Chapter 74. The Concept of the Hero's Holy Sword!
For the Loki Familia's headquarters, "Twilight Manor," this morning's vibe felt like the opening of a Japanese light novel titled Even If the World Ends, Let's Have Breakfast First.
"Emiya-sama! Please do not move! Lady Riveria said your right hand is currently in a 'Schrödinger's physical state'—apply even a little force, and it might turn into a puddle of mana dust!"
In the infirmary, Lilliruca Arde had her arms spread wide, acting like a mother hen protecting her nest as she blocked the doorway. Her eyes, normally accustomed to calculating gold coins, were now locked onto the red-haired youth who had already changed clothes and was planning to sneak toward the kitchen.
"Lili, calm down." Shirou Emiya raised his left hand helplessly, trying to soothe his supporter. As for his right hand... it currently possessed a dreamlike, semi-transparent quality, looking like a layer in an image editor with the opacity turned down. Though it remained attached to his shoulder, when Shirou tried to grab a physical cup of water, his fingers passed straight through it, kicking up a shower of fine golden particles.
This was the price of projecting "Enuma Elish" and forcibly unleashing a portion of its power. In this world ruled by Falna, a forbidden armament that surpassed the "Laws of the World" had directly ruptured Shirou's container as a "human."
"I just want to boil some porridge. Riveria's alchemical potions are effective, but the taste is... hard to compliment. Everyone is exhausted from the expedition; how can we recover without some carbohydrates?" Shirou flashed that signature gentle smile—one capable of making even hostile Familias surrender their weapons.
"No! Absolutely not!" Lili remained unmoved, even starting to pull rope (?) out of her backpack. "Your 'house-mother' attribute has become a serious threat to your life! Please save this obsession with cooking-even-with-a-broken-hand for when you're Lv. 10!"
"Um... Emiya-sama." Haruhime, who had been hiding in the shadows looking quite restless, stepped forward. She wore her pristine white shrine maiden outfit, her golden fox tail drooping a bit listlessly. "I... I may be clumsy, but I can help wash the vegetables. Please... please take care of your body."
"See! Even Miss Haruhime says so!" Lili followed up with a verbal finishing blow.
Just as Shirou was caught in the pincer maneuver of "Supporter vs. Fox Girl" and was preparing to perform a [Dogeza] to barter for kitchen privileges...
Click. The window of the infirmary was pushed open. A golden afterimage, accompanied by a cold morning breeze, landed silently by Shirou's bedside.
"Ais?" Shirou blinked.
Ais Wallenstein. The "Sword Princess" who could cleave a Floor Boss in two in the deep zones was currently wearing a light sundress, cradling a strangely shaped, moon-glow-emitting... giant pillow?
"Training." Ais looked at Shirou, concise as ever. The ahoge on her head twitched, indicating she was currently in a frequency of "extreme stubbornness."
"Miss Ais! Emiya-sama doesn't even have a functional hand right now! What training could you possibly do?!" Lili shouted in a collapse.
Ais ignored Lili. She walked to Shirou and stared at his translucent right hand for three seconds. Then, she performed an action that left everyone present (and the narrator) speechless.
She reached out, her fingertips slowly touching Shirou's conceptualized right hand. Her fingers, which should have passed through, hit a ripple the moment they touched that golden glimmer. Ais's mana (Ariel) resonated with the residual Artemis aura inside Shirou, unexpectedly creating a sense of physical contact.
"I can... grab it." Ais looked up, her golden eyes sparkling with the surprise of discovering a new continent. "The flow of mana is very warm. Like... the moon."
"Uh, Ais, that's my protection overflowing..." Shirou's face turned red.
"So, special training." Ais, brook no argument, grabbed Shirou's transparent right hand (an extremely eerie sensation, like holding a warm cloud). "To the clearing. I'll teach you... how to swing a sword with your soul."
Lili and Haruhime: "..."
'Help, is this ditz known as the 'Sword Princess' a bit too hardcore in her flirting methods?!'
Ultimately, Shirou couldn't escape the "special training." However, the location moved from the training grounds to the back garden of Twilight Manor, surrounded by blooming flowers.
"Riveria, are you really not going to step in?" On the second-floor balcony, Loki leaned against the railing, a jug of special fruit wine in hand, looking down at the pair "walking hand-in-hand" with a teasing smirk.
From this angle, Ais was holding Shirou's transparent hand, guiding the mana flow within him over and over again. The scene was as beautiful as a romance anime titled The Story of How My Transparent Boyfriend is a Hero.
"Let him go." Riveria Ljos Alf laid down her grimoire, her emerald eyes reflecting a certain depth. "Emiya's right hand is no longer mere flesh; it is a concept assimilated by 'Mystery.' If he doesn't use mana guidance to reshape it at this level, he might be a 'one-handed chef' for the rest of his life. Ais's 'Wind' is the best catalyst."
"Tsk tsk, and here I thought you'd be jealous, Mama-sama," Loki joked wickedly.
"I am merely conducting academic observation." Riveria elegantly turned a page, though her hand holding the quill tightened slightly. "However... Freya's movements are becoming more and more obvious."
At the mention of that name, Loki's smile vanished, a cold red light flashing in her eyes.
"Ah... that cat in heat. I heard she recently locked Ottar in the basement for special simulation battles specifically against 'Red Souls'? It's really annoying, her setting her sights on my kid."
"Therefore, Emiya must complete his 'upgrade' as soon as possible." Riveria looked toward the distant Dungeon entrance. "Not just Lv. 4. What he needs is a fulcrum... that can truly support his concept of 'Infinite'."
.
.
.
Inside the garden.
"Phew... ha..." Shirou stopped, his transparent right hand radiating intense heat due to excessive guidance.
"How is it?" Ais asked with concern, naturally pulling a cheese potato puff from her basket and stuffing it into Shirou's mouth. This feeding action was so practiced it was clear she had maliciously grinded her proficiency while Shirou was injured.
"Mmph... not bad." Shirou chewed indistinctly. "The sense of detachment has decreased. Ais, thank you. Your mana... is very pure."
Ais didn't speak, just stared at the transparent hand. "Emiya, the sword you... used. It was very sad."
Shirou's movements paused. In the Great Feud, he had projected a pseudo-form of [Ea]. It was the Star of Creation, but also the Star of Destruction. That lonely, arrogant sorrow that looked down upon all things had been captured by Ais.
"That wasn't my sword," Shirou explained softly. "It was just something I borrowed from the wreckage of my memories... a Truth belonging to a certain ancient King. The current me is nowhere near capable of touching even a ten-thousandth of it."
"Then... what about your own sword?" Ais tilted her head, her ahoge spinning in confusion. "Aside from the black and white ones. What kind of sword do you want?"
Shirou fell into deep thought. He looked into his inner heart. Upon that crimson wasteland, tens of thousands of swords were planted. But he knew most of those were fakes, records. In this Orario, he had experienced the Great Feud, the farewell of Artemis, and the bonds of his comrades.
"I want to forge a blade... that can cut through 'Fate'." Shirou raised his transparent right hand, his fingers gripping the void.
"Not for destruction, nor for conquest." "But to end tragedies before they happen. To cleave in two even the pranks of the Gods."
In that instant, the magic circuits in Shirou's body suddenly resonated. The [Protection of Artemis] on his back and the [Unlimited Blade Works] deep in his soul produced a marvelous chemical reaction. Within the golden particles of his transparent right hand, a dark-red vein, flowing like magma, actually emerged.
"That's..." Ais's eyes widened.
"The concept of the Blade of the End," Shirou murmured. He suddenly understood. To fix this hand, to ascend to a true Lv. 4, he didn't need to search for external materials. What he needed was to forge everything he had experienced in these two worlds into a single—[True Name].
Ding-ling!
Just as Shirou entered a state of enlightenment, a crisp ringing sound broke the garden's silence. A blue mana pigeon flapped its wings and landed on the stone table in the garden. Shirou recognized this thing. It was a specialty of the Hermes Familia, usually accompanied by "trouble" and "even bigger trouble."
Shirou opened the envelope with his left hand and saw a line of flamboyant writing:
"Yo, future Great Hero! Want to know how to turn that 'ghost hand' back into solid matter? Want to know where the 'Legacy' Artemis left for you is hidden in the Dungeon? Tonight at 8:00 PM, The Hostess of Fertility on West Main Street. By the way, Miss Syr says she's made a new 'Special Purple Pie' and specifically asked you to taste it. — Your most loyal ally, Hermes."
"..." Shirou's mouth twitched. Syr's "Purple Pie"? If he ate that, his right hand would probably skip straight to reincarnation.
"Hermes... is restless." Ais leaned over to read the letter, her eyes instantly turning cold. "Not allowed to go. Syr... dangerous."
"But, the method he mentioned regarding the recovery of my hand..." Shirou hesitated.
"I'm going too," Ais said decisively. "Protection. Also... eat the pie. I'll eat it for you."
"No! You absolutely cannot eat that pie, Ais!" Shirou stopped her in horror.
And so, the peaceful vacation plan was once again steered off course by the man in the winged hat.
.
.
.
8:00 PM, The Hostess of Fertility.
The tavern was as lively as ever. Dwarves were drinking, cat-girls were flitting about, and Mama Mia was roaring in the back.
The moment Shirou and Ais stepped inside, the entire space seemed to fall silent for a second. It was a spontaneous tribute of stares reserved for "topical figures."
"My, my! Look who's here! Our 'God-Slayer Hero' and his 'Escort Lady'!" Hermes was sitting in a secluded corner, waving at Shirou. Beside him, Asfi had a face that said "I don't want to know this perverted God," desperately keeping her head down while drinking water.
"Hermes, keep it short. What is going on with my right hand?" Shirou sat down directly. Ais sat beside him like a guardian deity, her gaze sharp as a sword, scanning every corner of the tavern.
"Don't be in such a hurry, let's serve the food first." Hermes clapped his hands.
The next second, a girl in a grey maid outfit walked over gracefully, carrying a plate emitting a strange purple aura.
Syr Flova. Her face wore that inscrutable, sweet-yet-bottomless smile.
"Long time no see, Mr. Emiya. And... Miss Wallenstein." Syr set the plate down. Her grey eyes lingered on Shirou's transparent hand for a moment, a flash of heartache (perhaps acted, perhaps real) appearing in her gaze.
"This is my special 'Soul Repair Pie.' Though the appearance is... a bit unique, I spent a lot of effort getting the ingredients."
Shirou looked at the purple pie, which was still twitching, and felt his [Eye of the Mind (True)] screaming "LETHAL DOSE" red alerts.
"Um... Miss Syr, thank you for the thought, but I—"
"I'll eat it." Ais suddenly spoke. She reached out and, before the pie could react (?), shoveled a large piece into her mouth.
"Ais!!!" Shirou cried out.
Three seconds later. Ais Wallenstein, the strongest swordsman in Orario, froze. Her cheeks turned from white to green, then purple, in a way visible to the naked eye. The stiff ahoge on her head drooped limply, like an eggplant hit by frost.
"Very... unique." Ais forced herself not to faint, but her eyes were starting to glaze over. "I feel like... I'm seeing... the far side of the moon..."
"See, I told you! Emiya-kun, your luck with women makes me want to commit suicide out of envy." Hermes snickered while cutting to the chase.
He pulled out an old parchment scroll. "Emiya, do you know why your right hand won't recover? Riveria is a master of magecraft, but she doesn't understand Primal Fire. Your right hand is currently suffering from friction with the 'Will of the Star' of this world because of that projection of Ea.
To put it simply, your current body is being 'rejected' by the Dungeon."
Hermes pointed to a coordinate on the scroll—the 60th Floor of the Dungeon, the "Abyss of Emptiness."
"That is the deepest known point in Orario and the location of the Dungeon's heart. Artemis's final power didn't vanish; it was 'recycled' by the Dungeon's instinct and stored there.
If you want to recover your hand, or even forge that sword in your dreams, you must go there.
Go and take back the miracle that was stolen from you with your own hands."
Shirou clenched his fist. The 60th Floor. A forbidden zone that even the Loki Familia at its peak hadn't fully stepped into.
"Why are you telling me this, Hermes?" Shirou stared at him. "What are you planning now?"
"Hehe, seen through already?" Hermes adjusted his hat, his eyes becoming exceptionally deep.
"Because... I received a message from an 'old friend.' He said if it's you, perhaps you can solve the mystery of the [Great Hole] that has haunted Orario for a thousand years."
"And." Hermes lowered his voice. "Freya has begun to move. She plans to use her 'Final Ace' during the next expedition. If you don't want to encounter a 'wedding heist army' led by a Lv. 7 on the 60th Floor, you'd better start preparing now."
Shirou fell silent. He thought of Freya's near-insane affection. He thought of Ottar's fists that could shatter space.
"I understand." Shirou stood up, supporting the semi-conscious Ais. "The 60th Floor... I will go. Not just for this hand."
He looked toward Babel outside the window. "I'm going to tell that Goddess personally... my soul has never belonged to anyone. Even a God cannot forge my future at will."
Syr stood by, listening quietly to Shirou's declaration. The corners of her mouth curled up into a beautiful arc.
"Is that so... Then I shall look forward to it," she whispered.
That night, Shirou Emiya walked the long streets of Orario with the unconscious Ais on his back. The moonlight fell on them, making his transparent right hand glow brilliantly.
A new Chapter had begun. Goal: The Peak of the World's Core. Opponents: The strongest Familia, and... the nature of this world.
Meanwhile, in a dark corner.
"Achoo!" Allen Fromel, who was wiping his spear, suddenly sneezed. "Is that red-haired kid still not dead? Tsk, tough life. Notify everyone, prepare to enter the 60th Floor. Nothing can go wrong with the Goddess's wedding preparations."
In the darkness, countless pairs of golden eyes slowly opened. It was the call from the "Field of War."
The next day, Twilight Manor.
"WHAT?! You're going to the 60th Floor?!" Loki's scream once again echoed through the sky. "Emiya! Has Syr's pie poisoned your brain?! That's a place where even Zeus and Hera met their defeat!"
"Loki, this is necessary." Shirou had put on brand new leather armor, the reforged [Otherworld Kanshou] hanging at his waist. Though his right hand was still semi-transparent, his aura was steadier than ever.
"Besides, I'm not going alone."
Shirou looked toward the hall. Finn was wiping his spear, Gareth was adjusting his tower shield, and Riveria was charging her grimoire. Tiona and Tione were loudly betting on who would kill the boss of the 60th Floor first. Even Lili and Haruhime, though scared, had hoisted supply packs larger than themselves.
Finally, there was Ais. She had recovered and was silently sharpening [Desperate Monster].
"Loki Familia Expedition Team." Finn looked up, flashing the smile that had convinced countless heroes. "Target: Unknown Territory. Mission: Help our chef find his spare parts."
Important announcement
Hello everyone!
Thank you as always for your support!
There are 2 new Fanfictions!
Emiya Shirou will change the fake Holy Grail War
A false Holy Grail War was held in Snowfield City.
Consequently, the Noble Phantasms of Gilgamesh and Enkidu flew wildly like rain. The Pale Rider rapidly infected the entire city. The Avenger Heracles surged with overflowing black mud. Even the Zealot, who possessed the eighteen secret techniques of the Hassans, had to struggle just to survive in the cracks between them.
A battlefield where gods fight is exactly like this; a duel between a human and a Heroic Spirit is, after all, a distant and irrelevant myth.
That is, if the silhouette of a certain red-haired "faker" young man hadn't happened to—randomly, inadvertently, and accidentally—pass by this world's counterfeit Holy Grail War.
COTE: Katsuragi Keima's battle of wits in love
The youth, Katsuragi Keima, was holding his game console, posting walkthroughs for various galge (dating sims) across different forums.
At that very moment, Katsuragi Keima received a new message.
[To the Capturing God]
[I've heard the rumors that you can capture any girl, regardless of who she is. While I find it unlikely, if it is true, there are many girls waiting for your capture. (This will be a super-high difficulty galge unlike anything you have ever experienced.)]
"What's this? An email full of such provocative undertones... who does he think I am? The God does not run away!"
Katsuragi Keima pressed the confirmation button.
Welcome to the Classroom of the Elite!
(Katsuragi Keima is the protagonist of The World God Only Know)
Read ahead (60 chapters) by supporting me on buymeacoffee com/varietl or ko-fi edwriting