The Death of Lio Shirazumi / Souren Araya Imprisons Shirou

"Wait!" Shirou tried to call out to the man, but he had already disappeared into the dark alley.

"Hmph, no need to rush, we'll meet again soon." A deep male voice came from the darkness.

"Oh no! Mashiro has been kidnapped!" At this moment, the Fat Director ran over breathlessly and shouted urgently.

"What!" Shirou exclaimed in surprise. He had only been gone for a moment, how could something have happened!

"That person is terrifying! In a flash, he grabbed Mashiro, jumped upstairs, and ran away. What should we do? Should we call the police?" the Fat Director said in a panic.

"What's that on your clothes?" Shirou suppressed his shock and anger, calmed down, and looked at the thing near the Fat Director's neck.

"Eek!!!" The Fat Director looked down and saw a piece of paper stuck in his collar, halfway down. If it had been pointed at Fat Director neck, it probably would have had the same effect.

Shirou took the piece of paper and saw that it read:

Come to Ogawa Apartment! If you don't want your crush to die, come alone!

I'm going to eat you! And then take your place!

Shiratsumi Rishio

"Shirou-kun, what do we do?! This is a kidnapping! And the kidnapper isn't an ordinary person; he's like Jack Sparrow, scaling walls and leaping across rooftops!" the Fat Director said anxiously.

"No! Leave it to me. The other party is indeed not simple, so even if we call the police, it will only push him to the brink. Besides, I can handle it alone!" Shirou said confidently.

"Shirou-kun..." The Fat Director looked at Shirou, feeling both worried and guilty, but there was nothing he could do to help. Then he returned to the hospital to keep the Explosion Head Uncle.

Shirou, on the other hand, rushed to the Ogawa Apartment mentioned on the note.

"I'm here!" Shirou shouted to the figure in the dark room.

Mashiro, with her hands and feet bound and her mouth taped shut, was leaning against the wall, fast asleep. However, she didn't seem to be injured, which relieved Shirou. He turned his gaze to the Black Shadow sitting inside.

"Hahaha, you're finally here! I'm starving." A blond man with somewhat androgynous features walked out. His red eyes scanned Shirou's body with an aggressive gaze, filled with a desire for conquest, a hunger, and even a lust for flesh.

Shirou frowned, looked at the man, and said, "Surrender. If you agree to give up resistance and turn yourself in now, I can give you a chance to reform."

Chapter 925 The Death of Shiratsumi Rishio

"Hahaha! You really are the savior of the world! So great! So powerful! As expected, someone as strong as you who can still be as kind and gentle as a fool must be the strongest person in this world!" Shiratsumi Rishio and laughed when she heard Shirou's words.

"I am not savior, but I will stop you from doing evil again," Shirou said, denying it.

"Araya Sōren said you could bring Salvation of all Humanity. If possible, I really hope you could come and try to save me, haha? Although, can I even be considered human in my current state?"

At this moment, Shiratsumi Rishio, having awakened her origin, transformed her appearance into blonde hair and red eyes, her face resembling that of a female star from an action movie. She herself had become an androgynous being.

"If you want redemption, how about starting now to atone for the mistakes you've made?" Shirou said, looking at the other person.

"Araya Sōren says you are the savior, the greatest being in the world, but hearing this, I only have one thought in my mind, which is to eat you up!" Shiratsumi Rishio looked at Shirou, opened her blood-red mouth wide, and said with drool dripping from her mouth.

Perhaps he once thought about becoming human again, but that doesn't matter anymore. There's no one in this world who cares about his existence, so he's no longer human; he's fallen into the form of a ghoul.

Eating is a form of food worship for humankind. In Chinese folklore, there is a saying that you are what you eat. Eating fish eyes can improve eyesight, and eating chicken feet can make you run faster. If you sprain or break your leg, you will make bone broth and eat pig's trotters.

In the world of wild animals, they also choose their prey. Wolves will gang up on injured or pregnant tigers or bears, and will devour the dominant species in the forest to establish their own supreme status.

A carnivorous diet makes animals stronger and fiercer, while a herbivorous diet makes them more agile. Gnawing on bones and tearing muscles sharpens their teeth and claws. Herbivorous animals generally have even teeth, which are well-suited for chewing and grinding.

However, carnivores, due to their long-term consumption of meat containing various toxins, especially after it has decomposed, place a great burden on their bodily functions and digestive systems, and often also carry certain viruses themselves.

Shiratsumi Rishio absorbed all sorts of poisons in this way, including herbivorous poisons and cannibalistic poisons, eventually turning her into this state. She appears to have a beautiful body, but her body is filled with toxins, and her mind has also collapsed.

At this moment, Shiratsumi Rishio's movements were unusually agile, unlike those of a human. He had awakened his origin, reclaiming the wildness and bestiality that his ancestors had honed in the law of the jungle. He spotted his prey, tracked it, hunted it, and then tore it apart...

All his senses were focused on this purpose, without any distractions, so he had pushed the limits of human physical ability to the extreme. At this moment, he resembled more of an ape who had shed 99% of its fur than a female lead in an action movie.

"Emiya... kun~! I can't wait! What will your flesh taste like! Ahahaha!!" Shiratsumi Rishio leaped high, stepping onto the load-bearing wall, alternating between left and right, and jumped up to the ceiling. He then fell backward, head down, and stretched out his hand to stab Shirou in the eye.

Clang! Sparks flew from the clash of metal in the dimly lit room.

Just as the dagger was about to pierce Shirou's pupil, an ancient sword appeared out of thin air in Shirou's hand, blocking Shiratsumi Rishio's attack.

Then, the force of the fall forced Shirou to push her away with a powerful blow; Shiratsumi Rishio was as agile as a spider hanging upside down.

However, Shirou still managed to block the dagger in Shiratsumi Rishio's hand. Each seemingly dangerous strike landed on the sharp blade in his hand.

If Shiratsumi Rishio is a wild man who has reverted to being a wild animal, then Shirou is a warrior who has been tempered by countless trials. Perhaps wild men possess extraordinary physical abilities that humans have long since lost.

However, humans have the advantage in using tools and various power techniques. Not to mention that Shirou is already used to how to receive attacks from beings stronger than himself and is proficient in defending against all kinds of adverse situations in battle.

How to deflect force and defend most effectively when you are weaker or slower than your opponent.

As a human being, one should not lose one's animalistic instincts, otherwise one will appear cowardly. However, having only wildness is not enough. If a human being loses his or her beliefs and lives merely to eat, he or she is nothing more than a walking corpse. How could he or she possibly be a match for a human being who cherishes faith and hope?

"Give up! You are no match for me," Shirou said calmly.

"Then kill me! Come on! Either kill me or let me kill you! I'm either being eaten or eating people, I only have these two choices left!" Shiratsumi Rishio stared at Shirou with her bloodshot eyes.

"No! Someone like you, I'll make you repent properly in prison!" Shirou said, looking at the ghoul with red eyes.

"I can't come back! There's no way out! The moment I ate that first bite of human flesh, everything was already destined, and I could never come back!" Shiratsumi Rishio angrily, her eyes red.

"Damn it! Damn it! Since that's how it is, then I'll make you remember me for the rest of your life! Ahahaha!!!" Shiratsumi Rishio couldn't hurt Shirou no matter what she did, and with red eyes, she turned around and attacked Mashiro, who was sleeping unconscious in the corner.

A jolt of surprise flashed in Shirou's eyes, and he instinctively swung his sword, the golden light striking the blond-haired, red-eyed man.

"Ugh..." Shiratsumi Rishio was less than a meter away from Mashiro, but the sword blade imbued with dragon energy had already shattered his heart. Blood spurted from his mouth, and he collapsed weakly to the ground.

"I told you, if you don't kill me, and I can't kill you, then I'll have no choice but to kill the people important to you. But dying at your hands is a good ending... Farewell, my righteous... partner..." Shiratsumi Rishio said her last words, a satisfied smile on her face, and then closed her eyes.

Shirou silently pulled the blood-stained Ame no Murakumo no Tsurugi from the dead man's body. In the end, he killed Shiratsumi Rishio and became the arbiter in Araya Sōren's words.

Yes, if we want all of humanity to be happy, we must first eliminate those who cause unhappiness from the human race. Although that's not what he thought, he did it anyway.

At this moment, the entire Ogawa Apartment was illuminated by the Holy Light of the barrier. The entrances and exits were completely sealed off by cement walls, so that even a rat could not find a crack to squeeze through. Araya Sōren had set up layers of barriers inside a building. Entering this building meant entering a maze-like cage, and he could activate mechanisms at any time to trap you.

Chapter 926 Araya Sōren Imprisons Shirou

Inside the dark apartment, Shirou walked further in and finally found the man in black.

"You've finally arrived, Shirou Emiya. You've punished Shiratsumi Rishio, so you can now understand the truth of saving the world?" The man in black greeted Shirou with a smile.

"Araya Sōren! Stop your tricks! I won't allow you to hurt people again!" Shirou glared at the man in black. On his way here, Shirou had seen corpses. To create this magic circle, he had killed everyone in the apartment, creating the paradoxical spiral.

"But you still did it, didn't you? Admit it! Remember your mission! It was to find a way to bring happiness to all mankind! Now is the time to achieve it! So become the Judge!" The man in black extended an inviting hand to Shirou.

"I do want everyone in the world to be happy. Perhaps there is a pest in this world that is beyond redemption, and there is no better way than to eliminate them... But! I refuse!!!" Shirou shouted loudly.

Araya Sōren was wrong from the start. He either brainwashed humanity or led them to their deaths. Such extreme methods could never bring true happiness.

"Is that so..." Araya raised one hand from under his black coat, slowly raising his left hand to shoulder height. His palm was limply open, the posture as if summoning someone from afar. This was his fighting style; he faced his opponent with one hand raised.

Approaching at this distance takes less than a few seconds. A single breath is enough for Shirou to slice this guy's body into four pieces.

Before Shirou's sword could even touch him, it was locked by the glowing barrier and could not advance any further.

The distance between them was less than ten centimeters, but they just couldn't cross it. There was a solid wall in the air that blocked their way. It wouldn't break the sword, but it wouldn't cause any damage either.

The two sides remained locked in a stalemate, as if frozen in time.

With Shirou and the man in black, Araya Sōren, locked in a standoff, neither had a way out. The apartment building was completely sealed off; unless a decisive outcome was reached, there was no escape.

White lines appeared beneath the feet of the man in black, seemingly forming some kind of magic circle, and continued to expand.

Shirou planted his feet on the ground and leaped backward like an eagle soaring through the sky, trying to create distance.

The man in black said in a low voice:

Fūrinji!

The air shifted, and a magic circle composed of white runes appeared on Shirou's back, stopping Shirou retreat as if he had run into a spider web.

King Kong!!

The man in black stretched one hand into the air, his five fingers spread, and white runes surrounded Shirou's body, constantly combining to form new formations.

Jakusho!!!

Around the Magecraft, the flow of air gradually ceased; even the wind stirred up by his struggle disappeared, as if this place were a vacuum outside of Earth.

Shirou saw multiple circular patterns extending from the man in black's feet, protecting the Magecraft's three rings. These patterns resembled depictions of planetary orbits, causing Shirou to feel his body grow heavier and heavier until he was completely still!

'Not good!' Shirou thought to himself, 'This is bad!' The Ame no Murakumo no Tsurugi in his hand emitted a golden light, revealing its power as Anti-World Noble Phantasm, and it cut through the magic circle composed of white lines.

But in the next instant, the magic circle recovered and surged towards Shirou again.

"Normally I wouldn't have been able to deal with you, but things are different in this apartment. In the worst-case scenario where you refuse, I've been preparing for months to take over your body." Araya Sōren said, clenching his fist, and charged towards Shirou.

At the last moment, Shirou, surrounded by the magic circle, had no choice but to stab the man who rushed forward with his sword, hoping to make him retreat.

However, Araya Sōren did not back down, and charged straight at the blade as if he hadn't even seen it.

Sizzle!

The blade pierced Araya Sōren's chest, but was caught by his strong hands at the same time!

Suddenly, a tall, Black Shadow leaped out from the other side of the darkness and punched Shirou.

"A doll!" Shirou exclaimed in surprise.

It turns out that the Araya who was just beheaded was not the only one; his true form was hiding on the other side! In Japan, there was once a sorcerer monk whose puppet-making skills were so realistic that they could be mistaken for real. His most famous work has survived for hundreds of years and has a deep connection with the Fuma clan.

Araya Sōren truly mastered this technology, creating another version of himself. Shirou was caught completely off guard.

This time, Shirou's sword was caught, and he didn't even have time to defend himself.

Another Araya Sōren's fist, powerful enough to shatter boulders, slammed into Shirou's abdomen, sending him flying and crashing into a wall three meters away.

The man in black's punches were incredibly heavy, heavier than those of a top-weight boxer, breaking several of his ribs.

Shirou was in so much pain in his chest that he could hardly breathe. He tried to get up, but the other person clearly had no intention of letting him go.

Daiten! Chōkei! Ōken!

Three more rings appeared on the other side. When the six slender rings overlapped each other, they merged into one, without any gaps. The entire space was now encompassed by the array.

Shirou's body was enveloped by the array patterns and froze uncontrollably, unable to move an inch. Then, he was controlled to float into the air. At this moment, Shirou's posture was like that of a person whose hands and feet were nailed to a cross.

Six Paths Barriers were constructed around Araya Sōren: Fūrinji, Vajra, Jakusho, Daiten, Chōkei, and Ōken. When combined, they stripped everything that approached him of its kinetic energy, rendering it static. Anything in motion could not get close to him.

It's an array erected between the ground and space, between two-dimensional and three-dimensional planes. As soon as a living being comes into contact with the lines that form a circle, its power will be instantly taken away.

Generally speaking, a barrier is a boundary that protects immovable objects and also immovable. Carrying one around a barrier, one can see it but feel no aura, making attacks on enemies feel monstrous.

In close combat, Araya Sōren is practically invincible. But conversely, this is the only move Araya Sōren has.

"Then... Araya Sōren, will accept this body for the sake of Salvation of all Humanity!"

The man in black reached out his open palm towards Shirou's head. His body-swapping technique relied on the human brain. He intended to extract all of Shirou's brain matter and replace it with his own, thus gaining control of the other's body.

Chapter 927 The Origin of Ryougi Shiki

"Indeed, a sword imbued with the aura of a nation's dragon is remarkable, but it is ultimately just a sharper weapon. I have implanted a Buddhist relic in my hand, which can protect me from fatal wounds. As long as I don't die, I can recover. A mere knife wound is nothing." Araya Sōren smiled coldly. Something seemed to be buried in his hand, emitting a dazzling Buddha light. His severed hand, as if time had reversed, was reattached and restored to its original state.

"I already know about this!!!" Shirou suddenly rushed into Araya Sōren's arms, shouting loudly, and swung his sword again, stabbing at Araya Sōren's arm.

Shirou didn't draw his sword, but instead allowed Araya Sōren's hand to automatically regenerate, though the part where the sword was still stuck inside remained.

Araya Sōren grunted and was about to throw a punch at Shirou.

Shirou lowered his body, ignoring the opponent's attack. With his other hand, Projection a sword that looked like a hook, and swung it down fiercely at the spot where the Ame no Murakumo no Tsurugi was pressed against the relic. This was Perseus's demonic sword that could not heal wounds. Araya Sōren's arm was torn in two, showing no signs of healing. Then, the Ame no Murakumo no Tsurugi trembled as it aimed at the Buddha bone relic hidden inside.

With a snap, the golden Buddha bone relic was forcibly dug out of Araya Sōren's hand, flew towards the wall, and fell to the ground, rolling around.

"Hmph! Ōken!!!" Araya Sōren clenched his fist, and the space around him distorted as if it had been crushed by a giant hand.

Shirou's eyes flashed with a sharp light, and he swung the Ame no Murakumo no Tsurugi horizontally, slashing through the space and cutting down Araya Sōren's outstretched hand.

"Waaaaaah!!!" Araya Sōren looked at his severed arm, ignoring the excruciating pain and blood loss, and activated his magic again.

"In that case, I'll use this entire apartment to suppress you!" Araya Sōren roared, ignoring his bleeding severed arm! Under his control, the sealed apartment changed its structure, mixing with the barrier to form a giant stone golem.

The giant stone golem twisted its body, absorbing the walls and floors of the other rooms, scattering stones and bricks at Shirou, piling them up around Shirou, as if trying to completely seal him inside!

"Your body is humanity's only hope for salvation! Even if I die, I will fulfill my final wish!" Araya Sōren's eyes turned black and emitted a bright light as he spoke madly.

Besides rocks, human corpses were also found scattered in the sandstorm.

At this moment, Mashiro is still asleep in a clean room. Shirou Projection a blanket onto her, as the changes in the entire apartment may very well involve her.

What talk of human salvation? This has resulted in the sacrifice of countless innocent people! How could he possibly entrust his body to such a madman!

"Roar!!!" The giant stone golem transformed into a cube tens of meters thick and lunged at Shirou.

"Don't even think about it!!!" Shirou roared, his whole body exploding with golden light. The Ame no Murakumo no Tsurugi was released, its golden light carrying flames slashing towards the entire apartment, cutting Araya Sōren in two. He had no chance to recover.

Shirou, carrying the still-sleeping Mashiro, hid in another newly created white space. He opened his eyes and looked at the entire apartment building destroyed by golden light. Golden flames were burning, dyeing the entire illusory apartment building gold. Araya Sōren was no more.