Chapter 104: Total Victory
Of course, this wasn't to say that Assassin's Infinite Sword was lacking.
Rather, this new sword technique of Assassin's still failed to solve one fundamental problem.
The issue was that Assassin's "Infinity" was merely infinite in terms of frequency. It had evolved from three simultaneous slashes to an infinite number of slashes occurring within the same moment.
But the question remained: could these infinite slashes block a single ordinary strike from Emiya Shirou?
Impossible.
Assassin couldn't block Shirou's attacks before. He was just as incapable of blocking them now. The best-case scenario for the Infinite Sword Assassin swung would be nothing more than a double suicide with Shirou.
Against a casual, ordinary strike from Emiya Shirou clutching [Pseudo-Anubis], all Assassin could do was use this Infinite Sword—these countless slashes—to land his own blade on Shirou's body a split second before he himself was cut down.
"But that is actually meaningless."
As Shirou pondered the potential results of Assassin's all-out strike, he didn't believe Assassin could achieve a double suicide. He shook his head slightly in his heart.
'The Stands I can project aren't limited to [Anubis]. Whether it's [The World] or [King Crimson]...
Either could allow me to evade these infinite slashes.'
Yes, winning was just that simple for Emiya Shirou. Although Assassin's sword technique had touched upon the Second Magic, it ultimately wasn't the true Second Magic. It didn't possess the myriad effects that the Second Magic did.
Since Assassin could swing countless slashes in the same moment, wouldn't it suffice to stop time—or delete that segment of time—before those countless slashes could land?
'However, if I truly did that, you probably wouldn't be convinced, Assassin.
It's not that you couldn't accept such a defeat, but rather that you, meeting death without even seeing the process of your loss...
Would likely be thinking at the very moment of your death that your Infinite Sword should have at least been able to land a hit on me at the end.'
It wasn't hard to understand. After all, by choosing to swing this final blow, Assassin had already prepared himself for a mutual kill. He believed his Infinite Sword could bypass all obstacles to reach Emiya Shirou. And a "mutual kill" can hardly be counted as a loss.
Even if, in reality, a mutual kill wasn't possible at all...
In that case.
What if he didn't kill Assassin during Time Stop or Time Erasure, but merely evaded the Infinite Sword or heavily wounded him?
That probably wouldn't work either.
One could tell just by looking at Assassin. He was the type of person who had dedicated his entire life to the Way of the Sword. The so-called [Tsubame Gaeshi] was merely a technique he had mastered on a whim because he wanted to cut down a swallow in flight.
It appeared formidable only because the swallow was too agile; thus, to restrict its movement, the technique of swinging three simultaneous slashes to wall it in was derived.
That was how Assassin described it. As if it were just some unremarkable skill he had learned unconsciously because he wanted to.
But how could that be? Without a love for the sword, without the obsession to never give up that love through failure after failure—instead using that love to constantly test, fail, and think about how to improve a raw technique—it would have been impossible for Assassin to master [Tsubame Gaeshi] without a teacher.
Therefore, facing a unique swordsman like Emiya Shirou, Assassin would only grow bolder as he fought. He would use every ounce of his strength, every bit of his cunning, and all of his reckless courage to try and once again scale the peak upon which Shirou stood. As long as he wasn't dead, he would surely continue to challenge Shirou until the very end.
"Though I think it would be a hassle if things really turned out that way, I don't dislike this personality of yours, Assassin."
He did not project [Pseudo-The World], nor did he project [Pseudo-King Crimson].
Holding only a single [Pseudo-Anubis] in his hand, Emiya Shirou stood alone before Assassin. Using the blade in his hand, he would meet Assassin's Infinite Sword in the manner of a swordsman.
"So, in the moments to follow, you might find it quite difficult to bear, Assassin.
The technique you placed so much hope in—one you barely grasped after being driven to the brink of death by an enemy who exploited your weaknesses—will not only fail to achieve its revenge, but will be utterly defeated the very first time it is used...
That feeling of being completely negated is not a pleasant one."
No rebuttal. No answer.
In the face of Shirou's words, Assassin simply took a starting stance nearly identical to [Tsubame Gaeshi], pouring his entire soul into his blade.
To speak with the sword. Assassin's "answer" was as direct as always.
"My apologies, Assassin."
Sensing Assassin's earnestness, Shirou—clutching the Stand-blade [Pseudo-Anubis]—felt as if he had become a swordsman himself. He seemed to read the "answer" from Assassin's movement.
The guilt that rose lasted only half a second before being completely erased by Shirou. He watched Assassin with equal intensity and thought to himself:
—'I need a total victory. Therefore...'
Whoosh!
He moved. And he disappeared.
The moment that thought settled in Shirou's mind, Assassin, sensing a microscopic opening, swung his Infinite Sword without mercy!
With a speed that nearly vanished from the human retina, he cut down with a brilliant sword-light that would have made even Saber and the others watching from the side gasp in awe.
However...
Clang!!
When the figures of Shirou and Assassin reappeared, only Shirou remained standing where Assassin had originally been.
Assassin, meanwhile, lay on the ground, covered in blood.
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