Chapter 92: The Rotating Thrust of...
Earth, Forest, Ocean...
According to the statement of the Special Grade Cursed Spirit Mahito earlier, even in the best-case scenario, there are at least three Special Grade Cursed Spirits lurking in the shadows, including Jogo.
Of course, the concepts and natural disasters widely recognized by humans on a planetary scale are more numerous than this, but it's almost impossible for them all to exist simultaneously within the narrow confines of Japan.
But even if there are only three, if they all simultaneously try to use their special abilities to trigger a natural disaster, like Jogo just attempted, the situation will inevitably spiral out of control.
In this relatively peaceful era, a casualty count of even a few hundred people would be a tragedy that shocks the entire nation, even the globe.
"If you can tell me all the information clearly and without reserve, maybe I'll consider granting you a swift end.
Even a Cursed Spirit wouldn't want to die in the most miserable and sorrowful way, would it?"
Emiya himself has never killed any human, but the enemy before him is clearly not within the scope of his concerns.
No matter how much special intelligence and emotion it displays, a Cursed Spirit is ultimately just a Cursed Spirit.
Just as Jogo's own behavior showed, they don't treat human life as something of value; they even destroy it wantonly.
Even without considering the perspective of justice or humanity, the moment Jogo decided to slaughter other life forms, it should have been prepared to be killed itself.
If killing the opponent is the best choice, Emiya will do it without hesitation.
"Also, this massive Barrier couldn't have been set up by just one Cursed Spirit, could it? Did your comrades go to do other things? Or are they lurking somewhere, watching you?"
Jogo displayed almost no abilities related to Barrier Techniques in the recent battle. Emiya can only boldly guess that the sorcerer who set up this Barrier, which encompasses most of the mountain, is someone else.
Can a Cursed Spirit learn such a Barrier Technique? Or was the one who set up this Barrier actually a human, such as the 'Worst Curse User', Suguru Geto, whom Nanami-san mentioned?
Emiya even has another distinct hunch—perhaps the ceremony to suppress the creation of the 'Pseudo Mountain God' was a means to conceal this enormous Barrier.
But how could the 'Strongest' from five centuries ago be involved in the current incident?
And what reason would the 'Strongest' human have to help Cursed Spirits carry out their actions?
Then again, is Emiya supposed to believe that this vast Barrier, which hid an entire volcanic area, was set up in just one day? And without any movement being detected by Jujutsu Sorcerers?
"Guh... I won't tell you, you little brat!
Just kill me if you dare, ha ha ha ha.
What if you do kill me? Cursed Spirits will continue to be generated endlessly from the filth of humanity. Sooner or later, someone will replace me and kill you!"
Jogo, reduced to only a head and lacking even its originally clean black teeth, still talked tough.
Is it afraid of death? Of course. Any creature with intelligence and emotion will develop that fearful emotion, and Cursed Spirits are no exception.
Otherwise, how could it have been so terrified by the Unlimited Blade Works that its body couldn't even move?
It's also precisely because it possesses emotion that it absolutely cannot accept begging pitifully before it dies.
"It doesn't matter if you don't want to talk.
However, are you so eager for me to kill you because you know your comrades are nearby?
You think they will come to save you, so you want to die quickly."
Clang!
Emiya's blade suddenly jammed Jogo's mouth shut, preventing it from making any more noise.
In reality, after enduring the strain of forcibly activating Reality Marble once, Emiya's Cursed Energy is completely depleted.
He might not be able to squeeze out enough Cursed Energy to Project even one more blade.
But Jogo doesn't know this, and its potential comrades lurking in the dark certainly wouldn't know.
The more this is the case, the less Emiya can show weakness; he must be more confident—
He needs to make them believe that even if another Cursed Spirit shows up, he will kill it without hesitation.
Meanwhile, behind the distant mountains, a human and a Cursed Spirit were observing this scene together.
They were the curse user Suguru Geto and the Cursed Spirit born from humanity's negative feelings toward the forest—Hanami.
"What kind of Cursed Technique is that? Amazing... Even though he was inside my Barrier, I couldn't observe where Jogo was taken during that time.
Spatial transfer, or even... another world?
He's truly difficult to deal with. Perhaps Jogo, who bore the brunt of all that, knows more?"
Geto, dressed in monk's robes, sat there with his eyes slightly narrowed, though in reality, he was intently staring at Emiya.
"What should we do? Should we save it?
But I can't be sure how much ability that Sorcerer has left after a fight like that.
The Barrier is close to collapsing. I have to leave first."
Geto stood up and walked toward the depths of the mountain range behind them, speaking softly as if the words were completely casual: "If you want to save it, go ahead and save it.
I don't know if your bond is worth you saving it."
If dragged into that different world again, it would be a situation where both of them would be killed.
After leaving these cryptic words, Hanami's figure instantly vanished from the spot.
In the shadows, where others couldn't detect him, Geto's lips curled into a smile, reaching a bizarre, ghost-like angle.
"Just a Cursed Spirit; easy enough to say."
At the foot of the mountain, Emiya was still guarding Jogo's head, but his senses and focus were subtly placed on the surroundings.
This way, he could quickly detect anyone approaching and make the best decision based on the situation.
Boom!
As expected, Emiya didn't have to wait long before a sound came from not far away.
He immediately looked in the direction of the noise, but the figure that appeared in his view was not an enemy. It was Aoi Todo, who was still unconscious but was being violently swung and rotated by a large vine before being thrust forward, flying toward him.
"Does it want to take out the injured first? No...!"
Detecting the anomaly, Emiya instantly spun his head around, only to see a flower-nail fall from the sky, instantly growing into an entire sea of flowers.
The desire and will to fight were being dulled by the special Cursed Technique, but Emiya, having been prepared, regained his senses immediately, swinging his sword toward the direction of the attacking black shadow.
Screech—!
"□□□□!!!"
The blade definitely struck, causing the attacker to emit a strange cry, and a severed arm, mixed with black patterns, abruptly fell to the ground.
But the assailant showed no hesitation, decisively sacrificing the severed limb to escape the area.
"As I thought, it doesn't even have the courage to test me?"
Thump—
Using his blade to support his exhausted body, Emiya turned and looked at Aoi Todo, who had been left unattended and had plowed headfirst into the sea of flowers.
"He won't die, probably..."
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