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 at the age of only eleven, he didn't want to attract too much attention. More importantly, he could return to Japan at any time and didn't want to be bound by militarized management.
However, Shinji's displayed strength had completely piqued the interest of Lorelei. She saw him as a boy similar to herself, just a little younger, and she was determined to have him.
After some negotiation, coercion, and enticement, the two reached an agreement. Shinji would join the Brigade as a special member 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 was primarily because Shinji's strength was truly outstanding, 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 number yet. 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 annihilating "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 plan.
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 a complete queen-like aura. If Shinji hadn't been accustomed to various types of kings (Scáthach, Artoria, Gilgamesh, Iskandar), he might have truly fallen 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 enemy blindly wasn't bravery; it was foolishness, and Shinji was not foolish.
So he agreed to Lorelei's condition of single-handedly killing "Child of Einnashe." This would 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 someone stronger, and if you don't submit, you can give it a try.
"What's your plan, Death?" Lorelei maintained a resolute attitude, calmly asking as if she didn't care about the success or failure of this endeavor.
"Are you going to find a place nearby to land?"
"No need, too troublesome," Shinji shook his head. "We go straight to the center of the lava."
"Understood."
Lorelei glanced at Chariot, and he immediately ascended in altitude, adjusted its direction, and arrived at the center of the magma lake.
"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. But compared to Shinji's straightforward and crude approach, this contrast was nothing.
Chariot which gave an impression of seriousness and meticulousness, had its mouth wide open, and Lorelei's face showed obvious astonishment.
Without giving the two of them time to express their opinions, Shinji jumped out of the cabin, leaving behind one sentence.
"Remember to come and pick me up."
By the time the last word reached their ears, Shinji's figure had already turned into a small black 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 was being pulled by 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 its full capacity, sensing the changes around him. His muscles were balanced between tension and relaxation, allowing him to exert force or adjust with ease.
His eyes were fixed on the surface of the lake below, 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 gripped a variety of Noble Phantasms within reach.
After a distinct sense of distortion and displacement, Shinji realized that he had entered the "Otherworld," isolated 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 was currently wearing a fire-resistant suit made of fire lizard skin, capable of withstanding even swimming in lava, 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 molten lava in his line of sight was boiling, and a flowing red flower bloomed on the surface of the lake. The scattered magma acted as petals, the towering columns of fire were the core of the flower, and the bizarre creatures accompanying the columns of fire were the stamens.
Regardless of which part of the flower they represented, their objective was singular—to devour the intruder, or rather, the prey, and turn them into their nourishment.
Shinji activated the switch of his magic circuits. Accompanied by the familiar sensation of nerve stimulation, he transformed his body into components, drawing magical energy from the omnipresent "Great Source" of life. A portion of the magic power that had been assimilated was infused into his feathered shoes. Through the transformation of his wing shoes, he gracefully evaded the direct assault of the lava.
As the lava scattered, schools of alien fish leaped out. It was only at this moment that 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 black 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 plan 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.
Accompanied by a visible electric flash that could be seen even from within the helicopter, the densely packed schools of fish suddenly lost their vitality, convulsing as they fell into the lava lake.
However, these losses were insignificant to the Child of Einnashe. This massive abnormal bloodsucking species did not give Shinji the slightest chance to catch his breath. The second and third eruptions of magma flowers bloomed successively.
With the experience gained from the first eruption, Shinji became increasingly composed in his response, evading or countering with magecraft, maintaining a systematic approach as the distance between him and the lake 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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