Using the last of his strength, Shirou clenched it tightly in his hand.
Simply holding it, he could feel an immense amount of magical energy flowing from within.
Shirou knew very well that by using it, he could accomplish what he wanted to do.
There was no reason to hesitate.
"—Install."
The moment he grasped the card, Shirou understood how to use it.
Although he did not know why it had manifested in the form of the card from those memories, the two cards were not truly the same thing.
The card from his memories worked through substitution, while the card in his hand was a product formed from traces that someone had once left behind.
Only he or rather, only Emiya Shirou himself could draw out the power contained within it.
This was a miracle left behind by the existence known as Emiya Shirou.
The instant Shirou finished speaking, pitch-black magical lightning erupted from his left hand, enveloping both him and the crossbowman carrying him.
In the next moment, Shirou stood upright.
With his right hand, he grabbed the still-confused crossbowman.
A completely new Mystic Code had appeared on his body.
His right arm was still covered by the familiar red sleeve, but his previously bare left arm was now wrapped in a black sleeve.
The tight combat suit covering his upper body had vanished without a trace. Most of his torso was now exposed, with only two slender red cords crossing over his chest to secure the sleeves on both arms.
"Ha…"
Freed from his weakened state, Shirou felt astonishingly light.
Power surged through every part of his body.
As he exhaled deeply, large amounts of white mist poured from his mouth.
"Um... what is going on now?"
The crossbowman stared blankly.
The Shirou who should have been on his back had suddenly changed clothes and was now holding him up with a single hand.
Everything that had just happened was far beyond his understanding.
"Hold on tight."
Ignoring the question, and paying no attention to the magical lightning still leaking from his body, Shirou immediately carried the crossbowman away.
After all, the commotion he had caused moments ago was quite significant.
He had attracted the attention of nearly everyone present.
Including that gaze that had been fixed on him all this time.
And the two Imperial Guards as well.
Those people would definitely not leave him alone after seeing that he had suddenly regained the ability to fight.
"Trace on."
While still in midair, Shirou projected black gun-blades and fired them toward the Imperial Guards.
Not only did it ease some of the pressure on Talulah's side, it also prevented the two Guards from charging directly at him.
After landing, Shirou set the man down and said,
"You all keep those two occupied. I will deal with the crowd here."
Even as he spoke, he continued firing to disrupt the Guards.
Having the others assist Talulah in restraining the Imperial Guards was the solution Shirou had arrived at after careful consideration.
The situation was simple.
A large number of Infected and Ursus personnel had surrounded the area.
Their target was him.
And the Imperial Guards had clearly come to support those pursuing him.
He could go and hold them off personally, but there was a problem.
He could not seriously wound or kill them here and risk releasing the monsters dwelling within their bodies.
Because this place was not occupied solely by rioters and Ursus forces.
There were also large numbers of Reunion members and Rhodes Island operators present.
He would never allow those things to emerge in such an environment.
Likewise, the Guards would not willingly release what lay inside them on Ursus territory.
If he fought them himself, the best outcome would simply be keeping the two occupied.
Even then, they could still attack others and force Shirou to divide his attention.
Therefore, the optimal solution was for Frostnova and the Yeti Squadron to restrain the Imperial Guards while he dealt with the massive crowd.
At the same time, he could locate the person who had been watching him all along.
Shirou had a feeling.
That observer was the mastermind behind the entire riot.
The one responsible for bringing endless trouble to Lungmen.
The one responsible for the suffering inflicted upon Chernobog.
The one who wanted to harm the people he cared about.
Any one of those reasons was enough for Shirou to track that person down—
And put a bullet through them.
And those people charging at the front while wearing Reunion uniforms...
There was a chance they had once been acquaintances of Frostnova and the others.
"Your request is a little difficult... but we will take it."
Looking at the Shirou who had suddenly changed both appearance and demeanor, Frostnova wanted to tell him to stand down.
But she also knew that the members of the Yeti Squadron were already exhausted.
Even if they were not particularly close, having to kill people they had once lived alongside was an agonizing experience.
Fighting Imperial Guards would not be easy either.
However, with Talulah and the Yeti Squadron working together, they could at least keep them occupied for a while.
After deciding on their course of action, Frostnova ordered the Yeti Squadron to tighten their formation.
They prepared to hand this battlefield over to Shirou while moving to encircle the Imperial Guards from the opposite side and join up with Talulah.
"I will end all of this very soon."
As Frostnova passed by him, Shirou suddenly spoke.
Partly to reassure them.
Partly to convince himself.
Because what he was about to do next...
Might be completely at odds with the person he had always been.
Perhaps everyone standing before him had participated in the destruction of Chernobog.
Some of them might even have abused and oppressed ordinary civilians.
And the reason they had gathered here today was likely nothing more than the result of being manipulated by someone else's scheme.
But that did not mean Shirou would show mercy.
Just as personally holding back the Imperial Guards could give them opportunities to strike at others, showing restraint toward these people might allow them to cause trouble for everyone else.
What he needed to do was already obvious.
"We will be waiting."
After hearing Shirou's words, Frostnova paused for a moment before responding.
Then she continued forward, heading in the opposite direction, while the members of the Yeti Squadron followed behind her.
"You will not have to wait long..."
Without turning around to look at Frostnova and the others, Shirou raised his head and gazed at the crowd before him with emotionless golden eyes.
The Infected.
The non-Infected.
Warriors and civilians alike.
All of them had gathered here.
His gaze passed through the bodies of the crowd and toward the deepest part of the battlefield.
At the source of that stare, Shirou finally saw them.
The person seemed to realize they had been discovered and provocatively raised a hand, beckoning twice in Shirou's direction.
As if welcoming his arrival.
"Heh."
Shirou tightened his grip on the black gunblade in his left hand and the white blade in his right.
With a cold laugh, he charged forward.
The gunblade in his left hand cleared a path.
The white blade in his right deflected the attacks coming from all directions.
A single crimson-and-black figure stood against countless enemies, intimidating the entire crowd through sheer presence.
Every gunshot was accompanied by red-and-white blossoms blooming through the air.
Every swing of his blade drew swarms of crimson butterflies toward him.
"This looks really bad! Has Nameless possessed Shirou or something?"
Elsewhere, in the distance, both Blaze and Amiya frowned as they watched the situation unfold.
As for Rosmontis and the members of Penguin Logistics, Amiya had assigned them to support duties farther back, so they had not witnessed this scene.
Their side had encountered a small problem as well.
Just moments earlier, while Blaze had been secretly escorting Amiya forward alone, the magical crystal in Amiya's hand had suddenly broken free and flown off in a certain direction.
Immediately afterward, Amiya had clutched her right hand in visible pain.
Although she seemed somewhat better now, the cold sweat continuously forming on her forehead suggested that the pain had not disappeared.
At first, Blaze thought Amiya's Oripathy had flared up and was ready to administer an inhibitor on the spot.
However, Amiya had refused.
She said the pain was not caused by Oripathy, but by something else.
Blaze had not understood at the time.
But when a major disturbance erupted ahead and drew the attention of most people present, she seized the opportunity to move closer toward Shirou's position.
And then she saw this.
It was not that Blaze found Shirou frightening.
As an elite operator, she had witnessed far worse scenes.
Even Amiya had seen things more horrific than this.
This land was not a beautiful place.
Most of Rhodes Island's operators stood on the front lines, witnessing its darkest realities firsthand.
Yet the sight of Shirou now made it difficult not to think of the Nameless they knew.
The same outfit.
The same black gunblade.
The same icy gaze and combat style.
Everything about him was drastically different from the Shirou they knew.
"..."
Amiya did not answer Blaze's question.
Instead, she focused carefully on the condition of her own body.
It was obvious.
A contractual connection had been established between her and Shirou.
She was supplying magical energy to him.
Just like before.
But Amiya did not consider that a good thing.
Because it meant that from this point onward, Shirou could continuously receive the magical energy generated from the Originium within her body.
And through that connection, she could also sense his current emotions.
It felt as though something was gradually changing him.
Just as Blaze had said—
It was almost as if Nameless had taken possession of Shirou.
"We are going to support Shirou. I am counting on you for cover."
Amiya did not remain distracted for long.
She quickly refocused her attention.
They were on a battlefield.
Even that brief lapse in concentration could have been fatal.
Fortunately, most people had been stunned by Shirou's fighting style and had not noticed their presence.
But it was obvious that continuing to sneak forward was no longer the right choice.
What they needed to do now was drive these people back as quickly as possible and reduce the pressure on Shirou's side.
If things continued like this, Shirou would become someone they no longer recognized.
A person who had always shown kindness to others should not become someone driven solely by negative emotions.
"Got it!"
Hearing Amiya's instructions, Blaze did not question her for even a second.
She immediately activated her chainsaw and charged straight into the crowd.
On the battlefield, all she needed to do was listen to Amiya.
After all, Amiya was far smarter than she was, and she would never lead her astray.
"Be careful not to exhaust yourself."
Watching Blaze swing her chainsaw through the masses, Amiya called out a reminder.
At the same time, a black sphere appeared in her hand and shot toward the enemy crossbowmen in the distance.
"You two really are reckless."
Naturally, Shirou noticed their actions as well.
His reaction was subdued, since he had already known that Rhodes Island personnel were somewhere nearby.
What surprised him was that only Amiya and Blaze had appeared, and that they had thrown themselves directly into the fighting.
Even as he complained about their behavior, his mind was already calculating the fastest route to reach them.
The number of enemies was becoming excessive.
And after breaking through the front ranks full of people who had effectively been used as expendable cannon fodder, the fighters behind them began displaying far more discipline.
They fought like squads that had worked together for years.
They employed tactics.
They carried better weapons and equipment.
Yet none of that could stop the bullets fired from Shirou's gunblade.
Those projectiles were capable of breaking through the defenses of Servants themselves.
Ordinary shields and equipment stood no chance.
As Shirou continued cutting down his opponents and shattering their resolve head-on, everything became much simpler.
Fear was contagious.
Once one person started retreating, a second would follow.
Then a third.
Most of the crowd chose to flee.
Although a small number still attempted to attack Shirou, those individuals were trampled underfoot by the panicked masses trying to escape.
There was no helping it.
No one wanted to face a demon that harvested lives relentlessly and remained unaffected by any attack directed at it.
"So it really is Amiya."
As the distance between himself and Amiya and Blaze gradually closed, Shirou could clearly feel the magical energy being transmitted from Amiya's direction.
It was similar to when he had treated Oripathy before.
Unfortunately, the contamination was just as present.
Merely fighting so extravagantly and consuming magical energy without restraint had caused the red markings on his body, markings that had nearly disappeared, to spread across the left side of his chest once again.
The infection monitor attached to his left arm had also shifted to an orange warning state.
Well...
At least it had not turned red yet.
There was still hope.
After driving back large numbers of rioters and individuals disguised as Infected, Shirou first checked on Frostnova and Talulah's situation behind him.
After confirming that they were still capable of fighting, he returned to the task he had set for himself.
Finding the mastermind.
And putting a bullet through them.
That gaze was still there.
The person had made no attempt to flee.
It was almost as if they wanted Shirou to come and kill them.
"..."
After a moment of thought, Shirou decisively raised his gunblade and fired toward the target's location.
Compared to extracting information from them, he preferred eliminating the threat first and preventing future complications.
Unfortunately, the individual had been prepared.
They made no attempt to block the shot.
Instead, the bullet struck a nearby building.
At the same time, a mocking smile appeared on their face.