknowingly opened, totaling eight.
However, Shirou had never truly understood how many Magic Circuits he possessed. He had always assumed circuits opened gradually with training, so he never paid much attention.
"Emiya's body is fine, but there's something I need to discuss with my uncle."
Fiore's wheelchair moved automatically toward the exit as she left Shirou's room.
She intended to ask Darnic for permission to open Emiya's remaining Magic Circuits. Opening more circuits would significantly boost Shirou's capacity to handle magical energy, greatly enhancing his magecraft.
But since Shirou wasn't a magus belonging to Yggdmillennia, she still needed Darnic's approval before proceeding.
Astolfo relaxed visibly after hearing Emiya wasn't seriously harmed. Once Shirou was safely resting, he and Archer quietly left the room.
---
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