Chapter 378: Shuten-Douji Appears
"Sleep, sleep, little baby..."
Inside the ruined temple on the mountain, the gentle voice of a woman could be heard singing a lullaby.
Prior to this, the woman had walked in front of the girl with her sword in hand, and then swung it with the swiftness of flashing thunder. A magical creature that had been covertly clinging to a crevice in the wall behind Atsu, peering out with a single eye to spy on them, was sliced into flying ashes.
The woman lowered her sword, opened her arms, and embraced Atsu and Tasuke, speaking with tears of profound emotion in her eyes:
"Ah, what endearing children. Willing to risk your life just to protect your little brother—it is simply... simply exactly like me. How could I possibly bring myself to harm you?"
"Big sister? You aren't going to kill Atsu? Or are you going to kill me? What exactly is happening?" Atsu asked, completely bewildered with tears still in her eyes.
"I won't kill you. How could I ever lay a hand on children?" Minamoto no Raikou said, cradling the two children.
For some reason, as Atsu was held in her embrace, she felt a sensation that closely resembled being in her mother's arms, filling her with a deep sense of nostalgia.
"Sleep now. Atsu is such a good girl. You've worn yourself out crying. You're such a good big sister for trying your hardest to protect your little brother, yet you yourself are still a lovable child," Raikou said gently, lovingly stroking the head of Atsu, who was resting on her lap.
The two children felt as though they could hear their mother's voice singing a lullaby to them. With her head resting on Raikou's thigh, Atsu drifted into dreamland; though tear stains remained at the corners of her eyes, a sweet smile graced her lips. Meanwhile, Tasuke was cradled in Raikou's arms, sleeping peacefully amid a slow, gentle rocking motion.
In their dreams, Atsu and Tasuke seemed to have returned to that peaceful village. After working busily out in the fields, Mom and Dad returned home to a table set with simple but aromatic and delicious farmhouse dishes. Because Atsu had already learned to cook by herself, she proudly presented her culinary skills to her family.
Dad happily pulled her and Tasuke into his arms, affectionately rubbing his bristly beard against them. This made both her and Tasuke giggle uncontrollably.
Once the final family member returned, they could begin their meal. Atsu and Tasuke also had a grandfather who ran an iron workshop, which clanged and clattered all day long. Strangely enough, for some reason, Grandpa looked even younger than Dad. Just why was that?
All the cruelty and despair of the world were completely shut out at this moment; to the children, this place was the ultimate sanctuary of peace.
On another mountain ridge a few kilometers away from this ruined temple, Shirou was leading the way at the front, followed by the pink-haired female swordsman and a girl with orange-red hair, whose attire seemed somewhat out of place in this era.
"We're almost there," Shirou said, gazing toward the mountain peak. Although he didn't voice it, he was incredibly anxious internally. Granted, at the very beginning, he had merely been forcibly assigned by Alaya to substitute for his alternative self and a certain Heroic Spirit from another world to complete a mission.
However, the moment he decided to adopt Atsu and Tasuke, all of this became his own spontaneous choice. When he brought those two children along to live together in their new home, they unquestionably became the family members he had accepted.
To him, his relationship with Atsu and Tasuke was exactly like the relationship between himself and Kiritsugu. Perhaps others could not comprehend it, but to Shirou, such a bond was just as deep and just as important as blood relation.
Having lost all of his relatives in his past life, Kiritsugu was the very existence that granted him salvation. Apart from Taiga, he had no other family members or elders with whom he shared such a bond.
Shirou understood that Atsu and Tasuke viewed him in the exact same light. Now that the two children under his personal care had been abducted by dangerous individuals, how could he not be anxious?
"Gudako, can you still hold on? If not, I can carry you over on my back!" Shirou spoke up to ask.
"Mhm! I'm fine! I can keep up on my own. When it comes to traveling long distances on foot, I actually have plenty of experience," Gudako replied with a nod. Whether it was crossing the American continent on foot or racing for her life against the great Greek hero in a labyrinth, she had achieved it all. Gudako might not possess the most outstanding natural talent among Masters, but by now, she was likely the one most capable of running and possessing the most enduring leg stamina.
"All right then, let's put in an extra spurt of energy!" Shirou nodded and continued striding forward.
"Shirou-senpai, once we cross this mountain, we'll reach the location marked in the letter, right?" Gudako asked.
"Yes, we'll be able to see it once we cross this ridge... Tsk, some fellows have already come out to welcome us," Shirou said, glancing at the forest which had suddenly begun to rustle violently.
"Be careful! Gudako, stay behind me," Musashi said warningly.
"Hiss-aaaaahhh!!!"
In front of them, across the left, center, and right directions, the foliage and bushes were shaking and rustling loudly. Following that, several snake heads emerged from the left, flicking their tongues; a few snake heads popped out from the center, letting out roars; and several more snake heads turned out from the right, opening their mouths wide to reveal sharp, piercing fangs. Behind them, magical creatures wrapped in dark shadows followed along.
"Yamata no Orochi?!" Shirou was startled at first, but upon closer inspection, his mind settled and he rejected his own thought, "No, these are just split bodies that have been weakened dozens of times over."
Although these snake monsters were still colossal behemoths compared to humans, compared to Yamata no Orochi's mountain-like physique, a single one of her snake heads was as thick as all of these snake heads combined.
"Be careful," Shirou shouted as he charged forward ahead of the others. Opening his hands, he directly projected the black and white paired swords, and then reinforced and altered them; the blades of Kanshou and Bakuya became slender and elongated, modified into a style resembling samurai swords. "But fortunately... these are not opponents we cannot defeat!"
The moment his voice fell, Shirou leaped up, brushing past a snake's body, and landed behind the snake monster.
Only then did several gashes split open at the neck of the snake monster, and the snake heads fell. Having already slashed the genuine Yamata no Orochi, these split bodies manufactured by someone else truly could not even be considered up to standard.
"Gaga-aaaahhh!!" At this moment, the magical creatures on the ground shrieked aloud.
The snake heads fell to the ground, their mouths still snapping open and shut, tightly biting onto the magical creatures walking past them on the ground, refusing to loosen their grip in the slightest despite how the creatures struggled.
"Bring it on! Let's see just how many heads you have for me to sever!" Shirou roared. Regarding these small fry, he only wished to resolve them as quickly as possible so he could bring Atsu and Tasuke back home.
"Shirou-senpai! Don't rush too far ahead!" Gudako shouted worriedly. Even if they were just magical creatures, they would become highly problematic if their numbers were immense.
"Gudako, leave this place first! Leave this to us!" Musashi said, stepping forward with Myojin-Giri in hand to shield the girl behind her. She slashed away a rushing snake head while shouting at the same time.
"No! No matter what kind of enemy I've faced, I have never run away! I will stand right here and fight together with Shirou-senpai and Musashi!" Gudako shook her head and resolutely stepped forward.
She had faced all sorts of enemies; it would have been impossible for her to survive until now by relying purely on reckless bravado, and it wasn't as if she hadn't made wretched retreats before. But if it meant abandoning the companions by her side to hide herself away, that was something she had never done! Not in this lifetime!
Admittedly, her abilities as a magus were considerably deficient; aside from her aptitude as a Master, she possessed no qualifications that she could proudly show off. She neither had Mystic Eyes that could perceive the lines of death, nor could she deploy an Reality Marble, nor was she naturally connected to the Root.
Before the cosmic Sphinx cub gifted to her by Ramesses II on Valentine's Day grew up, the fact that she could even attain the Cause rank was solely due to her actual achievements. Of course, this was also because the Mage's Association found it difficult to accept the reality that this girl had actually restored human history; otherwise, as a savior, her status would naturally be far more than that.
However, as long as Heroic Spirits were present, utilizing the wondrous Mystic Codes developed by various organizations could occasionally produce miraculous effects.
"Is that so! Then I'll leave the support to you!" Holding Myojin-Giri in her right hand, Musashi drew her original sidearm with her left hand. Twisting her torso and applying force from her waist, she swung her dual blades in a circular arc centered around her body, sending the approaching magical creatures flying outward.
"Oh!" Gudako responded. This time, she was equipped with a Mystic Code provided as support by the Atlas Institute—a magus organization renowned for alchemy among the three major branches of the Mage's Association, named after their settlement in the Atlas Mountains of Egypt. They possessed a history even more ancient than the Clock Tower, with their traces already present back in the Age of Gods.
The spinning pseudo-global model in Chaldea—'CHALDEAS'—was precisely manufactured by them.
The Mystic Code worn by Gudako was a masterpiece among masterpieces, a super Mystic Code initially created with the objective of forging the ultimate equipment. It possessed three skills that simulated the authorities of Egyptian deities, being named accordingly: the protection of the Invisible Sand granted by Osiris's Sky Dragon; the rain that purifies all negative energy from Isis, the mother of Horus; and the all-seeing eyes of Medjed that accelerate skill cooldown times.
Hearing Gudako's affirmative response, Musashi felt her spirits lift. Gripping her samurai swords tightly, she swiftly charged toward the snake monster ahead, slashing at another snake monster to share the pressure for Shirou.
Shirou had charged too far forward. Although he had severed several snake heads, he was currently being pincered from front and back by two snake monsters.
Unexpectedly, an eight-headed serpent suddenly erupted from underground at the rear, smashing directly toward the orange-haired girl.
"Gudako! Watch out!"
However, everything was too late. Gudako was directly swatted away; under the strike of the snake monster's long torso, her petite body flew over a dozen meters away like a baseball struck by a bat. Fortunately, because of this, the serpent's force was distributed across various parts of her body, so she did not sustain severe injuries—it appeared she had merely been sent flying.
"Ara? It doesn't hurt that much? Wa-wa-wa-aaah!!" Before the girl even had time to carefully register the pain of being struck by the snake monster, she found her footing giving way beneath her, and she began plummeting straight down.
"Dammit! Gudako!" Musashi erupted with massive strength, using her sword to bash open a snapping snake head, turning around intending to chase after Gudako.
"Gudako!" Shirou severed another lunging snake head, raised the pair of projected black and white samurai swords, and hurled them out. They precisely pierced the eyes of two of the snake monster's heads, causing the monster to fall backward in agony. Turning back, he projected a chain, attempting to ensnare the falling Gudako.
The chain grazed past the edge of Gudako's clothing from above, failing to catch her.
"Wa-aaaah! Shirou-senpai, did you not max out your binding skills?! ...skills... skills... skills!"
Following that, Gudako's cries faded into a dial tone.
"There is no such skill! And don't throw in a punchline at a time like this!" Shirou shouted at the top of his lungs!
"What do we do now, Shirou-boy?!" Musashi asked anxiously.
"Deal with the magical creatures here first, then go down to look for her. Gudako has always possessed immense luck; she won't be so short-lived!" Shirou grew fierce and projected a massive golden battle axe. Activating the Noble Phantasm, he shouted at the top of his lungs: "——Nine Lives (Shooting the Hundred Heads)!!!"
The golden streams of light transformed into dozens of falling meteors, hurtling toward the snake monsters and the endless stream of magical creatures lunging from the ground, setting off a succession of explosions.
.....
Crackle, pop.
Inside a certain cavern, a small campfire built from stacked logs was burning.
The orange-haired girl was lying upon a patch of gravel ground blanketed with animal pelts, talking in her sleep at this moment.
"Shirou-senpai! Don't make excuses! If your binding technique isn't strong, even if you dislike the golden King of Heroes, go learn a little from Amazoness CEO mom! Do you really think that just being good at cooking can satisfy a harem?!"
Gudako shouted loudly in her dream and abruptly sat up!
"Ow..." When the girl stood up, she moved her leg and felt a sharp pain radiating from her ankle.
At this moment, a distinct Kyoto accent echoed from not far away. The voice sounded highly familiar.
"It's better to still be careful, you know. Although out of a fleeting moment of boredom, I treated you like a doll and mischievously wrapped a cloth around your foot to provide treatment—playing a bit of a doctor game, you could say. Still, it will take some time for the wound to thoroughly heal."
To speak in such a manner, Gudako knew of only one person.
"Shuten-Douji!" Turning her head to look over there, Gudako cried out.
"Well, it's me. Seeing something plummet from the mountain, I caught it out of curiosity. You don't have to thank me, you know," the horned, black-haired girl said with a smile, holding a sake dish in one hand while drinking.
"Thank you for saving me. Also, return Atsu and Tasuke to me!" Gudako said, looking at the girl seriously.
Shuten-Douji looked at the girl in surprise, and then burst out laughing, saying: "Hehehe, as expected, you are quite amusing. To actually receive thanks from me, an Oni. And demanding things back from an Oni as well?"
"No matter who it is, since you saved me, of course I should offer my thanks. You abducted the children, and now that we have come over, hand them over first!" Gudako shook her head and replied.
"Sure," Shuten-Douji agreed.
"Eh? Really?" Gudako looked at the woman in surprise and asked.
Shuten-Douji smiled and replied: "Mhm. Although an Oni will tell lies, we do not break promises. They are currently with that cow-like woman. She won't harm children, so rest assured."
"That's wonderful. I knew it, Raikou wouldn't do that sort of thing," Gudako said with a smile.
"Indeed. However, before that, I must do something that makes it worth your gratitude," Shuten-Douji said with a smile, stepping forward and wrapping her arms around Gudako's neck.
"Eh, eh? In a place like this?!" Gudako's face flushed slightly as she scanned the surroundings. This was a cave, after all; this was far too stimulating!
"It's precisely a place like this that is suitable for doing that sort of thing," Shuten-Douji whispered bewitchingly into Gudako's ear, her hand slowly moving from top to bottom, wandering over the girl's body.
"Ugh!" Gudako's eyes suddenly widened; she felt her body being pierced through by some sharp instrument!
A hand clamped over the girl's mouth, preventing her from making a sound.
"You can cry, you know, but you mustn't shout aloud, because that will draw troublesome fellows over. That boy companion of yours who shares your hair color is super fierce, you know. If I weren't in this state, I absolutely would have fallen for him. But precisely because of that, absolutely do not make a sound, okay? The time left for us is running short..."
"Mgh..." Gudako only felt her body being pierced through, with something churning around inside her body.
"Mhm, it won't hurt as much once you cry it out. Good girl, good girl," Shuten-Douji's voice remained just as gentle.
"Woo... woo..." Gudako's vision blurred from the pain.
Intense pain—a pain akin to having a chisel driven into one's bones and struck violently with a hammer.
Bones... the bones inside her body were being forcibly manipulated and shifted in position.
"Good girl... your tears taste just the way I like them. You'll be fine after a nap. Having been forcibly summoned into this world to be ordered around by others, I suppose this counts as making my minimum resistance."
Gudako's vision went black, and she faintly caught the Oni girl's final murmured sentence to herself echoed in her ears...
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