DanMachi: The Epic of the Heroic Spirits of Emiya Shirou

"Push him down, straddle him, and make this handsome body unrecognizable...isn't that tempting?"

The intense chill drained all color from Kashima Sakura's face, but he forced himself to stay alert and glared at the grotesque face of the "Man Killer."

"Hehehe, what great eyesight! I'm interested in you... Quack!!!"

A bottle of red wine flew straight at Frini, hitting her squarely on the back of the head.

"Shut up, you ugly toad!"

"...Who is it?!"

Freni turned her head, already enraged by the sudden attack with the bottle, and being called an "ugly toad" almost set her ablaze with fury.

Now, Frini has temporarily put aside the cherry blossoms of Kashima Island and only wants to tear those who slandered her "beauty" to pieces.

[Swift Wind] Liu Liang sat in the corner of the tavern, coldly looking at Flini, and said something that made her even more furious.

"What are you looking at?"

"Just because I glanced at you in the crowd"—[Man Killer] and [Swift Wind] started their war because of an "accident".

At least Frini genuinely believed it was an accident; with her limited mind, she hadn't considered any other possibilities.

Even if she thought about it, Freni could only come to the conclusion that "[Gale] is jealous of her beauty, so she attacks her."

Frini brought her frog-like, round face close to Ryu's eyes, looking down at her with a physically superior air.

"You ugly freak, are you trying to provoke me?"

Thick, hot breath spewed from Frini's enormous mouth: "I'll beat that ugly bitch face of yours into a pitiful state that's unspeakable... Quack!"

Ryu responded to Florini's words with a straight punch.

The slender elf girl looked like a tiny doll next to the enormous Amazonian giantess; her fair, delicate fist was less than a third the size of half of Frini's face.

However, such a disproportionate size difference only made Ryu's attack more visually impactful—the elf's slender arm, which seemed so delicate it might break, struck her, causing the Amazonian giantess's face to cave in, followed by Freni being sent flying.

She rolled several times on the floor like a round barrel, and then, with a dull thud, one of the tavern walls collapsed.

"Your duty is complete. Now it's time to leave."

Liu placed the sword case on the ground, and with the sound of a metal mechanism, the two sides of the sword case opened, revealing a long sword in crimson and ink.

"Yes……"

Pale-faced Kashima Sakura stood up, without saying anything about fighting alongside Ryu, and quickly left the scene.

A battle between first-level adventurers is not something a mere Lv.2 like him can intervene in. Kashima Sakura's role is merely to act as "bait" to lure Frini here.

For this purpose, he also sprayed a lot of "perfume" on his body - according to the information provided by Aisha, the "Man Killer" has a nose that is even more sensitive than that of the dog people, and can smell the scent of excellent male or men's perfume from two streets away.

By stepping forward as "bait" against the "Man Killer," Kashima Sakura has demonstrated courage no less than that of directly fighting a first-class adventurer.

The walls collapsed, and smoke and dust filled the air, but in just a few seconds, a huge and heavy figure jumped out from it.

"I remember now, you're [Swift Wind]. So that's how it is. You leveled up to Lv.5, and now you're planning to use me as a 'stepping stone' to make a name for yourself, is that it?!"

"Caw! How dare you look down on me like that?!"

Frini drew the heavy and sturdy battle axe, Golda, from behind her, which appeared surprisingly small in her hand, and lunged at Ryu.

Ryu coldly stared at the terrifying figure of the [Man Killer], trying hard to recall the "provocative techniques" that the catgirl Chloe had taught her:

"Just you?"

"You, who are far inferior to [Fiora], dare to be my stepping stone?"

104

Chapter 104: The residual fire sword.

Upon hearing the name "Sword Maiden," Frini instantly lost her mind.

"They actually said that female doll is the strongest and most beautiful?! Are you kidding me?!"

Like Ishtar, who was jealous of the goddess Freya, she also harbored hostility towards the female swordsman who was hailed as one of the strongest adventurers.

Her goddess-like blonde hair and golden eyes, along with the girl's strength that caught up with her and reached Lv.5, ignited a fire of hatred within her.

[Man Killer] Freni Jamil is a veteran adventurer who became famous very early on; even [Sword Maiden] Ais Wallenstein almost lost to her.

However, that was several years ago, when Frini's rank was higher.

Despite the level difference, she only managed to suppress and almost defeat [Sword Maiden], but she was unable to truly defeat her. This already shows the gap in talent and ability between her and [Sword Maiden] Ais.

Now that Ais Wallenstein has reached Lv.5, she has caught up with Freni, and it's only a matter of time before she surpasses her.

Little Ais is only thirteen years old this year, and everyone believes that she can level up to Lv.6 and reach the "Hero Realm" in five years or even less.

The one who will challenge the strongest position in the city of Ota in the future is probably this person—the gods' expectations of Ais are so high.

As for the "Man Killer" Freni, she has no future. Freni is already quite old and has passed the period when adventurers' strength grows the fastest. Her potential can be said to have been almost exhausted, and Lv.5 is her limit.

Therefore, Frini became even more jealous and hateful. Seeing that the little girl she once looked down on had so quickly surpassed her and was destined to reach a height that Frini could never reach, was the most unbearable torture for the self-important Frini.

The enormous Amazonian giantess crashed down like a tiger, the terrifying impact shattering the solid stone floor, filling the air with dust, and causing the already crumbling tavern to collapse completely.

"clatter--"

Liu landed smoothly, her steps so light they made almost no sound.

Frini's attack didn't even touch the hem of Ryu's clothes; she simply leaped lightly, creating distance between them.

"The way you fight makes me furious!?"

Frini let out a hoarse roar, like some kind of savage beast.

Ryu is a fast-attack swordsman whose main abilities are dexterity, agility, and magic, just like Ais. Therefore, Frini was even more furious when she saw Ryu's elegant and graceful movements.

"You wretched elf bitch, I'm going to kill you, kill you!!!"

After realizing that [Gale] was a genius girl just like [Sword Princess], Freni's jealousy burned even more fiercely. She also transferred her jealousy towards Ais to Ryu, and her emotions were becoming more and more intense.

Ryu, however, was even calmer; she even had the time to recall Frinni's information.

"Friline's strength and durability are extremely high. With each level up, both of her abilities reach at least A-level."

In terms of brute strength alone, Freni is definitely at the top level among her peers. Neither Ais nor Ryu could possibly be her match in terms of power.

"However, it's too slow, the technique isn't good enough... and it lacks a decisive attack method."

Ryu calmly dodged Fliny's attacks. The Amazonian giant's wide, sweeping movements could easily destroy sturdy buildings, but it couldn't even catch up with Ryu's shadow.

"【Man Killer】, you are weaker than 【Fiora】."

Liu spoke in a flat, monotone tone.

Even though the [Sword Girl] has just been upgraded to Lv.5 and all her stats are still I-level, she is still stronger than the [Man Killer]. Having fought against both of them, Ryu easily made the judgment.

As for [Sword Princess] Ais Wallenstein, she was no match for Ryu, who had been upgraded to Lv.5—and at that time, she hadn't even changed her weapon yet.

Liu drew his blade, the black and red light intertwining like a sword dance.

The jet-black blade, as dark as the night sky, collided with the heavy battle axe. The extraordinary weapon performance of [Swallow Returns] made up for the difference in the user's strength, and it was Frini who was caught off guard and had her arm go numb from the impact.

"What kind of weapon is this?!"

The Amazonian giantess screamed.

Frini's Great Axe, Golda, is a Tier 1 weapon, and [Swallow Returns] is also a Tier 1 weapon, but there are differences between weapons of the same tier.

【Swallow Returns】 and 【Other Shore Flower】 are first-tier weapons simply because these are the highest ratings that the forgers of this world have set for weapons and equipment.

The sharp blade unleashed a deep sword light, seemingly making the dark night sky even darker, while on the other side, a demonic sword shone with a red light, like flames, blood, or a bewitching flower.

The strikes of 【Higanbana】 were not as sharp, but they were even more deadly. Magic flowed like a torrent within the deep red blade, and the blade reflected a jewel-like blood-red light as it faced the bright moonlight.

"When the mission is fulfilled, the scales will reach balance."

The sword light intertwined into an impenetrable net, forcing Frini to retreat repeatedly. At the same time, Ryu began to chant.

Ryu needs to be fully focused on defense to maintain the rhythm of her chanting amidst Ais's storm of attacks, while at this moment, she can chant and suppress Frini to the point of being unable to breathe.

"A fortress of order, a crown of integrity, a lamp that dispels evil."

Now, Ryu is becoming more and more proficient at chanting [Memories of Astrea], but it seems that she hasn't used the magic [Wind of Light], which she used frequently in the past, for a while.

There was no way around it; the [Memoirs of Astraea] was just too powerful and too useful. So powerful that when Emiya was forging weapons for Ryu, his first thought was to maximize the power of this magic.

"In the name of the goddess, like a streak of light piercing the sky, leaving behind a trail of brilliant stars across the earth,"

"Justice never ceases to prevail."

The Wings of Justice emblem of the Astrea Familia unfolded beneath the elf girl's feet, and ten weapon-shaped crystals appeared, surrounding Ryu.

The [Gale], with its sword blades encircling its body, resembled a Valkyrie descended from Valhalla to the mortal realm. Vast magical power converged around its location, like a torrent that pierced through heaven and earth, an ever-flowing torrent.

“ROARRAHHHHHHH!!!”

Freni let out a terrifying roar, the sound waves spreading outwards, and even the dust seemed to be stirred up by her roar.

Frini has no magic. Her only skill is "Berserk," which grants her increased power at the cost of "rationality," "intelligence," and "judgment" when she is severely injured or extremely enraged. The skill's effect increases based on the difference in true beauty between herself and her opponent; the greater the difference, the stronger the boost.

Considering Frini's own conditions, the effect of this skill is actually quite powerful.

Dominated by the wildness of the Amazon, her formidable body was further enhanced, and her terrifying physical abilities were further amplified. Freni spread her arms, gripped her giant axe tightly in her right hand, and bent her left hand into a claw shape like a wild beast. Her massive figure pounced on Liu fiercely, like Mount Tai pressing down.

"Red flowers and abundant threads."

As Liu murmured, crimson flames surged from the blade of the [Red Spider Lily] sword, instantly covering the entire longsword like a soft silk ribbon wrapped around its edge.

Liu gently turned the longsword, and the deep red lotus-like flames slowly disappeared, as if they had merged back into the sword.

It was as if she hadn't used any magic. The only difference was that the patterns and inscriptions on the [Red Spider Lily] were deeper and darker, and the air around the blade was completely distorted by the terrifying heat.

105

Chapter 105 The Night the Temple Fell.

Even though she couldn't see any flames, Frini felt as if she were being engulfed by raging fire.

Just as wild beasts naturally fear campfires lit by humans, facing the blade of the [Red Spider Lily], Frini, who had fallen into a state of "wildness" and "berserk," miraculously regained her senses.

"Do not--"

She screamed in terror, but it was too late.

Ryu wielded an extreme flame sword in her hand, but her gaze grew increasingly cold.

[The Iai sword flashes]

One of the sword techniques passed down through the Gojo family for thousands of years, although not as extreme as the Gokko, a divine skill with magical inheritance engraved in the bloodline, this lightning-fast sword draw is a killing technique that is more bloodstained than the Gokko.

At this moment, Ryu's skills and magic were almost equivalent to those of a top-tier "personal swordsman" in the city.

【Fairy Star Song】Enhances magic effects; the enhancement effect is increased at night.

[Mental Energy Recharge] The greater the mental energy consumed, the greater the power increase.

[Swift Wind] Attack power increases with speed.

[Magician], [Swordsman], [Red Blossoms], [Flash]...

Just as a level 2 Lefia can unleash the firepower of a level 4 or even a level 5, level and stats guarantee the lower limit of an adventurer's combat power, while skills and magic determine the upper limit.

To be precise, "powerful attack moves" and "high-intensity ability boosts" are the two wings that allow adventurers to soar in combat power. Those who possess both are qualified to step onto the top and even the strongest throne!

Ryu, unleashing his full power, swung his sword at Frini.

From the very beginning, this was not a challenge from newcomers to seasoned adventurers, but rather a ruthless crushing of "ordinary people" by extraordinary heroes.

It was as if Liu was wielding not a sword blade, but a ring of stars that would dim the brilliance of the full moon.

[A Flash of Flame]

"boom--"

“Quack!!!!”

The scorching storm engulfed Frini's massive body.

The final result was a 40/60 split—[Swift] Ryu slashed four times, while [Man Killer] Freni was 60% cooked.

The "Man Killer," now unable to resist, lay unconscious on the ground, but he did not die.