Emiya Shirou doesn't want to work overtime

Unlike now, where all we can do is run away to buy ourselves some breathing room.

Why couldn't I hit it?

While running at full speed, Emiya was also pondering this question.

If he can't hit the monster, even if he gets the katana, he can't defeat it; attacks that can't hit it do absolutely no damage.

"laugh----!"

The incredibly clear sound of something cutting through the air echoed through the air.

The monster drew its claws and flew towards Emiya's position with the speed of a bullet.

Knowing he was no match for the monster, Emiya picked up another branch from the ground and held it in each hand like twin swords, running while keeping an eye out for its approach.

At this moment, Emiya's fear of the monster had subsided compared to his initial panic. His current goal was not to engage in direct combat with the monster.

There would be absolutely no chance of survival; they would only become one of the corpses in the hotel.

Emiya had no energy left to think about why he ended up in that hotel; all he could do now was try his best to figure out how to survive.

"Don't be so nervous, kid!"

The dark figure quickly approached Emiya, seemingly unwilling to continue playing with him. Its claws materialized into afterimages, swiftly attacking Emiya's head.

Emiya turned around and retreated rapidly. Perhaps due to the difference in force between the thrust and the slash, the wooden stick blocking his face was easily cut in half.

"Projection begins"

A classic katana appeared in Emiya's hand, its silver blade flashing across the face of the monster before him.

"what?"

Faced with the sudden appearance of a samurai sword, the monster froze and retreated backward.

He stared in astonishment at the katana that had appeared in Emiya's hand in a way that defied all logic.

He had never encountered a human who could conjure a knife like this before; it was the Blood Demon Art that could so abruptly create a knife.

Of course, he had never encountered a human who could make a wooden stick so hard, but he attributed it to the use of breathing techniques.

Although he didn't know if breathing techniques could enhance his weapon in this way, he hadn't encountered the Demon Slayer Corps many times and didn't understand breathing techniques, so this judgment was within his understanding.

But conjuring up a knife was indeed a breakthrough in his understanding of humanity.

Chapter Four: Visual Distortion

Just as he was about to dodge, Emiya suddenly remembered that in addition to the enhancement magic that Kiritsugu had taught him, he also knew a projection magic.

Although the projected objects are flashy but impractical and completely unusable, they seem to be able to intimidate people.

The knife he projected was merely a facade; its hardness might not even be as good as a wooden stick he found.

Of course, this refers to wooden sticks that have not been enhanced by enhancement magic.

Don't be fooled by the metallic sheen that the knife gleams under the moonlight; it's all an illusion.

Projection magic is inherently superficial, especially since this was projected in an emergency. It's like a piece of paper; it will shatter into pieces if struck by any point.

With a "let's give it a try" attitude, Emiya decided to use a projection magic trick that he hadn't used in a long time.

Although I haven't used it for a long time, it feels just as easy to use as the enhancement magic I often use.

As for why he decided to take this gamble, one reason was that he hadn't sensed any fluctuations in magic power from beginning to end, and the monster would probably be surprised to see such a peculiar phenomenon.

Kiritsugu once told him that magicians basically generate magical energy fluctuations when they release magic, and he himself could feel the magical energy fluctuations generated by the release of his own enhanced magic.

Unless concealed by an array, the fluctuations in magical energy will be detected.

In such close combat, it would be impossible not to sense the fluctuations of magic when using magic. However, this strange phenomenon kept occurring on that monster, yet there were no fluctuations of magic at all.

On the other hand, holding a knife is more intimidating than holding a stick.

Having a knife in his hand made Emiya feel a little safer.

The monster's skin didn't look very tough, so the knife should be able to cause damage, although this was all just Emiya's own assumption.

Seeing the somewhat surprised monster, Emiya didn't stand still to fight him. Instead, he turned around and ran towards the location of the samurai swords scattered on the ground, which he remembered.

However, since their battle took place right in front of the inn, after a short chase, Emiya had already arrived in front of the inn.

Just like before, the place was filled with the smell of blood. Apart from the people on the ground who seemed to have been eaten and left only as bones, nothing else had been touched. Shirou Emiya also found the samurai swords scattered on the ground.

The samurai swords were all neatly placed in their sheaths, showing no signs of having been drawn.

"It seems he was killed before he could even react and draw his knife?"

With a touch of sadness in his heart, Emiya picked up the samurai sword that had fallen to the ground.

The monster behind him also snapped out of its surprise.

What strange thing? Since it's so weak, why not just kill it?

It shook its head, abandoning its thoughts on Emiya's strange abilities, and quickly caught up again.

Seeing Emiya throw the katana that had suddenly appeared in his hand to the ground and vanish into nothingness, and then pick up the katana that had fallen haphazardly to the ground, he immediately understood Emiya's purpose.

"You don't think you can defeat me just because you have a knife, do you?"

A disdainful smile appeared on its lips.

indeed.

Not to mention that Emiya had no idea whether the sword could actually pierce his skin, based on his previous attacks, he was still unable to hit the monster.

Having acquired real weapons gave them a greater sense of confidence compared to wielding wooden sticks.

"Hehehe! Let's see how long you can last! I was holding back completely before fighting you."

In an instant, a pitch-black shadow tore through the air and rushed toward Emiya's position. Like the prelude to a storm, a dark and oppressive aura enveloped Emiya.

With a phantom-like speed, it swiftly passed by Emiya.

Emiya gripped his katana tightly, his entire body tense, his mind highly focused, trying to see the monster constantly moving around him.

But can it really stop it?

A chill ran through him, like a venomous snake suddenly crawling up his back, causing every pore on his body to contract sharply.

Sharp claws slashed ruthlessly toward Emiya's back.

He barely managed to turn around and slash at the claws that were attacking him.

But just like the previous attack, the katana curved in a strange arc past the hand, as if it had struck thin air, and easily sliced ​​through it.

The sharp claws pierced through the paper as if tearing through it, viciously scratching at Emiya's chest.

Five marks appeared on Emiya's chest, and he recoiled in pain as blood seeped out.

"Jie Jie Jie!"

The monster's laughter echoed throughout the room, sending chills down one's spine.

A person's overall mental state will become extremely poor.

"why?"

Emiya's serious expression also became somewhat urgent.

He still couldn't understand why his attacks couldn't touch the monster at all.

Why does my weapon twist in a bizarre way and then return to its original state?

If it's through spatial distortion, then why not just completely distort the weapon and then leave it unrestored?

This strange ability, devoid of magical fluctuations, made Emiya anxious.

He had slashed at the monster many times, and his body was covered with claw marks.

If this continues, he will only be consumed and become its meal.

"Why doesn't he intend to kill me with one blow and instead keeps wearing me down? Even if he's treating me like a toy, there's no reason for such inefficient torture."

The monster's claws seemed to be merely toying with him, only extending a short distance with each attack—just enough to scratch his body—rather than suddenly plunging into him and killing him instantly.

Like a wolf that likes to attack in stages to wear down its prey, it circled around him.

Suddenly, Emiya remembered running for so long before finally returning to the inn's entrance.

Even if he accidentally lost his way while running, it should be like losing his way in the desert, where he would travel in a curved path, and returning to his original position would not be something that could be done in just a few tens of minutes.

Even if you do return to the original place, you shouldn't suddenly see the hotel in front of you, but rather you should be able to see the hotel's location from a great distance.

This is no small hotel. He had been running for a while before he could no longer see the building behind him. It couldn't possibly just suddenly appear in front of him like this.

Despite fighting the monster for so long, it has never demonstrated any ability to control the forest.

Let's assume that the monster doesn't have the ability to manipulate the forest, but rather has the same ability as the monster itself, which prevents the monster from being attacked during combat.

Excluding spatial distortion, the only possibility is visual distortion.

Because his vision was impaired, he couldn't run out of the hotel's area. Because his vision was impaired, when he slashed at the monster, he grazed its edge even though he didn't feel any interference from anything in his hand.

He wasn't actually attacking the monster itself; he was always aiming for its side, which is why he couldn't damage it.

Even after identifying the monster's special abilities, Emiya was still unable to strike it.

It deliberately only scratches Emiya's skin each time, seemingly like a hunter abusing its prey, but in reality, it prevents Emiya from accurately determining its true location through physical pain.

It's so cautious, going to such lengths to prevent others from discovering its true special abilities.

No wonder those samurai were killed without even drawing their swords.

With this ability to alter their vision, they might not even have seen the monster before they were brutally killed by him.

Chapter Five: A Simple Counterattack

Since it affects vision, why not just close your eyes?

That makes sense. Emiya had read about it in some books. Ancient heroes could sense the movement of things around them even with their eyes closed, relying on their instincts from countless battles.