Faster than the howling wind or the echoes of an expanding sound, she streaked across the night sky like a meteor tearing through darkness.
With her crimson hair blazing, Artoria, a [Steel] Goddess, caught up to the Marquis Voban, whom she had just kicked into the air. Without hesitation, she reached out with her free hand and grabbed the marquis, dragging him along.
Moments later, Artoria arrived above a desolate, barren desert.
"This place should do, right?"
She muttered to herself, adjusting her direction midair.
Winds swirled relentlessly, lifting waves of sand, and towering rock formations dotted the landscape in abundance.
Three "meteors" slammed into the ground, carving out massive craters with an impact too powerful for the arid terrain to resist.
Rocks shattered and dust surged skyward.
Amid the rising sandstorm, Artoria's figure emerged, fully encased in her menacing black armor and gripping [Excalibur Morgan] in her hand. She lifted her gaze, staring intently toward the two craters ahead.
"I've chosen the battlefield. Do you two need a moment to catch your breath?"
Suddenly, an anomaly arose.
Under the blazing sun, the clear sky became overcast with thick clouds, crackling with flashes of pale lightning that illuminated the heavens.
It was the manifestation of divine wrath.
A torrential downpour blanketed the dry desert, with fierce winds howling in unison.
To command the climate, to overturn deserts with rainstorms, or to evaporate seas with divine fire—this was the power of a Campione, the godslayer.
"How amusing… I've been underestimated, haven't I? Since I became a Campione, no one has dared to treat me with such disdain!"
"Good… very good! You've thoroughly enraged me, nameless goddess!"
The billowing sands, whipped into a frenzy by the storm, coalesced into a sandstorm far more potent than an ordinary tornado.
The destructive force contained within was terrifying; each grain of sand carried enough power to pierce steel.
The landscape turned into a chaotic, hazy void. Towering sandstorms, as if they were colossal pillars holding up the heavens, erupted one after another, surging toward Artoria.
Facing the onslaught capable of shredding mortal flesh into minced meat, Artoria raised her sword single-handedly and, with a casual horizontal slash, countered the attack.
In the next instant, black flames, roaring like an enraged dragon, tore through the sand-filled sky and left a gaping void in the storm.
Although Marquis Voban's ability to control the weather was awe-inspiring, its power was too scattered. It was effective for clearing away lesser enemies but lacked the concentrated lethality required to pose a threat to an opponent of equal standing.
In truth, while Marquis Voban was said to possess the most authorities among Campiones, many of them were of limited use in direct combat. Compared to him, his old rival Luo Hao was far more adept at one-on-one battles.
As Artoria considered this, a surge of divine power erupted in the distance—a presence vast and radiant like a blazing sun, spreading its light over the desolate land.
In that moment of dazed astonishment, Artoria seemed to see a massive black dragon with blood-red eyes, double horns jutting from its head, and massive wings stretched out behind it. The beast lunged toward her with its jaws wide open.
Clang!
The crisp sound of metal striking metal rang out, deafening and sharp.
The immense force, once used to slay dragons, sent Artoria flying backward. The air currents generated by her rapid retreat tore through the ground, leaving jagged fissures in their wake.
Only after regaining her footing did Artoria steady herself, noticing a long trench carved into the earth beneath her feet. At the far end of the trench stood the figure radiating scorching divine brilliance, the [Steel] God with crimson hair.
"Hahaha! Consider that a return gift for your earlier strike!"
"I take back what I said earlier! Though you are a woman, you are also a superb warrior—one of the finest even among the countless legends sung of gods and heroes!"
His praise for Artoria was unrestrained, though it carried the tone of a superior acknowledging a subordinate.
An overwhelming surge of mana erupted like flames, and the towering figure of the [Steel] God exuded a suffocating aura of dominance.
"But! Even the finest warrior cannot hope to be my equal! For I am the King of Warriors! The Slayer of Dragons and Serpents! The Sovereign of Battlefields!"
At that moment, the armor encasing the [Steel] God seemed to come alive, transforming into a ferocious dragon with claws and fangs bared. Violent mana roared like a volcano on the verge of eruption.
"My name is Siegfried! The indomitable and undefeated [Steel] Hero!"
"Evil demon lord! Courageous warrior! All who stand against me shall meet their end!"
Siegfried, also known as Sigurd.
He is the legendary dragon-slaying hero of Germanic mythology, featured prominently in The Nibelungenlied.
In the Fate universe, Siegfried is an exceptionally powerful Servant, ranked above first-rate Servants but below the realm of broken-tier ones.
Siegfried's most renowned feat was slaying the dragon Fafnir single-handedly and bathing in its blood to gain an immortal body, save for a single vulnerable spot on his back where a linden leaf had fallen.
[Steel] Heroes typically share two characteristics: the act of slaying a dragon or serpent, embodiments of Earth Mother deities, and possessing an immortal body of steel.
However, the essence of a [Steel] Hero lies in their nature as usurpers.
In matriarchal societies, deities of high rank and authority were often female, representing Earth Mother goddesses.
As patriarchal societies replaced matriarchal ones, male deities began to usurp the powers of Earth Mother goddesses by denigrating and defeating them.
The most common method of this usurpation was to vilify dragons and serpents, manifestations of Earth Mother deities, as monstrous entities to be slain. Saint George, Siegfried, and Perseus are all examples of such figures.
Furthermore, obtaining [Steel] weapons from goddesses or nymphs also symbolized the process of male deities seizing power from female ones. Perseus, King Arthur, and even Sun Wukong, who seized the [Ruyi Jingu Bang (Golden Cudgel)] from the Dragon Palace, fall into this category.
This endless appropriation of powers originally belonging to Earth Mother deities is the true essence of [Steel] Heroes.
By slaying dragons and serpents, [Steel] Heroes usurped the immortality once belonging to Earth Mother goddesses. Thus, the characteristics of "slaying dragons and serpents" and "possessing an immortal body" are intrinsically linked.
Without a doubt, Siegfried, with both traits in full measure, is the purest manifestation of a [Steel] Hero.
Moreover… the god before her might not merely be Siegfried, as he had also proclaimed himself the King of Warriors.
The King of Warriors refers to Siegfried's origin: Sigurd, the dragon-slaying hero of Norse mythology.
In Norse myths, Sigurd also slew the dragon Fafnir and became the companion of Brynhildr, a Valkyrie and daughter of Odin. Taking a goddess as a wife symbolized yet another act of [Steel] usurpation.
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...
Huh. You really stuck it out all the way to the end.
Didn't think you had the patience. Guess I was wrong.
WiseTL's the one who actually made all this come together. I'm just here putting a bow on it… or, well, shoving it in a backpack and calling it a day. Same thing.
If you had fun, you know what to do:
👉 [patreon.com/WiseTL]
Heads up—Patreon's 50% off for all tiers during May. So if you were on the fence? Now's the time.
And if you're the social type, there's a Discord too. Pretty decent spot to hang out—no battles required.
👉 [discord.gg/wisetl]
Alright. That's enough standing around. Go on—before you make it weird.
—Leaf