*WHOOSH!*
Suddenly, Heracles, who was twenty meters away, shot forward like a rocket, closing the distance between them in the blink of an eye. His massive, muscular body didn't hinder his agility; instead, it gave him the momentum of a giant boulder plummeting from the sky.
"...!!!"
Though startled, Charlie's reaction was swift. Using his Spirit Art, he conjured a long ice sword radiating a chilling aura and swung it to clash with the sword-axe in Heracles' hand.
*CRUSH-BANG!*
Their first clash was Charlie's defeat. The ice sword in his hand shattered into pieces like glass, and the sword-axe struck his abdomen.
"Argh…!"
*WHOOSH!*
His stomach felt as if it had been hit by a train. Charlie was sent flying a hundred meters, crashing through three ruined buildings in his path before finally stopping, embedded in a concrete wall.
"Cough, cough… A hastily made weapon really can't match a legendary one, huh…"
Coughing up blood, Charlie quickly used Dia Fratel. His left hand glowed with golden light, healing the internal injuries that nearly tore his body in half.
"As expected from Greece's greatest hero. If it weren't for the Armor of Fafnir nullifying most of that attack's force, I might've been split in two like a kiko ice stick, right? Huuuh… I don't want to meet the same end as Gojo Satoru."
His enemy clearly gave him no time to breathe. Just as Charlie stood, he saw Heracles charging toward him like a cannonball.
*BOOM!*
Heracles' attack struck the ground where Charlie had been standing, causing the earth to quake violently and sending dust billowing, obscuring visibility.
"ROARRRRR!!!"
Realizing his prey had escaped, Heracles roared furiously at the sky, where Charlie now hovered fifty meters above.
"Considering Heracles' Noble Phantasm, I have to kill him twelve times, each with a different method."
Charlie had to admit that Heracles wasn't just formidable but also incredibly troublesome to defeat.
Noble Phantasm.
It was the embodiment of a hero's legend and achievements during their lifetime. These manifestations were weapons and abilities with extraordinary power that ordinary humans could never replicate.
Noble Phantasms served as trump cards for Heroic Spirits, with every Heroic Spirit possessing at least one.
For the Berserker Class, Heracles had two Noble Phantasms: God Hand and Nine Lives.
His first Noble Phantasm, God Hand, was a hidden ability Heracles possessed. A continuously active Noble Phantasm that granted him a body that knew no death. It was a divine blessing symbolizing immortality, as well as a curse, bestowed upon him after completing his Twelve Labors in life.
This ability required high-level attacks to harm him and prevented him from being scratched by anyone during the Age of the Gods, described as almost cheating even by his contemporaries.
God Hand had no tangible external manifestation like a weapon or armor, but in terms of form, it could be considered the user's body itself. It transformed the user's body into a tough suit of armor, functioning similarly to a conceptual defense like Charlie's Armor of Fafnir.
God Hand provided three effects: resurrection, attack nullification, and immunity to attacks it had previously experienced.
Each time Heracles was injured by an attack, whether it caused death or not, he would gain resistance after healing.
For example, if hit by fire, he would gain around +100 fire resistance after healing. Rather than making the attack completely ineffective, it rendered subsequent attacks nearly useless against him.
In simple terms, no matter how powerful a Noble Phantasm used to kill him was, that attack would be neutralized after he revived, meaning even the strongest attack wouldn't work on him twice, requiring a different method to take each subsequent life.
*SWISH!* *SWISH!* *SWISH!*
Recalling information about Heracles' Noble Phantasm, Charlie was interrupted by chunks of building rubble and cars hurled at him by Heracles below. Each projectile was launched with enough force to crush a tank.
*WHOOSH!* *WHOOSH!* *WHOOSH!*
The combination of his Six Eyes, capable of processing vast amounts of information, and his Mind's Eye, granting extraordinary perception, allowed Charlie to dodge every incoming attack.
He maneuvered in the air like a leaf blown by the wind, evading each strike with perfectly minimal movements. His body spun, twisted, and turned with extraordinary precision, making him appear as if he were dancing amidst a hail of bullets.
"Est, this is the moment you've been waiting for! Come on, it's time for you to shine!"
As if responding to his words, the spirit sigil on the back of his right hand glowed with bright silver light.
*SHUA!*
The next second, a beautiful, petite silver-haired girl appeared beside Charlie. She floated in the air, her white dress fluttering, her eyes fixed on her master.
"Onii-chan finally decided to use me."
Though her expression was flat and her tone monotonous, there was a faint hint of complaint and slight annoyance in Est's voice.
"Okay, okay, my bad. But I'm using you now, aren't I? Don't sulk, Est."
Charlie coaxed the pouting Holy Sword Spirit while continuing to dodge Heracles' attacks, which came like machine-gun fire.
He slipped between two cars flying simultaneously, then spun to avoid a human-sized chunk of concrete.
"Mm, I forgive you."
Est wasn't truly angry. She was just displeased at not being able to contribute to her master's battles until now.
"Good. Then let's show this greatest Greek hero, recognized by the Olympian gods, the Holy Sword from another world!"
Charlie landed on the peak of a ruined tower, staring at Heracles, who was preparing to leap toward him.
"Est, I ask you—lend me your power."
"I am your sword. I will do whatever you desire."
Est gently grasped Charlie's hand. Her touch felt strange—cold like metal yet soft like silk.
Then, Charlie began chanting a mantra with a voice full of authority.
"Silent Steel Queen, holy sword that destroys evil—now become my blade!"
*BUZZ!*
At that moment, Est's body transformed into particles of light and vanished, absorbed into the increasingly radiant light emanating from Charlie's hand.
The next instant, a double-edged silver sword appeared in Charlie's grip.
Its blade radiated a holy aura that made the surrounding air tremble. The spirit script inscribed along its edge read—Terminus Est.
The sword felt perfect in his grasp, as if it were an extension of his own body. Charlie pointed Terminus Est at Heracles, who was already soaring toward him, ready to begin the true battle.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Heracles. Let's start the real fight!"