Hades, who had been observing the battle, suddenly turned to Charon and said, "Alright, big brother, it's time to join the fray. Your precious disciple Achilles is there too. Go and see him."
"Very well," Charon replied with a smile and a nod.
Immediately after, the two of them leaped down from the high castle walls.
"Do not forget me either, Archer, Saber!!" Vlad III's tone seemed extremely excited, even dropping the respectful form of address for Hades. He directly rode his golem horse and leaped down as well.
Astolfo and Frankenstein closely followed behind.
The gates of Millennia Fortress swung open, and countless Homunculus Soldiers and golems surged out, clashing with the army of Dragon Tooth Soldiers.
The battle was exceptionally fierce. The Homunculi used magecraft to shatter the Dragon Tooth Soldiers, but inevitably, some surviving Dragon Tooth Soldiers pierced through the Homunculi's chests with their weapons.
The physically sturdy golems became the strongest force on the battlefield, their hard bodies and massive fists crushing countless Dragon Tooth Soldiers.
Achilles drove his chariot to the ground, using his chariot Noble Phantasm to completely destroy all the golems on the battlefield.
"Oh gods of Olympus! Grant glory to this battle!!" Achilles raised his spear high and shouted excitedly, completely forgetting that there were two Greek deities present in this Holy Grail War.
Achilles's shout was so loud that even Hades and Charon, who were nearby, heard it. They couldn't help but wear expressions that said, 'I really don't know what to do with this guy.'
Floating in mid-air, Hades said to Charon, who was running swiftly beside him, "Big brother, Achilles is all yours. Let that kid properly experience some 'tough love' from his teacher."
"Alright, I'm off!!" Charon nodded to Hades while still running, then changed direction and charged towards where Achilles was.
"Then I shall go deal with Lancer Karna," Vlad III said, riding his golem mount towards a direction on the battlefield emitting flames—that was Karna's location.
Hades was also quite reassured about this. With the skill [Demonic Defender of the State] and the fame boost from Romania, Vlad III was more than capable of fighting Karna, a top-tier Servant, to a standstill.
Hades then arrived before his beloved hound Cerberus, helping it by swinging his sword to deflect the [O Brahma, Curse Me (Brahmastra Kundala)] from its mouth.
"ROOOAR..."
After the golden spear, carrying intense heat, flew out of its mouth, the three heads lowered, panting slowly. Then, its body gradually relaxed and lay down on the ground, transforming back into the appearance of three fluffy spherical dogs.
Hades, his face full of affection, picked them up and gently stroked their heads, saying:
"You've worked hard, Cerberus."
"Woof woof woof..." Cerberus lifted its heads, looking at its master with utterly pitiful eyes.
At this moment, Hades also showed a rare smile and said:
"Alright, you all go back to the Underworld to rest for now."
Having said that, a glimmer of light flashed in Hades's eyes, and Cerberus in his arms returned to the Underworld to recuperate.
Afterwards, Hades turned to look elsewhere. The battle between Atalanta and Sieg was also nearing its end.
"ROOOAR——!!"
Sieg unleashed a dragon's roar, immobilizing Atalanta on the spot. Then, he pushed off hard with his feet, charging towards Atalanta and attacking with the sword and claws in his hands.
"RAAAH——!!!"
Atalanta let out a heaven-shaking roar, directly and brutally breaking free from the dragon roar's restraint.
Her parameters [Agility: A], inherent skills [Crossing Arcadia: A], [Pursuing Aesthetics: C], and [Hunting the Calydonian Boar: A] were all activated simultaneously.
This allowed Atalanta to easily dodge Sieg's dragon claw, sword blade, and tail attacks. She then used Sieg's shoulder as a stepping stone to leap into the air above his head.
Afterwards, Atalanta drew her Dark Sky Bow and nocked five arrows onto it.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Five arrows were released simultaneously, piercing Sieg's dragon tail, dragon claws, and dragon arms, pinning him kneeling on the ground. No matter how hard Sieg struggled, he could not break free.
Atalanta landed on the ground, and the Dark Sky Bow in her hand vanished in a flash of purple light.
Then, Atalanta's posture shifted into a beast-like crouch. Flames of mixed purple and black energy coiled around her body as she repeatedly leaped, step by step, attacking Sieg.
"Burning shadow, arrow against the moon, bear my hatred! [Darkened Heavenly Eclipsing Shot (Tauropolos Skia Thermokrasia)]!"
Wreathed in terrifying energy, Atalanta, her face ferocious, swiftly swung her sharp claws at Sieg.
[Darkened Heavenly Eclipsing Shot (Tauropolos Skia Thermokrasia)]
[Rank: A]
[Type: Anti-Unit Noble Phantasm]
[Range: 1～99]
[Maximum Targets: 1 person]
[By fusing the heavenly bow used in the Archer class into her own body and pouring all her magical energy into it, she releases a single strike.]
[It is less like an arrow and more like a ballistic missile.]
[The struck opponent is absorbed by viscous 'darkness' and forcibly assimilated.]
[To resist this attack, an extremely powerful Magic Resistance skill is required.]
Watching Atalanta's black claws drawing closer and closer, cold sweat continuously dripped down Sieg's expressionless face, and his expression grew increasingly terrified.
Just as Atalanta was about to kill Sieg, Hades instantly appeared before Atalanta, shielding Sieg behind him.
He extended one hand to catch Atalanta's attack, then with a downward exertion of his arm, forced Atalanta to her knees.
"Lord Hades!!!"
Upon seeing the newcomer, Atalanta's pupils continuously contracted, her expression one of great shock. The Calydonian Boar pelt fell from her body, revealing her original, beautiful emerald-like form.
Hades waved his other free hand behind him, and the arrows and wounds on Sieg's body vanished completely.
"Lord Hades!!" The healed Sieg immediately stood up and said respectfully to Hades.
Hades glanced slightly at Sieg and said, "Although you've undergone big brother's training, your practical combat experience is lacking. Leave Atalanta to me. Go and help your brothers and sisters."
"Yes!!" Sieg nodded heavily in acknowledgment and immediately rushed towards where the Homunculus army was fighting the Dragon Tooth Soldier army.
Then, Hades turned to look at Atalanta and said:
"I have long heard of your fame, Artemis's devotee, the huntress of Arcadia, Atalanta."
"To be remembered by the renowned Hades, King of the Underworld, is truly an honor," Atalanta said, forcing a smile as she looked at Hades.
Hades looked at Atalanta with a serious expression and said:
"Atalanta, for the sake of my niece Artemis, I can let you go. But if you insist on opposing me, I will immediately send you back to the Throne of Heroes."
"Thank you for your kindness, Lord Hades. In the mythical age of the past, we heroes might have obeyed the words of you gods, but now it's different."
Atalanta replied to Hades with a heroic, spirited smile.
Subsequently, Atalanta activated her Noble Phantasm [Boar of Divine Punishment (Agrius Metamorphose)] once more. However, her arrow-shooting hand was sealed by Hades, preventing her from using the Dark Sky Bow.
Thus, she had no choice but to use her Berserker-transformed claws.
Hades shook his head helplessly. He had no choice but to immobilize Atalanta with his will. Considering she was a hero with a pure soul, he would grant her a merciful Death.
Then, Hades released the Cosmos of Death from his palm, enveloping Atalanta.
"Sister Atalanta!!"
"Here! This is an apple!!"
Atalanta felt herself in a dense apple orchard, surrounded by countless pure children, each offering apples they had diligently picked.
"Thank you..."
In reality, Atalanta closed her eyes, smiling as she spoke these words. Upon finishing, she transformed into countless particles of light, scattering across the battlefield.
Hades would not let this opportunity pass. He extended his arm and drew a circle in the air. The light particles scattered everywhere gathered towards the palm of his hand.
Countless golden light particles transformed into heroic spirit cards appearing in Hades's hand. This time, there were not one but two cards, likely because Atalanta had both the Archer and Berserker classes.
The back of the Archer heroic spirit card was golden, depicting a female archer in light armor preparing to shoot an arrow into the sky. The front showed Atalanta's beautiful, emerald-like figure.
The back of the Berserker heroic spirit card was the same as Spartacus's previous one. However, the front showed the white-haired Atalanta wearing the black pelt of [Boar of Divine Punishment (Agrius Metamorphose)].
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