BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM—!
Countless magical beams roared from every direction, each shot precisely tracking Emiya Shirou's position.
The pencil-thin rays exploded violently upon hitting the ground, sending devastating waves of heat and flames surging outward, consuming everything in their path.
The earth turned scorched and blackened.
Houses and buildings were reduced to rubble by the merciless barrage.
Even Astolfo, soaring far above, felt the scorching heatwaves batter him uncomfortably.
Yet, upon seeing the next scene unfold on her surveillance, Semiramis's cold, seductive expression cracked with astonishment.
"Wha—?!"
Before the smoke and debris from the relentless bombardment cleared, a silver blur shot forth like a missile, streaking out of the haze at nearly twice its previous speed.
The magical cannons placed throughout the city needed no direct guidance from Semiramis; each was enchanted with automatic targeting spells. Immediately upon Shirou's emergence, the magic circles adjusted swiftly, again aiming their barrages directly toward his path.
But the silver figure now bursting from the smoke wore armor thicker and heavier than before.
The instant Shirou saw the magical arrays glowing again, he didn't hesitate. Another chained blade appeared in his left hand as he invoked a second layer of [Incursio] upon himself.
This was Shirou's first attempt at simultaneously donning two layers of [Incursio]. He had no idea how devastating the strain would be on his body.
But he was certain of one thing—at his previous speed, evading this barrage of magical artillery was absolutely impossible.
He could only thank his luck that these magical cannons weren't the EX-ranked monstrosities from Semiramis's [Hanging Gardens]. Otherwise, even two layers of [Incursio] wouldn't have given him the slightest chance.
He would have ended up just like those unfortunate homunculi—mere souls obliterated beneath overwhelming firepower.
Even now, after escaping the initial barrage, Shirou's condition was dire.
His heart was hammering violently in his chest, his body burning from within as sweat poured out like steam. An unbearable, invisible force pressed down on him relentlessly, the simultaneous burden of dual Incursio armors rapidly causing internal collapse.
Blood oozed steadily from his skin beneath the armor plates.
Two minutes… or maybe three?
Shirou couldn't estimate accurately, but one thing was certain—holding out even two minutes at this rate would be impossible.
Though Shirou's speed had momentarily doubled, he wasn't able to dodge every shot like some nimble specter. Multiple energy beams had already grazed and struck him; large sections of his armor were battered and torn, blood trickling out and dripping onto the ruined street behind him. His shoulder had even been pierced completely through by a stray magical beam.
In his current state, with the Hydra's Venom relentlessly assaulting his body, even a single minute of survival would be a miracle.
But compared to his earlier predicament, at least now the beams struggled to keep pace with his explosive acceleration.
While the rays themselves traveled far faster than he could run, the cannons still required crucial seconds to charge and fire. During these precious moments, Shirou moved beyond their effective range.
Within mere seconds, Shirou dashed through the entire street filled with magical artillery, leaving the lethal gauntlet behind him.
---
"Damn it—!"
Semiramis angrily slammed her hand against the armrest of her chair. She hadn't anticipated that the carefully designed defenses she and Amakusa had spent an entire day preparing would crumble so easily against Emiya Shirou's reckless assault.
Their painstaking preparations, intended to hold off enemy Servants for as long as possible, had been dismantled in mere minutes—by a human magus no less!
Had someone like Achilles been the one who broke through, Semiramis wouldn't have been nearly this upset. After all, everyone knew such legendary heroes could treat these defenses as little more than scraps of paper.
Yet even so, these defenses should have been enough to repel most ordinary Servants—only those of the highest rank should have been capable of slipping through so quickly.
Moreover, against heroes from Greek mythology, the Hydra's Venom became even deadlier, escalating from Rank B straight to Rank A—something even those legendary figures would have struggled to resist.
But now, these potent defenses had been breached by a mere teenage human magus—someone not even fully grown. How could Semiramis not feel humiliated?
Still, this irritation only heightened her fascination with Emiya Shirou.
"What awaits you next is something even Heracles found troublesome, young magus."
Perhaps humans truly were bizarre creatures. Semiramis felt infuriated by Shirou's effortless penetration of her defenses, yet simultaneously excited by the miracle he might perform with his fragile human body.
She longed to witness Emiya Shirou's futile death beneath her prized pet. Yet, secretly, she also wished to see if this young man could produce another miracle—one in which a mortal overcame mythology itself.
Deep beneath the Holy Church awaited a horror capable of striking despair even into legendary heroes. It was the final line of defense prepared by the Red Faction.
There were no magical arrays here, nor any distracting Dragon Tooth Warriors—only a single massive beast exuding endless poison from its very being.
A legendary creature:
The Hydra.
One of the Twelve Labors overcome by Heracles himself, the Hydra of Lerna was an enormous swamp serpent with numerous heads—nine, or even one hundred, according to some myths. Its venom was infamous; merely touching it spelled instant death for mortals. Its terrifying regenerative ability, producing two new heads each time one was severed, elevated it to the top tier among mythic monsters.
Now, its colossal form loomed amidst an impossibly dense, violet fog.
A primal sense of impending death forced Shirou to halt his advance for a brief moment.
The poison mist here was far thicker than what he'd encountered previously—orders of magnitude more concentrated.
But now isn't the time to hesitate.
After only a moment's pause, Shirou resolutely stepped into the dense purple haze.
Fsssh—!
Instantly, unimaginable pain and weakness enveloped his entire body. The moment Shirou entered, a vision flashed before him—a familiar man stood on the opposite bank of a river, smiling gently and beckoning him forward.
Kiritsugu...?
Gasping desperately, Shirou collapsed to one knee, fighting desperately against the agony.
Poison flooded his senses, invading through his eyes, nose, and throat. He could feel it burning down his windpipe, scorching his eyes like molten iron.
Yet, even amidst this agony, Shirou forced himself upright, determination burning in his eyes.
He couldn't afford to fall here—not yet.