This was the second time Sydonay found himself questioning this deeply from within.
In sheer strength alone, Shirou Emiya had already surpassed most Flame Hazes, and was even strong enough to utterly overwhelm certain Crimson Lords.
Not to mention the various bizarre Treasure Tools he possessed, and that unfathomable ability to create Noble Phantasms from nothing.
The ground shook violently the moment Shirou Emiya and Sydonay clashed, a terrifying storm blasting outward from where they stood.
Clang—!
Clang—! Clang—! Clang—! Clang—!
Sparks filled the sky as the heavy echoes of repeated collisions rang out ceaselessly.
At this instant, Shirou Emiya burst forth at speeds impossible for the human eye to track, transforming into moving lightning and relentlessly striking at Sydonay.
Under this rainstorm of attacks, the beastly claws gripping Sydonay's divine spear began growing numb. The succession of terrifying blows was even forcing the Crimson Lord into responses rarely seen except from humans.
But amidst this crazed assault, it wasn't that Sydonay had no opportunity to counterattack. Rather—it was that Sydonay had been attempting to counterattack the entire time.
However—
Whoosh——!
A dragon-like vortex of murky violet flames erupted around Sydonay, tearing at the air, surging out toward Shirou Emiya.
The horrifying power it contained even made the siblings quietly retreating from the scene feel sheer terror.
Yet the ring Shirou Emiya wore on his finger now radiated brilliantly, a dazzling light repelling flames of any strength. As long as it was fire, it could be blocked completely.
Much like how the Reiji Maigo—a midnight-restoring Treasure Tool—would infinitely replenish its bearer's Power of Existence as long as it was consumed precisely at midnight.
These Treasure Tools created by the Crimson Denizens had no known limits, approaching a power at the very level of rules themselves.
Even the flames of a Crimson Lord could do nothing against whoever wore that ring.
This was precisely why Flame Hazes had such difficulty dealing with Friagne. This ring, capable of repelling fire, robbed Crimson Denizens and Flame Hazes alike of at least half their power.
Fwoosh—!
An incredibly swift whistle tore through the air from the side.
Amid this battle impossible for the eye to follow, a figure wreathed in dark crimson flames split through the atmosphere, creating a piercing sound. Holding twin blades, it slashed lightning-fast toward Shirou Emiya.
Clang—!
The clash of swords reverberated at this instant, sparks violently erupting from Shirou Emiya's greatsword under the fierce strike.
But before Shirou Emiya could even react, a devastatingly heavy kick slammed directly into his abdomen.
BANG———!
Blasted backward like a cannonball by a storm-like gust, Shirou Emiya crashed heavily into a nearby building, shattering it instantly and burying him beneath the collapsing rubble.
At the very instant Shirou Emiya was sent flying, an aged voice quietly emerged from inside the cuff of his pants.
"The true form of Sabrac is the very ground beneath your feet."
Only now did Shirou Emiya recall the note handed to him upon entering this city. The old man—no, the mastermind behind this whole plot—had thrust that note upon him earlier.
That note, despite Shirou's refusal, had slipped quietly into his pocket.
Only now, amidst such a battle, did Shirou Emiya finally remember its existence.
After all, in a fight like this, where a moment's distraction meant certain death, how could Shirou Emiya have the leisure to recall something as trivial as a note?
But now, in this desperate situation, Shirou Emiya had no choice but to heed the words coming from that note.
Yes, he had indeed suppressed Sydonay, but suppression alone meant nothing.
Had he truly managed to inflict any actual damage to Sydonay in these fleeting seconds?
Perhaps given more time, Shirou Emiya could have broken through Sydonay's defenses under this overwhelming pressure.
Yet reality denied him this luxury. Even now, a deep gash still marred Shirou Emiya's abdomen. In such a severely wounded state, even using Mana Burst only granted him mere seconds more in the Incursio Armor state.
The strength of Sydonay, the strength of Sabrac—these were unquestionable. Even as Shirou Emiya's power explosively surged, they still had ways to counter him.
Even if, at this very instant, he managed to suppress them, it was nothing but a fleeting flash compared to the stable power they possessed.
A few seconds—if he failed to defeat the enemy, then he himself would perish.
Shirou Emiya was deeply aware of this consequence following his burst of power.
He knew even more clearly that after being blasted away, he wouldn't get another chance to rush at Sydonay again.
Neither his wounded body nor the presence of Sabrac beside Sydonay would allow him to attempt such an attack again.
Some things simply couldn't be accomplished by willpower alone. Like legs severed at the knees, Shirou Emiya could not rely on sheer determination to stand again.
The same applied to Incursio Armor. If Shirou Emiya persisted when he could no longer endure it, Incursio Armor would even erode away his bones.
Without legs, even reinforced by Incursio Armor, Shirou Emiya couldn't run. Without hands, even reinforced by Incursio Armor, Shirou Emiya couldn't wield a weapon.
Thus, whether Shirou Emiya willed it or not, at that moment, he had no choice but to deactivate Incursio Armor. This was no longer about willpower; it was a physical limitation he simply couldn't surpass.
Yet, at this moment, Shirou Emiya wasn't completely spent. Within his body, at least a portion of mana remained.
Though the mana consumption rate of Mana Burst was exceedingly shocking, on one hand, it had only been a few seconds since he'd activated it, and on the other hand, the mana consumed by Mana Burst was far lower than what was required to release a Noble Phantasm.
Mordred's Noble Phantasm—Clarent Blood Arthur—was itself merely an amplified application of Mana Burst. No matter how fiercely Mana Burst drained mana, it could never compare to the consumption of actually unleashing that Noble Phantasm.
Therefore, in this hopeless situation without any further means to struggle, there was only one thing Shirou Emiya could do:
Unleash the power of the Noble Phantasm in his hands.
He had hesitated to use his Noble Phantasm all this time, precisely because such a massive-scale attack would inflict unimaginable devastation upon the entire city.
It would inevitably involve many innocents.
But the voice coming from that note had provided Shirou Emiya with a solution.
If he directed the Noble Phantasm toward the very ground beneath him, this entire area had already been cleansed of life by Sabrac's devastation anyway.
Things are already bad enough—so surely, they couldn't possibly get worse, right?
With this thought, Shirou Emiya's armor began breaking apart, transforming back into two shortswords with chains, clattering onto the ground.
All the mana within him surged wildly into the crimson longsword in his grasp.
---
T/N: You can read free chapters earlier on my websiteee!
Here's how it works: If I release 5 chapters throughout the week on Webnovel, those same 5 chapters will usually already be available for free on my website at the start of the week!
So you're not getting extra chapters, but you get to read the week's chapters earlier instead of waiting for them to be released one by one on Webnovel!
Same chapters, just less waiting!
bonus chaps
50 stones → 1 bonus chap
100 stones → 2 bonus chaps
150 stones → 3 bonus chaps
and so on :3
100+ new chaps every week across all my TLs on the P website :)
hehe every 100 followers on either instagram or twitter = 5 bonus chaps...?
(for all ongoing tls)
website: wisetl.com
discord.gg/wisetl
patreon.com/wisetl
instagram: hanbaowise
twitter: WiseKingOfUruk_