Chapter 21. Shirou's Danmachi Journey is Not a Souls-like Game!
The three-day "Mandatory Rest Period" flew by as if someone had pressed the fast-forward button.
During these three days, the heat of the discussion in Orario regarding "Senji Muramasa" did not fade; instead, it evolved into neighborhood gossip fueled by Hestia's provocative "poaching declaration."
However, Shirou Emiya—sitting at the center of the storm and naturally endowed with the "Protagonist Correction" aura—was currently standing at the entrance to a "new world."
Dungeon, 19th Floor: "The Large Tree Labyrinth."
"Wow... the environment here has completely changed."
Lili looked up, letting out a sound of wonder.
The scenery here was entirely different from the previous rock labyrinths. If the earlier floors had the dark art style of a "Souls-like game," then here, the style had suddenly mutated into a vibrant "Japanese Fantasy RPG." Massive trees acted like pillars of heaven supporting the dome, dense foliage blocked out the sun, and the air was thick with the scent of vegetation and humid mist.
Of course, if one ignored the monsters lurking in the shadows, ready to deliver a "First Encounter Kill" to adventurers, this place would look exactly like a legendary elven forest.
Hiss—!
A Spear Dragonfly attempting an ambush from the canopy was sliced in half by an invisible blade of wind before it could even fire its stone projectile.
Shirou Emiya walked in the lead, casually swinging the [Otherworl - Kanshou] in his hand. The movement was fluid and effortless, as if he were simply closing an annoying pop-up ad.
"The sensation of Level 2... is very clear."
Shirou clenched his fist. It wasn't just the increase in strength and speed; more importantly, it was the sharpness of his senses. Here, every tremor of a leaf was within the grasp of his [Mind's Eye]. That sense of omniscient control was practically like a player with "God View" performing an undisputed speedrun.
"Emiya-sama! There's a reaction ahead!"
Lili raised her hand crossbow and pointed forward. "It's a pack of 'Bugbears'! Three of them! This monster's strength is enough to shatter rock with a single punch!"
"Three? Just right for a warm-up."
The corner of Shirou's mouth quirked up. He didn't use any reinforcement magecraft, nor did he even take a defensive stance. His unhurried manner was exactly like a max-level veteran returning to the starter village to stomp low-level mobs.
"Trace—On."
The black and white twin blades appeared in his hands. Shirou's figure vanished instantly.
It wasn't a teleport, but high-speed movement so fast the naked eye couldn't track it. With his SSS Agility (accumulated from Level 1) converted into Level 2 potential, his speed already transcended the limits of ordinary Level 2s.
In that instant, the flow of the world seemed to slow down. If there were a voiceover, it would probably sound like the classic "The World"
Slash! Slash! Slash!
Three flashes of cold light flickered. Shirou's figure appeared behind the pack of Bugbears as he slowly sheathed his blades.
Crash...
The Bugbears froze before their massive bodies collapsed simultaneously, black smoke pouring from their necks as they turned into magic stones. They hadn't even realized they were dead—this delayed death effect carried a strong "You are already dead" vibe from Fist of the North Star.
"That was... too fast, wasn't it?"
Lili watched in a daze, nearly dropping her crossbow. "An instant kill?! These are elite monsters of the 19th floor! Emiya-sama, isn't your speed a bit unreasonable?"
"Not really. They were just too slow." Shirou smiled and picked up the magic stones.
"It's probably because I had a lot of prior accumulation."
Lili couldn't help but complain internally: 'This isn't just 'a lot of accumulation,' this is Destiny giving their favorite son a stat-cheat! This is so unbalanced, aren't the rules of the Universe going to do something?'
.
.
.
The two continued deeper. The Large Tree Labyrinth was rich in resources; besides magic stones, there were various rare herbs and wood. As a man with the "Household Chores EX" skill, Shirou was already wondering if he could use the wood here to make a new cutting board.
Just as they were passing through a massive root area:
"Aaaaaghhhh—!!!"
A shrill scream suddenly broke the silence of the forest. The voice didn't sound human, nor did it sound like a monster; rather, it sounded like a frightened little girl.
"Hm?"
Shirou stopped dead in his tracks. [Mind's Eye] sensed an extremely chaotic presence. Fear, despair, and... pure survival instinct.
The aura was so strong it felt like a hidden side quest titled "Boy Meets Girl" had been triggered, and the system was frantically nudging the player toward the coordinates.
"This feeling... Lili, keep up! Something's happening ahead!"
"Understood!"
Beneath a massive ancient tree.
A monster covered in silver scales, with the upper body of a human girl and the lower body of a dragon, was huddling in a gap between the roots, trembling.
This was a "Vouivre," a rare monster classified as a dragon species. But in the taxonomy of the 2D world, as long as they looked good, this was a textbook "Monster Girl."
Currently, the Vouivre's condition was terrible. She was covered in wounds, many of her silver scales had fallen off, and bright red blood was flowing out. Standing before her was a group of rough-looking adventurers holding weapons.
The faces of these people had "Minor Villain" written all over them in bold letters. Their leering, encroaching manner made them look like those nameless thugs in certain adult comics who exist only to push the plot forward.
"Hehe, what luck! To find a rare species! And a top-grade one at that!"
"The scales and claws of this Vouivre can fetch a high price!"
"Don't kill it right away; this semi-human type can be sold to those nobles with 'special tastes' for a fortune!"
The greed in their eyes was undisguised, as if the life before them was nothing more than a walking pile of experience points and gold coins.
"No... save me..."
The Vouivre clutched her wounds, her golden vertical pupils filled with tears as she let out a garbled whimper.
"What do you think you're doing?"
A majestic voice boomed from the tree above, appearing with its own metaphorical BGM.
"Who's there?!" The adventurers were startled and looked up.
Shirou Emiya was standing on a branch, looking down at them, his red headband fluttering in the wind. At this moment, his sense of justice was overflowing; it was as if the "Hero of Justice" who saves everyone in the midst of despair had come online once again.
"It doesn't matter who I am." Shirou leaped down, landing steadily in front of the Vouivre. His twin blades radiated a chilling air, like a knight protecting a princess.
"What matters is, this child... is under my protection."
"Ha? Who the hell are you?" The lead adventurer looked at Shirou as if he were an idiot.
"This is a monster! And it's the prey we found first! Are you trying to steal our kill?"
"Prey?"
Shirou glanced back at the trembling Vouivre. Those eyes were filled with tears and terror—she was truly just a helpless little girl.
"Can't you see she's crying?"
Shirou took a deep breath, and the magic circuits on his body began to glow. Though his tone was calm, it suppressed a volcano of rage.
"Bullying such a weak existence... doesn't your conscience hurt?"
"Enough talk! If you want to die, we'll oblige!" The leader roared, setting up a textbook death flag.
"Get him, boys! Show him the cruelty of reality!"
Five or six adventurers brandished their weapons and rushed forward. But in the eyes of Shirou, who possessed [Mind's Eye], their movements were as slow as a laggy video with 999ms ping—nothing but openings.
"Sigh, honestly."
Shirou let out a breath, and his gaze sharpened. "Since you insist, then I won't hold back."
"Trace—On."
Even without unfolding the mental landscape known as "Unlimited Blade Works," his projections were more than enough to deal with this group of thugs with a combat power of 5.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Shirou didn't even use the edges of his blades; he used the backs and the flats, accurately striking their vitals. Every strike was perfectly measured—enough to make them lose combat capability instantly without being fatal.
It was essentially a one-sided "Physical Persuasion" session, or perhaps a rapid-fire "Correction Punch" series.
In a mere ten seconds, everyone was lying on the ground foaming at the mouth, with massive lumps on their heads and their weapons shattered. The battle ended so quickly the cup noodles wouldn't even have been ready.
"I told you, don't underestimate the men of the Emiya family."
Shirou clapped his hands and looked at the "corpses" on the ground, nodding with satisfaction. This was likely what people called "Musou Mode."
"This is way too strong..." Lili watched from the side, breaking into a cold sweat.
This wasn't a fight; it was a max-level boss playing with children. She confirmed once again that her master, while usually gentle and kind, was absolute demon-lord tier once he started fighting.
Having dealt with the trash, Shirou turned toward the Vouivre.
"Don't... come closer..." The Vouivre shrank back in terror, but her back was already against the tree trunk; there was nowhere to run.
"Don't be afraid."
Shirou sheathed his weapons and knelt down, revealing his signature gentle smile. That smile seemed to possess an EX-rank special attack effect against monster girls, easily dissolving their mental defenses.
He reached out and placed his hand gently on the Vouivre's trembling head.
This move was likely the ultimate secret technique already engraved into 2D DNA—the "Headpat."
Gentle mana flowed from his palm, soothing the Vouivre's frightened soul.
"Pain, pain, go away."
The Vouivre froze. That hand was warm, without killing intent or greed. There was only a temperature that made her feel safe, like... the warm winter sun.
"Uuu... uuuu..."
The Vouivre's taut nerves finally snapped. She threw herself into Shirou's arms and began to cry loudly like a child who had been treated unfairly. At a time like this, even a tsundere would break down, let alone a helpless Xenos.
"It's okay, it's okay."
Shirou gently patted her scaled back and took out a high-grade healing potion from his coat. "Here, drink this. It might taste a bit bitter."
Lili put down her crossbow and watched the scene, her expression complicated to the extreme.
"Emiya-sama..." Lili sighed, rubbing her forehead helplessly.
"Are you trying to start a cross-species harem? While Lili doesn't mind the increase in competitors, isn't this 'XP system' a bit too far ahead of its time?"
However... watching the Vouivre crying in Shirou's arms, a smile appeared on the corner of Lili's mouth.
'As expected, my master is an irredeemable 'Yasashii'(Kind) protagonist.'
At that moment, in the shadows deep within the woods, a tall dark figure (Asterius/Black Bull) and a cloaked skeleton (Fels) were quietly observing everything.
"He did it," the skeleton said in a raspy voice. "A human... embraced a Xenos. Is this what they call 'collecting the flag'?"
"...That feeling, I want to try it once too." The tall shadow clenched its fist, and in its beast-like eyes, a flame—one that didn't quite understand but was greatly moved—began to burn.
The gears of fate, at this moment, let out a clear click as they locked into place.
It seemed some incredible switch had been flipped...
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