章 39: C39
Shirou rushed into the densely populated residential area made up of apartment buildings, shouting at the top of his voice, "Robbery! Arson! Terrorists with knives going door-to-door killing people! Killing all the men and stripping all the women!"
Kiritsugu's bombing had already roused some of the residents in the area, but Shirou's loud yell caused almost all of them to wake up. They flipped on their lights and headed to their front doors to investigate the source of the commotion below.
As the bright lights flooded the area, the residents were startled by the sudden appearance of Diarmuid, dressed as an ancient warrior. Panic and confusion spread among them as they caught sight of him.
Diarmuid, equally stunned, had never encountered such a situation before. Despite his limited understanding of the modern world, he instinctively realized that it was not a good sign and decided to take cover behind a tree, temporarily disappearing into a spirit form.
He couldn't help but feel frustration towards Shirou. Despite this, he couldn't deny that Shirou's actions had effectively stopped him.
Suddenly, Diarmuid furrowed his brows, his mind racing as he tried to piece together what had happened. "The Servant's aura has faded," he thought to himself. "Has Caster already escaped?"
In reality, Shirou had just arrived in the residential area, waking up the nearby residents, and then quickly hiding himself in a nearby shrubbery. He released his Saint Graph, which is equivalent to a normal Servant's spirit form, effectively lowering his Servant's aura signature to a minimum.
The unique aura signature that comes with the Saint Graph cannot be completely eliminated. However, by releasing the fusion, Shirou was able to greatly reduce its presence, making it difficult to detect his abnormality without the aid of special eyes like Gilgamesh's or sensitivity to auras.
However, Shirou did not act recklessly. He had managed to achieve a slight advantage in the recent battle mainly due to the fact that Scathach had killed him repeatedly and simulated various methods of breaking her technique hundreds of times. As a result, he had a basic understanding of how to counter it.
Knowing how to counter a technique is one thing, but actually being able to execute it is another. Shirou had been able to take Diarmuid by surprise and launch a successful sneak attack due to Diarmuid's underestimation and lack of knowledge about Shirou's ability to crack his move. However, this also meant that Diarmuid would no longer underestimate Shirou, eliminating any further opportunities for close combat.
By alerting the surrounding residents and forcing Diarmuid to be cautious about being discovered, Shirou had temporarily evaded him. However, once the residents returned to their homes and no longer felt any sense of danger, Diarmuid would likely launch a widespread search for him.
By that time, he may be exposed!
With that in mind, Shirou knew that before the residents returned inside, he needed to drive Diarmuid away.
But how?
His mind raced as he struggled to find a solution. Suddenly, an idea came to him and he furrowed his brows, biting his thumbnail with a look of distress.
A determined gaze flickered across his face as he realized that facing these heroes head-on was not something he could do.
"My only option is to take a chance," he thought to himself. "I need to go all in and take a risk."
He clenched his fists under his black cloak, wondering why he was so protective of his life yet had to risk it for a glimmer of hope.
The irony of the situation was not lost on him, but he knew it had to be done. Doing nothing was a death sentence and taking action may still lead to his demise, but it was a risk he had to take to improve his odds. One can only risk their life to alter a possibility.
Taking a deep breath, Shirou felt the adrenaline in his body continues to surge since the explosion. His body was now in a state of heightened alertness and so was his mind.
He knew that he had to stay composed. The more agitated you are, the closer you are to death. Battle is a gamble with one's life, and a gambler cannot afford not to take risks!
As the noises of the surrounding residents gradually quieted down and they started to retire to their homes, Shirou knew that his time was running out. Instead of using his Saint Graph fusion, he activated his 27 underdeveloped magic circuits within his body and projected a conventional sword. He then hurled it with force toward a nearby intersection.
The sword hit the wall with a loud clang, bounced back and fell to the ground, making a loud "clanging" sound.
Where was that coming from?!
Diarmuid's gaze shifted eastward, where the walls of the residential buildings blocked his view and made it difficult to see clearly. However, the sound had definitely originated from that direction.
As he walked towards the source of the sound, he suddenly heard the sound of a sword hitting something from behind him. Not only that, but the sounds of sword impacts echoed in all directions.
"Clang clang,"
Diarmuid became highly vigilant. Without searching skills, he was unable to detect Shirou's presence, which was Shirou's greatest advantage. The complex terrain of the residential area and the residents' presence outside provided Shirou with the perfect cover.
Although Diarmuid couldn't detect Shirou's presence, Shirou was aware of Diarmuid's every move, giving him the upper hand as the enemy was visible to him while he remained hidden.
Diarmuid was on high alert, not wanting to let Shirou escape again. As a true warrior, he wouldn't make the same mistake twice. He had let Shirou go before because he wasn't aware that Shirou, as a Caster, could break his move. But now, he was fully aware of Shirou's abilities and taking notice.
Given the unusual circumstances, Diarmuid knew that if he let his guard down, all the years he spent perfecting his combat skills would be in vain. Despite his extensive experience, he had never encountered such a cunning and deceitful opponent. A knight's battles usually involved a direct confrontation, so this enemy's strategy of evasion was particularly puzzling for him.
Suddenly, Shirou's Servant aura flared, and a sword was hurled toward Diarmuid without warning.
Reacting quickly, Diarmuid brought his two spears together in front of him, forming an "X" shape, effectively blocking the incoming weapon.
"If that's the best you can do with your sneak attack, it's futile. No need to even try," Diarmuid said confidently. But, an unexpected event took place. The blocked sword suddenly released a silver needle, aimed directly at Diarmuid's eyes!
It became clear that the sword was not a sword at all, but a hidden weapon crafted through the combination of "Projection" and "Item Creation". The true killing move was not the sword, but the needle!
Despite this, Diarmuid remained unfazed. He opened his mouth and intercepted the needle headed straight for him with his teeth, biting down on it.
Feeling a sense of relief wash over him, Diarmuid was about to expel the needle from his mouth and scold Shirou for his underhanded tactics. However, in that moment, a tiny silver needle shot out from the needle he was biting and aimed straight for his throat, targeting his tonsils!
The piercing sound of the needle resounded in Diarmuid's head as he realized that all of the distractions, such as the long sword and the initial needle, were mere decoys. This small silver needle was the real killing blow!
A trap within a trap, with yet another trap within, who could have possibly anticipated such a layered deception?
"Clang!"
Although the small silver needle was not powerful enough to inflict serious harm on a Servant's sturdy body and barely even penetrated Diarmuid's tonsils, it elicited only a mild sensation. However, Shirou had already achieved his objective!
---Broken Phantasm!
In an instant, the magecraft that powered the long sword, initial needle, and small silver needle all activated simultaneously.
"Boom!"
Lancer's formidable resistance to magecraft shielded him from the ordinary long sword's Broken Phantasm, rendering it unable to cause harm. But the sudden detonation of the silver needle in his mouth caused Diarmuid to experience searing pain and black smoke to come out from his mouth.
Diarmuid seethed with rage and embarrassment as he lifted his spear and charged after the source of Shirou's presence. However, by the time Diarmuid set off in pursuit, Shirou had already dissolved his Saint Graph and managed to make his escape by fleeing in the opposite direction.
Shirou outwitted Diarmuid by simply running away. As he reflected on this outcome, he realized that the greatest advantage a modern man has over a heroic spirit might be the ability to think creatively and without any sense of shame. With this realization, Shirou shook his head, dismissing any unnecessary thoughts, and made his way to an abandoned factory in the suburbs as a temporary hideout.
With a fatigued expression, Shirou cast aside Ryunosuke and leaned against a stone pillar, staring at the crimson, fiery clouds on the horizon. A relieved smile spread across his face, knowing that the long night had finally come to an end. He could now take a much-needed break. He removed his black cloak and leather outfit, hiding them in a bucket.
Removing his gloves, he gazed at the command seal that was missing one strike. When he first received the command seals, Shirou had considered using all of them to attempt to withdraw from the Holy Grail War.
However, he was uncertain about the consequences, as it is uncommon for a Master to participate in the war. If he failed to withdraw, he would be at a disadvantage with poor attributes, poor physical condition, limited information, and a huge disadvantage of not having command seals.
After careful consideration, he decided to keep the command seals for the time being and planned to avoid Fuyuki City, in hopes of using them to withdraw from the war later. However, he was eventually forced to participate in the Holy Grail War by Gilgamesh and abandoned this idea. In the end, one of the command seals ended up saving his life.
It was fortunate that he didn't act impulsively at that time.
Shirou put on his gloves, then leaned against the stone pillar and fell asleep. Without the disguise, he looked like an ordinary six-year-old boy. Even if he were to encounter other participants, it was unlikely that they would connect him to the infamous Caster who had been attacking people's hearts.
Furthermore, the long night had passed, and dawn had arrived. The red sun was rising from the east, and the world now belonged to mortals. There shouldn't be any more disturbances, right?
However-
"Why-?"
The assassin lay on the ground, pierced by swords, his life slowly slipping away.
As per his Master's command, Assassin used Presence Concealment and followed Caster and Lancer who were yet unaware of his presence, only to be surprised to find that Caster's true form was that of a common six-year-old child!
Thus, Assassin understood. He understood the source of Caster's peculiar aura. The opponent was an existence similar to a servant, an ordinary child who had fused with the Saint Graph!
The information provided by Tokiomi was accurate, but the format was different. Assassin was in the process of stealthily infiltrating to murder the tired and slumbering child, but he was ambushed instead.
"Why? Why?" He asked, bewildered and perplexed. He tried to lift his head and gazed upon the Golden King, who looked divine in the brilliant light of the sun and moon, "You- aren't you on our side?"
Instead of a response, he was met with a sword that impaled his skull, accompanied by a disdainful voice.
"Hmph!"
...
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