Chapter 118: The Anti-Magic Crimson Rose Activates! Breaking the Grim Reaper's Strategy!
"Unable to move after being bound by that chain, huh?"
Thanatos stared at the Heavenly Bull, now completely immobilized by the Chain of Heaven, his face filled with suspicion and surprise. He clearly hadn't expected Shirou to have such a tool capable of restraining divine power, completely disabling the divine spirit clone Heavenly Bull.
Witnessing this entirely unexpected turn of events, the always calm and composed god of death showed uncertainty and unease for the first time.
Seizing the moment when the Heavenly Bull was unable to move, Shirou immediately gave orders:
"Gareth, Bete, go intercept the enemy." "Tiona, Tione, Anakitty, support Ais." "Alicia, Lefiya, provide ranged support."
Though Shirou couldn't control the pieces directly like Thanatos through soul resonance, he was still able to issue commands with incredible speed, directing the Loki Familia remotely. And because of the mysterious abilities Shirou had demonstrated since arriving in this artificial dungeon, the members of the Loki Familia had absolute trust in him by now.
With mutual trust as their foundation, Shirou's orders reached everyone without delay. And now that the "bug-level" Heavenly Bull had been taken out of play, the overwhelming combat advantage of the Loki Familia became immediately apparent.
As Orario's strongest exploration-type familia, every member of the Loki Familia was a battle-hardened elite of the dungeon, with highly refined teamwork.
In contrast, Thanatos' familia members were not only inexperienced in combat, but also patched together from various evil god factions — they lacked even the most basic group coordination. So under the Loki Familia's full assault, the board's situation flipped instantly into a complete suppression by Shirou's faction.
The Loki Familia even pushed the frontlines deep into Thanatos' territory.
"As expected of the Loki Familia, one of Orario's strongest," Thanatos muttered as he observed the changing tide. "I knew they would be tough, but I didn't expect them to suppress us this completely."
"Of course," Riveria replied with a smile. "Each of us in the familia is bound by will and mutual trust. That's something your cobbled-together evil god remnants can never match."
"Yes, you're right," Thanatos nodded — then suddenly changed his tone. "But that trust between comrades, while a strength, is also a huge weakness. After all, trust
depends on the existence of those comrades. Once a key soul falls, the fragile will holding everything together collapses like dominoes."
"What...?"
Riveria was stunned by his words — and before she could process what he meant, the battlefield changed dramatically.
Boom!
Suddenly, Ais — who had been holding off two opponents on her own — was struck by a massive force. A violent shockwave shattered the air around her, and her bloodstained golden hair fluttered as her body flew through the air.
The Sword Princess's slender frame crashed down like a discarded ragdoll.
"What!? Ais—how could she...!?"
Riveria's expression twisted with disbelief.
Never had she imagined that their strongest blade, Ais, would be defeated — and in such a devastating fashion.
On the other side, Shirou's brows furrowed as he muttered, "So there was still a Level 7 hidden? The evil faction's foundation really isn't to be underestimated."
"Indeed," Thanatos responded with a smile. "Even though you used that bizarre chain to bind the Heavenly Bull — something I didn't foresee — using one card to exhaust your trap was well worth it to me. After all, the one I'm most wary of... is you, Shirou Emiya!"
"You've run out of ways to influence the game. And in this world, adventurer levels are absolute. That means even if the entire Loki Familia attacks together, they can't possibly defeat a Level 7!"
And as if to prove his words true—
A masked woman, representing the [Lion] piece, stepped forward. The terrifying pressure she gave off was unmistakably that of a Level 7.
Thanatos gave a ruthless command: "Go, Masked Monster. Kill the Sword Princess, Ais!"
His goal wasn't just to eliminate Shirou's strongest piece — it was also to let the masked one devour Ais's soul, enabling her to evolve into a [Elephant].
Once that happened, her combat strength would reach a whole new level.
If it came to that, there would be no turning the tables for the Loki Familia!
Boom!
At Thanatos' command, the black-haired masked woman exploded forth like a storm, charging to finish off Ais.
"!!!"
Facing such overwhelming pressure, Ais immediately activated her magic: "Ariel!"
A whirlwind burst around her, pushing her body into motion to dodge the masked woman's attacks. But to her shock, despite activating her magic, the masked figure still caught up and slammed a kick directly into her!
"Gah!!"
Ais was sent flying again. She tumbled for several meters before barely coming to a stop.
Though she narrowly avoided death thanks to the wind's blessing, she trembled as she tried to stand, her knees weak beneath her.
Her armor was shattered, her fair skin bruised and bloodied — her right eye had been struck and rendered temporarily blind.
Her posture made it clear — Ais was already in shambles.
"It's over."
The masked woman spoke in a crisp, girlish voice.
Ais had never heard such a voice — she had no idea what kind of being this powerful masked figure was. But she still showed no signs of giving up and struggled to continue fighting.
"Still resisting?"
The masked woman stepped forward coldly, clearly intending to finish the job.
The other members of the Loki Familia wanted to help, but they were all being held up by opponents — Thanatos' forces had clearly feigned weakness earlier, luring them into their territory to prevent them from assisting Ais.
So without resistance, the masked woman approached Ais and slowly drew a long sword from her waist, aiming to stab it into her.
Just as the attack was about to land, Shirou's voice rang out:
"Now, Ais!"
"Release the Holy Sword!"
The moment Shirou's voice fell, Ais nodded decisively.
She threw away her prototype blade and drew a second sword from behind her back — one no one had noticed before.
Boom!!
The moment the golden blade was unsheathed, an enormous surge of magical power erupted, creating a storm around the battlefield.
Everyone present was shocked.
They hadn't expected Shirou to give Ais Caliburn!
Thanatos' face faltered for a moment, but he quickly regained composure and gave a cold command:
"Hmph, I've already seen that sword's power. You think I wouldn't be prepared?"
"Seal that sword — Valetta!"
At his command, Valetta pulled a bloodstained dagger from her cloak — It was the same cursed dagger once used by the monster Revis to seal the Holy Sword.
If the Golden Sword was sealed again, Ais would have no hope of defeating the masked woman.
"Seal it!" "Magic Sword Curse!"
Valetta activated the dagger toward Ais.
Crimson light exploded forth, speeding toward Ais and fusing into the golden blade in her hand.
But what Thanatos didn't expect was—despite the curse taking effect—Ais's magical flow wasn't interrupted. On the contrary, it surged even stronger!
Shirou stared coldly at the stunned Thanatos: "Your earlier words — I'll return them to you now, Thanatos. I've already witnessed this curse's power from Revis. So of course... I was prepared."
"Prepared!? But that's a curse!"
"Yes — but a curse is still just a form of magic. If you sever the source of its magic, it can't activate."
"Sever the source…?"
Thanatos turned quickly toward Valetta— And saw that a crimson spear had pierced her chest.
Like a blooming red rose, the spear radiated a bloody brilliance, completely halting the magical flow within her.
As the wielder of the spear, Bete had always been dissatisfied about relying on weapons forged by Shirou — But seeing the result now, he had to admit: Shirou's weapons were undeniably powerful, and their only hope of turning the tide!
Yes — before the battle even started, Shirou had distributed specially-forged weapons to members of the Loki Familia.
Among them, this anti-magic spear, Gae Dearg - Crimson Rose of Exorcism, had been given specifically to Bete.
Because it was designed solely to counter the cursed dagger, and ensure Ais's Holy Sword could be fully unleashed.
And in the end, just as Shirou predicted — Bete successfully activated the spear, stopping the curse.
Which meant—Ais's Holy Sword would now awaken, completely unrestrained!
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