Chapter 50. Juggernaut? A "First-Sight Kill" Won't Work on the Great Hero Emiya!
Dungeon, 18th Floor, "Under Resort".
This safety floor, which was supposed to be filled with laughter and hailed as the only pure land in the Dungeon, was currently shrouded in a suffocating scent of blood. The forest was burning, and the radiance of the crystals was obscured by thick smoke, as if the Dungeon itself was mourning the tragedy about to unfold.
"Ha... ha..."
Ryuu Lion leaned against a charred giant tree, panting heavily. Her green cloak had been dyed dark red with blood, and the two kodachi in her hands were notched. Her left leg was injured by an explosion; every step felt like dancing on the edge of a blade. Her Mind (mana) had bottomed out, and her mental state was on the brink of collapse.
Right now, she was no longer the feared "Gale," but a scarred lone wolf driven into a corner by hunters.
"Only three left..."
Ryuu's eyes, originally a clear sky-blue, were now bloodshot. They were the eyes of a vengeful ghost. As long as she hadn't killed all her enemies, her soul would crawl back from hell to swing her sword even if her body turned to ash.
"How pathetic, 'Gale'."
A cold, slimy voice that sounded like a reptile sliding across the ground drifted from the smoke ahead.
"Who would have thought that the last remaining seed of the once-mighty Astraea Familia would end up in such a miserable state. Where is your justice? Where is your nobility? Look at you now—what's the difference between you and us rats in the gutter?"
Following the voice, a one-armed Cat Person stepped out. He wore tattered robes, held an ominous-looking tamer's whip, and wore a distorted smile.
Jura. A remnant of Evilus and one of the culprits who orchestrated the trap for the Astraea Familia years ago. His missing arm was thanks to Ryuu.
Behind him followed two massive [Enhanced Hellhounds]. These were strengthened monsters, each possessing combat power close to Lv. 4, and they had been placed under a berserk enchantment.
"Jura..." Ryuu gritted her teeth, her killing intent erupting like a physical force. "You... I will absolutely kill you! For Alise, for everyone!"
"Kill me? With you in your current state?" Jura laughed mockingly, as if he had heard the world's greatest joke. "Why do you think I lured you here? This is the 18th floor! It's the execution ground I've meticulously prepared for you!"
He whipped his lash violently.
"Go! Tear her apart! Bite off her limbs!"
"ROAAR—!!!"
The two Hellhounds roared and pounced. They were incredibly fast, bringing with them a stinking wind and the smell of sulfur. If Ryuu were in her prime, these monsters would only require a single strike. But now...
"Move... move for me!" Ryuu tried to raise her hands, but her body felt as heavy as lead. The dizziness from blood loss blurred her vision; the world seemed to be spinning.
"Is it over..." Looking at the wide-open maws, a sense of relief actually surged in Ryuu's heart. 'If I die here... maybe I can go see everyone? Alise... Kaguya... Lyra... Sorry, I couldn't fulfill our final vow.'
Just as the Hellhounds' teeth were about to touch Ryuu's throat, and the Reaper had already raised his scythe—
SHIU—!!!
A silvery-white beam of light shot out without warning from the other side of the forest. It didn't travel in a straight line. It traced an eerie arc in the air, perfectly bypassing all tree obstacles and even refracting off rocks, as if it were equipped with GPS navigation.
This was the legendary—[Aimbot].
Puchi!
The beam precisely pierced the skull of the first Hellhound, smooth as a hot knife through butter. Then, instead of vanishing, it refracted again like a living thing and stabbed into the heart of the second Hellhound.
Double Kill.
Boom! The two monsters didn't even get to scream before they turned into clouds of black ash, leaving only two magic stones to fall onto the ground with a crisp clatter.
"Wh-Who is it?!" Jura was startled and scrambled back, hiding behind a giant rock like a frightened marmot. "Who's ambushing me?! Get out here!"
There was no answer. Only the sound of the wind.
"Trace—On."
Atop a towering tree five hundred meters away from the battlefield, Shirou Emiya stood on a branch, the [Bow of Inevitable Destruction: Sirius] in his hand radiating cool moonlight. His eyes had turned a metallic silver, and a holographic map of the entire battlefield was reflected in his pupils.
[Clairvoyance Hawk]—Beyond-visual-range lock-on.
"Wind correction... Mana guidance... Causality setting." Shirou drew the bowstring to its limit. There was no physical arrow, only an "Arrow of Light" condensed from high-purity mana.
"Since you like playing dirty so much..." A cold sneer played on the corner of Shirou's mouth—an expression that was a mix of "justice" and "personal grudge."
"Then let me show you the suppression power of a 'Map Cannon'."
"Fire."
Shoom! Shoom! Shoom!
Three light arrows shot out simultaneously. They dispersed in the air and then, like missiles with a mind of their own, struck at Jura from three different blind spots.
"Dammit! Defend! Defend quickly!" Jura screamed in terror, throwing a pile of defensive magic items onto the ground.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The fire from the explosions swallowed the giant rock. Although Jura rolled out in a sorry state, his proud tamer's robe had been reduced to rags, and several charred wounds marked his body. He looked like he had just crawled out of a coal mine.
"Bastard! Have the guts to come out and fight me one-on-one! What kind of hero hides in the dark and shoots cold arrows!" Jura roared in a rage, completely forgetting that he was just outnumbering his opponent a moment ago.
"As you wish."
A red figure descended from the sky. He didn't use any deceleration magic but instead used [Structural Strengthening] to tank the impact of the landing—the willful luxury of a Lv. 3 (Pseudo-Lv. 4).
Thud!
The ground cracked, and dust billowed. Shirou Emiya slowly stood straight, shielding Ryuu. He held the ornate silver bow in his hand and stood with his back to Ryuu, his tone as casual as if he were asking if she'd had dinner.
"Can you still move, Miss Ryuu?"
"Emiya..." Looking at that back—not particularly broad, yet exceptionally reliable—Ryuu's eyes instantly reddened. "You idiot... why... why did you come... This is my revenge... it has nothing to do with you..."
"How does it have nothing to do with me?" Shirou looked back, revealing that trademark "Yasashi" (gentle) smile, as if the background came with its own holy light.
"I'm a blacksmith, and you're my client.
If a client dies before using the weapon I made (referring to the bow), that's the greatest insult to my 'after-sales service.' I care a lot about my reputation."
"..." Ryuu was stunned. That reason... was terrible. It was worse than a light novel protagonist's excuse. But for some reason, the heavy stone in her heart suddenly dropped.
"Watch out! That guy... is Jura!" Ryuu struggled to stand up, warning him, "He's a tamer! There might still be an ambush nearby!"
"I know." Shirou turned his head and looked coldly at Jura. [Mind's Eye (True)] had already scanned every plant and tree in the vicinity; he knew exactly how many ants were in this forest.
"Hey, one-armed uncle over there." Shirou raised his bow and pointed it at Jura. "Bullying an injured girl—is that the signature move of you 'Evilus' types? What nauseating taste."
"Red hair... bow and arrow..." Jura narrowed his eyes, seemingly recognizing Shirou's identity. "Are you... that Senji Muramasa?! The brat who destroyed our base on the 24th floor?!"
"Oh? Am I that famous already?" Shirou shrugged. "Since you know me, this makes things easier.
Surrender." Shirou's eyes turned sharp, and his killing intent condensed in the air. "Spit out all the filth in your gut, and maybe I'll consider leaving your corpse intact."
"Hahahaha! Arrogant brat!" Jura suddenly burst into laughter, laughing until tears came out, as if he had heard a massive joke. "Who do you think you are? Orario's hero? Don't make me laugh! This is the Dungeon! This is my home turf! A greenhouse flower like you doesn't understand the meaning of true 'despair'!"
He suddenly pulled out a black magic stone that emitted an extremely ominous aura. The shape of the stone... was like a still-beating heart, and the space around it distorted slightly due to its presence.
"I was originally going to save this surprise for 'Gale,' but since you're here, let's enjoy it together!"
Jura slammed the magic stone hard onto the ground. Simultaneously, he began to chant a forbidden incantation.
"Awaken... Destroyer of Despair..."
"Devour everything... Eradicate everything..."
"Juggernaut—Mimic Summon!"
"What?!" Hearing that name, Ryuu's face instantly turned deathly pale, and her body couldn't stop trembling. That was her nightmare. It was the absolute despair that had taken the lives of all her companions. It was the existence that would wake her up even in her sleep.
"Stop him! Emiya! Stop him quickly!" Ryuu screamed shrilly. "That thing... you absolutely cannot let it out! It is the 'monster' of monsters!"
"Understood!"
Although Shirou didn't know what it was, seeing Ryuu's reaction told him things were bad. His intuition told him this was something even more troublesome than a Floor Boss. Without a shred of hesitation, he drew the bowstring to its limit.
"Failnaught—Maximum Output!"
A thick light cannon blasted toward Jura.
But just as the cannon was about to hit, the ground split open. A massive claw covered in pitch-black carapace, shaped like an alien's, reached out from underground and easily blocked the beam.
Sizzle— The light cannon left a scorch mark on the claw, and then... it was deflected? No, it was reflected!
"..."
A low, metallic-grating hiss rang out. A spine-chilling monster slowly crawled out from the ground.
It had reverse-jointed legs, a streamlined armored body, and a long tail tipped with bone spikes. It had no eyes, only organs to perceive mana and sound. Its entire body radiated a pure will known as "Slaughter."
Although it was one size smaller than the legendary "Full Form" (since it was a Mimic Summon and not the original from the 27th floor), the pressure it exerted still made the air freeze.
"This is... the Juggernaut?" Shirou frowned, a bead of cold sweat forming on his brow. The feedback from [Mind's Eye] was—Extremely Dangerous.
Speed: Extremely fast (surpassing Lv. 4). Attack Power: Lv. 4 Armor Penetration. Special Ability: Magic Reflection.
"Hahahaha! See that? This is my masterpiece!" Jura laughed wildly from behind the monster. "Go! Tear them to shreds! Let these self-righteous adventurers experience what true hell is!"
The monster moved. No, it was a teleport. In the blink of an eye, it appeared right in front of Shirou. The massive claw, carrying wind pressure that seemed to tear space, swept toward him.
"Trace—On!"
Shirou instinctively projected [Rho Aias].
Kacha!
The purple light shield shattered like glass the moment it touched the claw. This monster's physical attack power was absurdly high! Furthermore, its claws seemed to have a "Magic-Breaking" attribute.
"Ugh!" Shirou was forced back, using his [Reinforced] arms to take the brunt of the aftershock. He was sent flying over ten meters, slamming into a tree trunk as his internal organs churned.
"Emiya!" Ryuu tried to rush over.
"Stay back!" Shirou shouted, picking himself up from the ground and shaking his numbed arms.
"This guy... is interesting. Magic defense is useless, magic attacks are reflected, and physical attack is ultra-high... It's literally a Mage Killer."
It wasn't just strength. More terrifying was its armor—specialized armor capable of reflecting magic. If one were to carelessly use magic bombardment, they would end up blowing themselves up. If that previous light cannon hadn't been at a specific angle, it might have leveled Shirou himself.
"Specialized physical attack, magic nullification..." A smile played on Shirou's lips, the excitement of meeting a challenge. "This is practically... a 'target' prepared specifically for me.
Miss Ryuu, can you still move?" Shirou asked.
"Barely..." Ryuu gripped her kodachi. Though her body was trembling, the lost look in her eyes was gone.
"Then cooperate with me." Shirou pulled out the yet-to-be-delivered [Sirius] from his cloak and tossed it to Ryuu.
"This is a gift for you.
I wanted to wrap it nicely before giving it, but I'll have to make do for now.
Use it... to cover me."
Ryuu caught the silvery-white longbow. The moment her fingers touched the bow's body, a warm mana flowed into her through her fingertips. The flow of the wind... became clear. The moonlight was responding to her. It was as if this bow was a part of her body.
"This is... Fairy Wood? And... the aura of a God?" Ryuu looked at the bow in her hands in shock.
"Don't daze off! Here it comes!"
The monster charged again. Its target was still Shirou; it had clearly judged that this red-haired human was the greater threat.
"Let's go! Ryuu!"
Shirou's hands gripped empty air. The twin swords [Kanshou and Bakuya] appeared in his hands.
"Since magic doesn't work... then I'll use sword skills... to dismantle it!"
The red figure and the green wind intertwined on this desperate battlefield. The Ally of Justice and the Vengeful Elf. This duo, who were never supposed to have crossed paths, now charged toward the monster known as "Despair" to survive and cut through the nightmares of the past.
"Jura! Your nightmare... is about to end!"