I, Ritsuka, Siscon Grand Hero

Class Cards acquire the power of Servants by connecting to the Throne of Heroes. However, for most, the power of the card is inferior to the Servant themselves due to compatibility issues and various other problems.

But Gilgamesh was an absolute exception. That person, the oldest King of Heroes, relied mostly on his treasure vault for his combat methods.

And Noble Phantasms themselves are not affected by cards, let alone the fact that the one using 'Gilgamesh' was a puppet.

A puppet lacking emotions naturally acquired a personality close to Gilgamesh through the Class Card, with compatibility not much worse than Ritsuka and Emiya Shirou's.

Both Enzō and that woman were formidable individuals.

"Many of the swords here are broken, and I don't have enough magic power to repair them yet."

"You could call it a graveyard of swords, and it wouldn't be wrong."

Each sword was linked to a corresponding legend. The legends had long since passed, so calling the remaining broken swords a graveyard was fitting.

If only she could project that divine sword that displayed hell, she would be unstoppable.

"This is my trump card. I imagine it will be somewhat useful for the expedition, right?"

Ritsuka blinked, showing no unhappiness on their face, which relieved everyone.

They had almost thought that this place, symbolizing inner scars, would cause Ritsuka to get angry if Ais casually mentioned it, as this Imaginary Number Space should be considered their deepest secret.

"Lefiya, don't look so dejected. I've long since let go of what's in the past."

Taking a few steps forward, Ritsuka patted Lefiya's head, snapping the little girl out of her wistful mood. The affectionate gesture caused Lefiya's cheeks to flush.

However, was it really that easy to let go?

Loki sighed.

While she didn't possess Freya's ability to see into others' souls, as a god, she could tell if someone was lying.

The Imaginary Number Space, a world that displayed one's inner landscape. If they had truly let go, why did it still appear so desolate and lifeless?

She saw no sign of any life.

A graveyard of swords, etching the sorrow belonging to only one person...

"By the way, Ritsuka-tan, can the swords here be used in the outside world?"

"Yes, as long as it's through projection. I can bring any armament I possess here to the outside world. In essence, projection is also taking out weapons from within the Inherent Domain."

Ritsuka pulled a still intact longsword from the snow and explained.

"One more thing: actually, these weapons cannot be used 'infinitely' unless they are within this 'Unlimited Blade Works'."

Infinite magic swords were inherently an almost impossible miracle, at least not in Orario.

Unless Ritsuka possessed the true Excalibur, calling it an infinitely usable magic sword wouldn't be an issue, but the problem was that Ritsuka didn't.

Thinking of this, Ritsuka suddenly clenched their right fist and lightly tapped their left palm.

"Oh, right, how could I forget this."

Having been obsessed with close combat for so long, they had forgotten that they were essentially an Archer.

The Inherent Domain dissolved, and the thin cold mist gradually dispersed. Everyone returned to Ritsuka's room, all their discarded coats tossed onto the bed.

Golden light points gathered at Ritsuka's fingertips. With a wave of their hand, a long, slender bow appeared in their grasp.

A holy yet ferocious aura spread from the bow. The concept of mixed divinity and demonic nature made Lefiya, the weakest present, extremely uncomfortable, while Loki immediately leaned in.

"This... this rich divine energy and demonic nature, it also has a sense of Apollo about it."

"A divine bow bestowed by the sun god Apollo to Heracles in mythology, combined with the concept of the Hydra, giving birth to this armament—the Bow of the Hydra!"

She gave Ritsuka a deep look, likely thinking of something, but she didn't say it in front of Ais and Lefiya.

Riveria and Loki exchanged glances.

The silly Lefiya leaned forward and reached out to touch the bow in Ritsuka's hand, "It's so beautiful."

"Right? I think this bow is very good-looking, and its performance is also exaggerated. My maximum effective range with this bow is 20 kilometers."

"..."

The air suddenly fell silent. Loki, Riveria, and Lefiya stared at each other, falling into silence.

After thinking for a moment, Loki, who believed her ears were likely functioning correctly, tentatively asked in a low voice, "How much?"

"20 kilometers."

"Hiss—"

This child is terrifyingly powerful, must be eliminated (not really).

From eight hundred miles away, a sniper shot down the enemy machine gunner (not really).

Loki suddenly felt a bit of a headache. An attack range of 20 kilometers, if she were at her peak and ambushed, she might not even be able to react.

Seriously exceeding the range of perception, who could withstand that!

"Wait, so I could actually arrange for Ritsuka to launch a surprise attack on Freya from a distance and become the sole ruler of Orario."

"After all, if they can't react in time, they won't be able to use Divine Power to protect themselves. Someone with average physical abilities would surely be finished on the spot..."

Loki had gone a little mad.

Loki, who was muttering dangerous things to herself and daydreaming about a bright future, was met with Riveria raising her staff and bringing it down on the back of her head.

With a thud, Loki collapsed, and blessed silence finally descended.

"Emiya Ritsuka."

Suddenly, Ais spoke.

Ais, who had been silent for a long time, drew everyone's attention. Both 'Mom' Riveria and 'fangirl' Lefiya turned to look at the serious Ais.

"Please teach me how to get stronger and archery... Oh dear..."

Ritsuka playfully tapped Ais's forehead, interrupting her.

"Stop, stop, stop. First of all, I have no intention of taking on disciples. Second, aren't you a sword user?"

"I want to learn archery."

"—Don't just get a whim and decide to learn something that doesn't suit your abilities."

Riveria pulled Ais, who had leaned too close to Ritsuka's face, back to the bedside and chided her just as playfully.

Ais's title was 'Sword Princess' precisely because of her outstanding talent in swordsmanship. However, that didn't mean she could easily master other skills; it wasn't just about personal effort.

"Let me ask you, Ais, do you have any skills related to archery?"

Ais looked surprised.

"...No."

"Your abilities are already set. It's not that simple to learn another skill like archery. In the end, you might neglect your swordsmanship training, putting the cart before the horse."

As the only recognized 'Mom' in their Familia, Riveria earnestly tried to persuade Ais.

"But I want to get stronger."

"Ais..."

"Regarding getting stronger, Ais, you could actually explore your swordsmanship further."

Ritsuka spoke up, a pocky stick in her mouth, calmly stating something that made Lefiya incredulous.

"About rapier usage, Ais, you might be using it incorrectly. To be precise, you've been using it wrong since you started training."

Chapter 79: Chapter 72 - Understanding the Sword

Miss Ais's sword technique is wrong?

Lefiya felt struck by lightning. Her idol was being questioned, and as a fangirl, her first instinct was to retort.

But Ais became thoughtful and earnestly asked Ritsuka, "Please, tell me what's wrong."

Lefiya obediently shut her mouth.

"If I recall correctly, Ais's weapon is a very high-quality rapier with the 'Indestructible' property, the 'Despair Sword'?"

"Yes."

The moment Ais responded, a sword materialized in Ritsuka's hand.

It had a slender blade that shimmered with a sharp arc.

The blade had a Chinese longsword feel, with a blue hilt and guard. Ritsuka projected a sharp weapon, identical to Ais's 'Despair Sword'.

"It's very sharp. Unfortunately, I don't understand the principle of 'Indestructible,' so the difference between this and yours is likely just durability."

One was a sword that wouldn't break even if it dulled with use.

The other was a sword that could be infinitely reproduced as long as there was enough magic, but its durability was far inferior and could shatter at any moment during combat.

Indeed, the former felt better.

"Rapier, estoc – they are essentially similar types of armament, with the primary attack method being thrusting."

Bang!

Ritsuka's upper body was straight, and the sword in her hand thrust out instantly. Considerable force was displayed through the sword tip, creating a sonic boom against the air in front of her.

"Perhaps because you've been fighting large monsters for a long time, Ais's attack method isn't thrusting, but rather slashing, chopping, and cutting, right?"

"Yes, because it's difficult to pierce the bodies of some monsters that have specialized defenses."

Ais sat on the bedside, her beautiful eyes shining with excitement as she intently listened to Ritsuka's lesson.

Loki and Riveria exchanged a silent glance, then pulled the hesitant Lefiya with them and left Ritsuka's room, leaving the two ample space for their teaching session.

Watching them leave, Ritsuka's finger slid across the sword's surface.

"Can't I slash?"

"Of course not. Slashing is a permitted combat maneuver for a rapier, but because the blade is thin, using it for slashing and cutting consumes a great deal of the weapon's durability."

"The 'Despair Sword' having the 'Indestructible' property largely avoids this problem, but it will dull much faster."

Wear and tear were unavoidable, and using a rapier for techniques typically reserved for other swords was indeed a strenuous endeavor.

It was completely inefficient.

It would be better to simply switch to a weapon like a katana.

"Let's go outside, we can't really stretch out here."

"...Okay."

In the plaza within Loki Familia, dinner hadn't started yet. Everyone who was idle gathered around the outside, curiously watching what was happening inside.

With Loki's permission, Ritsuka, who had cleared out the plaza, stood facing Ais, who held the 'Despair Sword'.

"Hey, hey, what are Ritsuka and the Sword Princess doing?"

"I heard it's sword training."

The onlookers chattered amongst themselves. Tiona and Tione also joined the crowd, trying to find out what was going on.

About half a minute later, Tiona muttered with a strange expression, "What in the world is this..."

"Ritsuka is teaching Ais swordsmanship? What happened to this world?"

The officially recognized number one female swordsman in Orario was being instructed by a Level 1 adventurer. While she knew Ritsuka's true strength was exaggerated, this situation, which exceeded her previous understanding, stimulated her senses...

In the center of the plaza, Ritsuka spoke eloquently.

"Ais, actually, thrusts aren't incapable of breaking a monster's defense; it's about mastering the method."

"You definitely understand attacking weak points, but what do you do if some monsters don't have obvious weak points?"

Teacher Ritsuka posed a question, and the good student Ais tilted her head, thinking.

Afterward, Ritsuka almost spat blood from frustration.

"Run?"

"..."