Chapter 135: The Projection that Shook Orario — Shirou's Furious Slash at Babel Tower!
Shirou and Ikelos had devised the entire plan.
First, Ikelos used the Authority of Nightmare to create all the items Shirou needed.
Second, the Xenos were to attack the surface, waiting for the mastermind behind the scenes to show themselves.
Third, they would prepare an even grander stage, performing a near-mad performance to counter Hermes' Authority.
After planning everything, Shirou silently left the artificial labyrinth's crevice under Ikelos' expectant gaze, which seemed to anticipate the beginning of a grand show.
What he had to do next was undoubtedly just one thing — to let the gods, who believed they had everything under control, realize that the wrath of mortals, when ignited, was something even the divine could not endure.
To that end, he would set the entire labyrinth city ablaze, plunging Orario into a boundless sea of fire!
Of course, Shirou wasn't going to act immediately. He first planned to return once to the deeper layers of the dungeon to meet with Ray, Ranye, and the other Xenos.
However, during his return journey, he suddenly felt a strange sensation.
In Rivira Town on the 18th floor, the radical Xenos and the adventurers of the Ganesha Familia were originally supposed to clash here.
Monsters trying to reach the surface and adventurers trying to stop them should have engaged in a fierce battle. But when Shirou arrived at the scene, he found that not a single Xenos figure could be seen.
"This... Could it be the Xenos already broke through Ganesha Familia's blockade?" Shirou looked around in surprise, a sense of unease rising in his heart.
As a result, he immediately headed to the lower depths of the dungeon and encountered Ray and the others, who seemed to be preparing to move to the surface.
The first thing Shirou did was question the strange situation on the 18th floor.
Ray responded with a complicated expression: "From what I heard, it seems someone provided the Xenos with intel on another path to the surface. Because the main routes are suppressed by divine power, it's impossible for monsters to break through the front gate to the surface. So the Xenos plan to take another road — a hidden path — to launch a surprise attack on the surface city."
"Someone provided another route?"
No matter how you heard it, that sounded suspicious.
Shirou was nearly certain this was all part of Hermes' plan.
Since the enemy could influence the thinking of the Xenos, they must have used the power of a script, preparing some kind of stage on the surface.
Although Shirou didn't know Hermes' true objective, from his past understanding, the god most likely intended to sacrifice all of the Xenos.
In the end, the Xenos' assault on the surface would not achieve the freedom they sought. Instead, they would become pawns controlled by the gods — stripped of everything at their whim.
At this realization, Shirou's fury toward the gods burned even stronger. He immediately said to Ray and the others: "Do not go to the surface — it's a trap set by the gods!"
"We know..." Ray showed a look that seemed to understand everything. "But, since our comrades have already made their choice, we have no reason to cower and live in shame.
If sacrificing everything means there's a chance for the Xenos to survive, then we absolutely won't run away from the fight with humanity!"
"..."
Shirou's expression grew deeply conflicted. He hadn't expected Ray to say such words.
He didn't want the Xenos who had once saved him to walk to their deaths, but he also knew it would be difficult to stop their actions here.
If Ray and the others went to the surface, it was highly likely they would perish. And that was a scene Shirou absolutely did not want to see.
"..."
As Shirou was silently considering how to stop them, suddenly, heavy footsteps rang from deep within the dungeon.
The gathered Xenos were initially tense, fearing the arrival of some terrifying monster.
But once a figure appeared before them, their tension immediately dissipated.
"Asterius! You're back!"
Seeing one of their kind appear, the Xenos immediately showed expressions of excitement and relief.
Since this was a Xenos Shirou had never seen before, he couldn't help but look over — and was immediately shocked by what he saw.
It was a Minotaur, pitch-black from head to toe. Although it looked similar to other Minotaurs, Shirou immediately sensed that this one was exceptional.
As a Xenos, this one was at least Level 6 or above.
Not just among the Xenos — even in Orario, this Minotaur would be counted among the top-tier powerhouses.
"Who is he?"
"His name is Asterius. He's a newcomer among us Xenos, but he is the strongest of all current Xenos.
He has spent all his time hunting monsters in the deep dungeon to become stronger, so we rarely see him at our base."
"I see."
Learning the truth about the black Minotaur, Shirou nodded slightly.
Although Asterius was a special case, Shirou didn't dwell too much on it. He was still more concerned with how to stop Ray and the others from rushing to the surface.
But unexpectedly, upon seeing Shirou, Asterius' pupils suddenly changed, and he walked forward slowly.
"You are that man, aren't you?"
"What?"
Shirou and the others were stunned by Asterius' words.
While the others were completely confused, Shirou vaguely sensed something and slowly asked: "Can you hear the voice of the dungeon?"
"When I reached the lower levels, I would occasionally hear the voice of the Mother," Asterius said in a deep voice. "She told me to follow you — to become your sword, to clear your path."
"Mother?"
Hearing Asterius' words, the Xenos immediately realized something and looked toward Shirou in shock.
For Xenos born in the dungeon, the only one they could call "Mother" — was the dungeon itself, which gave birth to everything inside it.
If Asterius' words were true, then Shirou had been acknowledged by the dungeon — and it had whispered to Asterius, asking him to aid Shirou.
"So it's really like that..."
Shirou had long felt the dungeon was favorably inclined toward him.
But he still didn't understand why it acknowledged him so strongly.
After all, Shirou didn't think of himself as a monster's ally.
The only possible explanation was that Shirou was now the enemy of the heavenly god Ouranos — the one who suppressed the dungeon.
The dungeon might see Shirou as someone who could remove that suppressive force — a true ally.
After revealing their identities to each other, Asterius said to Shirou: "If there is anything you need me to do, please command me. I will fulfill Mother's wish and become your weapon."
"I don't really have anything I want you to do— wait, actually..."
Although Shirou initially hadn't thought of anything for Asterius to do, he suddenly realized something.
As a newly emerged and high-level Xenos, Asterius likely existed outside of Hermes' script.
In other words, Hermes probably had no idea a Level 6+ Xenos like Asterius even existed.
If Shirou could strengthen Asterius and let him join the battle, it might disrupt Hermes' narrative even further.
At the very least, he could help protect the Xenos in this chaotic war.
Having reached the key insight, Shirou slowly said: "There is something I need your help with, Asterius."
"I shall not fail in my duty."
Seeing Asterius seemingly obey his every word, Shirou didn't fully trust him — but he knew he had no choice but to believe in him.
Since his enemy was now the gods and the very order of Orario itself, he had to do everything in his power — and create a scene that the gods' script could never predict.
With that in mind, he took a deep breath and asked Ray and the others beside him: "Is there a place underground that's like a forge?"
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Orario — Daedalus Street.
The sun was slowly leaning toward the western city wall. In a few hours, sunset would arrive.
Although the Guild had issued an emergency announcement that day urging people to stay home, as time passed, many began to feel the crisis had passed and started walking the streets again.
Among them were members of the Hestia Familia, who had been running around day and night.
Ever since Shirou went missing, none of them — not even Hestia — believed he had died. They searched Orario tirelessly for his whereabouts.
Yet no clues had turned up, even after all this time.
Moreover, it wasn't just the Hestia Familia searching for Shirou.
The Freya Familia, Ishtar Familia, Takemikazuchi Familia, and Kali Familia were all also secretly investigating.
Though none publicly opposed the Guild's order, they were all deeply concerned about Shirou's safety.
The Loki Familia was no exception.
Although the Guild had officially prohibited them from taking action, they privately couldn't accept Shirou being branded a criminal and searched for the truth.
"No good, we can't find him anywhere." "It's been days — not a single lead. Where the hell did Shirou go?" "If he's really dead..."
"A-Ais-senpai, what are you saying!? There's no way that guy would die!"
Lefiya exclaimed anxiously, looking toward the blonde sword princess beside her.
Over the past few days, she had been so exhausted from searching for Shirou that even her naturally delicate elven features had grown haggard.
Even so, she still didn't believe Shirou was dead and gave everything she had to find him.
As Ais and Lefiya continued to search, they unknowingly passed by the members of the Hestia Familia.
But neither side noticed each other — not even exchanging a word.
That was because under the Guild's surveillance, both the Loki and Hestia Familias had realized the extent of the Guild's influence.
To avoid further interference, they had secretly communicated and now publicly showed no connection.
"???"
While walking through Daedalus Street, Lili's expression suddenly changed slightly.
She looked toward the end of the street in surprise, instinctively perking her ears.
"What's wrong?"
Hestia and Bell looked at her in confusion.
Then the Pallum girl suddenly cried out: "Something's wrong — something's coming!"
"...!"
Hearing her sharp warning, Hestia and Bell were momentarily stunned. Then, as they turned their heads, they saw a massive number of monsters flooding up from beneath Daedalus Street!
Creatures that should never have appeared on the surface had used hidden passages to surge onto the land — taking everyone completely by surprise and shaking the entire labyrinth city to its core.
"R-Run, run!!" "Help! Somebody help!!" "Where are the adventurers? We need reinforcements!!"
As the monsters appeared, the citizens of Daedalus Street began fleeing in all directions.
Hestia and the others didn't know what was happening, but seeing the countless monsters, they instinctively joined the fleeing crowd.
However, some of the flying monsters were clearly much faster — and they rapidly swooped down in front of the people.
"!!!"
Just then, a long spear with a golden tip fell from the sky, piercing through one of the flying monsters and pinning it firmly to the ground.
"HAAAAA!" The monster that had been stabbed let out a scream that sounded almost human, but it was completely unable to break free.
Finn, the leader of the Loki Familia, slowly walked over and frowned. "I didn't expect so many monsters to emerge from underground. Is this the Dark Faction's plot?"
Although Shirou had chosen to cooperate with the Thanatos Familia before, the Loki Familia still harbored doubts about the Dark Faction.
They did not believe that Thanatos's words were necessarily true.
The strategy they had ultimately adopted was to continue investigating—not only the Thanatos Familia, but also the god Ouranos.
Only after they arrived at a conclusion they could fully trust would they make their decision.
So now, seeing so many monsters pouring out from underground, it was only natural for them to instinctively suspect the Dark Faction.
"The path the monsters took to reach the surface doesn't seem to be the one controlled by the Thanatos Familia," Riveria arrived with other members of the Loki Familia and immediately said upon seeing the situation. "The Daedalus Street is complex and maze-like. There might be unknown routes to the surface even the Dark Faction is unaware of."
"That's certainly possible..." Finn nodded, then said in a strange tone, "But Riveria, you really trust Emiya Shirou now, huh? What's the matter? Did you fall in love with him after he saved you?"
"If you joke like that again, Finn or not, I won't go easy on you!"
"Sorry, sorry!"
Finn waved his hand with a smile. Then, as he looked toward Ais and Lefiya who were running over from the distance, he quickly decided not to bring up Shirou again.
He then slowly walked toward the monster he had skewered earlier, intending to finish it off. But unexpectedly, the monster's face was filled with unmistakable fear, and it mumbled:
"D-Don't kill me! I don't want to die!"
"???"
The Loki Familia adventurers were all stunned to hear the monster speak like a human.
They looked at each other in disbelief, as if such a thing had never crossed their minds.
Before they could even figure out what was going on, more monsters attacked from a distance, forcing both sides into a fierce battle.
During the fight, the Loki Familia struck down the monsters without holding back.
But as they battled, they began to notice something bizarre—expressions of emotion on the monsters' faces, expressions that looked... human.
The more they fought, the more unsettled the Loki Familia became. It no longer felt like they were hunting monsters, but rather hunting beings as human as themselves.
"What are you? Why are you attacking the city?" Ais finally couldn't hold back, shouting after repelling a monster with one strike.
"Give us back our companions!" the leader of the Xenos, a stone dragon, roared angrily. "Up until now, countless of our kin have been captured by you! We endured in silence, but even then, you attacked our base and took away even more of our kind! This rage—we can no longer contain it! The humans must pay!"
"Return our kin!"
"Stop hunting us!"
"We are not your livestock!"
The monsters cried out in fury.
Their emotional outburst shook the Loki Familia members, who had never imagined such raw humanity from monsters.
For a moment, the Loki Familia didn't know how to respond.
Even Finn, their leader, was at a complete loss in the face of such an unprecedented situation.
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At the top of Orario's tall towers—
Hermes stood at the peak of the tower, overlooking everything that was happening below.
"Hahaha, the stage is set. The perfect performance is about to begin." Hermes watched the Xenos charge the surface and Orario plunge into chaos with a crazed gleam in his eyes. He spoke aloud excitedly, "Yes, this is how it should be! The more chaos and bloodshed, the more people yearn for the arrival of a hero! Only in true despair can true heroes be born!"
"The time is near, Bell Cranel. You shall step onto the stage like the protagonist of a tale.
Take up your weapon, inherit the will of the Zeus Familia! I believe—no, I am certain—that you will become the hero who saves the world, the sole protagonist of this era!"
Hermes shouted with zeal, as if writing something into the very air itself.
Snap!
Suddenly, divine words appeared in the once-empty air, and those words began to alter reality.
This was Hermes's divine power—Scriptwriting.
Now, everything happening in Orario had become part of Hermes's script.
From the Xenos initiating their assault, to Orario falling into panic, to people praying for a hero amid despair—everything was unfolding exactly as he had written it. All of it was designed to become the stepping stones that would forge a hero.
Hermes had already foreseen it all—after all, it was a story he had penned himself.
He wrote in the air:
[The Xenos, enraged by the abduction of their companions, charge the surface and clash with the Loki Familia stationed there. A fierce battle breaks out.] [Due to the Loki Familia's hesitation, they are unable to fully contain the Xenos in Daedalus Street, allowing a small group of Xenos to break through and head toward the civilian population.] [Though the Xenos initially had no intent to kill, the rage in their hearts is ignited. As more of their kin are slaughtered, they can no longer suppress their fury. In the end, they decide to attack the refugee camps, aiming to kill the defenseless.] [At that critical moment, Bell Cranel, who just happens to be among the refugees, stands up. With a will to protect the people, he shields them from the monsters' onslaught. By his own determination, he slays the frenzied Xenos trying to harm the innocent. He earns the admiration of Orario's citizens and undergoes a transformation.] [Rejoice! He is the legacy of the Zeus Familia, the one destined to become a hero. He shall overcome the barriers of a thousand years, slay the Black Dragon, and become the last great hope! Let us shout his name in celebration—the one and only true hero of this era: Bell Cranel!]
Hermes wrote in a frenzy of excitement.
And everything he wrote, under the power of his divinity, was destined to become reality.
But just when the story he had prepared was about to unfold, something happened in Orario that completely shattered the script—
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In the shadows of the city, a cloaked figure appeared before the tallest tower of Orario—the Babel Tower—the one known as the Sword Demon: Shirou Emiya.
Just moments ago, he had witnessed the slaughter between the Xenos and humans, the outbreak of this senseless war, and the shared despair between monsters and mortals alike.
He had also witnessed the gods atop Babel, completely indifferent.
Those deities were not saddened by the suffering of mortals; on the contrary, they danced and rejoiced, as if watching a thrilling play unfold before them.
To them, the suffering of humans was just a source of entertainment—a passing spectacle for their amusement.
At that moment, Shirou fully understood: the one behind this tragedy wasn't just Hermes, who wielded the divine power. It was all the gods who used mortals as mere entertainment.
Without justice or order, Orario had become nothing more than a playground for the gods.
He had sensed it long ago.
Whether it was the Soma Familia, the Apollo Familia, the Ishtar Familia, or the Dark Faction... all the evil, all the filth—these weren't just the sins of individual gods or people.
The true mistake, the real distortion, was Orario itself.
A city ruled by gods with no restrictions, and mortals who had no choice but to obey and hope for divine favor—such imbalance could only lead to endless tragedy and despair.
That was why Dix had laughed at Shirou, ridiculing him, saying he could never achieve "justice."
Because in this city, justice had never existed to begin with.
In the end, mortals were nothing more than toys for the gods.
But Shirou could never accept that reality.
If justice no longer existed, then he would become the hammer of justice.
If order had collapsed, then he would become the new order.
Even if that meant raising his blade against the gods!
He would let the gods know that they could not do as they pleased in this world—that even gods must be punished for their crimes!
"Gods! Feel the wrath of a mortal!"
Shirou slowly raised his right hand. At that moment, he unleashed a projection more exaggerated than ever before.
His heart was full of rage—fury at the gods' cruelty and their mockery of mortal lives.
And now, he would unleash that fury. With fire and steel, he would strike down the very tower that represented the gods!
He needed to unleash an attack that could cleave the tower in half!
"Trace, on!"
"Pseudo-Ig-Alima: Green Field Cutting Through the Thousand Mountains!"
Shirou's right hand lifted high—and finally, a massive weapon began to take shape. It was a sword large enough to split the very horizon in two.
Its enormous size, nearly 100 meters long, shocked all of Orario into silence.
BOOM!
In that instant, every eye in the city turned toward him—whether they were gods casually observing from atop Babel, trembling mortals on the ground, or even the charging Xenos themselves.
Everyone—every being—had their gaze locked on Shirou's projection.
And in front of their stunned eyes, Shirou's giant blade did not waver.
Like a madman challenging the heavens, he hurled it straight toward Babel Tower—the tower of the gods!
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