Chapter 103: The Charm of Numerical Values
His wrists were trembling.
Even as his soles did their utmost to shed the force of Emiya Shirou's downward slashes, they were being pressed so hard by this unmanageable violence that blood began to seep through. Even the stone steps where Assassin originally stood—those he had placed high hopes in, intending to use the specific elevation and his technique to compensate for his lack of strength—were failing him.
In the face of Shirou's absolute power and speed, those plans only allowed him to endure a few exchanges.
Soon, the steps of Ryudou Temple were pulverized alongside them by Emiya Shirou, clutching [Pseudo-Anubis]!
Constant projection.
Constant evolution.
Even if this evolution was merely an increase in raw status parameters, it had made [Pseudo-Anubis] an unsolvable existence to a certain degree.
This was especially true for Assassin.
With blood shaking from his limbs under the weight of that absolute force, he now understood perfectly: he was going to lose. It would be a defeat without accident, without fluke.
"Though I loathe to admit it, perhaps your swordsmanship, Emiya-sama, is the true art... while mine is but a conjurer's trick for performance."
Assassin no longer addressed Shirou as "young man"—a term used by seniors for juniors—but solemnly used the title "sama." He spoke these words with a mix of resignation and admiration, no longer resisting Shirou's strength but instead using the momentum of the impact to briefly push himself back and create distance.
It was a maneuver to grant his limbs, exhausted from clashing with only a few of Shirou's strikes, a momentary reprieve. Of course, the reason Assassin was able to disengage so smoothly was also due to Shirou's intentional indulgence.
"But even knowing I cannot match your swordsmanship, Emiya-sama, I still wish to try one more time."
The look of helpless sighing vanished instantly from Assassin's face. All that remained was earnestness as his tone turned grave. "Because I wish to know if this 'Infinite Sword' of my utmost effort truly cannot reach your 'Sword of Power'."
When he said this, Assassin still harbored a bit of a grudge regarding Shirou's "swordsmanship." After all, the technique Shirou displayed could hardly be called
swordsmanship at all... No, one could even say Shirou was simply swinging [Pseudo-Anubis] downward with overwhelming force.
However, no matter how sublime Assassin's technique was, when faced with super-strength that transcended his own stat sheet and those heavy vertical cleaves, being unable to block meant being unable to block.
This was the source of Assassin's frustration.
A sword is a weapon of murder; swordsmanship, at its core, is a trick for killing. No matter how many beautiful words are used to mask it, that remains the fact. Therefore, if a person's swordsmanship—regardless of whether it truly counts as such—cannot be blocked by anyone, then it is the strongest.
Because dead men do not speak.
"Will the final blow be [Tsubame Gaeshi]?" Shirou asked, his expression indifferent.
Or rather, the reason he had allowed Assassin to regroup was specifically for this purpose. It wasn't just Shirou's "nice guy" habit acting up again... well, that was part of it. But more so, possessing memories of a past life and knowing the truth of the Holy Grail, Shirou originally had little interest in the cup itself.
He had joined the war primarily to prevent Kotomine Kirei from summoning Saber after losing Lancer, and to stop the disaster that would follow the crowning of a victor.
Moving with that goal in mind, Shirou had avoided killing many Servants or forcing them to "retire" unless they were essential enemies. He only thought of how to drive them back and stall for time so that Illya and Sakura—who functioned as Lesser Grails—wouldn't have to transform into the Grail by absorbing souls.
But now...
Shirou had changed his mind.
Compared to his initial "stalling" method born of necessity, he had come up with a preliminary plan to save even more people. To fulfill that method, Shirou needed to thoroughly defeat Assassin.
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"As expected, Emiya-sama, you know of my Secret Sword. However, on that point, you have guessed wrong," Assassin replied, just as unbothered as Shirou.
"My final strike is not [Tsubame Gaeshi], but a new sword technique I accidentally mastered since being summoned into this era.
Trust me, in the face of this final strike, even you, Emiya-sama, will be greatly surprised!"
Secret Sword—[Tsubame Gaeshi].
The strongest technique belonging to Assassin. From a single flash in the physical world, it ignores the concepts of time and space to produce two more overlapping flashes simultaneously, creating a three-directional strike in an instant.
This is a [Multi-Dimensional Refraction Phenomenon] that transcends speed, precision, and feints. It is a technique bordering on the [Second Magic].
Yet Assassin claimed his finishing move was not this, but something even more exaggerated...
'If it's not [Tsubame Gaeshi], then it can only be [Infinity].'
Though Assassin didn't speak another word after his claim, Shirou—influenced by his past-life memories and the plot of Assassin's duel with Miyamoto Musashi in FGO—began to deduce the technique in his heart.
'Sakurai Hikaru's writing is always so mystical, and that final duel was extremely abstract. But just as the "Zero" Musashi realized in that duel was a strike that could cut through space...
The "Infinity" Assassin realized is likely exactly as the word suggests. Not just three simultaneous attacks, but infinite slashes?'
Of course, it might not be quite that hyperbolic. However, the fact that there would be more than three strikes was almost certain.
'In that case...
It doesn't seem like that big of a deal, does it?'
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