Yith quickly dismissed the idea of calling in Exusiai as outside support.
The reason was simple, there was someone even more effective already present.
"How long do you need to clear them all?"
Although Yith did not mention a name, everyone knew who he was asking.
Shirou's performance a few days ago had already proven plenty.
However, with a swarm of drones of this scale, even if each shot could destroy one, it would still take hundreds of arrows.
Not to mention whether there were enough arrows, the archer might collapse from exhaustion first.
Archery was physically demanding. From the moment the bowstring was drawn until release, it placed heavy strain on the arms and upper body.
Lower draw weights allowed rapid firing, but the damage would be too low, requiring even more shots to destroy each drone.
That would end up consuming even more stamina, it was hardly worth it.
The two sniper teams and the casters quickly estimated that they could handle about half of the drones.
That was assuming careful management of ammunition and stamina as they had not brought much ammunition with them.
Which meant the remaining half would have to be handled by that one "support."
Even Chen felt that was asking too much.
"As fast as possible?"
After estimating his magical reserves, Shirou felt he had several ways to deal with the swarm.
But if speed was the priority… the resulting commotion would be a bit… excessive.
Probably at the level of being invited to the Guard Department for questioning.
Even Exusiai had been called in just for blowing up a building, there was no way he would avoid it.
"The faster, the better. It does not matter if it is loud. We need those drones gone quickly, before they decide to go all out and scatter for indiscriminate attacks."
The moment Shirou asked that, Yith understood what he was planning.
According to intelligence compiled by Texas, Shirou had once used a technique during a mission to Ursus which involved firing swords as arrows and detonating them.
The explosion was even stronger than Exusiai's explosives, though it had clear drawbacks: it required preparation time and consumed stamina.
Even so, it was an extremely powerful ability. In the right environment, ignoring stamina limits, Shirou alone could produce the effect of an entire army.
And that was a conservative estimate without even factoring in his absurd long-range capabilities.
Fortunately, Shirou had no such ambitions. Despite possessing immense power, he lacked any desire for domination.
"Understood. The blast will be a bit intense. Have everyone take cover."
With Yith's approval, Shirou decided to use Broken Phantasm.
The drones were flying far above the surrounding buildings, likely to serve as a warning while buying time to escape.
If they were not destroyed immediately, just as Yith had said, the swarm would scatter and begin indiscriminate attacks.
The weapons mounted on them were not decorative.
Taking a deep breath, Shirou began calculating the strike range.
He was not worried about insufficient firepower, what he was worried about was going overkill and harming others.
Using Broken Phantasm would inevitably cause collateral damage, but excessive output might result in casualties.
All he could do was carefully control the blast radius and positioning.
He understood the situation clearly, this was no longer a scenario where he could resolve everything without anyone getting hurt.
"Find cover. Stay alert and report immediately."
On the other side, although she did not fully understand why Shirou insisted on it, Chen still followed through.
If he said it was necessary, then it was. Besides, they needed his help in this situation.
At the same time, she had already called for reinforcements from the Guard Department. She had anticipated trouble and arranged for Hoshiguma and Swire to be on duty tonight.
The cost would be treating them to drinks and a good meal later.
Mostly Hoshiguma, the "char siu cat" was just a bonus.
"Report: everyone is in cover."
"Maintain alert. Red coat, are you ready?"
After confirming her team was in position, Chen issued orders and then checked on Shirou.
She remembered he was concealing his identity, so she referred to him as "Red."
Mainly because they were not familiar enough and using a nickname was easier, just like "barbecue cat."
"I am ready. I just hope the Guard Department does not invite me in for tea afterward."
Having calculated the strike points and the amount of magical energy needed, Shirou made a small joke to ease his tension.
Because from here on out, even the slightest miscalculation could be extremely dangerous.
This time, it was not an empty plain.
And the amount of magical energy he was pouring in now was far greater than before.
Back then, it had only been used as a warning to those behind him, so Shirou had not used much energy.
Now… with a bit of time, he could probably reach the level Archer had when sniping Berserker.
Steadying his mind, Shirou focused on his outstretched right hand and activated his magecraft.
Projection, begin.
Analyzing the concept of creation,
Defining the basic structure,
Copying the material composition,
Imitating the techniques of forging,
Synchronizing with accumulated experience,
Reproducing the passage of years,
Surpassing—completing countless processes.
"This body… is made of swords—"
Shirou recited the incantation.
A drill-like sword was set upon the black bow, elongating as red and blue magical energy intertwined around it.
The projection magecraft he possessed was merely a byproduct of Unlimited Blade Works.
Speaking the chant was only to reinforce his own focus, allowing his magical energy to flow more smoothly.
The stronger the Noble Phantasm he attempted to draw out, the longer the chant required.
For Caladbolg, only a short chant was needed.
" Caladbolg!"
As Shirou spoke the name, blue magical energy gathered, and he released the bowstring.
The arrow shot forward in a straight line, leaving behind a long streak of blue light.
Many people across Lungmen saw it.
The blue trail cut across the night sky, as if splitting it in two.
"It seems like quite an interesting weapon… but why is it flying through the sky?"
On the streets, Nian noticed it early on.
At first, she simply sensed a powerful weapon nearby so she abandoned her hotpot mid-meal and stepped outside, gazing toward its source.
She could tell it was a weapon with an extremely long history.
But she could not understand why it was flying through the sky or why it was traveling such a long distance.
"What is that?"
Inside Penguin Logistics' building, Emperor who had been following Shirou and Yith's progress also saw it.
He did not fully understand it, but it looked impressive at least his money had not been wasted.
He was not worried about the situation. He trusted Yith enough to handle things even if something went wrong.
Besides, this was a good chance to witness Shirou's strength firsthand.
Still, from their earlier conversation, he sensed something slightly off.
It felt like something very serious was about to happen. He might not get to enjoy his wine peacefully tonight.
"Is that… a caster?"
Hearing Shirou recite those incomprehensible lines, Chen was momentarily confused.
Then she saw something flying straight toward them from the distance.
In that instant, a strong sense of danger surged within her.
"…! Get down! All units, get down!"
Connecting it with what Shirou had said earlier, Chen immediately ordered everyone to hit the ground.
When would you need others to take cover?
Only when the firepower was difficult to control.
She did not know what Shirou had just recited, but her instincts told her something extremely dangerous was about to happen.
As Chen dropped to the ground, the Caladbolg reached its intended position.
"Broken Phantasm—!"
With nothing for it to directly strike, Shirou chose to detonate it midair.
From behind cover, Chen could clearly feel the air being violently drawn toward a single point—
Then came a blinding flash, followed by a deafening explosion and a powerful shockwave crashing down from above.
A massive cloud of dust was thrown into the air by the violent wind.
At that moment, Chen had only one thought:
"Lungmen profanity Do all the people from Penguin Logistics love explosions this much?!"
Chen's voice was loud by any standard, but even she could not overpower the roar of the explosion.
Even if she could, aside from Shirou and Yith, no one else would have been able to hear anything at that moment.
After all, they were directly beneath it…closer than anyone except the drones themselves.
Fortunately, there were not many people in this area. Though after today, there would probably be even fewer.
"What the hell is that thing?"
Even without relying on drone footage, Yith who was far away in the city could see what was happening through a nearby window.
How should he describe it… the biggest firework display in Lungmen's history?
No, no, no. No matter how you looked at it, this was bad.
I did not tell you to set off something that big! At this rate, Penguin Logistics is going to be under close watch by the Guard Department for quite a while!
Yith let out a wail at the thought of all the overtime he was about to suffer.
"Beautiful! They really picked up a treasure, did they not? With something like that, I could hold a grand concert anytime."
Watching the spectacular "firework," the Emperor happily took a sip of red wine.
Better drink a bit more now, someone would surely come knocking later and then there would be no mood for wine.
"Tsk, what kind of idiot wastes something like that? Using such a fine weapon as a disposable item…"
Seeing the massive explosion that lit up nearly half of Lungmen, Nian could only feel it was a waste.
To her, forging a weapon required the effort of many people. And a weapon with such age might even contain lost techniques.
Even if she herself did not need it, plenty of others would fight over it.
She simply found it a pity.
"Ah well, might as well go back to my hotpot. Hopefully the staff have not cleaned up yet."
With nothing left to watch since it had all been blown away, Nian lost interest.
Her extra-spicy hotpot was far more appealing anyway.
"Trace on—"
Although Shirou had destroyed all of the drones with the Caladbolg explosion, a small number of backup drones appeared from another building.
That area was now filled with thick smoke, partly from the destroyed drones and within it Shirou could vaguely make out a few moving silhouettes.
Arrows glowing with crimson magical energy shot out one after another, streaking across Lungmen's night sky.
Each arrow pierced through the smoke and struck the flying drones with precise accuracy.
Just projecting Caladbolg and triggering the Broken Phantasm had already drained a good part of Shirou's magical energy.
However, the remaining energy was still enough to project arrows and clean up the stragglers. At least he would not completely run dry like a few days ago.
"Do not zone out! Move in and surround them! Close in toward the direction the drones came from!"
In the distance, Chen, having just recovered, shouted commands loudly.
She had to shout. Her ears were still ringing badly. Her physique was already quite strong and even she was affected let alone the others.
These people had followed Chen on many operations before. Even without verbal commands, they could understand what to do just by reading her movements.
Her phone and communicator kept ringing, but she did not notice, her focus was entirely on the situation ahead.
"Emi—… Red, have you cleared the drones above?"
After recovering slightly, Chen turned her earpiece volume to maximum and asked Shirou.
What had just happened was beyond normal comprehension. She had almost called out his name, only managing to correct herself midway.
"They are mostly cleared. There might still be some backup drones—stay alert."
Shirou stopped firing for now, keeping his bow drawn and ready. The moment a drone appeared, he would shoot it down immediately.
Even with his long-range vision, there were still blind spots.
From preparing the projection of Caladbolg to destroying most of the drones, it had taken Shirou less than a minute.
But that was not the important part.
Just now… the hooded person seemed to have called his name?
That was not his imagination, right?
Or was it just auditory hallucination from excessive magical exhaustion?