Every time God Hand triggers and brings him back to life, Heracles gains increased resistance and strength. He was already a monster to begin with, but now he had become a literal "nightmare." Lancer honestly had no clue how one would even go about killing the guy—but fortunately, killing him wasn't the goal.
Lancer glanced over at the other side of the battlefield. It was going exactly as expected.
Mash was holding the line, her shield absorbing blow after blow from the corrupted Lancer, while Cu Chulainn stood safely behind her "chanting." Lancer wondered if Cu had joined some "Cult of the Fireball" or something; despite knowing plenty of high-level spells, Cu seemed content just spamming fireballs at the enemy.
Then again, there's a reason the fireball is a classic: it's simple, violent, and it works.
Among all elemental magic, fire is the king of DPS—high heat, explosions, and burn damage. A fireball is basically the all-in-one package.
A true mage isn't just a turret, but with a top-tier frontliner like Mash, a mage's lethality spikes at least twofold. They can stop worrying about being flanked and focus 100% of their mental energy on fueling the spell.
Medusa, also hailing from the Age of Gods, knew exactly how to deal with a mage going full glass-cannon, but the "little girl" in front of her was a massive pain.
Mash lacked experience, sure, but she made up for it with raw spirit, stubbornly locking Medusa down. Every time Medusa spotted a gap and tried to go for a backstab, the hooded mage would blast her back. It turned out that while Medusa was watching Mash for openings, Cu Chulainn was watching Medusa for the exact same thing.
Breaking through on my own is becoming impossible.
Medusa glanced over at Lancer, who was still tied up with Berserker, and made a split-second decision.
After her next strike was deflected by the shield, she didn't pivot to the side to look for another opening. Instead, she kicked off the shield, using the momentum to vault straight toward Lancer battlefield.
"Mr. Monster!!"
Even though Lancer real name had been leaked thanks to Olga Marie, he had strictly warned Mash not to use it during combat just in case. Behind Mash, Cu Chulainn eyes lit up.
His low-muttered chanting suddenly surged in volume, making it look like he was prepping a massive finisher. Medusa, mid-air, swung her scythe-like weapon at a nearby stone pillar. Instead of slicing through it, she used the blade to hook the pillar, swinging her entire body around to change direction mid-flight.
Crack!
The pillar shattered as she redirected herself.
"Harpe!"
The immortal-slaying scythe that once took Medusa's head in myth now surged with terrifying power in her corrupted hands. Legend says that any wound inflicted by this blade cannot be healed, and it deals massive bonus damage against immortal beings.
"Caster!!"
Mash was stunned by Medusa's sudden maneuver, but she adjusted her shield and tried to intercept. However, Medusa wasn't about to let her game-ending move be blocked.
An eerie light flashed in her eyes as she glared down at Mash.
"Petrify!!"
In her mind, this gutsy but green girl was about to become a statue for her collection, leaving the annoying Caster wide open for execution.
To her surprise, the moment Mash saw the light, she dropped low and ducked completely behind her shield.
Even though Medusa's Mystic Eyes of Petrification were a staggering Rank A++, Mash shield was no ordinary object; it remained unaffected. Medusa didn't linger; Mash effectiveness was largely due to Cu covering fire. If she took out Cu, Mash would be easy pickings.
She felt like victory was within her grasp!
Leaping over Mash, she swung her scythe in a brutal arc aimed right at Cu Chulainn throat. If it landed, he was dead.
She could feel the massive magical energy swirling around him; she knew he was in the middle of a high-tier spell. There was no way he could stop now without triggering a magical backlash that would blow him to bits.
But as they came face-to-face—literally inches apart—
"Surprise~"
The serious look on Cu face vanished, replaced by a massive, smug grin.
Crap!
Realizing something was wrong, Medusa tried to back-pedal, but Cu slammed his staff down, instantly triggering the Runes carved into the ground.
Knowing Cu specialized in fire, she reflexively swung her weapon forward to detonate the flames early. It would still hurt like hell, but it was better than taking the full blast point-blank.
But then, Cu voice rang out again.
"Lancer! You lost for one reason—your opponent isn't just the two of us! 'Isa'!!"
The Rune for 'Ice' flashed in the air, and dozens of frozen stakes erupted from the ground.
Squelch!!
The sound of tearing flesh echoed as the stakes impaled her. Miraculously, even after taking such a devastating hit, she didn't instantly vanish into spirit particles.
Snap!
The black scythe sliced through the ice pillars protruding from her body. Her black outfit was now stained a deep, wet crimson. She glared at Cu with eyes full of madness; she wasn't done yet. But she was too late.
"Lancer, out of respect for your class, I'll tell you a secret—"
Roaring flames began to swirl around Cu Chulainn. He pointed his staff directly at the falling Medusa.
"Runes... don't require chanting! Accept this gift from us brothers: the 'Symphony of Ice and Fire'!!"
BAM!
This time, he slammed the staff down with everything he had. It wasn't just the 'Ice' Rune anymore; his signature 'Fire' Runes joined the fray.
Why had Cu Chulainn stood perfectly still like a turret this whole time?
Simple: the spot he was standing on was the kill zone.
Lancer had set up a "Mage's Workshop" that was originally keyed to him, but since they shared the same teacher, Lancer had handed over the control permissions to Cu. Cu had then layered their different Runes on top of each other.
Fire or Ice alone might not have finished her, but when the two collided, the resulting elemental reaction amplified the explosive power exponentially!
This was the real plan.
Lancer was bait. Cu was bait. And Medusa was the hungry fish that swam right into the net.
Washed over by the double-burst of magical energy, she had no chance. Her body began to dissolve into spirit particles in mid-air, leaving behind only a faint, whispered name.
"...Sakura."