Chapter 97. The Red Lotus Forging of the "Primal Magic Sword"!
The end of the Eastern Continent is the sea. In this age of myth, the great ocean does not represent sunshine, beaches, and bikini beauties; instead, it represents—[Unknown Terror] and [Infinite Ingredients].
"Waaaaah! It's the sea! It's the real, salty ocean!"
When the "Argo" caravan—modified by Emiya Shirou to the point where its original form was unrecognizable—burst out of the forest and stopped at the edge of a cliff, Argo was the first to jump down. Like a Husky puppy just released from its cage, he spread his arms wide and let out a roar against the fishy sea breeze loud enough to make the surrounding seagulls crash-land in terror.
"I want to see too! I want to see too!" Olna (Amazon) followed closely behind. Carrying her giant axe that still crackled with lightning, she stepped onto the rocks at the cliff's edge. Looking down at the surging waves below, tears of unworthiness (saliva) leaked from the corner of her mouth. "So many fish... so much meat... Is this the legendary 'Seafood Buffet Restaurant'?!"
"What a bunch of hicks who haven't seen the world." Yuris (Werewolf) leaned against the side of the carriage with arms crossed. Though his words remained tsundere, his frantically wagging wolf tail completely betrayed his inner excitement. After all, to a werewolf living in inland forests, this massive "water basin" that stretched beyond the horizon held a fatal attraction.
"Alright, stop the sentimentalizing." Emiya Shirou hopped down from the driver's seat and stretched. His left hand was still flexible, while his right arm (the Dragon Bone prosthesis) was wrapped in special bandages, faintly emitting a dim light. "Since we've reached the seaside, let's set up camp first. Tonight... we're eating well."
"Oooooh! Long live Brother Emiya! Long live the God of Cooking!" Argo cheered and danced.
"I want to eat that! That thing with many legs that looks disgusting!" Olna pointed at a giant crab crawling on the beach.
"That's called a crab. Also, that's not disgusting; that's a delicacy," Shirou corrected helplessly.
.
.
.
Half an hour later, by the beach.
Though it was called a vacation, considering the dangers of this era, it was more like a reality show titled "Wilderness Survival."
"Trace—On."
Shirou pressed a single hand onto the sand. Magical energy flowed. Several massive stone pillars rose from the ground, followed by wooden planks automatically clicking together. In the blink of an eye, a simple yet sturdy windproof stove was constructed. This speed of infrastructure building would surely win an "Orario Outstanding Architect" award in future generations.
"Amazing..." Ariadne (Princess) sat on a reef, resting her chin in her hands as she watched the busy Shirou, her eyes full of little stars. "No matter how many times I see it, Emiya's magic is so wonderful. It doesn't require chanting like Wishe's magic, nor does it require communicating with nature like the Elves... It's like he just pulls things directly out of his head."
"That's because he's a cheat player." Wishe (Half-Elf) was organizing her bowstring; hearing the Princess's words, she couldn't help but retort. "That ability to change the form of matter without chanting is basically a mockery of us orthodox mages. And..." She glanced at Shirou's back, her gaze becoming complicated. "His magical energy... is becoming increasingly unstable. Like a cup that is about to overflow."
"What are you two beauties chatting about?" Argo ran over eagerly, clutching two giant lobsters that were still waving their claws. "Look! I caught the overlords of the sea! These two guys actually tried to pinch my nose just now! They were simply seeking their own deaths!"
"Stay away, don't bring that fishy smell over here," Wishe waved him off in disgust.
"Waaaah... Wishe is so cold..."
"Alright, bring the ingredients here." Shirou took the lobsters, his kitchen knife (Projected version) spinning in his hand. "Today's main course is—[Emiya Special: Seafood Supreme Curry]."
"Curry again?" Crozzo (Blacksmith) said it with his mouth, but his body honestly brought out his bowl and chopsticks. "Though the taste is indeed addictive... isn't it a bit monotonous?"
"Hmph, that's where you're wrong." While processing the lobsters, Shirou showed a mysterious smile. "Curry is a dish that embraces everything. Mountain boar meat creates a wild taste, while the freshness of the sea creates another flavor entirely. This is... 'Infinite Possibilities'."
As the fire rose, a domineering, rich aroma—a blend of spices and oceanic freshness—began to permeate the beach. Olna and Yuris, who were still catching fish in the sea, rushed ashore instantly as if their souls had been hooked.
"Is it time to eat?!"
"My fish! My crabs! Put them all in!"
"Don't worry, there's enough for everyone." Shirou maintained order like a kindergarten teacher.
Just as everyone surrounded the big pot, enjoying this rare peace and delicious food... the sea suddenly changed its face.
"BOOM—!!!"
The originally calm sea surface suddenly boiled like scalding water. Giant waves shot into the sky, even splashing onto the top of the cliff. A nauseating magical fluctuation, filled with decay and ancient aura, surged from the deep sea.
"W-What's the situation?!" The lobster shell in Argo's hand dropped to the ground; he was so scared he nearly buried his face in the curry. "A tsunami? Or an earthquake?!"
"No... it's a living thing." Shirou put down his spoon, his gaze instantly becoming as sharp as a blade. [Mind's Eye (True)] was screaming alarms. That sense of pressure... was more terrifying than the Black King, even more than that stitched-together Minotaur. That was... a true "Natural Disaster."
"ROOAAAR—!!!"
Accompanied by a roar that seemed to come from the depths of hell, the sea surface exploded. A tentacle large enough to blot out the sky reached out from under the water. The tentacle was covered in sucker-like eyes, each emitting purple toxic gas. Following it was a second, a third... Finally, a soft-bodied monster as massive as an island, with countless compound eyes and tentacles, slowly surfaced.
[Ancient Kraken (Juvenile)]. Although it was called a juvenile, in this age of myth, it was the overlord of the ocean. Lv. 6? No, in the sea, its combat power was comparable to Lv. 7!
"W-What on earth is that?!" Olna looked at the monster larger than the Iron City, her axe trembling in her hand. "Octopus? Squid? This is way too big! If we made this into teppanyaki, we'd be eating until next year!"
"Is this the time to discuss eating?!" Yuris's fur stood on end; his werewolf instincts told him this thing was extremely dangerous. "Run! A monster of this level isn't something we can deal with!"
"We can't run." Wishe pointed around them, her face pale. Countless smaller tentacles (though still the size of trucks) had already blockaded the coastline. Moreover, the monster seemed to have been attracted by the "curry smell" just now. Its countless compound eyes were staring fixedly at the large pot... and the people beside it.
"A disaster lured by curry?!" Argo screamed in a breakdown. "What kind of plot is this?! Did a gourmet show turn into a monster disaster movie?!"
"Everyone, prepare for battle!" Emiya Shirou didn't waste words; he directly projected [Kanshou & Bakuya]. Though he knew the odds were slim, he had no retreat.
"Olna, Yuris, you're responsible for cutting the approaching tentacles!
Wishe, Ariadne, use long-range magic to interfere with its vision!
Crozzo, Argo, protect the caravan!"
"Understood!" Though terrified, everyone quickly entered a combat state.
"Trace—Overload!" Shirou took the lead, his twin blades turning into black and white wings as he charged directly at the nearest tentacle. "Triple-Linked Crane Wings!"
Squish! The sharp blades sliced through the tentacle, and purple blood gushed out. But... before Shirou could even land, the severed tentacle healed in an instant. Not only did it heal, it split into two new tentacles, whipping back at an even faster speed.
"Infinite regeneration?!" Shirou's heart sank. This recovery power... was even more perverse than the previous Abyss Fusion. He had to attack the core! But where was the core? The monster's body was too massive to find the location of the Magic Stone.
"Damn it! We can't cut them all!" Olna's axe was already notched; she was covered in purple blood and gasping for breath. "Is this thing made of water? Why are there more the more we cut?"
"Use fire! Burn it with fire!" Crozzo threw out all his remaining explosive Magic Swords. Boom boom boom! Flames exploded on the tentacles. However, the seawater immediately surged up, extinguishing the flames. This was the ocean, the opponent's home turf. Fire-attribute attacks were completely countered.
"It's over... this time we're really finished..." Argo hugged his lightning wooden sword, shivering. "Is my Heroic Tale... going to end here? The ending being 'digested by a giant octopus'? This death is too pathetic!"
Just as everyone fell into despair, Crozzo, who had been silent, suddenly looked at Shirou. No, accurately speaking, he looked at the projected Magic Sword in Shirou's hand.
"Emiya!" Crozzo shouted. "Can you... lend me one of your Magic Swords?"
"Huh?" Shirou looked back in the midst of the chaos. "What do you want a Magic Sword for? Aren't your stocks used up?"
"No! I don't want those defective items that just explode!" A feverish passion burned in Crozzo's eyes like never before. It was the soul-fire of a blacksmith burning for the ultimate pursuit. "I want... a true Magic Sword! I want to forge a sword... that can burn this entire ocean dry!"
"Here? Now?" Shirou was stunned. "Are you crazy? There's no furnace, no anvil, not even materials!"
"I have them!" Crozzo pointed to his own chest. "I have 'them'! My blood is the fuel! My bones are the anvil!" He abruptly pulled a dagger from his waist and slashed his palm hard. As the blood dripped onto the ground, it actually made a sizzling, boiling sound.
"This is..." Shirou's [Mind's Eye] saw through to the essence. Within Crozzo's bloodline flowed a special magical energy. Was that... a mutation of [Spirit Blood]? No, that was the curse-like talent belonging to the clan of "Magic Sword Smiths."
"I don't want to be just a logistics person who throws bombs anymore!" Crozzo roared, his red hair dancing in the wind like a ball of blazing fire. "I also... want to become a hero! I also want... to use my sword to protect what I want to protect!"
"Emiya! Help me!" "Use your 'Infinite'... to be my hammer!"
Shirou looked into Crozzo's burning eyes. He smiled. He smiled incredibly brightly.
"Ah, with pleasure." Shirou's figure blurred, retreating to Crozzo's side. He reached out his platinum-gold right hand and pressed it onto Crozzo's shoulder.
"Listen well, Crozzo." Shirou's voice echoed in Crozzo's mind. "The essence of a Magic Sword is not 'destruction,' but 'wish.' What do you want to burn away? What do you want to sever? Pour all of your wishes... into it!"
"Trace—Sync!"
Shirou connected his own magical circuits with Crozzo's. It was dangerous; it could lead to both of them dying from a magical overload. But at this moment, who cared? "Materials... I've prepared them for you too!" Shirou waved his left hand. From the storehouse of Unlimited Blade Works (actually collected just now), countless broken remains of Magic Swords flew out, along with that [Fire Dragon's Heart] scavenged from the Black King's treasury that he hadn't known how to use.
"Right here... open the furnace!"
Voom! With the two of them as the center, a crimson barrier expanded. Any tentacle that came near was instantly vaporized by the high temperature.
"Is this... Emiya's world?" Crozzo felt that massive flow of magical energy, his heart filled with shock. But he did not hesitate. He grabbed the Fire Dragon's Heart. His blood-drenched palm gripped it tight.
"Burn... my blood...
With this body as the furnace...
With this soul as the fuel..."
Clang! Clang! Clang! Although there was no hammer in his hand, every one of Crozzo's heartbeats was like a heavy strike, pounding on the mass of fusing materials. Shirou, at his side, performed precise magical guidance, binding those rampaging energies into a sword-shaped mold.
"ROOOAAAR—!!!" The Ancient Kraken seemed to sense the threat. Within the hands of those tiny humans, something capable of killing it was being born. It frantically flailed all its tentacles, trying to crush the red barrier.
"Block it!" Olna roared, activating [Berserk]. "Don't even think about disturbing their smithing! This is a man's romantic moment!" Yuris, Wishe, Ariadne, and even Argo—everyone rushed forward, building the final line of defense with their flesh and blood.
"Hurry! You have to make it in time!" Argo swung his wooden sword with his eyes closed; though he was crying, he didn't retreat a single step.
Finally, just a second before the barrier was about to shatter...
"It's done!" Crozzo let out a heart-wrenching roar. He raised both hands high. A longsword, crimson throughout with a blade like flowing magma and emitting devastating high heat, appeared in his hand.
This was no longer a consumable that would shatter after one use. This was... in a true sense, a Magic Sword with "growth potential" and a "soul." It was the Crozzo clan's... [Primal Magic Sword].
"The name..." Crozzo looked at the sword in his hand, tears of blood falling from his eyes. "I shall call you... [Crimson Moon]."
"Go, Crozzo!" Shirou withdrew the barrier and gave him a push. "Show that big guy... what 'Blacksmith's Rage' looks like!"
"AAAAAAAAAH—!!!"
Crozzo gripped the sword with both hands and swung it down hard toward the mountain-like monster.
There was no sword qi. There was no slash. There was only... fire. Infinite, boundless Red Lotus Karmic Fire that seemed capable of boiling the ocean dry.
"BOOM—!!!"
A massive pillar of fire shot into the sky, piercing through the clouds. Following it, the flames spread. The seawater instantly boiled, turning into a sky full of white steam. The moment those tentacles touched the flames, they were ignited like dry kindling and turned to ash.
"ROOOOAR...?!" The Ancient Kraken let out a terrified shriek. It tried to dive into the water to escape. But... where was the water? The seawater around it had already been evaporated by the high temperature of that single swing.
"Burn... to ASH!!!" Crozzo swung the sword again. This time, the flames condensed into a giant fire dragon, swallowing the Kraken's body in one gulp.
Sizzle— A scalp-numbing burning sound. After only a few seconds, that arrogant overlord of the deep sea was completely carbonized under this extreme heat, turning into a massive, smoking block of black charcoal.
"…"
Silence. A deathly silence.
Only the sound of waves hitting the reefs remained, along with... the residual heat waves in the air.
"We... we won?" Argo crawled up from the ground, looking at the smoking corpse of the monster, his jaw about to dislocate again. "Is... is that a Magic Sword? That was basically... a volcanic eruption!"
"Phew..." The light of the Magic Sword in Crozzo's hand dimmed, but it did not shatter. He slumped onto the ground, looking at the sword in his hand with a silly smile on his face. "I did it... I really did it... A Magic Sword that won't break... my masterpiece..."
"Good job." Shirou walked over. Though his face was pale (his magical energy drained again), his eyes were full of praise. "This sword... is enough to go down in history."
"It's thanks to you, Emiya." Crozzo looked up, his eyes filled with gratitude. "If it weren't for your guidance, I probably wouldn't have been able to make something like this in my entire life."
"I only helped a little." Shirou shrugged. "What truly gave it a soul was your... heart that wanted to protect your comrades."
"Hmph, well said." Olna walked over; though covered in wounds, her spirits were still high. "But... great. The seafood feast turned into 'charcoal-grilled octopus.' And the overcooked kind at that." She looked at the lump of charcoal with a face full of regret.
"It's fine, as long as we scrape off the outer layer, the meat inside should still be tender." Shirou displayed his professional chef's instincts. "Tonight... we eat teppanyaki!"
"Yay! Teppanyaki!" Everyone cheered once more.
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