DanMachi: The Epic of the Heroic Spirits of Emiya Shirou

"The price probably won't be cheap."

Emiya's fingers tapped lightly on the blade, producing a crisp sound.

"This sword is designed according to the standards of a Level 2 weapon. However, in terms of attack power, it may not be as good as a typical Level 2 weapon, since it was not forged as a primary weapon."

Emiya spoke frankly, first pointing out the weapon's shortcomings.

Due to limitations in length, shape, and weight, a mage's off-hand short sword naturally cannot compare in destructive power to main weapons such as longswords, katanas, or heavy axes.

However, no one present raised any objections. Even Tione, who was very price-sensitive, had no complaints.

The only one who was puzzled was Lefia, but seeing that none of Loki's fellow members of the Familia said anything, she didn't dare to ask.

It was the outspoken Tiona who spoke first, asking, "This sword should be a magical weapon, right? Does it have any special effects, like increasing the power of magic?"

"Huh? A magical weapon?"

Lefia made a questioning sound.

"Yes, a non-staff weapon with magical properties is a very rare piece of equipment. To forge such a weapon, you either need special materials, or a blacksmith with extremely high forging ability or even special skills... or both."

Lefia swallowed subconsciously: "It means, this is an exceptionally precious weapon."

"Yes."

Alicia looked at the magnificent sword and nodded gently.

Although the short sword is currently dormant and shows no magical fluctuations, experienced adventurers can determine its attributes simply by looking at its appearance.

"The steel used to forge the sword is mixed with mithril, which has magical properties—this forging method is Tsubaki's forte. The gems on the hilt and guard are clearly magic stones, and there are special magic runes on the blade... Truly, a remarkable work."

Alicia felt that the craftsmanship of this sword had reached the level of a first-level weapon; what it lacked was only high-grade materials, a compromise made because the user, Lefia, was not of a high enough level.

"This sword does indeed have special properties."

Emiya said, "Let's go to the training ground and test it out."

He hung the sword at his waist and picked up another, longer sword case.

The group left the workshop and went to the nearest training ground, or rather, the sword-testing ground.

"This sword does not enhance the user's magical power."

Emiya walked to the center of the training ground: "However, there is a fixed spell, or rather, a magic output effect, which I call 'Magic Release'."

He drew his short sword, gripping the hilt. As he channeled his magic, the gems on the hilt, the guard, and the inscriptions on the blade flashed in turn.

The magic flowed very quickly, and in the next instant, a violent wind pressure spread outward from where Emiya was standing.

Tiona, Tione, and Alicia stood still, their hair flying wildly in the wind, while Lefia was blown off balance and almost fell to the ground.

"For users who are skilled in magic control, this effect can still be achieved."

As he spoke, Emiya swung his sword forward.

The same surging wind pressure and air waves were also formed by magic, but this time, the wind only pressed down in the direction he was swinging his sword.

"Amazing……"

Tiona, who was not affected in the slightest by the magic, sighed softly.

This so-called "magic release" has many drawbacks, such as lacking lethality and suffering severe magic depletion—the same amount of magic, if released through chanting, would be at least several times more effective.

There is another drawback that Lefia and the others are unaware of: the consumption of magic gems. The gems embedded in the short sword have a limited lifespan, and the risk of cracking increases with the number of times magic is released.

However, all the aforementioned drawbacks pale in comparison to its crucial advantage—it is a key protective spell, and it can be cast instantly.

Instant casting is one of the noblest properties of all magic, especially in dungeon adventures.

The reason why a magic sword with insufficient power can be sold for hundreds of millions of falis is because of its instant casting and zero cost characteristics.

Tiona: "[Absorption], [Amplification], [Indestructible], [Curse]... I always thought that blacksmiths could only imbue weapons with these properties. How could they create weapons that can unleash magic?!"

"Some weapons possess special abilities, such as the Freya Familia's [Black Demon Sword]. It is said that her sword has the ability to change its length..."

Tione said in a deep voice, "Or rather, did Emiya endow the weapon with the characteristic of 'emission' as the opposite of 'absorption'?"

A sword that can unleash magic, or a sword with the [Release] property—in short, this is definitely the most suitable weapon for Lefia.

At least at this stage, with firepower overflowing and magic-wielding girls lacking the ability to protect themselves, such weapons are what they need most.

Amidst the girl's surprised and excited gaze, Emiya handed her the sword.

"Excuse me, does this sword have a name?"

"Refia asked."

"【Guardian of the Wind】, is that its name?"

Emiya said.

"Yes, [Wind Guardian], I understand."

Lefia solemnly accepted the sword with both hands and said earnestly, "From now on, please guide me, my partner."

"Shirou, now it's my weapon, isn't it~"

Alicia considered herself very patient, but at this moment, she couldn't help but feel a little excited and nervous.

"Yes, Sister Alicia's weapon is in this sword case."

As Emiya spoke, his emotions were also somewhat unsettled.

【Skadi of Ice】, this is the third Tier 1 weapon he has forged. Although the goddess Hephaestus has given it high praise and even thought that it was no problem to call it a god, he still can't help but feel his heart racing.

As the sword case was opened, the blast of cold air made Lefia shiver involuntarily, and the ground of the training ground was faintly covered with white frost.

The ice-blue longsword lay in its case, its entire body the color of pure ice. The blade was over three feet long, shaped like a straight, octagonal sword, longer than the Western sword that Bilysia had used before.

The guard features an ice flower design resembling an ice jade carving, and the hilt is a darker color than the blade.

Compared to the clear light shimmering on the blade of the [Wind Guardian] sword, this sword exudes a bone-chilling coldness, like an endless winter sweeping in, accompanied by a blizzard that blots out the sky.

Tiona and Tione instinctively took a half step back, their warrior instincts making them feel a strong threat, while Alicia took a few steps forward instead.

Possessing the [Ice Dust Storm], she actually felt comfortable from the cold air, as if she were even feeling the call of that sword.

Alicia stepped forward, grasped the hilt, and raised the ice sword.

She felt the magic within her body flow naturally, forming a resonant cycle with the longsword. Alicia gently swung the longsword, and a chill permeated the air. The shadow of a giant faintly reappeared in her mind.

"This is simply a weapon from mythology."

Alicia gripped her sword with both hands and chanted softly.

The skill [Spirit Bond] is active.

When fighting alongside a "specific target" or a teammate with "bond" skills, all abilities are enhanced.

An unprecedented grand magic spell has been activated.

117

Chapter 117 The Ice Skeleton

Tiona's mouth dropped open, Tione's eyes trembled, and Lefia collapsed to the ground, pointing at the enormous creature before her, speechless for a moment.

"What is this...?"

"It seems to be a rib?"

"I can see it's a rib, but why would it look like this..."

"It seems to be because of... that sword..."

Before them lay an existence that challenged their worldview, and even as well-informed first-level adventurers, they were deeply shocked.

Alicia remained standing in the same spot, but her figure was now obscured by horizontal ice pillars. Semicircular ice pillars on both sides formed ice rings, and behind her, a thick ice pillar supported all the ice rings.

[Ribs and spine] - Anyone would make this association. In fact, it is essentially an upper body skeleton made of ice.

If anyone present knew anything about the other world, they would probably immediately think of the term "Susanoo," but right now, they were thinking of "the Ice Giant."

The height is close to 2.5 meters, and that's with only the spine and ribs. If you add the complete head and legs, it would probably be 6 or 7 meters tall.

However, this is the only form that Alicia can create, at least for now.

Beyond the ribs, a massive ice arm was slowly forming; the bones made of solid ice looked somewhat ferocious, while also exuding an absolute sense of power.

Inside the ice skeleton, Alicia breathed softly, realizing she had used up a lot of magic, but her excitement was hard to suppress.

"Shirou, you really did it!"

A red and black shadow fell from above and crashed into the training field.

"【The One-Eyed Master】!"

Tiony called out the other's title.

"From the sky?"

Lefia was startled.

"Ah, I was at headquarters when I saw the commotion here, so I skipped over here!"

Tsubaki exclaimed excitedly, "Shirou, you did it! You've created a weapon like never before!"

Lefia glanced at the Volcano Pavilion, the tallest building in the area, which wasn't exactly close by. The fact that she could jump over it so easily was truly impressive for a Level 1 adventurer…

"Yes, luckily it happened."

Emiya said.

At that moment, Tsubaki deftly drew her weapon, the first-level weapon she had forged herself, the katana [Red Rain].

"I can't wait to test it out, is it alright, Shirou?"

The object of the test was, of course, the strength of the "ice skeleton," and the method of the test was to bombard it with the weapon in hand.

"Ahhh, I want to try it too, but I forgot to bring [Great Dual Blades Urga]!"

Tiona clutched her head and screamed.

【Great Twin Blades Urga】is the weapon of 【Great Severer】Tiona Sylluth. It is a Tier 1 dual greatsword, forged tirelessly by the artisans of the Ancient Nut Familia using precious materials. In a sense, it is quite fitting for Tiona's title.

"However, using my fists is fine too, heh, heh, ho!"

Tiona excitedly swung her fist, and her seemingly slender arm smashed down with a terrifying whooshing sound.

"First come, first served. Let me try it out first, [Great Severance]."

As Chun spoke, she gently licked her lips, and at the same time, she raised the long sword in her hand, assuming an iaido stance.

A deep red, viscous dark light flowed across the blade of the [Red Rain] sword. Clearly, this weapon from the city's top blacksmith also possessed special properties.

Chun exhaled a deep breath of hot air, and then everyone saw a crimson flash, like a thunderstorm in a rain of blood.

boom! ! !

The deafening collision pounded everyone's eardrums. Under everyone's watchful eyes, the ice skeleton was pushed back a great distance before stopping. Directly in front of it, where Tsubaki's [Red Rain] struck head-on, several deep cracks appeared in the ice pillar's ribs.

"It's cracked."

Lefia spoke softly, while Tiona and the others uttered completely different exclamations:

"It only cracked?!"

"This is the [One-Eyed Master]'s fully charged attack!"

【One-Eyed Master】is a seasoned adventurer who has honed his skills at the Lv.5 rank for a long time, while Alicia has only recently leveled up, and there is a huge difference in their ability values.

Moreover, Tsubaki is a strength-type adventurer. With each level up, her strength and stamina reach at least A-rank, while Alicia is a magic swordswoman who focuses on agility, dexterity, and magic.

The former's attack, fueled by excitement and after being charged up, only cracked the ice skeleton without piercing it completely.

Although it was clear to the naked eye that another attack might break through, it ultimately held firm.

Moreover, it can be seen that as Alicia inputs magic power, the cracks that Tsubaki smashed are slowly healing.

Tiona looked at her fist. Despite having the potential to develop the [Punch] ability, she still felt it would be better to go back and get the [Great Twin Blades Urga] before trying to attack the ice skeleton.

Alicia did not expend any more magic to restore the ice skeleton. Instead, she stepped out of it, and the skeleton, deprived of magical support, began to melt naturally.

"Shirou~"

Alicia pounced, unleashing the full speed of a Lv.5 magic swordsman, leaving Emiya with no way to dodge.