Magical Vanguard Shirou
Overwhelming Power (I)
'Shinji.' Emiya Shirou's friend stared at him, standing besides the woman who moments ago had been aiming to feast on the girl laying on the ground. 'What... Is Shinji doing here...?' He was confused. "Is that really you, Shinji?" Shirou asked, doubting that his friend was involved.
Shinji sneered. "What's the matter, Emiya? Can't you recognize me?"
No, Shirou did recognize him. It was impossible for him not to recognize the one in front of him. Yet, he did not want to admit that the one in front of him was Matou Shinji. Because... 'That woman... Has to be...' "Shinji, who's that?" Asked Shirou.
Shinji continued to sneer. "This is my Servant, Emiya. Or what, can't you recognize another Master when you see one?"
His Servant. This was Shinji's Servant, which meant he was a Master. But more importantly... "Shinji, did you order your Servant to attack this innocent person?" He said, gesturing seriously to the half-dead girl. Shinji scoffed. "So what if I was?" He said this as if it was nothing serious. He was dead wrong. To Emiya Shirou, the fact as to whether or not he was harming the innocent was the most important fact he needed to know. "Why?" Shirou croaked out, disbelieving. Shinji looked at him. "To obtain power. Why else, Emiya?"
To obtain power. The words came out naturally to Shinji. Shirou could not believe the words of this man who used to be his friend. Why? Why? Why!?
"...You're going to continue doing it, aren't you." Now Shirou wasn't even asking. He was just reaching a conclusion based on what Shinji had told him. He waited for him to deny it, to have some semblance of dignity, to refuse to admit deliberately killing bystanders. But all he got was a nod. It was at this nod, that Shirou turned his mind into Steel. He would crush Shinji's Servant, and remove him from the war.
"...I'm sorry, Shinji. But I'm going to have to have to stop you. If you want to stop being friends, I won't blame you. But I'll have to crush your Servant now, Shinji." He said this with cold steel behind his voice. Emiya Shirou would achieve this objective. Nothing could stop him now. In an instant, sensing her Master's distress, Saber was at side. "Shirou?" Asked the Servant.
Shinji growled. "So you're declaring war on me Emiya? Fine then. Rider, kill Saber." He said this speaking as if victory was already his. What a fool. He had lost from the moment he had admitted to harming innocent bystanders. Emiya Shirou would not lose to evil. His mind was steel, his body was made of swords. "Saber, go. And win." He added the last part as an afterthought.
Rider had already rushed towards Saber, throwing a nail connected by a long chain to another nail she held on her hand at her. Saber reflected the nail, and advanced towards Rider. She swung her invisible weapon at Rider, the sword coming in a descending arc at the Servant...!
Rider felt a gust of wind following Saber's invisible weapon, and managed to evade it by avoiding where the wind was cut. On her hand the nail she thrown was already back, as she attacked with both nails. The nails moved in confusing arcs and angles, but Saber's instincts allowed her to block them fairly well. She dodged over a passing nail and swung her sword horizontally, forcing Rider to step back. However, the nails continued to be thrown at Saber, who evaded them and blocked them, forcing to abandon an attack of opportunity.
For now, both Servants were equally matched, but Saber began to notice beads of sweat on Rider's forehead: she was tiring. 'Good,' Saber thought. Because right now, Shirou was transformed, the prana she was recieving from him was more than enough for her to fight for hours without tiring. However, it seems Rider's master lacked the prana to sustain Rider in top shape for a long time. This would make the rest of the battle easier.
Shirou furrowed his eyebrows. Shinji looked gleeful. "Ha! See, Emiya! You can't win against me!" Laughed Shinji. Shirou blinked. Had Shinji not noticed the exhaustion on his Servant? "...Are you serious? Can't you tell your Servant's getting tired?" Said Shirou, confused. Shinji scoffed. "How do you think that bluff will help you? You're mine, Emiya!"
Shirou realized, then. Shinji was not fit to be a Master. He didn't even notice the exhaustion of his Servant, even though there was a bond between them. Not only that, but he also hadn't transformed -He probably didn't even know how-. It was like... 'Like somebody had given a 3-year old a bazooka.' Shinji could not be anything but the average popular high-school student. There was no way he could be a Master, even if he was a magus. His abilities as a magus were probably as bad as his. "Shinji, can I ask you something?" Shirou said, straightening himself. Shinji sneered. "What is it, Emiya?" Ignoring the clash of weapons in the background, Shirou asked a question which rang through Shinji's heart.
"How good of a magus are you?"
The question made Shinji flinch. Why? Of all questions he could ask... Why had he asked that!? "A-Are you saying I'm a bad magus!?" Exclaimed Shinji. 'Impossible.' He reminded himself. 'I'm a Master now. I have a Servant. I'M NOT WEAK ANYMORE!!!' "Emiya...!" Shinji growled. Shirou frowned. "I didn't mean to say that. I mean, how can you not notice that your Servant is exhausted? And more importantly, why haven't you used the Vanguard System?" Shirou threw two questions at him. The first one Shinji scoffed at. "That again? I tell you, my Servant is not exhausted! And as to that other question, what do you mean?" Inquired Shinji.
What.
'Just now, Shinji said something really worrying...' That's right. He just said he had no idea of what the Vanguard System was. That meant he probably didn't know he could transform. Shirou realized then, that stopping him now would be the best way to save him. If any other Master had found him, and he challenged that Master... He shuddered as he imagined his friend encountering Berserker. Emiya Shirou had to finish this fight now.
"Sorry, Shinji." He said, as he prepared to project a weapon---!
Trace o---
"---------------!"
The same bone-chilling sound as yesterday.
Rider panted silently. It had already been 15 minutes since they had started fighting, she was feeling very tired. After all, Shinji wasn't her true Master, so he failed to give her the mana she required to fight. That was why he made her attack those people. However, that wasn't enough to keep her fighting for such a long amount of time. She saw as Saber rushed at her, determined to give the final blow...!
"----------------!"
Get away Get away GET AWAY GET AWAY
Four tendrils shot out of the darkness towards Saber. As Saber quickly jumped back to avoid them, the tendrils buried themselves deep in the concrete, causing cracks on the street. Suddenly, another four tendrils shot out towards Rider, who also sped away to dodge the incoming spear-headed limbs. As they buried themselves on the ground, Saber examined them. They were each about 30 centimetres thick. A stab from those would surely be fatal. They were made of solid darkness, and pulsed with red lines. As the tendrils pulled themselves out of the concrete, three crimson eyes glared from the darkness.
Isolation Isolation Isolation get away get away get away why aren't you running get away get away get away or DIE
DIE DIE DIE
DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE
The body where the eyes where slowly moved out of the darkness- No, it was as if the shadows themselves had moved. It was a sphere of darkness, pulsing with red lines of cursed prana. The eight limbs were connected to it, as they retracted towards it, and then flailed about wildly around it, forcing Saber and Rider to retreat away from it. The sphere itself was about 1.5 metres wide, but the limbs' length constantly changed. Certainly, only a ranged fighter could fight against this creature: its limbs would quickly counterattack anything that targeted any part of the Shadow. Saber knew that Shirou would not leave until this Shadow was dead. The only thing she thought of which could beat this Shadow, among the ones who were present here, would be her Noble Phantasm. She, however, was reluctant on using such a thing. She was forced out of her thoughts as the Shadow suddenly switched to the offensive, launching three tendrils at her with fast, precise, machine-like thrusts.
DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE
Shinji fell on his butt, as he stared horrified at the monster which had appeared. "Wh-what is that!?" He suddenly felt a presence, as he saw Shirou, with the white armor and blue clothes he had only seen on him this night, glaring at the Shadow. "Shinji, order your Servant to retreat. Now." The words, however, didn't reach Shinji. He could only stare in horror at the darkness telling him to die. It ordered him to fall into an Abyss of shadows, to drown in his sins.
Rider evaded the tendrils to the best of her ability- No, this couldn't be called the best of her ability. She couldn't fight like she was supposed to, because Shinji was an unefficient Master. Furthermore, she was tired from her battle with Saber. So she, normally one of the Servants with the most agility due to her history, was having trouble with even things like this. Suddenly, one of the tendrils smashed dangerously close to her, lifting a shockwave which knocked her away from the Shadow, and smashed her to the ground, leaving a crater. Quickly, the tendrils looked for another target.
Saber was forced to increase her speed as three other tendrils attacked her, and then she was being attacked by seven limbs at once. She quickly jumped back, but the thrust did not lose their ferocity. Any attempt to attack would result in a ferocious counter attack. Then, the tendrils began to attack in seven different angles at once, forcing her to continue to retreat. If the enemy had been capable of rational thought, it could've used those limbs to perform an unavoidable attack. She thanked whatever god that existed that Shadows acted on instinct, as she suddeny was surprised from behind, and she was sent flying to a wall, leaving an imprint on it. She had not spotted a missing eighth limb. How careless of her. The Shadow quickly turned to the only moving targets. It could consume the other two later.
Shinji's eyes widened as the Shadow's three eyes turned to glare at him. Emiya Shirou leaned down, seeing the Shadow was glaring at where they were. Shinji was scared beyond belief. Even if he was a Master, even if he had a Servant, this thing was going to kill him. He was going to die. The tendrils all pointed at Shinji, and were sent at him like lances-
"Trace on."
In front of him stood Shirou, a huge Axe-sword on his right hand.
Emiya Shirou traced Berserker's Axe-sword. He had examined the history of where the sword was made. It was made from the columns of a temple to Hercules made by the Einzberns. Browsing through the history of Hercules, he had found an ability that originated not from a weapon of him, but from a deed so great he had comitted, it had been immortalized in legend. The Shooting Hundred Heads, an incredibly powerful Noble Phantasm. Such a technique was something he could not be able to accomplish right now, but he could use a variation of it...! His arms traced even Berserker's strength, as the Axe-sword felt as light as a feather...!
Shinji watched in awe as Shirou leaped towards the tendrils of darkness.
Eight limbs came at him. Eight heads. Eight slashes they would take to be destroyed. Shirou's speed suddenly sky-rocketed, as he closed the distance using godspeed...!
DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE
One Slash. A limb fell off.
Two Slashes.
Three Slashes.
Four Slashes. Half of the Shadow's limbs were gone.
Five Slashes.
Six Slashes. Only two limbs remained attached to the Shadow's main body.
Seven Slashes.
Eight Slashes. The Shadow's main body was exposed as all of its weapons were turned void...!
"Set---Nine Lives-" Shirou jumped at the Shadow's main body, and buried the Axe-sword deep between the Shadow's eyes. "--Blade Works."
NO GET AWAY IT HURTS----
"---------!??!?!?!"
The Shadow exploded, violently spilling black liquid on the whole street.
Shinji stared trembling at the figure walking over to him. Stained with liquid darkness, golden eyes glared at him. "Shinji, I told you to retreat!"
Shinji mumbled "A-ah n-no G-get a-away!" As he ran away, he suddenly felt something was on fire in his hand. He looked, eyes wide, at the burning book. He knew what the message transmitted to him was.
"You've disappointed me for the last time."
"Grandfather, why...!?" He dropped the burning book, losing all hope. He stared at the eyes of Shirou. "P-please let me go!" He asked to the monster his eyes were seeing.
Shirou stared down Shinji. He suddenlty felt a spike of prana, and looked as the body of Shinji's Servant suddenly disappeared. Did this mean, he had stopped Shinji...? He turned to look at Shinji. "Go." He told his friend, and watched as he stood up and ran away desperately. 'Grandfather...?' Shinji's grandfather could only be Matou Zouken. Why? How was he involved? Wait. Matou Zouken had also known about the Einzberns. It could just be a coincidence. As he went to help Saber get up, who had already recovered from being slammed away by the Shadow, he realized something.
He needed answers.
And he knew where to get them. Though he would've preferred not going to that place for a while.