"Mmph! Mmph!"
Seeing Shirō approach with a long spear, the researchers and guards shrank back in terror, screaming frantically through their restraints.
Shirō looked at the scene and found it almost laughable.
"Heh… so even you fear death. But did you ever think about them? They were afraid too. I'm no saint—I can't solve every evil in this world, nor do I intend to.
But if I encounter it… and I can help… I will. So—repent! Kazikli Bey: Impaling Fortress!"
With that cry, Shirō plunged the demonic spear into the ground. Instantly, countless black spears erupted upward, skewering the researchers and guards in a forest of iron stakes. Their screams echoed as their bodies writhed in pain.
---
Noble Phantasm: Kazikli Bey (Impaling Fortress)
Rank: C
Wielder: Vlad III, Prince of Wallachia, the historical "Vlad the Impaler" and inspiration for the legend of Dracula.
Form: Demonic Spear
Effect: Manifests a fortress of stakes that impale and torture enemies. The more sins the victims carry—cowardice, cruelty, or violence—the greater the pain and destruction inflicted. Its power is especially effective against "targets for purge."
---
"Ahhh—!"
Their agonized cries filled the cavern.
Shirō watched, feeling a grim satisfaction welling up inside. This was the justice they deserved. Worse still, Kazikli Bey prolonged their torment before death, stretching their screams into a symphony of suffering.
But then—something inside him faltered.
"...Satisfaction?"
A wave of unease struck him. The old him—the one before transmigration—would never have taken pleasure in such cruelty. His heart shouldn't feel this twisted.
The realization hit him like a hammer. His chest tightened, his vision blurred, and all his fatigue surged at once.
His knees buckled.
"Shirō!" Tai Yi, sharp-eyed as always, dashed forward and caught him just before he collapsed to the ground.
"Let me check! I know some medical ninjutsu," Toyota said, stepping forward quickly.
"Please," Tai Yi said, laying Shirō gently down to give Toyota space.
Nakamura and the others crowded around.
"What happened? He was fine just a moment ago!" Nakamura muttered, his brow furrowed.
Indeed, only moments earlier, Shirō had unleashed that terrifying jutsu without any sign of weakness.
Toyota finished his examination. "He's fine—just over-exhausted. He needs rest."
"Overtired? But we haven't fought any real battles on this mission…" Nakamura questioned.
"Remember what he said earlier?" Shikamaru added thoughtfully. "His technique has side effects. He used it more than once today—maybe this is the backlash."
Tai Yi still looked worried, but he nodded reluctantly. "...If that's the case, let's trust him. Shirō wouldn't use something if he didn't believe he could handle it."
"Exactly," Nakamura agreed firmly. "For now, let's finish the mission. The sooner we do, the sooner we can get him back to rest."
---
What none of them realized was the true burden Shirō carried.
Projection Magic didn't just recreate Noble Phantasms—it also echoed fragments of their wielders' combat experience and mental states. Normally, the system buffered Shirō from this overload. But this time, he had projected more than ten Noble Phantasms in succession, each tied to legendary warriors with lifetimes of battles and traumas.
It was too much. Even with the system's support, his spirit buckled under the strain. Vlad III's brutal psyche had been the last straw, pushing him over the edge.
If not for the system's protective failsafe, Shirō might have been consumed or driven insane. Instead, it forced him into unconsciousness, leaving recovery to his own willpower.
---
On the road back, Tai Yi and the others pushed to complete their mission swiftly. Along the way, they vented their pent-up emotions by slaughtering nearby bandit gangs—an act Nakamura allowed. After all, what they had witnessed in that cavern had left their spirits heavy. Better to release it now than carry that darkness further.
As they regrouped, Nakamura noticed their grim expressions had lightened. He gave a faint, approving smile before leading them onward.
"Everyone makes their own choices," he thought. "And sometimes, the price is steep."
By the time they returned to Hidden Hot Water Village, word had already spread that Nakamura's team had been away for some time. Rumors swirled that they had pulled off a flawless mission.
For their enemies, it was a bitter pill to swallow. Their carefully laid plans for the Land of Hot Water had been shattered, their resources wasted. Worse still, they could not even move openly against the ninja who had undone them.
That helpless fury would linger long after.