Chapter 15: Did You Just Dismember the Cursed Spirit?
At first, Emiya wasn't entirely sure what had happened. He had spotted Kasumi Miwa's position earlier, but the distance was too great to call out to her. Before he could even get closer, he saw her assume a fighting stance, and then she was instantly sent flying backward.
Undoubtedly, it was the Cursed Spirit that he couldn't see.
Since Miwa, a Grade 3 Sorcerer, was incapacitated by a single blow, the Cursed Spirit was likely at least Grade 2, possibly Grade 1 or even higher.
Emiya wasn't clear on exactly how strong such a Cursed Spirit was, but based on Ijichi's description, a Grade 1 Cursed Spirit could slaughter an entire city.
However, before his brain could process the danger, his body had already moved to stand its ground.
It was true that he didn't harbor any specific hatred or concrete feeling towards Cursed Spirits, but that didn't mean he could stand by and watch others die, much less his companion, Miwa.
He could not turn a blind eye to the lives of innocent people, nor could he ignore the crisis facing his companion. Even if this body was but a damaged vessel, he was absolutely resolute against doing such a thing.
However...
He still couldn't see it. He knew the powerful Cursed Spirit was standing right in front of him, but Emiya couldn't perceive any presence whatsoever.
He couldn't see where the Cursed Spirit was, nor was he sure if his own abilities could defeat it.
But that didn't stop him from firmly standing in front of Kasumi Miwa.
"Cough... It's a Grade 1 Cursed Spirit, run, then, cough..."
Miwa desperately wanted to tell Emiya to flee quickly, maybe suggesting that he could find reinforcements and come back to save her. Even though the probability of her surviving the round trip was slim, it was better than both of them dying here.
However, blood flowing backward from her abdomen into her throat prevented her from articulating a complete sentence.
"Don't speak. I'm enough here." Emiya said concisely without turning his head.
A reason to fight?
A wounded companion and the students it had already killed—wasn't that enough?
"Trace on!"
Emiya extended his hand, fiercely grasped Kanshou and Bakuya, and then suddenly rushed forward.
Rather than waiting for death, it was better to strike immediately. When he launched an attack, the Cursed Spirit would undoubtedly focus its hostility intensely on him—and with that sixth sense, he could somewhat pinpoint the Cursed Spirit's location.
It's here!
He planted one foot on the ground to slow his forward momentum and abruptly swung the swords in his hands toward his side.
Did he miss?
No, he didn't!
His various senses clashed. His vision told him nothing was there, and his sense of touch only registered a slightly heavier atmosphere. But the murderous intent perceived by his sixth sense instantly spiked.
He hit it, but it didn't die. In fact, it grew even angrier.
Still unable to see it, Emiya relied purely on instinct to pull his dual swords back and cross them in front of his chest, forming a special defense.
BOOM—!
Even with the defense, his entire body was still sent flying by a massive force that seemed to materialize out of thin air... He spun through the air, and the nausea from weightlessness and confusion almost overwhelmed his mind.
But this was no problem for Emiya.
He quickly regained his balance in the air, observed his surroundings, and swiftly devised a feasible plan.
The reason he gave up grappling with the Cursed Spirit on the ground and chose to be flung away by its force, besides minimizing damage, was primarily because he had considered the environment.
Since they were in a dense bamboo forest, using the air for leverage was not a delusion.
The moment he was attacked, Emiya had already determined his direction. After flying into the air, his feet precisely landed on a thick bamboo stalk, bending it down while simultaneously gathering power for a new surge.
Could something furiously attacking while enraged simultaneously manage to dodge?
The answer is absolutely not.
So Emiya rushed unhesitatingly toward the 'point' where he had been attacked, striking without hesitation at the seemingly empty location.
WHOOSH—!
The blade of Kanshou and Bakuya sliced through that 'point,' the speed so fast it created the sound of air being cleaved.
This time, Emiya truly felt the sensation of his blade hacking through something.
Cursed Spirits shouldn't be entirely invisible and untouchable, nor should they have the bizarre effect of only being able to touch you while you can't touch them.
Their invisibility should be more akin to a psychological effect—at least when you can't see them, you can only touch them when they have a definite intention to attack you.
Fortunately, Emiya had grasped this point from the start of the battle, rather than surrendering the initiative. In both attacks, he ensured the Cursed Spirit maintained sufficient hostility toward him, a hostility that was unlikely to vanish now.
After this strike, Emiya backed away, standing silently in place, perceiving the intense malice.
The stronger the enemy, the less he could afford to be careless; he had to remain calm.
From the two initial contacts, the Cursed Spirit's form was close to humanoid, and the last attack likely severed one of its appendages or limbs.
But the more crucial point was that fatal wounds for a human likely mean little to a Cursed Spirit.
.
.
.
The scene unfolding before Miwa was nothing short of magical. She had to start wondering if she was experiencing a near-death hallucination.
The junior she felt she should be protecting not only stood fearlessly in front of her but also rushed unhesitatingly toward the Cursed Spirit, which was likely Grade 1.
A Grade 4 Sorcerer fighting a Grade 1 Cursed Spirit!
She saw that in just a moment, Emiya smoothly ducked the Cursed Spirit's first playful attack and swung his sword, leaving a clearly visible wound on the Cursed Spirit's chest.
Immediately facing the Cursed Spirit's furious counterattack, he had his dual swords crossed in front of his chest to block it.
Then came the most exaggerated part: he actually used that force to step onto a bamboo stalk in mid-air, successfully leveraged himself back, and with a single slice, cut off the arm the Cursed Spirit had used to attack him.
In just two or three seconds, one of the Cursed Spirit's arms was chopped off!
Miwa clearly realized that even though she and Emiya were both close-combat, sword-wielding fighters, his raw strength and combat intelligence completely overwhelmed hers.
She quickly saw Emiya disengage from the Cursed Spirit and stand still, showing no intention of immediately continuing the attack.
Why?
Miwa's brain stalled for a moment, then began to work faster than ever before in her life.
That's right! Emiya's combat skills are formidable, but as a Grade 4 Sorcerer, he shouldn't know much about Cursed Spirits.
She knew what she had to do.
Ignoring the burning pain in her abdomen, she urgently shouted—
"The chest... its weakness, cough... is there!"