Chapter 43: Clash Beneath the Stone

The dimly lit chamber quaked with silent fury as Kael stood tall before Shirou, his mere presence seeming to command the very earth beneath them. Jagged shadows danced along the stone walls of the assassin's hidden lair, flickering under the light of the enchanted torches. The ground pulsed ominously, as if breathing in tandem with Kael's heartbeat.

A low rumble echoed through the chamber as Kael raised his hand. The floor beneath Shirou's feet cracked and splintered, sharp spikes of rock erupting upward like fangs.

Shirou leapt backwards, twisting in midair just in time to evade being impaled.

Kael smirked, his tone calm and taunting. "You're fast. But let's see how long you can keep dodging."

With a thunderous stomp, Kael sent a surge of energy into the ground. The very layout of the chamber shifted—the stone walls creaked and inched inward, while the floor warped and twisted unnaturally. Pillars of rock burst upward at random angles, reshaping the space into a twisted maze. The ground itself seemed alive, reacting to Shirou's every move.

"Tch," Shirou muttered, landing low and steady, eyes darting across the chaos. "He's not just manipulating the terrain—he is the terrain."

Kael folded his arms, watching Shirou navigate the shifting battlefield like a predator toying with prey. "The ground, the walls, the ceiling… they all obey me. You're fighting in my domain."

"Annoying," Shirou replied with a smirk, sparks of lightning flickering beneath his boots.

With a burst of speed, he surged forward, zigzagging between the rising stone pillars, every step calculated and fluid. A thick wall shot up before him—but Shirou didn't stop.

"Ashbringer: Inferno Surge!"

A torrent of flame roared from his sword, engulfing the wall and reducing it to cinders. Shirou exploded through the crumbling debris, closing the distance between him and Kael with deadly intent. His sword came down in a blazing arc.

Kael calmly raised his arm. The ground responded, forming a thick slab of stone that absorbed the blow with a thunderous crack. Dust and flame billowed, but Kael remained untouched behind his defence.

Shirou narrowed his eyes. "Not bad."

Kael chuckled, his voice echoing with confidence. "Oh, I haven't even started."

He slammed his palm onto the floor, and the ground beneath Shirou collapsed with a roar. The stone fell away, creating a pit of jagged spikes that threatened to consume him.

But Shirou was already in motion, springing to the nearby wall. A spike jutted from where he landed, but he ran along the vertical surface with ease, his body outlined by arcs of lightning. In a flash, he appeared behind Kael.

"Ashbringer: Inferno Surge!"

A vortex of flame spiralled toward Kael, the heat distorting the air itself.

"Earth Release: Seismic Shield!" Kael barked, and a dome of hardened rock encased him. The flame crashed into the shield, cracking it violently. But before the fire could reach him, the ground beneath Kael lifted and shifted, moving him out of the inferno's path.

As the flames died down, Kael stood safely to the side, his laughter echoing. "You can't win against me—not in here. The terrain is mine to control."

Shirou exhaled, then grinned. "Well, I like fighting against odds ."

Kael's eyes gleamed. "So be it."

"Earth Release: Landslide Surge!"

The ground ahead of Kael rushed forward in a massive tidal wave of rock and debris, thundering toward Shirou with unstoppable force.

Shirou launched into the air, narrowly avoiding the wave that buried the ground below him in an avalanche of stone. Midair, he spun gracefully, flames coiling around Ashbringer as he focused his mana.

"Ashbringer: Crimson arc!"

He slashed downward, releasing a blazing arc of flame. It carved through the oncoming surge, splitting the landslide in two and blasting through toward Kael's position.

Kael summoned another stone wall, shielding himself as the fiery wave smashed into it. The stone cracked but held—barely.

But before Kael could recover, Shirou appeared beside him, his blade igniting once more.

"Ashbringer: Inferno Surge!"

This time, Kael was engulfed in the full might of the attack. The chamber fell still, illuminated only by the crackling flames.

Then—

BOOM!

The earth erupted as Kael burst free, surrounded by a sphere of dense rock. His improvised armour shattered as he stepped out, unharmed, dust rolling from his cloak. His smirk returned, though tinged now with tension.

"You still don't get it," Kael sneered. "This place bends to me. You can't win here."

Suddenly, the walls convulsed and burst open. Massive stone hands reached for Shirou from all directions, grasping at him like monstrous limbs.

Shirou's gaze sharpened. "Then I'll destroy everything."

With a surge of energy, lightning coursed through his body. He twisted midair and dove toward Kael, dodging the hands as flames built up around Ashbringer like a fiery storm.

"Earth Release: Thousand Needles!"

Dozens of thin, deadly spikes shot up one after the other, aiming to impale him mid-dive.

But Shirou moved like a phantom, slipping between the spikes with uncanny precision, sparks trailing in his wake.

Kael gritted his teeth. "You really are annoying!"

He slammed both palms into the ground. 

"Earth Release: Stone Coffin!"

Massive slabs of stone erupted from both sides, rushing inward to crush Shirou like a vice.

Shirou planted his feet mid-spin and unleashed a sweeping horizontal slash.

"Ashbringer: Blazing Crescent!"

A ring of flame burst from his blade, cutting through the converging walls in a clean, molten arc. The stone crumbled into smouldering chunks, collapsing harmlessly.

Kael's eyes widened, just for a moment, before narrowing in focus.

Then he slammed his palm into the floor with a snarl.

"Earth Release: Seismic Wrath!"

A deep, violent quake shook the entire chamber. Cracks spiderwebbed across the floor as towering pillars shot up around Shirou, each one threatening to impale him as the earth crumbled and churned beneath his feet.

The moment Shirou landed, the floor beneath him collapsed, threatening to drag him into the abyss.

But he didn't retreat.

He charged forward through the chaos, dancing between spikes and rubble like a ghost in a storm. Kael raised another wall to block him.

Too slow.

Shirou's flaming blade cut through the barrier, and before Kael could react—

"Ashbringer: Inferno Surge!"

The explosion of fire threw Kael backwards. He skidded along the trembling floor, cloak scorched, the air around him crackling with residual heat.

For the first time, Kael's smirk faded.

Shirou stood tall, rolling his shoulder with a calm that belied the intensity of the battle. His eyes burned with determination.

"Still think I can't win here?"