Caladbolg flew straight toward Black Snake.
After releasing the bowstring, Shirou did not confidently turn away. Instead, he kept his eyes locked on Black Snake's position, determined to confirm the outcome for himself.
At the same time, he projected another arrow in preparation for a follow-up attack.
If the first shot failed, he would immediately finish the job.
"This really is...!"
The moment Shirou released the bowstring, Black Snake reacted.
However, the speed of the attack far exceeded his expectations.
Almost instantly, the spiral sword was upon him.
Relying purely on years of accumulated combat experience and instinct, Black Snake twisted his body at the last moment, minimizing the damage as much as possible.
Even so, merely grazing the attack was enough.
The strike that could tear apart earth and trees shredded his entire right arm.
His right side was also covered in wounds, though compared to losing an arm, those injuries were relatively minor.
In the next moment, Black Snake activated the Originium Arts of this body and melted into the shadows.
Whoosh—
The arrow Shirou had prepared as a finishing shot narrowly missed Black Snake as he disappeared into the darkness, burying itself in the ground instead.
All Shirou could do was watch as his opponent vanished into the shadows.
"Originium Arts?"
Seeing that the arrow had failed to connect, Shirou immediately detonated the magical energy stored within it.
The explosion was relatively small.
There was no risk of setting off the other explosives in the area.
The tradeoff, however, was limited destructive power.
At the very least, Shirou could now confirm that Black Snake was still alive.
That revolting gaze and malicious intent remained firmly fixed upon him.
"I never expected that strange sword of yours to be used in such a manner. That level of penetration is truly frightening."
Just as Shirou was considering abandoning the pursuit and returning to camp, Black Snake's voice suddenly echoed around him.
"I think you are about as annoying as an insect. Surviving an attack like that is honestly impressive."
Black snakes' voice came from every direction.
It was impossible to determine the speaker's location through sound alone.
Shirou retreated several steps while carefully scanning his surroundings.
The longbow in his hands was replaced by a gunblade and a sword, reducing the risk of being caught off guard by a surprise attack.
At the same time, he finally understood how Black Snake had managed to throw Reunion into chaos almost single-handedly.
With an Originium Art like this, arranging operations right under the noses of Reunion's leadership would not be particularly difficult.
Moreover, Shirou recognized the face.
If he remembered correctly, the man was someone from the camp itself.
Not only that, but someone responsible for many tasks and possessed of considerable influence within Reunion.
Especially with that red cloth tied around his right arm...
Shirou wondered what Talulah's reaction would be if she learned she had personally allowed Black Snake into her organization.
"Thank you for the compliment. And I would advise against trying to leave. I have already arranged people around the camp. The moment they receive my signal, they will launch an attack."
Faced with Shirou's verbal provocation, Black Snake remained perfectly calm.
Rather than becoming angry at being compared to an insect, he focused on regaining control of the situation.
"..."
Shirou frowned.
The threat forced him to consider how to break the deadlock.
His opponent was hidden.
He could not find him.
Yet Black Snake also refused to let him leave.
The situation was extremely unfavorable.
"Are you not going to chat with me? I am curious how you knew it was me. Or was it simply a lucky guess?"
Seeing that his threat had achieved the desired effect, Black Snake smoothly guided the conversation forward.
"..."
Shirou had no intention of engaging.
"Silence is fine too. I can always skip ahead and have my people attack the camp."
Black Snake immediately escalated the threat.
"This barely qualifies as a conversation. I do not feel like talking to a stalker who keeps sending people to harass me."
Taking a deep breath, Shirou forcibly suppressed his emotions.
He resisted the urge to unleash the extensive collection of Lungmen profanity he had accumulated over the past year.
There was no point wasting energy venting his anger.
Finding a way out of the situation was far more important.
Unfortunately, Black Snake no longer seemed to be staring directly at him.
That unpleasant gaze had disappeared.
The malice, however, remained as strong as ever.
Combined with the Originium Art concealing his location and the inability to track him through sound, Shirou found himself at a significant disadvantage.
"Harassment? You mean those incidents in Lungmen? They were merely a few friendly tests. Archer caused me quite a bit of trouble, after all. I had no choice but to be cautious."
Black Snake naturally noticed the anger hidden beneath Shirou's calm exterior.
But that did not matter to him.
His objective was simple.
Wear down Shirou's stamina and concentration.
That would make the next phase of his plans much easier.
"So it really was that guy's fault!"
Although Shirou had suspected it for a long time, hearing the confirmation directly from the culprit still made him grit his teeth.
At the same time, he hurled the sword in his right hand away.
Of course, the anger was only a facade.
His real goal was to free up his right hand.
For defense against surprise attacks, the gunblade alone was sufficient.
The sword had become unnecessary.
However, dismissing the projection with mana or casually dropping it on the ground might have alerted his opponent.
Throwing it away in apparent frustration, on the other hand, looked perfectly natural.
At least, that was the idea.
Kanshou and Bakuya could not solve the current situation.
What he needed now was a Noble Phantasm capable of wide-area destruction.
Assuming there would still be fighting afterward, his only practical option was to use the gunblade in his left hand to unleash a Noble Phantasm powerful enough to devastate the surrounding area.
The problem was that activating it required time to chant.
And even if he successfully bombarded the entire region, there was no guarantee he would actually kill that snake.
Worse, he might accidentally detonate every explosive hidden in the area.
Furthermore, Black Snake was familiar with most of his Noble Phantasms.
The one exception was the gunblade.
As far as his opponent's intelligence was concerned, it remained a complete unknown.
After weighing the risks, Shirou chose not to act rashly.
A trump card had to remain hidden.
Information revealed to the enemy would eventually return as the sharpest blade aimed at oneself.
Crack—
Just as Shirou threw away the sword and steadied himself, a faint cracking sound caught his attention.
Lowering his gaze, he found the source of the noise.
Chi Xiao.
After a moment of hesitation, Shirou placed his empty right hand on the sword.
The instant his fingers wrapped around Chi Xiao's hilt, countless Magic Circuits emerged beneath his sleeve.
They spread from his arm to his wrist and then flowed into the sword itself.
A flood of memories surged into Shirou's mind.
Truthfully, he was not sure whether it would be useful in the current situation.
That answer would have to come from Chi Xiao itself.
After all, its previous owner had been Wei Yenwu, a man who hated Black Snake more than anyone.
Perhaps that hatred could provide some clue.
"What a shame. I am not even there. Or have you already given up struggling? That does not seem like your style."
Despite Shirou's apparent anger, Black Snake did not lower his guard or assume victory was guaranteed.
He had been observing Shirou for a long time.
He had tested him many times.
Shirou's temperament had always been remarkably stable.
Even when genuinely angry, he did not lash out in helpless rage.
Instead, he buried that anger deep within himself and transformed it into strength when the proper time and place arrived.
"You should be worried about the people back at camp right now, should you not? After all, you would not want anyone to get hurt because of your actions, would you?"
In a sense, Shirou belonged to the same category of people as Talulah, Archer, and those members of Reunion who clung to unrealistic ideals.
Now Rhodes Island probably belonged in that category as well.
This land was filled with suffering.
Yet there would always be people who believed they could stand against it and save those who were suffering.
Shirou.
Talulah.
Those Infected.
All of them were equally naïve.
"..."
At those words, Shirou let the anger on his face fade away.
His expression became completely blank.
Yet hidden within the darkness, Black Snake could clearly feel the blazing fury radiating from him.
That was exactly what he wanted.
Now all he had to do was add more fuel to the flames.
Let the fire burn hotter.
Let it rage stronger.
The greater Shirou's anger became, the better the odds for his next move.
"Now, where was I... Ah, yes. The fact that you possess abilities identical to Archer's has made me quite cautious. After he ruined a plan I had spent decades preparing with that strange sword of his, I had to invest considerable effort to put everything back on track."
From the moment he learned of Shirou's existence and his similarities to Archer, he had continuously sent people to investigate the connection between them.
After all, Archer was the one who had forcibly driven him out of Talulah's body.
Because of that, he had been forced to alter many of his carefully arranged plans.
Originally, everything had proceeded smoothly.
After being expelled by that strange sword, he found a new body and infiltrated Reunion once again.
Using every resource and every persuasive technique at his disposal, he gradually corrupted the wills of certain Infected and transformed them into pieces on his board.
Although Talulah tried to stop him, she was still too inexperienced.
She could not bring herself to kill her former companions.
Instead, she merely exiled them.
Given enough time, he could have reignited the anger of those Infected while simultaneously eroding Talulah's resolve.
Eventually, his plans would have returned to their original course.
"Everything was going quite well until you appeared. I underestimated Archer's standing among the Infected, and I underestimated your abilities. Because of that, I had to devote even more effort and resources to reorganizing my plans."
Shirou's appearance had shattered everything he had arranged.
He had underestimated Archer's reputation within Reunion.
Simply seeing someone with similar combat techniques had restored confidence to many members.
They abandoned his schemes and chose to continue following Talulah instead.
The numbers were not large, but many of them were highly capable individuals.
The people he managed to recruit were mostly newer members who had joined Reunion during the past two years.
"Though I was forced to spend many of my hidden assets, the results were excellent. In fact, they gave me an even more perfect idea than before. And now, I am on the verge of success."
The countless tests he had conducted against Shirou had cost him many subordinates.
They had also consumed numerous hidden agents he had planted in Lungmen.
Yet the results had been worthwhile.
Although Shirou possessed abilities similar to Archer's, his perspective and experience were inferior not only to Talulah's but even to those of many ordinary Infected.
He was as pure as a blank sheet of paper.
Great power.
Simple convictions.
A perfect candidate for a new vessel.
Black Snake had seen countless people like him.
All one had to do was expose the ugliest side of their ideals.
Then slowly tear apart everything beautiful.
Shatter their convictions piece by piece.
Just as he had once prepared a path for Talulah.
"So you trapped me here just so I could listen to your life story? Should I find a blanket and pillow too, lie down, and keep listening?"
After enduring this lecture for so long, Shirou was beginning to feel irritated.
Well, perhaps not entirely irritated.
Black Snake seemed so convinced of his victory that he had started dumping decades of personal history onto him all at once.
No wonder Texas always said villains talked too much.
If you have the chance to knock them down, do it immediately and do not waste time listening to their speeches.
Unfortunately, Shirou could not hit the man right now.
That left him with no choice but to endure the endless monologue.
This shadowy snake was even more troublesome than that golden idiot.
As he mentally compared Black Snake to Gilgamesh, the right hand gripping Chi Xiao continued gathering strength.
Bulging veins emerged across the back of his hand.
They intertwined with glowing Magic Circuits, creating a rather frightening sight.
"Did I not say so already? I simply wish to have a conversation with you. You need to understand some of the causes and circumstances first. Only then can we properly continue our discussion, correct?"
Interrupted once again by Shirou, Black Snake remained as calm and leisurely as ever.
At this point, there was no need for him to rush.
Everything was proceeding according to his plans.
And Shirou was merely prey trapped within the palm of his hand.
The choices he had left Shirou were simple.
Either seize an opportunity to escape.
Or be gradually eroded by his power and become another one of the Snake's scales.
As for whether Shirou could kill him?
Impossible.
The Originium Art of this body allowed him to hide within shadows.
As long as shadows existed, he could freely shift his position whenever he wished.
Most of the weapons Shirou could project were similar to those Archer had used before.
Aside from the pair of gunblades, which were somewhat unusual, Black Snake already had a fairly good understanding of his arsenal.
The moment something seemed wrong, he could simply retreat.
And more importantly, given Shirou's personality, he would never gamble with the safety of others.
Besides...
There was also a small question he wanted Shirou to answer.
After waiting for quite some time and finding that Shirou still refused to speak, Black Snake continued:
"I am curious.
I have done everything possible to shatter the image of Reunion in your eyes.
Why do you still place so much trust in this organization?
Is it because of your shared ideals?
Or because that young Elafia girl left too strong an impression on you when you first met her?
That is something I am genuinely curious about.
I want to know exactly where my plans began to go wrong."