Shinji Matou at Your Service-Chapter 945 - : The Clash of Myths, Part Two

Saáthach's strategy was quite simple: using runes to imbue her otherwise monotonous spear strikes with different attributes.

If stabbing with a spear couldn't kill, then she would burn her opponent with fire. If the fire didn't work, she had ice, poison, vacuum, and a whole range of other attributes to try, one after another.

For any Servant, there was no such thing as an invincible immortality. Even Scathach's immortality was weakened after becoming a Servant, so Heracles would inevitably face limitations as well. From here on, it would be a contest between the greatest endurance of humankind and the wisdom of the Otherworld—a battle to see whether her techniques would outlast his resurrections.

However, whether Scathach's plan would work depended on whether Heracles would cooperate.

The result of the advancing flaming spear was—being blocked by Heracles' massive axe-sword, which was larger than a door.

After all, he was Ancient Greece's greatest hero. Even in his berserk state, while he couldn't fully utilize his martial skills, he hadn't lost all sense of technique or his awareness of danger. The previous strike that pierced his heart had caught him off guard, but now that he had time to react, he wouldn't let his enemy succeed so easily.

Of course, this instinctive defense could only delay the inevitable and couldn't truly stop Scáthach. In his berserk state, Heracles was far too inferior in skill. After seeing through the essence of Heracles' immortality as endurance, Scathach adjusted her approach. No longer focused on simply wounding him wherever she could, she began to adopt a more evasive strategy, baiting Heracles into revealing openings and waiting for the perfect moment to deliver a fatal blow.

This approach not only limited Heracles' ability to exploit his immortality but also allowed her to conserve her stamina and mana. After all, she wasn't in the Land of Shadows, seated on her throne as her true self. She couldn't afford to waste power, and careful calculation was necessary. Scathach also enjoyed this process—it reminded her of the struggles she faced in her youth, the times when she stumbled and fought her way through. In a way, Heracles was like the many monstrous beasts she had fought during her growth. He reminded her quite a bit of those beasts. His fighting style was similar, his roars sounded alike, and his troublesome abilities were practically identical.

To defeat an enemy like this, one needed patience, calmness, and the ability to pinpoint weaknesses and formulate the right strategy. Scathach had grown into who she was today by cutting down obstacles in her path, and today was no different. She was confident that victory would ultimately be hers.

Carefully using the terrain to her advantage, Scathach skillfully lured Heracles into the pond in the courtyard, once again disrupting his movements. The flaming spear she had been preparing for so long finally found its opportunity.

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A single thrust to the throat!

The highly concentrated flames of primordial fire burst from the spearhead and exploded inside Heracles' neck, sending his entire head flying into the sky.

"Second time!"

Shinji counted aloud, turning his head as he spoke, "Sakura-chan, Illya-chan, if the sight is too disgusting, don't look."

"I'm fine, brother," Sakura replied, her voice steady. As Scathach's disciple, scenes like this didn't faze her.

"I'm fine too. If you can watch, why shouldn't I?"

Illya's voice, however, trembled slightly, though she continued to watch. She wasn't trying to show off—she simply wanted to witness the demise of the monster that had harmed her mother and torn apart her family.

Since the girls insisted on watching, Shinji didn't mind. He continued observing Heracles' every move, analyzing his attack patterns, and preparing for the final strike.

Yes, the final strike.

Shinji had never intended to rely solely on Scathach to deal with Heracles. It wasn't that he doubted her power—, as her disciple, he knew better than anyone just how strong Scathach was. If it came down to a fight to the death, Scathach could kill the berserk Heracles.

However, this was the Holy Grail War. The outcome wasn't solely determined by the Servants; the Masters had a say as well. If the tide of battle turned unfavorable, Heracles' Master would undoubtedly order a retreat. If that happened, all their efforts tonight would be wasted, and they would lose several key opportunities to kill Heracles—something Shinji simply couldn't tolerate.

Thus, he needed to finish Heracles off completely before his Master could issue a retreat order. To do that, Shinji would exploit the one weakness in Heracles' Twelve Labors.

From the moment the concept of endurance was born, it carried with it the implication of limits. There was no such thing as limitless endurance. If there were, it wouldn't be called endurance—it would simply be normal tolerance. This applied to Noble Phantasms as well. When an attack pushed past the limits of endurance, the effects of the Noble Phantasm would be greatly diminished or even nullified.

Put simply, if the attack was strong enough and executed correctly, it would be possible to shave off multiple resurrections at once—this was Twelve Labors' only weakness. Heracles' twelve lives were not separate entities; they were interconnected. In the original timeline, Artoria had exploited this weakness, using Excalibur to kill Heracles seven times with a single strike.

However, exploiting this weakness required meeting certain conditions, and Shinji had waited until now to ensure everything was in place.

"It's about time. Next, we—oh, no need. Shishou did it. Wow, she's amazing."

As he spoke, Scathach had killed Heracles once again, this time by using lightning to destroy his brain.

At the same moment, a figure with flowing purple hair descended from the sky.

"Sakura, Shinji, I've brought the item back."

Hearing this voice, Shinji's confidence surged.

"Sakura, you handle the distribution. Rider, prepare yourself. If Heracles is still holding on by a thread, you'll deliver the final blow."

"Understood."

Medusa's voice remained calm, but her support gave Shinji the strongest reassurance.

"Shishou, it's time to switch. Continuing this predetermined war of attrition is just a waste of time. Let me finish it."

"Very well."

Scathach didn't object. Although she didn't dislike this process, she was more interested in seeing how her disciple would finish the battle.

"Now?"

"Yes. Kazikli Bey!"

Before the words had even fully left his mouth, Scathach flashed away, retreating. Heracles was just about to give chase when countless stakes suddenly rose from beneath his feet.

The Noble Phantasm Kazikli Bey was ranked B, insufficient to break through Twelve Labors and deal damage, but the stakes' forceful emergence wouldn't be affected. In the blink of an eye, Heracles' body was lifted off the ground.

The suspended Heracles thrashed wildly, trying to destroy the stakes beneath him, but Shinji had anticipated this. As soon as the first wave of stakes was shattered, another wave of flying stakes crashed into him, followed by a third wave.

The goal was simple: keep him from touching the ground, wear him down with relentless impacts, and prevent him from regaining control of his stance. Only then could Shinji land an attack that surpassed Heracles' limit, ensuring a successful hit. This method also minimized damage to the surrounding buildings.

Five meters.

Ten meters.

Fifteen meters.

Twenty meters.

"Now! This is it!"

A brilliant golden light appeared in Shinji's hand, shining like a small, rising sun.

"Bless me, Karna!"

The sunlight concentrated, and with a flash, it shot through the air!