The Chapter That Ends Abruptly
"As expected, turning into the dark side is 100% full power. Dragon Ball really lived up to its reputation. I wonder when they'll release Black Saber merchandise?"
"Um, Fujita, have you forgotten what you said before?"
"Huh? Did I say anything?"
Seeing Fujita's bewildered expression, Shibamatsu was utterly speechless.
"Ha, men."
The girls present simultaneously uttered sounds of disdain.
Chapter 167 The chapter that ended abruptly
Although Saber's battle with Heracles has ended, the battle in the forest is far from over.
Matou Zouken is determined to obtain the Lesser Grail from Illya. Although Saber Alter is temporarily unable to continue fighting, he still has the Cursed Arm Servant the Servant's nemesis, Shadow.
And what about the other side?
Apart from a third-rate Archer, there were only three Magecraft who were easy prey for others, and they were utterly insignificant in the face of Heroic Spirit- level combat power.
Naturally, Matou Zouken had the idea that "two against one, the advantage is in my hands!" and urged the Cursed Arm to speed up.
So Shirou Emiya could only pull Illya along and follow behind Tohsaka Rin, hoping to leave the forest as soon as possible.
Behind them, however, came the Assassin, who had been chasing them, leaping through the trees.
"Emiya -kun, behind you!"
Sensing that the pursuers were getting closer, Tohsaka Rin had no choice but to turn around and warn them.
"Tsk!"
Shirou Emiya let out a displeased sound.
Running wildly through the forest with a little girl in tow, you'll be caught by Heroic Spirit —even a hot-blooded idiot like Shirou Emiya could foresee that.
Unfortunately Shirou Emiya had no idea how to shake him off while carrying Illya; all he could do was stall for time as much as possible.
"That's it. You're useless now."
A ghostly voice rang in Shirou Emiya's ears.
"Huh?"
Turning his head to the side, what came into Shirou Emiya's view was a pale skull masked figure smiling and licking a short sword.
He didn't say anything like "my dagger is covered in poison." As a seasoned assassin, Cursed Arm wouldn't make such a basic mistake.
Cursed Arm only has its own mission in mind—to kill those who get in its way and take away that silver-haired, red-eyed loli.
"Then I won't be polite—chirp?"
With a scream like a monkey, the pale skull was sent flying.
"Hmph, you can't even handle a brat without a sneak attack? Third-rate trash!"
It's Archer.
Before Assassin could make his move, Archer kicked him in the stomach, sending him flying.
"I'll cover you from behind. You take Illya and leave this place!"
Archer didn't stop; he gave orders to Shirou Emiya as he ran.
"Hurry! If that shadowy figure catches up, it'll be too late!"
Archer's expression turned serious as he watched the black substance creeping in from the depths of the forest.
Archer's gaze was fixed on Assassin, and on something emerging from the depths.
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Viewers watching on screen could guess that this black object was definitely related to the corrupted Holy Grail.
The mere thought of the depiction of Black Mud in previous Fate works, with the black substance practically overflowing the screen, sends chills down the spines of viewers.
"Isn't this a horror movie?"
Shibamatsu complained, "Is Shinji Matou going to show all the ugliness of Magecraft that wasn't shown before because of the rating system in this series?"
Upon hearing this analysis, Azu nodded seriously. "It's not without reason. Matou Zouken's half-human, half-ghost appearance is revealing the ultimate fate of those Magecraft who will stop at nothing to achieve their goals, isn't it?"
For most Magecraft, physical appearance is meaningless. If they can reach the Root alive, they would have no complaints even if they became Old Worm like in the Heaven's Feel story.
It's not an exaggeration to say that Matou Zouken is a microcosm of most Magecraft in the series; it's just that the inhuman aspects of each Magecraft are different.
When the mystique was just beginning to wane, many Magecraft transformed themselves into various non-human forms in pursuit of it, attempting to extend their lifespan and complete their research in this way.
Then they got themselves into trouble.
Because of the mysterious decline, those who are "non-human" are the first to perish.
Magecraft who didn't act like humans didn't live longer; in fact, they died earlier.
Azu felt that Shinji Matou was satirizing Magecraft who would stop at nothing.
If it weren't for the mysterious decline, Lord Matou would very likely be the Grandpa Bug on screen.
"Shinji Matou really went for it," Fujita chimed in. "Is he reminding himself not to live too long, because he'll go bald when he gets old?"
"It shouldn't be..."
Even though he knew his partner's comments were definitely wrong, Shibamatsu still couldn't help but think about what Shinji Matou bald head.
"But the main characters are really in a bad situation; now only Archer is left alive."
"After all, it's Heroic Spirit Emiya, the most reliable existence forever."
"Do you think Archer, when he's about to die, might stab Shirou Emiya to fulfill his own desires?"
"It's hard to say... But at that point, it wouldn't matter whether we use the stab or not, right? If Archer loses, wouldn't that mean Shirou Emiya and Tohsaka Rin are all going to die?"
"Perhaps Archer will make a choice that none of us would expect; after all, he is the Heroic Spirit Emiya."
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The discussions among viewers off-screen did not affect the main characters on-screen.
They were still in shock at the overwhelming black substance.
"Archer, what's that!?"
"We'll talk about it later."
Archer replied impatiently.
He glanced at Shirou Emiya and Illya's clasped hands and a look of guilt crossed his eyes.
"Kid, now that you've got Illya's hand, you must protect her until the very end."
This seemingly nonsensical statement left everyone present baffled, but viewers watching on screen knew it was Archer's regret from his lifetime.
Although Shinji Matou didn't describe much about the Holy Emiya Holy Grail War that Heroic Spirit participated in, they could guess the general outline based on the current information.
Heroic Spirit person Emiya wronged the most in his life was probably Tohsaka Rin, but his biggest regret was likely his younger sister (older sister) Illya.
"At least this time—"
Archer Projection two black and white swords, which slammed into Assassin, who was following closely behind.
Bang!
The sound of swords clashing echoed through the forest as Archer and Assassin relentlessly attacked each other for their own purposes.
"Get back--!"
Assassin let out a helpless scream.
No matter how many attacks he launched, he was always repelled and felt powerless; he could not break through the red knight's defenses.
The few opportunities Archer managed to seize, including throwing daggers at Shirou Emiya's back, were all knocked away by Archer in various ways.
This isn't just because Assassin is weaker than his opponent; more importantly, Archer's aura is completely different now!
At this moment, the Heroic Spirit Emiya was as strong as a demon!
"This must be the highlight of my performance in this series, right?"
Seeing himself dominating the screen, Red A felt a rare sense of pride.
"It's a pity this will only happen once."
Red A glanced at Shinji, who was frozen in place, and felt a little resentful.
He knew, of course, that after his moment of glory in UBW, his role in HF would be reduced, but Red A was still a little unhappy.
Look at his performance in the HF route. The opening fight with Lancer is just a typical FSN match, a fixed event.
Aside from cutting the Old Worm's body once and cutting Medusa when she released the sea once, this is the only other short moment he has to show himself.
"In the end, it was Shinji who gave me that debuff of being injured by Saber at the start. Just how much does he not want me to be on screen?"
"Hmm, this kid must be jealous. Jealous that my performance stole his thunder," Red A muttered to himself. "As expected, Shinji Matou and Shirou Emiya are natural rivals."
[No, no, no, you're overthinking it. You're just my old woman.]
Unable to move, Shinji rolled his eyes inwardly.
He suddenly realized that Shirou Emiya, after transforming into Red A, seemed to have gained an inherent skill: [narcissism].
Is this a side effect of learning to show off?
Unable to move, Shinji could only use his brain to think about random things.
"Why! Why are you still able to move?!"
On the screen, Cursed Arm retreated while letting out a hysterical scream.
"It's nothing serious. I'm not like other Heroic Spirit; I'm not a true hero."
Archer calmly reveals his true nature.
"Therefore, I am not a true, pure Heroic Spirit, but merely on par with that swamp. In other words—"
As if he had seen his chance to win, Archer charged forward in a reverse running motion.
"While I'm not quite at your level, this body is still a wicked and evil spirit!"
Snap,
The white skull mask was cut in two.
"Ah--!"
The black cloak spread out.
Clutching his severed mask, Cursed Arm screamed as he retreated.
It wasn't to create distance so they could regroup and get back into position; it was an escape to save their lives.
Soon, the black-clad assassin disappeared into the dark forest.
With Assassin's departure, the previously tense atmosphere eased considerably.
The viewers outside the screen breathed a sigh of relief, and the main characters inside the screen were also temporarily at ease.
"Great! That means they won't chase after us anymore, so we don't have to worry!"
Tohsaka Rin smiled and said to her Servant, "You've worked hard, Archer. Let's return to our spirit forms and rest for now."
Just then, something unexpected happened.
A black, humanoid monster suddenly rose from the shadows, right behind Tohsaka Rin.
"Tohsaka--!"
Tohsaka Rin turned around blankly after hearing Shirou Emiya's reminder.
"What?"
At that moment, the shadowy figure extended black tentacles towards the girl—
"----cold!!"
With Archer's roar, the TV screen went black.