Iron stakes rained down.
Vlad III had lost count of how many arrows he had released. Each one pierced precisely at the green figure.
Most of them will be dodged by the opponent.
Even if it hits, it won't have any real effect.
"Oh dear, that was close!"
Achilles dodged a metal stake, brushing the dirt off his shoulder. A smile played on his lips, and not a single hair was disheveled.
Vlad III narrowed his dark golden eyes.
He had clearly seen that attack. The tip of the iron stake grazed Achilles ' back, but it seemed to have struck an invisible barrier, unable to penetrate his skin at all.
"Immortality..."
Vlad III uttered these words in a low voice.
Like Siegfried, he is Heroic Spirit with an immortal legend.
"This is truly unpleasant," he said in a low voice. "My Noble Phantasm is a piercing spear; its effectiveness is greatly reduced against the immortal."
"Didn't I tell you? Those iron stakes of yours can't pierce me."
"That's a technical issue!"
Vlad III said nothing more.
But the next second, the sound of a bowstring rang out beside him.
Vlad III glanced sideways. Heracles had already drawn his bow to its full extent, the arrow nocked on the string gleaming with an ominous dark gold luster, its tip shaped like the beak of some kind of raptor.
Shot out.
The sound of the arrow tearing through the air was short and sharp.
Achilles ' reaction speed was top-notch; he dodged the arrow the instant it left the bowstring.
But the arrow's trajectory was extremely strange; it drew an arc during its flight and veered away from him.
The arrow grazed his left shoulder.
It's not deep; you could even say it's just a superficial wound. But the important thing is that a wound has appeared.
Blood seeped from the shallow tear, staining the fabric red.
Achilles looked down at his shoulders, his expression becoming serious for the first time.
"Her defenses were breached?"
Vlad III stood still, a complex light flashing in his dark golden eyes.
Heracles accomplished what he could not.
" Vlad III," Heracles said calmly, lowering his bow. "Give this man to me."
A brief silence.
Vlad III's reason told him that now was not the time to worry about saving face.
The opponent's immortality is a perfect counter to his Noble Phantasm, and Heracles's attacks have proven effective in causing damage.
As the king, continuing to entangle in this unfavorable position would only be a waste of time.
"... Alright." Vlad III turned around, his dark golden eyes gazing eastward. "I'll go after that runaway kitten."
His figure disappeared into the ruins.
At the same time, a Magecraft communication link was established with Mukuro Hoshimiya was far away in the Millennia Fortress.
"Archer, I need remote support."
"Okay, okay." Mukuro Hoshimiya's voice sounded somewhat reluctant. "You stall for a bit, I'll find the right angle."
On the other side.
Heracles walked toward Achilles, leaving deep footprints in the ground with each step.
"To be honest," Achilles stepped back and drew his spear, "I've always wanted to fight you."
"Why."
"Because when people discuss Greece mythology nowadays, they always put you before me."
He didn't finish speaking.
Heracles has made his move.
The giant's speed was completely disproportionate to his size. He threw a punch at Achilles ' face, but Achilles dodged it and retaliated by thrusting his spear into Achilles' abdomen.
Heracles deflected the gun with his left hand and swept it horizontally with his right.
Achilles ducked to avoid it, only to feel a gust of wind sweep over his head, making his short green hair fly wildly.
It was too fast, and the force was too great.
He wasn't sure if his immortality would have been enough to withstand that glancing blow. This great hero's arm strength far exceeded the normal range of Servant.
"Again!"
Achilles gritted his teeth and thrust his spear seven times like a venomous snake. Each strike was aimed precisely at a vital point, and his speed had reached the limit of his skill.
Heracles parried with his arms, taking the full force of the attack. The spear tip struck his skin, leaving only a few white spots.
"Um?"
Then he slapped Achilles on the chest.
"Well!"
Achilles was sent flying backward, carving a furrow more than ten meters long in the ground. He stood up, supporting himself with his gun, and coughed twice, clutching his chest.
"It hurts so much... it could really kill you..."
Just then...
A golden beam of light descended from the sky and landed on the open ground between the two.
As the flames subsided, Lancer, dressed in red, stood in the center of the pillar of light, his spear held diagonally in his hand.
" Karna." Achilles ' eyes lit up.
"I've come to get you." Karna's voice was calm and even. " Master's order. The Berserker has been captured; the loss is acceptable, but you can't afford to perish here."
"Huh? You think I can't beat him by myself?"
"It's not just a feeling, it's certainty."
Just as Achilles was about to retort, the earth trembled again.
Another beam of light fell in the distance, the silver-white armor reflecting a cold light in the sunlight. Siegfried drew his sword and silently walked towards Karna.
"We meet again."
Karna glanced at him.
Your previous enhancement is gone.
"Even so."
Siegfried raised his sword.
The exchange between the two erupted almost instantly. Sparks flew as swords clashed with spears, but after each collision, the two would quickly create distance and probe each other again.
Karna's spear struck Siegfried's armor, but was deflected by the " Armor of Fafnir." Siegfried's sword struck Karna, but was blocked by the golden armor.
The fight was quite lively, but no one got hurt.
"Is this considered... Gua Sha?" Achilles, who was watching from a distance, couldn't help but mutter.
Then his expression suddenly changed.
Above their heads, countless arrows were converging.
Atalanta appeared on a distant treetop, her bow fully drawn, green Spirit Origin energy gathering on its surface. Her cat ears stood erect, and her amber eyes were fixed on the three Black Faction Servant below.
" Phoebus Catastrophe."
Noble Phantasm Unleashed.
The arrows of calamity fell like a raging storm.
It covered the entire battlefield. Each arrow carried the power to pierce steel, so densely packed it resembled an inverted waterfall.
Siegfried raised his sword to parry, the blade deflecting the arrow aimed at him.
Karna remained motionless, and the arrows shattered upon impact.
The same goes for Heracles.
He didn't even try to dodge. The arrows struck him as if they had hit a city wall, bouncing off completely.
"What's going on..." Atalanta frowned from the treetop, "Can't even break through the defenses?"
Then she noticed.
In the gaps between the arrow volleys, a faint spatial ripple quietly unfolded behind Achilles.
Mukuro Hoshimiya did not appear beside Ripples. She was in the stronghold several kilometers away, only extending a slender tip of her staff through a spatial portal.
The staff of the Michael lightly brushed against Achilles ' right arm.
The contact time was less than half a second.
But the concept of "sealing off" had already been activated in that instant.
"What?!"
Achilles ' right arm suddenly lost sensation below the elbow.
It wasn't ordinary paralysis; it felt as if his entire forearm had been conceptually detached. He tried to clench his fist, but his five fingers remained unresponsive.
"My arm is sealed?"
Mukuro Hoshimiya's voice came from the air, languid and lazy.
"Sorry, the contact time was too short to seal one forearm. But is that enough?"
That's enough. Of course it's enough.
Heracles ' fist was already upon him.
Achilles managed to block with his left hand, but was blasted away again. This time, he adjusted his posture in mid-air, jumped back immediately after landing, and created distance.
His right hand hung motionless at his side.
"... Okay then."
Achilles ' voice suddenly fell silent.
"I've noted down today's accounts."
He slapped the ground with one hand.
"Chariot."
Golden light surged from the ground, and a chariot appeared from the void. Three divine horses pulled the chariot into the air, and Achilles leaped onto it, soaring straight into the sky.
He stood on the chariot, looking down at the three Servant on the ground. His sealed right arm hung limply at his sides, and his chest still ached faintly.
Berserker, captured, with his arm sealed, is being relentlessly beaten by Heracles.
Frustrated.
Today was so frustrating.
Karna! Get away from me!
Without hesitation, Karna retreated into the woods behind him. Siegfried tried to give chase, but Karna blocked him with his gun, and the two engaged in combat once more.
Achilles took a deep breath.
"Let me show you... what true power is."
A shield appeared in his right hand. It was a divine artifact forged by Hephaestus himself, capable of recording and reproducing the world Achilles had ever seen.
"Encompassing the heavens--"
"Small World!!"