Author note: I made many typos in my previous chapter. I'm very very sorry. I also point out a fault that no one had noticed, Luo Hao is not the Third Campione, but the Second.
I write very quickly because I have enthusiastic readers and I want to feed them with new chapters as quickly as possible, but there are some downsides. I'm not very fluent in English and writing fast is far from helping me write well.
For the remarks on the confrontation that will take place in this chapter, I don't see the point in spoiling you. Read on.
About Gilgamesh and Hakuno: she did not meet Gilgamesh in this version of the story.
As for the gods of Fateverse that I could include in this Fanfiction: read on. I have no intention of revealing my plot. Just know that I have a complete synopsis of my story. Of course, I am open to suggestions and of course, if I have a better idea I could change my story. I would simply say this: the two goddesses and the two Masters are not the last individuals from the Fateverse who will come to the Campioneverse. And some of the newcomers are bad guys, very bad guys. Destroy the whole of Japan? Not bad, but not very ambitious... the coming villains have ideas... it's very simple, if Goetia hears about it he will probably propose to the chief villain to marry her! Love at first sight!
I notice you underestimate Campiones. I've said this before, but some Authorities are as dangerous as Noble Phantasms. And Campiones are nearly indestructible. Salvatore Doni faced the titan Hyperion throughout the solar system, throwing meteors at the son of Uranus. Because Salvatore has such vitality that it could survive for years in the cosmic void. And he is not of the level of Luo Hao. Doni is said to be "made of living steel" but Hao is "as hard as a diamond"!
But speak only in terms of raw power, it's missing something fundamental.
Yes, if we simply measure the strength, the endurance, the power of destruction, the Campiones are largely inferior to Servants.
But... they're Campiones.
Originally, they were ordinary humans (or rather relatively ordinary). One day, for one reason or another, they challenged a god.
Would you pause for a moment on this idea... defying a god? A being that distorts the natural laws around him... the very embodiment of power, beings that have existed longer than human memory?
It's crazy!
No, it's worse, the very idea of wanting to fight them is sheer madness. As if a midge were attacking an elephant...
But a Campione is the bigger size of sheer madness. He defeated his first god with the weak and pathetic abilities of ordinary humans.
For the lack of interaction between Hakuno and Shirou, in my first version of the story, she was going to talk to Shirou rather than Ishtar but... I decided against it precisely because of the unstable state of Shirou. His mind is divided, fragmented between contradictory impulses: Shirou before HF would have done that, Shirou during HF would have done this and Archer would have done it even differently. Finally, he chooses to protect Rin because the three Shirou agree on this point. In his present state, Shirou is like an unfinished puzzle. Three groups of pieces have already been assembled. Now, they must be linked together.
Ruler of Martial Art
It began as an ordinary day.
Shirou had woken up early. It was a habit he had taken years ago and would probably never lose. Obsessed with his childish promise to Kiritsugu, he had trained every morning before preparing breakfast for Taiga and Sakura... Sakura.
He put all his energy into jogging around Kuroishi, then the young redhead did some gymnastics on the floor. While he was working his muscles, he no longer thought, did not remember... did not suffer.
Normally, he should have continued his training by testing his Tracing Magecraft, but Rin... no, he had to get used to calling him Ishtar since Ereshkigal was also Rin...
Shirou massaged his temples, once again he had lost his train of thought.
Since his resurrection, his spirit was as in cotton. This grey cotton wool slowed his thoughts and obscured his memories.
He was thinking about Rin, what did she tell him about Tracing?
Ah yes, it was now up to him. Rin had told him not to use too much Tracing. He had all the Magic Circuits of Shirou Emiya, plus the circuits of Archer's arm, so more circuits than during the Grail War. However, Archer's Magic Circuits were both of better quality and more numerous than those of Shirou.
Ishtar had seen no sign that they were poorly integrated into the Circuits present in the rest of his body but she had firmly forbidden him to use Tracing without her supervision. He got a lecture about the dangers he was exposed to: necrosis, damage to the Circuits that could lead to a loss of prana production, burns, change of eyes and hair color, etc...
So he could not train at Tracing alone... at least not without risking the goddess's anger. He nervously turned towards the HQ of the "Akiyama Study Circle", almost expecting to see Ishtar coming out because he had thought of Tracing something...
Rin was sometimes terrifying.
Ishtar was worse.
But he could at least train with weapons.
Imagining that he had Kanshou and Bakuya in his hands, Shirou began to practice, wielding imaginary blades, parrying fictitious blows, and dodging. In his mind, the sequence of movements was crystal clear. Archer's fighting style was simple, stripped of all frills. It was simply a matter of moving quickly, harassing the enemy, feigning, and aiming at weak points.
Archer was a Faker, he was not a 'real' Heroic Spirit but an Alaya's Dog. He was not as strong or as fast as a 'real' hero.
Archer's fighting style was based entirely on a simple observation: he had to do the best he could with what he had. And after centuries of almost continuous fighting, Archer had become a hell of a warrior. He had repeated tirelessly the same gestures, the same sequences, training also to Trace Broken or Altered Noble Phantasms or to perfect the use of Reinforcement on his body but also on his weapons.
However...
Shirou was not a servant.
He had neither the strength nor the speed of the Heroic Spirit EMIYA. Moreover, he was smaller, with shorter arms.
His attacks were weaker. But, above all, Shirou hit his target a little late and a little off.
A centimeter to the side, a tenth of a second later, it might seem insignificant.
In the fluid situation of a fight... it was the difference between a scratch and a mortal wound.
Shirou had a smile betraying irony and bitterness.
EMIYA was a Faker.
And Shirou was a lower-quality copy of this Faker.
Frustrated, the young redhead bit his lips.
He closed his eyes briefly to meditate. It was an impression of discomfort that forced him to open his eyelids.
She stood a few steps away from him, a very pretty Chinese girl with green eyes dressed in a white and green Hanfu. Fanning herself with a beautifully painted fan, the young woman looked at him with interest.
There was an intensity in her that he had only seen in Heroes. However, at the same time, she was as if hidden in full light... he didn't really feel her presence. Like an Assassin-class Servant.
Of course, this worried him a lot. Archer's reflexes, like the memory of his encounter with True Assassin, taught him prudence. He stretched himself imperceptibly, ready to Trace the Married Blades. In the eyes of an ordinary person, his posture would have seemed perfectly nonchalant. But the young Chinese woman nodded approvingly. She recognized a warrior when she saw one. And his reaction showed that he had also recognized her as a fighter.
"You practice Daoshu with true dedication."
In Chinese martial arts, Daoshu was the art of saber fighting, one of the four forms of weapon practice with the quarterstaff, sword, and spear.
Impassive face, the young woman nodded thoughtfully.
"I don't know who trained you, but the position of your arms and legs was off. But, it's actually more complex than that, isn't it? When the heart is in harmony with the mind, the movements reflect the union of consciousness with the body. No one can reach the fullness of his art with a troubled mind."
"I'm self-taught. And... Let's say I've seen death very closely, recently, and I'm still recovering from my wounds," replied Shirou.
"I see... interesting. This Luo Hao can tell that with a good teacher and correct teaching you could become a martial arts expert."
Having said what she had to say, Luo Hao walked away towards the front door. She had sensed this young man's potential, but his flaws were... intriguing, to say the least. Nevertheless, this young man did not have the level of excellence that would have prompted her to recruit him into the Holy Cult of the Five Mountains. Not at the moment, anyway. The Devil King had often seen individuals injured by life become hesitant and clumsy.
But he who followed the Warrior Way had the goal of overcoming his inner weaknesses.
Defeating the enemy was only incidental, a simple way to put oneself to the test.
For a moment Shirou wanted to follow Luo Hao but gave up. It was not his house. As the Chinese woman seemed perfectly at ease, he thought she must be a regular here.
He was very surprised when the hell broke loose.
Hakuno Kishinami had borrowed a book from the members of the Circle and was sitting in one of the seats in the reception hall on the first floor.
She saw a young woman enter... no, a late teen... a beautiful young lady in China traditional dress. Folding her fan with a movement of her hand, she advanced toward the receptionist. Without a word of politeness, she spoke to the woman behind the desk, even though she was busy with a member of the Circle.
"You there, I demand that you bring my challenge to the Heretics Gods Athena, Ishtar, and Ereshkigal. I'm the Rakasha Raja Luo Hao, the High Priestess of the Five Moutain Cult, the Ruler of the Martial Art, for daring trespassing in my territory, I will exercise judgment on them and execute them with my own hands. I have spoken."
Warned by the members of the Circle, Ishtar and Ereshkigal had gone down to the first floor. There they found themselves facing Luo Hao.
Seeing that only two Heretics Gods had come, Her Eminence frowned.
"Would you consider yourself so strong that two of you could hope to win against this Luo Hao?"
She seemed more surprised than really angry, but Ishtar had trouble hiding her irritation... this Campione, she could have taught Gilgamesh arrogance!
Two steps behind, Ereshkigal tightened her spear as a shipwrecked would have clung to a board. Feeling her discomfort, her sister gave her a warning look. While Ishtar was turning to the Ruler of the Martial Art, the Goddess of the Netherworld forced herself to give an image of calm and confidence.
Ishtar answered in a falsely annoyed tone.
"Luo Hao, the Second Campione, well I guess I must feel honored to meet you... I am sure that the goddess Athena would have come to greet you if you had warned us of your visit. Unfortunately, the goddess of wisdom is currently absent.'
"And where is she?"
Ishtar crossed her arms on her chest, with a bad mood pout.
"I'm just a guest. It's not polite to ask my hosts about their comings and goings."
The remark seemed to surprise Luo Hao and she admitted it with a surprising ingenuity:
"This Luo Hao thought that the Three Goddess Alliance was based on mistrust and therefore you watch each other."
Uncomfortable, Ereshkigal cleared her throat to attract attention:
" Could you not use the term 'Three Goddess Alliance'... it reminds me of bad memories."
As Ishtar and Luo Hao turned to her, the Sumerian goddess of death immediately regretted having spoken. Nervously playing with one of her pigtails, she looked away and tried to justify herself.
"At least this time I chose my allies better. Because it's true that Quetzacoalt and Tiamat..."
With a very artificial smile and an eyebrow that sprang under the effect of annoyance, Ishtar interrupted her sister while suppressing a furious urge to strangle her.
"Ere'?"
"Yes?"
"Would you shut up and let me speak with the honorable Luo Hao?"
The Mistress of the Underworld blushed and looked down, not even daring to answer.
Coughing in her fist, Ishtar turned to Luo Hao forcing her fake smile.
"Please excuse my sister, she doesn't go out much and doesn't know how to behave in public."
Strangely, Ereshkigal's untimely behavior had not angered the Ruler of the Martial Art. In fact, like the goddess, she was ignorant of normal human behavior. The two women had spent their entire lives isolated from humanity, one caring for the souls of the dead and the other training in martial arts.
In fact, the goddess and the Devil King differed only in one aspect. Ereshkigal knew she was ignorant of what made her awkward and shy. On the contrary, Luo Hao was unaware of her own ignorance. As a result, she was arrogant and brutally honest... but this arrogance was ultimately a form of naivety.
Turning to Ishtar, the leader of the Holy Cult of the Five Mountains raised her fist closed.
"It doesn't matter. Anyway, I don't believe in words to know someone's heart. This Luo Hao knows a more reliable method. The purity of the Wushu of a martial arts practitioner tells everything about his soul. When two warriors fight to prevail, words are useless."
Having said all she had to say, the beautiful Chinese attacked...
One of the many nicknames of Luo Hao was the Advocate of the Ultimate Brute Force. And that nickname was perfectly deserved.
Attacked several times, Ishtar had blocked with her spear, using it to deflect fists and feet outwards. This prevented her from getting the full impact of the blows head-on. Nevertheless, her wrists were already starting to hurt. It was abnormal.
In terms of strength and endurance, she had the advantage over Luo Hao. However, every time the Ruler of the Martial Art hit Didibat's pole, a vibration spread through her bones.
She had to dodge, otherwise, Luo Hao would eventually make her drop her spear. Ishtar struck the Chinese martial artist with a kick that the Devil King easily blocked. But it was a simple diversion. Throwing a gem, the Mistress of the Heaven broke the wall behind her before fleeing outside the house.
Ishtar's plan was simple, stay out of reach of this China's freak girl, and use her Boat of Heaven to shoot her safely away or resort to her Magecraft.
Except that...
Luo Hao could fly.
The martial art freak had leaped after her. Enveloped in a blue aura, she was flying almost as fast and agile as Ishtar. The two women were now chasing one after another in the sky, maneuvering like 2nd World War fighters. Ishtar used her spells, attacking with golden gandrs to keep the Devil King at bay, but the freak parried the spells as if they were punches. The gandrs were drifting downwards, smashing trees or opening craters in the ground.
"Rhaaa... The Resistance to the Magic of a Campione must be equal to that of a Saber-class Servant."
Luo Hao smiled:
"Interestingly... you immediately realized that I was using Qin-na (1) against you. And your kick earlier is a form of Wushu. This Luo Hao wonders how a Sumerian goddess could have learned Asian martial arts."
Between Ishtar's fingers appeared three gems which she launched against the Martial Art artist.
"My teacher was a Vatican killer addicted to Mapo Tofu plotting with Gilgamesh to reincarnate Angra Mainyu. So it wasn't the weirdest thing in this whole situation."
Ishtar had said these last words with a triumphant smile, not thinking that the Campione survived the explosion but...
As the smoke cleared, Ishtar's smile turned into a disappointed scowl. Luo Hao was still floating in the air, both arms crossed in front of her face. Of course, her clothes smoked, but apart from that, she was intact.
"Congratulations, only three people alive were able to damage the clothes of this Luo Hao."
Hakuno watched the air battle with concern.
Ishtar's Magecraft seemed unable to deal real damage because of the Campione's Magic Resistance.
Nevertheless, little by little, the Victor of the Moon began to understand the movements of the Devil King.
Shirou stood next to her, as well as Ereshkigal.
The redhead teen had Traced Archer's Bow. Nevertheless, he hesitated to intervene. The fight was now evolving into some fort of aerial hand-to-hand and he risked injuring Ishtar if he missed a shot...
At that moment, he saw Hakuno Kishinami reaching out, concentrating on the ring in her hand.
[Shirou, can you hear me?]
Surprised he blinked as he heard Hakuno's voice in his head.
[Uh... yes? ]
[So look. ]
Even more surprised, Shirou was now seeing the fight through Hakuno's eyes. The clash between Ishtar and Luo Hao looked like a slow-motion movie and in superposition, he saw possible movements.
[Let me guide you.]
Once again, Luo Hao was rushing into the attack. So far, Ishtar had not been injured. But her mood continued to deteriorate.
Her opponent prevented her from taking distance to use Maanna. Her Magecraft was ineffective. She could only rely on her spear and her knowledge of fistfights.
Fortunately, the Mistress of Heaven had the advantage in terms of strength and speed, while her reflexes were faster... But it was not sufficient because Luo Hao was a monster! According to Athena, this Campione had spent two centuries training in martial arts. Ishtar had no trouble believing that. Luo Hao countered each attack of the Goddess of Venus with a different method. This allowed her not only to play equally with Ishtar but even to overtake her, forcing the Goddess of Venus to remain on the defensive.
She had just blocked a new attack when...
Luo Hao quickly turned her head to the side and retreated. A rain of arrows followed her movement. She used the technique known as the "tiger's paw" to block some arrows and dodged others.
She looked down at Shirou and noticed that Hakuno was in a trance by his side.
"Impressive, this Luo Hao has correctly estimated this young man's abilities. If someone guides him, he can become a master."
She smiled touching the tear in her Hanfu's sleeve... and she saw red liquid on her fingers.
"Congratulations, for the first time in eighty years, an enemy has seen the color of Her Eminence Luo Hao's blood. The time has come to stop playing and get serious."
Luo Hao moved away from Ishtar and began to sing in classical Chinese:
"Last year we fought where the Sang-kan flows
This year it was Onion River Road.
We've washed our swords in the Eastern Sea
Grazed our horses on Tian Shan's snowy side.
A thousand miles are not enough for this war
Our armies grow old in their armor."
Until then, the Chinese Martial Art had fought only using her knowledge of hand-to-hand combat or her magic. But she was a Campione. She killed gods and stole their Authorities.
The words she had just uttered were the invocation of the Dragon Voice an Authority also known as Dragon's Roar and Tiger's Howl.
A tornado formed in front of Luo Hao and advanced quickly towards Ishtar. The goddess uttered a shout of rage maneuvering to avoid the attack only to see the whirlwind purchasing her like a homing missile.
Shirou fired another volley of arrows but a swirling wind surrounded the Ruler of Martial Art. The arrows didn't touch her because they were scattered by the wind.
But the attack did not leave Luo Hao indifferent:
"Husbandmen of slaughter, the Huns
Have sown the yellow desert with our bones. Long ago the Qin built the Great Wall
Now it's the Han who light the signal beacon. All night long the flames flicker
Year in year out, the war lingers."
A second tornado had formed on Ereshkigal, Hakuno, and Shirou.
Lifting Kishinami, Shirou used Reinforcement and ran away at high speed. Ereshkigal set off in a different direction. Seeing this Luo Hao sang again:
"Bright swords flash, brave men fall and die
Riderless horses whinny at the sky. Kites and crows pluck out the guts
Hang them high on the withered trees."
There were now three tornadoes, the Ruler of Martial Art managed to divide her attention between the triplets of whirlwinds and chase her enemies simultaneously.
Ishtar was furious.
She was a powerful goddess, respected and revered since a time before the appearance of writing and... and she fled like a mouse hunted by a cat?
Intolerable!
Unforgivable!
No longer having to fight at close range, the Mistress of Heaven had dematerialized Didibat. She invoked the Boat of Heaven Maanna and several arrows.
The flying ship vanished in instant seeming to disappear into thin air.
In fact, traveling faster than light's speed, Ishtar had just positioned herself behind Luo Hao. Already, she drew her three arrows in rapid succession.
The first explosion of blue mana formed a sparkling sphere in the sky. The second arrow struck closer to the ground.
And the third will rip open the ground, forming a large crater.
The tornadoes collapsed and disappeared.
Flying over the devastated battlefield, Ishtar noticed that one of the tornadoes had destroyed the HQ of the "Akiyama Study Circle".
Although she always strives to behave like the superior goddess she was, rewarding the faith, and demanding sacrifices (especially precious stones, thank you) the Mistress of the Heaven was basically a caring person.
The Devil King's lack of scruple made her furious.
The members of the Circle were quite innocuous for a Campione... Yet, Luo Hao had destroyed their HQ and probably killed more than one Magus. Ishtar was certain that the Devil King's attacks were accurate enough to avoid the house... but she acted as if she didn't even see the innocent bystanders trapped in their fight.
Suspicious, the goddess approached the smoking crater. Unwilling to take unnecessary risks, she had loaded an extra arrow in Maana's magazine and was ready to fire.
However...
"Strength beyond numbers, strength beyond skill! A thousand tonnes in one leg, victory from a single kick!"
"The swimming dragon rushes to the heavens, attack from close quarters, close in rapidly from the eight directions, spinning double kick!"
Using the Divine Might of Vajrapani Luo Hao transformed her fists so that they become as hard as diamonds. Simultaneously, she acquired incredible strength. Emerging from the smoking crater, she threw herself on Ishtar and managed to hit her in the belly. Thrown far away, the goddess fell back into a forest and broke several trees in her fall.
Luo Hao's appearance had changed drastically. She no longer looked like an ancient China's doll. She was now dressed in charred rags, her hair was disheveled, smoking, and she was bleeding and had burns and grinding all over her body.
Above all... she seemed incredibly happy:
"This Luo Hao thanks you for this challenge. For the first time in a century, an opponent managed to put me in difficulty."
She was a battle junkie.
Ishtar didn't have a second to prepare.
First of all, Luo hao was on her.
She blocked several attacks, shaking under the power of punches and kicks that sounded like thunderclaps.
"Oh," noticed the Ruler of Martial Art with an amused tone in her beautiful voice "you practice a form of Bajiquan? In that case, you must know that."
Luo Hao stopped and said:
"Six Grand Opening - Elbow Upthrust"
While grabbing Ishtar's arm from below, Luo Hao carried it up while also pressing her side close to the goddess's waist, simultaneously, she delivered a blow to the heart with her left elbow and a strike from her left foot to the supporting leg of Ishtar. The Devil King finished Ishtar off with a kick in the upper chest.
Kirei Kotomine's signature move.
Before losing consciousness, Ishtar cursed Kirei Kotomine. Even after his death, even in another world, even after she became a goddess, he succeeded in betraying her at the worst possible moment.
Still carrying Hakuno, Shirou was the first to arrive on the scene of the fight. Seeing Ishtar on the ground, his features hardened. Laying down the Sovereign of the Moon, he held out both hands.
"Trace On!"
His fingers closed on the grip of Kanshou and Bakuya. He threw himself forward, but Luo Hao was not surprised. She dodged the attack with grace and ease that made her movements an insult to Shirou's swordsmanship. In fact, the Devil King seemed to dance a few steps in her living room rather than try to avoid the attack of a young armed man in a devastated forest encumbered by broken trunks.
Worse, she took the opportunity to give him a martial arts lesson.
"It is the spirit in peace that the practitioner wields the weapons of war. Young warrior, anger only slows your reflexes. It is in concentration and inner balance that your talents will reach their peak. Calm down, don't let your anger get in your way."
Suddenly, she counterattacked. Fortunately for Shirou, Luo Hao aimed at his swords. Otherwise, with the strength granted by the Divine Might of Vajrapani, the Campione would have easily killed him.
His two swords broke under the impact, and the fragments disintegrated into particles of blue prana.
On the ground, Shirou gasped while massaging his wrists. As he got back on his feet, he looked at his opponent. Luo Hao was on guard, but not really worried. In fact, she seemed mostly bored. Thinking back to the brief clash, he had the impression of seeing Archer looking at him with a scowl of disgust: "So this was your... plan? I'm not going to ask you if you thought before you acted... the answer is obvious."
Okay, he was stupid. He closed his eyes briefly forcing himself to calm down. When he opened them, he was at peace again, having pushed back his concern for Ishtar in a corner of his mind.
He was focusing on Tracing Kanshou and Bakuya anew when several red spears appeared in the air forcing Luo Hao to jump back to dodge the attack.
Ereshkigal had just jumped on the battlefield.
Seeing her sister on the ground, the Queen of the Great Below turned to Shirou.
"Look after Ishtar, I'll look after the Campione.
As Shirou ran to Ishtar, accepting the order of the Goddess of the Netherworld, Hakuno noted that Luo Hao was straying from his path. Logic would have wanted her to try to prevent the young redhead from treating the enemy she had just beaten.
"Why don't you attack Shirou," she asked.
The chine freak replied with a smile that would normally have been lovely... but that was terrifying with her smoking clothes and her blood-stained face.
"This Luo Hao permits him to give first aid to Ishtar. Her Eminence was a King, and a King is benevolent. Her Eminence was also the Ruler of Martial Art, and she no lowers herself to kill an enemy unable to defend herself."
The Queen of the Great Below was not a fighter. However, the spear in her hand was a very dangerous weapon. It was the materialized form of the blazing soul of Meslamtaea, the light that warms the depth of earth. Au Authority she stole from Nergal.
As red flames enveloped her weapon, Ereshkigal created other copies of her spear that materialized all around Luo Hao.
With incredible reflexes, the Ruler of the martial Art blocked or dodged all the attacks.
Behind her friend, Hakuno focused on the Regalia.
The ring relayed the thought of the Sovereign of the Moon Cell.
[Guard]
Used to Hakuno's abilities, Ereshkigal obeyed and blocked the first attack of Luo Hao. As she continued with a karate chop, then a kick, Hakuno pushed the goddess to stay on the defensive.
The Campione stepped back to adopt a boxing posture, abandoning the initiative to Ereshkigal. Undecided, having never seen the Ruler of the Martial Art use this particular guard, Hakuno nevertheless ends up choosing the order to give:
[Attack]
But with a gesture of the forearm, Luo deflected the spear outward and then struck the goddess with a fist to the chin, then with a grip to the throat followed by a knee to the stomach. As Ereshkigal retreated, the Chinese girl twisted her arm to make the blonde goddess drop her weapon. The Devil King continued with a second kick and attack with the edge of the hand to the side of Ereshkigal's neck.
Nevertheless, even if the blows she had received hurt, it took much more to seriously hurt a goddess. As for disarming the queen of the dead... her spear was a part of her.
[Skill]
Meslamtaea reappeared in Ereshkigal's hand while copies materialized in the air rushing towards Luo Hao. Once again, the martial artist had no trouble dodging or blocking these attacks.
The Ruler of the Martial art counterattacked with a Divine Authority:
"A great force is exerted! Great force vanquishes small evil!"
"Massive timber splitting mountains, producing great force! Stacking multitudes of golden bells, producing impenetrable iron cloth!"
"The root of my power of Vajra, now is the time for great might that can tear apart heaven and earth!"
Two statues of Buddha appeared, they were avatars of Vajrapani in golden metal. Facing three opponents, Ereshkigal was in trouble.
Shirou examined Ishtar and his blood seemed to freeze in his veins.
Ishtar's heart had stopped. She had not yet died, but it was necessary to intervene very quickly.
He recited the first line of his aria:
"I'm the bone of my sword"
His outstretched hand and in a whirlwind of golden prana appeared... Avalon, the sheath of Excalibur, Saber's sword. It was a magnificent creation in gold and blue lacquer engraved with some signs in fairy language.
Placing the sheath on Ishtar's chest, Shirou closed the arms of the goddess on the magical object.
Already golden moths enveloped the Queen of Venus.
Hearing a monumental crash, Shirou Emiya turned around.
Ereshkigal retreated, dodging the attacks of two golden metal giants. Huge fists pounded the ground, breaking trees and digging craters.
"Trace On!"
Hanging in the air appeared several medieval European swords. Weapons of normal appearance... if we forgot their size... they were Baptism, Florence, and Graban, the swords of the giant Fier-à-bras.
With a single thought, Shirou catapulted them to the first avatar, then he Traced more copies of the three swords and projected them towards the second statue... repeating the Projection process again, and again.
A real artillery barrage was unleashed on the avatars of Vajrapani. In a few moments, they began to crumble and then returned to nothingness.
Luo Hao had been stunned by the attack, but she recovered quickly.
Turning to Shirou, the battle junkie nodded.
"I see... So, you are a disciple of the magic arts."
But she did not have time to say more. Hakuno went on the counter-attack.
[Skill]
Ereshkigal raised one hand and shouted:
"Code Cast: add_poison ()"
Code Casts were the magic of Seraph, a virtual universe within the Moon Cell Automaton. Normally, Code Casts were unusable elsewhere than in a digital universe. But Hakuno having the Regalia on her finger... a collection of materialized computer code... everything became possible, especially when a goddess used the digital magic of the Seraph.
Magic was ineffective against the Campiones, it was a thing accepted by all the inhabitants of this world. But between the explanations of Athena and the reactions of Luo Hao, Hakuno Kishinami, the best Master of the Chimeric Lunar sea, had discovered an Achilles' Heel she could exploit.
Magic could be used to attack a Devil King, as long as it entered his body since the barrier that protected them was on the surface of their skin... as proved by the lamentable state of the clothes of the Ruler of the Martial Art.
Seeing the clouds of green smoke materializing around her Luo Hao blocked her breathing... immediately realizing her vulnerability. Except... she had multiple cuts. The poison entered through these small breaches into her protection against magic, weakening her.
[Break]
Ereshkigal struck with her spear, breaking the defense of the Chinese Rakasha Raja.
Wounded in the chest, she hit the trunk of a tree that broke on impact...
"This Luo Hao takes a backward step... and gets hurt?! That's interesting! Keep going, strike with all your strength. This Luo Hao will fight with all her might and win! "
The crazy battle junkie smiled as if she had just received a beautiful birthday present.
Hakuno shuddered... of all the Servants she had faced in the Seraph, Luo Hao reminded her far too much of Li Shuwen... Like the Servant, the Devil King was a martial artist who took as much from the Assassin-class Servant as from the Berserker-class.
And, Hakuno continued to have nightmares about her two clashes with Li Shuwen...
(1) Qin-na is a very ancient Chinese martial art, also called the "art of luxations". The goal is to beat the opponent not by force or agility, but by causing joint blockages or very painful tendinitis.