Chapter 197: Hercules

On the other side, on a forest path outside the gate of Ryūdō Temple.

The ethereal Zhao Yun and Red A suddenly appeared; the former swung his silver spear to shield Bai Ze’s side, while the latter materialized two short blades, one black and one white, engraved with patterns, his expression cold as he stared into the forest.

“Stay alert—we’ve been spotted…”

At these words, Miyama Shiro and the Tohsaka sisters all tensed.

But Bai Ze was unsurprised; they had planned a direct assault, so it was only natural they’d been detected.

Still, he turned to Zhao Yun beside him and whispered:

“Uncle Yun, can you sense how the enemy is spying on us?”

“If I must say…”

Zhao Yun’s gaze slowly swept the forest, his voice low and grave: “The watching eyes are everywhere.”

“Shush-shush-shush—”

Before he finished speaking, rustling sounds emerged from all around the trees.

Everyone turned toward the noise and saw dozens of creatures composed entirely of bones stepping out from the shadows.

Most had dragon-shaped skulls, while their bodies resembled skeletal war wolves.

Visually, these monsters were fearsome enough, but their magical energy was far too weak, and their numbers too great—they were clearly cannon fodder.

“Dragon’s Teeth Soldiers!”

Tohsaka Rin stared at them and said grimly: “These are low-tier creatures summoned using dragon teeth as offerings—pathetic in power, certainly not the enemy’s main force—Archer!”

“…“

Red A glanced at her.

Tohsaka Rin said firmly: “Go find the real enemy—we can handle this.”

“As you wish.”

Red A released his grip; the black and white blades instantly dissolved, and his towering form faded away.

At the same moment, the Dragon’s Teeth Soldiers surrounding them from all sides could no longer hold back—they roared and charged forward.

Tohsaka Rin sneered, raised her left wrist with her right hand pointing toward the forest, and intricate, labyrinthine magical circuits appeared on her pale forearm, glowing a brilliant blue.

"Yin Qi Bullet!"

With a sharp cry, a black-red magical orb, powerful as a bullet, shot from her fingertip.

In an instant, the pale bones shattered under the impact, dissolving into clouds of bone dust and white sparks that vanished into the air.

Seizing the opportunity, Bai Ze activated his armor, raised his silver-red arms, and continuously fired pale blue palm cannons.

“Boom! Boom! Boom!!!”

Blue energy exploded among the Dragon’s Teeth Soldiers, kicking up thick clouds of dust.

In moments, Bai Ze alone suppressed the swarm—none could break through the forest.

Seeing this, the three Spirits halted their advance, each taking position before their own Master.

The reason was simple: these cannon fodder were far too weak; Bai Ze’s slaughter rate was so high, they had no need to intervene.

Tohsaka Rin stood on the ground, her fingertip continuously firing black-red orbs, shattering each approaching Dragon’s Teeth Soldier.

Bai Ze hovered three meters above, unleashing twin pale blue energy beams from his palms, occasionally firing even thicker beams from his chest, pulverizing dense waves of soldiers.

In barely a minute, the Dragon’s Teeth Soldiers surging from all directions were wiped clean.

Dust and white bone powder filled the air.

Suddenly, the drifting bone powder stirred—under a hidden magical force, they converged into the center, instantly forming a colossal Dragon’s Teeth Soldier as large as a house!

“Shhh—”

Before the giant could open its prehistoric-crocodile-like maw, a missile shot through the dust and slammed into its face with a whistle.

“Boom!”

The massive skull shattered instantly.

The shoulder-mounted armor retracted, and Bai Ze hovered in midair, his new reactor glowing blue as he looked down at the collapsing shadow with disdain:

“What century is this? Still using human wave tactics…”

Dealing with these cannon fodder doesn't even require the Servants—just him is enough!

At that moment, Zhao Yun, standing below, suddenly frowned, stomped the ground and shattered it, leaping into the air, his silver spear flashing like a coiling dragon as he thrust upward.

The next instant, a spinning axe-sword hurtled from above, striking the spear with perfect precision.

“Boom!”

With a deafening crash, the massive, heavy axe-sword recoiled, smashing through countless thick trees before embedding itself deep into the ground nearby.

Bai Ze’s heart leapt—he landed quickly and whispered: “Thanks, Uncle Yun!”

Zhao Yun landed before him, swung his silver spear forward, and roared:

“Who dares lurk in the shadows? Show yourself!”

“…“

His booming voice echoed through the forest, yet no one answered—only heavy footsteps approached, as if some colossal being drew near.

Zhao Yun frowned, fixing his gaze on the direction of the footsteps.

From the swirling dust and bone powder, a massive black silhouette slowly emerged—a muscular hand gripped the black axe-sword buried in the earth and wrenched it free.

“…It’s Berserker!”

Bai Ze’s heart sank—he immediately informed everyone.

Before he finished speaking, a soft, childlike voice came from behind Hercules:

“Good morning, Onii-chan~”

Out stepped Illya, dressed in a purple dress, hands behind her back, smiling sweetly at them: “And Tohsaka-san, and everyone from Sōgakukan Academy~”

As she spoke, she lightly lifted her skirt and bowed with apparent politeness:

“Pleased to meet you. I am Illya, Illyasviel von Einzbern.”

Einzbern?

Tohsaka Rin’s pupils shrank—she stared at the girl in shock.

Saber, standing before Miyama Shiro, also froze, her eyes filled with complex emotion.

…Could this child be Alice Feier ’s daughter?

Compared to Tohsaka Rin and Saber, who recognized the name, Miyama Shiro and Tohsaka Sakura looked utterly confused.

“What’s Einzbern?”

“And why is she calling you Onii-chan?”

Bai Ze rolled his eyes and snapped: “Could it be she’s calling you?”

Miyama Shiro’s eyes widened: “Me?!”

Bai Ze whispered: “The original three Mage Families in the Holy Grail War were Matō, Tohsaka, and Einzbern. Your adoptive father, Miyama Kiritsugu, was an Einzbern son-in-law…”

What?

Miyama Shiro gasped, staring at the delicate, doll-like silver-haired girl.

“You mean… she’s my father’s daughter?”

“Correct.”

Bai Ze nodded, glancing at Illya with a faint smile: “But age-wise, Shiro’s a year younger than you—how can you call him Onii-chan?”

“…“

Illya’s sweet smile froze; she crossed her arms and pouted: “That’s rude! A lady’s age isn’t something you just ask about!”

Bai Ze retorted: “Then can a lady sneak-attack without warning?”

Illya blinked: “Berserker isn’t a lady—Berserker is the strongest warrior!”

As they bickered, Tohsaka Rin quietly assessed Berserker’s parameters—and her eyes widened as she sucked in a sharp breath.

“Sss—Strength A+, Endurance A, Agility A, Magic A, Luck B, Noble Phantasm A…”

“Just from stats, that monster surpasses Saber and Archer!”

“Of course,” Bai Ze said, glancing at the towering shadow with calm detachment. “He’s the legendary son of Zeus—the demigod hero, Hercules.”

Hercules?!

Everyone gasped, staring in shock at the figure ahead.

Illya was delighted by their reaction and grinned: “Well? Shall we all attack together? Berserker can take on four at once, you know!”

“…“

Miyama Shiro frowned and murmured: “Bai, one percent.”

Bai Ze understood—he knew Shiro was worried for his friend and didn’t want to waste time here.

But unfortunately, Berserker was no foe to be swiftly eliminated.

He possessed the powerful Noble Phantasm “Twelve Labors,” a divine blessing and curse alike—an auto-activating immortality ability requiring no weapon or armor to manifest.

Once activated, his body becomes a solid armor; all attacks ranked B or lower—whether magical or physical—are nullified.

Moreover, the Twelve Labors grant Hercules the ability to never die twice from the same attack, and eleven resurrection chances!

In other words, to destroy him permanently, you must kill him twelve times—with twelve different methods.

Bai Ze explained the effect of the Twelve Labors at maximum speed.

After hearing it, everyone struggled to believe what they’d just heard.

This is too overpowered!

After a moment’s thought, Tohsaka Rin said grimly: “So, to rescue the monks at Ryūdō Temple, we can’t force our way through—we need someone to hold back Berserker.”

"That's right."

“Then who leaves, and who stays?”

Bai Ze ming thought for a moment, then said: “I’ll stay—”

“I’ll stay!”

Shirou Emiya suddenly interrupted.

Bai Ze ming looked at him in surprise: “Aren’t you going to save Yicheng?”

Wei Gong Vice Minister shook his head: “I know my limits—I can fight, but taking on a Magus like Caster is far beyond my skill.”

“You hold the most intelligence, and you’re the sharpest-minded.”

“I entrust Yicheng and the monks of Liudong Temple to you!”

Seeing the solemn expression on Wei Gong Vice Minister’s face, Bai Ze ming paused, then sighed: “Alright then!”

“But Heracles is no foe for one man alone—you and Saber together still aren’t his match.”

He turned to the Tohsaka sisters: “One of you two must stay as well!”

“I will!”

The two sisters spoke in unison.

Seeing their reaction, Bai Ze ming felt a headache coming on.

After a moment’s thought, he murmured: “How about this—you both stay, let Archer provide cover, and Rider, who has strong independent mobility, can go with me to Liudong Temple!”

“….”

The Tohsaka sisters exchanged glances; Sakura turned to Rider and gave her a questioning look.

Rider gave a slight nod, agreeing with Bai Ze ming’s plan.

Meanwhile, Illya seemed impatient, smiling at the group:

“Have you decided yet?”

"Then let's begin!"

"Kill them, Berserker!"

(End of Chapter)