Chapter 161: Heracles VS. Heracles, the Final Showdown!!!
[COOL~, a real man fights in melee!!!]
[Can the Archers in Type-Moon live up to their name a little? They're called Archers but all of them are close-combat masters.]
[Probably because drawing a bow requires a lot of strength, so they're all muscle-bound superhumans.]
[I wouldn't be surprised if there's an Archer in Type-Moon who fires dolphins instead of arrows…]
[Heracles really is strong when he's not berserk!]
[Huhuhu, I've lived long enough to witness two Heracles solo kill like this!!! Even if I get isekai'd by truck-kun now, I have no regrets!!]
[Hey, can someone tell me what that cloth in Heracles's hand is? Can even Noble Phantasms be blocked by that? Wiki-san?]
[Hmm, I think that must be the pelt of the invulnerable Nemean lion, one of Heracles's Twelve Labors.]
[An Archer with invulnerable defense? Isn't that basically untouchable from a distance, forcing enemies into close combat? But who in their right mind would want to fight Heracles up close???]
...
[System: 'Illya Lover' has sent 500 Saint Quartz!]
[Message: You two stop fighting already, both of you have twelve lives, how are you supposed to kill each other!!!]
...
"That is the 'Pelt of the Divine Beast'!"
Doctor Romani immediately recognized the true origin of the cloth in Heracles's hand from the transmitted image.
"This armor made from the Nemean lion's pelt can block all weapon damage. It's no surprise it can directly withstand the opponent's Noble Phantasm."
"That Heracles achieved glory through the Twelve Labors, so I doubt this is his only Noble Phantasm."
Da Vinci commented while analyzing the data.
"That makes it difficult to judge which side has the upper hand."
"Ethan, your side doesn't have a Servant from the Caster class, right?"
Da Vinci suddenly asked a seemingly unrelated question.
"Umu, I was only able to summon a single Servant in this era, and that's Heracles. Why?"
"Then that demigod is still using his own mana, right?"
Da Vinci's tone became slightly serious.
"Ah..."
If it weren't for Da Vinci's reminder, Ethan would have almost forgotten about this.
Because there were always supporting Servants, he rarely thought about mana consumption.
Heracles had been fighting ever since he was summoned—first against the Hydra, then against Medea.
Before he could rest, he was now fighting that crazed Berserker.
"A Servant with a partially Divine Saint Graph consumes significantly more mana than a regular one. And right now, Chaldea only has enough power to maintain communications; we can't convert mana for you."
Da Vinci's voice came through, sounding rather worried.
"Don't tell me..."
"That's right. Judging by the mana flow, the Archer-class Heracles is losing mana very quickly. It's unlikely he can sustain the fight against Berserker for long."
"Da Vinci-chan, we just recovered the Holy Grail—can we use it right away?!"
Mash quickly told Da Vinci about the Holy Grail they had just taken from Medea.
"Using the Holy Grail's mana directly—would that even work for sure?"
"They're in the middle of a battle! A perfectly matched fight where even a single mistake could be fatal!"
Da Vinci immediately rejected Mash's suggestion.
"If there's no other choice, the only option would be for the whole team to gang up on Berserker and force him back."
"But in a fight of that scale, anyone who jumps in risks getting hurt too."
Doctor Romani commented while watching the transmitted footage with concern.
"..."
Ethan stared tensely at the screen.
The battle between the two Heracles had now reached its most intense phase. One side was unleashing refined martial prowess, while the other fought with pure, frenzied instinct and overwhelming stats.
Even if someone wanted to step in, it would be incredibly difficult.
Moreover, perhaps due to the contract he had formed with Heracles, Ethan could feel the Servant's thoughts—he didn't want anyone to interfere.
Because this was a battle between Heracles himself and another version of his own self.
...
"PANG——————————!!"
Another devastating blow!
Heracles's longbow actually overpowered Berserker's axe-sword.
"GROOAARR——————————!!"
Berserker, falling into a disadvantage, roared in fury.
At that moment, Heracles's belt began to emit a blinding radiance.
"Do you remember this belt? This is the very belt we took from Hippolyta."
Heracles suddenly stepped forward with force, pushing the axe-sword the opponent was gripping with all his might slightly backward.
"This is an avatar of the War God Ares—it allows me to temporarily attain the strength of the God of War!!!"
Faced with Heracles's question, the Berserker before him only exhaled heavily over and over again, the frenzied red glow in his eyes burning ever more fiercely.
"Looks like you've forgotten everything… Is this pitiful creature really also me..."
Heracles's eyes were filled with frustration and sorrow, but in the next instant, they brimmed with solemn majesty.
"Rest now, self who only knows slaughter through rage!!!"
His entire body drew the bowstring tight, releasing an intense shockwave!
Unable to withstand the force at such close range, Berserker instinctively retreated to dodge.
In that very instant when the opponent exposed an opening, Heracles slammed his longbow hard into his body!!!
"BOOM————————!!"
A thunderous impact rang out as Berserker was sent flying!
The muscles in his left arm were instantly crushed by the blow, and a torrent of fresh blood gushed from the limb, splashing far out into the sea.
The deck was immediately dyed red with blood. Berserker staggered, retreating a step.
"ROAAARR——————————!!"
He showed no sign of retreat, instead charging forward once again!!!
His left arm regenerated at astonishing speed in midair.
As soon as he closed in on Heracles, Berserker used his newly formed arm to hurl a punch directly at his chest!!!
"——————?!"
Heracles dodged to the side, but the shockwave from the lightning-fast punch still struck him, leaving cracks across his chest from the impact, dark red blood spraying out at once!
Giving no time to respond, the axe-sword in Berserker's right hand came crashing down savagely upon him again!!!
"PANG——————————!!"
Heracles did not use the "Pelt of the Divine Beast" to block this attack. Instead, he leveraged the recoil from the previous strike to spring backward, widening the distance!
In the air, he once again drew his bow — three razor-sharp arrows with feathered fletching appeared on the string.
"WHOOSH————————!!"
The three arrows shot forth with a sharp whistle!!!
This time, because of his fury, Berserker's Mind's Eye ability had weakened.
Left shoulder, right arm, calf.
All three areas were pierced by arrows!!!
The force of the attack was so immense that the muscles and bones at those spots were utterly destroyed — part of Berserker's left shoulder was even completely blown apart by the impact of the arrow!
"GRAAAAAHH————————————!!"
The pain only made him more ferocious!!!
Berserker once more raised his axe-sword with one hand, aiming at Heracles.
A massive amount of mana began gathering upon it!!!
Seeing this, Heracles lifted the arm wrapped in the "Pelt of the Divine Beast" to brace for the strike.
"VOOOOM————————!!"
Nine rapid slashes in a row — all completely blocked, but just as Heracles prepared to counterattack, a wave of searing pain surged from his arm!
"————————?!"
Berserker's fist crashed down hard on the "Pelt of the Divine Beast."
"CRACK!!"
The sound of bones breaking rang out immediately.
The "Pelt of the Divine Beast" could block attacks from weapons, but it could not defend against direct physical blows from living bodies.
Though he had fallen into madness from rage and lost his rationality, becoming a crazed Berserker, he had quickly deduced this through just a few exchanges.
Under the effects of Mad Enhancement, he had lost reason — but gained close-combat prowess that surpassed most other Servants.
"RAAAAAHH——————————!!"
Enraged, Berserker raised his axe-sword high with one hand and brought it crashing down toward Heracles!!!
"BOOOOOM————————!!"
Heracles caught the blow with one hand and his longbow, but the deck beneath him, already weakened, could not withstand such forceful impact — it shattered!
Unable to stay upright, Heracles fell violently below.
Seeing this, Berserker immediately leapt down after him, weapon in hand!
Below, the hold of the ship was cluttered with crates — filled with treasures Blackbeard had plundered from nearby seas.
Heracles, using his greatbow to support himself, slowly stood up.
Due to mana deficiency, Heracles's arm was recovering extremely slowly.
At the moment, it was nearly impossible to use the "Pelt of the Divine Beast" for close combat against Berserker. And in the cramped, drifting ship's hold in the middle of the ocean, it was also difficult to create any distance.
The situation instantly took a dire turn.
"Thud, thud, thud!!!"
The heavy footsteps of Berserker drew closer and closer.
Heracles, supporting himself with his greatbow, looked at the approaching figure of Berserker and spoke:
"Do you still remember the sin you once committed?"
"Haa... haa..."
Berserker's footsteps came ever nearer.
"Cursed, driven to madness... and in the end, your hands drenched in blood..."
Facing the enemy who had once overwhelmed him, Berserker once again raised the axe-sword in his hand high!
"That's why I will never allow it to happen again! I, who was once ruled by wrath — take this!!!"
Heracles suddenly raised his greatbow with one hand, then, with the only two fingers still able to move on his other arm, he resolutely tried to draw the bowstring.
Nine arrows with tail feathers of Stymphalian birds violently appeared — unlike before, this time the arrowheads gleamed with a radiant emerald light.
"WHOOSH————————————!!"
The nine arrows shot out like a violent storm!!!
The nine arrows, infused with overwhelming mana, did not transform into birds as before — instead, they turned into nine roaring Hydra heads charging straight ahead!!!
The massive serpents, formed of pure magical energy, bared rows of razor-sharp fangs and hissed venomously as they surged forth to devour all before them.
"RAAAHHHH——————————!!"
Sensing the danger by instinct, Berserker did not choose to dodge. Instead, he roared in rage and once again unleashed Nine Lives!
The axe-sword in his hand swung with supersonic speed, locking onto the nine Hydra heads.
"CRACK CRACK CRACK——————!!"
The nine serpent heads were cleaved apart instantly, and their mana-formed bodies rapidly disintegrated.
"————————?!"
Berserker had intended to continue his assault, but his body suddenly wavered as though on the verge of collapse. He was forced to plant his massive axe-sword into the ship's deck just to stay upright in a kneeling stance.
All across his body, sharp arrowheads were embedded deep into his flesh.
The flesh around those arrows had already turned a dark purplish black.
"Even if you possess God Hand — an immortal Noble Phantasm... this is the venom of the Hydra — the reward of the second trial. Not just a deadly weapon… but a fate we cannot escape."
Heracles, greatbow in hand, stood before the half-kneeling Berserker.
"GRAHH... GRAAAAAAAAAHHH!!"
Berserker roared in madness, but the deadly poison had nearly rendered him unable to stand.
He struggled to take another step forward, wanting to raise the axe-sword once more for a final attack.
But the venom continued corroding his life force — even though his Noble Phantasm let him regenerate endlessly, the toxins were draining his mana at a staggering rate.
At this point, the collapse of his Saint Graph was inevitable.
Perhaps because of the spreading poison, the frenzied red light in Berserker's eyes gradually faded.
"...I can't forgive myself."
He looked at Heracles and spoke:
"Only by drowning in this wrath… could I find even a shred of peace..."
His Saint Graph had shattered, and his body was slowly dissolving.
"From here on… I entrust it to you. The one who has taken up my wrath… liberate this era… from the grasp of the evil foreign enemies...."
As his body completely vanished, the axe-sword remained, still buried deep in the hull of the ship.
Heracles stepped forward, slung his greatbow onto his back, then reached out and wrenched the axe-sword free!
"BOOM————————!!"
A hole burst open in the ship's hull, and seawater rushed in — the already badly damaged pirate ship finally collapsed completely!
Heracles channeled all his strength into his legs, then launched himself upward!!
Carrying both the axe-sword and greatbow on his back, Heracles soared through the broken remains of the ship into the sky, briefly recalling Berserker's final words before fading away:
"...'Evil foreign enemies', huh…"