DanMachi: The Epic of the Heroic Spirits of Emiya Shirou

Hermes, the god of travelers, roared as he unleashed his divine power.

His hat, adorned with white feathers, was blown away by the gale, and his golden hair danced wildly in the wind. His handsome, godlike face, which seemed to transcend the mortal realm, now revealed a hint of ferocity and fanaticism.

"Fate hasn't chosen you? Then take control of your destiny... Hahaha, interesting, really interesting... Just do it, just do it!!!"

"Artemis! Is this your resolve? Is this your will to seek redemption? Is that all?!"

Hermes' voice boomed in Emiya's heart like a war drum, and at the same time, along with Hermes' roar, some power within the spear seemed to be suppressed.

Emiya gripped the spear tightly, feeling the struggle of that force. He poured all his magical energy into the spear, completely suppressing it.

Magic surged in like a tide, and with Hermes' divine power, Emiya's resolve grew ever stronger.

In that instant, it seemed as if the weight of the entire world was pressing down on his hands.

"boom--"

Emiya drew his spear, and the crystal sealing the spear tip shattered with a crash. The shards that flew in all directions left several wounds on him and Hermes, and even left a bloody mark on Hermes's cheek.

The surrounding adventurers fell into a brief silence, followed by a grand cheer.

"Oh oh oh oh!!!"

"It's out!!!"

"Long live!!!"

They didn't know exactly what had happened, only that someone finally pulled out the gun—like a hero in a story.

"Let me introduce myself, my name is Hermes."

The male deity casually wiped away the bloodstains from his cheek, his astonishing divine power completely subsided: "It's an honor to meet you, Mr. Emiya Shirou."

"Hello, Hermes."

Emiya raised the spear in his hand: "May I ask, what exactly is this spear...?"

The silver-white spear was no longer as dull as before; the divine runes on the spearhead lit up, shimmering with a mysterious light, and the magnificent spearhead that had been sealed in the crystal was also released.

Emiya's projection magic instincts led him to subconsciously begin "analyzing" the weapon; however, the situation took an unexpected turn.

Covering his throbbing forehead with one hand, Emiya asked, "The analysis failed?"

No, it wasn't a failure, but rather, the parsing process was extremely slow.

It's like trying to crack a large encrypted file of thousands of gigabytes, but the processing speed is only 1KB/s, which is already the result of the computing components being overclocked.

Emiya temporarily abandoned his analysis of the spear in his hand; the essence of this weapon was beyond his current comprehension.

"Let's find a quiet place to discuss this 'Spear of Artemis' in detail."

Hermes said, "However, I can assure you that 'Goddess's Blessing' and 'Global Travel' are real, and this event is approved by the guild."

Hermes took a parchment with an "event announcement" from the traveler's bag, unfolded it, and Emiya could clearly see the guild's seal in the lower right corner.

"Would you mind coming to the residence of the Hephaestus Familia to discuss this further, God Hermes?"

After looking at it, Emiya returned the parchment to the other person and asked a question.

"No problem, that's how it should be."

Hermes replied politely, "However, please wait a moment. The sponsor of this event should actually meet with you, but she doesn't seem to be in good condition right now, so please give her some time."

On the other side of the street, in the shadows, a beautiful "goddess" with long, moon-blue hair slumped weakly against the wall, breathing heavily. She gritted her teeth, struggling to stand up, her slender fingers gently stroking her neck.

On the goddess's fair and slender skin, there was a red and black thorn curse mark, which looked like a beautiful yet dangerous collar.

In addition, sword and shield shaped "Command Seals" also appeared on his lower abdomen below his clothes.

These are proof of its "domination" as a weapon.

Originally, given her status, she could have easily resisted the adventurer's domination skills with just a little effort.

But as Hermes said, this was her only chance for redemption.

"No matter what method he used... he is the only one who pulled out the 'Orion's Arrow'..."

The "goddess" gasped, "Then, being used by him is my destiny, my 'salvation'..."

“He is my Master, my 'Orion'…”

134

Chapter 134 Artemis.

"Let me introduce you to this goddess Artemis, who is the sponsor of this New Moon Festival."

Emiya and the goddess Hephaestus did not have to wait long before Hermes brought Artemis to the volcano mansion.

He already knew that the spear in his hand was called "The Spear of Artemis," and now, he had finally seen the true face of the moon goddess.

Her long, blue hair was like moonlit lake water, soft and smooth, gently rippling with starlight, as if blending into the night sky. Her bright, deep emerald eyes revealed pure kindness and gentle firmness.

The goddess's figure was tall and lithe, possessing the power and elegance of a hunter god. Her curves were beautiful, and every inch of her skin radiated pure beauty, its glow flowing softly like moonlight. Her waist was slender yet full of strength, and her graceful lines swayed lightly with each step, like a night breeze brushing across the water.

A black silk choker adorned her swan-like, white, and slender neck, obscuring a large expanse of her fair skin.

This discordant element, which originally seemed out of place with the goddess's sacred image, unexpectedly added a touch of mystery and allure, infusing her divine aura with a uniquely bewitching charm.

Artemis, known as one of the three virgin goddesses in the divine realm, is responsible for the moon, chastity, and hunting.

After Artemis came to the mortal realm, like most gods, she bestowed divine blessings upon the children of the mortal world and established her own kin.

Her Familia primarily focuses on exploration and monster hunting, belonging to the combat-oriented faction. However, unlike many gods, Artemis did not choose to remain in Orario, but instead expanded her Familia's activities to a vast area beyond the city.

Outside the dungeon, traces of various monsters also exist. Some monsters escaped the dungeon through various means; some are wild beasts from the outside world that mutated into monsters after consuming magic stones or being infected by the magic in the ley lines; there are also descendants of ancient monsters, as well as magical beasts that escaped from ancient secret realms.

Overall, the monsters outside the dungeon are far inferior to those inside, both in terms of quantity and individual strength. Once the monsters leave the dungeon, their strength and ferocity tend to gradually decrease over time.

Although the Artemis Familia mainly operates outside of cities, and the goddess Artemis descended to earth relatively late, the strength of this family should not be underestimated, and it has developed rapidly in recent years.

According to the guild's intelligence, the Artemis Familia has nearly twenty members, including at least one Lv.3 and one Lv.2 advanced adventurer.

Even in the labyrinth city of Orario, this Familia could be considered a formidable force.

"Artemis, it's been a long time."

The goddess Hephaestus stood up, smiling as she greeted the moon goddess, her voice carrying a hint of joy at their long-awaited reunion.

"The last time we met was when we were still in the Celestial Realm, wasn't it?"

In the heavens, Hephaestus and Artemis were close friends. Their bond was strong, and they were also close to Hestia, the goddess of the hearth who had not yet descended to earth.

Artemis walked lightly and firmly toward Hephaestus. However, when Hephaestus thought the goddess was coming to greet her, Artemis bypassed her and went straight to the palace.

She stopped in front of Emiya, her emerald eyes gleaming with a deep light. Then, she reached out and gently yet firmly grasped the boy's right hand.

"Can you become my 'Orion'?"

Her voice was soft yet earnest, as if she were searching for a promise from fate.

Emiya was slightly taken aback. After a moment, he said, "Nice to meet you, Goddess Artemis... My name is Emiya Shirou."

Meanwhile, in the heart of the labyrinthine city, atop the Tower of Babel, an unusual group quietly gathered.

In the very center is the elven princess with long, emerald-green hair, possessing both majesty and beauty, the "Nine Demon Princesses" of the Loki Familia, the strongest mage in the city at level 6, Riveriarios Alfre.

Beside her were three equally exquisite elves.

With long, platinum-gold hair, clad in a pure white robe, and a serene expression, Hedin Serland is an elven mage who seems detached from the world. She is a Level 6 member of the Freya Familia and a top-tier mage in the labyrinth city, on par with Riveria, known as the "White Elf Wand."

A dark elf with dark skin and white hair, slender in stature, yet possessing an undeniable and sharp aura, currently the strongest swordsman in the city, a Lv.6 adventurer, [Black Demon Sword] Hegniragana.

The last one was a petite white-haired elf who looked like a cute teenage girl, but her actual age, seniority, and experience far exceeded those of the others present.

She is a member of the familiar of the goddess of youth, Eden, or more accurately, a member of the [School District], a Lv.6 mage, and the [Millennium Staff] Freya Ellen.

Rivera, who is nearly a hundred years old, grew up listening to the stories of this elder. Before she was born, the elder was a famous sage in the Elf Forest, a master magician who had mastered a large number of magical rituals and elven secret arts without the grace of the gods.

She was also one of the few elves in Riveria's memory who showed little respect for royalty.

She remembered that in a letter Freyanna wrote to King Raphael, who was Riveria's father, she directly criticized him as a "foolish child" who was old-fashioned and stuck in the old ways.

Later, in order to explore the mysteries of magic more deeply, Freya left the Elf Forest and joined the [School District].

She received divine favor from the goddess of youth, Eden, and as a professor of magic, history, and integrated theology, she travels the world with the [School District].

Because the school district was still near Orario and hadn't gone too far, this powerful and experienced elf mage was called in by the guild for an emergency.

If Artemis's methods fail, then the power of Riveria and the others must be gathered, and the powerful magic of the first-class adventurers, along with the elven secret magic circle mastered by Freya, must be used to forcibly activate the "Spear of Artemis" to wipe the awakened scorpion monster "Andaris" from the world.

Now, four Lv.6 spirits have gathered here, but the atmosphere is unusually... subtle.

In terms of bloodline, Riveria is a princess of the Elven race, whose status is higher than the others, while at the same time, Freya, the "Millennium Staff," is an elder who is much older than them.

Riveria disliked being revered and worshipped by the elves because of her status as a princess, but in front of these members of her clan with special status, she had to uphold the dignity of the royal family.

Hedin, the "White Elf's Wand," is a subject of the Elf Royal Family and a junior of the "Millennium Holy Staff." At the same time, he is also a member of the Freya Familia, the city's premier faction.

In the labyrinthine city, especially in the Tower of Babel reigning over Freya's Familia, his attitude also represents the goddess's stance, particularly when facing the Loki Familia, the city's second-largest faction.

Hedin was in a particularly difficult situation, unable to "be disrespectful to royalty and elders" nor to "weaken the prestige of Freya's clan."

【Millennium Staff】Friana, as everyone's elder, was originally the only one who could break the delicate atmosphere, but she seemed to have no interest in it.

She simply sat there the whole time, intently studying a rare, ancient book—one of the rewards the guild had offered her for her services.

As for Hegni, the Black Demon Sword, there was absolutely no hope for him. He appeared calm on the surface, but inside he was in complete panic.

"How terrifying! Princess Riveria is so terrifying! Lady Freya is so terrifying! Hedin is so terrifying! I want to go home! I want to hide in Lady Freya's arms! Oh God, someone save me!"

The awkward atmosphere continued. Freya kept her head down reading, Hegny remained silent, and Hedin and Riveria occasionally exchanged polite words, which only made the atmosphere more awkward.

Under these circumstances, the gods finally arrived, albeit belatedly.

Along with Hermes and Artemis, Ryu and Emiya also arrived at the Tower of Babel.

Four Lv.6s, one Lv.5, all of whom are powerful elven mages or magic swordsmen, plus one gun-wielder.

This team represents the strongest magical force that Labyrinth City, and indeed the entire world, can currently muster.

135

Chapter 135 Andaris.

"Hermes, what important matter has brought you and Uranus of the Guild to summon us here? Can you explain now?"

The petite, white-haired fairy "Lan Girl" with cute twin ponytails looked up from her book, her emerald green eyes meeting the deity opposite her, and asked a question in a calm and aloof tone.

Hermes lowered his head slightly, the brim of his hat obscuring his eyes: "I apologize for disturbing you all, but at this moment, the Labyrinth City—no, the entire world—needs your strength!"

The Traveler God paused for a moment, then raised his head to meet the gazes of the elves and Emiya.

Hermes solemnly declared, "The ancient monster, the scorpion 'Andaris,' has awakened."

A moment of silence fell over everyone. After a short while, Freya, wielding the Millennium Staff, lowered her head again, returning her gaze to the book, and uttered a short sound—

"Oh."

"Excuse me, does Lady Freya know what 'Andaris' is?"

Hedin pushed up his glasses and asked.

Hegni, Ryu, and the others looked over; clearly, they hadn't heard of this name either.

"'Andaris' is a dangerous monster that has lived since ancient times."

Freya's tone remained flat:

"In ancient times, the fairies sealed it within the ruins of Elsos in the Great Tree Sea. It seems that with the passage of time, the seal has gradually weakened."

As she spoke, she looked at Riveria and the others: "The Great Library of Alfred Forest, as well as the archives of the various Elf Forests, should have records of this. Haven't you all read them?"

The young elves guiltily looked away.

Riveria thought to herself, "I read that book that recorded ancient monsters like a storybook when I was a kid, and I don't remember many of the details..."

Hedin, Hegny, and Ryu were all exclaiming, "Huh? The library? What library?"

Freya sighed and looked at Hermes: "But why ask us to defeat 'Andaris'? Leon would be more suitable; he would be happy to help."

The Leon that Freya mentioned is Leon Waddenburg, a fellow professor in the [Academy District] and a Level 7 [Knight of the Highest].

As one of only two Lv.7s in the world, he is ranked alongside Otto, the "Fierce Warrior" of the Labyrinth City.