Chapter 226: The Trial of ‘Death’


    Shinji''s unique nature predetermined that he couldn''t join the Brigade under his true identity. Shinji had never even considered joining the Brigade.


    He was the ace of the El-Melloi faction, and atthe age ofonly eleven, he didn''t want to attract too much attention. More importantly, he could return to Japanat any timeand didn''t want to be bound by militarized management.


    However, Shinji''s disyed strength hapletely piquedthe interest of Lorelei. She saw him as a boy simr to herself, just a little younger, and she was determined to have him.


    After some negotiation, coercion, and enticement, the tworeached an agreement. Shinji would join the Brigade as aspecialmember under a disguised identity, directly under Lorelei. He would receive benefits and privileges equivalent to a high-ranking officer, including the ability to choose missions and exemption from militarized management outside of missions.


    The reason for making such a concession wasprimarilybecause Shinji''s strength wastrulyoutstanding, and he had great potential. Additionally, it served as a benchmark to attract more talented individuals to join the Brigade—Shinji was that benchmark.


    Lorelei estimated that the Brigade should have at least 50 members, but they hadn''t recruited half of that numberyet.She didn''t want to lower the standards, so she had to change her strategy. By showcasing the achievement of a single member of the Brigade, such as annihting "Child of Einnashe," they might be able to attract more talented individuals to join and also present a satisfactory answer to the entire Barthomeloi family—this was Lorelei''s n.


    Therefore, Shinji had to demonstrate his strength and worth.If he couldn''t do that, well, he would bear the consequences!


    When Lorelei said this, she exuded aplete queen-like aura. If Shinji hadn''tbeen ustomedto various types of kings (Scáthach, Artoria, Gilgamesh, Iskandar), he might havetrulyfallen under Lorelei''s charm, even though he hadn''t seen her wear a skirt.


    Although Shinji was somewhat curious about the "consequences," considering Barthomeloi''s family standing behind the young girl, he dismissed the idea for now.Provoking a formidable enemyblindlywasn''t bravery; it wasfoolishness, and Shinji was not foolish.


    So he agreed to Lorelei''s condition of single-handedly killing "Child of Einnashe."Thiswould not only showcase the Brigade''s strength to the outside world but also demonstrate the formidable power of the "Death" within the Brigade, making other equally talented members submit—there''s always someonestronger, and ifyou don''t submit, you can give it a try.


    "What''s your n, Death?" Lorelei maintained aresoluteattitude, calmly asking as if she didn''t care about the sess or failure of this endeavor.


    "Are you going to find a ce nearby tond?"


    "No need, too troublesome," Shinji shook his head. "We go straight to the center of theva."


    "Understood."


    Lorelei nced at Chariot, and he immediately ascended in altitude, adjusted its direction, and arrived at the center of the magmake.


    "And then?"


    "I''ll jump down and destroy the core—" Shinji said, leaving his seat and reaching out to open the hatch.


    The cold air from the high altitude and the scorching heatwave from below rushed into the cabin simultaneously, creating an indescribable contrast. Butpared to Shinji''s straightforward and crude approach, this contrast was nothing.


    Chariotwhichgave an impression of seriousness and meticulousness, had its mouth wide open, and Lorelei''s face showedobviousastonishment.


    Without giving the two of them time to express their opinions, Shinji jumped out of the cabin, leaving behind one sentence.


    "Remember toe and pick me up."


    By the timethest word reached their ears, Shinji''s figure had already turned into a small ck dot.


    "...Miss, is he going to be okay?" Chariot expressed some concern.


    "He should be fine. He''s the only person in the Brigade who can hold his own against me—"


    —But why am I still a little worried?


    Lorelei exerted force with both hands, causing the whip that never left her side to bend.


    ...


    Activating the "Leap of Faith," Shinji, whose body wasbeingpulledby gravity, didn''t hear Lorelei''s inner thoughts. The moment he leaped out of the helicopter, he entered a state of battle readiness.


    Every nerve in his body expanded to itsfullcapacity, sensing the changes around him. His muscles were bnced between tension and rxation, allowing him to exert force or adjustwith ease.


    His eyes were fixed on thesurface of thekebelow, cautiously anticipating any potential attacks. His left hand held onto the rune pouch, ready to unleash the prepared ice-sealing runes, while his right hand loosely grippeda variety ofNoble Phantasms within reach.


    After a distinct sense of distortion and discement, Shinji realizedthat hehad entered the "Otherworld," isted from the present reality.It seemed that the ability to create a separate realm had been inherited by Child of Einnashe from his mother.


    The temperature leaped dramatically, surpassing the limits of what humans could endure in an instant. Fortunately, Shinji was unaffected by the high temperature. He wascurrentlywearing a fire-resistant suit made of fire lizard skin, capable of withstanding even swimming inva, let alone mere high temperatures.


    However, the intense heat was merely a prelude, not even qualifying as the prologue of the attack.


    The sea of moltenva in his line of sight was boiling, and a flowing red flower bloomed on thesurface of theke. The scattered magma acted as petals, the towering columns of fire were thecore of the flower, and the bizarre creatures apanying the columns of fire were the stamens.


    Regardless of which part of the flower they represented, their objective wassingr—to devour the intruder, or rather, the prey, and turn them into their nourishment.


    Shinji activated the switch of his magic circuits. Apanied by the familiar sensation of nerve stimtion, he transformed his body intoponents, drawing magical energy from the omnipresent "Great Source" of life. A portion of the magic power thathad been assimted was infusedinto his feathered shoes. Throughthe transformation ofhis wing shoes, he gracefully evaded the direct assault of theva.


    As theva scattered, schools of alien fish leaped out. It was onlyat this momentthat Shinji could see the details of these exotic creatures. The menacing and terrifying bone spurs densely covered their wing membranes and dorsal ridges. Their mouths gleamed with sharp ck and gold teeth, emanating a chilling light. The smooth and hard scales evoked the image of freshly polished rubies.


    It seemed that these creatures possessed high defense against ordinary physical attacks.


    With this assessment, Shinji abandoned his n to materialize the Harpe. Instead, he threw out two Thurisaz (Hammer of Thor) runes to impede the advance of the alien flying fish with lightning.


    Upon discovering the conductivity of the flying fish, Shinji pushed even harder. Utilizing the little time gained from Thurisaz, he unleashed lightning-based rune magic—a lightning shock.


    Apanied by a visible electric sh that could be seen even from within the helicopter, the densely packed schools of fish suddenly lost their vitality, convulsing as they fell into thevake.


    However, these losses were insignificant to the Child of Einnashe.This massiveabnormal bloodsuckingspecies did notgive Shinji the slightest chanceto catch his breath.The second and third eruptions of magma flowers bloomed sessively.


    With the experience gained from the first eruption, Shinji became increasinglyposed in his response, evading or countering with magecraft, maintaininga systematic approach as the distance between him and theke surface grew shorter.


    Just as the distance narrowed to twenty meters, Shinji suddenly felt a weight pressing down on his body.


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