DanMachi: The Epic of the Heroic Spirits of Emiya Shirou

Although her combat strength is significantly weaker than Ryu's, Frini, with her A-rank super endurance and the development abilities of [Abnormal Resistance], [Self-Healing], and [Magic Defense], is not so easily killed.

Moreover, due to the instructions of the goddess Astraea, Ryu suppressed his murderous intent and did not directly kill her or deliver a finishing blow.

[Man Killer] Frini is not a member of the Dark Faction; she is an adventurer officially registered with the guild and holds a very high rank of Lv.5. Openly killing such a person would be a complete break with the guild. Although Ryu herself doesn't care, the goddess Astraea strictly forbids her from doing so.

"It's not worth sacrificing your future for someone like that."

That's what the goddess said.

Therefore, the fight between Ryu and Freni, at least on the surface, was merely an unexpected conflict triggered by a simple incident like "What are you looking at?"

As for the idea that someone else would launch a surprise attack on the Ishtar Familia today, that's purely coincidental and has absolutely nothing to do with Ryu or the Astrea Familia.

She simply happened tonight, by chance, due to some coincidences, to kill the strongest member of the Ishtar Familia, that's all.

However, Ryu had not expected that the renowned and experienced Level 1 adventurer, "Man Killer" Frini, would be defeated so easily.

Or rather, she is only now gaining a clear understanding of her own combat capabilities.

"Friline, what on earth are you doing...?"

After a few minutes of idly watching over Frini's "body," a man jumped down from a nearby building, roaring and calling out the name of the "Man Killer."

The man swallowed his voice when he saw Frini's massive body lying on the ground.

"Talmuz, the loyal dog of the goddess?"

Ryuto was slightly taken aback.

Tamuz: "..."

How should I put it? He felt that even if [Gale] had leveled up, it shouldn't be able to defeat Frini, who had been leveling up for so long and had accumulated so many ability points. He thought that the fact that it had dragged on for so long was just [Gale] barely holding on.

With his Lv.4 combat power, we should be able to defeat [Gale] quickly.

The Hephaestus Familia has first-class adventurers. If you go to find Shirou Emiya on your own and run into the One-Eyed Master, you'll be easy prey.

Together with Freyne, they will defeat [Gale], and then the two of them will go together to capture Emiya. Even if [One-Eyed Master] is there, Freyne can hold her off, and then he can deal with Emiya at level 2... This is Tamuz's perfect plan.

However, the opportunity failed at the very first step. Before he even arrived, the "Man Killer" had already been killed by the "Swift Wind".

How could my own Lv.5 be so useless...?

"Are you in cahoots with the Sword King?"

Tamuz said with a forced smile, "Release Frini and leave Fengyue Street immediately, or the Ishtar Familia will not let you off the hook."

When it comes to the Ishtar Familia, Tamuz is a little more confident, after all, the Ishtar Familia is a top-tier family in the city, while the Astrea Familia has long been destroyed.

Even a first-class adventurer, alone, would be no match for the Ishtar Familia and the guild behind it.

"[Swift Wind], as a Class A wanted criminal, you dared to attack the leader of the Ishtar Familia! Surrender now..."

"Pity."

Ryu said to herself, "Shirou is missing a Lv.4 experience."

Tamuz: "What?"

His answer was a sword strike aimed directly at his head.

Under the blessing of Ryuga's [Red Flower Bloom] state, the Lv.5 [Man Killer] can barely withstand a few swords, while the Lv.4 Tamuz, facing the Lv.5 [Swift Wind] with its superior combat power, has only one outcome.

With another unconscious man by her side, the captain and vice-captain of the Ishtar Familia were now complete.

"In that case, Anya and the others, who are the reserve force, probably won't have a chance to make a move."

"Enemy attack! Someone is attacking the Goddess Garden!"

"There is only one enemy. Be careful to protect the goddess Ishtar!"

"Friline, Tamuz, and Aisha, where have they all gone!"

"It's that genius newcomer from the Hephaestus Familia. He has the [Mega Hammer]... Damn it, Haruhime has betrayed us. All Lv.3s, attack with me!"

"Don't be afraid. He only recently leveled up to Lv.2. Even with the [Treasure Hammer], he's only temporarily boosted to pseudo-Lv.3! We, on the other hand, are genuine Lv.3, true second-level adventurers!"

"Wait, something seems wrong. Don't engage him in a knife fight..."

The sound of metal clashing against metal reached the vast night sky and the bright moon.

Chaotic figures moved across the rooftops and walls, destroying footholds as they went, men and women brandishing weapons and clashing again and again.

Under the watchful eyes of numerous Amazonian warriors, the heavy axes and swords clashed as they swung downwards and upwards, sparking fierce flames.

Then, completely ignoring the terrified look in the eyes of the Amazon warrior wielding the longsword, the man pressed the heavy axe down relentlessly. The second-level weapon in her hand gradually bent, cracked, and emitted a mournful groan of breaking.

The weapon, having reached its limit, shattered. The heavy axe cleaved the longsword in two and broke several bones in the Amazon warrior's shoulder.

Then came a heavy kick, which landed squarely on her abdomen, leaving a distinct shoe print on Amazon's bare, smooth belly.

"Goooo!!!"

The Amazon warrior was sent flying backward, rolling several times on the hard floor. Her left hand's five fingers were crushed and embedded in the floor before she finally managed to stop.

"I have not……"

The Amazonian warrior, lying on the floor, raised her head and spoke defiantly, but the crimson shadow had already caught up.

He grabbed her long black hair tightly with one hand, pulled up her delicate, made-up face, and then slammed it down, smashing it into the ground.

The level 3 Amazon warrior finally fainted with a maniacal laugh.

Emiya turned around and swung Nine Lives to block a slash from a battle axe.

This is the highest level of the Temple of Ishtar, the palace roof closest to the sky in the Wind and Moon Street.

On the top floor of this building, which features artificial vegetation and a pool, lies a beautiful scene that could easily be called the "Goddess Garden".

The two forces, using their combined power, disrupted the entire spacious rooftop platform, which was comparable in size to an arena, and clashed continuously around the goddess's chamber, which stood like a watchtower.

On one side is a fighting prostitute group composed of more than twenty Level 3 Amazon female warriors, and on the other side is Emiya, who is all alone.

"Twenty to one, the advantage is in my hands."

That was the initial thought of the Amazon warriors, but in just one encounter, their opponent rendered one of them incapable of fighting.

At the same time, his fighting stance drove the remaining Amazons into a frenzy.

"Come on, males, come at me hard!!!"

The white-haired Amazonian warrior wielded a massive, long-handled axe that was longer than her own height, attacking wildly while shouting chilling words.

This is also a Level 3 Amazonian female warrior. Apart from the Level 5 captain and the Level 4 vice captain, the Level 3 second-level adventurers are the core fighting force of the Ishtar Familia, totaling more than twenty. Aisha, who possesses magic, is not even the strongest among them.

"My name is Samira, please remember it~"

While pleading, her cheeks flushed as red as a summer sunset, and she continued to slash with her battle axe, her fighting posture even more frenzied than before.

Samira unleashed a powerful strike, [Shoot Down a Hundred Heads], blocking the battle axe. The violent recoil caused the Amazon warrior to momentarily lose her grip on her weapon.

Emiya reached out his left hand and grasped the handle of the battle axe.

The "Knights Don't Die Bare Hands" buff took effect, and he easily snatched the battle axe from his opponent's hand.

"Ah~ I had already used all my strength, yet I was still defeated so easily, and even the weapon I depended on for survival was taken away..."

Then, to Amazon's expectant gaze, the axe handle struck her hard on the side of her face, knocking her to the ground.

He lifted his foot and stepped on the other person's smooth lower abdomen.

Please don't pity me.

Emiya sighed softly, then suddenly exerted force and stomped down.

The floor beneath the girl's body shattered with a deafening crash.

"Plop," "Plop," "Plop"...

The sound of a rapid heartbeat echoed in the Goddess Garden, mixed with swallowing saliva and some strange moans.

Emiya silently counted; the duration of the [Treasure Hammer] was less than ten minutes.

Before him, the Amazons charged forward, howling, roaring, and groaning, their gleaming eyes like a pack of wolves in the night.

Various weapons gleamed with a cold light as they roared, each using their full strength, even unleashing unprecedented combat power—only through all-out battle could they experience the supreme "joy" after defeat.

If they could fight this hard in the dungeon, the Ishtar Familia's exploration records would probably be several levels deeper.

Emiya, standing atop Samira's body, indifferently raised the [Shoot a Hundred Heads] skill.

After Samira fell, three more female warriors who attempted to engage Emiya in close combat were defeated.

The third-tier swords in their hands were utterly powerless against the raging winds stirred up by [Shoot a Hundred Heads]. The moment the blades touched the storm, they shattered, followed by the breaking of their bones.

One of the Amazons was struck in the waist by the ferocious giant axe. He was sent flying like a doll struck by a heavy blow, crashing into a wall and never being able to get up again.

Another female warrior was completely overwhelmed in close combat, even losing her balance and falling awkwardly. Emiya grabbed her wrist, swung her high into the air like a weapon, and then slammed her heavily into the ground, leaving a human-shaped crater.

There was also an Amazon who, despite having her hands broken, charged at Emiya relentlessly. Then, the boy grabbed her by the neck and squeezed it tightly until she foamed at the mouth before casually tossing her aside.

Just as Emiya grabbed the Amazon warrior by the neck and lifted her up, a petite Amazon charged forward first. Her sudden attack made the other Amazons, who were originally eager to attack, hesitate.

They subconsciously slowed their pace, clearly unwilling to fight alongside their companion.

The reason is simple—this petite Amazon let out a deafening roar as she charged.

With that battle cry, her eyes were instantly stained with crimson blood light, and her entire aura underwent a sudden and dramatic change.

The girl's body trembled with intense emotions, as if she were controlled by some kind of fanatical force that filled her with an uncontrollable desire to fight and destroy.

This is precisely her fearsome skill—"Berserk" similar to [Man Killer], but unlike [Man Killer], the girl's skill is magic that she actively activates, and she decides the timing of its release entirely on her own.

Once activated, this magic will plunge her into an extremely dangerous state, rendering her indiscriminate in her attacks. In her berserk state, both enemies and allies can become her targets. Once she enters this violent state, her teammates can only pray that she falls as soon as possible.

Perhaps due to the Amazons' warlike nature, "berserk" and "rage" type spells and skills are relatively common among this race.

However, the strongest wielder of berserk power in the city is Finn, the "Hero" of the Loki Familia, a small race. His berserk ability allows him to gain a massive boost to all his abilities while losing his sanity.

In contrast, the berserk state of Amazons generally only brings a significant power boost.

The spell "Daughter of Zeal" cast by this petite Amazon is a typical Amazonian berserk spell. The user sacrifices sanity in exchange for a significant increase in attack power.

This magic also has a special mechanism: when her opponent is a man she has feelings for, her power will be additionally boosted.

When the Amazon girl activates her Berserk Magic, her attack power alone is the strongest among the Lv.3 female warriors of the Ishtar Familia. Especially now, having witnessed Emiya's fighting stance, it's enough for her to trigger the special mechanism of this magic.

However, Emiya had already obtained detailed information about the girl from Aisha. He not only knew her skills but also understood her true personality hidden beneath her madness.

Faced with her rage, Emiya's response was not to retreat or dodge, but to respond with an even more domineering roar.

He suddenly raised his head and let out a roar that seemed to tear the heavens and earth apart, the sound shaking the surroundings like thunder.

In that instant, Emiya, wielding the [Shoot a Hundred Heads] weapon, transformed into an extremely ferocious berserker. Behind him, the phantom of a burly man faintly appeared, his wildly flowing hair and ferocious expression like a god descending, radiating an unparalleled aura of power.

The roar was like a thunderclap, instantly stunning the Amazonian girl before her. Her body froze for a moment, the bloodlust in her eyes quickly receded, and her previous beastly aura vanished without a trace.

Despite not suffering any harm or even engaging in direct combat, she was trembling uncontrollably, her eyes even welling with tears.

Breaking the [Berserk] state will enter the [Fear] state.

"She usually pretends to be very strong, always talking about 'small fish,' and acts crazy when fighting or entertaining customers, but in reality, she's just a little brat who only bullies the weak—maybe because her father is a dwarf."

The Amazons are a unique race; they consist entirely of women, and regardless of the race of the man they mate with, their offspring will be Amazons.

However, although there is no clear evidence, one view has been widely accepted: it is generally believed that the descendants of Amazons will still inherit some characteristics of their paternal race, although their core characteristics remain Amazonian blood.

For example, Amazons mating with humans typically exhibit the most balanced abilities, which is also the origin of the vast majority of Amazons. They are agile, with strength and dexterity developing in a balanced way. Offspring mating with Dwarves tend to be shorter in stature, while Amazons born from mating with Orcs or Dwarves are generally stronger, more slender, and more imposing in battle.

Aisha described the girl, whose father was a dwarf, as follows: "She was the weakest among us when facing the strong."

Emiya gave his opponent no further chances and walked up to the girl who was standing there dumbfounded.

He roughly pulled her up, leaving the girl's feet dangling in the air, while simultaneously wrapping his arm around her neck and twisting it forcefully.

"Goo-"

Tears welled in the girl's eyes, which rolled back and turned white from the pain of suffocation. Foam and saliva spilled from her mouth, while the corners of her mouth turned up uncontrollably.

A pair of plump legs, not too long and proportionate to her body, struggled in the air out of instinct, but the strength of her resistance grew weaker and weaker.

Until her legs drooped limply, Emiya casually tossed the completely unconscious girl aside.

Just then, another Amazon warrior charged forward, not to be outdone, raising her sword high and aiming straight for Emiya's head.

Emiya remained expressionless, merely shifting his body slightly as the long sword grazed his shoulder and missed.

He raised his foot and stomped firmly on the tip of the long sword.