The infinite sword system has been mastered, and you say this is the dragon clan?

Chapter 424 Your reliance on external aids leads to a superficial cultivation level, while my cultivation of domineering energy is grounded in a solid foundation.

In addition to spending time exploring this singularity these past few days, Emiya has also not stopped exploring his own abilities further.

For example, when he had BB refer to the constantly improving spiritual system of Tensei assimilation, it was essentially a small cheat code for Emiya's own spiritual skill system.

He no longer expects to directly replicate Emperor Karl's skills. Instead, he hopes to use the specific model of mental abilities derived from BB's analysis, combined with his own experience, to develop an enhancement path that suits him.

The ability to "foresee the future," which evolved from the Mind's Eye and is similar to "Observation Haki," is a typical example of a successful mastery of a mental ability.

What he wants to try now is the kind of "Conqueror's Haki," not simply using overwhelming spiritual power to overwhelm people and knock them unconscious. This kind of operation is really not difficult for him as a god-slayer.

What Emiya wanted to try was to integrate his spiritual power into his Godslayer powers.

No, it should be said that it is the other way around, integrating the power equivalent to divine majesty into one's own spiritual temperament.

This is what truly deserves the name "Conqueror's Haki," and it is also a path through which he will gain a deeper understanding of god-level abilities and explore ways to enhance his strength as a god-slayer.

Strictly speaking, this approach is also necessary.

Recall the initial situation, the essence of the Godslayer template—

"Divine Armament Susanoo" is a product that was accidentally created during the Tokyo Holy Grail War before the catastrophe of humanity, relying on the spiritual origins or divine cores of Servants such as Hercules, Minamoto no Yorimitsu, and Ibuki Doji, combined with a large-scale ritual.

Rather than being a product of Emiya's own cultivation, he can at most be considered a vessel for this god-slaying power.

Later, the "Flame Giant Armament - Surto" that BB created in the Arctic was also a copy of this, only enriching the form of power expression, without additionally multiplying Emiya's power.

No matter how many different ingredients are added to a bucket of water, the total volume of water will never exceed that bucket.

Similarly, for Emiya, the output of both Susanoo's and Surtr's powers is limited by his own vessel. Similar to the situation in *Campione!*, slaying numerous gods to acquire more power doesn't result in a significant increase in strength; it merely enriches his skill set and makes him more adept at handling various crises.

Even with repeated use and skillful operation, it only makes one more adept at wielding the power of the gods.

Emiya was not satisfied with this situation. During the Falak Singularity and the Rome Singularity, he realized that ordinary gods were not enough to deal with the final bosses, and those adult beasts had power comparable to powerful gods.

Without Charlemagne's help when facing Emperor Calvin, and without Pope Joan's help when facing Draco, the risk of failing in the singularity conquest would be greatly increased.

He dared not gamble that he had the incredible luck of being the chosen savior, Fujimaru Ritsuka, the protagonist of the original FGO game.

Therefore, strengthening oneself, that is, strengthening the container itself, is imperative. Only a more powerful container can bear a larger amount of god-slayer power, just as the stronger a Servant's Spirit Origin, the higher their output limit.

But how do we strengthen it?

Relying on the Servant's Shadow obtained from the Sword Training Ground? No, this is an enhancement to his Reality Marble Unlimited Blade Works, which can summon support, enrich his martial arts and weapons, but does not affect the strength of his own vessel.

Relying on "Observation Haki" for more battles and honing one's skills? Relying on training in martial arts like Niten Ichi-ryu and deeply cultivating those exquisite sword techniques that sever cause and effect? ​​Relying on using the power of gods like Susanoo and skillfully wielding destructive powers? None of these are correct. These are all techniques for maximizing output based on the current level of the vessel, rather than strengthening and expanding the vessel itself.

What Emiya is currently trying to do is to strengthen the container itself.

Magnificent Noble Phantasms are merely external things; a solid foundation is the true essence.

"Armament Haki" - to integrate the divine armor into the body, thus elevating one's physical form;

"Conqueror's Haki" – This refers to the ability to integrate the power of the gods into one's spirit, thereby elevating one's soul.

In fact, Norton and Constantine call this "spiritual reforging" in alchemy. They used the same term when performing god-killing rituals.

However, Emiya believes that he is currently attempting... [a spiritual rebuilding]?
It's just a shame that the two brothers, Norton and Constantine, who are the most knowledgeable about alchemy at the Atlas Academy, are currently not around. Otherwise, they would probably be utterly astonished by Emiya's method of "[Spirit Rebuilding] + [Spirit Rebuilding] + [Spirit Rebuilding] + ... = [Spirit Rebuilding Again]"!

Crash-!
The waves surged, water sprayed into the air, the fleet's cannons exploded in a dense barrage, and the giant sea serpents went berserk, tearing and biting!
The Red Fury is getting closer and closer to the battlefield where the two pirate ships are clashing...

In an attempt to "rebuild his spirit," Emiya grunted and forcefully suppressed the divine power that was about to erupt and project the Susanoo giant weapon back into his body.

This caused his body surface to appear and spread a layer of almost pitch-black deep purple—the light purple that was originally the divine armor, now appeared even darker and more condensed, with almost hallucinatory lightning sound effects exploding on the skin surface!
Emiya felt as if his skin and even the muscles beneath his skin were being torn apart, as if every inch of his fur was being electrocuted. The pain, though subtle, was immense and intensified over time, causing the intense pain, a mixture of numbness and tearing, to clench his teeth.

He had previously generated small portions of divine weapons on his body to resist attacks, such as when he resisted Astolfo's Noble Phantasm in the Frankish Singularity and when he resisted the Noble Phantasms of two super Indians in the Roman Singularity. But those were all just for a moment. He had never suppressed the power of the gods on his body so continuously before, or even tried to integrate it into his body.

Moreover, he wasn't simply attempting physical enhancement, but rather a enhancement from the body to the spirit—

Boom!

The sharp shriek of lightning pierced through the thick, leaden-gray clouds, and the thunder roared and echoed in all directions, making the dark world even more dazzling and noisy, as if the gods hidden in the clouds had been gathering their strength for a long time and were now roaring in anger!
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"Hmm? Weird..."

As the pink-haired woman in the tricorn hat looked up, the sailors around her, who were loyal to her, were still nervously relaying her battle orders. The Golden Hind, which was nearly 37 meters long, sailed steadily and methodically on the undulating sea.

She was the captain of the Golden Hind, and her identity was all too clear—Francis Drake, the famous "Sea King" of 16th-century England, the first navigator to live and circumnavigate the globe, and the legendary pirate who defeated the Spanish Armada, causing it to relinquish its title of "Empire on which the sun never sets."

He's known for his generous and magnanimous nature, his love of sailing and plundering, and a prominent diagonal scar on his face—all clear signs of a pirate. There's nothing unusual about that. The only slightly peculiar thing is that Drake, appearing in the world as a Servant, is actually a woman.

Drake looked up at the sky. Already facing a formidable enemy and with the unusual weather, the smile on her face gradually faded.

The overcast sky wouldn't have immediately turned into thunder and rain, but the current situation unexpectedly made her uneasy. Normally, with her adventurous experiences and rich sailing experience, even the strongest winds and highest waves wouldn't be surprising, but this sudden change made her sense danger...

She summoned two of her trusted subordinates, "Mary and Anne."

This is also a pair of Servants, no, to be precise, a pair of Servants sharing the same Spirit Origin—

Legendary female pirates Anne Bernie and Mary Ryder.

Anne Bonny is a tall, voluptuous blonde gunslinger, while Mary Reid has short white hair, a petite and agile figure, and is skilled at using a scimitar for surprise attacks. They are actual female pirates who lived during the "Great Pirate Era" in history, and unlike the Heroic Spirit Drake, they were originally women.

So when Anne encountered the Golden Deer by chance, upon seeing that the Servant Drake was actually female, and even possessed a chest stat comparable to her own, she jokingly said, despite Mary's advice:
"Drake, I never imagined the famous Sir Drake would look like this... How does it feel to be a woman?"

Drake wasn't angry and replied with a smile, "So what if it's a woman? Women don't stop me from drinking and making money! It's good enough to have the opportunity to travel again after death! Just think of it as someone getting the gender wrong and stuffing my soul into a woman's body."

Anne and Mary admired Drake's magnanimous attitude, so they decided to temporarily board her ship and accompany her on her journey through this endless sea.

But this moment is different from that moment; the waves are surging, the thunder is roaring, and even the air is filled with a sense of panic.

Neither of them wore a smile, only a solemn expression.

“Mary, Anne, this awful weather…something’s weird!” Drake’s tone was unreadable.

"Boss Drake!"

Anne said—like the other crew members, everyone on the Golden Hind called Drake "Big Sister"—"Not only that, I saw an unfamiliar pirate ship approaching in the distance."

Anne is skilled in sniping with a musket, so among everyone on the ship, her vision is the best.

Short Mary's small face was tense as she gripped the curved knife, the tip still dripping with sea serpent blood. The same slanted scar as Drake's lay across her face like a dark shadow. "Of all times... I have a bad feeling!"

"Do you think this weather was caused by that ship?"

“Maybe! That ship might have obtained the ‘key’ just like us,” Mary said.

These words weighed heavily on the hearts of the three Servants. They were surrounded by formidable enemies; the opposing giant ship was still manipulating massive sea serpents to relentlessly attack the Golden Deer, its bizarre methods utterly unbelievable. And now, a new, powerful force had intervened, possibly possessing the same "key" as them, potentially wiping out their existing advantage.

The so-called "key" is a giant dragon claw that Drake unearthed from some nameless island in the reef sea. Drake originally intended to keep this treasure as a personal item, but who knew that this thing could react with the Servant's Spirit Origin, granting her a strange "elemental authority".

According to the information that suddenly appeared in her mind, this was the key to the "final destination," and there were now three other such keys.

“Alright, stop overthinking,” Drake said, standing up. “Get back to your posts. I’ll keep an eye on that third party that’s infiltrated the battlefield—”

呲呲——!
Before the words were finished, there was a sound of dense electric current breaking through the atmosphere.

She looked up and saw that the leaden-gray clouds in the sky had become riddled with holes, and swirling thunder was tearing through the sky and falling towards the sea!
At the same time, a sound followed by a thunderclap rang out from the Red Furs, echoing on the Golden Hind and on the Gorgon, which was being pulled by a giant snake on the opposite side:
"Listen up, you pirates! We are the Red-Haired Pirates! For our captain's sake, accept our mediation immediately and cease fighting!"

Drake smelled something burning in the air and felt an inexplicable heavy pressure. He thought to himself, "You call this mediation? Is this definitely not a threat?"

Besides, even if I stop fighting, will the giant snakes on the other side give up?

It's important to know that Drake wasn't the one who initiated the attack; it was the USS Gorgon that started the naval battle from the beginning!
"Great! This is so interesting!"

A series of silvery laughs echoed from the giant ship, the seductive tone surpassing even the siren bewitching sailors, practically a heavenly melody unparalleled in the world. "Your captain is Red-Haired Shanks! Isn't that right? The title of Emperor of the Sea is truly resounding... Listen up, there can only be one emperor, and that is our pirate empress, Stheno! All men—must bow down to her charm and become motionless stone statues!"

"...?"

Drake listened to their exchange, his feelings becoming somewhat complicated. "You two know each other? And I'm the one who came later?"
Why don't you go fight Shanks? Why are you suddenly coming to fight me?
Before she could even speak, the voices from the Gorgon turned their attention to the Golden Hind and began bombarding it again: "And you, you unknown little pirate, hand over the 'key,' or you'll experience the wrath of the goddess!... Medusa, charge!"

The woman's voice coming from the Gorgon was quirky and unreasonable, making one's blood pressure rise.

Drake, who was called an unknown pirate, stood her ground and even laughed out loud. She stood on the bow of the ship and said, "Sure thing, bring it on! Let's have a good fight! — Prepare for cannon fire!"

As soon as he finished speaking, countless ghost ship shadows suddenly appeared around Drake's Golden Hind, burning with magnificent flames and forming a continuous expanse, like a ghostly sea of ​​fire that suddenly appeared!
This is Drake's Noble Phantasm, "Golden Deer and Stormy Night," which deploys countless smaller boats centered around his main ship, the Golden Deer, to annihilate the enemy with overwhelming firepower.

Historically, Drake's strategy to defeat the Spanish Armada primarily involved long-range artillery warfare, and he also employed the pirate tactic of "fire ships"—piling up large amounts of flammable materials on multiple ships, setting them ablaze, and then charging into the enemy lines.

Now, Drake has obtained a key that comes with "elemental authority." Therefore, the power of his Noble Phantasm is far more than that.

Boom!

She raised her musket and pulled the trigger. The next second, the massive fire ships surrounding the Golden Deer suddenly expanded, their hulls rising into the air—with a whoosh, they transformed into giant fire dragons swirling in mid-air!
"Remember my name and die! You terrible sea demon, the woman who shot down the sun!"

"—Hehehehe, how dare you say such arrogant and blasphemous words as 'die' to the Pirate Empress? Then turn into a silent stone!"

Suddenly, a bright purple light emanated from the giant ship Gorgon, and a divine aura of multiple complex properties spread out, distorting all things in the world. Even the fire dragons that swooped down were turned into stone dragons that could no longer burn by the strange purple light rays!

Drake frowned. "Hmph, this is more interesting!"

She sensed that although the person opposite her was a goddess, they didn't seem to be that powerful in combat. This powerful petrification ability should only be possessed by one of them.

The "key" she possessed told her that the "authority" could still exert its power, and she followed her heart and fired—

Boom! A giant wave of fire suddenly erupted from the sea! Burning ghost ships continued to emerge from the endless seawater, then merged together and surged wildly, creating a scorching tsunami!
Even if you can petrify a fire dragon, can you petrify the ocean?
"Hehe. Are you mentally prepared? The goddess's—"

The conversation suddenly stopped.

Because of the endless flames, the tearing giant snakes, the shooting purple light, and even the entire sea surface being cut and shattered by a sudden sword light.

Drake, along with Marianne and the three goddess sisters opposite him, had their vision filled with the magnificent sword light in an instant. The amazing aurora pierced through the sea and the sky, and the rampaging fire ship collapsed in an instant amidst wails. The sea monsters and giant serpents fell like thin slices, and the Golden Hind and Gorgon ships involuntarily tilted backward.

Because the sea surface carrying the ships was shattered, the waters where the two ships clashed were mercilessly carved into abysses thousands of meters deep, a scene reminiscent of Moses parting the sea.

Drake gripped the ram's forefoot, breathing heavily. As she stood on the bow of the ship, which was being tossed about by the waves, she involuntarily looked up at the sky.

I saw the sky split in two by the sword.

(End of this chapter)