Illya's Blade Arrives

In the real world, Alcides, the basketball superstar, felt as if his heart had been viciously yanked, a powerful phantom pain surging through him.

If he had merely been watching the Light Screen's footage as a spectator before, Alcides now felt a powerful sense of impact.

It was as if the one being suppressed and beaten by Gil-chan in the Light Screen was not the great hero Heracles, but himself.

It was a strange feeling, yet also real and unmistakable.

A powerful resonance was passing through Alcides.

It was not the resentment and frustration brought by actually being beaten up, but simply because...

He could see Heracles, now at a disadvantage, and felt anger and unwillingness at the possibility that he might not be able to protect Illya.

"Come on, great hero, Heracles! Don't lose to a brutal bastard like that!"

In the Light Screen's footage, Heracles roared, charged forward, and smashed aside dozens of Noble Phantasms.

Yet in the end, some of them broke through his defenses and pierced his body.

His heart was torn apart, flesh and blood spraying everywhere.

Heracles had suffered another fatal blow.

One of his lives had been taken again.

Gil-chan smiled in delight at the sight. "The legend of Heracles overcoming the trials of the Twelve Labors and ultimately ascending to the Throne of Gods speaks of unyielding perseverance—the very limit of what humanity can endure."

"Thus, the Noble Phantasm born from that legend grants you twelve lives. And each time one of those lives is lost, you gain resistance to the damage that dealt the fatal blow."

"In other words, once a Noble Phantasm has killed you, it cannot kill you again. The resistance you gain is enough to withstand that same kind of damage."

It was both praise and admiration,