Late at night, someone quietly arrived in front of the inn.
The was a beautiful girl, with short light blue hair glimmering slightly under the moonlight, and deep blue eyes carrying a hint of exhaustion.
She wore red round-frame glasses, and the heavy dark circles under her eyes revealed signs of long-term fatigue, making people inevitably worry about her condition.
[Omnipotent One] Asfi Al Andromeda, the captain of the Hermes Familia.
She pushed open the inn's front door and directly sought out Goddess Loki.
Loki was sitting in the living room. Only a few dim oil lamps lit the room, the light reflecting on Asfi's somewhat haggard face.
"Yo, Asfi-chan, coming to find me this late, must be something big, huh?"
Asfi nodded, "Yes, Lady Loki, I have two important matters that I must inform you of."
"Oh?", Loki's smile faded, and she sat up straighter, her gaze locking on Asfi.
"The first is information about the Kali Familia," Asfi spoke.
"Members of the Ishtar Familia once entrusted our Hermes Familia to deliver a letter to the War Nation, and this letter's recipient was the Kali Familia."
Normally, their Hermes Familia shouldn't leak information about their clients, but given the current special circumstances, which concern the safety of the Dungeon City, Asfi had no choice but to make an exception.
"We didn't open the letter's contents, but we can confirm that it was delivered to Telskyura not long ago. And shortly after the Ishtar Familia's letter was delivered, the Kali Familia left the War Nation and headed toward Orario."
"Ishtar Familia?"
Loki: "So, the Kali Familia was lured here by them? That capricious beauty goddess, what is she plotting again…"
However, this "Goddess of Lies" had a gut feeling and intuition telling her that the Ishtar Familia didn't seem to be scheming anything this time.
In Goddess Loki's heart, an absurd idea took shape.
"Don't tell me, the Amazonesses of the Ishtar Familia just want to show off the powerful male they're infatuated with…"
Given those Amazons' mentalities, and Ishtar's level of capriciousness, this sort of thing… actually seemed plausible.
Asfi took a deep breath, "And the second matter is about a secret entrance in the Dungeon City that connects to the Dungeon. After investigation, we've found a suspicious location, though we can't be completely certain yet, we're already eighty percent sure that this location might be a hidden entrance between the surface and the Dungeon."
"Really?", Loki's eyes suddenly brightened, and she sat up. Then, she suppressed her inner excitement and said thoughtfully, "This is a huge breakthrough. If we really find that entrance, a lot of things can be resolved."
But after the excitement faded, Loki's brows slowly furrowed again. She pondered for a while and said, "But right now… we can't easily leave the port town."
The situation in the port town was rather delicate. Although for now, the Kali Familia seemed pretty calm, if the Loki Familia left with Emiya, who knows what kind of things Arjuna and the others might do.
"We'll need at least one more week on our end," Loki said.
"One week… I understand."
Asfi mused for a moment, then nodded, "I'll take this news back and inform the [Braver] as well."
After completing her mission of delivering information, Asfi prepared to travel overnight back to Orario.
By the next day, the dark circles under the girl's eyes seemed even heavier.
———
On the evening of the seventh day, Emiya returned to Orario from the port city.
This time, his return to the city was to request Goddess Hephaestus to perform an update on his status.
A week of special training had resulted in a significant improvement in his stats, and with the duel against Argana imminent, he wanted to make sure he could face it in his best condition.
Hephaestus looked at the parchment recording Emiya's stats, pursed her lips, and a faintly complex expression appeared between her brows.
"It feels like you're always getting involved in these troublesome things, Shirou," The goddess sighed as she adjusted the boy's collar, speaking with helplessness.
"Every time you update your status, it's either because of dealing with monsters in the dungeon or being dragged into some dangerous incident. This time, you're even going up against Argana, a Level 6 Amazon warrior… What a headache," As she spoke, she lightly patted the boy's shoulder, her eyes full of concern and worry.
Emiya lowered his head and said sincerely, "Sorry for worrying you, Goddess Hephaestus."
Hephaestus looked at his expression and couldn't help but smile slightly, "Well, I actually believe you can win. After all, people call you the [Amazon's Owner]."
Hearing that title, Emiya looked especially helpless, "Goddess, please forget that title… it was just a joke by Goddess Ishtar."
Hephaestus chuckled softly, "A joke… huh. I think, after tonight, it'll be hard to treat it as just a joke anymore."
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[Emiya Shirou]
[Lv.4]
Strength: H192
Endurance: G291
Dexterity: E452
Agility: H129
Magic: F335
—: Skill :—
[Innocent Monster]
— Attack power against Amazons: High-range increase → Ultra-range increase.
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
———
A massive warship slowly departed from the port and anchored in the offshore waters.
This was a half-wooden sailing vessel, with its main mast made from sturdy wood carefully selected from the [Great Tree Sea]. In addition, the hull was embedded with a large number of metal structures to enhance its stability and load-bearing capacity.
Although it wasn't a battleship and had no weapon systems installed, the high-level female warriors on board were already enough to be considered the most powerful armament.
Goddess Kali was sitting on the deck at this moment, enjoying the slightly salty sea breeze. Footsteps sounded nearby, it was Argana walking over.
"Kali, did you buy this ship?", Argana asked in fluent Amazonian.
Kali looked up at her and casually nodded, "Yeah, the warship we came with was completely destroyed during the battle with the mutant [Setes]. It sank to the bottom of the sea."
The ancient sea beast [Setes] was a sea monster shaped like a giant whale, with a streamlined dolphin-like body, a fish tail, and a wolf's head.
Just like the once-dominant sea monster [Leviathan], [Setes] was also one of the overlords of the ocean.
However, during the time when [Leviathan] was still alive, [Setes] was constantly bullied by this true sea overlord, and almost every time it was sighted, it was seen being chased by [Leviathan].
After [Leviathan] died, many years passed before more sightings of [Setes] began to surface. It seemed that after losing its natural enemy, it gradually grew more arrogant.
On their way to the port city Melen, Kali Familia encountered a mutant [Setes] at sea and then launched a subjugation battle, successfully defeating it. It was this victory that allowed Argana and the others to level up.
"That mutant's magic stone and drops were quite valuable," Kali said, "I sold them, added some extra money, and bought this ship."
Argana nodded slightly and glanced at the sturdy vessel, "As expected, the shipbuilding technology of the Dungeon City is world-class. By the way, who did you sell the magic stone to?"
"To that boy."
Kali replied with a light smile, "He's from the Hephaestus Familia. That Familia always offers the most generous price for rare materials."
Even though Argana was about to duel Emiya tonight, that didn't prevent Kali from trading with him. After all, it was a properly arranged duel, at least nominally.
"But, speaking of which, are you really fine fighting him tonight?", Kali squinted her eyes slightly, looking toward the distant horizon, "That boy… I suspect he can use some kind of special skill under the moonlight."
Though it was only a brief exchange at the time, the moonlight covering Emiya's weapon carried a divine aura that was unmistakable to a goddess.
"A member of the Hephaestus Familia, acting with the Loki Familia, yet displaying skills of the Artemis style, that kid is truly intriguing."
Argana gave a cold smile, the will to fight burning in her eyes, "That's exactly why I want to challenge him at his strongest state. That's more fun."
Kali had no objection, "Then do as you wish."
"By now, the agreed time should be near."
The site of their duel was selected to be in a nearby offshore area outside the Port of Melen, on an isolated nameless island in the sea.
This small island was about twice the size of the circular arena in the Dungeon City. Its terrain was relatively low, and during high tide, eighty percent of the island would be submerged in seawater. However, at low tide, large areas of exposed sand and reefs made the island appear quite vast.
Due to its remote location and ample space, it was a perfect venue for combat, with no concerns about affecting nearby towns or unrelated people.
The terrain on the island was rugged and uneven, with sparse vegetation, only some short shrubs and tenacious weeds scattered about. Surrounded by deep blue seawater, waves constantly crashed against the coastal rocks, producing a steady and rhythmic roar, like an accompaniment for the battle about to begin.
As evening fell, the setting sun slowly sank into the west. Golden-red light spread across the sea, casting a dreamlike glow over the entire island.
Emiya stood in an open area on one side of the island, gazing into the distance. The golden afterglow reflected in his eyes, and the sea breeze gently stirred his clothes and hair.
He and the first-tier adventurers of the Loki Familia had arrived here in advance.
In the distance, Goddess Kali's massive warship slowly approached. A group of Amazonian female warriors jumped into the shallow waters from the ship, splashing through toward the center of the island.
At the front were Argana and her younger sister Bache. As for Berylnice and Elna, who had already been defeated by Emiya, they could only follow at the rear of the group, looking slightly dejected.
Although the injuries on their bodies had healed, their crushed pride could not be restored. They silently watched Emiya, their gazes complex.
The sea wind continued to howl, and the sound of waves remained constant.
At that moment, Emiya suddenly spoke, "You two, come at me together."
Emiya's words caused a deathly silence to descend on the surroundings.
Argana stared at him without saying a word. In her light yellow pupils, a faint red light flickered, and anger gradually rose in her eyes.
Bache slightly narrowed her eyes. It was unclear whether the expression hidden beneath her black veil was anger, contempt, or something else.
The other Amazon girls all showed shocked expressions, some even fearful.
"That man, he actually… actually dared to say that to Argana?"
"He's definitely going to be brutally destroyed…"
Emiya ignored these voices. His gaze was cold and unwavering as he met Argana's eyes.
He stared into the eyes of the Amazonian warrior, as if trying to see through those amber pupils and into the color of the soul of this powerful and cruel Amazon fighter.
"Are you… insulting me?", Argana's voice was full of intense anger. She spoke in not-very-fluent common language, and at this moment, extreme fury distorted her features.
Emiya nodded without hesitation, "Yes."
Such frankness and directness momentarily stalled Argana's rage.
"What exactly… do you want to do?", She asked.
Emiya slowly opened his mouth, "Tione said you are the embodiment of Goddess Kali and of Telskyura, the battle nation."
Unlike Tione, who was tormented by the "ritual," Argana enjoyed the process of deadly battle and slaughter.
Over the years, the number of Amazonian female warriors who had died by her hand was countless, but she had never felt a shred of guilt. Instead, she took those sacrifices for granted as a necessary condition for becoming stronger.
In her view, the warriors who lost to her and then died had already become part of her.
At the same time, Argana cared nothing for her own life and death. If someone could take her life as a stepping stone to reach the top, she would gladly accept it.
Argana's mindset was identical to Goddess Kali. Tione even believed she was the embodiment of Telskyura, the symbol of all the cruel traditions of the battle nation.
[Goddess's Splitting Image(Kalima)], Argana had this title. She was also the only female warrior in the battle nation who possessed an official title.
"I'm going to DESTROY you, and DESTROY everything of Telskyura."
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