"Hah—!"
The moment Martha raised her cross, an explosion tore through the air.
"Ngh!"
Jeanne leaped back instinctively, the spot she'd stood moments ago erupting in a near-instantaneous burst of magical energy.
"Take that!"
Each time Martha hoisted her cross, torrents of magical explosions surged forth, crackling with divine fury.
"What's wrong?" Martha taunted, her voice cutting through the chaos. "Fleeing won't carve a path forward!"
Jeanne, dodging with flips, cartwheels, and somersaults, was berated by Martha's relentless challenge.
Her staff channels prayers, unleashing miracles that bypass natural limits… Truly the skill of a saint!
Using her Revelation skill to its fullest, Jeanne moved with precision, evading each strike.
A moment's lapse, and those miracles would sear her to ash.
She's right—there's no path in retreat!
"Then—!"
"There!"
Martha's cross glowed brighter, unleashing a tyrannical miracle.
"Yah!"
Jeanne rolled her flag into a spear, vaulting into the air like a pole jumper.
The explosion's shockwave propelled her forward, accelerating her mid-flight.
"YAAAAH!"
Twisting with all her might, she slammed the flag down with ferocious force—!
"Guh!"
Martha blocked with her staff, their weapons locking in a fierce clash.
"Not bad, charging in like that!" Martha grinned. "That flag's training wasn't for show!"
"I'm a woman who knew no love, only swung a flag!" Jeanne shot back. "Rough work is my daily bread!"
"Impressive!" Martha countered, her voice rising.
The flag was pushed back.
"Don't underestimate me!"
With staggering force, Jeanne's knees buckled under the pressure.
This strength—could it be the power of madness?!
"Take this!"
Martha's kick sent Jeanne flying, creating distance.
"Come on, keep coming!"
"I don't need to be told—!"
"⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛—!"
Heracles roared, his stone axe swinging in a storm of unmatched blows, hammering Tarasque relentlessly.
Each strike against the dragon's armored shell twisted its expression in agony.
"⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛!"
"GUOOO!"
Tarasque's massive, scorpion-like tail lashed out to gain distance.
"⬛⬛!"
"Nghhh!"
Mash intercepted the tail's trajectory, shielding Heracles with her barrier.
"I'll cover you!" Mash shouted. "Heracles-san, keep attacking—!"
"⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛—!"
Dropping his axe, Heracles seized the tail with both arms.
"⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛!"
With all his strength, he swung Tarasque in a giant arc, like a colossal hammer.
"—!"
"⬛⬛—!"
Trees snapped and splintered under the force.
With a final heave, he slammed Tarasque into the ground.
"!!!!!"
"Whoa, unreal!" Rikka gasped over the comms. "Heracles is a beast in a whole different way from the King of Heroes! Greece's champion lives up to the hype!"
"Divert Chaldea's resources to Rikka!" Olga ordered. "Keep her vitals out of the danger zone—hurry!"
"Hah… hah… hah!" Rikka panted, her breath ragged.
"Rikka, hold on!" Olga urged. "It all comes down to grit!"
"I know!" Rikka gasped. "I fight… by standing tall—!"
A searing light burst from Tarasque's battered form.
"Heracles-san—!" Mash cried, diving forward. "Nghhh!"
She shielded Heracles from the oncoming heat ray.
"⬛⬛⬛⬛!"
Grabbing his axe, Heracles hurled it through the gap in Mash's shield, striking Tarasque's right leg. The dragon staggered, its balance broken.
"⬛⬛!"
"Eh—kyaaah!?"
Heracles scooped up Mash, hurling her toward Tarasque.
"—This position!"
Mash extended her body, slamming her shield into Tarasque's head with pinpoint precision.
"YAAAAH!"
"Hah… hah…!"
"You're still hesitating," Martha said, her voice calm but piercing.
Their weapons clashed repeatedly—Jeanne's strikes met by Martha's deft parries. The battle was a deadlock, Jeanne unable to gain ground against Martha's skill.
"What's wrong?" Martha pressed. "Can't muster your strength? Wavering? Because I'm like you?"
"—"
Maybe. Despite her madness, the woman before her was undeniably a saint.
Bound by the same prayers, the same oaths—Jeanne knew it, yet something held her back from striking fully.
"Kindness and thoughtfulness are virtues," Martha said. "They're humanity's enduring light. You have them—"
"…I'm just a country girl who kept running," Jeanne replied softly. "I can't compare to you, who tamed a dragon."
"Humility too," Martha said, smiling. "You're well-raised. But—"
She released her staff.
"—Don't underestimate me, flag-bearer!"
In an instant, she closed the distance.
"!?"
Iron fist, a flash—
"YAAH!?"
Blocking with her flag, Jeanne was blown back by the sheer force of Martha's right straight.
"Hah! Don't mock me!" Martha roared. "I, Martha, received this staff long after that man! I'm not soft enough to be outdone by some young upstart!"
"Ngh…!"
Such immense power. Such weight.
This is the fist of Martha, who tamed a dragon with her prayers!
"If the staff's in the way, I'll set it aside as a handicap," Martha said. "I'm rusty as a Rider, but it's more than enough for you."
She struck a fighting pose, fists raised.
"Now—let's beat you to a pulp!"
In a single step, she dove into Jeanne's guard.
"Take this, and this, and this, and THIS!"
Jabs, hooks, one-two combos—a barrage of brutal punches hammered Jeanne relentlessly.
"Nghhh!"
"—!"
Tarasque roared, spinning violently.
"!?"
"⬛⬛⬛⬛!"
Heracles stood firm, shielding Rikka like a colossus.
It's coming!
"Master!" Mash shouted. "Deploying Noble Phantasm!"
Tarasque charged with terrifying momentum.
Mash raised her Foundation of Humanity, a virtual Noble Phantasm, erecting a wall to protect Rikka and Heracles.
"YAAAAH!"
"Nghhh!"
Rikka collapsed to her knees.
"Rikka! Hold on!" Olga cried.
"Mash is standing firm! This is the moment!" Rikka shouted.
"I know!" Rikka gasped. "Heracles…!"
"⬛⬛⬛⬛."
"Lend me your strength… help Mash—!"
"Do it, Berserker—!"
"Secure Chaldea's resources!" Olga ordered. "Channel mana to Rikka!"
"Here it comes—Heracles' Noble Phantasm!" Rikka announced.
"—⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛!"
"Ngh… YAAAAH!"
Heracles roared, halting Tarasque's charge.
Despite its immense mass, Mash's defense held unwavering, her body unscathed.
Tarasque's momentum faltered, its spin slowing.
And then—
"Why so timid?!"
Martha's fist cut through the air.
"You're a saint, aren't you?!"
Jeanne's flag groaned under the impact.
"I'm not a saint—!"
"Doesn't matter!"
A left body blow bent Jeanne's flag to its breaking point.
"Titles, excuses—they're meaningless!"
A torrent of fists battered the flag, threatening to shatter it.
"All that matters is whether you save or don't!"
"!!"
"While we stand here, people are crying!" Martha roared. "People begging for salvation!"
She reared back.
"Leaving them behind—"
An uppercut soared skyward.
"—to wallow in doubt?!"
Jeanne's flag was blasted into the heavens.
"—!"
While we stand here, people are crying.
"I…"
People begging for salvation.
"I…"
What did I dedicate this life to?
Why did I raise this flag?
"I—!"
"This ends—!"
It's obvious.
To protect trampled dignity, to preserve fleeting peace—
To safeguard hope and forge a future!
"YAAAAH!"
Jeanne drew the sword at her waist—
And unleashed it.
"—!"
That sword was Jeanne d'Arc's life incarnate.
When unleashed, it would burn all to ash, returning her to the heavens.
La Pucelle—the Crimson Holy Maiden—plunged into Martha's chest.
"—That's it," Martha said softly. "I wished to save those people. Even now."
"…"
"Whether I'm a saint or a witch—it's trivial," Jeanne said, gripping the hilt tightly.
"I'll save France. Its people."
As if casting off her soul's doubts—
"If I must fight to move forward, I'll scatter all in my path. I fear no blood on my hands!"
The saint proclaimed her resolve, her voice ringing clear—!
"…That's right," Martha said, her arms falling limp.
"You've got guts… As expected of a saint."
"Saint Martha, you—!"
Jeanne caught Martha as her body began to fade.
"This is fine," Martha said. "Karma, you know? Honestly, making a saint commit slaughter…"
"You… held to your principles until the end—!"
"A weak excuse," Martha said, smiling faintly. "I was Berserk. My role's done."
"Ngh…!"
Jeanne's tears fell upon Martha.
"Hey, no crying," Martha said. "Save your tears for victory."
"But… but…!"
"I'm fading, but you remain," Martha said. "A saint endures, so the outcome's the same. One thing—"
Her words carried the reason she came.
"You can't defeat the dragon Jeanne commands," Martha said. "The golden one might, but you'd die first. That's no different. Dragon-slaying isn't a king's role."
"Not a traveler, not a saint. From ancient times—only a dragon-slayer slays dragons."
"Dragon-slayer…"
"Go to Lyon," Martha urged. "In the town once called Lyon, there's a trump card to secure your victory."
Her form dissolved completely.
"—Sorry, Tarasque."
"Saint Martha!"
"Next time… I'd like a better summoning…"
A saint of both serenity and ferocity, Martha fulfilled her role and vanished—
"—!!!! (Big Sis—!!)"
That moment of distraction was fatal.
Heracles locked onto Tarasque's head, twisting with brutal force.
"⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛!"
He slammed it down, exposing its vulnerable underbelly.
"⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛—!"
The onslaught began. Pummeling, battering, relentless strikes—over and over.
Heracles' trials had faced countless immortal foes.
Undying beasts, reviving no matter how many times slain.
He pondered—What to do?
And realized—
Kill until they die. Each revival, grant death again.
Until the day they perish forever… kill, kill, kill.
That unmatched prowess, that martial mastery—
Sublimated into the pinnacle of Heracles' Noble Phantasm!
"Nine Lives—GO!"
Heracles' frenzied blows tore through Tarasque, flesh scattering, scales shattering.
"⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛—!"
The final strike crushed Tarasque's head.
Its core shattered, the dragon followed its master into oblivion.
"⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛—!"
"It's… over…"
Rikka collapsed, consciousness slipping away—
"Senpai! Stay with me! Senpai!" Mash cried.
"It's done," Gilgamesh said, sensing the Servant's demise.
Good. They've finished.
"Let's go. No more use for these stragglers."
"But Gorgeous-sama, there's still so many—!" Marie protested.
Snap.
With a flick of his fingers, Gilgamesh skewered the remaining fodder in one stroke.
"We're moving. Grab that musician."
"Amadeus? What's wrong?" Marie asked.
"…I'd rather you didn't destroy my ears," Amadeus groaned.
"Oh, you heard that roar?" Marie teased. "Consider it punishment for your earlier nonsense, hm?"
"Damn Berserkers…" Amadeus muttered.
"A fine feat, Master and Mash, felling a dragon!" Gilgamesh laughed. "As expected of my Master! They deserve praise!"
Thank goodness.
With the cleanup done, they set out to rejoin their Master.
"My Fafnir is the strongest!"
😄 Having fun with the story? Come hang out with me on Patreon! You'll get early chapters and some extra goodies too.
👉 pat*eon*com/Greyhounds
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League of Legends (17 Chapter)
Shangri-La Online (41 Chapter)
Frieren: Beyond Journey's End (33 Chapter)
If there's a particular novel you're enjoying on Patron, please give it a 'like' so I know to focus on it.
😄 Having fun with the story? Come hang out with me on Patreon! You'll get early chapters and some extra goodies too.
👉 pat*eon*com/Greyhounds
Honkai Impact: Reborn with the Heroes Before the Collapse (20 Chapter)
Honkai Impact 3rd: Ascension of the Herrscher (20 Chapter)
From Genshin Impact Creator to World Conqueror (43 Chapter)
Fate/Grand Order: Prologue – Radiant Star of the Human Order (47 Chapter)
I Woke Up as an Uma Musume and Now I'm Racing My Way to the Top (81 Chapter)
I Got Dragged Into SAO and Accidentally Stole Kirito's Girl (104 Chapter)
Transferred to Kivotos, I Solve Everything with My Fists (91 Chapter)
One piece: A Tale Before the Wind (96 Chapter)
The Untouchable of Magic High School – A New God Enters the Game (145 Chapter)
KanColle X Devil May Cry: Devil Trigger Protocol (108 Chapter)
High School DxD: Return of the Crimson Dragon Emperor (145 Chapter)
League of Legends (17 Chapter)
Shangri-La Online (41 Chapter)
Frieren: Beyond Journey's End (33 Chapter)
If there's a particular novel you're enjoying on Patron, please give it a 'like' so I know to focus on it.