Chapter 608

"I-I understand... I'll be a good girl."

Assassin's statement was somewhat forceful and unreasonable, but the girl still bowed her head and nodded.

Shirou's reaction was not surprising, given that she had been subjected to various horrific Magecraft experiments by her parents under the guise of "helping" since childhood.

... That punch just now was definitely the right one.

Tsubaki Kuruoka allowed the assassin to lead her out of the study.

Shirou knelt down beside Yuzuru Kuruoka, who was lying on the ground.

The man showed no anger or confusion, but asked in a calm tone:

Why are you attacking me?

"This punch was for Xiaochun... Yes, I punched you to protect her."

Yuzuru Kuruoka's eyes seemed to momentarily lose focus, then after a moment, he revealed a calm smile and said:

"I see... Since it's for Tsubaki's sake, then there's nothing we can do."

The man covered his swollen and red right cheek, mechanically got up from the floor like a puppet, and went about his business.

"..."

Shirou narrowed his eyes; just as he had expected—

Everyone in this world, including the personalities of those who are being controlled, shares the paramount principle of "protecting the Master."

His brief silence just now was probably the time it took for the Servant was controlling his mind to make a judgment and guide Yuzuru Kuruoka's mind.

Moreover, that Servant belongs to the type who won't doubt the credibility of a statement as long as our side doesn't lie.

Lacking intellect? Or perhaps lacking personality altogether?

The fact that it can put Shirou possesses "Inanna's Favor EX," to sleep suggests that this Servant is related to the "Underworld."

Considering that it is currently possessing the bacterially parasitized body of the Tsubaki Kuruoka, it can be inferred that it may be a conceptual entity entangled with "epidemic".

Several Shirou for the true identity of the "shadow" came to mind.

"... Shirou!!"

A girl's voice came from outside.

He left the room and went to the garden, where he saw the True Assassin looking as if they were facing a formidable enemy, and confronting them—a three-headed giant dog.

The monster that should have been defeated by Jack the Ripper earlier is right there.

However, her physique is completely different from before.

The three-headed dog that was slaughtered on the main road in front of the hospital was at most the size of an adult Africa elephant.

But now they have to look up to a monster that has grown to be even larger than a house.

"Cerberus was also sucked into this world by the black mist along with us." Assassin understood quickly.

Shirou nodded. "Ah, it seems so, and it has also received the blessing of the Underworld... its Spirit Origin has swelled to the state of the Return of the Age of Gods."

"I knew it looked a little bigger."

"This isn't just a little bit big, Miss Assassin," Shirou said, speechless.

The assassin girl continued, "I've already sent Kotsubaki back to her room for safety."

Shirou, help me destroy...

Before she could finish speaking, Cerberus turned and ran away as if it had no interest in the two of them.

Every step felt like an earthquake. The True Assassin stared blankly at the giant beast's retreating figure. "What... what's going on?"

"Besides us, there were other 'guests,' which it probably targeted as hostile towards Xiaochun and actively went to eliminate them."

Shirou explained that the three-headed dog had probably been controlled by the "shadow" who possessed the Authority of the Underworld, and had become the guardian of this barrier world.

"By the way, what happened in the study just now?" Assassin suddenly remembered what had happened earlier.

Shirou briefly recounted to the True Assassin everything that had happened to Tsubaki Kuruoka.

"I went and killed that couple."

Assassin said this and prepared to go back inside, but Shirou grabbed his wrist.

"... Even if the world's will considers me an enemy, I will kill them."

The True Assassin stared at Shirou with a cold gaze.

"Do you want to make Tsubaki sad?" Shirou asked.

Although they see him as a heartless Magecraft experimenting on their daughter, she sees him as "her parents who have recently become gentler with her."

"... whispering sound."

Assassin bit her lip in frustration.

"I'll go check on Cerberus; I'll leave things here to you."

The assassin girl's eyes, peeking out from between her robe and veil, met Shirou's gaze. "Can I trust you?"

"..."

Before Shirou could answer, she leaped up and transformed into a black whirlwind, chasing after the three-headed dog's retreating figure.

"Excuse me, I have a few more questions I'd like to ask."

Shirou called out to Yuzuru Kuruoka.

What kind of Heroic Spirit did you originally intend to summon?

"..."

"You were planning to summon them, weren't you? You were originally preparing to participate in the Holy Grail War."

"... Hmm."

The man's expression became confused, presumably because the "shadow" controlling his mind didn't want him to answer the question.

But--

"This is all to protect Tsubaki's safety," Shirou said tentatively.

Upon hearing this, Yuzuru Kuruoka's expression twisted for a long time before she spoke.

"The one originally intended to be summoned was the Qin Shi Huang of the Eastern Continent."

Everything fit together perfectly.

The Kuruoka couple prepared Holy Relic for themselves to use in the Holy Grail War, but they did not anticipate that their daughter's Magecraft talent had surpassed their own.

Before that, Tsubaki Kuruoka was chosen by the Holy Grail and became the Master of "The Shadow".

"... Is the catalyst ready?"

"Yes."

"Take me to see your workshop."

"OK."

Shirou followed the man as he walked around the mansion, finally arriving at a wall.

"I can handle the rest myself, Kuruoka, please go and attend to your own business."

The man nodded blankly and returned to his study.

Shirou faced the blank wall and tapped it lightly with his finger.

Then, as if a restless creature opened its mouth, a staircase leading to the basement appeared in the house.

Shirou slowly walked down the steps, passed through several barriers similar to the walls he had just seen, and arrived at the Kuruoka family's Magecraft workshop.

Like most Magecraft's workshops in the world, this Magecraft's workshop is filled with a large number of books and Magic Crest, and arranged with all kinds of experimental equipment.

"Call..."

Shirou breathed a sigh of relief: at least it wasn't a bug nest like the Matou Family's.

That said, ever since I arrived in the barrier world, I've Instinct a certain special "aura," and sure enough, it was hidden in this workshop.

Shirou raised one arm.

"Projection, Start (Trace On--)"

"We finally have a place to sleep and rest, could you please not vandalize it?"

A sound rang out.

Just as Shirou was about to Projection the "Vajra" to exorcise the haunted workshop with an electric shock, a clear female voice rang out.

"She looks so cute, but her thinking is so barbaric... I can't stand it."

What appeared before Shirou was an absolutely stunning beauty who made the entire workshop shine.

Her makeup was unique, and she wore oriental clothing that reminded Shirou of ancient China.

A brightly colored, luxurious crimson dress draped her full, shapely figure, giving her an air of Queen charm.

"Who are you? No... are you a god?"

Shirou frowned and asked.

The woman in red observed the boy entering the workshop and said, "Impressive... You were able to see through my true nature the first time we met. Is it because of those eyes?"

I've heard that the little devil, known as the ancestor of military strategy, possesses the far-sighted ability to see into the future.

In your situation, everything in the world seems no different from being naked... although that's very impolite to women."

A beautiful woman dressed in luxurious attire covered half of her face and chest with large sleeves.

People often say, "The eyes are the windows to the soul"... You must be a lecherous, naughty child. Please stop staring at my body.

Shirou remained unmoved. "Answer my question, how did you get in here?"

The woman in red sighed, then ended her joke and spoke.

"Sorry, sorry, it's because I haven't spoken to humans for over two thousand years, so I'm a little excited."

You just said I was a god... but that's not entirely accurate, because right now I'm just an echo, a lingering presence.

I... well, you can just call me "Jiao" (鲛).

After a moment's thought, Shirou said, "Were you drawn here by 'that'?"

His gaze shifted to the corner of the workshop—

On a certain table, there was a crossbow decorated with gold and with an intricate design.

"Hmm, that's called 'God-Shooting Crossbow'."

"It was a weapon prepared by some self-important busybody in the past, the Qin Shi Huang who called himself the King of Kings, to kill me."

Legend has it that the Daoist priest Xu Fu was ordered by Qin First Emperor to set sail in search of the power of immortality.

Legend has it that Qin First Emperor used a crossbow to shoot and kill the sea god who was hindering Xu Fu's voyage.

In other words, the red-clad beauty was actually the sea god who was shot and killed by the Qin Shi Huang... equivalent to a giant shark, the embodiment of the ocean.

The catalyst prepared by the Kuruoka couple was completely useless.

However, after entering the Underworld (the barrier world), by a twist of fate, the remnants of the gods attached to it awakened.

"God-Shooting Crossbow"... it might become Ishtar's Natural Enemy.

Shirou tried to infuse magic into the crossbow, but was met with rejection.

Presumably, that emperor was a proud and self-centered being like Gilgamesh, and would not easily share his treasures with others.

Just as Shirou was stroking the emperor's crossbow and lost in thought, the beautiful woman in red walked up to him and asked a question.

"You're not from this world, are you? What is your purpose?"

"I originally came here to find something in order to save my country, but now I have a new reason and will stay a little longer."

Shirou's original plan was to wait for Gugalanna forcibly take it away and return to Uruk.