Chapter 52: You Bastard, You Had It All Planned Out from the Start!!!
Hrunting was originally one of the Noble Phantasms held by Beowulf, the protagonist of the oldest surviving epic poem in the English language, Beowulf.
It's called the Red Plain Hound because this Noble Phantasm is said to smell blood like a real hound and relentlessly track its owner.
The original concept was that in this state, every swing could deliver the most suitable slash, meaning a simple swing could theoretically maximize the damage. And upon every strike, the blade would draw the blood of both the attacker and the attacked, emitting a red glow, making it a true Demon Sword.
However, Emiya's Projection Magecraft isn't limited to projecting the original item exactly as it is; he can also make corrections to its form and concept while ensuring the Noble Phantasm doesn't collapse. In a sense, this is no different from truly "re-forging" it.
The Demon Sword was no longer its original straight shape but had been modified by Emiya into a rotating, streamlined form, like the Spiral Sword, making it more suitable as an arrow.
Its current characteristic is: as long as the archer is alive, it will continuously pursue the target no matter how many times it is knocked down. It is a different type of Noble Phantasm from the cause-and-effect reversal of the God of War's Sword.
The instant Emiya released his hand, this special sword-arrow shot out like an untamed horse, dashing away as a crimson light arrow.
Boom!
Even though its properties, not its sheer power, were specialized, Hrunting still carried great momentum, flying along and kicking up countless dust and water splashes with its sheer impact.
Unfortunately, despite its high flight speed, Mahito spotted its trajectory the moment it left the bowstring and easily dodged it by shifting his body.
The sword-arrow continued to fly forward, disappearing down the channel in a flash.
"Hey, hey, are you kidding? Who are you trying to hit with this flashy attack?"
After dodging the attack, Mahito continued to leap around with his horse-hoof-transformed feet, as if saying that this level of attack was nowhere near enough to entertain him.
"Your ability is to change the form of the soul, right?
Coincidentally, my ability is quite similar: I can change the form and properties of weapons."
Emiya gently lowered the arm that held the longbow and truthfully stated to the opponent:
"And the true meaning of Hrunting is: the Red Plain Hound that hunts relentlessly."
"...Huh?!"
Just from that name, Mahito could discern that something was wrong, but it was already too late.
From the initial conversation to stall for time and gather information, to the message he actively disclosed now to numb the opponent, Emiya had almost never wasted any extra time in this battle, save for that one moment of wiping a tear.
Just as Emiya wanted to convey when he fought Gojo Satoru not long ago, one should never underestimate an opponent, and even less should one engage in combat with a playful mentality.
The mentality of the Cursed Spirit in front of him was clearly the same as Gojo Satoru's was back then. He believed his strength was great enough, leading him to behave flamboyantly during the fight.
Now was the time to pay the price.
Buzz!
A sound of disturbance arose. Mahito sharply turned around to look to the side, where a pipe on the wall was flashing with a strange light.
He hurriedly tried to dodge, but it was already too late.
Boom!
The crimson light arrow struck him right between the eyebrows, tearing Mahito's head down the middle, and then flew straight into the tunnel on the opposite side.
"Ugh, ugh..."
He struggled to speak, but his mouth only recovered after a few moments. His eyes, drooping on both sides of his body, quickly observed the surrounding environment, only to realize with horror that this seemed to be a junction point in the drainage system.
There were several tunnels leading in various directions, and countless pipe openings, large and small, like the one just used.
There was nowhere to run.
He had no idea which direction the sword-arrow would strike from, making preemptive evasion impossible.
If that sword-arrow would, as Emiya said, clamp down on him like a hyena, he would definitely be in trouble in this terrain.
How could this be? How could this be?!
The place they were fighting initially was definitely not this place. Could it be, could it be...
His head, still split in half and not yet recovered, suddenly turned, his eyes fixed on Emiya's figure.
"You bastard, you bastard! You had it all planned out from the beginning, didn't you!
The distress was fake, the anger was fake, even deliberately avoiding the modified humans' attacks was just to lure me to this place, you bastard!!!"
But how was it possible? How could even the soul's fluctuation deceive him?!
"The answer is correct, so the reward is—"
—Screeech!
Hrunting, which suddenly drilled out of a pipe somewhere, tore through Mahito's horse-hoof-like lower leg, temporarily crippling his ability to move.
The second, third, and fourth strikes immediately followed... Like a real hyena, the sword-arrow flew past again and again, successfully tearing off a part of the opponent's body each time.
And as time passed, Hrunting's flight speed continued to increase.
As long as this state could be maintained, the Cursed Spirit would have no chance to restore its physical form.
Most importantly, this method of attack didn't cost Emiya much. Even after his special modification, the unlimited tracking was part of the Noble Phantasm's inherent property, just like the time reversal of the Fragarach.
However, no matter how formidable Hrunting's tracking ability was, its destructive power was limited, and it did not possess any spiritual damage capability.
Finally, when Mahito's body was gradually being destroyed beyond recognition, and the crimson light had almost woven a grid across the field of vision, the opponent's counterattack came.
Boom—!
Almost instantly, Mahito's battered body inflated and swelled like a balloon to a height of tens of meters. By squeezing, he not only destroyed the surrounding pipes and walls but also caused Hrunting to lose room to maneuver.
"Haha, hahahahaha... What a powerful Cursed Technique, but I found a way to break it!
With this size, that sword-arrow won't be able to do anything anymore!"
Although his body should have become sluggish after swelling, Mahito stretched out an arm that seemed to extend infinitely, transforming it into sharp blades that lashed out and covered Emiya.
In the face of this widespread attack, there was no space to maneuver; Emiya could only barely dodge by quickly moving backward.
But the moment Emiya quickly retreated, the unexpected happened.
"Haha, I've got you!!!"
The voice didn't come from the enormous body, but from the pipe beside Emiya.
A Mahito that was noticeably smaller and had the lower body of a snake darted out of it, successfully grabbing Emiya's forearm.
The process might have been complicated, but now, he had won!
That special soul was right before his eyes, like taking off all its clothes!
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