What is the team composition of Takumi's side?
The answer is one Berserker, one Takumi who can barely be called a Shielder, and four... no, five Archers.
If Drake were a Servant and could summon the Golden Wild Hunt as a Noble Phantasm, she would be a qualified Rider.
But Drake, who only has the Holy Grail's enhancement, although not weak, can be said to perfectly fit the standard of an Archer due to lacking a mount.
Deformed. Anyone would think Takumi's team is deformed. Only Takumi and Asterios count as melee units; the rest are all ranged.
David could tentatively count as a melee unit. The [Hamesh Avanim] (Five Stones) Noble Phantasm has powerful effects and low consumption, but the previous battle with Heracles had already consumed most of his stamina and magical energy.
As a masterless Servant, he can currently only skirt the edge of the battlefield (Edge OP) with Atalanta.
As for Artemis and Euryale, excluding the advantage of their Noble Phantasms, they are undoubtedly at the bottom among Heroic Spirits. They could probably compete with Jason without the Holy Grail, but once they lose a safe output environment, it's easy to call "GG."
So whether this battle can continue currently depends solely on whether Takumi and Asterios can hold the front line. Otherwise, once Heracles or Hector rushes into the formation, Takumi's side will collapse immediately!
Medea (Lily)'s [Territory Creation] skill rank is very high. During this time, she has already built a simple but sufficient magical territory around herself.
Under the protection of the magical territory, Medea and Jason don't need to care too much about arrow attacks from Takumi's side. At least, as long as it doesn't exceed Atalanta's Noble Phantasm attack just now, it can be easily blocked.
They also have a safe output environment, so isn't it obvious what they should do?
Seemingly endless Dragon Tooth Warriors attack wave after wave, exhausting the Archers. The occasionally appearing Shadow Servants also force them to stay fully alert.
The Archers can't provide effective support. Takumi went to block Hector, leaving only Asterios holding the front line alone, who has long shown signs of decline under Heracles.
Heracles' axe-sword slashes at Asterios from all angles—up, down, left, right. Out of three strikes, one always breaks through Asterios's twin axe defense, hitting his body and leaving bloody, mangled wounds.
"Ugh... ha..."
The ground beneath his feet is soaked in blood, appearing dark red. A large amount of blood gathers into small pools following the terrain.
Asterios, covered in cuts and bruises, gasps heavily. Without uttering a word, he blocks in front of Heracles, waving the twin axes in his hands to resist Heracles' attacks with all his might.
This amount of blood loss is probably something only Asterios can withstand. Anyone else, unless they have a JoJo character's constitution, would have probably died two or three times already.
Facing Asterios, whose movements have clearly slowed down, Heracles acts as if seeing nothing. The expression on his face remains emotionless, the axe-sword attacks never stopping, constantly adding fresh wounds to his body.
Heracles, who was already good at hunting monsters, now seems to have found his true calling, suppressing Asterios so he can't even lift his head.
'Asterios...'
Euryale looks at the little bull who hasn't taken a step back even after being beaten like this, her eyes incredibly complex.
Clearly, wouldn't it have been fine if you just got rid of me before coming here? Why must you fight to this extent...
Euryale looks at Asterios with heartache and blame, but her mouth never utters words telling him to give up.
After all, the companions present came here with the resolve not to abandon any partner. How could she suddenly spoil the mood in this situation?
With such thoughts, Euryale refocuses her attention on the constantly surging Dragon Tooth Warriors and Shadow Servants.
But a trace of sorrow still lingers on Euryale's face.
Even if they try their best like this, how long can they last...
Euryale can already feel the magical energy drawn from her Master becoming unstable.
It shows that Takumi's battle situation is equally unpromising.
After all, Hector is a great hero capable of competing with Achilles on the same stage. Even if he isn't Achilles' match in frontal combat, he still led soldiers to hold out against him for several years.
And Achilles is almost the second greatest hero in Greek mythology after Heracles.
So how strong is the true strength of Hector, who can compete with Achilles?
[Durindana Pilum: Ultimate Unbroken Spear] is wielded by Hector with great vigor. No longer slacking off, he shows suppressive power far stronger than the previous two battles.
Especially in the use of magical energy. Relying on Jason with the Holy Grail for supply, he doesn't worry about magical energy, constantly urging the power of his Noble Phantasm.
The destructive power displayed by the light spreading from the spear blade is definitely not something that can be settled by just blocking with a thin flagstaff.
Takumi, who had long ago been slashed diagonally from his collarbone to his chest by the diffuse sharp light, leaving a bloody trail, has to frequently activate his Noble Phantasm as well.
Using this to protect his body from being hurt by Hector's attacks.
Although Takumi's Noble Phantasm doesn't consume much magical energy when facing attacks with low destructive power, it can't withstand heavy and repeated use.
Moreover, [Escapist] is the key for Takumi to maneuver under Hector, and the number of times it's activated is also not small.
Even to delay Hector for a while longer, Takumi took out the Black Key bombs he was afraid of using on the ship to avoid friendly fire.
Unfortunately, Hector's Magic Resistance is also not low. Takumi's half-baked Rune Magecraft poses limited threat to him.
Combining all this, in terms of stamina and magical energy consumption, Takumi probably won't lose to any existence in this battle.
Moreover, Takumi still has to provide magical energy for Asterios and the others to fight—
'This will only be a slow death... What exactly should be done? Is there any way to turn defeat into victory? My brain, fucking move!'*
Feeling the magical energy fading in his body and his movements gradually failing to keep up with Hector's rhythm, Takumi rarely starts to get anxious. His brain spins wildly, thinking of ways to break the situation.
But Takumi had analyzed the disparity of this battle before coming here. Back then, with enough time to think, he couldn't come up with a solution. Now, barely supporting himself under Hector, what solution could he have?
Borrowing the power of other Servants like in the previous Singularities?
But this is different from the first two Singularities where he could relax. Siegfried, Romulus—they were all generals on his side...
Here, Hector, Heracles—the two strongest cards in the entire Singularity are on the opposite side. Where can Takumi find stronger cards to turn the tables?
David? Artemis? Atalanta?
Their Noble Phantasms ceased to be effective against Heracles long ago. Even if he borrowed their power, what good would it do?
"Your heart is in turmoil, enemy Master."
Hector slows down his offensive slightly, saying with regret and pity.
At this point in the battle, even if he stood in Takumi's position, he wouldn't have the ability to say he could turn the tables.
To be honest, this is no longer a battlefield that can be turned around with a little cleverness.
Both sides have their IQs online. The battle is confined to this inescapable small island. And Heracles always keeps his distance from the only game-breaking item, the [Ark of the Covenant].
What remains to determine the outcome?
It's the hard power of both sides!
Hector glances at Takumi's configuration of five ranged units, shaking his head straight away.
Just this? What are you fighting us with?
Thinking this, Hector's gaze towards Takumi suddenly becomes much more complex.
"Actually, you don't think you can defeat us either, right? Before coming here, you decided that you couldn't defeat us, right?"
"But you still came, and you are still fighting as desperately as before, or even more so—"
"Sigh, let me say something funny. I actually saw my own shadow in you? Hahaha, truly baffling..."
Hector laughs self-deprecatingly.
Seen through...
Takumi's heart sinks, but his mouth still rudely spits out two words:
"Shut up!"
"Haha, be stubborn all you want; there's nothing bad about it."
Hector shakes his head and laughs, his attack movements returning to their previous speed.
---
"Darling, what do we do now?"
The love-brained Artemis also sees their side's defeat and starts to worry.
"How would I know? I'm just a useless little bear."
Orion rolls his eyes, sweating profusely.
He was never a hero known for strategy. Asking him, full of muscles, to think about such problems?
Especially when the enemies are Hector and Heracles?
Are you serious?
Not speaking discouraging words is already the limit of what Orion can do!
Compared to Orion's sweating, Jason is triumphant.
Heracles has the upper hand and will soon finish off Asterios.
It's only a matter of time before Hector deals with the enemy Master.
His combination with Medea has beaten a bunch of Archers into a rout!
Who else can stop them? Who else!
If conditions permitted, Jason would probably be popping champagne at halftime!
"Hahahaha, you guys finally can't hold on anymore, right?"
"Oh my, I told you to be sensible and hand over Euryale earlier, wouldn't everyone be happy? You insisted on fighting like this, and isn't the result the same?"
Jason mocks proficiently.
"Dammit, you talk too much!"
How can Drake's explosive temper stand this? She pulls out a cannon backhandedly and fires a shot at Jason.
Whoosh——
The cannonball, powered by unknown means, smashes straight at Jason's head but is blocked by a translucent magical barrier in mid-air, loses kinetic energy, and falls to the ground ordinarily.
Although not hit, Jason's face sinks instantly.
"It seems I was too merciful to you, so much so that you don't even have the most basic respect for me."
"Heracles! Don't they all like to protect Euryale? Use your full strength to tear their defense apart and bring Euryale back!"
"Let them taste the feeling of powerlessness!"
Medea shakes her head listening to this, feeling Jason has too much bad taste.
Hearing this, Heracles speeds up the attack frequency expressionlessly. Magical energy bursts all over his body, his long black hair flying in the air like a lion's mane.
The axe-blade is like a wild beast pack, constantly tearing at Asterios's body. Blood splatters, flesh flies. Under Heracles' full-force attack, Asterios's robust body seems no different from an ordinary person's. Hideous wounds are torn open on his arms, thighs, calves, waist, and abdomen.
The gap in martial arts allows Asterios to only block a small amount of attacks; the rest have to be taken with his body.
Blood flows all over Asterios's body, trickling down his arms onto the twin axes in his hands. The slimy sensation makes him unable to even hold the weapons properly, almost slipping out of his hands several times under Heracles' attacks.
"Cough, ah..."
Unconscious sounds emit from his mouth, and Asterios's pupils even begin to dilate.
'Enough, let it end like this...'
Euryale looks away unbearably. Even if she is unwilling, they currently don't have a shred of chance to win, right?
As if hearing the voice in Euryale's heart.
The next instant, Asterios's eyes suddenly regain clarity. Not only that, but scarlet light also flickers in his pupils.
"Woo ah——"
Asterios roars, throwing the useless Labrys of the Abyss behind his back, then ignoring Heracles' continuous attacks, allowing him to add newer and deeper wounds to his body.
"Push you, over there!"
Asterios roars, hugging Heracles, using all his strength to push Heracles straight towards the [Ark of the Covenant].
Under Asterios's reckless offense, his advantage in Strength is perfectly displayed. He actually forces Heracles to be unable to resist completely. The soil is separated by their feet, plowing out a fresh "ditch"!
Bad, bad, bad... Could Heracles fail? Impossible, absolutely impossible!
Seeing Heracles gradually approaching the Ark's location, Jason also breaks out in a cold sweat.
"Heracles! Stop slacking off; hurry up and kill the inexplicable monster in front of you!"
Urged by the sense of urgency, Jason shouts loudly at Heracles.
Heracles also seems to be provoked into anger. The axe-blade in his hand is raised high, magical light flickering on it.
[Nine Lives: Shooting the Hundred Heads]!
Nine super-high-speed consecutive strikes slash out almost simultaneously, all pouring onto the undefended Asterios.
Asterios's movement of pushing Heracles pauses abruptly. His pupils dilate completely, leaving only the whites of his eyes.
The next second.
Nine wounds that shatter Asterios's bones appear on his chest. His huge body flies backward straight away, as if an ordinary person was hit by a truck.
"Asterios——!?"
Euryale watches Asterios disappear into the woods behind, finally unable to resist calling his name.
"Hahaha, it should be like this! How can a monster defeat the strongest great hero? Sigh, I made a fuss about nothing, actually wavering in my trust for Heracles..."
Jason breathes a sigh of relief. After putting his heart back in his stomach, he feels his reaction just now was a bit too much.
"But it doesn't matter. As long as Euryale is brought back, my great cause will be perfect!"
Under Jason's order, Heracles, like a demon god, walks unhurriedly towards Euryale.
'Sigh, in the end, I still have to step up? Even I won't be able to handle such high-intensity combat...'
David feels helpless in his heart. Putting away the stones picked up from random places, he holds his staff and blocks Heracles' path.
No choice. He is already the only person on their side who can hinder Heracles. He doesn't even have the chance to run away. Simply because the most critical person is right behind him—he doesn't have the confidence to beat Heracles in a race while carrying a person on his back.
...
The small battlefield belonging to Takumi and Hector.
The [Durindana] in Hector's hand switches smoothly between sword and spear. Cyan-yellow spear lights and sword shadows constantly appear around Takumi, but are blocked by golden light.
Sweat soaks his clothes. A burning pain comes from the wound on his chest. His arms, soles, and calves have long been incredibly sore.
The only fortunate thing is probably that Takumi's mind is still relatively clear. After experiencing several Singularities, the pressure of [Escapist] on Takumi has significantly decreased. Although it hasn't reached the point where it can be used normally, at least it won't make his head dizzy and painful to the point of exploding, or his body nauseous under the load after just a few uses.
"It's over!"
Hector keenly detects a flaw in Takumi's defense. The Unbreakable Spear transforms into a sword in his hand in the blink of an eye, then slashes down.
The blade cuts Takumi's left shoulder, deep enough to see the bone. Only then does the golden light barely appear, cushioning under the blade.
Hector exerts force with his hand, slashing diagonally downwards, leaving a blood line on Takumi's body.
After cutting across the body, the sword continues to sweep towards Hector's own rear left under inertia. Then he follows up with a side kick, hitting Takumi's stomach.
In the blink of an eye, Takumi's body bows like a shrimp. His eyes only have time to flash a trace of pain before flying backward like a human cannonball.
This is my true move, enemy Master.
You still have a lot to learn!
Hector curls the corner of his mouth triumphantly. Ignoring Takumi's condition, he turns and heads straight for Euryale's location.
Takumi's tenacity exceeded his expectations. Instead of wasting time with him, it's better to catch the more critical Euryale first.
A cannonball suddenly strikes, smashing a tree thick enough for two people to hug almost grazing Hector's chest, stopping Hector who had only moved for two seconds.
Hector looks up calmly, only to discover that Drake is blocking his way.
"Really troublesome. Finally got rid of one, and you followed. Did you really just meet a few days ago?"
Hector picks his ear with a headache.
"Oh my, who made Mimi always have such strong vigilance against you? He can't participate in the battle temporarily; as the Boss, I have to fill in no matter what."
Drake raises her eyebrows, her dual pistols maintaining an angle aimed at Hector's head.
Takumi is a crew member she cares about quite a bit. In the entire battlefield, probably only she cares most about Takumi's movements.
"Do you think you can stop me?"
Hector narrows his eyes, the sword in his hand transforming back into the spear form.
"How would I know if I don't try!"
Drake strikes first, pulling the trigger before finishing her sentence.
Hector lowers his head, easily dodging Drake's bullets, then waves his spear, the tip pointing straight at Drake's neck.