Chapter 183: Monkey vs. Bear

The air is invisible and intangible, yet it is everywhere. Attacks released through the air as a medium are difficult to detect and extremely hard to defend against.

By the time Shinji felt the pressure being exerted on him, he had nowhere to hide.

Shinji's body began to tremble, and his thin shirt turned into pieces and scattered on the ground in an instant.

He was hit, without a doubt.

However, Shinji wasn't harmed. All his clothes were woven with the Third Magic silk threads of Justeaze. When facing a sudden attack, the clothes would act as the first line of defense through the "Collapse, Shrink, and Absorb Energy" method. The pressure exerted by Souren Araya through the air was neutralized at the cost of the disintegration of Shinji's shirt.

After wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, Shinji let out a long sigh of relief.

Souren Araya truly lived up to his reputation as a formidable human, chosen by a certain mushroom(Nasu). Even though Shinji had undergone comprehensive enhancement from the Golden Apple and had been training for over three years, he was still firmly suppressed by Souren.

The physical combat skills honed over two hundred years, surpassing the likes of Kotomine Kirei.

The intricate composite bounded field, "Six Realms."

And the relic embedded in his left hand, enhancing his life and physicality.

The perfect fusion of these three elements supported Souren Araya's immense power.

"My attributes are almost catching up to a Servant from the Three Knights' classes. I've found myself a great opponent."

Shinji wielded the "Divine Gunblade" and assumed a stance that combined offense and defense, suitable for both close and long-range combat, facing off against Souren Araya from a distance.

As he gazed at his opponent's posture, full of vulnerabilities yet devoid of any openings, Shinji's heart didn't harbor a trace of fear or despair. Instead, his blood burned, and his fighting spirit boiled.

Yes, this is how it should be. It wouldn't be interesting otherwise.

Without this level of strength, how can they be worthy opponents for me?

Ever since I began training under my master, I have never chosen opponents who were below my level.

With a flick of his right hand, Shinji's five fingers grasped four runestones, poised to press against the slingshot's string.

Knowing that Souren Araya lacked long-range means, Shinji wouldn't allow creating a small distance between them. A shadow flashed, and the distance between the two instantly shrank to five steps. However, at this moment, Shinji had yet to release the slingshot's string.

It wasn't a matter of being too late; he hadn't even considered using the slingshot to shoot. He hadn't mastered advanced techniques like the "One Bow, Four Shots."

These four runestones were meant to be used as projectiles!

"Ihwaz" from another world!

"Tiwaz" the war god!

"Ehwaz" the swift horse!

"Sowilo" the sun!

These four runestones, each with a different meaning, formed a composite runic magic.

In the modern world of rune magic, the cooperative application of three or more runestones is known as a "rune score."

The rune score Shinji was using now was specifically prepared for Souren Araya, with some of the runestones embodying positive forces and others negative.

The only commonality was that these forces were constantly changing, and this fluctuation clashed intensely with the "Six Realms," which symbolized "origins."

The integrated bounded field revealed a flaw, and Souren's movements were slightly disrupted due to the chaotic and disorderly magical disturbances.

Shinji had been waiting for this opportunity, and he swung his Divine Gunblade with his left hand, decisively striking.

"Fugu!" Souren Araya repeated his previous technique, using his left arm embedded with a relic to block the blade.

But this time, the blade didn't directly pierce through his arm as before. Instead, it eerily slid downward, leaving a bloody gash on Souren Araya's thigh.

The faint light shimmering on the magical blade reflected the splatters of blood in the air, illuminating Shinji's sinister grin, as if to say, "I've seen through your technique."

Unlike the way "Avalon" is implanted in a person's body, Souren Araya replaced his bones with the sacred relics of Buddhist saints, " Śarīra." As a result, his left arm was the strongest part of his entire body, resistant not only to swords and blades but also highly resilient against mysteries. On the other hand, the other parts of his body were not as tough.

Having succeeded with his strike, Shinji immediately retreated.

The subsequent scene proved that this choice was correct. If he had withdrawn even a moment later, Souren's palms would have landed on his body. Without his shirt, Shinji's bare upper body would have suffered multiple broken bones.

"Chougyou!" Souren Araya clenched his empty hands tightly, compressing the surrounding air twice in succession.

Shinji was prepared for this. The hurricane runestone "Hagalaz" activated.

The flowing wind indicated the direction of compression, and Shinji casually adjusted his footwork to dodge Souren's pursuit.

One step back, followed by one step forward.

Runestone in his right hand, Divine Gunblade in his left.

Whether shooting from a distance or launching a surprise attack up close with the rune score complementing the Gunblade.

There was only one key point—don't be confined by forms, find opportunities in movement.

This was Shinji's tactic.

Araya Souren's origin is "Stillness." His awakened origin granted him a long life and an almost immortal body, but it also brought some negative effects, such as a melancholic temperament and an excessively steady fighting style.

Due to the influence of his "origin," Araya is not adept at change. The trajectory of his attacks and movements appears monotonous, often relying on stillness to control his actions, going straight toward his target. Although his movement speed is not slower than Shinji's, he constantly fails to keep up with Shinji's relentless footsteps.

The rhythm of the battle gradually fell under Shinji's control.

He would advance at times, retreat at others, and sometimes even maneuver directly on the walls, resembling an agile monkey, toying with the lumbering bear that was Araya Souren.

Indeed, it was merely a "game" he played.

No matter how the monkey showed off, it couldn't bridge the comprehensive gap between it and the bear—differences in size, strength, endurance, defense, and so on were on completely different levels.

The monkey scratched a few times, but it was ineffective against the bear. If the bear swatted the monkey with its paw, the monkey would be left with half its life.

The bear remained calm and energetic, even after squatting in place all day. The monkey, on the other hand, would tire after just half an hour of running around.

Therefore, Araya Souren, playing the role of the bear, felt no urgency. He willingly relinquished control of the rhythm. Originating from "Stillness," he had more patience than anyone else. As long as Shinji showed the slightest sign of fatigue, Araya could seize the opportunity to strike back and regain the advantage.

The counterattack came earlier than Araya had anticipated. Although Shinji's movements remained unpredictable, the distance between the two was growing wider.

He wanted to run!

It was useless. The corridor had been completely sealed by the bounded field. Without undoing the bounded field, no one could escape.

Two thoughts simultaneously flashed through Araya Souren's mind. He started running, like an armored vehicle speeding forward, crushing any obstacles in his path.

Suddenly, a golden radiance tore through the darkness.

The light was so dazzling, yet so solemn as if it carried the authority of a divine being high above in myth and legend.

The light was also so familiar, reminding Araya Souren of the Buddha relics that had already merged with him.

The light emanated from a weapon similar to a Buddhist Vajra.

The golden weapon spun and whistled as it approached.

In an instant, Araya Souren's hair stood on end.

PS: In "Kara no Kyoukai," it is described that Araya Souren possesses the ability to dodge bullets fired from a handgun and crush a person's skull with a single grab. His agility and physicality are at least of B rank.

PS2: The three Knight classes, Saber, Archer, and Lancer, generally have higher attribute panels compared to the Assassin, Caster, and Rider classes.

//Souren Araya Six Realms: Fugu (不倶), Kongou (金剛), Dakatsu (蛇蝎), Taiten (戴天), Chougyou (頂経), and Ouken (王顕)