Emiya Shirou doesn't want to work overtime

If he successfully kills Emiya Shirou with a single blow, the crimson spear will also be thrown out, piercing straight through Shuten-dōji's heart.

Because the gun had already "pierced the opponent's heart" when it was released, even if Shirou Emiya was killed first, the result could not be changed, and therefore the trajectory of the gun could not be canceled.

However, severing his arm directly interrupted Shirou Emiya's release process, preventing him from throwing his spear.

Even if he were to throw it and pierce Shuten-dōji's heart, Yoriichi Tsugikuni wouldn't care at all.

At the critical moment, black mud surged up from beneath Shirou Emiya's feet, providing a foothold that allowed him to shift his body sharply at the last second, barely dodging the slash.

At that moment, Shirou Emiya also saw clearly the face of the person who had severed his arm.

His hair was dark red, styled in a high ponytail, and his irises were red. He was dressed in the clothes of a wandering knight from the Warring States period, and his eyes were filled with tranquility.

"grandfather!!!!"

Seeing the splattered blood before him, Miyamoto Musashi, who was kneeling on the ground panting heavily, had eyes that were about to burst with rage. With his still functional hand tightly gripping his short sword, he suddenly leaped up from the ground and aimed at Yoriichi Tsugikuni.

Miyamoto Musashi could tell at a glance that the person in front of him had reached the level of a sword saint, and was even considered to be at the pinnacle among sword saints.

Even so, she did not back down.

The conflict erupted instantly.

"choke----!"

The melodious sound of swords clashing immediately resounded throughout the space.

At that sound, the sky brightened.

A dazzling blade of light suddenly appeared, like a crescent moon appearing out of nowhere, slashing towards Yoriichi Tsugikuni's neck.

"Haven't you reached the level of Sword Saint yet?"

Yoriichi Tsugikuni, standing in front of Shirou Emiya, glanced briefly at Musashi Miyamoto, who was swinging his sword at him, and a deep, resonant voice came from him.

The words had barely left his lips.

"choke----!"

The moment Miyamoto Musashi's slash appeared, the whistling sound of the blade echoed throughout the room.

The incredibly fast sword light parted the chaotic airflow and tore through the sound waves, slashing towards Miyamoto Musashi like a streak of light.

At that very moment, an unusual phenomenon occurred.

"Smack—!"

Such a faint, almost imperceptible sound suddenly appeared.

"――――!"

Shuten-dōji, who was preparing to unleash his Noble Phantasm and use poison to wipe out Emiya Shirou and Miyamoto Musashi, suddenly felt the air around him change and his heart began to pound.

A sense of crisis rose from the bottom of his heart.

Moreover, it was to a degree that could be considered fatal.

"Fantasy Collapse—!"

A low murmur came from beside Yoriichi Tsugikuni.

The next second, the world changed color.

His right hand, which was wrapped in the red holy shroud and propelled into the air by the impact, suddenly emitted a blazing light.

"Boom!"

With a deafening roar, the sound waves surged outwards like a shockwave, causing the entire atmosphere to explode.

A massive wave of fire and a tremendous shock burst forth from the arm wrapped in the shackles of the hominid, sweeping in all directions like a surging tide.

Countless swords and blades seemed to be unleashed, bursting forth from the flames erupting in the sky in all directions.

In just a brief moment, the terrifying explosion instantly destroyed the entire Flower Street.

The ground was reduced to rubble by the powerful impact.

The house was reduced to rubble by the impact of the swords and blades.

The impact of countless swords and flames erupted in the air, engulfing everything around it.

The entire flower street was instantly reduced to ruins under such terrifying power, leaving only a desolate scene.

It was like a natural disaster, and no one knew how long it lasted.

Only ruins remain, constantly being burned by flames, turning into a sea of ​​fire.

And there stood a figure amidst this sea of ​​fire, atop these ruins.

"Thank you so much, Lord Ghost King, for saving my life!"

Shuten-dōji, looking weak, supported Ibaraki-dōji, who was equally frail and had lost an arm, and thanked Tsugikuni-yōji, who was standing in front of them.

Under such a terrifying explosion, they had no way to resist. If Yoriichi Tsugikuni hadn't cut the incoming swords and torn apart the shockwave, they would have been completely defeated.

They are now dead from this sudden explosion.

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Counting the explosions coming from afar, one could see the forest turning into a raging fire.

"Looks like Minamoto no Yorimitsu is here—!"

Shuten glanced at the sky obscured by thick fog, then looked in the direction from which the sound came, and spoke softly.

"It's that girl! I'll make her pay!"

Meanwhile, Ibaraki-dōji angrily gripped his severed right arm, looking ahead, seemingly referring to either Miyamoto Musashi, who had cut off his arm, or Minamoto no Yorimitsu, who had given him poisoned wine and severed his head.

Perhaps, both.

"Let's go. If we stay here any longer, I'm afraid I might not be able to resist killing them all."

Yoriichi Tsugikuni's crimson katana liquefied and was absorbed into his body. He spoke to Shuten-dōji in an extremely indifferent tone.

"Well, it's a pity he suffered such serious injuries, otherwise we could have taken care of Minamoto no Yorimitsu here."

Shuten-dōji let out a soft sigh, expressing his great regret. He was supposed to face Minamoto no Yorimitsu directly after dealing with Emiya Shirou, but unexpectedly, Emiya Shirou escaped.

Immediately, the three figures slowly disappeared under the cover of night.

"Smack—! Smack smack—!"

A few pebbles shot directly into the sky, falling down without any obstruction, striking the ground and producing a crisp sound.

In one of the corners of these ruins, a hand suddenly emerged from a pile of rubble, braced itself against the ground, and stood up.

Chapter 854 After the War

The moon still hung high in the sky, its crimson light covering all the originally brilliant stars around it.

The entire sky was a strange crimson color.

The stench of blood that filled the air did not diminish; instead, it became even stronger.

Emiya Shirou brushed aside the rubble covering them, took off the green cloak he was wearing, and looked solemnly in the direction Yoriichi and the others had left.

He has always been aware of his weaknesses.

Compared to those heroic spirits, he did not choose the path of using a weapon to its fullest potential.

Even Miyamoto Musashi, who has not yet reached the level of enlightenment, was able to defeat Emiya Shirou in a simple melee combat.

However, he was able to easily maneuver around him, while someone like Li Shuwen, whose martial arts had reached their peak and could form a Noble Phantasm, was someone that Shirou Emiya could hardly even parry in close combat.

To deal with these masters of martial arts who have reached the pinnacle, Shirou Emiya can only try to create distance in order to find a way to respond.

People like Li Shuwen, Lü Bu, and Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni were only able to be defeated by maintaining distance. In close-quarters melee combat, even those wearing the [Destroying Death Fang Beast] armor would have been defeated by them.

At this time, he met Yoriichi Tsugikuni, who was on the same level as Li Shuwen and the others. At least in terms of martial arts, Shirou Emiya knew very well that he would not be his match.

If the distance is widened, the situation will immediately reverse.

Putting everything else aside, even if Shirou Emiya were to unleash the true names of his Noble Phantasms one by one in order, the opponent would not be able to withstand it.

I just didn't expect the other party to leave so decisively, and I didn't even think that I would still be hiding in these ruins.

"Ptooey! Ptooey! Ptooey! Ptooey! Ptooey!"

Accompanied by the sound of sand being spat out, another figure appeared from the space beside Shirou Emiya.

That was Miyamoto Musashi, who also donned the robes of the King of No Face.

Being buried under rubble is certainly not a pleasant experience. Although Shirou Emiya held him firmly in his arms, a lot of mud and sand still got stuck when he opened up the rubble.

"This...this was all caused by you, Grandpa?"

She looked at everything in front of her in disbelief.

No one can tell that this is a red-light district anymore, no one can tell that people used to live here.

Everything in sight turned to dust and was swallowed by the waves of fire.

Countless swords and blades remained, stuck straight into the ground, resembling a graveyard of swords amidst the surging waves of fire.

"Yes, and one more thing, don't call me grandpa!"

Emiya Shirou attempted to correct Miyamoto Musashi's way of addressing him, but clearly, it had little effect.

"Then, is the enemy dead?"

After all, at the moment his right arm exploded, Miyamoto Musashi's vision went black instantly, and he lost his sight. He was held firmly in Shirou Emiya's arms and only now did he realize what had happened outside.

When Musashi asked him a question, Emiya Shirou simply shook his head and looked in the direction where Yoriichi Tsugikuni had retreated.

"I'm sorry, Grandpa, it's all because of me!"

In response, Miyamoto Musashi immediately lowered his head and apologized to Emiya Shirou.

If it weren't for his own actions, Shirou Emiya would probably have already dealt with those three demons.

The path of swordsmanship is important, but even if you lose this time, there will still be another chance. Miyamoto Musashi believed without hesitation that he would eventually be able to comprehend the realm of emptiness.

But human life is only once. If all those evil spirits were to perish here, how many lives would be saved?