You are very strong, but my painting style is better than yours!

The legend of Minamoto no Yorimitsu using poisoned wine to incapacitate the great demon Shuten-dōji and then slaying him is basically a low-budget version of Susanoo slaying Yamata no Orochi.

With such a connection, Shuten-dōji would certainly not mistake the legendary Ame-no-Murakumo sword. Although she had never seen it in person, the only weapon that could send chills down her spine at a glance was probably Ame-no-Murakumo.

—After all, she didn't know that there was such a thing as "art style value" in the world, which could automatically match myths and legends, and even deceive the Throne of Heroes to obtain the corresponding data and information.

In fact, the current Iori is "Susanoo". Even if Susanoo himself saw it, he would probably suspect that it was his childhood self or a side of himself in a parallel world.

Of course, Shuten-dōji had another interpretation of Iori's identity:

"Among the successive owners of the Kusanagi Sword, the most famous are Susanoo and Yamato Takeru, but as everyone knows, Susanoo was a 'drunkard'!"

My "Divine Poison" corresponds to the fine wine Susanoo used to seduce Orochi, a nectar that even the gods themselves would find intoxicating. Being within this treasure... Susanoo could not possibly remain completely unaffected!

"Ah, this..." Iori thought for a moment and realized it was really hard to refute, so she could only remain silent and acquiesce.

Susanoo is famous for his bad drinking habits, and his Berserker class is derived from the legend of him going crazy when drunk. Iori also obtained the Berserker class because of this.

Logically, Susanoo shouldn't be affected by "madness" under normal circumstances, but after coming into contact with a Noble Phantasm-level sake, he would definitely go berserk and make a ruckus. Iori's behavior is indeed inconsistent with the records in the myth.

But who made his Zanpakuto called "Meijō-Shisui" (明镜止水)?

The passive ability of a Zanpakuto is to see through illusions. After opening the Mirror World, Iori can even enter a state of selflessness where he can see his true self clearly... It's impossible to make him "drunk"!

In fact, Shuten-dōji's Noble Phantasm was effective, but Iori was only affected on a physical level, while her mind remained normal, so she didn't seem like the legendary god of alcohol.

But... why call him the "Martial Venerable"? Just because of the Ame-no-Kurakumo?

"Legend has it that the Martial Venerable was handsome and lithe. In his youth, he even disguised himself as a witch and bewitched the ruler of an enemy country, thus successfully assassinating him!"

Shuten carefully examined Iori's handsome and refined face, his words filled with confidence and certainty.

"Judging from this legend, there is no doubt that you are Yamato Takeru!"

Iori: "..."

"Stop pretending, admit it, you are the Martial Prince who is known for using any means necessary!"

Shuten-dōji said with a smile, "The rumors are true, you are indeed very beautiful, and you look great in women's clothing~"

Okay, it's decided, I'm going to kill her now!

Chapter 114: How come I also got ganged up on by justice?

Shuten-dōji quickly sensed the unusual fluctuations in magical power, and when the lightning, symbolizing the wrath of the gods, descended, her conviction only grew stronger:

While the lightning spell and the water dragon technique from before were indeed powerful, they were far from reaching the level of divine authority. They were closer to the level of a highly skilled Onmyoji. Therefore, the identity of the black-haired boy in front of him was undoubtedly not that of Susanoo, the god of storms. Rather, he seemed to be borrowing the power of lightning and water waves through weapons or blessings.

—Isn't that the Martial Venerable who was bestowed with the Kusanagi Sword?

Of course, even knowing Iori's "real name" would not help Shuten change the current situation.

As the conqueror of Izumo and the originator of the myth of "honoring the emperor and expelling the barbarians," Muzoku was once revered and worshipped by the gods of Amatsu and Kunitsu, and was far superior to Shuten-dōji, who was merely a descendant of Yamata no Orochi, in the mystical system of the Far East.

Not to mention the Kusanagi Sword... it's practically her nemesis!

boom!

A burst of lightning exploded, and a cloud of blood mist burst open, filling the surroundings with a sweet, pungent smell of blood, causing Iori to instinctively cover her mouth and nose.

"...Trying to escape?"

Iori was not fooled by the illusion. She flashed through the blood mist, wielding her longsword as she slashed down into the chaotic darkness—

Clang!

A crisp clanging sound rang out, followed by a teeth-grinding friction. Shuten-dōji's greatsword and Ama-no-Murakumo sparked a series of intense sparks under the moonlight. The one-armed great demon was completely suppressed and had to flee from the darkness. Iori kicked him in the heart, sending him flying backward with the sound of breaking ribs and the air exploding.

Puff puff……

Shuten-dōji's body was like a flying stone that repeatedly scraped across the water's surface, creating huge splashes.

She had no chance to adjust her stance; before the momentum of being knocked away had even subsided, Iori had already used Shunpo to get ahead of her, predicting the position and slashing down with his sword—

clang!

The slender arrow pierced the darkness, striking the sword's spine squarely. The powerful force forcibly deflected the sword's trajectory by three inches, slicing it diagonally into the maiden demon's forehead. Like a hot knife through butter, it easily severed a blood-soaked piece of her skull, with a crimson demon horn still attached.

--call!

Having narrowly escaped death, Shuten-dōji had no time to feel the pain. Like a swift, she suddenly changed direction, her petite body tumbling on the water's surface. Her gorgeous kimono fluttered up and down like a hundred flowers, making it difficult to see clearly.

laugh!

The sharp sword energy sliced ​​through the kimono, but did not strike the great demon's true form; only two exquisite pieces of fabric floated onto the water's surface.

Iori raised an eyebrow at the sight. He hadn't expected that Shuten-dōji had used a similar technique to his, but one was a high-level Shunpo, while the other should fall into the category of demonic magic.

Moreover... even with his skull shattered, he could still move around; this bizarre vitality certainly fit the image of a "demon."

—Only then did Iori hear the piercing buzzing sound in her ears, as if the lingering echo of the arrow from before had finally arrived.

The speed definitely exceeded the speed of sound, and by a significant margin!

Its power and accuracy are no less than Atalanta's... no, should I say they are even stronger?

Despite the unexpected turn of events, Iori remained calm. He gripped his Zanpakuto, which had transformed into a mercury-like substance, and gently slashed it with his feet. Tiny ripples quickly swept across the entire river surface, instantly calming the waves stirred up by the fierce battle and restoring the river to its mirror-like stillness.

Just then, a barely perceptible glint of light flashed across the mirror, and the boy suddenly turned around—

bass! bass!

The two arrows were deflected by the sword, but the third arrow, which suddenly appeared behind them, was the fatal blow!

Like a venomous snake lurking in the shadows, by the time it is discovered, it is too late!

Was there no time to dodge?

At this critical moment, Iori remained calm, like a deep, cold pool, nothing could stir the ripples in his heart.

呲!

With a slight twist of his wrist, the sword tip was aligned directly with the arrowhead. After a short, sharp scraping sound, the dangerous arrow was split in two and flew to the left and right.

"Pretty!"

A thousand meters away, the archer locked onto his target with astonishing eyesight, and even as an enemy, he couldn't help but cheer upon seeing Iori's actions.

Of course, he wouldn't hold back because of this; the powerful Greek-style bow was quickly drawn back, the string as full as a moon!

call out!

call out!

call out!

Arrows that traveled faster than the speed of sound came one after another, but without exception, they were all blocked and avoided by Iori under the capture of the "mirror" that reflected everything. He fought and retreated, his figure nimbly withdrawing to the shore.

Unlike the duel with Atalanta outside the church, the priest had not yet fully taken control of all the Servants, and the attack by the Black Rider kept him busy. So Iori's only opponent was Atalanta.

But at this moment, Shuten-dōji and the Black Archer appeared one after another, proving that Iori's whereabouts had been exposed. If they continued to delay, they might be surrounded and beaten by the enemy!

Iori is very self-aware. He is not afraid to fight against multiple Servants who are good at physical attacks. But if Black Rider comes... he really doesn't want to confront that kind of guy who releases magic power as a normal attack.

Of course, now it's a war between two factions. If the Thousand World Tree doesn't want its base to be raided, it's impossible for it to send all its forces to hunt down Iori.

It's a bit of a shame we didn't manage to behead Shuten-dōji, but we can get that CG of Iori eventually. Our Master's still drunk, so it's better to run away sooner rather than later.

"Ok?"

A violent magical power and a wild aura rose in the distance and rushed toward this place at an extremely fast speed!

The ground trembled slightly, trees were knocked down one after another, and countless startled birds took flight. Amidst the swirling dust, a huge and ferocious figure burst out of the forest, letting out a deafening roar as it leaped up and crashed down on Iori!

Black Berserker?!

boom!

The double-edged giant axe, resembling an executioner's tool, fell, slicing open a corner of the riverbank, sending countless stones flying amidst a roar.

But that wasn't the end. The burly man swung his arm, and a second, equally terrifying giant axe fell, causing even more astonishing destruction. With just one strike, the riverbank collapsed completely!

Only the "Inverted Mountain Crystal" where Sera was located was bound by chains. The power of the spell made the surrounding ground more solid, barely preventing the chain reaction of collapse.

"hold head high!!!"

The berserk warrior wore a bull's head mask forged from black iron, but his two enormous bull horns seemed to be natural. His three-meter-tall figure had impressive muscles befitting his class, and countless scars crisscrossed his body, telling the story of the deadly battles he had experienced.

Beneath the mask, a pair of scarlet eyes suddenly gleamed, the muscles in his right arm tensed abruptly, and with a single swing, he wielded a massive double-edged axe—unusual by ordinary people—with a whooshing sound as he slashed at the obstructive "pyramid"—

Clang!

A thick iron pillar fell from the sky and blocked the attack. The collision of steel against steel produced a tremor that shook the ground. The double-edged axe sank into the iron pillar, but ultimately failed to cut it in half.

Immediately afterwards, four more iron pillars fell, smashing into the berserker's head and limbs. Faced with this pure violence, the minotaur warrior rose up to meet it head-on, swinging his giant axe in a huge arc with his left arm, choosing to take the blow head-on!

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

boom!

The three iron pillars were sent flying by an astonishing force, but the last one struck him in the chest, forcibly pinning his burly body down and causing it to crash to the ground, creating a strong gust of wind.

Iori appeared in front of Touyama Akira, his eyes calm and cold. For a moment, he wanted to use "Che," which could only be used once, but in the end, he raised his left hand. The magic power in his body became very active, pouring into it like a tide. The strange gauntlet emitted an extremely bright light.

"The Thunder Emperor is coming!"

Iori slammed her left hand down hard: "Paradise Fall!"

A bolt of lightning, not particularly thick but seemingly compressed into a straight spear, instantly crossed the distance between heaven and earth, piercing the berserker's body!

boom! ! !

Thousands of electric arcs erupted from the berserker, illuminating half of the river surface as if it were daytime!

Struck by the terrifying lightning, the berserker let out a painful howl, like a tormented beast, but only for a moment—

"Rainbow! Rainbow! Rainbow!!!"

The wild roar shook the atmosphere, and the lightning burst forth, sweeping away everything around it. The iron pillar that had been suppressing the body was thrown away faster than it had fallen. In a cloud of smoke, the tall figure was panting heavily, but he stood up despite the damage, his aura still terrifying!

But when he tried to attack the "pyramid" again, he found that the target was no longer there.

Chapter 115: Weakness, Just Like Humans (4K)

"We are extremely sorry that we failed to capture or eliminate the enemy, and instead lost extremely valuable combat power."

In the magnificent main hall of the Yggdrasil Castle, brilliant lights shone on the glittering decorations, showcasing the clan's wealth and power. However, the Masters and Servants gathered here did not feel particularly proud. Instead, they looked at the middle-aged man in the center of the hall, dressed in a short ancient Greek-style coat, with suspicious eyes.

As a follower, he doesn't have any particularly outstanding features. He has a dignified and imposing face, a gentle tone, and fluffy, long, light brown hair... Apart from his strong and well-proportioned muscles and the ponytail hanging down his backside, he looks like an ordinary teacher.

However, everyone knows that his true identity is Chiron, the centaur sage who nurtured many heroes in ancient Greece.

This name may not be as well-known as Hercules or Achilles, but anyone who has studied mythology will know that many heroes in Greek mythology, including these two great heroes, had the experience of studying under Chiron.

These heroes are not all warriors; some are skilled in strategy and medicine. This is because Chiron himself is proficient in various skills, from combat to medicine, magic, art, agriculture, and even divination and prophecy.

Apart from certain skills unique to certain heroes (such as shooting a hundred heads and returning like a swallow), he has mastered most of the skills in the world.

This is divinely bestowed wisdom, which is almost comparable to the authority of the gods!

Although he appears as the "Archer" class in this Holy Grail War, strictly speaking, he has adaptability to all classes except Berserker, and Archer is not necessarily his first priority.

(In a way, isn't this quite suitable for the Rider class...?)

Even those who criticize Lancer and Rider still hold this hero in high esteem, for as rulers of a nation, no one understands the importance of a "sage" better than them.

Unless there are exceptional circumstances, they would certainly not allow the archer to be questioned in such an atmosphere that borders on accusation. But rules are rules, and someone must summarize and report on the failed battles; currently, only Chiron has the luxury of doing so.

Fortunately, Chiron was kind-hearted and did not dislike such occasions.

Assassin was severely injured, Berserker's language skills were extremely limited, and among the three eyewitnesses, no one else could be identified...

Lancer sat upright above, raising his hand to signal Chiron not to blame himself: "Your actions were without oversight or fault. This time, it was the Assassin who provoked the conflict on his own, catching us off guard. Otherwise, if our combat strength were more complete, we wouldn't have let the enemy's Servant escape."

We've already seen the battle logs from the familiars' footage, but some things can only be truly understood by experiencing them firsthand. Archer, what are your thoughts?

"As you command, King."

Chiron gave a slight bow, then glanced at the Masters gathered in a large group.