Chương 101: C101
Frowning, Shirou set aside his cup of instant noodles and stood at the door, gazing into the distance. Despite losing his Innate skill, Clairvoyance, from the shattered Saint Graph of Heroic Spirit Emiya, he could still make out a massive floating island above Shinto, covered in lush greenery. However, he couldn't see the details clearly.
The Evil Flower had absorbed so much malevolence that a sense of fear, terror, and anxiety hung thick in the air. Shirou knew all too well what this meant: Fuyuki City was in trouble once again!
As he scrutinized the floating island more closely, Shirou's eyes widened in recognition. The architecture was eerily familiar, and a sense of deja vu washed over him. He couldn't shake the feeling that he had seen it somewhere before.
Then, it hit him like a bolt of lightning. "It's Tsukimou Elementary School!" he blurted out, his voice filled with a surge of urgency.
Today was the day of the school sports festival, and Shirou remembered clearly that everyone, from students to parents, would be at the school. Sakura was a student at Tsukimou Elementary School, which meant that his mom and many of his friends and acquaintances would also be there, including Rin, Shinji, and Issei.
The thought of them being in danger made his heart skip a beat, and his hands trembled involuntarily.
"Go back!" he exclaimed urgently. "I need to hurry!"
Shirou's Evil manifested in the form of two large black wings, hoisting him into the air. As he ascended, Arcueid also sprouted two wings and pursued him, blocking Shirou's path with a steely gaze. "Are you finally ready to face me alone, Roa?" she demanded.
"I don't have time to play with you, Arcueid!" Shirou snapped. "Step aside and don't provoke me!"
"I'm not playing games with you, Roa!" Arcueid's voice was filled with a murderous intent that hung heavy in the air.
He pointed urgently behind Arcueid. "You need to turn around and see what's happening in the city!"
She turned her head and was momentarily stunned by the sight.
"Whether you choose to fight me or hear me out later is up to you," Shirou continued. "But for now, let me pass. Otherwise, I won't hesitate to use force!"
With that, Shirou flew towards the floating island, leaving the dazed Arcueid behind.
She hesitated for a moment before chasing after Shirou.
"Are you planning to stop me?" Shirou asked, giving her a cold stare.
"No, I'll accompany you first, and then end you," Arcueid declared.
Shirou's frosty gaze gradually softened as he nodded, "But before that, you must provide me with full support."
"Don't push your luck too far, Roa!" Arcueid warned, her eyes flashing with a deadly glint.
He remained silent, turning his wings into four powerful thrusters and blasting off toward the floating island.
She followed closely behind, manifesting her own to keep pace with him.
As he neared the floating island, he finally beheld its eerie landscape: a dense forest with an unsettling atmosphere. What caught his attention were the crimson fruits hanging from every plant, dripping blood onto the ground.
It was a sight that sent chills down his spine.
Arcueid was equally astonished by the scene. "The Forest of Einnashe?" she muttered.
"What?" he turned to her, his eyes widening in disbelief. "Is this really the Forest of Einnashe?"
She nodded, confirming his suspicions.
"Dammit!" he cursed under his breath, his anxiety skyrocketing.
The Forest of Einnashe was one of the Dead Apostles, a monster that fed exclusively on flesh and blood.
Once inside the forest, one's very life force would be devoured, leaving behind a withered husk.
Shirou's mind raced with thoughts of his friends, loved ones, and family back at the school. He couldn't shake the image of their remains from his mind, and he gasped for air as he tried to push the horrific images aside. Sakura, his mother, and maybe even his father... he couldn't bear to think of what might have happened to them.
His eyes blazed with intensity as he channeled his magical energy, immersing himself in the black mud. The flames in his eyes flickered wildly as the mud churned and coalesced into a colossal figure that stood over sixty meters tall.
"Oh my God!"
The onlookers were terrified by the sight. First, a bloodsucking forest appeared, followed by a floating island, a massive whale, and a monstrous bird. And now, a towering mud giant emerged from the ground!
Could it be that yet another alien monster had invaded?
Such was the belief of the common folk, while the representatives of the Holy Church and the demon-hunting family suspected it was the last resort of the Burial Agency. All eyes were fixed on the Mud Giant, which loomed over the landscape.
Merem trembled as he watched the scene unfold, and even the white mouse couldn't help but shiver at the sight.
"Is that really him?" Merem asked, his memories of Britain from a thousand years ago flooding back.
"That's impossible! He's been dead for ages," the white mouse replied, recalling a man who was anything but ordinary.
Unaware of their thoughts, Shirou focused his attention on the Forest and the safety of his loved ones and friends.
With a wave of his hand, the Mud Giant extended its arms, stretching across the void and latching onto the floating island.
"Crackling--"
Slowly but surely, the island began to move, dragging the Mud Giant behind it as it slipped into the sea.
[Mana Burst C-]!
Shirou's immense magical energy surged through the Mud Giant, imbuing it with a power akin to that of a leyline.
"Rumble, rumble, rumble--!!"
The Mud Giant shook violently, and the surrounding seawater was blasted tens of meters high. The resulting wind almost blew Arcueid away, but she managed to fix her position.
"Roa, if you have such great power, why don't you dare to fight me one-on-one?" Arcueid shouted to Shirou.
"Because I'm not Roa!"
After using a Mana Burst, the Mud Giant was able to grab onto the floating island. With a thought, the Mud Giant's feet stuck to the sea floor, forming a solid anchor that firmly held the floating island in place.
Shirou burst forth from the Mud Giant and unfurled a pair of ominous black wings, soaring towards the Forest of Einnashe.
As he flew, he called out to Arcueid, "Arcueid, watch my back! Don't let the Forest of Einnashe slip away!"
"Why should I help you?" she responded with a serious tone. "I came here to kill..."
"Stop talking so much," Shirou said, his voice urgent. "I'm not asking you not to kill Roa, I'm just asking you to watch out first! You can kill him however you want afterward!" His heart was anxious, afraid that something would happen to his loved ones.
Arcueid furrowed her brow, growing more confused by the second. "What the hell is this Roa thing?" she demanded, feeling like she was losing her mind.
...
Standing on mount Enzou, the head of the Clock Tower's Astromancy Department and the current head of the Animusphere family, Marisbury, showed a faint smile.
Suddenly, he sensed the cold barrel of a pistol being pressed against the back of his head from behind.
Without so much as flinching, Marisbury spoke in a gentle tone. "Mr. Emiya Kiritsugu, pointing a gun at someone's head is hardly a courteous act."
But Kiritsugu was unyielding. "I don't think bringing disaster to a city that has just experienced war is a courteous act either."
Marisbury raised an eyebrow. "Why does Mr. Emiya think that the person responsible for this disaster is me?"
"Intuition," Kiritsugu replied firmly.
"I'm afraid your intuition is mistaken. I'm not capable of bringing the Forest of Einnashe here," Marisbury replied, shaking his head regretfully.
Kiritsugu didn't lower his gun. "Then what role do you play in this matter?"
"I hold all the clues and deduce the truth, but I don't speak of it," Marisbury admitted.
Kiritsugu frowned. "If you know the truth and how things will develop, why won't you speak up?"
"Because I am a magus," Marisbury answered simply.
Before they could continue their conversation, a pistol was suddenly pressed against the back of Kiritsugu's head. A cold voice rang out, "Release Marisbury!"
Kiritsugu's eyes narrowed as he wondered how long this person had been there.
"Lev, put down your gun. It's just a little joke between Mr. Emiya and me," Marisbury spoke up.
Lev Lainur Flauros complied and lowered his weapon, but Kiritsugu wasn't amused. "This is a foolish act," he chided.
"But you wouldn't have shot me. Would you, Mr. Emiya?"
"Can we get to the truth now?" Kiritsugu pressed.
"Before that, may I ask you something, Mr. Emiya? Do you know who Zepia Eltnam Oberon is?" Marisbury inquired.
Kiritsugu shook his head. "I don't. Who is that?"
Marisbury seemed to be considering his next words carefully. "Then how about the Night of Wallachia?"
Kiritsugu's eyes narrowed as he exclaimed, "Are you saying that this incident was caused by the Dead Apostle Ancestor who massacred the entire population of Wallachia in a single night?"
Marisbury simply nodded in response. "Yes, he is the thirteenth among the twenty-seven Dead Apostle Ancestors."
"But that's impossible! With his Reality Marble, he could have easily manifested great monsters such as Yamata no Orochi or Kyubi by absorbing the fear of the people in this city. Why would he resort to such a secretive scheme?" Kiritsugu argued.
Marisbury gestured toward the looming Mud Giant and gave a mysterious smile. "Isn't there someone who can absorb evil?"
Kiritsugu was taken aback by the statement. "I see, so Shirou absorbed the evil and neutralized the effects his Reality Marble. But why would the Dead Apostle Ancestor do this? And how did he manage to control the Forest of Einnashe?"
"We can only speculate that he communicated or traded with the ancestor, or employed some other special means. And as for why he did this, isn't it obvious?" Marisbury responded. "It's because the Third Magic was accomplished in this city a few months ago, correct?"
"Please elaborate." Kiritsugu's curiosity was piqued.
"Zepia Eltnam Oberon, also known as the Night of Wallachia, was a renowned alchemist of the Mage Association. He went insane trying to find a way to prevent the extinction of humanity and ultimately placed his hope in achieving the Sixth Law, which led to him becoming a Dead Apostle. Despite dedicating his life to the pursuit of the SIxth Law, he ultimately failed," Marisbury explained.
"Doesn't that sound familiar, Mr. Emiya?"
Kiritsugu stayed silent, well aware that Marisbury was referring to him.
"So why did he come here?" Kiritsugu probed.
"I already told you, didn't I? He came here because the Third Magic was completed in this city a few months ago," Marisbury replied. "But it appears that someone has used it to reverse the boundary between life and death."
"He wants to achieve the Third Magic to accomplish the Sixth Law? Is he crazy? Is that even possible?" Kiritsugu asked, his disbelief apparent.
"Whether it's possible or not doesn't matter. What matters is whether we should attempt it or not."
"Even if we wanted to try, the Holy Grail's crystallization has been missing for a long time. It's impossible to make it work!"
"Oh? that's quite an important clue," Marisbury said, his tone piqued with interest. "But the existence of the crystal itself is not crucial. What he really needs is to utilize the Third Magic to open the hole that links to the Root. That's the key to his plan - to have another chance to challenge the Law."
Kiritsugu's eyes widened with shock. "Wait a minute. Does this have anything to do with the manifestation of the Forest of Einnashe... no, his goal is the Greater Grail!"
He couldn't help but recall how, after the end of the Holy Grail War, both the Clock Tower and the Church had sent their own agents to seal the Greater Grail. It was heavily guarded by Executors, and he had never been able to come into contact with it.
The Night of Wallachia possessed a powerful ability: a Reality Marble that absorbed human fear and manifested the monsters that humans feared the most. But there was something else in the city that also absorbed human fear and malice - Fujimaru Shirou. As a result, the Night of Wallachia's Reality Marble simply didn't work.
Kiritsugu couldn't help but wonder: had he used this trick to divert attention and shift the focus away from his true goal?
"It seems you've finally caught on, Mr. Emiya," Marisbury remarked.
Kiritsugu put away his gun and prepared to leave.
Marisbury's face wore a small smile as he offered a suggestion. "I advise you not to go after the Greater Grail. The Night of Wallachia is about to challenge the Law, an existence that humans cannot possibly contend with. You should focus on saving people instead. Otherwise, how many innocent lives will be dragged into that Void once it's opened?"
Kiritsugu's cold gaze locked onto Marisbury's smiling face before he turned and strode off in the direction of Shinto Town. As a pragmatic killer, he understood the risks and benefits of each move.
Lev couldn't help but express his concern. "Aren't you afraid that he'll shoot you, Marisbury? His bullets are specifically designed to destroy magi."
Marisbury simply chuckled in response. "He won't shoot me. And he wouldn't dare to."
Lev looked puzzled. "Why not?"
He casually raised his hand, revealing a gun tucked up his sleeve. "Because my gun is faster than his," he said with a confident smirk.
"Let's head up the mountain, Lev. The temple there is the safest place," Marisbury urged.
Lev's curiosity was piqued, and he couldn't help asking, "Why do you think that?"
Marisbury grinned. "Because during the Fourth Holy Grail War, that place was one of the most stable locations around."
...
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