Chapter 600

"... Why?"

The girl looked up and saw the boy's back blocking her way.

For some reason, that figure overlapped with the golden figure of Gilgamesh had protected him back then.

As Shirou crushed the arrow in his hand, he fearlessly looked up at the demon who was 50cm taller than him.

"I've already put Gil back in her seat. Now it's your turn, Great Hero."

Volume 8: Chapter 376 A Loli Harem Showdown Unfolds!?

A tense atmosphere permeated the room on the top floor of the hotel, where Shirou Amamiya and Alcides faced off in silence.

The girl being protected by the boy is a former Master of Gilgamesh. Having lost the protection of the King of Heroes, she is now being hunted down by Alcides.

The one who saved her at the critical moment was none other than Shirou, who had defeated Gilgamesh.

"Get out of the way."

Alcides gripped the bow and opened it.

I don't want to.

Shirou stared at him without changing his expression. "If you want to kill this child, you'll have to step over my dead body first."

Alcides snorted through his nose.

"If you can eliminate that exceptionally powerful king, then I'll acknowledge you as an absolute powerhouse... But what can you accomplish in your current state?"

That last attack exhausted all your magic power, and not only that...

Because it was a result of forcibly releasing it while ignoring your own condition, your Spirit Origin is now on the verge of collapse.

His tone was full of disdain, as if he could kill Shirou at any moment.

In fact, Alcides was right.

In this world, Shirou, like Ana from the Seventh Singularity, Spirit Origin as a regular Servant without Master.

In Uruk, Shirou is the God of the End who can connect to the Sea of Origin, but in this world, he is just an ordinary Servant.

After all, this is the modern world where even the arrival of the Gugalanna required great effort; "world correction" is no joke.

Releasing Excalibur Works in this state is essentially equivalent to burning one's own Spirit Origin.

This not only drained most of Shirou's magical energy, but also caused him near-fatal damage.

Thank you, "Independent Action EX"!!

Using this cheating skill, Shirou maintains the existence of the human world.

Despite being in such an unfavorable situation, he remained remarkably calm.

"I could easily defeat you right now, want to give it a try?"

"I'll kill you when you've fully recovered. Now get out of my way."

Alcides was certainly not the kind of guy who sought a fair fight.

He could have easily killed Shirou while he was weakened after defeating Gilgamesh, but he didn't out of curiosity.

He was curious about Shirou had once shown a posture of "Nine Lives," so he decided to wait until Shirou had fully recovered before fighting him again.

"Huh? That kind of thing is fine no matter what, compared to this..."

Shirou glanced at the girl behind him out of the corner of his eye, then questioned, "Why did you attack her?"

Alcides replied in a cold tone.

"Killing Master who has lost their Servant is a matter of course."

Although they are children, they are Magecraft participate in the battle with the resolve to kill, so there is no reason for them to show mercy.

"Why does it have to be you, the one who defeated her Servant, who asks this question?"

At this point, a mocking smile appeared on the black-clad demon's lips.

"Ah..."

Tiné stared wide-eyed at Shirou's retreating figure.

This person is just like the Rider I encountered yesterday...

They were all furious because I was being hunted by Alcides.

Why?

Tiné is someone who dedicates everything, including her life, to the tribe.

From the moment he decided to summon the King of Heroes and eliminate the Magecraft, he was prepared to be killed by the enemy instead.

Now that the King of Heroes has left the stage, the last reason for me to remain in this world has also disappeared.

Even if I were killed, I wouldn't complain. That's the truth, so why...?

"The Heracles I know wouldn't do such a thing."

The moment Shirou uttered those words in a sorrowful tone, an overwhelming hatred filled the entire room, even spreading to the floors below.

"Never again utter that name; the hero by that name no longer exists."

Alcides, whose appearance had transformed into that of a demonic being, silently released his killing intent and spoke.

"Although I don't know what kind of fantasies you have about 'that guy,' he can't even be considered a hero."

They are nothing more than pandering to pleasure-loving tyrants and fools indulging in the self-satisfying concept of heroism.

In the end, "that guy" was just an ordinary person...

He was nothing more than a pathetic, cowardly man who chose to end his own life because he could not endure the excruciating pain of the poison.

"... I see." Shirou sighed softly.

"Although I don't know what happened, no... I have a rough idea."

The boy recalled what Kenshinnes had done to Lancer during the Fourth Holy Grail War (Spirit Origin modification).

"Your Master is quite twisted, isn't he? Using a precious three-stroke Command Spell in such a way."

In short, it's great that you're not the "real Heracles"--

Alcides raised an eyebrow. "Hmph, so you think you can fight me without any scruples now?"

Shirou gave a provocative smile, "No, I mean..."

"A weakling like you is no problem for me to kill without much effort."

Shirou swung the broken arrow he was holding, the arrowhead piercing straight towards Alcides' chest!

"Bang!!"

A storm suddenly swept through the room.

Alcides' fingers left the bowstring, and the arrow, wrapped in death, was released at point-blank range.

Shirou reacted immediately, grabbing Tiné with one arm and using the other to block.

Unlike the arrow that had just killed the girl, Alcides's shot this time was imbued with Divine Aura, making it a hundred times more powerful.

As is expected, even though Shirou made an emergency block, he was still taken away by the impact of the arrow.

He crashed through several room walls before finally stopping, half of his body buried in the rubble.

"Waaah, this is terrible... Now I can't even hold a sword."

Shirou glanced at his charred right hand, then looked at the girl in his arms.

"Hey, are you alright?"

"Ugh... um..."

Tiné was held in Shirou's arms. Despite enduring Alcides' full-force attack and the impact of several walls, she was unharmed, only getting a little dusty.

"Th-thank you..."

Is it really appropriate to thank the enemy who defeated Gilgamesh?

The girl herself didn't understand; she just blurted it out.

Alcides did not fire any more arrows in pursuit. Instead, he pulled out the broken arrow that Shirou had pierced his chest and then slowly walked towards them.

Even if you're Great Hero who's turned dark and twisted, torturing your enemies and taking pleasure in it isn't a good habit, Shirou thought to himself.

"At this rate, we'll both be killed," he said to the girl in his arms.

"Huh...?" Tiné blinked.

While that's true in principle, Shirou's fearlessness led the girl to believe he still had a way to contend with Alcides.

So you didn't have that before! Then why do you keep provoking the other party?

"Hmph, if I still had magic, that guy wouldn't stand a chance... It's all Gil's fault, really."

The boy muttered indignantly.

Tiné was quite surprised.

Why speak in such a familiar tone, as if you were speaking to Gilgamesh?

Speaking of which... Gilgamesh didn't know him at all, yet he drew Vortex Sword just like he did Enkidu.

This person, exactly...

"Hey, would you like to make a contract with me?"

"... Huh?"

Tiné wondered if she had misheard.

Do you want to enter into a contract?

These words came from the boy who was his opponent just minutes before.

It was because he defeated Gilgamesh he ended up in this situation.

The girl harbored no hatred towards him.

Her values from childhood taught her that in the Holy Grail War, killing and being killed are both perfectly acceptable.

But the boy stepped forward and protected Gilgamesh from being hunted by the enemy.

Having lost her Servant, Tiné no longer has any value in remaining on the stage.

She was created by her ancestors to revive her clan and reclaim her homeland; she was Miko (sacrifice) connected to the spiritual veins of the land.

Before she was born, more than a dozen of her older brothers and sisters had already died.

Tiné wants to end this spiral of sorrow and fulfill the tragic wish of her people in her generation.

But now--

The moment the girl squandered her opportunity, she lost all reason to continue existing.

But...

But...

Tiné, her voice trembling, could barely contain herself as she began to ask, "Why?"

"You could have run away on your own... you could have ignored me... why?"

Shirou released Tiné's body and crawled out of the rubble.

He glared at the approaching demon and said, "I think I can understand why that guy sees you as a thorn in his side and is determined to kill you."

You're just like my sister. If Illya were in the same situation... I wouldn't be able to stand by and do nothing."

"..."

Tiné was speechless.

Alcides approached Shirou.

"Foolish, I clearly gave you a chance to escape."

"I should be the one saying that. I deliberately gave you the opportunity to escape."