We Are Companions

"Silence!"

Souren Araya stretched out his left hand toward Shirou, his five fingers loosely grasping.

In an instant, an invisible pressure materialized, bearing down on Shirou, causing the hem of his clothes to flutter without any wind.

"You think a bit of pressure like this is enough to deal with me?" Since Araya wanted to fight, Shirou would oblige him.

He unleashed his full aura, and the pressure from "Silence" was immediately scattered by the overflowing magical energy.

"I've had my fun. This game ends here!"

With that, Shirou vanished, then abruptly reappeared behind Araya. He extended his index finger, compressing magical energy into a solid mass at the tip, and fired it at Araya.

This was one of the Gillian-class Hollows' techniques—a castrated version of the Cero, the Bala. Although the Bala's power was far inferior to a Cero and it had rarely even appeared, its usability was undeniable. With twenty times the speed of a Cero, even Kisuke Urahara couldn't dodge it easily. Could Araya avoid it?

Of course, he couldn't.

Since he couldn't dodge, he wouldn't bother. Instead of wasting time evading, he'd use that negligible time to fortify his defenses.

"Wang Xian, Kongo, Dai Tian, Top Sutra!"

Raising his left hand, Araya immediately deployed his barriers.

Because the "Bufu" and "Serpent Scorpion" barriers had been destroyed earlier by Broken Phantasm and couldn't recover instantly, Araya could only mobilize four barriers for defense.

The first barrier, Wang Xian, held for a few seconds before cracking. Though it was just a Bala, it depended on who fired it.

Cuarenta Espada, a Vasto Lorde-class Arrancar—a Bala at this level was hardly inferior to a Gillian's Cero.

After seven or eight seconds, the Wang Xian barrier shattered. The Bala's momentum continued unabated, slamming straight into the second barrier, Kongo. Similar to Wang Xian, Kongo broke after another seven or eight seconds.

The Bala, unimpeded, struck the fourth barrier, Dai Tian. After being slowed by Wang Xian and Kongo, the Bala's force had weakened somewhat, but Araya still felt considerable pressure.

Araya was in a bind, knowing he'd bitten off more than he could chew. Shirou had said he would become an agent of the Counter Force in the future, so Araya had subconsciously assumed the current Shirou was weaker than Emiya under the Counter Force's command.

Unfortunately, Araya didn't realize he wasn't facing a normal person, but a textbook cheater. Though every timeline's Emiya Shirou was a cheater, cheaters varied in strength, and their Shirou was the cream of the crop.

After about thirty seconds, the Dai Tian barrier was breached by the Bala, but by then the Bala had lost its momentum. It lingered against the final barrier, Top Sutra, for a moment before dissipating.

Araya lowered his hand, not because the Bala had been blocked, but because, as Shirou had just said, it was over. Everything was over.

Shirou's icy blade rested against Araya's completely unguarded neck. This spot lacked the protection of his relics, being ordinary flesh. With a single push, Shirou could sever Araya's head. Though Araya, having awakened his Origin, possessed eternal life, he was ultimately just an immortal old man. A magus was still human—cut off the head, and they couldn't live. Not every magus was a heretic like the Old Bug.

"You lost." ("You won.") Both spoke at the same time.

They fell silent for a moment, then Araya said, "Do it! Take my life!"

Unexpectedly, Shirou immediately dispelled his projection. If he had truly wanted to kill Araya, he could have taken his head when he first got close, but he didn't.

"I refuse," Shirou said. "I don't like killing, and I have no reason to kill you."

Though his soul had fused with a Vasto Lorde-class upper-level Arrancar capable of destroying heaven and earth, Shirou was still in control. He still resisted killing.

But it was only resistance. From a certain perspective, killing was just a means. If someone crossed Shirou's bottom line, they would face his relentless, no-holds-barred pursuit.

"You were just fighting me to the death, and now you're telling me you abhor killing?" Araya snorted.

"You said it yourself—that was a fight. It's the most naked instinct carved into humanity's soul! When one side finds the other troublesome, they fight. That's what humans are," Shirou said.

"Maybe you're right. And where there's fighting, there are sacrifices. But those sacrifices are meaningless. Haven't you ever thought about stopping it all?"

"Being chuunibyou has an age limit, old man!" Shirou shot back. As Araya pondered what "chuunibyou" meant, Shirou continued, "And humans are like that—they crave conflict because they have power. If you wanted to stop it, there is a way: kill all seven billion people on the planet. But that would be putting the cart before the horse—creating greater sacrifices to avoid sacrifices."

"You seem to know a lot about this."

"Can't help it. I have an elder at home who once tried to destroy the world for world peace," Shirou said, then asked, "So what's your goal? Ryougi Shiki?"

Araya gave Shirou a surprised look. He shouldn't have told anyone about that.

"That's not surprising, is it? Shiki has the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception. Everyone with those eyes has a constitution connected to the Root. There can't be many magi who can resist the Root's temptation!" Shirou explained.

That made sense. Araya asked again:

"Your target is Fujou Kirie?"

"You could put it that way." At least for now, Shirou silently added.

"I can give up on Fujou Kirie. I've already prepared the materials related to the dual existence. I'll hand them all over to you. In exchange, you won't interfere with my plan," Araya said.

Since their goals didn't conflict, there was room for negotiation. That was often the case, and this time was no exception.

"No problem!" Shirou agreed without a second thought. A protagonist like Shiki wasn't someone a villain like Araya could handle. Shirou couldn't wait to see Shiki run Araya over head-on.

"That said, I'll give you a warning: never, ever, lay a hand on the people close to me. Otherwise... even if I have to go to hell, I'll take you with me, Souren Araya!"

At Shirou's warning, Araya simply nodded, then vanished from the rooftop. Shirou didn't know if Araya had taken his words to heart, but it wasn't just a warning. If Shirou said it, he would follow through—that was his creed.

After Araya left, Shirou also departed the hospital. Thus ended Shirou's first encounter with Araya.

In his heart, Shirou didn't bear much ill will toward Araya. If he had truly wanted to kill him, a single Gran Rey Cero would have sent the mapo tofu-loving man to heaven. The six barriers couldn't stop a Gran Rey Cero—that would be a pipe dream. It was a technique Aizen had strictly forbidden within Las Noches; even its residual waves could damage the structure. If Shirou had unleashed a Gran Rey Cero here, the hospital would likely be gone.

Secondly, there was Kirie. Araya had supported her for over a decade, and she owed him. Silently offing Araya wouldn't sit right. But then again, given Shirou's twisted personality, he'd probably never bring it up.

The tallest building in Kanbako City, the Fujou Building.

Shirou sat on an unrailed edge, his calves dangling freely, looking like he was about to jump. Kirie's spiritual body floated beside him. Shirou said to her, "This is the highest point in Kanbako City. How does it feel?"

"A view I've never seen before."

"Even so, the scenery in this city is only this much. I'll go to other corners of the world to find other sights—some will surely be more beautiful than this, but there might also be ones more wretched. Will you come with me?"

"Of course. Since I've already agreed to be your companion, isn't it only natural that we go together?"

"Is that so? Heh heh!" Shirou let out a silly laugh. "I see."

He stretched, then added, "I'll take care of your discharge paperwork tomorrow. I've already found a way to heal your body, but whether it works or not, you'll only know after you try it. As for your abilities, I've also prepared a method to develop them—we'll do that alongside the treatment."

Shirou rattled on and on, and Kirie listened quietly by his side. Finally—

"Hey, Shirou..."

"Hm? What?"

"...Thank you."

"Huh? What are you talking about? Aren't we companions? Isn't it only natural for companions to help each other?"

"Yeah, we're... companions."