DanMachi: The Epic of the Heroic Spirits of Emiya Shirou

Because of this preconceived notion, and because of their status as high-level adventurers who believed they could handle any situation in the upper and middle zones, Alicia, Ryu, and Aisha all subconsciously looked down on Goliath.

"boom--"

Just then, as Goliath landed and Alicia faltered due to the unexpected enemy, a loud explosion rang out.

Flames erupted from Goliath's face; the one who struck was Shirou Emiya.

Long before Goliath was born, he projected a demonic sword, then raised the [Pseudo-Shoot Hundred Heads] and began to charge up.

The moment Black Goliath broke through the rock wall, he shot out the demonic sword.

With the enhancement of the "Pseudo-Shoot a Hundred Heads" skill, the demonic sword shot into Goliath's mouth at an extremely fast speed.

"Awoooo ...

With a bottle of high-grade spiritual medicine dangling from his mouth, Emiya began the next round of projection.

Emiya wasn't the only one who had been preparing in advance.

"—The forests and skies that have now faded into the distance, the endless night sky inlaid with countless stars."

Respond to my foolish voice, grant me the protection of starlight once more, and bestow light and mercy upon those who have abandoned you.

Come, wandering wind, drifting traveler.

Soaring through the skies, traversing the wilderness, moving with speed surpassing all things, it conquers its enemies with the brilliance of the stars.

"Luminous Wind!"

Ryu activated a spell she had been chanting in advance, sending a barrage of light projectiles hurtling toward her opponent.

A high-frequency cracking sound exploded on Goliath's face!

Alicia snapped out of her daze: "Well done, Shirou, Ryu!"

"Aisha, let's go!"

"Oh!!!" Aisha responded, and with a battle cry, the Amazon warrior's agile figure charged out.

In any case, facing Goliath in the Lone King's room in this labyrinth will definitely be the right decision, because at least no other monsters will spawn here.

If this giant were allowed to rush into other rooms and join forces with more monsters, that would be a real disaster!

So there was no need to hesitate. From the very beginning, they only had one choice—to charge in!

Alicia and Aisha rushed out, and Ryu, who had finished casting his magic, also rushed out, and the three of them began to chant at the same time.

Even if it's a bit taller and has a harder shell, it's still just Goliath. As long as it's still Lv.4, we can definitely defeat it!

"Freeze, lock of winter!"

"Come forth, Lord of Barbarians!"

—A valiant warrior, a towering hero, a greedy and tyrannical valiant warrior! Prove it if you wish to obtain the Empress's Imperial Belt!

Satisfy me, pierce me, annihilate me as proof! My thirsty blade is named Hippolyta!

"—The forest sky now fades into the distance, the endless night sky studded with countless stars. Respond to my foolish voice, grant me once more the protection of starlight, bestow upon those who have forsaken you light and mercy—Come, wandering wind, drifting traveler. Soar through the sky, gallop across the wilderness, move with the speed of all things, and conquer your enemies with the brilliance of the stars."

All three are high-ranking adventurers, possessing magic and having mastered the advanced technique of "parallel chanting."

Compared to Ryu and Alicia, Aisha's "parallel chanting" was not as smooth, but it was still at a very skillful level.

If the enemy were just an ordinary Goliath, they could probably defeat them easily if they went all out.

"Amazing." Lefia couldn't help but exclaim. Looking at the backs of her seniors, the fear in the girl's heart seemed to ease a lot.

However, the next moment, the smoke and dust dissipated, revealing Goliath's blood-soaked, hideous, and terrifying giant face.

He took the brunt of the magic from the demon sword and Ryu's magic with his relatively vulnerable face, but for Goliath, this was not even a serious injury.

Ignoring Ryu and Alicia as they chanted their magic, Goliath strode forward, his disproportionately long arms swinging, and his heavy fist slammed into Aisha in the center.

Above Alicia, the hail dust formed a blue and white sphere, from which countless ice missiles shot out. Goliath raised his other arm to protect his head, and the ice missiles left gray-white marks on his arm.

Alicia's magic is a very short chant spell, which has the advantage of being quick to cast, but its power is insufficient to effectively kill Goliath.

"Purgatory Chaos!" Aisha finished chanting, and a deep red slash was released from her greatsword.

A thin line of blood appeared on Goliath's fist as he slammed it down, and Aisha raised her knife.

"Just a moment's resistance, and the [Gale] magic will be over—"

"boom!"

Under Goliath's heavy punch, Aisha fell to her knees, her arms and the knee that bore all the pressure cracking, and the broadsword in her hand bent.

"The intelligence was wrong..."

Spitting out a mouthful of blood, Aisha realized with despair the true strength of this black Goliath.

Compared to the ordinary Goliath, this monster is far more powerful than anything else; its potential ability is definitely Lv.5!

"This power... is even stronger than a two-headed dragon... ugh..."

Aisha recalled that she had teamed up with the Level 5, Rank 1 adventurer "Man Killer" from the Ishtar Familia to defeat the Labyrinth King on the 27th floor of the dungeon—the two-headed dragon Amphispina.

In comparison, she immediately realized that this Goliath possessed an abnormal level of power.

The greatest threat posed by the two-headed dragon Amphispina lies in the limitations of the "water combat" environment, which prevents adventurers from unleashing their full potential, coupled with its deadly "dragon breath" attack. In terms of pure strength alone, this black Goliath is even more powerful!

Their tactics were seriously flawed from the very beginning.

The original tactic was to have a Lv.3 Amazon warrior with outstanding strength and durability hold the front, while two Lv.4 elven swordswomen attacked from the flanks, making full use of their speed attack skills and magical firepower. This was the most effective tactic against Lv.4 Goliath.

However, this black Goliath's potential abilities, especially its strength, reached the upper level of Lv.5.

This means that Aisha shouldn't have engaged the giant head-on in the first place. She should have used the speed and agility of the elven swordsmen, employing guerrilla tactics to disrupt the giant and create opportunities for the elves to attack.

But it's too late to think about these things now.

Aisha, who withstood Goliath's full-force attack without knowing the details, became the first adventurer in the party to lose her fighting ability.

-

In the original work, a team of one Lv.3 member, several Lv.2 members, and dozens of Lv.1 members from the Apollo Familia can defeat a regular Lv.4 Goliath.

A Level 5 member of the Ishtar Familia can team up with a group of Level 3 members to defeat the Level 6 difficulty twin-headed dragon, Amphispina.

Intelligence greatly affects the difficulty of the raid; by relying on intelligence and strategies, you can challenge higher-level enemies.

Chapter 44 [Self-Recovery] and [Monster Summoning]

The black Goliath's blood-soaked face revealed a twisted, malicious smile, almost human-like. The fact that it hadn't crushed Aisha into mincemeat with a single punch seemed to have piqued its interest.

A huge fist rose up, and Aisha tried to stand up, but with her knees pressed into the floor, she had no strength left.

Alicia rushed forward, circled around to Goliath's side, and left a light red wound on the giant's calf with her sword.

"Tsk, what a tough outer skin."

Goliath swung his arm, trying to grab Alicia, but the agile elf dodged it.

Having forced Alicia back, the giant's next move was to suddenly raise its foot.

It kicked Aisha into the air and opened its mouth wide at the same time.

Magic condensed in the giant's mouth—

"boom!"

The gusts of wind and light bullets struck the giant's side, causing Goliath's [Roar] to go astray.

Without any hesitation, Emiya fired a magic sword at Goliath and then charged toward Aisha.

"Quickly, drink the healing potion!"

Aisha looked like a broken doll; her right hand hung limply as if it had lost its bones, and her left leg was completely twisted.

“Tell Chun Ji…make her use…that magic…otherwise…” Aisha began, but she couldn’t make a sound; she just coughed up a lot of blood.

Aisha lost consciousness and fainted.

·

"Very hard...and very fast too, definitely different from the usual floor owners."

Rushing to the enemy's side to unleash magic, she slashed fiercely before leaping away. As she created distance, Ryuna's usually composed features twisted slightly beneath her hood.

The standard Goliath that appears on the 17th floor is equivalent to Lv.4. In the past, Ryu and her companions had defeated the same monster several times. Based on that experience, the individual she is facing now is not comparable to an ordinary Goliath.

Aisha at Lv.3 possesses a power that is completely irresistible, a defensive ability that would paralyze even Ryu's hands, the ability to use the ranged weapon "Roar" which would normally be impossible for her, and what's most troublesome is her attack speed and reaction time, which are completely disproportionate to her enormous size.

Just now, realizing that Ryu's magic could effectively harm it, Black Goliath immediately raised its arm to block Ryu's attack. The light bullet only left some wounds on its arm and did not hit its head again.

—The enemy's potential ability has reached Lv.5.

Ryu made this judgment. At the same time, she shook off all pessimism and despair, and began to try to find a breakthrough in how to overcome this situation.

Escape was pointless. As long as he turned his back to the giant, as long as a trace of fear appeared in his fighting spirit, he would become the monster's prey from that moment on. His long experience and instincts clearly conveyed this to Ryu.

"Magic cannot be cast for now; you cannot afford to be distracted in any way."

Ryu's magic incantation is long and powerful, but it also consumes more mental energy. If she uses it a third time, she will definitely start to feel tired.

Fighting such a monster, any moment of distraction is fatal.

Alicia realized this as well and reduced her use of magic. The two elves, one on each side, fought Goliath with their swords.

Even though it was more agile than a regular Goliath, its enormous size still limited its speed. The black giant struggled to swing its arms, but could not touch the two nimble elves.

However, Ryu and Alicia were also sweating profusely. Their slashes could barely cut through the giant's flesh, yet any attack from Black Goliath was an unbearable burden for them.

"Whoosh!"

After Ryu left another wound on the giant's leg, the sound of arrows piercing the air came again.

Emiya, having moved Aisha to a safe location, launched the attack.

The demonic sword pierced the bloody wound precisely, then exploded.

"Ouch! Ouch!"

Emiya fired another arrow, aiming it directly at the giant's eye.

However, the giant simply closed his eyes and slightly turned his body. The arrows exploded on his skull but failed to pierce the black, hard skin.

Emiya's attack method caught Alicia's eye: "Ryu! Concentrated blast!"

"Understood!" Upon seeing the demonic sword in Alicia's hand, Ryu immediately understood her meaning.

"Shirou, keep firing!"

Gritting his teeth and forcibly resisting the exhaustion caused by excessive mental exertion, Shirou produced arrow after arrow and a demonic sword in his hands.

With more magic power infused into [Pseudo-Shoot Hundred Heads], his arrows reached Lv.2 power under the enhancement of this bow.

There is only one target: the eyes of Black Goliath!

Faced with the sudden burst of gunfire, Goliath raised his right arm to shield himself, and this was the opportunity that Alicia had been looking for.

Emerald and gilded, the figures of two ethereal beings intertwined.

Ryu slashed Goliath's right knee from behind, and Alicia immediately followed up, thrusting her demonic sword into the wound and adding a second slash. Then she switched places with Ryu and thrust in a second demonic sword.

Soon, all six demonic swords pierced the same spot, and as the last flaming demonic sword pierced in, Ryu activated his magic.

"boom!!!"

The superimposed demonic swords detonated simultaneously, creating a chain reaction of fire and lightning magic, and the violent magic blew Ryu away.

"Awooo!!!!"

Black Goliath roared in unprecedented rage; this time, its injuries were the most severe since the start of the battle.

The sturdy black hide was torn apart by the magical surge from within, and the rough, strong muscles were charred into charcoal by the raging flames. After the explosion, only the hard, black bone of the giant's right calf was exposed, barely supporting its heavy body.

Ryu rolled several times on the ground, her once clean hood now covered in dust. She struggled to her feet, kneeling on one knee, breathing heavily.

Her left hand hung limply at her side, and the skin below her elbow was burned dark red, oozing blood.

“I overestimated my speed. I should have had Shirou detonate it remotely with the magic sword…” Ryu subconsciously reviewed the situation. “But thankfully it was my left hand, so it didn’t affect my use of the sword. Trading one hand for Goliath’s leg was worth it!”

With its right leg destroyed, the Black Goliath's mobility was greatly reduced, making it much easier to deal with. More importantly, an effective means of killing it had finally been found.

The scales of victory seem to be tipping in favor of the adventurers.