Anchor, Stop Pretending, You're in Chaldea - Chapter 159

“Caster died again, truly ruthless!!”

“Has Caster ever won? It seems like she always loses.”

“Well, being Greece’s most love-stricken, she’d do anything for Jason—even killing her own brother and son, only to end up this way.”

“At least she’s from the Age of Gods; save her, Streamer!”

“Nah, better not. The Witch of Revenge isn’t one to joke around. Why don’t you call Teacher over too? Imagine both joining forces, wouldn’t that be fantastic?”

“System Message: ‘Ryuudouji Gatekeeper’ gifted Treasure Map x2!”

“Comment: Fox lady, hurry back! Your treasured Saber figurines have been discovered!!!”

“System Message: ‘Just an Ordinary Good Teacher’ gifted Starlight Rockets x5!”

“Comment: Caster! If you’re tired, return to Ryuudouji anytime, I’ll wait for you!”

Bai Qiu had no time to monitor the live stream or Heracles’ situation; he and Mashu were intensely engaged in communication through their devices.

“Zzzt… Hello, can you hear me?”

Despite some static, it seemed that Dr. Roman’s voice was coming through clearly.

“It looks like we finally connected!”

On Mashu’s bracelet, Dr. Roman’s image finally appeared.

His expression looked extremely anxious, with heavy dark circles under his eyes, indicating severe lack of sleep. However, upon realizing the connection was established, a hint of excitement surfaced on his face.

“Hello, can you hear us?” Da Vinci’s voice also came through.

“Da Vinci-chan!!!” Mashu exclaimed, equally thrilled at hearing this familiar voice.

“Cough, cough, seems like we’ve managed to connect – what a struggle! It’s just as chaotic here as it is there.”

Even Da Vinci’s voice sounded somewhat weary.

“How truly pathetic, Chaldea. With such a lamentable state, do you still dare to reclaim humanity’s future?” Draco stepped forward at the opportune moment, mocking them over the communicator.

“I can’t argue with that… But thanks to Beast of Sodom’s assistance, it seems our Magister has successfully intervened in this era.”

“Ha ha ha, are you trying to thank me? How amusing! No worries, let me fully enjoy your pitiful state.”

Draco nodded contentedly.

“Hey, doc, what’s going on? Didn’t we agree to correct the Rayshift data thoroughly? Why did it drop us directly at sea, and even separated from our Servants?!”

Bai Qiu was eager to understand what had happened.

“Bai Qiu, don’t panic just yet.” Dr. Roman raised his hand, signaling Bai Qiu to remain calm.

“In fact, we noticed this issue immediately after the Rayshift, but due to some interference affecting our communications, it took until now to establish contact.”

“Interference again…” Bai Qiu scratched his head.

Could it really be because he contracted Draco, causing Chaldea to face further rejection from the Human Order?

Wait, why did I say ‘again’?

“In fact, we consulted with El-Melloi II and Reines about this issue; they suggested it’s not due to Chaldea’s systems but rather something specific to your era. It seems like a powerful Bounded Field is obstructing communication signals.”

Immediately following that, Dr. Roman asked:

“The sudden restoration of contact indicates that the interference has completely vanished. We detected a strong signal near you disappearing around the same time, likely directly related to the disruption.”

“A strong signal, disappeared?”

Instantly, Bai Qiu and Mashu realized what had happened.

“Is it Medea?!”

Ah, so that explains it.

Most likely, Medea, possessing the Holy Grail, had set up a potent Bounded Field over this maritime area. As a magus from the Age of Gods, her mastery of Magecraft far surpassed contemporary capabilities.

With the amplification of the Holy Grail, it made sense why Chaldea’s communications were hindered.

On another note, shouldn’t Chaldea consider upgrading their communication systems further?

“Medea????”

Upon hearing this name, Dr. Roman jumped in surprise.

“Is it that infamous Witch of Vengeance, a magus from the Age of Gods? How did you end up fighting her? Holy Grail, have you already repaired this era? But why hasn’t the Twisted Era ended yet?”

Faced with several questions from Dr. Roman at once, Bai Qiu couldn’t immediately provide clear answers.

“In short, it’s a long story, but I’ve roughly identified the cause of the twisted era,” Bai Qiu responded seriously.

“It seems Jason, present in this time period, intends to use the Holy Grail to establish his maritime empire in these waters.”

Although the Holy Grail was currently in C’s possession, its power was ultimately being used to fulfill Jason’s wishes.

“Jason? Isn’t he Medea’s husband?” Dr. Roman shook his head. “To think he wants to create a sea-based empire using the Holy Grail, shows how deeply obsessed he must be.” His expression quickly changed.

“Bai Qiu, this isn’t the time for such discussions. We’ve detected a powerful Servant with immense Magical Energy moving towards your location.”

Oh no, it’s coming from that direction!

Instantly, Bai Qiu instructed Mashu to store the Holy Grail within her shield and swiftly headed towards the pirate ship that had previously bombarded Pirate Island.

“You’re way too strong, easily defeating my subordinates like that!” Blackbeard panted heavily while continuously retreating.

“Boss, this monster is just too powerful!”

“Just being near him feels like certain death!”

“Boss, it seems our special attack team hasn’t sent any signals back. Have they already failed?”

Flooded with discouraging news, Blackbeard appeared extremely frustrated.

“Do you still wish to continue fighting?” Heracles asked, wielding his massive bow, his voice filled with overwhelming authority.

“I…I can’t take anymore of this!”

“Boss, I didn’t become a pirate to face such monsters. I don’t want to die here!”

Glancing sideways, Blackbeard noticed several sailors unable to withstand the pressure and jumped off the ship, fleeing.

“Damn it! A bunch of spineless cowards, how dare you call yourselves pirates?!” Seeing his men deserting, Blackbeard erupted in furious curses.

“Alright, I admit you’re quite formidable, but now it’s time for me to get serious…serious!” Blackbeard stared fearlessly at Heracles, taking deep breaths and emitting strange cries.

“Yes!!!” Reinvigorated, Blackbeard raised his voice with a hint of desperation.

“That’s enough already! Come save me quickly!!!” As he shouted, suddenly, a figure leaped from another stealthily approaching pirate ship in the distance!

“Bammm ————!”

Upon landing on the deck, the entire pirate vessel shook violently.

“Grrraaaahhh ————” The newcomer let out a massive roar towards their surroundings.

“You were supposed to be backup, not wreck my ship!” Blackbeard immediately protested, clearly dissatisfied.

“——?!?” When Heracles laid eyes on this Berserker, he instantly understood the situation.

“To be summoned in such a pitiful form…”

In his eyes, this deranged Servant was none other than himself.

“So what do you think? This is the secret weapon I borrowed from Jason. Although communication can be challenging, even he couldn’t resist lending me someone so incredibly powerful.”

“Don’t blame me now; remember, I’m a pirate—we don’t exactly follow rules by nature. But taking a closer look, you two really do resemble each other quite strikingly.”

Blackbeard’s gaze shifted between Berserker and Heracles, seemingly grasping something.

“Hey, are you guys perhaps brothers? In our pirate world, it’s not uncommon for entire families to be pirates.”

His comment seemed to irk Frenzied Sea.

“Oh come on, I was just joking! Surely you don’t take offense at pirate banter, right? Pirates often forget their past lives after a few drinks, lost at sea.”

“Hearken, thou over there,” Heracles called out softly to him.

“I can empathize with your anger, for the curse that led to killing one’s own child is indeed the source of this tormenting madness.”

“Rrraaaaahhh!” Seemingly enraged by Heracles’ words, Berserker leaped forward, swinging his massive axe-sword.

“Clangggg!”

The axe-sword struck the deck forcefully, leaving a deep crater behind.

“My ship!” Blackbeard cried out heartbrokenly.

“Damn it, I must get Jason to replace this with an even larger and newer ship later! Or maybe we should just seize that old hag’s ship next,” he muttered under his breath.

As Berserker attacked, Heracles swiftly jumped backward, instantly drawing his bow mid-air.

An arrow adorned with mythical bird feathers shot forth at incredible speed!

In the moment the arrow aimed at Berserker, he effortlessly evaded it. However, the arrow took an unbelievable sharp turn and circled back towards Berserker’s back!

“Clingggg!”

Without even looking, Berserker cleanly sliced the arrow with his massive axe-sword and immediately swung it towards Heracles once again.

“Whoo… Haaaaa!!!” Taking a deep breath, Heracles thrust his great bow upwards.

“Clangggg!!!!”

The two weapons collided, generating an unimaginable shockwave.

“Ahhhhh!”

Even Blackbeard was forced several steps back by this force, barely managing to regain his footing by grabbing onto a nearby railing.

“This is more intense than gales within a colossal whirlpool! We’ve truly encountered a formidable opponent this time. No, if we continue like this, we’re bound to suffer.” Sensing that things were taking a turn for the worse, Blackbeard instantly considered retreating.

“Thy anger is justified, for thy anger is also mine.”

Heracles gripped his large bow tightly, gradually finding himself at a disadvantage during their clash.

Before him, the Berserker’s eyes were filled with hatred and fury, seemingly intent on destroying everything in sight.

“But such rage will yield nothing!”

Gathering strength with both hands, Heracles forcefully plucked the bowstring at point-blank range!

“Twang ————!!”

The deafening sound rapidly echoed around them, causing the mast to creak ominously, as if on the verge of snapping.

Experiencing this close-range vibration, Berserker’s power seemed slightly weakened. Seizing the opportunity, Heracles immediately deflected the axe-sword aside and once again drew back his bow.

This time, nine arrows adorned with peculiar mythical bird feathers appeared on his bowstring.

“Be liberated from anger, O other self!”

As he released the bowstring, the nine arrows, each bearing strange bird tail feathers, flew straight towards the Berserker ahead!

Sensing danger, Berserker swiftly sidestepped, then roared and brought down his axe-sword heavily.

“Clang ————!!!”

The deck instantly cracked under the impact, momentarily slowing the tracking arrows due to the burst of force.

“Hroooarrrr——!!!”

Berserker swung his axe-sword, deflecting three arrows, and with another horizontal strike, severed two more.

The remaining four arrows dispersed into the sky and transformed into bronze mythical birds before swooping back down!

These creatures had metallic beaks and bronze feathers; although not familiars, they moved with similar agility.

Berserker swung his axe-sword to strike them down, but they evaded effortlessly.

Then, the four mythical birds positioned themselves around Berserker at different angles, flapping their wings simultaneously. They unleashed razor-sharp bronze feathers like a barrage of deadly projectiles!

“Clang, clang, clang ——!!”

While the axe-sword continuously blocked the onslaught of bronze feathers, many still managed to pierce Berserker, causing blood to flow from his wounds.

“Grrraaaahhh!” The pain only fueled Berserker’s fury further, his eyes blazing with a terrifying red glow.

Simultaneously, massive amounts of Magical Energy surged from within him.

“Is he planning to use his Noble Phantasm?” Heracles tightened his grip on the great bow, remaining composed.

“Very well, let us witness if this enraged version of myself can truly defeat my current self!”