Chapter 15

"But to truly awaken Nen, one must possess the will to withstand this pressure. Otherwise... even if you obtain Nen abilities, they will merely be fakes."

Shirou Emiya's voice echoed in her ears. At this moment, she couldn't even discern the source of the sound. Everything she could perceive before her eyes was blurring. The intense mental pressure caused her nerves to send out distorted signals, and an unusual dull ache spread throughout her body, accompanied by a suffocating sensation.

Her body instinctively began to gasp for air, her chest heaving, drawing in air like a bellows. It was at this moment that Shirou Emiya, without hesitation, pointed at her forehead. A wisp of Nen energy, like a flame igniting a pile of fuel, instantly ignited all her bodily functions.

Her body operated like a high-speed motor, working frantically beyond her control, digging into her potential and activating enhancements for various bodily systems. The presence of that wisp of Nen energy was akin to an invading pathogen to her body, and in order to resist this 'pathogen,' her bodily functions at this moment unanimously deployed the maximum number of troops to surround and annihilate the Nen energy.

"Expel my Nen, fully control your own Qi, and with your will, completely restrain your body's Qi!"

Digging within oneself, confronting the external. The pursuit of Nen abilities has a completely different direction from energy systems that draw external energy sources. It seeks only within oneself, and the process of controlling everything in the body with one's will is like subduing the restless mind in some religious cultivation philosophies.

The awakening of Nen abilities is actually very simple and brutal, much like the Ripple breathing technique directly poking your lungs. Those who can awaken will awaken, and no matter how many times you try if you can't awaken, it only means your aptitude is poor and you're not suited for this path.

Standing before Shirou Emiya, Natasha's clothes were soaked with sweat within just a few breaths. Large beads of sweat continuously trickled down her forehead. Her entire body trembled uncontrollably. The full operation of her body made her feel intense pain in every inch of her muscles, skin, and bones.

"Restrain..."

Her mind caught this crucial word, and Natasha's consciousness finally began to radiate from within her skull, no longer limited to transmitting commands to her entire body through her brain. Instead, her mind was transforming into an army, suppressing the rogue local forces within her body that were influenced by the 'battle fatigue.'

To restrain one's own vital energy means to completely reclaim 'all military power' within the body, which is... complete control over the body!

If the restraint is not thorough enough, while Qi can still be barely gathered within the body to become controllable Nen energy, if it can be completely recovered, it will not only benefit the control of Nen energy and the upper limit of Qi quantity itself, but any future skills related to the body can be learned directly without any suspense under the command of the mind.

Once Nen is developed, a person completes a life leap. It is not just physical enhancement, but a comprehensive evolution in learning ability, thinking ability, calculation ability, and so on.

"...Restrain!"

Trembling syllables escaped through her gritted teeth. Natasha's mind began to reclaim ownership of the organs in her head and face. It was as if she were chanting some spell. Every time she uttered the word "restrain," a part of her body would stop trembling, until finally...

When she finally stabilized and stood still, the aura emanating from her body suddenly retracted. If her previous state of full bodily operation was comparable to a burning flame, then... at this moment, she was like a cooled boulder.

"Not bad."

Shirou Emiya nodded with satisfaction. He could observe that there was no longer any leaked vital energy from her body's surface. This state was even close to hibernation, and her body's consumption would decrease significantly, making it easier to store nutrients and heat. While an ordinary person would be on the verge of death after three to five days without water or food, Natasha at this moment could maintain it for at least twenty days, or even a month.

"How do you feel?"

After Natasha's aura completely settled, Shirou Emiya asked. She slowly opened her eyes, her gaze appearing deep and restrained, peaceful and indifferent like an enlightened being who has achieved great understanding.

"Very good."

Her voice was as cold as if devoid of temperature, but after a moment, this cold tone suddenly subsided, transforming into her usual calm and gentle voice.

"In that state just now, my thinking ability was enhanced to a certain extent, and I no longer felt the slightest bit of anxiety."

"Nen amplifies certain aspects of a person's personality, and the direction of Nen ability operation also overlaps with this aspect."

After explaining the characteristics of the six types of Nen abilities to Natasha and then testing her using the Water Divination method, upon seeing the moving leaf, Shirou Emiya directly stated, "You lean towards the Manipulation type, with greater adaptability in Manipulation and Emission. Enhancement and Transmutation will be slightly secondary, and using Transmutation will yield twice the effort for half the results. Therefore... when developing Nen abilities, focus more on the former two."

"The development of Nen abilities depends solely on your imagination and Qi quantity. If your Qi quantity is sufficient, this is a path no less viable than the Paths. However, it is a pity that even a genius like Herta has concluded that Nen abilities can almost never reach the domain of Emissaries, unless it is a Star God with abnormal life activity characteristics who personally cultivates it."

"Both Emissaries and Star Gods are too far away for us."

Natasha felt the power flowing within her body, and a relieved smile, as if shedding a heavy burden, appeared on her face.

"For this lower city, for Belobog, for Jarilo-VI, this power has given us possibilities. It no longer allows us to only hope for the Amber King's gaze to fall upon us, nor to merely pray for support from outsiders. Instead, it has given us the qualification to seek within ourselves and carve out future possibilities with our own strength."

"As you said, devoutly worshipping others and begging them to bestow mercy and save this planet, we who are eventually saved are still as fragile as a candle in the wind in this universe. Once the savior's gaze shifts, and we face disaster again, we will only repeat past patterns and beg others again. But... people must ultimately walk on their own."

"Shirou, I cannot promise you any repayment at this moment, but I swear to you, the edge of 'Fire' will always point towards your enemies. Even if our strength remains weak in the future, if anyone becomes your enemy, we will not ask for reasons, nor count the cost. Even if we can only cut off a single strand of their hair, we will... give our all for you!"

Chapter 032: Old Mi, you are a sinner! (4/4)

"Give our all... Hmm, would it make Bronya's core overheat if Seele wore cat ears, danced a few idol dances, and shouted 'Brother Shirou' a few times?"

After Natasha left, Mr. Emiya was idle again. She went to select the next members for training, and he naturally wouldn't follow. As for her promise to draw her sword against his enemies with all her might...

His greatest enemy right now is poverty. Making others break down emotionally would earn him emotional points for the gacha, and it wouldn't require the members of 'Fire' to fight real battles. It would only require a small sacrifice from Seele, which is a win-win!

"It's a shame that Black Seele is too mature at the moment... Ugh, if it were still in the timeline before reuniting with the Azure Sea Group, this would surely make that Bronya so happy she'd get an erection!"

"But it's a pity that now only the previous civilization is locked, so it's still quite difficult to fleece that Bronya."

The local Triple Turbine Bronya isn't familiar with Seele right now. It's easier to get 'breakdown' points from Cocolia. Speaking of which... Belobog's specialties seem unavoidable.

"Lynx and Pela."

"Serval and Cocolia."

"Seele and Bronya."

As everyone knows, frozen lands are rich in stockings and yuri couples. On this small patch of Belobog, from the Supreme Guardian to the little widows in the orphanage, they all have quite 'excellent' taste in partners. Of course... these three pairs, except for the first one being a bit abnormal, are considered 'normal friendships.'

"Think of a way to abduct Lynx, then change her clothes, take photos, and mail them to Pela every day..."

Mr. Emiya really wanted to test how jealous the yuri queen of Belobog was.

"Come to think of it, even the young girl Hook wants to get close to Clara. It seems that in the entire Belobog, only Natasha doesn't have a CP... Why is she so lonely, just like Jing Ke?"

There are nine people, and four pairs. Natasha... you are not one of them!

Thinking about it, Raven in the Honkai Impact 3rd setting also seemed to be a staunch single person...

The yuri candy that Old Mi loves so much seems to have overlooked her in both settings!

Even by the time of the happy ending, when everyone makes dumplings together and their CPs are locked, this mercenary beauty is still single.

"Hmph! Old Mil, you are a great sinner!"

"Pour everything out."

After leaving the inn where Shirou Emiya resided, Natasha walked through the bustling streets, her expression a little dazed.

To be honest, she felt that everything she had just sworn to Shirou Emiya was not very meaningful. With his abilities, let alone the small Fire, even if she really managed to overthrow the upper city and the Fire organization replaced the Supreme Guardian's regime, becoming the ruling body of Jarilo-VI, it would likely hold little value for him.

"There's almost nothing that I... that we can truly repay him with."

Although she couldn't understand Shirou Emiya's reasons for helping them so enthusiastically, the Stellaron could be one reason, but it wasn't a reason to support them so unconditionally. It seemed that person could gain some benefit from their requests, but... that had nothing to do with Fire, or with her, Natasha.

She hadn't given Shirou Emiya any substantial repayment; he hadn't asked for Credits or even the Everwinter Shard.

"Things that are free are often the most expensive."

It was kindness, a favor.

She looked at the weary faces of the people coming and going in the lower city, and slowly closed her eyes. She actually didn't have the right to promise a future where she would become that person's sharp blade on behalf of these people. In fact, ultimately, only a handful of people would take action to repay that person.

"The future I promised that person must be carried out by me personally, so... I must step out from behind the scenes and truly become the leader of 'Fire,' the leader of this Jarilo."

"There is no turning back. Existing within this cosmic starry sky, born from a weak race, we have no retreat."

Natasha had already determined what she needed to do next, and there was no more hesitation. She walked towards her clinic, where she would have to close the "Haven" that had accompanied her for ten years. From now on, the doctor Natasha, who only wanted to save patients on the operating table, would retreat behind the scenes, and in her place would be...

The Commander of "Fire," Natasha!

Belobog, Upper City.

The fortress city, clad in silver, welcomed three unfamiliar guests.

The Silvermane Guards stopped them outside the fortress's pass. The Captain on duty asked the three of them, "Who are you?"

The Upper City of Belobog did not have many inhabitants, and very few were qualified to enter and exit the city. There were almost no unfamiliar faces, yet three people suddenly appeared, and their clothing and appearance were completely out of sync with the usual attire of Belobog.

"City Builder, Dan Heng."

The man among the three introduced himself in a calm tone, "I wish to see the Supreme Guardian of your generation."

City Builder?

Upon hearing this term, the leading Captain was momentarily bewildered, but after thinking for a moment, the meaning corresponding to this term suddenly surfaced in his mind.

"You are a City Builder?"

He remembered the oath he made to Belobog on the day he swore to join the Silvermane Guards: to uphold the will of Preservation, never to tarnish the glory of the City Builders, and to dedicate everything to the great Amber King.

Although he had asked his instructor about these terms when he joined the army, his instructor had only said it was a tradition of the Silvermane Guards, and he didn't know much. The so-called Amber King seemed to be a very majestic and ancient deity, and the organization of City Builders seemed to be the predecessor of the Silvermane Guards.

However, in this era, the title of City Builder had long since been replaced by Silvermane Guards. Wasn't it pure deception for someone to suddenly appear claiming to be a City Builder?

Just as the Captain was about to drive the three away, the man spoke again, "I am here for the Creation Engine. Please inform the Supreme Guardian that I will wait for her here."

After speaking, he didn't wait for the Captain to respond. He walked to a tree stump not far from the gate and sat down, as if truly waiting for them to invite the Supreme Guardian.

Seeing the stranger's attitude, the Captain couldn't help but mutter to himself, could the organization of City Builders still exist? But the outside world had already been completely destroyed by the cold tide. For him, who had lived in this fortress since birth, Belobog was equivalent to the "world." Everything outside... not to mention the concepts of planets, universes, and Paths, he couldn't even understand the meaning of simple countries, civilizations, and races.

Within the frozen snowfields, knowledge was still monopolized by a few scholars and noble families. These nobles even dared to make the Supreme Guardian a puppet, block knowledge, and monopolize education; these were common practices.

The Captain silently watched the man sitting on the ground, seemingly unaffected by the extreme cold. After a while, he spoke to a Silvermane Guard beside him, "Go and inform the intelligence officer and the Warden about this. I'll keep an eye on things here for now."

After speaking, his gaze fell on the other two strange women again, and he asked, "Are you also City Builders?"

"No."

The gray-haired woman among the two shook her head, then spoke with a look as resolute as a veteran soldier on the battlefield, "I am the Galaxy Bat Hero! If you don't like that name, you can call me the Trash Can War God. I can take it."

"So she's crazy... Guards, get her and her out of here!"

"Wait, I'm not some Galaxy Bat Hero, why are you touching me?!"

The remaining Little Pink Hair glared with wide eyes, then shouted at everyone, "This young lady is a Sea Ranger who upholds justice in the galaxy! Dare you try to touch me?!"

The Captain was silent for a moment, then softly said, "Grant her wish."

"Throw them all out!"

[ps: Please vote for recommendations. Someone maliciously lowered my rating to 9.6. There weren't many voters to begin with, and with this, the low rating looks really bad.]

Chapter 033: The Maiden's Hope, The Possibility of Repairing the Creation Engine. (1/4)

"City Builder?"

In the office of the Silvermane Guards, Intelligence Officer Pela and Warden Gepard exchanged glances upon hearing the name.

They understood this term better than the average Silvermane Guard, especially Gepard. As a veteran of the aristocratic faction, his family preserved many records from past eras.

City Builder.

He was naturally familiar with this group, which had left a significant mark in Belobog's records. He knew quite a bit, especially since it was while reviewing records related to City Builders that he obtained that "power" from the unseen. This further piqued his interest in understanding more about the City Builders and events like the Amber King.

According to records, the City Builders were initially visitors from beyond the stars. They seemed to have become volunteers out of reverence for the deeds of the Amber King. They constantly traveled between planets, helping people build "walls" and "fortresses." It was said that Belobog's construction was due to the help of the City Builders, and even Belobog's ability to withstand the effects of the cold wave was due to the residual power of the "City Builders."

Later, inspired by the greatness of the Amber King, natives also emerged to join the "City Builder" group. Among these native City Builders, the most renowned was the first Supreme Guardian, Lady Alisa Rand, who personally oversaw the construction of Belobog and established its stable situation for seven to eight hundred years.

"Where is that City Builder now?"

Gepard stood up. The significance of visitors from beyond the stars was no small matter for Belobog today. The frequency of Abyss monsters invading Belobog was still increasing, and during the cold wave, some Antimatter Legion units had even thawed out and begun attacking exploration and archaeology teams.

Belobog itself had no solutions for such matters. As the eldest son of the Landau family, very little information and inside stories were hidden from him in Belobog. He knew the current state of Belobog all too well. Even the intelligence officer Pela only had a partial understanding of many things.

Belobog continued to slide downhill. Due to the Supreme Guardian's blockade of the lower city, the lower and middle classes, excluding the aristocratic faction, had suffered considerable blows. Setting aside the reduction in Geodetic Marrow resources, just considering the loss of the "farms" and "pastures" within the mines, ordinary citizens in the upper city of Belobog had rarely been able to put decent food on their tables in recent years.

Insufficient food rationing, lagging troop logistics, low training levels for new recruits, and extreme scarcity of medical resources for veterans injured on the Abyss battlefield – all these signs indicated that Belobog's situation was continuously worsening.

The Supreme Guardian was appearing less and less frequently, and the aristocratic factions remained silent. If this continued, the blades of the Abyss monsters would inevitably reach the citizens within this fortress sooner or later.