Ophelia

The patter of footsteps echoed densely through the passageway.

Emiya ran at the very back of the group.

Because the Zhou Family members practiced magecraft, they could consume mana to reinforce their legs, turning themselves into speed demons and running far faster than ordinary mixed-bloods.

But Jiu De Mayi and Zero lacked that ability. The two of them pumped their legs desperately, yet still fell behind, gradually lagging at the rear.

Left with no choice, Emiya grabbed one in each hand and dragged them along as he sprinted with Reinforcement Magic.

"Damn, my arm's about to get pulled off!" As they were about to leave the passageway, Jiu De Mayi finally complained. "Can't you just carry me while you run?"

"I'd have to stop to pick you up, and I'd slow down a lot!" Emiya kept running with his head down. After taking a breath, he added, "It should be fine if it were Zero!"

You're complaining about my weight, aren't you?! Jiu De Mayi grumbled inwardly.

Patter, patter—

"There are hoofbeats behind us! They're catching up!" Zero suddenly warned.

Emiya looked back and saw that the figure suspected to be Odin was driving the Eight-Legged Heavenly Horse forward at a furious gallop. Every time its hard hooves struck the ground, the road shook and sank into pits. All eight legs raced together with the force of wind and thunder...

It had to be said, eight legs really were faster than two.

At that moment, "Odin" raised his spear. A sharp gleam reflected from its tip, swaying through the air as though trying to lock onto an enemy. Emiya could finally see it clearly—the tall, burly figure was charging at them aggressively, shrouded in a stifling pressure...

As though he were hunting down a thief who had stolen something from him.

"?"

Completely unaware of what Norton had done here, Emiya naturally could not guess why Odin was enraged. But at the very least, he understood this—

He could not let Odin throw the legendary Spear of Destiny Gungnir!

It was the same principle as not allowing Gilgamesh the chance to activate the EA Sword. Odin's Noble Phantasm had far too great a reputation for Emiya to give him the opportunity to use it!

"You two get out first!"

Magic Circuits like glowing circuit-board patterns lit up across Emiya's legs and arms, showing that he had nearly pushed Reinforcement Magic to its limit. He kicked off and swung his arms, hurling Jiu De Mayi and Zero away with all his strength.

Then, gripping Seven Star Longyuan and Tai'a Sword in both hands, he turned to strike back. Odin's mount was so fast that the blades of the two famous swords nearly reached his chest, throat, and other vital points in an instant.

Odin immediately shifted his spear to block, knocking aside the incoming blades with two crisp clangs. At a glance, the shaft looked like it was made from bent Tree Branches, yet when it collided with Emiya's twin swords, it rang like metal striking metal.

Moreover, Odin displayed exceptional skill and strength. The instant after blocking, he immediately twisted the spear shaft, spinning its tip at an unbelievably fast angle and thrusting straight for Emiya's face!

Whoosh! The swirling air was sliced apart with a sharp explosive crack that made his eardrums tremble.

Emiya barely evaded Odin's lightning-fast follow-up with Mind's Eye. At the same time, he poured every last bit of mana meant for Reinforcement Magic into his twin swords.

Buzzz—!

Seven Star Longyuan and Tai'a Sword let out delighted, excited hums. Their blades instantly brightened, then rapidly transformed and revealed their true forms. Countless barbed structures like claws, fangs, and flying feathers sprouted from their sides, while the blades expanded to two meters, three meters... four meters long!

Under reinforcement, the legendary swords revealed entirely different, terrifyingly savage forms. Their four-meter blades nearly pierced the ceiling, while the surging elemental power filling them gave off the faint sound of wind and thunder.

Odin also raised his divine spear high. Violent winds howled as they gathered around him from the entire long passageway.

The next second, he thrust forward. Wind pressure spiraled around the spear shaft, shrieking madly, while Emiya swung his sword down in return. The enormous blade dragged the atmosphere with it, unleashing a thunderous roar!

Boom—!

The light within the space dimmed in an instant. Their overwhelmingly powerful collision triggered a chaotic elemental explosion, erupting at the instant spear and sword met into a surging shockwave and a shrieking storm like the wails of countless ghosts.

The aftershock shook the passageway's metal walls. Rampaging wind elements carved smooth scars across them, while the flat road split into enormous web-like cracks that sprawled in every direction.

After that blow, Emiya gripped the swords, which had reverted to their original forms, and was nearly sent flying backward by the recoil. However, he was lighter than Odin. After slightly adjusting his posture, he quickly reinforced his legs and regained his footing.

Odin, on the other hand, along with the Eight-Legged Heavenly Horse beneath him, had merely taken several steps back from the impact.

But that only filled Emiya with doubts...

Odin, was that it?

A god on the level of a chief deity had actually been forced back by him?

After several exchanges, this "Odin" had displayed close-combat ability inferior even to that of a first-rate Servant.

Because Emiya knew that even with full-body reinforcement, his martial skill still fell considerably short of the first-rate level.

Looking more closely, Odin had not spoken once. He was like a rigid corpse that only knew how to attack, and he wore a suspicious mask that covered his face... Was this a fake Odin?

Emiya frowned at the spear in Odin's hand. Fake or not, with his keen perception of weapons, he could tell that the Spear of Destiny in Odin's hand truly housed a terrifying concept of guaranteed accuracy.

At least that portion of Odin's power was undeniably real.

In other words, this was merely an empty shell that had borrowed an extremely small fraction of Odin's power, without Odin's true consciousness?

So that was it? Emiya realized his initial assumption had been off. This was not a complete manifestation summoned into the world like a Heroic Spirit.

Rather, it resembled the techniques taught by the Clock Tower's Spiritual Evocation Department—rituals that borrowed a tiny fraction of a god's or Heroic Spirit's power through spiritual evocation.

Though the Clock Tower was often criticized for being exceptionally useless, its teaching standards were still solid. If someone came from a Nordic magecraft family, then with their family foundation, borrowing a small portion of Odin's power through Spiritual Evocation was not impossible.

Emiya happened to know of someone from a Nordic Noble Family who was also a genius of the Spiritual Evocation Department...

Ophelia Phamrsolone!

Ophelia was known as the "Modern Valkyrie." Like Odin, she covered one eye, and in the FGO storyline, she had become the Crypter responsible for the Nordic Lostbelt.

The other details basically matched, but only the other party's personality did not fit. Although Ophelia came from a traditional magecraft family, she was fundamentally a kind person. She should not have been willing to meddle in such dark affairs...

Perhaps he should broaden the scope a little. Once they got back, he could have Wa Lord use this lead to investigate all the Nordic Noble Families affiliated with the Clock Tower...

Thanks to @WanderingHeartReturns, @BookFriend20200729081339537, and @BookFriend20230317161008130 for the monthly tickets!