Chapter 149: The Sea Demon Overturns Babel, the Oathbound Sword of Victory Shakes Orario!
Shirou tried to use the blood of Spirits as a substitute for divine power in order to forge a true god-forged weapon.
This was an idea born from his battle with the artificial angel.
After learning from Hermes that the essence of Spirits was life infused with divine power, Shirou realized that the golden blood flowing within Welf and Ais—descendants of Spirits—was indeed divine power.
Their ability to perform feats beyond human capability and become extraordinary beings was clearly a result of this divine power.
And since divine power existed in the descendants of Spirits, using it to forge a god-forged weapon became a feasible concept.
Of course, Shirou wasn't solely relying on the divine power within the descendants of Spirits.
In fact, his own body now contained an extraordinary amount of divine power.
After killing the corrupt Spirit clone in the past and now the artificial angel created by Hermes, Shirou's divine power had grown unimaginably abundant.
If it continued accumulating, Shirou couldn't even imagine what changes might occur in his body—his very biology might evolve to a higher existence.
To something akin to a god.
Of course, Shirou knew he was still far from being a true god and didn't overestimate himself enough to believe he could rival actual deities.
However, using the divine power within him to forge a god-forged weapon was perhaps now within reach.
Under the watchful eyes of Ais, Hephaestus, and Welf, Shirou quickly prepared the basic materials and infused his forging platform with his skill Karma's Flame.
The blazing fire began to temper the steel, releasing a strange pressure even Hephaestus couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by.
Clearly, after defeating the artificial angel, Shirou had leveled up, and his Karma's Flame had also evolved again.
If Hestia were to inspect his status, she might even discover skills more astonishing than Karma's Flame.
But that wasn't the priority right now.
"Ais, drip your blood onto this."
Shirou handed the sword embryo he had just prepared to Ais.
Still radiating incredible energy from being forged in the karmic flame, the sword embryo gave off an intense aura even before completion.
"…Understood."
Understanding Shirou's intention, Ais didn't hesitate. She cut herself with a small blade and let her blood drip onto the sword embryo.
At that moment, Welf suddenly spoke:
"Can I add my blood too? If the blood of Spirit descendants contains divine power, mine should be effective too, right?"
"It is effective… but this doesn't concern you, does it?" Shirou replied, surprised by Welf's initiative.
Welf sighed and spoke thoughtfully:
"I used to think the blood of the Spirits was a curse, forcing me into a life that wasn't mine.
But based on what you're saying, only divine power can create divine weapons, right? I think I understand now.
Maybe the blood of Spirits isn't a curse… it's a blessing. Because only with this blood can I truly reach the pinnacle of forging."
"Wait… Welf, are you saying—?" Hephaestus looked shocked.
Welf nodded silently:
"I've decided to continue forging magic swords!
After all, while I was hesitating, someone here has already begun aiming to create god-forged weapons.
If I keep being hung up on 'magic sword this, magic sword that,' I'll never catch up to him in this life."
Shirou was surprised that his actions helped Welf break free from his self-imposed constraints regarding magic swords.
Smiling, he nodded in acknowledgment and thanked Welf.
Welf added his blood to the sword embryo as well.
Under the influence of two different types of Spirit blood, the sword embryo began to change drastically, radiating an overwhelming energy even before completion.
"Now, I'll add my own blood…"
Shirou exhaled and mixed his blood into the weapon as well.
His own blood undeniably contained divine power, too.
With the combined divine blood of three sources, Shirou felt that even without final forging, the sword embryo was already emitting pressure comparable to a second-tier weapon.
This undoubtedly confirmed Shirou's theory:
Divine power is indeed the key to creating god-forged weapons.
"Now, I'll begin forging in full force," Shirou said. "Until I finish, please help hold off the sea demon's invasion."
"Understood."
Hearing Shirou's words, Ais, Hephaestus, and Welf all nodded with resolute expressions.
Welf, having witnessed Shirou's forging skills, had thrown away all pride and vanity. He resolved to pour everything into forging magic swords to support those fighting on the frontlines.
Before leaving, Ais looked at Shirou.
"Do you really believe I can become a hero?"
Her voice was tinged with doubt—she still questioned why Shirou chose her.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
Immersed in his forging, Shirou didn't say much in response.
"Believe in me, and believe in yourself. You will bring victory to everyone."
Ais fell silent, then gave a quiet nod.
Though she remained uncertain and uneasy in her heart, she chose to believe in Shirou—chose to believe in his decision.
More than anything, it meant she no longer had to fight Shirou… no longer had to become his enemy.
She could fight alongside him instead.
That alone made her feel content.
And she resolved to give her all for the sake of this fleeting, dreamlike moment.
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Orario's City Walls
As time passed, Riveria's magic that froze the sea demon gradually began to lose effect.
The massive creature reappeared before everyone's eyes and, seemingly enraged, began ramming the shore with even greater ferocity.
"Boom!"
Its gigantic tentacles swung violently, sending numerous adventurers flying.
Despite having Orario's top healers on-site, many adventurers were too seriously injured to be treated immediately and had to retreat.
In the end, only the Loki Familia and Freya Familia, the two top-tier factions, remained on the front lines.
The others could no longer resist the sea demon in any meaningful way.
Even the Loki and Freya Familia were barely clinging to survival. They couldn't truly stop the sea demon's advance.
"BOOM—!"
Without anyone noticing, the coastline suddenly collapsed.
With a violent reverse surge, seawater flooded into the inner river. The nightmare moment had arrived.
The Sea Demon had breached the coastal blockade and stepped onto land.
Its sheer presence made it hard for everyone on the walls to breathe.
Whether mortal or god, all were overwhelmed by a despair and terror beyond reason—a true, unstoppable calamity.
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"Hermes… this is the result of your doing."
On the wall, Hestia glanced at the god stepping from the shadows and sneered coldly.
"Yes… it's all my doing. I underestimated that man, Shirou Emiya," Hermes admitted, utterly defeated.
His collapse was visible to the naked eye. He had lost all confidence as a god and could no longer serve as the play's director.
His divine authority was useless now.
The stage had collapsed.
The only reason he hadn't ended his existence or returned to Tenkai was his unshakable curiosity about how this chaos would end.
He desperately wanted to see how Shirou would conclude this overwhelming act of theater. What was his goal?
Hermes didn't believe Shirou had created the sea demon to destroy the world.
He wanted to see the final act of this play.
With the sea demon's full landing, even Orario's city walls were no longer safe.
Adventurers and gods began retreating, pulling the defense line back.
But the sea demon wouldn't just stand by and let them escape—it swung its massive, cloud-splitting tentacles at the wall.
The Loki and Freya Familias were too far to assist in time.
"!!!"
Just as the wall was about to be destroyed, Ais appeared atop the wall, wielding a magic sword forged by Hephaestus' Familia, and struck down the sea demon's tentacles.
With Avenger, Ais's combat power was truly astonishing.
She unleashed power rivaling Ottar, Orario's strongest, and single-handedly struck down every tentacle, earning cheers from everyone—adventurers and gods alike.
But Ais knew—this level of attack wasn't enough to harm the monster.
And she was right.
The sea demon quickly regenerated a second wave of tentacles, even more numerous than the first.
"Everyone, run!!!"
Seeing this hopeless scene, Ais could only issue a warning.
But the gods and adventurers had already started fleeing before she even said it.
"Boom!"
Whether by luck or tragedy, the adventurers and gods managed to escape, but Orario's wall was finally breached by the sea demon.
The legendary wall that had stood unbroken for over a thousand years had at last fulfilled its role.
But the cost was that the collapse of the city walls allowed the Sea Demon to act even more recklessly. Its many tentacles had already begun to breach the interior of Orario!
"ROOOAAARRRR!!!"
Accompanied by the monster's roar, everyone in Orario felt a despair akin to the end of the world.
Even the gods were shaken by the unimaginable horror of this being, feeling a deep, bone-chilling fear from the depths of their souls.
After all, the Sea Demon's attacks were far too terrifying. A single strike might be enough to level all of Orario.
However, the Sea Demon still did not directly attack the city.
Due to the brand Shirou had engraved upon it, commanding it to prioritize attacking the Babel Tower, the Sea Demon, after breaking through the city wall, immediately turned to attack the tall tower at the center of Orario!
This scene made the gods and citizens of Orario even more terrified.
Because the Babel Tower serves as the lid suppressing the Dungeon.
It is precisely because of Babel that monsters are confined deep within the Dungeon and cannot surge to the surface—aside from anomalies like the Xenos...
If the Sea Demon destroyed Babel, then the monsters from the Dungeon would likely rush to the surface in a frenzy.
At that point, it would truly be the end of the world.
"We must stop it!"
Finn made the judgment—but had absolutely no means to implement it.
Previously, in an effort to halt the Sea Demon's invasion, Orario had exhausted nearly all its means. Now they were completely out of options, with no power left to resist the Sea Demon's assault.
Everyone could only watch helplessly as the Sea Demon's tentacles wrapped around Babel, trying to completely destroy the tower that symbolized the gods.
"Boom!"
But Babel was enveloped by divine might.
Even when Shirou had projected the Mountain-Cleaving Sword and the Sea-Cleaving Sword, he was unable to bring down Babel.
Though the Sea Demon was massive, its destructive power was not even equal to the weapons Shirou had projected, meaning it could not harm Babel in the slightest.
Even so, the Sea Demon did not give up on shaking Babel.
Driven by the brand imprinted on its soul, it was determined to destroy Babel at any cost. It began using all of its tentacles to simultaneously launch an attack on the tower!
"RUMBLE!" "RUMBLE!"
In the dazed eyes of everyone in the Labyrinth City, the Sea Demon appeared to be shaking the pillar that was Babel itself. It used sheer brute force and violence to try to destroy the tower.
Although it hadn't succeeded, the ground around Babel had begun to crack visibly.
Yes—while Babel itself was protected by divine might, the land around it was not.
Under the Sea Demon's repeated assaults, Babel might remain intact for now, but once the ground around it collapsed, the tower's fall would only be a matter of time.
"It's over… the end of the world is coming!"
"If that monster destroys Babel, then the monsters in the Dungeon will all surge to the surface."
"Could the Black Dragon, one of the Three Great Calamities at the Dungeon's deepest level, also take this opportunity to break through to the surface?"
"There's no hope anymore… this world is completely doomed…"
Cries of despair rose again and again.
Even the gods from Tenkai now showed expressions of helplessness.
Though they wouldn't truly die—only return to the Tenkai after the destruction of their physical forms—if Genkai, their only playground, disappeared, they would return to the unbearably dull routine of the Tenkai realm. That was something most gods found utterly unbearable.
But no matter what the gods thought, it couldn't change reality.
Unless a god willingly returned to the Tenkai and used their divine power as the price, there might be a chance to temporarily repel the Sea Demon.
But in the end, not a single god was willing to do this.
This clearly showed that, in essence, so-called gods were merely selfish beings.
The possibility of self-sacrifice did not exist in their nature.
Even if Genkai was about to be destroyed, even if their playground was on the verge of ruin, to the gods, this was ultimately a trivial matter.
Perhaps they would be a little upset in the short term, but with time, they would eventually adjust to life without Genkai.
However, this was only true for the gods.
For the adventurers living in Genkai, its destruction meant the end of everything.
They could not accept such terror and despair, yet they could not help but feel it. In the end, everyone wore sorrowful expressions, silently praying for the arrival of a hero.
As the prayers of the masses echoed, a sudden burst of dazzling light erupted within the city of Orario.
A brilliant golden light seemed to pierce through all darkness and storm clouds, illuminating every shadow.
"…"
Ais saw the scene in the distance and instinctively realized what was happening.
Soon, within her gaze, Shirou reappeared, holding a longsword that radiated a brilliant glow simply by existing, and walked slowly toward her.
Although the sword looked similar to the Golden Sword of Guaranteed Victory, a closer look revealed that it contained a heat and power far beyond what the previous sword could offer.
By his side followed Hephaestus, the Goddess of Forge, in silence.
Her expression was one of deep shock, and she spoke in an astonished tone: "He really did it… A mortal has accomplished the divine feat of forging a divine weapon… and I actually witnessed it with my own eyes…"
Even the God of Smithing was left dumbfounded—one could imagine just how extraordinary the sword Shirou had forged truly was.
But Shirou himself had no intention of wielding the sword. Instead, he handed it over to Ais.
"Let me see if you truly have what it takes to become this world's hero."
Shirou looked at Ais calmly and confidently.
Under his gaze, Ais took a deep breath. Her heart was filled with conflicting emotions, but in the end, she still accepted the Sword of Vowed Victory, feeling a blazing surge of heat rushing from the weapon into her arms.
This was an incredible weapon.
Even without swinging it yet, Ais could already sense its power.
"RUMBLE!"
Not far away, the Sea Demon was once again gathering its strength to launch another attack on Babel.
If allowed to continue, the tower's collapse could happen in the very next second.
Ais didn't hesitate anymore. She decisively raised the longsword and poured all her power into it, preparing for a strike.
"Oh right, Ais, I forgot to tell you the name of this sword." Shirou, seeing her actions, briefly spaced out, but quickly continued: "To activate this sword, you must call out its name. The sword is called—"
"Excalibur - Sword of Promised Victory!"
Before Shirou could finish, Ais had already sensed the weapon's true name from its resonance, and together with Shirou, they shouted the Noble Phantasm's name in near unison.
She focused all her strength into her arms and lifted the golden sword high into the sky.
"RUMBLE!"
The next moment, a brilliant light began to gather.
As if its divine mission was to illuminate this holy sword, the radiance condensed into a blinding beam of light.
Under this pure and dazzling brilliance, all of Orario's eyes were drawn to one place.
The sight of the Sword Princess wielding the golden sword was like that of a legendary hero—one who illuminated a world darker than night itself.
Both the gleaming holy sword and the girl wielding it captivated everyone's attention and stirred an emotion deep within their hearts:
A yearning for a hero. A longing for a savior!
That longing coalesced into a brilliant radiance that illuminated all of Orario, forming a vortex that tore through all darkness and shot toward the Tenkais.
"EXCALIBUR!!!"
Light surged.
Light roared.
The dragon factor, unshackled by magic, accelerated the flow of mana, turning it into a flash of brilliance.
The unleashed torrent swept up countless vortices, devouring both the Sea Demon and the night itself.
In the instantly evaporated sea, every molecular structure of the monstrous abomination, the embodiment of evil, was fully exposed to the searing light and ultimately disintegrated into particles of mana—vanishing completely.
And just like the symbolic act of a holy sword tearing through darkness, the distant sky began to brighten with dawn, and the light of morning spread across the streets of Orario.
"Hero!"
"Sword Princess!"
"Sword Princess! Hero! Sword Princess! Hero!"
Unknowingly, everyone in Orario began chanting Ais's name.
People projected their innermost hopes onto her, seeing her as the embodiment of the hero who saved the world—and in truth, she had indeed done just that.
However, only Ais herself knew what had made it all possible.
Because of this, she cared little for the praise and honor around her. Instead, she instinctively searched for the man nearby.
But when she looked around, she found that Shirou had disappeared without a trace, as if he had never been there at all.
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At the same time, directly in front of Orario's Babel Tower...
Shirou reunited with the Death God Thanatos and numerous members of the Dark Faction.
"Now is the perfect time to uncover the truth," Shirou said as he stared at the cracked Babel Tower, his expression cold yet composed. "Tonight, we directed such a chaotic performance—all of it was for this very moment."
Then—
In the identity of the Dark Faction's leader, he declared loudly:
"Now, let us unveil the true secret of the city of Orario!"
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