Chapter 4: Shadows
And now, we've arrived at that point in time, a double KO for both fake Assassin and Saber. Thank you for reading.
Disclaimer: KINOKOOOOOOOOOO
-Kousuke-
-Day 5, 4th December (Monday), Morning, Guest house-
Once again, I woke up to the early morning sunlight and the sounds of birds chirping.
"Ah, goshujin-sama, ohayou! Shirou-san called this morning, just to check if the number was working."
"I see then. Wait, you answered?!"
"Hai! He was really surprised!"
"I see…"
I looked at the calendar.
"Let's see…its Monday. He should be at school by now."
"School? Who attends school during a Grail War?"
Caster giggled.
"Not you, obviously."
"Whatever…anyway, my new goal for tomorrow, wake up earlier than Caster!"
"Fufu…I'll always make sure you fail at that…"
"You damn fox…"
XXX
-Shirou-
-Homurahara Gakuen-
"Morning, Shirou."
"Ah, morning, Issei."
After that run-in with Tohsaka, I went to my class and was greeted by Issei. Hmm…maybe I should ask…
"Issei?"
"Yes?"
"I heard there was a guest staying over at Ryuudouji?"
"Yes, I'm surprised you know. Apparently they're old family friends."
"I see."
"Why did you ask though? Do you know them?"
"No, just wondering."
Before Issei could continue asking, Taiga-sensei surprised us all by entering class before the bell rang. Homeroom started as usual.
-Rooftop-
After finally having settled the business about Sakura with Tohsaka, she changes the topic with a sigh.
"Well, now that I've handled you, I still have the problem with Ryuudouji."
"I see…wait, Ryuudouji?!"
That's where Kousuke and Caster are!
"Yes, I've confirmed that there is a Master-Servant pair up there. The temple is right on top of one of Fuyuki's main leylines, so they have a very advantageous position. They aren't doing anything yet, but I'm still keeping close watch on the hill.
As she talked, I thought furiously. What do I do? Do I tell Tohsaka about Kousuke? Or do I tell Kousuke about Tohsaka? Or do I do both?! I've made a truce with him, but Tohsaka is my classmate, and-
"Well, you owe me one, Emiya-kun. I told you something you didn't know."
Eh? What?! Something? But I…ok, calm down Shirou. Calm. Just like Saber. Breathe and think carefully.
"Wh-What? I told you about Shinji too! That should make us even."
"Oh, that's been paid for with the advice about Sakura. Or what? You didn't mean those thanks you gave me?"
"Ugh…"
She's a devil! She really is a devil! Don't let her fool you everyone! The school's peace is in danger!
"Well, what should I take? Equivalent exchange is standard for magi. Do you get it now? You have no information to give me, so tell me Saber's true iden-"
"I guess I can't help it. You haven't eaten right? I'll give you half of this."
Giving Tohsaka half of my bread, I also gave her my whole can of tea reluctantly as a symbol of my sincerity.
"Hey…wait, Emiya-kun?"
"Here, eat up. The cafeteria's closed by now. It should fill you up a bit."
"….."
Does she not like it? She looks astonished.
"…Thanks. Then I won't hold myself back."
XXX
-Kousuke-
"These croquettes are tasty~ Convenient stores really are convenient~"
"I know. But which one is the best, that is the question."
"If that's the case, we'll just have to try all of them, right?"
"Oi, you'll get fat."
"I dare you to say that again, wa-ga-a-ru-ji~"
I shivered as I felt cold fury directed towards me like a multitude of icicles.
"I'm am terribly, absolutely sorry."
"Good~"
Once again, the two of us were wandering in town, when we saw something.
"Hold still!"
"Eh-uwaah!"
I immediately ducked into an alleyway and pulled Caster along with me.
"What is it?"
"There."
Poking our heads around the corner, we saw it. Shirou with his arms laden with groceries was walking with the Einzbern Master.
"Are the Servants around?" I asked in a small whisper.
"No, neither are."
"I see."
"What will we do?"
"…She doesn't seem to be ready to kill him. In fact, she looks happy. But still, it's dangerous for us. Let's return."
"Understood, Master."
XXX
-Midnight-
"Haah!"
"Master?! What's wrong?!"
Caster and I were out patrolling when suddenly, a hot sear ran across the back of my left hand.
"It's Assassin! Something's wrong!"
"Eh?! Master! Wait!"
And without waiting for Caster, I ran off.
"Kojirou-sama, please hang in there!"
XXX
A high-pitched sound rang out.
The brilliant moonlight glinted off the drawn sword as it clattered to the ground.
"….Hah…"
Blood was on his lips.
The man on his knees on the stone steps bids his longsword goodbye as it fell out of his reach.
His arms are the next to fall.
Wet with blood, the elegantly-patterned fabric of his battlecoat looks like a giant red flower.
"My…I did not think you were of the serpent's kind."
In steep contrast to his bloody body, his lips are white. Neither breath nor blood passes his throat now. Sasaki Kojirou's internal organs no longer serve their original purpose.
The mountain gate is quiet.
The Servant that guarded the place,
The shadow that appeared…
Neither of them moved.
But the battle had already ended.
Assassin was defeated by 'someone' who came up the stone steps.
He had no time to identify the intruder as an enemy, let alone cross swords.
This 'someone' was on a different level to begin with.
Assassin's body burst open.
Torn, mutilated and weaponless, he could not even take his own life.
The shadow approached.
It stroked Assassin's cheek with a scornful cherishing gesture.
A deformed, spider-like hand came out of his stomach.
His bones cracked.
His flesh ripped apart.
It feels as if his organs were becoming someone else's.
"Guh!"
Assassin suppressed the regurgitating blood.
The swordsman swallowed the blood and smiled with his pale lips.
"Very well, do as you wish. After all, this is coming out of me. I'm sure it's nothing noble…"
He smiled, even though he is denied an honorable death.
If one talks about a grand spectacle…
His smile was grander than the spawning of the abomination.
And thus it was summoned.
Taking the false Servant's flesh as its own, the true Assassin entered the world.
"Kiki…kikiki…kikikikiki!"
His first cries sounded like that of an insect.
For the false Assassin, his battle was over. But for another, it was well underway.
"Hadō: Byakurai!"
As the black insect was devouring the ravaged corpse of Sasaki Kojirou, a huge, sizzling bolt of white lightning streaked through the air, requiring him to avoid it.
"You…WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM?!"
And standing defiant, before the fallen corpse, was its Master.
"You…you must be a real Assassin…AM I RIGHT?!"
His angry yells rang through the night. The Assassin however, despite not consuming the entirety of the corpse, had gained enough knowledge to recognize itself, and the world around it.
"Kikiki…so this was your Servant? Kikiki…"
"You'll pay for this…Assassin."
"Oh? Not if I kill you first!"
However, as Assassin was about to strike, another entered the fray.
"Reppa Fūjin!"
A huge, powerful gale smashed through the woods, forcing Assassin to retreat.
"Tch…I see…you had two…for now, I shall retreat. But soon, all of you shall fall to my Master's hands…"
The white-skull face retreated, but I could still hear the sounds of Caster blasting him through the forest. Hurriedly, I turned back to Kojirou and held him in my arms.
"Kojirou-sama! Hold on, please! I'll save you right away!"
I began pumping as much prana as I could into his lifeless body, but somewhere, in the back of my mind…I knew it was over for him.
"…Kousuke-sama…" he uttered in a faint voice "I truly apologize for having you see me in such a state…"
"Kojirou-sama, please, don't talk! Save your energy!"
He looked around.
"Where's…my sword?"
Looking around, I picked it up and gave it to him. How ridiculous it must have seemed, giving an armless man a sword. But, Kojirou shook his head.
"No…you take it. I no longer have any use for my sword…"
"Kojirou-sama! I'm sure Tamamo can fix-"
"We both know…I can no longer be saved…take my sword…my Monohoshizao…use it…and triumph in this war…"
"Kojirou-sama…"
Suddenly, he smiled at me, as his body began disappearing into motes of light from the feet up.
"I might have been…a fictional character…but…I truly appreciated…the past few days you spent with me…I have no doubt…you will make a great family leader…Kousuke…"
"Kojirou…"
And just like that, he vanished. The fictional swordsman, Sasaki Kojirou, had departed from this world.
XXX
-Shirou-
As Saber and I were nearing the stone steps of the temple, we both felt something incredibly wrong.
"Shirou, look out!"
Suddenly, a black blur which I almost mistook as a natural shadow, dashed down the steps and disappeared to the right, and just seconds later, the area at the bottom of the stone steps exploded in a blast of jade prana.
"Jushō: Mitsuten!"
We watched as Caster bounded down the stairs.
"Saber! Shirou!"
"Caster! What happened?!"
"It's Assassin!"
"Assassin?!" exclaimed Saber.
"Which way did he go?!"
"That way!"
As Caster was about to run after her, I stopped her.
"Wait, Caster, where's Kousuke?"
Suddenly, she looked shocked and turned back around.
"Goshujin-sama?!"
After a few seconds of silence, she panicked.
"I'm not getting any kind of response from him!"
"Caster, you go check on your Master! Saber and I will go after Assassin!"
"Eh?! Th-Thank you very much!"
And she ran back up the stairs. I looked at Saber.
"Let's go, Saber!"
"Yes, we should not delay."
XXX
-Caster-
"Go…Goshujin-sama!"
I ran up the stairs as fast I could, but when I arrived, I saw Kousuke, kneeling on the stair platform, covered in blood.
"Kousuke! Are you hurt?!"
"…No."
"Thank goodness…?"
Looking up, I saw a multitude of tiny specks of indigo light float into the sky before disappearing.
"Kousuke-sama…"
Slowly, my Master stood up, and in his right hand was Sasaki Kojirou's nodachi.
"…did he…die?"
"…Yes…there was no way to save him…a Master used his body to summon the true Assassin."
As he said that, he walked past me down the stairs.
"Let's go…Tamamo."
Turning around, all I could see was his tall figure striding down the stairs, and at that moment, his whole aura had changed completely. From a calm, gentle aura to an aura that was radiating with cold, blazing fury.
"It's time to fight back."
XXX
-Shirou-
In the end, we were unable to find Assassin, and on our way back, we ran into Kousuke and Caster.
"Sorry, we weren't able to find Assassin."
"It's alright. You did your best."
"Well then, we shall be taking our leave now."
As the two turned to leave, Kousuke suddenly spoke up again.
"Shirou…I have a favor to ask of you."
"Yes?"
"If…you ever find Assassin's whereabouts…do not kill him."
"Eh?! Why?!"
"Because…Assassin…is my enemy."
"?"
"I will find him…I will find him…and I will kill him. I shall avenge Kojirou-sama…no matter what it takes."
They started leaving.
"Goodnight, Emiya Shirou. I fear that this war may not go as smoothly as it should."
And they left, leaving me in confusion.
XXX
-Caster-
We were back in our room. Kousuke was lying silently on my side, his back facing me. The death of Kojirou must have hit him quite hard.
"…Kousuke-sama?"
"Yes?"
"Are you…angry at me?"
"Why would I?"
"Because…I failed to catch Assassin…"
"No…I'm angry at myself…for failing…"
He turned over to face the ceiling.
"It's just…he met his untimely death so early…and he was quite disliked by most of our family. I just wanted…to give him a new life…to start over."
"Kousuke…is it possible that you intended to summon him when we did the summoning that day?"
"Yes."
"I see."
Not knowing what else to say, I moved over and embraced by beloved Master.
"Tamamo?"
"It's alright…Kousuke…we'll find Assassin…and we'll make him pay for what he did…to our family."
He was surprised for a while, but then he returned my embrace.
"Thank you, Tamamo."
XXX
-Kousuke-
-Day 6, 5th December (Tuesday), Morning, Guest house-
This morning, I woke up early. Much earlier than Tamamo in fact. So, I finally had a chance to make breakfast.
"Ah…that's right, breakfast for two from now on."
As I was cutting some radish, my cellphone rang. Looking at the ID, I answered.
"Is this Shirou?"
"No, it's me."
"Saber?!"
"Yes. You sound surprised."
"No, I'm just surprised that you knew how to use a phone. I was too when I heard Caster answer the phone that day."
"Shirou taught me how to use it, just in case."
"I see. Well, what is it?"
"Shirou has caught a cold. I do not know when he'll recover, so we might not be able to help in the search for Assassin."
"I see. That aside, you must trust us pretty well to inform us."
"Yes. I have had enough interaction with you and Caster to know that you can be trusted. But, I have a question."
"What is it, Saber?"
"…I have seen many men obsessed with revenge in my time. And from your reactions last night, I have determined that you want revenge against Assassin."
"…"
"Kousuke-san. You mustn't be swallowed up by revenge. I do not know the reasons behind your revenge, but I have seen many a man felled in his course of vengeance."
I gave a small sigh and smiled.
"Thanks for the advice, Saber. I appreciate it."
"You're welcome. Now, I must check on Shirou. Goodbye."
"Bye."
She hung up. Saber really is a good person. I wouldn't mind another short spar with her in the future, but next time with Caster Reinforcing my body.
"Mmmm…eh? Kousuke, you're awake already?"
"Yup. And today is my turn to cook, so no stealing my job from me, got it?"
"Boo. Alright, let's just see how good you are at cooking, goshujin-sama~"
-Later, Afternoon-
"Wow, this is quite surprising."
I walked into the guest house's storeroom, where Tamamo had set up her Temple, and it was ten times bigger than it should be, because of some ridiculously advanced spatial expansion Bounded Field she used which took two days to set, place and stabilized. Hanging on all the walls were all the mirrors Caster used for surveillance, and here and there were low tables covered in various objects. In the middle of the floor was a large magic circle which Caster had just finished drawing.
"What's this?"
"This is an automated tracking Bounded Field. It actively tracks the movements of all magical beings within a 25km radius. But I haven't fine-tuned it yet, so the accuracy is that great, it's only able to pinpoint the target within a 1km radius."
"I see. Maybe I should try my own version as well."
Getting out a bag of black powder which I brought with me, I drew a circle with the appropriate symbols set apart in four quadrants on the ground in a corner of the room. Then, I began the incantation.
"minami no shinzō, kita no hitomi, nishi no yubisaki, higashi no kibisu, kaze mochite tsudoi ame haraite chire"
The circle started glowing blue, and in my mind I could see various numbers flashing past before my eyes. The symbols within the circle started animating, but soon I cut off the spell without saying its name and the light faded.
"Is that a tracking spell, goshujin-sama?"
"Yes. Bakudō: Kakushitsujaku. It doesn't have great range, but it has extreme accuracy. Also, the more you train with it, the further your range. How long you maintain the spell also increases the range. My maximum is only 15km diameter though."
"That's quite amazing actually, goshujin-sama!"
"Well, I was thinking that if you could examine it and find a way to add it into your tracking Bounded Field."
"I see! As expected of my goshujin-sama!"
-Night-
"Finally…it's night."
"Hmm?"
Opening a suitcase, I began to remove my equipment from it. A dozen short kunai, thin but durable steel wires, a pot of flammable oil, and a few others. As I proceeded to conceal said weapons within my battle clothes, Tamamo curiously looked on.
"Goshujin-sama, where did you get these? They look an awful lot like ninja equipment."
I explained to Caster. The second family head, the founder's eldest son was out walking in the forest one day when he found an unconscious, injured woman. He brought her home and treated her. When she woke up, she tried to kill him before he explained who he was. Then, she told him about herself. She was a kunoichi, a female ninja, named Kaede, from a relatively small ninja clan, the Amanojaku clan, named after the yōkai of the same name. Her clan however, was too sustain themselves, and they were rarely hired. Then, the second head proposed to her. He said, 'If you agree to marry me, then I will accept your clan into our family, and in turn you will work for us, as well as train new generations of shinobi.' Kaede agreed, and they married into our family. Although it was just a convenient marriage for them at first, she started loving the second head for real, and her clan has been part of our lineage ever since.
"Wow, that's interesting. But, I thought you were more samurai-ish, Kousuke?"
"All children are given basic training when young, but at the age of seven they are given a choice of which to pursue. Swordsmanship, ninjutsu, or a regular life. My oldest sister chose the path of a ninja. In her own words, she said, 'I want to support my siblings from behind, just like a good older sister'. But some of us, through hard and extensive training, can train in both paths."
"Really? Goshujin-sama is definitely more amazing than I thought!"
Yes. In fact, you could have no Magic Circuits but have the Mystic Eyes of Empowerment, just like Ayumi. The opposite is also true. But there is more to it though. That however, is a story for another time.
"Since we're hunting Assassin, I thought that these may be of some use, but honestly, I don't think that they will be of much use against him. Sorry Caster, but can you stay in spirit form? That way we might still have a slight element of surprise."
"It's all right, goshujin-sama! Let's go!"
-Fuyuki City -
Quickly but carefully, I made my way across Fuyuki, in an attempt to attract as little attention as possible, lest I was noticed before I found an enemy Servant.
"Anything, Caster?
"No, not yet, let's keep going."
As I pondered whether to look for higher ground to let Tamamo have a better vantage point, I just couldn't shake off the feeling that something bad was about to happen tonight.
"Master, I found something!"
"What is it?!"
"It's quite far, I think it's in the other area of town!"
"Lead the way."
-Fuyuki City, Shinto Town-
As we arrived at a small park, we saw something we weren't expecting- a Servant dressed in black with long, light-purple hair was drinking the blood of a young woman!
"Caster, I'll grab her attention. Prepare a spell or something similar!"
"Master, wait!"
Activating my Mystic Eyes, I threw a few shuriken at her as I dashed to the right.
"Uh!"
The Servant immediately noticed my attack and jumped out of the way, leaving the unconscious woman on the ground. She's fast. Really fast! Faster than Saber, even! That aside, I already knew who the other six Servants were, so-
"You are Servant Rider, I presume."
"You…are no Servant. A Master? Challenging a Servant? You've got guts."
"Don't underestimate me, Rider. I'm not a normal Master."
"We'll see."
As I drew my katana, Rider materialized a nail dagger attached to a long chain with the ring at the end. And then, we began. Dashing at me, I sprinted to the right. Damn, she was fast! Thankfully, I was barely able to catch her movements with my Mystic Eyes.
"Uhk!"
I moved to the left as her dagger shot towards me, and as she pulled it back I knocked it off course, but she jumped up and caught it in her hand! Backtracking, I watched as she landed on all fours and carefully surveyed her surroundings. Her movements were just like that of a snake.
"You certainly are interesting…well then strange Master, are you prepared for more?"
"Bring it."
And we continued. Dashing throughout the area, most of the battle consisted of Rider throwing her dagger at me while I avoided and deflected it. And in a sudden change of tactics, she rushed at me and struck with her dagger! As I crossed blades with her, my body suddenly felt heavy as she faced me, so-
"Goshujin-sama, be careful! That eye mask of hers, I can feel something really sinister behind them!"
"I know, I know! Even I can feel it too!."
-so I concluded that she had powerful Mystic Eyes hidden behind them. So, new plan. If she ever attempts to remove the mask, distract her immediately. Shuriken, Hadō, whatever.
"Tch."
Suddenly, she did a backflip! Before I could even react to her sudden movements the dagger flew at me even faster than before, and although I avoided it, Rider was suddenly behind me!
"Crap!"
I just managed to avoid a slash from the dagger, but I received a kick in return which sent me reeling, but I managed to stay on my feet. This won't do, I need a new tactic to fight her. Taking notice of a numerous trees planted in the area, I formulated a new strategy. As we sprinted around the area, I sheathed my katana and began throwing my kunai. Although she dodged all of them, that wasn't my true goal.
After a few minutes, I had thrown about ten kunai, leaving me with only two left. Good, now all that's left is to lure her in place.
"Hah!"
Although I managed to deflect the dagger with the kunai in my left hand, its blade shattered on contact, leaving me with just one for my plan. I jumped out of the area as Rider dashed in. Did she notice? I hope not. As I landed, I immediately pulled with my hands. I had tied the incredibly durable, razor sharp steel wire to the kunai which I threw into the trees. Now that I had pulled them tight, the wires should slow her down, even if just by a little bit.
"Tch, really? I guess that's a Servant for you."
But with superhuman reactions, she moved and bent all of her limbs so that none of them were in contact with the wires.
"You're not bad…I never thought there would be a human this skilled."
"Oh, I'm not done yet."
With a flick of my fingers, I lit a match which I had prepared earlier and kept in my hand. See, those wires were already soaked in flammable oil from the pot, and all it needed was just a bit of fire.
"!"
I watched as the match ignited the oiled wire and flames rushed down the wires, setting the whole network ablaze with Rider in it. Just as I let out a breath, an attack too fast to see sped towards me.
"Guargh!"
I flinched as the dagger stabbed right into my left shoulder, but I somehow managed to grab it with my left hand, I watched as Rider jumped out of the blaze, holding onto the other end.
"You took the blaze just to launch a surprise attack…but I anticipated this too! Hadō: Tsuzuri Raiden!"
Instantly, a burst of electric-like prana sped down the conducting chain, and right into Rider, before she could react. As I had hoped for, while her Magic Resistance mitigated most of the damage, it still stunned Rider for a split second.
"Ugh!"
"Caster!"
Suddenly appearing from behind me, Caster held out both hands.
"This spell takes a while to form, but it was worth it!"
Rider and I watched as suddenly, massive pillars of ice started circling and closing in on her!
"Sennen Hyōrō."
And at and amazing speed, the ice pillars sped towards Rider and met with a massive crash!
"Did you get her?" I asked as I removed the dagger with a wince.
"Tch, no, she's still alive, but I got her."
The icy cloud faded and it revealed Rider, stuck with a crushed right arm and leg within the icy prison. If she had been a little slower, we would have got her. As we were about to finish her however, we were struck by a sense of danger.
"That was-"
"-Back from the temple! Let's go!"
"Right!"
And thus, we sped back to Ryuudouji, with Caster healing my wound on the way back.
XXX
-Back at Ryuudouji, while Kousuke and Caster are away-
The shadow wavered.
The black Servant sunk to the ground,
Then sprung up in an instant as he threw more daggers.
Somehow, while Caster and her Master were absent, Assassin had managed to sneak back into the temple, probably to gather intel on the two, but his timing was impeccably off, for at that same moment, another Servant had been sent to investigate.
It was Lancer.
After a brief skirmish which ended in Lancer smashing Assassin's chin, Assassin retreated to the back of the temple. If his leap is that of a deer, his movements are those of a spider, a snake, or a scorpion. Even while keeping his face hidden, this Servant is as fast as Lancer when it comes to retreat.
But Lancer's charge was still the fastest.
It is a disgrace to take even a minute to corner his enemy.
"Damn…I know I destroyed his throat, but he's persistent. It doesn't seem like it healed, so he must be drugged…"
The enemy glided across the water like a spider, and Lancer pursued him. In contrast, water sprayed from his footsteps, but his speed was far greater.
"Hmph. If I'd known the pain wouldn't stop him, I would have cut his joints. I put that off since it doesn't work against other opponents, but…"
It is fatal for a human to be cut at the joints, where the main arteries lie. If the arteries are severed, death from severe bleeding would follow. But that is only in normal combat. You cannot expect a Servant, a heroic spirit, to die from excessive bleeding. As their lifeforce is magical energy, cutting their arteries does not have much effect. The loss of a limb is another story, but cutting off a Servant's limbs is a difficult task. Doing so will likely cause you to lose your own head in the progress.
"Hashish, huh? I bet a heroic spirit who relies on drugs has no healing powers. I'll end this fight with me next attack."
Water splashes with lightning speed. His next attack will strike in two more seconds. He tensed, then struck at his fleeing enemy's left leg-
"!"
With a start, Lancer jumped back from the water's surface.
-Water exploded upward.
No, something beneath the water is snarling.
Black tendrils snaked out of the water, reaching for the spearman.
Is it because this creature dwelled underwater?
It seemed to resemble a deep-sea monster from ancient times.
"WHAT THE-"
Lancer had nowhere to run. He instantly carved all his runes on the bottom of the lake to create a Bounded Field, but unlike those of Caster's, it is easily penetrated.
The dark tentacles were closing in from all sides, and his territory was shrinking by the second. The protection from all his runes, which can even block a great Noble Phantasm, does not even slow down the penetration.
Watching Lancer-
"WHaT iS WrOng, LAncEr? It wILl SwaLLow yOu if yOU Do nOT MoVe."
Assassin sneered.
But even the sneering spider is no exception.
It seems these tendrils must engulf everything they can reach, as the spider did not approach the dark water.
He knew that if he drew nearer, they would take interest in new prey.
"BuT I wiLL nOt aLLow THat. I MuST KiLL You. I nEEd mOrE EXperIenCE. I sHaLL KiLL YoU To aDD tO mY iNtELLigeNCe."
The spider's dagger glimmered.
The weapon about to be released is just a projectile.
But is it not meaningless?
Even though Lancer is surrounded by ghastly limbs, projectiles are meaningless against him.
"You don't give up, do you? Well, I can understand why you feel that way"
Lancer observed the ghastly limbs around him.
He was lured quite far in, but it's only about 30 metres to the opposite shore.
He should be easily able to jump across that distance!
"You lost because you wouldn't move from there. I'm done with my investigation, so I'm out of here.
Lancer crouched low and braced his lance against the ground.
Using it as supported, he vaulted into the air.
There…
"Wh—at?"
He is struck by the simplest of attacks.
A fake heart was taken out of Lancer's chest.
Assassin had directly gouged out Lancer's heart from the opposite shore, an impossible range.
It is the purest magic, the simplest curse.
It is the 'cursed hand', a magic of the Middle East, specialized in cursing people.
Assassin's Noble Phantasm, Zabaniya.
It surely destroys Lancer's heart, and the powerless body of the spearman falls back into the black water.
The surface boiled.
It was hectic, ferocious, and vulgar.
You would not see such a gruesome meal even if meat was thrown into a cage of starving beasts.
Numerous black limbs eliminated the human-shaped heroic spirit.
Consuming.
Devouring.
Making it one of its own.
And watching it in delight as he stood on the shore of the lake,
The faceless Servant swallowed the heart of his prey with satisfaction.
XXX
-Kousuke-
-Ryuudouji-
Finally, we arrived at the temple. But the atmosphere was terrible. So terrible, that I almost felt like puking.
"Caster…"
"Yes. It's coming from the lake behind the temple."
"How are the people inside the temple?"
"They're all alive…but I can't guarantee it if they stay here any longer…what do we do now, Master?"
"We leave. We'll stay the night in a hotel. Tomorrow morning we'll return, and the first thing we do is get everyone out of the temple. Then, we'll check your mirrors."
"Alright. Understood, Master."
And thus, we turned around and left to find a decent hotel in Fuyuki. I was right. Something was happening in this war, and I didn't like it.
There's goes the next chapter! And where is our Tsukihime Remake?! It's been too long! And Ataraxia's translation has been stuck at 99% for too long! What are they doing?! And Mahoyo as well! That one definitely needs to be sped up. Well, we're back at the end of another chapter. Once again, thank you for reading, reviewing, favoriting, and following! Thus, we shall meet again in another chapter! And I've decided to drop the capitalism thing. I haven't played Recettear in a while anyway ( -.-)