The Appearance of Perseus
After returning home from Chaldea, Shirou had been training diligently these days to gradually familiarize himself with his new power.
In the FGO system on his phone, a new card had appeared—with a question mark for its class, a question mark for its level, and a blank image.
Just like the true nature of this Spirit Origin—it was like a blank sheet of paper.
Currently weak, but possessing infinite potential.
Ever since the incident where his sister was attacked by a monster, Shirou had been practicing even more seriously. In the morning, he would train with Mash in the archery club. At noon, he would go to the Service Club to have lunch with his friends and discuss plans for the day's activities.
In the Service Club room, Shirou sat with his friends eating lunch while sharing the amazing things he had seen at Chaldea.
"Eh? Senpai, you went to Chaldea before? And you met everyone too?" Mash asked in surprise.
"Yeah, everyone was kind and welcoming. The staff even told me to remind you to take good care of yourself," Shirou replied with a smile.
"I see… Just knowing everyone's doing well makes me feel a lot better," Mash said, a bit wistfully, clearly missing the people of Chaldea.
"Oh right, some of the Knights of the Round Table and knights from the Fianna wanted me to say hi to you. You're quite popular in Chaldea," Shirou added.
"Ugh… The Round Table is one thing, but the Fianna…" Mash seemed a bit annoyed for some reason.
"Mash is pretty popular at school too. She's definitely no less popular than Iroha," Yuigahama said.
"You didn't hear, Shirou? Mash's been going around recommending FGO to people both in and out of school, and keeps saying the people she talks to are 'good people.' She's shattered the fragile hearts of who knows how many young men. Truly a sinful woman," Asuna said with a smile.
"Please stop, Asuna-senpai! That's not what I meant at all!" Mash cried out in protest.
"I've heard that too. You've been called names like 'The Pretty First-Year Half-Blood' and 'Hairclip Demon.'" Yukinoshita, who was reading a book, joined the conversation, shooting a glance at Shirou with a smirk. With the hand not holding her book, she made a V-sign under the table.
Shirou broke into a cold sweat. This girl always finds a way to compete with me, no matter the situation…
"But Mash is really popular, huh? That's nice. Maybe you'll find someone you like one day," Shirou said with a gentle smile.
"Senpai, you dummy!" Mash puffed her cheeks and scolded him, then stabbed a meatball from his lunch with her chopsticks before turning away in a huff and eating.
"Yep, definitely a dummy. That meatball looks delicious, so I'll take it." Asuna smiled and took a meatball for herself.
"Hmph! Dummy! Dummy! But tasty~!" Yuigahama joined the chaos, happily snatching another meatball and smiling blissfully.
"I agree with what everyone's said," Yukinoshita also reached over with her chopsticks.
"Wait, leaving me nothing is going too far," Shirou said, looking mournfully at his now-empty lunchbox that once held four specially made meatballs—his only meat.
"This is your fault for not making enough for yourself. Think of it as a gift in return. No need to hold back," Yukinoshita said as she added some vegetables into his lunchbox.
'No, you're the one who should be holding back a little. That ice-cold beauty image of yours is completely destroyed now…' Shirou stared at the radish in his lunch and felt a pang of sadness.
"Shirou, here's mine." Asuna smiled sweetly and gently placed a slice of cucumber into his box.
'It's sliced perfectly round like a little ring—cute in a girly way—but that doesn't cheer me up at all.'
"Yep, it's definitely your fault," Yuigahama said, trying to stifle her laughter.
'This girl just scarfed down a meatball without knowing anything, and now she's giving me vegetables she doesn't even like!'
"It's Senpai's fault!" Mash still seemed a little upset.
"…Fine, pretend I didn't say anything." Shirou resignedly ate his now-vegetarian lunch, which he had traded for four meatballs. Radish, cucumber, potatoes, and eggplant—surprisingly, the flavor wasn't bad.
Still, he couldn't help craving meat. Humans are omnivores; we need both meat and vegetables to maintain a balanced diet. Otherwise, nutritional imbalances would eventually lead to health issues.
Even vegetarians need to carefully ensure they get the necessary nutrients from other sources when cutting out meat.
If people just focused on satisfying their cravings like the girls here—fighting over meat without restraint…
Then one day, if they find their figures have changed and their bellies have become round—well, they brought that on themselves. They better not blame me.
"Shirou, are you thinking rude thoughts?" The girls all turned to him at once.
"No, I was just thinking… everyone's skin has been looking great lately. So radiant and glowing, hahaha," Shirou quickly turned his head and made up an excuse.
.
.
.
At the same time, somewhere in an alternate space, a void opened up.
A man dressed in black sat within it. Black, worm-like tendrils writhed through his body, continually repairing him—and they were almost finished.
This was the Heroic Spirit Perseus, corrupted by black mud. Originally summoned as a Rider, he possessed Pegasus, the winged horse born from slaying Medusa, and was famous for wielding multiple divine Noble Phantasms.
His first Noble Phantasm was "Bridle of the Heroic Steed", which originally let Pegasus reach its maximum potential, charging forward at comet-like speed in a powerful offensive-defensive strike.
Now corrupted by black mud and altered by the Holy Grail, Perseus's class was unclear, and this Noble Phantasm had been transformed—he could now summon and command hundreds of magical beasts.
His second Noble Phantasm was a "cloak that freely altered appearance and presence". He had used this to silently approach Shirou earlier. If not for being blasted away by Asuna with Raikou's Noble Phantasm, he would've succeeded in his sneak attack.
His third was the sword used to slay the undying—"Harpe," the Blade of Immortality Severance. It looked more like a scythe than a sword and could negate immortality. Wounds caused by it would never heal.
He also possessed:
Winged sandals that allowed him to walk in the air, A bronze shield that could track movements, And a bag used to seal away magical creatures.
"Revenge… Revenge on Emiya! That man who denied everything we are—he must be destroyed!" Perseus's eyes glowed blood red as he opened a bag and released a massive monster.
It slithered like a serpent across the ground, slowly moving forward.
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.
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Later that afternoon, Shirou's phone buzzed. It was a message from Da Vinci.
"Shirou! We just got a signal from Chaldea—Perseus has been detected!"
"Got it! This time, I won't let him get away!" Shirou clenched his fist and punched his palm, filled with fighting spirit.
These past few days, he had been waiting patiently—like a master archer from ancient times.
When those legendary hunters knew where their prey would pass through, They would stay downwind, hiding for hours—sometimes even an entire day or night—conserving their strength, Just to unleash everything in the perfect moment: A single arrow that pierces the target cleanly, without harming the hide or flesh.