Therefore, before Heracles, he could not even borrow and redirect force. He could only rely on incomparably exquisite footwork to continually evade Heracles's attacks, searching for an opportunity to counterattack and win.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Heracles had brought the words "broad and powerful" to their absolute extreme. Every downward slash created wind pressure alone powerful enough to clear an endless passage through the forest, yet despite their ferocity, every move still retained some reserve. There was no possibility of his moves becoming overcommitted and revealing an opening.
Sasaki Kojiro, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. At that moment, he was like the swallows he had often cut down while practicing swordsmanship in the past—exceptionally nimble. Even the slightest breeze could shift his body and allow him to evade Heracles's attacks. He even kept his movements confined to the small platform less than ten meters wide and long. Such footwork was truly terrifying.
"I believe you now. Sasaki Kojiro is absolutely the pinnacle of swordsmanship in the Type-Moon world!" Mordred said with a grave expression.
If she did not use Mana Burst to widen the distance, she probably would not last ten moves against Sasaki Kojiro, even though all her attributes were higher than his.
"Indeed. This level of martial skill has already surpassed the Divine Domain and reached the legendary realm of 'Void.' If I did not possess the Path of the Shining, I would definitely have lost to his sword just now. I truly do not know how he cultivated himself to this level..." Artoria could not help but sigh.
Only after truly crossing swords with Sasaki Kojiro did she realize how terrifying technique could become when trained to its ultimate limit. If she had not possessed the Path of the Shining, she likely would have died by Sasaki Kojiro's hand just now.
"Big Sister Artoria, let me heal you!"
"Alright!"
"The breastplate is in the way."
"Oh—"
Artoria froze for a moment, then came back to her senses. Smiling, she patted Illya's head, then... dismissed her breastplate and allowed Illya to place her little hand over her wound.
Meanwhile, the battle between Heracles and Sasaki Kojiro continued.
Heracles had already swung his sword over a hundred times, while Sasaki Kojiro had yet to strike even once. Yet no one thought Sasaki Kojiro was at a disadvantage, especially masters like Mordred and Artoria.
They could clearly sense that as time passed, Sasaki Kojiro became increasingly familiar with Heracles's rhythm. His evasions were growing more and more effortless as well.
If this continues, it will not take him long to find an opportunity to strike— Artoria thought to herself.
Yet just as that thought arose, Sasaki Kojiro suddenly accelerated and opened the distance between himself and Heracles.
"That's not right! This still isn't the best chance to attack. Why—"
A massive surge of mana erupted from Ryuudou Temple atop the mountain. Only then did Artoria understand why Sasaki Kojiro had chosen to strike at this moment.
"Hyakume!"
Heracles did not hold back because of this. He immediately seized the opportunity and unleashed Hyakume. Nine layers of axe shadows descended upon Sasaki Kojiro from nine directions like a city wall. Even if Sasaki Kojiro used that shadow-like footwork from before, there was no way he could evade it this time.
However, he no longer needed to evade.
"Secret Sword - Swallow Return!"
Three dreamlike purple slashes cut out from three directions, finally converging at one point. Ignoring the violent axe shadows, they tore through space and time, leaving a bone-deep wound across Heracles's abdomen before the axes could strike.
But immediately afterward, Sasaki Kojiro himself was torn to pieces by the descending ninefold axe shadows.
"You won... In terms of martial skill, I truly am inferior to you..."
Heracles glanced at the wound on his abdomen, his expression filled with regret.
If he had not been so enormous that even standing there placed him beyond Tsubame Gaeshi's attack range, that wound would not have appeared on his abdomen. It would have appeared on his neck instead, beheading him.
Although being tall was not his fault, and although he still possessed the Noble Phantasm Twelve Labors and its twelve lives, Sasaki Kojiro truly was the most skilled martial artist he had ever seen.
Before you continue