Charlie had no luxury to think about his comrades. As soon as he checked on Wang Jian and Elena with Senrigan, his attention was fully consumed by the threat right in front of him: Heracles, Greece's greatest hero.
*CLANG!* *CLING!* *CLANG!* *CLING!*
The silvery glowing blade of Terminus Est and Heracles' heavy, primitive Sword-Axe clashed continuously.
Each collision produced bright orange sparks, illuminating Charlie's tense face and Heracles' madness-filled expression. Their speed was so extreme that it created afterimage effects around them.
"ROAAARRRRR!"
A beastly roar escaped Heracles' mouth. His eyes, once full of wisdom, now radiated pure madness, triggered by the Berserker Class skill, Mad Enhancement.
His parameters surged, but the price was the loss of reason. He had become a storm of destruction guided only by the instinct to annihilate.
On the other side, Charlie was overwhelmed. Though his body had been strengthened by Falna to Level 5, his physical strength was still inferior to Heracles'. Each weapon clash vibrated through his arms to the bone, forcing him to absorb and redirect the momentum.
*CLANG!* *CLING!* *CLANG!* *CLING!*
Heracles pressed relentlessly, his attacks like an unending rain. The simple yet deadly swings of his Sword-Axe forced Charlie to keep retreating, defending.
Their battle became a parade of destruction shifting across the heart of the dead Tokyo.
*SWISH!* *SWISH!* *SWISH!*
They shot past collapsing skyscrapers, their feet leaving cracks in the asphalt.
They leaped over rivers filled with debris, their shadows briefly reflected in the murky water.
They were two points of energy colliding with violence, carving new paths of destruction over the already ruined city.
*WHOOSH!*
Then, the momentum shifted. Instead of continuing to defend, Charlie decided to meet the attack head-on. The two charged at each other from a hundred meters away, like two meteors destined to collide.
*BOOOOOOM!*
Their clash produced a sonic boom and energy explosion that shook the air. A visible shockwave spread from the impact point, shattering remaining windows and toppling charred cars. Dust and debris flew, forming a massive brown cloud.
*SWOOSH!*
But that was just the beginning. From within the dust cloud, flashes of silver light and angry roars continued to echo.
Charlie and Heracles had entered a frenzied battle rhythm. They hurled themselves across the urban landscape, each clash creating new craters in the ground or toppling standing structural remnants.
*SWISH!* *RUMBLE!*
A twenty-story office building collapsed when Heracles threw Charlie through it.
*SWOOSH!* *SWOOSH!* *SWOOSH!*
Charlie retaliated by launching a series of crescent-shaped energy blasts from Terminus Est, slicing through several buildings across the street like a hot knife through butter.
*SWISH!* *SWISH!* *SWISH!*
*CLANG!* *CLING!* *CLANG!* *CLING!*
They accelerated their assault pace. To an untrained observer, they were mere flashes of light and shadows moving too fast to follow, surrounded by continuous explosions and shockwaves.
Tokyo, already a graveyard, was now swallowed by the new storm of violence they created. Every second, dozens of "explosions"—from physical clashes or energy releases—illuminated the ruins.
(As expected, Heracles' combat experience far surpasses mine. That's natural. Compared to him, who lived in the Age of the Gods where life-and-death battles were daily fare, I, raised in a peaceful modern world, am inferior... The gap is too wide.)
In this fierce confrontation, Charlie realized his fundamental shortcomings.
Except during Quests in other Planar Worlds, most of his combat experience in the Main World (Danmachi) was against monsters or adventurers significantly weaker than him. When finally facing an equal or superior foe, he was at a disadvantage.
(It seems Heracles also has Mind's Eye like mine. And his rank is higher than mine.)
This was the real reason Charlie struggled to land a fatal blow. Though Terminus Est was a holy sword capable of wounding even steel-like bodies, he only managed to inflict minor, non-life-threatening wounds on Heracles.
Heracles' Mind's Eye allowed him to read Charlie's intentions, predict every attack, and find ways to minimize damage.
Mind's Eye.
This skill was essentially the capacity for perfect battle situation analysis, predicting enemy movements, and finding paths to victory even in seemingly impossible situations.
Though it couldn't change the outcome of truly hopeless battles, it dramatically increased success chances by exploiting the smallest opportunities.
In short, Mind's Eye enabled its user to avoid danger and find openings amid combat.
*BAM!*
Exploiting a split second when Charlie's mind was distracted by his own analysis, Heracles breached his defense. A heavy blow from the Sword-Axe's flat side struck Charlie's body.
*SWISH!*
Charlie was hurled with tremendous force, his body crashing through walls and shelves of a half-destroyed convenience store. He slid through cluttered aisles, smashing dozens of steel shelves before finally stopping near the collapsed cashier.
"Cough..." Fresh blood stained his lips. "Thank goodness I bathed in dragon blood after killing Fafnir back then. Without Armor of Fafnir, who knows how many times I'd have died in this fight."
Charlie quickly used Dia Fratel again, healing magic flowing through his bruised body and possibly cracked bones. Standing, he prepared to launch a counterattack.
Suddenly, a trembling voice filled with fear and anxiety sounded from behind a tilted counter.
"A-Are you okay?"
"Hah? People here? A survivor?"
Turning toward the source, Charlie was stunned to see a young girl emerge.
Her face was dusty and dirty, her hair tangled and dry, clearly unwashed for a long time. Yet, even the layer of grime couldn't fully hide her natural beauty. Her wide eyes, though filled with fear, still radiated a rare spark of life in this dying world.
"ROAARRRR!"
Heracles' thunderous roar grew closer, echoing inside the ruined store.
"Not good!"
Realizing the enemy was approaching, Charlie had no time for lengthy talk with the girl. Immediately, he summoned another Contracted Spirit.
"Aishia!"
*BUZZ!*
Aishia appeared beside Charlie in a burst of light particles. She needed no explanation; their contract bond instantly gave her understanding of the situation and Charlie's intent.
With gentle but swift movements, Aishia approached the frightened girl and scooped her into her arms.
"Be careful, Charlie."
Aishia left those words in a calm yet caring voice before shooting away, carrying the girl far from the danger zone to a safer place.
"Half-hearted won't cut it. Facing an opponent like Heracles, without risking my life, there's no chance of winning."
Charlie realized this battle couldn't be won half-heartedly. Heracles was the pinnacle of legend, and to defeat a legend, one had to be willing to surpass their own limits—even if it meant risking everything.
He gripped Terminus Est's hilt tighter. Then, with a powerful stomp on the cracked store tile floor, his body shot forward like an arrow released from a bow.
He no longer dodged or defended.
He attacked.
*BANG!*
The world seemed to pause for a moment. The silvery glowing Terminus Est and Heracles' massive primitive Sword-Axe met once more.
The shockwave from the clash was more intense than before.
The remaining store window shards still clinging to their frames shattered into glass dust. The already bent steel shelves were flung backward as if slapped by an invisible giant hand. The fragile store ceiling rumbled, raining down dust and ceiling chunks.
The fight had just truly begun.