Chapter 523: C523
"How... how could this happen?"
Kotomine peered into the crystal ball, trying to make sense of the situation. He struggled to understand what he was seeing.
He had braced himself for the possibility that their trump card might not affect Eternal King.
But this?
Eternal King had not only stood his ground against Achilles but had also bested him in a close combat within the Duel Field. Who could've predicted such an outcome?
On the battlefield...
Shirou floated above, casting a faint smile at those below.
"I really didn't expect the outcome to be like this!" Karna raised an eyebrow, speaking with a somewhat calm tone. His voice might be calm, but he couldn't hide the surprise in his heart.
Even Arjuna, fully aware of Shirou's true identity, couldn't help but be stunned.
"So that's how it is..." Jeanne whispered to herself, lost in thought.
She recalled a tale she'd heard once.
It was a legend about Eternal King. According to the story, while building his empire, Eternal King had died from overwork over twenty times. However, each death wasn't the end for him. He consistently bested the gatekeeper of the land of the dead, Scathach, and made his way back to the land of the living.
During their last encounter, the Queen of the Land of Shadow was so impressed by Eternal King's prowess that she chose to become his loyal knight.
However, when compared to the other stories, this tale isn't as prominent. Eternal King was known as a monarch of omniscient and omnipotent wisdom, making this story easily overlooked.
Still, think about it: Taking on the Queen of the Land of Shadow, the legendary Scathach, who'd defeated countless gods and mentored great heroes in his soul form while walking back and forth between life and the afterlife? The combat skills of Eternal King must've been beyond exceptional, right?
Jeanne recognized this and, with a nod, convinced herself.
Achilles' body fell from the sky. Atalanta made a move to catch him, but Karna was quicker, cradling the fading hero in his arms.
"Achilles..." Atalanta looked at the vanishing Heroic Spirit, disbelief evident on her face.
"Sorry, big sis... that guy... he's..." He coughed up blood.
He had been repeatedly hammered by Shirou's eight colossal arms. His shattered chest and organs meant that his Saint Graph was broken, beyond saving.
"Ah... I'm the first to be taken out... I can't accept this..." Achilles sighed, then looked at Karna and Atalanta, saying, "You... you both need to run! Also, also..."
With a weak gesture, Achilles pointed towards the hovering Assassin. "That guy... he's..."
And just like that, he began to vanish, his form disintegrating like the last remnants of a snowfall.
His Saint Graph dissolved into faint wisps of spiritual energy, ascending towards the heavens.
"Such a beautiful sight," Shirou mused aloud. He then slowly turned his attention to Karna and Atalanta.
From his back, six more black arms emerged, each brandishing colossal weapon Ig-Alima. He planned to eliminate Atalanta first, then, along with Arjuna and Vlad, they would besiege Karna.
Arjuna and Vlad seemed to be on the same page, but Arjuna, mirroring Shirou's actions, also had his gaze firmly fixed on Atalanta.
Arjuna's plan was to eliminate Atalanta first and then ask Shirou and Vlad to step back, allowing him to engage in a one-on-one duel with Karna.
Given Shirou's and Vlad III's reputation as a wise king, it was likely both would agree.
In this manner, Atalanta became the focus of both Shirou and Arjuna, resembling a mouse caught between two ravenous cats.
As Shirou gracefully landed before Atalanta, Arjuna positioned himself behind her, effectively boxing her in.
Caught in this dangerous situation, Atalanta counted herself lucky to have Karna by her side. However, just as she found comfort in his presence, Vlad made a move to confront Karna.
And so, the formidable trio of Shirou, Arjuna, and Vlad positioned themselves, forming a circle around both Karna and Atalanta.
...
Deep in the forest, Kotomine let out a bitter smile.
"Master, what should we do now?" Semiramis looked at his expression with great interest.
"Our options are limited. With Rider gone, we can't keep Archer and Lancer in the battlefield for long. Use Berserker to hold them off."
Semiramis nodded in agreement.
The choices were dwindling.
With Achilles' shocking loss to Assassin, their plan had been thrown into disarray.
Now, all that remained was damage control!
The ground shook as Semiramis summoned the imposing presence of Berserker, causing trees to shudder as the hulking giant broke through, ready to confront Shirou, Arjuna, and Vlad III.
Using the sudden distraction to their advantage, Karna and Atalanta tried to put some distance between themselves and their enemies.
Meanwhile, as Berserker made his appearance, the battlefield was plunged into chaos, once again shuffling the odds. The question now wasn't just about victory but survival as well.
Hidden amidst the trees, Kotomine could only cling to the hope that his remaining Servants might either tip the balance in their favor or, at the very least, buy them enough time to escape and rethink their strategy.
How could they mitigate the damage? Needless to say, it was by sacrificing Spartacus, the uncontrollable Berserker.
Kotomine was pretty shrewd. Whether it was Atalanta or Karna, both were controllable. Only Spartacus was uncontrollable.
One could argue that if it weren't for Spartacus causing trouble, waiting one more day for Semiramis's 'Hanging Gardens' to be completed, the outcome might have been different.
So, using Spartacus as a mitigation tool was indeed the most profitable deal for him.
Without hesitation, he used a command spell to amplify Spartacus's abilities, ensuring he could cover Atalanta's and Karna's escape.
"RAAAAAAGH!"
Already a formidable presence in the forest, Spartacus had amassed a vast amount of magical energy due to his Noble Phantasm and innate skills, putting him on par with Heracles. Now, having grown to a towering fifteen meters, his stats had skyrocketed. His strength even surpassed that of Heracles. And with the boost from the Command Spell, he became stronger than ever before.
With a ground-shaking 'boom,' he barreled forward, resembling a massive, fleshy battering ram. He shoved Heracles aside and rushed towards Shirou and his allies, who were chasing Atalanta and Karna.
"Boom, boom, boom..."
His colossal frame, now in motion, made the very earth tremble, resembling that of an earthquake.
Seeing Spartacus heading toward him, Shirou quickly shut off his thruster. "Spartacus..."
"Ohhh—" Spartacus glanced at him, a calm and eerie smile on his face. "A king who wishes peace for his people? Your gaze is kind, and you're not my opponent. But I cannot stop. I have to destroy the oppressors!"
He then charged toward Arjuna and Vlad.
"Out of my way!" Arjuna barked.
But Spartacus didn't flinch. "Ohhh—, oppressors! My sword will tear apart the chains of your oppression!"
He lunged at Arjuna, but the majority of his focus was on Vlad.
This made Vlad III raise an eyebrow, quickly using his [Kazikli Bey] to skewer Spartacus.
But instead of harming him, it seemed to give Spartacus a power boost.
Arjuna tried to shake off Spartacus, but Spartacus was too massive, and having been enhanced to such a degree, he wasn't something that could be easily dealt with.
Seizing this opportunity, both Karna and Atalanta, who were moved by the Command pell, disappeared from the trio's sight.
Losing Atalanta was one thing, but Arjuna became enraged when he realized Karna had disappeared as well.
He drew the bow of the fire god, preparing to first destroy Spartacus.
At that moment, Heracles came running from behind, tackling Spartacus's thigh and throwing him away.
"Boom!"
The colossal figure, as imposing as a small hill, hit the ground with an echoing crash that felt like the earth itself was groaning.
With a wave of his hand, Shirou transformed the black mud into thick ropes that bound Spartacus. He declared, "He's immobilized, chase them."
Arjuna put down his bow, and giving a nod of acknowledgment, he and Vlad disappeared into the forest.
"Roarrrrrrrrr—!!!"
Heracles wasn't done. He let out a defiant roar, itching to get back into the fight with Spartacus. However, Shirou projected a massive shield and dropped it between Heracles and his target.
But...
Heracles's fist crashed into the shield with a thunderous boom. Under the sheer force, the shield began to crack, spreading out like a spider's web.
...
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