Chapter 243: Are You Afraid? Things You Cannot Comprehend
From the moment [Unlimited Blade Works] was officially deployed, Emiya's magical energy began to drain at a drastic speed—an exaggerated consumption rate that even Emiya's constant use of the [Reverse Cursed Technique] could not fully offset.
Within this infinite "World of Swords," the boundaries of the world can extend without limit, absorbing an infinite amount of magical energy without restriction. Therefore, no matter how large Emiya's total mana pool became or how much his recovery rate increased, the consumption of the [Reality Marble] would rise accordingly, reaching a level where he could never maintain it for an extended period.
After all, even if Emiya truly possessed limitless mana to fill this bottomless pit, the Counter Force would not be so foolish as to allow such a massive, anomalous product to exist within the "World" indefinitely.
However, corresponding to this massive consumption of mana was the unimaginable suppression and destructiveness of [Unlimited Blade Works].
Once [Unlimited Blade Works] was fully formed, everything within the world was his to use at will, for this was not a Domain, but his own unique "Inner World."
In other words, all these blades planted throughout the snowfield—every single one within sight—were Noble Phantasms that could be used according to Emiya's will. Whether used as projectiles or as consumables for Broken Phantasms, Emiya did not need to pay any additional magical energy for them.
Of course, there were drawbacks. If Emiya wished to project a new Noble Phantasm while inside [Unlimited Blade Works], the mana cost would increase significantly, although the projection process would be simpler and the power would be greater than when outside.
Regardless, Emiya did not believe for a second that Sukuna could actually exhaust the infinite blades within the barrier.
"Sword barrel full open!"
As Emiya raised his arm high, all the blades surrounding him transformed into blue light and rapidly ascended into the sky, pointing in unison toward Ryomen Sukuna's position.
The dense thicket of blades almost obscured the starry sky, which was already sparse save for a single bright moon. This scene—of a dark cloud pressing down on the city—was enough to give anyone claustrophobia.
In truth, whether sensitive or not, every human has a subconscious premonition of incoming crisis, even if that dull sense only triggers after a gun is already pressed against their forehead. When the scene of ten thousand swords firing at once is laid out before you, your eyes begin to deceive your brain, creating the illusion that you are about to be pierced through the heart
by ten thousand blades... that tingling sensation can easily make one feel an almost addictive thrill.
Ryomen Sukuna himself couldn't be sure if the destructive power of these blades reached a level sufficient to easily break through his defenses, but that didn't stop him from feeling an uncontrollable excitement at the scene before him.
"Come on, come on!
This is it! This is what can truly be called a battle!!!"
Human life is exhausting; without certain hormones secreted by the brain, they cannot feel joy or satisfaction. Those who cannot return to a normal life after touching gambling are not just doing so because they believe one chance will allow them to flip the board and win back everything; primarily, they are controlled by the desires produced by those hormones.
After wagering more than half of their net worth on a gamble, the body secretes a massive amount of stimulating hormones during the process of waiting for the result, allowing their emotions to reach a peak they have never experienced before in an instant. This feeling might occur more than once—experiencing the roller-coaster rises and falls of emotions several times in a single day.
The human body is adaptive. After being baptized by this massive emotional surge, ordinary things can no longer cause their emotions to fluctuate; in other words, it becomes hard for them to be satisfied.
But as long as one lives in this world, can they truly not crave any joy or satisfaction, living like a mindless creature—a walking corpse merely for the sake of procreation? Of course, that is impossible; no person can live in such an environment. Even those ascetics who can endure secular desires only do so because they seek spiritual satisfaction within that penance.
Thus, many people cannot escape after a certain degree of gambling, only sinking deeper and deeper into the bottomless whirlpool until self-destruction.
However, as mentioned before, the human body is adaptive—after adapting to high-intensity emotional fluctuations, a person can gradually return to their original emotional threshold in a calm life. Unfortunately, most people simply lack that level of endurance.
For Ryomen Sukuna, who became the "Strongest" over a thousand years ago and stood at the peak of the jujutsu world—and the entire world—everything in existence had lost all meaning long ago. He had already possessed what ordinary people have, and he had possessed things ordinary people couldn't have countless times over... How could someone like him be interested in mundane things, or even most things in the world?
In the past, he was able to maintain an interest in eating only because his body could not escape that physiological basis, and because he had a fairly capable "chef" (Uraume) who could constantly create novel delicacies for him.
If there was anything he yearned for but could not obtain, there was perhaps only one: a truly powerful enemy, someone who could make him feel the joy of battle, a strong foe who could even contend with him.
Clearly, Emiya was the first formidable enemy he had encountered in a thousand years whom he found difficult to resolve. That was why he acted so hyper-excited, like the lust felt upon seeing a beautiful woman. All of this was not for any other reason than to make himself feel happy and satisfied...
To achieve this goal, Ryomen Sukuna was willing to give up everything, just like those gamblers who gradually lose themselves in their wagers.
Would a true gambler shrink back just because they might lose before the outcome is revealed? No, never... they will only become more excited and double down, just to fight for that slim possibility of victory.
This was the same for Ryomen Sukuna. Even if he fell into an absolute disadvantage, he would still rush forward without fear. Because for him, this was a process of feeling the joy of life, and as long as he wasn't dead, it meant he still had a chance to win.
In that case, what was there to be afraid of?
Just enjoy the battle to the fullest!
RUMBLE!!!!!
The moment Sukuna's words fell, the blades in the sky began to drop one after another, forming a brilliant yet lethal rain of blue swords that completely enveloped Sukuna's silhouette.
This process involved no flashy theatrics; hundreds of blades traversed the distance from sky to ground in an instant, giving Ryomen Sukuna a welcoming ceremony that brooked no refusal.
Even Ryomen Sukuna hadn't expected the falling speed of the blades to be so fast. By the time he reacted, he was already in the midst of the dense rain of swords, able only to strain and muster all his cursed energy to tank this sudden bombardment.
As the dust stirred by countless simultaneous explosions began to dissipate, Ryomen Sukuna's figure, covered in tiny wounds, was revealed. The weapons stored within [Unlimited Blade Works] belonged to the category of Noble Phantasms; perhaps even many Special Grade cursed tools might not successfully break through Sukuna's defense, but blades triggered as Broken Phantasms could not possibly fail to do so.
Although Sukuna's injuries began to heal at a visible rate after he broke free from the sword rain, it was enough to prove that these blades could interfere with his movements.
"That truly was a heart-stopping attack, you..."
Ryomen Sukuna, who had finally gained a brief moment of respite, was about to speak, but Emiya gave him no such opportunity. Before Sukuna could even reopen his arms, over a hundred blades flew toward his position one after another. This time, the attack was much more precise, with almost every blade aimed directly at his immediate surroundings.
However, with the first sword rain as a warm-up, even though the flight speed was still exaggerated, Sukuna—with his monstrous physical stats—found a slight possibility to dodge and counter.
But the density of the sword rain was too tight. Compared to Sukuna's build, there was no possibility of dodging it entirely.
After dodging several incoming blades with a swift dash, Sukuna used the momentum to turn and grab the hilt of a sword, intending to use this forcibly seized blade to parry the subsequent rain of swords.
If one were to rank combat effectiveness and professionalism with weapons, Ryomen Sukuna would surely be at the top of the world; even many who prided themselves on their mastery of arms would pale in comparison to him.
This was primarily due to his beyond-imagination learning ability. While there are many people in the world who are "all brawn and no brains," when a body is as strong and grand as Sukuna's, the ability to memorize and understand things naturally rises accordingly.
Over a thousand years ago, it took Sukuna less than half a day to start learning the sword and then kill his completely useless swordsmanship teacher. In fact, that person was already the most skilled individual he could find with that weapon.
By the same logic, it was the same for other weapons; there were almost no "killing tools" that Ryomen Sukuna was not proficient in. The reason he hadn't used weapons in combat was, firstly, because the enemies he encountered weren't worth the mental effort, and secondly, because any cursed tools worthy of his use had long since been lost to time. One must remember that even a Special Grade cursed tool is not necessarily sturdier than an ordinary weapon; they require special methods to be preserved.
Yet, just as Ryomen Sukuna swung the snatched blade at the incoming sword rain, something completely incomprehensible suddenly occurred—
CRACK!
The moment the blade in Sukuna's hand made contact with the incoming sword rain, it suddenly snapped. Meanwhile, the blades it collided with remained perfectly unharmed.
In the next heartbeat, visible cracks suddenly spread across the break in the blade, and it exploded into countless fragments with a burst of sparks...
BOOM!!!
The blade had snapped in Sukuna's hand and erupted into a massive burst of flame, like a high-powered attack. But the real killing move wasn't just that; the dense sword rain wouldn't stop for a single explosion.
The terrifying number of swords hammered into Sukuna's position with absolute concentration. The sound of the horrific explosions only stopped after a full ten-plus seconds. This kind of carpet-bombing attack was likely enough to cure anyone of their "fear of insufficient firepower."
Only this time, Sukuna's luck wasn't as good as before.
The moment the sword rain ended, the surrounding smoke was violently blasted away by Sukuna from within, revealing a circular barrier—and himself standing inside it.
Sukuna currently had all four palms joined together in a bizarre hand sign (mudra); this was the primary reason the barrier could barely be maintained until now.
[Secret Art: Hollow Wicker Basket]. This was the true name of the barrier technique, and the prototype for the "Simple Domain" of the New Shadow Style. It possesses various functions like neutralizing Domains and canceling sure-hit effects. With more functions, its requirements and complexity were naturally on a different level compared to a "Simple Domain."
If he didn't possess such superior and complex techniques, why would he look down on modern, ordinary sorcerers?
Sukuna was using it now, of course, not to neutralize a Domain, but simply to isolate himself from the external sword rain to prevent himself from sustaining overly severe injuries. He could easily heal wounds that would be fatal to others, but that didn't mean he was a masochist who enjoyed being toyed with like this.
However, even though Sukuna successfully used the barrier to guarantee his protection under the sword rain, it was only after he had taken several hits. His right arm, which had been almost entirely sliced away, was proof of that.
"What was that weapon? How could it be that fragile?"
Sukuna, having been bombarded more than once, was certain that while the strength of those blades might vary individually, they absolutely should not have been that weak. By contrast, it was even less likely that Emiya had specifically swapped in a special, fragile blade to scheme against him. Sukuna could not understand why what just happened, happened.
"You're actually asking a question like that, Sukuna?
Have you already forgotten that the entire [Unlimited Blade Works] is a world that belongs solely to me? And within this world, I can naturally manipulate the objects inside at will.
To think you could use my own blade to deal with my attacks... don't you think that's a bit too delusional?"
It was true that there were infinite "swords" on this snowfield, but they all belonged to Emiya. No matter what, Ryomen Sukuna would never have the slightest chance of successfully borrowing them.
The only thing he could rely on was himself. He had to persist in this [Reality Marble] using purely his own power until Emiya either ran out of blades or mana. However, compared to that, it was clearly more likely that Ryomen Sukuna would first be worn down to exhaustion by Emiya's infinite swords.
So far, the only person who could compete with Emiya within [Unlimited Blade Works]—and even faintly suppress him—was Gilgamesh, who possessed the [Gate of Babylon].
The latter's [Gate of Babylon] is said to store "all treasures worth collecting throughout history," and that wealthy Heroic Spirit's most common fighting style was to pour out various Noble Phantasms all at once, overwhelming his enemies with absolute power. Whether the legend of "storing all treasures" was true or not, at least within [Unlimited Blade Works], he truly could use the [Gate of Babylon] to clash with the infinite blades of the barrier and gain the upper hand.
As for other Heroic Spirits who lacked such compatibility—for example, those who only knew how to win through melee combat—they would likely suffer immensely within this [Reality Marble].
Ryomen Sukuna was clearly of that unfortunate type. Furthermore, he had no weapons to counter the blades; he could only rely on his four palms.
"Tch... Do you think just being sharp-tongued will allow you to overwhelm me in battle?
"ou're not the only one here with a trump card. Since there's no other way, I'll just have to expand my own Domain.
My Domain, when fully expanded, is far beyond what that simple product from before can compare to..."
As Sukuna spoke, he rapidly changed the mudra of his four palms into a different sign.
"Since they are both barriers at their core, let me see... whether your 'World' is stronger, or my Domain is superior!"
"[Domain Expansion]—"
"[Malevolent Shrine]!!!!!!!!"
A massive amount of cursed energy was poured into the Domain Sukuna expanded amid his shout. The surroundings naturally underwent a violent change, the most significant being the towering shrine that manifested behind him.
But while the change was vast, there was still one point that completely defied his expectations—
The only thing that can counter a Domain is a Domain. Thus, when an enemy sorcerer expands their Domain, our side's perfect response is to similarly expand our own. While a stronger Domain will overwrite a weaker one, as long as the gap isn't too vast to bridge, the weaker Domain can still persist within the stronger one to ensure one doesn't fall into an absolute disadvantage.
To Sukuna just now, Emiya's "Unlimited Blade Works" was at most just another type of barrier. Since they were both barriers, his Domain should have been able to achieve some sort of "resistance" effect.
But when he successfully expanded his Domain, he was shocked to find that things were not at all what he had imagined.
His Domain indeed successfully expanded, and surprisingly without any form of obstruction—but that didn't mean it was a good thing.
Because Emiya's [Reality Marble] still existed. His expanded Domain hadn't affected the other's barrier at all. It was as if... as if they were not in the same realm of existence whatsoever.
"How... what is going on with this barrier?!"
For the first time, an expression other than disgust or excitement appeared on Sukuna's face: it was a mixture of bewilderment and shock that could not be hidden.
Yet, to this, Emiya gave no exaggerated reaction. He simply raised his hand to call forth countless blades again and, after gripping yet another special Noble Phantasm, posed a soul-searching question to Ryomen Sukuna:
"Are you afraid? That something you cannot comprehend is happening before your eyes."
Read ahead and finish this fanfiction by supporting me on buymeacoffee com/varietl or ko-fi edwriting