Anime: Fight Sukuna at the beginning?.

Chapter 346: A Battle Where You Can Only Draw Your Sword Once
Looking at Souji Okita, who was wearing a brand new cherry-colored jacket, drawing out [California Kiyomitsu], and exuding an unprecedented aura of determination, with his eyes closed, he seemed to be planning an attack.

After a successful resurrection, Hijikata Toshizo, with only half of his armor remaining, revealing his face and upper body, did not quickly get into a fighting stance.

He first grinned, forcing out a somewhat terrifying smile from his tough guy face, which was slightly ferocious due to [madness].

Then he lifted the musket under his feet with one foot and changed from holding the knife with both hands to holding it with one hand.

He stretched out his free left hand in front of him and grabbed the old musket that had fallen to the ground.

Feeling the familiar weight, he grasped the wooden handle of the musket and swung the entire weapon upwards.

After the crisp and familiar click sound that indicated the complete structure of the gun was heard in the air, and after getting familiar with his stronger body through this action.

A rather satisfied smile appeared on the face of this ghostly servant.

He was obviously relieved that this firearm, which was quite 'novel' during his lifetime, was not damaged.

I am also satisfied with my stronger body.
-
However, after completing his "preparations", this servant, who held a gun in one hand and a knife in the other, did not immediately respond to Okita Souji's "provocation".

He first looked with lingering fear at [Li Shuwen] who was not far away and had not made the next move, but still had not taken the fur-collared cloak from [Kotomine Kirei].

The other person's calmness and restraint seemed out of tune with the current atmosphere.

However, Hijikata Toshizo did not look down on the other party, but instead became more vigilant.

He knew very well that this low-key old man could, if necessary, launch a stab attack to take his life at any time.

After observing the other party for a while and confirming that although the other party did not wear a fur-collared cloak to maintain a fighting posture, he still chose to keep his promise and stab his subordinates, he calmly grasped the other party's position.

He was ready to continue fighting, but he was clearly just as pessimistic as he was that his subordinates could kill him with a single blow.

[The pride and confidence of a warrior? ]

【You can use it! 】

Realizing all this, he quickly added a word to the swordsman lady to attract hatred.

He planned to use some tricks to sway his subordinates cunningly, buying himself more time to rely on this broken armor to draw spiritual power from the "spiritual vein" for recovery.

He also "motivated" himself to ensure that the plan entrusted to him by the Master [to attract personnel from the Holy Church] could be implemented smoothly.

"It seems like you've become quite talkative since we left you there to recuperate due to your serious illness.

"You actually thought that with this opportunity to strike first before me, you could defeat me, who is as immortal as the Shinsengumi."

After mentioning the Shinsengumi, this man, who originally had a handsome face, switched his personality as if a switch had been pressed.

As his aura surged, the smile on his face instantly disappeared, replaced by an anger that was difficult to conceal.

Reason also collapsed instantly like a building with its foundation removed.

The muscles on his face seemed to be no longer controllable and twisted and deformed, his eyes bulged out, as if he had turned into a wild beast that could lose control at any moment.

He suddenly laughed, his eyes fierce, although he didn't say anything more.

But everyone present had already read his unspoken subtext.

【This is the only thing that is absolutely impossible to happen.】
-

mid-air,
Hearing the words of the 'recovered' Hijikata Toshizo.

Using the Tosaka family's inherited magic, he saw that the other party was still continuously extracting the magic power from the "spiritual vein", and sensed that another piece of "spiritual land" with considerable income had been reimbursed.

After his income was reduced to half of its original amount, Tōsaka Tokiomi also went "crazy" like Hijikata Toshizo.

There was only one thought left in his mind at this moment.

[For the continuation of the Tōsaka family, he must be killed immediately! ! ! ]

He glanced at Okita Souji, who had his eyes closed, through his familiar, and then cast his gaze on Kotomine Kirei, who was not far away.

Of course, rather than looking at Kotomine Kirei, it would be more accurate to say that he was looking at Li Shuwen who was standing beside him.

[No more dawdling! No matter what that 'weak' woman is up to, she won't be able to kill that Berserker.]

[Master Li must take action! ! ]

However, before he could finish his thoughts, the words uttered by Gilgamesh beside him interrupted his thoughts.

"Tokiomi, it seems you want to do something 'despicable' and bold behind my back."

Hearing these words, [Tōsaka Tokiomi]'s body trembled involuntarily.

The next second, he knelt on the ground as if by reflex, trembling all over, and spoke devoutly for forgiveness in a tone that was slightly tearful.

"Your Majesty, this is a matter concerning the foundation of the Tousaka family. Please..."

Looking at [Tōsaka Tokiomi] who seemed to have no bones and no dignity at all, he chose to kneel on the ground.

Gilgamesh's eyes flashed with a faint trace of anger, and then only disgust that was almost overflowing remained.

[Is my Master such a boring and ugly person? ]

【How sad.】

He waved his hand, stopping [Tōsaka Tokiomi]'s pleading words, and directly stated his request.

"You and the King have the same idea.

"Notify Kirei and let that old man end this battle."

Hearing these words, [Tōsaka Tokiomi] was stunned at first, and then an expression of incredible shock appeared on his face.

"You mean?"

Seeing his master's slow reaction, Gilgamesh couldn't help but frown, and suppressed his temper to explain in quite polite words.

"A poor clown can only perform a boring 'show' that makes people yawn.

"That woman with the knife is not the interesting Saber who can bring surprises to this king."

Hearing these words, [Tōsaka Tokiomi] raised his head and opened his mouth slightly, like an electronic device that had been stuck with a [No Response] message, and he hadn't reacted yet.

When Gilgamesh saw his master's stupid look, his dissatisfaction quickly grew.

His face showed an 'anger that even a monkey could sense', and he lectured in a rather dissatisfied tone.

"Do you still want me to continue watching this boring battle?
"You're so brave, Tokiomi!!!"

Seeing the other party's familiar bad attitude, [Tōsaka Tokiomi] finally woke up from his dream and used magic to communicate with [Kotomine Kirei].

Gilgamesh, sitting on the throne, looked at the receding figure of [Tōsaka Tokiomi], and his dissatisfaction reached its peak.

His existence is like a glaring stain among the jewels in the crown, making people sick.

If there is a chance, replace him.

After sentencing [Tōsaka Tokiomi] to 'death', Gilgamesh turned his gaze towards [Li Shuwen] on the ground.

He was very much looking forward to how powerful the old man would be when he fired the gun the second time with his more perfect "skills".
-

Beside the battlefield.

"Qilei, please let Master Li take action.

"This is also permitted by the King. The Tohsaka family's fortune must be preserved."

Hearing his mentor's somewhat anxious words, Kotomine Kirei was stunned at first, and then looked at Li Shuwen who was standing aside.

But just as he was about to utter the words of request, an inexplicable emotion emerged in Kotomine Kirei's heart.

As this emotion emerged and prevented him from immediately delivering the order, the image of Tōsaka Tokiomi, whom he had seen earlier, appeared before his eyes. He was extremely flustered, but forced to remain calm and amusing.

That inexplicable, strange feeling of pleasure rose in his heart again.

He looked up at the 'King's Throne' high in the sky with some confusion, and unusually did not respond immediately.

Instead, he paused, pondered for a while, and then reluctantly replied to [Tōsaka Tokiomi], "I understand, teacher."

Finally, he cleared his throat, asked the Berserker to destroy another piece of "spiritual land", and then respectfully passed on the order to [Li Shuwen] beside him.

"Master Li, the teacher hopes you can..."

Before Kotomine Kirei could finish the words he had prepared.

Li Shuwen's wrinkled face suddenly showed a cold air, and he decisively rejected the question. "Master, we already agreed on this.

"I will complete the objectives you assign to me, but you must not interfere with the strategies I employ in combat and my specific actions."

As he spoke, Li Shuwen stroked the wax rod in his hand and looked at the two people in the field and gave a conclusion with great certainty.

"Let's wait a little longer, maybe we'll see something interesting happen."

Through his warrior instinct, he had sensed that the female swordsman was undergoing an unknown transformation.

Perhaps the opponent would kill the immortal servant with this blow, and then transform into a warrior who is qualified to fight a life-and-death battle with him, and can continue to hone his skills to make them evolve.

Of course, there is only a slight possibility.

Although he felt a sense of inexplicable expectation, from a rational point of view, Li Shuwen felt that the opponent's knife would not be able to achieve the goal of killing the opponent.

After all, the immortal man had become stronger, while the other party had not even mastered the realm of a warrior, and the swordsmanship he practiced had not yet produced any meaning.

Even if he was physically stronger than me, how could he destroy that man like I did?

After analyzing the situation, Li Shuwen couldn't help but sigh.

[Perhaps, even in the end, even when I am old, I will still be the strongest warrior.]

"I can't use this [Holy Grail War] to find someone who will make me put down my gun and fight with my fists."

[Li Shuwen] looked at the swordsman lady in the field, and a look of regret appeared on his face.
-
Meanwhile, Kotomine Kirei, who was standing by, was scolded after conveying the news of Li Shuwen's rejection to Tousaka Tokiomi.

Instead of being angry, he felt a kind of joy in his heart that ordinary people could not grasp.

From the other party's somewhat distorted words, he had already imagined his teacher's face, which looked like he had lost his parents.

The inexplicable emotion in his heart quickly spread throughout his body, bringing with it an indescribable pleasure that filled the emptiness in his heart.

Feeling this way, Kotomine Kirei vaguely realized the name of this emotion.

Looking at the two servants in the field, he actually hoped that this battle that made [Tohsaka Tokiomi]'s blood pressure soar could last a little longer.

However, his reason and experience told him that there was no way that the sword-wielding Servant could accomplish such a plan.

But after he saw the woman open her eyes, he quickly changed his opinion.
-

The swordsman heard her boss mention the incident that made her unable to wield a sword and had to be trapped in a sanatorium.

As a result, she was unable to fight alongside her companions, and eventually suffered a serious illness that took her life.

She didn't respond with any words.

It was as if she had gotten rid of the side effects of [Weakness] and had forgotten that she had become a part of the legend of the Heroic Spirit.

However, the knife that he unconsciously clenched in his hand vaguely revealed the "destructive power" of this sentence.

But she did not rush to draw her knife, but kept her eyes closed and continued to capture the somewhat illusory 'skill'.

[Almost, almost, I can bring back the [Command Seal] for the Master.]

[I need to find the techniques that may lead to victory from the tens of millions of possibilities.]

At this moment, she was very clear about one thing in her heart.

The old man's shot hasn't yet reached its peak power. His second shot will definitely be even more powerful.

If this strike fails to kill the opponent, then the old man will definitely not give himself a second chance.

This is a battle where you can only draw your sword once.

It was also a battle she had to win for herself and for her Master.

As her determination to win for the man grew stronger, she closed her eyes tightly and should have been unable to see anything, but she felt the world in her eyes slow down.

New possibilities have emerged for the [Noble Phantasm] and myself, who had originally reached the end of their relationship.

【Now that I remember it.】

[Then, let's just strike out that 'sword' based on our feelings!]

Thinking of this, the swordsman lady opened her eyes and swung the sword in her hand.

The [Merger of Matters], which Fang Yi had never mastered but had never used before, appeared in her hands again.

However, the next moment, he activated the [Nameless Three-Stage Strike] and slashed out with a "knife" to jump into the parallel world again.

Back to the time before the sword was swung, the swordsman lady who got the second chance to draw the sword looked at the sword light that had already been swung, but shook her head in dissatisfaction.

【not enough!!】

Even with the help of [Merge of Matters], the weak [Nameless Three-Stage Thrust], with three overlapping [Noble Phantasms] and nine simultaneous strikes, could not escape the category of weakness, let alone surpass the opponent's limit and destroy him.

【Be a little stronger.】

[I need to become stronger, surpass my original self, and break through my own limits.]

[Only in this way can you participate in the Master's endless battle! ]

Recalling the feeling of becoming stronger when fighting with the man's sword.

The swordsman lady felt that the world in her eyes slowed down again.

With her emotions and feelings, she triggered the 'inspiration' of [Preemptive Strategy] and instinctively waved [California Clear Light] in her hand again.

She struck out with a unique strike, as if it was rooted in her blood.

This knife is unique.

The dazzling sword light that attacked the opponent as the sword was swung was like an endless light that illuminated the entire world.

It exudes a boundless, unobstructed and immeasurable aura.

After swinging the sword, the "inspiration" faded, and the swordsman, who was unable to swing the sword again in a short period of time, vaguely gained some enlightenment.

[This knife is beyond my control now.]

[The reason for this knife strike was the memory etched in my heart the first time I saw him that day, a never-fading, unforgettable memory.]

Its name.

【Absolute Sword】
-
But after swinging the sword and returning to the time before the previous strike, the swordsman who got the third chance to strike the sword looked at the boundless, unobstructed and immeasurable sword light, but she still did not feel satisfied.

[Not enough. This hasty and unpracticed strike might not be enough to completely destroy him.]

[I need a sword that is on the same level as it or even better than it.]

Thinking of this, the swordsman lady closed her eyes again.

After thinking for a while during that stagnant time, she made a very 'shameless' decision.

"Then please 'lend' me the sword technique that can slay him, Master."

【Moon in the Mirror】

As the [California Clear Light] in her hand vibrated, the swordsman swung the final blow.

This knife is ordinary and plain.

There were no alarming fluctuations, nor any all-consuming aura.

Some are just a silent knife light compressed into a line.

But the perception of this borrowed thing is not yet mature.

At this moment, it seems to be rooted in his blood, and the skill is reproduced in his hands as easily as using his own arms.

The swordsman finally nodded in satisfaction and uttered the words declaring the battle over.

"enough."

The next moment, the sound of the wind reached her ears.

The world in her eyes also returned to normal.

(End of this chapter)