"The two fallen exorcists we fought are on a different level, since one was able to hold back Kiba and those two easily while the other played cleanup and support for the others.
Despite giving Creed an injury, it hardly impeded them and the person called Lyle seems to be the most level-headed and the one who calls the shots."
...
"Hmm…" Ise folded his arms and closed his eyes thoughtfully. "You know, I thought about this after fighting that Lyle fellow, but…" He looked at me for a moment before continuing. "Somehow, he reminds me of you Shirou."
"Me?" I blinked at Ise's comments.
"I am not sure, but the manner he fights, the fighting style he uses, the way he avoids the residential areas, it all reminds me of your fighting behavior for some reason, if you switch swords with guns that is." Ise titled his head while scratching his cheek. I pursed my lips at his observation while considering the meaning behind it. There was a bit of truth behind those words now that I thought about it; Lyle did remind me of myself at some points of the fight, and the fact that he prioritized the collection of the swords over needless fighting was something I could appreciate.
"Enough of that, I want my sword out now." Xenovia tapped her foot impatiently.
"Too bad 'princess', but that sword is not going anywhere." Mitelt butted in at this point with a slightly miffed expression. "You will have to make do without it."
"Like I would take the words of a Fallen Angel and be satisfied." Xenovia narrowed her eyes while balling her hands into fists. "But then again, someone who left Grigori to join up with the devils would care less since you are a traitor anywhere else."
"Care to say that again to my face, power idiot?!" Mitelt clenched her own fists as she looked defiantly at the girl who towered over her by at least a head. "Maybe your brain could use a little jolting!"
"CHING!" A few spears appeared as one between the two fuming girls. Man, I was really liking [Hell's Trident] big time.
"As much as any of us here would like to see a throw-down between the two of you, let's not do it right now." I remarked while the spears glowed a menacing red to reflect what I was feeling at the moment. Xenovia and Mitelt gave each other one last glare before backing off slowly.
"Thank you for that." Griselda bowed her head again. "That said though, the Sitri Princess and Xenovia have a point. We will need to have that sword out soon if only to stand a chance against the other shards they have in their possession."
"Good luck with that. I mean, we tried pulling the sword, breaking the blade, and even tried to destroy the boulder. So how else can you get the sword out?" I asked while shrugging.
"True, WE did that…" Griselda emphasized the word while looking at me. The sudden silence made me turn my head to find the others looking at me with a certain expression, and it was a moment later I realized the meaning.
"No way, not happening."
"The exorcists tried to pull the sword out, we tried to destroy the rock with some of our stronger attacks. Even Ise tried to pull it out with the Boosted Gear and Akeno tried to blow it up with her lightning. For your part, you have tried to destroy the rock, but you did not use a lot of firepower, and you did not pull it out." Rias remarked with the others nodding.
"Yeah, but that is because we might need the sword later for leverage or something." I replied as I unintentionally took a step back.
"But we do need to get it out, and you are the only other human around, so just try to pull it out then." Xenovia said with an impatient tone.
"Yeah, but the sword is stuck in tightly."
"Shirou Emiya, right? You are the lone wizard who has supposedly trained the Gremory group into fighting, and the one who has taken out Regeis Cornelius, the Rogue Devil who has killed many of the churches' top fighting strengths. The proof comes from the Sacred Gear you are currently using." Griselda remarked as she looked at me while ignoring the surprised faces of the devils around her for knowing that supposedly private information. "You have an unusual ability to create swords, and given what I have read up, they seemed to accept you unconditionally."
"I'm sure it is just coincidence." A hint of panic was now evident in my voice.
"No it is not." Griselda countered bluntly. "At first I thought the Excalibur Shards may have been attracted by the devils around them and got excited, thus attacking you by accident. Then Xenovia theorized that the shards may be attracted to each other since this would be the first time in many years that they were brought together into one spot. But seeing their behavior around you, I can safely say that all that was due to them reacting to someone who they believed could wield them without hesitation. Someone who could possibly bring out their true potential. So now for the real reason, why won't you try pulling out the sword?"
"Because I don't want to be near that sword!" I lost my temper and yelled out suddenly. An uncomfortable silence hung in the air as I took a few quick breaths to control myself. "I can't be near it, or rather I should not be near it."
"Can't, shouldn't, or perhaps you don't want to?" Griselda narrowed her eyes at me. "Right now, all the shards in this town are reacting to you specifically in a manner that we know that they are accepting you as their rightful user, something that has not happened since King Arthur's time. This is an honor, so why won't you want it?"
Damn this lady, you really want to know why?
"I'm not worthy." I looked at the blade while having a very heavy heart. "I know I am not."
That was the feeling I got. The swords may have been broken, their power may have been diminished from the alchemy process and time, their purpose having been regulated to little more than a glorified door-stopper. Hell, they were not even in the same league as some of my other lower-grade projections, let alone Saber's Caliburn or Excalibur.
But the history and feel were there. They were there when King Arthur took up arms, they were there to help him through his darkest times, they were there to help him with his kingdom, they were there to share his happiness with his knights, and they wept when they broke at the moment he needed them the most, leading to his death.
They wanted their king back, and I am not that person. Even if this was not Saber's Excalibur, both of them were something that was way off my worthiness. A part of me actually feared touching Saber's Excalibur, and it was the same with this world's version. I was not worthy to wield any of them.
"I do not know why you are apprehensive about this, but I ask that you at least try it." Griselda kept a steady gaze on me as she said. "If you can't pull it out, it is fine, it just means we would need to change our fighting style without the sword."
"Emiya-kun, this may be a bit much to ask you, considering all that had happened for the past couple of days. But as much as I hate to admit it, we might need the Excalibur Shard to help us out in this fight." Sona sighed as she adjusted her glasses. "I know that you can probably replicate the blade's abilities with your mage-craft, but they may not be able to handle the swords as well as you may be able to. The exorcist in particular might be more partial to the real sword, so it would be best to get it out if possible." I looked at her for a moment before looking at the others, their expressions somewhat hitting me at my sore points of my heart, before turning my attention to Excalibur Destruction. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, held it for a few seconds before letting it out slowly.
Well, let's give it a try.
Slowly I made my way to the boulder, stopping roughly one feet away, noting with some discomfort how the sword started to glow somewhat enthusiastically when I got near it and the hard thumping on my chest that felt like a sledgehammer was hitting at me. I reluctantly raised my hand to grab the handle, hoping that the sword would reject me at the last moment. That hope became moot when the sword shone brightly with a warm light and cracks started appearing on the boulder where the sword was stabbed through. I gave it a light tug and the sword started to slide out easily from the boulder, the cracks spreading across the entire boulder and with a final pull, the boulder completely fell apart, leaving the sword firmly in my hand as I raised it to my eye level.
"Oh my~" I barely heard Akeno's words as my attention was directed at the sword, which was now showing signs of repairing itself and the marks of its past battles disappearing quickly. Then with another bright flash, the sword started to change its shape before me. It started to become smaller, its guard looking less like battle axes and more proper of a sword, the decorations becoming a bit more distinct, the blade becoming slimmer, and the overall shape becoming grander…
The sword starting to resemble more like Saber's Excalibur…
[Make us whole.]
"CLANG!"
A loud metallic sound echoed in the safe house as I released my grip and let the sword hit the ground, pausing midway in its transformation before visibly regressing back to its previous form.
"I am not worthy to wield Excalibur." I looked away from the blade and everyone else. "Neither his or Saber's" Before anyone could stop me, I made my way out of the building and into the forest to blow off some steam.
I was really getting too old for this.
...
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