Bearing that killing intent which exerted boundless pressure upon body, mind, and soul, an entire day passed.
Finally finding a place to rest, Shirou let out a breath of relief.
Though he wasn't afraid of heights, facing that killing aura for so long was inevitably wearing down his nerves.
Standing on the resting spot, Shirou took out the monster meat left over from the morning, divided one-tenth of it for Fou, and ate the rest himself.
While eating, sitting cross-legged on the ground, a trace of thought flashed through his eyes.
Because the memory was just too far back, he had forgotten exactly where the Azrael Temple was. But he could still vaguely recall the timing.
Back then, Fujimaru Ritsuka had taken about two days for a round trip.
Which meant, he now had two choices:
First, rest properly and set out again tomorrow;
Second, depart right away. If lucky, he might reach the foot of the mountain by dawn.
Between the two choices, Shirou didn't hesitate for even a second before standing up.
He rubbed Fou's tiny nose with his index finger.
"Sorry, Fou, for making you suffer following me."
"Fou!"
"Although resting is the reasonable option, we've already rested six hours. After this… I guess I can manage two or three days, no, two days without sleep should be fine."
"Fou!?"
There weren't many people who could make a Beast express shock like that.
So far, the old ancestor of freedom could be counted as one.
Without saying more, Shirou projected a small backpack, let Fou rest inside, and continued forward with it on his back.
After passing the sheer cliff from before, the road ahead widened considerably. At least wide enough for each of his steps to find solid footing.
Even so, the danger level hadn't decreased.
To put it in the best possible terms:
Shirou felt that if Xuanzang Sanzang came here, she'd only dare to walk on her own. Definitely wouldn't dare to sit on the rice bag on Sakata Kintoki's back.
Because she'd be too scared and would only dare to walk herself.
Even Mash, most likely, would have her hands and feet go weak.
It had to be said, Shirou had basically figured out all of the "female" personalities.
When Mash came here, her entire body had been tense, not daring to relax for even a moment.
Otherwise, she'd probably sit down right there and never be able to get back up.
Moreover, Shirou had completely taken the wrong path.
Not far away, there was actually a mountain trail connecting to this cliff. But it was so well hidden that no one short of a hermit would ever find it.
Someone like Shirou, who treated sheer cliffs as walkable paths, was basically walking like a pay-to-win player speedrunning without caring about his own life.
The reason the "Evening Bell" rang later was precisely because Shirou's unorthodox path had startled King Hassan.
Anyone who knew would think, you've come here to pay respects, and anyone who didn't would think, are you trying to show off your stealth in front of me?
In any case, following this steep mountain path upward for about half an hour, Shirou saw a small, tattered hut.
There were monsters guarding outside.
"ROAR!"
The moment they saw Shirou, those monsters looked like they'd just seen the most gorgeous beauty in the world. Ttheir eyes turned red, drool dripping from their mouths.
"Hmm?"
Seeing them, Shirou frowned slightly.
"They could endure that killing aura and still come here?"
The instincts of beasts made them extremely sensitive to killing intent.
For them to appear here under such pressure could only mean one thing, this era was reaching its end.
The wilderness and the deserts no longer produced even a single drop of resources they could live on.
Just like King Arthur facing the end of the Age of Gods. But no, this was at least twice as cruel.
Twin swords appeared in Shirou's hands, and he stepped forward, giving them a swift death.
After clearing out the monsters, he turned his gaze to the run-down hut.
It seemed to be a small shelter for pilgrims. Because it wasn't often used, it had become terribly dilapidated.
Still, there were traces of human life inside, likely left behind by Fujimaru Ritsuka.
That meant one thing, the Azrael Temple wasn't far away.
So, Shirou skipped the hut and continued onward.
Before the sky went completely dark, he saw the Azrael Temple.
Ancient and solemn.
Only a single gate stood tall among the mountains.
Its air of mystery and reverence was at its peak.
And then—
Thud!
Shirou instantly leapt backward. The rock beneath his feet shattered at the exact moment he jumped into the air.
"Fou!"
Sensing the threat, Fou's fur bristled as he burst out of the small backpack, baring his teeth at the "thing" in front.
Shirou projected Kanshou and Bakuya.
"An evil spirit?"
"Judging by its magical energy, it's not weaker than a Servant already."
It was the first time he'd seen an evil spirit this powerful.
But—
"This kind of trial doesn't hold any meaning for me."
His magic circuits began to operate.
Infusing magical energy into his legs, Shirou crouched low, both blades reversed in his grip.
The instant the evil spirit lunged a second time, he exploded forward, first hurling Kanshou and Bakuya from his hands, then quickly chaining into another projection.
Shhk!
The black-and-white twin blades, their patterns clearly visible, pierced into the spirit's body.
"I am the bone of my sword!"
The chant spilled from his lips, his third projection.
The blades in his hands coordinated with the flying pair in midair for a joint assault.
Crack! Crack!
The evil spirit was sliced into quarters.
Worried it might still be alive, Shirou pulled out the Jeweled Sword and chanted rapidly, "Broken Phantasm!"
BOOM!
The entire valley trembled slightly.
Smoke and dust surrounded the area.
Without relaxing, Shirou tensed even more.
The opponent was someone wielding a greatsword. Yet, without question, what assassins excelled at most was assassination.
In this kind of situation, the easiest thing to happen was—
Whoosh!
Azure magical energy burst forth in an instant, armor materialized and fused around him.
Not enough.
"Ava—"
BANG!
Zzzzt!
An invisible, soundless strike.
As fast as the armor had assembled, it disintegrated just as fast.
No time to react, no time even to release Avalon, the attack had already landed.
A crushing pressure spread across his body, and even worse, his soul was violently resisting staying here.
"Haa!"
Cold sweat broke out all over Shirou.
He'd been cut, truly, actually cut… yet his body was completely unharmed. Why?
It wasn't that he was uninjured. If there had been an observer, they'd have noticed Shirou's life force had vanished completely. No instrument could detect it, not even the naked eye could perceive him.
["Thou needst not examine thyself. The bell of fate hath yet to toll. This strike, was my sword's acknowledgment of thee. Now, speak thy name, nameless one."]
A voice filled with tremendous authority echoed in his ears, though no figure could be seen.
Yet Shirou felt the pressure multiply tens of times over.
Such a reaction… it was strength far surpassing that of the Knights of the Round Table.
Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Shirou said, "Shirou. Emiya Shirou."
["Well met, Emiya Shirou. I am Hassan-i Sabbah, the Old Man of the Mountain."]
King Hassan's voice resounded through the air, ["Thy will hath been acknowledged. Yet to step into the spirit shrine, thou must first confront death. This thou hast already done. What remains is to fight as one who is dead, to seize the right to live."]
["Only by passing this ritual canst thou dispel the magic that keeps me hidden."]
To put it simply: now that he'd been recognized by this sword, he was considered a dead man. To seize the life of a living being and complete the ritual, that was the only way to make Hassan appear in the flesh.
Even setting aside that Shirou would never do such a thing, where around here was there even a living person?
'Fou doesn't count as a human… right?'
'Wait…'
Shirou suddenly had a bad feeling.
Then King Hassan's voice came again, ["Indeed. Place my head upon one side of the scale, that shall complete the trial. However, should thy head fall beneath my blade, the trial shall be deemed failed."]
"!!!"
Before Shirou could respond, King Hassan continued, ["I care not for the process, only the result. Art thou prepared to greet this dance of death?"]
"Three seconds!"
Shirou said, activating Avalon, pulling out his bow, his expression more serious than ever before.
"Let's begin!"
King Hassan: "…"
Watching the Avalon barrier form ahead of him, with Shirou inside drawing his bow, King Hassan fell silent for once.
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