I Will Shake Your Soul

After finishing all this, Rin finally stepped out of the cramped inner room. Emiya Shirou had been anxiously waiting outside and immediately went up to her.

"How is she, Rin?" His voice carried undisguised tension.

Rin's expression was somewhat grave. "Her life is no longer in danger. But her injuries are too severe. She was hit head-on by the aftershock of Ea, so both her Spirit Core and body suffered serious damage." She paused. "She won't be able to fight again in the short term."

The tension visibly drained from Emiya Shirou's body. He let out a heavy sigh of relief. "As long as she's alive... That's all that matters..."

"Don't celebrate too soon." Rin interrupted him without mercy, looking straight at Shirou. "The Holy Grail War won't stop. You're the Master. With Saber temporarily out of action, you're the biggest target yourself. Trouble could come looking for you at any time."

Emiya Shirou gave a bitter laugh and leaned wearily against the wall. "What else can we do? You saw Saber yourself. She's..."

She leaned against the opposite wall, her brows tightly furrowed.

The original plan had been to form an alliance with Shirou and make it through the chaotic early and middle stages.

But now, everything had gone up in smoke.

Even more oppressive was the shadow brought by Gilgamesh.

That dazzling golden figure, that terrifying, unreasonable power... And, most importantly—

Rin's fingernails nearly dug into her palms.

Gilgamesh had once been her father, Tohsaka Tokiomi's, Heroic Spirit!

Yet now, he had appeared here in the form of someone possessing a living human body!

It was far too bizarre! How could a Heroic Spirit possess flesh? Unless... unless he had undergone some kind of "Incarnation" ritual through the Holy Grail!

A bone-chilling thought forced its way into Rin's mind: Her father's death... that cause of death that remained unknown to this day... Could it have been related to Gilgamesh? Could it be that the Heroic Spirit who had betrayed her father had instead used the Holy Grail to accomplish some kind of goal?

The thought chilled her to the bone.

"Rin?" Shirou noticed that something was wrong with her complexion.

"I'm fine." Rin forcibly suppressed her churning thoughts, her voice turning colder. "The most urgent thing now is to settle down, take good care of Saber, and then..."

She glanced at Archer, who had been silently leaning in the shadows beside the door like a block of stone. "Think about how to survive."

Archer folded his arms in the shadows. His dark-red eyes swept over the exhausted Shirou, passed over Saber unconscious in the inner room, and finally settled on Rin's tightly knitted brows. The corner of his mouth seemed to lift in an almost imperceptible arc as his low voice rang out:

"Easier said than done. That mad dog outside won't give up easily. Especially..." His gaze lingered on Shirou as if by chance. "When he's carrying such a huge 'problem.'"

Rin took several deep breaths, forcing herself to calm down. Her mind raced as one plan after another flashed past and was rejected.

There was no way to break through.

Irritated, she raised her head slightly and looked toward the enormous billboard on a distant skyscraper—"Devil May Cry Concert."

"You... want to go to the concert?" Shirou noticed it too and sighed. "Not now. Ordinary people would get caught up in it."

"No." Rin shook her head, her gaze fixed on the billboard. "My sister... invited me. I don't know what she intends."

"To see handsome men, probably." Shirou forced a smile. "Nero really is handsome."

Shirou chuckled, his laughter carrying the exhaustion of surviving a disaster and a hint of helpless teasing.

He pulled out his phone from somewhere. Its screen was covered in spiderweb cracks, clearly a "trophy" from the battle just now.

He tapped the screen a few times, then handed the phone to Rin, his tone deliberately shifting the heavy subject:

"Here, take a look and satisfy your curiosity. Consider it a way to relax those tense nerves."

Rin took the battered phone, not understanding.

The glow from the screen illuminated her slightly pale face. However, when her gaze focused on the enlarged photograph on the screen, her entire body stiffened as if struck by electricity!

On the phone's screen, a white-haired man gripped a golden microphone, seemingly pouring all his vitality into his powerful singing.

His fiery-red stage costume burned wildly beneath the lights. His extraordinarily handsome face, carrying an emperor-like madness, filled the entire screen and radiated an unparalleled presence!

That intensely striking photograph was like a key, violently unlocking all of Rin's tangled thoughts!

Deep in her mind, the brief scene that had appeared at Marin's home in Tokyo suddenly became crystal clear!

The man sitting on the sofa, relaxed in posture yet carrying an invisible pressure; that handsome, almost otherworldly face; those deep eyes that seemed capable of seeing through everything...

And his promise, delivered lightly yet carrying unquestionable power:

"I'll take care of it."

Those four words were like a replay button being pressed. They rolled endlessly through her chaotic thoughts, growing louder and louder until they resounded like a great bell, completely drowning out all her previous plans for protecting herself, forming alliances, and evading Gilgamesh's pursuit!

Gilgamesh's threat? Saber's serious injuries? The mystery surrounding her father's death? The desperate situation facing her and Shirou?

All those problems, all that suffocating despair, seemed to be forcibly pushed aside by those four words at that moment, leaving her vision filled only with that man's unruffled expression and the almost arrogant certainty contained in his words!

Rin suddenly drew in a deep breath. All the confusion, hesitation, and heaviness in her ice-blue eyes were instantly replaced by a sharp, all-or-nothing light!

She abruptly raised her head and looked intensely at Shirou, who was still trying to ease the atmosphere beside her. Her voice was decisive:

"Perhaps..." she declared, one word at a time.

"We need to call in outside help."

Chapter 36: I Will Shake Your Soul

(This chapter contains a lot of lyrics. Its main purpose is to flirt with both versions of Rin. If that bothers you, please skip this chapter. It won't affect your later reading.)

The deafening roar of cheers pierced through the outer walls of the gymnasium, battering Tohsaka Rin's eardrums like a tangible shockwave.

Outside the Civic Gymnasium, several ticket gates that should have been open had been reduced to a single, solitary one. Rin clutched the unusually textured ticket and walked toward the only illuminated gate.

The staff member scanned the QR code on the back of the ticket. The machine's confirmation chime was nearly drowned out by the roar inside.

After seeing the information on the screen, he immediately became even more respectful and bowed slightly to Rin.

"Welcome, Miss Tohsaka. Please come in."

Rin's brows rose almost imperceptibly. As expected, the ticket had been specially marked.

She had just been about to enter the passage when a figure hurried toward her from ahead.

The dark women's suit was perfectly tailored, outlining a capable silhouette. Shinozuka Yayoi stopped in front of Rin with a folder in her arms, her clear, forceful voice cutting through the background noise:

"Hello, Miss Tohsaka. I'm Nero's manager, Shinozuka Yayoi. He specifically instructed me to wait here for you."

"Thanks for your effort." Rin nodded in response, her voice calm.

On the way here, she had quickly looked up the information. The dazzling "Nero" onstage was none other than the mysterious "brother-in-law," Chen Tian.

His identity as the hottest superstar in Japan was merely one of his other identities.

"Please follow me." Shinozuka Yayoi turned sideways to lead the way. Her steps were brisk and businesslike.

Shinozuka Yayoi led Rin through the VIP passage and soon arrived at the exclusive area in the front row. The staff on either side of the passage nodded to the manager, but they couldn't help letting their eyes linger on Rin for several extra seconds.

"Marin has been looking forward to your arrival." Yayoi spoke as she walked, a professional smile on her lips. "She specifically placed IvoryTower as the opening song. It's one of the songs she participated in."

Rin's footsteps paused almost imperceptibly.

"Sorry. Family matters delayed me." Rin spoke softly. She felt slightly guilty for letting Marin down after her warm invitation.

Yayoi shook her head. "It's good enough that you came." She pointed toward the seats facing the center of the stage. "Please wait here. I'll go inform Marin."

Rin had just taken her seat in the soft chair when all the lights in the venue suddenly went out.

Darkness swallowed everything like a tide. In the audience, only countless glow sticks and fan signs held aloft shone like scattered stars in the universe.

Electronic sounds suddenly flowed through the darkness. Deep drumbeats joined them soon after, vibrating through the floor like a heartbeat.

Synthesized sounds circled through the air. An electric guitar suddenly cut in, and the rhythm grew faster and faster, like thunder before a storm.

All sound abruptly ceased.

Only the electric guitar and drumbeats continued to flow slowly, like an undercurrent.

"Immortal temptation takes over my mind..." (Eternal temptation takes over my heart.)

A deep male voice came from the darkness, every word striking Rin's eardrums. The voice grew faster and more urgent until—

"I am the storm that is approaching!"

At the instant the high note exploded, blue and red lights split the darkness like lightning.

Chen Tian stood at the center of the stage, a blue-black electric guitar slung diagonally across his body. He gripped a standing microphone with one hand. His silver-white short hair was damp with sweat, while the earring in his earlobe was especially eye-catching. A wild smile hung from his lips.

He was completely different from the gentle "brother-in-law" at Marin's home.

The giant screen onstage suddenly lit up, displaying the title Bury the Light. Chen Tian's fingers swept across the strings, producing a burst of explosive notes. He roared into the microphone:

"Provoking black clouds in isolation!" (Awakening the dark clouds within the cage!)

While singing wildly, Chen Tian suddenly reached up and brushed his sweat-damp white hair back.

His silver-white hair instantly stood up, forming an arrogant, spiked style beneath the stage lights and making his image even colder and more unrestrained.

Rin's heart pounded violently with the drums, blood roaring in her ears.

She instinctively pressed a hand to her chest. Her Magic Crest felt faintly hot.

"No... Incredible." Rin's breathing quickened, and adrenaline made her fingertips tremble slightly.

She could clearly feel every note pulling at the rhythm of her heartbeat. There was no magical fluctuation; the pure musical energy was like an invisible hand gripping her heart.

Chen Tian suddenly turned around onstage, swinging the electric guitar onto his back. He seized the standing microphone with one hand and roared out the final lyric: "Drifting in the ocean all alone!"

The entire venue instantly erupted.

The audience in the front rows surged forward wildly, and the human wall formed by the security guards shook under the pressure.

Rin saw a girl wearing a support headband on the right crying tears of joy. Behind her, a middle-aged man in a suit tore open his tie and roared along with the rhythm.

The final drumbeat crashed down.

Chen Tian suddenly raised his head, closed his eyes, and drew a deep breath.

The next second, he abruptly lowered his head. His sharp gaze pierced through the entire venue like tangible blades!

"Ahhh—!!!"

The screams exploded completely, and even the air trembled.

A wild smile curled across his lips. Dragging the standing microphone by its pole, he began pacing along the edge of the stage. Every step seemed to land on the beat of a heartbeat.

Wherever he went, the screams rose by another level. The audience in front stretched their hands forward frantically, trying to touch the air he had passed through. Rin even felt that if he opened his mouth, these people would charge through fire and water for him without hesitation.

He was like a supreme king inspecting his territory and devout subjects. After making one circuit, he finally stopped at the very front of the stage.

The standing microphone struck the metal plate at the front of the stage with a bang.

The entire venue instantly held its breath.

Chen Tian said nothing. He moved.

Bang! Bang! Clap! (Stomp, stomp, clap.)

His movements were crisp and powerful. The simple rhythm drew everyone into it.

He did it only twice.

Bang! Bang! Clap! Bang! Bang! Clap!

Tens of thousands of spectators throughout the venue stomped, stomped, and clapped in perfect unison, as if they were puppets under his control!

The sound was no longer screaming. It was a heavy roar that gathered into a surging wave of sound! The floor shook violently, dust sifted down, and even the lights on the domed ceiling swayed!

With Chen Tian's simple guidance, the entire venue transformed into a savage giant beast, furiously trampling the ground!

Sitting in the VIP section, Rin clearly felt the vibration beneath her feet, powerful enough to tear her eardrums apart.

Bang! Bang! Clap!

The heavy rhythm pounded against Rin's chest like drums.

Her cheeks flushed unconsciously. Her fingertips tapped lightly against her thigh, while the toes of her black-stockinged leg also swayed faintly in sync with the "clap."

Thirty seconds passed. The entire building trembled.

The smile on Chen Tian's face blossomed, carrying the wildness of one who controlled everything.

He suddenly seized the microphone, and his bright, primal voice, full of power, burst forth like sunlight piercing the dark clouds.

"Buddy you're a boy, make a big noise! (Hey, buddy! You're a loudmouthed kid!)

Playing in the streets, gonna be a big man someday! (Playing in the streets, hoping to become a big man someday!)"