Chapter 56
(I did it! I completely destroyed that mechanical giant!)
Suddenly, I feel all my weight falling away at full speed.
(Damn, I didn't think of the next part! I don't even know how to fly!)
I try to make my devil wings appear but nothing happens. Then I feel sharp pains in my arms and legs. I look to see blood, but more importantly, blades protruding from them. I move to see if they're broken, but it looks like everything's fine at that point.
"Senji-san!" I look down to see Kiba flying close to me, trying to catch me and make me lose speed.
Suddenly, with only a few meters to go, someone hits me in the face and my weight disappears, as if gravity had been cancelled out.
I look at who hit me to see the girl I saved floating on a robot's body as if about to vomit., we descend gently, until we almost touch the ground, then she touches her fingertips together, knocking us to the ground.
She starts to vomit, while I hiss in pain as a new blade emerges from my body, spurting jets of blood.
(She saved me... Well, she did what she could. Is she all right? She seems to be, that's good...)
"Senji-san! Is everything okay?!" Kiba lands next to me, looking at me like I'm dying.
"It's okay... there can't be much time left... We don't have time to..." I get cut off.
"The test is over!" Present mic announces the end of the test.
"Senji! What's going on? Why do you have swords coming out of your body?!" Usui arrives with the rest of the team.
"Senji-sama!" Inaho runs to me, teary-eyed.
"Emiya-kun... It was crazy to jump like that!" Tohsaka yells at me.
"...You saw another solution? she was going to end up crushed..." I turn to the passed-out girl on the mechanical body.
"Where do you get so much power...?" Sasuke asked, stunned.
"That was... what the hell?"
Murmurs are heard around us.
"He completely destroyed that giant with a single punch..."
"But that's Senji Emiya, this guy's pretty strong apparently."
"Yeah, but I've never seen him use that much power... Where does that come from?"
"They say he trains like a maniac, so maybe that's the result, or maybe he was hiding it."
"Bah, no matter how you look at it, he's amazing."
I feel many eyes on me, my breathing becomes difficult, I tremble with pain and the gaze of others. I want to move, but if I do, I feel as if more blades will pierce my body. Seeing me panic, Kai crouches down in front of me, hiding me with his large frame.
"It's all right Senji-san, if other people's looks bother you, I'm here for that too!" Kai said, giving me a thumbs-up.
"Huh... thanks..." I say shyly.
"Come on in, kids, we'll take it from here."
"The ordeal is over, please proceed to the main gate!" Aki-sensei's voice is heard, apparently accompanied by someone else.
"Leave it to us, kids. Here, have some candy, don't be shy." I look to Kai's side to see a little old lady approaching us, with Aki and Asia.
"Move over Kai-san, let them inspect Senji-san." Sakura asks.
"We know Aki-sensei and Asia-chan, but who's the old lady with them?" Youta asks.
"She's a mainstay here at Kuoh, always there to support the academy. Her power allows her to amplify and accelerate the healing process of patients. Thanks to her, Kuoh can afford examinations like this. Without her, they'd have trouble justifying them, that's Recovery girl, Kango-sensei." Tohsaka explains.
"Senji-san!" Seeing me, Asia runs to me to start healing me, tears in her eyes.
"I'm sorry you have to see this Asia..." I tell her, feeling the gentle warmth of her Sacred Gear heal my whole body.
"What happened Emiya-kun? Why are blades coming out of your body, what have you done?!" Aki couldn't believe it.
"Now that's a strange way to get hurt, or should I say, those blades replaced the wounds you were supposed to receive, didn't they? Sounds a lot like a curse, boy." Explains Recovery girl.
As Asia heals me, the blades break and fall, allowing the wounds to close thanks to the base of the blades.
Seeing that I'm completely cured, Asia stops treating me, the green aura dissipating and the rings disappearing. But she remains seated beside me, drying her tears.
"Sorry but... I'd rather not talk about it..." I say, looking down at the floor.
"Hmmm, it's a sensitive subject isn't it, I understand, I'm not going to bother you any more than that. Asia-chan, you can stay with him if you want, Aki-san and I will take care of the rest." Recovery Girl says, turning to the girl who's still passed out.
Aki just looks at me with great concern, before joining Recovery Girl. Asia helps me to my feet and before leaving I bow my head in front of my surprised comrades.
"I'm sorry, because of my action, I've made you lose what little time we had left..."
"Ah but everything's fine Senji-san." Sakura reassures me.
"How...?"
"Emiya-kun, with all the robots we've eliminated, we've more than passed the exam, don't you think?" Rin tells me with a big smile.
"We've largely succeeded, no need to worry about that!" Said Uruchi.
"...Okay, good, well done then..." I scratch my head, slightly embarrassed.
"Yeah! Let's go celebrate!" Usui exclaims, going ahead.
I breathe a sigh of relief, following my comrades to the exit, accompanied by a very worried Asia and Inaho, whom I reassure as best I can.
Thursday, February 9, 2023
"Sophie! Sesame oil!" Asks one of the cooks.
"All right!" She exclaims, heading into the storeroom.
In the Chinese restaurant, Sophie and I were hired to help with the first evening rounds. I have the same job as the cooks, cooking, seasoning and preparing the dishes, while Sophie peels and cuts the food and serves the plates.
"Sophie two plates are ready!" I call to her in turn, placing the dishes on the counter.
"All right!" She arrives, takes the dishes, and serves them, before returning to peel potatoes.
"They're worth twenty like you." Meifang mocks Sword.
"What's Sophie playing at?" Sword wonders.
"Kids, take a break!" Meifang calls.
"All right!" She said before coming over to me, taking off her apron. "You heard Senji-senpai, it's break time!" She tugs at me.
"Hey stop! Yes I heard but I'm just finishing this...!"
I get dragged out of the kitchen. I put down my apron before taking a seat at a small, empty counter table, joined by Feilong, the restaurant owner, and Sword.
"She doesn't know that being too curious can lead to trouble." Feilong says.
"She's got character, but I still feel like she's taking her cues from someone..." Sword looks at me, smirking.
"...I don't know what you're talking about..." I drink the lemonade Feilong has brought me. "Otherwise, this cinema thing, have you taken a look? Apparently the disappearances keep happening."
"Yes, Luke's been at it for a few days now, but he seems to be struggling, which is rare. Even if he doesn't tell me about it," explains Sword.
"Powerful Makai priests are really stubborn." Feilong takes a drag from his pipe.
"So were you." Sword sneers.
"How am I stubborn?" He asks.
"In every way."
"You were talking about the movie rumors, right?" Feilong turns to me. "Where did you get them?"
"Well... the internet. Wait... you mean..."
"Luke is struggling on site, why not try another approach?" He suggests. "As the saying goes, there's no smoke without fire."
"Indeed, I can try." I pull out my phone.
"I'll help you Senji-senpai." Sophie approaches us, two plates for her and me.
She puts down the tray and takes out her phone, starting to tap on it. I do the same, searching for clues as best I can. Sophie sits next to me, showing what she's found for several minutes, as we search and show each other our finds, before agreeing and turning to the two men, waiting patiently.
"Well, we've found that people talk a lot about seats." Sophie begins.
"The seats?" Sword repeats.
"There are rumors of all kinds all over the Net, but the ones that come up the most are 'L' and 'number 13'." I continue. "It's probably a lead." Sophie nods beside me.
"I see... Senji, are you busy tonight?" Sword asks me.
"No, do you want to go?" He nods.
"Oh, can I come too?" Sophie asks.
"Sophie, this situation is exceptional, so you stays away under cover, because we don't know what's going on inside the cinema." Sword takes on his serious tone.
"Hmmm..." Sophie pouts. "Okay I understand, you two be careful."
"As a matter of fact, I'm thinking about it, but why not close the cinema?" I ask.
"It's too risky, the monster wisely stays in the cinema. If we close off access to its hunting methods, there's a good chance it'll come out and cause a massacre far worse than what it's doing now." Explains Feilong
"..." I clench my fists.
Night is about to fall and our job is done. Just as I'm about to accompany Sophie to the orphanage, Sword storms downstairs, fully equipped for battle.
"Let's go Senji, the situation is accelerating." He says to me.
"What's going on?" I ask.
"The waitress at the diner contacted Feilong, Luke is missing."
"...Sorry Sophie but I have to go." I turn to her.
"No don't worry, I understand."
"Don't worry Senji-kun, I'll take care of bringing her back, take care of yourself!" Meifang tells us.
Sword and I nod in agreement, before getting out and getting on his motorcycle, going at top speed.
When we arrive in front of the cinema, Sword jumps off his motorcycle, sword in hand. I follow him in and run down the corridor.
"Sword! Senji!" Zaruba wakes up. "it's weak, but I feel a demon."
[BOOST] Hearing this, I activate my boosted Gear. We enter the cinema's only session, completely empty.
"Hold on." Zaruba stops us.
"What is it?" Sword asks, bringing the ring close to his face.
"It seems that the enemy is already right in front of us."
"What?" Sword looks around the auditorium, confused.
"I can confirm, you're already in the lion's den." Ddraig tells me.
"Into the lion's den...? Huh! Don't tell me that... Sword! The monster is the theater!" I warn him.
"But there's nothing strange about the room." Sword said.
"It looks like the cinema demon to me, which is why it doesn't give off anything at all and manages to keep a low profile." Explains Zaruba.
"Some people are afraid of the cinema?" I think out loud.
"But why do you feel his presence now?" Sword asks.
"It gives off enough energy that I can feel it and it's probably because of someone." Zaruba remarks.
"Luke." Sword and I said in unison.
"There must be a slit through which it swallows people. " Says Zaruba.
[BOOST] Hearing this, I start to descend, looking for the right seat.
"Sword, we need to find seat L number 13." I say, moving down quickly, looking at the alphabet of seat rows.
He leaps up to step on the backs of the seats and climbs down. I finally reach row L, so I push on until I'm in front of number 13. I signal to Sword, who approaches. Seeing the right seat, he picks up his sword and swings his arm to strike.
"Come on, let's go! He plunges his sword into the seat.
What comes out of the slit looks like flesh, until the whole room suddenly changes, becoming a big room made of flesh and vein, pulsating, with a huge eye staring at us instead of the white wall to project a film.
In the white of the eye, we can see a child who looks like Luke, training with a man who looks very much like him in swordsmanship, on a vast plain. He is thrown to the ground, he tries to get up but a female voice calls him.
"Luke, that's enough!" He turns towards the voice to see a woman looking at him tenderly.
"But I feel I mustn't give up." Says Luke.
"The most important thing is to keep that feeling." She said as she approached him. "As long as you have it, you can challenge your father tomorrow, understand?"
"Right.."
"You've done enough for today." His mother takes Luke in her arms. "Rest without thinking about anything."
"Mom..."
"Sword, none of this is true, is it? So it sucks, we've got to do something." I say to Sword.
"Luke!" Sword calls to him, he turns to us. "What are you doing, you idiot! It's a trick! Remember, your mother..."
"Huh? What, my mum?"
"She died before your very eyes!" Sword shouts.
Luke's eyes widen, he looks at his mother, who disappears, then his father too, even the scenery darkens.
"Damn, he's still stuck!" Sword hesitates to attack the eye.
"Senji, it's about time you used the maken that teacher gave you at the beginning of the year."
"Do you think it will work?" I say, looking down at my hand. [BOOST]
"You're going to overload the demon with energy, which will cause it to lose control of the power it wields over the trapped guy and set him free."
"Okay, well let's bet on it." I roll up my sleeve and activate the maken. "Get ready! Overblow!" I slam my hand to the ground, glowing in a sudden burst of energy.
Suddenly, the whole place throbs and shakes, the eye casting its gaze in all directions. Inside, Luke suddenly takes on his adult form, the monster no longer having any control over him. He grabs a sword and rushes towards us. Sword charges at the eye and both strike at the same time, splitting the eye in four. Then the clump of flesh disappears, leaving us at the side of the road.
Sword approaches Luke on the ground and offers him his hand.
"It's a good job." He says.
"...I'll make it up to you." Luke accepts his help.
"You don't owe it to me." Sword turns to me. "But to the kid, he's the one who saved your life."
"..." Luke looks at me, still with his accusing eyes. "I'll make it up to you!" He exclaims to me, before walking away.
"You then..." Sword sighs.
"Wait a minute." I call him.
He stops and turns to face me.
"We were able to help you because of Sophie, so you owe her a debt too." I tell him.
He squints and then leaves without saying anything.
"Well, at least you've gone up in his esteem, that's something." Sword said, putting a hand on my shoulder.
"Because you can see the difference?" I ask.
"It's light but it's there I swear!" He says, as we take our turn to leave.
Friday 10 February 2023.
In the early afternoon, in the Emiya house, Chiyo takes advantage of the solitude to relax and read the cookbook that Senji first used when he was a child. Even though she feels lonely without her Senji, she laughs and reads the notes he left, imagining him writing them with his little hands.
But her little moment is about to come to an abrupt end. As guardian of the house, she's always on her guard, and it seems that hostile people are approaching the entrance. She carefully puts down the book and gets up to head outside. She opens the front door to see three men, one of whom is already in the grounds, while the other two are still outside, watching from the side of the street. All three are wearing the same black sleeveless jackets with a large figure eight on the back and light grey pants.
"So this is it..." Chiyo murmurs.
'Chiyo, if you see these people, show them no mercy, for they will show none. Can I count on you?' Asks Senji, bowing his head.
'Fufufu. You have nothing to worry about, Senji-kun.' Chiyo said, placing her hand on Senji's cheek, lifting his head. 'I'll protect our home, whatever it takes, and knowing that you trust me so much motivates me enormously!'
'Thanks, I'll make it up to you.'
"Hey guys, look what I found, a pretty chick at the guy we're looking for! Well, he's got good taste, I can't argue with that." Says the nearest guy.
"Hello, what do you want?" Chiyo asks with a certain coldness, seeing the other two coming.
"We're looking for Senji Emiya, our boss wants to see him. Is he in?" Asks a second.
"No, he's not here." Chiyo replies curtly.
"Ah, I see... what a pity! Well, you're coming with us then, that'll surely motivate him to show his face, the little bastard." The three point guns at Chiyo.
"It's pathetic."
"Huh?"
"You're pathetic, who do you think you're threatening with your toys?"
"What are you talking about, sweetheart? Can't you see the situation you're in? Now let yourself go and nothing serious will happen. Maybe we'll just have a little fun with your body..." He doesn't have time to finish before his head flies off.
When the other two see this, they panic and try to shoot her, but nothing happens. They look at their weapons, but they no longer have them, with their hands clearly cut off.
"AAAAAAAAAH" They cry out in pain.
"You dare to threaten and frighten my Senji, and think you can touch me? You've got a lot of nerve, for your miserable lives." Curved horns appear on her head, her legs become those of a black goat, her arms become as black as night and her hair has become tentacles, some stained with blood. "You'll be sorry you ever set foot in here."
"You bitch!" One guy lunges, his arm growing noticeably larger.
Chiyo stops him with a finger, turning the attacker face pale, before throwing him into a wall so hard that he bursts like a water balloon, leaving only a huge spot of blood on the wall. Then she turns to the last one, grabs him with her tentacles, immobilizing him and lifting him into the air. Chiyo's gaze is cold and her aura so suffocating that he starts to cry, regretting with all his being that he's here.
"Make it clear to your boss that he's not welcome here, is that clear?" Chiyo said authoritatively, dominating him.
He nods, unable to answer verbally as he is suffocating.
Chiyo releases him, falling limply to the ground. He jumps to his feet and runs with all his remaining strength. Chiyo looks around, seeing the butchery she's made.
"Ara Ara~ If Senji-kun sees this, he might not be too happy..."
Her shadow expands, jaws appearing, and devours the corpse and its head, both hands and what little remains of the one splintered against the wall. Then she uses her tentacles to remove the blood, making the garden look clean, as if nothing had happened.
"There you go! All clean!" She said, clapping both hands together. "Now I have to think about the debt he owes me... Fufu..."
"One! Boss! We've got a problem!"
"What's the matter with you? And what happened to your hand?"
"A monster lives at Senji's, we don't stand a chance against it!"
"Hmmm, I guess you're telling the truth if you're the only one back... I see, so we'll have to change our strategy... I've got a little idea, this brat will understand who he's dealing with."
