Sixty-six - Pact with the Witch
"No, how could I, as a country horseman in my lifetime, have seen the dignity of the military god?" In response to Emiya Shirou's rhetorical question, he also did not evade, Sasaki Kojiro put on a face that he didn't even know why he didn't know why, "It's just, I don't know why, just the first moment I saw you, the idea that you are Su Wuzun appeared very strongly in my mind, but even I was startled?"
"What is the reason for this?" Emiya Shirou was completely speechless.
"Well, don't care about such trivial things." As if in turn he wanted to calm Emiya Shirou's mood, Sasaki Kojiro shrugged slightly, and then said with a very pleasant expression, "Having said that, I didn't expect that the legendary formidable Lord of the War God is actually a bird with such a flower-like face and a pleasing eye. The so-called legend is really just a legend! It's speechlessly wrong. β
"Are you making fun of me?"
"How is that possible? Looking at such a beautiful and moving ancestral god, I am extremely proud in my heart at this moment! Even the heart of faith has been raised to a whole level!" Uh-huh nodded, Sasaki Kojiro had half-closed eyes, and with a narrow smile on his face, he said, "Such a beautiful scenery, if you don't mind, why don't you just have a drink with you?"
"It's decided." His brows furrowed slightly, and after staring at the other party's face wordlessly for a while, Emiya Shirou muttered, "In the future, I will never let Amaterasu (Concubine Miyayuki) come near here alone." β
"Oh, didn't you expect that even Amaterasu-sama came to this world? And it seems that you have ever been to this small temple in the middle of nowhere? How can it be so fateful? It's a shame. β
I really want to see the jade delicate face of Sasaki Kojiro, the whole one has this meaning, and it immediately makes Emiya Shirou's brows furrow deeper.
Is this guy even reacting to his own ancestral gods?
"Not only did I not be able to meet Amaterasu-sama's face, but even Lord Sugamu refused my invitation, it's a pity, there's no way, although I'm not interested at all, but since the duty is, it's better to do business first, right?" With a sad and tragic look on his face, it seemed that he could vaguely hear what he was saying was really indecent, Sasaki Kojiro looked straight, but he still said with a smile, "So, what is the reason why Lord Sukuzun, who is not a heroic spirit, is here today?" Could it be that it was because that witch had done too many hurtful things, so she finally came to send down the curse?"
"The patron saint of this place, although he is a part-time worker, is also an extremely important friend of mine who has helped me a lot in the past."
Each other's smiles were still the same, but the atmosphere changed dramatically in an instant.
As if he could hear the creaking of the air, the silver-white long knife appeared silently and colorlessly behind his back, and Emiya Shirou put his hand behind his back, "The temple on this spiritual vein is under her direct administration." I have no right to object to it, so I'll put aside my affairs for the time being and talk to the witch in it if I have something to do, can I be accommodating?"
"Babble~ Is it really here to give a divine curse?" For some reason, Kojiro Sasaki seemed to be very happy, "Although I really want to see the female fox's grizzled face, but the opportunity to fight the god of war is also unique." β
It's a pity to miss it, the water-like pupils, with such a meaning, squinting slightly.
"Then I'll have to force my way through."
His eyes fell, and in a whisper, the hand that pressed the hilt of the sword was slowly pulled out, and the blue sword light flickered under the daylight, and then, cutting through the sky, he swung hard forward!
"Bang!"
"Goo!"
The defensive barrier set up at the gate, connected to the entire quaint mountain gate, without warning, was as if it had been bombarded by a tank, and it slammed under the loud sound of the explosion, as if it were literally blown away!
With a muffled snort, Kojiro Sasaki outside the door was blasted into the temple like a cannonball, crushing countless sliding doors and walls.
In the sound of hemoptysis, at the dusty mountain gate, a silver-white figure slowly stepped to the last step, and at the same time, he said sorry softly, and he didn't know whether he was saying it to Yi Ai, who smashed the temple by him, or to the unlucky assassin who was forced to break through by his strength without even using his sword skills.
Tempest, a force in harmony with the god of storms.
It's like Saber's Wind King Hammer, which concentrates the wind element in the atmosphere at once, and then blesses it on top of the slash and swings it for the first time, even if he doesn't do his best, he has achieved such a result, and even Emiya Shirou himself is secretly surprised.
"Assassin, what's going on?!!"
The movement of the gate was so great that even the deaf and blind could notice it, and Caster, who was guarding the temple, was no problem.
In my heart, I was secretly glad that because of my restlessness, I left Soichiro Katsuki behind this morning, and the dark purple cloak was raised, and the witch of the god dynasty had appeared in the middle of the Yanagito Temple.
Along with this, there is still a suit, but the momentum shown is far sharper than in class, and it is obvious that Soichiro Katsugi has entered the state of facing the enemy.
"No, it's not a big deal, it's just that you, the female fox, usually do too many things that hurt the heavens and reason, and the ancestor on the contemptible side came to punish the gods in person. But how to say it, he really deserves to be the god of our Oriental army! Even if it looks cute, is it a thorny flower?"
Just like this, saying something of unknown meaning, Kojiro Sasaki shook his body and finally barely stood up.
It's just that even if the blood at the corners of his mouth is wiped away, the trace of bitter smile hanging on his lips can't be erased no matter what.
In the face of such a huge difference in strength, what can he do other than smile bitterly?
Just now, there wasn't even the process of the blades intersecting, and as the name suggests, Emiya Shirou just swung a knife into the air. Then, the wind pressure generated by this empty wave surged towards him with the momentum of no waves, and swept him away at once! Even the entire mountain gate was thrown into the air by the strong wind, and then decomposed in the atmosphere, turning into a decadent and falling back to the ground.
The process only happens in a split second.
Being in that strong wind pressure, it is like a boat under a storm, not to mention the power of fighting back, it is impossible to even control itself, and in the case of powerlessness, Sasaki Kojiro was instantly defeated in the battle with Emiya Shirou.
The name of the god of war is not a non-rendition, who can shoulder the burden and get up.
With overwhelming violence, Emiya Shirou told Sasaki Kojiro this truth with practical actions.
"Damn! Is it a hostile attack? In this broad daylight?!"
"Is that the appearance of the Emiya?"
Looking at the silver-white figure standing in front of them, Caster and Soichiro Katsugi made surprised noises from their mouths, and then they were taken aback by what the other party said, including Kojiro Sasaki, who had already stood up again, and the three of them looked at each other in disdain.
"Assassin, report me in human terms! Soichiro-sama, do you know that woman?"
"He's one of the students I teach at the school, and by the way, he's supposed to be male in terms of gender."
"Huh? Soichiro, do you actually know Lord Wargod? And why at school? By the way, are you a man?! Why is this exactly the same as the legend?!"
"Killed you?"
After almost all the staff chattered nonsense for a while, the scene instantly fell into a dead silence.
Soichiro Katsugi, who ruled out only action, and Kojiro Sasaki, who had no decision, tensed his nerves due to the arrival of a strong enemy, and Shirou Emiya, who broke through with a tough attitude, looked at each other for a while, and in the end, the former was the first to speak.
"Assassin, who's coming?"
"One of the three main gods of our country. The god of war who rules the storm and the battle. β
Is there a surviving god in this era? It's no joke. Caster frowned and asked, "Report on the fight?"
"Defeat with one blow. You can't even call it a fight, right? It's just that the beautiful god of war, who unilaterally blew me away. It's not bad to say it's crushing. β
"Caster, although I came here to ask you to stop drawing life force from the inhabitants here, I have no intention of making enemies of you." Ignoring Caster's hostile gaze, Emiya Shirou stared at her uncertain face and said lightly, "I'm here to negotiate." But because your doorman wouldn't let me in, I had to use a tougher way to get in. β
"Suddenly slammed on someone else's door, this is a god or not, but it seems too rude, right?" glared at Kojiro Sasaki next to him, as if to say that you don't know how to judge your opponent? Caster still looked at Emiya Shirou with an unkind face, but the hostility in his eyes disappeared a little.
"Don't worry, I'll fix it myself. If I dismantle this place and leave it alone, I'll probably be broken by someone else when I go back. Recalling Ai's royal sister-type smile, Emiya Shirou's calm face turned a little pale, "It's not that I said that the land god here - the dragon god of Kibune, but he has a record of punching my consciousness away, right?"
"Isn't it supposed to be near the capital?"
"So didn't I just say that? It's part-time. Like under normal circumstances, I should be at Mizuo Shrine instead of here, right?"
"I see. Hawkers, no matter what, the fact that this female fox magpie nest dove occupies will not change. In other words, I have already lived in the dragon god's house, and I really want to see the dragon god's face!"
"You should be glad you didn't see it, otherwise I think you'll have to break at least a dozen bones with your character, right?"
"Assassin shut up." Maybe it's because I don't really feel hostility from Emiya Shirou's body, after the initial panic, Caster's hostility towards Emiya Shirou has diminished, and instead, seeing that Sasaki Kojiro always causes the topic, her anger is all transferred to Sasaki Kojiro. Willow eyebrows raised and glared at Sasaki Kojiro, and when he turned his head to look at Emiya Shirou, Caster's expression returned to the calmness that a witch of the gods should have, "Then Your Excellency the God of War, if you are only here to drain the energy of the people of this city, I solemnly apologize for this matter, and promise that you will immediately remove the technique to cover the city, is it okay?"
Emiya Shirou's strength is obviously unfathomable. Especially, if he really has the strength to blast him away with just one blow, as Sasaki Kojiro said, then even with Soichiro Katsugi and Caster himself, there is no chance of victory, rather, even if there is a chance of winning, as long as there is a possibility of dangering Soichiro Katsugi, Caster wants to avoid it as much as possible.
If you can just ask Emiya Shirou to go without incident, then it is just a quid pro quo for stopping the technique of draining energy, but it is completely cost-effective.
"Hmm. That's good. Then, as Su Ji Woozun, my work is over. Emiya Shirou nodded silently. Then, just as Caster and the others were finally relieved, Emiya Shirou continued, "And now, as Saber's master, my lobbying work has officially begun. β
"Saber's Master?"
With just one sentence, Caster's heart, which had been put down, suddenly lifted up again.
"So I'm not hostile, just relax." Seeing that the atmosphere had become tense again, Emiya Shirou took the lead in speaking, "Caster, now that you have come in your true body, your wish is not to obtain the Holy Grail itself, I am not wrong, right?"
As if to see through a qiΔ, Emiya Shirou's indifferent but absolutely confident gaze was quietly placed on Caster's body.
At the moment of eye contact, it was like an electric shock, as if a tube had been inserted into him, revealing the mystery in his heart, Caster nodded with a grim face, but did not speak.
Seeing this, Emiya Shirou continued, "Save each other's lives and live to the end of the Holy Grail War until the end of this farce At this point, as Saber's Master, my wish is exactly the same as your goal. β
"You don't have the idea of winning?" Caster asked.
"Are you interested in winning the Holy Grail War, or are you more interested in living with the people you hold dear to you after surviving the Holy Grail War?" Emiya Shirou asked rhetorically.
His eyes seemed to be thinking about something, and Caster fell silent.
"Well, since he has died once, if he is a contemptible person, he is more interested in fighting with the strong."
βAssassin!β
"So, are you really interested in using sword skills and the god of war after surviving this war?" After a pause, Emiya Shirou turned to Sasaki Kojiro's body, "Or are you more interested in fighting like the one just now?"
"You're already blackmailing, aren't you? "This time, it was Sasaki Kojiro's turn to be silent.
After smiling bitterly, the heroic spirit wearing an ancient samurai costume also stood aside, showing his detachment from this negotiation.
The only ones who are truly influential are Caster and Emiya Shirou.
Caster needed time to think about it, and Emiya Shirou was not in a hurry to say nothing to each other for a moment, and the scene fell into silence.
Long
With a suspicious look, Caster asked softly, "How can I trust you?"
"Didn't you kill the Assassin?" After thinking for a moment, Emiya Shirou shrugged his shoulders, "If I have bad intentions, it would be better for me to take out the Assassin in a flash before letting you merge, right?"
"You're really direct in front of the parties," Kojiro Sasaki shook his head with a wry smile.
It is true that for Emiya Shirou, if he has ill intentions towards Caster and others, it is the best choice to kill Sasaki Kojiro in a lightning rush to weaken the combat power of Caster and others.
With his strength, it would not be difficult to completely destroy Caster and Soichiro Katsugi in the future. Rather, if he really had this in mind, he wouldn't have to deliberately negotiate with Caster about withdrawing the technique.
The prickly speech, while hiding his self-confidence, also seems extremely sincere. Simply, it just narrates a fact.
Eventually, as if he had finally made up his mind, Caster slowly spoke, "What do you want us to do?"
"Save your life, and stay here until the end of the Holy Grail War."
"That's all?" As if hearing something unbelievable, Caster's eyes widened.
"That's all. Until you feel I can be trusted, of course, if you're interested, I'd like you to help me when a black, white, and clear opponent comes along. Nodding silently, Emiya Shirou then added, "Saber doesn't need to say, if you and the Assassin are deducted, there will only be four people left." The rest of the Heroic Spirits will be persuaded by me personally. β
"Are you confident that other Heroic Spirits won't come to us to trouble?"
"There are no 100% guarantees. However, I had already beaten Lancer once last night, and I don't think he would be able to recover anytime soon. As for Archer, you can rest assured that she probably has no other goal than to take my life. As for Rider, her Master is a soft-hearted junior of mine, and probably won't make a move. The only problem is on the Berserker's side, huh?"
The alarm in my heart suddenly resounded all over my body like a flood that burst my levees.
The voice stopped abruptly, and Emiya Shirou Huo Ran looked up, and in the distance, he could vaguely see a red dress and a silver hair shining in the sun.
A red dot that was originally invisible, in an instant, had already flown to the sky above the Liudong Temple, with an invisible magical wind pressure, directly approaching Emiya Shirou and the others.
The barrier was broken, and he was still in the middle of talking to Emiya Shirou looking at the red flash that was about to explode, and by the time Caster came back to his senses, the timing of the chant had already been lost.
Kojiro Sasaki and Soichiro Katsuragi are not the type to deal with this kind of wide-area attack.
In the face of sniping without warning, the only one who could react was Emiya Shirou, who had already sensed danger one step earlier.
"Rho-Aias (Seven Rings of Blazing Sky)."
Personified, there is no need to activate the magic circuit. In his own body, he is an endless ocean of magic.
At the last moment, just spitting out the name of the treasure, the cherry-colored shield was already in his hand, and it blocked the incoming bombardment with a bang, rolling up endless sand and dust.
The sand and dust gradually dispersed, and the shield that blocked the sniper gradually appeared in everyone's sight, and the magic bullet with the illusion of Honkai only shattered one of the petals of the cherry shield. The outstretched arm didn't even shake for half a minute, and as for Emiya Shirou himself, he stood in place unscathed.
"I suddenly have something important to settle and take my leave."
In Chengjing's eyes, it was as if he had been thrown into a small stone, setting off bursts of ripples.
He said lightly to remember the promise, and when he came back to his senses, the figure of Emiya Shirou had already disappeared from the sight of Caster and the others
P.S.1:
Well, because of the word count, it's late today.