Shirou Emiya felt incredibly lucky. He had thought he would never be able to dodge the Death Servant's attack from his blind spot behind him, but at the critical moment, he had an idea—he merely shifted his body slightly, and the creature's lunge happened to strike the bundle of alchemy swords and quiver on his back.
Thus, what should have been a piercing blow became a blunt impact. After enduring the shock that made his internal organs tremble, he was sent flying out of the encirclement. Then, using the momentum, he flipped over and rolled across the ground five or six times before bleeding off the force.
Clearly, his performance had been too eye-catching, drawing the attention of these Death Servants and making them try to eliminate the threat through a coordinated assault... In other words, even Death Servants that had lost their human reason still possessed some intelligence for executing strategies... or perhaps instincts similar to beasts hunting prey?
Pairs upon pairs of greedy yet wary Golden Eyes stared at him from the darkness. Their restless bodies held back, as though they were going through warm-up motions before pouncing.
Shirou Emiya stared back without blinking.
Then he suddenly turned and ran, moving with astonishing speed. In the blink of an eye, he was faster than a sprinting cheetah, leaving the Death Servants—still locked in their standoff and a beat too slow to react—momentarily stunned.
Emiya had no intention of taking on a pack of Death Servants by himself. What had happened to that ordinary girl, Su Xiaoqiang, had reminded him that he needed to check on his other two companions in the battle.
Unexpectedly, Old Tang, who had seemed the weakest in direct combat, was completely unharmed. The veteran hunter was still hiding in a corner, firing sneak shots, yet not a single Death Servant had come looking to "enthusiastically PK" with him.
"No way, Old Tang. Your luck is seriously insane!"
"Hahaha, not at all, not at all. Brother Emiya, you're the truly unmatched one... No, wait, go check on Brother Zhou! He's in trouble. It looks like he's been surrounded! Go that way!"
Though the battlefield had grown increasingly scattered, Old Tang was competent enough as support. Zhou Yuxuan had been able to fight while maneuvering until now in no small part because of Old Tang's fire support. Shirou Emiya therefore plunged into the battlefield at top speed.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—
Three Alchemy Arrows flew into the darkness, each striking a Death Servant squarely in the face and sending it crashing down with a howl of pain. Yet Emiya's expression remained grim. Three, four, five... There were no fewer Death Servants here than in the encirclement he had just escaped. Conservatively estimating the ones that might still be inside the transport truck, there could be no fewer than twenty left in total.
Zhou Yuxuan seemed to have killed the two unknown people who had driven over in the transport truck as well. But trapped in an encirclement, the less fortunate Zhou Yuxuan was nowhere near as composed as Shirou Emiya—
His Alchemy Gun had been completely scrapped under the repeated overheating and overloading caused by the Death Servants' attacks. Aside from the heavy Dragon Severing Platform, he could only fight by using his Word of Power: Iron Flow to manipulate steel bars and scattered iron sand. Yet except for attacks that struck eyes or mouths, all of them were easily blocked or shaken off by the Death Servants' claws and whipping tails...
Clearly, this was only ordinary iron. Its strength was far below Emiya's alchemy blades and swords. His Word of Power: Iron Flow could not control metal well enough to instantly complete the alchemical process—to "kill metal, grant it new life, and create Regenerated Metal."
As for getting close to the Death Servants and controlling the metallic elements within their bodies, that would be no different from walking into a tiger's jaws to die... The high-pressure battle had pushed his stamina close to its limit. Worse still, he had suffered serious injuries. The scent of blood spread through the air, making the bloodthirsty Death Servants' gazes grow ever more excited.
In Zhou Yuxuan's eyes, the situation had become a deadlock slowly leading toward death... unless he used the Dragon Severing Platform.
His hand brushed over the bronze Ring-Pommel Greatsword inside its pitch-black scabbard. Dragon's Roar echoed by his ear. This was a treasure passed down through the Zhou Family since ancient times, a weapon that sealed a "living spirit."
As everyone knew, Alchemical Weapons, due to their Regenerated Metal material, surpassed ordinary blades in toughness, hardness, sharpness, and every other aspect. But Regenerated Metal possessed another trait: it could contain greater spirituality.
Sealing a "living spirit"—the soul of a living being—inside as the sacrificial offering for forging a weapon would make the weapon itself even more extraordinary. The Zhou Family believed that the twin swords Ganzhiang and Moxie, which might lie within the Tomb of the Three Kings, were advanced alchemical weapons forged with living human souls.
The Zhou Family's Dragon Severing Platform, meanwhile, sealed the living spirit of a dragon. The power unleashed by drawing it would be even more unimaginable... but the price was immense. Throughout the Zhou Family's history, countless people had had their souls devoured after drawing the Dragon Severing Platform. Among the Zhou Family members still alive, only Wa Lord had survived after passing the Dragon Severing Platform's trial.
Splatter, splatter. The sky was dark as ink, while torrential rain fell like a painting.
Zhou Yuxuan wiped away the blood flowing down his forehead. His body, constantly drained by repeatedly activating his Word of Power, felt like an old engine about to stall. He sighed softly to himself. Now it was his turn.
In terms of talent and strength, he was far inferior to Wa Lord, so he did not believe he would be one of the lucky ones to survive.
"Brother Zhou!"
Zhou Yuxuan immediately saw Shirou Emiya charging into the battle like a raging flood. His twin blades spun like the wind, cutting through the Death Servants and spraying black blood as they staggered back again and again.
"Lord Emiya, forgive me. Please hold them back for a moment. I need to undergo the Dragon Severing Platform's trial, pay the price, and draw the treasured sword!"
"How can you do that? Leave the Noble Phantasm's activation to me!"
Emiya could see Zhou Yuxuan's condition. How could he use a Noble Phantasm in that state?
He snatched the Dragon Severing Platform away. An invisible field spread outward. His Magic Circuits possessed the talent of analysis; even back when he was a student, Emiya had relied on that talent to repair electrical appliances. The same applied to activating a Noble Phantasm.
"Brother Zhou, tell me about this Noble Phantasm... the origins of this bronze sword!" Emiya said, holding the sword as he faced the Death Servants.
Understanding a Noble Phantasm's history was also a necessary part of analyzing it. It would likewise help complete his Projection Noble Phantasm technique.
Maybe I could project this thing myself someday.
"Cough, cough... The Wushan County Records state: 'It is said that when King Yu guided the waters here, a dragon strayed into the waterway, so he slew it. Thus the gorge was named Misstep, and the platform Dragon Slaying Platform'... The Dragon Severing Platform, which seals a dragon soul, was made by Goddess Yao Ji after King Yu slew a dragon at the Dragon Slaying Platform and obtained its soul."
Truthfully, Zhou Yuxuan had not intended to let Emiya activate the Dragon Severing Platform.
Shirou Emiya was now valued by Wa Lord and acknowledged by the Zhou Family. Zhou Yuxuan believed that even if he had to sacrifice his life, he should ensure Emiya's safety. But he was in too poor a state. Even if he drew the Dragon Severing Platform, he might not receive the living spirit's recognition...
Patter, patter. Rain poured in wild torrents.
Zhou Yuxuan prepared to charge into the pack of Death Servants, a fleeting thought passing through his mind.
...Compared to him, Emiya's talent in alchemy left him ashamed. In terms of talent, he might even surpass Wa Lord. It would be better for Zhou Yuxuan to risk his life holding off the Death Servants while Emiya underwent the Dragon Severing Platform's trial.
Bzzzt—!
What? Zhou Yuxuan's eyes widened. He saw that Emiya had drawn the heavy ancient sword from its scabbard after touching it for only two seconds.
The deep, lingering resonance was like the echo of Dragon's Roar. Zhou Yuxuan actually sensed joy within that sound, which resembled Dragon Language!
Under his nearly dumbfounded gaze, Shirou Emiya raised the Dragon Severing Platform and swung out a sword wind dozens of meters long. The heavy rain surged upward against its course, gathering into nine dragon-shaped columns of water!
That was... Great True Word Technique: Nine Infants!
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