IBHJ Chapter 770

In the vast expanse of snow, he hoisted his teacher onto his back, determined to find a way to survive amidst the biting wind and relentless snowfall as he trudged towards the city. His back was warm, soaked by her blood as it trickled down, leaving a trail of crimson footprints behind them. Before long, a path of blood snaked through the pristine white snow.

Shirou wasn't in great shape either. The enemy had done a number on him, and his own shortcomings were glaringly obvious. His proficiency with the Primordial Runes was shaky at best, and his magecraft was half-baked. He didn't have any powerful skills to fall back on; he was just a weakling, a piece of trash.

Odin had mentioned that Shirou had been reset countless times, and in those resets, he'd picked up a huge number of skills, ones that were supposedly etched into his very soul. But where were those skills now? Where had they vanished to? Nothing. He had nothing. He was just a weakling. A flowerpot falling from a ten-story building could kill him. A typhoon, a snowstorm... any of them could easily claim his life. All he had left to rely on was his own mind. He had nothing, no incredible growth resources to tap into.

With only the sound of the wind to keep him company, he kept pushing forward. But deep down, he was filled with doubt. Was this path really leading to the city? Could he actually make it to the end?

He didn't know, and his heart was even less certain. Time and time again, he clenched his jaw, trying to summon some shred of confidence. But then he'd feel the warmth of his teacher's wounds seeping into his back, and he'd remember how he'd always relied on her to bring out the manly side of him. Now, with his teacher fallen, it was his turn to step up, to find that strength within himself, but... His lips trembled from the biting cold, his teeth chattering uncontrollably.

Shirou felt his consciousness wavering, threatening to slip away, but he couldn't afford to fall. Not just for his own sake, but even more so for his teacher's. He absolutely refused to let her return to that all-consuming loneliness. The thought of it made his heart ache.

In reality, despite her seemingly transcendent nature, always appearing aloof and detached from the world, what she feared most was being alone, abandoned by everyone. Because even though she put on a strong front, she was still a person living in this human world. He couldn't bear the thought of her going back to that solitary existence. He wouldn't allow himself to fall, because he was a man.

Gradually, his teacher began to stir, her eyes fluttering open. He forced a casual smile, trying to mask his relief and exhaustion. "Teacher, you're awake," he said, attempting to sound nonchalant. "You had me a bit worried there for a moment."

"Mm," she murmured, burying her face in his back.

She must have been incredibly weak, but he reassured her that they'd make it out of this blizzard soon.

Lifting her head slightly, she spoke softly, "Shirou, you should put me down. I'll only slow you down. If you leave me here, you might have a chance at survival..."

Shirou understood where she was coming from. She was worried about him. "How could I possibly leave you behind? You've saved my life more times than I can count. I know you're worried, but I won't abandon you. No matter what, if you're ever in danger, I'll be there to save you. I'll always protect you, Teacher."

He tried to reassure her, but she couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle. She knew her student's abilities all too well. If there was a threat that even she couldn't handle, then her student coming to her aid would be no different than sending him to his death.

"Don't laugh, Teacher. I'm being serious here."

"Haha, okay, okay, I won't laugh anymore, I promise! I won't laugh, just stop. If you keep this up, I swear I'll get you back with a tickle attack of my own once I'm better."

"I know you're laughing at me for thinking too highly of myself, hmph. If you don't believe me, you'll see when the time comes. And when that happens, try not to fall head over heels for my dashing good looks."

She laughed and nodded, assuming he was just saying those things to make her feel better. She didn't realize that he meant every word. But deep in his heart, Shirou had already made a decision: no matter what happened, he would protect her.

After what felt like an eternity, they finally emerged from the blizzard and reached the city. Shirou's knowledge proved invaluable as he called for an ambulance and got his teacher to the hospital.

With the help of modern medicine, his teacher ultimately avoided experiencing the feeling of death. It was strange to think of a Servant being hospitalized, but as long as his teacher was okay, nothing else mattered. Shirou breathed a sigh of relief, feeling the weight of the world lift from his shoulders.

Just then, Odin appeared before him again, looking even more disheveled than the last time they'd met. His body was riddled with cracks, as if he might shatter into pieces at any moment.

"So, have you managed to put your doubts to rest, lost soul?" Odin asked, his voice tinged with a hint of weariness.

"Odin, you..."

"I was already on the brink of disappearing before, so this... it's nothing. I was close to vanishing anyway." He spoke lightly of the broken scars that marred his body, as if they were trivial matters. "But there are many things that even I, who drank from Mimir's Well, do not know..."

Odin paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts before continuing. "The Beast has made its appearance. Or perhaps, I should say that somewhere along the countless resets, you must have already encountered it. And you... you might be their target."

"Why?!" Shirou couldn't help but blurt out, his voice laced with confusion and a touch of desperation.

"I don't know. But it might have something to do with that power of yours."

"What power?" Shirou pressed.

"Within you, there exists a wealth of skills, accumulated through countless resets. Everything in your body, it comes from you, obtained by your own efforts. And that, lost soul, will be your greatest asset."

Odin continued, "Among the myriad skills etched into your soul, they will become your best hope if you wish to avoid death."

"I really want to believe you're lying to me," Shirou frowned, his frustration evident. "I don't have any of these... skills you're talking about. How am I supposed to use them or even find them in the first place?"

"I'm afraid I can't help you with that. The skills you painstakingly accumulated through countless resets, they're all engraved in your soul. It's up to you to find them; no one else can help you with that."

Shirou's frown deepened, dissatisfied with the answer, but he knew pressing further would be a waste of the limited time they had. Odin could disappear at any moment, so he quickly moved on to the next crucial question. "Who exactly is my true enemy?"

"I don't know either. But the Wisdom of Mimir tells me that someone has been observing you, watching your every move, since the very beginning of your resets..."

Odin's words hung in the air as his figure faded away completely, leaving Shirou with a growing sense of unease and doubt. For the first time, a question formed in his mind.

He'd thought he understood this world countless times, but each time, the world seemed to whisper back, "You are too arrogant." This world, it was filled with too many mysteries, secrets that he had barely begun to unravel. He hadn't even been aware that he was being reset, let alone that someone had been observing him all this time.

As he stood there, frozen with uncertainty, a profound question from a novel he had read long ago suddenly popped into his mind. In the story, sheep kept in a pen were fed daily at noon by their owner. The scientists among the sheep concluded, "Food will always fall from the sky at noon." But one day, the owner came with a knife to slaughter them instead. Shirou couldn't help but wonder: could his own understanding of the world be just as limited and flawed as the sheep's?

He had always believed he knew the truth about his life and the people around him, but now he was being forced to confront the possibility that he had been wrong all along. The more he thought about it, the more he realized he'd been drawn into a terrifying vortex, one that he'd been involved in from the very beginning, from who knows how long ago.

But now, he had no time to dwell on this matter. The frost giants were about to invade, and this was definitely not something he and his teacher could handle alone. It would require the cooperation of all the magi in this world, various Servants, the military, and the United Nations to tackle this mythological invasion together!