บท 459: Chapter 459: Red vs. Black Showdown · Aerial Combo
Akhilleus Kosmos: The Miniature World Enclosed by the Azure Sky
Rank: A+
Type: Barrier Noble Phantasm
Range: 0
Maximum Capture: 1 person
Known as the World Shield, Achilles' trump card is extensively described in over a hundred lines in the 18th song of the Iliad. This divine armament was crafted by the god Hephaestus himself. It miniaturizes the world Achilles lived in, with the outer edges featuring ocean currents due to the sea god's influence.
While it's naturally a shield meant for defense, the combative and aggressive Achilles developed a new use for it. The method he is using now involves deploying the Noble Phantasm and charging forward, crushing the enemy with this miniature world—a technique even Hephaestus did not envision.
As an A+ rank defensive Noble Phantasm, the World Shield boasts extremely high defensive capabilities, able to almost completely block attacks from anti-personnel, anti-army, and even anti-fortress and anti-country Noble Phantasms. Since it projects a world, facing it is akin to facing the world itself. How can human power contend with the world, even a small one?
Thus, this attack method can be considered both offensive and defensive, making it the perfect counter to the seemingly unbeatable Divine Thunder Barrier.
Accompanied by Achilles' shout, the world inscribed on the shield activated, expanding rapidly. In front of the shield unfolded a miniature world, reconstructing space and time.
"Prepare yourself, Black Assassin!"
With this strike, Achilles was determined to land.
Faced with such an almost undefeatable attack, Shinji showed no sign of panic. Every move Achilles made was within Shinji's calculations, and the World Shield charge was expected. This was not just because he was a well-versed fan of various heroic spirits but also because Chiron had informed him of all Achilles' abilities before the battle, including the effects and countermeasures for his Noble Phantasms.
Directly countering the World Shield would require an anti-world Noble Phantasm. This is a matter of compatibility, just as Achilles counters Siegfried. The World Shield is highly incompatible with anti-world Noble Phantasms, which can easily dismantle this small world. However, anti-world Noble Phantasms are exceedingly rare, and among the known heroic spirits who possess them, Shinji is not one.
Therefore, Shinji had to rely on a non-direct approach—evasion.
After all, the World Shield still represents a small world, not the vast world humans inhabit, nor the Reality Marble that manifests a mental landscape. Though formidable and terrifying, its effects, including crushing, do not apply as long as one stays out of its range.
Of course, with Achilles' superb speed, playing "hit and run" is nearly impossible for most. But there is a prerequisite—being on the ground. "Comet Form" and "Fastest Human" are restricted to the land, as Achilles cannot fly, and no matter how fast "Comet Form" is, it cannot tread on air.
Shinji, on the other hand, while he couldn't fly, had "Feathered Shoes." Just before the grand arrival of the small world, Shinji forcefully kicked off the branch he was hiding on, launching himself into the air.
Achilles didn't hesitate, following suit with a leap, clearly intending to give Shinji no respite.
However, this plan was destined to fail.
Given Achilles' demigod physique, his jumping power and ascent speed were superior to Shinji's. But with the Feathered Shoes, Shinji could freely soar through the air.
As Achilles thought he had Shinji cornered, Shinji performed a small loop in midair. Under Achilles' gaze, which shifted from confident to astonished, Shinji circled behind him. With a quick flip of his hand, Indra's Thunder, which had previously killed the famed horse Pedasos, appeared in his grasp, and he drove it straight towards Achilles' back.
This is precisely another weakness of the World Shield: the small world that reconstructs the rules of space-time only unfolds in front of the shield, leaving the back unprotected. This is a common drawback of all shields—they can only defend the front, not the back.
At this critical moment, Achilles displayed astonishing reflexes. With a burst of strength from his waist, he pulled himself upward slightly in mid-air while rotating his body. Using his waist to drive his shoulders and his shoulders to drive his arms, he swung the shield in a spinning motion, managing to block the lethal "Indra's Thunder" just in time.
"Impressive!"
Shinji sincerely praised.
This scene was both unexpected and logical. Since Achilles was dubbed the "Fastest Human," his dynamic vision and reflexes were undoubtedly at the pinnacle of human history. Mere speed without the accompanying dynamic vision would result in seeing only fragmented, chaotic images. Poor reflexes would be even worse; in modern society, nine out of ten traffic accidents are related to excessive speed, with predictable outcomes.
Such dynamic vision and reflex speed aren't easily overcome by simple tricks.
Shinji didn't expect to defeat Achilles so easily. As soon as Indra's Thunder left his hand, he ascended even higher, thrusting forward with Ishtar's War Spear, aiming once again at Achilles' back. At this moment, Indra's Thunder was continuously emitting lightning, not enough to shake the World Shield's defense but forcing Achilles to keep the shield in place.
With Indra's Thunder in front and Ishtar's War Spear at the back, how would Achilles defend?
Achilles seemed to have anticipated Shinji's plan. He kept the shield steady with his left hand while his right hand brandished a throwing spear, mirroring Shinji's movements.
The black-gold war spear and the simple throwing spear collided in mid-air. Initially, the throwing spear was deflected, but it then curved and, along with the black-gold war spear, both were flung into the air.
This was undoubtedly Achilles' skillful maneuver. Given that Achilles was using one hand while Shinji used both, and Shinji had the advantage of gravitational acceleration, Achilles should have been at a disadvantage. Initially, Achilles was indeed at a disadvantage, as evidenced by the deflected throwing spear.
However, after the throwing spear was deflected, Achilles unhesitatingly employed the "+" in his "Strength B+," instantly doubling his power. This unexpected surge in strength caught Shinji off guard. If not for Shinji's Strength being B and his timely use of "Mana Burst," the result would not have been both spears being disarmed, but rather Shinji losing his spear alone.
Though his meticulously planned strike did not fully succeed, Achilles could accept this outcome. Without his two divine armaments, the mortal Shinji, lacking "Divinity," had no way to penetrate the "Andreias Amarantos" defense. Achilles could now fight freely and aggressively.
Taking advantage of Shinji's inability to counteract his falling momentum, Achilles swung his fist heavily toward Shinji's head.
Despite his carefully planned pincer attack being thwarted, Shinji was not flustered. Having practiced countless times with Chiron, he was accustomed to such scenarios.
Reflexively, he caught the oncoming fist with his left hand, chopped at the wrist with his right hand, and then slid down the arm to grab Achilles' chest. Using his full strength, he slammed Achilles to the ground. Finally, he stepped on Achilles' chest twice before leaping away. Upon landing, he didn't forget to taunt.
"Get up, stop pretending to be dead on the ground. I know such minor injuries mean nothing to you!"
P.S.: Achilles also has a history of failed pursuits—he couldn't catch Hector. The two ran around Troy, and Hector eventually escaped. This was mainly because Hector's agility was nearly on par with Achilles, and Troy had the sun god's blessing. With the combined buffs and interference from allies, Achilles failed to catch up and was often troubled by Hector's guerrilla tactics.
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