Chapter 253: Chapter 291: Single Duel, Achilles vs. Chiron
["Ruler!"]
[Atalanta had already leaped onto the plane, directly engaging Jeanne d'Arc.]
[Jeanne initially assumed that, as an Archer, Atalanta would struggle in close combat. But she was wrong.]
[As a top-tier huntress, Atalanta's close-combat abilities were anything but weak. Her swift, close-range arrow shots were nearly impossible to evade. After a relentless barrage, Jeanne finally made a mistake and took an arrow to her side.]
[Despite the injury, Jeanne's combat experience kicked in. She resisted the instinct to pull the arrow out immediately. Instead, she swung her holy banner to force Atalanta back. However, the huntress grabbed the banner and held on tightly.]
[But Atalanta had misjudged the situation. Just as she moved in to press her advantage, Jeanne drew the seemingly ornamental sword at her waist, forcing Atalanta to retreat. Without hesitating, Jeanne used her full strength to yank the banner free and, with a swift movement, wrapped it around Atalanta's legs. With one powerful pull, she slammed her opponent into the plane's surface.]
[The impact was brutal, making Atalanta spit out blood.]
Tohsaka Rin: "Oof. That hurt just watching."
Waver: "And that plane is still flying after all that? Impressive engineering."
Fiore: "This really is the final battle. Everyone's fighting with everything they've got."
["Ha… ha… ha… It hurts… it hurts so much… Just like those children must have felt."]
["They couldn't do good… nor could they do evil. They were powerless, unable to resist, and died with nothing but despair…"]
[Jeanne d'Arc: "Are you talking about Jack the Ripper?"]
[Atalanta's expression twisted in rage. "Don't you dare call them 'Rippers.' Those children… were innocent."]
[Jeanne d'Arc: "...Yes. I became a 'child killer' that day… and now, I'll do it again here."]
["Fine by me. We were destined to clash from the very beginning. No matter what happens, I will kill you here… even if I must abandon everything and become a demon!"]
[With those words, Atalanta brandished her Noble Phantasm, Agrius Metamorphosis.]
[Dark energy crackled around her as her body twisted and transformed.]
["Ah… the pain… it hurts so much…"]
["This is the pain those children endured. Now, Judge, you too shall be consumed by it, an endless, inescapable agony!"]
[Atalanta lunged forward, closing the distance to Jeanne d'Arc in an instant. Before Jeanne could react, Atalanta bit down on her shoulder like a wild beast, sinking her teeth deep into the flesh.]
Sisigou: "She actually resorted to biting? Atalanta's really gone feral."
Tohsaka Tokiomi: "They're fighting to the death now."
Achilles: "Big sister… that's one hell of a way to fight."
Jeanne: "Ah…"
[Meanwhile, the battle between Chiron and Achilles had also reached a fever pitch.]
[Achilles abruptly shifted tactics, pulling back and creating distance between them, a move that caught Chiron off guard.]
[Achilles hurled his meteor-like spear, which struck the ground at the center of the arena.]
Tohsaka Rin: "???"
Waver: "Did it fail? Nothing's happening."
Achilles: "Hahaha, don't worry. You'll see soon enough."
[Chiron, initially puzzled, suddenly sensed a shift in the atmosphere. His eyes narrowed.]
["I see… so you know magecraft after all."]
[Achilles grinned. "Not really. This is just a trick I developed to fight Uncle Hector."]
[The true nature of Achilles's Noble Phantasm, Diatrekhōn Astēr Lonkhē, was revealed. It wasn't an offensive weapon but a boundary-setting tool that created an isolated combat space centered around the spear. Within this arena, all external protections, magecraft, and Noble Phantasms were nullified. Victory would be decided solely by skill and martial prowess.]
[This technique was born from Achilles's battle with Hector. His opponent once mocked him, saying, "I'd fight you if you didn't have that goddess's protection." Frustrated, Achilles devised this skill to force Hector into a fair fight.]
[However, the spear had one limitation: it could not target women, as it had once slain the Amazon queen, Penthesilea.]
[Achilles: "In here, divinity doesn't matter. Bleed when you're hit. Break when you're struck. No third-party interference, no lucky twists of fate. Time itself halts for us. Just pure, honest combat."]
[Chiron stood still for a moment before smiling.]
["I see. So Hector accepted your challenge after all?"]
["Yeah. When I showed him this trick, he said, 'Well, in that case, I might have a shot.' We fought, and I barely won."]
Waver: "So, it just creates a battlefield for a one-on-one duel?"
Achilles: "Exactly."
The creation of this ability came after Achilles grew frustrated with Hector's repeated hit-and-run tactics. Hector would provoke him, exchange a few blows, and flee before Achilles could land a decisive strike. This magical arena was the solution, trapping Hector in a fight to the death.
Achilles won that battle. But Hector, before dying, exposed Achilles's weak point and instructed his brother, Paris, to exploit it. Later, Paris would fire the fateful arrow that brought down the hero.
Waver: "Isn't creating a space like this more of a handicap for you?"
Achilles: "Haha! Maybe. But this is how true warriors fight."
Iskandar: "Exactly! To fight with all one's strength, relying on nothing but skill—now that's a battle worthy of legend!"
Achilles: "Haha, glad you get it!"
["So, teacher, do you accept my challenge?"]
[Chiron didn't answer with words. He stretched his neck, stamped the ground to test its stability, and shifted into a combat stance.]
["Very well. But if I win… I have a favor to ask of you."]
["A favor?"]
[Achilles's expression turned from confidence to confusion when he heard Chiron's whispered request.]
Tohsaka Rin: "What did he say? Why does Achilles look like that?"
[Achilles: "Wait… teacher, seriously?"]
[Chiron: "Heh."]
["All right then," Chiron said. "I accept your duel. But do you really think you can win here?"]
["Of course. You can't use your bow, and I can't use my spear. One-on-one, bare fists. Whoever remains standing wins."]
["You assume I can't use my Noble Phantasm?"]
["You can try. But it's tied to your bow, right? And here, the spear's boundary nullifies that. Feel free to test it if you want."]
Three!
["I am Achilles, son of Peleus, hero of Greece, blessed by the sea goddess Thetis."]
Two!
["I am Chiron, son of the Titan Kronos and the nymph Philyra, mentor to heroes."]
One!
["Now… we fight!"]
Zero!
[Both charged forward simultaneously. Their fists collided with bone-crunching force.]
Video paused.
---
Question: What will be the final outcome of this battle?
A: Chiron wins, Achilles leaves.
B: Chiron wins, Achilles retreats.
C: Achilles wins, Chiron leaves.
D: Achilles wins, Chiron retreats.
E: The fight ends in a draw.
F: The battle is interrupted.
Please respond within one minute. Failure to answer will result in forfeiture.
---
Achilles: "Haha! Isn't it obvious? C. I'm definitely winning this fight!"
Achilles: "Teacher's strong, but in a pure fistfight? I've got this."
Chiron: "We'll see."
Ding!
Congratulations to Achilles for answering correctly. Reward: 3 Saint Quartz.
Chiron: "..."
Achilles: "Ah, don't take it personally, teacher. It's just fate."
---
Video resumes.
[The battle recommenced with brutal intensity.]
[Neither man bothered to block or evade. Every strike was met with another strike; every blow was answered in kind.]
[Achilles aimed his punches directly at Chiron's head and torso, targeting vital points with relentless aggression.]
[Chiron, in contrast, adopted a more refined approach. His blows came from shifting angles, subtly destabilizing Achilles's balance with precise, surgical strikes.]
["Oooooh!!"]
["Raaaaaah!!"]
[Their war cries echoed as fists met flesh, sending shockwaves through the suspended arena.]
Iskandar: "Yes! Now this, this is a real fight!"
Chihiro: "The thrill of raw, unfiltered combat. That's the essence of a warrior's pride."
Achilles: "Exactly! No tricks, no gimmicks, just pure strength!"
Spartacus: "Ah… the beautiful clash… of muscle against muscle!"
T/N: Had to rewatch this scene again, and I have to say it's one of the best things in Apocrypha.
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