Chapter 36. [Broken Phantasm: Saturation Bombardment]
An expedition into the Dungeon is, for ordinary adventurers, a long journey dancing with the God of Death. But for the Loki Familia, this "Max-Level Tourist Group," the early stages of the route were simply an experimental trial version of a game called Dynasty Warriors.
"So boring—there's completely not enough to cut!"
On the 30th floor, Tiona swung her massive double-edged weapon, "Urga," complaining like a child who hadn't played enough. At her feet, several unlucky "Deep-floor Wyverns" had already been sliced into sashimi.
"Stop complaining, Tiona you idiot," Tione said, wiping blood from her kukri. "This is 'Energy-Saving Mode' to preserve stamina. The real hell is further down."
"Exactly." Walking in the center of the formation, Captain Finn held a map with a calm gaze. "We need to pass through the 'Middle Floors' and 'Lower Floors' at maximum speed to establish a forward base on the 39th floor's Safe Zone. Until then, avoid unnecessary consumption as much as possible."
"Roger that~"
Meanwhile, in the logistics section of the group, Shirou Emiya was walking calmly with the team, carrying a massive backpack that had been lightened by magecraft (containing emergency rations and repair tools for the whole squad).
"Um... Shirou-sama, are you tired?" Haruhime, wearing a specialized miko outfit, trotted alongside him, holding a handkerchief ready to wipe his sweat at a moment's notice.
"This little load is nothing." Shirou smiled. With a Level 3 physical constitution (accumulated from SSS stats) plus the passive boost of [Structural Reinforcement], this weight felt like carrying an empty schoolbag on a spring outing.
"Besides..." Shirou glanced at Ais walking ahead. The golden-haired Sword Princess was like a precision killing machine; any monster daring to come within a hundred meters of the group would be instantly killed by her invisible sword pressure.
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Time became a blur in the Dungeon. Thanks to the Loki Familia's terrifying momentum, it took them only two days to break through the Labyrinth Utopia (Floor 18), the Great Tree Labyrinth (Floors 19-24), and the Water Capital (Floors 25-27), arriving directly at the 37th floor.
37th Floor: The "White Palace."
The art style here shifted abruptly. It was no longer damp caves or dense forests, but a palace-like structure composed of pale white stone, resembling a giant labyrinth. The walls, floors, and ceilings were all a depressing shade of white. Furthermore, the terrain here was extremely complex and possessed the trait of "instant regeneration." If one got lost, they were likely to be trapped inside a wall and turned into a fossil.
"All units, stay alert!" Finn's voice carried through amplification magic. "This is the entrance to the Deep Floors and the watershed for monster strength. If you don't want to die, wake up!"
"Yes, sir!"
The air grew heavy. The monsters appearing here—Spartoi (Skeletal Beastmen), Peluda (Black Beasts), and Lizardman Elites—each possessed strength equivalent to Level 3 or Level 4. Not only were they numerous, they also knew how to coordinate.
"Something's wrong."
Shirou stopped, his brow furrowed. [Mind's Eye (True)] hadn't captured a specific enemy, but the "malice" enveloping the entire floor was so thick it felt suffocating.
This feeling... was as if something was peering at them from the darkness. No, more accurately, it was peering at him.
"Emiya, what is it?" Ais, keenly sensing Shirou's abnormality, retreated to his side, her Desperate Sword slightly unsheathed.
"It's nothing, just a... chill, like I'm being stalked by a yandere." Shirou rubbed the goosebumps on his arms. He naturally didn't know that this wasn't an illusion, but "deep love" coming from a certain Goddess at the top of the tower.
Just then.
Rumble!!
A violent tremor suddenly came from the corridor ahead. It wasn't the sound of monster footsteps. It was... the sound of walls collapsing.
"Enemy attack?!" Bete charged out instantly. "Which blind piece of trash dares to block the way?!"
However, as the dust cleared, what appeared before everyone was not a swarming tide of monsters.
It was a lone figure.
It had a pale skeletal body, but the bones were covered in dark red patterns that throbbed like blood vessels. Its arms were two sharp bone blades, and its back was covered in hideous bone spikes. It didn't roar like a normal monster; instead, it stood there quietly, taking a...
Starting stance.
It was a stance both offensive and defensive, one that could only be struck by a warrior who had undergone a thousand refinements.
"What is that thing?" Tiona blinked. "A variant Spartoi? Why does it feel... kind of cool?"
"Don't be careless!" Finn's expression changed instantly. His thumb was twitching madly, the pain shooting straight to his brain.
"That's... an 'Irregular'! Everyone, prepare for battle!"
As if understanding Finn's words, the red-boned monster slowly raised its head. Ghost-blue fires burned within its hollow eye sockets. Its gaze swept over everyone present, finally... dead-locking onto Shirou Emiya.
"Target locked... Senji... Muramasa..."
It wasn't a voice produced by vocal cords. It was a tooth-gritting vibration produced by the grinding of bones.
"It can speak?!" Everyone paled. Was it another Xenos?
"No, that's not it." Shirou's pupils shrank. [Mind's Eye] told him this thing had no "heart." It wasn't a living being like Wiene, but a pure, manufactured... killing weapon.
"Roar!"
The monster moved. No warning, no buildup. It was like a red meteor, instantly crossing dozens of meters. Its target—directed straight at Shirou Emiya!
"Don't you dare!" Ais reacted the fastest. She flashed forward, blocking Shirou's path, her sword swinging down ruthlessly with the light of the wind barrier.
Clang!!!
Sparks flew. A shocking scene occurred: the monster actually used its left bone blade to accurately parry Ais's sword! Moreover, it used an extremely clever angle to bleed off most of the impact!
"This is..." Ais's eyes widened. This movement... this parrying technique... why did it look so much like that man (Ottar)?
The monster didn't linger in the fight. Using the counter-force from Ais's sword, its body spun weirdly in the air. The bone blade on its right arm, like a viper lunging from its hole, bypassed Ais's defense and stabbed at Shirou behind her.
"So fast!" Shirou was ready. "Trace—On!"
The black and white swords, [Kanshou & Bakuya], were instantly in his hands. He didn't retreat, choosing instead to take the blow head-on.
Ching!
A massive force traveled up his arms; Shirou felt as if he'd been hit by a high-speed dump truck. His feet plowed two deep furrows into the ground as he slid back five or six meters before stopping.
"This strength... shouldn't belong to a monster on this floor. No, a monster of this race shouldn't be this powerful. And it's not a Xenos either..." Shirou shook his numbed arms, waves of shock hitting his heart. This monster's stats were absurdly high, and... its technique was textbook-level!
"Grrr..." The monster landed and didn't immediately follow up. It looked at Shirou, seemingly evaluating the prey's strength. Then, it performed an action no one expected.
It extended a bone blade and pointed at Shirou. Then it pointed at the people around him. Finally, it made a "throat-slitting" gesture.
The meaning was clear: All of you come at once, or... you come alone to die.
"Too arrogant!" Bete was furious. "A mere pile of bones! I'll kick you into dust!" He activated his magic, [Hati], flames wrapping around his boots as he aimed a kick at the monster's skull.
However, the monster didn't even turn its head. The bone spikes on its back suddenly lengthened, forming a shield that blocked Bete's kick. Immediately following, it delivered a backhand punch—specifically, a strike using the side of the bone blade like a fist—right into Bete's abdomen.
"Gah!" Bete flew out like a cannonball, smashing through a wall.
"Bete!" Tiona and Tione charged forward together. The Amazon sisters' joint attack was airtight, but the monster strolled through the blades and shadows as if taking a walk. It dodged with minimal movement, every counter-strike pointing directly at the sisters' openings.
"Is this guy... 'tutoring' us?!" Finn noticed the pattern, his face turning deathly grim. The monster's movements were filled with a certain "Grandmaster" flair. It was familiar with the attack patterns of various weapons and could even predict the adventurers' tactical coordination.
"Everyone, back off."
A calm voice rang out. Shirou Emiya stepped forward, his twin blades vanishing, replaced by the jet-black greatsword pulled from his back.
[Pseudo-Magic Sword: Mountain-Slasher (Igalima - Prototype)].
"It's after me." Shirou looked at the monster, battle spirit burning in his eyes. "If we don't deal with it, the team can't move forward."
"Emiya! That thing is dangerous!" Riveria shouted. "It's a killer specifically specialized against humanoids!"
"I know." Shirou took a deep breath, the magic circuits on his body beginning to glow. "But... if I can't cross this hurdle, I'm not qualified to go to the 59th floor."
He could feel it. This monster carried a familiar scent of a "Trial." It was a "love letter" from a certain Goddess, a "delivery" that had to be signed for in blood.
"Come on, bag of bones." Shirou gripped the greatsword with both hands, taking a mid-level stance. "Let me see how many skills you've stolen!"
"Roar!" The monster seemed to understand Shirou's provocation. It stopped paying attention to the others and locked onto Shirou with total focus. Within those ghost-fire eye sockets, a trace of an emotion called "pleasure" actually surfaced.
The battle resumed.
This time, it was a 1v1 deathmatch.
Boom!
Both charged at each other simultaneously. The monster's bone blade and Shirou's greatsword clashed in the air. A duel of pure strength. The ground beneath their feet instantly collapsed.
"Ngh..." Shirou gritted his teeth, holding his ground. In terms of strength, he was at a disadvantage. Even with his Level 3 (SSS) foundation and [Structural Reinforcement], facing this monster trained by the Goddess of Beauty with ultra-high stats was still a struggle.
"But if it's about technique... I am 'Unlimited'!"
Shirou suddenly released one hand. "Trace—On!"
A short sword appeared out of thin air in his left hand. Dual-wielding? No, a Greatsword-and-Dagger style.
He used the greatsword to pin the monster's bone blade, while the short sword in his left hand lunged like a viper toward the monster's joint.
Crack! The short sword hit the monster's knee, but it felt like stabbing a diamond; it only left a white mark, and the short sword shattered instead.
"So hard!" Shirou was startled. Is its defense a cheat-level too?!
The monster seized the opportunity to counter. Its right-arm bone blade suddenly lengthened, snapping like a whip toward Shirou's head.
"I am the bone of my sword."
Shirou didn't dodge. A petal-like purple light shield instantly deployed in front of him.
[Rho Aias]—Three layers deployed.
Bang! The bone blade struck the shield, shattering two petals but stopping before the third.
"Got you."
Shirou dissolved the shield. Seizing the moment the monster's attack stalled, the greatsword in his hand erupted with a dazzling red light.
"Reinforcement—Overload!"
He forcibly poured mana into [Mountain-Slasher], causing its hardness and sharpness to instantly double.
"Strike!"
A black sword-light flashed. The monster's right arm was severed clean at the root!
"ROAAAAAAR!" The monster let out a howl of pain and leaped back.
"Did he win?!" Lili cried out in joy.
"No... it's not over." Shirou didn't pursue; instead, his expression grew even more solemn.
At the wound of the monster's severed arm, countless meat buds began to wriggle frantically. In just a few seconds, a new arm—deeper in color and even possessing a metallic sheen—grew back!
"Regeneration..." Shirou's lip twitched. "With that healing speed, what are you, Kid Buu?!"
Not only that. After regenerating, the monster's aura became even more terrifying. It was learning. It remembered Shirou's attack patterns; it remembered that flow of mana.
"Grrr..." The monster took its stance again. This time, its twin bone blades were also wrapped in a layer of dark-red magical radiance. That was... an imitation of Shirou's [Reinforcement Magecraft]?!
"Wait, wait, wait... this is a bit much, isn't it?" Shirou gripped his greatsword, a bead of cold sweat forming on his brow. This wasn't just a monster of physical ability. This was an ultimate weapon possessing [Learning Evolution].
"Since conventional means won't kill you..."
Shirou took a deep breath. He stabbed the greatsword into the ground and held his hands up toward the sky.
The magic circuits in his body began to operate frantically, letting out a roar like an overloaded engine. The surrounding air began to warp, and countless tiny blades manifested in the void.
"Then I'll... blast you to dust!"
What he was about to use wasn't a normal projection. It was the forbidden technique that had heavily wounded the Level 5 Dix—exploding a Noble Phantasm as a one-time bomb.
But this time, it wasn't one sword. It was... a graveyard of swords.
In Shirou's eyes, that red wasteland was encroaching on reality.
"Unlimited Blade Works—Bombardment Mode!"
Dozens of Noble Phantasms ranging from Rank C to Rank B took shape in the air. Inside every sword, the mana was in an extremely unstable, critical state.
This was—[Broken Phantasm: Saturation Bombardment].
"Die!!!"
As Shirou's arms swung down, countless shooting stars streaked across the sky of the White Palace.
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!!!
A violent explosion instantly swallowed the monster and a large portion of the 37th-floor corridor. Flames soared and dust blotted out the light. How was this an adventurer's fight? This was clearly a carpet bombing from modern warfare!
"This... this is too exaggerated, isn't it?" The Loki Familia members in the rear were dumbfounded. This kind of fire coverage was even more unreasonable than Riveria's large-scale magic.
However, when the dust settled...
That red figure was still standing there. Though charred all over, though its body was mangled and incomplete (half its head was gone), it still stood. And... it was smiling. On that skeletal face with only half a mouth left, a hair-raising smile appeared.
Gurgle... gurgle...
Its body began to swell violently. Dark red bones grew wildly, turning into a shell that resembled full-body armor. The bone blades in its hands fused together, becoming a bone-greatsword capable of cleaving mountains.
"It can... still evolve?!" Shirou's mana was at rock bottom. That last wave of bombardment was the limit of what he could currently achieve.
"ROAAAAAAR————!!!"
The monster let out a heaven-shaking roar. It raised the greatsword and swung it down ruthlessly at Shirou. It wasn't a simple slash. It was a shockwave containing all the absorbed explosion energy from before, enough to pulverize anything!
"Can't dodge!" [Mind's Eye] gave a death notification.
"Emiya!" Ais tried to rush over, but the distance was too great.
Desperation.
At this critical moment...
"Since physical means won't work..." Shirou looked at the descending greatsword. There was no despair in his eyes, only a madness born from a "death-or-life" situation.
He let go of his weapon. He opened his arms and welcomed the lethal strike.
"Then I'll... dismantle you from the inside!"
"Trace—On (Synchronization/Erosion)!"
He didn't defend. Instead, he turned all his remaining mana, and even his life force, into an invisible "Conceptual Sword."
He didn't strike the flesh. He struck—the structure.
Squelch!
The greatsword struck Shirou's shoulder, blood spraying. But at the same time, Shirou's hand pierced into the monster's chest.
Emerald magic circuits, like a virus, surged through Shirou's arm and were frantically injected into the monster's body.
[Reality Marble: Internal Deployment].
'Since I can't kill you from the outside, then inside your body... I'll fill it with swords!'
"Burst!"
Crack... crack...
The monster's movements froze. The sound of countless metallic piercings echoed from within its body. Myriad swords grew out from its blood vessels, muscles, and bones, piercing through the hardened shell.
It became a porcupine. A porcupine being torn apart from the inside by countless blades.
"Roar... uh..." The ghost-fire in the monster's eyes finally began to dim. It looked at this human youth before it—covered in blood, yet still death-gripping its core magic stone.
In that instant, it seemed to see... the satisfied smile of that Goddess standing atop Babel.
Crack.
Shirou crushed the core magic stone.
The massive skeleton collapsed with a crash, turning into a sky full of ash.
"Huff... haa..."
Shirou Emiya knelt in the ashes, the wound on his left shoulder deep enough to see bone, his consciousness on the brink of collapse.
"Did I... win?"
"Emiya!" Ais rushed over, catching his wobbling body in her arms.
"Yeah... I won." Shirou leaned into Ais's embrace, smelling that familiar scent of lavender, and let out a tragic smile.
"That Goddess's 'love letter'... is really heavy."
Having said those words, he completely blacked out.
Meanwhile, at the top floor of Babel.
Freya watched the tragic and magnificent scene in her crystal ball, the flush on her face deepening even further.
"Ah... how beautiful.
That is... the color I wanted to see."
She raised her wine glass and made a gentle toast to the empty air.
"Congratulations on passing the 'Trial'.
My... Muramasa."
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