Magician in Type-Moon

Page 672

Therefore, rather than saying that Shirou and his companions finally locked onto their target through their superb tracking skills, it would be more accurate to say that Setra himself proactively stepped into the limelight, attracting all the attention he was receiving.

Whether it's good intentions or bad intentions—

It sent a clear and unambiguous signal.

It's as if a chess player, no longer content with manipulating things from behind the scenes, is actively inviting various forces to enter the game he has set up.

"They're coming."

Karen, who had remained silent like a doll in the shadows, suddenly raised her eyes and spoke softly. Her voice was not loud, but it was like a cold dagger, instantly piercing the heavy air in the makeshift hideout.

Kotomine Shirou did not turn around, but simply nodded slightly to indicate that he already knew.

His gaze was as sharp as a hawk's, piercing through the broken window frame and locking onto several figures approaching from not far away.

Through the rain, the three people were walking unhurriedly in their direction.

The leader was dressed in a uniquely tailored black trench coat, similar in style to the M1936 Wehrmacht coat. He was tall and had an almost elegant composure in his steps.

That was their target—Setra.

Behind him followed a man and a woman.

The man's identity was almost self-evident—he was none other than the lord of this place, Lord Baron, head of the Izeruma family.

But at this moment, he was completely devoid of his usual majesty and composure. His face was pale, and his steps even carried an undeniable weakness, as if he had just experienced a fierce battle.

However, what truly attracted everyone's attention was the woman beside Bai Longqing.

She wore a magnificent and elaborate Gothic European court dress, full of historical significance, which created a strong sense of temporal and spatial dislocation with the modern and even dilapidated environment around her.

She exuded an ancient and dangerous aura that no modern human could possess, as if she were a ghost that had stepped directly out of a yellowed historical scroll.

“That woman…” Qingxuan’s pupils contracted slightly, and his voice unconsciously lowered by half a point, filled with disbelief and astonishment, “…is she a Heroic Spirit?”

"She reeks of disgust." Karen frowned slightly, her tone filled with undisguised revulsion.

"Based on initial assessment, she should be an anti-Heroic Spirit," Shirou concluded in a deep voice, his gaze still fixed on the woman dressed in gothic attire.

"Anti-Heroic Spirit? What's that?" Qingxuan asked blankly, clearly unfamiliar with the term.

“You don’t need to know this,” Karen rolled her eyes. This was knowledge that the church had recently released.

"Alright, stop arguing, they've arrived."

Shirou raised his hand to stop his companions from whispering, his gaze never leaving the three approaching figures.

He gestured for Karen and Qingxuan to stay put and wait, while he took a deep breath and slowly walked out from behind the ruins where he was hiding, facing alone the aura that permeated the rain, a mixture of blood and ominous magic.

Setra's eyes, which seemed to see through reality, immediately spotted Shirou's figure.

He showed no surprise whatsoever; rather, as if he had expected it, he slightly turned his head and said to the pale-faced Bai Longqing beside him:

“This person… well, how should I define him precisely… an activist with close ties to the Church. I think he might be the right person to help you resolve the tower's predicament.”

His introduction was deliberately vague and paused, as if he was choosing the least likely words to provoke resistance.

"Agent?"

Although Setra's introduction seemed somewhat hesitant and even stumbling, given Byron Izeruma's experience and knowledge...

Almost instantly, relying on Shirou's unique aura, refined magical energy, and characteristic wariness when facing an anomaly, he made an accurate judgment.

When Shirou saw that the other party had immediately recognized his identity, he did not deny it, but simply nodded silently.

Bai Longqing's brows furrowed even more, his scrutinizing gaze sweeping over the shadows of the broken walls behind Shirou.

"Are you alone?" he pressed, his voice carrying obvious doubt and a hint of barely perceptible disappointment. Faced with the complex and perilous situation facing the Twin Towers, the power of a single proxy seemed far too weak.

Shirou remained silent. His gaze slowly shifted, finally settling on Setra, who was standing behind and to the side of Lord Byron.

Chapter 698 Spoiler

Setra offered no explanation when Shirou cast a questioning glance at her.

He simply turned his gaze calmly, even somewhat indifferently, to the Lord Byron beside him.

There was no urging or persuasion in that gaze, only an almost cruel insight, as if silently stating a fact:

"Now that things have come to this, do you still have a choice?"

A heavy silence spread through the damp, cold air, broken only by the monotonous sound of raindrops striking the broken walls.

The pressure weighed heavily on Bai Longqing's shoulders, and his pale face, pale from blood loss, flashed with a mixture of struggle and deliberation.

Finally, seemingly having exhausted all his hesitation, he took a deep breath of the cold, damp air and spoke in a low voice:

"I have only one request."

"Please say."

Kotomine Shirou focused all his attention on Lord Byron.

He was genuinely curious about the relationship between the lord of Izeruma and the enigmatic Settra, and therefore didn't mind the other party making demands at this moment.

After all, any demand made can become a window into one's true intentions and current situation.

Bai Longqing gave Shirou a deep look, his eyes filled with a complex and unfathomable mix of weariness, determination, and an undeniable ruthlessness.

“In the process of dealing with those invaders,” he said, emphasizing each word as if squeezing them out from between his teeth.

"If any 'third party' attempts to intervene or get involved in the battle emerges... take out those troublemakers first."

.........

"Tsk, prioritize dealing with troublemakers? That's a really strange requirement." Qingxuan couldn't help but click his tongue, his tone tinged with confusion.

Karen analyzed calmly, her eyes sharp: "He seems very certain that a third party will intervene in this chaos."

"In any case, this is not good news for us."

Shirou concluded, his brow furrowed slightly, clearly weighing a more complex situation.

“Indeed, there are too many strange people in this place.” Qingxuan crossed his arms and listed them one by one.

"The whereabouts of the Lord of Balyeleta are a mystery, the guy named Matou is also elusive, and now even the bald Servant who has a strong presence by Setra's side has disappeared. The shadows beneath the surface are much deeper than we can see."

He paused, as if remembering something, smacked his lips, and his tone became somewhat subtle.

“Ike-nii? That is indeed a problem.” Shirou sighed softly, turning his gaze to Seigen, the meaning behind his gaze quite complex.

"I never expected to cross paths with him here. If he finds out you're here too... that's when the real trouble begins..."

The moment the words left his mouth, a sudden change occurred.

The raindrops, which were originally falling vertically, made a soft "whoosh" sound the moment they touched an invisible layer, and suddenly vaporized, turning into a fleeting white mist.

Kotomine Shirou's gaze suddenly sharpened like a knife.

The "trouble" he had been waiting for—or rather, the "trouble" he had anticipated and had to stop—had finally appeared.

His vision clearly captured the figure: a magician named Atram Gariasta, standing on a nearby ruined wall, a smug, undisguised smile playing on his lips.

Immediately afterwards, a faint but chilling crackling sound filled the air.

A vast electric grid, composed of pure magic and imperceptible to the naked eye, rapidly unfolded above Atram's head, as if woven by an invisible hand.

Kotomine Shirou's reaction was as fast as lightning.

His leg muscles tensed and stretched instantly, unleashing astonishing power.

With his toes precisely hooking onto a nearby horizontal dead tree branch, he used this tiny contact point to gain leverage, and his entire body completed a bizarre change of direction in mid-air, forcefully reversing his original trajectory.

This series of movements narrowly allowed him to avoid the descending, deadly net of electric shocks. He compressed and channeled all the magic power he should have used for full-body defense into the next thunderous strike—

The target is Atram, the instigator.

Swah——

Three jet-black short swords (black keys) appeared out of thin air between his fingers as if instantly forged by an invisible hand.

That imposing posture seemed to declare: If you think you can defend yourself with this flimsy electric grid, I will tear your defenses and your body apart together!

Taking advantage of the downward momentum, Shirou twisted all his strength into one and swung out a claw made of black keys, powerful enough to tear through steel.

However, just as the black key was about to touch the target—

A completely unexpected and violent impact from the side slammed into his torso like an invisible giant hammer.

"Well……!"

The violent tremor made his arm go numb, and the impact even snapped the three black keys in half!

Shirou grunted, barely managing to adjust his posture with his honed fighting instincts, staggering back to the ground, quickly regaining his balance, and glaring intently at the direction from which the impact had come.

This attack definitely did not come from Atram in front.

The most direct evidence is that Atram's original battery electric shock net, which it relied on for defense, also collapsed under this sudden impact, turning into scattered electric sparks that dissipated in the rain.

Moreover, the attackers who followed Atram were also knocked unconscious by this attack.

The smug smile on the brown-skinned young magician's face froze, turning into astonishment, and he also abruptly turned to look in the same direction.

What exactly was that devastating impact just now?

Everyone's gaze quickly turned to the source of the impact—

In the center of the forest, which appeared increasingly hazy under the wind and rain, a faint yet undeniable violet light quietly emerged.

Centered on that beam of light, the surrounding space exuded an eerie tranquility.

It was as if the whole world was still noisy, but the corner where she stood was precisely "cut out" by some invisible force, and all the sounds of wind and rain, distant battles, and even the restlessness of magic all fell silent there.

“…Hello.”

The figure spoke, the voice tinged with languor yet clearly piercing the unnatural silence.

"Your reckless use of such... 'exaggerated' magic tricks is putting me in a very difficult position."

The light dimmed, revealing the figure of a woman. She wore a slightly troubled smile, as if she were merely complaining about the noise of her neighbor's party.

Atram's pupils suddenly contracted, his previous smugness and astonishment turning into disbelief and horror.

He stared intently at the silent space that had been carved out, and at the violet figure within it.

The woman, with a cheerful expression, as if she were just passing by, was looking at everything in front of her with great interest.