Ah… it hurts…"
A warm current flowed slowly down from the top of my head. Everything seemed to be double, and my throat seemed to be stuck, unable to make any sound.
"Hey - Shiki, wake up! The two people in the pickup truck are here~"
After a long time, when the sharp and maddening tinnitus finally faded away, Toono Shiki, with stars in his eyes, stood up tremblingly on the branch next to him. At the strong request of his brain, he greedily breathed in big gulps of fresh air to relieve the dizziness.
When the line came back into focus, Shiki discovered that he had several huge scratches on his body, which were oozing blood.
…
"Why am I always so unlucky..."
Shiki chuckled to himself, closing his eyes and sitting down along the trunk of the tree.
"Hey... sir, are you okay...?"
When he opened his eyes again, he saw an older girl with dark brown hair wearing a white dress who was asking him questions. Next to her, a black-haired boy wearing a vest was looking at him curiously.
"No, it's okay! Cough, cough!"
Toono Shiki tried to stand up, but soon coughed up several mouthfuls of blood.
"How is it possible that you are still fine? Uncle, please stop being so stubborn!"
"Uncle…? How can you talk like that?! I'm only seventeen! I'm not even an adult yet!"
"Is… is that so? But, onii-san, you look exactly like him!"
…
It seems that the previous battles have made me a lot more weathered. When I return, I must ask Amber to see if there is any way to recover quickly.
"Anyway, you look like a tourist here? You look a lot like Kelly~ If you don't mind, how about coming back with us?"
"Well, it seems that this is the only way for now... Thank you for your help..."
Shiki stood up with difficulty and with the help of the two, he and Kivat got on the back of the pickup truck and took the motorcycle with him as well.
The boy and Shiki sat in the back of the pickup truck together, and the girl was driving the pickup truck attentively in the front. It seems that kivat still cannot be seen by ordinary people.
"So...Kelly? Can I call you that?"
"Well… you can call me that if you want, but actually my name is Kiritsugu, Emiya Kiritsugu. Kelly was the first one to call me that, and then everyone started calling me that… Oh, yes, her name is Xia Lei, and she's my friend."
"Oh, but it's really hard to pronounce, so I'd better call you Kelly~"
"Kiritsugu…? My name is Shiki, Tohno Shiki. Um, I heard earlier that you're not from here either?"
"Well, I moved here with my father when I was a kid. What about Mr. Shiki? Are you here for travel, photography or research? There haven't been any tourists or outsiders here for a long time."
"Well... you can also treat me as a tourist. Actually, I have no choice but to stay here for a while."
"You have no choice? Ah! Did Shiki-san's ship or plane encounter an accident?!"
"It's impossible for him to survive the plane, Kelly! If you ask me, it's better not to ask too much about some things. Mr. Shiki is obviously worried."
"Is that so? I'm sorry, Mr. Shiki."
"No... No, I will explain it in detail when I get a chance. It would be too much to apologize to me. I should thank you. I didn't know if I would have anything to do tonight. It's really great that you are willing to help me."
"It's okay, Mr. Shiki. If you have any questions, you can always ask Xia Lei and me. I will introduce you to the food and attractions on our island!"
"Well, thank you again!"
........................
After an unknown amount of time, the pickup truck finally stopped in front of a house in a village.
After a brief rest, Toono Shiki was able to walk with difficulty by supporting himself with the help of tree branches.
Shiki was curiously wandering around when a few rows of flower pots caught his attention.
The first impression is always strange, as if some invisible external force is exerted on it.
"Kivat, do you feel it?"
"Yeah, I feel it. I'm so hungry."
"That's not it! Look at these plants."
"Well, let me see—
...
Indeed, the plants feel frozen in time. "
"Freeze frame...?"
"Oh? It seems this guest is somewhat curious about my research."
A man wearing glasses walked out of the room.
"It seems that you are the outsider that Kiritsugu mentioned. You are able to see the secrets of these plants. Please tell me your true identity first."
"Are you... Kiritsugu's father?"
"Exactly."
"But I don't really have a secret identity. I'm just an ordinary high school student."
"Ordinary high school students? Hahahaha! There are actually high school students coming to this isolated island? Are they here for tourism or study?"
"Um, actually I came here by accident. Don't worry, Mr. Emiya. I should be leaving soon."
"Well...but I will keep a close eye on you...if you do anything that crosses the line..."
The man walked up to Shiki and lowered his voice deliberately in Shiki's ear.
"I'll make you pay..."
Kivat really wanted to reach behind him and give him two claws.
"Yeah, I see."
With a slight smile, he then went back into the house.
"Hey, Mr. Shiki! Have you met dad yet? Let's have lunch first!"
"Here I come! Thank you Kiritsugu for your help!"
Shiki slowly walked away from the door, slowly turned his head and looked into the house calmly.
"If you can do it, then come on..."
"Kivat, it looks like this is another powder keg~"
"Yes, if you can't hold on any longer, just stay away for a while."
"It's okay, it's just a minor injury."
Tono Shiki and Kivat slowly sat down at the table and looked around.
Well, it's really nice to eat outside and feel the breath of nature. When we get back, I'll ask Qiuye to set up a dining table in the back garden.
"No! That's very wrong! Mr. Shiki, I have never seen the structure of your motorcycle before."
Xia Lei, who was checking the "Azure Iron Horse" on the side, exclaimed.
"There's no sign of damage or anything!
So amazing! ! ! "
"Haha... my motorcycle is just of better quality."
"Hey, this bat logo is so cool, do you like bats, Mr. Shiki?"
"...Yeah, I like it! I'm a bat lover!"
"Is that so? Then…"
"Ahahahaha! Xia Lei must be tired from the examination, let's eat first!"
"Yes, Mr. Shiki and I are waiting for you."
"Okay, okay. Anyway, Mr. Shiki, there is nothing wrong with your motorcycle. It's incredible."
Well, Southeast Asian food does have a unique flavor. Although there were many varieties at Tono's before, it's nice to change the taste occasionally, except for her porridge...
........................
"Kiritsugu, do you want to go out with Xia Lei?"
As night falls, the island is like a small boat drifting alone in the dark sea.
"Yeah... yes."
"Are we going somewhere to play~?"
"It's...it's a secret!"
"Haha, I really envy your friendship. Does your father know?"
"Of course, Xia Lei is learning magic from her father... Sorry, just like Mr. Shiki, there are some things I can't tell you, please understand!"
"Oh? I see. If you need any help, feel free to contact me~"
"Well, Shiki-san, see you later."
Looking at the figure who boarded the pickup truck and disappeared into the darkness, Tohno Shiki couldn't help but smile faintly.
It's really similar to that time.
Even if it's just someone passing by,
I sincerely hope that your friendship can continue like this.
Even if I need my own strength to protect...
The river filled with stars ripples,
The forest, which had already been dressed up as a stage, was quietly waiting.
The gurgling sound of water and the rustling of leaves weave a dance of the night.
Under the moonlight and the starry sky, the clear river glows with a faint blue light.
The dim light quietly reflected on the girl's face.
The girl looked at the boy with her hands behind her back and smiled.
"Kelly, what kind of adult do you want to be...?"
........................
"So what kind of person do you want to be? What did Xia Lei say afterwards?"
"Shiki-san, come on. I may be a child, but I have my privacy too! I can't tell you this!"
"Eh, that's boring~"
With his hands behind his head, Kiritsugu Emiya took the limping Tohno Shiki around the island to view some natural landscapes unique to Southeast Asian islands and some village buildings.
"Shiki-san has a lot of secrets too... I saw Shiki-san talking to someone in his room last night, but when I looked closely I realized he was just talking to himself! Is this some 'imaginary friend' or something?"
"Uh... just treat it as it is..."
"Then Mr. Shiki still has a childlike heart~"
"No! The point is that you peeked at me last night! Ah! Kiritsugu, don't run away!"
"I'm just curious~"
Emiya Kiritsugu was running, and Tohno Shiki was limping after him desperately with a stick in his hand, looking exactly like a junior teaching a younger one.
But soon, Tono Shiki gave up chasing Kiritsugu.
The kids in South Village bully me because I'm old and weak!
Shiki took out his cell phone and looked at it. There was still a no signal sign. In addition, Kiritsugu and his friends didn't seem to know smartphones in this era. But at least he could use it to take pictures, such as the scenery of the island and the group photo of the three of them.
"Kivat, why are you a little silent today?"
Taking advantage of the opportunity to distance himself from Emiya Kiritsugu, Tohno Shiki asked about the situation of the kivat.
"Something is wrong... I have a bad feeling... that this familiar scene will happen again..."
"Is the powder keg about to be ignited...? I understand..."
"Shiki-san - don't fall too far, be careful not to get lost -"
"I know! I'll be right there—"
The sun sets, and the heartbroken person is far away.
When can I go back?
However, looking from afar on the hillside, the light from the setting sun stretched Kiritsugu's shadow and the shadow of the forest so long...
Until the wine-red afterglow fell on the village, as if the entire village was bathed in blood...
Such a magnificent, beautiful and warm sunset scene made Shiki shudder...
........................
"By the way, where is Xia Lei? She's not in the house?"
"Is Xia Lei not here? That's weird. She didn't tell me where she was going, so how could she disappear? She didn't respond when I called her."
"...
Kivat, your intuition is pretty accurate. "
"Yes, but the most urgent thing is to find the girl first."
"Xia Lei! Xia Lei!"
Shiki, leaning on a cane, followed the anxious Kiritsugu, asking people everywhere, searching.
Finally, a hen covered in blood came slowly out of the chicken coop, seemingly leading us to our final destination.
"Be prepared for the worst Shiki, although I don't know your secrets or what happened."
"Yes, I understand, Mr. Shiki..."
The two of them climbed into the chicken coop carefully.
As expected,
The familiar figure of Xia Lei sat in the distance facing us.
The white dress was dotted with bright red.
He seemed to be holding something in his hands and eating it with relish.
"Xia... Lei?"
!
The body trembled, and the twisted body slowly turned around.
The once bright eyes were now bloodshot, the soft long hair was tangled into a mess, and the hen's blood was flowing from the corners of the mouth.
"Kai…Kelly…and Mr. Shiki…no…don't let me look at me!
I failed!
The teacher's results did not work on me!
Help! "
After regaining consciousness, Xia Lei covered her face and wailed. Then, as if out of control, her body twisted and twitched, constantly hitting the barbed wire behind her.
"Why… did this… appear here…?!"
There was no doubt that the appearance of Xia Lei in front of him was very similar to the vampire he had seen before, or it could be said that this was the first time Shiki had witnessed the process of a person becoming a Dead Apostle.
"Hurry...kill me while I'm still conscious!"
Almost in a pleading tone, Xia Lei, who was rolling over and over, threw a sword to Kiritsugu.
Kiritsugu stared at Xia Lei in disbelief, biting his lips tightly, beads of sweat dripping down his face. He picked up the dagger on the ground with trembling hands.
His eyes, filled with complex hesitation, stared at the suffering girl in front of him.
No,
no!
I will never let what happened to me happen again in front of my eyes!
Tono Shiki suddenly stopped Emiya Kiritsugu with his right hand.
"Listen carefully, Kiritsugu. I'm sorry, but Xia Lei will soon become a creature called a dead apostle, or a vampire. She will then be completely "dead" and even harm others.
You choose to follow her final wishes or trust me. "
"If left alone, she will endanger others, right..."
"Yes."
"Then...then hurry up...quickly end it...no matter if it's for others or Xia Lei's pain!"
"Kiritsugu, I want to hear your true feelings! Look into my eyes!"
Toono Shiki put his hands on Kiritsugu's shoulders and forced him to face him.
"Make your final decision..."
"..."
"Please...save...save her...please! Please save Xia Lei, Mr. Shiki!"
Unable to hold back any longer, Kiritsugu threw away his dagger and knelt on the ground trembling. Tears mixed with sweat dripped onto the ground and mixed with his blood.
"Yeah, I see."
Toono Shiki took off his glasses, and his focused pupils glowed with a light blue light again after many days.
"Shiki-san... what is this?"
"Well, it's one of my secrets, I guess."
"Are you sure you want to do this, Shiki? Your body won't be able to handle it!"
"Kivat, Xia Lei has just started to change. Her consciousness and my intuition tell me that she still has hope, so I don't want to deceive myself and let this hard-earned hope be shattered in front of me. Although this is the first time I have done this, I will not waste any more opportunities."
"I understand. I wish you the best, Shiki."
Pulling out the "Nanaye" knife that had not been unsheathed in his arms for many days, Tono Shiki dragged his staggering steps and pressed on Xia Lei in one breath.
His left hand was like a vice, holding down Xia Lei who was struggling and screaming.
His eyes kept focusing on her again and again.
gaze...
Gaze again,
You can definitely see it clearly! You will definitely find it!
The pressure inside the body will burst the body from the inside.
The wounds from the previous battle with Volov began to open again.
Fresh blood mixed with blood flowed down his face.
Countless electric currents stimulate the brain,
The pressure on my lungs was so great that I couldn't breathe.
The brain is wailing in warning, the eyeballs are about to be shattered by the sight,
Not enough!
Can't stop yet!
You will definitely be able to see the debris that is about to completely merge with the girl's life!
Finally, the tight string broke.
The last moment before darkness enveloped the world,
I stabbed the knife into that place...
........................
"..."
"You still don't listen to advice and like to show off your strength."
"Don't worry about it, I succeeded."
"You're just lucky! You almost died again just now! With your current qualifications and strength, you are not qualified to see that! If you force yourself to use it at an excessive capacity, you will be completely disabled one day."
"But I have to do this. Now that I can do it, I won't leave any regrets for myself!
I am proof that these eyes can not only be used to end lives, but also to save them! "
"Is that so? Alright. I see... I was right about you after all."
In the dim room, moonlight shone through the window onto the boy. Tono Shiki struggled to sit up. The world was gray and he couldn't see anything clearly. The pain in his brain made him hold his forehead...
"Shiki-san...? Are you okay?!"
"Ah? Kiritsugu... Xia Lei, is she okay now?"
"She has been unconscious and has not shown any signs of waking up... But I know that Mr. Shiki saved Xia Lei's life! So please don't blame yourself even if she can't wake up."
"Yes, but the one who saved her was you, Shiki, who made the decision at that time."
"I...?"
"But first, please tell me what you know. Why did Xia Lei become a Dead Apostle?"
"…My father is Xia Lei's teacher and also a magician."
"magician?"
"Well, that is, a person who studies and uses magic. He has been studying something that seems to be magical, including the plants you saw last time, which are also the result of time-stopping magic."
"Magic... Oh, so magic and sorcery are not the same thing... I think I heard Elquet mention it by chance before..."
"So! What kind of mage research led to Xia Lei's result?"
"Well, that's probably the truth."
Suddenly, the conversation between the two was interrupted by screams and the sound of burning flames outside the window.
"It seems that this Dead Apostle incident was man-made!"
Kivat patted the back of Shiki's head with his right wing, and his vision gradually became clear.
Kiritsugu Emiya was squatting at the door and talking to himself, while Xia Lei was sleeping on the other bed.
Shiki rubbed his eyes. Although he didn't know the principle, the most urgent thing was to deal with this incident properly.
"Kiritsugu, I will cover you for a while. You take Xia Lei and escape from here first. I will come to find you later!"
Toono Shiki struggled to get up for who knows how many times, and took out his own knife.
"Hmm... you're injured like this, do you still want to fight?"
"No, Mr. Shiki! You're already so injured! Please don't force yourself--!"
Suddenly, accompanied by low whimpers and roars, the door began to be violently banged. Anxiety and fear filled the small and claustrophobic room. It was obvious that the rotten wooden door could not hold out for long.
"Kiritsugu! Protect Xia Lei. In order to see her smile again, you will definitely work hard to live with her, right?!"
"Hmm… I understand!"
"Okay, then please watch... my transformation!
Kivat! "
"I can't do anything to you, I'll bite you!"
The wooden door was completely smashed, and four or five blood-soaked dead apostles stared greedily at the three people in the room with their scarlet eyes, and then rushed in like a canteen opening for dinner.
"henshin!"
The chain turned into a belt, quickly hanging the kivat on and pressing it down. Dark blue armor quickly formed on his body. As his light blue eyes lit up, the situation on the battle had been reversed.
Although his body has become shattered, with the various enhancements after the transformation, even if his strength is not as good as before, it is more than enough to deal with Dead Apostles of this level.
"Shi... Shiki-san, what is this?!"
"Kiva, Kamen Rider Kiva!"
Then Shiki stretched out his hands to the sides and rushed towards the group of Dead Apostles. With his enormous strength and the fact that they were all crowded together, he easily pushed all the Dead Apostles out of the narrow corridor and flipped them into the air outside, then took a step back to create some distance.
Then he took out "Seven Nights" and held it in reverse, dodged all the bites like flowing water, and passed between each dead apostle in an instant, until he returned to the starting point. He squatted on the ground with his back to the dead apostles, slowly wiped the blood off the knife, and then the cuts on each dead apostle behind him slowly emerged. Only then did they realize that they had been "killed".
"Hurry! Kiritsugu!"
"I see!"
Emiya Kiritsugu used all his strength to carry the unconscious Xia Lei on his back and fled to the shore under the cover of night.
"This is not going to be good..."
Raging fires were burning everywhere in the distant villages. Wailing and screaming could be heard one after another. Flowers of blood bloomed one after another in the night sky. The ranks of the dead continued to expand.
"This village is beyond saving—wait!"
"Hmm? What—!"
His body suddenly began to tremble violently and unconsciously, and he couldn't even hold the knife and it fell to the ground. The sudden red and yellow electric current kept striking through his body. Toono Shiki knelt on the ground, holding his head in pain.
Rejection,
A strong sense of rejection filled the internal organs of the body.
I feel like my body is about to fall apart.
No,
The nerves are disturbed,
It's not a sense of internal rejection.
This world, this era,
It is the outside world that is rejecting oneself and trying to erase one's existence.
Finally, the feeling of collapse ended. Although the transformation was not canceled, Toono Shiki was about to reach his limit.
Not far away, several groups that looked like humans emerged silently from the darkness, continuously releasing brilliant attacks that were beyond their comprehension, easily burning or tearing the dead apostles into pieces. They seemed to be "magicians".
Suddenly, two pairs of knives attacked his back.
His instinct made him roll to the side to avoid it, but when he turned around, he found two mysterious men in black cloaks in front of him. There seemed to be small cross decorations on their chests. It was obvious that they were from the church.
"Does this world also have the 'agent' that Elquet mentioned?!
Wait, I'm human! "
However, the two ignored him and continued to attack Shiki with the knife silently. It seemed that his bat-like appearance made it impossible for the other side to believe that he was a human being. Even if they believed that he was a human being, he would be executed because he might have been "contaminated".
After discovering that Shiki was extremely agile, the two suddenly threw out several black swords from under their wide sleeves.
Shiki didn't react and sparks burst from his chest, knocking him aside.
"This is so troublesome! What should I do when facing humans?!"
"Forget it, Shiki, just end this!"
Kivat took hold of the icy whistle himself and blew it.
But apart from the melodious whistle, there was no change in the kiva or anything around it.
"Why…why is this happening?! Why is it not working?!"
"Then don't use this for now!"
Shiki inserted the "Blue Iron Horse" whistle into the kivat and blew it. With the roar of the engine and the light piercing the darkness, the motorcycle responded to the call and arrived as promised.
The motorcycle roaring behind him successfully ambushed the two agents, and while the two men were falling to the ground, Shiki quickly got on the motorcycle and drove away from the area.
The first priority is to protect Kiritsugu and Xia Lei, and then the "culprit!"
........................
"Haaa…haaa…haaa…haaa…"
Kiritsugu, carrying Xia Lei on his back, ran wildly through the woods towards the coast.
The surrounding grass and bushes kept hindering his steps, leaving tiny cuts on his body. The muddy soil and complicated tree roots made Kiritsugu stumble several times and almost fall, but none of this stopped him from running.
Until his pupils, dilated with shock, reflected a dead apostle in the woods nearby.
Suddenly, out of the darkness, he sprang upon him,
The huge body pinned Kiritsugu down, and the unconscious Xia Lei fell to the side.
The dead apostle's sharp fangs were about to bite him. Kiritsugu desperately tried to push him away with both hands. The dead apostle kept roaring, and saliva and blood dripped onto his clothes.
The child's strength was no longer enough to sustain the attack, and the other two dead disciples slowly approached Xia Lei.
"No! Don't do that! Asshole!"
Even though he was in despair, Kiritsugu's hands did not give up resistance.
It was not until the roar broke the silence in the woods that Kiritsugu realized that it was the hope from deeper inside that told him not to give up.
Toono Shiki continued to step on the accelerator, and like a roaring warhorse, the motorcycle easily knocked the two dead apostles to the ground and trampled them mercilessly.
After finishing them off, Shiki braked suddenly and changed direction with the forced drift caused by his left foot touching the ground, and hit the Dead Apostle on Kiritsugu's body with his side like a motorcycle tailspin.
Kiritsugu, who was lying on the ground, raised his head blankly. The roar of the engine enveloped the forest.
The car lights completely dispelled the darkness around us.
The pale blue eyes on the bat-like visor were looking down at him.
My heartbeat keeps accelerating.
Staring blankly at Shiki who appeared out of despair to save himself and Xia Lei, at this moment he understood what kind of image the "Masked Rider" he was talking about was.