Reading | Chapter 55: Parallels - Part 8

"It's my turn," Asia declared with a slight tremor in her voice.

"Are you sure?" Irina asked, worried.

"Yes, we have to read it, until the end," Asia said resolutely.

"Good," Irina acknowledged her resolve, so she handed over the book.

It was time to see if these heroes would be enough to make a difference.

Here and now, this was the moment that marked the beginning of the end. Shirou knew he had been sent to another world to save it this time. He was neither a demon nor a god, but a human who had become a conduit for divine and demonic power, allowing him to fight beyond his own capabilities.

A holy man.

A magical power flowed through his veins as he was the host of the presence of the One God and all the All the World’s Evil. Even if they had separated from him, their energies still lingered within him.

"Now that I think about it, this is the first time Shirou has been alone, isn't it?" Irina said worriedly.

"He always had God with him, even when Marbas separated from him; this is certainly the first time he's been completely alone." Xenovia nodded.

"Completely alone?" Shirou wondered, glancing sideways at the back of his hand.

No, he never was.

He would use it in its entirety.

A defining characteristic of humans was their tenacity and their ability to use their full potential against the adversary. Whether through intelligence or brute force, they wasted no opportunity. The world crumbled, shattering like an egg in a microwave; the internal pressure building until the egg cracked from within. This was the Embryo World theory.

However strong the outer shell, internal forces can and will breach the barriers with sufficient power. Beings of the level of Trihexa, the Great Red, Ophis, the Evil Dragons, the Devils, the Angels, and the Gods were forced to unleash excessive energy.

"And now we can see the result of that overdeployment," Sirzech said, worried.

The cracks were already evident; how much longer could the world endure before it finally shattered completely?

At any other time, the world existed in a tentative equilibrium, with the supernatural separate from the scientific, the two never meeting. Clearly, this was no longer the case.

Wherever Shirou looked, he saw the armed forces and the people of the world fighting alongside the inhabitants of magical societies. Fighter jets and helicopters, imbued with the properties of sacred energy, acted as the spearhead to attack enemies in the sky, while ground troops used weapons and firepower to defeat enemies with insufficient magical protection.

"It's not enough, even with all that it's not enough," Azazel declared regretfully.

The angels' sacred energy would eventually run out, and the ammunition wouldn't last much longer either.

This deadlock was only temporary.

Although perhaps Shirou's reinforcements could make it last a little longer

It was chaos, and the root of it all came from the being in front of him and the Evil he had helped to unleash.

Trihexa, the destroyer of worlds and the Beast of the Apocalypse. That was his enemy. The one whose very nature dictated the end of all life, but he rejected that idea. The very concept of life was a struggle that everyone shared equally. Was it a sin to want to live and thrive? Was it a sin to seek happiness?

"No, but the consequences of that desire can be," Michael sighed.

Human potential was truly wonderful.

And in turn, very terrifying

Speak of the end, and the end will come.

But not today.

Beast of Man. Beast of Sin. Guileless Child of Disasters, your time has not yet come. So sleep until the day the world naturally comes to an end, and do not awaken at the call of another.

"So you don't plan to kill that thing?" Azazel questioned, interpreting Shirou's words.

"The end will come for everyone sooner or later, that's inevitable. I'm just trying to prolong it as much as possible and let the world end at its own pace," Shirou replied with a slight shrug.

"I suppose that's true," Azazel said thoughtfully.

The world, the universe, existence itself would one day end.

All they could do was make the most of it until that inevitably happened.

The cracks and spatial characteristics of the air became increasingly pronounced, creating voids that absorbed all matter. Shirou knew he had to act swiftly and efficiently. It was impossible to predict how much more damage the world could withstand. Any average person would question their own sanity about what they themselves could do in the current situation, but the answer was simple.

Blue patterns, like circuits, flashed across his skin, climbing up his neck and reaching his temples. Sensing a bad feeling, Trihexa's main body finally turned its attention to the human who had rushed to oppose it. With a thought, a beam of pure magical energy shot out to engulf Shirou; however, the beam was stopped dead in its tracks.

"Watch out!" Serafall exclaimed in fear.

That single ray of light seemed to have more magical power than she could generate in an entire year!

A lone arm had blocked it with certainty.

"Have you forgotten who your opponent is?" Saber questioned, narrowing her eyes.

The being that now opposed him was not one he could ignore.

Goetia, the Beast from Another World.

Shirou nodded silently in recognition and gratitude, while Goetia merely grunted. In truth, Goetia couldn't help but be interested in humanity's struggles. No one could say they loved humans more than Goetia, to the point that killing them all seemed to be the only way to save themselves.

"I know a few," Shirou murmured.

About six or seven more at least

"What a twisted love," Serafall shook her head, glancing sideways at Shirou.

What would he think of that?

Leaving aside its past, Goetia now focused on the future and what was to come.

Shirou's body had been the conduit for overwhelming power, but even without that power, he had always possessed a power of his own, now about to be unleashed. There was one thing only he could do.

"And what can you do that neither God nor the Devil can?" Sirzech asked with great interest.

"Give them a more suitable battlefield," Shirou replied, much to the confusion of many.

A more suitable battlefield?

If the current world could not contain the clash of powers, then it would create another reality that could. Mind over matter. Spirit and soul.

"Create a reality? What the hell are you talking about?" Azazel asked, confused.

The chance-?

No, impossible, that was a power exclusive to the Gods, and not just any God, but supreme Gods, the pinnacle of divinity where his old man belonged.

"I am the Bone of my Sword." He felt it the moment he uttered these words: the roar of an inner flame growing ever stronger. An invisible presence began to emanate from him. He spoke of flames, of iron and steel of the highest caliber. The shadow of monolithic, turning gears began to grow larger and come to life.

He placed his left hand forward, while his right hand held his left arm by the elbow.

"Steel is my body and fire is my blood."

"Are you planning to create another barrier like the one in the land of Marbas?" Akeno wondered.

"That barrier is powerful, very powerful, but I don't know if it's powerful enough to withstand a fight between two Beasts." Azazel shook his head.

Perhaps it would hold for a few seconds, a minute if Shirou really dedicated himself to reinforcing it.

But that was far from enough for a monster like Trihexa.

"A barrier? You're not entirely wrong," Rin chuckled softly.

The cat was already out of the bag, so why bother?

His veins bulged on his skin, his twenty-seven magical circuits sprang to life and heated his inner body. Words were power. His words were what shaped his inner reality.

The Aria of the Nameless Hero: A one-trick pony who had only excelled at one craft.

"A one-trick pony?" Issei looked at Shirou in disbelief.

What could you call a one-trick pony at this point!?

"Because that's what I am," Shirou replied without hesitation. "I'm not good with traditional magic, runes elude me, and the root is something I'll never reach. I'm only good at one thing, and even though it sounds presumptuous, I'm the best at it."

"Good enough to defeat a beast of the Apocalypse?" Azazel questioned.

Shirou frowned.

No, definitely not.

At least, the Emiya Shirou in this room couldn’t.

But the one from that world...

That remained to be seen.

"I have created over a thousand blades."

The hammering of steel on an anvil began to resonate in his ears, a ring of fire manifested around him and expanded to form an all-encompassing dome that enveloped the Trihexa within.

"Fire? A forge?" Kiba wondered.

This was different from the last few times he used that strange aria.

Something in the air shifted. Everyone felt it. Deities from other pantheons, monsters from diverse realities and religions, but above all, magicians and sorcerers: the potent hum of magic spread through the air. Magic born not from a god, a deity, or a dragon, but from humankind.

"What kind of mortal magic makes even the Gods react?" Serafall asked with great interest.

"At this point, I don't know if I'd call that 'magic,'" Rin snorted.

She could gain a lot of recognition by writing a thesis about everything she had found out about that thing.

Of course, that would quickly be followed by a sealing designation, which is why she hadn't done it.

Trihexa's main body roared with uncertainty, and instinct compelled it to react. Waves of dragon breath and magical orbs were unleashed, but all were met with equal force.

"Even Trihexa considers him a threat." Michael looked at Shirou in disbelief.

The same Trihexa that had not reacted to the appearance of so many deities and had only taken Goetia into account.

What was this man doing?

A crimson light flashed in Goetia's eyes. As long as he stood before Trihexa, it shouldn't even consider attacking another opponent.

"Unaware of loss, Nor aware of gain."

Every word spoken changed something.

None of them knew what it was, but they knew something was changing.

Something was being...created.

No.

Something that had always been there was now manifesting itself.

Shirou's voice continued to echo. The world's energy was centered within a framework of universal laws. Different dimensions existed simultaneously in different layers. On Earth, for example, Heaven existed in the firmament, Man on Earth, and the Underworld beneath the earth. The three dimensions were governed by fundamentally different laws, and yet, something strange was happening. The laws that dictated present reality were beginning to crumble. A new dimension wasn't forming; rather, the properties of the current dimension were distorting to conform to the will of another.

Azazel's eyes widened and his jaw dropped in utter disbelief.

Was that brat-?

"Withstood pain to create weapons, waiting for one's arrival."

The eyes of Trihexa's main body dilated as it perceived what was happening around it. Reality was distorted at the whim of a single man.

"I have no regrets. This is the only path."

"Shirou! What are you doing!?" Serafall asked, almost panicking.

"That—that shouldn't be possible," Gabriel murmured, astonished.

Father, whom did you choose?

It was too late. Shirou narrowed his eyes as Trihexa unleashed even more power around him and tried to escape the ring of fire it had formed. He couldn't.

"My whole life was,"

For an instant, thousands of legendary swords and weapons formed, preventing Trihexa from leaving long enough for Shirou Emiya's greatest life achievement to come true.

Shirou closed his eyes for a moment.

And then they opened abruptly.

It was time.

"Unlimited Blade Works.”

The screen shone brighter than ever before, blinding everyone present except Asia, who, covering herself with the book, forced herself to continue reading.  

That's right. He gritted his teeth. Now you're in my world.

And the next second-

Nothing

The light shone in a haze of infernal flames, and everything that had been within the immediate area around Shirou, including himself, disappeared.

"What? Where are you?!" Rias exclaimed frantically.

Where had she gone after all that spectacle!?

"I'm doing my part," Shirou replied.

"You...no, it can't be, it had to be something else, forget it," Azazel murmured, running a hand through his hair.

Yes, Shirou is from another world, so he probably misinterpreted what he saw.

That had to be it...

Yes, it had to be.

For the time being, I would leave the protection of the rest of the world to those who could already protect it themselves.

Mankind’s Heroes.

"Will that be enough?" Irina asked worriedly.

Trihexa was, for the moment,... well, it was held back.

But the evil dragons, the Wyverns, the scales of Trihexa, and most importantly, the heads it severed were still out there

Could they put an end to all of that?

The main Trihexa body vanished, and the world's overall pressure eased considerably, much to the relief of its inhabitants. However, this did not mean the danger was over. Six other Trihexa bodies were battling the Demons of the Cardinal Sins, and nothing would end until they were defeated. The Evil Dragons were secondary, though they used the chaos to satiate their thirst for battle.

"The sins are fighting, they should be able to do something, if they gain the support of the gods then we can win," Sirzech declared.

At least, that's what I hoped.

From the other six bodies of Trihexa, numerous monstrosities were born on Earth. One body fought in the rolling hills of Greece, another in the British Isles, a third in America, a fourth in Russia, a fifth in India, and the sixth, finally, in China.

"The British Isles?" Saber narrowed her eyes.

If I didn't know she was a mindless being, I would think I was provoking her.

"Excellent, we'll see how a Tsar and a 'forgotten princess' fight against the damned walking Apocalypse. Honestly, I see the battle as pretty even." Azazel rolled his eyes sarcastically.

"One goes to China, will Cao Cao fight him?" Issei asked, vaguely worried about the man.

"He asked me if the Greeks had already slain their dragon, or if this could complicate things considerably," Michael said, worried.

Pandemonium spread everywhere, but despite everything, figures from the past traveled through the air in beams of starlight that landed in their countries of origin, further strengthening their forces.

In the skies above Greece, near the ruins of what was once the city of Troy, a man clad in bronze armor and mounted on a chariot surveyed his adversaries. His short, shaven green hair whipped wildly in the wind as an unparalleled spear descended, piercing flying wyverns and monstrous creatures that plummeted to the ground.

"Oh look, that's the one the crazy woman was chasing," Irina pointed out.

The ground itself was a death sentence. After all, following the man's trail, a furious Berserker saw everything that moved before him as an enemy.

"And there's the crazy woman," he pointed again.

"Seriously, who is that?" Azazel wondered.

With Achilles, It could be almost any woman.

The charioteer was none other than Achilles, Agamemnon's most distinguished warrior, rivaled only by the famous Heracles. His intuition had already determined that the greatest enemy to defeat was the tawny body of Trihexa, against which the most powerful gods of Olympus were fighting nearby, but he could not yet confirm it.

"Does Achilles plan to fight that thing? Does he have the strength to do it?" Michael wondered, worried about the man.

Achilles had been an exceptional and powerful warrior, but...not that powerful.

The only request made of him when he was summoned was the protection of the people.

"If it's just a matter of protecting the people, then I think it will be useful," Azazel murmured.

But that was something they could already do themselves.

So what was the purpose of this?

He pulled on the reins of his flying pegasus and swooped down to the ground, where he knew his mere presence would unleash a storm. The people he had rescued admired him in gratitude, but didn't dare approach too closely for their own safety.

"ACHILLES!" The voice that pierced the air almost went through his armor and entered his being as he looked towards the fountain.

Penthesilea. The Queen of the Amazons ignored everything else and charged furiously at him. Pure hatred and animosity were reflected in her eyes.

"Oh," Azazel hissed.

Yes, now everything made sense.

"Who?" Issei asked, confused.

"Penthesilea, the queen of the Amazons and an ally of Troy," Azazel explained.

"Oh," Issei murmured.

Even he knew the story of the Trojan War.

"She fought against Achilles and died at his hands. In fact, when he killed her, he removed her helmet and fell hopelessly in love with her. It's not something that hurts to see in modern representations, but it's part of history," the fallen man continued explaining.

"He killed her and then fell in love with her?" Asia asked, feeling sorry for them.

"Well, there are also versions where he saw her face during the fight and that made him hesitate to finish her off, which he considered his greatest dishonor," the fallen man added.

As always, there were a thousand and one versions of the same myth, so unless you had been there, it was hard to know which one was the real one.

Taking that into account, it would make sense why he hated him so much.

Did she reject him that much? No, Achilles shook his head as he looked at her with mixed feelings. This wasn't the Penth he still remembered fighting to the death. Why had she, the greatest warrior he had ever faced, been reduced to a Berserker?

"Because of you, idiot," Koneko replied angrily.

Why else?

Achilles' expression darkened. Putting his personal feelings aside, he didn't dare speak to her right now, knowing that he was undoubtedly the reason for her madness. If he did speak to her, it would be alone and in a remote place.

With a thought, he took to the air again, Penth in pursuit. In a way, he could consider the current situation a kind of alliance. He would deal with the enemies in the air, and Penth would massacre all those whose wings were clipped. Though, Penth probably saw him more as an enemy than anything else at that moment.

"In a way, they work well together." Rias grimaced as she watched Penthesilea slice a Wyvern in half with her bare hands as if it were mere paper.

Speaking of Wyverns, where was the dragon?

One would think that eliminating it was a priority.

The thought was depressing, but it was quickly overtaken by contempt when Achilles sensed a familiar presence in the air. From the looks of it, the feeling was mutual.

The newcomer was astonished by Achilles' presence.

"Apollo," Achilles said curtly, looking his true assassin in the face. Paris? Paris, Paris the pansy, had been his murderer? How absurd!

"Oh yes! They say it was Apollo who guided Paris's arrow to strike Achilles with precision, right?" Issei exclaimed at the memory.

"If I understand correctly, Paris wasn't really a strong person; in fact, he was known for being quite effeminate," Azazel replied, recalling.

The fact that he struck Achilles precisely in the heel was pure luck.

Or, divine intervention.

"But how? You were dead." Apollo wore an old toga and a curl around his head like a crown. In his hands he held a lyre which he used to play music that would destroy his enemies with its sound.

Achilles sneered. "Too weak to join the fight above, you opportunistic snake?" Achilles was referring to the battle that Zeus, Hades, and all the supreme gods of Olympus were waging against the lion-like body of Trihexa.

"Apollo isn't exactly the strongest god," Michael agreed.

Apollo was more a god of culture than of battle, and even if archery was within his domain, it was not as effective as that of his sister Artemis.

Alongside Zeus and the gods was the sin of sloth, Belphegor.

"Will they be enough to defeat that thing?" Sirzech wondered.

"Let's hope so," Serafall replied, worried.

Hopefully, killing those things would weaken the main body, and that would help Shirou to...do whatever it is he's doing right now.

Apollo did not respond to Achilles' taunt; rather, he was too overwhelmed by what he felt throughout the world. His own mortal sons and daughters, whom he would see grow and die, had returned to life. He could feel them.

"This is not the time to bicker among ourselves," Artemis declared through Apollo, using her arrows to drive away a group of enemies. Her clothing, made of leaves and shrubs, covered her waist and chest. Underneath, she wore hunting hides.

"Wait, if everyone else came back, does that mean he didn't too?" Azazel wondered with great interest.

"Him?" Issei asked

"The only man Artemis loved and considered marrying, the greatest hunter in all of Greece, perhaps in the entire world," the fallen man explained.

Achilles' expression softened when he saw the Goddess of the Hunt. He had no qualms about her. "Then I'll be going," said Achilles, whipping the reins and riding away from Apollo at once, despite having a few choice words for the God of Musicians.

In any case, his enmity with Apollo was not as great as that of another.

"Yes, if there's anyone who has the right to hold a grudge against Apollo, it's him," Michael agreed sadly.

Greek mythology was truly full of tragedies.

In the nearby forest, north of where Apollo and Artemis stood, their attention was immediately drawn to the enormous body of a man who single-handedly defeated a malevolent dragon. There was nothing on earth this man could not hunt and kill.

"He defeated that thing all by himself!?" Rias exclaimed in amazement

But even with all the gods united, they had barely been able to do anything!

"The best hunter in the world," Xenovia murmured, her eyes narrowed.

One look was enough. Just one look, and the Goddess of the Hunt and the Moon froze. Artemis stared blankly as the robust figure of a Huntress bashed enemies with a spiked club and felled others with a flawless bow. Slowly, Artemis covered her mouth with one hand as she began to tremble visibly. Meanwhile, Apollo clenched his jaw, recalling a particular quarry that had tricked his sister into hunting centuries ago.

"Was he always this strong?" Azazel wondered, astonished.

He was powerful and a great hunter.

But how can you defeat an evil dragon without help?

Her gaze shifted towards Saber.

Were all the hero counterparts in that world so much stronger than theirs?

And if that's the case...

How powerful were the heroes who had already appeared?

The Archer of the Three Stars: Orion, the only man Artemis had ever wished to marry. Had it not been for his death, Artemis might not have remained a virgin goddess and could have had children of her own.

Artemis stood frozen, gasping for breath. She quickly identified Orion and ignored everything else. Any enemy who dared approach would be ensnared in vines and riddled with arrows. Sensing something was wrong, Apollo immediately tried to dissuade his sister from doing anything foolish. However, he conveniently forgot to consider that he had been indirectly responsible for Orion's death in the past.

"You tricked her into shooting him, that's beyond 'indirectly' idiotic," Serafall complained.

I didn't understand how Artemis could still call him brother after that

Even she wouldn't be able to look So-tan in the eye again if he did something like that to her.

Speaking openly had the opposite effect.

"Artemis, none of this can be real, so just-"

And she was gone, running so fast that Apollo knew he couldn't catch her even in a chariot. The wind and a desperate sense of fragile hope were all that remained. Apollo felt he must have imagined it, but it was impossible that he had just heard his sister shout "Hubby" before she ran off.

"Are we sure Penthesilea is the only berserker here?" Issei asked, inexplicably feeling a pang of pity for Orion.

Why would that be?

"All women are, deep down, my young student," Azazel told Issei, sharing his wisdom.

And then Saber's flying boot broke his nose.

"See?" he asked as he collapsed backwards

Issei rigidly pretended not to have seen anything, but deep down he kept that lesson in his heart.

Apollo's expression darkened. Allies and fallen enemies had returned at once, but the smug smile Apollo glimpsed on Achilles' face in the distance infuriated him greatly.

"Ha! In your face, idiot!" Serafall mocked.

Making a face, Apollo left the place, leaving Achilles alone to finish his tasks.

The people of Greece were safe, Achilles concluded after annihilating all the enemies in sight. In his golden chariot, he was able to survey and secure his entire homeland in a matter of minutes.

Greece was safe. This meant that she now had time to deal with her own personal problems that had been preventing her from accomplishing important things.

"Are you going to fight her?" Xenovia asked.

"I don't think fighting is the answer this time," Irina said, shaking her head.

With a single stomp of his foot, he leaped from his chariot and landed on the ground, shield and spear strapped to his back. This place would do. There was absolutely no one around, neither people nor enemies. He showed no intention of fighting, not even as a maelstrom of bloodlust and hatred rapidly approached.

"That's enough, Penth. I won't run away. Not anymore." Achilles stood tall, undaunted, as a woman with silver hair, agile muscles, and two chained spiked balls appeared before him. They were less than 30 centimeters apart, one looking down and the other up because of the difference in height.

The fury in Penthesilia's expression was palpable, but she did not attack. Despite the rage and animosity that consumed her, she would not lose her integrity as a warrior.

"That's how it should be," Xenovia nodded admiringly.

"A great warrior, reduced to this state," Saber said sadly for Penthesilea.

Achilles stood before her once more, a reflection of their ancient battle. Yet, what was that look? Did he still not take her seriously? His guard was open, his arms at his sides. She could kill him with a single blow after shattering his heel, which she also left exposed. Did he want to die ? Or did he simply despise her for being a warrior?

"Does she think he scorned her?" Akeno wondered.

I didn't know him at all, but so far from what I'd seen, he didn't seem like the type of man who would do something like that.

"Perhaps he's confusing his love and desire not to hurt her with contempt?" Asia wondered sadly. 

How far gone was she in her bitterness to think like that?

Again! He was making fun of her again!

"WEAPON," murmured a small voice filled with cold fury through the fog of madness. "DRAW YOUR WEAPON!"

Achilles, one of the greatest Greek heroes, shuddered, but he did not obey Penthesilea's request. She may have hated him because he deserved it, but that did not make her feelings any less sincere. The only woman Achilles had ever truly loved ended up being the one who died at his hands. What was worse, Penthesilea probably noticed his hesitation before killing him in an honorable duel.

"So that's the real version, or at least in that world," Azazel murmured with interest.

"Truly a tragedy," Gabriel said, clasping his hands together to pray for them both.

Hopefully, their souls were able to reunite and make peace in the afterlife.

What a proud Queen of the Amazons, what must she have felt about her actions?

Achilles felt he already knew the answer. His actions had driven her to madness, a shadow of the proud warrior she had fought outside the walls of Troy.

"Was Achilles' hesitation really enough to drive such a proud warrior to madness?" Saber wondered.

Was it really that easy to fall into despair?

"I will not duel with you," Achilles said resolutely.

"You bastard! Who says you get to choose?" Penthesilea trembled. Her silver armor, which only covered her shins and forearms, clanked as she grabbed Achilles by the orange scarf around his neck and yanked him down. Her free hand closed into a menacing fist. "DRAW YOUR WEAPON!"

"He won't," Shirou said, completely certain of it.

Feeling the pressure on his neck, Achilles simply shook his head. "You want to fight me like a warrior, and I tell you I cannot. Not when I don't dare kill you. Not anymore."

Penthesilea gritted her teeth before striking Achilles in the face, sending him tumbling to the ground. "HOW LONG ARE YOU GOING TO KEEP JUST STARING AT ME FROM THE GROUND?!"

"Is this really the time for these love dramas?" Sona wondered.

"There's always time for romantic dramas," Serafall replied to her indignant sister.

Achilles rose from the ground and wiped the blood from his cut lip with the back of his left hand. " I have never underestimated you."

"I thought I was invulnerable," Xenovia said, tilting her head.

"It is," Azazel replied, also confused.

The only way to harm Achilles was either through his heel or with overwhelming, literally divine, power.

"LIES!" One of Penthesilia's spiked metal balls pulverized the spot right next to Achilles. "He was going to have a warrior's death! But you wouldn't allow it!"

Achilles remained silent. He knew exactly what Penthesilea meant. "So, calling yourself beautiful makes you less of a warrior?" Clearly, in Penthesilea's eyes, the answer was yes.

Saber closed her eyes, empathizing with Penthesilea

She herself once thought that someone who had renounced femininity to become a perfect king could not be loved, that she did not deserve it.

But now it was different, she was able to change

And I hoped that Penthesilea could too.

He dared to utter that word.

"ACHILLES!" Penthesilea flew into a rage and, against her better judgment, let madness consume her. She threw her weapons aside and knocked Achilles to the ground, where she straddled him and began to pummel him with her bare fists.

Left cheek, right cheek, chin—he kept hammering and hammering, creating a crater behind Achilles' head. The dust and gravel shuddered as the tremors spread through the ground. Somewhere, somewhere, Achilles knew Apollo was laughing. The bastard.

Shirou nodded, empathizing with Achilles.

He knew that that imbecile Archer was laughing at his misfortunes somewhere.

Only he knew it

However long it took, Achilles showed no sign of resisting. In the madness of Penthesilea, she hadn't aimed for the heel, which meant that Achilles' invincibility was still very much in effect. However, that didn't mean he didn't feel pain. He groaned and moaned, momentarily losing sight in one eye as it bled. He didn't care.

"So it's more that he can't die?" Xenovia wondered.

"The Achilles of this world had incredibly tough skin, impossible to penetrate by any sword or spear, although considering that this one is from another universe we cannot rule out that he could be weaker than ours," Michael theorized.

Either that, or Penthesilea was that strong.

This was what he deserved. What kind of man screwed up so badly that the only woman he loved hated him to the point of murdering him?

"I know some of them," Azazel said enthusiastically.

Several.

The echo of a wet splash resonated for what seemed like hours, but slowly, clarity returned to Penthesilia's eyes through the fury. She was stunned to see what she had been doing. She wanted revenge on Achilles, but not like this. He was bruised and battered, but the fire in his gaze remained unquenchable, as if just looking at her gave him strength.

"Are you finished? Have you finally regained your senses?" Achilles asked before grabbing her hands and turning her around, pinning her to the ground. Even though she was a Berserker, Achilles' strength should not be underestimated. "Then I will tell you a truth you still don't know."

"That might be the worst thing you could say to a woman," Azazel hissed.

Telling a woman to calm down or asking her if she's calmed down usually just makes her more irrational.

She snarled, struggling to break free. He didn't give a damn what Achilles said.

"You are Penthesilea, queen of the Amazons," he said solemnly, while a small part of her listened intently, yearning to be free. "And I, Achilles, son of Thetis, have always considered you the strongest warrior I have ever faced, and the only woman I have ever loved."

"That could be debatable," Azazel murmured.

Penthesilea was definitely a great warrior, but compared to Hercules? Hector? Jason?

It would be difficult to say.

What? Deep within the clouds of rage that tormented her, the rational part of Penthesilea's mind short-circuited. Was she the greatest warrior Achilles had ever faced? No. NO. Lies, but the expression on Achilles' face was hard to refute, especially after his abrupt confession. Penthesilea was a queen. She instinctively knew when others were deceiving her, and Achilles definitely didn't.

Achilles spat out a stream of blood as he looked Penthesilea straight in the eyes. "Even for you Amazons, it shouldn't be an insult to flatter someone you like, even in combat. Isn't that how you've always done it?"

"It was more like a kidnapping, rape, and execution, almost the same thing." Azazel waved his hand from side to side.

It's a real shame he never made it to that legendary island; it would have been wonderful. But Ares seemed to discover he was tracking it and stopped him in his tracks, threatening to wage full-scale war against Grigori if he dared set foot on the sand.

I would have continued, but Penemue was quite persuasive.

The Amazons were a warrior tribe composed exclusively of women, but how did they reproduce? They did so by taking worthy men from the battlefields. Often, these fights were to the death, but they still ended with the man being returned alive to the Amazonian village.

The madness in Penthesilia's eyes still burned, but there was something there that now bordered on astonished surprise.

"Right now, they need us. You can kill me later." Achilles stepped closer, watching Penthesilea freeze visibly as they came face to face. "I won't allow myself any more regrets. If you truly want to kill me, I'll gladly show you my heel."

"She won't accept killing you like this, not without honor." Saber shook her head.

If I still didn't understand that, it was because I still didn't understand her.

Achilles released Penthesilea and stood up. He looked like he'd just been squeezed out of a blender, and he was sure that somewhere in the world, Chiron was giving him a lecture for his recklessness.

"Was that old centaur also summoned?" Azazel wondered with interest.

"Chiron, what a wise man he was," Michael said, acknowledging that master of heroes.

"..." Penthesilea stood up without saying a word; the rage that had surrounded her had subsided. She thought with a clear mind.

In response, Achilles whistled for his chariot, leaped into it, and then offered Penthesilea help him climb aboard. Reluctantly, she did. After all, like Achilles, she knew the reason for his summons.

With a single thought, they both launched themselves into the air, charting a course toward the Aegean Sea. Penthesilea and Achilles, strong as they were, could do little on their own against Trihexa's six bodies. The one in Greece seemed especially daunting if it had to push back Zeus and the Olympians.

"The Aegean Sea," Rin murmured.

There was only one hero who could think when those seas were mentioned.

A man who commanded legends on his ship.

And it seemed he would do it once again.

Achilles and Penthesilea would need help: a plan.

In Achilles' mind, he already had an individual in mind who could help form a group and a course of action with his fellow demigods.

The collector of Greek heroes.

Jason of the Argonauts.

"And where Jason is, Castor, Pollux, Atalanta, and Medea are possibly also there," Irina said excitedly.

"And more importantly, Hercules," Xenovia added.

I just hoped this one wouldn't be as disappointing as its descendant.

However, remembering the technique Shirou used that time.

His expectations were incredibly high.

On that legendary ship, the most powerful crew in Greek legend had gathered. Such a force was needed once again, and together they would face Greece's greatest adversary to date. Moreover, Achilles couldn't hide the excitement shining in his eyes at the prospect of fighting alongside Heracles of the Twelve Labors and competing against him.

"Did they never meet?" Azazel wondered.

I'd swear their paths crossed at least once or twice

The Heroes of Greece would unite. There was a homeland that needed saving.

"It's more than a homeland, it's an entire world," Sirzech corrected gravely.

"No, if we fail here, that thing won't stop after destroying just one world," Michael said wearily. "If we fail, all worlds will be in danger."

Everyone took a moment to process that fact.

Yes, they couldn't fail

They couldn't fail

Elsewhere, a self-proclaimed human strength activist was in the midst of an existential crisis in the streets and cultural temples of China. Cao Cao couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"What? Sun Wukong appeared?" Issei asked sarcastically.

"Now that I think about it, where could that old monkey be in all this?" Azazel said thoughtfully.

Who was that? Who the hell was that strutting around in a peacock costume?

"That's an excellent question. Who the hell is that, and why is he wearing a loincloth?" Rin asked, dumbfounded.

Was that thing supposed to be a hero of his world?

"Believe it or not, that's Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China," Shiro said, much to the confusion of many.

"That's Qin Shi Huang!? But I wanted the one with the bandage!" Issei complained.

"I also prefer the one with the bandage, even though Tesla and Leonidas lost because of him," Shiro replied, nodding solemnly.

"You understand me!" Issei said sadly.

At least Simo Hayha won.

Although that may have doomed Kintoki, who cares about Kintoki?

"What on earth are they talking about?" Saber asked, puzzled. 

Was there another Grail War that he didn't know about?