Chapter 36 Meeting Richard for the First Time
The safe distance between Shirou and that Saber was ten meters.
The man stopped at that exact range, looking at Shirou with a relaxed expression, and then... as if playing a small prank, his hand flicked the scabbard, causing the blade to spring upward a few inches.
Was this Saber a friend or a foe?
Shirou didn't feel any sincerity in the threat; he couldn't tell what the man was up to. More importantly... in that brief span of time, Shirou had already completed his analysis.
Not only did the man lack killing intent, but the sword he drew was merely an ordinary decorative sword—it couldn't even be classified as a famous blade. Although its decorations closely resembled Saber's Excalibur, it possessed little lethality. The blade showed wear, suggesting it had been used to release a Noble Phantasm, but without that release, it was a non-combat sword. And this Saber didn't seem to have any intention of activating a Noble Phantasm.
"..."
After a moment's thought, Shirou decided to play along with the man's intent. His fingertips twitched. Ethereal blue sparks of electricity crackled as the surrounding air compressed toward his hand in an instant. When the dancing arcs of lightning coalesced into a physical form, the currents of air—originally drawn in by the mystery—scattered outward.
The weapon, appearing out of thin air, was snatched by Shirou's backhand before it could even begin to fall. Then, transitioning from a backhand to a forehand grip, he leveled the blade—over a meter long—at the golden swordsman and took his stance.
The blade was called Monohoshizao (The Laundry-Drying Pole). Within it resided a master swordsman's ultimate technique that Shirou could read.
This wasn't like the situation with Sigma. With Sigma, Shirou could suppress him with one hand, but that wouldn't work against the Saber class, the head of the Knight classes. Regardless of whether the man was serious, it was better for Shirou to respond in kind.
Mainly, the man didn't seem to notice that the gaze of the Saber beside Shirou was growing increasingly sharp... Shirou felt that if he didn't step up, Saber would. And while he didn't know what the man wanted, he suspected the man didn't particularly want to be beaten up by Saber.
So, out of "kindness" for the stranger, Shirou raised his blade, holding it parallel to the ground. Guided by the blade's own memory, he locked into a specific starting form.
Secret Sword: Tsubame Gaeshi (Swallow Reversal).
In the hands of the correct ronin, this was a "sure-hit" anti-personnel demonic sword. Three slashes delivered simultaneously, causing a dimensional refraction—a demonic sword technique that is absolutely impossible to evade.
In Shirou's hands, he couldn't perfectly recreate that domain. Though it was still three slashes, the angle of each deviated by at least twenty degrees, meaning lethality couldn't be guaranteed. Despite being the only person in this era who could still perform Tsubame Gaeshi, Shirou was inferior in pure swordsmanship to the man named Sasaki Kojiro.
However, Shirou knew a trick that the original swordsman did not.
The true value of Tsubame Gaeshi to Shirou wasn't the lethality of the move itself, but the fact that "let alone three slashes, even if only two are swung, even someone as strong as Saber would have their stance shattered upon first seeing it."
A shattered stance meant a stun (stiffening). Conversely, Shirou could seize that moment when the opponent was unable to resist to release a subsequent Noble Phantasm. This fact was far more terrifying than the damage of Tsubame Gaeshi itself. If the opponent harbored killing intent and entered the range of the technique, Shirou could end the fight simply by linking Tsubame Gaeshi into a single-hit Noble Phantasm follow-up.
In other words, Shirou-style Tsubame Gaeshi was a "Parry-type Finisher"—deflecting the opponent first, then connecting a true killing blow during the character's stun period.
Incredibly, the original owner of the technique never used it that way.
Responding to the half-drawn sword with his own prepared stance, Shirou finally softened his tone and asked the Servant the question he'd wanted to ask from the start:
"Forgive me if I've misunderstood... but you speak as if you are an ally of Assassin. If you mean to say you aren't an enemy, please at least pull back that battle intent for a moment."
Since the man had issued such an invitation, it felt a bit rude not to respond. Even though Shirou hadn't come for a fight, he didn't mind one; it would just be a matter of whether the man wanted to challenge one person or two.
Shirou and the Saber stared at each other, their eyes locked, as the standoff looked set to continue indefinitely...
"My apologies, my apologies! I purposefully made it look like I was going to strike. Truthfully, I just wanted to see your sword as soon as possible. Having heard of your martial prowess and that crystalline swordsmanship, I was dying for a lesson. I simply got too excited. Strictly speaking, I should bow in apology, but given my past status, everyone would have a problem if I did that, so please bear with me."
Then, the blonde man suddenly apologized of his own accord.
He lowered his gaze instantly, looking for all the world like he was already reflecting on his actions. His fluid movements were like those of a nobleman, yet he felt entirely unburdened by any distance from the common people.
His movements were those of a knight or a king. And—perhaps it wasn't a hallucination—he seemed to have quite a lot of experience with "reflecting on his actions."
He was sincere and polite, yet possessed the piercing eyes of a wild beast. After holding that stance for so long just to end it with a compliment, Shirou's expression turned quite strange.
However, Shirou was an unknown person; logically, he shouldn't be famous enough for a Heroic Spirit to be curious.
Could Saber accept such an explanation?
Shirou glanced back, only to find that Saber's previously sharp gaze had returned to normal. She was nodding approvingly at the man's praise of Shirou.
'She actually accepts it?'
Whether he realized it or not, the "Grim Reaper" scythe of Saber's blade had finally been pulled away from his neck. Shirou hoped he noticed...
"Furthermore, I've faintly realized that entering the range of the stance you just took would be quite bad news. I have received your warning. As long as you do not wish to fight and do not harm Ayaka, I will absolutely never initiate a battle. How does that sound?"
The Saber continued in a friendly manner. This time, he extended his hand in a truly gentlemanly fashion.
Within a few sentences, he had completely deciphered the danger of Tsubame Gaeshi and the nature of the warning. Although Shirou didn't specifically shake his hand, he tacitly flicked his blade and lowered his stance. After all, the technique only worked at close range. Now that the opponent knew the "hot stove" shouldn't be touched, there was no point in staying armed.
If the opponent didn't approach, Tsubame Gaeshi was useless—and Shirou himself had many ways to break the move anyway.
Monohoshizao was thrust into the ground nearby. Both parties looked at each other and smiled.
"The fault is mine. I had heard much of your strength and was overeager upon meeting the man himself. Come to think of it, speaking without restraint while willfully releasing battle intent... it's no wonder that a posture looking ready to charge was seen as a declaration of war."
"The same goes for me. We probably could have resolved this more peacefully. My apologies for the offense. After all, even if you are friends with that Assassin, it doesn't necessarily mean you are my enemy, Saber."
"Perhaps so, but I entirely admire your decisiveness! Before I manifested, I never imagined a human would dare to intimidate a Heroic Spirit in return. This is quite a lesson in broadening one's horizons! How exciting. As I said, I look forward to your guidance later!"
Shirou responded casually, and the Saber himself seemed genuinely happy. Only Ayaka's snark comment echoed hollowly:
"What kind of encrypted chat are you two having?"
'Why did you have to point blades at each other just now? Why did the red-haired boy just raise and lower a sword that appeared out of thin air, and then Saber laughed and said he 'received the warning'? Why is Saber looking so full of admiration?'
This way of communicating... she couldn't understand it at all!
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