(Burning pain radiated from multiple spots on Emiya Shirou's cheeks, arms, and abdomen. Every time Kuchiba Hiro's heavy fists, covered in sharp Brass Knuckles, struck or grazed him, they left behind gruesome bloody gashes and bruises. The corner of his mouth was split, the seeping blood staining his chin, and a cut had been opened above his left eye; blood mixed with sweat flowed down, blurring part of his vision.
However, even though covered in wounds, his feet remained firmly rooted in front of the villa's door. He couldn't retreat, not even a single step! Inside the building behind him were people who needed protection, and more importantly, the stance and symbol of "justice" that he had to uphold. If he dodged, Kuchiba Hiro could easily break through the line of defense and strike the target directly, then everything would be over. This stubborn determination, while showing resilience, also greatly limited his tactical flexibility, forcing him to take Kuchiba Hiro's violent and bizarre offensive head-on.
"Bang!"
A heavy hook punch broke through the defense of the twin swords, slamming hard into Emiya Shirou's cheekbone. The spikes of the Brass Knuckles scraped off a small piece of flesh, bringing a dizzying surge of pain. Emiya Shirou could no longer hold on; his vision went dark, and he fell backward, crashing heavily onto the ground.
He struggled, still wanting to prop up his body with trembling arms.
But Kuchiba Hiro wouldn't give him the chance. Stepping forward quickly, he delivered a swift, powerful kick to his temple, completely stripping him of his combat capability!
Thinking he had passed out, Kuchiba Hiro didn't linger and moved past him, intending to head inside. But a blood-stained hand, using the last of its strength, tightly gripped his ankle!
Kuchiba Hiro's movement paused, and he turned his head, his brow furrowing beneath his visor. He truly couldn't understand this near-idiotic persistence and couldn't help but look down and ask, "This is just a job for money. Why persist to this extent? Are you related to this family?"
Emiya Shirou coughed up a mouthful of bloody foam and painfully raised his head. Those eyes, which still burned with will even in a desperate situation, looked at Kuchiba Hiro as he answered intermittently, "No... this is... the justice I uphold."
"...?" Kuchiba Hiro showed an indescribable expression of disgust, though it was hidden beneath his visor and seen by no one.
Another fool brainwashed by so-called "noble" ideals! He wondered, was it really that hard to open one's eyes and see the world? Reality was neither beautiful nor ugly; it was coarse —so coarse that all things beautiful and terrible seemed fake in comparison.
Those shiny words in books were nothing more than tools to deceive fools. Integrity, fairness, justice—these pleasant-sounding words were merely created by humans and executed by humans. How could a person be bound by something they created themselves? How could a person be bound by a few words?
But the reality was that there really was a group of fools who took the contents of books as reality! Not loving specific people, not loving specific objects, but loving some abstract concepts—what's the difference between that and loving a 2D waifu? It's pure delusion, total bullshit!
"In that case, I'll grant your wish!" Kuchiba Hiro stopped wasting words. The blade extending from his arm rose again, intending to completely finish off this "ally of justice."
At this critical moment—
"Boom!"
A golden figure, enveloped in a gale, suddenly charged out from inside the villa! Artoria had returned! The invisible holy sword in her hand tore through the air, carrying an irresistible force as she swung it down toward Kuchiba Hiro's head in a swift and peerless heavy strike! The wind from the sword pressed the dust on the ground in all directions!
Kuchiba Hiro's pupils shrank, yet he neither dodged nor avoided it.
In an instant, his entire body transformed once again into that black-gold metal statue, preparing to withstand this thunderous blow head-on!
However, to his surprise, the moment the blade was about to touch the top of his head, Artoria actually forced herself to pull back her strength! She seemed to have learned from her previous lesson, or perhaps she worried that this full-power strike might still fail to break his defense and instead leave a larger opening. Her sword's momentum shifted as her left hand reached out quickly, grabbing Emiya Shirou's collar from the ground and leaping backward, instantly opening up a distance of several meters from Kuchiba Hiro.
Protecting the heavily injured Emiya Shirou behind her, Artoria once again raised her invisible holy sword, her gaze locking onto Kuchiba Hiro with alertness and gravity. The silver armor on her body shone brightly once more; she had clearly readjusted her mindset and temporarily stabilized her "King Arthur" form.
But Kuchiba Hiro had already found the key to victory. Facing the battle-ready King of Knights, he wasn't flustered at all. With a hint of mockery, he opened his mouth again and spat out that malicious curse:
"Guinevere cuckolded you."
As if struck by an invisible arrow, Artoria's body jolted violently! The perception of "King Arthur" and Artoria's own emotions clashed fiercely once more. The corners of her eyes began to twitch uncontrollably, her dignified expression instantly distorted, and the light of the silver armor that had just recently condensed flickered violently. Its edges even began to blur, showing signs of collapsing and dissipating once again!
"Ugh—!" Artoria let out a low growl of pain, her emerald eyes filled with struggle and confusion. She understood she couldn't let herself be provoked by the opponent's words any longer; she had to end this quickly!
Forcing down the rage and humiliation that almost tore her sanity apart, Artoria poured all the magical energy in her body into the holy sword!
"Ex——calibur!!!"
She chanted the True Name of her Noble Phantasm loudly. No longer seeking a precision strike, she poured out her power in the most violent and widespread manner possible!
BOOM—!!!
Golden light soared into the sky! Like a burst dam's flood, or a giant sword of light standing between heaven and earth, it carried the power to destroy everything, slamming down heavily and indiscriminately toward Kuchiba Hiro and the vast area behind him! Wherever the light passed, the earth shattered and the air evaporated. The range of the impact was extremely wide, completely sealing off all of Kuchiba Hiro's possible evasion routes!
Facing this strike that was like a natural disaster, Kuchiba Hiro's heart also sank! He had never seen an attack of this scale before, and he estimated its power far exceeded any attack he had ever encountered!
Can I withstand it? He didn't know!
But at this moment, he had no other choice!
Kuchiba Hiro pushed his ability to the absolute limit! Black-gold instantly covered every inch of his skin, transforming him into a true, indestructible metal idol!
In the next moment, the golden torrent completely swallowed him!
"Rumble—!!!"
The deafening roar seemed to tear the sky apart! The blinding light made Emiya Shirou instinctively close his eyes. A terrifying shockwave of energy spread in all directions, kicking up a sky full of dust and rubble.
When the light finally faded slowly, the sight before them was heart-stopping.
A large chunk of the hilltop in front of the villa had been forcibly sheared off! It looked as if a god had split it with a giant axe. In the place where Kuchiba Hiro had stood, only a massive deep pit remained, wisps of blue smoke rising from it, and it was empty.
"Is he... finished?" The armor on Artoria's body dissipated once again due to cognitive dissonance. She knelt on one knee, panting heavily as she looked at the empty precipice ahead, a flicker of hope rising in her heart.
Emiya Shirou endured the sharp pain to prop up his upper body. Looking at the terrifying marks of destruction, he let out a long breath and said weakly but with relief, "He... he should be beaten... No one could survive that strike..."
Artoria snapped out of it and hurriedly turned around, wanting to support the heavily injured Emiya Shirou and provide emergency treatment.
However, just as their guard dropped slightly and they prepared to retreat into the house—
"Clatter."
A slight but incredibly clear sound of rolling pebbles came from the deep pit at the edge of the precipice.
The two of them froze instantly and jerked their heads to look!
They saw a hand covered in black armor slowly reach out from the edge of the pit, fingers hooked like claws, firmly grasping the ground.
Then, under the unbelievable and nearly terrified gazes of Artoria and Emiya Shirou, Kuchiba Hiro's figure climbed up from the deep pit blasted out by Excalibur, moving somewhat slowly but with exceptional stability!
He stood at the edge of the precipice. Although the black armor covering his body was covered in deep, crisscrossing gashes and scorch marks, making him look a bit disheveled, the overall structure was intact. Through the gaps in his visor, his eyes could be seen —still cold, sharp, and even carrying a hint of... mockery?
He had actually withstood that destructive light-cannon blast head-on and was... unscathed?!
"No... impossible..." Artoria murmured, her voice failing her, her emerald eyes filled with shock and wavering.
Kuchiba Hiro lightly cracked his neck, making a faint "click" sound. From beneath the visor came his voice, still steady but carrying a heart-chilling coldness:
"It looks like... I'm invincible!")
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