DanMachi: Heroic Epic of Emiya the Great Hero

Tione's eyes instantly widened, her breath abruptly halted. A sharp pain, like thunder, tore through her body. Her expression twisted for a moment, and a trace of fresh blood spilled from the corner of her mouth.

The massive impact caused her body to momentarily lose balance, and she staggered unsteadily backward.

However, in that instant, she also flew into a violent rage. Fury burned in her eyes, and her fists came storming again like a violent tempest. A heavy punch mercilessly struck Emiya's cheek.

The strength of that punch was so great that Emiya was abruptly knocked backward, his feet scraping deep grooves into the ground, almost losing his balance.

Ais, harnessing the power of wind, swiftly rushed forward and stood in front of Emiya. Her golden long hair fluttered in the wind, and the sword in her hand was already raised, guarding in front of her.

However—

"Ais, step aside," Emiya spoke as he reached out and pressed down on the girl's shoulder.

Ais turned her head and looked at Emiya. A trace of confusion appeared in her eyes.

Noticing her hesitation, Emiya said, "This is something I promised to Finn-senpai… and also…"

Ais looked up, following Emiya's gaze, and looked toward Tione in the distance.

The girl who had just been struck in the abdomen by Emiya was enduring the pain with great effort, barely managing to throw that punch.

Now, she was almost half-kneeling on the ground, saliva dripping from the corner of her mouth.

Ais understood the words Emiya hadn't finished saying—

"Do you want to take my 'prey'?"

Not stealing prey was the most basic rule between adventurers.

Ais's hand holding the sword slowly lowered.

Emiya gently pushed Ais aside and stepped toward Tione.

He walked up to her, grabbed her messy hair, and forcibly yanked her up.

In that instant, the girl's eyes seemed somewhat dazed, her expression filled with pain and exhaustion.

But Emiya didn't hesitate in the slightest. He raised his fist and slammed it down hard toward her chest.

Boom!

A muffled thud rang out as Tione's body trembled, almost falling over.

A flash of pain appeared in her eyes, but she immediately steadied herself with sheer willpower, supporting her weak body, gritting her teeth, and returned a punch of her own.

Thud!

The sound of fist meeting flesh echoed especially clearly in the quiet night.

The battle between the two, or rather, this "exchange", entered its final stage.

Attacking each other, one punch at a time, such a simple and brutal form of combat appeared all the more resolute under the moonlight.

On one side was a berserker who grew stronger the more injuries she suffered; on the other was someone even crazier than a berserker.

Emiya's skills, under the moonlight, were empowered to their fullest. With each punch, his stamina steadily increased; and in theory, the more heavy blows Tione received, the more terrifying her counterattacks would become.

"Your punches… got lighter," After taking a hit, Emiya suddenly said softly.

"Is your stamina running out? Or are you too badly hurt… or perhaps…", He asked, "You've already woken up?"

Tione, upon hearing those words, lifted the corners of her mouth into a smile, a radiant one, "I've long… woken up. You really are a male full of desire."

Her left cheek was completely swollen, her right eye bruised and temporarily blind, blood continuously oozing from her split lips, yet her smile carried a sense of relieved calm.

Tione staggered forward, her steps unsteady, seemingly having lost all fighting strength.

Just as she neared Emiya, she suddenly lost balance, stumbled, and collapsed to her knees.

She slowly raised her hand, using all her strength to reach toward Emiya, weakly tapping on his chest.

Emiya's expression remained firm and calm. Without the slightest hesitation, he abruptly raised his arm and punched her cheek.

This was the final blow. The immense force of the punch sent Tione flying, slamming heavily into the ground, and she completely lost consciousness.

At this moment, adventurers from the Loki Familia had unknowingly gathered in the surroundings. They formed a circle, their gazes tightly focused on the fight between Emiya and Tione.

Stunned, confused, questioning life, yearning… a complex mix of emotions intertwined on each person's face.

For a time, no one could say a word. They could only quietly watch this intense and insane battle.

"Ais, please, take Tione back," Emiya spat out bloody saliva, his voice slightly hoarse.

"What about you, Master?", Ais instinctively asked.

"I'm fine. My stamina and mental strength can still hold out," Emiya replied.

At this moment, Riveria also stepped forward. She gently supported Emiya, her voice soft, "Thank you for your hard work."

Before Emiya could respond, a sharp pain suddenly shot up from his arm.

He gasped coldly, and upon looking down, saw Riveria's fingers tightly digging into his arm, without mercy.

"What's going on?"

Riveria lowered her voice, "Explain everything when we get back!"

———

The vision swayed, blurred and indistinct.

A continuous ringing resounded in her ears, shaking her mind.

Intense shouting, deafening clamor, and the stomping of countless feet on the ground mixed together, roaring like a nightmare.

Tione's former residence, a small world surrounded by stone walls, was trembling, echoing the chaos coming from afar.

The window was small and narrow, blocked by iron bars. The blue sky and bright sunlight outside seemed unreachable, forever sealed away.

Inside the cold, prison-like large room, the stench of rot, mildew, and rust filled the air, nauseating to the core.

In the corner of the room lay two machetes, their blades glinting faintly amidst the shaking, as if waiting to be picked up again, waiting for the stage.

The scene changed, she was thrown into another place.

The entrance to the arena, a vision-narrowing mask tightly pressed against her face, its cold and oppressive texture always present.

Light shone through the gap of the door, glaring and revolting. In front of her was a heavy gate.

Swinging her hand to push open the darkness, she passed through that door, greeted by even more violent, even more frenzied roars.

Countless spectators packed the stands, shouting at the top of their lungs. The sound echoed from all directions like thunder.

Twin doors opened, enemies appeared, weapons gripped tightly in her hands, knuckles white, no hesitation, charging toward them.

The enemies constantly changed, one after another, seemingly without end.

Howling packs of white wolves, club-wielding minotaurs, chained dragons…

And most commonly, girls of her own kind.

The sound of clashing steel rang out in the arena, sparks flying, blades and halberds clashing in total chaos.

Kill, or be killed, that was Tione's homeland, the Amazon domain, the sea battle nation Telskyura.

Every time, it was always the enemy who fell, and the one standing in the victor's spot was always her own exhausted legs.

When the last defeated one collapsed powerlessly at her feet, the outcome was decided, and the entire arena boiled like the burning sun.

From the audience, fellow countrywomen stood up one after another, female warriors shouting fervent blessings.

Cheers, screams, roars… the stirring emotions seemed to shake even the twilight sky.

The sky she looked up at was always endlessly crimson, like the afterglow stained with blood.

The scene kept shifting, the imagery overlapping.

A goddess with a blurry face, smiling like a flower, her smile carrying a bewitching mystery.

Then another scene, one that repeatedly appeared in dreams, that female warrior who always knocked her down, looked down at her, laughing loudly.

Wild laughter echoed in her ears, blending with the cheers of the audience, never ceasing.

And in that laughter and cheer, also mixed were unclear screams, splashing blood, and dazed eyes.

On the surface of a radiant weapon reflected a blurry image. Those eyes, over time, became more and more dull, gradually losing the light of life.

Repetitive time, again and again, the world faded, everything became meaningless.

Unintentionally, her gaze fell upon her own hands.

Those hands were stained with blood—

Blood soaked her fingers and dripped down, shocking to the eye.

Then, through the blood-red hands, she saw her sister, her chest pierced by her own hands, eyes wide open, collapsed in front of her.

Tione couldn't make a sound from her throat. She only opened her mouth silently, her body trembling uncontrollably.

Despair, fear, and pain surged in her heart, with no outlet. In the end, it all turned into a silent scream, soaking into the endless red.

In the next moment, the scene changed again. The one lying on the ground became Tione herself.

She lay on her back on the cold floor, pain piercing her entire body, her vision gradually blurring.

Looking down, she saw a long blade stabbed through her abdomen, its cold tip emerging from behind, embedded deep in her flesh. Blood dripped along the blade, dyeing the ground red.

And on the other end of the blade was her sister, Tiona.

The girl tilted her head slightly, the blade in her hand deeply embedded in her sister's abdomen, yet her eyes showed no ripples.

Those eyes remained as pure as ever, without a trace of impurity, like those of an innocent child.

Tiona's lips curved into a smile, so pure it was disorienting. Her cheeks were stained with deep red blood, droplets slipping and reflecting in her clear eyes.

The girl's arm lifted, the blade in her hand light as a toy. With her movement, the cold blade traced a cruel arc in the air.

Tione could feel her life rapidly slipping away, yet the corners of her mouth lifted into a smile of relief.

But in the next moment, Tione's eyes nearly burst.

Before her, Tiona suddenly turned the blade, pointed it at her own throat, and smiled as she stabbed down.

Then, the scene changed again.

She returned to the arena, that familiar scene, surrounded by countless cheering spectators, their deafening roars filling the arena.

And she, stood among the powerless, fallen corpses, lowering her head wearily, gripping her weapon, eyes hollow.

She lifted her mask, facing the fallen enemy before her.

Then, she saw a familiar face.

It was a woman she knew intimately, the senior who had always cared for her, treated her like a sister, even like a daughter.

Her face was haggard, yet wore a gentle smile. Her arms were open, just like every time she comforted her as a child, embracing her like a mother.

In that instant, Tione's entire world collapsed.

At that moment, for the first time, Tione felt true despair.

All the strength in her body seemed to be drained in an instant. The weapon slipped from her hands with a dull thud, tears streaming down her face, mixing into the blood-soaked sand.

Boom!

Just then, a muffled explosion sounded, as if something had slammed down violently.

Tione's body jolted violently, and the world before her eyes trembled.

Those scenes, stone-prison-like room, massive arena, the cruel teacher who pinned her down, the senior who protected her like a mother, the goddess with a deep smile, and her innocent younger sister Tiona, all their figures blurred for a moment.

Then, a heavy fist once again slammed into her body. The intense pain caused her to gasp sharply.

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