If the boy had completely grasped the information about this ability through his familiar's eyes—she figured he would probably find a wall and bash his head against it.
Hundred-Faced Hassan regained her composure and said, "Sorry, but I won't accept your invitation."
Shirou said, "Even after your Master treated you like that? Don't you feel even the slightest bit dissatisfied?"
"Dissatisfied? Of course I am. My Master's actions infuriate me."
Hundred-Faced Hassan's clenched fist trembled.
Under Shirou's skillful provocation, her emotions had grown somewhat agitated.
"I have indeed begun to question whether I should continue serving him. We didn't participate in the Holy Grail War to become stepping stones for someone else's victory."
"But that still isn't enough reason to betray my Master. I won't betray my Master and work with you, but—"
"I swear, Zayd's death will not be in vain."
"Tonight, for that child's sake, I'll let you live."
"I'll pretend you were never here, and I won't tell my Master about you."
"Leave quickly. Don't let anyone see you here... before I change my mind."
"Keeping the fact that I came here a secret is already the greatest betrayal of my Master."
Hearing the red-haired boy say this, Hundred-Faced Hassan couldn't help but sneer.
"So what? Are you going to report me? Do you think Kirei Kotomine will believe you?"
Shirou said nothing. He simply reached into the pocket of his shorts.
"—Beep."
Accompanied by a sharp mechanical sound, a woman's voice intermittently rang out in the room.
"Dissatisfied? Of course I am. My Master's actions infuriate me."
"I have indeed begun to question whether I should continue serving him."
"We didn't participate in the Holy Grail War to become stepping stones for someone else's victory..."
"I swear, Zayd's death will not be in vain..."
"I'll pretend you were never here, and I won't tell my Master about you."
"Leave quickly. Don't let anyone see you here..."
Hundred-Faced Hassan: "???"
Shirou took the voice recorder he had bought from an audio-video store out of his pocket and smiled.
"Big Sis Assassin, you wouldn't want your Master to hear this confession, would you?"
Volume One 038: Siege Is Inferior; Winning Hearts Is Superior
"You secretly recorded our conversation!"
Hundred-Faced Hassan flew into a rage. He had even edited it!!
During the preparations for the Holy Grail War, Shirou had already asked Tsuruno Matou to acquire electronic devices such as pinhole cameras, trackers, and bugs.
After returning to Pan-Human History, he was quickly captivated by modern society's technological civilization and spent every day online learning about the uses of these incredible devices.
Whenever he learned about a new electronic device, Shirou would experience a strange sense of déjà vu. He always felt as though he had known their functions and uses all along.
Makiri looked down on modern technology and held these "toys" with only a few decades of history in contempt. His attitude also reflected magi's disdain for modern civilization.
But Shirou felt that these electronic devices might play an astonishingly important role in the Holy Grail War.
The illusions and barrier camouflage used by magi mostly relied on suggestion to deceive observers' vision, and these magi were often lax in guarding against electronic devices.
Of course, Servants were the same.
Even someone as cautious as Assassin could never have expected that the boy before her had kept a recorder running throughout their entire conversation.
"Give it to me!"
Hundred-Faced Hassan shouted and kicked hard against the floor, sending herself toward the red-haired boy.
This time, Shirou had improved. His eyes barely managed to catch Assassin's movements.
"...Guh!"
At the critical moment, Shirou projected the Blades of Chaos and raised both arms to defend himself.
But the difference in their physiques and strength was simply too great. Shirou was still kicked directly into the wall, and a sharp pain like his spine had snapped shot through his back.
The instant his back touched the ground, he immediately used the recoil to spring back up. Almost at the same time, a flying dagger embedded itself in the spot where he had been.
"So those are your weapons?"
Her first strike having failed, Hundred-Faced Hassan warily stared at the chain blades wreathed in flames in Shirou's hands.
She instinctively sensed danger from the pair of blades.
Judging from the movement he had used to evade her just now, the boy possessed an abundance of combat experience that didn't match his physique or age.
Not killing experience, but battle experience.
When it came to the experience and skills of killing, Hundred-Faced Hassan was confident that she would lose to no one.
But when it came to direct combat, she could say that she had almost no experience in that area.
As the leader of the Assassin Order, the moment she fell into a situation where she had no choice but to fight an enemy head-on, Assassin had already failed in her role.
Surely not? There couldn't really be an Assassin who fought people head-on, right?
Moreover, what was truly frightening about the boy wasn't his rich combat experience, but his astonishing capacity for growth.
When Hundred-Faced Hassan had first displayed her speed, the boy had been struck from behind before he even knew what had happened.
But just now, Shirou had already been able to react to her movements.
Hundred-Faced Hassan immediately judged that a prolonged battle would be extremely disadvantageous to her. She absolutely could not let him continue adapting to her speed.
She would end the battle in the next exchange.
"—"
The female assassin slowly hunched her waist and back, lowering her center of gravity into a preparatory stance like a leopard about to pounce.
She intended to use the highest speed she could currently achieve, but at that moment, something caught the corner of her eye—
A chain was wrapped around her ankle.
When?!
Shirou suddenly yanked the chain.
"...Ah!"
Losing her balance, Hundred-Faced Hassan let out a panicked cry. She first flew into the air, then rapidly fell, her back slamming hard into the ground.
The powerful impact left Hundred-Faced Hassan dazed for an instant. By the time she recovered, the boy was already straddling her waist.
"That makes it one win and one loss, Big Sis Assassin."
As Shirou spoke, he pressed a blade against her throat.
Hundred-Faced Hassan gnashed her teeth and glared at him with wide, furious eyes. "Guh... Kill me."
The red-haired boy was speechless inwardly. Makiri did the same thing. Why does everyone love saying that line?
Beneath the skull mask, Hundred-Faced Hassan wore a resolute expression.
"I am also the leader of the Order. I will not cling to life and beg an enemy for mercy.
"Rather than hope I'll submit, you might as well kill me now."
Shirou scoffed. "Big Sis Assassin, dying and getting it over with won't work on me.
"I won't let you die with a clean slate—the recording from just now will be sent to the Tohsaka Family.
"Tokiomi Tohsaka and Kirei Kotomine will definitely think you betrayed them. Archer will kill every remaining 'you,' won't he?"
"...You."
Hundred-Faced Hassan was stunned inwardly. What a vicious little brat...!
"Assassin, work with me." Shirou repeated himself.
"..."
Hundred-Faced Hassan hesitated inwardly, but still shook her head and coldly spat out three words.
"Impossible."
Shirou said, "I know, Assassin. You—all of you—have wishes too.
"Sacrificing yourselves to pave the way for others isn't the outcome you want, is it?
"If you continue serving your current Master, you will certainly be consumed by meaningless tasks in the future as well.
"Just like tonight... nothing will remain, only meaningless death and emptiness."
Hundred-Faced Hassan retorted, "It isn't meaningless.
"Even if we cannot obtain the Holy Grail, if sacrificing all of us can bring an advantage to the overall battle, then it will be a worthy death—
"Shadows like us exist for that very purpose. Victory doesn't only mean obtaining the Holy Grail."
Shirou said, "Then the question returns to the beginning—
"Do Kirei Kotomine and Tokiomi Tohsaka truly intend to make good use of your strengths?"
"!"
Hundred-Faced Hassan's eyes widened.
Shirou saw through her innermost thoughts and used skillful rhetoric to steadily magnify Assassin's doubts.
Because their faction possessed an extraordinary and invincible existence like the golden archer, Hundred-Faced Hassan did not need to provide any support on the level of combat strength.
Not only could she never obtain the Holy Grail, she could hardly even make use of her own strengths—
"Assassinating the Master" should have been Assassin's most glorious task... yet her Master had abandoned it.
All of this was because that unhurried gentleman refused to accept a victory that lacked elegance. At least for now, Tokiomi Tohsaka still felt there was no need to assassinate a magus.
"No one comes into this world to die for someone else."
Shirou spoke in a persuasive tone. "Big Sis Assassin, let's find a path to victory beyond sacrifice together."
"Shut up! I told you to stop talking!"
Hundred-Faced Hassan screamed and swung the dagger concealed beneath her wrist, intending to take them both down—
"...Can that child be sacrificed too?"
"!"
The woman's face beneath the skull mask stiffened.
Following Shirou's gaze, she turned her head and saw Loli Hassan trembling behind the door.
"..."
The dagger fell from Hundred-Faced Hassan's hand.
"I surrender."
Volume One 039: The King of Heroes Who Brags About His Achievements
Eleven o'clock at night.
"I never expected Big Sis Assassin to be willing to become my companion. That's wonderful."
Before you continue