Chapter 379

Chapter 379: Chapter 379

The overwhelming pressure radiating from Berserker only caused Esdeath’s fighting spirit to climb higher.

Her body became a whirlwind of motion as she circled the enormous warrior, unleashing a storm of countless sword strikes that threatened to carve his entire body into minced meat.

Unfortunately, Berserker was far from an easy opponent.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang—!

Despite the enormous size of his weapon, Heracles wielded his axe-sword with astonishing speed and precision, creating an almost impenetrable defense that intercepted every one of Esdeath’s attacks.

He even found opportunities to counterattack, placing the battle-obsessed general under tremendous pressure.

The injuries covering Esdeath’s body continued to accumulate, while her stamina drained at an alarming rate.

Seeing that she was gradually losing ground in close combat, Esdeath finally began incorporating her ice abilities into the exchange.

"Giant Hail Strike!"

"Gray Ice Horn!"

"Rain of Ice Spikes!"

Enormous spheres of ice, razor-sharp icicles, and dense barrages of frozen spikes surged toward Berserker from every direction.

Each attack carried tremendous destructive force, but every single one shattered against the giant’s impossibly durable body.

"ROOOOAR—!"

Berserker charged through the storm of ice like an indestructible cannonball, smashing everything in his path before appearing directly in front of Esdeath.

His axe-sword rose and came crashing down with terrifying force.

BOOOOM—!

The earth shook violently beneath the impact.

Countless trees toppled, while frightened birds erupted from the surrounding forest and scattered into the night sky.

Esdeath twisted sideways, narrowly avoiding the descending weapon.

The moment its blade struck the ground, she seized the opening and planted one foot on its broad surface.

A tremendous surge of freezing air erupted from beneath her boot and raced along the axe-sword, climbing rapidly toward Berserker’s enormous body.

This time, Esdeath was no longer holding anything back.

The temperature of the freezing air plunged to an extraordinary extreme, and even Berserker’s formidable resistance to supernatural attacks could not completely withstand it.

His movements were forcibly halted for nearly two seconds.

For an ordinary warrior, two seconds might have seemed insignificant.

For someone like Esdeath, it was more than enough.

She immediately gathered an immense amount of freezing energy into one hand and began compressing it.

Again.

And again.

The already terrifying cold became increasingly concentrated, until the power gathered in her palm reached an almost unbelievable density.

"ROOOOAR—!"

Berserker finally shattered the ice imprisoning him.

The freezing energy had left large portions of his body discolored with a sickly bluish-black hue, but the giant showed no concern whatsoever.

His mind remained fixed entirely on destroying the woman before him.

"Freezing Ray!"

A brilliant blue beam erupted from Esdeath’s hand, carrying an overwhelming concentration of freezing power as it shot directly toward Berserker’s heart.

At that critical instant, the instincts Heracles had cultivated through countless battles screamed a warning.

Without even pausing to think, he swung his enormous axe-sword toward the incoming beam.

With no immediate danger threatening Illya, Berserker’s legendary combat instincts finally had an opportunity to function without interference.

Despite having lost his reason, the martial experience engraved into his body allowed him to position the weapon directly in the path of Esdeath’s attack.

CLANG—!

The blue beam collided with the axe-sword.

The resulting impact drove Berserker backward several steps, his enormous feet gouging deep trenches through the ground.

Yet despite the tremendous force bearing down upon him, he ultimately emerged unharmed.

The freezing beam, powerful enough to freeze virtually anything it struck, had failed to overcome that enormous, crudely fashioned weapon.

"You actually blocked it..."

Esdeath stared at Berserker with genuine admiration.

"As expected of you. Your instincts are absolutely extraordinary."

Her breathing had grown ragged, and her body was covered in injuries accumulated throughout the battle.

Nevertheless, when she looked at the legendary hero, there was no frustration in her expression—only sincere acknowledgment.

"Whether it’s raw strength or martial skill, I’m still quite a distance behind you."

She understood the situation perfectly.

Her earlier victory had largely come from exploiting the weaknesses created by Mad Enhancement, together with Berserker’s overwhelming concern for Illya.

Once those distractions were removed and he began fighting at full capacity, even Esdeath’s most powerful techniques struggled to accomplish anything.

"The great heroes of mythology really do live up to their legends."

She shook her head, a faint smile lingering on her lips.

Had Heracles been summoned with his reason intact, he might have responded by acknowledging Esdeath’s own extraordinary strength.

Perhaps the two warriors could even have exchanged a few words of mutual respect.

Unfortunately, the man standing before her was Berserker.

"ROOOOAR—!"

He charged forward without hesitation and swung his axe-sword directly toward Esdeath’s neck.

Esdeath closed her eyes, appearing almost as though she had decided to abandon resistance altogether.

CLANG—!

A figure suddenly appeared between them.

Kiriya raised the Dragon Fang Sword and struck the side of Berserker’s descending weapon, deflecting its trajectory just enough to send the enormous blade crashing into the ground beside Esdeath.

’When did he...?’

Illya stared in astonishment.

’Does that guy know some kind of spatial Magecraft?’

Meanwhile, the force transmitted through the collision left Kiriya’s arm tingling with numbness.

"Tch. What terrifying strength."

He grinned nevertheless, twisted his waist, and unleashed a powerful spinning kick toward Berserker’s side.

Kiriya had expected the attack to land cleanly, but Heracles once again demonstrated an agility completely at odds with his enormous physique.

The giant raised one leg and met Kiriya’s kick with his own.

THUD—!

The two legs collided with a heavy, muffled impact.

Kiriya was immediately sent flying backward, intense pain shooting through his foot and up his leg.

Had he not reacted quickly enough to retreat with the force of the collision and disperse part of the impact, the muscles in his leg might have been badly torn apart, and even the bones beneath them would not have escaped serious damage.

’Strong. Incredibly strong.’

Kiriya’s eyes shone with excitement.

’But not unbeatable.’

After traveling through several different worlds and spending years honing himself through relentless battles, his basic physical attributes had already reached an extraordinary level.

Even without opening the Eight Gates or entering Sage Mode, he possessed enough strength, speed, and endurance to contend with a top-tier Servant like Berserker.

That was the reward earned through countless battles, injuries, and years of dedicated training.

Every experience had contributed to the foundation he now possessed.

"Come on, then. Let’s see just how far this body of mine can go!"

Kiriya tightened his grip on the Dragon Fang Sword.

His Sharingan activated, crimson pupils spinning as he charged directly toward Berserker once more.

Clang! Clang! Clang—!

The two figures repeatedly collided and separated beneath the night sky, each exchange producing deafening impacts that rolled across the cemetery.

Violent air pressure and sword energy tore through everything nearby, reducing what had once been a relatively orderly graveyard to a devastated battlefield.

Berserker continued to hold the advantage in raw strength.

During their repeated clashes, Kiriya was forced backward again and again.

The tremendous pressure tore through his muscles, and every direct collision threatened to overwhelm his body.

He resembled a slender bamboo stalk burdened beneath the weight of heavy snow, bending dangerously under the strain but refusing to break.

And through it all, he remained standing.

’I can do this!’

A surge of exhilaration filled Kiriya’s heart.

With nothing more than his basic attributes and the techniques already at his disposal, he was genuinely capable of exchanging blows with a legendary hero like Heracles.

His Sharingan spun rapidly, capturing every movement Berserker made.

The angle of each swing, the distribution of force through the giant’s limbs, the timing of his steps, and the transitions between offense and defense were all recorded and analyzed.

Although Berserker had lost his ability to reason, the martial skill engraved into his body remained the product of a lifetime of legendary battles.

And Kiriya intended to learn from every bit of it.

His eyes continuously dissected the great hero’s techniques, preserving the useful elements and incorporating them into his own understanding of combat.

With every exchange, his fighting style underwent subtle refinements.

His movements became increasingly economical, his reactions sharper, and his understanding of how to handle overwhelming physical pressure steadily improved.

He was using Berserker’s tremendous strength to temper himself.

...

"To think I would encounter someone like this in a little place like Fuyuki City."

After watching the battle for some time, an increasingly interested smile appeared on Gilgamesh’s face.

He retrieved a goblet and a bottle of fine wine from his treasury, poured himself a generous serving, and took a leisurely drink.

The young man’s body seemed to contain almost limitless potential.

To Gilgamesh, Kiriya resembled a remarkable piece of steel that still carried a few impurities from the forging process.

Berserker, meanwhile, was the enormous hammer striking that steel.

Every crushing blow drove out another imperfection, refining the young man’s body and combat instincts until the raw material gradually approached the quality of a truly exceptional weapon.

"Even so, what he has shown so far is nowhere near enough to defeat Berserker."

Kirei shook his head.

"After all, that monster still has eleven lives remaining."

"Have you not realized what he’s doing, Kirei?"

Gilgamesh’s crimson eyes held a knowing gleam.

"That boy is using the beast as a whetstone."

The King of Heroes had already seen through Kiriya’s intentions.

"He clearly possesses more powerful abilities, yet deliberately refuses to use them. Instead, he chooses to clash directly with an opponent whose physical strength surpasses his own."

Gilgamesh chuckled.

"Should I call that foolishness or intelligence?"

"Are you suggesting that the boy is capable of defeating Berserker?"

"Defeating him? Perhaps, perhaps not. But he undoubtedly possesses the means to withdraw safely whenever he chooses."

Gilgamesh watched Kiriya calmly withstand another of Heracles’s tremendous attacks, the smile on his face growing increasingly delighted.

"Coming to this Holy Grail War was certainly the correct decision. Things are becoming more interesting by the moment."

...

Outside the church, more than ten minutes passed in what felt like the blink of an eye.

Kiriya and Berserker continued their ferocious battle, neither showing any intention of stopping.

During those ten-odd minutes, Kiriya suffered severe injuries on several occasions.

Each time, he relied on the Flying Thunder God Technique to escape the immediate danger before using Yang Power: Everflowing Vitality to restore his damaged body.

Then he returned to the fight.

Swordsmanship and taijutsu remained his primary weapons against the legendary hero, with Kiriya deliberately avoiding the overwhelming power of his more advanced transformations.

Whenever Berserker overpowered him, he adjusted his approach.

Whenever his body suffered under the giant’s tremendous strength, he healed and continued.

The process repeated throughout the battle, allowing Kiriya to absorb more and more of the martial experience contained within Heracles’s movements.

His understanding of combat advanced rapidly, and the repeated pressure refined both his techniques and the way he employed his physical abilities.

Eventually, however, Kiriya began sensing that the benefits were reaching a temporary limit.

He had already learned an enormous amount from Berserker, and continuing to fight in the same manner was no longer producing improvements at the same extraordinary rate.

’That should be enough for now.’

After more than ten minutes of relentless tempering, Kiriya finally decided to bring the exchange to an end.

His magical ability, Blade Storm, activated.

An overwhelming surge of sword energy gathered around him as he prepared his finishing technique.

"A Thousand Strikes in an Instant—Secret Art: One Thought, Instant Hell Annihilation!"