Shirou's clones number 30 million

"However, the Holy Grail was already corrupted during the Third Holy Grail War... In the end, Kiritsugu Emiya used a Command Spell to allow Artoria to use her Noble Phantasm to destroy the Holy Grail."

"Although the Holy Grail was successfully destroyed, the black mud inside leaked out, causing a major accident."

"Afterwards, Kiritsugu Emiya, who had finally come to his senses, found a red-haired boy in the ruins and adopted him as his son, naming him Shirou Emiya."

That's right, if he told the truth that he was Kotomine Shirou, it would be difficult to gain their trust.

After all, Kirei Kotomine's personality was too wicked, and having been taught by him for ten years, I couldn't possibly be a good person.

Compared to him, even if the partner of justice is too extreme, he is still more likely to gain the trust of others.

Therefore, Shirou decided to fabricate what happened next.

Of course, it's not entirely fictional; this is simply a normal development.

"...Years later, Kiritsugu died, and I inherited his dream, determined to become a champion of justice."

"Because the Greater Grail had not yet exhausted its magical power, the Fifth Holy Grail War began ten years later."

"At that time, I summoned a Servant just like Kiritsugu, King Arthur, Artoria..."

"After that, Sakura was transformed into the Black Grail... and I lost my life before I could save her."

Listening to that incredibly realistic story, Matou Kariya clenched his frostbitten hands into fists, his body trembling uncontrollably, and he gritted his teeth as he muttered the words "Matou Zouken".

"That bastard! It's too easy for him to die like that."

Shirou was silent for a few seconds, then asked in a deep voice:

"So, are you still going to give up on this Holy Grail War?"

"I don't know." Kariya Matou shook his head slightly, his expression dazed. "The Holy Grail has been corrupted; it's useless now. Given my physical condition, I can't continue caring for Sakura. I really don't know what to do..."

Chapter Seven: Paying Homage to Our King

Section 7, Chapter 7: See My King

Looking down at Shirou's small body, she found it difficult to say the words she had originally wanted to entrust Sakura to him.

After sighing, Matou Kariya suddenly slapped himself, thinking to himself:

It's outrageous that the only adult present would want to rely on a child.

Even ten years later, Shirou is only seventeen years old; he's still just a child.

"Shirou, I'll call you that from now on."

"I believe you, but at this point in time, your biological parents should still be alive, right?"

“Yes, I am.” Shirou sighed softly. “However, I lost my memory in an accident ten years ago, and my biological parents are complete strangers to me.”

that's true.

Matou Kariya also fell silent for a moment.

Putting aside issues like blood ties and memories, the Holy Grail War is currently underway. If they lived in an ordinary family, their family members might be targeted by other Masters.

Based on his description, both Kiritsugu Emiya and Kirei Kotomine are the type who will stop at nothing to achieve their goals.

Moreover, Emiya Kiritsugu was also a respected adoptive father to him.

What if the biological parents are killed by the adoptive father...

Thinking of this, Matou Kariya gritted his teeth, his expression gradually becoming resolute.

There's no other way; I can only rely on myself.

"Shirou is determined to participate in the Holy Grail War, right? In that case, I'll participate too."

"My body is completely exhausted, but I should be able to hold on for another ten days or so."

"I'm going to participate in the Holy Grail War, to wake up that guy Tokiomi, and tell him that there are things in the world that are more important than magic."

"If I'm still alive after the Holy Grail War ends, I'll personally send Sakura back to the Tohsaka family. Compared to Matou, Sakura is more suited to the Tohsaka surname."

"The same goes for Shirou. After everything is over, I will personally take you home. At that time, I will do everything I can to explain to your biological parents."

Seeing the resolute look on his face, Shirou remained silent for a moment.

After a long silence, he said softly:

"Thank you."

"You are welcome."

A somewhat awkward smile appeared on Matou Kariya's face, and he continued:

"It's time to summon a Servant. Lancelot? Good. Has Shirou prepared any relics?"

"Have."

"It's so cold, isn't Shirou cold?"

"It's not cold, after all, I made the snow myself."

Kariya Matou smiled, and as he turned around, he noticed Sakura clutching his clothes. After a moment's thought, he asked:

"We're going to summon Heroic Spirits, Sakura, do you want to come along?"

"Ah."

"Then... let's put on a few more sets of warm clothes. The entire Matou house is covered in snow now, and it's even colder in the basement."

"Ah."

The three of them returned to the basement together. Looking at Zouken Matou, who was frozen into an ice sculpture, Sakura stopped in her tracks, her eyes becoming increasingly empty and lifeless.

Seeing this, Matou Kariya hesitated for a few seconds and asked in a low voice:

"Shirou, Zouken... how is he?"

"The burial can begin now."

Upon hearing this, Matou Kariya inexplicably breathed a sigh of relief.

That's good.

He was really worried that Zouken Matou wasn't dead, that he might revive as soon as the snow melted.

"The snow is blocking the magic circle on the ground, and the ice sculpture of Zouken is really unsettling. Let's find a different place tomorrow and summon the Heroic Spirit again?"

"No, today."

Shirou slowly walked to the Dirty Inkstone ice sculpture and pondered:

If you feel uncomfortable with this, then so be it.

As he spoke, he raised his right hand and punched the ice sculpture.

The next moment, the entire ice sculpture scattered, turning into ice powder that fell to the ground and was covered by the snow, disappearing without a trace.

"That way you won't be able to see it. If you want to use a summoning circle, just sweep the snow off the ground with a broom, and the circle should still work."

"Alright, let's do it today then."

Matou Kariya sighed deeply and did not insist.

……

"...Appear beyond the Wheel of Restraint, Guardian of the Balance!"

Accompanied by a burst of intense light, a heroic spirit, completely shrouded in black armor and radiating a dark light, appeared on the summoning circle.

As his magic was drained, Matou Kariya's legs went weak, and he involuntarily collapsed to the ground.

"Without a separate Berserker Spell, Lancelot's base stats are indeed a bit lacking. However, Servants don't rely on base stats; combat skills and Noble Phantasms are more important."

Shirou paused for a moment, then continued:

"Let Lancelot leave the magic circle, it's my turn."

Matou Kariya pressed her hand to her chest, panting for a moment before speaking:

"Come out, Lancelot."

The black-clad Servant stepped out of the magic circle and walked step by step to Matou Kariya's side, without uttering a single word.

"Well then, it's my turn."

Shirou's figure flashed and disappeared without a trace in an instant.

When he reappeared, he was carrying a pair of women's riding boots.

Seeing Shirou place his riding boots in the center of the magic circle, Matou Kariya couldn't help but ask:

"This is the relic Shirou prepared? These high heels bought on the street shouldn't be able to summon a Heroic Spirit, right?"

That's right, Nero's riding boots had very high heels; they could easily be called high heels.

"This isn't something you can buy on the street. Don't worry, I'm confident in my abilities."

Shirou waved his hand, indicating that he didn't need to worry about it.

Then, he began chanting the summoning incantation:

"Be full..."

As the last line of the incantation ended, a rain of flower petals suddenly fell in the basement, instantly transforming the previously dim basement into a bright and cheerful space.

A blonde girl appeared above the magic circle. She was wearing a red dress, holding a strangely shaped longsword, and the front of her dress was semi-transparent.

The girl stood leaning on her sword, glanced around, her gaze settling on Shirou, and asked with a smile:

"Are you the one who played for me?"

"That's right, that's me!"

As soon as Shirou finished speaking, a sound of kneeling came from behind him, along with a trembling male voice:

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to my king."

Nero looked behind Shirou in the direction of the voice, stared at Lancelot kneeling on one knee for a moment, and said with a smile:

"Rise. Although I do not recall having a warrior like you under my command, to become a heroic spirit, you must have accomplished something to be proud of."

"Therefore, there is no need to bow your head. You may stand tall and proudly introduce yourself to me."