Sakumura's eyes were clouded with miasma.
No, it was not miasma.
Amid the yellow sands, Sakumura raised his hand and felt the wind and dust slipping through the gaps between his fingers.
"Has my life grown shorter again?"
It was not a pleasant feeling.
He had clearly been slaying an evil demon. This was clearly what he was supposed to do—something he could even accomplish with ease—so why...
"Is this really okay?"
"You came here to kill someone, offering up your entire life as the price. Though you are special, and will retain every record of your summons, still..."
"The feeling of unbearable pain is always real."
That voice—Sakumura's own voice—rang beside his ear.
He questioned himself.
And answered himself.
That was simply how Saber's Spirit Origin worked.
From the instant Sparrow Stance unfolded, the entire Spirit Origin would be struck by pain worse than death, as though the soul itself were being pulled away—bit by bit, thread by thread.
But...
How could he possibly not draw his sword after witnessing something like that?
Sakumura had always been that kind of person.
"You really are..."
"You never know how to treat yourself a little better."
A shadow—
Was it a shadow?
Sakumura raised his head slightly.
He could not make out what that face looked like, but in truth, he knew exactly who it was.
"Soji, you came."
Within the world of his mind, Sakumura smiled with ease and composure.
Perhaps only in a place like this could Sakumura truly smile.
"I came."
"But you're still the same as ever."
"This is your greatest flaw."
"You always throw yourself into Avici Hell, yet never know to make things easier on yourself. Even if you're used to it, you can't keep doing this."
"At the very least... I don't want you