An Unexpected Meeting. Enter the Blood-Sucker

Good news. He won't change into some kind of semi-Phantasmal Beast over time

Even better news. The Magic Core wasn't leaking any Prana at all despite being completely active.

Which begs the question, "Where is all that Prana going?"

Bad news. Said Magic Core was functionally active, which ended up sending surges of Prana in his Circuits that messed up his control. After some experimentation, Shirou found out that surges were more frequent when he either used Magecraft in prolonged periods or attempted to bring out Noble Phantasms above D rank.

And then there's the news that was turning Shirou's hair white prematurely.

He honestly wished it was his overuse of Projection like last time, but his hair was genuinely turning white from the constant stress.

The fact that the Magic Core was implanted to serve as an anchor point and Prana supplement for ALAYA loomed over his head. And considering how his Circuits were randomly unchained from ALAYA's grasp, he had a ticking time bomb in his body without any reliable count for when it would explode.

And by exploding, he meant catching the attention of every supernatural being in the city.

…That and there was a pretty good chance of him actually exploding. The immense surge of Prana from the Magic Core would probably burn him from the inside out.

Did he mention that his Circuits were not meant to support a Magic Core? Cause they weren't

The metaphysical organ was an implantation done by ALAYA, adjusted particularly for his soul. Considering that he was the original EMIYA rather than a copy, his soul carried an overly-large Conceptual Weight which would have killed his birth body in the womb.

If not for the artificial Magic Core that is.

"'Live' my fucking left nut. Damn you ALAYA!" He screamed to the heavens.

The cracks in his Reality Marble that formed from his rage had long since disappeared. Molten iron had cooled, then dissolved in motes of Prana, glowing blue in the evening light.

A rather mesmerizing sight, had the former Counter Guardian been not swearing his admittedly little vocabulary of cusses at where ALAYA's fragment presumably was.

"You tell me to live, then paint a target more obvious than that fake priest's sadism on my back? What kind of twisted, shitty, backward logic is that you fucking cunt?!"

The man-turned-child screamed his heart out, cursing the very being that gave him his new life.

Time was not counted. Hours passed by, and EMIYA's rage had not subsided. Instead, it was covered by a layer of reluctant acceptance, defeat and tiredness. He'd been betrayed more times than he could count, yet he foolishly believed that he could finally rest this time around.

"...Naive..", he whispered, the intended recipient already hearing it before it was spoken.

A hollow chuckle rang out.

"..I should have known better than to hope.."

His shoulders slumped. His words sounded hollow. There was no hint of despair, no anger, no emotion. Just empty.

Yet Shirou's dull eyes still had a spark of life to them, EMIYA's steel gray eyes still had a drive behind them. Both were the same person, yet different in some cases. But at that moment, they were one.

They both were on their knees, kneeling on the barren plains. Amber orbs stared at the dusty ground beneath him, empty and broken. One body, one soul. Two personas, yet one mind. An image of his older self superimposed on his new body. The Mask and his True Self felt the pain of being betrayed once again.

"I.. I can't."

Yet the fire still burns.

Big bro Shirou! Come play with us!

Say Shirou, what's for lunch today? I really hope it's ravioli again!

Honestly kiddo, I'll figure out how you made this one day. But.. its nice to have food like this. Never was good at cooking anyways.

Wow, it's good as new! .. What do you mean no payment? Mister Emiya, no work goes unpaid in this house. Take this and treat yourself to something nice.

Heya Boss! Here's the monthly deposit. And err.. Thanks Boss. For that extra cash back then. I'm really grateful for it ya know? Ill make it up to you! Least I could do, otherwise my old man would kill me if he knew a kid helped pay for his surgery.

Hey Shirou? Keep patting my head. I don't know why, but it feels reaaaally good when you do that. Hm? Ah.. no. Michael never did this before. Eh? Why are you making that face Shirou?

Memories.

Not of an age long past, but of his life now. The children from the orphanage, Marie, the people at the marketplace, even some of the "customers" he had for fixing machinery. And Gabriel.

His clenched fists trembled. Blood dripped from his hands.

"I can't stay here anymore"

He wanted to. He truly did. He had gotten his "warm, small share of happiness", as that Boy Under Snow would have put it, after so long.

But to linger too long would be to threaten that happiness.

"...This is it, eh?"

The anguished grimace he had all this time softened to a forlorn and reluctant expression.

Shirou knew that this day would come sooner or later, whether by his choice or by fate. He turned his gaze from the ground, up to the cog-wheels up above.

That foolish, idealistic boy within the Counter Guardian had never left. Just... pushed down from all the scars he had accumulated. Under that pressure, he had been thrown into the flame, beaten, bent and chipped again and again, until all that remained was the jaded blade known as EMIYA.

But even then, his core remained the same.

I am the bone of my sword.

He refused to be selfish. Or rather, it was his selfishness that drove him to this decision.

I need to leave.

The polluted skies of his Reality Marble returned no answer to his gaze.

His rage finally abated. Centuries upon centuries of killing his emotion's helped in that regard. Shirou couldn't let them affect him now, not when there were lives at stake. Lives he held precious over others.

His "World".

Despite his initial thought of leaving home, Shirou once again evaluated his options.

Runecraft? Not proficient enough. Formalcraft? Possible, materials required would attract attention and space needed would make measures impractical. Projection? Noble Phantasms and Mystic Codes at and above C rank were unavailable. Currently having their Conceptual Existences used as anchors for ALAYA to function. Available equipment unsuitable or too weak to hide the existence of Magic Core.

The most effective option he could find was to either seal away his Magic Circuits, and his Core along with them. But that made him a sitting duck, should anything supernatural come his way. His best options would be to make use of the Holy Shroud of Martin, but unfortunately the Shroud counted as a C, borderline B-Class Mystic Code.

Shirou paused in his musing. Maybe I could ask Gabriel..

He shook his head. While the idea was worth a try, a Holy Shroud was still a relic of importance and would definitely leave a trail. Something he could not afford right now. Asking for a Seal formulae of a high enough caliber for a Magic Core would raise eyebrows.

Shirou sighed.

He would have to rely on temporary measures then.

"..If I see Rin ever again, I'm going to cook her a feast so large she won't have to cook for a decade." He grumbled while standing up. The intention behind that statement was more of an apology than thanks.

Considering he was going to bastardize her Jewelcraft, it was the least he could do.

A split second later and his senses returned to normal.

He was no longer surrounded by a barren field of swords, instead he was back at his apartment. Shirou stood up and took a few moments to stretch, earning a few pops from his spine and hips. Letting out a small groan of relief, he twisted and got a few more cracks.

Loosening the muscles that had gotten slightly sore from his- Shirou looked at the clock- four hour long session, Shirou made his way to his desk. A minor application of Alteration on the wall later, he poured over his notes on Magecraft and Runes.

This is gonna be a pain in the ass, he thought while flipping a page.

Mother Marie was surprised.

"You're going to apply for Universities abroad? What made you change your decision earlier?"

She asked the young man before her. She couldn't help but glance at the out-of-place lock of white hair on the redhead.

"Yup. Though I might as well get out of the country, enjoy something new. Maybe go see the world a bit."

Shirou typed away at his laptop. Several tabs were already open, each about prospects of studying abroad, advice regarding application and such.

"Can't say I'm surprised honestly. You always were such a mature child." Marie mumbled out in return. She hobbled over to a chair on the other side of the desk and sat down. The room was originally meant to be the study of the orphanage's caretaker, but Marie was all too willing to let Shirou use it for some peace and quiet.

"Have you thought of which Universities you're going to apply to?"

Shirou's finger paused briefly.

"I'm thinking somewhere along the lines of Britain."

"Britain? I thought you would go to Japan. Why Britain though? You've never expressed any interest in the United Kingdoms before, aside their tea that is."

A small smile quirked on his lips. A brief flash of gold and blue swept across his vision, disappearing as soon as it came.

"Would you believe me if I said it's because of a story I heard once?"

Marie stared at Shirou before breaking out into peals of laughter.

"Well-" she managed to speak out, wiping a tear that managed to leak while she laughed. "It's not the weirdest thing you've done before."

She calmed down and gave him a happy smile.

"In fact this is probably the most childish thing I've seen you do ever since you came here!"

Shirou snorted, letting his eyes close while he allowed himself a small smile. He glanced at Marie with his left eye, smirking all the while.

"Usually people would jump for joy at an easy-to-handle kid. Perhaps you're the weird one here Marie."

"I have to be in order to tame the hellions."

"Now now, you're being too nice to them. Harbingers of whining, headaches and broken furniture would be more appropriate."

Shirou turned back to his laptop.

"And that's including the older ones."

Marie let loose a bark of laughter at that. Their talk slowed to a comfortable silence.

"Say Shirou-"

"You're thinking of using your savings to fund my education. So, no. I'm not going to tell you which University I'm going to apply to."

Marie gaped.

"How did you know?"

Shirou tapped on his desk without looking away from his screen.

"You need to hide your bank statements and cheque books better. I noticed the separated accounts with my name on it, and I'm telling you this now. I'll be fine, use the money for the orphanage rather than me."

"..."

Mother Marie sunk into her chair.

"Never could hide anything from you."

Shirou glanced at her with another smirk, though it was less taunting and softer.

"I always did like poking my nose in places I shouldn't look."

She snorted, and their conversation lulled once more.

The intention was sweet and Shirou appreciated it greatly. Though technically he would be paying for his tuition fees even if she did offer to pitch in money.

The money came from donations to the orphanage, and some of said donations came from an anonymous donor that wasn't Gabriel. Which happened to be one of the local gang members he bought out.

Perks of being born at a time period earlier than your original birth includes knowledge of events that will happen. Which includes stocks. It helped that this world happened to have an almost exact copy of historical events that occurred in Shirou's original world.

He started his side project at the age of 14. Since he couldn't do it himself, Shirou had convinced (beaten up, hog tied and harassed) several gang members at local premises to do most of his work for him. He made sure to pay them for their services at the end, and overtime they turned into a pseudo-police force under his management for the area. Similar to how the Fujimura group had been in Fuyuki, just extremely downgraded though.

And Marie took it as a Blessing from God.

It also helped that EMIYA had some experience in regards to markets, business and economics to squeeze every single penny he could out of his investments. Accounting was still troublesome, but it helped keep everything on track and steady.

And so over 4 years, the investments and stocks he had bought initially at a few thousand euro, courtesy of saving money from the few odd jobs and swiping wallets off pickpockets on the streets, had multiplied and stashed away into several offshore and local accounts.

In short, Shirou was filthy rich, enough to give Rin an aneurysm if she were to count the zeros on just one of the banks.

*Ding Dong*

"Hm… Wonder who that is?"

Marie stood up slowly and began walking out of the room. Shirou offered no words to her question, nor was he curious. He already knew who it was, judging by the smell of Holy Light. He already knew she was on her way here around ten minutes ago, so he wasn't surprised. He had been getting hints of her Prana diffusing in the air since then, and it was only getting stronger.

Though what did intrigue him was the smell that accompanied her today. Someone that smelt of ozone, water, dirt, smoke and a fresh spring breeze all mixed into one.

An Average One? Shirou pondered before clicking on a new link.

Seconds later, Marie called Shirou down, telling him that Gabriel was at the door.

The smell that he had usually associated with Rin got stronger, despite the Seraph's overwhelming presence, as he walked downstairs.

When he finally reached the room they were waiting in, Shirou blinked in surprise, letting him process exactly who had come with Gabriel. The Seraph and the child she brought along with her

"...I didn't think you had it in you Gabriel.."

The child she brought looked at me in shock. He could guess the reason behind it, but he set that aside for now. Gabriel put a finger to her jaw and tilted her head at me inquisitively.

"I know Angel's are all into purity and stuff, but I didn't know they followed the whole choir boys and priests routine a-" Shirou dodged left, "-s well." He turned around, noticing the crater in the wall.

"I'm going to have to fix that, you know." He said with a sigh.

The Seraph pouted. "That's what you get for being mean to me all the time."

Being mean is a very poor excuse to throw a miniature Light spear Gabriel, he grumbled mentally.

"Jokes aside. Why did you bring that kid here?"

Gabriel turned to face the child next to her, talking in a sweet, soothing voice. "Meet Shirou, he's like you. An orphan. Shirou, this is -"

"Zenith Tempest's user, I know. I asked why he's here." She was interrupted by Shirou. The tone in his voice shut down the reflexive chide that she usually gave when interrupted.

The Archangel blinked in surprise, the boy gawked, his head snapping between Shirou and her.

"Well.. I remembered what you said aaaand I thought bringing him here might let him make some friends!" She says with her arms thrown up in the air, a cheery grin plastered on her face.

The boy looked at her confused, still gawking somehow.

"But.. Lady Gabriel, I thought you said we came here to have food?"

Shirou snorted. A hint of red was splashed across Gabriel's cheeks, before she coughed to cover it up.

"Yes, that too Dulio. Shirou here cooks better than any person I know!"

Shirou glanced at Dulio and spoke, his voice flat and merciless. "Which isn't saying much. I still don't understand how you managed to set your Light spear on fire. That thing isn't even tangible, much less used in cooking."

Gabriel huffed again, a cheek puffed while she pouted at the jab.

"Shiroouuu, stop being so mean to meee", The Archangel whined.

He responded with a smirk and a raised brow.

"And miss out on you putting a new definition of 'strawberry blond'? I'll pass."

Shirou got up from his chair, turning around to leave the room.

"Besides, you look cuter when you're blushing."

The statement left a beaming smile on her face, almost blinding anyone in sight from the fact that there was still a blush of embarrassment and fluster present.

Meanwhile, Dulio had his brain reboot several times while trying to process what exactly was happening in front of him. When it was announced that Gabriel was going to take him as an escort to her .."outing", he was swarmed by Church members. People told him to watch his tongue, to mind his manners, to learn and be attentive to capture as much of Gabriel's teachings as he could.

Nothing had prepared him for the sibling-like interactions between the Seraph and the Orphan.

Shirou paid no heed to the young Dulio's inner turmoil as he walked by. What he did however, was stop outside the door. He poked his head into the room once again, facing the child holding Zenith Tempest.

"I hope you like fried rice kiddo, it's a Tuesday after all."

Dulio could only nod absentmindedly.

"Mister Emiya?"

Shirou's permanent scowl deepend ever so slightly. Do I really look old enough to be called 'mister' by a kid?

"Yes kiddo?"

"How did you meet Lady Gabriel?"

Shirou blinked. His scowl lightened to it's usual state as he turned towards the boy, ignoring what he could only describe as a Marble-fucking-Phantasm taking place in front of him. The source?

The boy he was currently looking down at.

"I met her while shopping for groceries, she pestered me until I shut her up with food ."

Dulio tilted his head, a small frown etched itself onto his face. Shirou would have called it cute, but he was mostly desensitized at this point by Gabriel's occasional ditzy pureness.

He still had to resist the urge to pat his head though.

"Did you cook the food?"

Shirou nodded.

Dulio's expression turned satisfied, as if the answer to that question had solved any confusion he had. Which it technically did. Their lunch he had that day had been an eye opener for Dulio, a spark that ignited his passion for food, especially sweets. It had also earned Shirou an illogical amount of adoration and respect from the six year old.

It also helped that in the first hour he had been at the orphanage, he had already got along with most of the kids there. Gabriel and Shirou had spent a good while outside basking in the peace while looking at Dulio awkwardly trying to play football with the other children.

That image made Shirou's lip twitch.

Refocusing his thoughts, he brought his attention to Dulio again. Prana flowed to his eyes, Structural Analysis was used on Dulio. Ordinarily this would have given him the bare minimum of information, but the culmination of his experiences allowed him to peer deeper. His eyes became vaguely aware of the flow of Mana in the air, the curious circulation of Od in his body that centered around his chest and the breeze that was being made.

The boy's Sacred Gear was frankly terrifying. The amount of Od being used was disproportionate to the effect it was making, even with Gaia's weakened influence. A miniscule amount was being used, yet the main factor was the user's will and concentration. For now, Dulio was able to create a small breeze.

But in the future, that same miniscule cost of Od could result in a full blown blast of wind, or perhaps it would even cause a localized tempest.

Sacred Gears are absolute bullshit, Shirou concluded.

"Kid, what's going through your mind when you try using your Sacred Gear?"

The breeze stopped. Dulio frowned while staring at his hands.

"..It's like… I'm trying to tell the air to move like I want it to. But it doesn't want to listen. I-..it keeps slipping."

Shirou hummed at the child's answer. He stepped forward and waved his hand in front of him, Dulio's hair moving from the slight breeze. The boy in question just stared at the redhead perplexed.

Shirou stopped after a few seconds.

"Did you see what happened?"

"You..you waved your hands?"

"Yes. And what happened because of that?"

Dulio's face showed his uncertainty. Shirou waited patiently.

"You… made wind?"

"I did. You can do the same, just without the waving. Thanks to your Sacred Gear that is."

He turned towards Dulio, the boy paying his utmost attention to the stern looking "uncle's", as per Gabriel's insistence backed up by the fact that it felt natural to say, upcoming lecture.

"Keep in mind that whatever I say may not be correct. Gabriel should be doing this instead of me, but she's too busy playing with the other children right now. As you should know by now, Zenith Tempest has the ability to control weather, and perhaps to an extent, what the weather causes. If we were to go by normal magic standards, then even that breeze you made would leave you feeling a drain."

He projected a metal rod, bent down and dug the pointy end into the soil in front of them as he drew rough shapes.

"However, your Sacred Gear bypasses the regular Laws of Magic as well as the Laws of Physics to make that breeze happen. The Pr- Err.. Mana drain is significantly less than needed to get the same result if you're using Magecra- I mean Magic."

He pointed at the several C-shaped curves in front of a circle with "Breeze" written on it, and "Magic" drawn on the opposite side.

"Magic has to use formulas in order to make sure what they want happens, calculations on calculations and including factors for their Spells. Doing this needs Mana. Think of each layer as a restriction, where the Spell has to work around those factors."

Shirou then drew several lines from "Magic" to "Breeze", the number of lines getting smaller as it reached the circle around "Breeze".

"Zenith Tempest allows you to bypass all those restrictions and conditions, letting you 'convince', for a lack of better term, the world around you to let the Magic happen. You start with the intent and initial flow of Mana, Zenith Tempest then transforms the environment around you to let what you want happen."

He then drew a line that went around the C-shaped lines, reaching the circle with "Breeze" written in it directly.

Shirou straightened, letting the rod disperse into motes of Prana. Dulio looked at the glowing lights in awe before snapping his attention back to him.

"Of course, this method needs more willpower and mental strength rather than anything else. But if my suspicions are correct, then understanding how the weather works might help make things easier."

He sighed, swiping his feet across the dirt to cover up the messy diagrams,

"But understanding that requires you to read books far above your age and limits, so for now you will have to work on maintaining focus and mental fortitude."

Dulio nodded, barely understanding most of the words and terms that his 'uncle' Shirou had told him. His pen scratched on the small notebook that Shirou had lent him to record anything important and take notes.

"I have to admit Shirou, most of what you said is rather accurate. Though we never considered studying the functions of Sacred Gears with more mundane means."

Shirou crossed his arms, nodding towards Gabriel in acknowledgement.

"I assume the Bounded Field is down?"

"Mhm, put it down as soon as I felt you two were finished."

"Good. I recommend puzzles and concentration based exercises for the kid for now. Physical conditioning can start later. Get him up to date with his general education and Supernatural Politics."

Gabriel tapped her chin in contemplation, the other hand on her hip.

"Puzzles and concentration based exercises.. We never did employ those before."

"Clearly you haven't been researching much on Sacred Gears."

The Seraph shrugged.

"That was always more of Azazel's interest."

They started walking back towards the orphanage. The park wasn't the most ideal of places to have an impromptu assessment session, but Gabriel's Bounded Fields (or was it Barriers?) made it more feasible.

Shirou shook his head in awe. The Bounded Field had imposed a mirror world onto the same area they were in, so that they could train safely. There would be no interruptions and it would look like no one was in the area, until the Bounded Field was dispersed. Creating something like that was a faucet of the Second True Magic back in his world.

And here it was a common occurrence. The Age of the Gods sure is terrifying.

"Dulio."

"Yes Mister Emiya?"

His eyebrow twitched. Ignoring Gabriel's giggle beside him, he continued on.

"First of all, stop calling me that. Second, don't be afraid of experimenting with your Sacred Gear. Be creative, see what you can do with it. But remember to do so under supervision, don't want you to hurt yourself in the process. And also.."

This part felt rather risky for Shirou to say.

"... try watching some shows with superpowers and comics. They might end up helping a bit."

He prayed silently in hopes that Gabriel and the people at the Church wouldn't let Dulio get influenced by anything too weird.

One Magical-Girl obsessed Illya was enough to deal with. He didn't need a repeat of that.

The ex-Counter Guardian felt his mind wander. The air was warm, despite the sun setting in the distance. He gazed upwards, admiring the myriad of colors painting the evening sky while trudging back home. If anyone were to look closer, they would have noticed the far-away look in his eyes.

Thinking back on today's events, he could say he was rather surprised at Gabriel's reaction to being told that he would be leaving the country soon. It was rather… extreme to say the least, considering he had to pry himself from the pillows of death that were attached to the Seraph's chest.

That alone took an uncomfortably long time to get free from.

He also had to placate the teary eyed Archangel with a variety of baked goods and sweets, which he had to make more of later due to Dulio's puppy eyed look. A promise that he would keep regular contact later, Gabriel happily dug into the assortment of sugary foods that he put in front of her.

What happened next would have made the average Angel Fall from the sight alone.

You see, Gabriel had developed a bad habit of sorts, wiggling and occasionally moaning in delight whenever she ate her food. Of course, Shirou didn't know she only did this with his cooking, but he made it a routine to drive out any impressionable kids nearby whenever she got near anything sugary.

He thanked God that Dulio was equally enraptured by the food. He didn't need to deal with a kid going through puberty early because of her.

Honestly, for a supposed incarnation of purity and innocence, Gabriel had a body that would have been more fitting for a Devil.

Shirou's reverie made him unaware of the sudden lack of people in the street.

A tingle at the back of his neck broke him out of his reverie.

It was the feeling of being watched. An instinct brought not of natural causes, but by an overwhelming amount of battle experience was awakened.

The Eye of Mind (B) was activated.

His senses sharpened. The smell of fouled blood and rot reached his nose, the air whistled unnaturally. It was the sound of something slicing through the wind. His body moved, almost independently from his mind.

A twist of his body mid-stride caused the blood red scythe to brush by his clothes harmlessly. Structural Analysis, an action that was purely subconscious at this point, showed that the weapon was made from blood of the defiled and Magic.

"Oh ho? Rather impressive aren't you, boy?"

He looked up. A way behind him was a man clad in black. He was dressed in a suit that came straight out of one of those dramas Gabriel watched, complete with a monocle and whatnot while standing on a street light. Blood red eyes looked at him haughtily, resembling a certain Golden Archer to a lesser degree.

"And you're awfully brave coming onto the Church territory Vampire."

Even with his bland tone, a measure of venom was prevalent in Shirou's voice.

"Testy testy. Besides, it's not like anyone will notice a single child missing anytime soon. The oh-so-Holy Church would be beneath such… investigations. Not that they'll find anything."

He was in a humoring mood, Shirou noticed. Time to piss him off. That smug look was rubbing him the wrong way.

"So what brings an illustrious blood sucker like you here? Tired of sucking off the cattle? Wine turned a bit too black for your heart? Or perhaps your thralls are incompetent as you are to make you target someone a bit smaller than your size."

Shirou pinched his fingers to emphasize his point. The haughty expression was wiped off his face immediately, replaced with menacing snarl. The sun had already set, yet the shadows that ran across the roads remained. The scent of blood got stronger, accompanied by a sudden sense of nausea. A feeling he knew very well.

A Bounded Field.

Shirou's eyes narrowed.

"I was hunting for some prey while investigating what killed my .. apprentice. And you happened to be in my way. I was going to end it quickly, but you..you earned my ire little mongrel."

Magic Circles, not the formulae nor Formalcraft that he was used to seeing, formed behind the Vampire. Orbs of red liquid coalesced, a blackened mist oozing from the Circles merged with the liquid and gave it shape. Shirou shifted his body once more, backpedaling as the putrid constructs brushed by.

Even as he turned to run away, he felt a sudden cool wash over him. Shirou recognized this feeling. It was like someone had set aside his emotions, any doubts and worries. For now, he had one goal.

Survive and defeat his opponent.

The Mind of Steel encroached upon his psyche, the experience of battle taking control of his body. A whistle in the air, the strengthening smell of blood. It gave away the fact that another Construct seeked to impale him.

Shirou ran forward. Reinforcement was applied to his body, the sudden burst of speed was enough to let the Blood Construct miss him.

His breath was steady, his heart beat calmly. He needed to get more information before engaging in combat. The threat level was unknown. Even though the intensity of his Prana was paltry compared to Gabriel, Shirou was still weary.

After all, he knew that even the slightest of misinformation can kill people, the weak could still topple those on top.

But the Vampire did not care for his thought process. Chunks of tarmac was ripped off the ground as Shirou dodged, bolting into the alleyways.

"I will drain the blood from your marrow. I will flay your skin, peel it off for my canvas. Your muscles will feed my hounds, your skull will be the bowl from which my thrall shall drink. By my name, Johann Rel of Tepes, I swear that you shall die painfully for your slander!" He roared out. A wave of his hand, and numerous Summoning Circles were painted from the slithering blood that appeared from nowhere.

Ghouls appeared by the dozens, numerous bat familiars spread out. Blood red eyes gleamed in sadistic glee, a laugh rang out.

"Run little mongrel, run! Or else, you'll end up a husk, like the rest of them~", he said in a singing tone.

Even through his Mind of Steel, Shirou felt a twinge of annoyance.

Seriously, what's with overly arrogant people using the word "mongrel" against me?