"What was Assassin holding back then…?"
Astolfo raised his right hand, rubbing his head thoughtfully with furrowed brows, clearly trying to recall something elusive. But no matter how he searched, he couldn't find an answer.
"Come to think of it, even my memories of the battle in that town are getting fuzzy."
Astolfo's murmurs trailed off vaguely, as if a dense fog was preventing him from reaching deeper into his memories, blocking out every detail related to Assassin of Black.
Suddenly, Shirou Emiya fell to one knee, overcome by weakness.
Jeanne could sense it—vast amounts of mana were being drained from Shirou Emiya's body.
Having lost the mana supplied by the Black Faction's homunculus, Shirou had been desperately conserving his limited reserves to sustain Arthur, yet even that meager amount was dangerously insufficient.
Arthur, despite his best efforts to minimize consumption, could not maintain prolonged, high-intensity battles on such meager energy.
In the distance, a pillar of crimson light pierced the sky, painting the night a lurid red. Its overwhelming presence unleashed a fierce windstorm across the battlefield once again.
The combined Noble Phantasms unleashed by Karna and Assassin of Red had utterly cleared the field; except for the spot where Jeanne stood, the scorching waves had incinerated everything in sight.
Now, at the heart of their battle, not a single homunculus, golem, or Dragon Tooth Warrior remained.
Under such devastation, none of these soldiers could have survived. Even their remains had vanished, vaporized by the horrifying explosions, leaving the battlefield utterly exposed.
Had Jeanne not intervened, Shirou Emiya himself would likely have been reduced to ashes.
This wasn't favoritism—Jeanne had protected Shirou simply because he happened to be by her side.
"Are you alright?"
Jeanne, gripping her banner firmly, crouched beside Shirou, concerned.
"Haa… haa…"
Panting heavily, Shirou pushed through the mental and physical torment, attempting to rise.
It's only mana exhaustion. He'd faced worse before; it was just difficult to adapt so quickly.
A pure, gentle hand reached out toward him, offering support.
"Thank you…"
Shirou hesitated briefly, then clasped her hand tightly, trembling slightly as he pulled himself up.
Though Shirou was accustomed to offering kindness, he also wouldn't refuse the kindness offered by others.
"Emiya-san!!"
A sudden shout drew everyone's attention.
Astolfo and the others turned toward the voice.
A small group of figures stumbled toward them, bodies heavily bandaged, limbs missing, each nearly identical to the other. They struggled forward with great effort.
Beside Astolfo, the young homunculus stared at these heavily wounded individuals—essentially his own siblings—in astonishment.
"You…?"
He stepped forward, eyes widening with determination and confusion.
Just earlier today, their eyes had been lifeless, devoid of will, yet now they appeared as conscious as himself. Moreover, in their severely wounded state, they should've been resting and recovering. Why had they rushed to the battlefield?
One of the homunculi answered immediately.
"We heard the explosions across the battlefield. We were worried about Emiya-san—"
There was no need to finish. Their presence alone explained their intention.
"What are you doing here?! There are still many wounded needing your care!"
Enduring the mana continually being drained from his body, Shirou released Jeanne's hand and moved hurriedly toward the homunculi.
Though they appeared as a group, in reality, there were just three individuals.
Survivors on this battlefield were already scarce, and among them, the majority were grievously injured, hovering on the brink between life and death.
Had Shirou not discovered a homunculus flung clear by the aftermath of Servants clashing—a fortunate soul who'd miraculously escaped severe harm—then ninety percent of those Shirou had rescued would have perished in agony.
Shirou could only carry them from the battlefield; he lacked the healing magecraft necessary to treat them himself, desperately wishing he had the ability to heal.
Fortunately, he had encountered one homunculus with a clear mind; otherwise, rescuing nearly fifteen homunculi would've been impossible.
Out of hundreds engaged in battle, even with Shirou's utmost effort, only this handful survived, some even now teetering precariously between life and death.
And even with healing magecraft, the survival rate of the critically injured barely reached fifty percent. Many had already stopped breathing while being carried off the battlefield.
Shirou once again felt keenly the fragility of life. Unbidden, memories surfaced of the soldiers he had slain on that icy battlefield, his fists tightening painfully at his sides.
Driven by guilt, Shirou had pushed himself even harder, searching desperately for survivors, ultimately resulting in his current weakened state.
The wounded he'd mentioned to the homunculi were those still unconscious, awaiting care.
"Emiya-san, if something happened to you, we wouldn't be able to rest easy!"
The leading homunculus staggered forward, eyes brimming with gratitude and deep emotion as he addressed Shirou.
"Thanks to your efforts, Emiya-san, things back there are stable now. Nearly everyone has regained consciousness, and their conditions have mostly stabilized."
"Is that so…?"
Shirou's relief surpassed even the homunculi's. Upon hearing that those he'd rescued had stabilized, he let out a heavy sigh, as if it was his own life that had been saved rather than those unrelated to him.
"But this wasn't just my doing. Without your help, I'd have only been able to watch helplessly as their lives slipped away."
Shirou shook his head, firmly rejecting the credit the homunculi gave him. Without the assistance of these homunculi skilled in healing magecraft, perhaps fewer survivors would've remained than he could count on one hand.
And Shirou would have been forced, again and again, to helplessly watch lives he could have saved fade away like flowers wilting before him.
---
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Okay, real talk: I am extremely hungry for money, so I'm raising membership prices soon.
BUT.
If you're already subscribed before the change, your current price stays the same as long as you remain subscribed.
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Person A is already subscribed at $7/month
Price later goes up to $14/month
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