Chapter 144

Even Hoshiguma, who was watching from the side, could see what Shirou was doing, so there was no reason why Chen, as the person involved, wouldn't have noticed.

After several encounters, Chen also noticed that Shirou's physical strength was far lower than hers, which was her advantage.

But Shirou repeatedly tilted his sword to deflect the force of her attack, constantly defending against her assault.

If you can't win in a head-on fight, then make up for it with skill. That's exactly what Shirou said.

Shirou's defensive swordsmanship is quite outstanding; at least Chen would find it difficult to break through the opponent's defenses without making any moves.

It's so annoying.

So Chen spoke up and mocked Shirou.

Hoshiguma, standing nearby. "???"

145 That's it?

Hoshiguma, who was standing to the side, felt that Old Chen's words were also directed at her, since she had mostly been on the defensive during their sparring sessions.

Her excellent self-control prevented her from immediately rushing to join Shirou in a two-on-one fight against Old Chen, but she planned to ask Old Chen for some advice after their sparring session.

As for Shirou, he also felt that the sentence sounded familiar.

Texas seems to have said something similar.

What's wrong with defense? Is defense wrong?

You are all so physically strong, one of you has extraordinary strength, and the other is incredibly fast.

Without Magecraft, he can only passively defend himself.

After a few moves, Chen retreated, creating some distance between himself and Shirou.

She's the main attacker, and if she keeps attacking like that, it will consume a lot of her stamina. She needs to adjust her rhythm and breathing.

That's it?

Seeing his opponent retreat and create distance, Shirou didn't rush to counterattack, but instead smiled slightly and said...

He still remembered how arrogant the other party was when they attacked.

I learned it from Croissant and Exusiai; it's said that after provoking the opponent...

"..."

Chen didn't respond. She had figured it out: Shirou was the kind of person who would retaliate tenfold if provoked verbally.

She was already upset that her first sneak attack was met with verbal abuse; after all, even if she was attacked, she would still have some temper.

The second time, she was merely using verbal attacks as a tactic, yet the other party actually provoked her?

Chen said she really couldn't connect the current Shirou with the Shirou who had just been running errands for everyone.

The difference is too great!

Chen assumed the starting stance again and launched another attack.

Sigh, I just wanted to test the other person's skills, but I still fell short.

Without using other techniques, Chen felt that he would not be able to break through the opponent's defense in a short period of time.

Even so, she had no intention of making a move.

She now feels that she's been provoked a bit too much and is afraid that once she makes a move, she won't be able to stop herself.

From initially thinking that the moves shouldn't be used internally, to now worrying that I won't be able to stop myself.

God knows what she just went through.

"Tsk, Old Chen really fought hard."

After seeing that Shirou could exchange a few blows with Chen, Hoshiguma, who was standing to the side, was no longer as focused on the two of them as she had been at the beginning.

Right now, we should say we're enjoying the two's sparring session.

Yes, it's about appreciation.

Having watched so many other weaklings sparring, the sparring between Shirou and Chen was like a clash of masters.

Although most people don't understand it, that doesn't stop them from finding the scene before them very exciting.

For those who understand, it's clear that the person sparring with Chen is no ordinary guy.

At least as far as Hoshiguma is concerned, she has now changed her opinion of Shirou.

I didn't expect the other party to be so good at fighting. It seems that what A-Xing said before, that Shirou could knock out all the troublemakers with one punch, was not an exaggeration.

She was getting a little itchy to play, and thought she'd play a round after Old Chen finished.

Take care of Old Chen first, then have a go at Shirou. Perfect.

The sound of metal clashing between the training swords in the hands of the two attracted the attention of others in the training field.

Before long, a large crowd gathered around to cheer Chen on.

After all, he's a celebrity in the Knights of the Round Table, so it's only natural for him to support his own people.

However, there were also people cheering for Shirou, mostly those who were quite familiar with Chen.

As the saying goes, you don't know someone until you fight them. They only became acquainted with each other after Chen beat them up under the guise of sparring.

However, these people were only a minority; the vast majority of people cheered for Chen.

"This is indeed a bit stressful."

Shirou held his sword with both hands and withstood Chen's slash.

He felt a little uncomfortable under the gazes of those around him, but he didn't slow down the speed at which he swung his sword.

After all, archery competitions are often watched by onlookers, so this little bit of attention won't bother him.

However, the support from outside the arena did have some impact on Shirou.

It drowned out Chen's actions, forcing Shirou to spend more time paying attention to the other party's movements.

"You don't handle stress well!"

Seeing that Shirou had finally stopped attacking him, Chen also slowed down his offensive.

She wanted to end the sparring session.

She had already used up a lot of energy, and there was still work to do later. She wasn't sure if there would be any missions to take place in the afternoon, so she didn't want to waste too much energy here.

She didn't care about winning or losing.

Is this a problem with stress resistance?

Shirou felt somewhat helpless in the face of Chen's words.

I didn't expect the other person to have so much to say!

Besides being physically exhausted, his hands are also a bit numb.

Despite the fact that he seemed to deflect the opponent's attacks every time, some of the force still transferred from the sword to Shirou's hands.

The main problem was that the sword wasn't very good quality, and the opponent's attacks were getting fiercer with each strike.

This made Shirou start to wonder if it was because of his identity as a member of Penguin Logistics that the other party remembered him, which was why they attacked him so fiercely.

This is a sparring match! Don't make it sound like a life-or-death struggle!

Shirou was suffering inside, but he didn't say it out loud.

Instead of talking nonsense, it's better to find a way to block more attacks. Chen seems to have gotten serious; he doesn't want to be attacked by the other party.

Being hit once would probably give him a taste of the soreness.

"Is this the end of it?"

After assessing his physical condition, Chen felt that today's sparring was really tiring and it was time to stop.

Sparring with Shirou is more tiring than sparring with Hoshiguma, at least Hoshiguma isn't as slippery as Shirou.

Even though Hoshiguma can block several attacks, some will still slip through her net, but Shirou can block almost every single one of them.

Coupled with the verbal provocation, Chen had genuinely lost his temper just now.

However, she also had some issues herself, so she managed to endure it well.

"Okay, that's settled then."

Seeing that the other party had stopped, Shirou breathed a sigh of relief.

He was originally arrested, so it's all the better that he can leave the village safely now.

He had no intention of defeating his opponent and becoming famous overnight; he just wanted to work and intern quietly at the Knights of the Round Table for a few days and then repay the favor he owed Wei Yanwu.

It's always better to be low-key.

"Wow, that's Shirou. I didn't expect you to be able to go toe-to-toe with Chen Wuwu, Emiya."

Seeing that the two had stopped sparring, Hoshiguma clapped her hands and said something.

When she said "50/50," she meant the basics of swordsmanship. Neither of them used Originium Arts; the contest was purely about swordsmanship skills.

In terms of using Originium Arts, it's hard to say who would win against Hoshiguma.

Battles are never decided by words alone.

Favorable timing, advantageous location, and harmonious relationships are all crucial factors. Only those with exceptional strength can guarantee a victory.

"I have to thank Chen for sparring with me based on my skill level."

Shirou didn't mean to be proud; rather, he said that Chen had cooperated with him in sparring.

The implication is that Chen had gone easy on them.

After all, on several occasions, Shirou noticed that Chen had abruptly changed his attack trajectory.

If this isn't releasing water, then what is?

We also learn from Exusiai that the other party was the one who slashed down the vault with a single sword strike, although it's very likely that it was due to Originium Arts.

However, upon seeing the other sword at the other person's waist, Shirou understood how the other person had managed to breach the vault.

Unfortunately, there were Originium- related products inside, so they couldn't be Projection.

At most, one could sense a slight sense of danger emanating from that sword.

Shirou understood perfectly well that if Chen pulled out the sword, he wouldn't be able to withstand it without using Magecraft or Projection.

It was arguably the most peculiar sword he had seen since arriving in Terra.

Unfortunately, it contained Originium, so he was unable to Projection it.

He can't Projection Originium right now, and it's unlikely he'll be able to in the future either, but we can't say for sure.

Nothing is absolute; this is the experience Shirou has gained from reviewing multiple memories and his own experiences.

"You don't need to be modest."

Upon hearing Shirou's words, Chen shook his head and said...

Although she didn't use her full strength, she knew that Shirou also didn't use his full strength.

Chen felt that Shirou's power shouldn't be limited to just that—the ability to draw that bow and snipe from a distance.

Although it could also be Originium Arts.

"Exactly. While humility is a good thing, being overly humble is not good. Be more confident."

Hoshiguma patted Shirou on the shoulder and said something.

Then he turned his head and looked in Chen's direction, asking:

"Want to practice a couple more times?"

"... No, I still have work to do later, it's not good to expend too much energy."

Chen was puzzled for a moment when Hoshiguma suddenly invited him to a match, but then declined.

"It won't take too much effort, and we can finish it quickly."

Hoshiguma clenched her fists slightly, making a cracking sound.

She still remembered Old Chen's comments about defense.