Though the Mage's Association had three primary branches, it was actually comprised of several other factions and affiliated families. While two of the three branches were located in Europe, with the Atlas Temple being located in Egypt, they had branches of influence spread throughout the entire world. After all, it would be impossible to form a united front of they left the Holy Church to plant its roots in a region uncontested. As a result, though the mana density was much lower than places like Africa, Europe, and Asia, the Mage's Association had several affiliates within the Americas.
Due to its low mana density, the United States was not a highly contested ground for any of the major factions. Though the Holy Church had its usual influence, this was a land where the greatest powers were Science and Capitalism. As a result, there were only three major factions present, with several hundred smaller groups affiliated with them. These were the Stonemasons, the Illuminati, and the Templars, each representing the Mage's Association, Dead Apostles, and the Holy Church. In fact, as a result of the Americas being relatively unpilfered lands, the largest majority of the Dead Apostle Ancestors were located in North and South America, primarily as a result of their boredom.
Among these factions, the Stonemasons had spread throughout most of North America with their Headquarters located within New York City, New York. They were heavily involved with the politics and governance of the United States, consolidating great wealth to compensate for their lacking Magical Power. Though their Director, Christina Scarlett was considered an extremely powerful Magus, she couldn't even be considered within the top 50 most powerful individuals in the world.
Despite her losing out against her contemporaries, the type of Magecraft practiced by Stonemasons was extremely 'efficient', with her being one of the few that could exercise her full power. She also more than made up for her lack of power by having one of the largest factions in the world, losing out only to the Jade Temple and Bodhisattva Faction in China and India respectively. Since her faction had also been present during the formation of the United States, they had extremely deep roots and, even compared to the three Monarchal Families, their wealth and physical assets were without equal, albeit allocated very broadly across all fifty States.
With the Mage's Association consolidating most of its power in and around Europe, they were able to exercise greater control over the surrounding factions. At the same time, even if thousands of nuclear warheads were to rain down atop London, it would remain relatively unscathed. Even the architecture of the city itself was part of a larger magic circle which, when activated, would allow them to even withstand extinction-level events such as a meteor strike. Inversely, as they had their power spread thin across many States, there was very little magical infrastructure within the United States.
Though Magi couldn't use their full power on US soil, this didn't stop numerous young Magi from visiting the so-called 'Land of the Free'. Since the entertainment industry in the US was one of the most well-developed in the entire world, it was a popular tourist destination for anyone that simply wanted to cut loose. As most incidents would be quickly covered up by the CIA and FBI, there were thousands of incidents of young Magi wreaking havoc all throughout the country. The most popular places, as could be expected, were Hollywood, California, Seatle, Washington, Las Vegas, Nevada and Orlando, Florida.
Hollywood was considered a 'playground' of sorts to many as, with a few clever uses of Magecraft, it was easy to mingle amongst celebrities. Though you had to avoid stepping too far out of line, there were numerous Magi who would return to the Clock Tower each year, sharing rather inappropriate pictures that they had taken after hypnotizing and modifying the memories of various celebrities. So long as they were not protected, A-List Actors, it wasn't hard to sneak into the party of an up-and-coming Actor or Actress, turning them into your pet for a few nights. In fact, if you made the proper arrangements, many of these celebrities would be sold out by their own Producers as gaining the favor of a Magus associated with the Clock Tower was a very lucrative business.
Understanding the rampant corruption in the US, as Luvia actually had nearly thirty percent of her assets located in North America, she had flown all the way to Hollywood, California to make the necessary arrangements to keep Astolfo out of trouble. Though the Production and Talent Company she owned would be able to protect him from most threats, Astolfo's nature, combined with the extremely manipulative and petty individuals that made up the celebrity population, she needed to have extra insurance.
Fortunately, though Astolfo might be a little airheaded, he wasn't a complete idiot who couldn't protect himself. Since the body he had was produced by Vahn, something Luvia still had trouble wrapping her head around, he had an extremely strong resistance to poisons, toxins, narcotics, and alcohol. Thus, so long as he didn't go out of control, Astolfo would be able to avoid becoming the victim of most ploys. Thus, so long as she dealt with other Production Companies and the various Gangs that had taken root in Hollywood, it wasn't that difficult to keep Astolfo and Tristana safe.
With that in mind, Luvia, accompanied by Siegfried and several other bodyguards, had been making the rounds and lining the pockets of a few key figures. As a result of her status and wealth, earning her the title of 'Golden Goddess' within private circles, there were very few people who would refuse a meeting with her, regardless of how busy they were. This allowed Luvia to walk uninhibited, albeit with a number of pedestrians and tourists trying to snap pictures of her. Since she always dressed in a way that stood out, many thought she was some Heiress or an up and coming Actress, completely unaware of the truth hidden right in front of their eyes.
Though she was quite fond of attention, Luvia rarely visited places like Hollywood as, a stark contrast to the 'polite' nature of people around London and Finland, the 'attention' she received from most Americans left a bad taste in her mouth. Most harbored powerful delusions, believing they were just one opportunity away from being just as rich and famous as people who put in a genuine effort. As a result, there were a number of people who tried to solicit her while, feeling they were 'immune' to any kind of repercussions, some would even catcall her and make snide remarks when she ignored them.
During her stay, Luvia had even crushed a rival Production Company over the last week as, during negotiations, the other party had let his eyes wander a bit too much. Towards the end, he had even asked if she wanted to have dinner with him, an action that resulted in him ending up in the hospital, all of his memories since the time of his birth completely wiped. While she was used to men gawking at her beauty, and even trying to woo her, Luvia always did her research prior to any negotiation. He was the type of man who only allowed Actresses to succeed if they were willing to sell their bodies for favors behind the scenes.
While this was nothing new, as the same issue ran rampant in almost every country with a thriving celebrity population, Luvia knew some of the man's victims included rising child and teen stars. She had already intended to run him out of business at some point so, having him try to solicit her was simply the straw that broke the camel's back. This also served as a warning everyone else she would negotiate with, smoothing things over considerably as most people were too nervous to even make eye contact with her...
Even the man sitting across from her, who was known to be a major player in the underground of Hollywood, owning one of the most influential music production companies, kept his eyes focused on Siegfried. As it wasn't just movie stars and their Producers who made up the backbone of the movie industry, Luvia was dealing with various Music Producers and Labels. Compared to most Actors and Actresses, who remained relatively low-profile in most situations, Pop, Rock, and Rap stars were rather notorious for causing trouble. Many rose up through various gangs and only reached their status through favors and connections, making them some of the most dangerous individuals within the industry.
As she was intending to promote Astolfo as a Transgender Idol, as the current political climate of the US was focused on exploiting such ideals, Luvia wanted to make sure everyone kept their people in line. She didn't plan to reveal Astolfo's actual gender and, though the scripts were still being worked on, he was meant to play both Hero and Heroine roles in three different productions. The last thing she needed was some arrogant upstart in the Music Industry, famous for their lack of accountability, to sexually assault Astolfo. Regardless of the fact that their actions would likely result in them being thrown through a wall, Luvia wanted to do her best to nip the problem in the bud before it could bear fruit.
To that end, she had a cold and professional smile on her face as she asked, "I trust you understand my intentions~?" This caused the man, who was almost triple Luvia's weight, to give a solemn nod as he answered, "Don't worry, Miss Edelfelt. Our boys won't trouble your new star. I'll personally see to it that their careers have an early end if they try anything." As nearly every producer had an extreme amount of dirt on their employees, the man was serious in his claims of ruining his own talents. It was simply impossible to rise up without ingratiating yourself to the company or label you wanted to promote yourself through. This meant every artist in the industry was a criminal who, upon stepping out of line, could easily be dealt with, both above board and below.
Producing an elegant and amused giggle in response, Luvia answered, "I will trust your discretion, Mr. Bennet. Perhaps our companies may have some association in the future." With that said, Luvia rose to her feet, refusing the man's offer to guide her out as Siegfried stood stoically at her side. As she left the building and entered her private car, Luvia tapped the intercom's terminal, asking, "How did it go?" In response, a gruff man's voice came over the intercom, answering, "We were able to install the monitoring equipment without any issues, Lady Edelfelt."
As negotiations that were not beneficial for both parties often caused tension, Luvia wasn't foolish enough to think her threats would always be taken at face value. American's were rather famous for their arrogance, the members of the Stonemasons included. Even though they were the weakest regions in regard to Magecraft, they led the world in military spending and scientific research. This allowed them to bully other countries publically, even though they often had to get permission from the Mage's Association before they were even allowed to take action. Despite the facts, their culture had reached the point that even average citizens were egocentric, to the point that some were even extremely vocal and even prideful of their bigotry.
Because of these factors, Luvia had her security teams plant both magical and electronic monitoring devices. She had teams monitoring every major production company and the primary locations they were known to frequent. Though the electronics would be discovered relatively quickly, as sweeper teams often cleaned out the buildings on a weekly basis, there were few Magi qualified enough to detect the magical formations her team had placed. Unless they hired a Magus proficient in tracking and detection Magecraft, which would cost a small fortune, the odds of discovery were negligible. This was due to the fact that the formation was invisible and produced virtually no magical signal, to the point that even a competent Magus might sit right on top of it without realizing they were being spied on...
Having full confidence in her security forces, Luvia gave an approving nod before saying, "Very well. Take us to the Hotel, please." With the driver answering in the affirmative, Luvia leaned back against her seat cushion before casting a glance towards Siegfried. He was seated across from her and, if not for the fact the interior of the vehicle was rather spacious, his head would be touching the roof due to how rigidly he sat. She had tried to get him to relax in the past but, being a very dutiful Knight, Siegfried had politely refused. He rarely even talked to others, despite the fact he was 'very' popular amongst the female members of the Edelfelt Security Forces.
Deciding to try and make conversation, as it was a forty-minute drive to their destination, Luvia adopted a polite smile as she asked, "I'm curious, Sir Siegfried...what do you think of America~?" In response to this, Siegfried opened his eyes, his expression a perfect mask of stoicism as he answered in a voice that could be described as both deep and raspy, without being abrasive in the least, "I do not know enough to answer with confidence. However, from what I have seen, it seems to be a land of opportunists. Though there are many awe-inspiring sights to observe, there is a foul smell in the air, both as a result of the pollution and the corruption that seems to have deeply ingrained itself into this society..."
Hearing Siegfried's response, Luvia gave an understanding nod before muttering, "Compared to a mystical place like Avalon, I'm certain the outside world seems rather dreary..." Though it was a little unfair to compare a modern city to what was essentially a kingdom ripped out of a fantasy novel, the fact that even the most picturesque streets were adorned with trash and disreputable people made even the most scenic areas of Hollywood reak of waste and stagnation. Many of the people living here, even compared to most Americans, lived a life completely enamored with their delusions. Even a completely average Barrista in a public Cafe, working for minimum wage, carried themselves with a profound sense of entitlement. Some even believed the only reason for their lack of success was that others 'stole' the opportunities they 'deserved'.
With Luvia mentioning Avalon for what felt like the twentieth time today, Siegfried gave a knowing smile as he stated, "I'm certain His Majesty would be willing to retrieve you for the evening. If you will it, I can contact him on your behalf..." As this wasn't the first time he had offered, Luvia waved her hand dismissively as she stated, "I need to stay focused for the next couple of days. That man doesn't know the meaning of the word holding back..." Though the last half of her statement was barely a whisper, it was still able to reach Siegfried's sensitive ears. She had the same habit as Rin, being that she would often speak her mind in a small voice when she was around people she could trust.
Being the ever-perfect Gentleman, Siegfried showed absolutely no signs that he had heard Luvia's remark. Instead, he turned his focus to the outside of the vehicle as it had come to a stop due to the evening rush of people trying to return home. Though he found the design of some vehicles rather interesting, Siegfried had come to disdain them quite a bit after suffering through heavy traffic in several instances. He was genuinely surprised about the number of people in the present world, as even his home country had less than three million total inhabitants. When he learned that the world currently had several 'billion' people, it had come as a genuine surprise to him, especially when he saw how populous metropolitan areas could be...
Staring out the window, Siegfried could see down a back alley where, perhaps due to his high Karma and nature as a Hero, he observed a homeless man being beaten by a group of three youths. With his sharp eyesight, he could see that the man had a military-style jacket, complete with a few medals which, despite their aged appearance, were well polished. This caused his expression to turn sour as, from what he had learned from his colleagues within the security forces, America was notorious for its mistreatment of war veterans. Even though it was the nation that seemed to place the heaviest emphasis on its military, there was a large population of homeless veterans who had been exploited by the very nation they risked their lives to protect...
Seeing the change in Siegfried's expression, Luvia gave a small sigh before saying, "Do not make a scene..." Though it sounded like she was telling him to ignore it, Luvia knew it was pointless to try and stop Siegfried from helping people in duress. So long as he did not cause a larger scene, as he drew quite the crowd just by being present, she didn't mind if he saved a few people. What she did find baffling was the fact that trouble seemed to miraculously appear around him, with this being the seventeenth incident over the last five days.
After bowing in a respectful and gratified manner, Siegfried stepped out of the idle car, ignoring the gazes of pedestrians who turned to see who was dumb enough to step out in the middle of traffic, even if it wasn't moving much. Then, moving with a relatively 'normal' speed, even though it would cause athletic scouts and Olympians to experience a cold sweat, Siegfried entered the alleyway. His arrival obviously drew the attention of the youths, as a 190cm tall man with wild silver hair wasn't exactly something that could be overlooked, but they weren't even afforded the opportunity to say anything.
The first 'man', who seemed to be around nineteen years old, didn't even know what happened before his body was flipped in the air. He crashed hard into the ground, causing a loud cracking sound as a result of his arm bending in the wrong direction beneath his body. Siegfried had to hold back a lot against normal humans so, rather than strike them directly, he allowed gravity and the weight of his targets to take them out of commission. As a result, the second youth, whose face was covered in various tattoos despite the fact he was only around seventeen years old, found himself nursing three broken ribs after Siegfried swept his legs out from under him with a casual kick.
As his two companions had been taken out of commission in less than five seconds, the third man felt like he was having a bad trip, fueled by the mixture of drugs and alcohol. At nearly the exact same moment that he heard the sound of his friend's ribs cracking, Siegfried had already stepped in front of him, causing the man to fall into a stupor as his fight or flight response encouraged him to do the latter. Siegfried didn't even have to take further action as, the moment the youth turned to flee, he immediately tripped before banging his head into the adjacent trash bin. This left him with a rather vicious cut on his forehead but, as it wasn't fatal, Siegfried ignored him as he gave a respectful nod towards the homeless man.
Ignoring the various 'blessings' and the gratitude of the homeless man, Siegfried left the alleyway through the opposite end before traveling two blocks across. This wasn't the first time he had carried out his own form of justice so, to avoid drawing suspicion, Luvia had told him to always move a few blocks away before they would pick him up. As he could easily leap the distance of two city blocks in an instant, this was a comfortable distance that allowed him to avoid having to deal with the police while also allowing him to respond to any unexpected situations. Since Vahn had entrusted him with her protection, Siegfried always kept her as his highest priority, despite his 'bad' habit...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'A place where Capitalism outshines Magic xD...','TFW you have no real power so you overcompensate by spending $520,000,000,000 on your annual military budget...','Siegfried is a True Hero')
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Between completing Quests, helping others complete Quests, and making preparations for his future course of action, Vahn spent more than half his time training with Scáthach and researching with Da Vinci. With Da Vinci making startling progress on her own, she was the most suitable advisor within the castle when it came to 'exploiting' the Quest Board. Though this didn't directly benefit Vahn, just having a catalog of potential Skills and their acquisition requirements was extremely useful.
While that may have been the case, however, Vahn was making far greater progress under the tutelage of Scáthach. Compared to their previous sessions, where he worked to master his body and comprehend combat through more 'direct' means, she was very patient when it came to teaching him her techniques and Skills she believed would be useful for him. Since everything she taught him seemed to directly increase his power, making future training sessions more fruitful, Vahn had been enjoying their time together. She was still the same cold and detached person as normal but, having someone patiently walking you through the process of comprehension without passing judgment on you, so long as you worked hard, was a powerful motivator...
To that end, Vahn found himself in a rather awkward situation where Scáthach was standing behind him, close enough that their bodies were almost perfectly overlapped. Though he could learn most techniques simply through observation, Scáthach had basically had him relinquish control over his body to her, offering no resistance at all as she sent her own energy through his body. Since her Soul Tier was more refined than his, it was possible for Scáthach to channel her energy into his body in a non-destructive manner, so long as he didn't resist. This was similar to how he would use Nirvana Rebirth against others, albeit a far more 'troubling' experience as he was on the receiving end...
With her voice tickling his ear, Scáthach continued to channel her energy through his chest and arms, stating in calm and guiding tone, "Your attempt to convert the power of Laws into physical form is a worthwhile endeavor. The mistake it trying to immediately reach that point before you have even laid a foundation. You already have the ability to project physical objects using Magical Energy, so the next step is fusing the power of Law into your creations. By combining [Reinforce], [Enchant], [Primordial Rune], and [Gradiation Air], infused with the power of Law, you can create armaments similar to my [Gáe Bolg Alternative]..."
As she spoke, Scáthach sent her energy along Vahn's Magic Circuits, shaping the energy in his palm to project a red sphere. Unlike how she would pull them out instantly for herself, Scáthach slowed the process considerably, showing how the spear first took form before she infused other Skills to further strengthen it. It was this versatile nature that allowed her [Gáe Bolg Alternative] to take on virtually any form as, so long as you knew how to project the basic shape, everything else was just modifying it to meet your needs. If you understood the prerequisite Laws, you could theoretically make a weapon that could counter against anything, irrespective of the situation you found yourself in.
After the spear had fully formed, Scáthach allowed it to dissipate but, rather than release Vahn from her grasp, she continued to hold him close as she firmly stated, "Do it." Then, under her extremely close observation, Vahn elicited a rare smile from Scáthach's face as, even though it was his first time manifesting her technique, he had what amounted to near-perfect control over his internal energy. It had always baffled her how he was unable to exercise this same control externally but, as this wasn't much of a restriction, she had learned to work around it. In the future, she would help him overcome this weakness of his as, compared to all of her prior students, Vahn had the greatest potential while also being the most receptive. Though he was very prideful at times, he would set that aside almost entirely when he was learning from others, putting in an earnest effort without complaining in any meaningful way...
Unlike Scáthach, Vahn formed a greatsword that looked similar in structure to his [Laevateinn], albeit comprised of a composite material that looked like a combination of blood-red quartz and metal. As he had copied Scáthach's method almost exactly, only changing the form of the projection, his blade was covered in a series of five circular runes while the handle was covered in a latticework of runic indentations. Though he had almost no comprehension of the Laws used in its structure beforehand, Vahn knew this sword existed for the sole purpose of 'Slaughter'. Wounds it inflicted would not heal and, if he learned the paired Skill, it would be possible for him to emulate the active effect of [Gáe Bolg Alternative], being that it could pierce the heart through the manipulation of causality.
With Vahn having successfully formed a weapon, even though it had taken him nearly ten minutes, Scáthach released his body before making an almost exact replica in an instant. Then, without any hesitation at all, she swung her sword toward him while stating, "The form of a weapon might have some use, but the function is infinitely more important. I will teach you to believe in the projections you produce, to the point that they will be able to rival Noble Phantasms..." Just as the spears she produced were stronger than her other weapons, Scáthach knew that familiarity with a weapon would enhance the performance of Vahn's projections. Thus, in order to make him put in more effort in the future, she intended to shatter his pride a bit in the present...
As he was always in a battle-ready state around Scáthach, even when she had pressed herself against him, Vahn managed to put parry her 'surprise' attack without much trouble. However, though he did not lose focus on the fight, it was almost impossible for him to continue focusing on the [Laevateinn] projection he had formed. Because of this, the moment Scáthach's blade collided against his, Vahn's shattered like glass, sending pieces of shrapnel into his body while the tip of her blade cleaved seven centimeters into his torso as he jumped back. Though such wounds were far from being fatal to him, Vahn could feel the malicious energy contained within the blade coursing through his body, piercing through his flesh like thorny vines as it attempted to fulfill its purpose of Slaughter.
Though the pain he experienced was beyond the tolerance of most people, Vahn's expression didn't even change as, even with half his blade shattered, he continued to focus on the battle. Since it was formed after his [Laevateinn], Vahn tried to channel his experience with the actual blade, causing the damaged half to form into a blade of flames that caused Scáthach's brows to rise. Unfortunately, his efforts weren't enough to give her any meaningful pause as, not fearing the flames in the slightest, she used his own [Shundo], stepping into his range and kicking hard into his diaphragm. Then, even though he was being propelled backward like a bullet, Scáthach's follow-up attack was even faster, allowing her to shatter the blade a second time as she followed him closer than a shadow...
In this manner, Scáthach had him create several different weapons which, without exception, she would unceremoniously shatter with a seemingly 'better' version. Vahn, however, knew that the weapons produced by the crimson-eyed beauty were exactly the same as his. The reason she was able to break his was wholly based on their difference in skill, combined with the fact hers were absolutely stable. Still, creating weapons in live combat drastically reduced the amount of time it would take to form a projection so, after more than eighteen hours of training, Vahn had reached the point that he could form the 'image' of the projection in his mind and, while fighting with his current weapon, muster up the energy to produce a replacement shortly after the previous one was broken...
---
While Vahn was busy 'training' with Scáthach, a legendary showdown had been occurring within the Training Orb located within the Knight's Training Field. The participants of said battle were Artoria and, after making preparations and discussing the matter several days prior, Heracles. This battle was important for a variety of reasons as, not only could she cement her image in the eyes of their most powerful allies, but she could also make progress on her own Quest. Though Heracles had refused the battle at first, he had eventually returned a few days later to accept, albeit with a few conditions.
Since they were supposed to battle seriously, Heracles had been worried that he would accidentally kill Artoria, even though he didn't look down on her in the slightest. If this happened, he convinced himself that there was no way that Vahn would make good on his promise. However, after thinking on the matter for a few days, Heracles began to see the merits in battling against Artoria and, as he actually disliked sitting around doing nothing, he ultimately accepted her challenge. As for the terms, she was required to keep an [Effigy of the Hero] on her person and, despite the outcome, she had to vow not to hold a grudge against him and his family...
Being a paragon of chivalry, Artoria would obviously never target the kin of her opponent, even if they had genuinely been enemies. Thus, after making the necessary preparations, Artoria, standing at 154cm, found herself standing across from Heracles, towering over her at 253cm. Using just a single hand, he would be able to grab nearly her entire waist yet, from the perspective of their small group of observers, Artoria's momentum didn't lose out in the slightest.
Though this event had been kept from Vahn, both due to Artoria's concerns that he would worry and Heracles' that he would intervene, it was still attended by Fenrir, Mordred, Sakura, Neko, and Momo. It had also drawn the attention of Kenshin and her students, causing them to line up along the top of her dojo, observing the show from a distance. Sometimes, watching powerful warriors battle was the key to accelerating your growth as, without an observable goal, it was easy to suffer setbacks and reach a bottleneck. As she was also curious how her own strength would match up against foes like Artoria and Heracles, Kenshin simply couldn't miss out on witnessing what could have been a historical moment if it took place on an actual battlefield...
Without a referee, the start of the battle would begin when a single side took the initiative thus, knowing her Parameters and battle experience were considerably lower than Heracles', Artoria knew she needed to pressure him to avoid being forced into a corner. She had the benefits of her [Instinct] and her high luck but, while these would give her a small edge, they weren't things a Hero such as Heracles would be unable to overcome. He was a master with all kinds of weapons and, even though he was currently using a serrated cleaver-like blade, which was even longer than she was tall, Artoria knew it didn't even amount to a feather in the eyes of the man said to be the living embodiment of strength...
Using her [Mana Burst] to compensate for her lower Agility, Artoria's leap caused spiderweb cracks in the hard white stone as, with a speed that could even outshine [Shundo] in responsiveness, she immediately closed the gap between them. This didn't fluster Heracles in the least, however, causing him to wave his cleaver with such speed that a black shadow was left in its wake, almost as if he were cutting through the void itself. These two movements caused powerful shockwaves to spread out from both Heracles and Artoria before their blades even intersected yet, despite the cleave of the former seeming unstoppable, the diminutive King of Knights was able to receive and deflect it with ease.
With the tip of his blade colliding with the ground, a massive eruption of energy spread through the terrain, creating a fissure that was several tens of meters in length. At the same time, with a flexibility that could embarrass a gymnast, Heracles twisted his waist like a bow, exploiting Artoria's parrying motion to kick at her exposed side. Due to their height difference, however, Artoria bent at the knees while stepping forward without hesitation, allowing the air pressure from the blow to pass over her without flinching as she sliced upward towards Heracles' inner thigh. This action left a blue trail in the wake of her swing which, after fading, revealed a massive gash in Heracles' leg that almost took the entire limb off.
Showing no sign that his injuries had any effect on him, Heracles allowed the hit the land while continuing his spinning motion. His kick failed to find purchase but, with his body twisting with enough force to create a miniature vortex, Heracles managed to sweep his fist towards Artoria, backhanding the flat of her blade and causing it to smash into her body before she was sent flying like a loose artillery shell. By the time his injured leg returned to the ground, the wound had healed completely and, leaning forward slightly, it was Heracles' turn to seize the initiative. Though their actions were similar, Heracles flexed his legs and, instead of using a Skill like [Mana Burst] to propel himself, he used raw power to kick against the supposedly durable stone below.
From their observation post more than a kilometer away, surrounded by a powerful barrier, Sakura nearly lost her footing as, when Heracles kicked against the ground, a ripple passed through the terrain that reached all the way to their location. Since she had grown up in Japan, she was familiar with earthquakes, causing her to pale slightly as it was difficult to imagine how someone could have enough power to essentially rival a natural disaster. As for Mordred, she had an excited expression on her face as she prevented Sakura from tumbling, her eyes not wavering in the slightest as she muttered, "You can do it, Hahauie..."
Though Artoria's left arm had been shattered by Heracles' kick, despite the fact she had tried to resist it with [Mana Burst], the fact she had recovered [Avalon] previously gave her regeneration that could easily outstrip the legendary Grecian Hero. She also had an extreme level of pain tolerance, to the point that her expression remained sharp and focused as she brandished her sword overhead. To meet Heracles' charge, helical blue energy began to shape around her blade and, though it was far from her full power, Artoria shouted, "Excalibur~!!!" before swiping down so quickly that the path of her blade couldn't be followed in the slightest.
With her impeccable timing, Heracles' eyes had widened slightly as, like a meteor passing harmlessly outside the atmosphere of the Earth, he flew over Artoria's position with a cleave running from his right shoulder down to his right thigh. Then, like a ragdoll, he crashed into the ground, exacerbating his wound considerably as he bounced and slid more than a hundred meters. From the perspective of those who had never fought against him, they would have mistaken Heracles as a dead man but, as she had the 'privilege' of fighting him in the Fifth Holy Grail War, Artoria knew better. Thus, as steam began to pour from his body, which had heated up to look like red-hot steel, Artoria held her sword high, channeling a phenomenal amount of Magical Energy...
Though he had never personally experienced the Twelve Labors, the legend was so intrinsically tied to Heracles that any manifestation of a Heroic Spirit, despite the Class he was summoned as, would have access to the Noble Phantasm known as [God Hand]. This was a hidden passive that, much like Da Vinci's [Uomo Universale], was a manifestation of a concept. While hers allowed her to analyze and strike the weakness of an opponent, his manifested in the form of an undying body that could negate any attack of B-Rank or lower. At the same time, even if he was struck, or even killed, by an attack of a higher rating, he would enter a completely indestructible state as his body regenerated. After this process was completed, he would be immune to the attack that had killed him, barring a few exceptions such as Anti-Divine and Holy Armaments.
Just as he had completed Twelve Labors, at least in his legend, Heracles had a total of twelve lives, maintained by monstrous regeneration and phenomenal physical might. The most terrifying part of this ability, however, was the fact that he could actually regenerate lost lives. This meant that, even if you managed to kill him eleven times, he would eventually recover to twelve if given enough time. With someone like Illya has his Master, providing him with functionally unlimited mana, this stock of lives could be replenished in as little as eighteen days. The only 'real' weakness to the ability, which Artoria herself was already made aware, was the fact that each stock had a certain damage threshold that, if you exceeded, could eat into other lives. If the attack was strong enough, it could even rob all of his lives simultaneously, completely negating the effect in its entirety...
As he had the memories of his former battles against Artoria, albeit from Illya's perspective, Heracles knew what she had in mind with the massive pillar of light that seemed to stretch into the Heavens. What she was unaware of, however, was the fact that, with the restrictions of [Mad Enhancement] removed, his primary Noble Phantasm could be used. Previously, he had been too mindless to fully manifest its might but, with his clarity now restored, Heracles was completely undaunted by the attack that could easily wipe out more than half his stock of lives.
Holding his massive cleaver-like blade out in front, Heracles hardened his expression as he took in a deep breath before shouting in a voice loud enough to cause a sonic boom, "Nine Lives: Shooting the Hundred Heads...!!!" The moment these words left his lips, it seemed as if the world had slowed to a crawl from his perspective as his golden eyes began to radiate with Divine Light. Then, ignoring the fact that Artoria's sword was descending in slow motion, Heracles launched himself forward with such speed and intensity that reality didn't even seem to register the action. By the time he was in front of Artoria, the area he had been standing had only then started to ripple from the force of his movement.
Using a strike that usually held the property of 'exterminating the opponent no matter how many times they can resurrect', Heracles cleaved his blade toward Artoria's neck. He had no intention of overwriting the effect of the [Effigy of the Hero] so, as long as it worked as intended, she would be able to revive without issue. Since this was an attack that manifested so quickly that it appeared to be nine simultaneous strikes, Artoria had only moved her blade a few centimeters by the time he closed the hundred-meter gap and swung toward her neck. Just as his blade began to pierce into her flesh, however, Heracles learned what it meant to be protected by fate as a pule of Magical Energy radiated from her body faster than his nigh-instantaneous attack...
Though he had cut a millimeter or so into her flesh, Heracles suddenly felt like he had struck against an immovable object, causing a massive shockwave to spread from the point of impact. Despite this force being enough to create a wave of air pressure that could topple buildings, Artoria didn't budge in the slightest as Heracles was forced to look on in awe as her sword cleaved down, bisecting him from head to groin. As [Avalon] had an automatic defense function, and 'literally' placed Artoria's body on the Reverse Side of the World, even as she manifested in reality, even the most powerful attacks had absolutely no effect on her. While she could influence the world around at will, everyone else was left completely helpless in the wake of an existence they could never hope to reach...
Rather than lament his defeat, Heracles allowed the tumultuous energy to flow through his body, rending his flesh with its purifying light as a total of seven of his lives were eliminated in a single strike. Though it was nearly impossible to discern to anyone who wasn't intimately familiar with him, there was a small smile on his face. He had rarely ever met an opponent who could even keep pace with him and, though he had no intention of endeavoring to one day defeat Artoria, Heracles was happy to have met someone that could be considered his better. Since he had a fair number of abilities that would cause his enemies to cough up blood in envy, he wasn't the type to blame his failure on the fact that his opponent had more 'cheats' than him...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Scáthach's carrot and stick approach','A must-see event for the ages','Justice for Heracles xD...!')
(A/N: For those that are confused, you can think of the activated Avalon as working similar to the Kamui used by Obito, albeit without making her immaterial (which never made any sense at all). Her 'real' body gets transferred to True Avalon, on the Reverse Side of the World, while only a projection remains in reality. Thus, without being able to effect True Avalon, which is unreachable even with True Magic, you are virtually unable to cause harm to her. It is really one of the most broken Noble Phantasms as, when active, even [Ea], a Noble Phantasm that returns the world to its Origin, has no effect on her.)
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