"Master."
Okita Souji stepped closer to Shirou. Facing Karna, she tensed all over and assumed a fighting stance.
Shirou silently shook his head, signaling Okita Souji not to act rashly.
In a situation like this, hesitation could lead to defeat, but being too decisive could get them killed for nothing.
"Okita, you and Jack will proceed according to the previous plan." Shirou kept his eyes on Karna as he spoke.
"But..." Okita Souji wanted to say more. In her view, letting Shirou face an enemy like Karna alone was extremely dangerous.
Besides, she and Shirou were bound together. If Shirou died, she would most likely GG too. Unless...
Thinking of that, Okita Souji shook her head. That was her last resort; she should not use it unless it came down to the very end.
"Trust me. Besides, we don't have any other choice." Shirou himself did not quite believe what he was saying.
Still, one thing was true: they had no other choice. Okita Souji and Jack the Ripper were both modern Heroic Spirits—or Anti-Heroic Spirits. Compared to a great hero like Karna, who had come down from the Age of Gods, they were nowhere near his level.
And this was Romania, not Japan. Okita Souji received no bonus from her fame here. Her current fighting power existed entirely because Shirou was propping her up with vast amounts of mana.
"This... all right!" Okita Souji struggled for a moment before finally agreeing.
She knew it herself. Her combat ability was still inferior to her Master's. Even if she stayed, she might only hold him back.
"Oh, staying behind to cover your companions so they can continue their mission?"
"No helping it. If they stayed behind, they wouldn't last long," Shirou said casually. "What, Lancer? Aren't you going to stop them?"