"Tch, blocked again!" Semiramis bit her nail in frustration, glaring at the screen where the Black Faction Masters were shielded behind Cyd.
"But that doesn't change anything!"
"Jeanne switch with me and use your Noble Phantasm to protect them!" Cyd called out, motioning for the bewildered Jeanne to take over.
"Understood!"
Meanwhile, Achilles hefted his spear, eyeing the massive giant towering nearly eighty meters tall. "So, teacher, how do we take this guy down?"
Chiron drew his bow, aiming at the giant's chest. "We'll start by targeting the core. It's a huge target—perfect for a shot."
"Then I'll go in and cause some chaos," Achilles said, readying himself.
"No need," Cyd replied with a smirk. "Someone else is already on it."
A massive figure shot up, landing a crushing punch on the giant's head. "Break, oppressor!"
Spartacus grinned as he unleashed a flurry of blows, shattering the giant's head with his monstrous strength. But as quickly as it crumbled, the earthen head began to regenerate.
"Thud!" A gigantic hand swatted Spartacus away like an insect, sending him crashing into the ground. The giant's head swiftly reformed.
"This Noble Phantasm is creating an endless cycle. It converts the surrounding area into its paradise, and in that paradise, injuries are meaningless," Cyd explained, using Ruler's authority to analyze the giant's weakness. "As long as it stands on the earth, it's invincible."
"So, we just have to lift it off the ground, right?" Achilles scratched his head.
"If only it were that simple," Cyd replied, nodding toward the aerial garden where Semiramis was preparing another magic barrage. "With her interference, it'll be a challenge to launch the giant into the air and simultaneously destroy both its head and core."
Achilles grinned, his eyes alight with excitement. "Sounds like a hero's job to me! Let's do it!"
"Then disrupt it in the air," Cyd said, clapping Achilles on the shoulder. "I'm counting on you."
"Time for some real fun!" Achilles leaped onto his chariot, snapping the reins. His immortal horses, gifted by the sea god, neighed as they took to the skies, dragging the chariot behind them.
"The head and core are yours," Cyd said as he hefted the massive [Forged Pandora].
"You can count on me," Chiron replied, gently patting Cyd's head.
"I can handle this alone," Atalanta added, though her lips twitched in a hint of a smile.
The magic cannon fired, forcing Chiron and Atalanta to split up, while Cyd charged straight at the giant. Spartacus, having clawed his way out of the rubble, smiled and followed in his wake.
"Let's go!" Cyd darted beneath the giant, slashing at its ankle with the massive sword.
"Crack!" In its Ares form, the [Forged Pandora] sliced through the giant's ankle easily. But the moment the stone shattered, the fragments reassembled, reversing time and restoring the damage. The giant roared, lifting its foot to crush Cyd.
"Hey, don't forget about me!" Achilles laughed, whipping the reins as his chariot became a blur, slamming into the giant's head and sending it flying. But just as before, the head reformed instantly.
"My comrade!" Spartacus bellowed, crashing into the giant's leg with all his might. His raw strength forced the giant to stagger back, missing Cyd by inches.
"You shall not stand in his way!" Spartacus declared, shielding Cyd with his body.
Cyd hesitated for a moment, puzzled. Spartacus had always called him "comrade" and protected him, despite their never having met before. It wasn't something he could easily ask, especially with Spartacus in his maddened state. But one thing was clear—this man had entrusted his back to him!
The giant roared in anger, swinging a massive foot toward them, sending debris flying everywhere with the impact.
"I'm counting on you!"
Spartacus grinned as he caught the giant's foot, his muscles bulging grotesquely under the strain.
"More! Strike me harder, oppressor!" Spartacus coughed up blood, his body swelling with power. Where his hands gripped, the giant's stone began to crack. "My body shall be my comrade's shield!"
"Leave it to me!"
Using Spartacus as a springboard, Cyd leaped into the air, spinning as he brought his sword down, shattering the giant's knee.
With a triumphant roar, Spartacus seized the severed leg and hurled it toward the aerial garden.
"How dare you!" Semiramis's face twisted in rage. In an instant, she unleashed an EX-level magic cannon, obliterating the flying leg in a burst of light. But that wasn't enough for her—how dare they defile her beloved garden with such an ugly thing!
"Die for your insolence!"
She unleashed a barrage of magic cannons at Spartacus, who merely spread his arms wide, smiling as he bathed in the onslaught.
"Is he insane?" Achilles shouted, stunned by what he was witnessing from above.
Yes, he was mad—utterly, completely mad. But that madness allowed Spartacus to fully embody his beliefs. He saw only two kinds of people: the oppressed and the oppressors. And with a clear mind and unshakable resolve, he wielded his sword for those he deemed his comrades.
He understood clearly—the youth before him was not an oppressor. There was no murderous intent in him, only the bonds he shared with the oppressed. Those whom fate had trampled looked to him as their hope. Thus, he was a comrade!
As Spartacus's flesh was torn apart by the barrage, new muscle and bone sprouted to replace it. Broken bones healed instantly, growing thicker and stronger.
He was the shield of the oppressed, the sword of the downtrodden. His body existed to protect them; his sword existed to carve their path.
He knew he couldn't defeat the giant, but he didn't need to. He had only one task left to fulfill!
A colossal arm emerged from the smoke, slamming into the ground with a force that shook the battlefield. Semiramis's jaw dropped in disbelief from her throne.
"A monster!"
"O oppressor!" Nearly forty meters tall, the giant Spartacus rose from the crater left by the magic cannon's blast.
If his body wasn't big enough, he would make it bigger!
If his bones couldn't support him, he would make them stronger!
If his attacks couldn't shatter the oppressor, he would use his final, desperate strike to carve out a future for his comrades!