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IBHJ Chapter 519
🕑 Added 2023-10-13 07:43:18 +0000 UTCAs the rain of light arrows descended, there was no time to dodge. The [Evil] within him surged, giving birth to massive upper and lower jaws resembling the abyss itself, which devoured the entire cascade of light arrows.
"So even the wrath of Artemis and Apollo barely fazes him?" Atalanta clicked her tongue in displeasure.
And who could blame her?
Seeing your strongest Noble Phantasm rendered powerless against an opponent is bound to leave a sour taste. It's downright frustrating.
But there was nothing she could do about it.
Her [Phoebus Catastrophe] was powerful, an Anti-Army type Noble Phantasm carrying the divine might of both the moon goddess Artemis and the sun god Apollo. However, Shirou was pretty resistant to divinity.
He fully activated his Noble Phantasm [Evil Flower of Freedom], and any Noble Phantasm attack below A rank couldn't break its defense.
Seeing this, Achilles, riding his chariot that blazed like a shooting star, let out a loud laugh and lunged straight for him.
Shirou saw the spear in Achilles' hand and couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, saying, "So you wanted to eliminate me that badly?"
The black wings at his back turned into ten magical thrusters. Propelling forward, he managed to weave through the barrage of light arrows, making his escape.
But even though the ten magical thrusters boasted speeds comparable to the latest fighter jets, they couldn't match the speed of Achilles' chariot, Troias Tragōidia.
In no time, Achilles caught up to Shirou. Without hesitation, he hurled his renowned Hero-killing spear straight at him.
...
Kotomine saw Achilles successfully throw the spear and couldn't help but clench his fist and shouted, "He's pulled it off!"
"Don't get ahead of yourself, Master," Semiramis chided gently.
"I apologize, Assassin," he took a deep breath and smiled, "The excitement got the better of me. But with this, Eternal King should be out of the picture!"
"That's true," she nodded and said, "Heroic Spirits who rely on their Noble Phantasms and Innate skills are generally frail at their core. If they are approached by a warrior-type Servant like Achilles and have their Noble Phantasms and Innate skills sealed, they're essentially powerless."
He nodded thoughtfully. "With Eternal King out of the picture, our next move should be to force Ruler to withdraw from the war."
...
On the battleground...
With the power of the Command Seals, Karna managed to suppress Arjuna and Vlad III.
He looked towards the distant pitch-black night sky, where a green glow shone, resembling a Colosseum.
"What are you looking at?" Arjuna snapped.
"Our target," Karna replied calmly, "He's about to leave the battlefield."
Arjuna quickly glanced at the distant sky, furrowing his brow.
"What are you guys planning?" Vlad III demanded, suspicion clouding his voice.
Karna calmly responded, "Save your breath. I won't tell you anything."
In the fleeting distraction caused by Arjuna and Vlad's questioning, Karna nimbly sidestepped the pair and bolted towards the rear lines of the black forces.
Arjuna and Vlad pursued him immediately.
Their heated battle danced and wove its way across the expansive battleground, neither giving an inch.
"We've done it!" Atalanta exclaimed in relief.
Yes, they had already won!
The Spear-tip of the Star Traversing the Skies, bestowed upon Achilles by Chiron during his parents' wedding, was a unique weapon capable of creating a domain for one-on-one duels between heroes, resembling a Reality Marble.
In short, it was a spear designed for duels. Upon its activation, it sealed off the flow of time and the environment around the combatants, manifesting an arena that only dissipates when one side is defeated.
Within the confines of the isolated space created by the Noble Phantasm [Spear-tip of the Star Traversing the Skies], all blessings, spells, and even Noble Phantasms were rendered unusable. The victor of the duel was decided purely based on the fighting skills of the combatants.
Atalanta, who had personally clashed with Shirou, was acutely aware of his reliance on the abundance of Noble Phantasms at his disposal. Therefore, she expected his parameters to be somewhat lacking.
So in the Duel Field, where victory depends solely on fighting skills, Achilles seemed to have a significant advantage!
Trapped within the dueling space, Shirou could feel his Noble Phantasms and Innate skills being sealed off due to the effect of Achilles' Noble Phantasm.
He wasn't surprised by this since he had long known about the capability of Achilles' Noble Phantasm. However, one thing felt quite strange to him.
Looking at Achilles in front of him, he asked, "Isn't your Noble Phantasm supposed to activate only after you leave the chariot? And don’t I need to accept your duel challenge before this thing activates?"
"You seem to be quite well-informed, Assassin," Achilles said, "But there's something you've missed. While this Noble Phantasm does facilitate a one-on-one duel, it also embodies the legend of me chasing Hector in my chariot. So even without leaving the chariot, I can still activate it!"
Achilles didn't hide anything; instead, he cracked his knuckles and explained his Noble Phantasm.
Shirou recalled that, just as his story of Eternal King had multiple versions, Greek myths also had various interpretations. Some versions told of a sacred duel between Achilles and Hector, while others described Hector being defeated and fleeing, only to be hunted down and killed by Achilles. Undoubtedly, these legends influenced his Noble Phantasm's ability to change.
"I see," Shirou nodded in realization.
Achilles chuckled, saying, "Do you understand your situation now? Don't worry, I won't use any weapons. It wouldn't be fair."
Shirou chuckled back, "You're right. It wouldn't."
Achilles' smile broadened. "Whatever you've done to me and big sis, I'll return it all to you."
"You... Haven't you misunderstood your situation?" Shirou arched an eyebrow in response.
"What?" Achilles blinked, taken aback.
It was clear as day. In this duel space, with all the fancy powers and weapons off the table, Shirou was pretty much cornered.
Yet, there he stood, arms folded and smiling. "Maybe you should grab your spear. It might lead to a more graceful death that way."
Achilles' brow creased in confusion. What was keeping Assassin so cocky with the odds stacked against him?
"You're just bluffing, aren't you, Assassin?" Achilles questioned, clearly skeptical.
Shirou let out a tired sigh. "You still don't get it, do you? If you hadn't pulled this Noble Phantasm trick, maybe, just maybe, you'd have stood a chance. But now?"
He let the sentence hang, his smile growing wider, "You've pretty much sealed your fate."
Achilles laughed, thinking maybe Shirou was just in denial about their situation. After all, in a place like this, warriors like Achilles naturally had the upper hand, especially against those king heroes whose power came from their Noble Phantasms.
But that amusement quickly vanished.
An ominous black aura surged from Shirou, and behind him, six enormous black arms sprang into existence, each gripping colossal blades forged from the same sinister and ominous black mud.
In an arena where all Noble Phantasms, Innate skills, and blessings were supposedly off the table, Assassin had just pulled one out!
"No way... this can't be!" Achilles gasped in astonishment.
Even though this space had taken his Immortality, how was Eternal King still able to activate his Noble Phantasm?
"Are you... ready to dance?"
Shirou asked, a confident smile playing on his lips.
Comments
Kimo
Well he messed up
JeanMartin Freites
I have to say that it looks like Achilles may have shot himself in the foot here.
Duck
RANCER GA SHINDA!
