Nine Lives was Berserker's Noble Phantasm.
Unlike ordinary Noble Phantasms, Nine Lives was less of a Noble Phantasm and more of a combat technique.
What Shirou had just performed was the anti-personnel version of Nine Lives.
Using a high-speed sequence of nine strikes, he targeted the upper arm, collarbone, trachea, skull, ribs, solar plexus, groin, and thigh before driving the final blow through the enemy's chest.
The main reason he had not chosen any of the other applications was simple: this version was already more than enough to deal with the current enemy and it did not leave him in the same agonizing daze as in his memories.
After shattering the stone statues, Shirou glanced at the rubble beneath his feet. Only after confirming that the fragments no longer posed a threat did he withdraw the magical energy flowing through the axe-sword.
The power was impressive, but it was rather taxing on both his arms and his body.
To be more precise, it was not really that he had executed Nine Lives himself. Instead, the axe-sword had guided his body through the technique.
Perhaps after projecting it a few more times, he would eventually be able to perform it entirely through his own skill.
Still, there was not much point.
In most situations, Kanshou and Bakuya were far more practical. Encounters like this one, where Broken Phantasm could not be used and other Noble Phantasms were difficult to employ effectively, were quite rare.
"..."
Compared to Shirou's calm demeanor, the expressions of the people behind him were indescribably strange.
"A sniper specialist?"
After standing frozen for quite a while, the Doctor finally turned toward Ace and asked.
After all, Ace had been the one claiming that Shirou specialized in ranged combat.
So what exactly had that been just now?
"Do not ask me. I need a moment."
Faced with the Doctor's question, Ace clearly wanted no part of it. Rubbing his head, he was still trying to process what he had just witnessed.
Then again, there was not much to think about.
The nine enormous slash marks carved across the area ahead already explained everything Shirou had done.
It was simply absurd.
"What are you all standing around for? Move!"
Seeing that no one seemed interested in leaving, Shirou frowned and shouted at them.
They were still spacing out?
Did they really think everything was over just because the stone statues had been destroyed?
The one controlling those things was still out there somewhere.
"Maintain formation and withdraw immediately!"
Snapping back to reality, Amiya began directing the Rhodes Island personnel.
During combat she would listen to the Doctor's commands and advice, but under normal circumstances, command duties were still handled by her and the other Elite Operators.
After all, the Doctor had only recently awakened. They could not allow him to overexert himself.
"Huang, Rosmontis, and the Penguin Logistics team will be waiting for us outside. The land vehicles have already been prepared. Once we leave Chernobog, we can immediately withdraw and return to Rhodes Island."
Scout, who had already resumed his duties and was keeping watch on the surroundings, relayed the situation through the communicator.
Originally, after the Doctor's rescue, his team had been assigned other tasks.
However, after learning that the Catastrophe might arrive earlier than expected, they had been reassigned to provide support, security, and route clearance.
Compared to missions and intelligence, the lives of operators were far more important.
"...Understood."
After hearing Scout's report, Shirou looked upward.
Sure enough, he could see Rhodes Island's aerial vehicles moving away from the direction where the storm clouds were gathering.
Although this would cost Rhodes Island some of its aerial surveillance capability, communication channels would only become more unstable as the Catastrophe intensified.
Furthermore, the amount of Originium dust at high altitudes was considerable.
Perhaps that was one of the main reasons aerial vehicles were not particularly widespread in this world.
Shirou did not know for certain, but so far the number of aircraft he had seen could be counted on one hand.
"Shi... Shirou?"
While staring into the sky, Shirou drifted into thought for a moment before realizing someone was calling his name.
"Amiya? What is it?"
He withdrew his gaze and looked toward the source of the voice.
At the moment, the exhaustion on Amiya's face was plainly visible.
Not only was her complexion pale, but her fingers were trembling slightly as well.
She had likely overused her Arts just now.
"That Wendigo just now... did you deal with him?"
There were many things she wanted to ask, but Amiya decided to first find out what had happened to the Wendigo.
She did not understand why he had suddenly attacked her, but judging from his words...
He seemed to know about her other identity.
Her eyes briefly fell upon her gloves.
The crown-shaped mark hidden beneath them indirectly revealed many things.
It was simply something that had always been kept secret from the outside world.
"No. If we had actually fought seriously, neither side would have come out well. Besides, he did not seem interested in fighting for real..."
Shirou shook his head and honestly explained what had happened.
"However, the hostility he showed toward you was very real. If you encounter him again in the future, you should be extra careful."
He deliberately avoided mentioning the internal factional conflicts within Reunion.
The situation there seemed far too complicated.
Not only could Shirou himself not make sense of it, but it appeared that even Reunion no longer fully understood what was happening within its own organization.
"I see... Then I will be careful."
Amiya nodded slightly before continuing.
"Then... are you all right now?"
After hearing Shirou's words, Amiya obediently nodded to show that she understood. Only then did she ask the question she most wanted answered.
She could sense that Shirou's emotions were extremely complicated at the moment, like a tangled bundle of earphone wires or a ball of yarn stuffed into a pocket.
If no one stepped in to help untangle it, he would eventually tie himself into a knot that would be very difficult to undo.
"Me? I am fine, of course. But your complexion does not look too good right now, Amiya. Have you been keeping yourself hydrated and getting enough calories?"
Faced with Amiya's question, Shirou did not quite understand why she was asking him that.
His physical condition was still fairly good. Although he had expended quite a bit of mana, a little rest would be enough for him to recover somewhat.
Compared to him, Amiya's condition was far less reassuring.
"Ah... yes! I have. I have been making sure to drink enough water."
Caught off guard by his concern, Amiya froze for a moment before answering.
How strange. She had been the one asking about him, so how had the conversation suddenly turned into him worrying about her health instead?
"Then that means you have not been replenishing your energy intake, right?"
After hearing her answer, Shirou frowned. Then, as if he had thought of something, he rummaged through the small pouch at his waist.
Inside were some emergency medical supplies along with a few of his personal belongings.
For example, the bullet left behind by Nameless was stored there, though that was not what he was looking for.
What he wanted was a piece of candy a child had given him during the Lungmen operation at the end of October.
"...It melted a little? It was perfectly fine before we set out... Still, it can provide some sugar and calories."
After finding the candy wrapper, Shirou pulled it out.
The candy inside had clearly melted.
Still, even if its shape had changed, the sugar and calories it provided remained the same.
Back when he decided to keep it, he had simply wanted to preserve the child's heartfelt gift.
But now, rather than preserving that sentiment, it would be better to let the candy serve its intended purpose.
"Thank you."
A candy was suddenly pressed into her hand, leaving Amiya somewhat bewildered.
The feeling of being taken care of was strangely unfamiliar.
As for the candy's appearance, she did not really mind.
Because of Doctor Kal'tsit's orders, along with those of the other doctors, she rarely had the opportunity to eat things like this.
Under Shirou's urging gaze, Amiya unwrapped the candy and placed it in her mouth.
It was very sweet, probably fruit-flavored, though she could not quite identify which fruit.
"You should rely more on Ace, Scout, Nearl, and the others. Do not try to shoulder everything yourself. Besides, the Doctor has been rescued. You can hand some of the work over to them as well."
Watching Amiya eat the candy and reveal a genuinely blissful expression, Shirou felt a slight ache in his chest.
After all, it was only a very ordinary piece of candy.
Because of Oripathy, Amiya had missed out on many experiences that children should have enjoyed. Worse still, she had been exposed to humanity's cruelty and darkness far earlier than most people.
That was true for Amiya, for Rosmontis, and for the other children he had met while studying.
Yet they were among the fortunate ones. At the very least, they had grown up safely under Rhodes Island's protection.
Countless other infected children had been swallowed by the land long before they ever had the chance to grow up.
He understood his own limitations very well.
The strength of a single person could not change the structure of all Terra, nor could it change society's views toward the infected.
But perhaps he could at least protect the people before him, Amiya and the others, and help them live something resembling a normal life.
Normal...
What exactly was normal?
Even he could not answer that clearly. After all, he himself had never been what anyone would call a normal child.
That much, Shirou knew very well.
However, unlike his younger self, who had been almost completely alone, Amiya had many people willing to support her.
She had Rhodes Island standing firmly behind her.
"The Doctor only just woke up. We cannot overwork them! At the very least, we should wait until they have recovered before gradually increasing their workload!"
Sensing that the knot in Shirou's heart seemed to be tightening rather than loosening, Amiya hurriedly changed the subject.
The two had not been talking for very long. Nearby, Ace was directing the Rhodes Island operators as they prepared to move out, while the Doctor was organizing all the information currently available.
Every second was precious now. The more they understood the situation, the better their decisions and commands would be.
Although, for some reason, the Doctor had a sudden feeling that the rest of their future would be spent under this kind of relentless pressure.
"..."
Just as Amiya had noticed something unusual about Shirou and approached him to talk, Shirou had given her the candy in an effort to ease her tension.
He had also spent some time chatting with her about the Doctor.
What they knew so far was that the Doctor was suffering from amnesia. Although most of their memories were gone, certain abilities seemed etched into their body like instinct.
At the very least, their skill in command had already earned the approval of Dobermann and the other operators.
Even Shirou could find little to criticize. Considering that they had fought through several battles without a single person suffering serious injury or death, the Doctor clearly had some remarkable ability.
It was just that the doctor was wrapped a little too tightly, making them look somewhat like a suspicious individual.
The Doctor had greeted Shirou earlier as well, but they seemed extremely busy. After giving him a simple nod and exchanging a sentence or two, they lowered their head again and returned to working on the terminal in their hands.
Meanwhile, Shirou stood atop the shattered remains of the stone statue.
Partly, this was to prevent the enemy from reassembling the fragments into another statue for an attack. At the same time, it was also to guard against any assault from the person operating behind the scenes.
The position he occupied was likely the midpoint between that individual and Rhodes Island.
As a result, if the enemy decided to make a move, there was a very high chance that Shirou would detect them first.
Things unfolded exactly as Shirou had expected. The enemy had apparently not retreated after the statue's destruction and was instead preparing a second attack from the shadows.
After all, that overwhelming malice was surging toward him like a rising tide.
The moment he realized this, Shirou quietly adjusted his position, placing himself between the threat and Amiya, along with the Rhodes Island operators who were in the middle of retreating.
Amiya also noticed that Shirou's gaze kept sweeping the area behind them. Pretending to continue their conversation, she secretly relayed her observations through the communicator to the Doctor and the other operators.
"You should all leave first. I will stay behind and cover the rear."
After hearing Amiya share the information with the others, Shirou no longer felt any need to conceal his intentions.
He had already pinpointed the enemy's approximate location.
As long as they showed no intention of attacking, he would not make the first move.
If a battle could be avoided, then it should be avoided. However, if fighting became necessary, he had no reason to worry.
To begin with, catastrophes posed little threat to him. Even if someone threw him directly into an Originium mine, there was no guarantee anything would happen to him.
Having him remain behind to deal with these matters was undoubtedly the best option.
"...Understood."
At first, Amiya had wanted to suggest that they deal with the enemy together before leaving.
However, after recalling Shirou's combat methods, which completely defied conventional understanding, she ultimately agreed with his proposal.
Furthermore, she knew quite well about Shirou's unusual relationship with Originium.
Still, unlike Shirou's relaxed attitude toward catastrophes, Amiya understood their destructive power all too well.
Some catastrophes were so devastating that they could destroy entire mobile cities.
If they were dealing with a catastrophe on that scale, whether one became infected would probably not be the first concern.
The real question would be whether anyone could survive it at all.