Shinji Matou at Your Service-Chapter 941 - : A Little Blood

Be careful of what?

Dodge what?

The answer was simple: be careful and dodge the same thing—Berserker's attack.

Although the moment was brief and he quickly regained his composure, Shinji still froze for a moment due to the unexpected sight of Artoria and Illya holding the scabbard.

If this had been a normal situation, it wouldn't have mattered much; freezing up for a second wouldn't be an issue.

But this was a battle, and the enemy was none other than Heracles, the greatest hero of Greek mythology, and the strongest warrior. Despite being berserk and losing his reason, he was still a formidable opponent. Shinji and Medusa had been working together seamlessly to suppress him, with no room for error.

Shinji used Kazikli Bey to construct a cage, compressing Heracles' movement space.

Medusa followed up, ensuring Heracles couldn't break through.

It seemed laughably simple, but it struck at Heracles' weak point.

Heracles, renowned for his strength. In life, he had the unparalleled might to hold up the sky by himself. A mere iron cage, even with Kazikli Bey's 20,000 spikes and the full might of the Gorgon monster combined, would still not be enough to stop Heracles.

However, Servants are not their real selves; they are constrained by the vessels granted by the Greater Grail. Despite still being overwhelmingly powerful, with Heracles' Strength stat at A+, it wasn't the absolute, insurmountable gap it once was. In fact, with the right Master and skills, some Servants could even surpass him.

Medusa was one of those who could surpass him. With Sakura's magical energy boosting her Strength to Rank A, and her Monstrous Strength skill further enhancing her power for a short period, she could outmatch Heracles in terms of pure explosive strength. This was why Shinji had Medusa take the lead in blocking Heracles.

Still, explosive power is temporary and unsustainable. Medusa's base stats were lower than Heracles'. In the narrow confines of the cage, she could hold a slight advantage in confrontations, but once outside that environment, she wouldn't stand a chance against him.

Because Shinji froze for a moment, his control over Kazikli Bey lapsed, leaving a temporary gap in the tight seal. Heracles seized this opportunity, breaking free from the cage and charging toward Shinji. Though he had lost his reason, the countless trials and battles he had endured sharpened his instincts, telling him that this man was the key to his suppression—a foe that had to be eliminated.

Medusa was positioned too far forward and couldn't see Shinji's lapse in time to know that the seal had been broken. By the time she realized something was wrong, it was too late. Don't be fooled by Heracles' massive size; that didn't mean he was slow. Speed and size were never inversely proportional, and Heracles' Agility was also Rank A, the same as Medusa's. In such a rushed situation, Medusa had no chance to stop him.

At that moment, Shinji had just snapped out of his daze. He hadn't even had time to manifest a weapon or defense, but the giant axe-sword of Heracles was already above his head.

What saved him from this dire situation was a sharp, commanding shout from Artoria.

Shinji had hesitated, but she hadn't. The moment Heracles broke free from the cage, she sprang into action.

The Knight King charged forward, becoming a gust of wind as she dashed past, wielding her [Excalibur] wrapped in the Invisible Air, intercepting the axe-sword before it could fall.

"Ugh!"

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The air vibrated.

Artoria's Invisible Sword clashed against the massive sword in Heracles' hands, which was as large as a boulder.

The sound of a literal explosion.

Though it was the clash of steel against steel, it tore through the air effortlessly, creating an explosion that rivaled modern weapons.

The gust of wind created by the impact was no less intense. Shinji, caught in the center of the collision, was forced backward by the shockwave. As he stumbled, he vaguely saw Artoria's determined eyebrows furrow, her body being pushed back involuntarily.

Heracles had avenged his earlier defeat. In this second round of combat between Saber and Berserker, the latter was victorious.

The frenzied giant knew nothing of rest, nor tactics. He only relentlessly pursued his enemy.

The constant crashing sound of the axe-sword against the Invisible Sword rang out. With every collision, Artoria was forced to step back—a step here, half a step there. There was no doubt that in this contest of raw strength, Heracles had the upper hand.

However, this didn't mean Artoria would be easily defeated. Though she retreated step by step, she maintained a solid defense, each retreat allowing her to dissipate the force of the attack, stabilize her position, and gain more room to maneuver.

It's important to note that Illya was the Master with the highest magical potential in the original timeline, providing the greatest boost to her Servant. While she had been taken away from the Einzbern family early by Shinji, before undergoing the complete implantation of magic circuits, her potential as a Master was still top-tier. With her support, Artoria's stats were not much lower than Heracles'. Moreover, while one was a mindless berserker blindly charging forward, the other was a wise and tactical knight who could plan and strategize. Even if Artoria couldn't defeat Heracles, she wouldn't fall easily.

Shinji had every reason to believe that Artoria had chosen this head-on strategy deliberately. Not only to save him but also to draw Heracles away, giving Scathach and Sakura a chance to save others.

That's right—Scathach and Sakura. If Shinji and Medusa were here, how could they be left behind?

Among the four-person group, they were the most skilled in magecraft, so naturally, they were responsible for saving people. Unlike in battle, where flamboyance could be a fatal mistake, discretion was key here. Scathach had purposely chosen a shadowy corner, hidden by the stakes and darkness, suppressing her presence as much as possible. That's why Illya hadn't noticed her until she reached her mother's side and was surprised to find that Irisviel was already surrounded by a circle of healing runes. The deep, bone-visible wounds were visibly healing at a rapid pace.

The girl finally breathed a sigh of relief and bowed repeatedly. "Thank you, Sakura. Thank you, big sister."

"Big sister, hehe, I'll gladly accept your thanks," Scáthach responded with a clear smile.

Illya's unintentional address had amused Scáthach.

"Big sister, can you also help those two sisters? They were injured when they tried to save me and my mother..."

Illya glanced over at the two unfamiliar women, who had been moved aside and were lying not far from her mother, and quietly made her request.

"Those two? That's a bit tricky. Using healing techniques meant for humans won't help them—it will worsen their injuries."

"W-What should we do, then?"

Illya asked, visibly anxious after hearing Scathach's explanation.

"It's simple. Just let them drink a little of your blood. For vampires, no healing method is more effective than drinking blood."

"Ah, o-oh, w-whaaaaat?!"