Chapter 147: Saving Tomoe Gozen
[You have activated the skill "A Knight Does Not Die with Empty Hands EX."]
[You have obtained a temporary weapon — "Oar of Reoccurring Destruction"!]
"Now I can move freely."
With the new item in hand, Eikou sighed in relief.
He lifted Arjuna Alter with both hands, using him as a paddle, and immediately adjusted his position to rescue the next teammate.
A die rolled down.
[The monster lurking underwater attacks again; please perform an Agility check.]
[Result: C, Agility check successful.]
[You avoided a surprise attack and are safe without injury.]
Eikou could clearly sense something slithering beneath the water, its gaze fixed on the prey above the surface.
"Haa…"
Eikou hastily wiped the sweat off his forehead, feeling quite tense.
He wasn't particularly afraid of the monster, but the time to save everyone was running out. Eikou had to plan a reasonable and efficient rescue route to save everyone one by one.
Thinking that, he paddled straight toward Roland, who was the nearest.
[You pulled Roland out of the water with one hand.]
[You intended to bring Roland back to shore but realized that doing so would be too slow — going back and forth would waste precious rescue time.]
Eikou suddenly fell into hesitation.
"If I want to save everyone at once, I can't just rescue one person at a time and take them back to shore — that's way too slow…"
"But my 'surfboard' can't carry that many people either…"
As he said that, a bright idea suddenly struck Eikou like divine inspiration.
[You activated the skill "A Knight Does Not Die with Empty Hands EX."]
[You took Finn's and Roland's swim trunks and tied them together to create a floating raft.]
[The space for you to stand on became much larger, and you no longer had to take the rescued back to shore.]
[...]
[A while later, you kept dodging the monster's interference while pulling up your comrades one after another.]
[Tristan and Charlemagne also became part of this raft.]
[Suddenly, you remembered the tale of Jason and the heroes aboard the Argo in Greek mythology. According to legend, the ship called Argo gathered countless mighty heroes.]
[And the "raft" beneath your feet now was no less magnificent — it too was formed from great heroes.]
"Can you please show at least a shred of humanity?! You're worse than the monster in the river! This is straight-up bullying!"
Watching from the shore, Artoria couldn't hold it in and shouted toward him.
"What are you talking about," Eikou replied seriously, "I'm just saving people in the most efficient way possible. Once they're saved, they'll surely be grateful to me."
After saying that, he quickly scanned around to count how many people he had saved.
Arjuna Alter, Tristan, Roland, Charlemagne… and Gawain — the first one thrown ashore.
But… it still felt like someone was missing…
No, wait, Tomoe Gozen still hasn't been rescued!
Eikou jolted, smacking his palm against his forehead, heart pounding — he was so flustered that he almost forgot about her!
Without a moment's hesitation, Eikou paddled furiously, heart about to burst out of his chest — he had to save Tomoe Gozen right now.
[The monster in the water launches another attack.]
[Sensing that the opponent has started taking things seriously, perform a Hard-level Agility check.]
A die rolled down.
[Check failed — the monster gains the upper hand!]
Boom!
The moment the result took effect, water suddenly exploded in front of Eikou, rising like a vertical wall blocking his path.
Droplets splashed everywhere, and the massive shadow of the monster revealed itself.
That creature radiated a pitch-black aura of gloom, its form hazy, towering, and fierce — like a demon born straight from darkness.
Was it the Shadow Servant dwelling in this river?
It seemed to have voluntarily left its safe zone and emerged above the surface — losing that protection might make it easier to deal with.
However...
Eikou furrowed his brow tightly.
It wasn't an overwhelmingly strong enemy, but it wasn't something he could easily defeat either.
The most important thing was — he had to save Tomoe Gozen, not wasting even a single second.
"..."
Standing on the shore, Artoria Caster also immediately realized Eikou's dire situation.
She wiped the sweat from her forehead, clutching the hem of her hoodie, her eyes filled with worry — clearly, she was just as anxious about his predicament.
I have to think of a way to help Eikou!
Thinking that, Artoria turned her gaze toward Gawain — who was still lying unconscious to one side.
...
[You have entered combat with the Shadow Servant.]
[To finish the battle quickly, you immediately unleashed all your skills: "Mana Burst", "Dream-like Charisma", "Numeral of the Saint", "Hero Creation", "Determination of Steel (Moon)".]
[You decide to defeat the enemy within just a few seconds!]
"Thunder Cross Split Attack!"
Without hesitation, Eikou swung the Lostbelt King in his hand, slashing fiercely toward the Shadow Servant across the river.
The strike landed squarely on the enemy's blurry body — the Spirit Origin hardness of the Lostbelt King caused it to let out a painful scream, its Spirit Core nearly destroyed in a single blow.
Sasuga Lostbelt King — it felt even better to swing than Sorrow of Tristan or Holy Sword of the Gorilla!
"Raaaargh——!"
The waters beneath the raft surged wildly again, as if the monster was deliberately trying to disrupt his movement.
But at this level — to Eikou, who was fighting at full power — it was nothing. Now that the opponent's true form had appeared, he didn't hesitate to activate "Mana Burst," generating a massive magical propulsion, shooting himself straight toward Tomoe Gozen at incredible speed.
There was no more time to deal with that Shadow Servant.
He dashed forward, reaching out to grab Tomoe Gozen, who was about to sink beneath the surface.
But at that very moment — the Shadow Servant suddenly launched another attack.
Eikou's eyes widened; instinctively, he wanted to counterattack, but he couldn't bring himself to pull his hand back when he was just inches away from Tomoe Gozen.
At that moment, Artoria shouted:
"Eikou! Let me help you!"
Both Eikou and the Shadow Servant turned their heads at the sound of her voice.
They saw Artoria — imitating Eikou — using Gawain as a surfboard, riding the raging current at full speed straight toward the Shadow Servant like a reckless little wild boar!
[Artoria activates the skills "Avalon le Fae A" and "Holy Sword Creation EX"!]
"???"
This girl... even in a crisis, she's just as impulsive as I am?!
Eikou thought to himself: You were just yelling at me for being inhuman, and now you're literally stepping on someone as your board too! Do you hate Gawain that much?!
"Hah——Yah——Ha——!"
Artoria bared her adorably sharp shark-like teeth, gripping her staff tightly as she charged straight at the Shadow Servant's head.
Eikou thought the tip of her staff would fire some kind of magic bullet or beam of light — but instead, she simply raised it and smacked the enemy squarely on the head.
Bonk!
That crude yet determined strike was enough to bring down the already exhausted Shadow Servant!
Its pitch-black body collapsed, then crumbled into ashes — returning to the earth from which it came.
Too strong, Artoria — she defeated her enemy purely with her reckless resolve.
"..."
For a fleeting moment, their eyes met.
There was no time for words of gratitude — just mutual understanding was enough. Immediately, Eikou turned away, reaching out his right hand to grasp Tomoe Gozen, who was about to sink beneath the water, and pulled her up with all his strength.
"Are you all right?!"
"..."
The last image Tomoe Gozen saw before losing consciousness was Eikou's face, filled with concern, as he reached out to rescue her from the suffocating water.
Under the blazing sun, Tomoe Gozen lay on Eikou's back — his figure appearing gallant and radiant, as if a halo of sunlight shone from behind him.
In that moment, Eikou truly looked like a heroic young man stepping out from a fairy tale.
But on closer inspection... one of his hands was still holding Arjuna Alter, and his feet were standing on a raft made of a bundle of Anglo-French Servants tied together with swim trunks.
'…Seriously… what kind of scene… is this supposed to be?'
That was the last thought that crossed Tomoe Gozen's mind before she fainted.
[...]
[You hurriedly brought everyone back to shore.]
[At first glance, it seems everyone survived, but in your eyes, the danger isn't completely gone.]
[Tomoe Gozen had been underwater for quite some time; she's now unconscious.]
[...Of course, the others are in nearly the same state, but it's hard to say they actually drowned — more like they were "drained dry" by your skill "A Knight Does Not Die with Empty Hands EX." They'll be fine after a short rest.]
[Only Tomoe Gozen, who was the first to fall into danger and stayed underwater the longest, is in critical condition.]
[You can sense her mana rapidly fading — likely due to her consuming it while being dragged under by the Shadow Servant.]
[If nothing is done soon, she may have to return to the Throne of Heroes…]
"Artoria, do you have any recovery skill or magecraft? Even just something to restore her mana!"
Seeing Tomoe Gozen's unnaturally pale face, both of them panicked completely upon reaching the shore.
"No, I don't know any recovery magecraft,"
Artoria quickly shook her head and said:
"Even the mana restoration skill I had, I already used earlier — I didn't think we'd need it here…"
"..."
"Don't look at me like that! What about you?"
"I… I don't have one either…"
Eikou's face flushed red.
Sure, he had plenty of skills, but not a single one that could heal or replenish another's mana — they were all for attacking, showboating, or ridiculous stuff like "Disaster With Women" or "My Love is Eternal."
No, wait — he did have "Human Anatomy Research." Maybe that could help provide some temporary first aid?
Hold on…
Eikou suddenly realized.
If the "Human Body Understanding" skill were to guide him now, what kind of first-aid procedure would it suggest?
"Artificial respiration will do it!"
The moment he realized that, Artoria beside him also caught on.
"Eikou, quickly do artificial respiration! That's what you do for drowning victims! I was so panicked earlier I almost forgot!"
But… would artificial respiration even work on a Servant?
Then again, maybe it would — even if it didn't heal her directly, it could at least transfer mana through the mouth?
"Really… then Artoria, you do it!" Eikou said, blushing.
"But I don't know how…" Artoria replied shyly, then urged, "You're the one who's have Human Body Understanding! You do it, you have that skill, right?"
"I do, but…"
Eikou covered his face, visibly embarrassed.
"Artificial respiration means pressing the chest… and, uh, mouth-to-mouth contact… that's kinda embarrassing…"
"???"
You're embarrassed now? Where did that chivalrous spirit go — the one who risked everything to save everyone moments ago?!
Precious seconds for resuscitation were slipping away — and there weren't many left.
"..."
In that urgent and critical moment, Eikou quickly entered a state of focus — there was no room left for hesitation.
Looking at the beautiful girl in a swimsuit lying motionless on the shore — her alluring curves, delicate face, and soft lips pressed together in pain —
Eikou clenched his teeth, his resolve clear.
"I'll… I'll do it, okay!"
...
(Note: I'm curious about who that shadow servant really is.)
...