Shinji Matou At Your Service

Chapter 241: Escape

No matter how magical and mysterious the Workshop and the temple above it may be, they must adhere to one rule - there must be a physical anchor.

This anchor can be a building, a cave, a natural environment like a forest, or even a mundane object from the real world. However, it cannot completely detach from the physical realm. Therefore, the best way to deal with the Workshop and the temple is to directly destroy their anchors. Without an anchor, even the most powerful effects cannot be unleashed.

In the Fourth Holy Grail War, Emiya Kiritsugu effortlessly destroyed most of Kenneth's Workshop and a significant portion of the magical artifacts by blowing up the entire Kay Hotel. This greatly weakened the strongest Master's power and taught Shinji a vivid lesson.

However, Shinji was not as skilled in explosive arts as Kiritsugu, and the security measures in the Ogawa Apartments were much stricter than those in the hotel. He didn't have the opportunity to set explosives. Fortunately, he had Fujino, whose Mystic Eyes were even more powerful than explosives and more convenient and discreet. Araya hadn't reinforced the structural integrity of the building, so Fujino could easily cause extensive destruction.

It took less than a minute to destroy the foundation of the Ogawa Apartments.

As soon as the foundation twisted, Souren Araya sensed something was amiss.

"The apartment is shaking... Unbelievable. Someone is sabotaging it from the outside."

The temple constructed based on the Ogawa Apartments, called the "Hounouden Rokujyuyonshou," was another physical vessel for Souren Araya. Destroying the temple was equivalent to destroying Souren Araya's physical body.

At first glance, it was like breaking Araya's leg bones. The second glance tore through muscles, and the third glance severed the ankle... until ultimately annihilating the entire body from the feet.

"Oh no, Shiki Ryougi."

Of course, Araya wasn't foolish enough to let his body be destroyed along with the temple. After confirming the irreversibility of the collapse of the Ogawa Apartments, Araya first severed the connection between himself and the temple. Then, taking advantage of the temple's incomplete collapse, he transferred to the room where the Shiki were located.

To Araya's surprise, someone was even faster than him — no, to be precise, it wasn't someone, but spirits. Spirits had arrived.

One black, one white. One ethereal, one solid. One dark, one light. One east, one west. In a sense, these two women embodied the principles of Tai Chi. They were passing through the spatial barrier created by the temple's collapse, attempting to take away the Shiki. Unfortunately, the opening in the barrier directly faced the room's entrance.

Araya, realizing what was happening, became infuriated and shouted:

"Chougyou!"

Circular threads manifested around Araya, a total of six, resembling six whips lashing out at the two troublesome spirits. These threads were woven with magic based on esoteric Buddhist teachings and possessed tremendous destructive power against spirits. Buddhism itself contains the concept of salvation for the deceased.

Kirie, instinctively sensing fear, turned even paler, barely maintaining her physical form.

"You go ahead with the others. I'll hold him off here."

Justeaze appeared calmer than Kirie. The Mystic Code "Shape ist Leben," extending from her palm to her arm, unraveled into numerous threads, even more than the "Chougyou" threads, and denser. These pure white threads, resembling the finest silk, wove together in mid-air, creating a large net that shielded Justeaze, along with Shiki Ryougi behind her, and Kirie Fujou.

"Shape ist Leben!"

The ethereal incantation was followed by the threads of "Chougyou" landing on the "Shape ist Leben."

The "Six Realms" were a manifestation of Araya's origin, capable of significantly decelerating, or even halting, the movement of objects. However, they were ineffective against something that was already motionless.

This time, it wasn't "Chougyou" slowing down the "Shape ist Leben"; it was the "Shape ist Leben" impeding the "Chougyou."

The threads of "Chougyou" didn't accomplish anything, and Araya wasn't surprised. This ethereal being that had come to "steal" was unusual. While the "Chougyou" threads advanced, Araya himself charged forward, intending to break through the "Shape ist Leben's" blockade through sheer force.

Unexpectedly, this seemingly thin net was exceptionally resilient. Even with Araya's enhanced physical body, it took several seconds to break through the "Shape ist Leben's" barrier.

Meanwhile, Justeaze had prepared for a new round of attacks.

Mysterious spiritual particles flashed, and above her, an ancient sword appeared.

On one side of the sword's blade, there were four ancient runes engraved, older than the Sanskrit language, representing the oldest script of the neighboring kingdom, a colossal nation. On the other side of the blade, the sword's name, "Qingyun," was carved using pictographic characters. It was the sword of Mo Liqing, the general from the Shang and Zhou dynasties, who was posthumously honored as the Southern Celestial King. This treasured sword came from the mysterious land of Huaxia.

Justeaze intertwined her hands, forming a peculiar seal. This seal had been meticulously studied and deciphered from ancient books that had taken a long time to flow from Huaxia into Japan.

Magic power continuously flowed into the "Qingyun Sword" from the "Daigen," and the runes symbolizing the four elements of earth, water, fire, and wind gradually illuminated.

When the four-rune seal, composed of four individual runes, was activated, the true power of the "Qingyun Sword" as a Noble Phantasm was finally revealed.

Strong winds blew, and fierce flames ignited.

This wind was the Black Wind, carrying countless spears and halberds within. Anyone struck by this blade would be reduced to dust. As for the flames, golden serpents entwined in the air. Black smoke covered the ground, obscuring vision, while the intense flames burned, unobstructed.

In the blink of an eye, the "Chougyou" threads and the "Shape ist Leben" net were torn apart and incinerated by the primordial wind and fire. The relentless Black Wind and flames, under Justeaze's control, surged toward Souren Araya.

Souren Araya was equally valiant, standing firm without flinching, using the "Six Realms" to withstand the wind and fire, lunging towards Justeaze.

Although the "Six Realms" were of lower rank compared to the "Qingyun Sword," they could at least withstand the wind and fire for a certain period. This timeframe was sufficient for Araya to approach Justeaze and kill her.

Just as Araya was about to make contact with Justeaze's body, the latter suddenly dissipated, her entire being merging into the trembling floor. As a spiritual entity, she couldn't touch physical objects, and Justeaze took advantage of this characteristic.

Her departure also indicated that Kirie Fujou and the Shiki Ryougi had successfully escaped.

At this moment, the foundational collapse finally reached the top floor of the apartment, and the floor, which served as a foothold, became precarious. Relying on the last thread of connection with the shrine, Araya initiated the final spatial teleportation.

Several seconds later, horrifying cracks swallowed the ten-story building. The Ogawa Apartments, not even two years old, stood upright, disintegrating as if being sucked into the ground. Bricks and debris fell from mid-air, crashing onto the ground with a piercing sound. The collapsing force stirred up dust, creating a cloud-like smoke, resembling cumulonimbus clouds, engulfing the surrounding streets and alleys.

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