Chapter 76: The Start of the Great Battle
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. What's going on here?!" Bete was stunned as he surveyed the surroundings. The vast cavern was littered with various marks and corpses. On the quartz pillar in the center of the cavern, three enormous man-eating plants were coiled. Surrounding the pillar, flower buds proliferated on the ceiling and walls, and within these buds, countless man-eating plants were being nurtured. As time passed, some of these plants occasionally fell from the buds.
"Bete, over here!" Shirou called out, his voice cutting through the chaos. Bete, though showing a disdainful expression, didn't hesitate and rushed toward Shirou.
"Tsundere," Shirou thought with a smirk.
As Bete approached, Shirou quickly explained the situation. "Be careful, Bete. You've probably seen the environment here; man-eating plants are constantly being born."
He continued, "Also, those robed figures are remnants of the dark faction. They carry fire stones, and if things go south, they'll self-detonate to try and take us with them."
"Of course, these are minor issues. The real threats are that masked man and the three gigantic man-eating plants beside him."
"The masked man's ability values are probably around LV.6; if not, he's at the absolute peak of LV.5. As for the three gigantic man-eating plants, their ability values are probably no weaker than LV.6 either!"
After hearing Shirou's explanation, Bete became serious. The situation was, indeed, incredibly complex.
"Where's Ais? Where did Ais go?" Bete quickly asked, looking around.
"Ais is fighting the red-haired woman. Although they're both LV.6, Ais will absolutely not lose!" Shirou replied confidently.
"Of course!" Trust in the Sword Princess, Ais Wallenstein, was fundamental for all members of the Loki Familia.
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Shirou's Instructions
"Lefiya, you and the elf beside you help the Hermes Familia fight against those man-eating plants and the dark faction. Watch out for their self-detonations!" Shirou commanded.
"Yes!" Lefiya responded with determination.
Turning to Asfi, Shirou asked, "Asfi, can you stand now?"
"I can manage, my injuries have almost healed!" Asfi answered, though she was clearly still winded.
"Then go back and command the Familia. With you there, they'll be at their strongest."
"I understand!" Asfi nodded before flying off.
Shirou turned back to Bete. "The heavy burden is on us, Bete!"
"Hmph, isn't that obvious?!" Bete shot back.
Shirou smiled, then his expression grew serious as he glanced at the white-haired demon. "The opponent is very likely to summon more man-eating plants, even giant ones, for assistance."
"During the fight, you'll be the main attacker, and I'll support from the side. Once a giant man-eating plant is summoned, I'll take care of it."
"So-so!" Bete grunted.
"You really can't give compliments, Bete!"
After a brief exchange of words, the two charged into action.
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The Battle Intensifies
"Die, masked man!" Bete shouted as he charged towards the white-haired demon.
"Man-eating plants!" The masked man bellowed, and at his command, the ground trembled as more man-eating plants emerged.
"There are more, as expected!" Shirou muttered, already sliding to the ground and projecting a bow and arrows. He swiftly aimed and fired at the enemies before him.
"Don't block my way!" Shirou's voice rang out as he unleashed a rapid-fire barrage of arrows. His hands were a blur of movement as the arrows struck their targets, the magic stones of the man-eating plants exploding on impact.
"Don't worry about these, Bete, I'll clear the way for you!" Shirou called, but Bete, already in motion, scoffed.
"Stop showing off, I don't need your help!" Bete yelled back, but in his mind, he was thinking, Thanks for your help, Master Emiya.
Shirou only smiled and replied, "You're welcome!"
Bete, now in front of the masked man, engaged him in direct combat. The two exchanged powerful blows, their movements so swift that the others struggled to follow the fight.
"Is a first-class adventurer really that strong?" Filvis, who had come with Bete and Lefiya, observed with wide eyes. The Hermes Familia members, who had mostly cleared out the surrounding monsters, were also left in awe, unable to intervene in the battle.
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Shirou's Sharp Eye
But that was not the case for Shirou. Kicking a nearby monster away to gain a moment's respite, he immediately aimed at the masked man's location and loosed an arrow.
"What?!" The masked man, who was struggling to fend off Bete, suddenly sensed a new threat. He barely managed to block the arrow with his left hand. The sharp projectile pierced his arm and continued its trajectory, embedding itself into his face.
The masked man, retreating quickly, pulled the arrow out with trembling hands. Despite the hole in his face, his regeneration was swift, and the damage was superficial. Cold sweat dripped from his forehead. He had almost been decapitated.
Shirou, observing the close call, felt a hint of pity for his opponent. The masked man's muscles were simply too tough. Any other adventurer would have had their head blown off, but the masked man only suffered a deep wound.
But with the monsters closing in again, Shirou refocused on the battlefield. He continued to clear the way for his comrades, though his peripheral vision constantly darted toward Bete, looking for the perfect moment to strike.
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The Giant Man-Eating Plant Emerges
The masked man, now thoroughly alarmed by Shirou's threat level, tossed aside his arrow and commanded, "Go, giant man-eating plants!"
At his command, one of the three colossal man-eating plants coiled around the quartz pillar released its tentacles, and its massive body fell from the air. The giant plant crashed to the ground like a hammer, sending a shockwave through the cavern.
The Hermes Familia members quickly shielded themselves from the shockwave, their bodies vibrating as the ground shattered beneath the plant's weight. The green flesh covering the Dungeon's walls splattered into the air.
Now, the cavern felt like a torrential downpour of carnage. Normally, in such a scene, anyone would feel disgusted. But now, as they looked at the monster—its size far exceeding that of a Floor Boss—everyone's hearts sank. How were they supposed to deal with such an enemy? It was practically a Floor Boss, and there were still two more on the quartz pillar!
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The Masked Man's Final Command
Hearing the white-haired demon's command, the giant man-eating plant began its swift attack on Shirou.
The true great battle began here!
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