Shanaō's Wandering Tale—the Noble Phantasm of Ushiwakamaru—was a crystallization of the many legends from her life, from her time as the youthful Ushiwakamaru to her rise as Minamoto no Yoshitsune and eventual death in Ōshū.
As such, the Noble Phantasm possessed numerous manifestations, collectively referred to as the "Five Scenes," despite having six activation methods.
—Which made perfect sense. After all, the Four Heavenly Kings often had five members. It's common knowledge.
The second scene, Usugiri Tenjin Shukuhō (Celestial Blade Flash), used this blade to perform a strike akin to the tengu's teleportation technique, an attack nearly impossible to dodge.
Attila couldn't avoid it.
She hadn't expected Shirou to unleash such a move. The blinding light streaked toward her in an instant. There was no time to block—not even with her previously demonstrated combat skill. Her long, whip-like blade couldn't be reeled in fast enough to parry.
All she could do was twist her wrist and fingers, angling her blade's hilt and edge to try and deflect the oncoming flash.
ZING—!
Spider Cutter clashed with the Sword of Mars, sparking violently with a high-pitched screech. But Attila's rushed defense was far from sufficient. In less than a second, the strike broke through her guard.
Schlick!
A deep wound tore across her upper arm and shoulder. Her dusky skin split open, muscle fibers exposed, blood spraying into the air.
Attila flinched, but quickly reacted. The crest markings on her body flared with mana, enhancing her physical capabilities and forcing her damaged muscles to begin regenerating—slowing the blood loss. Still, her wounded arm was temporarily out of commission.
In the next instant, the crests on her legs lit up. With a thunderous crack, she launched herself high into the air. The ground split beneath her from the force.
From the center of the road, Attila leapt across the entire width of the street, her small frame soaring into the sky.
"Is she retreating?"
Shirou exhaled, easing from the cooldown of his Noble Phantasm. Attila's combat stats were extremely balanced, and her crest-augmented regeneration made prolonged fighting uncertain.
But just seconds later, he realized this wasn't a retreat.
Attila's next move was far beyond what he had imagined.
The battle had now spilled into a populated area—Tokyo's Shinjuku district. It was the middle of the day, and the streets were full of cars and pedestrians.
Though their initial exchange happened amidst rubble, it hadn't drawn much attention. Some pedestrians had paused in surprise, but didn't grasp how dangerous it was to spectate at such a close distance.
Now, after landing from her massive leap, Attila raised her Sword of Mars with her uninjured arm. The rainbow-like blade extended rapidly—like the fabled "Whip of God."
This move taught the ignorant Tokyo citizens a harsh lesson… one about the consequences of spectating without power.
BOOM!
The multi-colored, whip-like sword pierced a skyscraper over 100 meters tall.
These buildings in Tokyo were designed to withstand earthquakes. Their cores were reinforced with steel and concrete. Some even had hybrid frames and damping systems to resist intense seismic shocks.
But against the Sword of Mars, they crumbled like tofu.
The blade sliced through the building's structure with ease. Steel beams and concrete cores were reduced to fragments. The skyscraper moaned—a dreadful, deathly sound—as it began to collapse.
To the people of Tokyo, it was like a nightmare.
A building just got leveled by a single whip?
"Why are you all just standing there—run!"
Shirou had no time to marvel at Attila's destructive power or her blatant disregard for secrecy. Her Master clearly didn't care about consequences—only victory.
Given how Attila had appeared during their investigation of Aoiya, Shirou mentally categorized her as a soldier of the "Odin" faction.
She'd arrived at the perfect moment to destroy potential evidence and confront him directly. That couldn't be coincidence.
Shirou raised Spider Cutter—also known as the famed Usugiri.
"Shanaō's Wandering Tale—First Scene!"
Chaos erupted across the street. Citizens screamed and shoved each other in a desperate bid to escape. Children sat frozen on the ground, crying, overwhelmed by fear.
Yet even in this chaos, Shirou's voice rang out clearly, his Noble Phantasm's field expanding like invisible hands reaching out to all those in danger.
"—Jizaiten Gan: Rokutō Kanpō!" (All-Seeing Eye: Six Tactics Insight!)
The skyscraper was about to come crashing down, threatening to crush countless people.
But in a flash, as Shirou swung his blade down, every person still on the street—including himself—vanished in a streak of light.
They had been teleported away from the danger zone.
This scene, one of Ushiwakamaru's Five, could forcibly relocate all individuals in an area, or create overwhelming battlefield advantages.
Shirou chose the former—evacuating everyone.
The next moment, the collapsing skyscraper smashed into the ground like a falling titan, shaking the entire area.
Attila, the source of this destruction, leapt to the top of the ruined structure—now a single jagged floor—and surveyed the scene.
She was genuinely surprised.
Shirou had pulled off an unbelievable number of Noble Phantasm-level techniques. How was that possible? He wasn't even a real Heroic Spirit!
If she didn't know better, she'd think he was the Servant.
But now, after using such a massive area relocation technique, Shirou was nowhere in sight—likely hiding behind a building.
"Well then…"
The crests on her body glowed again, power surging through her. She raised the Sword of Mars once more. The rainbow whip extended.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…
It slashed through the air, cutting down buildings like a rainbow-colored executioner's blade. The entire block was leveled in a whirlwind of collapsing concrete and flying steel.
From the ruinous storm, Shirou's figure reappeared.
"Shanaō's Wandering Tale—Fourth Scene."
He leapt up amid the falling debris, blade raised.
"Dan-no-Ura: Hassō Tobi!" (Eight-Ship Leap of Dan-no-Ura!)
———
Mao Asō felt like she was in a dream.
She remembered a nightmare about falling from a building… and then being saved by a red-haired hero.
That couldn't possibly be real, right?
She was just a high school girl. A broke one, too. Her parents had divorced early, and neither supported her. She lived with her grandmother and scraped by on her pension.
She attended a public high school in Tokyo and worked short-term jobs to cover her tuition and living costs.
In Japan, part-time work for students was normal, especially in Tokyo. With her vast resume, Mao was probably among the top three most experienced workers at her school.
As for love, or a romantic school life? Forget it. She didn't have time for such luxuries.
Her only dream was to get into a college using money she earned herself, so her grandmother wouldn't have to support her.
"…Ugh, my head hurts."
Mao slowly opened her eyes, dazed.
She was sitting on the ground.
And she wasn't alone—dozens of people surrounded her in similar states. Some looked confused, others were cheering, and some lay awkwardly sprawled on the pavement.
Mao scrambled to her feet.
Looking around, she realized she had been transported to a street not far from her part-time job location. Thanks to her many gigs, she knew the area well.
Did she really just dream that whole terrifying collapse?
She decided to head back toward Kabukichō, where she worked in a toy store, to confirm.
But then—
Strange, burly men began flooding in from all directions. Some wore open jackets, others were shirtless, displaying blue tattoos—demonic warriors, naked women riding tigers…
Yakuza!
Mao was stunned.
Why were they the first to respond to a disaster instead of the police?
The gangsters acted with eerie coordination. They first blocked off roads, then shouted through loudspeakers:
"This is the Musashi Group. We are in charge of securing this sector! Attention, residents of Kabukichō, Shinjuku 3-21 to 3-38. A natural gas pipe accident has caused an explosion. Emergency repairs are underway. Do not panic. Investigation pending."
Mao recalled the sight of that building crumbling like paper.
You're calling that a gas explosion!?
(End of Chapter)
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