A certain crossover anime's nuclear-powered sword immortal

After finishing her monologue, Ayako Mitsuki placed the box containing salmon slices directly into Shirou's hands.

Left with no other choice, Shirou had to accept it.

"Well then, it's really goodbye now~"

After saying that, Ayako quickly left, not giving Shirou and Sakura a chance to speak.

Shirou glanced down at the extra salmon piece in his hand and shrugged.

"Looks like we'll have to change the menu tonight. Let's have salmon, mushroom, and butter barbecue!"

"Is that so... then okay."

Sakura nodded, and then began to construct the menu in her mind.

After returning home, Shirou and Sakura went to the kitchen to prepare dinner.

As for Saber, she had already caught a whiff of the cooking and was standing at the kitchen door watching them prepare the meal.

For a foodie, watching the process of making delicious food is a pleasure, and it's also very appetizing.

"Then, let's add some wine before adding any other seasonings."

As Sakura recalled the steps of cooking, she poured cooking wine onto the already sliced ​​salmon.

"Sprinkle salt on both sides, let it sit for five to ten minutes until the moisture from the salmon fillets comes out, then pat it dry with kitchen paper... Hmm, next I'll slice the onions and carrots..."

While Sakura was talking to herself, Shirou had already chopped the onions he needed.

"Then you separate the shiitake mushrooms and season the salmon fillets with salt and pepper."

With the ingredients mostly prepared, Sakura took out aluminum foil and then laid out onion and carrot slices on top.

"Lay out the onion and carrot slices, then sprinkle with chopped broth cubes, add the salmon and mushrooms, and finally drizzle with butter..."

Next, Sakura wrapped the foil around the food and put it in the microwave to heat it up.

"That completes the task."

After witnessing Sakura finish cooking, Saber applauded with deep admiration.

"It's really awesome!"

Judging from the sparkle in her eyes, this was definitely a heartfelt compliment.

Image: "Huhu", Location: "Images/1678"

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For a foodie, an excellent chef is worthy of respect.

After dinner, Illya, feeling that she finally had a chance, immediately ran over and hugged Shirou's arm tightly, determined to let him play with her no matter what.

However, at that moment, there was a knock on the door. After Sakura opened the door, Rin and Scáthach walked in and greeted everyone with great enthusiasm.

"Yay! I bet you all missed me a lot!"

Rin, who had originally planned to sit on the sofa, was met with stares from Illya and Shirou as soon as she walked over.

"This place is already full!"

"Ugh!"

Rin was devastated and went to the kitchen, only to find Sakura washing dishes with Saber.

"Oh, it's your older sister. She's here to help us take out the trash."

“Eh—!?”

Unexpectedly, she was treated like this after arriving here. Rin walked out of her house with a long face, carrying a garbage bag.

Scáthach, in her high heels, walked up to Shirou and looked at him.

"When exactly do you intend to fulfill your duel agreement?"

Shirou, who was sparring with Illya while holding the controller, became a little more serious. After quickly unleashing a combo that left Illya with a blank stare, he turned his attention to Scáthach.

"Honestly, why do you keep wanting to duel me..."

Shirou stood up somewhat helplessly, when Illya's voice came from behind him: "Shirou~ hurry up and finish this so you can come back and play with me~"

"Okay, please wait a few minutes."

Shirou quickly replied.

Scáthach narrowed her eyes slightly upon hearing this.

"You think you can defeat me in just a few minutes? You're underestimating me!"

A few minutes later in the backyard, Scáthach collapsed to the ground, completely exhausted, probably unable to even stand up.

His clothes were torn in several places, and the semi-transparent purple silk covering his body was also torn in many places. The disheveled look after defeat was quite inappropriate for children.

"Whoa! This...how is this possible!?"

Having just promised Illya he would play with her, Shirou has lost interest in engaging in a back-and-forth, easy fight with the Queen of the Land of Shadows.

Thus, when Shirou got serious, he defeated the queen in the blink of an eye, showing her no mercy whatsoever.

Chapter Sixty-One: The Vanity of the Hanging Gardens

"Foul...that's so foul..."

Scáthach looked at Shirou with some regret.

Although she hoped that someone could kill her, it was too outrageous for such a completely overwhelming opponent to appear!

"Our strength was so utterly crushed by you. This kind of power... even the gods don't possess it..."

Thinking back on her past, Scáthach couldn't find anything that had even the slightest connection to the red-haired boy in front of her, and couldn't help but show a puzzled expression.

"Who...are you?"

Shirou was somewhat at a loss for words, both amused and exasperated.

"Who else could I be?"

"..."

Scáthach fell silent. The past few days had indeed given her a better understanding of Shirou. She realized that Shirou was a gentle boy in his daily life, but when it came to fighting, he could display unparalleled strength. This huge contrast made Scáthach feel somewhat dazed.

Scáthach dusted off her bodysuit, picked up her magic gun, and returned to the living room.

Ignoring the Queen of the Land of Shadows, who had begun to contemplate the meaning of life, Shirou glanced at the darkening sky, called Saber and Medea, and headed outside.

……

Moonlight filters through the gaps in the night, scattering countless stars across the streets. Walking on such a street at night gives one a sense of wandering among the stars.

However, this feeling did not last long, because the moonlight falling from the sky was being obscured by a huge shadow.

"That is……"

Saber frowned as she looked up at the sky.

The enormous shadow in the sky cast a shadow over a large area of ​​the city.

Fortunately, it's almost night now, and Fuyuki City has a curfew, so few people can see the sky right now.

"Could this be some Servant's Noble Phantasm..." Medea guessed.

"For such an anomaly to occur at such a crucial moment in the Holy Grail War, it is very likely related to other Servants. It seems to be undoubtedly a Noble Phantasm."

Saber then added, "However, the remaining classes are only Rider, Lancer, and Assassin. We've already met Nero and Scáthach, so the only one left that hasn't shown up yet is the Assassin."

Shirou was also looking at the huge aerial structure above Fuyuki City, lightning flashing in his pale golden eyes.

"The Hanging Gardens of Vanity... This time it's the legend of the Assyrian Empire."

Queen Semiramis in the story...

In Shirou's "Unlimited Blade Works", there are also several such Noble Phantasms quietly placed, but it is really inconvenient to use them in Fuyuki City, so he has never taken them out.

"The last one that hasn't been revealed is the Assassin class..."

But why did Semiramis appear in the Fifth Holy Grail War?

No, in this Holy Grail War, apart from Caster and Saber, all other Servant classes have changed, so it's normal that the Assassin class is no longer the same as in the anime.

Shirou knows about Semiramis because in Fate/Apocrypha, she was summoned by Amakusa Shirou Tokisada as an Assassin.

Semiramis was a figure from the 9th century BC, also known as Samu-Ramat, a legendary queen in Assyrian history.

She was said to be the queen of an ancient kingdom. After her husband Ninus died, she ruled the country (some say she murdered him). She was renowned for both her civil and military achievements, and she built many cities. Many legends about her circulated widely in Europe at that time.

The floating sky city now on the night sky is undoubtedly Semiramis's strongest EX Noble Phantasm, "Vain's Sky Garden".

Just as the name suggests, it can float and move, possessing strong defensive capabilities as well as the ability to attack.

Although it is called the "Hanging Gardens of Babylon", Semiramis is actually not related to the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. However, it was established as a Noble Phantasm by taking advantage of the faith of a large number of misunderstanding people.

Since it was not Semiramis who built the Hanging Gardens in history, they were named "Vanity".

Therefore, the activation conditions for this Noble Phantasm are extremely strict. It cannot be manifested through magical power. A certain amount of wood, stone, minerals, plants, and water from Semiramis's former residence must be collected and combined. Then, Semiramis must perform a lengthy ritual to turn the illusion into reality in order to complete this Noble Phantasm. (The minimum number of days required from preparation to activation is approximately three days.)

"No wonder Assassin only made his move at this point."

Shirou murmured knowingly.

As the name suggests, it appears as a "great fortress floating in the air," consisting of neatly arranged and lush green floating islands, marble floors, and pillars, with all kinds of plants entwined everywhere.

The garden appears to float because of its "inverted" concept, in which plants grow downwards and water flows from downstream to upstream.

Semiramis's attributes will be enhanced as long as she stays inside the garden (fortress).

It can even perform magic in the magical realm. For example, if it gets serious in the Sky Garden, it can forcibly remove the spirit form of an enemy, or create chains from space to bind the opponent. It can also use defensive Command Seals and spells to nullify Command Seals within a certain range. However, its defensive spells and transfer spells will be unable to be activated during the performance of grand magic or even summoning spells.

She used this to create 3000 Dragon Tooth Soldiers and set up 12 magic circles to fire EX-level magic cannons at the enemy. She could also summon a ferocious divine fish in the courtyard, but the price was that Semiramis would become almost powerless after leaving the garden.

It can float thousands of meters in the air, and 11 countermeasures (black plates over 20 meters long) are set up around the courtyard, called the "Black Coffin of Ten and One (TiamtumUmu)".

It can also fire off extraordinary light projectiles from the plate, each one equivalent to a meteorite impact, with destructive power comparable to "military-level".

"If it was really Amakusa Shiro Tokisada who summoned her... then it's even more impossible. If Amakusa Shiro Tokisada also exists, then the Holy Grail shouldn't be 'contaminated' now."

Having learned from the mistakes of Arjuna, Joan of Arc, and Morgan, Shirou wasn't particularly surprised by the current situation.

"Anyway, let's go up and take a look first."