Chapter 138: The Twelve Trials VS Fierce Ottar — Shirou's Group Annihilates the Loki Faction!
On the vast square, the battle between Bell and the Xenos had already reached a boiling point.
Although nobody knew why, neither Orario nor the Adventurers' Guild had sent reinforcements until now, Bell, relying solely on his own strength, had managed to fight the Xenos to a standstill.
This was certainly due to Bell's own power, but also because of the weapon Shirou had forged for Bell—the Huntring.
The more fiercely Bell fought, the stronger his own combat ability became, preventing him from falling easily.
Moreover, very few people noticed how strange the Xenos' behavior was.
Although they greatly outnumbered Bell, they did not swarm him using their numerical advantage to overwhelm him. Instead, they fought Bell one by one, turning the battle into an unusual kind of relay fight.
This bizarre phenomenon was incredibly puzzling, yet no one present doubted it.
Because, compared to the few illogical parts of this drama, people were far more captivated by the exciting heroic play itself, moved by the wonderful story, immersed in a visually pleasing experience.
The civilians taking refuge at the scene felt as if they were watching the gradual birth of a mythical epic, instantly stirring a huge commotion.
"I remember that boy is the White Rabbit of the Hestia Familia, right?" "He once defeated the captain of the Apollo Familia, even though he was underleveled!" "His name is Bell Cranel? He's so brave!" "He's basically a hero!"
"Bell Cranel! Bell Cranel!" Watching the adventurer protecting the people in front of the monsters, watching the brave boy who appeared gallantly at the crisis, the crowd showed excitement and cheers, enthusiastically encouraging Bell.
Whether adult or child, everyone now regarded Bell Cranel as a true hero, a courageous figure who stands up in times of crisis!
"Just the right timing, Bell-kun. This is what they call the perfect opportunity~"
On a tower near the square, gently brushed by the evening breeze, Hermes looked down contentedly at the white-haired boy fighting the Xenos.
His hand that had been writing the script had stopped without him noticing.
Because the story had reached the stage where it would naturally develop on its own without needing to be written.
Using logic as the skeleton and causality as the bridge, the moment the script was completed, reality would naturally rush toward the destined conclusion.
"Giggling." But just as Hermes felt excitement, he suddenly heard a strange laugh beside him. He quickly turned his head and saw a figure he most despised—the decadent god, his natural nemesis, the nightmare god Ikelos.
"Ikelos, how did you end up here?" In response to Hermes' question, Ikelos sat on the ground nearby, smiling. "When watching a good play, you need to find the best seat. Do I really have to explain such a simple thing to you, Hermes?"
"You're really... I truly hate you." Hermes showed a look of disgust toward Ikelos' uninvited presence.
Ikelos spoke calmly: "Don't be so selfish. You've created such a grand spectacle, a huge stage, you can't possibly hog the only VIP seat for yourself."
"Hmph, I don't think this heroic drama would suit your tastes." Hermes said coldly, "Unlike me, who just wants to create heroes and watch heroic stories, you only want to see chaos, despair, sorrow, and helplessness in people! However, this ugly drama will not be performed today in Orario!"
"Yeah, with your powers developing it like this, no chaos will happen, right?" Ikelos nodded silently. "Everyone will be saved, with no casualties, just a bunch of monsters meaninglessly dying for the birth of a hero. To me, that's truly the most boring development."
"If you find it boring, then don't bother me here. Go underground and be your monster hunter!" Hermes, clearly well-informed about Ikelos' familia affairs, said coldly.
Ikelos smiled and said, "No, no, no. Although following your script is indeed the most boring outcome, do you really think everything today will develop as you wish?"
"Are you doubting my power?" Hermes looked coldly at Ikelos. "You should know my power well: once the stage has begun, no one can stop it!
The theater, the audience, the supporting actors who push the drama to its climax, and the protagonist — the hero — when all elements are complete, Hermes' power will turn the pre-decided story into reality. Not even gods can change this."
"Yeah, I believe that, but haven't you ever wondered if the roles on this stage are all under your control?"
Ikelos' words made Hermes frown, but he was not shaken and replied coldly:
"Hmph, I know the existence of that Shirou Emiya guy has interfered with many things. He is the only variable in this stage play. However, I've already prepared a fail-safe. No matter what special events occur, no one will be able to disturb Bell Cranel's stage of becoming a hero."
"You mean the Freya Familia secretly watching this play?"
"That's right. I once helped Freya with many things and hold some leverage over her.
So this time I forced that beautiful goddess to act for me." Hermes spoke coldly without hiding his actions. "Shirou Emiya himself is currently detained by the Loki Familia in Babel Tower. The script's development can no longer be changed by anyone; it is destined to progress as I planned."
"Heh, maybe." Ikelos did not refute Hermes' plan. He simply looked at the chaotic battlefield with delight, as if he already saw even greater chaos beginning to erupt.
Hermes seemed to feel some unease from Ikelos' attitude. He slowly raised his hand and began writing in the air. He wanted to make the monsters go berserk further and force Bell to have a true awakening.
As long as Bell killed all the rampaging monsters, he would become the destined hero.
Even though the price was that the Xenos would be completely equated with dungeon monsters, with no way to realize their demands, Hermes didn't care about the life or death of a bunch of monsters.
He only wanted to achieve his ideal ending, to guide the birth of the hero he wished for.
"Kill the monsters, become a hero, Bell!!"
Hermes shouted with passion.
On the battlefield, influenced by Hermes' script, Bell had no extra means left and no longer held back.
He launched the final confrontation with the Xenos, unleashing all his body's potential, completely suppressing his opponents.
"Roarrrrrr!!"
The monsters' bodies were torn apart, and Bell, stained with blood and influenced by the Huntring—or perhaps by Hermes' power—also lost rationality.
He raised the longsword in his hand, ready to pierce through the monsters completely!
Seeing this, the entire square became extremely chaotic, with adventurers and civilians cheering wildly, even to the point of frenzy.
No one thought of anything else.
Everyone only desired to see the monsters die. Thus, the hero would be born, and happiness would spread from the heart.
"Brother Bell is becoming so scary..." Wiene had somehow slipped into Hestia's arms. She had been silently watching the battle between the Xenos and humans from earlier.
Now, at the moment Bell was about to kill a heretic, a strange ripple flashed in her eyes. A will that seemed not her own descended upon the girl, making her pupils void and cold.
But this coldness lasted only an instant.
Because just as Bell was about to swing his sword to kill the Xenos, an astonishing roar suddenly echoed from the rooftops far away.
"Ooooooooh!!"
Bell, the Xenos, and everyone present raised their heads in disbelief.
What appeared before their eyes was a black Minotaur descending from the sky!
The Minotaur held a pitch-black great axe and descended with an overwhelming aura, roaring as it charged into the battle between Bell and the Xenos!
"Boom!"
Before anyone could react, the fight between Bell and the Xenos was forcibly stopped.
The black Minotaur grabbed all the berserk Xenos and threw down a bundle of chains, binding them tightly.
"Minotaur... is restraining the monsters!?"
Seeing this scene, all the civilians were stunned. No one had ever seen such a sight before or could even imagine it.
At the same time, Hermes, who was overlooking the entire scene from the top of the tower, showed unprecedented shock in his eyes and a bewilderment at the current situation.
Finally, regaining his composure, Hermes shouted loudly: "Get this uninvited guest out! It doesn't belong on this stage!"
The moment Hermes' voice fell, a tall man slowly stepped out from the shadows. The Freyja faction's [Mighty One] Ottar.
He seemed to have been observing everything happening here all along but, due to Hermes' request, had not intervened, silently watching the theatrical battle unfold.
Until now, Asterios' appearance disrupted Hermes' plan, and he had no choice but to act on Hermes' orders to clean up this mess.
"Boom!"
Ottar acted silently. His nature was always to act faster than he thinks. Upon realizing the identity of the enemy, he hesitated not even a bit and charged forward to kill.
In contrast, the black Minotaur sensed the opponent's strength—an existence he could not possibly defeat.
But Asterios was not afraid; instead, he showed an invigorated expression and engaged Ottar in fierce battle!
"Clang!"
However, the vast difference in power quickly determined the outcome of the fight.
Ottar drew a jet-black greatsword from behind, and after a fierce exchange, severely wounded the heretic before him, about to deliver a finishing blow.
But Hermes, who was on the high platform, suddenly spoke urgently: "Wait, Ottar, don't kill it!"
Putting aside whatever reason Hermes had for wanting Ottar to stop, in such an intense fight, Ottar was barely capable of holding back; the greatsword in his hand almost instinctively pierced Asterios' body.
It seemed everything was about to end there.
Both Hermes' plan and the Xenos' struggle for freedom seemed destined to be completely terminated by this despair-bringing strike.
"???"
However, the moment Ottar struck down Asterios, he sensed something was off.
The black Minotaur, pierced by his sword, did not die outright; instead, its body erupted with some kind of boiling gas, as if reversing death itself, and restored itself.
"What is this?!"
This astonishing scene stunned everyone present.
Only Asterios himself knew the source of it all—his peculiar axe sword forged by Shirou.
When Shirou forged it, he infused it with a special attribute called [The Twelve Labors].
Without a doubt, this was the divine ability possessed by the heroic spirit Heracles, which grants the wielder eleven chances of resurrection, meaning twelve lives in total!
With such a broken ability, even facing Ottar—the strongest warrior of the Freyja faction and Orario—the black Minotaur would not be immediately defeated and could fight fiercely for a long time!
This was undoubtedly Shirou's purpose—a carefully designed blade to break through Hermes' power and sabotage the stage!
Asterios roared: "RAAAARRR!!"
That fierce voice seemed to convey his fighting spirit and his will to battle until the end to fulfill Shirou's orders.
Feeling the millennia-old wrath of the Xenos, not only Ottar and Bell but even the gods on the platform couldn't help but feel a chilling sensation from behind.
.
.
.
Babel Tower.
"ROAAARRR!!"
Both Shirou and the Loki faction, who were fiercely battling, heard the beast's roar from afar.
The Loki faction shuddered upon hearing it but had no way to go help; they had to defeat the immediate opponent in front of them.
"Tione!"
Just now, after Shirou unleashed the Gae Bolg, the causality-reversal magic spear almost instantly killed the nearest Tione.
Although Shirou held back and did not pierce her heart, the fatal blow nearly took her life.
This situation completely ignited the Loki faction's anger.
Their killing intent was fully ignited as they angrily stared toward Shirou.
Especially Ais and Lefiya—both clearly knew the true identity of the Sword Demon—and they hadn't expected Shirou to really engage them in a deadly fight.
Until seeing Tione's tragic state, Ais and Lefiya had to admit that the Shirou before them might no longer be the one they once knew.
The only way to end this battle was to utterly crush their opponent!
"Everyone, maintain a cross formation. Do not get close to that guy!"
Finn's command ability was excellent, so he quickly realized the weakness of the causality-reversal magic spear after being shocked by it.
Its weakness was its attack range.
As long as they kept a certain distance from Shirou, even the Gae Bolg couldn't easily hit them.
However, keeping distance still favored Shirou.
Because Shirou could project ranged Noble Phantasms like a volley of complaint arrows to suppress the Loki faction broadly.
In fact, Shirou alone was more capable than the entire Loki faction!
This was less like a faction besieging one person and more like two armies clashing.
Shirou was a whole army by himself!
In this battle where neither close-range nor distance fighting had any countermeasures, Finn stepped forward.
This little human hero spoke slowly: "I will fight him in close combat. Riveria, you prepare the great magic to suppress him!"
"This… but Finn, you…"
"Just include me in the attack!"
Finn had clearly made up his mind.
Seeing no normal way to overcome Shirou, he chose to sacrifice himself to create the only chance.
"Magic spear, pierce my skull and drink my blood!"
Finn raised his spear, erupting with fierce fighting spirit.
He used magic to temporarily enter a berserk state.
Because of this, he suddenly gained speed to keep up with Shirou's moves and engaged in close combat to hold Shirou back and buy time for Riveria and others to prepare the great magic.
However, Finn's move was fully expected by Shirou.
From the beginning, Shirou had judged what actions Finn might take.
So the moment Shirou blocked Finn's attack, he immediately raised his right hand to project again.
"Trace On!"
This time, Shirou didn't project anything else but a second Gae Bolg!
"What?!"
Finn showed an expression of incomprehension seeing Shirou's action.
Normally, with his keen mind and insight, he might instantly figure out Shirou's plan.
But now, his mind was fully berserk, his thinking ability severely degraded, making him unable to judge Shirou's action.
"Pierce him!"
On the other side, Shirou slowly raised one of the Gae Bolgs and, with an ordinary motion, suddenly thrust it forward.
"Clang!"
Finn's movement suddenly froze!
The magic spear directly pinned his body in space!
Then, Shirou raised the other magic spear and, with a throwing-like motion, dashed forward.
"Everyone, fall back!"
But his warning was too late.
At Shirou's movement, the rest of the Loki faction hadn't realized what was about to happen yet, but the pinned Finn suddenly shouted a warning.
Before that, Shirou had already thrown the second crimson magic spear with a sudden thrust.
"Gae Bolg Alternative - Soaring Spear That Strikes with Death!"
Like…
"Boom——!!!"
The same red flash tore through space.
Shirou's spear swept through the Loki faction's formation like a meteor, devastating everything in its path, completely annihilating the entire Loki faction!
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