Shirou noticed that the passage of time flows differently than what he is accustomed to. He found himself troubled and frowning as the sun remained in the air despite the hours of walking to wherever his legs dragged him too. With the separation of day and night, he's unable to tell when the arrival of the next day comes.
So far, he is not sure how far away he is from the nearest civilization. A few miles away is the city where he departed from. The fact he has nothing on his person to tell how much time truly passes has him sighing with disappointment. So far, he has not encountered anything but deserted land. He has arrived at another empty city causing him to frown at what exactly could have caused the collapse of another civilization.
Instead of abandoning the city like the previous, his mind raced through the possibility of finding clues on what exactly happened, alongside how long he has been asleep. This allows him to rest for a moment, he has been walking for a while.
"Let's hope that I can at least find some answers..." Shirou muttered to himself as he stared at the city in front of him with a blank expression. A look of discomfort escapes him at the thought of the city. The city was once filled with life and yet now nothing is left but ancient ruins. Once again, the unnerved thought crossed his mind...
How much time has passed?
-~-
No good. Shirou scratched his head as he rests against the chair he found. So far nothing of importance was found. He saw many things around the city, tattered clothes from the shopping district, technology such as television wouldn't matter when it seems like electricity doesn't coarse throughout the city. He tried switching the lights and nothing happened. Structural Grasp showed that the circuits have gone bad and had deteriorated over time.
Natural gas, nuclear energy, coal, etc. help power the area with electricity. He would have to find the city's main power if he wished to restore the place. But...
Who is to say that those places don't work as well with the amount of time passed? Shirou frowned at the thought as above his hand, a backpack appeared as he gently caught it. Some things around the city must be valuable or can be sold.
If he finds a place to stay in, he will need money most likely... Not to mention he needs to worry about basic human needs like food and hygiene. But the thing is, none of the stuff so far has shown value. All that lies around is books, tattered clothes, and cracked electronics. Salvaging these things can be useful. When he saw tattered clothing, it left a bad taste in his mouth.
Shirou found himself feeling slight optimism as he realized that he can sew the holes in the clothes that he found lying around. Despite how dirty clothing can be, it can always be washed. Who knows how the world has come to be? He fears that humanity has suffered a lot from the look of the two cities. If his fears come true, then humanity is not doing as well as it did when he was journeying.
I can only hope I can do my best with whatever someone needs help with. His ideals remain in hand as he got up from the chair. He will continue to do the same as he has always been doing. Traveling around the world and helping those in need. He will continue his best to try to save everyone.
With that, he began salvaging what he could find, equipped with his backpack on his back. The first thing he picked up was a book from a shelf that was full of dust. He can see that from the size and length of the book. It was easy to decipher it being a children's book. He held it firmly as he then walked out of the room and began to look elsewhere for items he can take.
His eyes darted up down, left, and right scanning for anything of value.
-~-
How careless of him. He cursed his luck.
He dodged what looked like an energy attack which was sent at quite a slow speed from a small... machine?
He looked at the machines in front of him which sent a barrage of attacks at him.
"Kill! Kill! Kill!" The machines repeated at him as he dodged another energy attack. The first thing that happens once waking up and exiting the shopping district, unaware of the nearby machine which caught him off guard but he managed to protect himself in time.
One of the machines ran at him with its arms going haywire. Like a berserker, it ran at him at speed as he dodged quickly its rampaging assault.
Trace On...! A flood of prana emerged as he used his aria to activate his circuits. A mental image of his circuits activating with a click rang in his mind, alongside a visual of two swords that he knows as his hands grasp imaginary handles.
Slash Clang Kaching Crackle!
He attacked the machine as soon as his swords materialized and sent it flying back. He saw sparks emit from the torn hand of the machine. He then dodged a round from another machine that was equipped with a gun. He blinks with surprise at the thought of a small machine wielding a gun shooting what seems like energy rounds.
He would have resorted to doing things peacefully. But the moment they saw him, they decided to attack him.
Just what are these things? Shirou stared at the machines with wonder. The obvious is there, they're machines. But who exactly made them? And were they programmed to be hostile?
"Die Android!"
Android? Shirou blinked with surprise as it caught him off guard. He dodged the machine with a saw that charged at him. He brought down the married swords with strength as they cleaved through the machine with ease. Running at the machine that he cut its hand off, he was quick to attack it as well and destroy it. Sparks flew and it fell with a thud. He dodged an energy round and Kanshou and Bakuya disappeared, in his hand was a bow and he nocked the bowstring back and projected an arrow, placing it against the string.
Fwoosh! Clang!
The sword soared ahead and pierced the machine right in its head with ease. He saw as it fell to the ground and stared with a blank look at the three mechanical bodies lying on the ground. He couldn't help but stare as he then decided he had overstayed his welcome here in the city.
"Android spotted!"
"Kill!"
Shirou saw a group of small machines run at him all at once. Their screams filled his ears and their eyes turned vibrant red as they ran at him. Pushing his magical energy into his circuits, he projected multiple arrows that shot forth in a burst at the machines. Once the arrows came in contact, he saw all the machines spontaneously explode at the same time. His eyes widened at the realization.
They weren't trying to assault me. They were trying to self-destruct right at me. Shirou was in awe. The thought of these machines running at you in hopes of self-destruction caught him off guard. A last resort can be a smart tactic in hoping to damage your opponent but ultimately you only have one chance of course. These machines are much more terrifying than he thought.
His bow disappeared after realizing that there were no longer any threats. He knelt right next to one of the machines and stared at the dead mechanical body with curiosity. Its eyes were empty and no longer glowing the vibrant red. He flipped it over casually with a bit of strength, the weight of the machine is heavy as he then stopped crouching.
Androids? If the machine's words were true, then androids are also another thing he has to worry about. Not out of fear, but out of wary.
What role do androids and machines play in this? From the hostility that the machines showed towards androids. It seems like they're natural enemies. He blinked as he went ahead and stared at the city ruins. He then looked over towards the horizon and brought his hand over his head so he can get a better view of where else to go. As he looked, he saw a moose ahead as he blinked. He also recalled seeing a few other animals while he walked.
-~-
Shirou trudged through the heat at a slow pace. The desert is vast and wide, he had little to no trouble with walking as some machines that he encountered were dispatched with ease. He cleared his hunger with the venison meat from the moose he was quick to hunt. The rest of the meat that he didn't finish was quickly placed into a sealed bag so that it may not go bad. The problem in doing so is that if he wishes to preserve the meat for more time without it going bad, it will require to be preserved in a freezer. Regardless, he doesn't expect to waste food, so he will save the meat for later.
"..." A tired sigh escaped from the Hero of Justice as ahead, he saw a few more machines who noticed him instantly. He gripped his married swords which appeared in hand as the machines varied in size now. He blinked at the new information as he saw the smaller machines equipped with swords and saws. The bigger machines had blades in one hand while holding a shield equivalent to their height forth.
"ANDROID DETECTED! KILL! KILL! KILL!" He got ready as a machine charged at him with its saw with quick speed. He took a step back as he noticed multiple of them charged right at him. The leader arrived by him first and he parried the saw trying to rip him apart. He parried another attack with Bakuya. Their strength is no joke, the pressure of blocking two attacks at the same time leaves him at a disadvantage. After all, using two hands to clash with an enemy is better than one.
He felt his circuits flare up as od was being created from them. With the help of reinforcement magecraft at his disposal, his arms alongside Kanshou and Bakuya were strengthened as he then pushed both machines away. He slashed in an x formation knocking back the mechanical bodies, leaving only minimal damage as his reach wasn't as ideal as he'd wished.
The sound of multiple stampeding steps and metal caused Shirou's ears to twitch. It was one of the bigger machines as it charged at him with its shield, behind it followed another, yet this time, the other shield sparked with electricity on the top and bottom, alongside sides as the spikes glowed orange.
Step Step Step!
"?!" Shirou turned around in time and dodged a bash from a shield and quickly dashed to the side as the other machines tried to bash him. He stared with confusion as his eyes darted around the machines. He then quickly scanned around his surroundings of the arid environment. He didn't have time as a few machines launched at him with their glowing eyes and screeching noises.
He found himself biting his lip as he switched to his bow and shot forth multiple arrows. His efforts were ineffective as the machines with their shields got in the way and blocked the arrows. He is surprised as the enemies themselves are quite tactical given as soon as the machines with shields blocked, the smaller machines instantly moved around the bigger machines and continued after him.
With a frown he fired more arrows at a faster rate, they soared in the air and he watched as they hit the targets. He put his arm in front of his face as the multiple explosions accumulated from the detonations caused a debris of dust. Due to how close the explosions came from, his perspective was disrupted.
Shirou held his bow out in front of him as he blocked the shield from the machine, he grits his teeth at the strength and saw the machine slash at him with its sword that is aimed at his free hand. Out of panic, he hurried the process of the od being created but failed at reinforcing his arm as the attack came by quickly.
Squelch
Shirou felt the blade cut into his arm, the sound of his flesh tearing up as he managed to push his arm away at a good distance so that his arm may not fully be chopped. He jumps back, dodging the bash from the machine's shield that overpowered him due to the pain in his left arm at the wound inflicted on him.
STEP STEP STEP STEP STEP
More enemies? Shirou looked around and noticed that more machines have appeared. He looks around with a frown as he was surrounded all around. This encounter has gone out of proportion and escalated.
Hiss!
He let out a shocked gasp as he ran forth quickly.
An explosion occurred as Shirou suppressed the need to yell. He sluggishly dodged a saw from one of the machines and projected Kanshou, immediately he slashed with full strength as he cleaved through the body of the machine with ease and watched its upper body fly into the air with sparks and wires flying everywhere. His bow was replaced with Bakuya without a thought, running at the machine closest to him and using his full strength once again to cleave in it half.
Shirou realized that the desert was a poor choice for traveling if he wished to have less conflict. One of the dangerous parts of the desert despite its heat from the sun is its open space of ground. Machines can be buried alive and hidden. Once seeing a potential enemy, they jump out and attack, all the while they have the advantage while the others can panic at the unexpectedness.
KACHING CLANG SLASH SLASH SLASH KACHING!!!
He ran with speed and dodged with minimal effort. He strikes with fierce strength, avoids attacks effortlessly, and aims at the machine's unprotected spots with precision. To anyone else, he would be a man in red and black slaughtering machines with utter ruthlessness.
His face went stoic as he blocked the shield bashed at him that sparks with electricity. He immediately winced as he got damaged by the shield and felt like he was stunned and staggered, yet he pushed on and suppressed the feeling as he stepped away. He pumped his strength into his legs and ran behind the machine and slashed at its back. He then ran again as the machine turned but he slashed at its unprotected spot and slammed down both his blades with reinforced strength added. The strength he pushed to his attack caused debris to fly everywhere as some of the machines nearby got sent back by a shockwave.
Shirou twisted his body around and ran at the nearby machine without wasting time, he was about to strike but found himself staggering from his right leg. He fell to the ground as he saw the machine he was about to attack slam its saw right at him. He rolled to the side as the saw hit the ground and then he slashed the machine's leg off with Kanshou. With a wince, he got up and saw a shadow loom behind him. He closed his eyes as he knew he couldn't turn around. He was ready to embrace the attack but it never came.
He heard sparks and the sound of the mechanical body behind him being penetrated. He opened his eyes and saw the machine that was about to attack him on the ground a few feet away from him. He turned around to see the reason for his safety and saw a woman with long white hair and a lance in her hand as her back was turned towards him.
He looked with surprise as he saw that the mysterious woman charged forth with ruthless brute force. He saw her lance pierce right through a machine in a swift manner. Even as the machine fell with its body having a hole in its center, he saw her then slam down the lance right in the middle and cut the mechanical body in half.
-~-
She saw from afar how the android fought against the machines. She observed his battle as the android left her in confusion. He is an enigma and a strange one, out of the ordinary from other models. She has never seen one of his kind before.
Is he a new Unit type? She shook her head at the thought. He doesn't look like a YoRHa unit Android, from his appearance given YoRHa units have blindfolds and their color scheme focuses on black. The android she observes fighting with a unique and strange style of fighting is the opposite. From his red coat to the black armor to the pants...
The android displays sufficient combat to take care of himself, seemingly having swordsmanship skills. She blinked at the other option of weaponry besides his twin swords that were different in color patterns. The android used a large black bow and she saw multiple arrows form like magic. She blinked again at the odd choice. A bow and arrow... something so prehistoric against mechanical hardened bodies of machines? How laughable and absurd!
Though her absurdity died out with surprise as the arrows that were sent towards the kamikaze machines pierced through the machines and thus exploded with contact. That feeling of surprise died down as well as she growled when she noticed more machines appear from the sand, hidden as the Android seems to have no idea.
That idiot. Doesn't he know that he should always look around the desert in case of machines hiding?! She scowled at the android's foolish mistake. His stupidity of not checking his surroundings and making sure to be careful lead him to being ambushed!
A2 watched as the android got its arm slashed by the Medium Biped machine. She saw the look of pain on his face. As the battle continued, the android failed to notice the kamikaze machine that popped up from underneath the sand and behind him, she saw as the android took notice as soon as the machine popped itself up and ran.
Ultimately, the android seemed to have gotten out of the way for the most part at the explosion. She saw as he dodged a saw from a Small Stubby but noticed his movement was more sluggish than what she has previously seen. The android cleaved the Small Stubby with his white sword which appeared in his right hand. She was amused to see how quickly he can switch from one weapon style to another.
A2 continued observing the battle, the enemies have increased and the android is outmatched. But her eyes remained to observe the battle with a glare as she noticed the android's bow disappeared and was replaced with the black sword.
She watched. Watched how the android suddenly showed more skill and power. Mercilessly attacking the machines as she watched with satisfaction at those stupid machines getting eliminated one by one. She saw the android foolishly attack the Medium Biped machine equipped with an electromagnetic shield head-on. The android got zapped from his blades clashing with the shield and saw him get paralyzed and stunned for a moment.
"...!" A2 let out a short gasp at how the android increased his speed and slashed at the Medium Biped's exposed back once. The Medium Biped wouldn't let it get attacked again so it began turning around to attack, but the android already realized that would have happened and in the process ran at the same time the machine turned and slammed both his swords down with pure strength.
A2 looked with shock at how a shockwave formed from the downward attack and some of the machines that tried getting close were sent flying. She saw him as he ran immediately to the nearby machine without wasting any time. He was about to strike it down...
But...
The android sluggishly fell. Her eyes widened as she realized. The explosion from earlier must have injured him, and the reason for his sluggishness was not just from shock. She has seen enough and gripped her lance.
She ran forth as she grits her teeth. The Small Stubby slammed its saw down at the android but she saw as he rolled out of the way and slashed the machine's leg off with his sword.
Her pace increased quicker as she saw another Medium Biped machine with its shield ready to bash the android in the back of the head as soon as he tried to recover. She arrived with the machine unaware of her existence as she mercilessly plunged her lance into its body and penetrated it. She knocked it away a few feet as it fell limp to the ground and unmoving. She eyed the back of the android for a moment before turning around and facing off against the machines. She gripped her lance and glared at the machines.
A2 heard the android behind her move from the sound of the sand. She didn't care as she just stared off at the machines. Afterward, she ran forth and began her slaughter of the machines without care. She brute forces her way as to her, all machines are just useless pieces of scrap metal that will fall to her.
She penetrated a machine with her lance right in the middle, she then pulled out her lance and it fell to the ground. She wasn't finished yet. She will make these bastards suffer! She raised her lance and then slammed it down at the machine, cleaving the body in two.
She continued to fight the machines alone. Slowly, each one fell to her as she easily took care of them. She was glad that the android didn't try butting in and joining, she can take care of it herself. Besides, whoever he is, he has no right to fight with the condition he seems to be in. If he didn't have those injuries and wasn't taken by surprise, he would have surely ended every one of these machines.
A2 stood alone as countless bodies surrounded her. She made sure each piece of these scrap metals wouldn't live from her assault. She stood alone as silence rang through the area. She lightly held her lance which was stabbed on the ground. She plucked her lance out of the ground after scanning the area and finally concluded that those were all the enemies.
She turned around and began walking towards the android who lays on the sand as he has fallen on the ground when she wasn't looking. When scanning her surroundings, she noticed only bits of red fluid. The android took quite the wounds. He would have to be repaired and get maintenance possibly.
A2 got a better look at the android who stared at her with surprise. His eyes were that of steel, and his hair was like ash white and designed with tanned skin.
A2 gazed down at the being with a steel gaze.
Shirou met his unknown savior's gaze with a look of awe... As he stared at her, he couldn't help but look on with a nostalgic gaze afterward.
I was saved again. Come to think of it...
"I ask of you, are you, my Master?"
The memory of that distant night from many years ago flashed in his mind. The knight was clad in blue, hair that can be described to be sprinkled with golden dust, and beautiful sea-green eyes as she stared down at him with a determined and serious face. Her voice may not be heard anymore, but those words he still remembers... Her memory of that day burned into his very soul...
This is the same position I was in when I was saved by Saber...
Recalling her memory brings a feeling of comfort. A feeling he wouldn't wish to forget.
-~-
Another chapter is done, ladies and gentlemen. Oh boy, this was quite the chapter to write. I hope you all enjoyed it and had a pleasant read.
Anyway, that will be all for now. The chapter has ended. Thank you all for reading and your support.
Bye.
Word Count: 4,104