Terminus Est in Charlie's hand moved like an invisible wind—silent and formless.
Each movement was perfect, losing no force to friction-induced sound, and every motion surpassed human cognition. The power it generated was the boundary between zero and one hundred, motion and stillness pushed to their absolute limits.
As a result, wherever Terminus Est passed, faint spatial cracks lingered briefly, wounding anyone daring to approach.
This was the embodiment of Charlie's perfected swordsmanship: its aura alone could cut through matter, capable of slicing stone with a mere paper sheet coated in energy, and now, even cleaving space itself.
*PU-CHI!*
The blade pierced Heracles' body in a series of nearly invisible slashes, severing tendons, muscles, and vital organs with terrifying speed, expending his newly regenerated life in an instant.
"Eight."
The energy release from the blade faded, leaving a trail of white light after claiming Heracles' life.
Seconds later, the Great Hero rose from death again, thanks to God Hand.
"ROOAAARRR!!!"
Roaring loudly, Heracles leaped high, charging from the air with his Sword-Axe swinging. Charlie merely looked up, then activated his Spirit Art version of Mana Burst once more.
*ZINGGGG—!*
Terminus Est's blade radiated jet-like energy, now gleaming with blinding silver, ready to meet the colossal weapon.
*BOOM!*
The next clash produced a pure silver energy explosion that engulfed the entire area. The energy Charlie unleashed didn't just parry; it blasted back his opponent's force, hurling Heracles to the ground with a rocket-like explosion.
"Seven."
Thick black smoke rose with Charlie's count.
From within the smoke, Heracles emerged again. Parts of his body were charred, his skin blistered, but his red eyes still burned—his fighting spirit undiminished.
"ROOAAARRR!!!"
He roared again, slashing with speed that could deceive the eye. But Charlie had vanished from his position.
*WHOOSH!*
A dark shadow flashed behind the Great Greek Hero. Charlie used Shukuchi, accelerated by Mana Burst. In an instant, Terminus Est pierced Heracles' chest from behind.
"Six."
*PU-CHI!*
This time, Charlie deliberately let the energy explosion erupt inside Heracles' body.
*BOOM!*
A massive explosion followed, silver light illuminating the ruins like an inferno bursting in the mortal world. Heracles was flung far, half his body shattered but not destroyed. God Hand activated, and he rose with a pained roar, his wounds closing in an instant.
"ROOAAARRR!!!"
*WHOOSH!*
*CLANG!* *CLANG!* *CLANG!*
Heracles charged again, pushing Charlie back with a barrage of attacks requiring every ounce of his strength to parry. The fight blurred into a series of silver and red flashes, roars, and destruction wherever the two fighters passed.
*SWISH!*
Heracles' swift kick, though parried, still sent Charlie flying upward due to its unmatched force.
As Charlie soared in the air, Heracles seized the moment.
*SWISH!* *SWISH!* *SWISH!*
Simultaneously, he hurled building pillars as thick as cars, rocketing toward Charlie like missiles.
*BUZZ!*
Seeing the projectiles approach, Charlie, still airborne, raised Terminus Est high. The air around him trembled violently. The silver energy radiating from his sword was now denser, brighter, and more dazzling than before.
To ordinary eyes, it was a beacon of hope.
"Light Beam!"
Too lazy to name such a clichéd technique, Charlie unleashed his ultimate attack less than a second after channeling energy.
*SWOOSH!*
It wasn't a swift beam but an unstoppable wave of destruction, a surge of energy that melted and obliterated everything in its path. The wave incinerated Heracles' thrown debris into dust before they could reach Charlie, then surged toward the Great Hero.
"ROOAAARRR!!!"
The attack was too fast and wide-ranging to dodge. Heracles let out a roar tinged with desperation for the first time. He poured all his remaining strength into his Sword-Axe, attempting to form a shield from his weapon to survive.
*BOOOMMMMM!!!*
The silver wave swallowed Heracles entirely. The sound was a horrific blend of a collapsing mountain and melting metal. The entire area was engulfed in a blinding explosion, demolishing the remaining standing structures.
"Five."
Charlie landed gracefully, counting Heracles' remaining lives in a calm voice.
As the dark smoke and dust began to clear, the scene revealed total devastation. An area spanning hundreds of meters had been leveled. Blast scars formed new craters, and scorched earth emitted smoke.
Amid the destruction, Heracles still stood. His body was charred black with soot and burns, deep gashes cracking his usually impenetrable skin. Black, viscous blood dripped from his wounds. His breathing was heavy and smoky, but God Hand worked, healing the catastrophic damage at an absurd speed.
"Cough…"
Charlie saw blood flecks on his palm after a brief cough. A wry smile crossed his sweaty, dust-covered face.
"Using Physical Enhance and Mana Burst together is too taxing on my body. Stacking physical buffs isn't a great idea."
His body couldn't handle such immense energy output continuously. Each time he unleashed an A-rank Noble Phantasm-level attack, the recoil strained his muscles and bones.
Unfortunately, he had no time to use Dia Fratel to ease the spreading pain. Heracles charged again, as if unconcerned that over half his lives were gone—driven only by rage and the instinct to destroy.
*ZINGGGG—!*
Forcing himself, Charlie activated Mana Burst again despite knowing it strained his body. Blinding silver energy flared around Terminus Est, though this time its glow was slightly unstable, and Charlie groaned softly, enduring the pain in his straining muscles.
*CLANG!* *CLANG!* *CLANG!*
*CLANG!* *CLANG!* *CLANG!*
Heracles' Sword-Axe clashed with Terminus Est in a ferociously intense series of flashes. Each collision was an explosion. Charlie moved like a shadow, parrying, deflecting, and seeking openings.
Heracles attacked without pattern, relying on raw power, while Charlie responded with perfect precision, aiming every strike at the same target: Heracles' chest.
In a split second, Charlie succeeded. Terminus Est, coated in destructive energy, shot forward, targeting Heracles' heart.
But Heracles was a hero forged by myth. In that moment, he made the most dangerous and unexpected move. Instead of parrying, he deliberately shifted the blade, letting Charlie's attack pierce his shoulder.
*PU-CHI!*
Terminus Est stabbed deep into Heracles' left shoulder.
"Grr…!"
Heracles intentionally tightened and contracted his steel-like shoulder muscles, clamping Terminus Est tightly within his flesh and bone, making it hard to withdraw. Meanwhile, his Sword-Axe-wielding hand swung, a vertical slash aimed to cleave Charlie from shoulder to waist.
(Not good!)
Charlie's mind screamed. He realized Heracles' plan: trade a serious wound for a chance to kill him.
With inhuman reflexes, Charlie released Terminus Est's hilt and used Shukuchi to retreat as fast as possible. But, even so, he couldn't fully escape.
*CRUNCH!*
Unfortunately, he wasn't unscathed. Heracles' vertical slash, though missing his main body, severed Charlie's left arm below the elbow.
"Ugh…!"
He groaned in pain, seeing his left arm cut off at the elbow by the Sword-Axe's edge. Blood gushed from the stump.
But Charlie didn't collapse. He pushed aside the excruciating pain, forcing his wounded body to move. With his right leg, he kicked with all his strength at Heracles' exposed chest.
*BAM!*
The kick, enhanced by Physical Enchant and Mana Burst, was strong enough to hurl Heracles back, crashing into a rubble pile.
Seizing the brief pause, Charlie quickly retrieved his severed left arm from the blood-soaked ruins. He reattached it to the stump, then focused entirely on Danmachi's World supreme healing magic, Dia Fratel.
"Dia Fratel!"
A bright, warm white light enveloped his left arm. Severed tissues, torn muscles, and broken blood vessels reconnected instantly. The agonizing pain subsided, replaced by numbness and recovery.
While reattaching his arm, Charlie shouted to his weapon:
"Est! Return!"
*WHOOSH!*
Terminus Est, the sentient Holy Sword, responded to its master's call. With immense force, the blade wrenched itself from Heracles' clamping shoulder, tearing more flesh and bone in the process, before flying back to Charlie's side.
"Onii-chan, are you okay?"
Est's worried voice echoed directly in Charlie's mind, filled with concern.
"I'm fine, Est. Just a bit of blood loss." Charlie replied mentally, taking a deep breath.
His gaze locked onto Heracles, slowly rising from the rubble, the horrific wound in his shoulder already healing due to God Hand.