Chapter 146: Lostbelt King, Refined in an Instant!
"What the hell are these idiots doing, courting death or what?!"
Eikou shouted anxiously.
"Now I finally understand why someone put up a warning sign by the riverbank — even Servants can fall into the trap!"
"It seems this river has the same nature as the River of Dracae in the Fairy Kingdom…"
Artoria beside him said with difficulty.
[Artoria Caster, Magic Resistance check successful.]
"What's the River of Dracae?"
Eikou asked in surprise,
"Wild Boar-chan, you really didn't fall for the illusion?"
"I fought against the temptation of that chocolate river with all my might just to be able to say this to you…"
Artoria clenched her teeth. She relied on her willpower to resist the illusionary temptation of the river.
"In our Fairyland, there is a river where an extremely dangerous Fairy Dreadlord named Dracae dwells, called the Great Fairy 'Holy Grail of Water'. Its property is 'summoning the treasure that the person desires most'…"
"In other words…"
Eikou felt a chill all over his body, unconsciously taking a deep breath.
"That's right, you've probably already guessed it. This river must have a similar property — 'it summons the treasure that the person desires most into the river, and once they step forward to take it, they'll be dragged into the water and killed'!"
Artoria said with fear,
"They're all seeing what they want to see most, swallowed by their own desires, and then dragged into the water. It won't be long before all of them are devoured by this river, becoming its nourishment!"
"!!"
Eikou furrowed his brows tightly.
No wonder someone put up a warning sign here — just glancing at this river is already dangerous enough, even Servants could lose their lives.
Damn it, I have to think of a way to save them!
"But that said, all these guys are seeing things related to women, women, and more women… Such straightforward desire, clearly they've been repressed for way too long…"
Before he could finish speaking, the dice above Eikou's head also fell down.
[Please perform Magic Resistance check.]
[Check result: great failure.]
What the hell, my Magic Resistance is rank EX, how could I still roll a great failure?!
[You too have had your mind disturbed by the illusion of this river, completely enchanted.]
[On the surface of the river, you see the thing you love most.]
[Due to the great failure result, your desire is slightly stronger than the others'.]
"Ah…"
Eikou looked toward the river, his eyes widening slightly.
"Ah, I didn't expect it to be…"
His face suddenly turned red, and his breathing quickened.
"I didn't expect it to be Minamoto no Raikou, Ibuki Douji, Artoria Lancer and Artoria Lancer Alter, Captain Drake, Miyamoto Musashi, Medusa, Gorgon, Himiko, Carmilla, Mata Hari, Halloween Nightingale! I have to hurry and save them! Jade beauty onee-san, wait for me!"
"What kind of delusion is that! Clearly, the one with the strongest desire here is you!" Artoria shouted, blushing. "And they're all women with eye-catching curves — you've completely exposed your true nature!"
"And also Tifa, 2B, Eve, Tsunade, Bayonetta…"
"Who the hell are those people?!" Wild Boar-chan yelled.
He keeps saying he doesn't want to get involved with romance or women, yet deep down he's dying for a harem full of busty onee-sans! Mochizuki Eikou, you're the one most repressed here — secretly lustful and full of desire!
What's even more ridiculous — You call yourself a "Pure-Love Warrior" but why are there married women on that list, where is your "don't touch married women" creed?!
Without hesitation, Eikou immediately ran toward the river.
Before he could jump in, Artoria — being the closest — quickly grabbed him and summoned her staff, slamming it down hard on his head.
"Snap out of it already!"
[Artoria has used "Charisma of Hope B" on you.]
[After that strike, your lost reason gradually returns.]
[You barely manage to resist the river's temptation and begin to seriously think of a way to save everyone.]
[The first thing you think of is asking the teachers for help. As teachers, their Spirit Origin ranks are higher, and among them is even a Lostbelt King — as an ally, that's an absolute guarantee.]
[Most importantly, Arjuna Alter's humanity is extremely thin, it's hard to imagine him being tempted by the river's illusions.]
"Arjuna-sensei, please lend a hand!"
After regaining his composure, Eikou immediately called for help from Arjuna Alter nearby.
"Hm?"
Arjuna Alter, who had been walking along the sandy bank, heard the boy's urgent shout and finally turned his attention to the chaos happening in the river.
"What's going on?"
Arjuna Alter asked coldly, every gesture of his resembling that of an emotionless machine.
Just from seeing that reaction, Eikou already felt reassured — truly the perfect god who had sacrificed all traces of human emotion; both in strength and structure, he was the perfect "counter card."
A die also dropped above Arjuna Alter's head.
[Arjuna Berserker, Magic Resistance check.]
[Magic Resistance check — great failure.]
[This is bad — even the Lostbelt King, Arjuna Alter, has been enchanted by the things appearing in the river!]
"Huh??"
Eikou froze, thinking to himself — how could not only his face but even his luck be so damn cursed?!
But then again, he was originally a god who had abandoned his humanity; is there really anything in this world capable of luring him into the river?!
"Kar——na——!!"
Arjuna Alter suddenly erupted, screaming as he entered the third stage of his Spirit Origin, reclaiming the fragment of humanity he had once cast away,
"I swear I'll kill you aaaaaa!!!"
It wasn't that he saw something he loved — he saw the enemy he hated most — Karna?!
And he mentally collapsed in an instant! Does he really hate the "little sun" that much?!
Without hesitation, Arjuna Alter dove straight into the river with a loud splash — water spraying everywhere — and then, no further movement.
[Arjuna Alter, OUT!]
"So it's not just things that people desire — anything that can lure someone into the water counts too, huh…"
Eikou furiously grabbed his hair.
This was bad — even the most reliable one, the Lostbelt King himself, had been killed by the river's mechanism…
Not only did he fail to save anyone, he even added another victim!
"This is bad, really bad…"
Everyone in the water was still struggling, every second precious like gold, yet all he could do was stand there helplessly, nearly losing his mind trying to think of a solution.
Among Eikou's skill set, there was nothing that could counter this situation, and it seemed there wasn't a suitable "counter card" nearby either.
The worst part was — both he and Artoria were terrible swimmers, their swimming skill practically nonexistent.
"Should we go ask the girls for help?" Artoria quickly suggested.
"No, it seems they don't have anything that can counter this river either. If they get lured in too, the number of victims will only increase — it'll be even more troublesome…"
Eikou shook his head, racking his brain for another way.
"My beloved students, if you're in trouble, why not seek help from someone as great and handsome as me?"
Right at that moment, Finn-sensei approached carrying a bucket, his face looking completely calm, utterly unaffected by the river's illusions.
[Fionn mac Cumhaill Lancer, check successful.]
What the hell, that completely unreliable-looking Finn-sensei actually passed the check?!
"Why are you all so surprised? Isn't it only natural that I can resist temptation?"
Finn-sensei said nonchalantly,
"This river shows people what they love most to tempt them, but the thing I love most is my own perfect and radiant self — so of course I'm not affected at all!"
Goddamn it, this guy's narcissism is truly world-class invincible!
Seeing Finn still standing in place, Eikou felt like he had just grabbed onto a life-saving straw. He hurriedly shook him, saying, "Sensei, please, think of something! You always brag about being smart — surely you know what to do, right?!"
"Wait a moment, let me bite my thumb and think for a bit…"
Finn said as he bit into some salmon oil on his thumb.
"First of all, it's clear," he said, "though I am strong and brave, I do not possess any Noble Phantasm that can subdue this river. If we could summon a Russian princess or a Nordic bride to seal the river with ice, or perhaps a Divine Servant related to water, we might be able to break it."
"You're right, but don't we not have any corresponding Servant here?" Eikou replied.
"In that case… we'll immediately gather Saint Quartz and Holy Relics, and try summoning them next time — that way, everyone will meet again!"
"That's basically giving up on them! Might as well delete the account and start over!"
Eikou felt an immense headache coming on.
He understood Finn's logic: right now, they had no proper plan to deal with the river. If they tried to save everyone recklessly, it would only lead to more casualties — the loss would be greater than the gain.
But…
Eikou couldn't just abandon them like that.
He couldn't simply give up, calculating coldly based on low odds and weak chances of victory.
"No other choice, I'll have to take the risk…"
Time was ticking second by second — there was no room left for hesitation.
He took a deep breath, decision made.
Damn it, I have to save them!
Even if Eikou couldn't swim, he just needed to find a way not to sink.
"Finn-sensei, I have a plan," Eikou's eyes suddenly turned sharp, "can you lend me a hand? I'm sure that with you, I won't sink."
Just by looking at Eikou's expression, Finn understood that the boy had made up his mind — there was no need to ask further.
"I understand. Tell me what you need me to do…"
Finn answered solemnly,
"You are my students, I can't just stand by and watch you die. Even if it costs this old life of mine, I will help."
After saying that, the leader of the Fianna summoned his spear, pressed its shaft into the sand, and gave it a firm kick.
"So, what exactly do you want me to do? Allow me — leader of the Fianna, guardian of Erin, the one who defeated Nuada — to turn my strength and valor into the stepping stone essential for your plan!"
Eikou froze. "Wait, you know what my plan is?"
"Huh?"
Finn looked at him, puzzled.
Without warning, Eikou suddenly reached out and grabbed Finn's hand.
[You activated the skill "A Knight Does Not Die with Empty Hands EX."]
[You have obtained a temporary weapon — "Finn Brand Surfboard."]
"Perfect."
Eikou firmly gripped the surfboard and quickly stepped toward the rushing river.
As long as the board could float, standing on it should keep him from being dragged underwater by the monsters, right?
"Finn-sensei never said he'd help you that way! You're seriously planning to use him as a stepping stone in the literal sense?! That's too much!" — Artoria was so shocked she had to yell out to stop him.
"It's fine."
Eikou was already running into the shallows, stepping onto the Finn board as he spoke:
"Sensei once said, to be a good teacher, to guide your students, you must understand how they feel below you."
"But how the hell are you supposed to understand when your student is literally stepping on your head?! That's not teaching anymore — he's literally below you right now!"
But Eikou no longer had time to care. He stomped hard on the board and launched himself toward the middle of the river.
[You stand firm on the surfboard, safely floating on the surface.]
[The monsters beneath the river are trying to reach up and grab you. Please perform an Agility check.]
A die rolled down.
[Result: B — check successful.]
[You skillfully evade the underwater attack and rescue the nearby knight, Gawain.]
[You pull Gawain out of the water and throw him onto the riverbank.]
[You successfully saved Gawain, but there are still many others struggling in the water, in urgent need of rescue.]
"Artoria! Please look after Gawain for me!"
After throwing Gawain onto the shore, Eikou didn't even look back and continued rushing off to save the others.
With Agility A, theoretically, the chance of him being pulled down by the current was almost zero.
If he could maintain this pace, there was hope of saving everyone.
As long as—the monster underwater didn't deliberately interfere.
"…"
Eikou clenched his teeth, sensing a change in the current from the direction of his board.
The once-surging current suddenly slowed down, causing his board to nearly stop moving. Without a strong current, no matter how skilled his surfing technique was, he couldn't move at all.
Even so, he was about to reach another Servant in distress.
"Arjuna-sensei! Grab my hand! I'm here to save you!"
"Ugh…"
Arjuna—who had nearly sunk completely—now had only one arm above the water.
Without hesitation, Eikou grabbed his hand tightly and pulled him forcefully out of the current.
At the same time, he once again activated his skill.
Lostbelt King, refinement in an instant!
[You have activated the skill "A Knight Does Not Die with Empty Hands EX."]
[You have obtained a temporary weapon — "Oar of Reoccurring Destruction"!]
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