C18

She cried and prayed for a hero that reality would never allow to appear, but he finally arrived.

However, unlike the gentle, invincible heroes in fairy tales, his voice was urgent and his demeanor was rough.

But it was not wrong, this was the voice of her older brother.

He was the hero who had come to save her.

Sakura stretched out her hand.

Shirou reached out and grabbed hold of it, pulling her towards him.

"Whirring-!"

The turbulent wormhole surged, trying to swallow and deprive Shirou, who had taken their food.

Shirou projected a sword and fired it directly at the creatures, causing it to shatter in the air. The explosion's brief flash of light caused these strange creatures, who had lived in the dark and damp, to instinctively retreat. Seizing the opportunity, Shirou picked up Sakura and fled.

Sakura was still quietly sobbing, and at this time she needed gentle comfort. But Shirou had no time for that, in such a dangerous situation, wasting any time would be irresponsible for each other's lives.

Rushing out of the Matou mansion, before they had even left the garden, the familiar stench of corruption filled their nostrils. The next moment, the gloomy and murderous voice of Matou Zouken sounded from behind them.

"So that's it, that's it. Your target is Matou's granddaughter! Leave Matou's granddaughter behind -!"

"Boom!"

As Shirou ran down the path, a column of water surged up from the ground, swirling with a horde of black insects that rushed towards him like blades. Shirou quickly pivoted on his heel, dodging the attack like a leopard, but this brief pause in his run allowed Zouken, who was enraged, to catch up to him.

"To think you'd dare to take my granddaughter away, go to hell!"

An endless horde of black insects emerged from the surrounding forest, pond, and flowers, crawling toward Shirou. Even more worms emerged from the Matou mansion, gathering to form a massive, ten-meter-tall black giant.

"Go!"

The black giant formed of insects reached out towards Shirou with its hand.

The hand, made up of countless writhing insects, was enough to trigger a severe fear of trypophobia in anyone who saw it. Shirou, a normal person, couldn't help but feel fear at the sight of it. But even in the face of fear, he knew he couldn't back down. He knew that the only way to overcome fear was to confront it head-on.

With determination in his eyes, Shirou raised his finger and began to project a sword. This sword, he knew, was capable of killing the insect giant that loomed before him.

The sword that Shirou projected was no ordinary weapon. It was a sword that could only be wielded by a hero, a holy sword. It was not a sword that a mortal like Shirou should have been able to wield. But Heroic Spirit Emiya Shirou was most familiar with this sword.

As Shirou summoned the weapon, his body was wracked with a searing, fiery sensation as his 27 magic circuits sprang to life, their energy coursing through his veins like molten lava. But these immature, undeveloped circuits were not yet strong enough to harness such power, and they cried out in protest as they struggled to keep up with the demands placed upon them. Shirou could feel them cracking and straining under the strain, threatening to shatter like fragile glass at any moment.

Azure lines appeared densely on his right arm and extended to half his face, glowing with an otherworldly light. In his mind, he shouted, "Come forth! The invincible golden sword, Caliburn!"

This sword, known also as "The Sword in the Stone," was one that Shirou had copied from the same person who had wielded Excalibur, a sword that was beyond his ability to trace with his own magical energy.

The immature magic circuits within Shirou's body were overloaded as he summoned the sword, causing his right arm to shake and bleed from the strain of containing all the magic power that was tumbling inside him.

This was the price that a mortal like Shirou had to pay in order to attain a heroic feat. But finally, the sword that symbolized the achievements of the King of Knights materialized in his hand, glowing with a fierce and fiery light.

With a mighty cry, Shirou launched the sword forward, sending it hurtling through the air like a starlight arrow.

"Whoosh!"

It struck the insect giant with a mighty impact, "Boom!" completely destroying its upper body and continuing on with the remaining momentum, hurtling towards Matou Zouken with deadly intent. The surging magic power that flowed through the blade was a force to be reckoned with, and it seemed that nothing could stand in its way.

Matou Zouken looked at Shirou in disbelief, stuttering, "This...this!!! This is a Noble Phantasm! Are you a Servant? But-- why? Why don't you have the presence of a Servant?!"

But before Zouken could even finish speaking, he was cut down by Shirou's projected Caliburn, the magic-infused blade slicing through him with ease. The swarm of insects that had surrounded them scattered on the ground, writhing and thrashing as if they had lost their master.

Shirou collapsed to the ground, his right arm throbbing with pain and the right half of his body burning with heat. He propped himself up on his left hand and sweat beaded on his forehead as he struggled to catch his breath. Although his right arm was throbbing with pain, he could still feel it, so he knew that it had not been wasted. It seemed that his heroic feat, achieved through sheer force of will, had only caused his right arm's magic circuits to become overloaded, rather than causing any permanent damage to his hand.

Sakura's tears fell like pear blossoms as she looked at Shirou, "Big brother..."

"It's okay," Shirou said through gritted teeth, trying to ignore the burning pain he was feeling. "Let's go." He stood up, pulling Sakura's hand out of the Matou mansion.

But just as they thought they had escaped, a malicious voice, more malicious than before, sounded behind them.

"Don't think it's over yet! My dear granddaughter, my eternal life - I will never give up!"

The sea of insects churned and a uniquely shaped insect emerged from the horde.

That was the true form of Matou Zouken.

"To deal with Servants, we can only use Servants. Byakuya, bring that mad dog here!" Zouken commanded.

Matou Byakuya, who had just emerged from the mansion, held his stomach and twisted his face in pain. Despite his discomfort, he obeyed Zouken and raised his right arm, upon which was a red mark similar to the one on Shirou's right hand - the Command Seals!

"By the Command Seals, Berserker, come quickly to my side!"

As the Seals took effect, the next moment, a blue-white-skinned blond man with bulging muscles appeared in the Matou mansion.

"O Oppressor, O Abuser, your loyal partner, Spartacus, is already standing in front of you. Don't be afraid anymore, don't be afraid anymore, because, I am here" Berserker Spartacus's face was full of love.

Listening to these nauseating lines, Matou Byakuya's mouth twitched and his face turned black. And to directly say his real name, he really deserved to be called a mad dog.

"O Oppressor, O Abuser. I will avenge you!"

Spartacus picked up a small iron sword and pointed the tip at Matou Zouken, launching an attack.

"Damn it, mad dog!" Matou Zouken cursed and used the sea of insects to bind Spartacus's legs, then barked an order, "Byakuya, quickly use the Seals!"

Marou Byakuya nodded: "By the command of the Seals, Berserker, go and kill that person!"

He pointed at Shirou.

The seals on his right arm diminished by another mark, fulfilling its function as intended.

"No--! No no no no no no no--!!! That person is the oppressed, that person is the victim. That person is someone I am supposed to protect! No no no no no no! I will never oppress the victim, I will never attack the oppressed. No no no no no--!!! Don't do this, don't do this!"

No matter how much he resisted, the powerful force of the seals was forcing Spartacus to do something completely against his will. The muscular, blond hulk of a man had tears streaming down his face as he held the sword, shaking as he launched an attack.

That was someone he was supposed to protect, the reason for his existence, yet because of the seals, he was forced to attack the very meaning of his own existence.

"No--!!!!!!!"

With tears streaming down his face, Spartacus charged at Shirou, his sword held high. The weapon seemed to weigh as much as a mountain as he swung it down toward Shirou, easily catching up to him.

Without hesitation, Shirou pushed Sakura out of harm's way and summoned a sturdy sword, using it to block Spartacus's attack with a horizontal strike of his own. He used his left arm to deliver the blow, the muscles straining with the effort.

"Kacha Kacha Kacha"

Spartacus's strength was so great that when they made contact, the sword in Shirou's hand was easily cut in two, and his left arm, which had been used to block the attack, seemed to be broken as well.

"Ahhh Ahhh Ahhh Ahhh--!!!!"

A sickening crunch filled the air and a painful scream tore from Shirou's lips. It was clear that the impact had broken bones. Intense pain shot through Shirou's arms and into his brain, causing him to experience unbearable agony and tears to flow naturally from his eyes.

Spartacus let out a cry of agony as he shook his head, repeatedly saying, "No. No no no no no!" He struggled with the question of why this was happening, feeling conflicted as he wielded his sword against the weak.

"Why does it have to be like this?" he asked, his voice filled with despair. "I should be the sword of the weak, the shield of the weak. Why am I attacking them like an oppressor?" His internal turmoil was palpable as he struggled with the weight of his actions.

The lack of physical injuries was inconsequential to Spartacus, as the pain he was experiencing was far greater than any wound a sword could inflict. This behavior, whatever it was, was causing him immense turmoil and agony. It was as if his very being was being torn apart from the inside out, causing him more pain than he had ever known.

Spartacus yelled at his body, "Don't move anymore! My soul is commanding you to stop. Can't you feel it? The person you're trying to protect is being oppressed by your actions!"

Despite Spartacus's cries and yells, the seals held a powerful grip on him, rendering his beliefs and values meaningless in the face of its overwhelming force. No matter how hard he tried, he was unable to break free from its grasp, causing him to feel helpless and despairing.

Spartacus raised his long sword.

It's over!

Shirou's face was covered in a cold sweat as he tried to process the situation. Despite being a demi-servant, he was still just a six-year-old child, vastly inferior to the mythological killers in front of him in terms of attributes, combat skills, and even killing experience.

It's all over!

Shirou had resigned himself to his fate.

Suddenly, an arrogant and commanding voice spoke in Shirou's ear, "Lower your head."

Without thinking, Shirou obeyed the command and lowered his head. In the next instant, a bright sword shot through the air and impaled Spartacus, pinning him to a nearby pillar.

In the chaos of the moment, Shirou was unable to think about who their mysterious savior might be. All he could think about was getting out of there as quickly as possible. He leaned on Sakura and whispered urgently, "Hurry and leave."

Sakura didn't have time to feel afraid. She was too focused on the fact that her brother had been badly injured because of her. How could she keep wallowing in her own sorrowful world?

Sakura grabbed onto Shirou and half dragged him away from the mansion.

Matou was furious when he saw what was happening. "Who is it? Who is ruining the old man's plans?"

In response to him was a giant sword that could split mountains.

"Boom--!"

The Matou house was destroyed and Spartacus was unable to get up, pinned down by the giant sword. Despite the dire circumstances, there was no anger in Spartacus's eyes, only joy and relief.

"Thank goodness. Finally, I don't have to oppress the weak anymore,"