DanMachi: Heroic Epic of Emiya the Great Hero

At this moment, a strange sensation surged in Ais' heart.

Ais' eyes met those of the fetus. In that instant, her body seemed to react in some strange way; the blood within her started to surge restlessly.

"What exactly... is this?"

The girl was filled with confusion. She didn't know what the jewel in front of her was, but the feeling was growing stronger.

Suddenly, a sharp ringing sounded deep within her ears, as if something was forcibly intruding into her consciousness. A violent nausea surged up from her throat.

Ais felt dizzy, and the scene before her began to blur. The next instant, she could no longer endure it. Her knees gave out, and she collapsed to the ground.

Wiene was startled, her eyes filled with panic as she hurried to catch Ais.

———

Meanwhile, on top of the tallest clock tower among the few remaining buildings in Rivira Town, a figure stood, gazing in the direction of the tavern where Emiya and the others were.

"Finally, I've found it," She reached into her bosom and took out a grass flute, gently placing it to her lips.

"—Come forth."

The moment the grass flute touched her lips, a sharp whistle immediately echoed through the air.

As the sound of the flute rang out, Emiya's senses instantly detected the anomaly, "Trace, On!"

A spiral-shaped longsword instantly appeared in his hand.

At that moment, Emiya felt an unusual tremor beneath his feet, and the vibration grew stronger.

He fiercely stabbed the spiral sword into the ground beneath him, the blade pointing directly below the floor.

With a violent crashing sound, the floor immediately began to crack. Huge fissures rapidly spread out, as if the entire ground was about to split in two.

A tremendous force from beneath the earth surged violently, as if something was about to break through.

Emiya chanted the Noble Phantasm's true name.

"Prepare the spiral!"

"Feast your eyes on a true rainbow— [CALADBOLG]."

[[Oath Under The Snow] Skill effect activated]

With a loud explosion, a large part of the ground was shaved away, revealing a massive pit.

Dust flew, and the light dimmed. Something could be vaguely seen struggling within the pit.

At the instant [Caladbolg] exploded, Wiene, holding the still-trembling Ais, flapped her dragon wings and flew to a nearby open space.

At this moment, the tavern experienced intense shaking. One side of the building had already begun to collapse, while the other half teetered, as if it could fall at any moment.

"What's going on?"

"Who's causing this chaos?"

"Huh? Am I still dreaming? Where's Miss Ais?"

"Is kitty having a nightmare nya?"

The awakened Tiona and the others jumped out from the now-dangerous tavern. Lefiya fell as she landed unsteadily.

On the other side, Emiya and the others looked toward the monster in the deep pit.

At first glance, the monster appeared to be a giant python blown to pieces. But as the dust cleared slightly, its true form was revealed.

"A man-eating plant?"

The enormous monster had a serpent-like body, but its head was a massive flower, emitting a strange luster like a demonic plant from hell.

At that moment, a figure in black slowly emerged from the smoke and dust.

The black-robed figure's gaze fixed directly on the jewel that had been blown away in the explosion.

"It's... you?", Ais' vision gradually focused. She forced herself to stand and positioned herself in front of the black-robed figure.

During the last expedition, when the Loki Familia retreated from the fifty-ninth to the fifty-first floor, this very person had ambushed them.

At that time, the person was also cloaked in black, and Ais vividly remembered their figure and movements.

There could be no mistake, this was the assailant from back then.

The black-robed figure looked at Ais and spoke slowly, "Aria."

[Aria]

This name made Ais' eyes grow even sharper.

At the same time, a loud rumbling echoed throughout Rivira Town. Cracks tore open in the nearby ground, and countless plant monsters surged out from the fissures.

There were so many of them, it was impossible to count. Like a massive green tide, they spread in all directions.

The black-robed figure blew the leaf flute in her hand, the shrill sound echoing through the air.

It seemed to be a summoning command, as monsters around began to gather frantically toward her location.

"Don't block the way, Aria. Your time hasn't come yet," The black-robed figure looked coldly at Ais standing between her and the jewel, a hint of disdain in her eyes, then charged forward without hesitation.

Ais' eyes narrowed. She immediately drew her longsword and faced the incoming foe.

[Storm King] collided with the black-robed figure's strange blade, producing a crisp metallic clang. The powerful impact caused fine cracks to appear in the ground beneath their feet.

'How can this be!'

Ais' face instantly turned pale. She could feel the enormous change in her opponent's strength.

During their last encounter on the fifty-first floor, this black-robed person was only Lv.5, evenly matched with her.

Yet now, the opponent's strength had increased drastically in such a short time.

"Awaken, Tempest!!"

As Ais' chant echoed, a violent stream of wind surged around her. The air itself trembled from her voice.

Ais activated [Ariel]. The power of wind rapidly coiled around her body and blade, granting her unparalleled speed and strength.

Due to the spell's overwhelming power, Ais usually wouldn't use it in battle unless facing a strong foe like [Gale].

Last time against the black-robed figure, she hadn't even had time to cast her magic before the enemy was driven off by Finn and the others.

But now, sensing her opponent's strength and malice, Ais awakened the power of the wind without hesitation.

Ais' longsword, [Storm King], fully awakened with the completion of the chant. The surrounding winds swirled violently, a faint humming echoing through the gales.

Sensing the power of the fairy wind, the black-robed figure's expression shifted slightly.

Acting on the will of "a certain existence," she had identified the blonde girl before her as "Aria" and pursued her relentlessly.

However, even she hadn't expected "Aria's" wind to be this strong.

"—AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!"

At that moment, suddenly, the jewel rolling on the ground, the female fetus within, let out a shrill cry. The sound wave echoed across the battlefield, permeating every corner of the air.

"!?", Ais' heart trembled violently. The scream from behind made her hair stand on end, but she had no time to turn and look.

The black-robed figure, also hearing the cry, grew visibly agitated. She instinctively looked toward the jewel, but it was too late to react.

The fetus inside the jewel struggled, as if stimulated by something. Its tiny hands and head, embedded with strange eyeballs, pierced the green membrane, causing liquid to spill from the rupture.

The crying became even shriller as the fetus broke free. That small body, harboring immense power, leapt from the jewel like a pebble and flew straight toward Ais.

Seeing the eerie infant flying toward Ais, Wiene flapped her dragon wings fiercely, whipping up a gale and blowing the fetus away.

The fetus tumbled through the air, dripping with liquid, and finally struck a nearby man-eating plant monster.

The plant monster let out a piercing scream and convulsed violently.

Like it had found a host, the fetus quickly adhered to the monster's long body. Its tiny form gradually fused into the monster's skin like a brand and vanished in seconds.

The moment it merged, the plant monster's body began to transform violently.

The fetus acted like a catalyst, and from the point of fusion, dark red vein-like lines rapidly spread, resembling twisted blood vessels that crept across the entire body.

The monster's screams grew more anguished. It spewed mucus from its mouth, writhing in agony, its body shaking violently on the ground.

Then, its previously slender body began to swell at an incredible rate.

Its frame expanded, growing more massive and hideous, as if undergoing a horrifying "growth" or "evolution" beyond natural limits.

The scene resembled a nightmare. The original plant monster was being forcibly altered into something even more terrifying.

The spot where the fetus merged began to bulge. The outlines of something new grew larger, a creature trying to burst forth from under the skin.

It was like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon, a new being trying to be born from within the monster.

Soon, the monster's outer layer split open, gradually revealing a slender female figure.

Her skin had a strange pale-blue hue and was still covered with remnants of slime.

Seeing the female form emerging from the monster, the black-robed figure's face turned grim, "Damn it... all my efforts were in vain…!"

Ais subconsciously murmured, "Spirit?"

Whoosh!

Taking advantage of the black-robed figure's distraction, an arrow flew straight toward her.

She quickly reached out and caught it, but the arrow exploded in her hand, forcing her back a step from the shock.

"Ais!", Emiya's voice rang out.

The girl came to her senses at once. With a determined glint in her eyes, she stepped forward fiercely, sword pointing straight at the black-robed figure's head.

The storm howled. With Ais' strike, a massive wind pressure tore through the enemy, blasting her backward. The enemy slid across the stone pavement, carving deep marks before coming to a stop.

The enemy slowly raised her head. Her blood-red hair fluttered in the wind, emerald eyes like precious gems. Her skin was snow-white, but a bloody gash ran down her left cheek, making her look especially ferocious.

Ais thrust her sword again, fast as lightning. The blade, infused with wind, aimed straight for the woman's chest.

At the same time, a shadow descended from the sky behind the enemy. Wiene spread her dragon wings and descended from above, slashing with her sword.

———

The red-haired woman swung her longsword in an attempt to block Ais's fierce strike, while simultaneously twisting her body to barely cope with the attack slashed down from the air by Wiene.

However, facing the pincer attack of two swordswomen, she appeared somewhat powerless. The longsword was broken during the clash, her arm fractured from the immense force, and an even larger wound was carved into her shoulder by Wiene's sword.

After receiving such serious injuries, the red-haired woman didn't hesitate in the slightest and immediately began to retreat.

And what was surprising was that even with such severe wounds, her movement speed was not affected at all.

A trace of icy light flashed in Ais's eyes as she quickly gave chase, while Wiene followed closely behind, spreading her dragon wings to stay by Ais's side. The two of them pursued the fleeing red-haired woman without hesitation.

———

Meanwhile, on the other side, the monster rampage grew even more intense.

Parasitized by the jewel, the monster that was originally a man-eating flower was now covered all over with thick, bright red leaf veins, like some terrifying demonic plant.

It ignored the surrounding terrain obstacles, madly smashing buildings and letting out deafening roars, directly charging toward Ais's direction.

Facing the wild rampaging attacks of this massive monster, Emiya and the others had no choice but to temporarily avoid the brunt of its force.

Wherever the monster went, if it saw other man-eating flower monsters, it would immediately pounce and bite them mercilessly.

The girls were so shocked by the scene before their eyes that they were speechless. They involuntarily turned their heads and saw several monsters entangled together, like a twisted and chaotic hellscape.

The parasitized female body seemed to have undergone some kind of abnormal transformation. Her eyes slowly opened, empty and cold, emitting a bone-chilling evil.

Emiya reacted quickly, projecting a flame magic sword and a light cannon-type Noble Phantasm, and immediately fired them.

His target was not the parasitized man-eating flower monster, but rather the other monsters about to be devoured by it.

"What is that, an octopus?"

[T/N: Okay, so I am confused whether that 'Man-Eating Plant' is a Viscum or Venenthes, but I lean more towards the latter. So if anybody knows what the name is from the description, comment anywhere here and I will change it. Have a great read~]

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