A total of fourteen Servants across eight different classes appeared on the battlefield, completely dominating the war. Standing at the center of the battlefield, Shinji, Jack, and Rin didn't even need to lift a finger, while Roa and the others were thoroughly suppressed. Every moment that passed, the most precious source of power for the vampires—blood—was being drained.
Seeing this, Rin was utterly dumbfounded. She stared at the battlefield, her body trembling, lips quivering.
"T-This, this, this—what is this!? Y-you—you—you—don't tell me you summoned all fourteen Servants by yourself?"
"Of course not. Even Gilgamesh, with two-thirds divine blood, could only barely manage to handle seven at once in his lifetime. How could I be twice as strong as him? If I had that kind of power, why would I have gone through all this trouble? I'd just crush you all directly."
"Then how did you—wait, huh? W-why are there two of you?"
As Rin stiffly turned her head, she noticed that another figure had appeared behind Shinji. This version also wore white robes but was taller and appeared more mature. It was the youthful version of Shinji who had just answered her.
Jack, sitting next to the younger Shinji, blinked in confusion, sniffed the air, and then leaped toward the new arrival.
"This one's also Daddy! Daddy turned back!"
The older Shinji ruffled Jack's hair and smiled at Rin, saying, "Did you forget what I told you earlier?"
"The Sixth Law."
Rin instinctively recalled the legendary term. Like most magi, she had always believed that there were only five existing Magics, and the Sixth Magic didn't exist. Even though Shinji had mentioned it earlier, she hadn't taken him seriously.
"Could it be that you—"
"Don't misunderstand. I haven't truly mastered this Magic, nor do I know where its limits lie. I just gained some insight from a crazy individual. By manipulating mana, I can make the past replay, allowing memories to reappear."
Indeed, Shinji hadn't performed a Heroic Spirit summoning ritual. The fourteen Servants, including the older version of Shinji, were all past remnants—mere illusions, false fantasies.
From a distance, Roa seemed to have heard this and shouted in disbelief:
"How is this possible? That's the ability of Night of Wallachia! How could you—"
"You seem to know a lot."
Shinji's older version replied casually.
"But what you probably don't know is that Zepia gave me all his research right before his death, so I could continue his work."
The older Shinji casually picked up the boning knife that had been knocked out of Jack's hand earlier and stabbed it into the ground, pinning down several poisonous snakes and insects that had been silently approaching.
Roa, with his intelligence, couldn't possibly fail to realize who was at the core of this ambush. If he could take out Shinji, escape—or even turning the tide—might still be possible. That was exactly why Shinji had manifested the older version of himself for close protection.
Although Shinji had obtained Zepia's insights into the Sixth Law and adapted it to suit his own needs, he wasn't like Night of Wallachia—he couldn't turn himself into an indestructible, unkillable phenomenon. Therefore, he still had a weakness: his immobile body, which served as the center of the ritual.
"Continuing research... Research on Magic isn't that simple..."
On this matter, Rin had the most authority to speak. The Tohsaka family had spent six generations perfecting their limited Second Magic-based Mystic Code, not to mention the effort required to continue an entire line of Magic research.
"That's because I, too, walk the path of Magic, and I've gone further than Zepia ever did."
Roa didn't want to believe Shinji's words, but the unbelievable reality unfolding before him left him no choice.
Mana condensed into a blade, unleashing a devastating slash that rivaled the power of the Jeweled Sword of Zelretch in its concentrated magic energy. This reminded Rin of something Shinji had once said to her:
We're very similar.
At the time, Rin had thought it was just a taunt, but now, in hindsight, it seemed true.
Both were members of the Three Founding Families of the Holy Grail War.
Both were exceptionally talented and had taken on responsibilities far beyond their years, managing household affairs long before their time.
Both were participants in the Holy Grail War.
And—both had embarked on the path of Magic.
A strange sense of kinship welled up in Rin's heart. This man standing before her didn't seem nearly as detestable anymore. Looking closely, the older version of him wasn't bad-looking at all.
Noticing that Rin was staring dazedly at him, Shinji instinctively said, "I wasn't lying to you."
Rin snapped out of it, flustered, and quickly denied, "N-no, I wasn't doubting you! I just—just thought that the Sixth Law is a bit like the Third Magic since both involve manipulating the soul. Memories are kind of part of the soul, right?"
"Oh, so that's what you were thinking."
Shinji didn't doubt her and answered earnestly, "Magic is essentially a byproduct of the journey to the Root. It's not surprising that there are similarities. For instance, it's said that the First Magic clashes with the Fifth, and there are also many overlaps between the Second and Fifth. So, it's not strange that the Third and Sixth might have things in common. That's why Zepia passed his research on to me."
"Then why didn't you use this when we fought earlier? If you had, I would've lost already. Or—was it a lie when you said you 'reached me'?" Rin's voice gradually dropped.
Shinji chuckled, half-amused and half-exasperated.
"Why are you asking me about your actions? You used a Noble Phantasm to seal the ability to manifest mana into physical form. How was I supposed to summon anyone? Besides, this technique takes quite a bit of time to prepare. Did you think I was just watching you struggle the whole time, doing nothing? Magic—even incomplete Magic—isn't something that can be used easily. You, of all people, should understand that the most."
Despite feeling some frustration with Scathach's reckless plan, Shinji wasn't about to miss an opportunity handed to him. Their chase and escape had not only been a ploy to lure out Roa but also a preparation for the final ambush.
He had analyzed the escape routes and informed Aozaki Touko and the others of the ambush points.
He had been stockpiling mana and building the appropriate illusionary environment—his unconscious state in the cave had been a cover for gathering mana, not actual sleep.
"After all that, it's still a counterfeit," Rin muttered under her breath. She couldn't let Shinji gloat too much.
"Of course, it's a counterfeit," Shinji replied cheerfully.
"Roa, Fabro Chaos, Araya Souren—they're all the real deal, right? So what? They're still getting beaten left and right. No rule says a counterfeit can't defeat the real thing—so, monsters, how's your supply of life holding up?"