Chapter 51. The Fair Duel

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I Will Eventually Embark on the Path of No Return Called a Hero [Arc2] - 51. The Fair Duel

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"Where is this place, damn it!"

Mordred, wielding her sword, impatiently looked around. The familiar thick fog brought back unpleasant memories.

"It seems the owner of this place isn't too welcoming of those whose stance is unclear," Sisigou said, putting on a gas mask. "The Black Faction must have been separated as well. They were probably assigned the worst matchups, and we're likely the ones to deal with things afterward."

"Huh?"

"Well~ What should we do?" Sisigou shrugged. "We're not familiar with the layout of this Hanging Garden, and wandering around aimlessly might lead us straight into a trap."

"This place is already a huge trap," Mordred grinned, "Since we're here, let's just smash our way through!"

"So… which way should we go?"

"Master, just follow me!" Mordred sheathed her great sword, took a few steps forward, and kicked down the wall blocking their path.

"Hey, hey, hey, let me ask how you're deciding which way to go," Sisigou complained.

"By intuition~"

Not another unreliable theory!

"The path of the Red Saber… Hmph, it's just a guess," Semiramis, with her leg crossed, used her familiars hidden in the walls to sense everyone's positions. On the screens that weren't covered by fog, Karna was already fighting Vlad III, while Achilles hadn't made a move yet, though his gleaming lance suggested he was preparing to unleash a Noble Phantasm. Mordred, like Cyd, was demolishing walls to advance, but her path was clearly erratic and unreliable.

But she needed to prepare for battle.

"Black Faction Assassin's Master, leave this room and go elsewhere," Semiramis dismissed all the screens. "This place is about to become a battlefield."

"Huh? Isn't this the command center?" Reika Rikudou was taken aback. It wasn't that she underestimated Semiramis, but the high and mighty Empress didn't seem like a heroic spirit capable of direct combat.

"For the sake of my Master, I don't mind lowering my status," Semiramis snapped her fingers. "Leave quickly; I won't protect you once the battle begins."

Reika Rikudou was silent for a moment, then nodded and left the King's domain.

"Seriously, Master~ The tasks you've entrusted to me are quite a headache," Semiramis sighed and disappeared into spirit form on her throne.

To ensure Karna and Achilles could deal with the most troublesome heroic spirits, she needed to make sure the other Black Faction heroic spirits wouldn't interfere. The quickest and most convenient way was to eliminate them all.

Fortunately, among the remaining three, only Chiron was a threat. She didn't regard either Astolfo or Frankenstein as much of a challenge. With the power of this Hanging Garden, she could summon countless monsters, including one that could handle Chiron, the Greek hero.

"You are destined to lose against me," Achilles tossed his lance. "You don't have the qualifications to harm me."

"I know," Siegfried looked calmly at Achilles.

"Even so, you still want to fight me," Achilles tightened his grip on his lance. "And you even want to win."

"Yes, because my Master expects it," Siegfried said seriously. "I will fulfill his expectations."

"Excellent! You are worthy!" Achilles grinned and threw his lance into the air.

"Go forth! My lance! My conviction! Diatrekhōn Astēr Lonkhē!"

"Noble Phantasm release! Saber, dodge!" Gordes's eyes widened sharply.

Siegfried stood still, watching the lance descending from the air. The action had no murderous intent, and the lance's trajectory wasn't aimed at him. If the Noble Phantasm had any locking ability, evasion would be useless. It was better to strike it away with his sword.

With no flashy lights, the lance naturally pinned itself into the ground. Siegfried was momentarily stunned, but a shiver of terror made him instinctively raise his sword in defense.

He entered another world.

"This is a technique I perfected to catch a slippery opponent," Achilles twisted his neck. "An absolutely fair world where that person agreed to a one-on-one duel with me."

"Absolutely fair?" Siegfried clenched his fists.

"Yes, there are no divine aspects here. Being hit means getting hurt, broken bones are broken, and death here means death. The result of the battle here will determine the outcome outside," Achilles spread his arms. "How about it? It won't affect your Master, and the outcome will be decided the moment we settle this fight."

It was a foolish thing to eliminate all advantages for the sake of fairness in an absolutely superior position, but that was Achilles. He craved a battle with a hero, not a boring slaughter.

Siegfried was a true hero, worthy of a fair and just duel!

"You… Hmm, I accept this duel," Siegfried glanced at the unarmed Achilles, then at his own sword.

"Use your sword," Achilles took a few steps forward and drew his lance. "Defeating an unarmed swordsman is no fun."

"Thank you!" Siegfried raised his silver great sword in front of him. "Black Faction Saber—Siegfried."

"Red Faction Rider—Achilles," Achilles bowed.

"Let's fight honorably—"

"To determine the winner!"

The two charged at each other, their silver great sword and lance clashing with a spark that illuminated their battle-ready eyes.

Even without all advantages, they were still heroes!

Achilles roared and swung his lance, stabbing down like a torrential rain. Under this attack, an average person would have been turned into minced meat, but Siegfried, like a gale in a storm, parried every strike of Achilles's lance. He advanced, using his swordsmanship that transcended human limits to drag Achilles into his own attack range.

"Clang—"

The lance was knocked into the air. Facing Achilles, who had opened his chest with both arms raised, Siegfried didn't hesitate. He spun and slashed at Achilles's chest.

Achilles's mouth curved up slightly. He immediately bent down, clenched his fists, and struck Siegfried's great sword with his left fist while his right fist slammed into Siegfried's stomach. The terrifying force drove Achilles's fist deep into Siegfried's abdomen.

"Boom—"

Siegfried was blasted like a cannonball into the wall.

"My lance technique isn't as transcendent as Red Lancer's, but I'm quite confident in close combat," Achilles glanced at the wound on his thigh, where pale bone was visible. "But being able to counterattack in that situation, you're indeed strong."

"Crack—"

Siegfried crawled out from the wall. The blood dripping from his forehead and the indentation on his abdomen suggested he wasn't unharmed.

"Got it," Siegfried exhaled a deep breath.

He remembered…

The memory of challenging an evil dragon with a human body.

"I will win!"