Chapter 209

Shirou took a step forward and ran with all his might.

Because he had spent some time searching for survivors, he had been walking and stopping frequently, but now that he was sure there was no one there, Shirou decided to head straight for his destination.

As he approached Ryuudou Temple, Shirou felt an inexplicable pressure.

Any change means he is correct.

"Inside Great Hollow?"

Ryuudou Temple, though outwardly dilapidated, is actually located in the Great Hollow below, as Shirou understands.

This is evident in the memory with Sakura.

Following his memory, Shirou entered the Great Hollow.

Bang bang—bang bang—bang bang bang bang bang bang...

As they went deeper, Shirou could clearly feel his heart pounding so hard it felt like it was about to jump out of his chest.

He didn't know what he would see next, but after witnessing the scene just now, he was certain that what followed would be anything but simple.

"Ha ha..."

Shirou felt that his current situation was very bad; his brain and body were constantly putting pressure on him, trying to stop him from moving forward.

The only thing that kept him going was the vague, elusive answer he had in his heart.

Upon entering the Great Hollow, Shirou saw a black hole hanging in mid-air, from which Black Mud continuously emerged.

That was the Holy Grail, and it was a corrupted Holy Grail.

The Black Mud flowed continuously from the holes like a waterfall.

And in the area beneath those black Nile statues, Shirou vaguely saw a figure.

Some familiar red figures.

"..."

The other person seemed to have noticed Shirou as well, and gently raised their head to look in Shirou's direction.

"That is..."

Looking at the figure bathed in Black Mud, Shirou could only sense a chilling aura emanating from it.

"You're such a handful!"

Before Shirou could think too much, Archer's voice came from behind him.

Shirou then felt a strong pulling force dragging him away.

Before leaving, he made eye contact with the man bathing in the Black Mud.

The person bathing in the Black Mud was none other than Shirou Emiya.

Then the scene flashed, and Shirou was back on that snowy plain.

"Ahh! My eyes!"

Suddenly, he was transported from a pitch-black environment to a snow-white one, and Shirou felt as if his eyes were about to be blinded by the light.

"Honestly, I don't want to be your babysitter!"

Seeing Shirou covering his eyes because his eyes were not used to the light, Archer sighed and said.

"I didn't ask you to bring me out!"

Shirou had recovered slightly, squinted at the red figure in front of him.

There was a vague overlap with the red figure that had just been in the Black Mud, except that the other person's hair was not silver-white like Archer's.

"Hmph! Kindness gets you bitten by a dog."

Seeing that the other person still had the energy to argue with him, Archer knew that the worst-case scenario had been avoided.

So they resumed their previous way of getting along.

"Seriously... was that Shirou Emiya from some parallel universe over there just now?"

After opening his eyes and adjusting to the snowy, icy environment, Shirou finally spoke and asked a question.

This is already familiar; the memories within the four doors, and Archer or himself before us, are all Shirou Emiya in each parallel universe. This plot is also frequently used in the games of the Penguin Logistics team.

The fact that he himself had become the person in the story still made Shirou feel somewhat uneasy.

But more than those subtle sensations, Shirou wanted to know what exactly he had just seen.

197 Archer's Advice

Upon hearing Shirou's question, Archer gave him a meaningful look, but unfortunately Shirou, who was standing in front of him with his back to him, did not notice this detail.

"Who knows? After all, someone like Shirou Emiya has the potential to become Heroic Spirit, so it's not impossible that such a possibility exists, is it?"

Shrugging, Archer did not directly answer Shirou's question.

"That's a bit too much."

Upon hearing Archer's words, Shirou scratched his head, feeling that there were simply too many factors involved.

Based on what we know so far, excluding himself and the one we just saw, there are at least five.

The four doors, plus Archer behind him.

Add to that his own strength and that of the guy from before, and you could probably start another Holy Grail War!

"Ha, we've already traveled to another world, and you can't even accept this little bit?"

Seeing that Shirou seemed a little unable to accept it, Archer made a comment.

Besides living many years longer than the other person, he also received different information due to the era he lived in.

Although I didn't pay special attention, there were many different things related to other worlds during that period, and I had heard of them even if I didn't pay attention.

Therefore, his ability to accept information is much higher than that of Shirou.

"I can't argue with you... Do you have any clue about Fuyuki City?"

Too lazy to argue with the other party, Shirou decisively changed the subject.

"No, in the end, Fuyuki City is just a fragment that has been extracted."

In response to Shirou's question, Archer shook his head.

He was telling the truth, and given the current situation, there's no need for him to target Shirou Emiya.

To put it bluntly, the two of them are now in the same boat, struggling together in an unfamiliar world.

Although somewhat reluctant, I had no choice but to accept it.

At least now he only needs to lend a hand when the other party has problems, without having to worry about the other party's attitude in real life.

Moreover, the place they were in was very chaotic, and based on his understanding of Shirou Emiya in front of him, the other party would definitely do something that would make him want to draw his sword.

Anyway, out of sight, out of mind; if he didn't see it, then it's as if it never happened.

"The extracted... segment?"

Shirou didn't quite understand Archer's answer.

"You must have noticed, right? In that Fuyuki City, there's no one else besides you and that person in the Black Mud. Not to mention people, there aren't even any other living beings."

Archer pointed out the key points directly, but there was one more key point he didn't mention.

That means not only living beings, but even corpses do not exist.

If it's just a extracted fragment, it's impossible that even the corpse doesn't exist.

Even if the memory is blurred, at least some pieces of meat can be pieced together from there.

The reason they didn't say it was simply to prevent Shirou from piecing together anything from these clues.

Some things are still too early for him.

That's true...

After listening to what the other person said, Shirou was somewhat persuaded.

In terms of Magecraft, Archer is undoubtedly more knowledgeable than him. If the essence of Magus is to study Magecraft, then he is simply a magician who Magus Magecraft a tool.

I don't particularly understand the underlying principles; as long as it works, that's enough.

"That's right. Unlike me, you seem to be here with something else and a physical body, so it's normal for you to see other things. So don't overthink it."

Seeing that he had successfully led Shirou astray, Archer added some further explanation.

Unlike Shirou, who arrived with many strange things, he himself was simply Servant.

However, I don't have many memories of this place, since they are only memories obtained from some remnants of magic. I only have a general understanding of this place.

Overall, it was a worse place than their original world, which is why he let Shirou run rampant.

"Is it different? By the way, Archer, you've already... left the scene? Around when was that? More than two years ago?"

Hearing this, Shirou was completely convinced.

If something as bizarre as time travel has already happened, then other outrageous things should be acceptable as well.

This was also the first time he had heard about his situation here from Archer, so he took the opportunity to ask.

He only vaguely knew that the other party had once been in the Northern Plains of Ursus, but had disappeared more than two years ago.

So, that's probably when the opponent left the game, right?

There was a two-year gap between them.

"... Who knows? Even Servant aren't invincible here. They can still lose if they get the chance. I just paid the price with my life."

As he spoke, Archer seemed to suddenly remember something and continued, "You should have already come into contact with Originium, right? Does it feel terrible?"

"It was pretty bad, it felt like... diluted Black Mud? I saw many images and heard many sounds when I touched it, and afterwards I saw even clearer scenes in my dreams."

Although he didn't know why Archer suddenly brought this up, Shirou still shared his initial reaction after coming into contact with Originium.

Despite how annoying the other person was, they had helped him countless times here.

Whether it was the Holy Shroud or the numerous times he was pulled from his memories.

"That's right. Although we don't know the true nature of that thing, for those of us with magic, Originium is a deadly poison. We can draw magic from it, but our minds will also be corrupted. That's why I'm leaving the scene."

Upon hearing Shirou's words, Archer nodded and continued.

"Goo-ooh-"

Shirou swallowed hard.

After hearing Archer's words, and considering his own situation,

He was certain that what the other person said was true.

Moreover, since the opponent appears in the world Servant, magical power is necessary to maintain the Servant's existence.

Therefore, the feasibility is even higher.

"So don't even think about touching Originium unless you have to. You have a physical body and don't need magic to maintain your existence."

Seeing Shirou's expression, Archer knew that the other party had taken his words to heart.

Ugh... talking to this guy is such a hassle!

"So, will I still become infected?"

After processing what the other person said, this was the first question that came to Shirou's mind.

After all, the people at Rhodes Island are studying his blood. If he still becomes infected, then what exactly are they researching?

"Maybe? Actually, I don't know either, but my advice is to stay away from Originium, especially if you have other things you want to do."

Archer would never have known this.

Ultimately, they are not from here, and he is Servant, while Shirou is a living person.

"But some people have studied my blood and said that my constitution is quite special, and I might even be the type that is not easily infected, which is of great research value."

Upon hearing Archer's words, Shirou frowned slightly, pondering whether Archer's words were wrong or Rhodes Island's research was flawed.