Chapter 53
I ran, ran, ran along the deserted roads.
I was already out of breath, and my lungs and brain kept telling me to stop and rest, but I ignored them and kept running.
If he continued running he could suffer serious injury, but if he stopped he would die.
"What on earth is that…! Damn it, what on earth is that?!"
He spat out in frustration. He knew he didn't have the luxury of doing so, but he couldn't help it. With his current state of accumulated fatigue, it wouldn't make much difference to his speed anyway.
Looking back was a foolish act, just like complaining, but my biological instincts made me do it all the same.
As he turned around, something flashed in the darkness of the night. Immediately afterwards, an explosion occurred beneath his feet.
"Whaaaaaaat?!"
He is blown away and falls down.
He quickly picked himself up after falling, but then he caught another glint at the edge of his vision and flinched. The ground around him once again exploded, this time one after the other.
"Damn it! Do something, Rider!?"
To be able to scream in this situation, exposed to the blast and the fear of death, was in fact an incredible feat.
In any case, his servant, the eyepatch-wearing woman, stood before her master.
Three bullets of light shoot out from behind the curtains of night. Rider deflects them with all his might.
"law?IMeDid you block the attack?"
The voice, which must have belonged to the person who had fired the light bullets, contained unmistakable praise.
The man who stepped out of the darkness was, in a word, golden. Golden hair and golden armor. And more than anything, the divine aura emanating from his body reminded one of the color gold.
However, there was an expression on his face that couldn't be hidden - no, there was a mockery that he had no intention of hiding.
Rider had certainly succeeded in blocking the enemy's attacks, but he was simply left in tatters.
"Shinji, please run away."
We can't defeat this enemy.
Realizing this, Rider told his master and ripped off his eyepatch. The eyes hidden underneath were imbued with magical power and shone with rainbow colors. The man's face lit up with joy when he saw them.
"Oh?! This is the Evil Eye of Petrification, and with this level of power, is it jewel-level?!"
Just as the man said, it was an extremely powerful stone-turning demon eye. It was Rider's trump card.
The effect is so great that not only the surrounding trees but even inorganic objects like cars on the side of the road begin to turn to stone. However...
"What a pity. If it weren't for that horrible smell, I would have treasured it as one of my treasures."
The man simply shook his head in deep disappointment.
The man continued speaking while Rider gritted his teeth.
"The Evil Eye with this much power, the Rider class,FearHorrorThis smell is so strong... Are you the youngest sister of Gorgon?"
Rider didn't respond to the man's words, but instead slashed his own throat with the dagger. The blood that spilled out didn't hit the ground, but instead floated in the air, drawing a magic circle in the air.
From the shining circle, something emerges, clad in an even more dazzling light.
It is a winged horse.
In mythology, one who flies across the sky faster than anyone else.
This is Rider's other trump card, the mythical beast Pegasus. He is truly a Rider because he can summon it and ride it with ease.
HerPetrification EyeQubeley" has the power to greatly slow down the target's movements, even if it prevents them from being petrified.
After sealing his movement with his magic eye, Pegasus charges in. There is no one who can dodge this combo.
"『KnightBeller……!!"
"Considering how those guys have toyed with your fate, I can't help but feel sympathy for you. However..."
"reinsFawn!!'"
The Pegasus with the rider on board transforms into a ray of light.
The way it moves forward, leaving a trail of light behind afterimage, is just like a shooting star.
In fact, the power contained within that blow was no less than that of a stardust that had fallen from the heavens.
That inhuman blow that could easily shatter even a castle wall...
"Unfortunately,IMeI hate God."
A shield suddenly appeared in front of the man, blocking his movement easily.
That giant shield, which could completely cover a person, calmly withstood the charge that should have been unstoppable. There wasn't even a crack in its shining silver-white armor.
"...!"
The rider continues to summon magical power, but the shield remains unwavering.
"I cannot forgive your existence as a descendant of the Goddess. Rider, you must die here."
The man said those words as if mocking her as he snapped his fingers. At the same time, countless magic circles appeared, surrounding Rider.
Rider had used all his strength on this attack, so naturally, he had no strength left to counter the man's counterattack.
In other words, it was inevitable that the countless weapons that were spat out from the magic circle pierced Rider and Pegasus.
"Ah... Ahh, Rider?!"
The boy screamed as his Servant disappeared into particles of light. Hearing this, the man turned to look at him as if he had just noticed his presence.
"Huh...Huh!?"
The boy desperately backed away, still sitting on his bottom.
The man looked at the boy with a bored look, then pointed his finger at him.
"Stop it."
A sharp voice cuts through the night.
The man stopped moving at the voice, which reminded one of the cool sound of a bell, and looked behind him, expressionless, over his shoulder.
A girl appeared.
She was a girl who possessed both the fragility of snow and the sharpness of ice.
With her black hair, blacker than the darkness of the night but never losing its shine, fluttering in the wind, she raised her left arm and opened her mouth.
"I issue an order with my Command Spell. From now on, killing humans is forbidden."
With those words, the girl's Command Spell shattered.
The man didn't seem particularly offended. Instead, he gave her an amused, testing look.
"Why are you stopping me, Yukino? You were the one who gave the order to exterminate the Riders, weren't you?"
"You've already defeated that rider. There's no need to take your Master's life."
"But wasn't the reason you decided to defeat Rider in the first place because they dragged innocent people into the fray? It's true that Rider created the barrier, but it was Master who gave the order."
"It's the same thing. There's nothing I can do now that I've lost my Servant."
"That may not be the case. Maybe he'll get another Servant somewhere and commit another crime. What will you do if that happens?"
"When that happens, we can just defeat them again."
The man's expression went blank as he was taken aback by those words.
The man put his fingers to his chin and closed his eyes for a moment as if examining the contents of the message. Then his body started to tremble slightly, and the trembling gradually grew stronger until, unable to bear it any longer, he burst out in laughter.
The girl glares at the man, her displeasure clearly apparent.
"...What's wrong?"
"Heh, heh heh... I was impressed. Should I defeat you again? You're certainly right."
In contrast to the girl's sour expression, the man was laughing heartily.
"I like it, Yukino. Your arrogance is really...IMeIt's my preference. Good.IMe"I give you permission to use it. As my master, please command me to your heart's content."
"What an obvious thing to say... You're my Servant, aren't you?"
"Kukaka, that's right, now that you mention it."
"Y-You guys! What are you doing?!"
Suddenly, Rider's Master interrupted their conversation.
"You suddenly appear and kill someone's Servant! What are you planning?!"
It was a foolish thing to do.
Considering what they had said, the best thing for the boy to do would have been to sneak away without being noticed by the two. Even the boy would have understood that.
"...You're still here?"
In fact, the girls had completely forgotten about him, but that didn't sit well with the boy.
He was an extremely vain man.
"Answer the question!"
"Shut up."
"Huh?!"
The boy swallowed his words as the girl spoke quietly, but forcefully. She gave him a look sharper than a blade.
"You don't really think you're blameless, do you? You can't be forgiven for doing something so cruel."
It is a natural human indignation. What's more, the girl hates such cruelty more than anyone else.qualityUsIt was.
However, the boy also has his own reasons, of course. Of course, it is his own selfish idea of justice.
"Ugh... Shut up! That's just a way to protect yourself! When your own life is on the line, who cares about other people!?"
"yes……"
The girl narrows her eyes.
"Wh... what is it?"
The boy flinched as the girl silently walked up to him. However, he regained his composure and smiled.
"Hmm, hmm. You really think I'd be scared? You just used a Command Spell on a Servant. Without a Servant, there would be no way I could have helped you...?!"
The boy wasn't able to finish his sentence, as the girl suddenly came close to him and threw him away.
The girl coldly told the boy, who was lying on his back and choking.
"...You're observing quite well, that's quite underhanded. So, what would you do if you didn't have a Servant? I could easily crush someone like you on my own."
"Huh...?!"
"Even if you're a piece of trash, there are still people who would be inconvenienced if you died. That's the only reason I'm going to let you go. So, get out before I change my mind."
"H…Hiiiiiiiii?!"
The girl looked down at the boy with arrogance, and this time the boy ran away. After watching him leave with a cheerful look on his face, the man in gold spoke.
"You're just being loyal to Kirei. How conscientious. Cleaning up after the fact is supposed to be his job."
"It's a lot of work. I can't cause any trouble, I owe that person a favor. ...Let's go."
"Fine. At best,IMeLet me have some fun, Master."
And so the two of them disappeared into the darkness.
"I found it, Shinji!"
"Whaaaaaat?!"
When I called out to him, Shinji let out a harsh scream and rolled over. ...Isn't that a bit too surprising? Sorry for being so rude.
"And...Tohsaka...?"
"...What on earth happened to you?"
Shinji was covered in sweat, his face a mess from tears. He must have been desperate, because it seemed he had only just noticed me. I almost felt sorry for him, since he was the person I was looking for with the intention of crushing me.
I pointed my finger at Shinji's forehead, who didn't seem to understand the situation, and said.
"...I don't know what happened, but it seems like you've been through a lot. It's okay, if you obediently hand over your Command Spell now, I'll just erase your memories and let you go."
"Huh?!"
"Resistance is futile. Emiya-kun and the others will arrive soon, and Archer is still on guard around the area. Even if you call Rider, we can shut him down. Give up."
"Ah, are you kidding me?!"
Shinji shouted.
I was surprised at his sudden outburst of emotion, but I guess that's just how it is. It's Shinji after all.
I continue to act coldly.
"You're free to not believe it, but it would be better if you just listened obediently..."
"That's not what I'm talking about! Rider would have been killed a long time ago! By that gilded man!"
"…………teeth?"
For a moment I didn't understand what he was saying.
Was he killed? A rider?
"Hey, wait a second, Shinji, what do you mean..."
"Don't play dumb! That woman called Yukino is in cahoots with you guys, isn't she?! It's filthy, just gather around!"
"No, that's why...!"
"Remember that! I'll make you all regret it!"
"Ah! Wait a second?"
I wonder where he had left his strength, but Shinji left behind a parting shot and ran away. I ended up seeing him off, but...oh well.
If Rider has really been defeated, there's nothing Shinji can do, but if that was just an excuse, Archer will do something about it. Either way, Shinji is eliminated. More importantly...
"Yukino, you said..."
It was Hikigaya - the same name Caster's master had mentioned. And also the younger daughter of "that" Yukinoshita family.
According to Kirei, his sister is alive and has no connection to magic. But what if that information is fake?
"...I'll have to check with Kirei."