DanMachi, My Members Are From Slice-of-Life Anime

The silver emblem shone with a dazzling, crimson brilliance in the sunset and firelight.

Her eyes welled up with tears. Even in the Far East, she had heard of the Astrea Familia's fame, but it hadn't really moved her. Now, facing them in person, she suddenly realized what kind of people they were.

Fate seemed to see the phantom images of ten heroes surrounding Shaga, and the banner representing justice was fluttering in the flames.

We cannot let his sacrifice be in vain!

Tears blurred her vision, and Ming began to move, then, as if making a decision, she grabbed her companion and turned to run.

Shaga smiled.

They showed no fear in the face of the monster that had gone mad.

He gripped the raised clan emblem tightly and chanted aloud:

"In the name of Astraea, I make a wish. Maiden of the stars, guardian of the scales, answer my call and descend upon this place."

"The bonds of connection, the covenant of inheritance, like a swift flight across the sky, adorn the earth with the footprints of stars."

"Stars, come to my side!"

Golden light emanated from the clan's crest and slowly merged into Shaka's body.

The next second, he was surrounded by starlight, and a clan emblem composed of sacred characters appeared beneath his feet.

A phantom image of a girl with the same red hair as Shaka slowly embraced Shaka.

Flames danced slowly on Shaka's hair, golden tassels billowing with the heat. The sea of ​​fire was no longer scorching, the air no longer murky, and Shaka seemed to have become a part of the fire.

At this moment, the faces of the two regimental commanders, past and present, overlapped!

Shaka opened her eyes and called out the name she remembered.

"Chickweed!"

Chapter 40 Red Flowers in Full Bloom

Sparks rose from Shaga's armor, clothing, and hair, echoing the surrounding forest fires.

Then, the flames ignited Shaga's entire body, making him look like a war god bathed in flames.

The air was no longer murky, and his skin could no longer feel the burning heat. He stood in the scorched rock hell as if on flat ground.

Power also gradually emerged from the body as the flames rose.

The monsters, forced out by the sea of ​​fire and fleeing in panic, also turned their gaze to Shaga. They realized that if they did not defeat the guy in front of them, they would not be able to get rid of the sea of ​​fire behind them.

At the same time, their instinct to cleanse humans was activated from their genes, and they pounced on Shaga like madmen.

"Roar--"

"Moo-"

"Meow--"

Burghers, Minotaurs, hellhounds, and dozens of other monsters emerging from the sea of ​​fire launched a full-scale attack on Shaga.

"Come on, beasts! I declare that from this moment on, this road... is open to all."

Red light flowed in Shaka's eyes as his "zone" state was activated. Flames erupted from his body, and as he leaned forward, the distance between him and the enemy shrank to zero in an instant, as a shallow pit was created in the soil beneath his feet.

Shaga charged out against the sea of ​​fire, his axe flashing as he beheaded a Berg bear.

The monsters that followed were fearless. With flames behind them and prey in front of them, they could tell which beast to choose.

As Shaga's knife fell, the three Berg bears leaped up, their claws springing from their paw pads and tearing at the ground from three different directions.

"Don't underestimate me!"

Shaga braced himself on one leg to stop his charge, then spun around at the waist, his short axe drawing a precise crimson line of fire in the air.

The fire line grew stronger in the wind, and the scorching heat instantly ignited the three weakened Berg Bears.

Bang bang bang bang, in just three seconds, the four demons turned into black ash and disappeared.

【Red Blossoms】 is a fire-based enchantment. While it doesn't provide any explicit stat boosts, the propulsion of the flames grants a short-term 【Super Speed】. The flame attachment also maximizes attack power.

The monsters continued to advance, one after another. Shaga's legs were wrapped in flames, and his figure leaped through the sea of ​​fire in a crimson arc.

"The fifth one... the sixth one..."

"Seventh... um."

After flashing for the seventh time, the crimson trajectory abruptly stopped. The giant horn of the Minotaur appeared before Shaga with a bang.

The battle axe swept across, the intense heat of the flames melting the bull's horn; however, even the battle-hardened axe shattered at that moment.

That wasn't some kind of [Tier 1 Adventurer Armament], it was just Cecil's masterpiece at level 1, nothing more than a high-performance blank card.

Having endured the infusion of flames and the impact of the level 2 bull's horn, its mission ended at this moment.

Weapon damage during combat is fatal, as it means the attack is interrupted and subsequent plans will be fatally flawed.

"Misstep."

His chest was struck by the bull's head, his armor dented and shattered, and the air between his chest and abdomen was squeezed out in an instant, a burning sensation rising to his throat. As his body fell, he was struck by a bull's hoof the size of a sandbag, and sent flying backward.

Xia Jia crossed his hands to protect his vitals, but was still knocked dozens of meters away by the fierce bull's blow. After knocking down two or three burning trees, he slowly slid down the mountainside.

He was in excruciating pain all over his body and suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood, feeling as if his internal organs were churning.

The monsters didn't wait for Shaga to recover; four or five hellhounds leaped up, their flaming fangs embedding themselves in Shaga's armor.

"Uhhhhhh-"

Sharp teeth tore through flesh, flames burned the wounds, and the aroma of flesh filled the air.

Xia Jia took a deep breath, his five fingers ignited with flames, and he grabbed the throat of the hellhound. His fingers dug into the flesh, crushing the bones of the three hellhounds as if they were tofu, and then ripping them off his body.

Before Xia Jia could even catch his breath, the bull was already charging towards him, its massive hooves, large enough to require one person to encircle, slamming down with force.

Having just escaped the hounds' bite, Shaga immediately lunged to the left, tumbling and falling down the mountain path.

The earth rumbled as the four-meter-tall giant minotaur's full-force strike created a crater in the ground within a two-meter radius around it.

"Moo ooh ooh————"

Missing its target, the bull roared to the sky, the deafening sound causing Xia Jia to feel dizzy and bleed from his mouth and nose.

My hearing is deteriorating, and my ears are constantly buzzing.

Vision began to blur, leaving only the shadowy figure of the giant minotaur, swaying amidst the flickering firelight.

Xia Jia struggled to get up and vomited a mouthful of blood.

"Ha." He sneered, "Come on, come on! Let's see who can leave here standing!"

Crimson flames erupted from his body, flickering and leaping like a final, frenzied burst of energy.

Instead of retreating, Shaga advanced, his feet propelling him forward in flames, leaving a crimson trail in the air. The bull grabbed a nearby dead tree and roared as it swung down at Shaga, who was charging towards it.

“Ugh!”

Xia Jia neither dodged nor evaded; his fist, wreathed in flames, struck the withered tree, splitting the giant tree in two and shattering it into countless splinters.

"Ora ora ora~!"

Shaga's momentum remained undiminished; straight punches, elbow strikes, and side kicks rained down on the giant bull.

Not to be outdone, the bull exchanged blows for several minutes before forcefully deflecting Shaja's punch and sending Shaja flying several meters with a headbutt.

Xia Jia landed and rolled several times, ignoring the mournful cries emanating from his bones, and charged out again with empty, numb eyes.

He became even faster, and a strange spiritual energy emanated around him. His skills were being refined, and with each punch, Shaja seemed to be able to double his power and speed in return.

If Shaga still had any sense, he would have realized that this was the first gate to a completely new realm he had failed to cross countless times: the realm of selflessness.

—【The Ultimate Refinement Through Countless Trials】

It was a terrifying technique that doubled speed and power by consuming massive amounts of physical strength. It was neither a skill nor magic, but like a "zone," simply the limit of a technique.

Shaga swung his fists and feet, using the immense strength of the bull to return the favor tenfold.

The bull gradually lost track of time, as the surrounding fire grew increasingly intense. The forest fire had arrived, and the oxygen in the air was no longer sufficient to support its massive body.

Your body is rusting!

Xia Jia seized the opportunity, and his fist ignited with fierce fire.

"One Hundred and Fourteenth Style: Wild Bite!"

"Nine injuries!"

"Baqiang!"

His fists spewed scorching flames, and a three-hit combo knocked the giant bull to the ground. He then leaped up, clasped his hands together, and followed up with a [Outer Style: Naraku].

Ignoring the giant bull's struggles, Shaga knelt on its body, his flaming fingers tearing wildly at its skin.

Only when his strength was about to give out did he grab the giant bull by the neck with both hands and roar hoarsely:

"Yan Hua!"

As the detonation incantation surged forth, Shaga's body exploded with towering flames, engulfing Shaga and the bull and blowing everything around them away.

A moment later, the firelight dissipated, withered leaves danced wildly, and Xia Jia, his eyes glazed over, slowly collapsed.