Chapter 202 - 203: Why Grade Schoolers and High Schoolers Save the World

"So, this is a parallel world?

It doesn't look any different from our original world... Uh, what is this?"

As the light pollution from the magical circle faded, the sky that had been covered and enveloped by the Mirror World's patterns was gone. Instead, the view before Tohsaka Rin and the others had returned to a clear, azure blue.

As it turned out, Shirou's earlier caution had been correct. There was a significant difference between traversing into the Mirror World and traversing into a parallel world. When they entered the Mirror World, even though they couldn't see the sky, the changing scenes within led them to believe the time was roughly the same as their own—nighttime. But after crossing over into Miyu's world, it was suddenly daytime.

...

Rin subconsciously attempted to link her magic circuits to the ley lines of this land, aiming to refine energy from the Source. She froze instantly.

"How can the mana from the Source be so scarce? ...I see. So, this is what 'world destruction' means..."

No amount of spoilers from Emiya Shirou could compare to the impact of this firsthand experience. Setting aside Bazett—who belonged to a magical system dating back to the Age of Gods—and Shirou, who had long known the truth, Rin understood the moment she arrived in this world why the Ainsworth family was so desperate to capture Miyu.

If she were the one facing this reality, it was hard to say whether she would have made a different choice than the Ainsworths. After all, mages cannot refine sufficient magical energy solely through their own life force. They must rely on the magical foundation imprinted upon the planet to extract the life force of the world—the Source—to truly use magecraft.

The depletion of the Source meant that the profession of "mage" was nearing its end. This was something almost no mage could accept.

"Yes, the Source of this parallel world is on the verge of exhaustion," Shirou nodded. "And it's not just the Source; humanity in this parallel world is also approaching its end."

"The planetary-scale environmental upheaval caused by the shifting of the Earth's axis and the invasion of unknown elements are continuously modifying the environment, turning it into something alien, no longer suitable for the survival of Earth's life forms."

"If left unchecked—or rather, unless humanity develops the technology to leave Earth and reach the stars in a short time—humanity is doomed to perish on this planet. There will be no exceptions."

But was lighting the path to the stars truly a simple task? ...Actually, come to think of it, it seemed quite simple.

Humanity already possessed the theoretical science for space travel. Not to mention the theories for controlled nuclear fusion—essential for spacecraft—and warp drive principles, which had been proposed by scientists as far back as the end of the previous century. Theoretical science was one thing, but turning theories into functional machines was a nightmare—primarily because of materials. Currently, Earth possessed no material that could withstand the high temperatures of nuclear fusion for extended periods.

Yet, conversely: if the materials were sufficient, it would trigger a technological explosion similar to the World Wars and the Cold War. Advanced machines that existed only in theories and science fiction would truly be created by mankind!

As stated before, this century-old problem that stumped countless scientists required only the most basic, foundational magic to solve, sending materials science into a rapid, exponential development:

Reinforcement Magecraft!

It was a basic art that even Shirou, who had used the wrong method to open his magic circuits and couldn't accumulate enough mana at first, had a high probability of successfully performing. Its function was to elevate the properties of a material. Simply put, it could take a material that couldn't withstand the heat of nuclear fusion and alter its properties at a fundamental level, allowing it to endure for long periods!

Thinking of it this way...

"It seems you understand quite well, guests from a parallel world."

Julian, who had impatiently used spatial displacement to arrive at the playground from the student council room, heard their conversation. Although he was surprised by Shirou's appearance, he already knew Miyu had been sent to a parallel world. He knew the Shirou before him wasn't the Shirou he knew.

Julian looked at them with a smile, assuming this Shirou was a "good person" who understood the Ainsworth family's wish and would actively return Miyu. "Then I assume you also understand that as long as we can save the world, we can do anything to achieve it."

"So, I hope you won't do anything irrational. Otherwise, in our eyes, you will transform from honored guests who have brought back the hope of saving the world into enemies who wish to destroy it!"

To prevent this parallel-world Shirou from developing a sudden burst of sympathy like the Shirou of his own world—who would sacrifice the world for one person—Julian made sure to warn them. Accompanied by his magical communication, Angelica and the others materialized beside him, having crossed long distances via spatial displacement. Their

combined presence would make any mage who understood the implications of "spatial displacement" immediately abandon the idea of resistance.

However, for Shirou, who had just realized something, Julian's warning only elicited a look of pity—as if he were staring at a simpleton.

"No wonder this is a planetary-level crisis concerning the survival of all humanity..."

"...yet in the original 'Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya,' no matter how desperately Illya and her friends fought, and even when Julian released the 'Pandora's Box'—which was large enough to cover most of Fuyuki—it seems the various national governments, despite having satellites covering every inch of the sky and cameras on every street, never seemed to notice what was happening or chose to intervene in Fuyuki City."

"So the answer was this all along..."

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