Chapter 58: Projection, Pseudo-Spiral Sword!
"No, don't… aaaaahhhh!!!"
The screams of the Apollo Familia adventurers came from behind.
Their shrill, tragic cries seemed to echo throughout the entire floor.
Though such a miserable sound made Lefiya instinctively feel a little sympathy, the moment she recalled how arrogant and cold the Apollo Familia had been before, her sympathy vanished.
In fact, she even hoped those despicable adventurers would suffer more before they died.
"You knew about the Apollo Familia's problem from the beginning?"
As they fled, Lefiya couldn't help but ask Shirou.
"Not from the very beginning. After all, they didn't show any obvious flaws during the journey," Shirou shook his head. "What tipped me off was their behavior in Rivira Town. When a Level 4 adventurer died under suspicious circumstances, most people would be too afraid to continue the expedition. But they insisted on going forward.
That kind of recklessness didn't match their cowardly and bully-the-weak personality."
"Then you planned this trap with the Freya Familia adventurers?"
"Because the Freya Familia had already been given a similar mission from the start," Shirou explained calmly.
After forming an alliance with the Freya Familia adventurers, Shirou learned from them that they had received two missions from the Goddess of Beauty, Freya.
The first mission was to ensure the safety of Shirou Emiya. No matter what happened, he could not be harmed during this expedition.
The second mission was to find the traitor within the team.
If necessary, they were to use a special poison prepared in advance by Freya to disable the traitor and, if possible, capture them alive and bring them back.
After coordinating with the Freya Familia, Shirou essentially confirmed that the traitors were the members of the Apollo Familia.
After all, the other three familias were all clearly aligned with the side of order and would never do anything to endanger Orario's safety.
Only the Apollo Familia had a vague, uncertain allegiance and could be behind something dangerous.
"In any case, there's no way we can capture those guys alive now. We have to get off this floor as fast as possible," Shirou said.
Lefiya silently nodded.
Though she felt disappointed in herself for failing to see that there was a traitor in the group despite being the leader, she knew this wasn't the time for self-blame.
Right now, she had to prioritize keeping herself and her companions safe.
Everyone sprinted down the passageways, exhausting nearly all their stored stamina.
Compared to the others, Lefiya looked especially pale.
Her prior exhaustion still hadn't recovered; both her stamina and magic power were nearly depleted, and it looked like she could collapse at any moment.
The other adventurers noticed Lefiya's struggle but couldn't afford to help.
Because behind them, a massive plant monster was in hot pursuit. Its roots slithered and writhed, threatening to consume everything on the floor. It was swallowing up all it could reach.
As Shirou and the others ran at full speed, some of the plant's tendrils had already reached the floor's main corridor, almost sealing off the path to the upper levels.
"Damn it, we need to go faster!"
One of the Freya Familia adventurers warned.
The Ganesha Familia adventurers were struggling but barely keeping up. Shirou, of course, followed at a steady pace right behind them.
But Lefiya's hidden danger was finally starting to show.
— "Ah! AAHH!!"
Seemingly at her limit, Lefiya failed to watch her step and nearly fell to the ground.
At that exact moment, the giant plant's tendrils were almost upon her.
As if some predator instinct had been triggered, one vine shot out at terrifying speed to engulf her.
The other adventurers couldn't help. They could only watch helplessly as Lefiya was about to be devoured.
"Boom!"
A thunderous crash echoed out. Lefiya had closed her eyes in fear.
But unexpectedly, she didn't feel the crushing impact of the plant. In fact, she was completely unharmed—and was instead caught in a strong and reliable embrace.
"You—how did you...?"
Lefiya's eyes widened in surprise.
She hadn't expected Shirou to appear in front of her. At the last moment, he had rushed to her side and pulled her away from the monster's grasp.
"It's nothing. I just run fast, that's all."
Shirou didn't explain further. Grabbing Lefiya's hand, he started running again.
But Lefiya no longer had the strength to run. Even with Shirou pulling her, she couldn't move.
With no other choice, Shirou scooped her up in a princess carry.
"Hold on tight."
Ignoring her flustered and reddened face, Shirou dashed forward at full speed, even overtaking the Freya Familia adventurers.
Not only was Lefiya stunned, but even the surrounding adventurers looked on in disbelief.
They wore expressions that clearly said: "Is this guy really just a Level 1?" But now wasn't the time to ask questions—they had to run like hell.
Eventually, after sprinting at full speed, the group reached the staircase entrance leading to the 19th floor.
But to their despair, the massive plant roots had completely blocked the passage. There wasn't a single gap to slip through.
"Damn it!"
The Freya Familia adventurer swung his weapon, but only managed to cut the surface of the vines. He couldn't pierce their thick roots.
Even a Level 2 couldn't break through—no one else had a chance.
They were trapped.
Seeing this, Shirou frowned.
Though he had the power to break through, he didn't want to expose too many of his abilities—especially now that Freya had taken an interest in him.
Still, if it was their only hope, he might have no choice but to reveal some of his strength.
"Let me try."
Just as Shirou hesitated, Lefiya stood up.
Realizing that as a Level 3, she was their only hope, she forced herself to her feet and raised her staff despite her exhaustion.
Though she was near her limit, the brief rest in Shirou's arms had recovered a bit of her energy. Given that their enemy was plant-type, she prepared to unleash a fire spell—a Level 3 incantation—to end it in one strike.
Seeing her resolve, the Freya Familia adventurers nodded.
"We'll buy you time."
They, along with the Ganesha Familia adventurers, turned to hold off the encroaching vines behind them and give Lefiya room.
As a supporter, no one expected Shirou to help. He stayed at Lefiya's side.
Faced with certain death, Lefiya didn't hesitate. She took a deep breath and raised her staff high.
"Kindle the blaze, light of the forest! Fire your arrow, elven flame!"
She poured all her remaining mana into her staff and focused entirely, aiming at the center of the vines.
"As rain pours, fire scorches the wilds!"
"—Volley of Flame Javelins!!"
At the moment she finished chanting—
A searing blaze burst forth, turning into countless firebolts that pierced the gloom.
"Boom boom boom!"
Fireballs pelted the roots, burning away the vines that blocked the stairs one by one until an exit began to appear.
Fire magic was clearly this plant's weakness—it dealt significant damage.
If it kept going like this, Lefiya's magic would break open the path and save them all.
However, her low mana reserves were still a fatal problem.
Her full-power Level 3 spell lasted about ten seconds before becoming unstable. Her magic output faltered.
Even if she pushed herself, she could only sustain it for a few more seconds—not enough to fully clear the path.
"Is it no use...?"
Seeing her struggle, Shirou knew he couldn't hold back anymore.
He glanced at the distant adventurers who were too busy fighting to notice and sighed. Then he turned to Lefiya.
"Can we make a deal?" Shirou said, "Whatever happens next, don't tell anyone else."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
Lefiya, focused on casting, didn't understand.
But Shirou didn't wait for an answer.
He had one goal—to help her open the path using his own power.
"W-What…"
Sensing something strange, Lefiya turned to look.
She saw Shirou holding a completely black longbow in his hands. Even without arrows, he slowly drew the string.
"Projection, begin—"
"Pseudo-Caladbolg!"
As he spoke, his right hand flared with blue light. Threads of glowing blue traced lines through the air, forming a dazzling shape.
A faint illusion emerged.
Where nothing had existed before, a bizarre, drill-like short sword materialized in his hand—twisting like a spiral.
"What is that?!"
Lefiya couldn't comprehend what she was seeing.
More than that, she felt something terrifying from the sword—a pressure that made her pupils contract.
Shirou clearly had no intention of explaining. He simply finished preparing the projected arrow and fired it in one go.
"Boom!"
Like a blast ripping open space.
The Spiral Sword shot from Shirou's hand, transformed into a blinding red light, and pierced the center of the vines.
And then—
"BOOM!!!!"
A massive explosion shook the entire floor.
The deafening blast could shatter eardrums.
In the end, the vines blocking the staircase were completely obliterated—only remnants and fibers remained.
"What… what was that just now?" Lefiya couldn't believe what she saw. "Such a short chant—and that power—it was practically a Level 5-level grand magic…"
Shirou didn't offer any explanation.
He just quietly patted her on the head and helped her up.
After hearing the explosion, the Freya and Ganesha Familia adventurers rushed over.
Seeing the wreckage, they assumed Lefiya was responsible and looked on with admiration.
After all, such power rivaled a Level 5 spell.
For a Level 3 adventurer, it was an incredible feat.
Lefiya wanted to explain the truth, but remembering Shirou's request, she could only remain silent and let the misunderstanding continue.
With the path cleared, the group safely escaped to the 19th floor.
Since they had already cleared the route earlier, they encountered little resistance and made it back to the safe zone on the 18th floor.
From there, the Freya and Ganesha Familia adventurers contacted support on the surface to deal with the 20th floor crisis.
Once they were alone, Lefiya finally confronted Shirou:
"You had that much power—why didn't you use it from the start? And why can't I tell anyone what happened?"
"Because I don't want too many people paying attention to me," Shirou said, waving a hand. "The Hestia Familia isn't powerful like the Loki Familia. If others find out, we'll have endless trouble."
"…That… makes sense."
Lefiya thought about it and nodded.
Then she asked, "But why not join a powerful familia? Like our Loki Familia? Then you wouldn't have these problems."
"If you choose a familia based on strength, why didn't you join the Freya Familia?" Shirou shot back. "They're stronger than Loki's, aren't they?"
"…."
Hearing that, Lefiya understood.
No matter how strong or weak, her familia was her home—just like Shirou felt about his.
Seeing that Lefiya now understood, Shirou stopped hiding things.
"I'm going back to the 20th floor to investigate that monster. Help cover for me while I'm gone."
"Eh? Why should I?"
"If you didn't want to help, you would've told the others about me already."
"Ugh…"
Lefiya was speechless.
She hated how easily Shirou could read her thoughts. Stomping her foot, she shouted:
"You're so annoying! Annoying, annoying, annoying, annoying!!"
"Not that annoying, right?"
Shirou chuckled and shook his head.
He had some trust in Lefiya—that this honest girl wouldn't reveal his secret—so he turned and headed toward the 20th floor.
Lefiya froze as she watched him leave.
At that moment, she subconsciously saw Shirou's silhouette overlapping with that of Ais—her most admired comrade in the familia.
It felt like Shirou and Ais now held the same place in her heart.
But she would never admit that.
There was no way she could admit that this irritating man—who always teased her—had somehow become so important to her.
But sometimes, the more you deny something, the more it proves it's true.
Lefiya's inner turmoil was far from over.
After asking Lefiya to cover for him, Shirou quickly returned to the 20th floor.
As before, the giant plant still dominated the entire floor, its roots spreading endlessly outward, as if to invade other levels beyond…