Her fists were clenched tight.
Hiding her presence as she stalked from the shadows, Summeri had been startled when Leviathan mentioned "two chess players." At first she was shocked, thinking somehow their blood pact with Norton had been exposed by some unknown means.
But then this bastard actually pointed to Shirou as Norton's partner.
This shortsighted fool didn't even spare her a glance! Outrageous! Unforgivable!
You damned Leviathan, I knew all along this water-themed chaos didn't fit Odin's style. So it was you hiding here, working with him, building this dead servant nest and stirring up trouble! Fine, fine… just you wait. When that Shirou kid can't hold out anymore, I, the King of Earth and Stone, Jormungandr, will make my magnificent entrance and pound your chest into mush, strip your hide clean!
Sure, she hadn't accomplished anything of note so far — but hey, she was gorgeous, and in her mind, that was enough.
Suddenly, a thunderous crack tore through the ceiling above, cutting short the brief exchange of words. Leviathan, clearly not as fond of talking as Odin, lost patience and chose action after only a few short sentences.
Plain and simple combat beat any words.
Summeri watched as blazing blue flames and blinding white frost collided and danced. The seawater froze into enduring ice, unyielding and endless!
Realizing his opponent was tricky, Shirou instinctively let his golden eyes ignite, his raging blood and magical circuits lighting up his entire body.
He seized a projected Rage, the massive blade roaring with magical power, and one swing shattered a barrage of ice spears, tearing apart the frosty corridor.
But Leviathan's domain of ice kept growing even fiercer, drawing in torrents of seawater to forge a near-infinite arsenal of icy white weapons.
Then, one after another, projections flared around Shirou, an alchemical field bursting forth, storm and lightning crackling wildly. Ancient swords howled and slashed, slicing up the concrete and even the super-cooled ice.
Their duel became a whirling maelstrom of heat and cold, each second rocking the floor and walls with explosive force.
Shards of ice sprayed like bullets, mist steamed thick and white, chunks of the building rained down like a torrential storm.
In less than thirty seconds, the research facility suspended in the great body of water already showed signs of collapse.
But then, a massive surge of frost exploded outward, crystalline ice spears growing from every crack, spreading and reinforcing the broken structure.
Leviathan had no intention of letting his investment crumble so easily.
And…
As the battle raged, an entire frozen world of icy white objects and jagged shapes took form around Shirou, replacing the ruined walls and floors with an all-encompassing glacial prison.
This underwater battlefield was where Leviathan's terrain advantage truly shone.
Glaciers rose high, sharp ice blades jutted out to block Shirou's movements.
Yet Shirou did not falter. Another projected treasure shot forward, while he used his mind's eye to dodge and parry, slowly moving toward the parts of the building still untouched by ice.
He projected a black bow, loosing a pseudo-treasure arrow. Another ice wall rose before Leviathan — but this time, the treasure went into overdrive, collapsing in a brilliant flash of heat and light. The ice wall shattered, flames and shockwaves blasting apart the frozen battlefield!
'???'
Watching from below, Summeri was dumbstruck. Only when a door-sized sheet of ice fell toward her did she snap back, casually smashing it with a finger.
Then she sank back into deep thought.
…Shirou's power was wild, summoning high-level concept weapons at will, and actually holding his own against a fellow Dragon King, Leviathan.
The fight wasn't at a life-or-death level yet, but Leviathan certainly wasn't going easy — yet Shirou was still matching him blow for blow?
This… this can't be right.
Weren't the top human alchemists, outside a handful of families like Flamel, only capable of crafting regenerative metal weapons at best?
Why… was Shirou's alchemy already deep into "Concept Armament" territory? Was this why Norton called him a "friend"?
Summeri's head filled with little question marks. Norton had never really explained the details of that fight with Odin — she'd assumed Shirou had just played support while Norton carried.
But now… it turned out this guy was the main carry.
Hiss… if that's true, Shirou's combat power might not even be below hers?
Summeri sighed gloomily and held her head in her hands.
…So does she ever get her chance to shine? What was even the point of trailing him here, all nervous and expectant?
That damned Norton, keeping all this from her — she was definitely going to have words with him later.
For now though… maybe she could find something useful here. This place Leviathan built had to be hiding some dirty secrets.
Might as well follow those two girls and go loot the place.
The Queen of Tailgating and Looting, Summeri, slipped away from the battlefield with mixed feelings.
———
"Whoa, is this an earthquake?!"
Sakedo Mai and Nono sprinted up the stairs, feeling the ground shake. As a native of the islands, Sakedo Mai instinctively quipped — but quickly realized it was Shirou's ridiculous combat power.
Another myth-level fight, huh.
She shivered inside. That masked man must also be a Dragon King, to go toe-to-toe with Shirou like this. No wonder the boss valued him so much.
Thinking back to the battle with Odin, she quickly contacted "Chip Girl" to take control of the aquarium and evacuate the civilians.
"Careful!"
Nono yanked Sakedo Mai away from a collapsing wall. "We're close. Whatever they're hiding should be up ahead."
Thanks to Meishou, they moved invisibly and reached the top level, where panicked researchers ran about in chaos.
The Medical Society hadn't delivered the Frigg special tranquilizer, leaving everyone scrambling to stop Melusine Zero's rampage.
The team leader had barked desperate orders, but his people could only gnash their teeth helplessly.
"We still have other test subjects, right? Send them in to suppress Zero!"
"What?!"
One researcher's jaw dropped. Were they really going to waste all their hard-earned test subjects in some barbaric bloodbath?
Another muttered, "This is insane. We've never tested conflict between multiple subjects — no way to guarantee they'll follow orders."
"Then what brilliant ideas do you geniuses have, huh?!" the team leader shouted, already worrying they'd have to grab the data and bail if the Medical Society failed to stop the intruders.
Thud thud thud—
The floor shook violently again, lights flickered out, machines groaned and cracked.
A flying steel part bonked the team leader on the back of the head, knocking him out cold — ending his worries the old-fashioned way.
"Uh… boss is down!" someone yelped.
The rest of the researchers looked around blankly, then bolted in full panic, shoving and squabbling over who got to grab what data first.
In this chaos, Nono and Sakedo Mai slipped through to gather intel.
Incidentally, that metal part that knocked the boss out? Thrown by Sakedo Mai, of course.
Far behind them, Summeri homed in on the center.
She ignored the weak, panicked humans, lowered her presence, and punched open a thick alloy wall to reach the most valuable chamber.
The alarm was blaring, but in the chaos no one came to stop her.
Inside, she laid eyes on "Melusine Zero."
Oh ho… a dead servant test subject, implanted with a spirit and processed with human biology and alchemy — Odin's people really were trying to forge a new generation of "Heroic Warriors."
Ah… the beauty of looting.
A smug smile curled her lips into crescent moons. Any thought of punching Leviathan or yelling at Norton vanished from her mind.
At first sight, she could tell — this Heroic Spirit had no master yet. It was fated for her!
(End of Chapter)
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