With the tearing of air, a massive spear pierced Heracles's throat, the sheer force tilting even his hulking frame backward.
"That makes eleven," came Kingu's indifferent count.
"I had some expectations of you, yet you turned out to be nothing but a rabid dog."
"ROAARR───"
Heracles revived once again, roaring furiously. He forced himself upright from his tilted position and charged at Kingu. However—
Puchi───
Three spikes shot up from the earth, impaling and killing Heracles once more.
With a bored shake of the head, Kingu turned, intending to leave.
"Hm?"
Just then, a pillar of golden light surged toward the heavens, its enormous and sacred power surprising even Kingu slightly.
Yet Kingu's own senses never relaxed.
Turning back, Heracles had already closed the distance, swinging his massive axe down!
Kingu's expression remained tranquil, undisturbed.
Right before the axe struck Kingu, Heracles stomped heavily into the ground, abruptly vanishing from sight.
But it was already too late.
Chains surged like hunting hounds, pursuing him. Heracles swung his axe fiercely, knocking aside a portion of the chains, but even more chains wrapped around his massive frame. He tried shaking off these dangerously threatening bindings, yet the chains emitted silvery-white brilliance upon contact, instantly hardening. Even the demigod's strength couldn't break them.
"That's why you, who possess divinity, can never defeat me..."
Kingu sneered lightly, waving one hand. Beside him, an enormous golden spear slowly condensed.
Revived twelve times—thirteen lives at most.
This ends now.
Confirming victory, Kingu calmly swept his hand downward.
The golden spear trembled, shooting straight toward Heracles.
Suddenly, a three-colored flash descended from the sky, completely devouring the golden spear. Immediately afterward, a sword flash shattered the chains binding Heracles.
A faint smile tugged at Kingu's lips.
"And here I was worried I couldn't find you. But you've come knocking yourself?"
Only now did Altera gently descend before Kingu.
"You managed to slip away twice thanks to Ophis, but now that she's absent, it's time to eliminate you completely."
Kingu's previously bored gaze sharpened instantly, a faint golden glow emanating from his entire body.
From the woman before him, Kingu sensed a fundamental threat to the very concept of 'gods.' And from her blade, he perceived the presence of the War God who once defeated his mother.
From every angle, this opponent posed considerable danger.
By comparison, the little girl in black robes tagging along with Chaldea, while somewhat strange, wasn't worth worrying about.
On Altera's side, she tilted her head slightly.
"Twice...? Sneak attacks are bad civilization, you know?"
Altera might not match Kingu's raw power, but the gap wasn't large enough for her to be beaten in one strike. The crises she faced previously were precisely because Kingu always struck when she revealed an opening.
"It couldn't be helped. You're capable of threatening Mother, after all, so it's only natural to take you seriously."
Kingu chuckled softly, then disappeared.
Altera's eyes narrowed sharply, and she spun, sword slashing.
Clang───!
Gold and rainbow-colored blades clashed. In mere seconds, dozens of exchanges occurred before Kingu vanished again.
BOOM!
Almost simultaneously, a giant axe smashed into the spot Kingu had occupied.
In a flash of gold, Kingu reappeared dozens of meters away from Altera.
Yet Altera, as if predicting this, stretched her blade and swung directly at Kingu's new position!
Kingu clicked his tongue, preparing to dodge, but suddenly paused and crouched down.
A blue arrow of light streaked just above his head, landing behind him.
Taking advantage, Kingu slapped a palm against the ground, raising a spike beneath Altera's feet, forcing her to dodge and throwing her attack off-course.
Having resolved this danger, Kingu frowned.
Altera's arrival meant Arjuna's attention was now on him as well.
That meant the Chaldea group had already...
Kingu hesitated briefly, then decided to stay.
Altera was too significant a threat—he had to finish her here.
Heracles had only one life left, and Arjuna's cover fire, given the distance, posed limited threat if he stayed cautious.
There's still enough time...
Just then, three purple pillars of light erupted upward, piercing through the clouds, causing Kingu's expression to change drastically.
The source of these three beams—exactly his three foes!
...
"Ugh, I didn't expect we'd end up using it after all," Dr. Romani complained over the communicator.
"Um... I'm really sorry, but at that moment, there was no other choice," Lily apologized softly.
"Well, isn't the result pretty great?" Ritsuka reassured cheerfully, giving the young knight a hearty pat on the back.
At this point, both teams had successfully shaken off the demonic beasts and were resting at the forest's edge.
"Report: Squad One has twenty-nine remaining, Squad Two has fifty-seven. No loss of combat capability. Current total fighting strength: eighty-six."
"Less than half..."
Hearing the soldier's report, everyone's mood dimmed slightly.
Jeanne, forcing herself to remain cheerful, gently smiled at the group.
"But Lily-san truly was incredible, to think you could wield such a Noble Phantasm."
The reason Squad Two had nearly double the survivors compared to Squad One was partly because Squad One had spearheaded the charge, but largely due to Lily instantly defeating the dragon blocking Squad Two's path, minimizing casualties.
Thanks to Lily, Squad Two's losses remained below half.
"Release the horses. From here on, we'll proceed on foot."
Jeanne sighed softly, staring at the narrow forest path ahead.
Having chosen the route least likely to attract beasts, further travel by horseback had become impossible. Besides, dense forests were unsuitable for cavalry anyway.
Though reluctant, they had no choice but to leave their horses to fate.
"Alright then, form ranks—move out!"
The steps toward subjugating the goddess could not falter.