DanMachi: Heroic Epic of Emiya the Great Hero

"Freeze, chains of winter!"

Alicia activated a short incantation magic, sending icicles shooting towards the giant maw of the black Goliath, once again interrupting its [Roar].

The power of short incantations is often inferior to that of long incantation magic, but they excel in flexibility and casting speed.

"Shirou, project the magic sword with all your might.", Alicia commanded while attacking, "Ryuu, I'll hold here, you go to Shirou's side!"

The magic swords shot by Emiya with his bow couldn't penetrate the tough hide of the black Goliath. They needed the two of them, both Lv.4, to personally deliver the magic swords into the black Goliath's body.

"Projection, begin (Trace on)!"

Emiya pressed his head with one hand and projected a deep red flame magic sword with the other. His face twisted in severe pain from a splitting headache.

The mental strain was too great. Even though he drank high-grade elixirs like water, Emiya still felt as if countless needles were shaking in his head.

"Hold on, I must help Ryuu and Alicia..."

[Skill [Oath under the Snow] activated]

[When acting to protect others, attack power and durability increase, magic and skill effects enhance.]

"Projection, begin (Trace on)!"

Throwing the projected magic sword on the ground, Emiya struggled to take out the last bottle of high-grade healing potion from his satchel.

Ryuu rushed to the boy, grabbing the magic sword, but Emiya caught her hand and poured the healing potion on her injured left hand.

"—Shirou."

"First... heal..."

Seeing the elf girl's originally fair skin now mangled and bloody, Emiya couldn't help but feel a tightness in his chest, and his headache grew even more intense.

"It's okay, for adventurers, such injuries are nothing. Thanks to Shirou's projection, we've found the path to victory—"

"ROAR!!!"

A roar far more ferocious than before interrupted Ryuu's words. The astonishing sound echoed throughout the vast room, and even Haruhime had to cover her ears to avoid being directly stunned.

The terrifying sound waves forced Alicia to retreat a few steps, fearing her eardrums would be pierced.

This roar from the black Goliath wasn't merely an emotional outburst or the use of the long-range attack magic cannon [Roar].

As the roar continued, the black Goliath's originally tight and sturdy metallic skin began to dull and wither, as if aging decades in seconds. Meanwhile, the muscles and skin on its right leg rapidly regenerated.

"By consuming overall vitality to heal injuries, how can it have such an ability.", Alicia felt a hint of despair rising in her heart.

Inflicting a severe wound on the giant's right leg, crippling its mobility, was a significant achievement for her and Ryuu.

Once it lost its ability to move, the Goliath's massive size would turn from an advantage to a disadvantage, becoming a living target. Even if Alicia and Ryuu's attack power was lacking, they could slowly wear it down.

But now, with the black Goliath's sudden self-healing ability, Alicia's original plan was completely thwarted.

From a video game perspective, the Goliath's total vitality (HP) hadn't increased; in fact, it had additional losses due to forcibly healing its severely injured thigh.

But real combat isn't a game, "Crippling a leg" and "overall vitality decrease" are entirely different concepts.

Even though the black Goliath's overall abilities, especially defense, must have decreased due to the overall vitality loss, it was nothing compared to the strategic value of a leg.

What made Alicia even more despairing was the subsequent sounds.

"Moo!!!"

"Roar!!!"

"Howl!!!"

Through the passage into the giant room came the cries of various monsters.

The room they were in only produced Goliaths and couldn't spawn other monsters, which was certain and the reason adventurers had to confront the Goliath here.

However, monsters could move, and they were responding to the black Goliath's call.

After [Roar] and [Self-Healing], the black Goliath once again displayed a special ability ordinary Goliaths didn't have, the most disastrous one for adventurers—

[Monster Summon]

Lv.5 potential ability, plus the special abilities [Roar], [Self-Healing], and [Monster Summon].

Without a doubt, this black Goliath was a labyrinth king with a conquest difficulty of Lv.6.

The potential ability and conquest difficulty of monsters are two different evaluation dimensions.

For example, the Lv.5 potential ability of two-headed dragon's water combat ability is still Lv.5, but adventurers' abilities are greatly limited in water combat, so its conquest difficulty is rated Lv.6.

Similarly, the 49th-floor boss, the one-eyed demon king Balor, has a potential ability of Lv.7, but its battlefield has many Lv.4 savage monsters, the Fomoirans. When conquering Balor, one must face these monsters' assault, making its conquest difficulty Lv.8.

The black Goliath's own potential ability is Lv.5, but with [Monster Summon] activated, its conquest difficulty rises to Lv.6.

"RYUU, GUARD THE ENTRANCE, DON'T LET OTHER MONSTERS IN!", Alicia roared.

Her originally beautiful and neat orange-gold hair was completely disheveled; Alicia could no longer maintain her usual composure.

Ryuu gritted her teeth, looking towards the room's entrance where the monster roars grew louder, then turned to glance at Alicia.

If the monsters broke in, not only would Emiya and the others surely die, but Alicia and Ryuu also couldn't fight the black Goliath under the monsters' assault.

Once surrounded by a monster group, their demise was certain.

But could Alicia alone really hold off the black Goliath? Even if she could maneuver around it, so what? Alicia's short incantation magic was too weak; she had no means to kill the giant. Was she supposed to compete with the Goliath in endurance?

"RYUU, GUARD THE ENTRANCE. Lefiya, move, get moving!", Alicia attacked the giant while hysterically shouting:

"[High·Sword of Victory] Use this magic!!!"

[High·Sword of Victory]—this is one of the powerful magics mastered by the vice-captain of the Loki Familia, the [Nine Hell] Riveria. Alicia clearly remembered that this magic had been engraved in Lefiya's [Fairy Ring].

In terms of single-strike power, this magic undoubtedly ranks at the pinnacle of the city's attack magics.

As long as Lefiya could complete the incantation of [High·Sword of Victory] and accurately hit the black Goliath's upper body, with its power, even an Lv.5 upper-tier, strength and endurance-specialized Goliath would lose most of its life.

Yes, this was the only path to survival. Lv.2 Lefiya's pure magical firepower surpassed Alicia's Lv.4, even surpassing Ryuu's.

Ryuu would block the other monsters, Alicia and Emiya would contain the black Goliath, and Lefiya would chant the magic for the kill.

As the commander, Alicia found the path to victory in an instant, but the problem was—

"I... I...", Lefiya's heartbeat was so fast Emiya could hear it. Her hands holding the staff trembled uncontrollably. Forget chanting magic, she couldn't even speak clearly now.

An ordinary Goliath was already her psychological shadow, let alone such a terrifying black Goliath.

On the other side, Haruhime was also trembling all over, holding the unconscious Aisha, "What, what should I do..."

She seemed like she should activate magic, but everyone in the Ishtar Familia told her never to reveal that magic in front of outsiders.

"Lord Emiya, what should I do—", Haruhime looked at Emiya, hoping the figure could give her courage.

And at this very moment, while Haruhime and Lefiya were still trembling and hesitating, Emiya acted.

"I don't know if this will work, but I have to gamble.", He whispered, suddenly stepping forward, his left hand grabbing Ryuu's shoulder, his right hand wrapping around her head from behind.

He pulled Ryuu into his embrace, fiercely kissing the elf girl's lips.

Ryuu's brain short-circuited from the sudden event, her body completely stiffening, feeling the hot and bloody-sweet taste spreading in her mouth.

To stay conscious, Emiya had already bitten his tongue, their first kiss flavored with blood.

"Ryuu, go help Alicia; I'll block the monsters here. I'll protect you all."

[Skill [Oath under the Snow] effect activated]

[When having an intimate bond with the protected, all abilities super-domain increase, ability value growth accelerates, ability value increase, magic and skill effects increase.]

[Skill effect increases with the number and strength of bonds

The moment Emiya suddenly kissed Ryuu, the world seemed to fall silent.

Lefiya was dumbfounded, Haruhime covered her eyes with her hands, but her fingers were spread wide, just turning back to urge Ryuu to act quickly, Alicia was also stunned.

Even the black Goliath seemed to pause for a moment.

What shocked them even more was the change happening to Emiya.

Vast and intense aura surged from his body, a powerful sense of strength bursting from within, his deep red hair floating in the air as if wind rose from his body.

Alicia was the first to react,"...Ryuu, switch!"

"Huh?"

Ryuu was still in a daze, but Alicia had already rushed over. Seeing no one blocking the black Goliath, it immediately tried to release [Roar], but Ryuu hurriedly threw the magic sword to interrupt.

"Alicia, what are you doing—", Ryuu roared as she charged towards the black Goliath.

"Though not entirely clear about your skill or magic, but this should work, right?"

Alicia embraced Emiya, closed her eyes, and kissed him.

"ALICIA!"

The background noise was Ryuu's roar and the sound of her tachi slashing through the air at the black Goliath, her recently dyed green hair wildly dancing in the air.

[Skill [Oath under the Snow] effect activated]

[When having an intimate bond with the protected, all abilities super-domain increase, ability value growth accelerates, ability value increase, magic and skill effects increase.]

[Skill effect increases with the number and strength of bonds.]

"Our rear is entrusted to you, Shirou.", Alicia turned her head, not letting the boy see her expression.

"Yes, I will protect you all. This is my [Oath]."

Alicia turned and charged towards the black Goliath, while Emiya rushed in the opposite direction—towards the entrance of the giant room.

"Identify the concept of creation

Assume the basic skeleton

Duplicate the composition material

Imitate the production technique

Sympathize with the experience of growth

Reproduce the accumulated years

Surpass, complete many processes───

At this moment, complete the sword that gathers illusions────"

"[Hrunting]!"

Emiya's left hand grasped a deep black sword.

Though from the perspective of a projection, it was still a fake, but this time, what he projected was no longer an empty shell.

"[NINE LIVES]!", With the boy's low roar, magic power poured into the heavy bow in his right hand, giving this fading bow a new strength.

Magic power and will formed the Noble Phantasm's content, the giant bow gradually transforming into a terrifying giant axe.

[Nine Lives], axe form!

Various handheld weapons, or martial arts executed barehanded, in a sense, can all be turned into Noble Phantasms by the technique [Nine Lives]. Maximizing the weapon's power, displaying forms from anti-personnel to anti-army, even capable of siege warfare, according to the situation.

At this moment, Emiya needed more straightforward and brutal power than a bow.

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

「Temporarily gain skill [Hunter] H.」

「Temporarily gain skill [Berserk] I.」

「Temporarily gain skill [Bravery].」

「Temporarily gain skill [Indomitable].」

The first to rush into the entrance was a black-furred wolf-like creature, a mid-level monster known as the hellhound.

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