Mortal and Demigod / Landing (Part 2)

Archer's reflexes honed on the brink of death saved his life. The arrow, intended to pierce his head, ultimately grazed his cheek.

At the same time--

"Haha, I didn't expect you to be here!"

A voice filled with battle intent, accompanied by the sound of wheels turning, reached Archer's ears. There, the Achilles rode in his chariot—[Troias Tragoidia], the Troias Tragoidia —and came before him.

Archer was standing on top of an airplane, which was in the exact opposite position to the white mist that Semiramis had just bombarded.

"Rider, are you trying to steal my prey?"

The voice of Atalanta, drifted on the evening breeze to the battlefield between Archer and Rider. Although it sounded somewhat indistinct, the underlying dissatisfaction in his tone was crystal clear.

"No, no, don't worry, big sister, I'm just asking one question, and I'll leave as soon as I'm done!"

Rider quickly shook his head to show his innocence, and then received a concise answer --

"ASAP."

"Archer, I'd love to fight you too, but you've already been marked as prey by Big Sister, so..."

Rider, standing atop the chariot, radiated an undisguised fighting spirit, raising his spear and pointing it at Archer before him.

"Quickly, bring out that guy 'Hector'!"

"Although it deviated somewhat from the plan, it has at least lured Rider out. Now, let's begin the second phase of the plan..."

Looking at the "hot-blooded idiot" on the Projection, Wang Xiaoming sighed with some distress:

"I'll hold off Achilles for now, the rest is up to you, Rider."

"Understood~"

Chapter 279. Mortals and Demigods

"Quickly, bring out that guy 'Hector'!"

Looking at this guy with such high fighting spirit, Archer sighed helplessly.

Previous encounters have already proven that the Rider before us is a hot-blooded idiot who is utterly useless except in battle...

Indeed, it's best to leave such a guy to someone with experience.

"Hmm? Aren't you going to say anything?"

Seeing Archer's silence, Rider seemed somewhat dissatisfied and was about to step forward to press him for answers again...

"?!"

The sudden appearance of another powerful aura from the other end caused the three people present to instinctively shift their attention to that direction.

"They've finally arrived..."

Unlike Archer's relieved expression, Rider's astonishment instantly turned into ecstatic joy after identifying the owner of that aura in a split second:

"Haha, I didn't expect you to actually accept the challenge!"

With a whistle, Rider left behind the words, "Big sister, I'm going over there!" and then drove his chariot toward the source of the aura.

As Rider's departing figure faded into the distance, an eerie silence fell over the battlefield. For some unknown reason, neither of the Archers made the first move.

Archer suddenly spoke, addressing the Atalanta was still hidden in the shadows, and asked:

"Hey, Archer!"

"..."

Archer's cries went unanswered, but he knew his opponent was lurking in the shadows, looking for an opportunity to strike him deadly. Even so, Archer continued to voice his questions.

"Who do you think will win between the two of them?"

"Rider."

After a brief silence, Atalanta's answer was carried to his ears by the refreshing night breeze.

Although it was the first time he had truly sensed that aura, upon seeing Rider's excited expression, Atalanta immediately recognized the identity of the unfamiliar presence.

It was Hector, Rider's nemesis.

"Hector" was an exceptionally resounding name for Atalanta, both in life and after death.

The glorious Hector, the glorious Son of Man, in a battlefield filled with demigods and heroes, drove the fragile body of mortals. At that time and place, it was the brilliant radiance born from the Son of Man amidst the clash of swords and the thunder of horses.

Standing atop the mortal realm, on the magnificent stage constructed by the gods, this man, with only his human body, heart, and soul, has etched a heroic chapter of blood and fire!

Faced with a great hero possessing such charisma, anyone would instinctively submit. But his opponent at this moment was his nemesis from the past, the demigod Achilles, who had personally sent him to the underworld.

The outcome of this battle will then be a reenactment of a myth, with the indomitable son of man once again being sent to the underworld by the proud demigod.

"Really? That's quite unfortunate, our views are exactly opposite."

Archer, having gripped the longbow again, wore a relaxed expression.

Demigod?

Achilles?

So what? In my memory, that man has never lost!

Achilles, whose body was scorched by his mother with sacred fire at birth, became invincible from that moment on. Then, through his father's introduction, he became an apprentice of Chiron, the most famous mentor in Greece mythology.

Under the tutelage of the sage Chiron, Achilles grew rapidly and soon became an outstanding hero. Afterwards, yearning for battle, he accepted Odysseus's invitation to participate in the Trojan War, ostensibly to "rescue Helen."

But as he fought on the battlefield, he quickly discovered that no matter who his opponent was or how sharp their weapons were, they couldn't harm him in the slightest. The initial excitement of battle was quickly worn down by boredom and the infighting within the allied forces, to the point that he was unwilling to fight for them anymore, until—

After his close friend Patroclus was killed by the Troy leader, Achilles donned his armor and took up arms again in order to avenge Patroclus.

The object of his revenge was Hector, a man Achilles had heard of before—the one who, while he was away, had routed the Greece coalition.

So what?

Achilles scoffed at this.

Regardless, that fellow was merely a mortal, incapable of harming him in the slightest. All he needed to do was sever that man's head to appease the spirit of his dearest friend. 1. O" 2. O "O" 3. 7. 9. 9. 2.

But sometimes the gap between reality and imagination is just that big...

"You bastard, stop right there!"

After a roar, Achilles watched the man who had disappeared into the distance, leaving only his back view, and felt both furious and helpless.

How many times has this happened? Every time I'm about to catch him, that bastard manages to evade me with his clever tricks.

"I must capture him," Achilles swore in secret.

One chased, the other fled; one in front, the other behind.

A mortal versus a demigod, Achilles relentlessly pursues the mortal hero with the aid of divine gifts. No matter how swift his chariot is, shattering lightning and cutting through the wind, this chase, always separated by a mere step, is like an invisible bond that binds them tightly together.

Perhaps because the gods in the heavens had grown tired of this chase, Achilles, with the "help" of a certain deity, finally managed to take Hector's head.

However, the victory in this "protracted war" left Achilles with an emptiness that he could never shake off, and this emptiness accompanied him until his death in battle.

On his deathbed, Achilles suddenly recalled one of the few conversations he had with that man—

"Why won't you fight me for real, swords and spears?"

"Because I, this old man, am carrying a lot on my shoulders, so I haven't reached the point where I can face death with equanimity yet."

Hector's playful expression remained etched deep in his memory.

Subjects? Subordinates? State?

Using something like this as an excuse? You're really cunning.

I really want to have a good fight with you...

This was the only and smallest wish that Achilles harbored in his heart before his death.

And now--

Rider, piloting his chariot, gazed at the aircraft at the edge of his vision, sensing the familiar aura emanating from it... Overwhelmed with excitement, Rider almost roared out loud:

"You're right there!"

Rider possesses two immortal divine horses, Xanthus and Balios, which he received from Poseidon, as well as Pedasus, which he seized during the conquest of Eetion, and a chariot drawn by these three horses. His super-speed Noble Phantasm, [Troias Tragoidia], allows him to move freely throughout the world.

Even so, he still felt the speed was far too slow!

The spirit horse, sensing its master's mood, quickened its pace once more.

Closer! Closer!

That's all!

In just a few breaths, Rider saw the flying plane and the "familiar" figure on its top.

"Hector --!!!"

Chapter 280. Login (Part 2)

"That idiot..."

Watching the back of Achilles excitedly driving his chariot to another battlefield, Semiramis, who had witnessed the entire process using Projection Magecraft, couldn't help but feel a little bitter.

He foolishly followed such an obvious diversionary tactic; no wonder Hector managed to "lure" him for so long in mythology.

Are all Greece Heroic Spirit this reckless?

"Never mind..."

Rubbing his throbbing temples, Assassin decided he wouldn't waste any more time on Rider's matter; he'd just let it go... he couldn't lose anyway.

This should be the consensus among everyone on the Red Faction.

An invincible demigod would never be defeated by a mere mortal.

"So, what's next..."

Because of the distraction by the Atalanta, the attack on the courtyard defenses destroyed by the Chiron has stopped, but the damaged turrets cannot be abandoned.

Although the turrets would eventually repair themselves over time if left unattended, time is the most precious thing in this situation.

Feeling a sense of urgency, Assassin decided to repair it himself. However, before he could turn his thoughts into action, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, which trembled again, once more distracted him.

"What happened?!"

Assassin immediately used Magecraft to find out the "culprit" behind this lineup.

That is--

Upon seeing the knight riding Hippogriff relentlessly charging at the turret outside the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, Assassin's expression froze in astonishment for a moment.

Astolfo?!

Boom--

Rider breathed a sigh of relief as he watched the turret crumble into rubble under his spear.

[Archer has already destroyed three turrets, so the rest is up to you, Rider.]

This was Ruler's advice to Rider before they went into battle.

Now that we've accepted the commission, we absolutely have to do it perfectly!

With this in mind, Rider urged his Hippogriff to charge towards another gun emplacement.

"--Ugh!"

Another turret was reduced to fragments by Rider's spear, but Rider, who initiated the attack, also had his expression contorted in pain.

The Hippogriff's assault possesses power comparable to an A-rank Noble Phantasm. However, being an assault-type attack, the user will also suffer corresponding impact. If the target were a human, there might be no problem, but this time the target is a rock slab protected by Magecraft.

"Gah?"

Sensing its master's pain, the psychic beast let out a cry to ask Rider whether it wanted to continue.