Chapter 64. The Witch of Silence and the Faker Named "Infinity"!
Astraea Familia Residence, front yard.
BOOM!
A massive explosion sent dust flying. That arrogant Dark Faction Lv. 5 executive—Valetta's adjutant (Mob A)—was sent flying back like a baseball hit for a home run, smashing violently into the ruins.
"Cough... cough cough!" The brute crawled out of the rubble, face covered in blood, his eyes filled with unbelievable terror. "How is this possible... you clearly only have the aura of a Lv. 2... why do you have this kind of power?!"
Opposite him, Shirou Emiya held the massive black-and-white feathered twin blades, frozen in a slashing posture. Violent, turbulent mana swirled around him, and his skin was flushed an abnormal crimson due to [Overload].
"Because I'm a... pay-to-win player." Shirou exhaled a breath of turbid air, and the dual blades in his hands slowly dissipated.
Trace Overedge. This was a technique that involved forcing the magic circuits of Kanshou and Bakuya into a rampage, unleashing destructive power that transcended level limits in a single instant. Although the side effect usually involved fractured arms, such a price was entirely negligible when it came to "showing off" and "saving lives."
"S-So strong..." Lyra hid behind her shield, poking half her head out. "That was a Lv. 5! He blew him away in one hit?! Emiya-kun, did you secretly turn on a health-lock cheat?"
"Don't talk nonsense, I just used a bit of 'technique'."
Shirou shook his numbing arms. In truth, that strike was purely a sneak attack plus attribute advantage (anti-magic property) plus the opponent's underestimation. If it were a true battle of attrition, his "pseudo-Lv. 5" state—which only lasted three minutes—would definitely have been worn down to death.
"Damn it... don't get cocky!" The brute roared, pulling a red potion from his robe—[Berserker Potion].
"Since I can't win, let's die together! For the Great Cause!"
He tilted his head back, about to swallow the potion.
"Don't even think about it!" Alise and Kaguya charged forward simultaneously. "Justice Gank——!!"
"Too slow."
A voice, cold to the absolute extreme, suddenly echoed over the battlefield. The voice wasn't loud, but it sounded like a death knell ringing directly inside everyone's minds.
Hum—
The surrounding space suddenly froze. Alise's sword stopped mid-air, Kaguya's quick-draw was stuck at the mouth of her scabbard, and even the brute preparing to drink the potion found his movements paralyzed. It wasn't a time-stop. It was—Gravity Suppression.
A terrifying mana pressure, enough to make one suffocate, descended from the heavens.
"This aura is..." Ryuu Lion looked up, her sky-blue eyes instantly shrinking to the size of needle-points. Her body was trembling. It was the instinctive biological response of an organism encountering its natural predator.
On the broken wall of the residence, a woman in a long gray dress with heterochromatic eyes stood quietly. She held no staff, nor did she take a combat stance. Just by standing there, she seemed to be the center of the world—a synonym for despair.
[Silence]—Alfia.
"So noisy." Alfia scanned the battlefield flatly. Her gaze fell on the brute who was trying to drink the potion.
"The weak should have the self-awareness of the weak. Don't pollute my air with that disgusting potion."
She raised her finger and gave a light flick.
Snap.
No incantation, no wind-up. An invisible wind blade instantly pierced the brute's skull. Along with the potion bottle in his hand, he was reduced to powder.
An instant kill. A Lv. 5 powerhouse was as fragile as an ant before this woman.
"..."
Total silence. Whether it was the mobs of the Dark Faction or the girls of the Astraea Familia, everyone was awestruck by this absolute power.
"Is it... over?" Lyra's teeth chattered. "That monster... why is she here?"
Alfia ignored the collective fear. As if taking a stroll in her own backyard, she leaped lightly off the wall. Her gray skirt brushed the ground without catching a single speck of dust. She walked straight toward Shirou Emiya.
"We meet again, kid." Alfia looked at the wound-covered (though mostly old injuries) Shirou, a playful arc curling at the corner of her mouth.
"Your 'post-meal exercise'... seems to be quite intense."
"Miss Alfia..." Shirou gave a bitter smile, deactivating his projection. Before this woman, any weapon was redundant.
"Are you here to... hunt me down? Because I didn't wash the dishes?"
"Heh." Alfia let out a light laugh (though it sounded cold).
"A small matter like washing dishes isn't worth my personal intervention."
She turned, looking toward Alise and the others. In those heterochromatic eyes, a scrutinizing light flickered.
"Is this the 'Justice' you want to protect?" Alfia pointed at the group of girls who, despite their terror, were still gripping their weapons and blocking the path to the children.
"So weak. So weak it makes me feel like laughing."
"You..." Alise gritted her teeth; though her legs were shaking, she took a step forward.
"I am the Captain of the Astraea Familia! If you want to hurt my companions, you'll have to go over my corpse!"
"Captain?" Alfia's gaze was indifferent. "Such a thing is meaningless before absolute power."
BOOM!
With a casual wave of her hand, an invisible shockwave erupted. Alise didn't even have a chance to react before being blown back, slamming heavily against the wall.
"Alise!"
"Captain!"
Kaguya and Ryuu cried out, attempting to rush forward.
"Don't move." Alfia's voice was like a command. "Move one more inch, and I will kill you."
Killing intent. A physical, tangible killing intent enveloped the area. Everyone felt as if the Grim Reaper's scythe was pressed against their necks; a single twitch would mean their heads rolling on the floor. This was the dominance of a Lv. 7 (functionally Lv. 9).
"Stop it, Alfia."
Shirou Emiya stepped in front of Ryuu and Kaguya. He looked at the high-and-mighty witch, his eyes showing no fear, only a deep sense of helplessness. "If you're here to find trouble with me, just come at me. Bullying 'kids' (though they were roughly the same age) isn't what the 'Strongest' should be doing."
"Kids?" Alfia raised an eyebrow. "In this hell, there are no kids. Only the dead and the living."
She walked up to Shirou, the distance between them less than half a meter. That cold, ghostly fragrance drifted into Shirou's nostrils.
"Shirou Emiya," Alfia said softly. "I gave you a chance. I let you live because I wanted to see what kind of brilliance you could burst forth with.
But looking at it now..." She glanced at the terrified girls behind Shirou. "You don't seem as 'special' as I imagined. Being bound by such tedious bonds will only make you weak."
"Is that so?" Shirou didn't refute her; instead, he asked a question. "Then, Miss Alfia... are you this strong because you threw away all your bonds?"
"..."
Alfia's pupils contracted violently.
Those words were like a thorn, piercing the softest part of her heart (though it had already scabbed over).
The Zeus Familia. The Hera Familia. Her deceased sister (Meteria).
"What do you... understand?" Alfia's voice became bone-chillingly cold. Frost began to form in the surrounding air. "What right does a faker like you—who knows nothing of despair—have to judge me?"
"I truly don't understand." Shirou clenched his fists, the magic circuits in his body churning once more. Even if he were to die. Even if there was zero chance of victory. He could not back down.
"But I know one thing. If I have to throw away my companions to become strong... then that kind of strength, I'd rather not have it at all!"
"Trace—On!"
The black and white dual blades manifested again. This time, it wasn't for show, but for—desperation.
"Very well." Alfia looked into Shirou's eyes, which were burning with fire. She smiled. It was a smile full of madness and anticipation.
"Then let me see. If your 'bonds'... can block my 'despair'!"
"[Gospel]——!!"
No incantation. Driven purely by intent. A terrifying mana storm erupted with Alfia as the center. It was destruction magic capable of leveling the entire residence.
"[Unlimited Blade Works]—[Shield Mode]!"
Shirou let out a roar. He channeled all his mana into the earth.
"Come forth! My swords!"
Clang-clang-clang-clang!
Countless swords burst from the ground. They weren't meant for attacking; instead, they interlaced and stacked, instantly constructing a wall of steel before everyone.
A blade-works version of [Rho Aias]. Using the hardness of countless swords to simulate the concept of the absolute shield.
"BOOM——!!!"
White radiance collided with the wall of steel. A deafening explosion echoed through the heavens.
The first layer of the sword formation... shattered. The second layer... pulverized. The third layer... melted.
"Ugh...!" Shirou bled from his eyes, nose, and mouth, falling to his knees. The pain of mana backlash made him feel as if his brain was splitting open. But he still held on with a death grip.
"Cannot... fall...! Behind me... there are people...!"
"Emiya!" Ryuu watched the swaying figure in the radiance, tears streaming down her face. Why? Why go this far? He was just a passerby... just a "ghost resident"...
"I'm helping too!" Ryuu rushed forward, pressing her hands against Shirou's back. "Take... my mana!"
"Me too!" Kaguya, Lyra, and even the injured Alise. Everyone rushed over. They stacked their hands together, transmitting their meager mana to the red-haired youth.
Is this... a bond?
Shirou felt the warmth coming from behind him. Though faint, it was so incredibly warm.
"HAAAAAAAAAA——!!!"
Shirou let out a roar. The steel wall grew again, becoming sturdier and more brilliant.
"Blocked it?!" Alfia was somewhat surprised. Although she had only used thirty percent of her power, this was Lv. 7 magic. A mere group of Lv. 3 and Lv. 4 brats, plus a blacksmith with depleted mana, actually blocked it?
"Hmph." Alfia withdrew her hand. The radiance dissipated.
In the smoke and dust, the steel wall was riddled with holes, ready to collapse at any moment. Shirou knelt on the ground, gasping for air, his consciousness blurring. But the girls behind him were unscathed.
"...You pass."
Alfia said flatly. She glanced at Shirou, then at the girls who, despite their fear, were still supporting him.
"This time... I'll let you go." She turned, preparing to leave.
"Wait... wait..." Shirou struggled to lift his head. "Wh-Why?"
"Because..." Alfia paused and looked back. In those heterochromatic eyes, a barely perceptible softness flashed.
"Your meal... isn't finished yet. Next time we meet, if you don't make me a better meal... I really will level this place."
This was probably the most awkward "letting them off the hook" excuse ever.
"Also." Alfia glanced at the distant Babel. "The Great Feud... has only just begun. If you don't want to die... then struggle with all your might.
In this era of despair... prove to me. Whether this so-called 'Justice'... can actually save the world."
With that, her figure vanished into the night. Like a nightmare, she came quickly and left just as fast.
"Phew..." Only when they were certain the monster had truly left did everyone collapse to the ground.
"W-We lived..." Lyra cried while hugging Kaguya. Alise looked at Shirou, her eyes full of gratitude and... a certain strange emotion.
"Emiya..." Ryuu supported Shirou, looking at his many wounds, her heart aching so much she could barely breathe. "You... big idiot."
"Ah... yeah." Shirou forced out a smile. "But... as long as everyone is safe... that's fine."
He closed his eyes and fell unconscious. In the final moment before his consciousness faded, he seemed to hear... a voice called "System" ringing in his mind.
[Hidden Mission Completed: Protecting 'Justice' before the 'Strongest'.]
[Reward: Heroic Spirit Emiya (Archer) Spirit Origin Sync Rate... increased to 40%.]
[New Skill Unlocked: Triple-Linked Crane Wings - Ultimate Edition.]
It seems that getting beaten this time... wasn't a loss after all.
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