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Chapter 101 - Chapter 101: Kali Who Accepts Defeat, Shirou Confirmed to Have Leveled Up to Lv.3!

Chapter 101: Kali Who Accepts Defeat, Shirou Confirmed to Have Leveled Up to Lv.3!

The battle arena disappeared completely.

The moment Shirou forged the Sword in the Stone—also known as the Caliburn – Golden Sword of the Victorious—the destructive power of the weapon exceeded the arena's capacity, resulting in its complete collapse.

Interference.

This wasn't just because Caliburn was too powerful.

Although it was indeed the strongest Holy Sword Shirou had ever forged, destroying a space constructed with divine power was still too difficult.

The reason this happened was because the battle arena itself was unstable—too fragile.

After all, the rules of the arena limited participants to Lv.1 strength.

While this ensured fair combat between both sides, it also made the space inherently unstable and unable to withstand high-level power.

Thus, it couldn't endure the destructive force released when Golden Sword of the Victorious exploded in full.

The moment Shirou swung the sword, the arena was obliterated, vanishing into nothingness.

And with the disappearance of the arena, the result of the War God's Game was also decided.

Shirou had won!

"W-We won?"

"He actually won?"

"This is unbelievable…"

The spectators, who had just witnessed Shirou's victory over the War God Kali, were too stunned to react immediately.

After all, putting aside how insanely difficult it was to defeat a god, this marked the third time Shirou had faced and defeated one.

First, the god of wine, Soma. Then, the sun god, Apollo. And now, the war god, Kali.

Shirou had now defeated a god's authority three times, surpassing divine power each time.

Such superhuman feats were already staggering the first or second time.

That it had now happened three times made everyone numb. The sheer unreality of it left them shocked beyond comprehension.

Even Freya, Ishtar, and Takemikazuchi—three deities—were deeply shaken by this unexpected victory, unable to calm down.

"I didn't know combat could be done like this…"

Ottar stood beside the goddess of beauty, Freya, visibly shaken.

Although his top priority was Freya's safety, he couldn't help but focus on the god vs human battle that had just taken place.

Even as Orario's strongest, Ottar never imagined he'd witness a fight this intense.

He couldn't stop himself from imagining what it would be like if he was in Shirou's place.

If he had to fight Kali with the same level restriction—Lv.1—could he beat the war god head-on?

Ottar played out countless possible scenarios in his mind, but in the end, he had to admit he wouldn't stand a chance.

The moment Kali created that magic spear from divine blood, Ottar would've had no way to counter.

Not to mention forging a weapon stronger than the spear and one that could tear apart the arena like Shirou did.

At this point, Ottar had no choice but to acknowledge: this man named Emiya Shirou, whom Freya had been watching closely, was no ordinary mortal.

Even though he was currently just Lv.2, his potential was off the charts.

.

.

.

While the spectators were still buzzing over the fight, Shirou and Kali—who had participated in the duel—reappeared outside the shattered arena.

Since the arena was a space created by Kali's divine authority, leaving that virtual world also meant all wounds on her body disappeared.

Likewise, Shirou's injuries were also completely healed.

Notably, the Caliburn that Shirou forged did not disappear with the arena.

Even though all other divine weapons in the arena had vanished, the sword Shirou created using weapon fragments and divine flame still remained in his hand.

This puzzled Shirou greatly.

But he could more or less understand why Golden Sword of the Victorious persisted.

Though the materials came from broken weapons inside the arena—essentially fakes formed from Kali's divine power—once Shirou tempered them with divine flame, a part of them became real.

Just like forging a blank blade with his own hands imprints his identity into it, giving it a "true color," the weapon retained its form even after the arena was gone.

Besides that, Shirou also suspected that the sword's formation might be connected to the skill he gained when he previously leveled up: [Karma's Flame].

After defeating the mutant plant in the underground of Orario and absorbing the golden magic stone, Shirou had most likely reached Lv.3.

It was possible this level-up enhanced [Karma's Flame] or even awakened a new special ability, which caused this unexpected transformation during his forging.

While Shirou pondered this, reflecting on the profound sensation of the forging, Kali slowly appeared before him.

"I lost."

As the defeated party, the crimson-haired loli goddess had no intention of going back on her word.

Even though Shirou's act of forging a weapon mid-battle violated Kali's ideals of martial combat—and even greatly angered her during the process—

At the very end, when the Holy Sword's brilliance burst forth, she was genuinely moved and shocked by its beauty.

Thus, Kali sincerely accepted her defeat and acknowledged Shirou's victory in the War God's Game.

She said with no hesitation:

"Alright. As per our agreement, Emiya, you may ask any one request of me—even to return to Tenkai immediately."

"Before I state my request, can I ask you a question first?"

Shirou looked at Kali, who was prepared to return to Tenkai, and spoke quietly.

"What is it? Ask whatever you like. As a special perk for you, I'll answer anything."

Kali seemed to greatly admire and respect Shirou. Though she lost, she gave him considerable deference.

Shirou didn't hold back and asked directly:

"Kali, are you really unrelated to the Dark Faction?"

"Nope." Kali answered calmly, "I was never part of Orario to begin with, so I obviously don't know anything about the Dark Faction. You'd have better luck asking Ishtar."

"True."

Shirou nodded in acknowledgment.

He never really expected to get leads about the Dark Faction from Kali. Just knowing she wasn't involved was enough.

But Kali suddenly remembered something:

"Oh, right. While I don't know about the Dark Faction, I do have some information about those mutant plants."

"Really?"

"Of course." Kali recalled, "When I first arrived in Orario and docked my ship at the port city of Meren, our ship was attacked by one of those mutant plants.

It was easily destroyed by my followers. I didn't think much of it at the time, but looking back, there were probably more of those things in the sea."

"In the sea?"

Shirou didn't believe that those plants originated from the ocean. Their essence came from the deeper levels of the Dungeon and were created using the corrupted spirits caught there.

Their only possible source was Orario.

If they appeared in the sea, it meant they had spread from Orario somehow.

And what connected Orario to the sea?

There was only one possibility.

"It's the sewers!" Shirou immediately realized. "That means one of the Dark Faction's bases must be in Orario's sewer system! And since Daedalus Street is their stronghold, it's highly likely that its underground sewers lead straight to them."

"Yeah, that's probably it."

Kali wasn't one to overthink.

She nodded in agreement with Shirou's deduction, then tilted her head slightly, seemingly waiting for Shirou to decide her fate.

Even though Shirou had once called Kali an "evil god," he didn't actually believe she was that evil—certainly not on the same level as the Dark Faction.

Like Ishtar, she existed in a morally gray zone.

After a brief pause, Shirou said:

"I don't intend to interfere with the situation in the War Nation, Telskyura. So I'm not demanding that you return to Tenkai."

"Eh? You're letting me go?"

"No. I won't make you go back, but I want you to stay in Orario and help me fight against the Dark Faction."

After this battle, Shirou realized Kali's authority could be extremely useful.

If used properly, her level-restriction 1v1 duel could completely nullify an enemy's trump card.

Plus, she had two Lv.6 followers.

Though their personalities were problematic, their strength was undeniable. If handled well, they could be key assets in critical moments.

So Shirou decided to recruit Kali to his side.

"I see. Very well, I accept."

Kali agreed without hesitation.

She had already taken an interest in Shirou, and compared to returning to the War Nation, she preferred staying by Shirou's side in Orario.

"Oh, and make sure to keep your two Lv.6 followers in check."

Shirou added casually.

Kali, however, smiled mischievously:

"Don't worry. I don't even have to say anything—they'll never go against you again."

"Why?"

"Telskyura has a unique unwritten rule: if a woman is defeated by a man in open combat, she'll devote everything to him. So from now on, you can treat those two however you want."

"Huh?"

Kali's words left Shirou dumbfounded.

He never expected such trouble to be waiting for him. Instinctively, he looked toward Argane and Bache, only to see that both of them were still heavily injured and had not recovered yet. Only then did he let out a breath of relief.

After resolving the issue with Kali, Shirou quickly sought out the goddess of beauty, Ishtar.

"Regarding the Dark Faction, Ishtar, do you have anything more to say?" Shirou wanted to obtain more intel from her.

"I don't know most of the details about the Dark Faction," Ishtar replied, "but I do know something special."

She looked at Shirou with a complicated gaze, her expression eventually softening more than ever before.

After all, Ishtar herself was only able to survive, and her familia remain intact, all thanks to Shirou's help.

Otherwise, she would have long been returned to Tenkai by Freya.

Although Ishtar was no longer some pure maiden, to her, Shirou was indeed the hero who had saved her. She couldn't help feeling conflicted.

"Oh? What is it?"

"Thanatos Familia—have you heard that name before?"

"Thanatos?"

Shirou had never heard that name.

Unexpectedly, it was Freya who spoke up beside him: "The god of death, Thanatos? Wasn't he returned to Tenkai years ago?"

"No, the god of death, Thanatos, was not returned to Tenkai." Ishtar shook her head. "I don't know how he managed it, but Thanatos and his familia are indeed still alive—and are now an important member of the Dark Faction."

"What!?"

Ishtar's revelation shocked many present.

No one had expected that the legendary god of death was still alive.

Shirou, too, was surprised about Thanatos, and asked Ishtar, "Since you even know about Thanatos Familia, then you must know something even more important?"

"Unfortunately, I refused the Dark Faction's offer to join them, so I couldn't learn anything deeper," Ishtar shook her head. "But since I did collaborate with them to some extent, I once commissioned them to make me a trump card to use against the Freya Familia."

"A trump card?"

"It's called the Heavenly Bull, supposedly a mutated monster created using a fragment of Impure Spirit Essence.

The Dark Faction assured me it could rival the Freya Familia.

Unfortunately, because I was always cautious in my dealings with them, in the end they never gave it to me—but I believe the Heavenly Bull's existence is without doubt."

"..."

A mutated being created from a split of Impure Celestial Essence that could rival the Freya Familia—Heavenly Bull.

Upon hearing such critical intel, everyone present turned serious.

Freya herself, however, looked rather unconcerned, as if she didn't believe some mutated monster could threaten her familia.

In any case, with Ishtar revealing everything, the chaos surrounding her familia had finally come to an end.

Later, members of the Freya Familia searched another section of the underground Orario, but found no clues related to the Dark Faction.

This confirmed that the massive underground structure was not their base of operations.

Shirou, of course, was extremely curious about this.

The Dark Faction had actually created an enormous "second Orario" underneath Daedalus Street, but seemingly never made any real use of it.

If that's the case, why did they build it?

Or perhaps, the underground Orario wasn't even built by the Dark Faction to begin with? Maybe they simply found it and decided to make use of it?

Since he couldn't confirm his speculation, Shirou decided to stop worrying about the underground Orario for now, and instead turn his attention to the more likely location of the Dark Faction's base: the sewers.

However, Shirou couldn't investigate on his own.

The sewer system in Orario was far too vast and complicated; expecting him to explore it alone was unreasonable.

So Shirou decided to rely on the Freya Familia and the Loki Familia.

Especially the Loki Familia—Loki had previously expressed interest in the Dark Faction's whereabouts and had even traveled to the port city of Meren to investigate.

Shirou thus planned to wait for their return before pursuing the matter further together.

Meanwhile, the Freya Familia quickly withdrew from the Pleasure District.

After finding the missing Heith, Freya no longer held any animosity toward Ishtar and calmly returned to Babel Tower with her followers.

The other factions in the Pleasure District couldn't do anything in response.

After all, throughout all of Orario, there probably wasn't any faction capable of exacting revenge on the Freya Familia.

At the same time, Shirou's undercover mission came to an end.

He could finally quit his work with the Ishtar Familia and return to the Hestia Familia.

"Lord Emiya, thank you for everything." Haruhime found him before he left. "Thanks to you, Aisha was able to survive, and I could finally escape the life of a courtesan."

"Don't worry about it. I wanted to save Aisha anyway," Shirou replied softly. "By the way, are you still planning to stay with the Ishtar Familia? As someone from the Far East, wouldn't you consider joining the Takemikazuchi Familia?"

"Even though things were complicated, the Ishtar Familia did take me in when I was trafficked and didn't let me become some noble's plaything," Haruhime shook her head. "And now that the Ishtar Familia has abolished the practice of forced prostitution, I can finally live the life I want."

"..."

Shirou didn't voice an opinion on her decision.

Because Haruhime's ability was far too special—an ability that could forcibly raise adventurers' levels—one that was considered abnormal even in all of Orario.

If word got out, it would inevitably cause trouble sooner or later.

But Shirou didn't have any good solution. The Hestia Familia wasn't strong enough to take Haruhime in yet.

So Shirou could only remind Ishtar to keep a close eye on her and not let her powers be exposed. If needed, she could come to him for help.

"May I ask, how can I repay Lord Emiya?" Haruhime suddenly asked, her cheeks red. "As someone who used to be a courtesan, the only thing I know how to offer... is my body."

"..."

Shirou was left stunned, completely not expecting Haruhime to say something like that.

What surprised him even more was that Haruhime actually began undressing, clearly intending to offer herself to him.

"Wa...wait...hold on...!"

Shirou hurried to stop her—but before he could act, Aisha suddenly appeared, patting Haruhime on the head with a helpless expression: "You silly girl. Talking big when you're still a virgin!"

"Eh? A virgin?"

Both Shirou and Haruhime were stunned.

Especially Haruhime, who looked confused: "I'm a virgin? But didn't I already serve customers?"

"You really are clueless," Aisha said with a sigh. "You've got a serious phobia of men. Every time a man took off his clothes, you'd faint. I always had to step in and deal with the clients myself."

"Y-You dealt with the clients for me? I'm still a virgin?!"

Haruhime looked completely stunned.

Her face turned beet red, and she looked like she wanted to wrap herself head to toe in clothing out of shame.

Meanwhile, Aisha chuckled and looked at Shirou: "This virgin girl isn't much fun to play with. If you're interested, come to me—I'll make sure you enjoy yourself for free!"

"T-T..."

Overwhelmed by Aisha's bold attitude, Shirou could only give a wry smile, then said goodbye to her and Haruhime.

Despite all the twists and turns, Shirou's mission with the Ishtar Familia had ended successfully.

.

.

.

Returning from the Ishtar Familia to the Hestia Familia, Shirou saw the familiar shabby underground room and felt a strange sense of peace.

Unconsciously, it had already replaced the Emiya residence as his home in this world.

"I'm back."

Shirou slowly pushed open the door.

Bell, Lili, and Hestia immediately came to greet him.

"Geez! Causing such a huge incident, and leaving this goddess behind to guard the house—you people are so heartless!" Hestia began ranting the moment she saw him, upset about having no role in the action.

"Well, it was a conflict with the Dark Faction. If you got into danger, that would've been bad." Shirou replied quietly, trying to console her.

Hestia clearly understood as well. Knowing that she'd be more of a burden out there, she stopped complaining and began asking about the incident.

"Oooh! Shirou, you actually beat Kali?" Hestia exclaimed in shock. "In heaven, most male gods aren't even her match!"

"She was indeed a tough opponent, but luckily I had the edge."

Shirou nodded.

"Mhm, as expected of my Shirou! Here, a reward for you!"

Hestia said as she ran over and patted Shirou on the head.

Shirou felt warmth from her touch and quietly accepted the affection.

After a long while, when Hestia seemed to tire, Shirou finally said, "By the way, Hestia—could you check my falna? I want to see if I leveled up again."

"Leveled up again?"

Hearing Shirou's words, not just Hestia, but even Bell and Lili looked surprised.

Wasting no time, Hestia had Shirou lie on the sofa. Using her divine blood as a medium, she revealed his falna on his back.

When she saw his status board, even Hestia was beyond surprised—she spoke in a numb voice: "You've leveled up… really… to level 3…"

"In just a few days? How is this even possible!?"

Bell and Lili were both dumbfounded.

Shirou, however, looked calm—he had already expected this result.

What he cared more about… was the skill he had obtained upon leveling up.

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