Icedrone
patreon
Chapter 184: Past and Future Shirou clash! A battle of opposing ideals!
🕑 Added 2025-08-06 03:00:03 +0000 UTC【 Speaking of which, Red A's emotions grew increasingly agitated, “But!! Reality is not like that... As a Guardian, I cannot save humanity. A Guardian must only clean up and handle the aftermath.” 】
【 “What has already happened, the sins caused by humans. Using their power to reduce them to nothing, they are merely executioners who deal with humans harmful to the continuation of the spiritual world, regardless of good or evil.” 】
【 “How utterly foolish, how is that any different from the powerless me back then?!” 】
【 Saber calmed down, her gaze fixed on Red A, trying to find something in his eyes: “Even if you could save one more person, did you never achieve it even once in the end?” 】
【 Red A: “Yes! I personally killed the very things I saved, all for the sake of fulfilling that boring wish of being a hero of justice.” 】
【 As he said this, the scene suddenly shifted. Red A's figure stood amidst a desolate field of swords, under a dim sky, shrouded in loneliness and emptiness... 】
【 “I am tired of constantly cleaning up humanity's messes, but as a Heroic Spirit, I can only repeat this.” 】
【 “If I had never existed, if I could be erased, then...” 】
【 Saber immediately denied this possibility, “It's useless. You have already become a Guardian. Separated from the wheel of time, even if you kill the current Shirou, your existence will not disappear.” 】
【 Red A: “But it is not impossible... But if what is destroyed is not the body, but the belief along with it, then the mistake of 'hero of justice' will not appear in this world.” 】
【 。。。。。 】
~Projection of All Worlds~
“In the end, it’s not Emiya Shirou the man he seeks to destroy—but the very ideal of 'becoming a hero of justice' that defines him.”
Viewers from other worlds felt a strange sadness. The story of Heroic Spirit Emiya was the story of a tragic life... always pursuing an ideal, but never achieving it! He also experienced the cruelty of reality within it.
While still alive, in order to continue pursuing this even after death, he signed a contract with the Counter Force without much thought, was used as a tool, and instead constantly went against his original intentions.
He moved forward step by step towards his dream. In the endless journey, even a man as strong as forged steel grew tired and reached the end.
~Type-Moon World, ██████ Worldline~
~In the 7th singularity, Absolute Demonic Front: Babylonia~
“King Gilgamesh, what do you think of this Heroic Spirit Emiya?”
Merlin noticed the subtle changes in Gilgamesh's expression and asked for his opinion.
Gilgamesh rested his hand on his cheek and said in a flat tone,
“Just a naive brat... At the end of his life, he made a wish to the world to become a hero and gained power beyond ordinary people.”
“He hurt some people and saved many. Finally, when it was time for him to pay the price, he was betrayed by his own ideal... But!”
Saying this, the Wise King Gilgamesh sat up slightly, his voice suddenly becoming louder,
“Although naive, he is a hero! Even if his life was meaningless, it was also full of meaning.”
Even if the dream was unattainable, what did it matter?! He didn't want to hold the stars in the sky in his hands; he just wanted to chase after the stars.
“Is that so...”
Merlin looked back at Red A on the screen. Having reached the end of his ideal, he planned to show it to Emiya Shirou, trying to make him give up his ideal...
~Type-Moon World, Kaleid liner Prisma Illya Worldline~
Although Emiya the Big Hero understood Archer's thoughts, he didn't agree with Archer's actions,
“Although this wish is impossible... it is definitely not wrong! Even if it cannot be realized, the wish for everyone to be happy is not wrong.”
“Since you are my another self from parallel world, you should understand, shouldn't you?!”
Even Emiya, the Big Hero himself, once lived with such an ideal. Perhaps if it weren't for Miyu, he would have walked the same path as you...
But the wish itself is not wrong. Even if it is difficult to achieve, it is still the lifelong pursuit of the person named 'Emiya Shirou'!
。。。。。
【 After Red A finished speaking, he looked back at Emiya Shirou, waiting for his answer, “How about it, Emiya Shirou... If you don't approve of me, just kill yourself here.” 】
【 Emiya Shirou, who had been silent all this time, bent down and picked up the long sword on the ground, reaching out to gently caress the blade. 】
【 “Shirou!” Saber was startled and panicked, fearing that Emiya Shirou might actually give up and end his own life. 】
【 After a long silence, Emiya Shirou held the blade in both hands, looked at Red A, and asked in return, “Archer... do you regret it?” 】
【 “Of course!” 】
【 Hearing the answer, Emiya Shirou also came to his own conclusion and dropped the sword in his hand, “Then we are different people.” 】
【 Emiya Shirou's eyes were fixed on Red A, and he said sternly, “No matter what happens, I will never regret it, so I will never approve of you. If you are my ideal, then I will personally destroy this wrong ideal.” 】
【 Since that was the case, Red A didn't want to waste any more words with him and walked directly down the stairs towards Emiya Shirou. Seeing this, Saber quickly stepped in front of him. 】
【 “It's okay, Saber!” Emiya Shirou patted Saber's shoulder and also stepped forward, “Thank you, but no matter what, please step aside.” 】
【 “Because... this is my battle... Trace” 】
【 Red A also chanted, “On!” 】
【 The two walked towards each other, their hands emitting colored light, and identical Kanshou and Bakuya appeared in their hands at the same time. 】
【 。。。。。 】
~Projection of All Worlds~
“In the end, despite everything, Emiya Shirou refused to yield... Yet it was this very stubbornness that proved they were never the same person to begin with!!”
Emiya Shirou's philosophy is too idealistic. Viewers from other worlds feel that Red A's philosophy is indeed correct and the most efficient.
Heroic Spirit Emiya is a true hero because he is the ideal that the boy named 'Emiya Shirou' pursued to the very end. Even if he regrets it, even if he takes detours, he is still a true hero.
~Type-Moon World, Fourth Holy Grail War Worldline~
Whether Red A's words convinced Emiya Shirou, he didn't know, but Kiritsugu Emiya was certainly shaken. Red A, in a sense, was the end of his own unrealistic ideal.
His wife, Irisviel, was a little worried,
“Both of these Emiyas are my children, let's talk it out properly, why fight...”
Moreover, the magic they use is the same, but Emiya Shirou's technique and proficiency are definitely not comparable to the future Red A, who has been tempered through countless battles. Isn't he doomed to lose?
~Type-Moon World, Fifth Holy Grail War Worldline~
"Emiya-kun?!"
Rin whirled around, half-expecting to find him charging headfirst into another reckless act. Instead, she found Shirou sitting silently apart—unusually still.
"You... alright?"
Her voice softened as she approached. If anyone understood the sting of being called a hypocrite while chasing impossible ideals, it was him. In some twisted way, that made Shirou uniquely qualified to grasp a fraction of Archer’s anguish.
Yet the Shirou she knew was kindness incarnate—the type who’d been called "hopelessly good-natured" to his face.
Maybe that was the cruelest joke: his very ability to heal through others’ happiness made him both the closest and farthest from understanding Archer’s despair.
"T-Tohsaka?! When did you—"
Shirou startled at her presence, then managed a weak shake of his head.
"Thanks... I’m fine. Just... trying to figure out how ‘me’ and ‘him’ diverged so completely."
His gaze drifted back to the screen, hoping to find the answer from it.
。。。。。
【 “Bang—” Under Saber's witness, the two swords collided, and the resulting wind pressure blew towards Saber... But she knew that this was a collision of their beliefs. 】
【 However, the battle was one-sided from the start. Emiya Shirou could only barely parry with the dual swords in his hands. While Red A repelled him, he instantly moved in front of him and sent him flying with a single palm. 】
【 But he didn't press the advantage and instead assumed a stance, waiting for Emiya Shirou to stand up again. 】
【 “Damn it!!” Emiya Shirou reached out and tore off his jacket. A flash of green magic appeared, and the dual swords reappeared in his hands. 】
【 But it was no surprise that they were easily cut apart by Red A in two strokes. Red A quietly watched Emiya Shirou project his Noble Phantasm again, “Do you think your projection is on the same level as mine... Although you can ensure the imagined shape and material, without the structural theory, it's just a facade.” 】
【 “Damn it!!” Emiya Shirou gritted his teeth and charged forward, but was blocked by Red A with a single hand holding the sword, and was casually thrown away. 】
【 However, what was different was that in this collision with Red A, something seemed to be changing in Emiya Shirou. Green magic circuits flickered continuously on his body. 】
【 “Rumble—” 】
【 Emiya Shirou, who had been struggling to parry, actually repelled Red A this time. 】
【 Red A looked at Emiya Shirou, “I see, you are quite resilient! Although I have heard of inheriting the techniques and magic of one's past life, by having them manifest within oneself.” 】
【 “It seems that with each round we fight, your technique improves.” 】
【 After a series of battles, Emiya Shirou's forehead was bleeding, and he was slightly out of breath. “Is that so?! Imitating and copying, everyone is the same, right... Show off while you can. I'll catch up to you soon!!” 】
【 。。。。。 】
~Projection of All Worlds~
“Even as he battles his own reflection, he's trapped in Archer's rhythm—yet what should be a deathmatch feels more like a brutal training session, with his future self forcibly schooling him in Projection!”
Everyone looked at Archer's actions and saw the words “going easy.”... If he wanted to win, those few slashes just now would have killed Emiya Shirou.
Now it's more like feeding him moves, as if Archer is teaching him his techniques, constantly pulling and pushing.
~Type-Moon World, Fourth Holy Grail War Worldline~
“Perhaps the ideal is unattainable, even if the ideal is impossible... to drown in that ideal, to live and die for it - at least that's a life one can accept. That's your belief, isn't it, Emiya Shirou...?”
A rare smile crossed Kiritsugu's face. His dream might have been unattainable, but no one else had earned the right to scorn it.
Only those who had seen an ideal through to its bitter end could truly judge its worth. The fact that Heroic Spirit Emiya could declare his path ended only in regret... proved he had pursued that ideal to its absolute conclusion.
True, Emiya Shirou was a fool. But that very foolishness now served as a mirror, reflecting Kiritsugu's current self back to him.
He, too, had become that kind of fool.
~Type-Moon World, ██████ Worldline~
~In the 7th singularity, Absolute Demonic Front: Babylonia~
“This battle of beliefs is far more exciting than a simple fight.”
The Wise King Gilgamesh was very curious if Emiya Shirou would still say that he would not regret it after experiencing all of Heroic Spirit Emiya's experiences?!
It is essential to recognize that different experiences lead to distinct choices...
The contradiction with his ideal of saving everyone is that he can only choose to save a part of them.
After he personally experiences it, will he still give the same answer? How delightful... Emiya Shirou.
。。。。。
(Author note: I'm already secretly typing while at work... Afterwards, it should connect to Black A's story and the Heaven's Feel story!! Only then can we see how much of a sacrifice Emiya Shirou made by giving up his ideal for Sakura.)
(Translator-kun: For those who are asking why the hell Archer Emiya is called "Red A," it was a nickname of Archer Emiya. " When Japanese folks try to pronounce 'Archer', it sounds like Ah Cha, and the 'Cha' part sounds like the word for 'tea'." And his color palette was 'Red', so the nickname was 'Red A'. And almost all archer had color themes in their nicknames. There was also a list of some nicknames you can check out here: "FGO Nicknames and Aliases: r/grandorder." I will use some of those nicknames in the future.)
