"So, this woman's the one you're so determined to protect? A friend? Lover? Or perhaps… family?
Hearing Selene's teasing words and noticing her intent gaze, Achilles felt a sudden ominous dread creeping over him.
She's aiming to kill Missy!
"Missy! That 'Black' Rider is targeting you—watch out!!" With that, Achilles dove toward Atalanta, who was crouched behind his shield.
From the moment Selene had materialized her Noble Phantasm—a colossal black and white lance—Achilles had figured out her class.
Although such lances hadn't existed during his time in the Trojan War, the knowledge bestowed by the Greater Grail upon summoned Servants had made it clear to him: it was a cavalry weapon.
A Rider-class goddess, like myself...
Somewhat pleased, Achilles allowed himself a brief moment of self-satisfaction. Even though he wasn't summoned as one of the most powerful Three Knights, he still saw himself as the strongest Servant. Look, their strongest "Black" Servant was also Rider-class!
So troublesome. Summoned Servants based on legends and myth are too restricted… even minor abilities get heavily downgraded in terms of raw power, and anything remotely large-scale requires a Noble Phantasm as a medium and lengthy incantations to use.
Gripping her spear, Selene inwardly sighed, then resolved to go along with the local customs. After all, the elaborate and flowery incantations for Noble Phantasms were one of the hallmarks of the Type-Moon universe.
Indeed, the Black and White Abyss lance in Selene's hands was inspired by the "God Key: Black Abyss White Flower," the Sixth Divine Key she had crafted from the World of Honkai.
Like the weapon forged from the Core of the Sixth Herrscher, the "Herrscher of Death," it wielded the ability to negate the forces of decay and creation.
The lance appeared as a pure white knight's lance but was composed of two parts: the outer white knight's lance called "White Flower" and the inner black spear "Abyss." The "Abyss" carried the power of "decay," while the "White Flower" held the power of "creation."
However, the lance in her hands was merely a projection created by the Throne of Heroes based on her legend and power. The original still resided in the Honkai world, and the special "plus version" of the Black Abyss White Flower was wielded by her true form in that dimension.
"I am the darkness that consumes all; I am the light that births all."
Gripping the spear with both hands, Selene opened her terrifying crimson eyes.
"Born before Creation, existing beyond annihilation."
As Selene chanted, purple-red mana crackled around her, arcs of electricity snapping and popping. Her lance began to glow, brilliant streams of light emerging along the black-tinged spearhead.
A web of platinum markings floated off its surface, forming a brilliant vortex that spiraled rapidly around the lance, stirring a terrifying storm in its wake.
Light and shadow; purity and corruption; life and death; peace and terror...
As the purple-red mana exuded from her manifested Heroic Spirit body merged perfectly with the lance's glow, Selene herself seemed to embody an awe-inspiring combination of both creation and destruction.
"Such a dazzling presence... perhaps this is the true form of a god-king: creation intertwined with destruction, compassion with cruelty," mused "Black" Caster Avicebron aloud, watching from afar as the golden-armored guards around him withdrew.
While Avicebron marveled at Selene's form, Achilles could only feel terror gripping his soul. After all, even a Noble Phantasm as magnificent as hers was only terrifying when directed at oneself. Who could appreciate it under such circumstances?
"God Key: Black Abyss White Flower—Set Sail!"
With the final incantation, a sudden invisible force surged outward!
It was as if a miniature nuclear explosion had erupted mid-air. In an instant, a massive shockwave fanned out like a vast cone, absent of any fire or explosion—only a turbulent pressure that distorted the air into visible waves.
"Holy Spear, bloom!"
Buzz—!!!
The radiance erupted with a force as overwhelming as mountains crashing down, and the land around Fortress of Millennia's forest shattered inch by inch. Trees that had taken centuries to grow were ripped from the earth, shredded into dust mid-air by the ferocious shockwave!
"The Miniature World Enclosed by the Azure Sky, Akhilleus Kosmos—!!"
Faced with the all-consuming assault, Achilles roared as he raised his shield with fierce determination.
In an instant, a brilliant green light flashed, and a miniature Greek cityscape etched into the shield expanded outward, reconstructing space and time. This world contained what Achilles had once seen, with currents surging along the boundaries in homage to the sea god.
It was a formidable defensive Noble Phantasm embodying the world Achilles had known, one that could defend against any attack—be it Anti-Personnel, Anti-Army, Anti-Fortress, Anti-Country, or even Anti-God Noble Phantasms.
Then, in the next instant—
BOOOOOM—!
The "decay" and "disintegration" radiance unleashed by Black Abyss White Flower tore into this miniature "world," ravaging it with deadly force, eroding and consuming everything in its path.
The collision was so intense that sound itself was ripped away, and only a silent, world-ending devastation remained.
Crack... crack... crack!
The "small world" shield began to collapse, ground down under the pressure of the blinding beam, as if within a gigantic grinding stone.
So, a shield comparable to The Seven Rings that Cover the Burning Heavens... Based on my attack calculations, it should meet the same fate as Karna's Noble Phantasm: it'll be destroyed even as it manages to block the blow.
Selene felt no surprise as her attack was countered. After all, she was merely a projection, and the shield before her was one of the top defensive Noble Phantasms of this world—worthy of its place in legend.
Forged by Hephaestus upon the plea of his mother, the sea goddess Thetis, this shield was inscribed in Homer's Iliad in a description over a hundred lines long, with its edges encircled by the limitless ocean (Oceanus).
To confront this shield was to confront an entire world. Once activated, it could defend against anything.
Only then did the world seem to catch up, and a thunderous rumble reverberated in all directions, with such an earth-shaking intensity that even the wards around the city couldn't block the spectacle from view. Nearly all of Trifas saw the display of divine wrath, and those lingering near the forest broke into panicked cries and fled.
"Only a defensive Noble Phantasm embodying a world could stand against a god's unleashed weapon," Achilles muttered, his arm trembling as he held up his shield. But his lips curled into an irrepressible smile; he knew he had managed to endure it.
As the light faded, Achilles, whose shield had blocked Selene's attack, surveyed the destruction. Much of the forest around the castle was reduced to rubble from the clash of their Noble Phantasms.
Achilles stood in a massive crater, surrounded by the scars left by their battle. The once-dense forest was now barren, with scattered pits and gouges, making the ground resemble the pitted surface of the moon.
Buried to his knees in the earth, Achilles turned to Atalanta. "Missy, go on without me. This fight was entirely my fault… I'll handle it alone."
He knew his own flippant words had angered the goddess across from them. Cursing himself for his stubborn mouth, Achilles recognized the same flaw had haunted him in life and even now as a Servant.
"...Very well, take care," Atalanta nodded, beginning to turn away when—
Whoosh!
Boom!
"Planning to leave? Not so fast!"
With a frigid, commanding voice, a silver figure tore through the air from behind.
Damn! I thought she hadn't moved—was it a clone or an illusion?!
His stance was directed forward, and the unexpected attack from the rear left him unable to counter. But he had enough confidence in his Noble Phantasm Dromeus Komētēs to dodge easily.
However, Selene had perfectly calculated that with Atalanta there, Achilles wouldn't dare to dodge.
In a flash, Selene appeared directly behind Atalanta.
"Missy!"
Clang!
Selene's lance shot out, and the air split with a deafening crack. The sheer force shattered the sound barrier, hurtling straight for Atalanta's chest.
Whoosh!
The Holy Lance drove through flesh, and blood sprayed out.
Stopping in place, Selene turned back. Yes, the feeling was unmistakable—she had struck two bodies.
"Achilles, that was a foolish choice…" she said calmly, glancing at the two figures now collapsed in the trench her attack had gouged.
Atalanta was missing an arm, but Achilles was in far worse shape. Much of his left shoulder was gone, with dark purple "decay" forces gnawing away at his body like rot, ravaging his immortal flesh.
Supported by one arm, Atalanta glared at Selene with unwavering eyes, like a cornered wildcat.
Coughing weakly, Achilles murmured, "As expected… You really are a goddess. Not even my blessed body can resist your attacks…"
"As for my choice, it's mine alone, goddess," Achilles groaned painfully. "A mere fatal wound... won't kill me just yet."
Satisfied from venting her fury, Selene's irritation had faded. Achilles was, on the whole, rather likable, though she still planned to kill him. Talking a bit more wouldn't hurt.
"Heh, such defiance… but I've had my fun. Achilles, Atalanta, our game ends here…"
"Cough... true enough. I lost this round." Achilles grimaced as he struggled to his feet, clutching his grievous wound. An exhausted yet slight smile touched his lips.
"I'd love to continue our fight, but it seems my Master still isn't ready for me to die… so until next time, goddess."
As Achilles spoke, his form grew translucent, a spatial distortion indicating his recall.
"Oh, you think you're leaving?" Selene said with a sly smile.
"—Honkai Dimension!"
Snap!
As Selene snapped her fingers, the ground around her pulsed with an ominous purple-red light, writhing and undulating with tendrils of mana that began coiling around the two Servants.
"Didn't you know? Even if your Master issues a transfer Command Seal, I can forcibly intercept you."
Achilles' face turned pale as he channeled the last of his strength to kick Atalanta out of the snare. "Missy, take my blessing and fulfill your wish!"
"No! Achilles!!"
Buzz!
In an instant, perhaps with a second Command Seal, Atalanta vanished from sight, narrowly escaping Selene's grasp.
Crippled and drained of mana, Achilles could endure no longer, collapsing into the writhing mass of purple-red "tendrils."
"Oh well, that low-tier archer is hardly worth mentioning… But you, Greek Demi-God Achilles, I've thought of an interesting experiment for you…"
"My little white mouse…"
Is she planning to control me to fight for her? Missy... Achilles thought with bitter regret as darkness engulfed his vision.
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