Truth be told, Xia Mi had long suspected that something was off with Norton and Shirou.
If it had just been Norton alone making astonishing breakthroughs in alchemy, Xia Mi could have reluctantly accepted it—after all, after all these years, the original generation of dragons knew each other's strengths and limits. They all had a clear sense of each other's capabilities.
But with Shirou suddenly appearing at Norton's side, the two of them forming a pair of absurdly talented alchemical geniuses—it became too suspicious.
First, you're a Dragon King, Norton. Why are you playing best buds with a human hybrid? Spending so much time and energy just to stay close to him? That's already weird, right?
Second, they actually get along. Not only that, but both happen to be monstrous talents in alchemy. Geniuses like that do exist—but none with the right background. He's not the Black King, nor the White King, and he doesn't look like any known "Child of God." And Odin? He's already an enemy. That rules him out.
Finally, Xia Mi had recently noticed Norton getting increasingly annoyed with her, while the frequency of him saying "my little brother" was on the rise.
That could only mean one thing—he was secretly planning to kick her out and put that brat Constantine in her place!
But no matter how much she watched, she saw no sign of Norton actually contacting Constantine. Unless… they'd already been conspiring together for a long time. And when combined with how well Shirou and Norton got along...
Then there's only one explanation left—Shirou Emiya is Constantine!
He's your real younger brother, just not yet "awakened." That's why Norton, as the doting older brother, created a down-to-earth, warm-hearted, approachable human persona for himself—to protect his brother as he walked among mortals…
Oh, come on!
Norton almost swore out loud. Seriously, if Xia Mi had picked literally any other topic to mess around with, he would've let it slide.
But now she was dragging Constantine into it, spewing nonsense—and that hit a nerve.
"Jormungandr! If you keep spouting nonsense like this, I swear I'll find a way around the blood pact and kick you out publicly!"
"Eh! I'm not just making this up, okay? This is a well-reasoned deduction!" Xia Mi replied smugly. "You don't know this yet, but that person told me to pass along a message—and included an update on the battle between Shirou and Leviathan!"
"Without your twisted thinking ability as a cheat code, Shirou learned how to fuse spiritual reforging with conceptual armament during combat—he practically created half a Noble Phantasm on the spot!"
"Norton, what Shirou pulled off this time is straight up unprecedented. You didn't even come up with the idea of a Noble Phantasm first, did you?"
"How about it? A talent like that in alchemy deserves to be called a once-in-a-generation prodigy! With all this going on, you're still going to say he's not your real brother?"
"He's not!" Norton responded, veins popping on his forehead.
He was Constantine's real brother—he could damn well tell the difference between his actual sibling and a fake one. Jormungandr was clearly just stirring the pot at this point.
Thus began a pointless shouting match between two Dragon Kings over a single human, until they finally started discussing the battle between Shirou and Leviathan—and quieted down.
"What? Leviathan got beaten until he was bleeding and couldn't even tell where he was anymore?"
Norton was shocked. Honestly, if he hadn't spent so much time around Shirou, he might've started suspecting that Shirou was secretly some unknown Dragon King in disguise.
Come to think of it, wasn't Constantine's egg still stored in that brass jar next to Samson? He hadn't gotten around to checking on it yet... Maybe he should ask one of the retainers to confirm—was the egg even still there?
"Right? Isn't this whole thing nuts? I mean, sure, our Number 1 Servant Melusine is impressive, but Shirou just keeps getting stronger the more powerful the enemy is—it's like he's some unknowable monster…"
Xia Mi theatrically clutched her chest (which was fairly flat), pretending to be shocked. "If he runs into the Black King or White King next, is he just gonna power up like crazy again?"
By the World Tree… this wasn't just an alchemical genius—this was a savior from the heavens!
"It's possible. If he kills Leviathan," Norton said, surprisingly seriously.
"Huh?"
Xia Mi was about to refute him—but then paused, realizing something.
Norton continued, "Yes. If he kills Leviathan and uses that guy's Dragonbone Cross properly…"
——
Dragon-slaying has been a recurring theme in countless heroic epics throughout history.
A wicked dragon causes chaos, a hero rises like fate incarnate, and the classic conclusion is the hero's triumphant return—often with treasure, lovers, miraculous boons, or fame and glory in tow.
The most iconic example is The Song of the Nibelungen, where Siegfried slays Fafnir and bathes in his blood—granting himself near immortality and beginning a legendary journey.
Shirou had also just been splattered with dragon blood.
The massive dragon that once stood alongside Odin and fought against them now lay slain—its corpse a blackened, formless mass. Much of the char was from the intense burning that seared its muscles; beneath that blackened crust, glimmers of still-intact, reflective dragonbone could be seen.
Shirou and Melusine were close enough to smell the pungent chemicals wafting from the dissipating blood—a sensory echo of the dragon's dying agony and fury.
But that wasn't what worried Shirou most.
"Melusine!"
He pointed at the black scale armor peeling off his body—signaling for help.
His armor was flaking away rapidly, returning to mana and vanishing. At this rate, his body would be completely exposed to the deep-sea environment.
And right now, his magic circuits were completely burnt out. His entire body was in agony. He felt a terrible weakness and fatigue—even worse than when he fought Odin.
If he didn't keep reminding himself he was underwater, Shirou honestly would've just collapsed and fallen asleep right then and there.
"So this is what victory feels like... not bad! And you really are incredible, Shirou. This hunt's MVP has to be you... managing to slay a dragon before I, a dragon myself, could do it."
Melusine spoke softly underwater, waving her long tail and gently wrapping it around Shirou, pulling him in.
But instead of giving him a new set of scales immediately, she grabbed his hand and stared at his body, eyes gleaming.
"?" Shirou's eyes widened. Why are you just staring, Melusine!? Help me!
"So... I guess I'll reluctantly let you have the spoils this time!" she said, tapping his head lightly and humming a melodious, enchanting tune—like a fairy's lullaby laced with hypnosis.
Shirou drifted into sleep.
Melusine then turned her attention to Leviathan's massive corpse.
As the King of Ocean and Water, Leviathan's Dragon King-level power would not simply vanish after death. Instead, it would be preserved in his remains—what dragon slayers referred to as a "Dragonbone Cross."
Of course, human slayers had barely scratched the surface of what this meant. They had no idea how to extract the power hidden within.
But Melusine, a direct lineage of the Black King and a "Grand"-ranked dragon, knew exactly how to absorb power and authority from slain kin.
Still, as if it had been agreed upon, she left the opportunity to Shirou.
On second thought, maybe it was because she was now a peculiar sort of "Servant"—her existence fixed in a special form. As a spiritual entity, she likely couldn't absorb flesh and blood power anymore.
Letting Shirou receive the "dragon blood baptism" was the only viable option.
And as for leaving these spoils for anyone outside of her and Shirou? Melusine didn't even consider it.
After a battle, only the victors had the right to enjoy the fruits of war.
——
"Gate!"
The surroundings looked like something out of an abstract nightmare—cracked ground warped in chaotic formations, uneven terrain, gaping black fissures occasionally vomiting up waves of seawater, coughing out doomed fish as collateral damage.
Nono, leading the group, shouted urgently.
"What gate?"
"The exit gate! I can feel it—just a little further ahead and we'll reach the way out!" Everyone looked like beggars after the beating they'd taken. With Nibelungen's terrain completely warped, even walking forward was like crossing mountains and rivers.
"Two people stay here and don't move. The rest of you, come with me—we're going back for Shirou and the others!"
Nono clenched her fists and issued swift orders. After forming a master-servant contract with Melusine, a barely perceptible mana link had been created between them.
And she could still sense it—if they followed that link, they'd find Shirou and Melusine.
But before they took more than a few steps, they spotted a black speck in the sky—rapidly growing into a speeding figure descending with wide dragon wings.
Nono's face lit up with a relieved smile. "Never mind, they're back!"
Melusine landed, spreading her black wings wide. Her limbs had partially transformed, appearing more draconic and sleek. She carried Shirou—fresh from his dragon blood baptism—and the Dragon-Slaying Platform's sword box on her back. Her landing defied inertia, smooth and direct.
"The enemy general has been defeated!" she said proudly, locking eyes with her Master and beaming with victorious delight.
"Whoa... Looks like you guys really pulled it off. How's Shirou? Is he hurt?"
As Nono spoke, her eyes landed on the nearly naked Shirou slumped across Melusine's back—and then on the faint, smug smile curling on Melusine's lips.
Nono's smile disappeared.
(End of Chapter)
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