Chapter 95: Dual Noble Phantasms Projected! Shirou Defeats Kali's Followers!
Two Amazonian warriors from the warring nation Telskyura charged toward Shirou from the left and right sides of the wide road.
The underground Orario environment was nearly identical to the surface, and even Windmoon Street had been replicated on a one-to-one scale, so the street was wide enough for a pincer attack from multiple directions.
Due to Shirou's recent battle with the mutated plant, the area around the street was still littered with its remains.
The two Amazonian warriors easily used the plant corpses as cover to launch a coordinated pincer attack from different directions.
"Not attacking head-on? Looks like they're really wary of me," Shirou calmly glanced at the two opponents before him.
From their brief exchange earlier, he had already discerned the differences between the two level 6 Amazonian female warriors.
The one with long silver hair was named Argane, a dual-wielding fighter whose movements not only carried explosive force but also a fierce, blood-soaked aura suggesting she'd killed countless enemies.
The other, named Bache, had short gray hair and wore a black veil covering her face.
Her figure was similar to Argane's, but she exuded a mature and uniquely seductive aura.
In short, whether due to their distinct combat styles or because they had just witnessed Shirou instantly kill a mutated plant, both women were extremely cautious.
They chose to attack from different angles while maintaining distance from him.
"Be careful! That guy used fire magic earlier. Don't get hit by it!" Argane openly shared intel with her companion.
"Relax. It's just flashy, offensive magic. That kind of clumsy move won't hit us," Bache seemed very confident in her combat abilities.
Indeed, as level 6 adventurers, their strength was remarkable—even among those of the same rank, they were considered elites.
Still, to Shirou, their movements felt slow.
He hadn't launched an immediate attack not because he couldn't, but because he was curious about how warriors from outside Orario fought.
"Argane, Bache, stop wasting time," From a distance, the goddess Kali rested her chin in her hand.
"I heard the Freya Familia is lurking nearby. Finish this quickly. If that level 7 Ottar shows up, things will get messy."
"Yes."
Receiving Kali's order, Argane and Bache stopped holding back.
They hadn't been stalling out of caution—they believed that, as two level 6s, they could easily subdue Shirou. They'd only delayed to follow a hunter's code: When you strike, strike like thunder.
"Ah!" Argane moved first, blending her figure into the shadows like she had merged with darkness itself.
Shirou turned to face her, ready to react— But suddenly, a massive plant emerged from the shadows!
A huge man-eating flower lunged at him, trying to swallow him whole.
Had the previous one not died? No—it's a second mutated plant!
The Dark Faction had deployed two mutated plants to ambush him.
Faced with the sudden appearance of the monster, Shirou instantly judged the situation and tried to leap back to create distance.
But the angle of attack was too tricky—he had no space to retreat and collided with the monster head-on.
"Boom!" The massive flower swung its tentacles down, aiming to crush him.
At the same time, Argane and Bache kept a sharp eye on the situation from nearby.
For any normal person, this would have been a guaranteed deathtrap. Three-on-one—survival was impossible.
In fact, Kali, Argane, and Bache had all relaxed, fully convinced Shirou couldn't survive.
But none of them noticed that Shirou's expression remained completely calm— As if he didn't take this dire situation seriously at all.
"Trace On"
Faced with attacks from three sides, Shirou chose to handle the monster in front first. Now that he knew the plant's weakness was fire, he didn't hesitate— He once again projected the Noble Phantasm of the Heroic Spirit Nero.
"Aestus Estus: The Original Flame!"
A crimson magic sword formed in his hands. Gripping it with both hands, he unleashed a flaming blade of immense power.
"BOOM!" The flames surged violently through the air, quickly engulfing the mutated plant and burning it to ash.
But just eliminating the monster didn't end the crisis.
Argane and Bache's eyes lit up when they saw Shirou swing Original Flame.
"Now's our chance! He used that fire spell!" "He must be out of strength—finish him!"
They believed Shirou wouldn't be able to resist after using such a powerful attack.
After all, adventurers only have three magic or skill slots, and the stronger the magic, the longer the cooldown or casting time.
They were sure Shirou had entered a post-cast cooldown window, leaving him vulnerable.
"—Bite the enemy." "Velgus!"
Bache moved first, activating her magic.
Her right hand extended straight, suddenly covered by a black-purple membrane. The membrane was sticky, writhing, and grotesque—completely defying the glamorous image magic typically evokes.
With that power, Bache lunged at Shirou like a venomous snake, her pitch-black hand aiming directly for his throat.
"!!!" Shirou blocked with Aestus Estus and tried to use the plant corpse as a shield.
But to his surprise, Bache's black hand had a terrifying corrosive property—it pierced straight through the plant's remains!
"Poison?!" Shirou instantly realized the nature of her magic— Her right hand had become a venomous fang that ignored defenses.
"Exactly. If you don't want to die from the poison, just give up." Bache was certain Shirou couldn't withstand her attack.
At such close range, her poison magic combined with Amazonian brute force should be enough to overwhelm any enemy.
If her hand even brushed him, the poison would spread instantly, paralyzing him.
Argane and Kali thought the same. They stood calmly on the sidelines, watching the close-quarters fight and waiting for Shirou to be bitten by the venomous fang.
"Bang!"
Soon, Bache kicked Aestus Estus out of Shirou's hand.
Forced to dodge her poison hand, Shirou had to limit his movements, falling into an extreme disadvantage.
"Got you!"
Seeing Shirou weaponless, Bache naturally assumed he was helpless. She lunged forward recklessly, eager to grab him with her venomous hand.
Even the slightest touch would inject poison into his body instantly.
However—
"Trace On!" "Gae Dearg - Crimson Rose of Exorcism!"
Shirou's right hand slowly rose.
Vast magical power condensed and transformed into a long crimson spear radiating oppressive energy.
As Bache closed in, attempting to land her fatal blow, Shirou swung the newly projected spear— And stabbed it straight through her arm!
"What?! What kind of magic is this?!"
Seeing Shirou conjure a weapon out of thin air, Bache, Argane, and Kali were all stunned.
They weren't native to Orario— So they'd never heard of the legend of the Sword Demon in the Dungeon.
So when Shirou created weapons from nothing, their expressions were filled with pure disbelief.
On the other hand, though Shirou had pierced Bache with the cursed crimson spear, She still managed, at the last moment, to grab his shoulder with her poisonous hand.
"Got you!" Excitement flashed in Bache's eyes. She paid no attention to the fact that her body had been pierced by a long spear.
Because as long as her magic successfully struck the opponent, no matter how serious her own injuries were, the one who would first become unable to fight back would always be the enemy.
Up until now, Bache had never encountered someone immune to her magic, so she believed she would definitely bring Shirou down this time as well.
"Squelch!" But what Bache couldn't believe was that even after Shirou pulled out the anti-magic Gae Dearg from her body and kicked her flying, her poisonous touch still hadn't taken effect.
It was as if her magic had never touched Shirou—it was completely nullified.
"Impossible! How could this happen?!" For the first time, Bache's expression completely collapsed upon witnessing her magic lose effect.
Shirou, on the other hand, silently swung his crimson spear as if this outcome was to be expected.
Yes, Bache's magic didn't fail to affect Shirou—it was neutralized by the Noble Phantasm he had projected: the Gae Dearg.
As the Noble Phantasm of the Heroic Spirit Diarmuid, it had a special ability: it could bypass magic-based defenses and easily penetrate armor made from magical energy.
It achieved this because, once activated, the spear could nullify ongoing magical enhancements and enchantments.
As long as the magical energy was actively flowing, it would be easily broken by the Gae Dearg.
Of course, as a weapon, it had its limitations.
It could only affect spells in the process of activation, and had no effect on completed contracts, curses, or static magical effects.
Bache's poison magic involved channeling magical energy through her hands, constantly maintaining its flow—making it a spell that was always active.
So, when Shirou used the spear, it easily nullified her magic, leaving him immune even when grabbed directly.
"!" Shirou struck the Amazon warrior Bache with a single blow and kicked her away, rendering her immobile.
"Bache actually lost?!" Argana looked on in shock and immediately charged forward to engage Shirou.
Shirou was not particularly skilled with spears, and the Gae Dearg had no other purpose beyond nullifying active magic.
He was quickly overwhelmed by Argana, who even knocked the spear from his hand.
"Die!"
Argana swung her twin blades, moving like a wild beast—swift and deadly like a venomous snake—as she closed in on Shirou for close combat.
Confident in her unmatched close-range combat ability, Argana believed she could suppress Shirou easily.
But to her astonishment, Shirou calmly projected Kanshou and Bakuya and began engaging her at close range.
"Clang!" "Clang! Clang!"
Their blades clashed like a raging storm, sending sparks flying through the air. What shocked Argana most was that her precision melee technique—which she prided herself on—couldn't suppress Shirou.
Every attack was blocked.
"RAAAGGHH!!" The Amazon roared through the underground arena, unleashing all her strength like a berserk beast, desperately trying to wound Shirou.
But ultimately, she couldn't break through his defense.
In terms of defensive swordsmanship, Shirou's parrying skills using Kanshou and Bakuya were top-tier.
He could even fend off Heroic Spirits twice as powerful as himself, so there was no way a mere Level 6 like Argana could break his guard.
"Damn it!" Realizing she couldn't defeat Shirou, Argana gave up and retreated to Bache's side. Shirou initially thought she was going to protect Bache or move her to safety.
But unexpectedly, Argana tore open Bache's wound and began sucking her blood.
"What…?" "Kalima: Blood Drain!" Argana cried, her eyes filled with madness and fervor. "This is my magic—by drinking the blood of the blessed, my abilities skyrocket!"
"I see." Shirou sensed Argana's aura rapidly rising.
Although she still hadn't reached Level 7, after drinking Bache's blood, Argana had nearly reached the peak of Level 6.
"I never had the chance to taste Bache's blood before… but now I finally know how sweet it is," Argana muttered, intoxicated by the strength and ecstasy from the blood. "Ahhh… this power! I feel like I can dominate everything!"
Seeing Argana's satisfied and self-indulgent look, Shirou frowned slightly.
He couldn't sense any emotion of camaraderie from her at all. While drinking Bache's blood, she showed not the slightest guilt—only enjoyment.
If not for the presence of the deity Kali, she might have drained Bache dry without hesitation.
This, beyond doubt, was the nature of Kali's Familia.
They lacked any sense of fellowship or kinship—only endless slaughter and madness. Their so-called companions existed solely to serve as stepping stones to further their own growth.
Faced with such a twisted Familia, Shirou couldn't harbor even a shred of sympathy. And thus, he finally resolved to destroy them completely.
"Trave On"
Shirou raised both hands, projecting two Noble Phantasms simultaneously. From one hand emerged a spiral-shaped longsword— Caladbolg. From the other, a pitch-black, fang-like sword— Hrunting, once forged for Bell.
Now, Shirou had projected this hunting blade himself.
Argana, though surprised, didn't panic.
Her eyes gleamed as she muttered: "Ahh, Bache's blood was already so delicious… if I could drink yours, I'd become even stronger!"
"...Is that all you have in your heart? Just that kind of desire?"
"What's wrong with that?" Argana shot back. "Humans live to become stronger. They kill to grow. They hone themselves through killing and become stronger again! That is the law of the world! That is the truth of existence! The only thing worth doing in life!"
"I'm sorry to disappoint you," Shirou refuted. "But if that were truly the law of this world, then the world deserves to be destroyed."
"Heh! The one who'll be destroyed isn't the world—it's you!"
Argana sneered, then moved with terrifying speed, instantly closing the distance to Shirou. Having absorbed Bache's blood, she had reached the absolute peak of Level 6—surpassing
even Ais Wallenstein. Even in Orario, she now ranked among the strongest.
Her movements were too fast for even the wind to keep up, and her power could destroy mountains in a single blow.
Yet, despite her immense strength—even strength nearing the limits of humanity—Shirou remained unmoved.
"This ends now." "What?!" Argana's expression faltered in confusion. Shirou calmly raised the Caladbolg and swung it effortlessly.
"BOOM!" A terrifying wave of force—like the earth splitting apart—blasted toward Argana. Caught off-guard by Shirou's devastating strike, she tried to block and retreat.
But Shirou's second sword had already reached her.
"Hunt her—Hrunting!" Shirou slashed with the same motion Bell had once used in the coliseum, but his speed and power far exceeded Bell's.
Even at the peak of Level 6, Argana couldn't keep up. The black sword ripped into her body again and again, tearing through her flesh and opening deep wounds.
"AAAAHHH!!!" Argana couldn't believe she was being overwhelmed. She desperately tried to reabsorb her own blood, attempting to activate her Kalima magic once more.
But she quickly noticed something terrifying. Not all of her blood was returning to her—much of it was being absorbed by Shirou's sword.
As Hrunting consumed her blood, it glowed with an eerie light, then unleashed a deadly finishing blow in the shape of a crimson crescent.
"BOOM!" Shirou's sword cleaved through Argana's body. Not only did it shatter her defenses, but it also tore through her chest and ribs, drawing a horrific scream from her.
"AAAAAHHHH!!!" Argana collapsed in agony, as if tortured in hell.
Shirou silently dispelled the projected weapons, looking down at the two fallen Level 6 warriors, then turned his gaze to the distant deity—Kali.
"I already told you—this farce is over." At Shirou's words, the goddess Kali's expression finally turned serious.
Even she hadn't expected her two strongest Familia members to be defeated so easily by a single man, leaving her in stunned silence and contemplation.
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