"Stay alert. There might be other accomplices."
After subduing the people in front of her, Chen kept watch on the surroundings while speaking to Shirou.
She felt that something was off.
The supression had gone too smoothly and when these Infected saw members of the Lungmen Guard Department their first reaction was not panic but a coordinated attack.
This was not a spur-of-the-moment disturbance… Was it premeditated?
If her suspicion was correct, then the current danger had likely not been resolved.
"Six, seven, eight… there are still more than ten?"
Even before Chen gave her warning, Shirou had already noticed the hostile gazes and the subtle signs of Originium Arts being prepared.
A rough estimate put the number at more than ten people.
"More than ten!?"
Hearing Shirou's words, Chen frowned deeply.
She had subdued six people on her side, exactly the six mentioned by the informant. If what Shirou said was true and there were at least ten more nearby, then the situation had just become dangerous.
This was not a case of Infected rioters. It was something worse, a deliberate operation targeting members of the Guard Department.
With that thought, Chen glared at the people lying on the ground and placed her hand on Chi Xiao.
She applied a bit of force, but Chi Xiao did not move at all.
"Shirou, move! Do not let them activate their Originium Arts!"
After confirming that Chi Xiao could not be used, Chen immediately adjusted her tactics. She had Shirou take on the role of primary attacker while she focused on protecting the civilians.
If she could use Chi Xiao, she would be better suited for the main assault while Shirou provided ranged support.
But since she could not use it then there was no point dwelling on it. It was better to act quickly and prevent the situation from worsening.
At the same time as issuing orders, she pressed the emergency button on her communicator.
"Are serious injuries acceptable?"
Hearing Chen's command, Shirou asked.
It was not out of fear or hesitation. The moment these people chose to harm innocent civilians, they were no longer innocent.
Shirou would not show mercy to such people, especially after his experiences with Penguin Logistics and the Guard Department.
His reason for asking Chen was simple. When members of the Guard Department carried out operations, they were generally not allowed to use excessive force unless lives were at risk.
However, with authorization from a superior, it was permitted.
Chen had that authority. Shirou's question was both a confirmation and a warning that he might cause significant casualties.
Dozens of enemies, all of them were Infected, with Originium Arts ready to be unleashed.
He was not a superhero. He could not guarantee the safety of civilians while also subduing everyone unharmed under these conditions.
"Yes! Do it! I will take responsibility!"
Without hesitation, Chen answered.
Shirou said nothing. He simply threw the Kanshou and Bakuya in his hands.
From the moment he sensed something wrong to the moment he acted, only a few seconds had passed.
Originium Arts varied in range. Some could strike from a hundred meters away, while others required close proximity.
But for Shirou, no matter how far their reach extended, it could not exceed his own.
Although he often fought with a bow, his most proficient weapon was, in the end, the sword.
The Kanshou and Bakuya he threw spun rapidly through the air, like black-and-white discs flying toward different directions.
At the same time, Shirou projected another pair and threw them as well.
One pair, two pairs, three pairs…
Every target he aimed at was a location where fluctuations of Originium Arts could be sensed. With just a bit more charging, those points would erupt. The signals were extremely faint, but that was exactly what Shirou captured.
Five pairs of Kanshou and Bakuya shot off in different directions. Soon after came several screams, followed by white spheres of light, lightning, and flames formed by Originium Arts.
A large number of Originium Arts attacks flew toward Shirou's position, followed by a series of violent explosions.
"Shirou!"
Seeing Shirou instantly swallowed by a barrage of Originium Arts, Chen shouted.
At the same time, the Chi Xiao at her waist loosened slightly, and she drew it.
"I am fine. Watch the surroundings, more enemies are closing in."
Through the thick dust, she saw translucent purple fragments, along with Shirou standing there completely unharmed.
Rho Aias Shirou's strongest defensive Noble Phantasm. From the very beginning, he had been ready to deploy it at any moment.
Originium Arts were unpredictable. Shirou could not guarantee that he could reliably deal with every single attack, so using a Noble Phantasm to block them was the safest option.
Fortunately, his instincts had not been wrong. Some of those Originium Arts could not be deflected with swords alone.
He had no idea how to deal with those white constructs and lightning, and with so many attacks coming from all directions, he could neither evade nor handle them all.
A black longbow appeared in his left hand, and Shirou set several arrows onto the string with his right.
That previous exchange had exposed everyone who had attacked. Within that short time, Shirou had already memorized the positions of some of them.
There were also those who stood frozen at the edges of rooftops, trying to confirm whether Shirou had lost the ability to fight.
Those were his priority targets.
He drew the bow, nocked the arrows, and released in one smooth motion.
"Ahhh!"
A person on the rooftop let out a miserable scream. After seeing clearly what had happened, Chen understood why it sounded so agonizing.
Shirou's arrow had pierced straight through the man's palm and exited at the elbow.
That was horrifying. That entire section was bone, yet the arrow had still gone through.
At the very least, that man's right arm was ruined.
Chen felt no sympathy for that person and after a brief glance, she shifted her attention back, staying alert to her surroundings while keeping an eye on Shirou.
Unlike his usual role of providing support fire, every shot Shirou made now left at least two holes in his target.
He was calm and decisive and there was no wasted movement in any of his actions.
In just a few seconds, Shirou had dealt with all the enemies who had revealed themselves.
The air was filled with a thick smell of blood and the screams of numerous Infected.
Even so, Shirou did not stop. It was as if he did not notice any of it.
As Chen casually cut down incoming Originium Arts with Chi Xiao, she felt that Shirou was extremely dangerous right now.
Different from his usual gentle and patient self, the current Shirou was like an executioner, continuously delivering punishment to these offenders.
Yet he was far too calm. It was precisely because of that calmness that Chen found him dangerous.
And Wei Yenwu had warned her to pay close attention to Shirou's movements…
"Tch."
Thinking of that, Chen clicked her tongue and bit down hard on the corner of her lip.
Blood slowly trickled from the edge of her mouth.
Trust your teammate. What kind of person Shirou is…she, Hoshiguma, and Swire had already confirmed it, had they not?
Do not let Wei Yenwu's words influence you. That man sees everyone as suspicious, his mind is far too dark.
Chen kept reminding herself, trying to push those thoughts aside and focus on protecting the civilians behind her.
"This is way too many…"
After counting the number of people he had attacked, Shirou felt that the numbers were excessive.
Six at first, then ten more, and now dozens more appearing afterward.
It was like those stage-clearing games where once you cleared all visible enemies, the next wave would appear.
To avoid further complications, Shirou had done his best to render them incapable of fighting. From others' perspectives, it looked like he had simply pierced them with arrows, but Shirou himself knew exactly what he had done.
The magical arrows would leave them in pain for quite a while. If someone could still endure that level of pain and use Originium Arts, then he would accept it.
Although he had never used Originium Arts himself, any kind of ability required a certain degree of concentration. Intense pain would make these people lose their combat capability, at least for a short time.
As for what would happen to them afterward…
Shirou did not take that into consideration. If there were only a few people, that would be one thing, but there were too many. Without using such methods, he would not be able to deal with them all.
Since these people had chosen to ambush members of the Guard Department… there was no need to hold back.
If it had not been him and Chen here today, but ordinary Guard Department members instead, they might have truly been killed here.
Those Originium Arts were not meant to merely disable him. They were clearly intended to take his life.
The smell of blood, the cries of pain, Shirou could see and hear them all clearly.
But compared to what he had witnessed before, this was nothing.
Real wars, battles, and disasters were far more brutal than this.
"Trace on—"
Lowering the bow in his hand, Shirou softly chanted.
Click.
Within his consciousness, the sound of a handgun being cocked echoed.
Then, countless translucent blades appeared behind him, gradually solidifying into tangible forms.
Raising his right hand, Shirou clearly felt his magical energy linking with the swords around him.
The moment he swung his hand down, the blades shot out in all directions.
The countless swords moved as if guided by an invisible hand, tracing elegant arcs through the air.
Faint blue trails of magical energy crisscrossed in the sky. If not for the accompanying screams, Chen might have thought Shirou was performing some kind of magic show.
What Shirou had just used… was truly eye-opening.
She had seen at least six pairs of those black-and-white twin blades. Just how much did he like them to carry so many spares?
She was already familiar with the longbow and arrows since that was what Shirou usually used on missions.
But those floating swords behind him, and the way he casually controlled them to strike wherever he wished… it was breathtaking.
It was just like the sword-controlling techniques described in the martial arts novels she often read.
"Officer Chen? Officer Chen!"
It was Shirou's voice, along with the continuously vibrating communicator, that pulled Chen out of her stunned state.
"Is it all resolved?"
Shaking her head, Chen quickly regained her composure and asked about the situation.
Although, in truth, the question was somewhat unnecessary.
What Shirou had just demonstrated…forget her alone, even if she, Hoshiguma and Swire had led a team together, they might not have survived under that level of firepower.
"I dealt with everyone who made a move. One person escaped. I did not pursue."
Shirou reported honestly.
He had not chased after the fleeing person. The visibility was poor, and the target had deliberately fled into narrow alleyways.
If not for the civilians behind Chen, Shirou might have given chase. But in his view, protecting those people was far more important.
Under Chen's protection, aside from some fright, most of the civilians were unharmed and many of them were looking at Shirou with admiration.
The kind of attention that made him deeply uncomfortable.
Fortunately, with the Guard Department cap and mask, his face remained hidden.
"One of them got away?… I will have people pursue that person, this was a planned attack against the Guard Department. I doubt the higher-ups will ignore it."
After hearing Shirou's report, Chen frowned slightly, then quickly relaxed and continued, "You have done well, take a rest. I will handle the rest."
An attack on Guard Department members was a serious incident. The higher authorities would definitely take it seriously, so whether that one person escaped or not was not critical.
Catching them would be ideal, of course, but Shirou might be tired, so she could not ask more of him.
He had already done everything to the best possible extent.
More than twenty people had been subdued by him alone, and not a single civilian had been harmed.
The speed was astonishing as well. She was not even sure if a few minutes had passed from start to finish.
What was certain was that Guard Department reinforcements had not yet arrived.
"No… I will rest after we return. I will go up and bring those people down."
Shirou refused the order to rest and volunteered to go up to the rooftops to bring down those he had injured.
Mainly because the aftermath of his final attack where he used a large number of projected swords might be difficult for others to handle. He wanted to move them first.
Under his deliberate control, there had been no severed limbs, but the large wounds and the heavy bleeding would still be unsettling.
"Alright. Do not go to the shooting range today. Rest in the office."
Hearing this, Chen did not object.
These people could not be allowed to die. They still needed to extract information from them.
Who would be bold enough to target the Guard Department like this?
The first figure that came to Chen's mind was the one from that rainy night.
Also the one Wei Yenwu had been wary of all along—
Kashchey, the Deathless Black Snake.