126 The Fight between Dragon and Tiger at Mount Lu
To the west of the stone pagoda, a high terrace had been built. Climbing up and looking outward from there, one could see the surrounding green mountain ridges rising and falling in layers, just as Su Dongpo once said: "From the front, a range; from the side, a peak; its height and distance, ever different."
"It's winter now, so all the little animals are hiding away. Otherwise, you could see monkeys here snatching food from people," Zhou Meimei said with a smile.
From the lower left side of the Great Heavenly Pond, descending several hundred meters along stone steps, one could reach a cliff. Looking down from there, it was bottomless, like a ten-thousand-fathom abyss. Only at the very top jutted out a long, sharp stone, suspended in the air like a dragon lifting its head. Thus, this place was called Dragon-Head Cliff.
When Shirou arrived here, he immediately sensed something unusual. The air here was far more turbid than elsewhere—an oppressive aura born of magical energy. Out in the void beyond the cliff lingered a breath resembling that of a different dimension.
"So this is the place?" Shirou pulled out his phone to contact Da Vinci at Chaldea.
"Yes! The source of magical energy is right here, without a doubt. Coordinates locked," Da Vinci confirmed.
"Then let's go in and take a look," Shirou said.
"Wait! Don't go rushing in alone!" Da Vinci shouted.
But the boy immediately projected an invisible cloak, threw it over himself, vaulted over the guardrail, and leapt straight into the bottomless abyss beyond the cliff.
Moments later—
"Hey, Shirou? That's strange. Wasn't it right here just now?" Hiratsuka Shizuka muttered, camera in hand, curiously looking around.
The boy, after jumping off the cliff, did not fall endlessly. Instead, he entered through an opening into a gray-black pocket dimension.
The space was several hundred square meters in size, dim and shadowy. Ahead, he saw a faintly glowing door. Stepping closer and peering through it, he glimpsed green trees and mountain peaks beyond. Unexpectedly, entering here connected to yet another world.
Wrapped in the cloak of invisibility, Shirou carefully advanced. But even before he reached the doorway to that other world, he was discovered.
"I was just out walking on the mountain and came back, and now a rat has snuck in after me? Get out!!!" roared a wiry, sharp-eyed man with red hair tied messily in a ponytail.
Shirou felt a violent gust rush toward him. Unable to dodge in time, the force of the man's punch tore away his cloak, exposing his true form.
"So you're the black mud–corrupted Servant this time? Your class is Lancer, and your true name is…" Shirou activated his Mystic Eyes, and in the dim space, clearly saw the figure before him. He asked coldly.
Standing opposite him was a short but lean and powerful middle-aged man, wearing an orange tunic and black pants. His coarse crimson hair was tied back, and in his hand he wielded a three-meter-long black spear.
"Li Shuwen! The famous Bajiquan grandmaster of China. A figure like you has also been polluted by the black mud into a wraith?" Shirou demanded.
"I never once considered myself a hero. If you must say… before all this, I was a martial artist. A martial artist who longed to challenge the strong, who yearned to fight the mightiest." Li Shuwen's eyes glowed red as he answered.
Shirou understood this was no ordinary foe. At once, he activated the pseudo-spirit foundation within his body.
This time, the one manifesting through him was the figure most familiar to him—a tall man with white hair, brown skin, and a crimson battle robe. Instantly, the boy projected into his hands the twin black-and-white blades.
"Heh… those eyes, that form. Emiya Shirou, you're truly interesting," the red-haired man said with keen interest, looking at the youth.
The battle was about to erupt!
"I had originally stayed here, not seeking you out. I was waiting for you to grow stronger before challenging you. But to think you've come to me yourself," Li Shuwen said to the boy.
"That much is only natural. In your state—corrupted by black mud—you can no longer be called Heroic Spirits. You are evil, murderous wraiths. I cannot allow you to remain in this world," Shirou declared firmly.
"Hahahaha! You call us evil? Hahahahaha!" Li Shuwen burst out laughing, as twisted black mud oozed around the hem of his orange tunic.
"What exactly are you trying to say?" Shirou demanded, glaring at the corrupted Servant.
"Nothing much. Since you think so, then let's fight! Let me see what you're really worth!" Li Shuwen said with a grin.
Shirou gave no reply—his actions spoke for him.
In the next instant, the boy exploded forward at his fastest speed, charging toward the red-haired man. He knew clearly: against such a deadly opponent, he had to end things quickly. Otherwise, the next moment could be his last.
The first pair of black-and-white blades flew from his hands, hurtling past Li Shuwen toward his back.
"Really now, I don't know whether to call it luck or misfortune. But since we've met, let's fight. This is a duel of life and death—no matter who wins or loses!" The red-haired man raised his long spear and thrust it forward at the boy.
Unflinching, the youth rushed in. He slipped past the spear tip's thrust and projected a second pair of black-and-white blades, slashing downward.
But in Li Shuwen's hands, the spear tip was as flexible as a serpent. In an instant it retracted, turned, and with two sweeping circles, flicked Shirou's blades aside.
The blades, knocked spinning into the air, collided with the pair flying back from behind, breaking apart Shirou's first two linked attacks.
By then, the charging boy had already projected a third pair of black-and-white longswords, bringing them down toward Li Shuwen.
At that instant, the spear's shaft jolted, and the tip lunged directly at the boy's chest. The spear blade gleamed like light, overtaking his strike—about to pierce straight through his chest in the next heartbeat.
Sensing danger in his heart, Shirou at the last moment crossed before him the lengthened, reinforced Kanshou and Bakuya. He blocked the spear tip, but the tremendous force of the thrust was like a giant hammer smashing down. His entire body was sent flying backward.
The supposedly indestructible Kanshou and Bakuya—blades comparable to A-rank Noble Phantasms—shattered under the impact.
Thrown through the air, Shirou painfully got back to his feet. The man's spear technique was truly terrifying—not magic, not some innate ability, just pure skill honed to its peak. Even standing still, the spear moved as if it were alive.
Shirou clearly realized that in close-quarters blade combat, he had any chance to surpass this opponent. Even the Child of Light, Cú Chulainn, wouldn't stand a chance against this level of spear mastery.
Li Shuwen's eyes flickered with the red glow of a battle fiend as he beckoned toward the boy: "Good! That last move was excellent. What other techniques do you have? Show me!"
Shirou activated his Mystic Eyes, projecting a longbow to maintain distance and pressure the opponent with firepower.
A spiraling sword projected into his hands transformed, under magical reinforcement, into a slender spiral arrow. This sword was Caladbolg, the legendary weapon from Ulster mythology, owned by Fergus, the Hero, who was both a friend and foster father of the Child of Light. Its name meant "Strike of the Heavenly Thunder."
"Using a bow this time? Very well! Then I'll show you the pinnacle of martial arts! Hah!" Li Shuwen charged forward, spear in hand.
Shirou radiated intense magical power. The arrow on his bow gleamed bright red. The moment he released the string, it became a spiraling meteor of thunder, crashing toward Li Shuwen with a thunderous explosion.
"—Broken Phantasm!"
The massive attack erupted before the target like a missile, encircled by red-hot flames and gusting winds, shrouding the black mud-corrupted Servant in smoke.
But Shirou's assault was far from over. Through the smoke, his Mystic Eyes confirmed that such an attack alone could not defeat the corrupted Servant.
This body, drawn from a simulated spirit foundation, came from a distant world—a counterpart to Shirou, an embodiment of justice, known as the Iron-Wrought Servant—Nameless.
It shared Shirou's posture, wielded the same Noble Phantasms, and represented a possible version of Shirou himself.
He chanted the incantation and expanded his Reality Marble.
I am the bone of my sword. Steel is my body and fire is my blood. I have created over a thousand blades. Unaware of loss, Nor aware of gain. Withstood pain to create weapons, waiting for one's arrival. I have no regrets. This is the only path. My whole life was Unlimited Blade Works.
The alternate dimension transformed into a vast wasteland, strewn with steel, with countless swords and Noble Phantasms embedded in the ground. Behind him, a wall formed from Shirou's unique protective belief, defending the Earth, rose.
Dozens of long swords shot from behind Shirou, encircling Li Shuwen within the smoke.
Li Shuwen thrust his spear forward, using his own spatial control to deflect the incoming iron swords from all directions. He emerged unscathed, untouched by any of the attacks.
"Interesting! This is also a demonstration of ultimate power," Li Shuwen said with fascination, scanning the bizarre little world, searching for the boy who had vanished from the smoke and the battlefield.
His eyes swept the surroundings, ears tuned to every sound, yet there was only silence.
Suddenly, an ominous aura descended from above. A boy fell from the sky, hands raised high, wielding a massive axe, and brought it down with tremendous force.
"What?" Li Shuwen looked up, shocked. He hadn't expected the boy to dare engage in close combat. Raising his spear now was too late; he had no choice but to lift it overhead in defense.
Through the enhancement of his Mystic Eyes, Shirou projected the final form of the weapon wielded by Heracles—a massive golden-inlaid axe. His projected monstrous strength augmented his arms as he swung the axe down toward the corrupted Servant below.
"Take this next move! Aaaaah!!!" Shirou roared.
"Bold! Let's see how you handle it!! Hah!" Li Shuwen, provoked, gripped his spear tightly and clashed against the descending axe.
As a modern Servant and martial arts master, Li Shuwen had reached the pinnacle of skill. Yet his weapon was still mortal.
No matter his exquisite technique and clever leverage, against a force that had reached the level of Noble Phantasma, all skill could be shattered in an instant.
Under the overwhelming might, the spear in Li Shuwen's hands could not withstand the impact and finally broke.
Shirou's axe cut through the weapon, striking toward the black mud-corrupted Servant below.
However, for a martial arts master, the spear was merely an extension of his body; his personal strength remained undiminished.
"Truly magnificent. Like being forged by a thousand hammers, a spirit constantly battling fate—resolute will, decisive courage! Remarkable, boy! But this ends here," Li Shuwen said, dropping the broken spear.
Instead of retreating, he stepped forward, seemingly covering ground in an instant, appearing before Shirou.
The axe severed one of Li Shuwen's arms, but his other fist struck Shirou squarely in the chest.
"Shirou!" A woman jumped into the alternate space, screaming at the scene.
Perhaps it was her cry, perhaps a sudden impulse, or perhaps loneliness from having no opponents on the mountain, but at the moment Li Shuwen struck, he withdrew his ki, converting the force of his punch. Its destructive impact weakened, changing from internal destructive power to a strike targeting the body.
Shirou felt as if his internal organs had been scorched. Dizzy and staggered, he was slammed backward, hurtling out of the alternate space, heading toward the bottomless cliff.
At that moment, the woman leapt high, catching the gravely injured boy.
She placed him on the ground of the alternate space, pressing her hands against his wounded abdomen.
Miraculously, holy light emanated from her hands, healing his injuries.
Nearly unconscious, Shirou's internal organs had been shaken to pieces. Fortunately, Avalon continued operating, repairing the wounds.
Though far away, Artoria Alter had appeared in this world; the girl's connection with Shirou activated the scabbard and saved him once more.
Sensing Shirou's condition, the woman finally exhaled in relief.
Gradually recovering, Shirou half-opened his eyes, apologetically looking at her.
"No need to speak. Rest well!" The black-haired woman gently said, placing a finger over his lips.
"…" Shirou looked at her, touched. Though he felt guilty for involving her, having such a reliable person at a critical moment brought him real comfort.
Then, the woman, wearing steel gauntlets, pinched the flesh on Shirou's face, twisting it with a grim expression.
"When you recover, I'll lecture you thoroughly! Just wait for it, Shirou! Understood? Blink if you understand!"
"…." Shirou, in pain, blinked obediently.
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