More than ten minutes had passed since Shirou and the Emperor Blades disappeared.
The ones still waiting at the scene were Amiya, Rosmontis, and Blaze.
Most of Blaze's injuries had already been treated. As for her chainsaw, she had simply tossed it aside and crouched next to the two younger girls while watching the situation unfold.
Only just now had she realized that everyone's disappearance was caused by Shirou's ability.
Yet he had only taken himself, the enemies, and the mess at the scene inside with him. He had not brought any of the three of them along.
Even if Amiya and Rosmontis were young, surely he should have brought her, right?
Or was she really just that weak?
"They are coming."
Beside her, the usually silent Rosmontis suddenly spoke.
At the same time, she mobilized the few remaining pieces of tactical equipment around her and assumed an attack posture.
"They are coming out?"
Blaze quickly grabbed her chainsaw and moved to stand in front of the two girls.
"You two, calm down."
Seeing them looking as though they might charge forward with weapons drawn at any moment, Amiya hurriedly stopped them.
She had been roughly judging the situation inside through the consumption of mana.
Aside from the heavy expenditure at the beginning, very little mana had been drawn afterward.
That meant the battle inside had already calmed down considerably.
It was even possible that Shirou had already defeated all of the enemies.
"Amiya, you can come over now."
Blaze was about to say something when Shirou's voice came through the communicator, cutting her off.
The three exchanged glances before quickly heading toward the group.
"Shirou...?"
As they approached, they saw a group of wounded Emperor Blades, along with Shirou wearing an outfit that looked both strange and oddly familiar.
The familiar part came from the fact that Shirou's previous Mystic Code consisted of a red sleeve on one arm and a black bodysuit. Now there was an additional black sleeve on his left arm that all three of them found vaguely recognizable.
More importantly, there had once been a version of Shirou wearing both red and black sleeves while bare-chested.
At that time, his condition had been extremely unstable.
Because of that, Amiya hesitated slightly when she saw him in this state.
"It is me. Help me contact Doctor. Everything here has already been negotiated. It is time to bring this farce to an end."
Noticing Amiya's confused expression, Shirou found it a little strange, but he still answered and briefly explained the situation.
"Okay, I will contact Doctor right away."
Hearing Shirou's words, Amiya immediately took out her terminal and adjusted the channel to contact Doctor.
Even if he had not mentioned it, she had already planned to report the situation.
"...You are incredible."
After roughly understanding what had happened, Blaze truly realized just how outclassed she was. She even switched to using an honorific.
She was still at the stage where fighting Emperor Blades felt extremely difficult.
Meanwhile, Shirou had already reached the point where he could beat them into submission and force them to surrender.
She really was too weak.
Once she got back, she was definitely going to train harder.
"...?"
A question mark practically appeared over Shirou's head upon hearing Blaze muttering to herself.
Everyone seemed a little strange today.
First there was Amiya's inexplicable confusion.
Then there was Blaze's sudden change in attitude.
As for Rosmontis...
She remained as she always did, staying close to Amiya's side, though her gaze continuously shifted between Shirou and the Emperor Blades.
"Finished?"
Doctor's voice soon came through the communicator, audible only to the four people carrying communicators.
"Not yet. The current situation is..."
Glancing at the Emperor Blades nearby, Shirou refrained from saying anything that might provoke them.
The sincerity shown by the Emperor Blades had already been substantial.
Not only would they reveal the Black Snake's location, but they would also withdraw the Ursus military forces.
As for the rioting Infected, that would have to be handled by Reunion themselves.
Beyond that...
Shirou could not reasonably ask for more.
"Remember to honor the conditions we agreed upon."
After briefly explaining the situation to Doctor and the others, Shirou turned toward the Emperor Blades and spoke.
The conversation with Doctor was merely to inform them of the situation and allow for some tactical arrangements.
As for what should actually be done at the scene, that would still be decided by either him or Amiya.
"..."
When they first returned to the real world, several of the Emperor Blades had been somewhat dazed.
And after recovering from that daze, for a brief moment, some of them had genuinely considered breaking their promise.
If they gathered the Ursus military forces, then perhaps even in their injured state they might still be able to deal with Shirou.
In the end, however, they suppressed that idea.
After all, every one of those assumptions was based on dealing with Shirou alone.
Shirou had concerns after leaving that space, but the Emperor Blades had concerns of their own as well.
Moreover, Shirou had both Rhodes Island and Reunion behind him. Reunion had already completely slipped out of their control, and just Talulah and Patriot alone would be enough to deal with them in their wounded state.
As such, launching a full-scale assault was simply unrealistic.
"You all handle the army. Hiss... I will take care of Black Snake."
The Emperor Blade who had been chosen as the group's leader took a deep breath before speaking to the others behind him.
The remaining Emperor Blades quickly departed after receiving the order, until only a single Emperor Blade remained at the scene.
"..."
Shirou watched them the entire time they were leaving.
Even after they disappeared from sight, he asked Doctor to have people to keep an eye on them. If anything suspicious happened, he wanted to be informed immediately.
"Hiss... Black Snake should be at this location right now. This is... hiss... this is the meeting place that was arranged with him beforehand."
Only after the other Emperor Blades had safely departed did the remaining Emperor Blade take out a paper map and point to a location on it.
"...?"
Shirou's attention had still been focused on the surroundings. Upon hearing the Emperor Blade's words, he shifted his gaze to the map in the man's hand.
Then he discovered a problem.
He could not read it.
Partly because he had grown accustomed to using navigation on mobile terminals over the past year.
And partly because the map itself was ancient.
Not only was it heavily yellowed with age, but there were also traces of bloodstains on it, making it difficult for Shirou to make out the details.
"Um... this location is nearby. It is not far."
Seeing Shirou staring at the map from every angle with question marks practically written all over his face, Amiya stepped closer to take a look.
Before coming to rescue Doctor, she had studied numerous maps and documents related to Ursus.
Later, while assisting Doctor with command duties, she had also reviewed maps of the surrounding area.
That was why she immediately recognized the location.
"So it is in that direction? Is the person Black Snake is possessing this time also an Ursus citizen?"
Following the direction Amiya pointed toward, Shirou saw nothing but a vast expanse of snow.
Looking carefully, he could vaguely make out a few human figures, but he had no way of knowing which one was Black Snake.
"A Liberi," the Emperor Blade replied.
After so much time spent mentally preparing himself, the Emperor Blade no longer felt any burden about betraying Black Snake.
If Shirou asked, he could even personally lead him to the Black Snake, or perhaps even tie Black Snake up and drag him over.
"A Liberi, huh... Found him."
His eyes swept rapidly across the area, and he quickly locked onto a Liberi figure.
It seemed as though the person had sensed something, because he turned and looked directly toward Shirou.
After seeing the man's eyes, Shirou felt there was a very high chance that he was the Black Snake.
There were some differences, but the gaze was extremely similar to that of the Black Snake who had infiltrated Reunion before.
Of course, that was only Shirou's personal impression.
Perhaps he had simply become overly sensitive and suspicious, causing everyone to look like the Black Snake in his eyes.
Still, the man was wearing an Ursus military uniform, while almost everyone nearby was either dressed in Reunion clothing or ordinary civilian attire.
And he was the only Liberi present.
"Put this on and go talk to him."
After thinking for a moment, Shirou decided against immediately sniping the target.
Instead, he obtained a spare communicator from Blaze, adjusted a few settings, and tossed it to the Emperor Blade.
What if the man had been lying to him?
That possibility could not be ruled out.
That was precisely why Shirou wanted the Emperor Blade to carry the communicator and speak with the target.
If the Emperor Blade made any suspicious moves, or if the conversation sounded wrong, Shirou would immediately fire a shot and then withdraw with the others.
And if that Liberi truly was the Black Snake...
Then he would be the one taking that shot.
The "arrow" was already prepared.
"..."
Looking at the communicator in his hand, the Emperor Blade naturally understood Shirou's intentions.
Since this was part of their agreement, he did not object.
However, neither did he wear the communicator.
Instead, he simply held it in his hand and walked over while keeping it close enough for Shirou and the others to hear the conversation.
"He is so cooperative. Shirou, what exactly happened in there? I want to learn that too!"
Seeing how quiet and obedient the Emperor Blade had become, Blaze was genuinely shocked and immediately asked Shirou about it.
"Hmm... I blew up several dozen Noble Phantasms at once and reduced an Emperor Blade to ashes?"
With the Emperor Blade already walking away and no immediate danger around, Shirou finally relaxed a little and made a joke to Blaze.
Even so, his gaze never left the departing figure.
He continued watching the man's direction the entire time.
"...I will take my leave."
Blaze could more or less imagine the scene Shirou described about detonating dozens of Noble Phantasms.
After all, she had seen him use Caladbolg before.
But reducing an Emperor Blade to complete ashes sounded absurd.
Then again, now that she thought about it...
There really was one fewer Emperor Blade than before.
Ridiculous.
That was definitely not something she could learn.
Blaze's reaction before and after was so drastically different that the tense atmosphere from earlier became much lighter.
Especially for Rosmontis. Even after the Emperor Blade had already walked away, her ears had remained tilted outward in vigilance. Only now had they finally returned to normal.
"Haha. The main thing is that I only just discovered that mana seems to be particularly effective against the Emperor Blades. Otherwise, getting rid of the things inside them would have taken a lot more effort."
Seeing Blaze's disappointed expression, Shirou offered a brief explanation.
If he had not suddenly realized that mana was especially effective against the Emperor Blades, he would have been dragged into a difficult battle even within Unlimited Blade Works.
There was no way he could have handled things as easily as he did, let alone turn the tables and threaten the Emperor Blades instead.
In a sense, he had been quite lucky...
Or perhaps all of this had been arranged by someone else?
"What is wrong?"
Noticing that Shirou's expression had suddenly become tense, Amiya immediately asked about his condition.
"Nothing. He is being very cooperative. There have not been any unusual movements so far... That Liberi should be the Black Snake. When he saw the Emperor Blade, he did not become nervous at all. Instead, he visibly relaxed."
Realizing his thoughts had drifted elsewhere, Shirou quickly refocused on the Emperor Blade and the Black Snake while continuing to report their movements.
"So... do we attack now?" Rosmontis asked.
The three of them knew the contents of Shirou's deal with the Emperor Blades.
Now that they were reasonably certain of the Black Snake's identity, there was only one thing left to consider.
Should they strike now, or wait until everyone had gathered before making a move?
"Let us wait a little longer and listen to what they are saying first."
Shirou was somewhat surprised by Rosmontis' rather direct suggestion of violence, but considering that she was also an elite operator, it made sense.
It was very different from the soft and gentle impression he usually had of her.
At this moment, both her demeanor and actions carried traces of Rhodes Island's elite operators.
"Hmm... it is a little unclear. It is probably because the Emperor Blade is holding it in his hand."
Once the Emperor Blade drew closer, the group could hear sounds coming through the communicator he carried. Amiya frowned slightly.
For the three of them, the audio was already difficult to make out.
On top of that, the conversation was being conducted in Ursus language, and the vocabulary both men used was rather archaic.
As a result, they could not understand a thing.
"It is asking the Emperor Blade what happened earlier, and the Emperor Blade is reporting everything honestly... Looks like it really is the Black Snake."
Shirou's situation was different.
First, he could see what was happening and judge additional details from the Black Snake's expressions and body language.
Second, when it came to languages, he could understand the vast majority of Terra's languages directly. Even when unfamiliar vocabulary was used, he could still grasp the general meaning.
Only now did Shirou truly confirm the Black Snake's identity.
Until this point, it had only been a suspicion.
Had he not been worried that the Emperor Blade might be lying and that he could accidentally harm an innocent bystander, he might have attacked long ago.
Fortunately, it was not too late.
The Emperor Blade had not yet revealed the details of their agreement, so the Black Snake was not particularly vigilant.
"Trace on"
A black longbow appeared in Shirou's hand.
He then drew Chixiao from his waist and placed it against the bowstring.
As he pulled back the string, Chixiao's appearance began to change.
The blade gradually transformed into an arrow without fletching.
Under normal circumstances, arrows without fletching suffered from poor accuracy and greatly reduced range.
But that only applied to ordinary people.
For Shirou, it was not an issue.
His body would tell him exactly how to release the shot.
Pulling the bowstring taut, Shirou poured an enormous amount of mana into the arrow.
A crimson glow radiated from its surface.
The murderous aura contained within it overflowed continuously, forcing Amiya and Rosmontis to take several steps backward.
As for Blaze?
She could withstand it just fine.
In fact, she thought the scene looked incredibly cool and suddenly wanted to learn archery herself.
She would never be able to replicate Shirou's results, but simply trying it out sounded fun.
"...?"
Whether it was instinct, or perhaps something in the Emperor Blade's tone had aroused suspicion, Black Snake suddenly glanced in the direction from which the Emperor Blade had come.
Then he immediately turned as though preparing to leave.
The Emperor Blade made no attempt to stop him.
Instead, he crushed the communicator Shirou had given him.
"Do not even think about running!"
Seeing this, Shirou abandoned any further attempts to fill Chixiao with more mana and decisively released the bowstring.
The crimson arrow shot toward the Black Snake.
Wherever it passed, the snow covering the ground was blasted aside by the overwhelming aura surrounding it.
"!"
The sheer presence of the arrow was overwhelming.
The Liberi possessed by the Black Snake realized he was being targeted almost the instant Shirou fired.
Very little time remained for him to react.
At first, he had hoped the Emperor Blade beside him would lend a hand.
Instead, the Emperor Blade betrayed him even faster than he could process the situation.
Only now did the Black Snake finally move his body, attempting to evade the incoming attack.
Even though he knew Shirou's attacks could curve and possessed a wide area of effect, the only thought remaining in his mind at that moment was to dodge.
"Broken... Phantasm!"
Seeing that the distance was just right, Shirou decisively detonated the Chixiao Arrow.
His instincts told him that this projected weapon containing Originium would unleash terrifying destructive power once detonated.
It would not simply be an explosion like a Caladbolg.
The already crimson arrow suddenly became even brighter red.
Then the arrow itself shattered apart.
The lingering aura continued surging toward the Black Snake, tearing away a large portion of his body.
What followed immediately afterward was a massive cloud of Originium dust erupting from within the shattered arrow.
The dust instantly engulfed Black Snake.
Then it rapidly solidified into Originium crystals.
The result looked as though he had been instantly frozen by some ice-related Originium Art.
In the span of a single moment, Black Snake went from calmly chatting with the Emperor Blade to becoming a piece of installation art.
"Hiss... What a truly terrifying ability."
The departing Emperor Blade naturally witnessed the scene as well.
His assessment of Shirou's threat level rose yet again.
If an Emperor Blade had been struck by an attack like that, there would have been virtually no possibility of resistance.
Had any of them chosen to break the agreement earlier, they might have been the ones hit by that arrow.
With that thought in mind, the Emperor Blade glanced once more toward Shirou's position before swiftly disappearing into the distance.
The transaction had been completed.
There was no reason for him to remain.
"Hmm... That guy left?"
After detonating Chixiao, Shirou had continued monitoring the Emperor Blade's movements.
Only after confirming that the man had done nothing suspicious and had instead departed in the opposite direction did he finally relax.
Whether it was a side effect of detonating a weapon containing Originium for the first time, or simply the result of releasing all the tension he had been carrying, Shirou suddenly felt dizzy.
"Nicely done. Leave the rest to us."
Blaze was the first to step forward and support him.
Of everyone present, only she could reliably catch Shirou.
Not to mention that he was now a tall young man over 180 centimeters in height.
Even back when he had been roughly Blaze's height, Amiya and Rosmontis would probably have needed to use their Arts to properly support him.
Blaze was very familiar with this kind of exhaustion.
That was why she reacted so quickly, preventing Shirou from having an intimate encounter with the ground.
"Yeah. Just remember not to get too close to Black Snake. He is wrapped in Originium crystals right now, so the Originium concentration around him should be extremely high."
With the Emperor Blades no longer a concern, the remaining problems were manageable for Rhodes Island and Reunion.
They would simply require time to resolve.
As a result, Shirou merely reminded everyone to stay away from Black Snake's location for the time being.
He did not want anyone accidentally wandering into an area with a high Originium concentration and worsening their Oripathy.
"Then let us head back to camp first. Shirou, you need proper rest."
Looking at Shirou's weakened state, Amiya decided that returning him to camp was the priority.
The only reason they had remained here was to deal with the Emperor Blades and any other immediate dangers.
Now that the Emperor Blades had been handled, the rest could be left to Ace and Scout.
"...Alright. Let us head back."
After hearing Amiya's suggestion, Shirou glanced once more in Black Snake's direction before replying.
Black Snake remained encased within the Originium crystal formation.
His posture had not changed.
Even the expression on his face remained exactly the same.
It was as though he had been completely frozen in time.
Only then did Shirou allow Blaze to support him as he departed alongside Amiya and Rosmontis.