Chapter 191: The War Is About to Begin!
If this guy found a way to complete his plan, then he found it—why did he insist on dragging Emiya into the conversation?
Hearing Kenjaku suddenly start thanking him, Emiya's face was a portrait of pure confusion. No matter how one looked at it, the successful advancement of this guy's plan shouldn't have anything to do with him.
"Confused as to why I'd say that?"
Kenjaku looked at Emiya's expression and grinned. He lightly opened his palm, and a crystalline, cube-shaped barrier materialized before Emiya.
"In truth, three hundred years ago, my barrier techniques had already stopped progressing.
Just as an old-fashioned steam engine, no matter how much it develops, can never compete with modern equipment powered by electricity, my abilities fell into a vortex where they could no longer be elevated.
After switching bodies countless times, the only things that stayed with me were two specific abilities... I never stopped trying to find a way out, yet I could never do it.
No matter how brilliant a genius from five hundred years ago was, they could never have predicted how modern humans would reach the stars.
The power of the individual—of a human—is ultimately limited."
Kenjaku offered this heartfelt lament before turning the spearhead back toward Emiya.
"It's all thanks to that unique barrier technique of yours! It allowed a human like me, who was merely a frog at the bottom of a well, to finally catch a glimpse of a new realm!
So, it turns out humans can actually align their narrow vision with the world itself—the world is but another variable that can be mastered.
It was during the process of trying to evolve my barrier techniques to this new realm that I happened to discover [Magano], this second 'world' that completely envelops our own."
Why did Kenjaku compare [Magano] to another world, yet distinguish it from the world where life normally resides?
Because he could barely manage to find and locate the former through his newly evolved barrier techniques, using his knowledge to summarize it.
But the latter? Don't make me laugh.
If he could truly stand on an equal latitude with the world itself, why would he need to plot so ostentatiously? He could just address the world directly and tell everyone to tie their own hands and surrender.
To use a more accurate metaphor, it was like an ant living in a two-dimensional world looking at a ping-pong ball versus a skyscraper.
"You... compare yourself to a human?"
Emiya's cold gaze swept over Kenjaku, followed by a merciless critique: "Do you really think anything about you still fits the definition of a human?"
Emiya could grasp the growth process Kenjaku described, but he couldn't quite comprehend the description of the barrier technique's evolution.
Theoretically, his [Reality Marble] should completely transcend Kenjaku's petty barrier skills, which were like mere insect carvings. Unfortunately, Emiya himself didn't actually understand the operational principles of a [Reality Marble].
In the entire world of magecraft, the number of people who have mastered the Great Thaumaturgy of a [Reality Marble] can be counted on two hands—and some of them can't even be described as "human."
Among them, those who obtained a [Reality Marble] through mastering the technical skills of barrier-making were a minority. Its true reliance was on magical energy support, willpower, and the ephemeral concept of [Origin].
Forget Emiya himself; even the "Heroic Spirit Emiya" he learned from didn't fully understand the technical theory of barriers. "Emiya Alter" had simply elevated the application of the [Reality Marble] to an unfathomable level.
Could it be...
That among so many parallel world versions of "Emiya Shirou," not a single one actually sat down to diligently study the fundamentals of magecraft?!
If Emiya were to open a memory blind box named "Caster Emiya" one night, wouldn't he be able to directly patch his weaknesses and usher in a massive leap in strength?
"Is that so? Yes, I suppose calling the current me a human might indeed be a bit inappropriate..."
Hearing Emiya's insult-laden rejection, Kenjaku actually nodded as if seriously considering the question. Then, he spread his arms to reveal the reason he admitted as much.
"But it doesn't matter. Soon enough, the current 'humans' won't be able to be called [Humans] either.
I will lead them to evolve to a higher level, casting aside these redundant, base instincts of today, allowing them to live in a superior form.
It won't be the fragile and useless flesh of the non-sorcerers, nor the filthy creatures that are cursed spirits, and certainly not the ugly half-finished products like the [Cursed Womb:
Death Paintings]... Ah, you should have learned about this history from [Tengen] already, right?"
From the moment Emiya learned his true name, the rest didn't require much guessing. After all, there were only two sorcerers who had lived from ancient times to today: him and [Tengen]. The remaining sorcerers, even those as strong as Ryomen Sukuna, could only cling to life in the non-human state of [Cursed Objects].
What Emiya found difficult to understand was that throughout over a thousand years, [Tengen] should have had countless opportunities to target Kenjaku, yet this guy had never once been caught.
Even in eras where the jujutsu world was in decline, there should have been at least a few sorcerers capable of rivaling Kenjaku. Furthermore, this guy's combat power largely depended on the body he possessed, so he wasn't always at his peak.
Historically, there had been five or six successors of the [Six Eyes]. Wouldn't it have been a good idea to try and dispatch a few sorcerers to resolve the hidden threat?
Given the prestige Tengen currently displayed, she could easily assemble a force capable of defeating Kenjaku without even explaining the situation in full.
"Based on your tone, it's as if I'm just going to stand here and watch you do those things.
Would you like to try something bold? Try to see if you can defeat the current me, and if I will show mercy by leaving you a whole corpse?
No, I'm afraid even the latter isn't possible. Who knows which part of your body your technique resides in? If I leave any part behind, you might just take over someone else."
According to Emiya's plan, the only safe way was to destroy the current Kenjaku along with Geto Suguru's body.
The only concern was Gojo Satoru's wishes.
Enough intelligence had been gathered. More importantly, the opponent clearly wouldn't divulge any more information.
It was time to end this conversation. No matter what trouble lay ahead, taking this guy down right here was the best option.
"Indeed. I knew I couldn't bypass this hurdle regardless"
That's why I was prepared for combat from the very beginning... Did you forget, Emiya-kun? What is the current state of Shibuya?
The non-sorcerers are gathered like lambs for the slaughter, while the jujutsu sorcerers, acting as sheepdogs, are all guarding the perimeter. Meanwhile, a large portion of the top-tier combatants are trapped in [Magano]...
As long as victory is achieved, any despicable act is permitted.
Emiya-kun—the war is about to begin!"
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