Chapter 178 - 178: Threat

Playing around? This was indeed playing around.

Just as Fushiguro Toji had realized through Emiya Shirou's single act of grabbing and dragging him, Shirou's physical prowess far exceeded his own. As long as Emiya Shirou wished it, he could have defeated Toji the moment he gripped his face.

After all, unlike the Impure World Resurrection from the neighboring series Naruto, a deceased person brought back using the Seance technique does not possess an immortal body. If a vital spot is hit, they die just the same. Since Emiya Shirou could catch him before he could react, he could undoubtedly kill him with a single blade before he could react as well.

But if he did that, many things would become impossible to achieve.

"Fushiguro Toji, do you know how your son is doing right now?"

Facing a Fushiguro Toji who was as tense as if facing a great enemy, Emiya Shirou stopped his intention to continue attacking and simply asked this question calmly.

This caused Toji's expression to change violently for a split second.

However, he immediately suppressed it and acted as if nothing had happened, saying: "Son? My son? ...Oh, it seems such a person does indeed exist.

But you've got one thing wrong. That's not my son; I sold him to the Zen'in family long ago."

This was also why Emiya Shirou believed more in the theory that Fushiguro Toji's [Heavenly Restriction] "Reality Marble" had successfully eroded the Seance's "Reality Marble," rather than the speculation that Toji regained his sanity due to fatherly love.

It wasn't that Fushiguro Toji didn't love Fushiguro Megumi. If he didn't, he wouldn't have committed suicide for Megumi's sake. It's just that you can't expect someone who ignored his son for the first half of his life, sold him off to another place, and only felt regret when he was about to die, to truly possess a deep, profound love—the kind that, like in a fairy tale, could break a wicked sorcerer's influence at a critical moment.

However, having died once, Fushiguro Toji realized he did care about Fushiguro Megumi. At most, he simply lacked the "Konoha-style friendship" type of love; it didn't mean he truly ignored Megumi's life or death.

To the extent that, although it was only for an instant, Emiya Shirou caught that brief change in Toji's expression.

He smiled and said: "You've guessed wrong there. Because of those last words you left behind...

Whether it was because you felt the Zen'in family really wasn't a good place to go, or perhaps to repay a debt to Gojo Satoru—who, in a way, you helped awaken the Reverse Cursed Technique—Gojo went and snatched your son back.

He didn't let him take back the name [Zen'in]. Instead, he changed his surname to [Fushiguro], the same name as your second wife's family that you married into."

Fushiguro Toji remained silent for a long while. Perhaps even he couldn't imagine that the casual last words he uttered before death would be taken seriously and carried out by Gojo Satoru. Consequently, while he was pleased that Megumi didn't have to carry the [Zen'in] name, Toji exerted even greater effort to control the corners of his mouth that wanted to curl upward.

With an indifferent look, he said: "Oh, is that so? But whether his name is [Zen'in] or [Fushiguro], it has nothing to do with me."

Bang!!

"True. After all, living without respect for yourself or others is your way of life, Fushiguro Toji," Emiya Shirou nodded. "In that case, I suppose you wouldn't be interested in the fact that Fushiguro Megumi is about to die..."

Clang!!

"...No, it looks like you're not as uninterested as you claim, Fushiguro Toji."

Raising his hand. Blocking.

Shirou easily parried Toji's sudden raid. He looked into the face of the charging Toji and laughed. "That was hasty..."

Fushiguro Toji, seeing Shirou's smile, felt his heart sink. With a grim expression, he looked at Shirou and said: "Speak. What is your goal?

You didn't kill me immediately, and you're even playing around with me here... Don't tell me you're actually the type who 'doesn't kill'."

Undoubtedly, Fushiguro Toji had great self-awareness. A "scumbag"—that was the word for someone like him. Or rather, how many people who run off to become curse users are actually good people?

Curse users like Suguru Geto, who retained a sense of justice even after falling into darkness and wanted to sacrifice some to save others, are a minority. Most curse users are willing to kill anyone for money. Fushiguro Toji, whose hands were stained with the blood of countless innocents, didn't think for a second that Emiya Shirou would be reluctant to kill a man whose death was long overdue.

Shirou was holding back only because he felt Toji had utility value.

Realizing this, Toji asked bluntly: "Mentioning Megumi at a time like this... what do you want me to do?"

"I think you've misunderstood, Fushiguro Toji," Shirou shook his head. "Rather, do you really think I need your combat power?

Case in point, I could have flash-frozen you just a moment ago."

As if responding to Shirou's words, the katana he called [Hyorinmaru] had, without anyone noticing, erected pillars of ice one by one around Fushiguro Toji, surrounding him within!

Wha—when...!?

"Sit upon the frozen heavens, Hyorinmaru. After the first failure, I adjusted the precision of this freezing slightly," Shirou smiled.

Of course, since Emiya Shirou had never been to the world of Bleach and hadn't recorded this blade into his [Unlimited Blade Works], he naturally couldn't truly project the Zanpakuto. The [Hyorinmaru] he was currently holding was merely a combination of [Pseudo-Anubis] and [Pseudo-Magician's Red]. It was just Shirou "meme-ing" by giving it the name of the ice-attribute Zanpakuto from his past-life memories.

Thus, by projecting this blade, Shirou possessed the physical stats to crush the [Heavenly Restriction], as well as the freezing ability to create a glacier for miles with a simple swing.

...Yes, although this freezing ability originated from [Pseudo-Magician's Red], it wasn't being released by the Stand. Instead, the freezing was being released from the blade of [Pseudo-Anubis].

Therefore, this blade, having inherited the Stand ability of [Pseudo-Anubis], had evolved rapidly after failing to successfully freeze Fushiguro Toji the first time. And this was the new ability Emiya Shirou had researched based on the phenomena he observed and the sorcerer knowledge projected from Gojo Satoru's blindfold.

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