Chapter 72. Level Up! The Crimson That Breaks All Boundaries!
The Man-made Labyrinth, Knossos—Core Area.
"RUMBLE!!!"
The earth was wailing; the air was burning. This was no longer a dark, damp underground labyrinth, but a bullet-hell of colorful mana beams and writhing tentacles.
"This quantity... are they trying to bury us in them?!"
Lefiya Viridis let out a despairing scream while maintaining a [Wide-Range Defense Barrier]. In her vision, the once-spacious hall had been filled with countless surging lumps of flesh and plant roots. The [Filthy Spirit Clone] perched above the abyss was acting like a 3D printer gone berserk, continuously manufacturing synthetic beasts known as [Viola].
"Don't stop, Lefiya! If you stop for even a second, the barrier will shatter!" Ryuu Lion's figure flitted through the jungle of tentacles, her [Sirius] (Bow Mode) drawn to its limit. "[Luminous Wind]!" Green light arrows precisely detonated the eyeball of a monster trying to ambush Haruhime, but in the next second, the wound was filled with newly sprouted granulation.
"The regeneration speed... is faster than before?" Ais Wallenstein brandished [Desperate Monster], her golden wind barrier shredding any enemies that drew near. However, her breathing had grown ragged, and fine beads of sweat covered her forehead. Even as a Lv. 6, her stamina bar was nearing its end in the face of this endless war of attrition.
At the very front of the team, acting as the arrowhead, Shirou Emiya was enduring the greatest pressure.
"Trace Overload!"
The black and white twin blades in Shirou's hands had already shattered countless times. Every projection, every slash, was squeezing the mana that was already on the verge of depletion within him.
'Is this... the power of a Spirit?'
Shirou bit his lip, using [Eye of the Mind (True)] to dodge a fatal corrosive beam. Even if it was just a clone, this thing's total mana pool was pure cheating. If it were an ordinary Lv. 3, they would have been crushed by this mana pressure the moment they stepped through the door.
"Master Shirou! Your right hand!" Haruhime cried out from behind.
Shirou glanced at his right arm. Due to the frequent use of [Projection Magecraft] and [Structural Reinforcement], the skin had begun to take on an abnormal charred brown color; several muscle fibers had even snapped, staining his sleeve crimson. This was the scream of the "Container." A Lv. 3 body could no longer support his Lv. 5-tier combat instincts and mana output.
"It's fine, I can still move," Shirou's voice was terrifyingly calm. "As long as I can swing a sword... I haven't lost."
"But..." Lefiya looked at that swaying back, an inexplicable pang of sadness surging in her heart. Why? Why did this human have to go this far? He was just a newcomer who had joined a Familia less than two months ago; he could have easily hidden behind Miss Ais, a Lv. 6. Yet he always stood in the most dangerous spot, like a dam blocking a flood.
"Hahahaha! Despair! Wail!"
The God of Death—Thanatos—standing high on the altar, let out a fanatical laugh. He spread his arms as if conducting a grand symphony. "This is the art of 'Death'! Your struggles only make the sacrifice more delicious!"
"Delicious my foot!" Shirou roared, violently throwing [Kanshou]. The spinning blade cut through the air, heading straight for Thanatos's face.
"Too naive." Thanatos didn't even move. A thick tentacle emerged from the void and easily flicked the blade away.
"Shirou Emiya, where is your 'Infinity'?" Thanatos mocked. "I heard you can project God-made armaments that can destroy heaven and earth? Why not use them? Is it because... you don't have enough mana?"
He was spot on. Shirou's heart sank. In the continuous battles leading up to this, he had consumed 70% of his mana. The remaining mana had to be saved to maintain the defensive line. If he forcibly projected [Caladbolg II] or a higher-ranked Noble Phantasm and failed to one-shot the enemy, the entire team would fall into a death trap.
"Since you won't use it, then die." Thanatos waved his hand. "Spirit! Maximum output—[God's Breath]!"
"VREEEEE—!!!"
The upper body of the Spirit Clone (that eerie bust) opened its mouth. The surrounding space began to distort as multi-colored mana radiance converged within its mouth, compressing into an extremely unstable energy sphere. That wasn't magic. That was a pure, primitive torrent of mana. Once fired, the entire underground hall would be leveled.
"Not good! Everyone, defend!" Ais's face changed instantly. She immediately abandoned her attack and rushed to the front of the team. "[Ariel]—Full Release!"
"Me too! [Elf Ring]—Defense Array!" Lefiya bit her lip, forcibly overdrawing her mental energy to construct multiple magic shields.
"Not enough... still not enough!" Shirou's [Eye of the Mind] gave a despairing judgment. The power of that strike definitely exceeded the defensive limits of a Lv. 6. If they took it head-on, everyone except Ais would die.
I must... break this situation. Shirou looked at the charging energy sphere. His brain worked at high speed. Is there a way? A weapon? A... miracle?
"Lord Shirou."
A pair of warm little hands suddenly hugged him from behind. Haruhime. The little fox who had been protected at the very rear had stepped forward. Her body was shaking, but her eyes were exceptionally firm.
"I... want to give this... to you."
"Haruhime?"
"Even though Captain Finn said this was the final trump card, if we don't use it now... there will be no future!" Haruhime raised her staff, her golden fox tails dancing wildly in the mana storm.
"[Uchide no Kozuchi]—!!!"
"Target: Shirou Emiya!"
"[Grow up]—!!!"
HUM—!!!
Golden radiance, like a bolt of divine lightning, struck Shirou's back with precision. This wasn't an ordinary buff. This was [Level Boost]. This was a miraculous magic capable of breaking world rules and forcibly raising one's rank.
"Ugh... AAAAAHHH!!!"
Shirou let out a pained low growl. The mana that had run dry was now erupting like a volcano. Withered cells were forcibly injected with vitality; snapped muscles were instantly restructured. It felt like a river was being forcibly poured into a teacup.
But this wasn't just Lv. 4. Shirou Emiya's base stats were all SSS. His Lv. 4 quality was enough to rival a high-tier Lv. 5, even touching the threshold of Lv. 6.
"Power... is surging." Shirou clenched his fist. The once heavy twin blades now felt as light as feathers. His once blurred vision was now so clear he could see the dust in the air.
But it still wasn't enough. Facing the imminent [God's Breath], the power of Lv. 4 alone was still insufficient to stand against it head-on.
"The container... is too small." Shirou felt the explosive power within him. Although [Uchide no Kozuchi] raised his level, it was temporary. His body (the container) had not truly adapted to this power. Mana was overflowing. Like a balloon blown to its limit, it could burst at any moment.
"Since it won't fit..." Shirou lifted his head, looking at the high-and-mighty Thanatos and the charging Spirit. In his eyes, a fire ignited like never before.
"Then... I'll just have to... break this container!"
He made a mad decision. He didn't use this massive mana for attack, nor for defense. Instead—he caused an internal implosion.
"Trace Core \ Overlimit!"
He compressed all his mana, including the external mana from the [Level Boost], into his magic circuit core (his heart). He was charging. Charging at the bottleneck called "Lv. 3." Charging at the boundary called "Mortal."
"What is that kid... doing?!" In the distance, Bete (who had just arrived at the edge of the battlefield) saw this scene, his wolf fur standing on end in shock. "Charging for a Level Up mid-battle?! Is he insane?! That's a death wish!"
Indeed, this was a suicidal act. Forcing one's way through the level barrier without a God's guidance (Status Update) usually resulted in the body exploding. However, Shirou Emiya was no ordinary human. He was the wielder of Unlimited Blade Works. His body, in essence, was "made of swords."
"Steel is my body."
The incantation echoed deep in his soul. It was no longer a chant, but a restructuring.
Crack. Something inside his body seemed to shatter. Immediately after—
BOOM—!!!
A pillar of golden light erupted from Shirou, reaching into the sky. That wasn't the light of [Uchide no Kozuchi]. That was... the light of a Level Up.
In this life-or-death crisis, under this immense pressure, the "Exilia" and "Feats" accumulated by Shirou Emiya over two months were thoroughly ignited. The death struggle on the 37th floor, Ottar's pressure, the threat of the Spirit... all his experiences turned into fuel.
[Feat Confirmed—In the body of a human, bearing the weight of a God.]
"AAAAAAAAAAHHH—!!!"
Shirou roared to the heavens. Countless glowing patterns appeared on the surface of his skin; these were his magic circuits expanding and evolving. His once mortal flesh underwent a total metamorphosis at this moment.
Lv. 3 -> Lv. 4 (True).
And because the effect of [Uchide no Kozuchi] was still active: Lv. 4 (True) + Lv. Boost = Lv. 5 (Pseudo).
"This is... the current me."
The light faded. Shirou Emiya stood upon the earth once more. His clothes were shredded, revealing a lean upper body. His red hair fluttered without wind, and golden divine light flowed within his amber eyes. At this moment, the aura he radiated was actually not inferior to Ais over there.
"How is this possible..." Half of the mask on Thanatos's face fell off, revealing a terrified expression. "Leveling up during a battle?! Such a thing... such a thing hasn't even been written in the Heroic Epics!"
"Sorry, Mr. Villain." Shirou raised his hand and gripped the air. The surrounding atmosphere let out a vibratory hum that sounded like a cheer.
"My script never follows the tropes."
"Spirit! Fire now!" Thanatos felt a fatal threat and screamed frantically.
"ROAR!" The Spirit also seemed to sense the mutation of the "insect" before it. It stopped charging and roared as [God's Breath] erupted. The torrent of destruction lunged straight for Shirou.
"Come on then."
Shirou didn't dodge. He didn't even ask Ais for help. He simply reached out with his newly reborn right hand.
"Trace On"
This time, no complex incantation was needed. No painful analysis. Where the mind reached, the sword followed.
A massive shield, like a city wall, appeared out of thin air before him. It wasn't [Rho Aias]. It was a projection of [Achilles Cosmos] (though only a B-rank degraded version).
"The World—Unfold!"
BOOM—!!!
The destructive beam slammed into the shield. An attack sufficient to wipe a block off the map was actually... blocked head-on by that shield. Although the shield was dissolving and the ground was collapsing, Shirou... did not take a single step back.
"He... he blocked it?!" Lefiya's mouth hung open in an 'O' shape. "That was... an attack of that level!"
"It's not over yet." Shirou's lips curled up. He dismissed the shield and leaned forward, taking a charging stance.
"Since you're done, it's my turn."
"Project Load."
Behind him, two weapons emerged. One burned with the fires of the sun—[Excalibur Galatine (Fake)]. The other was wrapped in the curse of death—[Gae Bolg (Fake)] (though it was a spear, in his hands, it was a sword).
"Double... Broken Phantasm!"
Shirou grabbed both Noble Phantasms. His figure vanished. When he reappeared, he was already above the Spirit's head.
"Shukuchi?" Ryuu looked at Shirou's movements in surprise. "Is that... Ground Shrink?"
No, it was pure speed. The speed of a Lv. 5 (Pseudo).
"Take this!"
Shirou slammed the solar holy sword in his left hand deep into the Spirit's left shoulder. "Galatine Blast!" Boom! The flames erupted, instantly incinerating half of the Spirit's tentacles.
"ROAR!" The Spirit screamed, trying to counterattack.
But in that instant, Shirou had already thrust the Spear of Death in his right hand into its core shield. "Gae Bolg—Pierce!" Pffft! The red cursed spear tore through that mana barrier—which even a Lv. 6 would struggle to break—like cutting through tofu.
"The final strike!"
Shirou flipped in the air and pressed his palms together. All the remaining mana in his body converged in his palms.
"Trace On - Excalibur Image!"
A golden sword of light took shape. Though not as good as the original, and not as good as the previous partial-release version, at this moment, at zero distance... its power was sufficient.
"EX—CALIBUR!!!"
The golden pillar of light fell vertically. Following the opening made by Gae Bolg, it poured violently into the Spirit's core.
"No... please..." The Spirit let out a final, human-girl-like scream.
RUMBLE—!!!!!
A massive explosion bloomed in the center of the underground hall. It was a golden sun. It devoured the Spirit, devoured the altar, and devoured the overbearing God of Death, Thanatos.
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A long time later, the dust settled.
The massive monster had vanished. Only a bottomless crater remained, along with... a red-haired boy standing at the bottom, white steam rising from his body, yet still standing tall.
"We... we won..." Haruhime slumped to the ground, tears flowing uncontrollably.
"Hmph, fairly gallant." Ais sheathed her sword; though her face was expressionless, her slightly trembling fingers betrayed her internal excitement.
"That idiot..." Ryuu looked at that back and flashed a relieved smile.
"Hey! Emiya!" Bete rushed to the edge of the pit and shouted, "You're not dead, right? If you're alive, give me a squeak!"
"Squeak." Shirou's weak voice drifted up from the pit.
He turned around and gave a thumbs-up to his companions above. Although his face was covered in blood and his clothes were in tatters, that smile was more dazzling than ever.
"Everyone... I leveled up."
"Stop showing off at a time like this, you bastard!" everyone complained in unison.
This soul-stirring Knossos raid finally came to a close with Shirou Emiya's illogical "Battlefield Level Up" and "Nuclear Strike."
However, as Shirou was pulled up by the others, Finn looked at the Status on Shirou's back which had updated (though not yet confirmed by a God, his aura had changed), and his gaze grew deep.
'A battlefield level up... such a thing in the history of Orario has only been achieved by that person (a certain someone from the Hera Familia).'
Finn thought silently to himself.
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