"Eh? Wait, wait, wait… senpai, you're talking way too fast. Can you go back a bit and explain the middle part more clearly? I've still got a few questions!"
Xia Mi scribbled madly in her notebook, recording every bit of the "lore" Shirou was spouting. She was beginning to feel like maybe designing Heroic Spirits based on his stories wasn't such a bad plan after all.
After all, Shirou's sudden breakthroughs and out-of-the-box ideas—even in the convoluted field of alchemy—sometimes outshined even Norton.
There had to be a reason for that. A genius's 1% inspiration could often outweigh the other 99% sweat, and Shirou clearly had that crucial 1%.
Maybe, Xia Mi thought, if she learned hard enough, someday she'd have her own breakthrough. Maybe she'd master the Seven Great Alchemical Kingdoms, integrate them all, and rise to a whole new level!
Study? Easy. All she had to do was cast aside her pride as a Dragon King and seriously learn from humans! If she improved just 1% a day, by year's end she'd be 37.8 times stronger!
"I'll study until no sky can block my gaze, no ground can bury my heart, until all beings recognize my strength—and those who once looked down on me will vanish like smoke!"
As Xia Mi fed herself motivational chicken soup in her mind, Shirou paused and realized he'd been rambling a bit too quickly.
"Give me a second, I don't remember everything clearly… but from what I recall, the middle part went something like this—"
"At the beginning, the Stellar Vanguard Titan, Attila, created a clone of herself on Earth—a white giant named Sephalu. In its initial state, Sephalu was only 16 meters tall."
"But as it invaded, it destroyed and absorbed Earth's native civilizations, growing with each step. Each evolution increased its size, endurance, and strength tenfold—160 meters, 1600 meters… and so on."
"It grew using a skill called 'Mana Absorption.' It could unconditionally absorb mana refined through technique, meaning it fed on all forms of knowledge, technology, and culture. Anything a sentient being could imagine as an attack—it could consume and grow stronger from."
"In one battle, Sephalu even stole a rainbow-colored divine sword from the strongest war god of the local civilization. That's why, later on, when the human version—Attila the Hun—was discovered, she held the same sword. That's where the nickname 'Scourge of God' came from…"
"Oooohhhh!" Xia Mi's pen was flying, eyes shining ever brighter. Sure, the story sounded outrageous—but that just made it better.
She began to fantasize… What if she was this giant Titan? She'd rampage across the world, ascend the World Tree, dethrone the Black King…
Shirou, naturally, would be her loyal right-hand man—awarded the title of Supreme Guard and Prime Minister of Asgard. As for Norton? She'd graciously forgive his past sarcasm and grant him a comfy seat in Vanaheim—so long as he and his brother forged weapons for her for eternity.
But just as she was basking in this fantasy, Shirou's voice shattered the daydream like a gong.
"But… even with those overpowered abilities, even with a body strong enough to resist stellar heat, Sephalu still lost. It was pierced by the sacred sword forged by the planet itself—and was defeated."
"WHY!?"
Xia Mi jumped up, voice high-pitched and full of disbelief.
She really had started seeing herself as the giant. Why did her unbeatable self suddenly get beaten!?
Shirou was baffled. Why was she taking the white giant's side? A normal person should be glad Sephalu was stopped!
"The reason's simple: Sephalu wasn't invincible. Its 'Mana Absorption' only worked on magical energy refined through culture and technique."
"But pure vitality? The giant couldn't absorb it. The sacred sword forged by the planet used raw life force as its power source. So as long as the wielder had enough strength, they could break the giant through brute force."
Xia Mi frowned, scribbling in her notebook. "So… life force... brute strength..."
Wait—wasn't the strongest life form on this planet still… the Black King?
And wasn't the whole point of her giant disguise to beat him?
Now Shirou was telling her that the sacred sword—which could defeat the white giant—was powered by the exact thing she wanted to surpass?
Her thoughts spiraled. Doubt gnawed at her determination.
No! I, Jormungandr, will not lose!
If one giant wasn't enough, she'd gather more Heroic Spirits. If she stacked enough firepower, hope would build with every layer!
She couldn't stop now.
"Senpai! Please! I need more help—this isn't enough!"
——
"Jormungandr, do you think you're being funny? You expect us to fulfill those requirements with our current capabilities?"
In the great cavern beneath Tokyo's mountains, Norton's voice was clearly annoyed.
Xia Mi had contacted him again… to propose building a "giant."
On the mercury-like communication screen, Norton's image moved rapidly among coffins of Heroic Spirits stored inside the Odin-Nibelungen chamber. Shadows bustled around him—likely the alchemical corpses and Dead Servants under his command.
He was buried in work. The last thing he needed was to entertain Xia Mi's childish fantasies about giant robots.
Especially that absurd "Mana Absorption" skill. If they could really make something like that now, Norton figured they could just forge the Seven End-Bringers and storm the Black King's lair themselves. Who needs a Holy Grail War?
The shimmering mercury screen began to dissolve—Norton was hanging up.
"Wait, wait! Norton! Let's negotiate!"
"What now?"
"We go in installments. What if we start with just the 'Heroic Spirit Attila' avatar?"
Norton paused. He had seen the design for the Heroic Spirit version. Unlike the full Titan Attila, this version was far more manageable. Still weird, though.
The sword she wielded—crafted from red, yellow, and blue metals—could stretch and bend like a whip, designed to level terrain like a divine scourge.
…Wait. Scourge? Destruction?
Norton thought about it. That kind of devastating force sounded a lot like Jormungandr's martial art—breaking physical stress points with bare hands.
Okay. Maybe it wasn't completely stupid.
"Fine. I'll approve the Heroic Spirit Attila draft."
Xia Mi exhaled with relief.
But Norton wasn't done.
"There are a few changes I'm making."
Overall, the design wasn't bad. She'd built a high-stat Saber-class brute—no complicated tricks like a Caster might need. Perfect for Xia Mi's straightforward playstyle.
But the skill "Stellar Emblem"? That was just the Titan skill repackaged. It allowed her to grow by consuming destroyed life, buildings, and concepts.
So Norton edited it—dropping one word to make it "Star Emblem."
New effect: enhance specific body parts by channeling mana into alchemical circuits.
He also removed the "Tearful Star" prefix from the Noble Phantasm, leaving just "War God's Sword."
The original idea was a satellite laser strike that rained light from orbit. Norton scoffed. Who had time to build her a space cannon?
Instead, the downgraded Noble Phantasm became a "charge attack." She'd just run in swinging the sword herself.
After several savage nerfs from Master Norton, the freshly edited "Heroic Spirit Attila" profile popped back up.
Xia Mi's expression soured. This was her precious super alter-ego… and Norton had chopped it into this mess!?
"What are you glaring at? That's all I'm giving you. Take it or leave it."
"…" Xia Mi clenched her fists, resisting the urge to punch his smug face—only because they were miles apart.
Just wait, old man. One day I'll rip through this fake, thick barrier between us and smash that smug face of yours!
(End of Chapter)
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