Please Play FGO With Me

The two danced closely, conversing in hushed tones.

"I actually have many questions for you," Artoria said. "Why did you appear in my dreams? Why do you have Avalon within you? I hope you'll answer these questions properly."

"If you want to know, I'll tell you everything," Shirou replied with a wry smile. "But a lot of complicated things have happened, and I haven't even figured out what's going on myself. Meeting you like this now feels like a dream."

"Is that so... You can tell me about it later. I initially wanted to ask directly, but after fighting alongside you, I realized these things aren't the most important anymore," Artoria said.

"Is that so?" Shirou asked, puzzled. He did, however, feel happy about fighting side-by-side with Saber again after so long.

"You know the story of King Arthur sending out knights to search for the Holy Grail, right?" Artoria continued.

"Yes, three people eventually found the Holy Grail: the worldly Sir Bos, the simple Percival, and the pure Galahad. Galahad ended up obtaining the Grail, correct?" Shirou answered.

"Yes, so the Holy Grail is one of the things I want. And now you, Shirou, have merged with the Holy Grail. That means... I won't let you go!" Artoria declared possessively, gazing at the boy.

"The Holy Grail... It feels strange to be equated with that thing," the boy said with an awkward smile.

"Besides, there are more important things to do right now. So... Shirou, please lead me in a dance properly," the golden-haired girl said with a light laugh.

"As you command, my King," Shirou replied with a smile, nodding. He took the girl's slender hand and led her into a graceful dance.

In the center of the dance floor, the boy and girl moved in perfect sync, their steps interlocking. Under the boy's guidance, the girl quickly learned, soon dancing with impressive skill.

Every movement was a delight to behold, and even the people conversing nearby stopped to admire the rare, shining spectacle.

The girl was as agile as a butterfly. With her right foot as the pivot, she spun 360 degrees under the boy's lead, her skirt billowing and swirling in a circle with her dance steps.

The boy raised their clasped right hands, allowing the girl to spin in the air. He then leaned back, his hand supporting her waist as he caught her steadily. The girl, leaning back, met the boy's gaze, a tenderness in her eyes that seemed capable of melting the world.

"Target acquired!" Holmes's voice crackled through the earpiece.

A moment later, the disguised Shinjuku Assassin, surrounded by his subordinate Wasp, entered the venue.

"Thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedules to attend. Thank you for your continued cooperation. The spring night is short, so please enjoy yourselves to the fullest tonight. May you have a night of glory and fleeting pleasure," the Assassin announced loudly, raising his goblet.

The socialites and nobles raised their glasses in return, smiling and continuing to enjoy the feast.

Shinjuku was a hopelessly twisted place, and the Heroic Spirits summoned there were equally twisted.

Even those who were like chivalrous heroes were no exception. He was naturally sociable and took it upon himself to win over the local residents, hosting parties and banquets for the wealthy and powerful. In exchange for military protection, he accepted their offerings.

The man enthusiastically entertained his guests, his patrons. From them, he took not money or assets, but their pride, love, and courage. He watched to see if they would grovel and pledge their loyalty to survive. He made them betray their families for profit, parents selling out their children, and children betraying their fathers. With no trustworthy family or companions left, no loyalty or brotherhood, they could then live happily.

They were to indulge in wealth and luxury, drowning their sorrows in drink, proving their worth with gold and jewels, and forgetting all justice and righteousness in the world.

As for the true identity of the Shinjuku Assassin, it was as clear as day. If you wanted to know why...

At this moment, the golden-haired girl glared at the Assassin across the room, saying coldly, "Hey... that face is so familiar, I want to kill him!"

Yes, the Shinjuku Assassin had transformed into Artoria's previous appearance and attire, with a low ponytail, a black trench coat, and shorts. It was identical.

"Steady yourself, boy! Calm this lady down," Moriarty said.

"Calm down?" Shirou removed his earpiece, muttering, "I might be even more furious than her right now!"

With that, the boy and the cold-faced girl quickly walked towards the Shinjuku Assassin.

"Huh? What?" The Shinjuku Assassin, who had transformed into Artoria's likeness, was momentarily stunned upon seeing the golden-haired girl in a black evening gown approaching him.

At the same time, the boy materialized a black sword in his hand, and together with the golden-haired girl wielding a black sword, they swung their weapons at the Shinjuku Assassin's face.

Chapter 99: Subduing the Servant Yan Qing

"Wait! Wait!" The Shinjuku Assassin, his mind still reeling, was startled by the sudden attack. Just before the blades reached him, he stumbled backward, narrowly dodging the attack with a clumsy roll. However, two bloody gashes appeared on his face.

By using his Phantom Spirit Double ability to transform into Artoria, the Assassin was, in a sense, like her true clone. He possessed her memories, preferences, and even her way of acting and thinking.

So, the moment he saw Artoria, he genuinely believed another version of himself had suddenly appeared before him, and that she had changed into an evening gown.

"No questions asked! Mash, lock onto the target!" Shirou commanded.

"Understood! Target Shinjuku Assassin has been marked! Let's work together to eliminate him!" Mash locked onto the target's status, preventing him from escaping.

The battle officially began.

The Shinjuku Assassin never imagined they would be bold enough to storm his stronghold.

The black-haired man stood up, regaining his stance, and looked at the two with astonishment. "What? How could this happen... Even moths flying into a flame have some sense of limit!"

"Boss, what do we do now?" his subordinate Wasp asked.

"Send the patrons back, then Wasp, gather up. Bring in the phantom soldiers created by Shakespeare as well. They are all Servants. Annihilate them with maximum firepower magic bullets!"

In the ballroom, the dancing men and women transformed into a giant skeletal figure with interlocked hands. They were called 'Romeo and Juliet,' and any human they touched dissolved like a candle.

Jeanne d'Arc raised her flag, unleashing flames, and shouted, "As expected, Shakespeare should be burned into a charred great literary master! Such disappointing love that troubles others is unnecessary! Let me burn it all! All good love stories are in France!!!"

"Jeanne, I'll support you!" Gudako said.

"Yes, Chaldea's little sister, be careful not to leave my side!" Jeanne unleashed raging flames, engulfing the enemies.

Meanwhile, Shirou and Artoria directly engaged the Shinjuku Assassin, attacking him. Now that he was locked onto by Chaldea, he could no longer escape by transforming and blending in with Wasp.

"Ah, it seems I can't escape," the black-haired man said with a helpless smile.

"Although it was destined to happen one day, I didn't expect it to come so soon! When you do too many wicked deeds, people will come to uphold justice. I have nothing to say! Since you've come, let's fight! I am one of the 108 Heroes of Liangshan Marsh, the Heavenly Skill Star, nicknamed 'The Prodigal Yan Qing'! I've come to challenge you—!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Yan Qing appeared before Shirou, his hands clad in blue and gold gauntlets, and threw several punches in rapid succession.

Shirou raised his twin black and white blades to block, and as the heavy fist struck the blade, he could hear the sound of the blade cracking under the repeated blows.

As an Assassin, the man's fists were incredibly powerful. Even more terrifying was his burst of speed, combined with the deadly techniques of his martial arts. If he couldn't block it, it could be a fatal blow.

The young man calmly blocked every attack from the man, not daring to slacken for a moment. He widened his eyes, adapting to the man's punching speed, waiting for an opening to counterattack.

However, the black-haired man wouldn't give his opponent too much time to adapt. Chinese martial arts emphasize defeating the enemy in an instant. True battles are often decided within a few rounds.

He was one of the 108 Demon Stars descended upon the world, symbolizing the Heavenly Skill Star of flexibility, ingenuity, and sharpness.

Fist Technique EX: As proof of establishing a school of martial arts, Yan Qing Fist is one of the many Chinese martial arts, also known as 'Mizong Quan'. Later, Huo Yuanjia became a master of this technique.

Legend has it that it was created by Yan Qing of the Song Dynasty, but there are no records of Yan Qing in historical materials. It's likely that later generations borrowed his name to force a connection. However, due to people's faith, this power has now been bestowed upon this Heroic Spirit.

Yan Qing's master, Lu Junyi, studied under the great xiá Zhou Tong of Shaanxi, a renowned martial arts master of the Song Dynasty who taught many heroes like Yue Fei, Lin Chong, and Wu Song. Yan Qing, having followed Lu Junyi since childhood, also benefited from this, learning profound martial arts.

The next moment, the man's left hand became a blur, bypassing the gap between the twin blades at a tricky angle, his fingers aiming straight for the youth's eyes.

"So fast!" The sudden burst of speed forced the youth to quickly dodge to the side.

"I've been waiting for this moment!" Yan Qing's right hand was already there, his palm in a tiger claw shape. He instantly unleashed a lightning-fast strike, grabbing for the youth's throat. With his powerful tiger claw, he could snap the youth's neck the moment he grasped it.

This time, the youth couldn't dodge in time.

"Don't even think about it!" At this moment, the black Holy Sword swung down with a heavy slash, aimed at the black-haired man's waist. The moment the man grabbed the youth's throat, he would also be cut in half at the waist.

"Tch!" The black-haired man had no choice but to abandon his attack. Instead of dodging, he used his speed to meet the blow head-on, raising his steel gauntlet to block and disperse the force of the heavy strike. Then, he turned and kicked towards the blonde girl's groin.

Artoria instantly retreated, blocking with her sword. However, the kick was like a whip, erupting with immense power the moment it made contact.

Even though she was prepared, Artoria was still sent flying several meters into the air by the sudden burst of force from below.

Skilled in hand-to-hand combat, his entire body was a weapon. Combined with his agile footwork and a burst of speed surpassing that of the boy and girl, he managed to block their combined attack, which was quite impressive.

The moment the blonde girl created distance, the long black-haired man made his decision. He possessed the decisiveness of a battlefield warrior and directly launched a killing blow at the youth.

"Haa! — Ten Sides Ambush: Form Like Shadowless!!" His long black hair flew up, his golden-green eyes opened, and he unleashed the ferocity of a beast descending a mountain. His fists glowed with golden light, and with nimble steps, he charged straight at Shirou.

In an instant, he transformed into several illusory afterimages, followed by a storm of attacks. The speed Yan Qing unleashed at this moment was truly too fast; even Artoria couldn't intervene for a while.

"Rho Aias" Shirou raised his left hand, releasing a shield of seven cherry blossom-colored petals, blocking Yan Qing's fierce assault.

The black-haired man smiled, his feet moving in a peculiar dance, turning into afterimages. He actually tried to bypass the large shield and attack the youth's back.

"Shirou, block! He can't maintain this state for long!" At this moment, a black sword light flashed, and Artoria stepped forward, forcing Yan Qing back.

"Ade, the shield!" Shirou returned to his combat stance, shouting at the box in his right hand.

"Got it!" The Mystic Code unfolded, transforming into a large shield form, different from its scythe form. He raised it with his right hand and placed his left hand on the inner side of the shield, continuing to channel mana into the cherry blossom shield.

The double shields formed an impenetrable defense.

Chapter 100: Servant Yan Qing's Demise

"Tch! Then I'll break through head-on!" The black-haired man moved at high speed, charging directly towards the cherry blossom light shield.

He transformed into multiple afterimages, attacking simultaneously. In the previous second, he threw three punches; in the next, he delivered three kicks.

When the three punches landed, one cherry blossom shield shattered;

When the three kicks landed, another cherry blossom shield shattered;

Hook punch, explosive punch, side kick, sweeping kick – attacks came from different directions, and the cherry blossom shields shattered under the onslaught.

If this continued, the shield would be broken in less than ten seconds.

The giant cherry blossom petals shattered like mirrors, but the mana did not dissipate. Instead, it was absorbed into the large shield held by the youth in his right hand. The shield's shape was somewhat similar to Mash's cross shield, but its construction was much stranger, with eyes, just like its scythe form. As mana was absorbed, small clusters of mana fireballs appeared on the shield's surface.

While fighting, Yan Qing's peripheral vision scanned the surrounding environment.

He was looking for a way out. Shakespeare's phantom soldiers had been defeated, and facing these Servants, the Wasp was not even worth mentioning.

The young Master was also being protected by that witch, so there was no way to abduct her.

The only way now was to use his Noble Phantasm to kill the youth and create a moment of chaos, then he might be able to escape!

Having experience using his Double Body to create "Jeanne d'Arc" and "Artoria" clones, he knew the youth's importance to them. If the youth died before their eyes, they would definitely go berserk.

"I have to risk it all now!" Killing intent flashed in Yan Qing's eyes. His right palm opened, and the golden light intensified, charging straight at Shirou. A powerful energy fluctuation emanated from his palm. There was no doubt that this blow would pierce through 'Rho Aias' and then shatter the large shield in the youth's hand, killing him.

Just then, the shield, which had been rapidly absorbing mana, changed. When the thirteenth cluster of small fireballs appeared on the shield's surface, the flames formed a circular ring of fire, then merged into one. It then transformed into a straight cylinder, like a dragon's fiery breath, and shot out.

"What!" Yan Qing hastily stopped his attack, pushing off with both feet and leaping high into the air.

The flames shot past beneath him.

The large shield's flames were released in a straight line, forming a rotating cylinder of magical flame that blasted through and burned the long table and chairs in front of it.

The moment Yan Qing landed, a huge dark shadow flew towards him.

Yan Qing raised his leg to kick it away, but upon contact, his foot jolted, the impact was heavy, and it took a lot of effort to block the shadow.

It turned out that the large shield in the youth's hand had been thrown directly at him.

Yan Qing wiped away cold sweat and grumbled, "Hey, hey, enough with this reckless, desperate fighting style. You're not going to end up getting arrested yourself after trying to stop an execution in the future, are you!"

At this moment, Shirou had already lowered his head and rushed in front of Yan Qing. Behind him, he projected his twin black and white blades and slashed forward.

Two streams of light rang out with the sound of metal colliding, sparks flying.

Yan Qing gritted his teeth and raised his pair of blue and gold steel gauntlets, blocking the blade. He then grabbed Shirou's wrist and kicked out with his right foot.

Shirou felt his body tilt to one side, losing his balance before being flung outward, directly crashing into Artoria, who was charging forward from the other side.

"Shirou!" Artoria quickly retracted her Holy Sword and caught the young man.

"I'm fine, this guy is really strong in close combat!!" Shirou said. Fortunately, he had experience practicing sumo with his grandfather from the Fujimura family when he was younger, which allowed him to release some of his force at the last moment, so he wasn't injured. Otherwise, being thrown by a Servant at full power would have been quite serious.

"Well, besides Mizong Quan, what I'm best at is indeed wrestling. See ya!" Yan Qing said with a smile and turned to flee.

"You bastard! Don't even think about escaping!" At this moment, Jeanne d'Arc unleashed flames several meters high, blocking the man's path.

"Vassal's Iron Hammer—!" Artoria charged forward, swinging a giant hammer formed from black magical energy.

Yan Qing couldn't dodge in time and raised his steel gauntlets to block, getting smashed back to the center of the arena.

Two streams of light, one black and one white, followed, striking him.

Under the combined efforts of the three, even the fastest Servant would be overwhelmed. In the end, he was struck by the black and white twin blades.

"Whoa. Looks like I'm going down here today," Yan Qing said, retreating a few steps. Blood splattered from his body, revealing two large gashes.

"Tch, can't be helped. I'll just have to use this move! Bury everyone here!" Yan Qing said, pressing a button he carried on his person.

The tall building let out a deafening roar and began to shake violently.

"Senpai, our sensors indicate a massive impact in the lower levels. Collapse is predicted in twenty-three seconds. Please evacuate as soon as possible."

"He actually set off bombs!"

"Shirou-senpai! What do we do!" Gudako exclaimed in alarm.

"Don't speak, we're jumping!" Shirou exchanged glances with Artoria and Jeanne d'Arc, then directly hugged Gudako and leaped outward.