"Hey, hey, hey! Rider's fighting, and not only are you not helping, you're standing here eating popcorn!" Lancer grabbed Shirou and hurriedly dodged Berserker's next attack. "You really aren't afraid of dying."
"What's the big deal? Delaying the enemy and buying Sakura time to prepare is all up to you." Shirou gestured with his lips.
Sakura had two Noble Phantasms capable of quickly killing Berserker. One was the Self-Sealing Blood Temple, and the other was the Chivalric Bond of the Rider, which let her charge Berserker while riding the white Pegasus.
But the preparation time was a little long. Aiming and landing a hit took time.
After setting Shirou down somewhere safe, Lancer rushed forward to hold Berserker back.
Lancer no longer had many means of harming Berserker. Those methods were now immune to Berserker's Noble Phantasm—Twelve Labors.
Still, stalling him was not a problem.
"Rune Magic." As Lancer drew several runes on the ground, the characters began to pulse as though alive, enveloping him.
First, he enhanced his speed and strength!
Back, back, further back!
Lancer had no intention of taking Berserker's attacks head-on. Such a foolish move might even damage Gaebolg, but if he could not dodge, then...
"Rune, shield!"
The runes instantly transformed into a shield before Lancer.
The Axe Sword completely ignored Lancer's fragile defense, shattering the shield into fragments in an instant.
It was not that Rune Magic could not withstand Berserker's simple blow, but that the Lancer class prevented him from fully displaying his magical prowess.
Still, it bought him enough time to escape the Axe Sword's range. Otherwise, he would have had to take Berserker's heavy strike head-on.
The Axe Sword smashed into the bridge, blasting a one-meter-radius crater into the marble floor and road beside it. It even gave the impression—perhaps it was no impression at all—that the bridge was shaking!
Lancer swallowed, his heart still racing. If that blow had truly landed, he would probably have had to rely on Battle Continuation just to cling to life.
In that state, he probably would not be able to help anymore, right?
Seeing Lancer dodge his attack in such a sorry state, Berserker sharpened his blade for Lancer.
But the Axe Sword missed again. Lancer's ability to evade had reached its pinnacle, and he used Rune Magic once more.
"Bind."
Lancer activated the runes, and they immediately moved around Berserker, twisting and linking together to form a magic circle that tightly bound him. Whether they could finish him off this time depended on the binding's effectiveness!
Seizing the opportunity, Sakura hurriedly locked onto Berserker.
The Rider card, whose true name was Medusa, had also passed some knowledge to Sakura, making her understand even more clearly that she absolutely could not confront Heracles head-on.
Rapidly killing Heracles with a barrage of Noble Phantasms was the best choice.
Heracles's strength was simply unreasonable. Even with the card weakening the Heroic Spirit's abilities, he was still the same.
Even under Mad Enhancement, he retained terrifying martial skill. Every attribute was exceptionally balanced and powerful, on top of the Noble Phantasm Twelve Labors.
Without Mad Enhancement, he would also possess boundless wisdom. During the Twelve Labors, Heracles had never simply charged in headlong, but had instead won through cunning.
To win through cunning, one had to observe an enemy's weaknesses and capitalize on strengths while avoiding weaknesses.
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