Chapter 22: Contending with a God!
In the instant Shirou was thinking, Hephaestus swung out another slash.
"Trace, On!"
This time, Shirou had no intention of continuing to dodge. Without hesitation, he projected a thousand A+ rank Noble Phantasms, firing them like an endless rain of steel toward Hephaestus without regard for the cost!
Seeing this, Hephaestus fearlessly swung the pure white Greatsword in his hand again, sending out several crescent-shaped white slashes!
BOOM—!!!
The moment the collapse of a thousand Noble Phantasms collided with those slashes, the center of the battlefield was swept by inverse gales. Dust and sand billowed into the sky, and the entire area was plunged into a violent, raging cyclone.
Standing in the eye of the relentless tornado, Shirou looked forward with a cold, piercing gaze at Hephaestus, who held a forge hammer in one hand and the pure white Greatsword in the other.
'It seems this fellow hid his presence for several days just to finish forging this Divine Artifact. Now that it is complete, he no longer has any need to hide himself.'
Shirou felt the situation turning slightly dire. Even though his current physical strength surpassed that of the "God of Fire and Craftsmen" before him, he lacked a weapon that could truly rival his opponent's. If he fought using only physical strength, he had no way to fully unleash his infinite magical energy.
Although he now possessed the Third Star Particle Body and had further strengthened himself after becoming a Godslayer—enabling him to project Noble Phantasms comparable to their originals and no longer being limited to "Sword-type Noble Phantasms" having the highest quality—he still could not project something on the level of an EX-rank Noble Phantasm.
"If only I had an EX-rank Noble Phantasm..." Shirou murmured with longing.
In his current state, overflowing with magical energy, he could fire off EX-rank Noble Phantasms at will—if only he had them. But Shirou knew that, for now, such a feat remained difficult for him.
At that moment, Hephaestus moved again. He slammed his hammer down, causing a massive fissure to tear through the earth. Anyone else might have fallen into the abyss beneath the crack, but Shirou didn't care, his body rapidly retreating to the edge of the peak.
However, Shirou did not relax, for he knew that the true attack from Hephaestus would follow these massive fissures.
The mountain shook and the ground moved as roiling lava surged from the depths beneath the cracks. Like a volcanic eruption, a massive and violent pillar of magma shot into the sky! Seeing this, Shirou leaped high into the air, positioning himself among the clouds.
Magical energy erupted from his body, like azure flames flickering around him. He was now capable of using this infinite mana to let his body soar through the heavens.
As Shirou evaded the erupting magma, Hephaestus did not stop. The pure white Greatsword in his other hand swung again. A white slash flew toward Shirou, who was still dodging the molten fire surging from the Earth's core—but now, Shirou no longer needed to dodge.
"Trace On!"
Magical light surged, and a crimson greatsword materialized in Shirou's hand.
[Aestus Estus: The Original Flame]
Rank: A Type: Anti-Personnel Noble Phantasm
The prototype of this Noble Phantasm is the "Meteor-Iron Bellows (Aestus Estus)" of the Roman Emperor Nero. It carries flames fueled by high spirits, and is inscribed with the Latin: Regnum Caelorum et Gehenna (The Kingdom of Heaven and Hell).
The Original Flame held in Shirou's hand ignited with fire in the next second, responding to his soaring fighting spirit. Shirou poured his magical energy into it, and the crimson greatsword unleashed a fiery, red-hot slash.
Bang!
The two slashes collided violently, once again adding power to the tornado surrounding the battlefield, making it even more frantic.
In the next instant, Shirou's form blurred into an azure shadow, diving down directly toward Hephaestus.
"What!?" Seeing Shirou unscathed and even charging toward him, Hephaestus was startled. The pure white Greatsword in his hand was a dignified Divine Artifact; he hadn't expected it to fail in defeating the man before him.
There was only one type of existence in this vast world that could face a god without falling behind in the slightest:
"You are a Campione!?"
Hephaestus's pupils constricted as he recognized Shirou's identity.
"Heh, recognizing it now? It's a bit too late!"
Shirou gave a cold snort. He swung the crimson greatsword, Aestus Estus, with all his might, slashing fiercely at Hephaestus. Faced with this incredibly swift strike, Hephaestus immediately raised his pure white Greatsword to parry.
CLANG!
The clear, ringing sound of clashing weapons echoed, instantly causing the earth to tremble once more.
The magi at the foot of the mountain heard that soul-shaking sound and looked toward the summit in terror. Although they couldn't see the two figures fighting at the peak, they could see the magma shooting into the sky and the violent tornadoes.
The entire mountain peak shook frantically under the battle between Shirou and Hephaestus. Finally, it could take no more. Following one sky-shaking clash after another, the summit of Greece's highest mountain... collapsed.
Rumble!
As the peak crumbled, massive boulders tumbled down with a sound like rolling thunder. The magi gathered below watched in total shock as the summit of Mount Olympus fell apart.
Liliana and Erica, who had just arrived, also widened their eyes, staring at the summit in disbelief.
"Is this... the battle between a Demon King and a God...?" Erica's pupils trembled slightly.
Liliana, standing beside her, wore the same expression. Although she had witnessed a battle between a Godslayer and a Heretic God once before in Rome, seeing it again did not lessen the shock in her heart.
On the summit, beyond the sight of the magi, the Demon King and the God were fighting with total abandon, having no time to care about the destruction or the outside world.
CLANG!
After another clash of greatswords, both Hephaestus and Shirou were forced back by the impact. Both sides felt a deep sense of surprise at the other's strength.
The crimson greatsword, Aestus Estus, in Shirou's hand shattered under the blow from Hephaestus's pure white blade.
"An A-rank Noble Phantasm can't hold out for long..." Shirou looked at the fading red magical fragments in his hand and sighed softly.
At this moment, Hephaestus's eyes burned like torches, staring intently at Shirou.
"I must say, you are indeed the strongest mortal I have encountered so far!"
"Your strength has also exceeded my expectations," Shirou replied in kind.
This was no lie; at this moment, Shirou deeply felt just how powerful the constitution of a god truly was.
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