Following Shakespeare's call, figures walked out of the book one after another.
These figures were very blurry, their faces could not be seen clearly, and it was even difficult to tell whether they were men or women. However, the aura exuded by these figures shocked Achilles, Atalanta, and Karna.
"this-"
"These are all Servants!!!"
"Yes, these are all servants." Shakespeare admired the expressions of the three heroes and laughed with satisfaction, "But they are not ordinary servants. Take a closer look."
Karna, who had the ability to see through hypocrisy, took a closer look and quickly found out the abnormality: "No job, no, it's not just the problem of no job, the spiritual bases of the servants are not normal, these are not Heroic Spirits, but they look a bit like Heroic Spirits."
"What???"
Achilles and Atalanta exclaimed at the same time. They knew Karna's vision and trusted his judgment. That was why they felt incredible.
"Not a Heroic Spirit?"
"What is that?"
Shakespeare finished writing and spun the white feather pen in his hand: "Let me reveal the correct answer. This is a ghost."
"Phantom?"
The emergence of new terms prompted the three to search through the vast amount of knowledge granted by the Holy Grail.
Phantoms are an extremely special kind of Servant.
Usually, Servants cannot be created based on fiction alone. They all have myths, legends, or real existence as their foundation. If a Servant is created based on fiction alone, there must be a reason for it, such as the concept of "protecting children" crystallized in a nursery rhyme.
Fictional things whose spiritual base values do not meet the requirements, or concepts that are only at the level of urban legends, those who cannot become heroes or anti-heroes and can only wait to disappear, are called phantoms. In terms of spiritual base strength, phantoms are even inferior to writer-type heroic spirits who only know how to hold a pen, and even if they are summoned, they have no physical body.
This is the true face of the figure that walked out of Shakespeare's book.
"This world is filled with numerous stories, big and small, that are entangled and passed down, remembered by people. This is the soil in which they exist. Unlike us, who will still be recorded in the throne of heroes even if they are buried in the long river of history and forgotten by the world, if they are forgotten, it means extinction."
"However, there are no phantoms born from the stories we write, because we are the most outstanding writers in the world, and our stories are timeless!"
"Okay, enough bragging," Achilles said impatiently, picking his ears. "We all know what phantoms are. But why did you summon these weak-looking guys? You could have summoned some people who are as good as you in wielding pens, and they would have been stronger than them."
"There are actually very complicated reasons for this. Don't worry, let me explain slowly." Shakespeare waved his hand, signaling Achilles to be patient. "First of all, my treasure cannot specify the target to be summoned at will. It can only summon beings related to the target object, and the target object is limited to one person."
Achilles suggested, "Then we should choose one of the three of us as our target. The crew of the Argo, including my father, or the heroes associated with Troy are all warriors who can defeat thousands of enemies. I don't know much about Lancer, but there must be many powerful warriors associated with him."
"I have considered your idea before, but later gave up because there are two disadvantages to doing so. First, most Heroic Spirits have distinct personalities and strong wills. Will such beings really obey my orders? I don't have the means to restrict Servants like Command Spells. If I summon Agamemnon and Hector..."
Shakespeare didn't say anything more, but everyone understood his meaning. Connection, connection, good and bad.
Achilles was not convinced: "Why can't I summon Antilochus? Together with my best friend, we can definitely defeat the black side."
"Unfortunately, this is impossible." Shakespeare shook his head regretfully. "I have already said this when introducing the Noble Phantasm. The Heroic Spirits I summon not only have no job after becoming Servants, but their bodies are only at the level of a fragile old man. No matter how powerful the hero is, he cannot display his strength with such a body."
"The Phantom—?"
"Phantoms are different. The spiritual basis of Phantoms is more ambiguous than that of Heroic Spirits, and they don't even have a physical body after being summoned."
"Huh?" The Greek duo found themselves increasingly confused.
"But precisely because they have no physical form, there are more possibilities—such as making suitable containers for them."
"Are these puppets?"
"Well, this is exactly the vessel that the Empress created for the phantoms based on the descriptions in our works. Because they are phantoms born from the stories we have described, no one knows them better than us, so we can summon them and create the most suitable body for them. Because their existence is vague and their thinking is not so clear, they are easier to drive than heroic spirits. Next-"
Shakespeare said this and waved his hand, and the blurry phantoms walked to the corresponding puppets one by one.
"—There is only one last step left, Father Shirou. The most crucial step of integrating the phantom and the container is now in your hands."
"No problem." Shirou left the platform where the throne was and walked to the center of the stage.
As Shakespeare said, he was responsible for the most important work. Phantoms have no entity, and their existence is ambiguous. Even a magician of the Age of Gods like Semiramis cannot forcibly integrate them with the puppets she made. After all, the phantoms summoned by Shakespeare do not listen to her.
The only one who can do this is Father Shirou, or rather his arms, which can connect all the magic bases, including magical creations. Through his arms, Shirou can connect the unrelated phantoms summoned by Shakespeare and the magic of Semiramis to complete this unprecedented descent.
Father Shirou's arms were wrapped with red and blue magic lights respectively, and from a distance they looked like two constantly changing lightnings - the right arm (Haer) touched, and the left arm (Left Hand Xanadu Matrix) unfolded.
"Caster, no, Shakespeare, I ask you again, is this okay? Apply the stories and characters you created to war!"
"Generally speaking, my answer is definitely no. My works are free. They can appear on people's lips, desks, and stages, but they should not appear on the battlefield. This time is an exception, because you told me that the existence of the 'Phantom' gave me a new understanding of writing and the world - the vain courtyard, the illusory phantom, a perfect fit. You and the empress inspired my creative inspiration. So at least let me give something, and make this story more exciting. War is only interesting when both sides are evenly matched, isn't it?"
Facing Shakespeare who was getting more and more excited and enthusiastic, Shirou spread his hands helplessly: "The last sentence is your purpose."
"I don't deny it. So, Father, let me see what my work will become in the end?"
"As you wish—Set!"
Red and blue lightning instantly radiated outwards, covering both of Shiruo's arms while also enveloping a pair of phantoms and puppets.
"Let it come. Even the hardest days can be overcome."
Along with this roar, the puppet's eyes were lit up by green light.
A phantom puppet named Macbeth is born!
PS: Although the setting collection does not state that Shirou's arms can be connected to magic, Shirou has actually been connected to the Holy Grail.