Chapter 137: Crossing Over, Start
Although Emiya Shirou did not yet know the exact state of the world Sakatsuki Miyu originated from, he suspected the situation on the other side was likely similar to that of Prisma Illya.
It wasn't just Sakatsuki Miyu herself who had been displaced; portions of the leylines and terrain of Fuyuki City had been swapped as well. Furthermore, the authentic Class Cards developed by the Ainsworth family from the Prisma Illya world had, in all probability, crossed over into this world alongside her.
They likely formed individual worlds isolated from the main reality. Or rather—perhaps Miyu, having been wished away to leave that world, was herself reluctant to part from the Emiya Shirou who stayed behind to cover her retreat. Or perhaps at the moment of her departure, Angelica, wielding the [Enuma Elish] of the Gilgamesh Class Card, interfered with the dimensional crossing.
The result was that Sakatsuki Miyu could not truly sever ties with her home world. Instead, using the Class Cards that crossed over with her as a medium, "Mirror Worlds" formed between Miyu's original world and the world Shirou and the others inhabited, maintaining a link between them.
As long as a method was identified, one could enter these Mirror Worlds. By defeating the Servants manifested by the Class Cards, one could seize the cards and utilize the power of the corresponding Heroic Spirits.
This was a power that could allow a magus to transform into a Servant-level combatant for a short duration. It was also something that could trigger a chain reaction, such as causing Angelica and the others to arrive early, just like in the original Prisma Illya plot...
...Except none of that happened.
During this seven-day cooldown period, aside from Illya—who sensed something was amiss due to her connection to Fuyuki's leylines—the Clock Tower magi remained oblivious. They viewed Fuyuki as a backwater village; why would they pay attention to changes in a place that was considered minor even within Japan, let alone the world?
Thus, after Emiya Shirou unleashed the legendary British magecraft—"Artoria, Dinner's Ready"—even Saber herself was submerged in the Emiya household's unique [Cooking: EX] skill.
In a daze of "Who am I? Where am I? This food is delicious," these seven days passed in total tranquility.
Finally, the Infinite Game System finished its cooldown.
'Let's see...'
With this thought, Emiya Shirou—now truly initiating the crossing function of his own accord—waited for the system's notification. As he smiled and added a few more meat patties to Saber's overflowing bowl, he questioned the system in his mind:
—'System, what is the process for starting a game? Will there be a prompt before it begins, like a hint as to what the next one is?
Additionally, can I choose the next game world to cross into myself?'
These questions were vital. During his first crossing, Shirou had no choice; the system had detected his life was in danger and forced the transition. But this time, since he had a choice, he naturally wanted to clarify the situation first. Especially the last question. After all, not every crossing would be like the first—luckily landing in the world of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure and just happening to find a way to fix his fatal injuries.
[Host, unfortunately, that is not possible.]
[Because the game worlds this system leads the Host to are real worlds to a certain extent, the system cannot precisely target a specific world.]
[Instead, by accumulating enough energy during the cooldown period, the system 'hooks' a game world through an action similar to—in terms you can understand—fishing by a lake.]
[Therefore, as to which work from your memory the game world corresponds to, until you actually enter and observe the game...]
[The system itself does not know what kind of world it is. Or rather, the joy of exploring the unknown is itself a part of the Host's 'game'.]
In response to Shirou's questions, the Infinite Game System lived up to the word "Game" in its name. It included the "joy of exploration" as a core mechanic. This made Shirou highly suspicious that it wasn't that the system couldn't do it, but that the function had been "nerfed" for the sake of gameplay.
But there was no helping it. Such was the nature of his "Golden Finger."
Thinking of this, Shirou followed up in his mind: "Since you say the process is like fishing, is the search directional? Not specific, but similar to how fishing in different spots yields different kinds of fish—can you automatically look for a game world suited to my needs?"
[Unfortunately, that is also not possible,] the system replied.
What followed was a period of bargaining between Shirou and the system—or rather, a series of questions and answers aimed at testing the system's limits.
After finishing dinner and washing the dishes with the help of Sakatsuki Miyu (who habitually helped the Shirou of her world with chores), and after reassuring Miyu that he would solve the
current problem so she wouldn't worry, Shirou returned to his room, acting as if nothing was wrong.
He summarized the information gained from his haggling with the system.
The Bad News: Shirou's plan to use his past-life memories to lock onto a specific world that could solve his current situation was a no-go due to the system's refusal.
The Good News: The system "hooks" a world every seven days. As long as he kept playing, there was always a chance he would eventually find a game world that could provide a solution.
"In short, it still comes down to luck, huh?" Shirou sighed inwardly.
But it was the only way.
"In that case, there's no more time to waste lingering here."
Thinking of this, Shirou looked at the prompt reflected in his pupils. Faced with the choice of whether to begin the crossing now, he decisively clicked [Yes].
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