C78

We're going to die!

Waver, who once spoke politely to his professor just like a gentleman, now fled in embarrassment and was relying solely on his professor's Volumen Hydrargyrum for survival.

They rode on Iskandar's horse, fleeing from the outskirts of town to Miyama. However, the black-clad Lancer pursuing them were relentless, like shadows.

"Stop! I won't let you hurt my Sola again!" Kayneth cried out as he used the Volumen Hydrargyrum to attack Diarmuid.

"Whoosh——"

The Volumen Hydrargyrum transformed into a whip and sword, striking at Diarmuid, but he effortlessly dodged the attacks, his speed rivaling that of Iskandar's horse.

If it weren't for Kayneth's interference with the Volumen Hydrargyrum, they would have been caught and killed long ago, though their escape was coming to an end.

"What should I do? What should I do?" Waver repeated, wracking his brain for a solution.

Kayneth held his bride-to-be, now disfigured beyond recognition, and watched in heartache as she lay before him. Anger took hold of him, and he commanded the Volumen Hydrargyrum to attack Diarmuid.

But Diarmuid was too quick and the attack failed to hit its mark.

"Dammit!" Kayneth cursed, clenching his jaw in anger. "If that bastard hadn't ruined my workshop, I wouldn't be in this helpless situation!"

He had put so much effort into preparing materials for this war, only for Shirou and his Spartacus to ruin everything.

"Aaaaaaa!!" Diarmuid let out a bloodcurdling scream and launched the Crimson Rose of Exorcism.

With a rush of wind, the Crimson Rose descended like a red meteor, aimed straight for Waver and the others. But Iskandar's mount, Bucephalus, was intuitive and felt the danger, jumping out of the way just in time.

However, never in his wildest dreams did Waver imagine that the strike would be so powerful that it would create a massive pit with a thunderous "boom," sending Bucephalus and its riders flying.

Waver's head was struck by flying stones and he began to bleed, but the pain was a distant memory as the Alter Lancer appeared before him.

"Aaaaaa——!" Diarmuid roared, lunging at Waver with the Crimson Rose of Exorcism.

Waver closed his eyes, bracing for impact.

"Rider!" he cried out in his mind, calling out to the one person who resided in his heart.

But that person...

"Clang—!"

"Boom—!"

The sounds of metal colliding and another loud explosion filled the air.

Waver slowly opened his eyes and found himself facing a young man with a smiling gaze. The young man's eyes were like fire and two large black wings protruded from his back, making him appear to be a strange mixture of both devil and angel, wicked and good.

Waver was shocked and pointed at the young man, asking in disbelief, "You're Caster?"

"Caster? Ah...yes, that's right," Shirou replied. "But please, call me Fujimura Shirou. That's my real name."

Shirou turned away from Waver and glanced over his shoulder. "Step back, Waver. Don't want you to get hurt."

Waver was anxious. "Caster, Lancer is already corrupted. Let's go find Saber. You can't defeat him on your own." But as Waver looked upon the black, mud-like wings that extended from Shirou's back, he was filled with horror and stammered, "You...you're stained with mud?"

Shirou chuckled and warned, "Be careful with your words, Waver. I won't hesitate to get angry." the mud on Shirou's back balled up into fists and swung wildly through the air, emitting loud popping noises that seemed to showcase its anger.

"I'm sorry," Waver quickly apologized, lowering his head. He then asked, "But why are you still okay?"

"Because—,"

Shirou's bright eyes locked onto Waver's gaze, captivating him.

Waver was mesmerized by the beauty of his eyes, which he likened to a bright, pure flame burning fiercely.

"Because it's me," Shirou said with a warm smile.

"Bam, Bam, Bam..."

Suddenly, Diarmuid appeared from the ruins, shouting and hurling the Crimson Rose of Exorcism at Shirou.

Waver heard the dangerous sound of air breaking and shouted, "Watch out behind you!"

Shirou simply replied, "Don't worry, I've got it."

Waver's eyes widened in shock as he witnessed the giant hand of black mud effortlessly grasp the shimmering Crimson Rose of Exorcism. The screeching howl that followed sent chills down his spine.

The Crimson Rose of Exorcism darkened even further and then, as if cursed, disintegrate into fragments. Waver couldn't believe that Diarmuid's weapon was gone just like that.

'Wow...that's amazing,' Waver thought.

Shirou said, "Waver, take those two people I don't want to see away from here." Waver nodded, understanding who Shirou was referring to, and went over to escort Kayneth away.

Despite losing his reason, Diarmuid's warrior instincts kicked in as he felt the dangerous aura radiating from Shirou. He charged forward, shouting.

Shirou's heart was stirred as he watched Diarmuid approach. The mud on his back transformed into eight arms and swung towards Diarmuid, like the wrathful Vajra.

At this moment, he had accumulated too much magical energy and each of his eight hands now held the same devastating power as Spartacus at the height of his strength.

With a single strike, he sent shockwaves rippling through the earth, shattering the ground with a deafening boom. The earth split open, sending fragments flying into the air like shards from a shattered mirror. Waver and Kayneth stared in disbelief, unable to fathom the immense power that Shirou had harnessed.

Diarmuid, with his lightning-fast A+ agility, darted among Shirou's eight hands, slipping past each attack with grace. Despite his nimble movements, however, he was unable to find an opening for a counterattack. Meanwhile, Shirou's relentless blows landed with explosive force, raining destruction down upon the battlefield and draining both men's energy.

"Diarmuid, your movements are incredibly quick," Shirou said with a slight smile. "I'd love to have your agility." His tone was not one of mockery or anger, but rather of admiration and serenity.

Suddenly, a flicker of flame appeared in Shirou's eyes. In an instant, he saw through Diarmuid's exploits and duplicated his achievements.

[Knight's Strategy C-]

However, the [Love Spot] was not something that could be replicated. In order to counter Diarmuid's lightning-fast movements, which enabled him to dodge all of the mud attacks, he had to be weakened first.

With eyes blazing with flame, Shirou unleashed his magical energy and activated the [Counter Hero C-], a power he had copied from the Enlightened One.

"Shua!"

Diarmuid's form trembled slightly, and his once lightning-fast movements slowed down.

"What happened? Diarmuid's abilities have decreased by one level!" Kayneth exclaimed in surprise. As Diarmuid's master, he could still see his abilities, even after he had been contaminated by the black mud.

"Caster..." Waver murmured.

But before they could fully process this reality, the next scene left them even more astonished.

Shirou summoned eight massive swords, each towering at thirty meters, resembling mountain peaks. He armed each of his giant hands with one of the swords and launched a fierce attack on Diarmuid.

"Boom!!!" "Boom!!!"

Diarmuid, driven by his instincts, knew the danger posed by the swords and didn't dare to meet them head-on. He moved through the rubble with fluid grace, like a panther on the prowl.

In a flash, Shirou projected fifty-six sharpened swords toward Diarmuid, raining down upon him like a barrage of meteors.

"Swoosh swoosh swoosh swoosh swoosh!!!"

The ground quaked with each strike, sending clouds of smoke and dust billowing into the air and obscuring the scene from view.

"This... This..."

The sight left Waver and Kayneth completely shocked. Wasn't this style of assault similar to that of the Golden King?

And those eight massive hands... It was as if they were witnessing a myth from ancient times.

"Can there really be someone like this in the world?" Waver wondered.

This question wasn't just Waver's; Kayneth had also witnessed the scene and was left with the same wonder. Chasing mystery, pursuing the unknown, and longing for the age of gods... but if those gods with such overwhelming power, or even greater power, were to return, could it truly be...

"Aaahh!!"

Diarmuid emerged from the smoke with seven swords embedded in his body. Despite his agility, he couldn't avoid the sword shower earlier, and his body was now covered in fresh blood.

Screaming, he launched a counter-attack on Shirou.

Shirou projected dozens of sharp swords, shooting towards Diarmuid, while at the same time, eight black hands wielding massive swords hacked at him.

Despite their immense strength, the eight black hands proved to be too cumbersome and slow to wield effectively. Diarmuid sprang into action, jumping into the air and landing on one of the hands. With the Yellow Rose of Mortality in hand, he swung it with ferocity, deflecting the swords aimed at him, and charged toward Shirou with a roar.

"Ahhh!" he screamed.

However, his momentum was abruptly stopped.

"Thud."

He fell to the ground as a black mud hand grew from the giant arm beneath him, clutching tightly onto his right foot. The situation only worsened as countless small hands sprouted from the arm, like the hands of evil spirits in an eternal hell, seizing hold of his left foot, right arm, left arm, mouth, neck, and every inch of him.

"Aaaaaaa!" Diarmuid let out a muffled yell, summoning all his strength to break free from the grips of the black hands. The Yellow Rose of Mortality was hurled from his grasp, flying towards Shirou like a shooting star.

At this moment, all the Evil Flower of Freedom had transformed into arms for combat, leaving no extra mud for defense.

However

"Clang--!"

A resounding noise echoed as Rho Aias, the Conceptual Weapon known as the Seven Rings that Cover the Burning Heavens, rose to block the strike from the Yellow Rose of Mortality. The seven petals, like a flower in full bloom, easily deflected the attack and safeguarded Shirou from harm.

At this moment, Shirou's magical energy was unparalleled. All the magical energy accumulated in the Greater Grail from the failed Holy Grail War Summonings had transferred into his body as the will of the mud disappeared. He himself now had magical energy comparable to that of a leyline.

Not only that, but the [Evil Flowers A+] had the ability to absorb the magical energy from the evil of humanity, turning him into a humanoid ley line that was still expanding and growing.

Without the [Evil Flower of Freedom], he would have exploded a long time ago. Therefore, projecting Rho Aias was no longer a challenge for him.

The evil mud surged and pushed the Yellow Rose of Mortality in front of Shirou.

He grasped the Yellow Rose of Mortality and with a mental command, the mud extended four hands and took control of Diarmuid's limbs, pushing him in front of Shirou.

For a moment, Shirou hesitated as he held the rose. With a single shot, he could grant Diarmuid physical freedom, but mental freedom remained elusive.

He turned his head slightly, his gaze settling on Kayneth. Despite the indifference in his eyes, he spoke calmly, "Kayneth, come here."

Did he have the urge to settle the score? Kayneth frowned and rose to his feet, making his way toward Shirou.

Waver shouted, "Professor!" He was aware of the animosity between Shirou and Kayneth.

Kayneth sneered, "Hmph! You and I don't have such a good relationship, fool." He approached Shirou's side, asking, "Do you want to kill me?"

Shirou ignored him, coldly tossing the rose directly in front of Kayneth, "This shot, you do it."

"Why?" Kayneth looked puzzled.

He offered no explanation, instead using the mud to push the bound Diarmuid toward Kayneth.

Kayneth looked confused, but as he saw Diarmuid's face twisted with madness and a thirst for murder, he remembered the memory of his fiancé being destroyed by him. Anger surged within him, and with a single movement, he thrust the yellow rose into Diarmuid's heart, destroying his Saint Graph.

The mud that had been restraining Diarmuid began to absorb the impurities from his Saint Graph.

"Is this it... is this it... the one who took my life, the one who punished me... is that my master... finally!" Diarmuid cried, tears of relief streaming down his face.

Kayneth was bewildered.

"I... I have returned to my cursed fate, and in doing so, I have defied my own master. But to be slain by you... that would be an honor."

Kayneth showed a disgusted expression, "You foolish servant, don't sully my wisdom!"

He considered Diarmuid to be foolish and had been foolish from the moment of his summoning. Adhering to some chivalric code, speaking of not seeking the Grail and only serving the master was the epitome of foolishness. If there were such foolish people in the world of magi, they would have lost everything by now.

However, he had truly lost to such a foolish magus. Kayneth glanced at Waver, his anger rising.

"Thank you, Caster..." Diarmuid's voice trailed off as he began to fade away.

"Don't be so hard on yourself," Shirou shook his head. "I only did what I could. If anything, I should be the one apologizing to you."

"Apologize to me?" Diarmuid was taken aback.

"I'm truly sorry," Shirou admitted. "On the first night, I insulted your honor in order to protect myself. It was wrong of me."

Diarmuid shook his head. "My honor... no longer exists after attacking a child. Your words are true, I am unworthy of being called a knight. But still, I... I wish to serve my master one last time with a complete victory."

"Next time," Shirou said with a smile, "I'll be your master. That is, on the condition that I don't have a girlfriend or wife."

Diarmuid gazed at Shirou's smiling face and felt a pang in his heart that he couldn't explain. The tears that had only just stopped threatened to spill down his cheeks once more.

"You must be careful, hero of this era," Diarmuid warned, "Your beautiful eyes are more deadly than my Love Spot. Don't let it curse you. Don't fall into the same trap I did, and don't end up filled with regret like me." He couldn't help but offer this advice.

"I understand," Shirou nodded. "And you too. If you have the chance to meet Fionn and your other knight comrades, apologize to them properly. Even if you are killed, even if you are insulted, even if forgiveness is not granted, apologize anyway. At least you tried. The outcome may not be what you hoped for, but I will listen carefully to your efforts when the time comes."

"I will... and thank you... you're really a..."

Diarmuid vanished without a trace.

...

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