C511

"Bang, bang, bang..."

Suddenly, the ground ahead shook with the force of an earthquake.

"Hey, big sis, looks like the Black team's making a move!" Achilles called out as he zoomed past on his chariot.

Atalanta's irritation was visible as a vein throbbed on her forehead. "For the last time, stop with the 'big sis'!"

"Got it, big sis," he shot back with a cheeky nod.

Atalanta: "..."

She really wanted to shoot him in the head!

"bang, bang, bang..."

The ground quaked violently!

A towering black figure emerged, confronting the members of the Red faction.

Atalanta and Achilles stared, their eyes wide in recognition.

"No way... it's him!"

Both of them blurted out in shock.

Indeed, standing tall in front of them was none other than Heracles, the Berserker from the Black side!

Heracles is Greece's most famous great hero, not just because of the twelve nearly impossible labors he completed. He was also one of the heroes who boarded the Argo with Atalanta, someone they were familiar with.

Achilles and Heracles, two of Greece's mightiest heroes, shared more than just legendary status. They were both mentored by Chiron, making them fellow disciples.

Achilles had always held Heracles in high regard, dreaming of a day they might test their strengths against each other. But time never allowed for their paths to cross.

Yet, here they were, all three thrown into the same Holy Grail War.

One could only say it was the Holy Grail that brought them together.

"Heracles as a Berserker, huh? Man, I've always wanted to spar with him!" Achilles said, barely containing his excitement.

Atalanta shouted in exasperation. "Rider!"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it, big sis!" He responded with a mix of enthusiasm and resignation. "Just remember, once our task here's done, don't come between our bout."

Heracles' deep gold eyes shifted from Atalanta to Achilles, his face a mask of composure.

Like Spartacus in his Berserker state, who could acknowledge but not really engage, Heracles was the same.

He retained some level of consciousness, recognizing both Atalanta and Achilles, but he did not respond.

"Ohhhh, oppressor!" Spartacus cried out passionately, as he lunged at Heracles with his shortsword.

"Raaaaaahhh!!!" Heracles countered, wielding his massive stone axe with a deafening roar.

The moment the shortsword met the hefty axe, a resounding boom filled the air.

When it came to sheer strength, Spartacus was no slouch with his A-rank. But Heracles was on another level with his A+ rank.

Pure muscle backed Heracles' swing. His axe didn't pause at Spartacus' shortsword; it bulldozed right through and landed a crushing blow on Spartacus himself.

But bizarrely, Spartacus didn't show any signs of pain. His grin stretched even wider, and eerily so. And the hit seemed to make him even stronger.

"Ohhhh! This is the caress of love!" Spartacus cried out, a hint of mad delight in his voice.

With a hearty laugh, he swung his sword back at Heracles.

His Noble Phantasm, [Howl of the Wounded Beast], allowed Spartacus to transform the damage he took into magical energy, accumulating it within his body to boost his own parameters.

The sight of Spartacus going toe-to-toe with Heracles was nothing short of epic. Their huge forms colliding resembled a clash of titans.

And what made this face-off even more intense was Heracles, with his legendary completion of the Twelve Labors, and Spartacus, armed with abilities like [Howl of the Wounded Beast], [Honor of Suffering], and [Unyielding Will], were among the most resilient of servants.

When the two clashed, Spartacus was initially at a disadvantage. However, with each blow he took, his [Howl of the Wounded Beast] fueled him and stacked up his parameters. Spartacus's strength began to match that of Heracles, leveling the playing field.

The sword's constant clashes with the massive axe produced an unending series of thunderous booms.

"Boom, boom, boom...!!!"

The very ground seemed to shudder beneath their might.

A crucial moment arrived when Heracles, using the sheer power behind his weapon, managed to knock Spartacus' shortsword out of his grip. But Spartacus, always the opportunist, seized Heracles' wrist in the next moment, prying the giant axe away.

In a quick move, Heracles tripped Spartacus, sending him crashing to the ground. But Spartacus grabbed at Heracles' ankle, bringing his enemy down with him.

They both moved like a whirlwind, with Heracles pouncing and Spartacus rolling to counter with just as much intensity.

"Ooooooohhh!!!"

"Raaaaaahhh!!!"

In the heat of battle, these two fighters grappled with incredible strength. Anyone watching could feel the sheer power of their struggle.

Yet, Atalanta and Karna had already distanced themselves from the battle.

"Aren't we going to support Berserker? He might not be able to handle Heracles on his own," Atalanta voiced her concern.

Karna calmly replied, "No need. If he can keep that legendary Greek warrior busy, that's enough. Our primary target on the Black side is Eternal King. We have to deal with him first."

She raised an eyebrow. "But that would completely ruin the priest's entire plan, wouldn't it? Saber may not be able to keep up if we do that."

"No. Saber is more cunning than she appears. She understands her role and will adapt accordingly," Karna remarked evenly.

"Cu... cunning?" she was taken aback.

To her, Saber had always seemed more innocent than cunning. However, she did notice that Saber's Master was pretty cautious.

"Hahaha..." Achilles laughed, "Speaking of which, this all-out war just to remove one person from the battlefield. Even for that king, leaving the scene in such a grand manner is something he can't complain about, right? Don't you think so, big sis?"

Atalanta: "…"

She didn't feel like responding anymore.

Suddenly, a gleaming arrow cut through the sky, headed straight for Karna. Without even a hint of surprise, he casually swung his divine spear, deflecting the incoming projectile with ease.

Karna paused, turning his gaze towards the origin of the arrow, "Choosing a simple arrow over your Noble Phantasm. Is this your way of announcing yourself?"

From the shadows, Arjuna stepped forward with a faint smile. "Exactly. This way, when you fall, you won't be able to claim you were taken by surprise."

"You should know that I would never say such a thing. If I were bested, even by surprise, I would openly acknowledge my defeat," Karna stood still, looking straight at Arjuna.

Seeing Karna's face, something in Arjuna snapped. "Enough, Karna!" he yelled, a fiery passion in his voice. "Let's finish what we started. Come, face me, Karna!"

Karna, however, held his ground and responded with a calm shake of his head. "I must decline your challenge, Arjuna. Even though any other time I would eagerly engage you in battle, my current duty is bound by my Master's command. I cannot fight you now."

Arjuna's eyebrows knitted together in frustration. "You're turning me down?" Then, as understanding dawned, his eyes widened. "Ah, I see. You've already revealed Assassin's true identity. Your main target— is him!"

"Step aside if you know!"

Karna swung his divine spear with great force, and a blaze of intense flames erupted, making Arjuna take a step back.

But as Arjuna prepared a counter, Achilles surged forward on his chariot. Quick as a whip, Arjuna dodged, evading the chariot's crushing force.

Seeing a fleeting chance as the chariot sped by, Arjuna's hand shot out, grabbing Achilles by the collar and using a swift move to unseat him, sending him crashing to the ground.

But even as he went down, Achilles tried to trip Arjuna with a sharp kick. Arjuna, ever agile, leapt up gracefully, sidestepping the attempt.

Atalanta drew her bow and released five arrows in quick succession. They came at Arjuna from tricky angles, almost impossible to dodge!

Yet, with a smooth motion, Arjuna's bow spun in his grip, and with a series of "clinks," every arrow was deflected.

"Tsk," she clicked her tongue in annoyance.

Just as Arjuna landed and was regathering himself, Karna didn't waste any time. His divine spear, imbued with the power of the sun, came at Arjuna from a tricky angle.

Arjuna's eyes snapped wide. This strike seemed unavoidable and almost impossible to block.

But this would only be true for an ordinary top-tier Heroic Spirit.

Channeling strength to his waist, Arjuna spun, placing his bow vertically.

A loud "clang" echoed as he parried the powerful strike. But the sheer force sent him flying backward, and he tumbled across the ground.

Taking advantage of the situation, Karna and his allies quickly distanced themselves from Arjuna and rushed ahead.

"Are you really going to such great lengths just to ignore me? Does that mean you see Eternal King as a bigger threat than me?" Arjuna stood there, his expression filled with anger, and his eyes gleamed with coldness.

"Archer!" Astolfo swooped in on his griffin.

Arjuna looked up at him and said, "Go! Tell Lancer! Their target is— Assassin!"

...

- There's a bonus chapter for reaching 400 Power Stones.

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