The Presence of a Heroic Spirit / Boss Ma's Temptation

"Is that so..."

Shirou calmly lowered his bow, and then a muffled thud sounded from the other side.

"Ah!"

He also had some experience with sniping. Shirou's interface showed a +500 signal, and with the more than 300 he got from the Vanguard he had killed earlier, his score was now 10500.

"I've surpassed him again," Shirou said with a smile.

"Again!" Shino said, aiming at the man in black and pulling the trigger once more, taking another head.

Seeing that the paralysis had worn off and that he was now more than ten meters away from Shirou, the man in black quickly activated his invisibility equipment again.

Just as they activated their invisibility gear, Shirou also threw out a Thunder Explosive Bomb. He happened to have this reward as well, and the paralyzing current created a magnetic field on the ground, stopping the men in black once again.

Bang!

The sniper rifle fired.

Swish!

An arrow struck the man in black squarely in the head, piercing through his forehead and the back of his skull.

"Damn it! What do we do now?" the men in black said angrily.

"That's right, at this rate we'll be wiped out before we even get close!" the man in black said.

"You all retreat and provide long-range fire support from behind," one of the men in black said.

"Brother Apachai! Wait! There are two of them!"

"It's alright, if we're close by, that's a blind spot!" At that moment, a burly man wearing a cloak, braving a hail of bullets, ran out from among the men in black.

When Shirou and Shino aimed at him, he activated his invisibility device once again and disappeared. All that could be heard was the rapid thumping of footsteps approaching them.

"Leave it to me!"

Shirou tensed up, listening to the footsteps and watching the burly man's movements. He noticed the man ignored him and charged towards him. For the first time, Shirou felt threatened. He realized that this cloaked man was definitely different from the others.

He was from Thailand. In Thailand, if poor families want to earn a better life, they have no choice but to practice Muay Thai relentlessly. This is similar to how Indian girls practice wrestling or how people in Africa become sports stars through running, soccer, and other sports, thus gaining opportunities to immigrate.

But how many people can actually succeed by following this path? There can only be one champion in the ring. Even if you win one match, you'll fall from grace if you lose just one.

There's only one Buakaw in all of Thailand. It's as unrealistic as Americans back then seeing Bill Gates as the epitome of the American Dream and a role model for life.

Most people are stuck in the county town and can never fight again. When they grow up, they are covered in injuries like the boxing champion, but they don't have the money to treat the kind of injuries that only the champion can afford. Once their bodies are ruined, they can never be poor again. This is the kind of victim the majority of people are.

Perhaps their fate is even more tragic than those in the village who choose to become transgender people, dancing or working as hostesses in bars. They all sacrificed their youth and health to forge a path for themselves.

An athlete's career is brutal. All that talk about "competition comes second" and "friendship comes first" is nonsense. No audience or advertiser will favor anyone other than the champion.

Apachai was a victim of this. He had won the national championship once and defended it once, but he was knocked out in his second title defense and suffered a serious injury, ending his professional career.

He started learning boxing at the age of 8, fighting his way out of a remote and backward village, relying entirely on perseverance and ruthlessness. However, his physical foundation was weaker than most people's, yet he underwent the same high-intensity training as boxing champions who started learning from the most experienced coaches in the country at the age of 5, without proper care, and his body was already overloaded.

He was destined to fade into obscurity, but the changes of the times gave him an opportunity Penguin Company him a chance, providing him with gaming equipment he couldn't afford at all, allowing him to enter the world of games.

Penguin Company had given him a second chance, so he would do his best to complete any task, no matter what it was.

After training, Apachai, a former professional Muay Thai fighter, demonstrated amazing talent in PK battles, relying on his fighting spirit and perseverance honed over many years. He was dispatched to the Oasis World to work specifically against people.

For example, in arena PvP or team battles, he's always the one charging at the very front.

Apachai clearly felt that Oasis was a remarkable world, more realistic than Penguin's games, and Apachai even rediscovered his peak form here.

In the arena, Apachai gradually made a name for himself, gaining fans all over the world. Even Penguin Live team came to recruit him, wanting to develop him into a top fighter in Oasis. However, after hesitating about the much more lucrative contract than his current job, he still refused. To repay Tencent's kindness, Apachai continued to do this job.

As long as Boss Ma still needs someone to do this dirty work for him, Apachai will continue to do it.

Now! Apachai, wielding a pair of high-tech metal mechanical gauntlets, emerged from his concealing cloak and charged forward like a cannon.

A muffled thud came from Shirou's body as he was sent flying by the immense force.

Chapter 666 The Aura of Servant Appears

The metal mecha armor on the already thicker arms of the attacking burly man now made them twice the size of a normal person's arms, and when it struck, it was like a bear's paw made of steel.

"Whoa!" Shirou felt a sudden weightlessness and was sent flying uncontrollably. He had anticipated that his opponent would pull out a shotgun, another handgun, or a weapon for close combat, but he never expected that his opponent would use his fists.

The opponent used a special footwork technique, and by the time Shirou realized it, he was already completely close in, and then a heavy punch sent him flying.

At the last moment, Shirou used his longbow to block the heavy punch in the abdomen, but the power of the mechanically aided iron fist was astonishing. He was sent flying and crashed into the rock wall.

His health bar kept decreasing, almost halved.

"Shirou!" Shino shouted, leaning out and pulling the trigger of her pistol at the burly man.

The burly man raised his two massive steel arm guards, blocking the incoming projectiles.

"It's alright! You focus on dealing with those guys outside!" Shirou said.

The moment Shirou flew out, he was carefully considering how to deal with it. It wasn't the Snake Fist used for assassination with its unpredictable trajectory, but a straightforward and powerful fist technique, which would be even more troublesome.

The burly man's fist technique, while not as mysterious as Souichirou Kuzuki's Snake Fist, which was based on assassination, was continuous and even more terrifying. Once you've seen Kuzuki's killing move, you'll know how to defend against it.

But the burly man in front of him was a head-on, steel-fisted opponent; it was all direct confrontation. Although he couldn't win with a surprise attack, there were no obvious weaknesses either.

The Steel Fist warrior Apachai quickly caught up and, before Shirou could fall off the rock wall, pressed his advantage and delivered a powerful punch.

Fortunately, Shirou was mentally prepared. He instantly switched his equipment to the black and white twin blades, bent his knees, stepped onto the rock wall, and used his legs to propel himself forward. His heavy fist struck the blades, producing a dull thud like a giant hammer smashing into steel.

The steel fist warrior's clenched fist hissed and steamed as he unleashed a series of powerful punches at Shirou.

This isn't a metaphor; it really was 'smashed'!

Every time Shirou tried to stop it, he felt a sharp, tearing pain in the tendons and muscles of his arm.

"Why would a warrior like you do such dirty work? Is your personality rotten, or has someone caught you doing something wrong?" Shirou gripped his twin swords tightly, looking at his opponent with a mocking expression.

Apachai remained silent, raised his leg high, and rammed his knee into Shirou's lower body. Equipped with high-tech metal devices, he amplified his explosive power to the level of a predator at the top of the food chain, and his knee was also covered with spikes.

Shirou sensed danger and immediately took two steps back.

Although the knee strike landed, it still created a strong, biting wind, blowing Shirou's bangs up.

Apachai's raised leg landed completely on the ground, with the toes barely touching the ground, before he pushed off upwards again, delivering a high kick straight at the opponent!

High kicks, combination punches—a relentless, frenzied barrage of attacks, as fast as a hurricane, so fast it was impossible to keep up with the eye.

Only Shirou, who excels at defense, raised his black and white twin blades and relentlessly countered the attack.

Bang!

Like a giant python whipping its tail over a somersault, Apachai pressed down with his entire weight, the metal-clad kick aimed at Shirou's head. If it hit, it would be like being smashed into a watermelon by a hammer.

Bang!

Shirou could feel the black and white twin swords in his hands groaning in pain, their durability being continuously depleted by the burly man's attacks. Once the durability was exhausted, the weapons would shatter and be destroyed. Fortunately, he was a blacksmith and carried more than ten Gan Jiang · Mo Ye swords, allowing him to seamlessly switch to the intact ones. However, this couldn't continue.

'No! We can't keep following his pace; we have to get back on track.'

"Hahhhhhh!!!" Shirou's eyes widened in fury, his whole body trembled, and he threw the twin swords in his hands at Apachai.

Apachai instinctively shrank his neck, leaned back, and raised his metal mechanical arm to block the flying twin blades.

Shirou seamlessly switched to a new weapon, slashing fiercely at a vital spot, forcing Apachai to defend. His next strike landed on the joints of Apachai's mechanical armor, and he continuously increased the speed of his sword swings. The mechanical metal of Apachai's wrist and leg joints made a series of slashes, clanging loudly.

While the two were fighting, Shino, above, continued to snipe at the group of men in black outside. She pulled the trigger, and a golden bullet casing flew out. She pulled the bolt back, and the muzzle was already aimed at the next target. She pulled the trigger again.

"Waaaaah!" At this moment, the assassins' cries echoed once again from not far away.

"Apachai! We can't hold on!" The assassins were losing the fight against Shino. They hadn't been able to inflict much damage on the blue-haired girl, and they were all hit the moment they peeked out. Now they could only hide behind the rocks, too afraid to come out.

"Hang in there! I'll think of something!" Apachai shouted to the people behind him, forcing Shirou back with a powerful swing of his hand.

Apachai at Shirou and said, "Boy, no, Emiya! You are truly tenacious. I understand now why the company values you so much. You are indeed a respectable warrior. If we were in the arena instead of here, I would love to have a proper battle with you and truly determine the winner, but that's not possible this time."

As soon as Apachai speaking, his entire body emanated an aura completely different from before. If he was a fearless warrior before, then he was now more like a...

"What?!" Shirou actually sensed a trace of a Servant emanating from Apachai at this moment.

"Ancient Muay Thai - Naresuan's Rebellion! aalalala!!!" Apachai roared, activating his skill. A prince dressed in ancient military uniform appeared behind Apachai, charging towards him. The way Apachai shouted while attacking was just like the rules of Servant activating Noble Phantasm in the Holy Grail War.

"Come on!" Shirou quickly removed his twin swords and put on a shield the size of a dining table. Shirou held the shield in front of him with both hands, and instead of retreating, he charged towards Apachai.

Faced with this incredibly powerful attack, which resembled Noble Phantasm, he was no longer confident he could deflect it. Now, he had no choice but to meet it head-on. Since he couldn't dodge it, he would charge forward!

Without any hesitation! Without any backing down! A passionate young man is never one to back down from a fight.

Chapter 667 Boss Ma's Temptation

Apachai roared, a cry that echoed the glory of the nation, the most glorious moment in Thailand. It was the fist of Great Emperor Naresuan the Great, who stood up resolutely and led the Thailand people to independence when Thailand was invaded and ruled.

He led the people in their struggle against Burma, the dominant power in Southeast Asia at the time. Despite being outnumbered, they achieved victory and delivered a crucial, decisive act of rebellion. It's important to understand that Burma at that time combined the weapons and cultural achievements of both India and China, integrating them seamlessly, making it truly a formidable force.

Even the Qing Dynasty, during the same period, launched four expeditions but failed to achieve victory, ultimately having to exhaust its national resources to force Burma to negotiate peace.

It can be said that it is thanks to Naresuan's efforts that Thailand has become an independent and self-reliant nation today.

This was Apachai's hopeful punch.

Facing the powerful punch, Shirou was certain that this was the power of Noble Phantasm. He raised his massive, cross-shaped shield, as thick as a fortress, and charged forward to meet it!

"Lord-Camelot--!!!"

This is a shield artifact that Shirou created by imitating the defensive Noble Phantasm he had seen. If the Rho Aias is a top-tier defensive weapon for ranged weapons, then this shield is as sturdy as the walls of Camelot, an all-powerful iron wall capable of destroying everything.

It absorbs damage and then releases the absorbed energy to counterattack. Of course, another use is to directly lift the Camelot and smash people. This is Galahad's powerful combat skill, a powerful move that is second to none among the Knights of the Round Table.

Although this shield is a replica made by Shirou because it's in a game and is subject to various limitations imposed by the system's stats, Shirou's skill still allows him to achieve 50% of the effect of the real thing.

After the shield blocked Apachai's Noble Phantasm attack, it immediately reflected all the damage, directly impacting Apachai. The muscular man with the steel fist, who hadn't even had time to retract his punch, had no way to avoid it and was engulfed in white light.

Shirou lowered his shield, equipped himself with Gan Jiang · Mo Ye, and two long arcs of black and white light flashed out, followed by two more long arcs, continuously making slashes and producing the sound of metal clashing with stone.

Apachai's hands fell to his sides, and the steel fists on his arms detached, having lost all their durability under Shirou's attacks and completely broken.

"You're really strong. Let's fight again sometime!" Shirou said with a smile.

"Oh... I'm looking forward to it..." Apachai agreed, but inwardly he could only smile bitterly. After all, penguins don't need losers, and having already become a loser, he wasn't sure if that day would ever come again.

Another gunshot rang out, shattering Apachai's head. It turned out that Shino had already wiped out all the assassins and turned around just in time to see Apachai with his equipment ruined, so he delivered the final blow.

Shirou glanced at Shino on the rock wall with surprise. The girl, holding a sniper rifle whose muzzle was still smoking, shrugged.

On the battlefield, there is no need for pity, no need for sympathy, and no need for any nonsense. A soldier can be killed but not humiliated. Killing him or being killed is enough.

Ding-dong!

+12000 points

"Wow! That's high." Shino didn't expect Apachai to have so many points. Combined with the more than ten assassin groups she had dealt with earlier, her score had now exceeded 30,000 points, propelling her to the top of the battlefield leaderboard.

At this moment, Shino had accumulated enough points and received a reward: a fragment emitting a golden glow. The two of them obtained the fifth fragment of King Arthur's sword.

At this moment, all the top-ranked players who were fighting all around looked up at the direction emitting golden light. They, along with Shino from the leaderboard, put down their ongoing battles and ran towards the place where the golden light was.

"Oh, I got it! It's Fragment Five!" Shino said, showing her spoils to Shirou.

"Then let's hurry up and go!" Shirou said.

"Oh well, I've had my fill of killing! Those bastards are about to catch up." Shino said with a smug smile.

They covered each other's Shirou, engaging in combat with the skilled players who had arrived, while simultaneously running towards the outside, eventually managing to escape successfully.

The legends of their bravery spread throughout the entire Oasis through the mouths of these expert players.

Several hours later, in the real world, Shirou and Asuna went shopping at a mall. Shirou bought some daily necessities, then took Asuna home before carrying his bags back to his residence.

Stepping out of the elevator, Shirou took out his keys and unlocked his apartment door, but immediately sensed something was amiss; it seemed someone else had entered the house. However, in this world, Shirou was all alone, without family or close friends. The only person with a key to this apartment was Asuna. Since she had been with him all day, it was impossible for her to have come here.

Shirou walked in and saw a man sitting on a soft leather sofa in the living room, holding a wine glass, with his back to him in an office chair.

"You're finally back, Emiya, no... I should call you Shirou-kun, shouldn't I?" The man slowly spun his chair around and turned to look at Shirou. He spoke in Chinese, but the computer automatically translated it into Shirou's native language.

"You are... the CEO of Tencent... Boss Ma. Why go to all this trouble to do this?" Shirou recognized the middle-aged man with glasses and asked.

It's obvious without needing to be said that the other party is showing off Penguin's methods, demonstrating to Shirou that even being in a foreign country doesn't guarantee safety. Little does he know that a bunch of deadbeats, people fleeing abroad to avoid debt, or gangsters are openly boasting online about their escapes and clamoring to challenge authority.

The information was sent out in the morning, and an investigation was launched in the afternoon. It was a direct cross-border law enforcement operation with a multinational joint arrest.

These are not difficult things for Penguin Company; as long as someone is using Penguin Company's products, they can be controlled.

Boss Ma smiled and said:

"Don't be nervous, I'm just demonstrating some abilities, just like you showed me your strength in the Oasis. Now I'm here."

"Oh, so you're personally coming to bribe us?" Shirou walked over and sat down on the sofa opposite Boss Ma.