Chapter 613

A female police officer holding an axe blade shouted.

Shirou smiled as he deflected the Cerberus's claw attack, which was powerful enough to shatter a tall building, and said, "Even so, it still hasn't reached the level it possessed in its previous life."

"Huh? This is practically a cosmic monster by now!"

"Cerberus was originally a descendant of a cosmic monster, you know? Leaving that aside..."

Well, although it's still not as good as the original, it's close, as long as they can devour some more "death"...

Within this enchanted world, Cerberus not only increases in number over time, but also expands its Spirit Origin according to the concentration of death energy.

To prevent the three-headed dog from growing any further, Shirou must fight it while ensuring the police officers are not devoured – a seemingly unsolvable problem.

Of course, it's not that there's really no solution.

The truth of this world is "The Tsubaki's Dream".

Therefore, everyone can be saved if the girl who is at the core of the dream is destroyed.

Sajyou Ayaka ran towards the building Saber had crashed into.

Why did she do such a thing? Even she herself didn't know.

Despite repeatedly declaring, "I will no longer be manipulated by you! I will not participate in the Holy Grail War!" and refusing to become Master, she has in fact been under Saber's protection until now.

Sajyou Ayaka was furious at her own cowardice and ran wildly toward Saber.

She knew very well that compared to Heroic Spirit and Magecraft, she was nothing more than a weakling.

Furthermore, he is well aware that even when comparing himself to other ordinary humans, he is still the weaker party.

Even the reasons were crystal clear.

It has nothing to do with gender or age.

Ayaka understood that the difference in strength mentioned here was completely meaningless.

The reason why one considers oneself weak is extremely simple.

Ultimately... I never intended to fight.

Because choosing to flee is simpler and easier than fighting.

Then—as Ayaka was about to reach the floor where the Saber was, she saw a red figure standing on the stairs.

Sajyou Ayaka couldn't help but hold her breath.

Ah, that's only natural, isn't it?

Since it's a building, it must have an elevator.

That was a fear that had always been rooted in the girl's heart.

Fuyuki City's Urban Legends and Ghost Stories - "Little Red Riding Hood of the Semina Apartments".

Sajyou Ayaka was the person involved in this strange tale.

Ever since that incident, she always sees a red figure every time she takes the elevator, a figure she can't even tell if it's a hallucination or reality.

The girl was drenched in cold sweat, but she couldn't avoid the gaze.

Sajyou Ayaka watched Little Red Riding Hood's hood move and the face beneath slowly turn towards her, her whole body trembled.

How terrifying.

How scary, how scary, how scary, how scary, how scary! No, no, no, no, no!

The bones creaked, a burning pain shot through my abdomen, and a nauseous feeling welled up in my throat.

But--

Even so, her legs did not stop.

"... Move aside."

Urging her already exhausted legs to keep going, Ayaka climbed one step after another.

Tears streaming down her face, Sajyou Ayaka looked up and glared at "Little Red Riding Hood."

"Kill me if you want, curse me if you want. I believe you have that right."

The world within this barrier instantly became filled with death.

In the end, this overwhelming atmosphere of death may have actually numbed Ayaka's fear as she continued to flee from death.

"I'm very scared of you, but..."

The part of Little Red Riding Hood's face that could be barely seen from under her red hood—her mouth—seemed to be opening and closing as she spoke to Ayaka.

However, Ayaka continued walking forward without caring, trying to walk past Little Red Riding Hood.

"Right now, I'm more afraid that I'll run away from Saber."

Moment--

Little Red Riding Hood's lips twitched, and she uttered a murmur that only Ayaka could hear.

"...▇▇▇▇▇."

"Huh...?"

Upon hearing those words, Sajyou Ayaka couldn't help but turn to look at Little Red Riding Hood, but she had already vanished without a trace.

After a moment of confusion, Ayaka slapped her cheeks with both hands and continued walking towards the broken wall, searching for the Saber.

"Ah... what? You actually came, Ayaka."

The Saber were right there.

Although his heart and head were unharmed, his body took a solid hit from the holy sword, his armor shattered and his body bleeding. For an ordinary human, it would not be surprising if he were already a corpse.

"Saber!"

"Please don't make that face, it's just a minor injury... um."

Richard I tried to be tough, but failed.

"Ah, as expected of our King of Knights, his attack is already so powerful even before he has drawn his sword."

If the sword sheath (Wind King Barrier) had been completely removed, I would probably be back on my throne by now, right?

"You can talk all you want about King Arthur's hymns later, but for now, listen to me quietly!"

"Yes."

Seeing Ayaka's chilling appearance, Saber couldn't help but nod in agreement, even forgetting his own injuries.

"Saber... you've been hesitant about using my magic, so you've been suppressing your power, haven't you?"

"..."

"I will no longer run away from you, nor will I run away from this Holy Grail War. I have decided to fight alongside you!"

If you ask me when I made up my mind, I can only say that I just decided! Sorry!

"Uh, um... okay."

Watching Ayaka smoothly apologize while simultaneously getting angry, Richard I nodded reflexively once again.

I've been thinking about these things for the past few days—and now Ayaka has finally had an epiphany.

What will be the result of constantly running away from everything out of fear?

The situation I find myself in is a problem that existed long before the question was even raised—it's now the result of escaping from it.

If there is any destination to escape from, then this is the only place to find it.

"Ayaka, you've finally made up your mind! That's great!"

Richard I looked at his Master with a serious expression. "But... have you thought about your wish?"

"A wish... huh?"

Sajyou Ayaka was stunned by his abrupt question. Right now, she was just trying her best to survive, so how could she have time to think about anything like... wishes?

"If we don't have wishes, we won't be able to survive to the end. Ayaka, you should think about that carefully."

As she said this, Saber stood up from the rubble.

Magical light enveloped his body, beginning to heal his injuries—it was the magic of Sajyou Ayaka had entered his body through the master-servant contract channel.

Although Sajyou Ayaka herself was unaware of it, her magical power was so extraordinary that she could heal without even using Magecraft.

"Let's go, the battlefield awaits us."

"Um."

Saber team has returned to the front lines.

Points to note.

Shirou grabbed a policeman by the back of his collar and leaped backward, saving him from Cerberus's gaping maw.

"Th-thank you..."

The policeman breathed a sigh of relief, and thanked Shirou with gratitude.

Although one person was managed to be saved, the situation remains dire.

The disparity in strength between the enemy and ourselves is too great; the police force is now on the verge of collapse.

During this time, Shirou used the "Blades of Chaos" to kill several Cerberus, but no matter how many he killed, new ones would immediately be born.

As long as the total number of Shadow remains constant, any number of monsters can be created in the dream world.

So, it seems we have no choice but to temporarily abandon this place and rush back to Tsubaki's side?

Although it's unclear what happened, it's certain that something went wrong on Tsubaki's side, which is why the world suddenly became so unstable.

"Are you in trouble?"

Just then, a refreshing voice came from the side.

Shirou turned around and saw Saber, whom he had previously knocked away, and her Master.

Judging from their shattered armor and unharmed bodies, they had just received treatment.

"Why not use magic to repair the armor?" Shirou frowned.

"This is a mark left by King Arthur, how could it possibly be repaired! I will fight the entire Holy Grail War wearing this armor!"

Richard I stated this with utmost integrity.

"... I knew it." Shirou sighed.

Even he had to admit that this man's feelings for King Arthur were genuine and without any pretense.

"Right now... I've run into a little trouble. If only someone could help me hold off these monsters for a while."

After Shirou said that, Richard I placed his hand on his chest.

He solemnly adjusted his breathing and announced in a loud voice.

"I swear to Arthur Pendragon, the great ancestor of our chivalry, and to the songs that resonate throughout my homeland—the triumphant songs of the great knights!"

I will fight to the death, risking my own honor, and I will not let anyone here perish!

The next instant, a sword was plunged into the ground at Saber's feet.

"Although it's unsigned... please accept it. Wasn't the previous sword destroyed?"

"Oh... this is..."

Richard I drew the mass-produced Holy Sword of the Lake with a look of great delight.

"Thank you so much! Wang, I'll use it well, and please be sure to sign it for me again!"

"... I'd rather die than do that."

After saying this, Shirou turned and headed towards the Kuruoka family's residence without looking back.