The Epic Story of the Heroic Spirit of Emiya Giant Warrior

What state was that child in when they wrote this letter... Goddess Astrea had some doubts about this.

"Let's go into the city, Goddess."

Goddess Astrea nodded.

If that incident hadn't happened, the Astrea Familia would have at least three Level 5 First-Class Adventurers by now—Ais Wallenstein, Ryuu Lion, and Kaguya Gojo; at least those three would definitely be able to level up within two years.

Crossing this massive wall, they entered the labyrinth city at the center of the world. Thanks to the Hermes Familia's privilege, Asfi and the others didn't have to stand in a long line like merchants or travelers at the city gate, but instead took a different entrance.

"It's a friend of Ganesha-sama, Hassana."

Asfi replied.

Before entering the city, Goddess Astrea first put on a hood, concealing the goddess's signature beautiful face.

Hassana Dorria, a Level 3 adventurer from the Ganesha Familia, title 【Iron Fist Fighter】.

The Ganesha Familia is the administrator of the city's order, and Hassana is currently responsible for the security near the city gate.

"I see... I will confirm with Ganesha-sama."

Afterward, he would inform the deity, Ganesha-sama, who probably knew the reason for their visit.

"Astrea-sama, 【Gale】 is currently working as a waitress at the 【Hostess of Fertility】 tavern. Shall we go there?"

Astrea said, "I want to see that child first."

Northeast Main Street, Hephaestus Familia's residence.

"So, the events of that time were not an illusion..."

Shirou thought to himself.

Not long ago, during the battle to subjugate the Black Goliath, Shirou protected Ryuu and Aiz's rear, creating conditions for them to kill the Labyrinth Lone King, and single-handedly faced the monster feast summoned by the Black Goliath.

Because he was already in a state of enhanced ability values due to the activation of 【Oath of Protection】, coupled with the influence of 【Berserk】, Shirou was unable to distinguish the source of the amplification in the heat of battle.

Only now did Shirou realize that it was actually the effect of Haruhime Sanjo's magic 【Uchide no Kozuchi】.

【Uchide no Kozuchi】

Level Up.

Has a certain interval time after activation; the caster cannot apply it to themselves.

"Powerful enough to trigger a war."

That was Shirou's only evaluation of the magic 【Uchide no Kozuchi】.

Ais's 【Avenger Princess】, Ais Wallenstein's 【Vanquish Rose】, and Shirou's 【Oath of Protection】... and so on; there were only a handful of adventurers in Orario with such skills.

However, Haruhime Sanjo's 【Uchide no Kozuchi】 was a magic that could be used directly, and moreover, could be used on other people.

Freyja, the 【Killer of Men】 who was at the bottom of the Level 5 adventurers, could directly enter the Level 6 Hero domain with the blessing of 【Uchide no Kozuchi】, and if Ottar, the Level 7 【Strongest】, received the amplification of 【Uchide no Kozuchi】, his strength could even reach Level 8, which had been extinct in the labyrinth city for a long time.

Because she was the first fox-kin he had seen in this world, and the first woman to wear a kimono, Shirou had a deep impression of Haruhime, and now, he had a new understanding of Haruhime.

Aisha had a very high position in the Ishtar Familia, because the only Level 5 in the Ishtar Familia had battle power but no brains, and the only Level 4 was a close attendant of the goddess Ishtar, who did not participate in the Familia's affairs.

Having leveled up to Level 3 a few years ago, Aisha, with her limitless future, was already in the Familia's management, and could even be said to be the Familia's de facto vice commander.

Because of a stone, a stone from the Far East—【Sesshouseki】.

The raw material of 【Tamamo-no-Ishi】 is fox-kin, preferably the remains of fox-kin children—judging from the materials and the method of production alone, it is already a forbidden object that cannot be tolerated by the world.

【Moon Tear Stone】 is a special kind of ore that changes color and emits light when exposed to moonlight, and also generates magic power. Blacksmiths also use it as a weapon material.

Weapons and tools made with this material will change their hardness, power, and effect with the moonlight. However, this characteristic is meaningless for the dungeon deep underground, so the Moon Tear Stone itself has not been circulated in the labyrinth city's market.

It will seal the user of the Sesshouseki... the fox-kin's magic power, no, the 【soul】 into the stone.

As a price... the sacrificed fox-kin will become an empty shell without a soul.

The Ishtar Familia has already purchased a 【Sesshouseki】 from the Far East and transported it to Orario. Their plan is to start the 【Sesshouseki】 ritual on the next full moon night, sealing Haruhime's soul inside it.

The Ishtar Familia will obtain an unprecedented forbidden magic tool, and Haruhime, her soul will be completely shattered in dozens of divisions, leaving only her body, becoming a hollow doll.

"Rescue Haruhime"—she issued such an adventurer's request to Shirou.

"This situation is really troublesome."

Regarding Haruhime's situation and Aisha's request, Shirou did not close his doors and rack his brains alone, nor did he act impulsively on his own, but instead found Goddess Hephaestus at the first opportunity.

The goddess said seriously, "However, we must think carefully about what method to take..."

Tsubaki, the 【One-Eyed Great Blacksmith】, is stronger than the Ishtar Familia's Level 5 【Killer of Men】, Freyja, but the Hephaestus Familia has no Level 4s, and the members other than Tsubaki and Shirou are almost all blacksmiths with average combat abilities, while among the members of the Ishtar Familia, there are many combat prostitutes who more frequently venture into the dungeon.

In terms of financial resources, the Ishtar Familia is also second only to the Hephaestus Familia. If the cost of obtaining the Sesshouseki was not too great, the Dian Cecht Familia might not have been able to beat them in the bidding for the magic sword.

"First, is Aisha's information reliable? 【Lijie】 has a good reputation and should be trustworthy, but we must be cautious about such a major event."

"Third, can the information about Haruhime and 【Uchide no Kozuchi】 still be kept secret after this matter?"

Hephaestus pointed out several important issues that she cared about, and Shirou was also silent.

Hephaestus changed the subject, "Today, a friend happens to be here who can help us."

"Astrea, come in."

"Is this okay, Hephaestus? It's better for me to avoid your Familia's affairs."

Hephaestus said.

"Is that so? Looking at it this way, it seems like I've come at just the right time."

"Astrea is Ryuu's previous Familia..."

He also thought of Goddess Hephaestus's statement—the "dowry" of the Astrea Familia.

"Shirou, I finally meet you."

Astrea walked up to the boy.

Anyone could tell at a glance.

The air surrounding her was so gentle, just, and pure.

Walnut-colored long hair fell down her back, and her eyes carried a deep blue like a starry sea.

The answer, in truth, was: The useless fairy's left hand was held by Wei Gong, and because she was too shy, her right hand also trembled.

Asfi said.

"Yes, let's go."

Looking at the lonely figure of the Goddess Astrea, Asfi felt a moment of sadness in her heart.

"And now, only [Gale] remains…"

Asfi sighed softly.

The walls of Orario were so high that one had to crane their neck until it hurt to see the top, possessing a powerful presence. As the breakwater for the only dungeon in the world, this barrier, which had stood serenely since ancient times, felt somewhat aloof and stern.

"Yo, Asfi, you're back so soon? And who is this?"

The guard at the entrance was an adventurer with tanned skin and a messy beard. The casually worn clothes had a pattern on the shoulder, the Ganesha Familia crest mimicking the face of the elephant-faced god.

The Goddess Astrea only wanted to return to Orario to see Ryuu, and in order to avoid misunderstandings like "The Astrea Familia is returning to the dungeon city" and causing unnecessary trouble, she simply concealed her identity.

Hassana shrugged and chose to let them pass.

He knew that Asfi was trustworthy, and it was best not to inquire about the secrets of the Hermes Familia casually.

Asfi asked.

"I am looking forward to reuniting with Ryuu, but there's no need to rush. Let's go to the Hephaestus Familia first."

80

Chapter 80: Choosing a Little Sister Over the Familia.

Wei Gong, who was still unaware that the Goddess Astrea was on her way, was now holding the pleasure quarter VIP card and note that Aisha had slipped him, returning to the workshop.

During the battle, his ability values had suddenly experienced a significant boost.

It was at that moment that Wei Gong's "Magic Power," under the amplification of multiple enhancements, finally reached the threshold for projecting [Anti-Army Noble Phantasm]. In the end, he used [Fake Spiral Sword] to eliminate the hundreds of monsters summoned by the Black Goliath.

He had once thought that the ability value increase during the battle was also an effect of [Oath of Protection].

Moreover, what he had gained at the time was not an ability value increase, but a "level up."

The target is limited to one person, and the effect lasts for fifteen minutes.

This is the only magic of the Lv.1 rookie adventurer, Sanjo Haruhime.

Leveling up provides adventurers with an all-around improvement, and the increase is very significant. Only a very few skills can give adventurers an amplification effect that reaches beyond their level, and these are all rare skills.

And without exception, these skills all have their own trigger conditions or usage costs, and more importantly, these skills can only be applied to the owner themselves.

Wei Gong clenched the note that Aisha had secretly passed over: "I didn't expect the Ishtar Familia to be hiding such a secret…"

He recalled Haruhime's appearance, that gentle, timid fox-person girl who always followed closely behind Aisha. And until the very end, the [Uchide no Kozuchi] that she mustered the courage to release became the key for Wei Gong to end the battle.

Without a doubt, Haruhime's action of using magic on him was a huge risk, and their fates were intertwined because of this one spell.

And Aisha's act of leaking Haruhime's information to Wei Gong was an undeniable betrayal of the Familia. Aisha betrayed the Ishtar Familia, who trusted her, appointed her as an executive, and even entrusted her with the most important tasks, such as taking care of Haruhime and purchasing magic swords.

The goddess's trust, the camaraderie's love, a high position of power… and yet, Aisha still chose to betray.

[Sesshoseki] is a tool exclusively for fox-people.

Made from [Tamamo Stone] and [Toba Stone], it is a forbidden magical tool.

And the effect of [Tamamo Stone] is that it can greatly enhance the magic of fox-people, also known as the power of [Sorcery].

The reason it is also called [Toba Stone] is because the original color of the ore is as black as wet crow feathers.

Because a certain minstrel held a moonlit ore that emitted various colors and lights, and chanted a tragic love poem about the moon, which spread widely, this ore gained recognition from the world.

And the time when [Toba Stone] can exert its maximum effect is on the night of the full moon. At that time, the [Sesshoseki] that combines the two ores will turn into a demon stone.

When used in conjunction with the appropriate equipment, the [Sesshoseki], which perfectly seals magic power, can provide the power of the fox-people's precious magic—"Sorcery"—to a third party, and a magical tool that is not inferior to a [Magic Sword] is completed.

At that time, the Ishtar Familia will split the [Sesshoseki] together with Haruhime's soul into fragments, and each of these [Sesshoseki] fragments is a [Magic Sword] that can release [Uchide no Kozuchi] once.

Knowing the plan of the Ishtar Familia, Aisha made the choice that Wei Gong would make—she chose the latter between the Familia and her little sister.

81

Chapter 81: The Goddess of Stars and Justice.

The Goddess Hephaestus rubbed her temples, staring at Aisha's note, her tone more solemn than ever before.

Rather than acting rashly alone, he believed more in the goddess's wisdom.

"Your idea is correct, Shirou. We must save that child. [Sesshoseki], such a forbidden thing, should not exist at all."

The Ishtar Familia is not so easy to deal with. This is a large faction in the forefront of Orario's strength, with one Lv.5 and one Lv.4 in the Familia, even surpassing the Hephaestus Familia in terms of top-tier combat power.

This is still without considering Haruhime and [Uchide no Kozuchi]. If [Man Killer] were strengthened to Lv.6, it would be troublesome to deal with.

"If we were to go to war with the Ishtar Familia, winning in the end wouldn't be a problem. We could just smash them with magic swords, blowing them to death…"

Hephaestus said, "However, if our two major Familia engage in war, the final result will most likely be mutual destruction. Moreover, we still have many issues that we must consider."

"Second, what is Sanjo Haruhime's attitude towards the Ishtar Familia? Whether her magic [Uchide no Kozuchi] will be released towards [Man Killer] Phryne or towards Shirou, this matter is very important."

"So I said, this situation is really troublesome… but fortunately."

The corners of Hephaestus's mouth lifted into a gratified arc:

Hephaestus shouted loudly.

The goddess outside the door responded.

"I believe in you, and this kind of thing is exactly what requires you, the Goddess of Stars and Justice, to take action."

A stunningly beautiful goddess with long brown hair pushed the door open.

Goddess Astrea of Stars and Justice, hearing this name, Wei Gong couldn't help but be stunned.

Wei Gong could borrow the power of all the deceased members of the Astrea Familia through projection, plus his relationship with Ryuu, and for a moment, he didn't know how to face the Goddess Astrea.

As a benevolent god, she is a deity full of compassion, or rather, love.