"Ooooh!"
A fierce roar echoed through the cave.
Goliath attacked the small adventurer who had torn off one of his arms, furiously.
But it was to no avail.
As if he could read Shirou's mind, his enemy dodged his blows with ease.
Crimson blood continuously flowed from the wounds on his body as the little adventurer kept attacking him.
Feeling the wind pressing against his ears, Shirou looked at the fist coming at him once more; he rolled to the side and drove Kanshou and Bakuya into the giant's body, piercing its thick skin.
Shirou brandished the Katana he had just projected against Goliath; unfortunately, unlike Kanshou and Bakuya, his Katana did not have anti-monster effects, so it hardly damaged the monster.
"Shirou, you're so strong!" cried Tiona, surprised, as she watched Shirou's fight.
The people around him did not find his shouts annoying; instead they nodded in agreement.
"If his opponent weren't a giant monster like Goliath, but a Level 4 adventurer, he probably would have defeated him by now," said Anakity, a little distressed.
This was the first time in her life that she had seen a Level 2 adventurer fight a Level 4 monster, and to make matters worse, he was still holding the upper hand.
She hadn't been present when Loki Family's main force confronted Shirou. As a central member of the second team, she, along with Lefiya and the others, had followed Gareth to the other side.
Although she later heard from her companions about Shirou's feats, she did not fully understand them or completely believe them.
After all, seeing is believing.
And now she saw him, and she was deeply captivated.
Shirou effortlessly dodged Goliath's attacks, advancing as he attacked without pause, launching several weapons projected at the monster at the same time as he attacked with Kanshou and Bakuya.
This display of combat captivated her deeply. Not only her, but the other Loki Family girls looked at Shirou with admiration.
Shirou, who was completely focused on his battle, did not know that he had, unintentionally, attracted a large number of admirers.
"Finn, do you think you could defeat a Level 4 Floor Boss while you were still at Level 2?"
"Absolutely not." Finn, with a slight smile, answered Riveria's question.
Inspired by Shirou's performance, he too began to long to face a formidable opponent.
"Yes, who could imagine such a thing? Shirou is truly formidable."
Even Riveria's eyes shone at the sight of Shirou.
The other girls beside her were completely captivated.
Gripping the staff firmly with his arms, Lefiya fixed her gaze on her brother with bright eyes, watching him give his all with enthusiasm. This was the first time she had seen him go all out in a fight.
This scene would stay deeply etched in her memory.
Beside her, Ais gripped the hilt of her sword tightly.
She aspired to be as powerful as him.
--
"Ooooh!"
The giant roared, the young man wielding a pair of swords while unleashing others against the monster without stopping.
This scene was deeply etched in the Loki Family's minds.
Unaware that he was now beloved by many, Shirou continued projecting weapons, constantly watching Gloria's condition.
"Time to end this..." Shirou murmured as he lowered his center of gravity.
He then charged again at the giant and, after dodging yet another attack, cut the tendons of the giant's feet, causing him to collapse to his knees.
Soon after, Shirou retreated with quick steps, the metallic sound of the twin blades echoing as they were simply thrown to the ground. He raised his right arm, the palm open.
"Trace on..."
Energy particles condensed in front of him, as if space itself were being compressed. Blue gleaming lines, resembling magical circuits, spread across his arm as the outline of an arc formed in his hand.
In his other hand, a red flare began to take shape. A slender drill blade, yet imposing, formed, spinning slowly in a spiral; the hilt and guard vaguely recalled the nobility of Excalibur, but carrying a more aggressive and distorted feeling. The energy around it trembled, as if the very dungeon itself were trying to reject its presence.
"What is this?" Lefiya murmured, surprised, her mage instincts sensing the abnormal mana swirls around that sword.
Finn narrowed his eyes. He did not recognize the weapon, but he could feel the power emanating from it.
"I advise you to back away!" Shirou shouted to them.
Without question, the Loki Family members stepped back a few more meters, some even leaping back, feeling the air pressure rise.
The drill blade slowly retracted, deforming as the metal twisted and contorted until it transformed into an arrow.
"I am the bone of my sword…"
Shirou sang as he drew the bowstring, his voice resonating in a second tone, as if another voice spoke alongside Shirou.
The projected bow now looked like an artifact straight from a legend, trembling under the power of the arrow. The air around it rippled, distorting the light. The deep rumble of magical compression echoed, as if reality itself were being twisted along with the weapon.
"Time to make my title count…"
Shirou pulled the bowstring even further; the arrow and the bow seemed to devour space itself as the tension rose. Cracks of energy appeared on the ground beneath his feet, the wind swirling around him like a small hurricane.
"Caladbolg!!" His final word was like thunder as he released the bowstring.
The arrow did not fly in a straight line; it surged forward like a blast of pure distortion, spinning at an absurd speed. A trail of red light and fragments of distorted space formed behind it, as if tearing apart the very fabric of reality. The pressure of the shot caused the cavern walls to tremble violently.
Goliath instinctively raised his only remaining arm to shield himself, but it was to no avail.
The impact was like an explosion followed by an implosion. The arrow pierced the raised arm, twisting and tearing flesh and bone with the force of a compressed tornado, passing through the shoulder and into the torso. The impact point warped the flesh and the surrounding air like glass under extreme heat, and a blue flash enveloped the giant's entire body.
Then came the second effect.
The accumulated energy released in a single expansive strike. A spherical shockwave swept through the entire cavern, raising dust and stones, causing the Loki adventurers to retreat even further.
What remained of Goliath's body was thrown backward as if struck by a cannon.
When the light faded, there was a huge hole in the wall behind him, rocks melted at the edges, and the body of the Floor Master lay on the ground, almost completely torn apart and distorted by the power of Caladbolg.
Shirou lowered the bow, which shattered into glowing particles, his chest rising and falling with the recoil of the shot.
The massive body of Goliath began to crumble into ashes, while a huge magical stone fell before Shirou.
But he paid no attention to it.
He turned to his companions, still stunned after witnessing the absurd power of Shirou's last attack, and shouted: "Guys, I did it!"
(End of Chapter)
A/N: There was something I noticed while rewriting many chapters (including these two) of this fic: the Chinese author who wrote it originally was either a Danmachi fangirl or simply had no idea how the power levels in the Nasuverse work.
In many moments, he treats Danmachi's magics as if they were as strong or even stronger than A-rank Noble Phantasms or higher.
Shirou's own Caladbolg II is treated as something completely ordinary.
In some chapters he fires several Caladbolgs in succession at ordinary monsters as if it were the most normal thing in the world, and worse, the adventurers watching his battles also treated it as something completely normal.
At a certain moment in this fight against Goliath, Shirou fires a Caladbolg at Goliath, yet the monster resists as if it were nothing...
A damned strike from a Broken Phantasm of A-rank that can distort space was resisted as if it were a common arrow.
Now tell me, who do you think is stronger, Danmachi's Goliath or Berserker?
"Hmph. If you really want to be useful, then entertain me, try to throw those pathetic power stones at me. Let's see if even your insolence can amuse a king."