Chapter 5: Tsumukari Muramasa
A miscalculation.
It's an utter miscalculation.
Lying on the ground, Angelica struggled to turn her head, watching Sakatsuki charge at her like a chilling wind.
As a doll of the Ainsworth family, Angelica did not possess the emotion of regret, but the humiliating reality of this situation undoubtedly pushed her to the brink of crisis.
Under the influence of the King of Heroes power from the Class Card, even though she had abandoned all emotions, she still unconsciously fell into the trap of underestimating her opponent. She overlooked the crucial difference between the man who called himself Emilya Sakatsuki and the one known as Emiya Shirou.
The crystallization of the Ainsworth family's thousand-year wisdom— Displacement Magic.
By using Displacement magic faster than her, he could launch an attack before she could retreat.
She wasn't entirely unaware; she had prepared for this before the battle. So why did she forget this critical variable during the fight? Perhaps the ancient King of Heroes would be pleased to see her defeated.
To the proud Heroic Spirit, the Ainsworths, who forcibly took his power using their Class Card, were no less than despicable usurpers.
Her thoughts lasted only a moment. Before Sakatsuki's blade could reach her, Angelica had already taken action.
"Enkidu!"
Golden ripples spread around her, and countless chains surged like serpents, swiftly enclosing Sakatsuki.
In response to her Noble Phantasm, Sakatsuki roared in defiance.
"Useless!"
The projected blades around him clashed with the chains in the blink of an eye. Sakatsuki swung the twin blades Kanshou and Bakuya, shifting his stance slightly. The spatial displacement caused the flying chains to lose their target.
Before an ordinary human, the chains that claimed to bind even the gods were nothing more than sturdy chains.
"You are nothing more than a counterfeiter who has stolen the King of Heroes's power. You lack the king's dignity, the king's aloofness, the king's pride—you can't even wield the authority of a king!"
As Sakatsuki rebuked loudly, he freed himself from the layers of chains, only to find that his opponent had vanished from his sight.
When he looked up, he saw the golden ripples symbolizing the treasury's opening!
"Tch!"
He spun his swords, using the impact from their collision to propel himself out of the Noble Phantasm's range. But before he could rise, new weapons came flying towards him, threatening to pierce him through!
"Rho Aias!"
Seven petals spread out, forming a barrier, but were quickly torn apart by the storm of blades. In this brief stalemate, Sakatsuki had already retreated, appearing a short distance away, thanks to his Displacement magic.
"Angelica..."
Sakatsuki, with an eagle-like gaze, soon spotted the golden figure standing on Enkidu. He swiped his right hand across the air, projecting an infinite number of blades.
"Full Projection! Continuous Overlay!"
However, unexpectedly, the figure on Enkidu was easily struck down by the rain of swords. What fell before Sakatsuki was a lifeless doll.
Just like the one that had collapsed before Angelica earlier.
"Damn it!"
Realizing he had made a mistake he tried to retreat, but Sakatsuki was struck by a massive greatsword before he could react, easily knocking him away.
Rolling across the rough ground, Sakatsuki scrambled to his feet. When he looked ahead, he was met with Angelica, now wielding a greatsword one-handed, walking toward him unhurriedly.
"As I suspected... though your magic power has increased significantly, your physical fitness is far from what it used to be."
Speaking she implanted the greatsword into the ground, immense mana surged forming earthen spikes striking, launching Sakatsuki into the air.
Before Angelica's sword could strike down, Sakatsuki barely projected a shield in front of him. Still, he was sent flying, blood splattering everywhere, crashing into a nearby mansion.
Planting his sword on the ground, he struggled to his feet, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth with a wry smile.
Just as Angelica had said, while Sakatsuki's magical power had increased significantly, his physical strength was far inferior to Emiya Shirou who had merged with Heroic Spirit Emiya. At least, he was a notch below the peak strength his heroic counterpart possessed.
Sakatsuki had no idea that this was due to the Counter Force's penalty, causing a decline in his abilities. Nevertheless, his current state meant he could only fight like a Caster. With the exceptionally high magical power, he launched a counterattack before escaping, breaking into the heart of the Ainsworth Castle and stealing the Class Cards.
Thus, setting the stage for tonight's victory.
"To think we're back here again..."
Pausing to take in the familiar courtyard, Sakatsuki chuckled softly, his eyes filled with nostalgia.
This was a residence in Fuyuki City's northern residential district, owned by the Fujimura Group.
His father had once slept here peacefully, and he had spent his childhood and adolescence here. The time he spent with his sister, Miyu, was also woven into this place.
This was the Emiya residence.
"...So, can we change the location of our battle, Miss Angelica?"
Pulling himself out from his memories, Sakatsuki turned to the golden figure, walking through the front gate and asked with a smile.
"No."
Her response was a merciless rejection.
Staring at the Sakatsuki's upright figure, Angelica declared emotionlessly.
"I've already wasted enough time on you Emiya Shirou, or should I say, Emiya Sakatsuki."
With an earth-shaking tremor, the spinning gold-red divine construct once again appeared in Angelica's hands.
"Just as I said before—your existence is flawed."
Raising the Sword of Rupture, Angelica delivered her final judgment.
"For the old humanity's final myth, we're creating, you are a blemish—a detestable existence, inexplicably granted magical authority, who stole our magical crystallizations..."
The sword shook, creating cracks in the air. The shockwave alone nearly blew Sakatsuki's hairband away.
"Let me sever it all!"
With her final words, the divine construct known as Ea, the Sword of Rupture roared once more, creating a dazzling red vortex above!
Even though this was his second time witnessing such a scene, Sakatsuki was still awestruck.
Instinctively attempting Projection Analysis failed.
There was no Noble Phantasm that could surpass it.
This weapon said to have once split heaven and earth, was gathering power to obliterate the small existence known as Sakatsuki.
Unlimited Blade Works couldn't be chanted in time nor can any Reality Marble stand against this sword.
But knowing the existence of this weapon, how can Sakatsuki not make any preparations?
The Holy Shroud fluttered in the wind, and the white-haired young man fearlessly faced forward, his golden eyes fixed only on the silhouette of the sword.
One was overdrawing his future power, the other had stolen the King of Heroes's primordial weapon, Ea.
One fought desperately to survive, the other stood as an obstacle to their mission.
This battle was devoid of honour or dignity—there was no pride to be found.
So, think of any possible strategy, resort to every means, and spare no effort.
As long as... He could overcome it!
As Angelica completed her chant and swung down the primordial sword, Sakatsuki made his move.
"In these seven days and seven nights, I wasn't just running away!"
"Displacement Magic, activate!"
The accumulated magic power within the leylines surged in an instant, flowing through the pre-laid magical patterns, tracing one magic circle after another in several locations.
At the core of these magic circles, aligned with the ancient Indian chakra theory and following the principle of fulfilment, stood Sakatsuki in the Emiya residence, raising his left hand.
The torrent from Ea halted before the red magic circle that appeared before Sakatsuki, dissipating as it was continuously broken down by the operation of the seven immense magic circles and counterbalanced by the pure magic power within the leylines.
"A large-scale magic constructed through Displacement magic?"
Angelica recognized the principle of the magic circle at a glance, her expression turning colder.
"It's useless. Even if you replaced Fuyuki's leylines as the core of your magic circle, this ultimate destruction—Enuma Elish—would obliterate everything."
In response, Sakatsuki gave a maniacal grin, maintaining his raised left hand as he chanted.
"Uncountable years of toil to reach this place!"
The chant was only a self-suggestion to alter his mind.
Magic power surged around him, distorting even his voice.
"To create a borrow of blades, to sever karma with my very being."
The guidance had only one direction—in the face of such a mystery, such a blade, there was no reason why the blacksmith, who spent his life forging blades, would not manifest.
Utilizing the blank card as a medium, the surging magical power filled Sakatsuki's body, using it as a vessel.
"The sword of Senji is made of such layered steel."
"Now free your spirit and reach enlightenment."
Amid the surging particles of mana, a voice of shock came intermittently.
"What... What is this?"
What was she astonished about?
Was it the heavy, clear sound of forging, or... the completely different chant from last time?
"All that I am, exists for this sword."
After creating a graveyard of countless swords, shattered like snowflakes on the ground, leaving only the man's radiant blade in his hand.
Before the magic circle could collapse, Sakatsuki, now shirtless, wielded the light and faced the incoming strike of Ea, slashing out with the glow in his hand.
"Take this, This is my Tsumukari Muramasa!"
In the distant past, during the age of gods, the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, born from the tail of the eight-headed, eight-tailed, red-eyed serpent monster, Yamata-no-Orochi, the largest Dragon of calamity, which boasted the massive form spanning eight valleys and eight peaks, appeared at this moment.
Amid the roars, two beams of light collided, piercing the heavens and earth, and illuminating all creations in their reach.
Unnoticed by anyone, as the night brighter than day reached its end, a ray of dawn rose from the horizon.
The final moments for Sakatsuki in this world were declared.
***
[Noble Phantasm: Tsumukari Muramasa]
[Rank: A+]
[Type: Anti-Unit Noble Phantasm]
[Range: 1–10]
[Maximum number of targets: 10 people]
Tsumukari Muramasa.
A Noble Phantasm that creates the ultimate blade.
Through deployment of a special Reality Marble, said to resemble the Heroic Spirit Emiya's 'Unlimited Blade Works', creates a wilderness of countless swords, all to shatter like snowflakes, leaving only a single blade in Senji Muramasa's hand.
A blade capable of severing time, space, and causality.
The sword's inscription is Tsumukari Muramasa.
Tsumukari refers to the Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi, later known as Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi.
It is the divine sword that appeared from the tail of the eight-headed and eight-tailed monster, Yamata-no-Orochi, the greatest disaster dragon of Japan, slain by Susanoo-no-Mikoto.
This is the Noble Phantasm of the Heroic Spirit Senji Muramasa, which once cleaved through the Reality Marble 'Shimabara Hell Picture Scroll' of the sorcerer Amakusa Shirou Tokisada. Truly, that old man is indeed worthy of being the Emiya family's ultimate swordsman.