Chapter 139 – Shirou VS the Avenging Sword Princess! Be Unleashed, Beast of the Shattered Fangs of Death!
When the Gae Bolg Alternative- Soaring Spear That Strikes with Death broke through the Loki Familia's defenses and utterly crushed their forces, the entire Babel Tower was thrown into shock.
The gods were all in disbelief as they witnessed the result, feeling for the first time what a true difference in strength looked like.
Neither the Pallum captain Finn, nor the elven royal Riveria, nor the Sword Princess Ais, nor the dwarven warrior Gareth—none of the Loki Familia's elite could even remotely put up a fight against the full-powered Sword Demon.
They were nothing more than a dying force, completely and overwhelmingly defeated without resistance.
And amid it all, the Sword Demon himself—Shirou—remained completely calm.
That's because the technique he had just used wasn't some ordinary move.
Back when he first defeated Tione, he had only used a basic projection, mimicking the skills of the Heroic Spirit Cú Chulainn to unleash the spear of reversed causality.
However, when faced with Finn's all-out assault, combined with the pressure from the entire Loki Familia, Shirou realized that such a level of power wasn't enough to take them down.
Thus, Shirou performed a second projection.
This time, however, he didn't replicate Cú Chulainn.
Instead, he projected Scáthach, the half-divine "Queen of the Dead" and teacher of Cú Chulainn.
Yes, the technique Shirou used in that moment was none other than one of Scáthach's—her ultimate mastery over the Gae Bolg.
Unlike ordinary warriors who can only wield one spear at a time, Scáthach could wield two magical spears with flawless precision.
It was for this reason that Shirou, having projected her, mimicked her skills: in one hand unleashing the Gáe Bolg - Barbed Spear That Pierces with Death, and in the other, the Gáe Bolg Alternative - Soaring Spear That Strikes with Death.
The moment both techniques were released simultaneously, no opponent could block them. Complete destruction was inevitable.
The Loki Familia's defeat was, in a way, fully deserved.
Now, having finished off his opponents, Shirou glanced over the Loki Familia—none of whom could even stand—and turned away to leave the battlefield.
He gave up the idea of continuing to attack Babel Tower.
Destroying Babel head-on would simply cost too much.
At this critical juncture, rather than wasting time and energy on such a risky undertaking, it would be better to hurry and assist the Xenos.
Even though he had provided weapons to Rayne and the other Xenos, and had forged specialized equipment with the [Twelve Trials] trait for Asterios, Shirou still wasn't fully confident in their safety.
There was always a chance that the adventurers of Orario had one last ace up their sleeve.
To prevent casualties among the Xenos, Shirou had to go support them.
However, as if she had sensed Shirou's concern for the Xenos—understood the essence of his intentions—a blonde-haired girl, the Sword Princess, climbed to her feet with a terrifying expression and stared at him.
"Are you fighting… for those monsters?!"
Ais demanded an answer.
She didn't speak his name, but it was clear—she knew that this Sword Demon standing before her was Emiya Shirou, the man she was so familiar with.
But this person, who was supposed to be her comrade—or rather, whom she believed to be her comrade—was now fighting on behalf of a group of monsters she could never accept.
To Ais, this was a betrayal so severe, it nearly shattered her mind.
It was a betrayal she simply could not forgive.
She had to vent her emotions—her rage at having been betrayed. If she didn't, she might break down completely at that very moment.
"All monsters must be wiped out! Every last one of them has to be killed!!"
Ais muttered to herself.
And in that instant, a pitch-black storm of wind surged up around her.
Shirou had once before seen this black storm envelop Ais.
At the time, it had erupted unintentionally—born from her deep-seated anger toward monsters—and it was a power unlike anything he had ever witnessed.
Now, it seemed that Ais's fury, triggered by Shirou's choice to protect the Xenos—even going so far as to defeat the entire Loki Familia for them—had reached its peak.
That fury materialized into a tangible force—a terrifying black storm—launching a tremendous assault on Shirou.
If Finn's earlier berserk state merely raised his level by one and allowed him to barely keep up with Shirou's speed, then Ais's black storm surged beyond two levels.
Her explosiveness was so extreme, it brought her physical abilities nearly on par with Shirou himself.
"AAAAAAHHHH!!!"
Yet the moment she entered that state, Ais's thinking deteriorated—just like Finn's had during his frenzy.
Her rationality was consumed by the wind of vengeance, her thoughts now reduced to primal battle instincts. With the most violent of attitudes, she poured out her fury.
"Ah—!"
Like a storm, Ais charged at Shirou with explosive speed.
"Trace On!"
Shirou immediately projected Kanshou and Bakuya to block her slash.
But Ais showed no pause, unleashing a flurry of rapid, frenzied sword strikes—like a performer playing an intense, furious symphony of blades.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The clash between Shirou and Ais unleashed an unprecedentedly fierce battle.
They fought from the rooftops of buildings, to the alleys, and then onto the streets—continuing their violent confrontation without end.
In the midst of it all, because Ais had previously sparred with Shirou in the early morning hours, she had grown completely familiar with his sword style.
Even though there was still a gap in their overall strength, Ais's understanding of swordplay allowed her to keep up with Shirou's movements, never backing down even a step.
This left Shirou feeling helpless.
Back then, he had trained Ais purely to strengthen the Loki Familia—to enhance their overall combat capabilities.
At that time, Shirou and Loki were in cooperation—if not like newlyweds on their honeymoon, then at least close enough to be described that way.
Shirou had trained Ais without any reservation.
But now, Shirou had come to understand the dark truth of Orario and had been forced to take a stand against the faction of order—that is, against the Loki Familia.
And so, the Sword Princess—this girl whom he had once trained with his own hands—had become the very blade forged to kill him.
"OOOOOOHHH!!"
"Sword Princess! Sword Princess!"
"Go! Kill that monster—kill the Sword Demon!"
From atop Babel Tower, the gods cheered upon seeing Ais suppressing Shirou by herself.
After Shirou had just slashed through Babel, the gods had clearly come to see him as an enemy and hoped someone could eliminate such a dangerous being.
Unfortunately, even with the entire Loki Familia attacking him together, Shirou had utterly destroyed them.
Just when the gods had fallen into despair, believing that no one could defeat the Sword Demon, Ais's sudden charge gave them hope once more.
The gods erupted in cheers, praying that Ais could vanquish him.
But those were merely the gods' hopes.
Ais herself didn't actually intend to kill the Sword Demon.
Her feelings toward Shirou weren't of hatred—but confusion.
She couldn't understand why Shirou had ended up on the opposite side of her blade.
Why had he chosen to fight against her?
Back when they had ventured into the artificial dungeon and fought against the Thanatos Familia, Ais had almost had her soul eroded by Thanatos's power.
In that moment, Ais experienced terror beyond anything she had ever known.
She had felt her soul being worn down, her consciousness gradually fading—such an overwhelming fear that it brought her back to her childhood memories.
No one would save her.
No one would extend a hand.
Help would never come.
Just like in her past, like everything she had endured as a child—the hero she had longed for did not exist.
That's what Ais had always believed. That was her reality. That was her despair.
Her tears had long dried up.
Her heart had long grown cold.
She had even forgotten how to smile.
That was why Ais gripped her sword tightly. There was no need to wait for rescue—she would act on her own. This was the only path left for her to choose.
That was why Ais had always thirsted for strength, and even now continued to pursue it with madness.
All of it was to realize her wish, her desire, her sorrowful prayer. The empty shell that was Ais had nothing left but this. She had already abandoned all illusions of a "hero."
However, just when Ais had fallen into the deepest despair, just when she was about to let go of her fantasy, she encountered someone she should never have met—like a ray of light breaking through the darkness at dawn.
In that instant where her soul was about to be consumed by death, Shirou burned away the filth in her body with the flames of karma and saved her from certain doom.
And at that moment, Shirou's figure overlapped with the image of the hero Ais had always dreamed of since childhood.
She began to care about this man. That was why—even though she knew full well that he was the Sword Demon—Ais had never spoken of it to anyone.
She even dreamed… Maybe Shirou was the hero she had always been waiting for.
That he would save her. That he would stand with her and wipe away all the filth in Orario. That he would slay every last monster in the Dungeon.
But now—reality had once again plunged her into despair.
When the Sword Demon stood on the side of the Xenos and raised his sword against the Loki Familia, Ais felt a pain in her heart unlike anything she had ever known.
The pain of being betrayed by the hero she had dreamed of… To her, it was enough to feel as if her heart had been hollowed out.
So painful! It hurts so much! Why are you standing there?! Why have you become my enemy?!
Ais wanted so desperately to question Shirou. But she was always the silent type, never one to speak all of her thoughts out loud.
So in the end, she chose to wield her sword— to communicate her feelings through the blade, to vent her rage, to release her grief!
"AAAAAHHHHHH!!!"
Her eyes were on the verge of madness.
Her special skill, [Avenger], had activated at 200%.
Every adventurer possesses unique skills— Bell's "Liaris Freese", Lili's transformation magic, Welf's "Magic Sword Forging"…
These skills are all closely tied to the adventurer's past experiences— ascended abilities born from what they have lived through.
Ais's skill, called [Avenger], originated from her childhood, when she was filled with hatred for all monsters.
This hatred would transform into strength, allowing her to display power far greater than usual when facing monsters— especially against dragons, where her power would increase drastically, surpassing her limits.
That was because the creature she hated most was the Black Dragon that had killed her parents. The stronger her hatred, the greater the effect of the skill.
However, this skill was originally meant to activate only against monsters— or at the very least, against beings that Ais in her heart perceived as monsters.
But now— after Shirou chose to protect the Xenos and even destroyed the Loki Familia to do so— Ais's heart completely collapsed.
It's said that love turns into hate— and Ais, in that moment, birthed a level of hatred and fury toward Shirou she had never felt before. Her entire being, even her soul, ignited.
"WHY?! WHYYYYY AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!"
Under the influence of her skill, Ais had completely lost all rationality.
She launched herself at Shirou over and over, slashing her sword toward the man in front of her, releasing the fury that words could no longer contain.
Shirou said nothing.
He didn't believe that any explanation he gave would earn her understanding, nor that any apology could calm the blazing rage within the girl.
To him, there were only two kinds of things: What must be done, and what doesn't need to be done for now.
Saving the Xenos was something he had determined must be done first.
Even if that meant Ais would come to hate him— so be it.
Crack!
Perhaps angered by Shirou's silence, Ais's movements grew even faster under the power of [Avenging Princess].
In an instant, she vanished from Shirou's vision— disappearing from the reflection in his pupils.
"...!!"
Fortunately, thanks to Mind's Eye, Shirou sensed a flash of danger from behind.
He hurriedly swung out Kanshou and Bakuya to block— but under the black storm's power, Ais's sword shattered the projected weapons instantly.
If he hadn't jumped back at that moment, his chest might have been torn open.
"So you hate me that much… Ais..."
Shirou looked at the Sword Princess with a complicated expression.
The golden-haired girl before him was now completely engulfed by the black wind, her sanity long gone.
Yet because of that, her power had reached an absurd level— perhaps even enough to go toe-to-toe with the ruler of the 50th floor of the Dungeon.
In terms of physical ability alone, Ais might now be nearly on par with Shirou.
Left with no choice, Shirou for the first time decided to retreat. He immediately widened the distance between them and projected a bow— intending to wear her down from afar.
[Avenger] was undeniably powerful— but its energy drain was enormous. It couldn't be sustained for long.
Shirou planned to exhaust Ais's stamina with ranged attacks, then close in for a melee fight once her strength faltered.
But just as he made his move, Ais did something completely unexpected.
She gripped her longsword in one hand— and in the other, drew the scabbard from her waist.
"Dual wielding?"
Shirou had never seen Ais dual-wield before.
The Sword Princess had always fought with a single sword— and Shirou had grown used to that style.
So he had never imagined Ais would use two weapons, just like him.
When did she learn that?
But as Shirou pondered, he quickly got his answer.
Because what she performed next was exactly the same as Shirou's own dual-wielding stance.
The only difference was— she wielded her sword in one hand and the scabbard in the other.
With explosive speed, she flashed in front of Shirou.
"!!"
Because of the dual-wielded attack, Shirou didn't have time to defend. The bow he had just projected was cut in two before he could even nock an arrow.
Fortunately, he dodged her slash— but the scabbard struck him squarely.
Even so, he was sent flying on the spot, crashing through several buildings and tearing through the streets before finally coming to a halt.
"..."
Even though this was probably the first time he had been wounded in a duel against an adventurer since arriving in Orario, Shirou didn't feel much emotion.
First, because Ais—under [Avenger]—was indeed overwhelmingly powerful. While Shirou was strong, he was not invincible. Being injured by someone of her level was only natural.
Second, Shirou had sensed external interference in the fight.
Though invisible to the eye, the interference was very real.
Whether it was Ais's sudden burst of power or her near-mad state, it all made Shirou think of a certain god's power.
"Hermes… It was your Authority, wasn't it? You pushed Ais deeper into obsession with revenge, and in doing so, gave her a temporary boost..."
Even though Hermes couldn't appear now to confirm or deny, Shirou was nearly certain.
There was no other explanation for the depth of hatred and fury Ais now directed at him.
He could almost see Hermes smirking to himself, scribbling out a new script in the air— desperate to erase this "glitch" called Shirou from the storyline.
But even so— Shirou would not yield. He would never bow before the power of the gods!
Fwoooosh...
Faced with Ais—who had now become Orario's strongest in her current state— Shirou no longer held back. There was no room for mercy.
"This move… I had intended to save it for my showdown with Hermes.
A weapon made to slay a god. But it seems… I can't afford to keep anything hidden now."
Shirou looked at Ais and took a deep breath.
Then, from within his cloak, he drew out a blinding crimson spear.
It looked similar to the Gae Bolg he had projected earlier, but its essence was completely different.
Because this wasn't a projection— it was a weapon Shirou had personally forged.
He had taken a single attribute of the original spear and enhanced it to the absolute limit— and in doing so, forged a unique noble phantasm.
Because only one trait was reinforced, this spear no longer had the reversed causality effect.
Instead, it had one focus— to amplify the spear's demonic nature to the extreme, turning the weapon into a living beast.
The spear had shed its old name and taken on a new form.
Knowing Hermes would eventually be his opponent, Shirou had naturally made preparations. This spear was originally meant for him.
But due to unforeseen circumstances, he would now have to use it against Ais.
Yet he didn't regret it. On the contrary— he was grateful to face Ais at her full power.
After all this time in Orario, he had finally found an adventurer who could truly reach him.
It was, in its own way, a thrilling discovery.
"Let me see how far you can go, Ais."
Shirou looked at the golden-haired girl and smiled faintly.
Then, without hesitation, he thrust the crimson spear into his own body— mercilessly impaling himself with it!
"Be unleashed—BEAST OF THE SHATTERED FANGS OF DEATH!!"
As Shirou's voice fell, a blinding red light engulfed his body.
In an instant, the magic spear fused with him, and his form began to twist— transforming into something… mad and monstrous.
Read ahead (60 chapters) by supporting me on buymeacoffee com/varietl or ko-fi edwriting