Chapter 45. Projecting the [Holy Sword of the Stars] Again! Is the Roundtable Meeting About to Begin?!
Elsos Ruins. This place was once a brilliant pearl of ancient civilization, a sacred sanctuary dedicated to the Moon Goddess. But now, it had become—a den of monsters.
"ROAAAAR!!!"
With a deafening roar, the massive wyvern suddenly pulled up, narrowly dodging a red beam of mana fired from the ground.
"That was close! We almost got taken down by anti-air fire!" Asfi, who was piloting, wiped away cold sweat and pushed up her glasses. "Lord Hermes, we can't get any closer! The mana turbulence around here is too strong, and there are too many 'anti-air interceptor' type monsters!"
"Oh my, it seems the opponent doesn't want us to 'airdrop' in just like that." Hermes leaned over the edge of the dragon's back, looking down at the ruins shrouded in black mist, clicking his tongue in wonder.
"Is this the power of Antares? It's practically playing a Tower Defense game, sealing this place up like an iron bucket."
"It's fine, let's land here." Shirou Emiya stood up. The gale ruffled his red hair, but his gaze was as calm as if he were looking at a vegetable patch in his own backyard. "Since the front door won't let us in, we'll just... break our way through."
-
-
-
Outskirts of the Ruins, Landing Point.
"Everyone, pay attention! Prepare for battle!" With Shirou's command, this ridiculously over-geared "Savior Squad" officially stepped onto the battlefield.
Vanguard: Ais Wallenstein (Lv. 6, the shimmering Sword Princess).
Mid-guard: Shirou Emiya (Lv. 3, a humanoid mobile armory), Artemis (Goddess/Quest NPC).
Rear-guard: Hestia (Cheerleader/Mascot), Lili (Logistics/Snark), Hermes & Asfi (Benchwarmers/Technical Support).
"They're coming!" Lili raised her hand crossbow, pointing forward.
"The numbers... there are so many! My radar (intuition) is going off the charts!"
From the shadows of the ruins, countless scorpion-like monsters—[Familiars]—swarmed out. They had hard shells, and their tails glowed with red mana. They covered the ground so densely they looked like migrating army ants.
"With these numbers... are they trying to use a swarm tactic?" Ais frowned, her [Despair Sword] already enveloped in the Wind King Barrier.
"Don't worry, Ais." Shirou walked to her side, his hands hovering in the air.
"Against small fry like this... numbers are meaningless."
"Trace—On."
Magic circuits fully open. In Shirou's mind, the optimal solution for this dense formation surfaced instantly. It wasn't the single-target burst of a spiral sword, nor the melee-focused Gan Jiang and Mo Ye. It was...
[Unlimited Blade Works]—Scatter Mode.
"Project... Full Barrage!"
Swoosh swoosh swoosh!
Dozens of various C-rank Noble Phantasms (mostly throwing types) manifested out of thin air, then rained down on the scorpion swarm like a deluge. The moment each sword hit the ground, it triggered a small-scale mana explosion.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The front row of scorpions was instantly blown to bits. But this was only the beginning.
"Ais! On the left!" "Understood!"
Ais turned into a golden meteor, charging into the gap created by the explosions. [Lil Rafaga]! Sword-wind swept through. The scorpions attempting to surround them fell in rows like harvested wheat.
"So... so strong..." Hestia hid in the back, watching in a daze. "Is this the coordination between Shirou-kun and Ais-tan?!"
"No, it's more than just coordination." Asfi pushed up her glasses, a flash of shock in her eyes. "That Shirou Emiya... he's commanding the battlefield."
Indeed. Shirou wasn't outputting blindly. His [Mind's Eye (True)] had already factored the terrain, monster distribution, and teammate positions into his calculations.
"Lili, 3 o'clock direction, use Molotovs to block the path!" "Miss Asfi, please put a shield on Lady Hestia!" "Artemis, don't wander off! Stay within five meters of my back!"
He was like an RTS player with a god-view, precisely controlling every unit. The once chaotic battlefield, under his deployment, turned into a one-sided slaughter.
"You really are reliable, Orion." Artemis gripped her longbow tightly (though she currently had no combat power), looking at the back of the person standing in front of her, her eyes full of infatuation. "Just like you were back then... no matter what desperate situation you face, you can open a path with a smile."
"Stop being so lovestruck and move!" Hestia pulled Artemis forward huffily. "Can't you see Shirou-kun is working hard?!"
Advance. Constant advancement.
This team was like a sharp knife, stabbed deep into the heart of the Elsos Ruins. Although the scorpions were endless, in the face of Shirou's "Infinite Projection" and Ais's "Infinite Basic Attacks," their only function was to provide magic stones.
"Phew... getting a bit tired." Shirou wiped the sweat from his forehead. Even with the support of [Spirit Healing] and [Mage], such high-intensity mana output was starting to take a toll.
"Take a rest." Ais retreated, guarding his side. "The path ahead... the monsters are getting stronger."
True enough. As they went deeper into the ruins, it wasn't just ordinary scorpions. Massive [Obsidian Giant Scorpions], venom-spitting [Flying Types], and even [Self-Destruct Bugs] that could blow themselves up appeared. The monster compositions were becoming increasingly luxury-grade; the difficulty coefficient was skyrocketing.
"It seems Antares is getting anxious too." Hermes looked at the high tower in the distance radiating an ominous red light.
"It doesn't want us near the core."
"Then we'll drag it out before it's ready!" Shirou took a deep breath, pulled a blue potion (Mana Potion) from his cloak, and downed it.
"Trace—On."
This time, what he projected was no longer an ordinary sword. It was a crimson greatsword, its blade burning like a roaring flame.
[Aestus Estus] (Replica). (Though it lacked the "Theater" bonus of the original, it was exceptionally effective against plant and insect monsters.)
"Burn!"
Shirou swung the greatsword, and crimson flames swept out like a tsunami. The venomous insects trying to approach were instantly incinerated into ash.
"We're going in too!" Not to be outdone, Lili pulled out her custom [Modified Hand Crossbow: Gatling Edition] (essentially a version Shirou made with increased fire rate and magazine capacity).
Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat! Though the power wasn't huge, the suppression capability was immense.
Just as the group was pushing through with unstoppable momentum...
"ROAAAAR!!!"
A roar more terrifying than any before it echoed from the deepest part of the ruins. Immediately after, the earth shook violently. A massive mana wave carrying Divine Will slammed into everyone's hearts like a tsunami.
"Ugh!" Hestia and Artemis both clutched their chests, their faces turning pale.
"This power... it's Divine Power!
Antares... it's absorbing my strength!"
BOOM!
The ground in front of them exploded. A black giant scorpion as massive as a mountain crawled out from the earth. It had an indestructible shell, a crystal emitting an eerie red light hanging from its tail, and on its back... half of a massive, goddess-like torso was embedded.
[Antares]. The God-Slaying Beast.
"So that's the monster that swallowed Artemis?" Shirou looked at the behemoth, feeling the suffocating pressure. This was no longer something words like Lv. 5 or Lv. 6 could describe. This was—an Enemy of the Gods.
"Orion..." Artemis looked at the monster, her body trembling. "That is... my end. Please... kill me."
"Don't talk nonsense." Shirou gripped [Aestus Estus] tightly, his gaze more determined than ever before.
"I told you, I would save you. Not by killing you, but by—dragging you out of that monster's stomach!"
"Everyone! Scatter!" With Finn absent, Shirou naturally took command.
"Ais! Frontal distraction! Lili, Asfi, protect the Goddess! Hermes, you... find somewhere to hide and just don't die!"
"Hey now, have some respect for a God!" Hermes smiled bitterly.
"Going in!"
Shirou kicked off the ground. [Structural Reinforcement] fully active. Agility SSS erupted.
He was like a red meteor, charging straight for Antares's face.
"ROAR!" Antares seemed to sense the threat; its massive tail whipped over like a lash. It was so fast the air was torn apart.
"Can't dodge!" [Mind's Eye] gave a death warning.
"Then... I'll take it head-on!"
Shirou didn't back down. He forced his body to twist in mid-air, the greatsword in his hand erupting with dazzling fire.
"Reinforcement—Hardness Maximized!"
CLANG!!!
A massive sound rang out. Shirou was swatted away like a baseball, crashing through three ruins before stopping.
"Emiya!" Ais cried out.
"Cough... quite a kick..." Amidst the rubble, Shirou struggled to climb out, spitting out a mouthful of bloody saliva. The [Aestus Estus] in his hand had shattered into fragments. The bone in his left arm was likely broken again.
"Is this... the power of a God-Slayer?" Shirou looked at the arrogant monster, but a manic smile curved his lips.
"How interesting. If I don't beat a guy like this down... how can I be worthy of the title 'Ally of Justice'?!"
"Trace—On."
This time, what appeared in his hand was no longer an ordinary Noble Phantasm. It was a... holy sword radiating the brilliance of the stars, sealed by thirteen restraints.
Though he could only project it for a single moment. Though it might burn his circuits again. But against a "God Age" monster like this, only the power of the "God Age" could compete.
"Let's get... a little serious."
Shirou took a deep breath. The mana in his body was like burning fuel, igniting the furnace known as "Infinity."
The final battle has only just begun.
Read ahead (40 chapters) by supporting me on buymeacoffee com/varietl or ko-fi edwriting