The Rapier [Crimson Order] of Astraea Familia's Captain, Alise Lovell was in Emiya's hands.
The cheerful, energetic girl with a red ponytail seemed to be patting Emiya's shoulder from behind, laughing brightly, "Well done, kid. You've got half the skills of this perfect, beautiful girl."
Alise leaned against Emiya, bringing her lips close to his ear, "…From now on, I'll leave Ryuu in your hands."
In Ryuu's vision, the two red-haired figures overlapped.
[Skill [Roadless Valhalla] activated.]
[Temporarily obtained Development Ability [Fire Flash] I]
[Temporarily obtained Magic [Agaris Alvesynth]]
[Temporarily obtained Skill [Seika Kōshō]]
Emiya gripped his sword with one hand and stabbed it downward. Scarlet flames spread from the blade, blooming like a crimson lotus.
The fire continued to burn, reducing everything beneath the blade to ashes, leaving only a field of gray remnants.
"Ryuu, it's over," Emiya spoke softly.
The elven girl threw herself into his arms, wailing uncontrollably.
On their journey back to the surface from the 18th floor of the Dungeon, Ryuu silently fell back, no longer engaging in battle. Emiya fought alone.
His weapons were no longer the twin swords, [Gan Jinag & Mo Ye], but instead a series of special armaments—Astraea Familia's "relics."
The swords, staves, blades, and hammers that Ryuu had personally placed upon graves… Emiya analyzed and projected them, leading to an unexpected phenomenon.
On the 17th floor, after leaving the enormous chamber where the Lone King of the Labyrinth, Goliath, had yet to be born, Emiya and Ryuu entered an area where other monsters spawned.
Ryuu had two black-and-white tachi hanging at her waist, standing guard behind Emiya. Emiya, on the other hand, wielded the rapier [Crimson Order].
The blade itself was silver-white, but when Alise fought, the flames of the magic [Agaris Alvesynth] would wrap around it, giving the impression of a fiery red sword.
Now, in Emiya's hands, Ryuu once again saw that long-lost deep crimson.
The walls of the Dungeon cracked open. Accompanied by monstrous roars, three Minotaurs emerged.
Emiya's expression remained unchanged. He gripped the rapier, and searing crimson flames spread along its edge, dazzling like a blooming red lotus.
One Minotaur let out a deep growl, its heavy footsteps shaking the ground. Raising its thick arm high, it suddenly swung down at Emiya. However, Emiya did not evade but instead lunged into the monster's embrace, his rapier carving a fiery trajectory through the air.
Before the Minotaur's attack could land, Emiya accelerated sharply, thrusting his rapier straight at the creature's heart.
The blade pierced the thick flesh in an instant. The crimson inferno wrapped around the sword erupted, pouring both the weapon's force and the fire's scorching heat into the Minotaur's body, directly incinerating the magic stone in its chest.
The monster howled in agony before collapsing. Its companion swung a massive fist in retaliation, but Emiya had already anticipated the move. He swiftly withdrew his sword and retreated, his figure flickering like fire as he appeared behind the Minotaur.
The rapier slashed again, this time targeting the monster's knee joint. The searing flames spread along the blade, instantly scorching the wound shut and robbing the creature of its mobility.
The Minotaur staggered, its enormous body tilting forward. Seizing the opportunity, Emiya drove [Crimson Order] into it.
The red lotus flames bloomed in midair. In a flash of lightning, his sword pierced through the Minotaur's back. Fire surged outward, engulfing the creature's head and torso together.
As the flames died down, the Minotaur's struggles ceased, leaving only a charred corpse. Emiya stood with his sword in one hand. The flames flickered out, leaving only embers glowing red.
The last remaining Minotaur, faced with the "monster" that had slain its companions in an instant, lost all courage and bloodlust, immediately choosing to flee.
This was the difference between Minotaurs and Claw Tigers—two powerful Level 2 monsters in the middle floors. A Claw Tiger, once it smelled blood, would never retreat, even if faced with a Level 7 adventurer. It would only become more frenzied.
"Trace, on."
The rapier [Crimson Order] vanished, replaced by two small blades in Emiya's hands.
These were Lyra's weapons—the daggers [Reversed Fang Blades].
[Skill [Roadless Valhalla] activated.]
[Temporarily obtained Development Skill [Abnormal Resistance] I]
[Temporarily obtained Magic [Muse's Thunder]]
[Temporarily obtained Skill [Agile Twin Blades]]
Emiya's movements became even swifter and more nimble. He quickly closed the distance with the fleeing Minotaur, leaped onto its shoulders, and plunged both daggers into its spine.
The crossed blades sliced cleanly—one large bull's head rolled away.
Emiya landed smoothly, the two short swords fading into nothingness.
The surrounding Dungeon walls began to crack on a large scale.
"It's a [Monster Feast]."
Ryuu murmured softly, though she didn't seem worried. She simply placed her hands on the hilts of [Gan Jinag & Mo Ye].
"Trace, on."
Emiya whispered, projecting a sharp tachi.
[Skill [Roadless Valhalla] activated.]
[Temporarily obtained Development Ability [Night Duel] I]
[Temporarily obtained Magic [Gokou]]
[Temporarily obtained Skill [Bloodline of the Sword]]
On the 17th floor, wielding Kaguya's tachi [Higanbana], Emiya weaved through the labyrinth. His blade cut through the air like lightning, tracing arcs of cold light.
The tachi in his hands became a streak of black shadow, slicing into the weak points of monsters with precision. With each retraction of the blade, dark red blood sprayed, and the Minotaurs' roars were abruptly silenced.
A Claw Tiger lunged from behind, but Emiya had already turned. His tachi traced a graceful arc in the air, blooming like an evening primrose in the night sky—instantly cleaving the Claw Tiger in two. Each strike was a guaranteed kill—cold, efficient, and lethal.
On the 16th floor, Emiya altered his combat style, engaging monsters in a savage close-quarters battle. His weapons shifted to razor-sharp claw gauntlets—[Gale Ripper], the weapon of the Werewolf girl, Niz.
In his hands, the twin claws seemed alive, slicing through the air with a piercing howl. Hellhounds, unable to withstand the rapid strikes, were torn apart before they could react.
When the slashes reached their peak speed, they generated powerful magical wind blades, shredding the monsters ahead into pieces.
On the 15th floor, facing a Crystal Mantis, Emiya projected the Amazonian warrior Iska's gauntlets—[Battle Frenzy Grip]. Though he wasn't adept at close-quarters brawling, the magic and skills he had gained granted him overwhelming power.
He dashed forward, taking the scythe-like claws of the Mantis head-on. His fists struck.
The first punch slammed into its abdomen, spiderweb cracks spreading across the crystalline armor.
The second followed immediately, erupting with magical energy. The cracks widened—until with a deafening crash, the entire exoskeleton shattered. The Mantis let out a final cry before collapsing into a flurry of light fragments.
On the 14th floor, wielding a heavy mace and shield, Emiya crushed a Dungeon Worm in half.
On the 13th, against his worst-matched weapon—a staff—he drove it straight into an Armored Armadillo's body and detonated it like a magic sword.
.
.
.
Ryuu always followed behind Emiya. She rarely took the initiative to act, only intercepting when the number of monsters became overwhelming and casting healing magic on him whenever he was injured.
The elven girl's eyes were constantly brimming with tears, but she held them back with effort, preventing them from falling once more.
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Emiya Shirou
Lv.2
Strength: I0 → I51
Endurance: I0 → I29
Dexterity: I0 → I98
Agility: I0 → I23
Magic: I0 → H194
—: Development Abilities :—
[Mystery] I
[Fire Flash] I (Temporarily Obtained)
—: Magic :—
[Unlimited Blade Works]
[Agaris Alvesynth] (Temporarily Obtained)
— Envelops limbs and sword in flames, greatly enhancing speed and melee combat ability.
— This magic is temporarily obtained, with weakened effects and increased mental energy consumption.
—: Skills :—
[Oath under the Snow]
[Knight of Owner]
[Labrude Beqia] (Temporarily Obtained)
— In combat, [Strength] receives a high correction.
— In adversity, [Endurance] and [Dexterity] receive a high correction.
— When fighting a formidable enemy, [Agility] and [Magic] receive a high correction.
— Given all three conditions are met simultaneously, [Strength], [Agility], and [Magic] receive an additional minor correction, proportional to the duration.
—This skill is temporarily obtained, with weakened effects and increased stamina consumption.
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
After paying respects to the former comrades of the Astraea Familia alongside Ryuu, Emiya and his group left the dungeon and headed straight to the Hephaestus Familia's base, seeking out the goddess.
The reason was that something illogical had appeared on Emiya's status—he, who originally had only one magic [Unlimited Blade Works], had used other magic, such as the flame-based additional magic that should belong to Alise Lovell.
Under the system of "Falna," the number of magic slots a person could have was fixed—at least one, and at most three.
The discovery of new magic was something that could not be forced; many high-level adventurers had not even filled all their magic slots.
For example, Alicia had three magic slots but only possessed one magic, [Hail Dust], with the remaining two slots empty.
The same applied to Ryuu—she had three magic slots but currently only possessed [Luminous Wind] and [Noah Heal].
Unlike elves, who generally had more magic slots, Emiya only had one, which was already occupied by his sole magic [Unlimited Blade Works]. Theoretically, he had no possibility of awakening new magic.
It was only after finding Goddess Hephaestus and updating his status that the truth was finally revealed.
The skill Emiya had possessed from the very beginning, [Roadless Valhalla], had finally been fully unlocked.
Its effect allowed Emiya to temporarily acquire development abilities, magic, and skills based on the weapon he equipped.
At this moment, he was wielding his projected weapon [Crimson Order], which granted him Alise Lovell's special abilities.
[Fire Flash] was a unique development ability of Alise, which increased fire resistance, enhanced fire magic power, and boosted agility.
[Agaris Alvesynth] and [Labrude Beqia] were Alise's exclusive magic and skill—the former being a powerful enchantment magic, and the latter an extreme power-boosting skill with simple activation conditions.
Alise had ultimately reached Level 4, yet she possessed the ability to fight, and even defeat, first-rank Level 5 adventurers.
At first glance, it seemed unbelievable, but after seeing her magic and skills, it became easy to understand.
The combined effect of [Agaris Alvesynth] wasn't as comprehensive as Ais Wallenstein's enchantment magic [Wind Spirit Rush], but because it could synergize with Alise's own skills, its final power output was immense.
Furthermore, besides [Labrude Beqia], Alise also possessed another skill, [Batleate Asyrath], which amplified skill effects in close combat and enhanced magic effects when casting spells.
Simply put, every single one of Alise's skills was strong enough to make ordinary adventurers cry.
Goddess Hephaestus spoke in a deep voice, "Shirou, try testing other weapons."
.
.
.
Goddess Hephaestus was utterly shocked.
From the very beginning, she had been intensely curious about the special hidden skill that Emiya possessed. After all, skills that even the gods couldn't decipher were exceedingly rare.
Moreover, that skill had appeared alongside magic and skills such as [Unlimited Blade Works] and [Oath under the Snow]. Hephaestus had long been convinced that this skill's effects couldn't possibly be weak.
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