They've already fought their way through the Holy Grail War, and you still call them dragons?

"Oh...it would be great if that were true." Does Aso really think that he is a person with a very good background?

She felt that she was just taking advantage of Mr. Emiya's reputation and forcing the other party to give in.

If I hadn't met Emiya that day, if I hadn't participated in the Holy Grail War to summon servants, I would have died in a corner long ago.

"Zhen, don't belittle yourself," the friend whispered, probably because she saw Aso's bitter face and wanted to liven up the atmosphere:

"The Mr. Emiya you just mentioned to them is the red-haired man you asked me to find last time, right? Turns out he's also a big shot with connections to Genji Heavy Industries! That's impressive, being able to organize a rescue operation when monsters are rampant. I think Mr. Emiya is quite capable."

"Yes, yes, you heard it..." Aso waved his hands embarrassedly, "It just happened that we met again later."

"Really? Come on, you will definitely catch up. I support you!" My best friend patted my shoulder with a giggle to show encouragement.

"You...what weird things are you talking about!"

Aso Makoto hesitated and she quickly changed the subject, "Everyone, get in the car!"

Before getting on the bus, a man dressed in Heian period costume looked at her from a distance.

Aso was momentarily nervous, instinctively believing this "person in period costume" was likely a Servant. Chiyome remained quietly hidden in the shadows beneath her feet. But until the very end, the man remained motionless.

Time passed quietly without any setbacks. Soon everyone got on the bus and set off for Yamanashi Prefecture.

Chiyo was paying close attention to Masahiro Aso's condition the entire time. Suddenly, after getting on the bus, she heard a whisper that only Masahiro Aso could hear:

"My Lord, is Emiya the husband you have chosen?"

Husband!?

Aso's face flushed, and he began to imagine the future... No, no! That kind of thing is too far away. We're just at the beginning... the friendship stage, right?

"My lord, if you like Emiya," Mochizuki Chiyome didn't seem to want to stop talking, "I can teach you how to seduce... seduce men and some techniques for intercourse..."

"Hey! This is too shameless!" Aso felt his face getting hot. "And you just mentioned seduction, right?"

"Yes... What's wrong, my lord? I am a kunoichi from the Koga Mochizuki clan. Seducing men and gathering intelligence is part of my job, and making men feel happy is also part of my training as a ninja—"

"Stop, stop, stop!"

"..."

Perhaps it was the topic Chiyo's mention that had distracted her, but Aso's mind began to swirl with thoughts of pink. Furthermore, she was only in her first year of high school, and though she said she wanted to stop, her surging teenage hormones kept her fantasizing.

When he finally heard that they had arrived at their destination, Yamanashi Prefecture, Aso Makoto felt that not much time had passed.

After getting off the bus, she followed the temporary base arranged by the Sheqi Eight Clan, heading into the mountains. The road became increasingly rugged, even for vehicles. Yamanashi Prefecture, true to its name, is a sparsely populated area with numerous mountains. No wonder so few demons come here.

Masao followed the crowd and saw rolling mountains and crimson soil. The Tama River flowed majestically until, at a certain valley mouth, a startling echo began to rise from the ground, a resounding sound clearly audible to the human ear...

The guides from Sheqi Bajia said that this was caused by the mixing of groundwater with huge temperature differences, and this place is also known as "Thunder Valley".

After passing this place, we entered the red land. The guide said this was the "true red land". A few hundred meters ahead was a flat land near the river bank, where they set up a temporary shelter.

"Huh? What's that?" someone asked, pointing to an ancient shrine in the distance.

The guide thought for a while before answering that it was the Yamata Shrine dedicated to the Yamata no Orochi, which was built there during the Nara period.

"Ah... the shrine of the Yamata no Orochi..."

Aso Makoto suddenly heard Chiyome's whisper, turned around and saw that the Assassin had jumped out from the shadows and was staring at the shrine intently.

"My Lord, please allow me to go over and investigate... There may be something important to me there."

After saying that, he turned into a shadow and rushed into the shrine.

"Eh? Why? Wait, I—"

After talking to her best friend, Aso Makoto also ran towards the shrine. When she arrived at the gate of the shrine slightly out of breath, she did not see Chiyo looking for anything. Instead, she was sitting on a futon, staring at the Shimeji knot in the main hall in a daze.

"Assassin, what exactly are you looking for?"

"My lord, do you remember? When I first appeared in this world, I had no memory of my past life. Even after Lord Emiya kindly pointed it out, I still had no recollection."

"Yes... that's true, but it doesn't seem to have much impact on your daily life or combat."

"That's because the Holy Grail system automatically infuses it with common sense," Chiyo's eyes flickered slightly, "but I have lost my own memory, so I can't use my Noble Phantasm."

"Noble Phantasm..." Aso Shin's eyes suddenly widened. She was a completely amateur Master with almost no common sense and had no idea such a thing existed. "Assassin, you mentioned this, are you saying—"

"Yes, my memory suddenly came back."

Chiyome looked at the spirally wound shimenawa with a complicated look, which was a metaphor for the giant snake inside the shrine.

"I am the chief of the shrine maidens of Kai and Shinano, and also the head of the Shinano shrine maidens."

"Eh, you're not a ninja...?"

"I am a kunoichi and a shrine maiden, serving the faith passed down from the ancestor of the Koga Mochizuki family, Koga Saburo... Ibuki Daimyojin, also known as the shrine maiden of the Yamata no Orochi."

According to legend, Koga Saburo was cursed by Ibuki Daimyojin and transformed into a snake. Ibuki Daimyojin is described in the Nihon Shoki as a large snake, which later led to it being confused with the Yamata no Orochi and considered to be the same entity.

Chiyoko Mochizuki inherited the curse of the giant snake from Saburo Koga.

"My Lord, I may not have been summoned by your comic book, 'The Koga Ninja Scrolls'... The catalyst for my summoning may have been the Yamata no Orochi."

Aso Makoto looked shocked. She had seen the terrifying snake-headed monster from mythology when she was in the Night Food Field. So that was the source of Chiyo's curse?

No wonder, she is a shrine maiden, the shrine maiden of the Great Snake, and her treasure is called——

"The Origin of the Spiritual Communication with Ibuki Daimyojin—"

Chiyome suddenly covered her mouth. Strangely, she hadn't intended to activate her Noble Phantasm. But, it seemed like someone had just spoken through her mouth?

She glanced around; Yaki Shrine was still quiet.

Apart from the huge shrine, there are no terrifying snake shadows, only the black fog that permeates the air all year round and does not dissipate.

The master and servant present did not realize that the shrine is the temple and the shrine maiden is the catalyst for the advent of spirits.

Although the ritual of Izanami's deity was interrupted, another ritual involving the deity quietly fulfilled the conditions.

----

The boundless grassland is covered with flower petals and filled with a peaceful fragrance.

But Izanami was in a terrible mood.

Her connection with the temple was completely severed. If she had completed her ascension to godhood, this little trick would not be a big deal. However, in the current situation, she was stuck at the last step that was about to be completed.

This step, like a huge chasm, made her always remain at the level of a pseudo-god and unable to become a true god.

"Damn humans, it's all because of you! Huang Quan, take all the living!"

The false god Huang Quan roared angrily, and thick materialized darkness erupted, trying to erode this small world, but she seemed to be suppressed by the entire space in an instant.

Because this is Emiya's unique barrier, the Infinite Sword System.

Sharp swords were stuck in the hilly rocky terrain in the distance, and each one was a sword treasure of extraordinary quality.

Emiya waved his hand gently, and the swords shot up from the stones into the sky, like a rain of metal swords flashing with cold light. All the swords began to shine with the glory of the liberation of their true names.

Just as the thick darkness expanded towards the sky, it was freed by the colorful swords and engulfed by the elemental torrent formed.

"I'm about to take on Izanami. Do you have enough Yomiuri?"

Chapter 241 I have to admit, you are stronger now! (Two in one)

The dark Yellow Springs flow was dispersed by the light of the swords, but the black area around "Izanami" remained unbroken, maintaining and covering the ground several meters around her feet.

Under the dark radiation, the fragrant grass turned black and withered, the petals fell, and the black of death firmly occupied a corner, like a stubborn stain firmly embedded in the originally neat and pure white wall.

"Are you questioning me? That's ridiculous!"

A gloomy expression crept across the bloodless, devilish face of the false Huangquan God. Wisps of black energy continuously emanated from the decaying limbs beneath her furisode and robes. Even the clear, sunny atmosphere within the Infinite Sword Works couldn't dispel the heavy shadow she cast at this moment.

She had originally thought she had it all figured out, having reached this point through meticulous planning and proactive action. However, she was stuck at the very last step, trapped in a ridiculous cage, and all her efforts were about to be wasted...

How could she possibly accept this!

"You think you can trap me with such a crude and improvised Nibelungen?"

"Who do you think you are? I am a god! The great god of the underworld. I will return to the human world and take back everything that belongs to me!"

Although she has not yet succeeded in becoming a god, and is only a false god who is obviously weak compared to the supreme god at the pinnacle of mythology, this does not prevent her from calling herself "Izanami".

As for the ceremony being interrupted, that was no big deal. As long as she could get out, she could still ascend to the supreme throne of God.

And in her opinion, Emiya was just lucky enough to have some ability, using a high level of alchemy to stimulate his potential - he must have devoured a high-level dragon, or even a first-generation species, so he was able to extract enough power from his body to build the Nibelungen.

...The reason why it is said to be lucky is that it is difficult for humans, no matter how excellent the hybrid species is, to completely devour the first generation species. It is only possible with the help of their own kind.

It is no coincidence that Emiya has reached this point today, but the result of the manipulation of the two dragon kings, Jörmungandr and Norton, behind the scenes.

"...That's enough, how can there be a weak god like you?"

Emiya retorted calmly. He noticed that the other party didn't call this small world a fixed barrier, but "Nibelungen"... the "Nibelungenlied" that tells the story of Siegfried?

Because the world is different, this naming method is used to replace the inherent barrier?

Emiya thought for a moment, suppressed his doubts in his heart, and refocused his attention on the battle itself.

He stretched out his hand and several famous swords appeared beside him. He immediately grasped one of them, the "California Clear Light". The blade reflected the cold light and made a light sound, like a happy singing.

Emiya noticed that the dark area around the opponent was slowly expanding. Even if he controlled the sword in the distance and released his true name, he could not stop the strange black area from eroding his infinite sword system.

According to this world's understanding, this false god also seems to have the ability to construct an inherent barrier... No, Nibelungen?

That would be very bad. Emiya knew that when two inherent barriers were in a stalemate, the inherent barriers would fight against each other, and only the stronger side could be deployed.

In other words, the opponent might use this method to break his inherent barrier. Then Izanami would succeed in becoming a god, and his plan to conquer God and end the Holy Grail War would fail miserably!

"Don't be so self-righteous! How can a false god like you even remotely rival the might of the Underworld Mother Goddess?"

"If you truly wish to prove yourself, then challenge me, a human who can only fake a sword, to a head-on duel! If you can't even compare to a human, then a mere god can't be much better!"

Emiya took a step forward and his figure disappeared from the spot in an instant.

You must find ways to avoid the inherent barrier being broken and bring the battle to the area you are good at!

呲!

"Izanami" widened her eyes. Emiya's silent advance was terrifying, and he was close in the blink of an eye.

The three-stage Wuming thrust performed by California Qingguang pierced through the space with its unreasonable strong defense-penetrating properties, and tore a corner of the thick and inviolable dark area!

"you!"

Her own attempt to construct the Nibelungen's movements was slightly disrupted by Emiya's unreasonable manner.

The false god Huang Quan glared at the other party fiercely, and darkness surged violently, destroying the brilliance of the sword.

Originally, she would not accept this level of provocation.

As the Holy Grail, she had been trapped for a long time, and she had maintained a calm mind and high meticulousness. That was why she was able to seize the opportunity to build the Nibelungen at the last moment when Norton was negligent, breaking the Nibelungen on Norton's side and escaping on her own initiative.

But what was the situation then, and what is the situation now?

At that time, we were in a difficult situation, so we naturally needed to be careful and cautious.

And now, he was about to complete the last step of becoming a god, but he was stuck at this moment!

She was about to become the Supreme God, but this brat repeatedly made her miserable! ?

"Alright, alright, if you want to compete, I'll let you, a human with limited experience, see it for yourself!"

The dark realm stopped expanding and began to transform into tangible black weapons such as knives, swords, spears, halberds, etc.

Boom! The dark realm, which had been torn apart, instantly turned from defense to offense, and the numerous swords and knives that flew towards Emiya were all scattered by the collision of the dark weapons.

"what!"

Emiya looked shocked on the surface, but in reality, he breathed a sigh of relief—his provocation had worked, and she had indeed been fooled into giving up on eroding her Infinite Blade Works and changing her fighting style.

At the same time, facing the black weapon that looked a little wrong, Emiya also relied on his mind to react in time, sensing the sharpness and deadly power of the black weapon, and hurriedly retreated in the direction of the original path, waving his hands to bring up several swords to defend behind him.

Ping Ping Ping——

Swords rang out, and the collision of countless weapons was like a tit-for-tat confrontation. However, the pitch-black weapons made by "Izanami" often exploded in an inky black color, and countless breaths of the underworld were emitted everywhere, causing a large amount of land to quickly wither and die from lush green grass and flowers, turning it into a barren and dead place!

——So that’s how it is. It may look like a weapon, but its essence remains unchanged. It is still the Yellow Spring that will bring death. You cannot fight hand-to-hand with the opponent!

The false god looked at Emiya, who seemed to be struggling and overwhelmed, and chuckled softly.

"It's not over yet. I will prove to you with facts that even if I fail to ascend to the throne of God and am cut off from the temple, I, Izanami, will still be invincible in this world!"

As she spoke, "Izanami" began a new action: she not only created a large number of black weapons to fight against Emiya's treasure, but even condensed an extremely long and ancient divine spear in her hand.