Shirou Emiya Stands Upon Terra Chapter 30

Shirou Emiya hadn't chosen to defend with the Seven Circles of the Burning Sky because he didn't know how many opponents there were, and maintaining the magic consumption for the circles was too great. The reinforced table was enough to deal with the crossbows.

Swire had originally wanted to drag Shirou Emiya to find a place to hide from the snipers with others, but she stopped when she saw Shirou Emiya's right hand and the patterns on the table.

Although she couldn't understand it, Shirou Emiya's actions seemed to be using Originium Arts.

Before long, Swire heard a "dong dong dong" sound from the table. The table didn't shatter as she had imagined, but was steadily held in front of Shirou Emiya.

Through the glass of a nearby shop, Swire clearly saw that the table was spotless. The floor was littered with crossbow bolts, some of which were even deformed by the intense impact.

Swire felt like all the physics she had learned might have been eaten by Perro.

How could a plastic table be so strong? And Originium Arts for defense weren't used like this, were they?

40 My mood was like a roller coaster ride.

After Shirou Emiya was pulled away by Swire, the seafood stall owner scratched his head.

"It's like this again..."

It wasn't his fault that he looked fierce. Thanks to that, he had a bunch of strange legends in the Slums, but in reality, he was just a seafood stall owner who sold fish balls at night.

Really! Believe him, okay?

"Hey! That guy with red hair just now..."

A man walked up to the seafood stall owner and slapped the table, wanting to ask for information about Shirou Emiya. But when the owner looked up, the man couldn't speak.

He was too scared to speak. If it weren't for his last shred of dignity making him tense up, he might have had to change his pants.

"Uh... what's wrong?"

The owner put down the knife in his hand and asked, looking at the man.

"N-nothing, boss. You carry on with your business, I... I'll be going now!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the man slipped away, followed closely by several people holding weapons.

"Sigh, here we go again, but those guys..."

The owner sighed as he watched the man.

However, he had just seen a few people following the man who seemed to be carrying weapons, and their target seemed to be the person with Officer Swire.

"Notify Officer Hoshiguma."

The owner took out his phone, dialed, and reported the situation. Then, he looked in the direction Shirou Emiya had gone with a worried expression.

He was just an ordinary citizen; this was all he could do.

Meanwhile, the man who had slapped the table at the owner was still shaken. The people behind him caught up and asked him:

"Second Brother, should we chase after him?"

"Chase him! Longmen Curses, he's the reason Big Brother got caught! Chase him!"

The one called Second Brother quickly adjusted his state and ordered his men to pursue.

They had just received news that the person who caused their Big Brother's arrest was near the Slums, so they rushed over and confirmed it was him.

"We're in position and ready to act at any time."

A voice came from the phone in his hand.

"Just injure him, don't kill him. Remember not to harm civilians, or we'll break the rules."

Second Brother specifically instructed them. Fights were common in Longmen, and as long as no one died, people usually turned a blind eye, unless Infected were causing trouble maliciously.

Their Big Brother was arrested for maliciously causing trouble as an Infected, so he deserved it. The main reason was his greed; he acted for even the slightest profit.

If he wasn't worried about his subordinates losing morale, he wouldn't bother with his Big Brother.

"The target suddenly walked over and said something to his companion... Oh, they're showing affection. Never mind."

The person on the other end of the phone reported the situation and saw the woman covering her ears and looking angrily at the target.

"...Attack. Remember not to hit vital spots."

Second Brother lit a cigarette and gave the order.

It was just about venting anger. They could just find an excuse and beat him up.

As the first crossbow bolt was fired, the street brawl officially began.

Holding up the reinforced table, Shirou Emiya also paid attention to his surroundings.

Passive defense like this had its limits. He needed to wait for an opportunity to counterattack or escape.

However, since the opponents were armed with crossbows, the option of directly escaping was basically out.

What he could do now was to make the opponents lose their ability to fight and pursue.

Judging by the rhythm of the attacks, Shirou Emiya estimated there were about three opponents. He could also determine their positions through some glass reflections.

"Trace on."

Three short swords appeared between Shirou Emiya's fingertips. They were just ordinary short swords. Shirou Emiya had no intention of taking these people's lives; using these ordinary short swords was enough to restrict their movements.

While I didn't intend to take their lives, making them suffer for a while wouldn't hurt.

"What is that...?"

Looking at the blades of the short swords Shirou held between his fingers, Swire rubbed her eyes, doubting if she was seeing things correctly.

Can this guy do magic? How did he suddenly produce short swords?

However, Shirou didn't answer Swire's question. Instead, he threw the short swords in his hands forward, one at a time, in three different directions.

" Longmen Curses my hand!"

"Ugh!"

"Hngh-ahhhhhh!"

Hearing the screams and the sound of what seemed to be metal hitting the ground, Shirou grabbed Swire and ran.

The three short swords had successfully completed their mission, rendering the hands of several crossbowmen immobile.

Shirou took this opportunity to escape with Swire. His judgment was correct; after the three crossbowmen were injured, another group of people chased after them.

" Longmen Curses him Longmen Curses!"

The words were so vulgar that even Swire couldn't stand listening.

" Longmen Curses! If I catch them, I'll definitely Longmen Curses them."

Swire cursed as she ran. In Shirou's eyes, she was fast and a fierce talker.

But since Swire was from the Knights of the Round Table, Shirou didn't dare to complain and focused on where to run.

He was afraid that if he said the wrong thing, he'd be dealt with by Swire along with the pursuers.

"Shirou, where are you planning to run?"

Seeing that the crowds in the direction Shirou was leading her were getting sparser, Swire couldn't help but ask.

"Towards fewer people. Although those guys don't intend to harm others, they'll still damage the stalls."

Shirou answered Swire as he ran along a familiar route.

"Can't you just take them down cleanly? Like just now."

After witnessing Shirou's short sword throw, Swire no longer underestimated his combat abilities.

She was too superficial. The real experts use plastic tables as shields and can take down opponents with a few short swords pulled out casually.

"...I'm afraid of being too heavy-handed, and mainly, the terrain here isn't very suitable, plus there are civilians."

Shirou pondered Swire's question.

The weapons he could use were either ordinary ones or Originium Arts of Noble Phantasm level. The former required some time and good terrain for combat, while the latter could solve the problem instantly, even with a single strike. However, Shirou couldn't guarantee that those people would survive long enough to receive medical attention.

So, finding a place advantageous to him would alleviate many worries. The main concern was that the aftermath of the battle might involve others.

"...Alright."

Swire couldn't refute Shirou's answer.

Her mood was like a roller coaster, from being full of confidence in finding clues, to thinking Shirou might not be as strong as she imagined, then being genuinely attacked, and finally realizing Shirou was truly capable.

She vowed that the next time she came, she would at least bring her meteor hammer.

At least she wouldn't be as helpless as she was now against those brutes spewing Longmen Curses, forced to flee like this.

41 Let's begin, the best...

Reaching a slightly more open area, Shirou finally stopped and turned to face the few people who had been chasing him and Swire.

Unlike Shirou and Swire, who were only slightly out of breath, the dozen or so pursuers wielding weapons were practically panting like Perro.

"If we run a bit longer, do you think we could literally run them to death?"

Shirou quietly asked Swire, looking at their condition.

"Do you think they're that stupid? If they can't run anymore, won't they retreat?"

Swire rolled her eyes at Shirou, thinking he'd asked a foolish question.

"Don't get too arrogant! We're here to avenge our big brother! Go!"

Seeing that the two had not only stopped but seemed to be mocking them, the leader of the thugs got angry! He charged at Shirou with an iron pipe, and the others followed suit.

Most of their weapons were just clubs or short swords. Shirou didn't see any long-range weapons like crossbows.

Confirming the enemy's numbers, weapons, and their advantageous terrain, Shirou quickly formulated a plan in his mind.

After all, being suddenly attacked would make anyone angry, and Shirou was no exception.

He placed the shopping bag on the ground and spread his hands.

"Trace on─"

Magic emanated from Shirou's hands, displaying black and white light. As the light faded, the Yin-Yang twin swords, Gan Jiang Mo Ye, appeared in his hands.

"I didn't expect Gan Jiang Mo Ye's first battle here to be against thugs?"

Shirou muttered to himself, weighing the swords in his hands. This was the first time he had fought with Gan Jiang Mo Ye since he had memories.

Several thugs stopped in their tracks upon seeing the two swords in Shirou Emiya's hands.

"...Are we still fighting?"

One of the subordinates asked weakly. Putting aside the fact that the two swords didn't look like ordinary weapons, the mere sight of the opponent suddenly producing them made him feel uneasy.

They couldn't afford to mess with someone who could use Originium Arts.

"Fight, of course, we'll fight! There are so many of us, are we really afraid of just one person?"

Although the leader of the thugs had already begun to waver internally, he charged forward resolutely as he looked at his comrades beside him.

"I don't know who this 'big brother' you speak of is, but since you've resorted to harming others, you should be prepared to get hurt as well."

Leaning his body forward slightly, Shirou Emiya's gaze sharpened.

The Gan Jiang Mo Ye in his hands transmitted memories from their original wielder—Archer—to Shirou.

As Archer's most frequently used Noble Phantasms, simply holding Gan Jiang Mo Ye allowed Shirou to feel how many battles they had accompanied Archer through.

Swire, standing nearby, clearly sensed a significant change in Shirou's aura the moment he gripped the black and white twin swords.

And that aura... she had also felt it from Chen when she was fighting seriously.

Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Swire watched as Shirou charged towards the crowd, brandishing the twin swords.

Facing the various weapons that lunged towards him, Shirou swung the sword in his right hand. The blade's light formed a crescent shape, shattering all the weapons that came close.

Shirou's objective was never to kill his opponents, but to incapacitate them.

However, simply shattering their weapons wasn't enough.

"My leg! My leg!"

The sword in his left hand lightly sliced through the legs of two of them, causing a gush of blood to erupt instantly. Shirou had held back considerably; if he had willed it, those individuals would have spent the rest of their lives with crutches or prosthetics.