Can we really defeat Heracles?
As the battle progressed, Lin Qi couldn't help but ask himself this question.
Even before the battle began, Lin Qi hadn't been confident about defeating Heracles, despite his earlier inspiring words and heroic demeanor.
But lack of confidence was lack of confidence.
Harboring such doubts, Lin Qi remained highly active on the battlefield.
In this battle, everyone on both sides was fully mobilized.
Heracles was the main attacker on the opposing side, displaying terrifying oppressive force.
Containing him head-on required both Asterios and Lin Qi working together, just to provide a safe output space for the long-range partners in the rear.
Medea continuously summoned large numbers of Dragon Tooth Warriors, attempting to use the sheer quantity of minions to cause trouble for Lin Qi's side, while also occasionally casting spells to attack them.
Lin Qi had Magic Resistance at Rank B. Conventional magecraft didn't even warrant a glance; he could completely ignore it.
Even if it reached the level of High-Thaumaturgy, he could still use his Noble Phantasm to block it to some extent. So, surprisingly, Medea posed little threat to Lin Qi.
The others, needless to say, were agile as long-range units. While maintaining their attack frequency, they could also dodge the magical assaults. Even if someone couldn't dodge, Lin Qi would find a moment to use his Noble Phantasm to provide protection.
In this crucial battle, even Jason wasn't idle. He constantly used the Holy Grail to create inferior Shadow Servants to assault Lin Qi's group.
Jason's actions were handled by Atalante and David.
Their attacks were no longer effective against Heracles, but they were just right, perfectly suited for dealing with these Shadow Servants and Dragon Tooth Warriors.
As time passed...
A combined Noble Phantasm attack from Euryale and Artemis took one of Heracles's lives.
Asterios, relying on his A++ Rank Strength, unleashed a full-power swing and took another of Heracles's lives.
Drake, empowered by the Holy Grail, fired a full-power cannon blast and also took one of Heracles's lives.
At this point, Heracles still had seven lives left...
And the attacks from everyone on Lin Qi's side could no longer affect Heracles.
"Yes! That's it! Don't get close to the [Ark of the Covenant]! Maintain this rhythm, take them out, and bring back Euryale!" Jason waved his fist triumphantly at Lin Qi's group, feeling that victory could fall into his hands at any moment.
Heracles also strictly remembered Jason's reminder, always maintaining a considerable distance from the [Ark of the Covenant].
Even if Lin Qi and the others wanted to force Heracles over there by tough means, they simply couldn't do it. They could only try their best to stall Heracles and prevent him from taking other actions.
The battle was temporarily deadlocked.
Ultimately, in the original story, Chaldea also had to lure Heracles into the underground catacombs and rely on the impact force of a Noble Phantasm to press him against the [Ark of the Covenant], causing his defeat.
With the battlefield so open now, how could Lin Qi's group force a fully alert Heracles onto the [Ark]?
Moreover...
"Clang!"
The flagpole and the long spear crossed. The sparks flying from the impact illuminated the grave expression on Lin Qi's face and the slightly troubled, yet smiling eyes of Hector.
—And there was also this guy.
Lin Qi had once again arrived in time to block Hector, who was attempting to kidnap Euryale.
"You really keep your guard up against me at all times. I thought after waiting so long, I'd find an opening." Hector exerted force with the spear in his hand, pressing down hard on Lin Qi's flag, a strained smile on his face.
"Heh." Lin Qi sneered while locked in a contest of strength with Hector.
For Lin Qi, as long as Hector was not in his line of sight, he had to reserve a portion of his attention for Hector's potential actions.
"But still, what's the point of stopping me? You should also understand that your companions won't last much longer." Hector glanced towards the front lines where, because Lin Qi had come to intercept him, the situation was gradually becoming clear.
Lin Qi was quite adept at defense. If he were holding a shield, he might have the potential to become a Shield Heroic Spirit.
So, the moment Lin Qi left the front line, only Asterios was left to deal with Heracles's relentless onslaught.
Even though Asterios's Strength parameter even surpassed Heracles's by a margin, he could only retreat step by step under Heracles's exquisite combat skills.
When Medea and Jason saw Hector join the fray, they also intensified their output simultaneously.
For a moment, everyone on Lin Qi's side was thrown into disarray.
Drake dodged a magical blast from Medea and fired a few shots at Heracles in passing.
The bullets hit Heracles's body without even leaving a mark, simply ricocheting off.
"Tch, what a pain!" Seeing this, Drake also felt a headache coming on.
If this were at sea...
No, probably even at sea, they'd be helpless against this guy, right?
After all, compared to that seal's major weakness, this guy was truly somewhat impregnable.
You finally manage to kill him, and in the blink of an eye, he's alive again, and he can ignore the attack that killed him last time.
And from what Little Lin said, this guy still has seven lives left right now...
Even if we traded all our lives for his, one for one, it would barely be enough!
If this were at sea, Drake would absolutely run away again and plan carefully, thinking of other methods.
"To the Sun God and Moon God, I offer this prayer—[Phoebus Catastrophe]!" Atalante, gritting her teeth, used the last of the magical energy within her to unleash her Noble Phantasm, raining arrows down upon Jason and Medea.
Medea, her expression unchanged, waved her staff. A defensive barrier, prepared long ago, materialized above herself and Jason.
It easily blocked Atalante's attack.
"It seems you are very tired, Lady Atalante. The Noble Phantasm you used is actually this feeble." Seeing this, Medea couldn't help but sigh and shake her head.
"Eh? It's offered to me? But in my current state, it seems I can't give you my blessing..." Artemis, hearing the chant next to her, looked at Atalante with some surprise, a note of regret in her voice.
Atalante kept a stiff face, both too tired to speak and utterly collapse by the fact that the deity she worshipped was such a love-struck airhead.
Witnessing all this, Lin Qi's heart sank.
This was one of the aspects he had worried about, precisely the flaw Hector had pointed out.
—Their side was already very tired.
It wasn't just the gap in frontal combat power; there was also a gap in endurance.
With Heracles, a Berserker capable of fighting tirelessly, as their main force, Jason's side could fight while conserving their energy.
But looking at Lin Qi's group...
Asterios was fine; his endurance was inherently much greater than that of a regular Servant, even stronger than Heracles's.
But Atalante and David were different. They had already been holding out for a long time before Lin Qi and the others arrived, and their stamina had long since bottomed out.
The others also had varying degrees of stamina consumption.
…