Anchor, Stop Pretending, You're in Chaldea - Chapter 161

“This is intense! Real men should brawl up close!”

“I’ve seen this episode before; Uncle Heracles wins.”

“Can Type-Moon’s Archers be a bit more consistent? Are they all supposed to excel at close combat?”

“Got it now. Drawing a bow requires immense strength, so naturally, they’d have extraordinary muscle power.”

“Uncle Heracles without his berserker rage is surprisingly strong!”

“Somebody explain, what’s the deal with that cloth in Heracles’ hand? Can it block Noble Phantasms???”

“It seems likely from his ‘Twelve Labors’ legend, specifically the hide of the invulnerable Nemean Lion he once killed.”

“Why bully such cute kitties?! Wait, you can loot gear from them? Any more available???”

“With Archer-class abilities and near-invulnerability, isn’t this forcing opponents into close combat? But seriously, who would willingly engage an Archer at melee range???”

“Hilarious, these two might keep fighting until both universes fade away without declaring a winner!”

“System Announcement: ‘Life for Ilya’ has gifted Starry Sky Firework x5!”

“Message: You two, stop fighting already! With twelve lives each, you’re literally unkillable!”

“It’s ‘The Pelt of the Divine Beast’!” Dr. Romani immediately recognized the true origin of the cloth held by Heracles from the image.

“This armor, made from the Nemean Lion’s fur, can block all weapon-based damage. No wonder he can directly confront the opponent’s Noble Phantasm.”

“Considering Heracles accomplished the Twelve Labors, I doubt this is his only valuable treasure.” Da Vinci-chan analyzed the data alongside her comment. “Thinking about it now, it’s truly hard to determine which side has a greater chance of winning.”

“Bai Qiu, you don’t seem to have any Caster-class Servants on your side, correct?” Da Vinci-chan suddenly asked what appeared to be an unrelated question.

“Hmm, after arriving in this era, I’ve only summoned one Servant, Heracles. Why do you ask?”

“Then this demigod must still be using his own Magical Energy, right?” Da Vinci’s tone turned somewhat serious.

“Oh…”

If not for Da Vinci-chan’s reminder, Bai Qiu almost forgot about it entirely.

With the support-type Servants always present, he never considered the issue of Magical Energy depletion.

Since being summoned, Heracles had already fought Hydra and Medea.

Without any rest, he now engaged with Madness Enhanced Bai Qiu.

“A Servant possessing half-Divine Spirit Saint Graph inherently consumes several times more Magical Energy than ordinary Saint Graph Servants. Currently, Chaldea’s power supply can only maintain communications; there’s no way to convert it into Magical Energy and transmit it to you.”

A slightly anxious tone came from Da Vinci’s voice on the other end.

“Could it be…”

“Yes, based on observing Archer Heracles’ rapidly depleting Magical Energy, he might struggle to sustain prolonged combat against Berserker.”

“Oh right, Da Vinci-chan, we just recovered the Holy Grail from Medea, can we use it directly?!” Mashu immediately brought up the Holy Grail they obtained from Medea.

“Using the Holy Grail’s Magical Energy should definitely work, right?”

“But they’re already engaged in battle! In such evenly matched combat, even a slight mistake could be fatal!” Da Vinci swiftly rejected Mashu’s suggestion.

“If all else fails, our only option is for everyone on-site to launch a coordinated assault and repel that Berserker first.”

“But with that level of combat intensity, getting involved could easily result in collateral damage,” Dr. Romani expressed his concern while watching the transmitted battle footage.

“…”

Bai Qiu also anxiously stared at the unfolding scene before him.

The fierce battle between the two Heracles had reached its peak, one fully utilizing “Valor,” and the other relying on instinctual prowess from his overwhelming stats.

Even if they wanted to assist, it would be incredibly difficult to intervene without disrupting their clash.

Moreover, possibly due to their contract bond, Bai Qiu sensed Heracles’ clear desire for no interference. This was, after all, a fight between two versions of himself.

“Clangggg!” Another resounding strike echoed through the air.

Surprisingly, Heracles managed to suppress Berserker’s axe-sword with his longbow.

“Grrrroarrr!” The disadvantaged Berserker let out a furious roar.

At this moment, Heracles’ belt began to emit a brilliant glow.

“Do you remember this belt? It’s the one we stole from Hippolyta.”

With a forceful step forward, Heracles slowly pushed back Berserker’s axe-sword, held tightly by his opponent.

“This is Ares’ Emblem, granting me temporary power as the god of war!”

In response to Heracles’ question, Berserker merely exhaled heavily, the frenzied red glow in his eyes intensifying.

“It seems you’ve forgotten everything. This pitiful state… even I…” Disappointment and defiance filled Heracles’ gaze, but then it swiftly regained its majestic aura.

“Rest now, my self consumed only by rage and relentless slaughter!”

His entire body tensed like a drawn bowstring, emitting a powerful vibration!

Unable to withstand such close-range impact, Berserker instinctively attempted to leap backward.

Seizing the momentary opening, Heracles swiftly struck Berserker with a heavy blow from his longbow!

“Boom—!!!” With a deafening sound, Berserker was sent flying.

The impact shattered the muscles in his left arm, causing blood to gush profusely as the limb sailed into the distant sea.

Blood instantly splattered across the deck, and Berserker staggered backward, swaying unsteadily.

“Roarrrr——!!!!”

Undeterred, he charged forward once again!!!

His severed left arm rapidly regenerated in mid-air.

As Berserker neared Heracles, he unleashed a swift punch with his newly formed left hand directly at Heracles’ chest!!!

“—?!”

Heracles sidestepped, narrowly avoiding the punch but still sustaining injuries from the forceful wind generated by the attack. Multiple cracks appeared on his chest, spilling crimson blood immediately!

Without giving any time for reaction, Berserker swung his axe-sword down fiercely with his right hand!!!

“Clangggg—”

Instead of using the “Pelt of the Divine Beast” to block, Heracles chose to retreat and create distance by utilizing the momentum from Berserker’s attack.

In mid-air, he once again drew his bow, and three sharp arrows adorned with Strange Bird tail feathers appeared on its string.

“Swish ————!!!” The trio of arrows swiftly flew forth!!!

This time, Berserker’s anger diminished the effectiveness of his Mystic Eyes.

Left shoulder, right arm, and calf – all were instantly pierced by the arrows!

Due to Berserker’s immense strength, both muscles and bones ruptured at the impacted areas; part of his left shoulder was even completely shattered by the arrow!

“Roarrrr ————”!!!

The pain only fueled Berserker’s Valor further!!!

He raised his axe-sword towards Heracles once more, single-handedly channeling vast amounts of Magical Energy onto it!!!

Observing this, Heracles extended his arm wrapped in the Pelt of the Divine Beast.

“Buzz ——!!!”

Nine ultra-fast strikes were all parried. Just as Heracles prepared to counterattack, a sudden intense pain shot through his arm.

“—?!”

The Berserker’s fist had forcefully struck the Pelt of the Divine Beast covering it.

“Crack!!!”

The sound of bones breaking echoed instantly.

While the Pelt of the Divine Beast could resist external attacks, it couldn’t defend against direct physical assaults from flesh itself.

Despite having descended into madness and lost rationality, Berserker swiftly discerned this weakness amidst their brief skirmish. With Madness Enhancement fueling him, he displayed a close-quarters combat prowess surpassing most Servants.

“Raaaaahhh ————!!!”

Enraged, Berserker once again raised the axe-sword with one hand and swung heavily towards Heracles!!!

“Boom ——”

Heracles managed to block the strike with his longbow held single-handedly, but the already fragile deck beneath him couldn’t withstand such immense force and shattered instantly.

Losing his footing, Heracles plummeted heavily downwards.

Seeing this, Berserker jumped after him, axe-sword at the ready.

At the bottom of the ship, amidst cluttered storage compartments, lay treasures amassed by Blackbeard from nearby seas.

Struggling to stand using his massive bow for support, Heracles felt his arms recovering painfully slow due to insufficient Magical Energy.

In his current state, it would be challenging to counter Berserker’s close combat with the “Pelt of the Divine Beast” within a short time frame. Additionally, being confined on a ship over open sea made maintaining distance difficult, rapidly worsening the situation.

“Thud, thud, thud!!!”

Berserker’s heavy footsteps drew nearer.

Leaning on his longbow, Heracles watched as Berserker slowly emerged and asked,

“Do you remember the sins you once committed?”

“Huff, huff…”

The footsteps of Berserker drew closer.

“Curse-stricken and driven to madness, your hands ultimately became stained with blood…”

As he faced his once-suppressed enemy, Berserker raised his axe-sword again!

“I absolutely cannot allow such a fate to happen again! Consumed by fury, take this strike!” Heracles swiftly lifted his massive bow with one hand, then resolutely pulled back the bowstring using the only two functional fingers on his other hand.

Nine arrows adorned with strange bird tail feathers appeared dramatically. Unlike before, their tips now shimmered with emerald green light.

“Whoosh ——————!!”

The nine arrows soared through the air!

This time, instead of transforming into bronze-feathered birds as previously, the arrows infused with immense Magical Energy coalesced directly into the roaring form of Hydra, the multi-headed serpent!!!

The massive Monster Snake formed from Magical Energy continuously bared its sharp venomous fangs and hissed forward, as if intent on devouring every enemy in sight.

“ROOOOAAAAAAAAARRR!”

Instinctively sensing danger, Berserker did not choose to evade but instead unleashed Nine Lives once more with a furious roar!

His axe-sword swung at supersonic speed, locking onto all nine heads of the Hydra.

“CRACKKKK!”

In an instant, the nine monstrous snake heads were severed, causing the body composed of Magical Energy to gradually dissipate.

“—————?!”

Initially planning to continue attacking, Berserker staggered, nearly collapsing. Only by plunging his enormous axe-sword into the ship’s deck could he barely maintain a kneeling position.

His entire body was covered with deep cuts from arrowheads.

The parts of his body near the arrowheads had turned black and purple.

“Even with your ‘Twelve Labors’ Noble Phantasm granting you immortality, this is Hydra’s venom from the second labor—a lethal weapon and our inevitable fate.”

Heracles stood before the kneeling Berserker, wielding his mighty bow.

“Grr…raaaahhh!!!” Berserker roared wildly, but the poison was taking its toll, making it increasingly difficult for him to maintain his stance.

Straining forward, he attempted to raise his axe-sword for another attack. The venom relentlessly eroded his life force; although his Noble Phantasm allowed continuous regeneration, the poison swiftly drained his Magical Energy.

At this point, the collapse of his Saint Graph became irreversible.

Perhaps due to the severe poisoning, the intense red glow in Berserker’s eyes gradually began to fade.

“…I cannot forgive myself,” he said, addressing Heracles before him.

“Only by immersing my mind and body in this anger can I find a moment’s peace…”

The Saint Graph had shattered, and his body was slowly fading away.

“I leave the rest to you. Having accepted this fury, liberate…this era from the evil foreign threat…”

As his form completely vanished, the axe-sword remained firmly embedded in the ship’s hull, undamaged.

Heracles approached, repositioned his great bow on his back, and grasped the axe-sword, exerting force to pull it out!

“BOOM——!!”

Seawater rushed rapidly into the punctured hull, causing the already damaged pirate ship to finally collapse entirely!

Gathering strength in his legs, Heracles leaped high into the air with a mighty bound!

Emerging from the wreckage, carrying both the axe-sword and his great bow, Heracles recalled the Berserker’s warning mid-flight:

“An evil foreign threat, huh…”