Part 320: Blood out / Deep desire

Music: Violation (Realta Nua)



Video: Pop (mirror)

Short, I know, but I did a poor job conveying this in screenshots.

"Get down, Ilya…!"
I tackle Ilya, forcing her to the ground.
And the instant I cover her body with my own…
My vision and perception is filled with black.











My body is almost blown away.
The condensed and released wave of magical energy rages through the forest as a storm.

It's not there.

My vision is painted black.
If it's this dark even though I can clearly see, a black sun must have come falling down.

My body's not there.

It probably melted from the heat.
My body's not there.
The loss of my sense of touch is more disgusting than the pain.

"Haahah"
But that's a problem.
I can't protect Ilya unless I have a body.
The black shadow tries to take Ilya.
I flail my right arm to drive it off.
Embracing her with that same arm, I press her to the ground.

"Haah."
And I finally realize.
My body's there. My body must be there, or else I couldn't have protected Ilya.
…Man, I panicked too much.
All I lost was my left arm.

This is precisely halfway between and "it's just a flesh wound".

That's the only part of me that vanished without trace. The rest of my body is still there.

Music: Stop

…But I still have the sense of loss.
I only lost one of the two.
But it feels like I lost my whole body.

Music: Midnight Interval







My ears must be numb, as I can't hear what she's saying.

What… happened to Tohsaka?
Archer is… there.
His red cloak is painted a deeper red, and he's so weakened that he might disappear in the next second.



"Have you gone mad? If you do such a thing, you will…"
"I do not even need to think about it. Two will disappear if I do nothing, but one can be saved if we transplant it.
…This body is almost dead anyway. If I am to disappear, it will not make a difference even if my arm is cut off."



Archer and Rider are talking.

…What the hell is going on?
And in the end…
"One would normally die. One cannot survive after attaching a spirit body to the human body. But the boy and I are an exception. Rin should treat him appropriately once she wakes up."
He tenderly runs his fingers through Tohsaka's hair.



Music: Stop









At that instant.
The red knight dies protecting Tohsaka Rin, and Emiya Shirou survives by pure luck.
It is fortunate that the ground is uneven.
The expanding shadow passes over Emiya Shirou, who is in a hollow pit.
But his left arm is above its rim, unable to share in that fortune





"Haaah, uh……!"





"Oh."
She stands there with her head down, shoulders heaving.
Her long hair flutters like a curtain, hiding her face from the mirror.

"……No way. Senpai's arm…"

Music: Whirlpool of Fate 2

She recalls the nightmare.
…There's no mistake about the vision.
Emiya Shirou lost his left arm while protecting the silver-haired girl.
It melted away without trace from the shoulder down.

"What have I…"
Sakura masochistically yells at herself for considering such a thing.
She feels a chill and a strange uplift, not able to think about what happened and what she should do.
All she knows is that she hates herself.
…She previously got the idea that…
If Emiya Shirou were injured to a point where he wouldn't be able to go outside, he would not be in danger anymore.



There's no difference between the two.
That's what it means to be injured.
Why did she think that a misfortune to lose a part of one's body is a good thing?



"Ughah, uh……!"
The nausea does not go away.
She does not stop vomiting even after throwing up everything.
Gastric juice and blood.
She thinks that the sharp pain in her stomach and the scratch on her throat is like a punishment to condemn her.

…And after a while…

Her nausea finally goes away when the gastric juice runs out, and she regains her composure.
She breathes heavily.
Her shoulders are moving up and down painfully.
She puts her hands on the sink and tries to calm down, as if she's just finished running a marathon.

Music: Stop

"But Senpai can't fight anymore."
In a trance, she speaks her true feelings.