Chapter 96: The Third Divine War! Shirou vs War God Kali!
The Chaotic Underground.
As soon as the mutated plant appeared, the two goddesses Ishtar and Freya, along with the members of the Hestia and Takemikazuchi Familias, began retreating toward the surface of the Daedalus Street as quickly as possible.
After all, the appearance of that mutated plant was far too terrifying—it gave off an overwhelming sense of dread on par with a dungeon's solitary floor boss.
Even with the two goddesses of beauty present, their power of enchantment could only be used against intelligent beings.
Against dungeon monsters driven purely by instinct, their charm was ineffective.
Therefore, at the moment chaos broke out, the two goddesses instinctively left the scene.
However, after running for a while toward the surface, the group suddenly realized something strange—the massive disturbance caused by the monster had disappeared completely without anyone noticing.
Not only had the chaos subsided, but a peculiar energy fluctuation could be sensed from afar—something that only occurred during battles between humans.
Freya was the first to sense something unusual. She immediately turned to scan the people around her and couldn't help but ask: "Where is Emiya? Where is Shirou?"
"..."
Upon hearing Freya's question, Ishtar and the members of the Hestia and Takemikazuchi Familias finally realized—Shirou wasn't with them.
Bell suddenly remembered something and muttered, "Shirou-niisan said he wanted to stay behind to observe… So he didn't come with us."
"What!?"
Hearing Bell's words, most of the people present couldn't help but show expressions of worry. Even the goddess Ishtar, who was usually proud and aloof, now seemed deeply concerned about Shirou's safety—none of them wanted him to die.
There were only a few people who weren't worried about Shirou staying in the area where chaos had broken out.
For example—Bell and Liliruca. These two knew Shirou's strength well.
Apart from them, there was also the goddess Freya.
She too seemed to have an understanding of Shirou's power. So even knowing that he remained in the most dangerous place, she showed no signs of panic.
"Should we go back and help?"
A member of the Takemikazuchi Familia spoke up. Because Shirou had saved their Familia during the Apollo incident, the Takemikazuchi Familia held deep respect and admiration for him. So even knowing the danger ahead, they still wanted to return to save him.
"Lili thinks we should go find reinforcements first." Lili was much calmer than the others—and she knew just how strong Shirou was. "If we can regroup with Lord Takemikazuchi and members of the Freya Familia, we'll have a better chance."
"..."
Everyone agreed with Lili's suggestion.
With just the people present, they had little chance of defeating that terrifying mutated plant.
But if they could regroup with the high-level adventurers from the Freya Familia—those Level 6 and even Level 7 elites—they might be able to easily overcome the crisis underground.
Just as everyone decided to go search for reinforcements, a squad from the Takemikazuchi Familia arrived from the distance—led by none other than their main god, Takemikazuchi himself.
"Lord Takemikazuchi!?"
Seeing him appear, the Takemikazuchi Familia members let out a collective sigh of relief.
Their strongest warrior, Yamato Mikoto, also arrived with him—clearly strong reinforcements.
After exchanging quick updates on what had happened underground, Takemikazuchi frowned.
"A monster-type enemy, huh? That's a real problem."
"What do you mean?" Lili asked in confusion. "Didn't you say you could take on a Level 5 adventurer?"
"Yeah… but that's only against humans." Takemikazuchi sighed. "Without being able to use divine power, my physical body is no different from a normal human's. Against large monsters with high defense and hard-to-locate weak points, I can't do much damage."
"How could this be…?"
Hearing that Takemikazuchi was basically powerless in this situation, the crowd expressed visible disappointment.
That meant they still couldn't go rescue Shirou—they'd have to keep searching for other reinforcements if they had any hope of saving him.
.
.
.
Tap… tap…
Just as everyone was contemplating their next move, a series of clear, rhythmic footsteps echoed from afar.
Before long, under everyone's gaze, a towering boar-man stepped forward from the far end of the road, approaching slowly and steadily.
"What a complicated terrain… but thanks to Hedin's magic, I managed to find you, Lady Freya."
"Ottar? You've finally arrived."
Seeing the man named Ottar, Freya visibly relaxed.
The goddess of beauty, who had remained alert and cautious until now, finally let down her guard completely.
At the same time, the rest of those present were visibly shaken by Ottar's appearance.
Anyone in Orario would know of this man:
"Orario's only Level 7," "The Strongest in the Labyrinth City," "The Freya Familia's Ultimate Weapon"— All these titles spoke to his unparalleled might.
And truly—once Ottar appeared on the scene, everyone present felt an indescribable sense of awe, as though they were staring directly at a mountain.
Bell instinctively lowered his head. He couldn't imagine such a monstrously powerful being actually existed in this world.
Compared to Ottar, the Jacintos he had defeated before felt like mere weeds—completely insignificant.
Only Ishtar and Takemikazuchi, the two gods, remained calm in the face of Ottar's presence.
But even they couldn't afford to act arrogant in front of him—they had to show respect for the strongest active force in Orario.
"Alright then. Now that Ottar is here, we can go back." Freya smiled and waved her hand.
"Even if that kind of monster appears again—or even shows up in person—there's no need to panic."
"As long as I'm here, I won't let any harm come to Lady Freya."
Ottar radiated a calm aura that seemed capable of suppressing all threats.
With his presence, everyone else finally relaxed, realizing they likely wouldn't face another sudden catastrophe like before.
However, just as they were preparing to set out and return to rescue Shirou, a sudden surge of overwhelming energy erupted in the distance.
The energy felt like fire, like a blazing sun—both suppressive and radiating the presence of a being unlike any other.
Normal people couldn't understand the essence of that power. But the three gods present all instinctively raised their heads the moment that light appeared—each revealing expressions of utter disbelief.
"Divine power? That's divine power!?" Ishtar's eyes widened. "How could a god be using divine power in the lower world!?"
"That doesn't seem like divine power…" Freya stared more intently. "It only looks like divine power. But in essence, it's more like an authority… or should I say, a god's authority is being used over there!"
"Are there other gods underground?" Takemikazuchi clicked his tongue. "And that direction… seems to be where Emiya is, right?"
"Something's not right. Let's hurry over there!"
At Freya's command, the group didn't hesitate and immediately began to move, heading toward the area enveloped by divine power.
After defeating two Level 6 members of Kali's Familia, Shirou silently dismissed all the projected weapons and turned his gaze toward the goddess Kali.
"Alright, I've already defeated all of your Familia members," Shirou looked calmly at Kali. "Now, you can agree not to reveal what just happened, right?"
"Hehe, you really are stronger than I imagined, Emiya Shirou." Kali looked at him with a somewhat emotional expression. "Just from that battle earlier, this one feels you may even surpass Orario's so-called strongest, Ottar of Freya's Familia."
"Who knows."
Shirou was unmoved by Kali's words that seemed aimed to provoke his competitiveness.
He never viewed his own strength as a means of boasting or seeking victory over others.
To Shirou, strength had only one purpose: to protect the things that should be protected, and to shield the people who need protection.
That was all.
"…"
Seeing that her words had no effect on Shirou, Kali seemed a bit disappointed. She looked deeply at him and helplessly said, "I didn't expect both Argana and Bache to lose. In that case, it seems this one must agree to your request… after all, I don't want to be killed and sent back to Tenkai."
"If you're willing to make a divine contract with me, promising not to reveal what happened today, then I won't lay a hand on you."
If possible, Shirou didn't want to fight a god directly.
After all, gods possessed divine power.
Although such power was not allowed to be used in the Lower World, if the god in question were to ignore everything and forcefully activate it — even at the cost of being returned to Tenkai — the resulting consequences would be beyond what Shirou could handle.
So even if he viewed Kali as an evil god, Shirou was still willing to take a step back, merely asking for a contract, not going as far as to kill a deity.
"A divine contract, huh? Indeed, that's the most reliable condition. Gods cannot violate contracts they've made, nor the words they've spoken, or it would mean breaking the laws of the Lower World."
Kali seemed to approve of Shirou's condition and nodded.
However, in the next second, her expression suddenly changed, a playful and wicked smile spreading across her face as she said, "But this one doesn't want to make such a simple and boring contract."
"Boring?"
"That's right. Since things have come this far, why not make it a bit more exciting?"
Kali bared metaphorical demonic fangs and said coldly with a smile: "Here's the divine contract — Emiya Shirou, come and challenge this one in a 'War God Game.' If you win, this one will admit defeat and agree to any condition you ask — even returning to Tenkai. But if I win, you must become my slave and accompany me to the War Nation, Telskyura!"
"War God Game?"
Hearing this unfamiliar term, Shirou showed a confused expression.
Kali quickly explained the concept of this so-called War God Game.
As the Goddess of Strife, Kali possessed a divine authority called "War Arena." Once this authority is activated, she can unconditionally designate a mortal as her opponent and engage them in a fair one-on-one battle within the "War Arena." The arena remains active until a definitive victor is decided.
There were three key rules of the War Arena:
Equal Strength: Both participants will have their strength forcibly reduced to the same level — about that of a Level 1 human adventurer. It's a perfectly balanced match. No Magic Allowed: The arena completely suppresses magic. The amount of magical energy in the air is reduced to near zero, making it impossible to use any magical power. Fixed Arena: The combatants are restricted to a fixed range within the arena. If either one exits this boundary, they automatically lose.
Aside from these three core rules, there are almost no other restrictions in the arena.
The arena provides a variety of weapons and equipment for both sides to use.
The duelists can employ any kind of combat skill — as long as it's not magic and within the level cap, the fight is essentially unrestricted!
"That's the condition this one proposes. What do you say? Are you willing to accept it?" Kali looked at Shirou with burning eyes. "By the way, if you don't accept, then this one can't agree to your earlier request. Even if it means being forced back to Tenkai, this one will use divine power to stop whatever outrageous actions you might take."
Kali's words were practically locking Shirou into a position where he had no choice but to accept.
If he wanted Kali to stay silent about today's events, he could only accept her terms and participate in the so-called War God Game.
Although Shirou couldn't sense any disadvantage in the rules — in fact, they even seemed to be in his favor, given his vast combat experience from his identity as Heroic Spirit Emiya — he remained cautious.
Even if magic was suppressed, he was confident in his victory.
However, the fact that Kali dared to propose such a duel showed that she too was confident in her own strength under the arena's restrictions and believed she could defeat Shirou.
After a long moment of silence, Shirou sighed, his gaze once again becoming resolute.
"Looks like I don't have any other choice. Fine — I accept. Let's sign the contract!"
"Hehe… rest assured. A god's words are in themselves a contract that cannot be broken."
Kali looked deeply at Shirou, her eyes full of extreme anticipation. "It's been so, so long since I last played the War God Game… Finally, I've found a mortal worthy of it. Show me how far you can go, Emiya Shirou!"
As Kali finished speaking, an overwhelming surge of energy erupted from her body.
A power resembling divine force exploded outward, rapidly altering the surrounding environment — transforming the once-dark underground street into a stage like an ancient Roman coliseum.
There was no doubt.
This was the War Arena constructed by Kali through her divine authority — a stage she had carefully prepared for a battle between god and mortal!