Emiya Shirou Doesn't Want to Work Overtime [238]

Facing Shana’s terrifying charge, blazing aura surging around her, Shirou Emiya’s expression did not waver in the slightest.

It was as if he had already foreseen this moment—knew that, after her flaming claw had been severed, she would launch this exact assault.

On his face, there was only calm—an unshakable, wordless calm.

Mana surged through his body. A brown longbow materialized in his hands.

To be honest, he thought, swordsmanship is the thing I’m least skilled at.

Whizz! Whizz! Whizz! Whizz!

The instant Shirou raised his bow, silver sword-arrows flashed into existence—silver light streaking forth, stirring a violent storm before him.

Their speed—like lightning itself.

“—!”

Faced with those impossibly fast arrows, Shana’s pupils contracted sharply. Her reaction was almost instantaneous—she plunged Nietono no Shana into the ground, flattening herself like a shovel blade and sliding across the earth.

Even among Flame Hazes, few possessed such extraordinary reflexes.
To react and move like that in such a fraction of a moment—this was something only someone with innate combat instinct could do.

Archers were said to be masters of long-range combat—but that didn’t mean a bow was useless at close range.

“Beyond seven steps, the gun is fast; within seven steps, it’s faster—and deadlier.”

The same applied to archers. At this distance, Shirou didn’t even need to aim; a casual release would strike true.

Just like how Archer’s Kanshou and Bakuya shattered when clashing against Cú Chulainn’s spear, Shirou’s projected reversed-blade katana, though it had hardness comparable to a Noble Phantasm, was still inferior overall.

Its one advantage was that, unlike his other projected Noble Phantasms, it never lost rank—it continued to refine, gradually increasing in strength.

Even so, every reversed-blade arrow he fired disintegrated into ash the instant they neared Shana.

Had those shots been true Noble Phantasms, her flames would not have been able to destroy them so easily.

And those projected weapons—had he chosen to—could have been used in far deadlier ways.

But this was merely a spar, not a fight to the death.

And for Shirou Emiya, there was more than one way to defeat Shana as she was now.

Even without using Incursio Armor, even against Shana wreathed entirely in flame, Shirou still had numerous paths to victory.

After all, Shirou had lived through countless battles—many far more desperate than this.
In sheer experience, Shana couldn’t begin to compare.

If not for her ability to command fire itself, she would’ve already fallen long ago.

Had Shirou truly intended to defeat her, those sword-arrows would never have been so easily dodged.

As Shana skimmed low across the ground, a flash of silver light suddenly descended toward her face.

Clang—!

The resounding impact rang through the crimson-tinted space.

“Ugh—!”

Recovering her footing, Shana drew her great katana up before her.
An immense, crushing force slammed into Nietono no Shana, making her hands go numb.

“So heavy…!”

The words slipped from her lips before she realized it.

Up until now, she had been the one attacking, and Shirou the one defending. She had never imagined that this human could possess such overwhelming strength.

And yet—Shirou’s physical condition, even bolstered by his Breathing Styles, was still slightly inferior to a Flame Haze’s natural physique.

He was, by measure, weaker.

And still—this one strike had felt like a thousand weights bearing down.
Her arms tingled from the shock.

This was no ordinary slash.
Though Shirou wasn’t a master swordsman, he’d been shaped by many who were—each leaving their mark upon his technique.

Rengoku Kyojuro’s blazing fury.
Esdeath’s cold precision.
That savage, merciless Saber who refused to give her name.

All of them had left their imprint on him.

Artoria, too, had once taught Shirou subtle ways to channel his strength through a blade.
Under her guidance, his understanding of swordsmanship had risen to a new level.

He had since developed his own system of controlled power—his own way of channeling force.
This strike he delivered now wasn’t something an average opponent could have blocked.

Even an Upper Moon might have been cut down by a blow that looked so deceptively simple.

And this—this was Shirou without invoking Incursio Armor.

Had he been wearing it now, Shana would likely have been sent flying from that one blow alone.

“Just a human!!!”

Shana’s crimson eyes burned with fighting spirit.
She didn’t even notice that Shirou’s weapon had not been devoured by Nietono no Shana’s flames.
Her focus was entirely on him—on that maddeningly calm expression.

“Get—out—of—my—way!!!”

Her voice cracked with frustration as she tore her blade free, stepping back only to launch herself forward again, her feet hammering against the ground.

Her ability to adapt mid-fight was astonishing.
Even in this brief window, she had already found her next move.

She spun like a whirlwind—her flaming great katana arcing through the air in a blazing circle.
A wave of heat burst outward as she brought it down toward Shirou with violent speed.

“It’s over—”

Shirou’s face remained unreadable as he faced her incoming strike.
In truth, his expression had never changed from beginning to end.

“Shana! Behind you!!!”

BOOM—!

At Alastor’s warning, Shana snapped her head around—only to see the flames surrounding her body parting cleanly in two.

A massive pair of rotating scissors whirled through the air, radiating a crushing aura as they closed in behind her.
At that distance, there was no time—no space—to dodge.

It was impossible to bring Nietono no Shana up in time to defend.
Before her own strike could even reach Shirou, that spinning scissor-blade would cut her cleanly in two.

It’s that scissor—the one that severed my Unrestricted Spell… Was this part of your plan all along?

Shana’s gaze locked on Shirou, unwilling yet strangely calm.

Thud—!

A dull impact rang beside her.
A cool edge pressed gently against the skin of her neck.

“You lose.”

Shirou’s voice was soft—almost kind—as he stated that cruel truth.

The scissors had never been meant to hit her.
They’d been a feint—nothing more than a distraction to draw her attention away, to give him the instant he needed to close in.

Though, truth be told, he could have struck her for real.

A fine filament, nearly invisible, was attached to that scissor weapon—thin enough that the eye could not detect it.

Shirou Emiya hadn’t chosen to let her win.

He had, plainly and honestly, claimed victory.

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T/N: shirou is growing up... also reminder that author likes talking about things that happened in canon as a sort of comparison to whats happening in story like who in canon shirou was taught by artoria

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!