Chapter 6 Escaping the Tiger's Den Within Thirty Seconds
Everything happened in an instant.
"!?"
"Darkness" manifested on the walls and the floor. It was a pitch black so absolute that no lines of objects existed within it; it had already positioned itself behind them before they knew it. Observed by no one, it expanded. In the final moment when even turning one's head was no longer possible, it displayed unbelievable speed and mastery of blind spots—the darkness lunged toward Shirou in a heartbeat.
But even before that, a faint, microscopic rustling made every nerve sting. Without needing sight, Shirou stepped aside, barely avoiding the linear extension by kicking off a white section of the wall behind him. Shirou landed on a clear patch of floor before the darkness could change shape, confirming that Saber was keeping pace with him.
Before he even truly looked back, just from the glimpse in his peripheral vision, Shirou's grip on the notebook tightened. A black mist of unknown identity covered the white paint with the force of grinding it into annihilation, transforming the corridor behind them into a nest of the underworld, detached from the living realm. Inside the pure black cavern, leading to unknown places, light and hope were utterly exhausted.
Shirou did not hesitate to discard the notebook in his hand onto the hallway carpet, freeing up space to project his dual swords.
"This indoor environment is impossible for combat! Shirou, we must get out!"
"Easier said than done! But is it possible that this transformation is only happening behind us!?"
Before the sentence was finished, vanguard-like black tendrils suddenly lunged in overlapping layers. Compared to the black mist that turned the entire area into something not of this world, the darkness's attack was simpler. Although it aimed to pierce, its substance was more akin to a means of restraint. In principle, it was as if something scattered in the air had been materialized; numerous inverted thorns thrummed and buzzed with agitation.
Capturing them through dynamic vision, Shirou ceased the conversation and focused his mind to evade every one of these dark strikes. And then...
"?"
Blood trickled from the corner of Shirou's mouth. He hadn't been touched by anything, yet his body felt as heavy as if it had been filled with lead. His head felt terrifyingly hot. In this world, there exists the lethal Black Death.
"Shirou, your body!"
Saber's voice sounded far too blurred. As if the entire world had fallen into a blank void, Shirou looked mechanically at his arm. Black spots stared back at him silently.
"Saber?"
"Hold on, Shirou!"
A clear, crisp voice rang out, feeling very distant. In a vision that instinctively wanted to drift into sleep, Shirou saw that silver dress leap forward, carrying him as she dodged the dark attacks. It was very beautiful. Normally, it wouldn't be so easy to realize. But seeing her agile movements reminded him once again.
"...Trace on."
Every word Shirou shouted felt like he was wringing out the marrow from inside his body. The twin blades, which he couldn't project earlier because he prioritized dodging the darkness, silently appeared in the center of Shirou's palms. He felt his mind cool down significantly. Shirou coughed violently a few times. He saw the fungal plaques on his wrist shrink visibly.
"I'm fine. This move mostly has properties related to Magic Resistance." Additionally, reinforcing his physical defense could effectively alleviate the damage to his body.
The reason Saber was fine while Emiya Shirou was affected came down to two possibilities: Saber's Magic Resistance was overwhelmingly high, or her fundamental physical strength as a Servant was extremely high. The gap in both areas was enough to create a distinction between the two after being hit, causing Shirou to fall into a momentary trance.
Fortunately, Rin hadn't come along. Rin certainly wouldn't have been able to dodge this attack either; Shirou didn't think Rin would be knocked out of the fight, but... this really, really hurt. The "thing" inside his body shone brilliantly, further reducing the spots on his skin.
It might have been shining all along, but earlier the rate of the dark infection was greater, breaking the balance.
"Watch the rear, Saber!"
Shirou endured the burning sensation in his mind and reversed his blade, cutting away a branch of the darkness. Saber showed a look of relief and leapt down from the stairs. This was the first floor. Even counting the interference of the darkness, it was only a ten-second path to burst out of the annex. However, both Shirou and Saber fell silent at the sight of the main entrance.
The main door of the annex was likewise a fully formed Gate of the Underworld. In that narrow space of death, it felt as though even sound had been forgotten.
"..."
"..."
Both fell silent. After the silence, the wind began to blow. Gales, storms, and hurricanes all converged inward. After a moment of rotation, the golden light within was exposed. The golden light grew stronger, and at the very moment it rose high enough to steal one's sight— Saber unleashed it with a strike as simple as any in Kendo. A massive band of light swept across the sky.
In just the instant of the strike, thirty percent of the annex was pulverized. In the next heartbeat, the black mist wavered and returned to nothingness under the majesty of the Noble Phantasm's flash.
Even Shirou couldn't help but marvel once more at the power of Saber's Noble Phantasm. To avoid harming residential areas elsewhere and to gain speed, Saber had actively suppressed its power; the band of light just now was certainly not an A++ Anti-Fortress level attack, but its vast momentum was enough to sweep everything clear like a laser cannon.
However, the black mist didn't seem to have given up. Almost instantly, the empty space that had been cleared was refilled with pitch-black blocks of color. The black mist formed a perimeter net, trapping Shirou and Saber inside. The refilling speed was incredibly fast; as if proof that "that thing" in the mansion did not want Shirou and the others to escape, it prioritized concentrating its power on cutting off all passable roads. Then, the black curtain began to close in on Shirou relatively slowly.
Saber's single Noble Phantasm had indeed destroyed what could be called a complete black hole, but before they could run out, the untouchable black mist had replenished a wall once again. Failing to find the core of the black mist meant the situation couldn't be resolved by using a Noble Phantasm to defeat a main body. This kind of opponent was extremely troublesome. The 360-degree darkness pressed in steadily, slowly growing from thin to thick; it would only take ten seconds to contract in front of Shirou and Saber.
Within those ten seconds, Saber glanced at Shirou with a request and a hint of shame.
"I get it," Shirou smiled.
Receiving the signal, Saber's expression improved. She stood naturally where she was, and with just that... the unfolding winds began to gather. As if relinquishing resistance, the sword that swept everything away was sealed once more, and Saber did not take a stance to swing. She seemed to have placed her life in someone else's hands. However, inside her delicate body, the level of magical energy activity was skyrocketing at an exponential rate. She bent her knees.
The darkness condensed again, once more becoming intersecting thorns. Above their heads, the black hole gradually descended. The baton was passed; it was the next person's turn. Steeling his resolve, Shirou stood before Saber. What she had said was, "I'm counting on you, Shirou."
Though it was only an exchange of glances without words spoken clearly, it didn't matter as long as their hearts were in sync. In short, the knight was beginning a military dance of rebellion against despair, and Shirou simply needed to trust her.
Shirou took a deep breath. After doing so, Shirou put down his dual blades again, and an uncontrollable shock began to explode deep within his brain.
"Trace..."
It was a simple logic. The reason Saber couldn't break through the predicament was that even if she destroyed the encirclement, there wasn't enough time to get out; the time she spent frozen from releasing her Noble Phantasm was exactly when the black mist covered them again. In other words, the actions of "destroying" and "getting out" had to be fast—ideally simultaneous.
The reason Saber had a look of shame in her eyes was because... once he let go of Kanshou and Bakuya, Shirou's body would hurt like hell. However, she had still underestimated Shirou. Although this burning sensation felt miserable, like he was nearly dead, it wasn't something Shirou couldn't endure. It was slightly better than having hot iron thrust into his spine.
"[Fake—"
Shirou began to imagine. What he imagined was the sword that blasted through mountain peaks. Legend has it that this sword was forged by the elves of the God-country and houses the powerful strength of the heavenly god's thunder. Legend says a single swing from the sword's original owner could make hills disappear. However, in the version Shirou modified himself, he concentrated the power of cleaving mountains and splitting the sky into a single point.
The armament was nocked on the bow. Shirou didn't need to cut down a hill; on the contrary, the only thing to do was—transform the kinetic energy that sweeps away hills into a path of absolute penetration. This crooked yet straight demonic sword finally had its True Name officially released once.
"Caladbolg II (Spiral Sword)!]"
The reason its arrow is crooked is that the atmosphere twists frantically; the reason its arrow is straight is because nothing can block its path. A spiral-shaped massive void appeared at a thirty-degree angle toward the blue sky. In this direction, the gate to the underworld was closed.
Shirou exhaled the breath he had been holding and tilted back a step. Shirou knew someone would steady him. Without missing even a second, the golden-haired girl supported his weight from behind. The gauntlet gripping the Sword of the Lake straightened out behind them. "Mana Burst" was turned up to its maximum, pressing the two together tightly within the howling storm of magical energy.
"Howl, O winds!"
And thus, the wind that reproduced the arrow's edge was generated. Leaving the darkness behind. Leaving the black mist that attempted to regather behind. Leaving behind even the black mist manifesting and waiting in the garden. Against the sky that had just begun to turn azure, the sound barrier shattered.
"[Strike Air - Hammer of the Wind King!]"
This time, the darkness didn't even have time to fill the gap. The silver meteor soared into the sky.
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