Chapter 49. [Incubus Emiya] Starts Playing on His Main Account!
Twilight Manor, Underground Workshop.
This place was originally meant for maintaining Familia equipment, but now it had transformed into a magical "alchemy site." The forge fire wasn't red; it was a ghost-blue hue caused by the infusion of high-purity mana.
"Trace—Structure Analysis."
Shirou Emiya stood stripped to the waist, sweat sliding down his lean, defined muscle lines. Although his right hand was still bandaged, his fingertips danced with incredibly precise mana sparks. On the workbench before him lay two items. One was the [Fairy Wood] sent by Ryuu, radiating the scent of the forest and vitality. The other was the [Arrow of Orion Fragment] delivered by Hermes—even broken, it still emitted a cool, clear moonlight.
"To fuse these two things with completely different properties..." Shirou took a deep breath, the amber light in his eyes turning sharp.
"Ordinary forging won't work. It must be reconstructed through 'Magecraft'."
[Skill Activated: Blacksmith Lv. I → Temporarily increased to G] [Skill Activated: Mystery Lv. I — Conceptual Fusion]
Shirou closed his eyes. In his mind, prototypes of countless "bows" flashed by. From ordinary English longbows to the legendary bow of Arjuna (Gandiva), and finally... to that black Western bow favored by a certain red archer.
"Not for 'destruction.' But for 'sure-hit' and 'protection'."
"I am the bone of my sword."
With a low chant, Shirou pressed his hand onto the Moon Goddess fragment. The shard began to liquefy, turning into a silver fluid that enveloped the green Fairy Wood like mercury.
"Fusion!"
Hum—!
A blinding flash erupted inside the workshop. There was no world-shaking explosion, only a crisp ring, like the snapping of a harp string.
The light dissipated. An exquisitely shaped longbow, entirely silver-white with green vine patterns winding around the limbs, lay quietly on the table. It had no string. This bow didn't need one. It used the wielder's "mana" as the string and "conviction" as the arrow.
[The Bow of Inevitable Destruction: Sirius (Failnaught-Sirius)]
Rank: First-tier Equipment (Pseudo-Divine Artifact) Materials: Fairy Wood + Moon Goddess Fragment
Properties: o Lunar Blessing: When used at night, arrow power and range are significantly boosted, carrying a "Purification" effect.
o Wind Guidance: Arrow flight trajectory is controllable; extremely high affinity with "Wind" attribute magic (custom-tailored for Ryuu).
o Sure Hit: By consuming a large amount of mana, it grants the arrow "Causality" level tracking capabilities (since it was aimed, it must hit).
"Phew... finished." Shirou wiped the sweat from his brow and picked up the bow. It was light as a feather, but the power contained within was as heavy as a mountain.
"How is this a bow..." Shirou grumbled to himself. "This is clearly a man-portable magic cannon."
With this, Miss Ryuu should find that path full of thorns a little easier to walk, right?
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However, before the bow could be sent out, an accident occurred.
"Big news! Big news!"
The next morning. When Shirou walked out of his room with dark circles under his eyes, planning to scavenge for food at the cafeteria (and perhaps feed the "hungry wolves" of the Familia), he found the atmosphere in the hall exceptionally grim. All the Familia members were gathered around a piece of parchment posted on the wall. It was an emergency bounty just released by the Guild.
"What happened?" Shirou squeezed in, his heart skipping a beat. That "ominous premonition" from last night surged again.
"Emiya, look at this." Finn stood in the center of the crowd, pointing at the bounty with a dark expression.
Though the portrait was a bit blurry, the signature green hood, the elven ears, and those ice-like eyes... there was no doubt. It was Ryuu Lion.
[Wanted Poster]
Codename: Gale Crime: Murder. Last night in a dark alley on West Main Street, brutally murdered a Dwarf item merchant and seriously injured three witnesses. Bounty: 80 million Valis.
Note: Extremely dangerous! Authorized to kill on sight!
"Murder?!" Shirou's pupils contracted. "That's impossible! Miss Ryuu might be cold, but she would never kill the innocent!"
"Emiya, calm down." Riveria pressed a hand on Shirou's shoulder.
"This is an official notice from the Guild. Witnesses confirmed it was Gale's magic, [Luminous Wind]."
"Besides..." Bete leaned against a pillar, his tone annoyed but unusually serious.
"That murdered Dwarf merchant was said to have connections to the old 'Evilus.' This fits that girl's revenge style perfectly."
"Revenge..." Shirou remembered what Ryuu had said to him that night—"If I lose my way on the path of justice..."
"Dammit!" Shirou punched the wall. That fool! She actually did it! And in the most stupid, point-of-no-return way possible!
"Captain!" Shirou turned to Finn. "I'm going to—"
"No." Finn interrupted him directly.
"The Loki Familia cannot intervene. This is a Guild order, and it's also to avoid suspicion. You are our Familia's rising star; if you get involved with a wanted criminal now, all our previous efforts will be for nothing."
"Avoid suspicion?" Shirou let out a cold laugh.
"If looking at a friend dying is the price for 'reputation'... then that kind of reputation is worthless!"
"Emiya!" Finn's voice rose a few decibels. "This is an order!"
The atmosphere in the hall instantly dropped to freezing point. Everyone watched the two men in confrontation—the wise Captain and the stubborn newcomer.
"Finn..." Shirou took a deep breath, his gaze gradually calming. But beneath that calm was a surging torrent of lava. Shirou slowly took off his Loki Familia emblem (though it was just a decorative brooch).
"You are right. As the Captain, you must consider the Familia. But as Shirou Emiya... I have things I must do."
"What do you want to do? Resign?" Finn narrowed his eyes.
"No." Shirou shook his head. "I'm just... taking a leave of absence."
"Reason: To punch that lost, stupid elf and bring her back."
Without looking back, Shirou sprinted out of Twilight Manor. No one stopped him. Even Finn just watched his back and let out a long sigh.
"Honestly... I knew I couldn't stop him." Finn rubbed his temples. "Ais, go follow him."
"Eh?" Ais, who had been standing in the corner, blinked.
"Don't let him die." Finn showed a helpless but indulgent smile.
"Since it's a mess caused by our Familia's 'problem child,' we 'parents' have to help clean up the mess, don't we?"
"..."
"And... I don't believe 'Gale' would kill without reason. There's definitely something fishy behind this."
"Yes!" Ais nodded vigorously, grabbed her Despair Sword, and rushed out.
"I'm going too!" Lili shouldered her large pack to follow.
"You stay here, little Supporter," Gareth blocked Lili. "In a battle of that level, you'll only distract him. Don't worry, with Ais following him, that brat won't die."
"Ugh..." Lili bit her lip. Though unwilling, she knew it was the truth.
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Orario, West Main Street.
The streets were currently crawling with fully armed adventurers. A bounty of 80 million Valis was enough to make anyone go mad—especially since "Gale" was rumored to be injured and no longer at her peak.
"Did you hear? That murderer seems to be hiding in the sewers!"
"Move! Don't let the Ganesha Familia get there first!"
"Kill her! For justice (money)!"
Listening to the nauseating discussions around him, Shirou, hidden in the crowd under a cloak, felt his gaze grow colder.
"Is this what you call 'justice'?" He gripped his new bow—[Sirius]—hidden under his cloak.
"Since you all love hunting so much... then let me teach you who the real hunter is."
He didn't go to the sewers. Because [Mind's Eye (True)] told him that Ryuu's presence wasn't there. That unique scent of wind and forest, though faint, was still guiding him.
The direction was—the 18th Floor, "Underlay."
"Do you want to end everything by returning to the place of the past?" Shirou muttered. "Don't joke around. Your story hasn't reached its end yet."
"Mr. Emiya."
Just as Shirou was about to enter the Dungeon entrance, a familiar voice called out to him.
Syr Flover. She stood in the shadows, still wearing her maid outfit, but her usual smile was gone. In her gray eyes was a bottomless void.
"Miss Syr?" Shirou stopped. "Are you here... to stop me?"
"No." Syr shook her head and walked up to him. She reached out and straightened Shirou's slightly messy collar, her movements as gentle as a wife seeing off a husband going to war.
"I'm here to see you off," Syr said softly. "Ryuu is such an... awkward child. She always wants to carry everything alone."
"I know."
"So... please, you must bring her back." Syr looked up, and a glint of something called "expectation" actually flickered in those eyes. "If you can do that... I will tell you a secret."
"A secret?"
"A secret about... who I am." Syr smiled mysteriously, then whispered in Shirou's ear:
"Go, my hero. At the end of that hell, let me see if your brilliance can illuminate the night called 'Revenge'."
Shirou froze for a second. He felt an unprecedented divinity. It wasn't Syr. It was... Freya.
"...Yeah, leave it to me." Shirou pulled down the brim of his hat and turned to sprint into the Dungeon.
Watching Shirou's disappearing back, the expression on Syr's face became playful.
"Ottar." She spoke to the air.
"Here." The man as massive as an iron tower emerged from the shadows.
"If that boy (Shirou) really can save Ryuu..." Syr licked her lips, a morbid flame burning in her eyes. "Then prepare to 'snatch the groom.' I... can't wait to possess him completely."
"As you command, Goddess-sama."
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Dungeon, 18th Floor.
It was still as picturesque as ever, with the glow of crystals illuminating the forest and lake. But now, it was filled with a chilling aura.
Countless adventurers were searching the forest, shouting to catch "Gale." And in the deepest part of the forest, before the graveyard where countless companions had once been buried...
A green figure was kneeling quietly. She was covered in blood (not knowing if it was the enemy's or her own), and the wooden sword in her hand had been replaced by two sharp kodachi.
"Everyone..." Ryuu Lion stroked a tombstone, her voice raspy.
"I did it. That Dwarf... was the last one. All the enemies... have been killed."
"But... why?" Ryuu looked up at the false sky, tears sliding down. "Why is my heart... still so empty? Where... exactly is justice?"
"If you can't find justice..."
A voice pierced through the rustling of leaves and reached her ears.
Ryuu whipped her head around. Standing at the entrance of the forest was a red-haired boy holding a silver-white longbow. Behind him lay a ground full of adventurers who had tried to ambush him (all knocked unconscious).
"Then let me become your 'justice'."
Shirou Emiya looked at the scar-covered elf and raised [Sirius].
"Ryuu Lion. I've come to get you."
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