Emiya Shirou Doesn't Want to Work Overtime [248]

Shirou Emiya was like a meat grinder—frenzied sword strikes exploded from his body like a storm, shredding every Rinne around him.

In this situation, the snarling, clawing Rinne couldn’t even get close to him.

Boom—!

In just a short span, nearly all the numerous Rinne were annihilated, their ashes drifting within this halted barrier.

The few remaining Rinne finally revealed expressions of terror. They had never seen such a human—even Flame Hazes had never given them such overwhelming pressure.

They desperately looked skyward with pleading eyes. Perhaps only Friagne himself stepping in could save them.

But that was merely a faint hope. Friagne had always intended these Rinne as mere pawns to stall Shirou Emiya.

How could these disposable Rinne defeat an opponent he himself struggled against?

Even Shana would easily burn them to ashes without expending much effort. Perhaps even faster—after all, Shirou had relied purely on sword techniques against these Rinne. The greatest power of Flame Hazes was not physical combat, but their Unrestricted Spells granted by Crimson Lords unable to directly manifest in the human world.

Shrrk—!

The last Rinne was finally dispatched by Shirou, dissipating into pale-white flames.

Fshh—! Fshh—! Fshh—!

Like something ignited in midair, sharp whistling sounds suddenly pierced Shirou’s ears.

Boom—!

A devastating explosion instantly engulfed Shirou at the exact moment the sound appeared.

Roaring smoke and powerful flames surged upward from the ground.

Fshh—! Fshh—! Fshh—!

But the sounds of piercing the air didn’t stop—countless white streaks trailing sparks fell from the sky toward Shirou’s position.

Boom—! Boom—! Boom—! Boom—!

The continuous barrage turned Shirou’s location into a bombing zone, endless explosions erupting across the street.

This was Friagne’s Treasure Tool, "Regular Sharp," shaped like playing cards.

It possessed enormous destructive power. Friagne had used it once before, in his first battle with Shirou—but those cards had been cleanly sliced apart by Shana before they could even detonate.

Now, Friagne had increased his distance, fully unleashing the fierce firepower of his Treasure Tool.

Under such bombardment, even a Flame Haze would have trouble surviving.

Yet, from within the thick smoke, a silvery flash suddenly burst outward.

Clang—!

A chain shot out in front of Friagne, tightly entangling the chained shortsword and stopping its advance completely.

This was another of Friagne’s Treasure Tools: "Bubble Route," which could bind and destroy weapons.

Originally a gold coin, it turned into chains from the afterimage produced when tossed. Friagne had thrown it out at the very moment he saw the silver streak burst from the smoke.

Could a human truly have fired such a projectile? Even at this height, this sword-arrow’s force is still terrifyingly strong.

Friagne stared nervously at the chained blade held just inches from his forehead, sweat dripping uncontrollably down his face.

Had he not remained vigilant, despite flying so high, this sword-arrow would likely have pierced straight through his skull.

Compared to Shirou’s swordsmanship, his archery was far more terrifying. While Friagne still had countermeasures against Shirou’s phantom-like speed, he couldn't even dodge an attack like this.

He couldn’t even visually track the speed of Shirou’s sword-arrow.

Its horrifying speed surpassed his ability to react or evade.

If his opponent had been a Flame Haze, Friagne would’ve boasted exceptional defenses. Flame Haze’s Unrestricted Spells almost always converted Power of Existence into flames.

In his possession was a Treasure Tool even Crimson Lords found troublesome—"Azure," a ring capable of creating barriers impervious to even the fiercest flames.

But his opponent was human—a human who used no Unrestricted Spells.

Shirou’s sword-arrows weren’t flames—they were physical, tangible weapons. Friagne’s proud defensive tool was rendered completely useless.

Crack, crack—!

Bubble Route began to activate, slowly destroying the chained shortsword.

Friagne wasted no time—once the chains restrained the shortsword, he immediately ascended higher, and his playing cards continued raining relentlessly downwards.

He refused to believe a mere human could emerge unscathed under such devastating attacks.

And these continuous attacks should also suppress Shirou’s ability to fire further sword-arrows.

Had Shirou fired multiple projectiles instead of just one earlier, even if they hadn’t claimed Friagne’s life, they could've inflicted heavy injuries, forcing him to waste precious Power of Existence healing himself.

Yet Shirou hadn’t done so.

Friagne believed his incessant bombardment was suppressing Shirou’s ability to counterattack.

But readers, have you guessed why Shirou only fired a single sword-arrow?

Crack—!

Hearing the ominous sound from the chains in front of him, Friagne’s heart suddenly filled with dread.

He recalled clearly: the sword-arrows Shirou previously shot were merely ordinary katana. Friagne’s Treasure Tool was specifically designed to swiftly destroy weapons.

It had only been a few seconds—but his Treasure Tool shouldn’t struggle this much to break a simple sword-arrow.

Then there was only one answer left.

“Broken Phantasm.”

Shirou Emiya’s soft murmur carried into the air.

A massive explosion erupted far above Shirou, high enough that he needn't worry about collateral damage to the city below.

The powerful shockwave instantly scattered the smoke filling the streets.

Before Shirou stood a shield of armored scales.

With a crisp shattering sound, the shield slowly dissolved into specks of starlight and vanished into thin air.

Alongside it, the threads of Incursio reached their limit.

If Shirou’s projected weapon had matched its original strength, an explosion like this would’ve been easily resisted.

Instead of retrieving the previously projected Incursio, Shirou had immediately used it to protect himself upon hearing the first whistle.

Though his Magic Circuits were fully opened now, and he no longer suffered from severe mana shortages, he didn’t have the artificial homunculus support from the Yggdmillennia clan that allowed for extravagant Projection Magecraft use.

Shirou still adhered strictly to conserving mana whenever possible. With his current mana capacity, he could only unleash the True Name of Excalibur once.

Even if not completely drained afterward, he wouldn’t have enough for another full release. Shirou thus had to keep some hidden trump cards for battle.

Since being teleported here, Shirou had felt an unshakable sense of foreboding.

Above him, a pale figure fell from the sky like a kite with its string cut.

Shirou tensed, eyes alert. Stomping the ground fiercely, he launched himself forward, charging straight toward the falling figure.

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T/N: DID SHANA GET KO'd?

This is a fan translation of 卫宫士郎不想加班 by 此世无存. All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!