"Not satisfied, not satisfied at all!" Tiona, with her hands clasped behind her head, walked through the narrow cave, continuously complaining. Tione, growing increasingly annoyed by her sister's complaints, finally snapped.
"You're so annoying! Try to calm down a bit!"
Tione shot an exasperated look at Tiona and tried to reason with her. "No one can do anything about the New Species attack. The Dungeon never lets adventurers explore as they please. How can we fight without supplies?"
"Don't forget, your Great Double-Bladed Axe is gone. You're using a weapon projected by Shirou now!" Shirou teased, overhearing their conversation.
"Exactly, exactly! That was a Great Double-Bladed Axe worth one hundred twenty million Valis! I wonder if you, Tiona, have enough Valis to forge another one?" Shirou added, enjoying the playful teasing.
Tiona, once again overwhelmed with sadness, sighed deeply. "Can you guys please stop mentioning my Great Double-Bladed Axe? I'm already miserable enough!"
"Hahaha!" Everyone burst out laughing, with Bete's laughter being the loudest. He was practically doubled over, barely able to stand.
"Bete, you jerk!" Tiona, now furious, charged directly at him.
"Bastard, you idiotic woman!" Bete shot back.
"You're the bastard, foul-mouthed werewolf!" Tiona retorted.
Shirou couldn't help but smile knowingly at their bickering. A few days had passed since the New Species attack. After a day of damage control, the Loki Familia had successfully begun their return to the surface, avoiding major losses thanks to their quick thinking.
It's worth mentioning that when Shirou and his group went to battle on the 51st floor, they had once again encountered traces of the New Species. This time, Shirou chose not to use Unlimited Blade Works. Instead, his increasingly refined archery skills allowed him to successfully suppress the New Species' attacks. In this battle, everyone showed their strength, with Tiona standing out the most. Despite the corrosive liquid's pain, she fearlessly reached in and pulled the magic stone from the monster's body. Her ferocity left Shirou and the others in awe. That magic stone became the only New Species magic stone the Loki Familia obtained.
"This is really a strange color!" Tione remarked, looking at the magic stone in her hand.
"Indeed! It's very strange!" Shirou agreed, his mind racing. This experience on the 50th floor was vastly different from the anime version of Sword Oratoria. With more unexpected events likely in the future, he realized he could only use his knowledge of the future as a reference, not as a guaranteed plan. The anime had cut out countless plot details, and who knew what would happen next?
Just as Shirou was pondering future events, the Loki Familia, walking through a cavern, suddenly encountered an Anomalous State.
"Look, it's an Anomalous State!" one of the members called out.
"Oh! It's MinOttarurs!" another shouted.
"Quite a lot of them, aren't there? Are we surrounded?" came the worried voice of a third.
The Loki Familia, returning to Orario from the 17th floor of the Dungeon, found themselves face-to-face with a group of MinOttarurs. But despite the situation, the expressions on the Familia members' faces were calm. After all, this was only the 17th floor, and the MinOttarurs' strength was barely that of Level 2 monsters. The Loki Familia's elite members weren't concerned.
"Since we've encountered them, let's finish this quickly!" Finn called.
"Already prepared! Just waiting for Finn's command," Tiona replied, her eagerness clear.
Upon Finn's command, Tiona and the others, unable to hold back, charged straight into the group of MinOttarurs. Within moments, more than half of them were annihilated. But as the tide of battle turned, something unexpected happened. One MinOttarur, facing Ais, turned and fled. This sparked fear among the others, and soon, the remaining MinOttarurs began to panic and flee as well.
"Eh eh eh?" Tiona and Bete exchanged surprised looks.
"Hey, you guys are monsters, aren't you?" Bete called out in disbelief.
The MinOttarurs scrambled out of the cavern and fled into the depths of the passage. Everyone was stunned.
"Quick, chase them! That's the passage to the 16th floor!" Finn shouted, snapping everyone back to reality. If the MinOttarurs reached the upper floors, they could cause widespread destruction. If anyone were to die because of this, the Loki Familia would regret it deeply. Without hesitation, they all began to chase after the monsters.
Shirou, too, followed the group, quickly heading upwards.
Though the appearance of the MinOttarurs was unexpected, Shirou quickly accepted their presence. Even though they had stayed on the 50th floor for an extra day, with his weapon support, the Loki Familia's return speed should be faster than in the original story. But still, encountering MinOttarurs that would flee was a rare occurrence.
Shirou had already known that the MinOttarurs would flee, and he saw no reason to stop them. This was part of the original event that led to the birth of Bell Cranel, the true protagonist. Shirou held great admiration for Bell, seeing him as a true hero—a person who would sacrifice his life to save others. Just like Shirou Emiya, Bell was someone who embodied the ideals of a true hero.
Shirou had many reasons to promote the birth of Bell Cranel. Without Bell's existence, Shirou's understanding of this world would shatter, leaving him at a disadvantage. Another reason was to share the burden of the Goddess Freya's gaze. Shirou often felt her presence from Babel, and he couldn't stand it. He needed someone else to bear that burden. Bell, who hadn't yet experienced this event, would be able to attract Freya's attention.
Finally, Bell would possess something Shirou needed—a dagger, the Hestia Knife, forged by Goddess Hephaestus herself. Despite lacking divine power, the craftsmanship of the knife was unmatched, and it would be crucial for Shirou's future plans.
Shirou's goals were far from simple. He had to improve his strength and return to different worlds for training. But no one knew when he would return to this world, or what it would be like then. That's why the world needed Bell Cranel.
--------More Bonus Chapters!!!!
Every 300 power stones = 1 Bonus Chapter