DanMachi: Heroic Epic of Emiya the Great Hero

What Emiya Shirou thought of was one of Theseus's deeds: in Greek mythology, it was he who used a sharp sword to slay the Minotaur.

It was precisely for this reason that Theseus had the suitability for the Saber class.

Emiya Shirou did not take out the high-level magic sword lent by Tsubaki to directly blast the Minotaur into pieces. Instead, he used a frost magic sword to immobilize the enemy, then gathered his spirit and began to chant.

[Appraise the concept of creation

Envision the basic framework

Replicate the composition materials

Imitate the crafting techniques

Sympathize with the growth experience

Reproduce the accumulated years

Surpass, complete numerous processes───

At this very moment, complete the sword that gathers fantasy────]

"Projection, start [Trace on]."

A giant sword with a metallic sheen, resembling a sledgehammer, appeared in the young man's hand.

「Fake · The Thread Leads to the Termius (Ariadne Apórrito Ádis Ⅱ)」[1]

The true form of the Saber-class Theseus's Noble Phantasm is not a sword, but Ariadne's thread, which allowed Theseus to reach the location of the monster Minotaur and successfully escape the labyrinth.

The thread would carve out a path to glory and victory, but it was also a cursed attire that could lead one to hell with a single misstep.

Emiya Shirou did not need the thread to guide his path, as the Minotaur was right before his eyes. What he needed was a blade capable of slaying the bull monster.

Therefore, what he projected at this moment was, strictly speaking, not even a Noble Phantasm, but a fake that borrowed its name, its essence at best a slightly sharper sword.

The original "The Thread Leads to the Termius" is a C++ level anti-personnel Noble Phantasm, while the sword in Emiya's hand was at most a C-level shell.

It was precisely for this reason that he could project it with Lv.1 magical power.

However, even as a shell, it was still connected to the karma of "Theseus (the Minotaur Slayer)."

「Skill [?????? (Roadless Valhalla）] effect activated.」

「Temporarily gained development ability [Hunter]I」

「Temporarily gained skill [Fake · Bull Slayer (Ox Slayer Ⅱ)]」

The Minotaur broke free from the frost that immobilized it, roaring as it charged forward, but after just one step, its movements halted.

It stood just three steps away from the young man. One more step, and the other would be within its attack range. With the mere durability of an Lv.1 adventurer, the Minotaur only needed to lightly swing its arm to tear apart that fragile body.

But it could no longer advance, as if those few meters were an unfathomable abyss, with the Sword of Damocles[2] hanging above, destined to nail any rebel attempting to cross it to the depths below.

Monsters in the dungeon have no intelligence; they follow their instincts to hunt humans who enter the dungeon and also flee from those they cannot contend with.

And now, what the Minotaur felt was something deeper and more fundamental than instinct—[Fate].

Emiya Shirou stepped forward, raising the blade in his hand high, then swung it down in an ordinary strike.

From Ais's perspective, time seemed to stretch, with Emiya and the Minotaur's movements becoming exceptionally slow. Faced with the young man's ordinary strike, the Minotaur could only clumsily raise its arm to block.

Scorching dark red blood spurted out as the heavy sword severed the Minotaur's arm. The tough skin of the bull-headed monster, known for its durability, was like solidified butter before that sword, easily cut by a heated knife.

The Minotaur howled in retreat, and with each step it took back, Emiya stepped forward, until the bull-headed monster's body was against the labyrinth's rock wall, with no further retreat.

The red-haired young man's expression was cold as he swung the "Sword of Theseus/Sword of the Minotaur Slayer," as if wielding fate itself.

Ais's eyes reflected the image of Emiya swinging his sword to slay the monster, like a blazing sun delivering judgment to the demons in the darkness.

.

.

.

Emiya Shirou led a bewildered Ais back to the surface.

After witnessing that sword strike, Ais seemed to have entered a state of lost soul, her mouth agape in a daze, fitting perfectly with the narration "such foolish children all look the same."

Shirou could only hold the girl's hand and lead her forward, fortunately encountering no monsters on the way back.

At the same time, Emiya kept recalling the peculiar state he entered when he projected the [Sword of Theseus].

The Minotaur, which should have had a level advantage over him, felt like it could be easily killed at that moment, not as if he was fighting and slashing, but as if he was simply beheading a sinner awaiting execution, like presiding over [Fate].

But afterwards, no matter how many times he tried to project the [Sword of Theseus], he never felt that way again.

This was the first time he had attempted to project a "Noble Phantasm" since coming to this world.

A Noble Phantasm is the armament celebrated in the legends of heroic spirits.

As the ultimate armament of heroic spirits, Noble Phantasms are materialized miracles, the proof of heroes held by heroic spirits, "armaments made with human fantasy as their skeleton," the result of the sublimation of a heroic spirit's deeds.

In fact, Emiya did not truly project Theseus's Noble Phantasm—although Theseus had the suitability for the "Saber" class, his sword was just an ordinary "heroic spirit weapon," and the true form of Theseus's Noble Phantasm was the "thread" that helped him find the bull-headed monster Minotaur in mythology.

Yet, even with a sword that was not a Noble Phantasm but merely related to Theseus's myth, Emiya easily achieved what could be called a great feat—slaying the powerful Lv.2 monster Minotaur with ease at Lv.1.

And the [Sword of Theseus] was just one of the myriad swords recorded in his [Unlimited Blade Works].

'Do the monsters in the dungeon have some connection to the myths I know? Could their weaknesses also be...',Because his mind was preoccupied with thoughts, Emiya Shirou held "Miss Riveria's" hand and walked on his own, the crowd automatically parting before him like the parting of the Red Sea.

But he was too engrossed in his own world to realize that the adventurers seemed to be avoiding him too much, and the expressions on their faces were curious, puzzled, troubled, confused, and even frightened. He also didn't hear their whispers.

"That's [Sword Princess], the princess of the Loki Familia, Lv.5 [Sword Princess]."

"My god, [Sword Princess] as a supporter, that young man in front... no, that big brother in front, who is he?"

"His cloak has the emblem of the Hephaestus Familia."

"Could it be that the Loki Familia and the Hephaestus Familia have joined forces."

"What, the Loki Familia and the Hephaestus Familia are going to challenge the Freya Familia together."

"It must be that [Sword Princess], she's kidnapped the handsome young man, probably forcing him to go back with her to do XXXX."

"Damn Amazons, why do they have such good imaginations!"

"Gah, [Sword Princess] and the handsome young man, if I could see such a 'battle of the strong' with my own eyes, it would be worth the price of death."

.

.

.

The setting sun sank behind the towering city walls, and the city was enveloped in the vast night.

Orario, welcoming the night, became even more lively.

Cheerful songs and music spilled out from taverns and squares. Magic stone lamps shone brightly throughout the streets, and adventurers who had just returned from the dungeon joined the crowd, making the scene packed. Especially in the bustling district located on South Main Street, the noise was overwhelming.

Various lights illuminated the avenue, radiating a brilliance not inferior to the starry sky. The row of shops on the bustling street were all tall and large, with extravagant appearances. Moreover, there were many high-end taverns, casinos, and grand theaters catering to nobles, entertainment facilities not seen elsewhere in the city. Living up to its name as the "bustling street," South Main Street presented a scene of lively chaos.

Turning a corner on the street and entering a corner of the back alley, Tsubaki skillfully pushed open the door of a tavern.

"Yo, Shakti, long time no see.",Unexpectedly meeting a familiar person, she greeted and uninvitedly sat down next to her.

This was "Flame Bee Pavilion," a tavern located in the back alley of the bustling street.

Being a back alley establishment, the tavern was smaller in scale compared to [Hostess of Fertility], and its food and dishes were not as high-quality or plentiful as [Hostess of Fertility], but "Flame Bee Pavilion" offered stronger liquor, making it popular among some adventurers and blacksmiths.

Especially the tavern's signature product—honey wine boiled to a ruby-red hue—was quite famous throughout Orario, with many people visiting daily for it.

"Tsubaki, long time no see.",The female adventurer named 'Shakti' glanced sideways,"Finally decided to come out of the workshop, huh?"

This was a woman with dignified and beautiful looks and a tall figure, completely deserving of the title of a beauty. She had a head of beautiful short blue hair, and her hairstyle and expression gave a clean and neat impression, exuding the aura of a strong woman.

However, the several toppled empty wine glasses scattered on the wooden table in front of her unexpectedly gave this blue-haired beauty the impression of a "female drunkard."

But no one in the entire tavern thought of taking advantage of the situation to flirt or exploit the opportunity of a drunken beauty. Instead, they all kept their distance from this wine table, forming a vacuum zone centered around Shakti.

Throughout the night, only Tsubaki dared to come up and talk, and she sat right next to the blue-haired beauty.

Because Shakti, like Tsubaki, was a first-class adventurer with Lv.5 strength, and also the captain of the top faction in the city, [Ganesha Familia].

[Ganesha Familia] was responsible for managing the city's public order, and Shakti was known for her seriousness, calmness, and emphasis on rules. If there was a "number of people sent to prison" ranking in Orario, Shakti would undoubtedly be at the top, far ahead.

However, this dignified and capable beauty would also show another side when night fell—Shakti would often come to this tavern and get drunk on strong honey wine.

Tsubaki also loved the honey wine at "Flame Bee Pavilion," but she simply enjoyed drinking, while Shakti used alcohol to drown her sorrows, sometimes due to trivial matters within the familia, often due to the city's public order issues, and more frequently because of the whims of her god.

"Clink—"

The wine glasses of the two beauties clinked together. As frequent drinking companions who often met here, they had developed a friendship.

"What's wrong, looking like someone owes you a hundred million valis? I was going to share the joy of forging a new weapon with you, but now I can't bring it up, can I?",Tsubaki said, her lips curling into a teasing expression that seemed to say, "If you're unhappy, tell me so I can be happy."

"Many merchant guilds are urging the guild and our Ganesha Familia to quickly capture [The Gale].",Shakti showed an annoyed expression,"They keep crying and wailing there every day, it's so annoying!"

"Ah, I see.",Tsubaki became slightly more serious. Although there were several layers in between, the matter of [The Gale] was not entirely unrelated to her.

The fact that [The Gale] Ryuu Lion was now at [Hostess of Fertility] was no secret, as she had never thought to hide her identity, openly appearing every day and blatantly working as a waitress in the tavern.

Completely unaware of being a first-class wanted criminal, she treated the guild and the law enforcers [Ganesha Familia] as if they were air.

However, the guild and [Ganesha Familia] had no motivation to arrest [The Gale]. In Shakti's view, Ryuu's actions in annihilating the dark faction had actually been a great help to them, but Ryuu's private trials were a bit excessive.

Her actions were on a large scale, killing many people and destroying many bases, and she didn't even bother to hide her identity properly.

She even assassinated several undercover agents of the dark faction who were publicly guild employees without any prior notice, making it difficult for the guild to openly protect her.

Therefore, out of a need to uphold the "law," the guild and [Ganesha Familia] issued a bounty for Ryuu, but they had no real intention of seriously capturing her. In fact, all information related to [The Gale] was directly thrown into the trash by Shakti, not publicly disclosed.

After all, [Astrea Familia] were comrades-in-arms of the guild and the city's major factions during the dark ages, and Ryuu was the last "orphan" of [Astrea Familia].

Those who were truly keen on capturing [The Gale] were actually many merchant guilds in Orario. These organizations had some connection, either overtly or covertly, with the dark faction, but their crimes were not severe enough to warrant death, such as helping the dark faction transport goods under coercion, and they had already been punished by the guild.

These people, along with some whose collusion with the dark faction had not yet been discovered, were the most afraid of [The Gale]. After all, the guild and [Ganesha Familia] had to follow evidence and the law. [The Gale], however, paid no heed to these; she was a pure lunatic and a killer.

Even if [The Gale] had restrained herself now, who could guarantee that she wouldn't come back to settle old scores someday?

It was also thanks to the contributions of these merchant guilds that Ryuu's bounty had reached the exaggerated figure of eighty million valis.

"Not to mention that I have no intention of capturing [The Gale], even if I wanted to, what could I do, charge into [Hostess of Fertility]? That would be no different from charging into the Babel Tower.",Shakti took a fierce gulp of wine.

"Those foolish merchants, I really want to send them all to the sky with a magic sword."

Tsubaki offered a reasonable suggestion,"I have a channel to contact The Gale, why don't you hire her to take action."

Shakti turned her head to look at Tsubaki, as if considering the feasibility of this approach.

"By the way.",Shakti's cheeks now showed a hint of red, and she spoke with a slight drunkenness,"Today I saw a young man from your familia, holding hands and walking intimately with a first-class adventurer from the Loki Familia on the street."

"Huh?",Tsubaki was stunned, her first thought was of Emiya Shirou, but how could that be, how could Shirou have any connection with a first-class adventurer from the Loki Familia.

Shakti's lips curled up,"That one, from behind, was sneakily staring at your young man with eyes... tsk tsk, so passionate it seemed like she wanted to eat him, it was a bit scary, but your red-haired kid is indeed quite cute..."

Tsubaki immediately stood up, this was a big deal, it seemed like a bad woman had set her sights on Shirou.

Her mind involuntarily conjured up images of two lustful Amazons reaching out their sinful hands towards the young man.

"However, that child and [Sword Princess], they do look well-matched, like childhood sweethearts, so nice, youth... eh, where is she?",In the time it took Shakti to lower her head and drink, Tsubaki was gone, the speed of a first-class adventurer evident.

With her drinking companion gone, Shakti could only continue to drink alone, using alcohol to drown her sorrows.

———

Emiya Shirou held "Miss Riveria's" hand as they walked along the street.

Today they had ventured deep into the 12th floor of the dungeon, spending a long time in the labyrinth, and before they knew it, it was already dark.

Orario was a veritable city that never slept, with the neon lights of the pleasure district visible even from the other side of the city. And now, as the two of them walked, even though the shops along the street were closed, the magic stone lamps along the road still provided light.

Unconsciously, Ais began to feel a bit nervous.

She felt her hand enveloped by a warm flame, the young man's fingers long and strong, and though he was holding a girl's hand, it felt as if he was holding a sword.

"Miss Riveria.",Emiya called out her name.

Ais was momentarily stunned, then realized, her pretty face slightly blushing.

[[1]Ariadne Apórrito Ádis: Ariadne Apórrito Ádis: Thus, the Thread Leads to the Terminus, is the Noble Phantasm of Theseus. It is the thread of Ariadne, which enabled him to slay the monster Minotaur (Asterios) and later escape, elevated into a Noble Phantasm. The thread is a type of Hex Mystic Code that carves out a path to glory and victory but lures the user to the most hellish outcome if they step off the path.]

[[2] Sword of Damocles: The "sword of Damocles" is an idiom that refers to a situation that is dangerously close to disaster. It comes from a Greek myth about a courtier who was given everything he wanted, but then had a sword hung over his head.]

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