Jobless Reincarnation: Emiya the Great Hero Must Show His True Skills

Page 273

Amid the chaotic banquet, Ariel watched as Izalti, surrounded by the three Northern Kings, disappeared into the smoke, and couldn't help but call out in concern.

She only breathed a sigh of relief when Izuru reappeared, seemingly unharmed.

Darius's plot was launched, and the North Emperor Obel and three North Kings, who had been lying in ambush, suddenly appeared, turning what was supposed to be a banquet into a battlefield for swordsmen to duel.

The two sword kings, Alice and Kyrie, are engaged in a fierce battle with the Northern Emperor, the Peacock Sword, Ober.

The Northern Emperor's strength certainly lived up to his reputation as an Emperor-level expert. Even with the combined strength of the two Sword Kings, they were unable to defeat their opponent.

Conversely, if it weren't for Izalti's sudden appearance, Ariel's side would probably have been completely defeated.

Even with Izuru's intervention, the battle situation was still not favorable.

The three Northern King-level powerhouses each had their own methods. If it weren't for Izuru's own outstanding talent, mastering the secrets of two Water God Styles at such a young age, there would have been no way to maintain the balance of the battle.

Even so, Isorti could only defend and was completely unable to launch a counterattack. As time went on, Isorti's defenses began to crumble little by little.

At a crucial moment, Sylphie's intervention relieved the pressure on Izuru.

After all, Hilfi was a Saint-level mage who could cast spells without chanting. Her extremely fast spellcasting interrupted the Northern King's attack and gave Izuru a chance to catch her breath.

Izuru then showed no mercy and directly activated the secret technique of the Water God Style, temporarily severing space to block the attacks of several Northern Kings.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, she decisively led Doristina and Princess Ariel away from the scene.

Seeing that Ariel had left safely, Alice and Gilead stopped fighting Aubert and chose to retreat, avoiding further conflict.

The chaotic banquet thus came to an end.

After the banquet, Ariel's faction temporarily gained the upper hand.

Because Ariel's propaganda campaign against Darius was very effective, many who were originally allies of Darius's faction chose to sever ties with him after hearing about his egregious behavior.

Although they did not directly switch sides to Ariel, they maintained a more neutral stance.

Philip seized the opportunity and contacted many nobles who might be wooed, launching a full-scale offensive. He did indeed win over quite a few people, greatly strengthening Ariel's faction.

The only problem is that while the number of noble-level political figures has increased, the number of skilled individuals with considerable ability has not.

Izuru only came to help this time to protect Doristina. In fact, due to the attitude of the current water god, the Water God Dojo has always chosen to remain neutral in this battle for the throne.

The majority of the strongest individuals in the Kingdom of Asura are concentrated in the Water God School's dojo. Since the Water God School maintains neutrality, it is impossible for them to recruit truly powerful individuals.

In contrast, Darius has already revealed a powerful figure like the Northern Emperor Obel under his command.

Even without the intervention of the water goddess Leda, the Northern Emperor alone would be enough to give Ariel's faction a hard time.

Faced with such a disadvantage, Ariel didn't have any good solutions. After all, she had tried for a long time at the Magic University but hadn't been able to recruit a single truly powerful individual.

Putting Shirou aside, even Rudeus rejected Ariel's advances, not to mention that a senior magician like Principal Genus would never get involved in another country's civil war.

Left with no other option, Ariel could only think of ways to gain a political advantage when her side lacked powerful allies.

Ariel wasn't entirely hopeless. With this attack on Darius, as long as she played it safe and steadily, further strengthened her own power, and expanded her influence in the capital, she might be able to win the battle for the throne without bloodshed in the end.

After all, the competition for the throne is not purely about killing and fighting. As long as the final influence is large enough and the Knights' approval is obtained, it is enough to secure victory.

Ultimately, in this era, the military is always more important than individual combat power.

Leaving aside god-level experts, even the Sword Emperor, the Northern Emperor, and the Water Emperor would generally find it impossible to win a direct confrontation against an army of ten thousand men.

Ariel was mentally prepared for a long battle.

But to her utter surprise, Darius didn't give her any time to gradually build up her resources.

After this incident, Darius seemed to realize Ariel's advantage in terms of political prestige. Realizing that delaying would be detrimental to him, he decisively chose to use despicable means.

Taking advantage of the king's serious illness, he forcibly issued a decree on the king's behalf, stating that Sauros, who was in prison, would be executed in three days!

When this news came out, Alice and Kyrie Irvine couldn't sit still.

The two men could not bear to watch Sauros be executed, and they were determined to rescue him, even if it meant breaking into the prison.

This situation undoubtedly put Ariel in a difficult position.

Because this was clearly a trap set by Darius, and the enemy was definitely heavily guarding it, just waiting for Alice and Kyrie to jump in so they could take down these two sword kings in one fell swoop.

Once the two strongest sword kings are killed, Ariel will immediately become fish on a chopping board, at Darius's mercy.

However, Ariel understood Alice and Kyrie's thoughts and couldn't let them watch Sauros be executed.

Without a doubt, Darius's decisive move left Ariel with no way to respond, bringing the game to a stalemate with absolutely no chance of a comeback.

Although Ariel in the royal capital and Shirou in the sky fortress are in different situations, they are both in dire straits!

Chapter 350 The Counterattack Begins! Shirou Takes Control of Unlimited Blade Works Once Again!

Faced with Darius's scheme, Ariel couldn't think of any solution. In the end, she had no choice but to find Iris and Gilead, and discover that the two had already prepared to attack the execution ground.

Because the prisons of the Kingdom of Asra are heavily guarded and located in an extremely remote area, making them easy to defend and difficult to attack, even if the two Sword Kings launched a direct attack, it would be difficult to rescue Sauros from the prison.

So Alice and Gilead decided to break into the execution ground where Sauros was to be executed.

Although they knew that Darius would definitely have a large number of people at the execution ground, and that the North Emperor Obel, whom they had previously clashed with at the banquet, would definitely be there, neither of them had any intention of giving up. They were determined to sacrifice everything to save Sauros.

After all, for Alice, Sholos was an important grandfather, a beloved figure since childhood.

For Gilead, Sauros was also her former savior and shelter, someone she could never abandon.

Neither of them could stand by and watch Sauros be executed, nor could they bear to see such a tragedy unfold before their eyes while remaining indifferent.

Faced with Alice and Gilead's firm stance, Ariel realized that she was destined to be unable to persuade them.

Therefore, she abandoned all thoughts of retreat and made up her mind to assist Alice and Gilead in their prison break operation.

This surprised Alice and Kyrie, neither of them had intended to involve the princess in their private affairs.

Ariel helplessly remarked that the very survival of Ariel's faction now rests on the shoulders of the two sword kings, Iris and Kyrie.

Both sides share the same fate, whether it prospers or suffers.

If Ariel were to stand by and watch Alice and Gilead die, she would not be able to survive Darius's attack either, so she must provide them with her full support.

Alice and Gilead were undoubtedly moved by Ariel's incredibly sincere words.

Although they knew that the other party's actions were motivated by self-interest, they considered it a precious favor to them for offering help in a time of crisis.

The two sides exchanged pleasantries.

Finally, Ariel began to devise a plan to break out of the prison.

First, Ariel mobilized all her resources to determine the exact location of the execution ground: the public execution platform in the capital of Asura.

The execution platform has a history of over a hundred years, during which many famous historical figures were executed.

As the former head of the Boreas family, Sauros naturally needed to be beheaded using a special execution platform.

After confirming the location, Ariel quickly confirmed the exact time and discovered that Darius was doing everything he could to hasten the execution.

The original three days were reduced to almost one day thanks to Darius's desperate efforts, and the execution would officially begin then.

In other words, Sauros's execution was to take place on the very next day!

Faced with such a disadvantage, Ariel was undoubtedly panicked, but she did not show it on the surface. She calmly analyzed all the situations and quickly made a judgment: a direct prison break was absolutely impossible to win. In order to successfully rescue people, she had to take action in advance.

Yes, Ariel was quite calm. She immediately realized that since Darius's side had already set a trap, there was absolutely no chance of winning if they jumped into it. They had to make different preparations beforehand and create an opening in the trap in order to have any chance of winning.

Therefore, she desperately searched for clues to find out the route Darius's side took to move Sauros, intending to rescue Sauros as soon as possible before the public execution.

However, Darius had anticipated her idea.

To ensure Sauros's absolute safety before his public execution, Darius arranged for the Knights of Asura to guard him.

Although the Kingdom Knights lack individuals with exceptional individual combat prowess, their sheer numbers and well-trained group discipline make them capable of going toe-to-toe with, and even defeating, Emperor-level beings. Only a god-level expert could possibly stand against a national-level knightly order.

Ariel only had two sword kings, Alice and Kyrianu, under her command. There was absolutely no possibility of her breaking into the Knights' territory, let alone forcibly rescuing Sauros.

It can be said that Ariel has been completely trapped in a desperate situation.

The only option was to watch helplessly as Alice and Kyrian broke into the execution ground and pray that they could defeat the North Emperor Obel and rescue Sauros.

"Why did it become like this..."

At night, Ariel curled up silently in her room, feeling utterly powerless, and sighed quietly.

Ever since she made up her mind to return to the Kingdom of Asura, she had already prepared herself for this day to come.

Because Ariel knew all too well how deep the quagmire of the capital was, and that she had neither gained powerful support nor the approval of the Ankylosaurus King Percius, she had no way of winning this struggle for the throne.

However, Ariel harbored unrealistic desires deep down.

I will win, I can win...

Why would someone have such a thought?

Looking back, it was on that day that I saw Shirou show me the dunes of the Infinity Sword under the twilight.

Upon seeing that sword mound, Ariel's mind was filled with a jumble of thoughts, countless ideas intertwined, and finally converged into a power called courage.

Yes, Ariel gained courage from Shirou's Unlimited Blade Works.

Witnessing the end of the Heroic Spirit Emiya, and seeing Shirou's back as he continued forward despite knowing the impending doom, a strong conviction arose in her heart.

It was like seeing a blazing light in the darkness, or an oasis in a parched desert, that roused her from her wavering and confused state of mind, giving her renewed strength.

That's why Ariel, knowing the road ahead would be difficult, still returned to the kingdom of Asura.

Because she also longed to be like Shirou, knowing that there were only cliffs and precipices ahead, yet still bravely leaping forward to pave that one and only path.

However, only now does Ariel realize what she still lacks compared to Shirou.

While I now have faith, faith alone is not enough to achieve victory.

You need something more important than willpower—something that can truly change the world!

And that's exactly what I'm lacking right now...

"Shirou...Shirou..."

In the darkness, Ariel instinctively murmured that name, as if the act alone could give her wavering heart even a sliver of courage.

As night falls, the final battle is about to begin.

Regardless of her inner thoughts, Ariel had no choice but to face reality and the impending public execution of Sholos!

……

Unlimited Blade Works: The Sandy Hills

Thick smoke enveloped everything.

Since Shirou had all his magic power consumed by Excalibur, it was as if he had fallen into an endless deep sea, shrouded in an oppressive weight and endless darkness from all sides, losing all his senses and perception.

When extreme darkness ravages everything, the human soul and body gradually begin to separate.

Once this separation begins to accelerate, and the moment arrives when the soul completely breaks free from the body, the concept of death will thoroughly erode the human body.

"..."

Shirou was no stranger to this impending death.

Or rather, he was very familiar with it.

To date, he has experienced countless similar desperate situations and near-death experiences, which are too numerous to count. Therefore, when facing near-death experiences, Shirou did not panic and become confused like ordinary people. Instead, he used this special experience of being close to the limit to calm down his overly agitated and passionate mind little by little.

Through the forced mental cooling brought about by the brink of death, Shirou seemed to enter a third-person perspective, beginning to examine the battle between himself and the Heroic Spirit Emiya in a completely rational state.

Looking back, I realize that I was never truly calm from the very first moment of this battle.

In his anxiety and impatience, he failed to properly recognize his own situation and relied purely on foolish impulse and brute force to try to defeat his opponent.

But this idea is undoubtedly wrong.

Emiya is not an opponent that can be easily defeated, and Shirou has still not surpassed Emiya through his own strength.

When facing a truly formidable enemy, one must always remain calm and rational.

The less able one is to remain calm in battle, the more likely one is to be defeated.

Having experienced countless battles, Shirou knew this principle well, but when he thought about the civil war taking place in the Kingdom of Asura, and the impending doom for Ariel and the Boreas family, he still couldn't calm himself down completely during the previous battles.

This ultimately led to this outcome.

At this moment, Shirou was forced to reflect on why he had made such a serious mistake and why he had engaged in a completely irrational battle while remaining confused.

As his thoughts wandered, he felt as if he had returned to the Emiya residence, back to the moment when he could only watch helplessly as Miyu was taken away by the Einzworth family.

He was more powerless and miserable then than he is now. In absolute pain, he fought desperately to overcome all the tragedies and accomplished an incredible feat.