1018. Shirou Faces Difficulties / 1019. Shirou's Opponents

At the site of the Amazon auction, a square had been surrounded by tents. Important auction items were locked in large iron boxes covered with white cloth and transported inside by Demonic Beast -drawn carts. Along the way, an army of Amazon tribesmen of level 3 and above guarded the area in an orderly manner.

After Shirou and Ereshkigal brought Ishtar and Astraea, who were both badly injured in their fight, back to the surface and took them home, Shirou arrived here.

"Shirou -kun, you've completed your request beautifully!"

"Shirou-kun, look this way~!"

"Shirou, if you have the chance, come and sit in our Nightless street. It's free for you!"

"If you choose me, I can pay!"

This elicited bursts of charming laughter.

Joking aside, no one would lay a hand on Shirou anymore. Compared to the previous beastly passion, the Amazon women now looked at Shirou with more respect in their eyes. Perhaps this was proof that he had been accepted by the Amazon clan.

"Thank you, thank you everyone." Shirou could only chuckle awkwardly and wave to the women as he walked into Penthesilea's tent, surrounded by layers of Amazon.

Joking aside, these female soldiers are still faithfully performing their duties and protecting everything here.

At that moment, Ais the Sword Princess and her group, who had also arrived at the same place, witnessed this scene.

"The Amazon don't seem as barbaric as the rumors suggest; they're actually quite law-abiding," the elven girl Leifya murmured.

"After all, Amazon worship the strong. If a man is good, he will go hunting, even if it's in a group. But if the other party is stronger than all the Amazon combined, he will choose to submit and wait for the other party to choose him. Respecting the strong is a basic courtesy. Of course, very few people receive this treatment," explained Tione, the older sister of the Amazon clan who was traveling with them.

"Now that Shirou has been favored by our royal family's Penthesilea, he's a big shot in the Amazon wherever he goes," Tiona said with a smile.

The elven girl Leifya, blushed and looked at the two of them, asking:

"Then you wouldn't also...?"

"What are you saying? My heart belongs only to the captain!" Tione said with pride.

"I won't be like those guys, shamelessly clinging to you. No, of course, it's not that I'm not interested," Tiona glanced at Shirou, blushed, and, contrary to her usual tomboyish demeanor, touched her fingers together.

"Ah, these things are too early for Tiona," Tione teased.

"Yes, that's great." Leifya sighed with relief, as if realizing she wasn't alone.

"What?! Are you looking down on me?" Tiona exclaimed angrily.

So what if I have a flat chest? Having a flat chest doesn't mean I'm not an adult! No! I just haven't developed yet!

"Anyway, I'll keep growing!" Tiona said urgently.

"Yes, yes!" The two nodded knowingly, their smiles revealing their understanding.

Ais chuckled softly.

"Alright, let's go in," Tiona said to her companions.

"Hmm." The girls walked inside.

On the other side, a young man was pulling a goddess with black hair in pigtails towards the audience.

"My Goddess, let's hurry and get in!"

"Waaah, Bell-kun, are you in such a hurry to see that Warren-something? Compared to some weapons show, I'd rather count ants by myself," Hestia said disdainfully.

"No... no, this is Big Brother Shirou's press conference. Of course, I also want to learn from Miss Ais's swordsmanship." Bell explained, blushing, but he still didn't deny his feelings for the person he admired.

"Ugh!! I'm so angry~! I'm going to find that Shirou-kun and make him cancel Warren-kun's appearance!" Hestia huffed and puffed as she headed backstage.

"Whoa!" Bell quickly stopped his god.

Of course, Shirou and Penthesilea would never agree to the goddess's request, after all, Amazon had been busy for so long just for this moment.

"Are you ready?" Shirou asked the blonde girl.

"Mm." Ais nodded.

"Ais, Ais!" her companions cheered her on.

Ais shouldered the weapon and walked towards the top of the display stand.

Although a chaotic incident involving monsters running rampant occurred during the festival during the day, it has been resolved. As agreed, as a price for receiving the scabbard, Sword Princess Ais is required to perform three designated battle demonstrations during the days of the Monster Festival.

Ais is now in the first match. She will enter the arena to fight the monster that has been assigned to her. Next, she will go on stage to demonstrate the effects of different sword sheaths.

Of course, according to Penthesilea, the goal was for her to fight in a visually appealing and cool way.

Since her Sword of Despair had been sent to Gubinyu for repairs, Shirou simply had her change into a different sword with a different scabbard each day for performances, allowing her to showcase more of its capabilities.

The area outside the exhibition hall was already packed with people. Apart from a few onlookers, most were upper-class adventurers who had heard about the claim that the product could enhance their strength and wanted to see the effects for themselves.

What is being shown now is a giant greatsword with the 'Slam' attribute, aiming for maximum attack power. This is an ultra-heavy weapon, with a blade length of 1.5 meters and a width of nearly 0.8 meters. In battle, it can not only be used to slash, but also to smash, and can also be used as a shield. As long as it is held in front of you, it can block more than 90% of the attacks from monsters in front of you.

Generally speaking, only truly tall, brave, muscular men who are over two meters tall and weigh over 125 kg would use this kind of weapon.

At this moment, Ais, who is tall and slender and only 1.6 meters tall, was carrying him, which looked like a child carrying a big tree, creating a stark contrast.

As the saying goes, a heavy sword has no edge, and great skill is without artifice. A heavy sword, with its enormous impact, can deliver a fatal blow if it hits its opponent, but it also requires tremendous strength.

To unleash the full potential of this weapon, Ais drank the "Monstrous Strength" potion provided by Amazon. This was a top-grade power-enhancing potion purchased from the Medicine God's clan, and of course, it was also an Amazon product.

"It's a greatsword? But how do you even remove the sheath from a weapon like that? There's no time to do that during a fight!" A tall, muscular man on the stage saw a weapon that suited him and his eyes lit up, but then he rested his chin on his hand and asked.

Inside the exit passage of the entrance platform, a man and a woman were standing there watching Ais.

"Is it really okay to give such a heavy weapon to her? Otherwise, I can go in myself," Penthesilea said to Shirou beside her.

"No, this contrast is actually more effective for publicity. This kid is top-tier even at level 5, so it wouldn't be surprising if he advanced to level 6 at any time. He's trustworthy," Shirou said with a smile.

This time, the opponents are a group of multiple beetle monsters, characterized by their thick shells and extremely fast flight speed. Given the girl's slender body, it's truly questionable whether she has the stamina to fight so many monsters and last until the end.

Beep!!!

The beast tamer on the other side released his control over the beetle monster.

The beetle horde, their eyes red, fixed their gaze on Ais, who had appeared before them, and flapped their wings as they flew up.

Ais slowly channeled magic into the sword, causing the chains on the scabbard to change color, until the entire chain was a different color.

--'Gacha!'

With a sound, the chains binding the greatsword's scabbard activated a mechanism, and like an unlocked box, the scabbard automatically opened to both sides and fell to the ground.

The entire heavy sword, with its thick, bronze-colored blade, emitted a faint light. Although the light was not dazzling, it was very steady and adhered tightly to the entire body of the heavy sword.

Chapter 1018 Shirou Faces Difficulties

"Oh, it unlocked automatically. In that case, the battle won't be too troublesome," said one of the greatsword-wielding adventurers, his eyes lighting up.

"Just as advertised, that layer of light gathers immense magical power; this sword's power is considerable," a knowledgeable adventurer remarked thoughtfully.

Now we'll see how Ais performs in actual combat.

Ais's expression remained as calm as ever. She swung the greatsword she had nurtured all night and with a powerful blow, cleaved the 'beetle monster' that pounced on her in two.

The beetle-like monster's thick armor on its back couldn't withstand the fierce blow from the unsheathed sword, and it became a victim of Ais's greatsword. As the enemy's bull-sized body turned to ashes, Ais gripped the sword with both hands, turned around, and unleashed a series of flashes.

The flying beetle monsters were simultaneously cleaved in two and turned to dust, the sword blades working like threads through a needle to precisely destroy each of the Magic Stone.

The immense power caused the nearby land to crack, leaving small craters as if it had been dug out.

She pierced through the haze formed by the swirling dust, closing in on the last remaining beetle monster.

Even against an opponent with such a thick armor, which would normally require great effort for even a swordsman specializing in greatswords to cut through, Ais, wielding a rapier, could easily cleave it in two with her greatsword, which was charged from its scabbard.

At this moment, Ais was not even out of breath.

Many people in the audience smiled knowingly upon seeing this.

"Oh my, the Sword Princess of the Loki Familia is truly as powerful as the rumors say, almost like a demon."

"This is the youngest genius? He's a monster!"

"Expressionless, like a doll, I never imagined it was actually a weapon of destruction."

"Ugh..." Ais sighed softly, feeling no joy at such a comment.

"Go for it, Miss Ais! You're doing a really cool job!" A boy's voice rang out from the crowd.

"Bell-kun! Why are you cheering for Warren-kun?!" Then another girl's voice rang out.

"My Goddess, please forgive me!" the boy pleaded.

Amidst the noise, the blonde girl heard a boy's voice and a barely perceptible smile appeared on her face.

Ais bent down, placed the greatsword between the two halves of the scabbard, closed it again, and then locked it with a chain. The greatsword returned to its sealed scabbard, where it began to accumulate magic power and cycle through the process of nurturing its sword power.

"All things considered, it's quite convenient."

"Since that's the case, it would be nice for me to order one. If I can kill the beetle monster in one hit, then I can easily wipe out several of the other squishy monsters!"

Several adventurers who wielded greatswords made their plans.

"What do you all plan to do?" they asked, turning to the other types of swordsmen.

"I want to buy one. As long as it can deliver a burst of power when drawn, it'll be a great deal," said the speed-type swordsman.

"Yes, the sooner we end the battle, the less risk we face. After all, potions and recovery potions are quite expensive to use," Shirou said.

"Hmm... I'll wait and see." Even some great swordsmen who weren't lacking in offensive methods hesitated.

Penthesilea, watching the performance from inside the passageway, addressed the true protagonist of the exhibition:

"Shirou, it's up to you now. As we discussed in previous rehearsals, I'll help you out, but you'll still need to handle the technical issues. Whether your plan succeeds or not depends on your performance."

"I understand." Shirou nodded. He had some experience with press conferences and speeches in his later years. The most famous ones were, of course, the legendary Steve Jobs, and the professional monkey trainer, Thunder Monkey King. Of course, there were also those who made boasts and couldn't take them back, ending up as complete fools.

"Alright, you should be paying attention not to the customers who are destined to exchange their weapons sooner or later, but to those guys who run blacksmith shops." After saying this to Shirou, Penthesilea signaled to Ais to come back.

Ais nodded, holding the sheathed greatsword in both hands, and walked back to the entrance.

Then, Amazon CEO Penthesilea, dressed in a suit, and Shirou also came out, and the lights shone on them.

As the host, Penthesilea introduced Shirou to everyone, followed by Shirou, the creator, answering people's questions.

"Besides swords, can you enhance other weapons? Like axes, hammers, and the like?" asked someone who used other weapons.

"It's possible to use a mechanism similar to that of a greatsword, where the weapon is encased in a chain that automatically unlocks, thus nurturing it and unleashing a powerful attack upon release. However, the most effective weapon is undoubtedly a sword," Shirou stated truthfully.

"What exactly is the principle behind gathering magic power?" a dwarf asked, raising his hand.

"This is a trade secret and I cannot disclose it. Interested customers can stay after the demonstration to try out the weapon's effects," Penthesilea said.

"Tsk..." The dwarf clicked his tongue.

"Wait a minute, if you can't explain the principle behind it, how can you prove that wearing your sword sheaths gives you an advantage in combat!"

"It's just a momentary enhancement, but it requires undoing, which will disrupt the rhythm of the battle!"

The people speaking were mostly dwarves and goblins with thick beards and muscular arms. Both races were skilled weapon forgers, and it now seemed that they were just other blacksmiths causing trouble.

Although the largest weapon merchant, the Hephaestus Familia, did not make things difficult for Shirou of their close relationship, it did not mean that other weapon shops would turn a blind eye to a newly emerging competitor.

They would question and harass Shirou's work in all sorts of ways.

In this world, there are many situations that are difficult to explain even when reason is right.

For example, how do you prove that the name on your household registration refers to you? Or how do you prove that you didn't steal something if it was stolen?

Even if the other party can't prove you're not the registered owner, even if something goes missing from the store, you were just passing by.

When someone wants to smear another person, they can easily make it sound convincing by paying online trolls. Rumors and gossip spread so easily, and because they are specifically designed to appeal to certain people's psychology, some people are actually happy to believe them.

For example, Obama was most criticized for not being born in the United States, and Trump was the biggest supporter of this claim.

Although he quickly produced various pieces of evidence, such as the hospital's birth certificate and records from relevant departments, those who don't believe him simply choose not to. It can be described as a cover-up, a distortion of the facts by those in power.

Even though this is his second election since leaving office, some people still believe he is not a legal U. S. citizen.

A sound legal system protects a person's basic rights, such as the right to remain silent when arrested.

However, often the innocent are the ones who are wrongly accused, while the villains who use the law to evade responsibility are the Extreme Evil criminals. Law enforcement agencies must pry the truth out of the suspects and cannot let any criminal go unpunished by exploiting loopholes in the law.

The craftsmen in each blacksmith's shop stared intently at Shirou, a wicked smile playing on their lips.

In any case, if Shirou can't get past them...

Chapter 1019 Shirou's Rivals

Gubinyu also sat in the back seats, but he did not join in the process of making things difficult for Shirou.

"Oh dear, Gubinyu, why don't you sit in the front?" Hephaestus, the Greek Fire God and Crafting God, asked the stern old god with a teasing look.

"Hmph, a goddess of forging, I wouldn't stoop to such petty tricks. But if that Shirou is overthrown, I'll certainly give him a good laugh. As for you, aren't you a little worried at all? I heard that kid didn't become your kin." Gubinyu said awkwardly.