NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 28: Fight Again
In the mountains on the northern outskirts of the imperial capital, this place was far from the suburbs, with a harsh environment. No one lived within a radius of dozens of miles, and it was filled with various dangerous species. In the past, only hunters would set foot here, but now, for the two strongest figures in the empire, this place had become the best battlefield.
"You've chosen a good place. This way, you can fight to your heart's content." Shirou looked around and said to Esdeath, who had just arrived.
"Don't say anything more. Now we just need to fight." Esdeath stared at him, her eyes showing an emotion that even Shirou found eerie.
"It's hard to make someone like you submit. Taming a pet is the best thing."
"What terrible taste, Esdeath. It seems your sadistic personality needs some fixing." Shirou said bluntly, "I just need someone to serve tea. A maid who delivers water—since you're the strongest in the empire, that's quite fitting. It wouldn't be a disgrace to defeat you. I'll let you do that after I beat you. Accept it with gratitude."
"If you can defeat me, you can do whatever you want. Stop talking nonsense and start."
Esdeath faced the long-awaited battle, and her fighting spirit was already at its peak. A full day of recovery had brought her body and mind to their best condition.
Just like that, the Heroic Spirit from another world, dressed in ceremonial attire made of sacred red cloth, and the strongest general of this world's empire, clashed once again.
*SHUA!* *SHUA!* *SHUA!*
The first move she made was her signature technique, and the sky was once again filled with ice cones behind Esdeath, their numbers nearly double what they were before.
With a wave of her hand, the ice cones surged toward Shirou like a storm, and their target wasn't just him—they also blanketed the surrounding area, completely blocking off any space to dodge.
"Rho Aias!"
Facing the oncoming ice cones, Shirou didn't act recklessly just because he had defeated Esdeath once before. He immediately used his best defensive method.
*DING!* *DING!* *DING!*
The ice cones struck the beautiful purple shield, creating loud and continuous collision sounds, but they failed to penetrate the defense of the purple shield and were completely blocked.
However, Shirou looked somewhat serious, with no signs of joy—two layers of his shield's defense had been shattered.
In their last battle, using the same move, Esdeath's ice cones couldn't penetrate even one layer of the seven-layered defense. But this time, they managed to break through two layers.
"You're growing at a terrifying speed. You've reached this point in less than a month." Shirou rushed toward Esdeath at high speed, holding an ice spike. "But even so, you can't win against me!"
"Trace On."
Still wielding one black dagger and one white dagger, after closing in on Esdeath, Shirou had already drawn his shield. This distance was his optimal attack range.
Triple-Linked Crane Wings!
There was no hesitation. Both sides understood that hesitation was useless. What they needed to do now was fight with all their might.
Four daggers spun and charged toward Esdeath, shattering chunk after chunk of ice, and the distance between the daggers and Esdeath grew closer.
"I won't fall for the same move twice." Esdeath roared, the power of the Demon Extract boiling within her body, and an unprecedented surge of strength exploded from her.
*BAM!* *BAM!* *BAM!*
Four crisp sounds echoed in the air, and four ice swords blocked the four flying daggers.
However, in the few seconds it took Esdeath to block the daggers, Shirou had already closed the distance.
The Noble Phantasm in his hand had been fully unleashed, and the two feather-like blades had transformed into long swords, slashing toward Esdeath at point-blank range without the slightest hesitation.
The scene repeated itself. A Noble Phantasm with its True Name released couldn't be countered by ordinary weapons. Esdeath had learned this in their last battle.
Could Esdeath overcome it this time?
*CLANG!*
The sound of clashing swords rang in Shirou's ears, and a hint of surprise appeared on his face. But before he could react, an ice sword appeared in Esdeath's free left hand, slashing toward him.
Facing the attack, Shirou didn't panic at all. He spun around and kicked the ice sword, using the reaction force to distance himself from Esdeath.
"This is truly terrifying. Can you completely withstand my move with just one strike?" Shirou landed on the ground, standing upright, staring at her, and focused on the sword in Esdeath's right hand.
"Your weapon is indeed a headache. It's very hard to block without an Imperial Arms, but…" Esdeath looked at him and said with a confident smile, "For sharp objects, find something solid to counter them. This sword is made of Orichalcum, the material used for Imperial Arms. Although it doesn't have the power of an Imperial Arms, its hardness alone is comparable to one."
"Is that so? Not bad." Shirou stepped forward, raising both of his swords, crossing them with Esdeath's sword, "But you don't think you can defeat me like this, do you?"
"Who knows? But one thing's for sure, I'll definitely win this time!"
The exchange of words didn't affect their movements.
Shirou and Esdeath once again engaged in close combat.
*BAM!* *BAM!* *BAM!*
Red and blue separated and immediately crossed paths. Ordinary people couldn't even clearly see their speed. Observers could only catch faint glimpses. Last time, when Shirou and Esdeath fought one-on-one, Shirou was at a slight disadvantage, but it was only a minor one. This time, however, he was completely suppressed.
He crossed his two swords in front of his chest, blocking Esdeath's sword. The tremendous force made his arms tremble slightly. Seizing the opportunity, Shirou suddenly exerted force with his legs, closing the distance between him and Esdeath.
'Her strength has increased again. What's going on? This is beyond human limits!'
Shirou stared at her. His opponent's strength had doubled compared to before. This level of power was comparable to the dangerous species of this world. It also caused Esdeath to overwhelmingly dominate in close combat. She suppressed Shirou without leaving any openings.
"What's wrong? Are you surprised?" Esdeath looked at him, as if she had seen the doubt in Shirou's eyes. "Since I was defeated by you, I've always thought about how to beat you and developed new techniques for this purpose. Coincidentally, every time I fight, my body feels like it's being reborn. If you think you can face me like last time, that's impossible."
In truth, Shirou didn't know that although Esdeath's Imperial Arms granted its user the ability to control ice, the material used for the Imperial Arms was the blood of dangerous species. After drinking the entire can of blood, her body was naturally influenced by the Demon Extract and underwent some changes.
Moreover, the undefeated Esdeath had been defeated by Shirou. Stimulated by this, she engaged in insane training to fully utilize her potential. While her ice control abilities evolved further, her body also changed. Becoming stronger, even comparable to dangerous species, this was why she had grown so rapidly.
In the original work, although Esdeath was able to suppress Night Raid, who were armed with Imperial Arms, it was undeniable that Night Raid also made her feel a sense of urgency. Especially since Night Raid had exploited Esdeath's weaknesses several times before, and under this pressure, she had also developed some new techniques. Now, the pressure Shirou placed on her was far greater than what Night Raid had done. This had forced the current Esdeath to completely surpass her original self.
"You're really troublesome, woman." Facing Esdeath's strength, Shirou maintained his calm expression, "But don't underestimate me. Don't think you can suppress me with just your strength. I will win."
After saying that, complex patterns resembling those on a precision circuit board spread across Shirou's body, enveloping him entirely.
Reinforcement, synchronization, begin!