Shinji Matou at Your Service-Chapter 946 - : The Bond of the Argo

Sunlight shone brightly, and in a flash, the spear soared through the air.

Its target was none other than Hercules' chest—more precisely, the location of his spiritual core. The core of his Noble Phantasm, The Twelve Labors, resided there, theoretically serving as the repository for his twelve lives.

Only by striking directly at this point could one hope to destroy multiple of Hercules' lives in one blow. Otherwise, even if you obliterated most of his body, the damage wouldn't be any more effective than piercing his heart with a single thrust.

This was why Shinji preferred to have Scathach engage in close combat rather than using wide-area Noble Phantasms for firepower coverage. Given the strength and vitality of Hercules' body, even an A-rank Noble Phantasm might not be enough to kill him.

Even if Gilgamesh used his prized EA for an external attack, it might not be able to kill all twelve lives at once. And even if it could, Hercules could still evade. Despite his madness, his combat instincts remained intact. As long as he avoided a direct hit to his spiritual core, even the strongest attack would only claim one of his lives. Afterward, his resistance would increase, making it even harder to kill him in the same manner.

This was why, in the original timeline, Artoria could kill seven lives with one strike, while Red Archer, despite using various projected Noble Phantasms, could only manage five kills, at the cost of his own life.

Shinji wanted to follow Artoria's path, not Red Archer's. Thus, he had spent so much time observing Hercules' movements, pinpointing the location of his spiritual core. At the same time, he waited for Scathach to whittle down enough of Hercules' resurrections.

According to Shinji's tests over the years, his highest single-target attack wouldn't be much stronger than Artoria's Excalibur, at most capable of killing eight or nine lives.

Therefore, he had to wait until Hercules had lost three lives before making his move. Fortunately, Scathach had performed admirably and hadn't disappointed him.

Now was the perfect moment to strike.

The Noble Phantasm The Immortal Blade was projected and pierced through the spiritual core, immediately triggering Broken Phantasm. A single-strike kill would be ideal, but if it didn't work, Medusa's Mystic Eyes of Petrification combined with Harpe could finish off Hercules' last breath.

This was a true targeted strategy, the real advantage of a transmigrator. At this moment, Shinji's potential was pushed to its limits.

The golden spear tore through the air, emitting a sorrowful roar.

With each passing moment, the solar energy on the spear's shaft became more active. The instant it pierced the enemy's chest, the solar energy would reach its peak and explode in a flash.

At this moment, Hercules was being pounded senseless by a massive pile of stakes, his body collapsing under the pressure. He was utterly incapable of moving, and the only thing awaiting him was the divine spear, wrapped in solar energy, penetrating his spiritual core and deciding his fate—that's how it should have been.

However, just as the spear broke through Hercules' skin, and just as Shinji was about to channel his magical energy to fully trigger Broken Phantasm, a red aura suddenly enveloped Hercules' body. His form twisted, and in an instant, he vanished into thin air.

"What... is this?"

Shinji's expression shifted slightly. Expanding his mental energy outward, he leaped into the air, stepping on the stakes to catch the falling spear while scanning the spot where Hercules had disappeared. Soon, he detected a faint, yet unmistakably familiar, fluctuation of power.

"It's a Command Spell! A forced transfer! Damn it, of all times, why now?!"

Shinji's brain went into overdrive as he considered all possible scenarios.

The plan being discovered and a timely retreat could be ruled out first. The strategy against Hercules was known only to Shinji himself; he hadn't even told his family, let alone outsiders. There was no other transmigrator in this world, so no one could have such a deep understanding of The Twelve Labors.

A retreat due to sensing danger could also be ruled out. Hercules still had nine lives left, far from any danger zone. Even if the Einzberns' Master was being overly cautious and set the danger threshold at nine lives, they would have transferred him the moment he resurrected, not waited until now.

Thus, the only remaining possibility was—

"Coincidence. Either their mana ran out at just the right time, or they were found by an enemy, possibly Artoria or another Master-Servant pair. Fortunately, I still have a backup plan."

Since this strategy was a comprehensive one, Shinji had naturally prepared for all contingencies, including the possibility of the Einzberns pulling Hercules out of the battle.

"Caster, can you track Hercules through the residual traces of the Command Spell?"

"I can, but it will take time," Medea's response came swiftly.

"A Command Spell is a high-level completed thaumaturgy. Even for me, analyzing it isn't an easy task. You're right, modern magecraft has declined, but we shouldn't underestimate modern magi."

"I'm counting on you. Also, thanks for your help earlier."

Shinji referred to Medea's support for the Emiya family before he arrived.

Regardless of whether he's Berserk or not, Hercules is a top-tier Servant. In the present world, only beings like Arcueid or Justeaze, who are beyond normal standards, would have a guaranteed victory. Such a being is not something two inexperienced homunculi and two inferior Dead Apostles could withstand. Even though Hercules had lost his reason and Illya had her magical protection, it would have been impossible for all of them to survive.

They were only alive thanks to Medea. Without her covertly slowing down Hercules, Irisviel would have been cleaved in two by his axe-sword long before the vampires arrived to save them. Similarly, Illya was only able to complete the summoning because Medea had discreetly created obstacles for Hercules.

Of course, her methods were so masterful that Illya and the others didn't even notice.

To this, Medea simply replied softly:

"It was nothing, just a little support magecraft—a trick I used often in my youth. In hindsight, not all memories from that time were painful."

Her youth, that experience—clearly, Medea was recalling her time aboard the Argo.

Back then, Hercules was the strongest warrior on the ship, and she was the greatest magus. Both had close ties to Jason, so they naturally interacted frequently. During their adventures, Medea often used magecraft to assist Hercules. It was because of this experience that she could now perform such a series of brilliant maneuvers—though in life, it was to assist him, and now, it was to hinder him.

"If you have time, tell me about the Argo. I'm pretty interested in some of the people on that ship."

Shinji suggested. He knew several heroes from the Argo, not just Medea and Hercules, but also Atalanta and Achilles' father, Peleus—half-counted. Honestly, he was very curious about the funny stories between Peleus and Atalanta.

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"Who specifically—"

Before Medea could finish her sentence, her tone suddenly shifted.

"Hm?"

"What is it?"

"It seems someone triggered one of my spells, but when I checked, there was nothing. Was it an illusion?"

"To slip past your detection? Could it be Assassin?—Wait, what's that?"