Chapter 53: Unlimited Lost Works.
Before touching Emiya's arm, Mahito had also noticed the marks on the other party's skin, which looked like they had been scorched by fire yet were overly smooth. But he didn't pay attention to them, simply assuming they were scars Emiya had acquired in some previous battle.
From initial disdain to subsequent shock, and then being suppressed to the point of almost losing all mobility by Hrunting, Mahito's experience was full of twists and turns.
Now, with victory assured, he didn't care about these minor details; he just wanted to quickly grasp Emiya's soul and fully enjoy the joy of triumph!
That's why he liked fighting so much.
It wasn't just to crush the weak; the pleasure of acquiring a soul after defeating a powerful enemy also delighted him considerably.
The battle with Emiya had already allowed him to gain tremendous growth and pleasure, so he might as well finish the job, and let this soul be used by him next!
Clap!
Finally, Mahito's palm made contact with Emiya's skin, which meant he had fulfilled the condition for activating his Cursed Technique, Idle Transfiguration.
To meet the condition for Cursed Technique activation, one must first make contact with the opponent with the palm, and it cannot be while the palm is already in the state of Idle Transfiguration.
That's because it's difficult to stack a new layer of Idle Transfiguration on top of an existing one.
And as soon as he successfully activates Idle Transfiguration, he can arbitrarily knead the opponent's soul to change the structure and form of the physical body... just like kneading clay, it is extremely simple.
And at this very moment, he could immediately glimpse the true state of this special soul and thus touch its secrets!
Let him see, what exactly is this soul...
Huh?
Why, why does the tactile sensation feel completely different?
His palm felt less like touching clay and more like pressing onto some hard steel; he fundamentally couldn't change its form.
What kind of soul is this, that its form is so solid?
But Mahito still refused to give up. He frantically started to increase the output of Cursed Energy, trying to leverage his fully deployed Idle Transfiguration to move this soul.
And he did feel success!
That iron-hard soul seemed to develop a crack under his power. Seeing hope, Mahito unhesitatingly poured his strength into it, but what he ultimately saw was not the soul's image as he had imagined.
Perhaps it was just a hallucination...
He felt he first saw a vast, limitless snowfield, then a sky filled with gigantic gears and burning flames, then he personally watched a huge hammer smash down on him, and his entire being sank into a dark, oppressive, viscous deep sea where he couldn't see but could feel the stickiness...
This sensation wasn't just visual; it involved all five senses, including touch.
He clearly felt coldness and scorching heat, the pain of being crushed by an iron hammer, and the despair of suffocation in the viscous deep sea.
It was just like, just like constantly undergoing torture!!!
Bang!
Finally, accompanied by a loud noise, Mahito, snapping back to his senses, was already kicked into the wall by Emiya, and he was incessantly panting.
What just happened? What did he just see?
Mahito couldn't remember now.
He just felt that he genuinely thought he was going to die a moment ago, experiencing a crush at the soul level—the kind you can never come back from.
Escape... I have to escape first!
Completely losing the will to fight, Mahito struggled to get up, but a new sound entered his ears.
—STAB! STAB! STAB! STAB! STAB!
Five oddly shaped 'swords' were flung from Emiya's hand, piercing and pinning his four limbs and neck firmly against the wall, leaving him immobile.
But it didn't matter; it was just a physical restraint. He just needed to slightly change the state of his soul and he could...
"W-why..."
A look of terror instantly crept onto Mahito's face.
"Why is the form of my soul also fixed?!"
The unwilling Mahito immediately began to struggle desperately, successfully making the several 'swords' pinning him to the wall shake rapidly, seemingly able to break free soon.
Seeing hope, Mahito struggled even harder, but Emiya clearly wouldn't give him the chance.
"It's exactly as I thought. The exorcising ability of the Black Keys is ultimately not high. Although they can interfere with your soul, they are difficult to use to cause effective killing power."
The so-called Black Keys are not a Noble Phantasm but a conceptual armament... and a charm used by the Holy Church for exorcism in the world of magecraft.
This weapon is difficult to use and has limited physical destructive power, so the Executors of the Holy Church rarely use it for combat.
Unfortunately, Emiya happened to know a priest who specialized in this and learned a few techniques from him.
The Black Key is precisely a conceptual armament that removes physical damage and places its power on the spiritual body.
But since they are things from different worlds, and there are still big differences between the spiritual body and the soul, Emiya did not throw out this only potentially useful weapon at the beginning, but silently waited for the right time.
"By the way, the tactic of using a large body part as bait and then having the main body launch a sneak attack is quite good... but unfortunately, I've seen it on other people before."
In order to put mental pressure on Mahito, Emiya said this while approaching the opponent, but Mahito didn't listen much at all.
"Move, hurry up and move!"
He had just managed to remove his left hand and was trying hard to pull out the Black Key at his neck, but Emiya had already arrived.
"It's useless... Did you forget that you fundamentally can't harm my soul, haha!"
He truly envied this guy's mental state, still being able to laugh at a time like this.
"That's true, but you must first activate your Cursed Technique to restore your physical body, and the speed of physical recovery must also adhere to the laws of matter, right?
I remember Gojo-sensei saying that the concept of a Domain precedes the Cursed Technique and can also cause a cancellation... and only a Domain can counter a Domain.
Coincidentally, I do have a technique that can deploy a 'Domain' within someone else's body."
"Trace On."
Clutched in Emiya's hand was a Noble Phantasm that looked similar to Kanshou and Bakuya, but whose true form was a firearm.
This skill comes from EMIYA Alter, who streamlined his fighting style into a form solely for killing, and thus, this highly efficient firearm was born.
"W-what are you talking about?!"
A technique to deploy a Domain inside someone else's body—Mahito had never heard of such a thing!
Ignoring Mahito's shouting, Emiya quietly chanted the incantation of the [Innate Domain].
"I am the bone of my sword. Steel is my heart and fire is my mind. I have created over a thousand blades, Unknown to hope, nor known to meaning. Having accepted pain, embraced futility, I am lost to the world and myself. My despair is Unlimited Lost Works."
At this moment, Mahito finally remembered.
That voice, it was exactly the same as the one he heard inside his soul!
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