Illya's Multiverse Odyssey

Therefore, before Heracles, he could no longer even borrow or deflect force; he could only rely on his supremely refined footwork to endlessly dodge Heracles' attacks, searching for an opportunity to counter and seize victory.

"Boom boom boom—"

Heracles' attacks pushed the principle of "grand and sweeping" to its extreme. Every single slash, merely the wind pressure it stirred up could clear a seemingly endless path through the mountain forest. Yet, for all its ferocity, each strike retained a measure of reserve, leaving no chance of overextending and creating an opening.

Sasaki Kojiro, on the other hand, was his complete opposite. At this moment, he was like the swallows he often cut down during his sword training—exquisitely agile. The slightest breeze could shift his form, allowing him to evade Heracles' attacks, all while confining his movement to this small platform less than ten meters wide. Such footwork was utterly terrifying.

"I believe you now. This Sasaki Kojiro is definitely the pinnacle of swordsmanship in the Type-Moon world, no mistake!" Mordred said with a grave expression.

If she didn't use Mana Burst to create distance, she doubted she could last ten exchanges against Sasaki Kojiro, even with her superior stats across the board.

"Indeed. This martial skill has surpassed the Divine Domain and reached the legendary realm of 'Emptiness.' If I didn't have Path of the Shining, I would have surely fallen to his sword just now. I truly wonder how he cultivated such skill..." Artoria couldn't help but sigh.

Only after actually crossing swords with Sasaki Kojiro did she realize how terrifying technique could become when honed to its utmost. If she hadn't possessed Path of the Shining, she would likely have died by his hand just moments ago.

"Sister Artoria, let me heal you!"

"Alright!"

"The breastplate is a bit in the way."

"Oh—"

Artoria paused, then came to her senses. Smiling, she patted Illya on the head and... removed her breastplate, letting the girl place her small hand over the wound.

Meanwhile, the battle between Heracles and Sasaki Kojiro continued.

Heracles had already swung over a hundred strikes, yet Sasaki Kojiro had not unleashed a single one. Still, no one thought he was at a disadvantage—especially experts like Mordred and Artoria.

They could clearly sense that, as time passed, Sasaki Kojiro grew more familiar with the rhythm of Heracles' attacks, dodging with increasing ease.

"At this rate, he'll find an opening to strike soon enough—" Artoria thought to herself.

But no sooner had this thought arisen than Sasaki Kojiro suddenly accelerated, putting distance between himself and Heracles.

"No! This isn't the best moment to strike—why—"

A massive surge of magical energy erupted from Ryuudou Temple atop the mountain. Now Artoria understood why Sasaki Kojiro had chosen this moment to act.

"Hyakume!"

Heracles did not hold back in response. Seizing the opportunity, he unleashed Hyakume. Nine axe shadows, like a wall of stone, descended upon Sasaki Kojiro from nine directions. Even if he tried to use that shadow-like footwork again, he could not evade this.

But he no longer needed to dodge.

"Secret Sword—Swallow Return!"

Three dreamlike purple sword lights slashed out from three directions, converging into one. Ignoring the raging axe shadows, they tore through time and space, carving a wound deep enough to show bone across Heracles' abdomen before the axes could land.

Yet immediately after, Sasaki Kojiro himself was torn to shreds by the falling ninefold axe shadows.

"You win... In martial skill, I truly am no match for you..."

Heracles glanced at the wound on his abdomen, a look of wistfulness on his face.

If his build weren't so towering that he already stood beyond Tsubame Gaeshi's attack range, that wound would not have appeared on his abdomen but on his neck, decapitating him.

Though being tall wasn't his fault, and though he still had his Noble Phantasm Twelve Labors with twelve lives, Sasaki Kojiro was undeniably the most skilled martial artist he had ever encountered.