[FGO]: 159

"What's wrong, Berserker?"

Illya couldn't help but show a trace of confusion on her face.

"Roar!"

Hercules responded with a roar, though it was filled with caution.

Boom!

The shrouding dust was torn apart by a massive storm, and a terrifying aura erupted. Everyone present suddenly felt the air become unbearably heavy.

This was no illusion. The leaves and debris caught in the storm, as well as the dust floating in the air, all seemed to be crushed under this overwhelming presence and crashed to the ground with loud thuds.

Distant trees and streetlights creaked under the pull of an invisible force.

At the center of the crater stood a blood-red figure. His skin was in tatters, with countless small wounds spraying blood outward.

His left shoulder was bare, with only a jagged, broken stump remaining. A long gash on his face had completely ruined what might have once been a handsome countenance.

However, the most severe injury stretched from his left shoulder to his right waist—a massive fissure that nearly split him in two. One could even see his ribs and the frantically beating heart through the torn flesh.

Despite being so close to death, the aura emanating from this figure was so terrifying that it made people want to kneel in worship as if he were the absolute ruler of the world, an existence that could not be defied.

"Master!!!"

Medea couldn't hold back anymore. She instinctively gripped the staff, ready to activate her Noble Phantasm.

"Just stay there and watch!"

Ryou's voice was hoarse and grating as if his throat was damaged, sounding like two pieces of sandpaper rubbing together.

Yet, with the commanding presence of an absolute ruler and the authority of a Master, Medea unconsciously straightened her back and obeyed his command without hesitation.

Ryou turned his gaze to Hercules and pulled a sinister smile that could scare children to tears.

"Too bad, I'm not dead yet, which means you're going to die soon!"

"Roar!!!"

Hercules, the top-tier demigod hero who defied Hera, queen of the gods, was not intimidated.

Not even the EX-rank skill [World Ruler] could evoke an ounce of reverence in him.

With another roar, he raised the stone sword and swung it toward Ryou's head.

Given his current injuries, if he took this blow, he would undoubtedly die on the spot, with no chance of survival.

Faced with such a crisis, a smile appeared on his face. He could feel the [Power of Revenge State] within his soul, almost overflowing.

"Die."

It wasn't a shout, but a command.

A dense, crimson energy burst from Ryou's body, so thick that it transformed into a blood mist, enveloping him completely.

Then, he did two things.

Shave!

In a flash, his figure blurred and appeared right in front of Hercules.

[Mana Burst (B Rank)]!

[Reversal War God (EX)]—[Berserk Revenge]!

Ryou drew back his only remaining right fist to his side, then silently struck.

As his fist flew out, it split into hundreds of shadows in front of Hercules.

Bang!

The fist shadows struck Hercules simultaneously, producing a single, dull sound.

The [Power of Revenge], far superior to mana, was injected into the giant's body.

The fire of revenge instantly reduced Hercules' upper body to ashes.

The overwhelming damage not only obliterated his vitality but also completely wiped out the twelve lives granted by the [Twelve Labors].

At that moment, the compressed air finally exploded with terrifying blasts.

The greatest demigod hero of ancient Greece didn't even have time to leave a final word before Ryou eliminated him with a single strike.

It was the inevitable outcome.

Just as the description of the [Reversal War God] Noble Phantasm says: in its third state, [Berserk Revenge], the greater the damage received, the more terrifying the accumulated [Power of Revenge] becomes.

After taking Hercules' Nine Lives, which had nearly brought him to the brink of death, Ryou's [Power of Revenge] had reached apocalyptic levels. If focused on a single enemy, the damage would skyrocket nearly a thousandfold.

Moreover, the [Reversal War God] granted him additional anti-human critical damage, doubled his attack power, and further boosted it by 1.5 times with [Mana Burst] at B-rank.

Coupled with this mysterious Noble Phantasm, which had evolved from [Tsubame Gaeshi]...

Even if Hercules had 120 lives, Ryou could still kill him in one blow!

[Reversal War God]: either you die, or I die!

Such a brilliant result was the outcome of him dancing on the edge of a blade, gambling with his life!

"Impossible... My Hercules is the strongest..."

Unable to accept this harsh reality, Illya sat limply on the ground, her eyes lifeless.

Why did it turn out like this? After finally encountering her enemy, after finally summoning the strongest Servant...

She should have been the one to enjoy the satisfaction of revenge. So why... why did it turn out like this? Why was she the one who lost?

Ryou glanced at Illya in the distance and began walking toward her.

That's right, he was going to finish her off.

Though he might have had a preference for lolis, and though his dream was to build a large harem...

There was one principle that he would absolutely follow: enemies must be killed!

From the moment Illya commanded Hercules to attack him, in his eyes, she was no longer an innocent Loli or the magical girl Illya.

She was just an enemy who needed to be killed, nothing more.

He wasn't alone anymore. If there was even the slightest chance, even one in ten thousand, that leaving her alive might endanger those close to him, he would never allow it.

When you cut the weeds, you must pull out the roots.

Only then can you minimize the risks.

At that moment, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed.

Ryou's face changed. Ignoring his depleted mana, he forcefully drained his life force to convert it into mana, focusing it into his eyes.

A deadly Solar Ray shot toward the silver-haired loli sitting on the ground.

But alas, it was just a bit too late.

"Sensei!"

With a shout, a red-and-blue figure crossed dozens of meters in the blink of an eye, appearing in front of Illya. Sword in hand, they blocked the attack.

The scorching Solar Ray struck the middle of the blade.

Soon, the blade began to heat up and turn red, nearly melting under the intense heat.

But Ryou, exhausted, was unable to continue pushing the attack.

"I thought after so long you might have improved. But to see you now, stooping so low as to strike a defenseless girl!"

The once heroic voice was now filled with cold fury.

A pair of phoenix eyes locked onto him. Who else could it be but Musashi Miyamoto, the swordswoman he had tricked just a few days earlier?

At that moment, Ryou wanted to look up at the sky and sigh.

Who can escape the whims of fate?

Yet, he had no idea that even more surprises were waiting for him.

When Ryou first saw Musashi Miyamoto, he felt a twinge of guilt.

After all, he had acted somewhat dishonorably before, a bit like a scumbag tricking an innocent girl.

However, Musashi Miyamoto's immediate rebuke ignited his anger.

So, just because that loli was cute, she could command her Servant to attack me, but I'm not allowed to fight back?

Being cute equals justice? Being cute means you can do whatever you want?

Well, I'm not buying it!

"I didn't expect that after suffering such a big loss last time, you'd have improved a bit. But you're still just as dumb!"

Ryou retorted sharply, without holding back.

"You!!"

Musashi Miyamoto raised her sword and pointed it directly at him.

The experience of being tricked by him losing the duel, and getting overstuffed had become her dark history, her reverse scale.

"If your brain developed even half as much as your chest, that would be great.

And you should at least use that underdeveloped brain of yours. If I weren't strong enough, I'd already be dead, cut down by her Hercules. Now you're playing the victim after losing?"

At this moment, a red-haired young man and a black, twin-tailed girl came running up behind Musashi Miyamoto.

Ryou's eyes immediately narrowed.

The red-haired youth was none other than the first protagonist of the Fate series, Shirou Emiya.

As for the black, twin-tailed girl, she was a highly popular character in the Type-Moon universe, the heir of the prestigious Tohsaka family of magi—Rin Tohsaka—who was also the best candidate for being possessed by the goddess Ishtar.

Upon hearing his words, Shirou Emiya immediately shouted in protest.

"But she's just a little girl! Can't you see? She can't even fight anymore!"

Seeing Shirou Emiya's righteous indignation and Musashi Miyamoto's icy killing intent, Ryou found the situation somewhat amusing.

If this were following the original story, there was a high chance it would have been them clashing with Illya, and Shirou Emiya might have been nearly hacked to death by Hercules.

Who would've expected that the unreliable system would transport him here, where he immediately encountered Illya—this mentally twisted loli—who inexplicably treated him as an enemy and sent Hercules to attack him without hesitation?

After finally managing to win the fight, he was now being treated like a villain who bullies Lolis, with people stepping in to forcefully mediate.

This kind of plot twist, like something out of a third-rate, bottom-tier novel, made Ryou want to know who the author was—just so he could promise not to beat them to death.

Ryou was still silently complaining in his heart, unaware that the twists weren't over yet.

When Rin Tohsaka, who had followed Shirou Emiya, got a clear look at his face, her expression immediately darkened. Her face filled with hatred, and she gritted her teeth.

"Nguyen Ryou! For my father's revenge—die!"

Rin raised her arm, forming her hand into the shape of a gun, with her index finger pointed directly at him.

Bang!

With a soft sound, a black energy ball, about the size of a ping-pong ball, shot from Rin's fingertip, straight toward him.

Faced with Rin's attack, Ryou remained completely indifferent. With his current stats and Noble Phantasm, no magus in the Type-Moon world—except for the absolute top-tier ones—could harm him anymore.

Sure enough, with a soft "pop," the energy ball shattered upon hitting Ryou, leaving him completely unharmed.

"Rin!?"

Shirou Emiya and Musashi Miyamoto were both caught off guard by Rin Tohsaka's sudden attack.

Ryou, however, remained emotionless.

"So, in the end, we have to fight. Fine. You don't like me, and I don't like you. Let's settle this with strength. The victor is in the right. What could be simpler?"

"No, wait, there might be some kind of misunderstanding here," Shirou Emiya quickly pulled Rin Tohsaka back.

At his core, Shirou was just a good-hearted person. Though he disliked Ryou's actions, the thought of taking the life of a stranger made him uncomfortable.

"Musashi-kun! Let go of me! He's the one who killed my father!"

Rin Tohsaka struggled violently, her eyes locked onto Ryou, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes, making her look like a wounded beast.

Perhaps she had trained well, as the red-haired youth struggled to hold her back.

Musashi Miyamoto sighed, lightly tapping the ground with her foot. In an instant, she appeared beside Rin Tohsaka and gently pressed her fingers against Rin's neck.

Rin's eyes rolled back, and she immediately passed out.

Shirou quickly caught her in his arms.

Ryou was puzzled as to why Rin had called Shirou "Musashi," but then noticed that Musashi Miyamoto had already turned to leave.

"Shirou, take the girl over there, and let's go."

"What, we're not fighting?"

Ryou asked in surprise.

He had just fought a fierce battle with Hercules, was seriously injured, and had depleted his mana. This was the best time to kill him.

"I'm not as despicable as someone else."

Musashi Miyamoto didn't even turn her head, coldly throwing out the remark before walking away.

"Wait for me, Sensei!"

Shirou called, carrying the unconscious Rin on his back. He took Illya by the hand and stumbled after Musashi Miyamoto's retreating figure.

From behind, the silhouette of the red-haired youth resembled that of a dad struggling to care for his family, which made Medea, who had just descended next to Ryou, cover her mouth and giggle. Even Ryou couldn't maintain his cold demeanor, and the corner of his mouth twitched.

Once they had walked a fair distance away.

"A wise choice," Ryou muttered before nodding to Medea.

Medea immediately raised her staff and softly chanted the incantation to unlock her Noble Phantasm.

"May it become a world where no one gets hurt or hurts others... Pain Breaker!"

In an instant, a dreamy, multicolored bubble enveloped Ryou.

A miraculous scene unfolded. The wounds on his body—even his severed arm—rapidly healed within the endless stream of bubbles, visible to the naked eye.

When the bubbles dissipated, Ryou stood there unscathed. If it weren't for his tattered clothes, it would have seemed as if time had rewound.

He flexed his newly restored arm and nodded in satisfaction.

Medea's Noble Phantasm didn't rewind time, but it had a similar effect. It could calculate the state of the injured person before they were hurt and restore them to that condition.

As long as there was still a breath of life, the user could be fully revived.

It was the perfect match for his reckless, brawler-style combat.

"Master, what should we do now?"

Ryou stroked his smooth chin, and a cold smile spread across his face.

"Since everyone seems to be my enemy, I might as well play the role of the final boss this time!"

"???"

Question marks immediately appeared over Medea's head.

"Medea, you know how to set up a magical workshop, right?"

Ryou casually asked.

"Master, I can directly set up a higher-level temple."

Medea puffed out her chest with pride, and his gaze was instinctively drawn to it. That curve was already starting to take shape—no wonder she would later be called the epitome of a mature, married woman.

Ryou quickly turned his head and cleared his throat.

"Ahem! Very good! Let's head out right away!"