Chapter 170.5 – Hero of Justice

"Actually, your thoughts aren't unfounded, Nami," Arton said with a smile.

"Every stage of Shirou Emiya I've used so far isn't really just one person's power."

"Not just one person? Does that mean there are multiple Shirou Emiyas?"

Kaya asked curiously.

At the same time, those viewing the diary copy—like Gion and Smoothie—instantly perked up.

"Well, might as well tell you all," Arton said.

"If you understand it better, you'll be able to support me more effectively when I use the Shirou Emiya template in future battles."

With that, Arton thought about the "Master Swordsman Emiya" who was connected to Sakura, as well as the blackened Heroic Spirit Emiya Alter. Upon hearing his words, Uta also stopped playing around and listened closely.

"Before I begin, let me ask: Do you know the concept of parallel worlds?" Arton asked.

"Yeah! I've heard about parallel worlds in some stories," Uta replied excitedly, raising her hand.

"Great. Then I won't bother explaining in detail." Arton nodded slightly, then continued,

"When I fought the Shiki, I used three stages of Shirou Emiya… going in order, you could call them the Basic Emiya, Young Hero Emiya, and Master Swordsman Emiya.

These three versions of Shirou Emiya are actually Shirou Emiya from three different parallel worlds."

"Because of their different experiences, they each possess distinct powers."

Nami blinked and said,

"Oh, so that's how it is. They're different Shirou Emiyas from three parallel worlds?"

"So that Shirou Emiya who used the mysterious card—and the red Shirou Emiya—are also from parallel worlds?"

Arton smiled and said, "The Shirou Emiya who used a card for 'dreamlike summoning' is indeed yet another parallel-world Shirou. As for the red Heroic Spirit Emiya, his situation is a bit more complicated. It involves the concept of a 'Heroic Spirit.' You can still regard the red Shirou Emiya as another parallel-world Shirou Emiya, but he's the grown-up, adult version. You could say he represents a possible future for the young Shirou Emiya."

Carina folded her arms and asked, "A future Shirou Emiya, huh. Then what about the black one? Is he yet another future version of the red Shirou Emiya?"

At the mention of the black Heroic Spirit Emiya, Arton's expression grew solemn.

"The black Emiya's situation is even more special than the ones I've mentioned so far," he said.

"Let me put it this way: no matter which version of Shirou Emiya we're talking about, deep in his heart lies the unshakable desire to become a 'Hero of Justice.'"

Ulti: "A hero of justice? Shirou Emiya's that kind of guy?"

Charlotte Smoothie: "That's unexpected."

Kujaku: "For some reason, this suddenly makes me think the Navy's chances of recruiting Arton just went up."

Hina: "Hina's surprised—so Arton could one day also use his power for justice, just like Shirou Emiya?"

Tashigi: "But right now, Arton doesn't believe the Navy is justice…"

Although the female Marines each had different thoughts, all of them found themselves more and more intrigued by Arton's Shirou Emiya. This time, they weren't as interested in Shirou Emiya's power as they were in his life story.

Arton gave himself a moment to organize his thoughts, then began explaining to Uta, Nami, and the others:

"The Basic Emiya and the Young Hero Emiya are both boys carrying the dream of becoming a hero of justice. As long as they can help someone, they'll contribute their strength without hesitation—sometimes even at the cost of hurting themselves. That philosophy stays with them all their lives."

"As for the 'Master Swordsman Emiya'—the one I used earlier, the one capable of the Hundred-Shot technique…"

"The one whose head and body were reconnected by crystallized swords is the one who gave up on being a hero of justice and resolved to become the hero of justice for one person only—his lover named Sakura."

"The 'Great Hero Emiya'—the one who used the card to perform that dreamlike summoning—resembles him in that regard: he, too, let go of the dream of becoming a hero of justice and instead chose to be the hero of justice for his younger sister."

"That said, even these two, who abandoned their broader ideal of protecting everyone, would still gladly help others—provided it doesn't endanger the loved one they've pledged themselves to."

"As for the red Heroic Spirit Emiya, he's an adult Shirou Emiya who actually fulfilled his dream of becoming a hero of justice. He spent his life doing justice and ultimately met his end."

"The black Shirou Emiya, on the other hand, has a situation more special than all the others I've mentioned."

Hearing this, Uta, Nami, and the others all leaned in closer.

"The only real difference between the black Heroic Spirit Emiya and the red Heroic Spirit Emiya is that he went through…that incident. Before he was 'dyed black,' there was nothing to distinguish him from the red Emiya."

"Once, there was a woman who founded a certain cult. Many people—who were not evil but merely forsaken by the world—were drawn to her side. Though these people themselves were innocent, that woman was the one who would plunge the world into crisis."

"Realizing this, the black Shirou Emiya took action to kill her. But those innocent followers chose to protect her. If he wanted to kill that woman, he had no choice but to kill them as well."

"In the end, for the sake of the world, Shirou Emiya betrayed his ideal of hero of justice and slaughtered those who had done no wrong. From that moment on, he was tormented by guilt and finally sank into darkness, becoming the black Heroic Spirit Emiya—someone who, when faced with a similar situation again, would kill without hesitation in pursuit of efficient slaughter."

"If the young Shirou Emiya, who carries the dream of becoming a hero of justice, is like a boy running at full speed toward the setting sun without holding anything back,

then the red Heroic Spirit Emiya is like a wanderer trudging through a wasteland, exhausted and weary, yet ready to set off again after a brief rest."

"And as for the black Heroic Spirit Emiya, he's like a martyr who has already fallen into hell, enduring great suffering, yet still manages to lift his gaze to the stars."

Nami, Carina, and even Gion and Tashigi off in the distance all widened their eyes.

Although Arton's explanation was succinct, they understood that the black Shirou Emiya's path was anything but simple. For a moment, everyone found themselves intensely curious about Shirou Emiya's life story.