Chapter 28: The Sword that Guides the Stars!
"Whoa... those weapons are practically like bombs! I didn't expect you to have such an attack method, Brother Orihara. I really was careless!"
Hearing this, Shirou let out a light chuckle and spoke with unhurried ease.
"I have plenty more moves. Let's give them a try."
As he spoke, thousands of swords were constructed amidst a pale blue magical light, spreading across the sky above like a map of the stars.
Then, magical energy erupted beneath Shirou's feet. In an instant, he closed the distance to Salvatore Doni and swung his sword with a fierce strike!
Clang!
Salvatore Doni hurriedly raised his sword to parry. However, he discovered that while he was blocking Shirou's strike, the swords suspended in mid-air were simultaneously shooting toward him in a continuous stream with every swing of Shirou's blade!
"You can even do it like this!?"
Salvatore Doni didn't dare to be distracted for a moment, constantly swinging his silver greatsword to defend himself.
The sword skills of this "King of Swords" had indeed reached the pinnacle. Even under Shirou's storm-like offensive, he was actually able to barely hold his ground. Salvatore Doni, the sixth Godslayer who had achieved the feat two years before Shirou slew his own god, was actually quite famous even before his ascension.
However, his fame was not due to strength, but rather his weakness.
He was a pure sword fanatic, as if born for the sake of the blade. Yet, while he possessed a top-tier talent for swordsmanship that drove others to despair, he had absolutely zero talent for magic.
In this world, though the strong are called "Grand Knights," they primarily utilize magic. Magic can be used not only to reinforce oneself but has an extremely wide range of applications; almost all well-known powerhouses are individuals with transcendent magical means.
In a world of mystery where magical proficiency was paramount, the talentless Salvatore Doni appeared so weak to others that he was mocked by everyone.
Yet, this youth, with unimaginable perseverance, found Italy's only Paladin, "Saint Raphael," and became his disciple. Even so, with no magical talent, he made no progress. Because of this, Salvatore Doni continued his wanderings. Later, through a series of coincidences, he was possessed by a god, and by borrowing that god's power, he slew another deity, becoming a Godslayer.
It could be said that among the seven current Godslayers, only Shirou relied on his own power to slay a god and usurp an Authority to become a Godslayer. The other six Godslayers all succeeded because of their "Destiny."
Of course, if it weren't for the "Cheat" that was his system, Shirou's ultimate achievements would have been limited to the level of fighting against Servants. He wouldn't have been able to compete as he did now with Devil Kings and gods who could easily destroy continental plates or scour the earth's surface.
Therefore, regarding the understanding of what it meant to be a "King," Shirou was not actually much stronger than the other six Godslayers. That was why Shirou intended to experience and temper himself in this world—not just in terms of raw power, but to reach a sufficient height in character and thought before he could truly be called a King.
"Full Projection!"
Following Shirou's voice, after the sun had set, the dark sky of the moonlit night was lit up by streaks of light, looking like a cluster of stars!
Tens of thousands of Noble Phantasms covered the horizon, blooming with brilliant light in a scene as magnificent as a mythological epic.
Seeing the Noble Phantasms illuminating the night sky so brightly that they even reflected through the clouds, the "King of Swords" Salvatore Doni, the two knight-princesses, and Andre all widened their eyes.
From the perspective of a mage, one could only feel an unparalleled shock and a fear akin to the coming of the apocalypse.
In the eyes of the Godslayer Salvatore Doni, every one of those Noble Phantasms contained a massive amount of magical energy. If he were to endure the "collapse" of tens of thousands of Noble Phantasms, the consequences were entirely imaginable.
"Is this your Authority...?"
After a brief moment of surprise, an even more excited glow filled Salvatore Doni's eyes.
"Yes, yes! This is it! This is the kind of battle I seek! I'm so HIGH I can't stand it!!"
Shouting with passion, Salvatore Doni immediately activated his second Authority.
"Blood of the Evil Dragon Fafnir, grant me the destiny of immortality!"
This was the "King of Swords" Salvatore Doni's second Authority, named 『Steel Protection』.
This was an Authority Salvatore Doni usurped from the "Steel Hero" Siegfried of Norse mythology. It granted his flesh the hardness and weight of steel, a power to protect himself. To him, an ordinary structural collapse was less significant than a rain shower.
This Authority was peerless in both weight and hardness, ensuring he wouldn't be easily blown away. Furthermore, his movements would not become sluggish due to the increased body weight; thus, he could utilize this extreme weight for offense, making his strikes with such a body incredibly effective.
The greatest weakness of this steel immortality was high temperature, but even so, he could endure high-heat attacks equivalent to a solar flare for dozens of minutes with only a sunburn. Besides offense and defense, the steel body allowed him to survive without oxygen or food; he wouldn't die even if he stayed underwater or in a vacuum for years.
Due to the "steeling," his body would essentially become slightly inflexible like armor. Therefore, to unleash his strongest sword strikes, Salvatore Doni would momentarily deactivate the Authority at the moment of the swing.
With the Authority active, his body took on a metallic luster under the reflection of the moonlight.
"Steel Protection, huh...?"
Looking at the current Salvatore Doni, Shirou's brow quirked slightly.
"Then let's see if the combined assault of my ten thousand Noble Phantasms can break through this layer of protection!"
With those words, the swarm of Noble Phantasms hanging high in the night sky descended rapidly like a massive shower of meteors, trailing pale blue wakes!
"I won't just sit and wait for death, Brother Orihara!"
Shouting this, Salvatore Doni swung his silver greatsword with dizzying speed. Streak after streak of sword slashes surged upward, colliding with the chaotic descent of the Noble Phantasms.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!!
In an instant, heaven and earth were turned to day. The entire city seemed to have returned to daylight as everyone looked up at the night sky, which was producing constant bursts of light due to the sudden anomaly. Countless colors flashed in the sky like fireworks blooming during a festival.
Although Salvatore Doni intercepted a large number of Noble Phantasms with his slashes, some inevitably slipped through the net and fell, triggering "collapses" all around him. Amidst the continuous, thunderous roars, explosions and sand completely submerged Salvatore Doni's body.
When the dust finally settled, Salvatore Doni used his silver greatsword to prop himself up.
Under the effect of 『Steel Protection』, as long as he didn't swing his sword with full force to attack, his body remained under the protection of "Steel." Even though A++ rank Noble Phantasms were constantly exploding around his body, they only caused him minor injuries.
For a Godslayer with a powerful constitution, such injuries would recover completely within just a few breaths.
"Hahaha! This is too great! Too great! Power is surging, and my soul is burning! Right now, I absolutely won't lose!"
'I am invincible right now.'
Salvatore Doni let out a hearty laugh, then, wrapped in magical energy, he charged into the sky.
The blonde youth stood beneath the starry sky, raising the silver greatsword high above his head before swinging it down violently toward Shirou below.
"My friend! Taste my strike that comes from the cosmos!!!"
Following Salvatore Doni's spirited declaration, Shirou immediately saw starlight flickering in the distant universe. Meteors from outer space were being guided by this sword strike, emerging from the black void!
This was the strongest finishing move Salvatore Doni developed using his first Authority, 『Silver-arm the Ripper』:
『The Sword that Guides the Stars』!
In the past, Salvatore Doni had fought a "Heretic God." The battle between the two was incredibly fierce, even reaching into the outer space of the Earth. It was at that time, looking at the meteors drifting in space, that Salvatore Doni had a bold idea.
He touched approximately twenty-two meteors with his hand, thereby turning them into his magic swords, creating this sword technique that could make stars fall.
When these twenty-two meteors fell, saying they could "scour the earth" would be an understatement; destroying continental plates would be an easy task!
However, after creating this technique, Salvatore Doni had never used it, not even in his battle with Luo Hao. This was because Luo Hao was arrogant and held a contemptuous attitude toward Doni's challenge. The battle with Luo Hao didn't give Salvatore Doni a sense of satisfaction, so he didn't use this ultimate strike in the end.
After all, this move was a secret technique that required long-term preparation after a single use.
But today, through one melee clash after another with Shirou, Salvatore Doni gradually sensed the unique emotion toward the "sword" shared between himself and this seventh Godslayer.
They were both people born for the sword, obsessed with the sword. In the hearty, continuous battle with Shirou, Salvatore Doni felt a sense of pleasure he had never experienced before.
"Come! See if you can take this strike of mine!"
Hearing the shout from Salvatore Doni standing in the sky, Shirou also revealed a satisfied smile.
"Alright, then let me give it a try!"
The pitch-black greatsword held tightly in Shirou's hand began to crack with a "clinking" sound. From the continuously widening fissures, a dazzling and eye-catching golden light was being released.
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