Danmachi- The Heroic Legend of Emiya!

— At the Hestia Familia base.

"You want me to duel against Hyacinthos Clio, the captain of the Apollo Familia?"

When Shirou returned to the base, he explained to the others, especially Bell, about his interaction with the god Apollo and the war game rule they agreed upon.

After all, for Shirou to engage Apollo in a divine wager, the first step was for Bell to defeat Apollo Familia's captain, Hyacinthos, in the war game.

According to Shirou's investigation, Hyacinthos was a Level 3 adventurer, with strength befitting his level.

In contrast, Bell was only a Level 1 adventurer, with many of his abilities still undeveloped. Facing such an opponent head-on was obviously extremely difficult, let alone defeating him.

So, when Bell heard Shirou's request, his first reaction was to reject the condition.

He simply did not have the courage to confront a mid-tier adventurer of Level 3.

Shirou, unsurprised by Bell's reaction, responded calmly, "I see. If you want to refuse, that's fine too. But I can't guarantee that the Apollo Familia won't make a move on you.

After all, their deity Apollo has set his sights on you. He has declared that no matter what, he will take you. If you refuse now, it's entirely possible that Apollo Familia will launch a full-on war game against Hestia Familia next."

That was exactly why Shirou had so readily agreed to Apollo's war game proposal.

Since Apollo had clearly targeted Bell, rather than avoiding the reality and dragging things out, it was better to seize the initiative and take control of the situation.

Besides, although Bell was only Level 1, his stats far exceeded ordinary adventurers of the same level. If he could level up to Level 2 within a week, and if Shirou could forge a powerful weapon for him, then defeating Hyacinthos might not be impossible.

Shirou laid all of this out clearly for Bell and let him make his own choice—

To run from reality, or to face a powerful enemy head-on.

Faced with Shirou's sincerity, Bell looked deeply conflicted.

He hadn't expected that, as a mere Level 1, he would be shouldering the fate of an entire Familia.

The pressure was immense.

But at the same time, a trace of joy welled up in his heart.

Because the person he admired and respected—Shirou—was now placing his hopes on him, relying on the strength he possessed.

This gave Bell tremendous encouragement, and under the effects of his special skill [Liaris Freese], it surged within him as real power.

"I understand!" Bell took a deep breath and made up his mind. "I'll fight Hyacinthos, the captain of the Apollo Familia!"

"Good."

Shirou nodded.

Getting Bell to agree to the duel was the first step—perhaps a small one, but even a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

Shirou knew well that every plan required progress one step at a time.

"In that case, Bell, for the next week, you must strictly follow my instructions," Shirou said sternly, "I will train you into a man who can stand against a Level 3 adventurer!"

"..."

Even Hestia and Liliruca standing nearby were stunned by his words, not just Bell.

They couldn't imagine how Shirou intended to have a Level 1 like Bell challenge a Level 3.

Shirou didn't bother explaining in detail.

He simply took Bell with him and headed toward the Tower of Babel.

When they arrived at the dungeon's entrance, Shirou turned to Bell and asked, "Bell, how much Excelia do you need to level up?"

"Still a bit to go, but more important than the Excelia is that I haven't accumulated enough great feats for a level-up."

"I see."

Shirou nodded thoughtfully.

His mind began rapidly calculating just how much progress could be made within one week. He repeatedly ran simulations and started forming a concrete plan.

Eventually, Shirou led Bell into the dungeon and began advancing at a nearly absurd pace.

Only now did Bell truly understand just how strong Shirou was.

Shirou wielded a jet-black bow, not even looking ahead as he moved forward. It was as if he could sense all the monsters along the path by instinct alone.

Every time a monster appeared, Shirou would release an arrow even before Bell could react, striking the monster's weak point precisely and reducing it to a magic stone.

"Thwack!" "Thwack!" "Thwack!"

Bell carried a large bag, acting as a supporter, but even then, he couldn't keep up with Shirou's monster-slaying speed. He bent over so many times to collect stones he nearly collapsed from exhaustion.

"Haah~ Haah~ So fast! Shirou-niisan, how can you tell where the monsters are going to show up?!"

Seeing Bell's baffled expression, Shirou calmly replied, "Because I judge based on the bloodlust the monsters emit."

"Bloodlust?"

"What your eyes can perceive is always limited. To become truly strong, the first step is to stop relying solely on your eyes. Use your five senses to read your enemy's movements." Shirou taught while continuing to hunt, "Only by observing enemies with all your senses, until you can rely on instinct alone, will you reach the realm of the 'Mind's Eye'."

"The Mind's Eye?"

"Seeing not with your eyes but with your heart. That's the path all true warriors must walk."

Shirou said no more.

He didn't fully explain the Mind's Eye, because the concept was far too advanced—even among Orario's top adventurers, few had truly grasped it.

Shirou had gained this ability thanks to Heroic Spirit Emiya.

Back when he had to defeat the Ainsworth family, he had allowed Heroic Spirit Emiya to possess him.

With that came countless battle experiences of the heroic spirit, which also granted Shirou the Mind's Eye skill.

This ability, built upon intelligence gathering and situational awareness, allowed him to foresee enemy actions and avoid danger through overwhelming combat experience.

As a skill born from relentless training, the Mind's Eye enabled Shirou to stay calm in unfavorable situations, assess both his and his enemy's condition, and find the path to victory—even if there was only a 1% chance of turning the tables.

That was why Shirou could move through the dungeon without relying on his sight. Using only his Mind's Eye, he could detect monster movements and instantly fire arrows to eliminate them.

At this incredible pace, Shirou swiftly took Bell to the 10th floor and continued deeper into the dungeon.

Along the way, Bell saw Shirou in full battle mode—devastating everything in his path. Monsters had no chance to survive.

Bell even began to feel that Shirou was more like the monster than the actual monsters.

He never imagined dungeon exploration could be this effortless.

"Thwack!" "Thwack!" "Thwack!"

With another volley, more monsters fell under Shirou's arrows.

Though they had already reached the dungeon's middle levels, even stronger monsters couldn't survive a single one of Shirou's shots. Even his regular arrows could slay Level 1 and even some Level 2 monsters.

Bell became even more convinced: Shirou must be the rumored "Sword Demon" of the dungeon.

Far from feeling scared, Bell only admired Shirou more, and his desire to emulate him grew even stronger.

"Alright, this is far enough," Shirou said.

They had reached the 20th floor.

Last time Shirou had come here, this floor was overrun by a giant plant monster that had devoured all the other creatures. But now, the floor had returned to normal, showcasing the dungeon's astonishing ability to restore itself. No matter how distorted a floor became, within a few days, it would revert to its standard form.

No wonder some people believed the dungeon itself was a massive living creature.

"How much Excelia did you gain just now, Bell?"

Standing on the 20th floor, Shirou asked.

"Should be enough to level up. I can't feel any more stat growth."

Shirou's one hunting session had given Bell more Excelia than a whole week of Bell's solo grinding, fully filling the gap to his next level.

Shirou nodded slightly and told Bell to stay put, while he wandered off deeper into the 20th floor.

When Shirou returned, he brought a group of Level 2 monsters along with him.

"Thwack!" "Thwack!" "Thwack!"

With his usual precision, Shirou killed all but one monster—a Silverback Ape.

Compared to others of its kind, this one was clearly stronger and fully Level 2.

"Defeat it using your own power."

Shirou left the final monster for Bell and stared coldly at him, making it clear he wouldn't interfere.

Bell looked surprised but soon understood. He took a deep breath, drew the Hassan dagger, and launched into a fierce battle with the ape.

Watching Bell grow in combat, Shirou left him alone and began searching the dungeon for forging materials.

Yes—if Bell was to defeat Hyacinthos, just reaching Level 2 wouldn't be enough. He needed a powerful, personalized weapon.

Shirou had already considered this.

Now he had a clear idea in mind.

It was the Noble Phantasm used by the Heroic Spirit Beowulf—Hrunting, the Bloodred Hound.

Earlier, when Shirou was using his bow, he had occasionally fired Noble Phantasms to eliminate stronger enemies—including modified versions of Hrunting.

These transformed Hrunting arrows would chase their target endlessly as long as the archer lived, even if shot down multiple times.

Because of its homing nature, Shirou often used it as an arrow.

But now, he intended to forge its original version—a sword.

As a blood-fueled demonic sword, Hrunting granted its wielder endless power so long as it was drenched in blood—whether from the enemy or the user.

Since it was a weapon meant for life-or-death combat, Shirou believed it was perfect for Bell, who was going to risk his life challenging someone stronger.

To forge Hrunting, Shirou needed suitable materials—and began his search within the dungeon.

In addition, Shirou was also contemplating something else:

How to win against Apollo in the divine wager.

Even though that battle could only begin after Bell's victory in the war game, Shirou needed to prepare early.

Apollo's [Extreme Luck] was simply too overwhelming. If Shirou couldn't suppress that divine authority, there would be no hope of victory later on.

After much thought, Shirou realized that the only Noble Phantasm that could work was Enkidu—The Chains of Heaven, used by Gilgamesh.

Although Shirou couldn't project god-forged weapons, and it would be nearly impossible to forge weapons used by deities, Enkidu was different.

It was not a god-forged weapon—unlike Ea (the Sword of Rupture)—which meant forging it might actually be possible.

Projecting non-sword weapons consumed too much magical energy, but if he forged them physically, that wouldn't be an issue.

Of course, forging the Chains of Heaven would be extraordinarily difficult.

Setting aside whether Shirou could do it, the materials alone would be hard to obtain.

As a weapon capable of binding divine powers, it was hard to imagine that ordinary iron would suffice.

And even if it were successfully forged, how to use it in the divine wager against Apollo would be another problem.

Apollo would never just stand by and allow Shirou to use the Chains of Heaven to seal away his divine power.

Naturally, these were problems for the future.

Right now, Shirou needed to focus on forging the Chains of Heaven.

As for the materials, he felt his best bet was to search the dungeon.

After all, legend said the vast dungeon itself was a form of rejection and resistance against the gods—a fitting match for a weapon designed to restrain divine power.

"But how do I find a material that suppresses divinity?"

This question kept circling Shirou's mind, until he suddenly remembered a rumor circulating around the labyrinth city, Orario.

It was said that the dungeon was born from vengeance against the gods—a manifestation of grudges directed at divinity itself.

Therefore, if a god used divine power within the dungeon, it would provoke the dungeon's wrath and could even spawn monsters capable of suppressing divine energy.

In that moment, Shirou realized—

The "Power of Rebellion" born from the dungeon itself may be the best material for forging the Chains of Heaven!