the living [comprehensive]

Chapter 29

The ugly truth is gradually revealed under the cracked glamorous appearance, but Shirou is still stubbornly unwilling to accept it.

——Aren’t the people who have become guardians the part of humanity that should be called “heroes”?

The man who had completely transformed into a dark creature stood up again.He regained his tall and strong body, but there was no sign of being a human anymore.

——No matter what it is for, someone who can become a guardian must want to protect others, right?

The upright shadow looked around, but paid no attention to the corpse of the young woman lying nearby.With only ferocity and numbness in his eyes, he stretched out his sharp claws to the only living person beside him.

The moment the black shadow touched the young man, a sharp blade seemed to fly out of nowhere and cut off the icy sharp claws.

The Heroic Spirit who arrived in time killed the monster in the middle.The black shadow that evolved from that mighty warrior seemed stronger than any he had encountered before.But for Heroic Spirits, this is not a difficult enemy.

"What are you doing in a daze, do you want to die?" Ying Ling said coldly, turning around.

Shirou quietly looked back at the heroic spirit, his eyes were a little distracted, as if he didn't see the heroic spirit's figure in his eyes.

Because of the boy's overly disappointed eyes, Heroic Spirit faded the blame from his face.He gently pinched the boy's chin and lifted it up, forcing him to look at him: "Those who can make a deal with the restraining force and become guardians are all for the purest and selfless wish."

Awakened from the shock and despair by the familiar voice, the sparkle in Shirou's eyes trembled, and his refocused eyes also stayed on Heroic Spirit's face.

"However, the disillusionment of hope is inevitable. Whether it is the corruption of the body or the loss of faith, it is already doomed. It's just that the length of this process is uncertain. Anyway, the guardian with infinite vitality can completely survive the long years. Bit by bit, the original ideal is completely buried."

Listening to Heroic Spirit's cruel words, Shirou's eyes widened even more, until they were almost round.He wanted to run away from the opponent, but his stiff body couldn't move at all.

"If you don't die in battle, the guardian's fighting ability is the same as despair, and it will accumulate. The unusual and powerful monsters you have seen are the top guardians of the past." Heroic Spirit laughed sarcastically, "It's so ridiculous to watch those guys who want to save their hometown and even the world turn into culprits, and watch those who yearn for justice and kindness become the most hated people in the past."

Shirou's lips moved: "Don't... say any more." He carefully studied the inaccessible and cold expression of Heroic Spirit, and finally found a trace of real sadness in that sharp and mean face.

— must calm down.

I have indeed suffered an unprecedented blow, but I must calm down!Isn't Archer himself the most painful right now?

"Are you afraid, the truth about the guardian you yearn for?" Heroic Spirit's voice lowered, but the bitter sarcasm in his voice became stronger, "That's right, just think about how many people are in a situation without knowing it." I killed my former comrade-in-arms..."

"Stop talking!" Shirou interrupted Heroic Spirit's heavy voice loudly, even waving the opponent's hand away.Realizing that his actions were a little rough due to his eagerness, Shirou bit his lower lip: "I understand the reason why you prevented me from becoming a guardian. Thank you for your efforts for me, but..."

"But?" Heroic Spirit repeated lightly, and suddenly his eyes turned cold, "Don't tell me, you still have fantasies about the guardian. Then you are stupid beyond my imagination."

"I came here to save others. No matter what, I will not change my original intention." Although he knew that he would be ridiculed by the heroic spirit, Shirou still expressed his thoughts, "If the ultimate fate of the guardian can be avoided, of course That's fine, but if being a guardian is the only way to save others, I'll choose it anyway."

Disappointment with ideals, hatred for oneself—it was precisely to erase these from Archer's heart that he came here.

Thinking about it now, the truth about the guardian should be the root cause of Archer's disdain for hope and miracle.Therefore, even if you have to encounter unbearable pain, you can't shrink back here.

Shirou waited for the harsh words from the Heroic Spirit.However, Ying Ling's tone was unexpectedly calm: "I didn't tell you the truth, I just wanted you to see all this for yourself."

"Well, I know. Because, you want to scare me off."

"But even so, you still stick to your original intention? Even if it ends in destruction?"

"Hmm." Staring at the shadowed face of the heroic spirit, Shirou's heart tightened inexplicably, "I think, keep up with those guardians."

"Is that so... In other words, you have to go this way."

"It's just that I can't let it go! Now that I know the truth, I can't let them end up like this! Moreover, you said before, the leader of the team can believe..."

The boy's words stopped abruptly.He opened his eyes wide in disbelief, watching the blood splattered on the side of his cheek come into view.

The body tempered in the previous battles reflexively avoided the sharp blow that should have been cut into the head, but the brain still couldn't believe it. The heroic spirit who had cared for him in an awkward way until now, just now, launched a attack on himself. Attack without mercy.

"I will clean up the guardians who became monsters due to the corruption of their souls. So, you might as well die now." There was murderous intent in the cold voice of the heroic spirit.In front of the boy, for the first time, he gritted his teeth and read out the names that belonged to each other: "Emiya...Shirou!"

What caught Shirou's eyes, the pupils of Heroic Spirits, was covered with a layer of cold leaden gray, and there were black waves churning in the depths.The menacing aura coming from Heroic Spirit gave Shiro the illusion that he would be torn apart.Although this was not the first time he was attacked by a heroic spirit, the unprecedented murderous desire and fighting spirit still made the boy's fingers tremble slightly.

——This is what Archer really looks like when he fights mercilessly.

It can be said that facing the current Archer, he has no chance of winning at all.

but!

"Trace...on." The boy who activated magic blocked the murderous attack with a weapon that was almost identical to the pair of knives held by the opponent.Shirou held Heroic Spirit's sword, gritted his teeth and wrestled with the opponent.

—Whether it’s about erasing Archer’s despair or self-salvation, it’s up to you to achieve it!

On the other hand, the Heroic Spirit, who was fighting with the stance of tearing the boy apart, gradually developed a little anxiety in the face of the boy's tenacious resistance.

This idiot...why on earth must he become a hopeless thing like a "Guardian".

The entanglement of sharp blades made a sharp sound at this moment, and sparks scattered and splashed with every handover of weapons.The young man was already showing signs of fatigue, but narrowly dodged the knife that was slashed at his throat, and took the attack with his collarbone instead.

Knowing that it was the best countermeasure that the young man could do within his ability, a cold sneer appeared on the face of the heroic spirit who was slightly ferocious due to the murderous aura.

——Sure enough, Emiya Shirou's life will eventually collapse on this land.

——Since the young man insists on embarking on the path of tragedy, why not kill him with his own hands——

"You bastard, why do you think that I will fall into despair!" The eyes of the young man who insisted on fighting were burning with rage, "Could it be that you can't even believe in your former 'self'?"

- Oh?Did you realize it?To be an existence that is one's own and not one's own.

——However, even if the boy is different from himself, bravery and stupidity are the same.

——A soul doomed to tragedy should not exist at all——

The heroic spirit still maintains a fierce offensive, but at the moment when he was about to cut off the boy's wrist, he turned his blade slightly, and shattered the boy's knife into pieces with a sharp slash.With the impact of the attack, the heroic spirit threw the boy down on the pale sand, forcibly cutting off this disparate duel.

——Obviously as long as you kill the other party, it will be fine.But why can't we give up?

——It cannot be parted, cannot be discarded, and cannot be obliterated.It has been that way since the beginning.

——I have expectations for the boy——

Heroic Spirit, who was in conflict, frowned tightly, showing an expression of distress that he could not even imagine.

Warm fingers rested on Heroic Spirit's forehead, and exerted a little force after stroking.

"Don't... show such an expression."

Heroic Spirit bowed his head and looked at the other party after recovering from the boy's gentle touch.

The blood-soaked boy had already lost most of his strength, and the broken ribs made the boy feel extremely painful every time he uttered a word.Even so, he still tried his best to smooth Yingling's frown, and desperately conveyed the words he wanted to say to Yingling: "Such a painful and entangled expression...it's not like you."

Heroic Spirit's hand holding the knife trembled violently.He gripped the sharp blade tightly, but his raised hand remained still.

The gears of fate spin faster and never get out of track, and tragedy is inevitable.If you end the youth's life now, at least you don't have to see the disillusionment and degeneration of your ideals again.

It was obviously easy to kill the young man, but the heroic spirit was unable to stab the knife for a long time.

The sharp blade formed by the condensed magic power finally became invisible, and the hand raised by the heroic spirit fell on the boy's blood-sapped cheek.The idea of ​​strangling the boy's neck that was still in his mind just a moment ago has disappeared, and the heroic spirit condensed the magic power on his fingertips, repairing the small wound on his face.

"I would compromise with you, an idiot who still believes in 'hope', I'm really crazy." Yingling chuckled helplessly.

"Eh?" Shirou, who was trying to stay awake in a trance, vaguely understood the meaning of the other party, "Have you...found your ideals completely?"

"Ah."

"Then, about the guardian..."

"Only this is not enough." As if to punish the stubborn boy, Heroic Spirit stabbed his fingertips into the bloody wound on the opponent's collarbone.After hearing the other party's suppressed pain, he stopped torturing the other party's wounds: "'Becoming a guardian' is absolutely impossible."

"So, can't you just trust me once? In the worst case, you just turn into a monster and get killed by you." The young man became a little emotional, "The you just now didn't seriously want to kill me ?"

Heroic Spirit didn't answer immediately.He stared at the boy's blood-stained face, which was still radiant, and his eyes, which were shining warmly and firmly at all times.

"I can't do it." He finally admitted frankly, "Killing you...I can't do it."

The boy who was crushed by the heroic spirit widened his eyes and was stunned.

"However, I let you go, not to risk and gamble with your life, and not to let you die. You who become a guardian will become a monster, and I will kill you later." Heroic Spirit bowed down body, and put his forehead against the opponent's.The close distance finally allowed Yingling to see clearly those amber eyes that were glowing with water: "Shirou Emiya, please listen to me."

"I will never allow this kind of thing."

The author has something to say: This is not Shirou's unrequited love 233

And I don't like it when you say the last chapter was dark!The real black is not here yet!