Chapter 94. The Demolition Squad Named "Noble Phantasm Release"
Royal Capital Sewers, Entrance.
This was the drain for the city's glamorous exterior—the final convergence point for all filth and darkness. Normally, such a place only appeared in third-rate horror movies or awkward plot devices where a hero is forced to crawl through to evade pursuers.
And now, this team—which could be called the assembly of the Mythological Age's strongest combat power (if you don't count the bragging clown)—stood before this cave entrance that radiated an aura of pure despair, falling into a collective silence.
"Ugh... this smell... is it a thousand goblins fermented in a sealed jar for a hundred years?" Elmina (the Dancer) pinched her nose, her usually flirtatious face now a sickly shade of green. As an Amazon who loved beauty, this environment was mental execution. "Lord Yuris! This place will ruin your boots! Let's just slaughter our way through the front gate! Isn't it still 'infiltration' if you kill everyone guarding the door?"
"Shut up, stupid woman." Yuris (the Werewolf) spoke tough, but his sensitive wolf ears were drooping. Clearly, having an over-sensitive sense of smell was a curse right now. He looked at his brand-new combat boots engraved with wind runes—Talaria (Pseudo)—and his face twisted in physical pain at the thought of the cost. "If these shoes get dirty... I'll bite every rat down here to death."
"Um... everyone, if we just endure it, we'll be through." Argo, acting as the (self-proclaimed) Leader, tried to bolster morale, but his words lacked conviction while he was pinching his own nose. "Think about it! Her Highness the Princess is waiting for us down there! This is a trial every hero must undergo!"
"I would rather forgo this trial," Wishe (the Half-Elf) retorted coldly. In her hand, Failnaught (Pseudo) emitted a faint hum, as if even the weapon was protesting the foul environment.
"Alright, stop complaining." Shirou Emiya sighed, pulling a handful of leaves radiating a minty fragrance from his seemingly bottomless backpack. "One leaf each. Keep it in your mouth. This is a special 'Aura-Wake' herb; it temporarily numbs the sense of smell and clears the head. It won't block the smell entirely, but at least you won't pass out from the stench."
"Saved! Brother Emiya, you really are the reincarnation of Doraemon!" Argo was the first to snatch a leaf and stuff it in his mouth, instantly looking as if he had ascended to heaven.
"Dora... what-mon?" Olna (the Amazon Berserker) took a leaf with a blank expression, looking at Shirou as if he were a nanny. "You, are you really here for a war? Why does it feel like you're leading a kindergarten field trip?"
"I wish you guys were as well-behaved as children," Shirou shook his head helplessly, stepping first into the pitch-black tunnel. "Stay close. According to the structural analysis feedback, the mana flow here is chaotic. Besides the Black King's soldiers, there are likely quite a few mutated big boys."
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What they expected to be a narrow, cramped passage turned out to be spacious enough for two carriages to pass side-by-side. The walls were covered in glowing moss, barely illuminating the path above the flowing black sewage.
Drip, drop. The sound of water echoed in the empty tunnel, each beat drumming on the group's nerves.
"Something's coming." Fianna (the Knight Commander), who had been silent, suddenly stopped, lowering her spear slightly. With her Prum instincts, she had a natural advantage in sensing danger.
"There are... many." Helga (the Elf Mage) raised her staff, her expression grim. "A hundred meters ahead, around the corner. What... is that? It's soft, and the mana reaction is disgusting."
Before her voice faded, a bone-chilling squelching sound reached them. Then, a massive mass of green, jelly-like substance squeezed around the corner. And it wasn't just one; a dense swarm followed behind.
"Slimes?" Argo blinked. "Monsters from the starter village dare to block our path? Watch me use... Waaaaah! It's spitting acid!"
The lead giant slime suddenly contracted its body and sprayed a jet of dark green liquid like a high-pressure water gun. The liquid hit a nearby stone pillar, instantly erupting in white smoke as it corroded a massive hole in the rock.
"Acid Slime Mutant." A faint light flashed in Shirou's left eye—Mind's Eye activated. "Physical attack effectiveness is halved. Careful not to let that liquid touch you; it'll disfigure you."
"Disfigurement?!" Those words instantly struck a nerve with the two women present (Elmina and Olna).
"Are you kidding me?! This face is reserved for seducing Lord Yuris!" Elmina shrieked, her pair of Kanshou and Bakuya (Dagger Version) instantly drawn. "Die! You filthy slugs!"
She hurled a dagger. The black short sword sliced through the air, not flying directly at the slime, but curving with a strange magnetic pull. Immediately after, Elmina threw the white short sword.
"Magnetic Pull — Execution!"
The white blade seemed summoned by the black one, suddenly accelerating and changing direction in mid-air. An invisible magnetic cutting line formed between the two daggers. Pshht!
Before the giant slime could react, it was sliced clean in half like cheese by the magnetic thread.
"Ohhh! It works! It works so well!" Elmina caught the returning daggers, her face flushed with a manic glow. "This feeling of auto-tracking plus mutual attraction... it's just like the red string of fate between Lord Yuris and me!"
"Don't use such disgusting metaphors on weapons!" Yuris kicked a lunging slime away, a gust of wind exploding from his Talaria (Pseudo). "Double Jump!" He actually kicked the air in mid-flight, propelling himself higher to land directly above the slime swarm. "Die!" Using the gravitational potential energy of his descent, he crushed the core of the largest slime with a single stomp. The wind pressure blew the surrounding small slimes away, turning them into puddles of muck against the walls.
'These two... adapted way too fast.'
Shirou's lip twitched as he watched from the back. They'd had the weapons for less than half a day and were already pulling off stunts? Is this what they call "natural talent"?
"Don't just watch! I want to try my new toy too!" Crozzo refused to be outdone. He didn't stay back to throw magic swords as usual; instead, he stepped forward, gripping the square Mjölnir (Pseudo).
"I'm a blacksmith, but Emiya's right—blacksmiths need combat power too!" Crozzo took a deep breath, aiming at the densest cluster of slimes. "Go! My Blacksmith's Soul!"
Whoosh—! The war hammer left his hand. It spun through the air, emitting a roar like thunder. The concept of Gravity attached to it activated at that moment. The hammer, which originally weighed only a few dozen pounds, suddenly multiplied its mass by ten upon impact.
BOOM!!! That wasn't a hit; that was a steamrolling. A massive crater was smashed into the ground, and over a dozen slimes were flattened into 2D diagrams before they could even scream. Then, the hammer traced a bizarre arc in the air and flew obediently back into Crozzo's hand.
"Hahahaha! Satisfying! So satisfying!" Crozzo kissed the hammer, his face full of fanaticism. "This impact! This feedback! It's even more exhilarating than forging! I'm giving it a name... 'Pulverizer No. 1'!!"
"You bunch of maniacs..." Wishe (the Half-Elf) shook her head helplessly, then raised her harp-bow, Failnaught (Pseudo). She didn't pull a string; she merely plucked the invisible mana line.
Ting— A crisp, melodious note echoed through the sewer. No arrow was fired. However, several slimes attempting an ambush dozens of meters away suddenly began to shake violently as if drunk, and then—Bang! Bang! Bang! Their core magic stones exploded directly inside their bodies.
Sonic Resonance. This was the terror of this magic bow. It ignored defense and directly attacked the internal structure.
"Elegant. So elegant." Wishe stroked the bow with satisfaction. "This fits our Elven aesthetics. Unlike certain barbarians who just make a mess of juices everywhere."
"Who are you calling a barbarian?!" Olna, who was currently clearing a path with her Golden Eater (Axe), turned around. Her face was covered in green slime, looking... very wild indeed. "This axe is great! It discharges electricity if you pour mana into it! And it gets heavier the more I swing! I feel like I could split a mountain right now!"
Watching his teammates—excited like children who had just received new toys—Shirou felt a deep wave of exhaustion. Where was the "infiltration"? This was a high-level party returning to the starter village to grief mobs! The noise was so loud even the Black King on the surface could probably hear them!
"Lord Emiya." Fianna walked over, her gaze complex as she watched the "problem children" on their killing spree. "I hate to admit it... but the power of these weapons exceeds my imagination. Simply through the performance of the equipment, they are displaying destructive power close to high-tier adventurers... Who exactly are you?"
"Me?" Shirou shrugged, casually projecting a short sword to pin down a stray slime. "Just a cook who wants to get off work early and go home to make dinner."
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After clearing the first wave of monsters, the team ventured deeper. Though everyone was excited, the atmosphere gradually became oppressive. The moss on the walls grew sparse, replaced by a black, vein-like, eerie pattern. The smell of blood in the air grew heavier, eventually overpowering the original stench of the sewer.
"The mana reaction ahead... is very wrong," Helga (the Knight Mage) said with a frown. "It doesn't feel like a living thing; it feels like a massive... altar?"
An altar? Shirou thought. Was this where the Black King intended to sacrifice the Princess?
"Speed up! Stop playing around!" Shirou barked.
The group dropped their playful attitudes and quickened their pace.
After passing through a long corridor, they emerged into a vast space. This wasn't an exit, but a massive underground cistern. However, in the center of the cistern, there was no water. Instead, there was a bottomless pit. Above the pit hovered a platform made of black crystal.
On the platform stood two people. One was a man in black armor holding a spear—the Black King, Elder. The other was the golden-haired girl bound by chains in the center of the altar, unconscious—Princess Ariadne.
"So you've finally come, rats." The Black King turned, looking down at the intruders. A grotesque smile played on his face, and unnatural purple flames burned in his eyes. "A bit faster than I expected. It seems those useless piles of meat couldn't stop you."
"Elder!" Argo was the first to jump out, raising the ornate Sword of Brave Victory (Pseudo). "Release the Princess now! Or this Great Hero will tear your nest apart!"
"Hero?" Elder sneered. "With just you, a clown? And this rabble?" He pointed to the pit beneath his feet. "Do you know what lies down there?"
"What?"
"This is the shortcut to the 'Great Hole.' It is the source of power granted to me by that Great One (the Evil God)." Elder spread his arms wide, shouting fanatically. "Once I sacrifice this woman with Spirit blood, I will obtain power beyond humans—even beyond gods! Then, the whole world will grovel at my feet!"
"What a standard mad-villain speech," Shirou sighed. "Why does every villain think they can control that kind of eldritch power?"
"Action!" Fianna wasted no time, pointing her spear. "Knights! Charge!"
"Yes!" Lazar charged with his shield, while Helga began chanting magic in the rear.
"We're going too! Don't lose to the regulars!" Olna roared, her muscles bulging as she launched herself like a cannonball.
The battle erupted instantly. The Black King didn't step in himself; he merely waved his hand. From the pit, countless black monsters composed of shadows crawled out—Shadow Demons. These monsters were immune to physical attacks and their numbers were endless.
"Tsk, these annoying things again!" Yuris kicked a Shadow Demon apart, but it immediately reformed. "Physical attacks are useless! We need magic!"
"Leave it to me!" Crozzo threw several short swords with Light-attribute enchantments. Boom! Light exploded, and several Shadow Demons dissolved with shrieks. "It works! But there are too many!"
"Then use a wide-range one!" Wishe (the Half-Elf) pulled her bowstring to the limit. "Cry out—Sonic Blast Arrow Rain!" Countless invisible sonic arrows blanketed the field. Though the Shadow Demons had no physical forms, the sonic vibrations directly shattered their mana structures.
During the moment the Shadow Demons were suppressed, Shirou locked onto the Black King on the high platform.
"To catch the bandits, catch the leader!" Shirou looked at Argo beside him. "Argo! Are you ready?"
"Re-Ready for what?" Argo looked bewildered.
"Ready to... be a real hero for once!" Shirou grabbed Argo by the collar. "Reinforcement — Maximum Output!"
He treated Argo as a projectile. Just like he used to throw magic swords.
"Off you go!!!"
"WAAAAAAAAAH! BROTHER EMIYA, WHAT ARE YOU DOING—AAAAAH!" Argo screamed as he flew through the air, turning into a human meteor, crashing straight toward the Black King on the platform.
"What is that?!" Elder was preparing to cast a spell when he suddenly saw a white object flying at him, instinctively raising his spear to block.
Now! Although Argo was screaming, he didn't let go of his sword. The Sword of Brave Victory (Pseudo) traced a golden arc in the air. Furthermore... because of Argo's god-tier Luck (Luck EX), his flight path perfectly bypassed Elder's spear, and the hilt (not the blade) slammed violently into Elder's forehead.
THUD!
A crisp, heavy sound. The Black King saw stars and staggered back several steps.
"Ow, ow, ow! My head!" Argo tumbled onto the altar, but ignoring the pain, he scrambled toward the bound Princess. "Princess! Wake up! It's Argo, the hero who came to save you!"
"Bastard! I'll kill you!" Elder regained his senses, furiously raising his spear to thrust into Argo's back.
"Don't even think about it!" A red figure flashed onto the altar. Shirou Emiya. Using the chaos Argo had created, he successfully broke through the Shadow Demon blockade.
"Trace — On!" His left hand grasped at the air, and a spiral-shaped longsword appeared—[Caladbolg II].
"Get... down there!" Shirou didn't swing the sword; he used the spiral sword as a drill, slamming it hard against Elder's breastplate.
BOOM! The rotating sword energy exploded. Elder was blasted back by the massive impact, falling off the platform and into the deep pit below.
"We won?!" Olna and the others below cheered in surprise.
"It's not over yet!" Shirou didn't lower his guard. He looked into the pit. A heart-stopping pulse came from within.
ROAR—!!!
A non-human roar erupted from the abyss. Immediately after, a massive, pitch-black arm gripped the edge of the pit. Elder climbed out. No—that was no longer Elder. His body had expanded several times; black armor fused with flesh, twisted tentacles sprouted from his back, and his face was nothing but a massive, drooling maw.
[Abyssal Fusion — Elder]. Lv. 6? No, this pressure... it was close to Lv. 7!
"I will... eat you..." the monster spoke in a distorted voice.
"This is going to be a hassle..." Shirou looked at the monster and gave a bitter smile. Physical immunity, ultra-regeneration, and that terrifying size. This was basically a weakened version of Zard.
"Brother Emiya, what do we do?" Argo shivered, holding the still-unconscious Princess.
"What else can we do?" Shirou took a deep breath and stood tall. He looked at the spiral sword in his hand, then at his companions fighting hard below.
"Since it's the final battle..." "I'll show everyone something... from the bottom of the box."
He raised his right hand. The reconstructed Dragon Bone prosthesis was currently glowing with heat. It was thirsty. Thirsty for that sword... the one that truly cuts through everything.
"Sync — Full Open."
Shirou closed his eyes. In his mind, that field of red wasteland surfaced once more. But this time, he didn't summon infinite swords. He was only looking for one. One that could bloom with the most dazzling light in this Mythological Age... the Holy Sword of the Planet.
He didn't have enough mana for a full release. It might snap his arm again. But... for the fool who wanted to be a hero. For the Princess still waiting. For these companions who believed in him.
"It's worth a try."
"Trace — Excalibur!"
Golden radiance began to gather in Shirou's hand. That light was so pure, so warm. It was like the first ray of dawn piercing into this dark underground world.
"What is that?" Fianna looked up at the light on the platform, her eyes filled with shock. "That power... it's not mana... it's 'Hope'?"
"ROAR?!" The monster Elder felt the threat. It instinctively wanted to flee, but before that light, there was nowhere to run.
"Take this! This is..." Shirou snapped his eyes open.
"The light swung... to protect!"
BOOM—!!!
"EX—CALIBUR!!!"
A golden torrent descended from the heavens. In an instant, it swallowed the monster, swallowed the darkness, and swallowed the entire underground space.
At this moment, everyone saw it. How the legend known as a "Hero" was born.
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