DanMachi: The Epic of the Heroic Spirits of Emiya Shirou

What Emiya Shirou thought of was a story about Theseus: in Greek mythology, it was he who used a sword to kill the Minotaur.

This is precisely why Theseus possesses the adaptability of the Saber class.

Instead of using the high-grade magic sword that Tsubaki had lent him to shatter the Minotaur, Shirou Emiya used an ice magic sword to freeze the enemy, then focused his mind and began chanting.

[Identifying Creative Concepts]

Scenario Basic Framework

Copy the component material

Imitation production technology

Empathetic growth experience

Replay cumulative years

Overcoming and completing many projects──

At this very moment, the sword that embodies all of fantasy is complete.

"Projection, begin (Trace, on)."

A massive sword, gleaming with metallic luster and resembling a heavy hammer, appeared in the boy's hand.

"The pseudo-spinning of yarn leading to the extreme (Ariádnē Apólito Adis Ⅱ)"

Theseus, a Saber-class character, actually possesses a Noble Phantasm that is not a sword, but rather the thread of Ariadne that enabled him to reach the location of the Minotaur and successfully escape the labyrinth.

The silk threads pave the way to glory and victory, but they are also a cursed garment that can lead to hell with one wrong step.

Shirou Emiya didn't need the threads to guide him, because the Minotaur was right before him. All he needed was a blade capable of slaying the monster.

Therefore, what he projected at this moment, strictly speaking, could not even be considered a Noble Phantasm. It was a fake object whose name was borrowed, and its essence could at best be considered a slightly sharper sword.

The original "Spinning Thread Leading to the Extreme" is a C++ level anti-personnel Noble Phantasm, while the sword in Emiya's hand is at most a C level empty shell.

That is why he was able to project it with his Lv.1 magic.

However, even in its empty shell, it is still connected to the karma of "Theseus (the bull killer)".

"The effect of the skill [?????? (Roadless Valhalla)] is activated."

"Temporarily gained the development ability [Hunter] I"

"Temporarily acquired the skill [Pseudo-Bull Slayer (Ox Slayer II)]"

The Minotaur broke free from the frost that had frozen its movements and roared forward, but it only took one step before its movements came to a halt.

It stood just three steps away from the boy. One more step and the boy would be within its attack range. With the mere stamina of a Lv.1 adventurer, the Minotaur could tear apart that fragile body with just a slight swing of its arm.

However, it could no longer move forward, as if those few meters were a bottomless abyss, with the Sword of Damocles hanging above it, destined to nail any traitor who tried to cross it to the bottom of the abyss.

The monsters in the dungeon are not intelligent; they follow their instincts to hunt humans who enter the dungeon and also follow their instincts to flee from stronger opponents they cannot defeat.

At this moment, what the Minotaur is sensing is something deeper and more essential than instinct—[fate].

Emiya Shirou stepped forward, raised his sword high, and then swung it down normally.

From Ais’s perspective, time seemed to stretch out, and both Emiya and the Minotaur’s movements became exceptionally slow. Faced with the boy’s ordinary sword strike, the Minotaur could only awkwardly raise its arm to block.

Hot, dark red blood splattered as the greatsword severed the Minotaur's arm. The Minotaur's tough skin, known for its durability, was like solidified butter before that sword, easily sliced ​​open by a heated knife.

The Minotaur retreated with a wailing cry, and with each step it took back, Emiya took a step forward, until the minotaur's body pressed against the labyrinth's rock wall, with nowhere left to retreat.

The red-haired boy had a cold expression as he wielded the "Sword of Theseus/Sword of the Bull Slayer" as if he were wielding destiny itself.

Ais's eyes reflected the image of Emiya wielding his sword to slay monsters, like the radiant sun bringing judgment upon the demons lurking in the darkness.

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Shirou is being targeted by a wicked woman from the Loki Familia?

Emiya Shirou pulled the bewildered Ais back to the ground.

After witnessing that sword strike, Ais seemed to lose her mind, staring blankly with her mouth agape. Even with the narration, "All these silly kids look the same," it didn't seem out of place at all.

Shirou could only hold the girl's hand and lead her forward. Fortunately, they didn't encounter any monsters on the way back.

At the same time, Emiya was constantly recalling the strange state he had entered when he projected the [Sword of Theseus].

The Minotaur, who should have been a superior being, was someone he felt he could easily kill. It felt as if he were not killing him in battle, but rather like a criminal being judged and beheaded.

It was almost as if they were personally in control of their own destiny.

But afterwards, even when I tried to project the Sword of Theseus again, I never got the same feeling as before.

This was the first time he had attempted to project a "treasure" since arriving in this world.

The so-called Noble Phantasm is a weapon that is praised in the legends of Heroic Spirits.

Noble Phantasms, as the ultimate weapons of Heroic Spirits, are materialized miracles, proof of heroism held by Heroic Spirits, and "armaments made with human imagination as the framework," that is, the result of the sublimation of the deeds of Heroic Spirits.

In fact, Emiya did not truly project Theseus's Noble Phantasm. Although Theseus had the adaptability of the "Saber" class, his sword was just an ordinary "Heroic Spirit weapon," while the true form of Theseus's Noble Phantasm was the "thread" from mythology that helped him find the Minotaur.

Even so, with just a sword that wasn't even a Noble Phantasm and was merely related to the myth of Theseus, Emiya easily accomplished what could be called a great feat—slaying the powerful Level 2 monster Minotaur at Level 1.

The Sword of Theseus is just one of the thousands of swords recorded in his Unlimited Blade Works.

"Are the monsters in the dungeon connected to the myths I know? Could their weakness also be...?"

Because he was preoccupied with something, Shirou Emiya held "Rivia's" hand and walked on his own. The crowded people in front of him automatically parted, like Moses parting the sea.

He was so engrossed in his own world that he didn't realize the adventurers seemed to be hiding too far away, and that the expressions on their faces—curious, puzzled, confused, and even terrified—made him oblivious to their whispers.

"That's the Sword Maiden, isn't it? The princess of the Loki Familia, the Level 5 Sword Maiden!"

"My god, Fiora is the support, and who is that young man in front of me... no, who is that big brother in front of me?"

"His cloak bears the emblem of the Hephaestus Familia!"

"Could it be that the Loki Familia and the Hephaestus Familia have merged?"

"What?! The Loki Familia and the Hephaestus Familia are going to challenge the Freya Familia together?!"

"It must be that Sword Maiden. She kidnapped the handsome young man, probably to force him to go back with her and do XXX!"

"Damn Amazon, what's with all that imagination?!"

"Croak! [Sword Maiden] and a handsome young man, if I could witness such a 'battle of the strong' in person, it would be worth dying for!"

·

The setting sun sank behind the towering city walls, and the city was shrouded in the vast night.

Orario becomes even more lively as night falls.

Cheerful singing and music drifted from the taverns and plazas. Magic stone lamps shone brightly throughout the streets, and adventurers returning from the labyrinth joined the crowd, making the area incredibly packed. The bustling South Street area was especially noisy.

A dazzling array of lights illuminated the avenue, their brilliance rivaling that of a starry sky. The entire row of shops along the bustling street was tall and imposing, their exteriors opulent and ostentatious. Furthermore, numerous upscale taverns, casinos, and grand theaters—entertainment facilities rarely seen elsewhere in the city—had been built, catering primarily to the nobility. True to its name as a "bustling metropolis," South Street presented a vibrant and lively scene.

Turning a corner on the street and entering a back alley, Chun skillfully pushed open the door of a tavern.

"Hey, Shakti, long time no see." Upon unexpectedly meeting a familiar person, Chun greeted him and sat down next to him without being invited.

This is "Flame Bee Pavilion," a tavern located in a back alley of a bustling street.

Because it's a back alley shop, the tavern is smaller than [The Abundant Mistress], and the food and dishes are not as high quality or as plentiful as those at [The Abundant Mistress]. However, "Flame Bee Pavilion" offers higher-proof spirits, making it popular with some adventurers and blacksmiths.

In particular, the store's signature product—honey wine brewed to a bright ruby ​​red—is quite famous throughout Orari, and many people visit the store for days on end just to buy it.

"Chun, it's been a long time." The female adventurer named 'Shakti' glanced at her and said, "You've finally decided to come out of the workshop."

This is a woman with a dignified and beautiful face and a tall figure, who is fully worthy of the title of beauty. She has beautiful short blue hair, and her hairstyle and expression give people a clean and neat feeling, exuding the aura of a strong woman.

However, the several empty wine glasses scattered haphazardly on the wooden table in front of her unexpectedly gave the blue-haired beauty the impression of a "female alcoholic".

However, no one in the entire tavern thought of using the alcohol to strike up a conversation or taking advantage of a beautiful woman's drunkenness. Instead, they all moved away from the table, creating a vacuum zone centered on Shakti.

Throughout the night, only Chun dared to approach and speak to her, and she even plopped down next to the blue-haired beauty.

Shakti is a Level 1 adventurer with the same Lv.5 strength as Tsubaki, and is also the leader of the top urban faction, the Ganesha Familia.

The Ganesha Familia are responsible for managing the city's security, and Shakti is known for his seriousness, calmness, and emphasis on rules. If Orario had a ranking of "number of people sent to prison," Shakti would definitely be at the top, far ahead of the others.

However, this dignified and capable beauty also reveals another side when night falls—Shakti often comes to this tavern to get drunk on strong mead.

Tsubaki also loves the mead from "Flame Bee Pavilion," but she simply enjoys drinking. Shakti, on the other hand, uses alcohol to drown her sorrows, sometimes because of trivial matters of her clan, often because of urban security issues, and even more often because of the capriciousness of the main god.

"boom--"

The two beauties clinked their glasses together; as frequent drinkers who often met here, they had developed a tacit understanding.

"What's wrong? You look like someone owes you a hundred million fali. I was planning to share my joy at forging a new weapon with you, but now I don't know how to bring it up."

As Chun spoke, the corners of her mouth curled up, giving off a teasing look that said, "Tell me what's bothering you so I can have a laugh."

"Many merchant guilds are urging the guild and our Ganesha clan to capture [Swiftwind] as soon as possible." Shakti showed an annoyed expression: "He's always hanging around there crying and complaining, it's so annoying!"

"Ah, is that so?" Tsubaki became slightly more serious. Although there were several layers in between, the matter of [Gale] was not entirely unrelated to her.

The fact that [Swift Wind] Liu Liang is now at [The Abundant Mistress] is no secret at all, because she has never thought of hiding her identity. She openly shows her face every day and works as a waitress in the tavern.

Completely disregarding his status as a top-tier wanted criminal, he treated the guild and the enforcers, the Ganesha Familia, as nothing.

However, neither the guild nor the Ganesha Familia had the motivation to arrest Gale. In Shakti and the others' view, Ryu's actions in wiping out the Dark Familia had actually done them a great favor, but Ryu's private trial had gone a bit too far.

Her operations were massive, involving numerous deaths and the destruction of many strongholds, and she made no effort to conceal her identity.

She even assassinated several times without warning those who were actually guild employees and were part of the Dark Faction's inner circle, making it difficult for the guild to openly protect her.

Therefore, in order to uphold the "law", the guild and the Ganesha Familia issued a bounty for Ryu, but they were not willing to seriously capture him. In fact, all information related to Gale was thrown into the trash by Shakti and not made public.

After all, the Astrea Familia were comrades-in-arms of the guild and the city's current major families during the Dark Ages, and Ryu was the last "orphan" of the Astrea Familia.

The ones truly interested in capturing [Swift] are actually many merchant guilds in Orario. These organizations have had some overt or covert connections with the Dark Faction, but their crimes are not capital offenses. For example, they helped transport goods under duress from the Dark Faction and have already been punished by the guilds.

These people, along with some who had previously colluded with the Dark Clan without being discovered, were the most afraid of [Gale]. After all, the guild and the [Ganesha Familia] still acted based on evidence and the law. [Gale], however, completely disregarded all of that; she was simply a madwoman and a killer.

Even if [Swift Wind] has toned it down now, who can guarantee that she won't bring up old grievances again someday?

It was thanks to the contributions of those chambers of commerce that the bounty on Ryukyu was able to increase to the staggering figure of 80 million fali.

"Not to mention that I had no intention of capturing [Gale] at all, even if I did want to, what could I do? Charge at [The Abundant Mistress]? What's the difference between that and charging at the Tower of Babel?" Shakti took a big gulp of wine.

"Those foolish merchants, I really want to send them all to heaven with a magic sword!"

Chun offered a reasonable suggestion: "I have a way to contact Jifeng. Why don't you hire her to take action?"

Shakti turned his head and stared at Chun, as if considering the feasibility of this approach.

"Oh, right." Shakti's cheeks were flushed, and she spoke in a slightly tipsy state.

"Today I saw your clan's young man walking hand in hand with a Loki clan's first-class adventurer down the street."

"Huh?" Tsubaki was stunned. Her first thought was Shirou Emiya, but how could that be? How could Shirou be associated with a first-class adventurer of the Loki Familia?

Shakti's lips curled into a smile: "That guy, the way he was secretly staring at your boy from behind... tsk tsk, he was practically so enthusiastic he wanted to devour him, it was almost scary. But your red-haired kid is indeed very cute..."

Tsubaki immediately stood up. Something terrible had happened; it seemed a wicked woman had her eye on Shirou!

The image that subconsciously surfaced in her mind was of two lustful Amazons reaching out their wicked hands to the boy.

"However, that child and [Sword Princess] seem to be a good match, like childhood sweethearts. How wonderful, so youthful... Hey, where did she go?" While Shakti was drinking with his head down, Chun disappeared, demonstrating the speed of a first-level adventurer.

With his drinking buddies gone, Shakti was left to continue drinking alone, drowning his sorrows in alcohol.

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Reputation Damaged

Emiya Shirou held "Miss Riveria's" hand as they walked along the street.

Today we ventured deep into the twelfth level of the dungeon, spending a long time in the maze, and before we knew it, it was already dark.

Orario is a true city that never sleeps. The neon lights of the entertainment district can be seen from the other side of the city. And the street where the two of them are now walking is still illuminated by the magic stone lamps along the street, even though the shops on both sides have closed.

Without realizing it, Ais began to feel a little nervous.

She felt her hand being enveloped by a warm flame. The boy's fingers were long and strong, and although he was holding the girl's hand, it felt like holding a sword blade.

“Miss Riveria,” Emiya addressed her by her name.

Ais was stunned for a moment before she realized what was happening, and her pretty face flushed slightly.