Chapter 78: The Trumpet of Comeback! Crushing the Man of Great Fortune!
Not long after the divine bet between Shirou and Apollo began, Shirou found himself completely suppressed by Apollo, teetering on the verge of losing the match.
Seeing this, Apollo's face regained his confident smile, once again fully believing in the power of his divine authority.
His earlier shaken state—due to Hyacinthos's defeat in the arena—vanished, replaced by a renewed sense of arrogant composure.
Meanwhile, though Shirou's attitude remained unshaken, the situation was clearly turning against him.
Apollo's authority of "Extreme Fortune" remained effective even in this highly competitive dwarf-style billiards match. Not only did it allow Apollo to easily strike the balls he wanted, but it also disrupted Shirou's shots through various luck-based factors, preventing him from hitting his targets.
And due to the unique rules of billiards, a player who continues to pocket balls can keep taking turns. This meant Apollo might win in one go, pocketing all the balls without ever giving Shirou another chance to play.
"Whoa, this isn't looking good," Loki muttered, watching with concern as she turned to Shirou. "Didn't you prepare for this kind of situation? You must have a trump card, right?"
Shirou didn't respond to Loki's comment.
His eyes were locked on the billiards table, as if trying to memorize the exact positions of every ball to find a way to break through the sun god's authority.
But Apollo's divine power was currently overwhelming and unreasonable.
Unless Shirou could somehow interrupt Apollo's turn and regain control of the cue ball, there was simply no visible chance of a comeback.
Even Loki, the god of trickery, couldn't imagine a way for Shirou to turn the tables.
"This guy has no chance. Just give up, Loki," Apollo sneered, his smile once again full of self-satisfaction. "Choosing dwarf billiards was a commendable tactic, but you still underestimated the power of my [Extreme Fortune] authority! Dwarf billiards may seem to have the least randomness, but in reality, the chaos from dozens of balls interacting creates endless variables! And as long as chance is involved, my power will always lead me down the correct path! In this match, there is no way I can lose! Hahaha, hahahahaha!"
As he spoke, Apollo struck again.
With effortless precision, he indirectly knocked another blue ball into the pocket.
Even more absurdly, the ball he struck seemed to exert some kind of magnetic pull, naturally guiding the other balls toward the edges of the pockets—shifting the game in his favor in an utterly unreasonable way.
Witnessing this, even Freya, watching from the sidelines, furrowed her brows, feeling conflicted by Shirou's obviously disadvantaged position.
But just like Loki, Freya had no power to influence this match. Both could only observe the game unfold in silence.
At this rate, it was obvious to anyone watching: the outcome of this bet was no longer in doubt.
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Back in the arena after the War Game had ended…
The members of the Hestia Familia were gathered, celebrating their recent victory with great enthusiasm.
But amid the excitement, Yamato Mikoto of the Takemikazuchi Familia suddenly approached with a serious expression. "Can you come with me for a moment? It's a request from Lord Emiya."
"From Shirou?"
"Shirou-nii?"
Hearing Mikoto's words, both Hestia and Bell, along with Lili, looked visibly confused.
Still, knowing the close relationship between Mikoto and Shirou, they didn't hesitate and followed her without question. To their surprise, she led them to a very unexpected place—the red-light district of Orario.
Once there, Mikoto took the Hestia Familia into a tavern, where they encountered a surprising individual.
"Soma? What are you doing here?"
"Hestia, you all came too, huh?"
Soma wasn't surprised in the slightest by their arrival. He simply nodded silently and spoke with a serious expression, "This time, Master Emiya asked for my help, so I came without hesitation."
"Master Emiya… You really think of Shirou as your master, huh?" Hestia couldn't help but retort.
"Because it was Master Emiya who helped me realize the beauty of cuisine—he made me, once wholly consumed by divine liquor, understand that alcohol is merely a side dish. Only the finest cuisine can truly bring out the essence of wine!"
It seemed Soma had become completely immersed in the culinary world ever since his last showdown of divine wine versus food.
Recently, the others had also heard that Soma had opened a tavern where he sold both wine and food.
However, his cooking was only average—most customers came for the drinks.
"Since we're all gathered here, it must mean that Shirou's request is something very important… and very difficult?" Hestia looked around at everyone present, unable to hide her curiosity.
"It is important, but whether it's difficult… that depends," Mikoto replied with a subtle expression.
She then shared the task Shirou had entrusted to her.
"Lord Emiya's request is simple. He needs us to wrap this chain around the god Apollo—no matter how we do it, as long as we can manage that, it'll be enough."
As she spoke, Mikoto took out the Chains of Heaven Shirou had given her.
At first glance, it looked like an ordinary chain. But the moment Hestia and Soma—both gods—laid eyes on it, they instinctively felt a deep sense of unease. It was as if fire had met water, ice had met a furnace, or a virus had encountered a sterilizer…
Of course, since the chain's effects weren't active yet, they only experienced a faint discomfort and weren't actually restrained in any way.
"So Apollo is secretly scheming something…" Hestia muttered, her expression turning complicated. "It's a bit annoying that Shirou kept this from us, but I understand why—he's doing it to keep us safe. Besides, when facing a god on Apollo's level, there's honestly nothing we can do to help."
Her words cast a shadow over the group.
All of them had deep feelings for Shirou, and none of them wanted to see him fight alone.
"Still, we do have a way to help now," Mikoto said, tightening her grip on the chain. "I don't know the full reason behind it, but if he entrusted this task to us, it must be vital. We have to make sure we succeed."
"All we need to do is place this chain on Apollo, right?" Lili raised her hand quietly. "Actually, Lord Emiya already worked out a plan with me in advance for this."
"Oh?"
Everyone turned to look at Lili.
After all, no one else had a clear idea of how to sneak a glowing chain onto a god's body. It seemed almost impossible.
But Lili simply gave a sly smile.
As a former expert thief, stealth and sleight of hand were her specialties.
She quickly laid out the plan she and Shirou had developed and expressed full confidence that as long as they executed it correctly, they could pull it off without anyone realizing.
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Inside the casino…
Apollo's authority had been fully activated, leading him to consecutive victories.
Most of the blue balls on the billiards table had already vanished, pocketed one after another by Apollo alone.
And during this entire process, Shirou hadn't even had a single turn.
Using his invincible [Extreme Fortune], Apollo had landed every shot with 100% accuracy, leaving Shirou no opportunity for a comeback.
"Heh, even now, it's not too late to surrender, you know."
Apollo's expression had fully returned to his usual arrogant and self-righteous self as he smiled and said, "If you're willing to join my Familia, Emiya Shirou, I wouldn't mind telling you a few things about the Dark Faction you're so curious about."
Regarding Apollo's clearly disruptive attitude aimed at interfering with his concentration, Shirou gave no response.
His gaze remained fixed firmly on the pool table, engraving the position of every ball into his memory, while simultaneously sketching out a perfect route in his mind.
It could be said that if he were given even one opportunity to strike, there was a high probability he could break through the seal imposed by Apollo's divine power and forcibly sink a ball into a pocket.
However, due to the rules of Dwarven pool, he hadn't even had a single chance to shoot. As long as Apollo didn't make the mistake of failing to pocket a ball, Shirou had no chance of victory.
"Crack!" While Shirou was deep in thought, Apollo, as if flaunting and showing off his power, smugly sank another blue ball into the pocket.
After that shot, only one blue ball remained on the table. If Apollo pocketed that final blue ball, and then sank the black ball, the gambling match would end in his complete victory.
At this point, Apollo's demeanor became increasingly confident. With a cheerful smile, he strolled around the table like a lion surveying his territory.
But precisely because of his excessive arrogance and self-assuredness, he unintentionally bumped into a maid standing nearby. The tray and drinks the maid had been holding spilled all over Apollo.
"I-I'm terribly sorry, Lord Apollo!!" Realizing she had made a mistake, the maid's face was filled with fear and panic.
"..." Apollo was clearly displeased as he looked down at his soaked clothes, his expression darker than ever before.
However, perhaps because he was about to win the match, or maybe due to the presence of two high-ranking gods—Loki and Freya—Apollo didn't want to lose composure in front of rival Familia deities, and thus aimed to show some magnanimity.
So, he spared the maid who had dirtied his clothes and only ordered her to fetch a replacement outfit.
"Th-thank you very much, Lord Apollo!" Hearing his words, the maid seemed to breathe a huge sigh of relief.
She quickly left the gambling venue, rushing off to retrieve the change of clothes for Apollo.
Normally, this sort of task would have been handled by Apollo's most trusted subordinate, Hyacinthos, but since Hyacinthos was still lying in the Dian Cecht Familia's intensive care unit due to his duel with Bell, Apollo had no choice but to leave such matters to a maid.
Due to his soiled clothes, Apollo temporarily paused the match.
"Well, perhaps this is fate. I'll grant you a brief moment to catch your breath, Shirou Emiya." Apollo smiled confidently, "Before I claim victory, I'll let you struggle just a bit more. Show me just how much you can still do—Hahahahaha!"
Apollo's laughter echoed through the casino. Facing Apollo's overwhelming confidence, Shirou clearly had no intention of using the pause to rest.
He continued to fix his eyes firmly on the pool table, analyzing every angle and trajectory to perfection.
Even Loki and Freya couldn't understand his actions. After all, the most critical factor in this match was how to make Apollo make a mistake. If Apollo didn't miss a single shot and continued to sink every ball, Shirou wouldn't even get a chance to play—he would lose without lifting his cue. At this point, continuing to analyze the table seemed utterly pointless.
While everyone remained confused, the maid returned from a distance with Apollo's change of clothes. It was a splendid outfit, adorned with many decorations and shimmering in gold.
As the sun god, Apollo's aesthetic preference was for flashy gold—he wished for every piece of his clothing to gleam with golden embellishments. Of course, under normal circumstances, he wouldn't wear something this extravagant.
But now, as he was about to celebrate his victory, seeing this outfit that so perfectly matched his tastes brought a satisfied smile to his face.
In particular, the golden chain sewn into the outfit caught his eye—he found it especially beautiful, even wondering why he hadn't seen this piece before.
But this was no surprise. With a wardrobe as extensive as the treasure vault of some tyrannical golden king, it was impossible for Apollo to remember every outfit.
Thus, he calmly put on this golden, victory-symbolizing outfit and, like a man on a triumphant stroll, walked back to the pool table, preparing to sink the final blue ball.
"What a pity, Shirou Emiya," Apollo said with a smile as he looked toward Shirou. "Even though you've surprised me, trying to challenge a god… a mere mortal like you can never succeed! Today, let me carve that truth deeply into your mind!"
As he spoke, he casually struck the cue ball with the cue stick, just as he had before.
According to Apollo's plan, this shot would not only sink the blue ball, but also cause a chain reaction that would pocket the black ball immediately afterward. He intended to end the match with this single, unexpected shot—leaving Shirou with no possibility of a comeback!
However— A completely unexpected scene shocked not just Apollo, but everyone present.
After striking the blue ball, the white cue ball failed to send it into the pocket. Instead, due to an excessive deflection, the cue ball itself rolled directly into a pocket.
"What!?" Seeing this, Apollo completely lost his composure.
He stared in disbelief at the blue ball, which spun in place but stubbornly refused to fall into the pocket as he had anticipated. It was as if his mind had been hit by a hammer—he couldn't think at all.
Loki and Freya, watching from the sidelines, were also stunned. The two exchanged glances, completely unprepared for such a turn of events.
"A mistake? Apollo made a mistake?" Loki spoke in disbelief.
"With the power of [Extreme Fortune], he shouldn't be able to miss. Unless… his fortune itself failed..." Compared to Loki, Freya thought more deeply—but even she couldn't comprehend why Apollo's divine power would suddenly fail.
Meanwhile, Shirou had shown no reaction throughout the entire sequence of events. As if he had foreseen it all, he quietly walked up to the table and retrieved the cue ball from the pocket.
"Free ball!"
As in the pre-isekai world's pool rules, if the cue ball falls into the pocket, the opposing player not only gains the right to shoot but may also place the ball anywhere on the table.
Shirou had thus earned a free ball opportunity. And without doubt—this was the moment he had been waiting for all along. The true turning point of the match!