143: The Sea's End
It bears repeating, that the Okeanos singularity has little in the way of distinguishing features. It is a sort of gestalt, a generic 'Ocean' taking the qualities of every Sea and Ocean at the same time, but clearly identifiable as none of them.
Among the different islands, the various formations in the singularity, some are copies of real-life islands or coastlines - though not necessarily accurate ones. Some, indeed, verge on parody - mere hollow copies of islands as they were rumored to be.
If one searched, the Shapeless Isle of the Gorgons could be found here. Were he present, the Count of Monte Cristo would surely be able to find the island he claimed lordship over. And although Circe would remain tight-lipped about it if asked, Medea of Colchis is of the distinct impression that the island her teacher made her base was the very same one she dwelt upon in life.
What manner of island, then, was the one that Hercules chose to make his stand upon? What kind of landform lay there, at this Ocean's end?
It was not Hercules's aim, that the final battle would be here. He had no idea what kind of island would be nearest to the hole he opened in the sky of this Singularity. But, even so, be it through the machinations of fate, or simple luck, the site is one of importance to him.
A most famous, auspicious location, easily recognized by any sailor who has seen it even once before. A great, sheer rock, stretching up towards the sky, matched by a similar mountain just visible in the distance some eight miles away. A natural wonder, signifying the end of one body of water and the start of another, bound to the concept that 'this is where the Sea ends'.
The Strait of Gibraltar. Despite the lack of the associated continents, this gap, the gulf between two great mountains, rests here, at the very edge of this endless sea.
In the world of antiquity, however, it was known by another name, for at that time the memory still remained - of how, once upon a time, the great hero Heracles had crossed this way.
Accounts differed on what he had done here. One said that he had encountered a mountain range, blocking his passage to the garden of the Hesperides - and that rather than climb it, he smashed clean through it. Another said that he had faced a sea monster too mighty for him to slay, and that to protect the people of Greece, the demigod had narrowed the gap so that the beast might not have entrance to the Mediterranean. Still another claimed that the mountains were a deed of mercy, that Heracles had built them up to the sky to hold it away from the Earth, and thus liberated Atlas from his damnation.
But, no matter the source, the name for the place was agreed upon between the Romans and Greeks.
The Pillars of Hercules.
The sound of rushing water continues to slowly grow louder, as Hercules watches the endless ocean slowly drain through the hole his arrow punched in reality.
"Only two hours left," He mutters. "I suppose they'll be coming soon."
"Ha! How pathetic you are, my destined foe!" The scornful voice of Ahriman echoes above the crashing wave, and Hercules turns to observe him. "Your tormented face… how weak, how weak."
"Don't overstep yourself, demon. It's only out of courtesy that I've allowed your observation of this battle," Hercules growls. "Both the Assassin and that Shadow have already departed. Would you like me to send you away as well?"
"The useless girl aside… make no mistake, my destined foe - the Crawling Chaos has merely sought another vantage point from which to observe the battle," Ahriman sneers. "As for me, I shall remain. Your struggles, Chaldea's struggles - I shall observe every last useless effort of yours, so rejoice."
Hercules opens his mouth to respond once more, but something catches his eye in the distance, and he turns. "...Good grief, what kind of ship even is that?"
His words are derisive, filled with amusement - but nevertheless, a smile stretches across his face as he readies the bow he stole from Artemis.
"Let's begin. [Nine-!" His voice cuts off as he sights something, miles away. His smile grows predatory, and the promise of a true battle lifts his spirits. "-Lives]!"
Nine Arrows arc through the air, and in the distance-
"Are you really sure you can manage it?" Jason asked. "It's gonna make things a lot tougher if you screw it up - no, actually, even if you don't screw up, if Nega-Divinity is powerful enough, then-
"I can do it." Atalanta replied with a roll of her eyes. "Just who do you think I am?"
At the top of the crow's nest of the Space Argo, the Chaste Huntress stands, scarf trailing behind her in the sea breeze, her eyes trained upon Hercules as her every hair stands on end. With overwhelming purpose, she readies a bow of her own.
There is no time for higher thought, now. No room for imagination of goals or dedication. No leeway to consider the contents of her conversation with Natsuki Subaru before this. She must put everything she is into this shot.
[Tri-Star Ortygia] is the very archetype of a bow. Forged of the remnant of a goddess of the bow. Strung with a belt of stars, taken from a constellation that in truth pre-dates Orion's very existence. The Animusphere family would have paid any price for a chance to examine this weapon, to say nothing of the Clock Tower's astrology department.
Even more the shame, then, that only one arrow was provided.
"Mark the target. Bring down the prey," Atalanta mutters, stretching her weapon to its limit.
No mistake can be made. No interference can be accepted. In the time that this arrow will take to reach Hercules, the god of heroes will be able to loose dozens of shots - and thus only one option remains.
"You shall not surpass me. When you think you have the lead I shall catch and overtake you," She continues, pouring every ounce of magical energy into the weapon.
-The [Heavenly Arrow] that Hercules demonstrated before. That all-piercing shot, which pierced even the impenetrable boundary of a singularity.
Without any knowledge of how. Not having seen his stance, nor his preparation. Without any knowledge other than the technique's possibility, and her own mastery of the bow as a starting point.
"Because, I am Equal in Weight."
[Tri-star Ortygia] shatters, and a second perfect arrow rips through space, hurtling towards the ocean's edge.
Three seconds. That is all the time provided for Hercules to prepare for the oncoming attack.
In the first second, nine shots leave his bow. His 'default' technique for [Nine Lives, nine homing attacks, imbued with the venom and nature of the Hydra. This is his retaliation. A guarantee that even in the worst case, Chaldea must withstand his most reliable technique at the end of this exchange.
In the next second, his magical energy has not quite yet recovered - even accounting for his nature as a Beast, back to back activations of a Noble Phantasm are beyond him. And so, he simply fires one hundred arrows, in an 'ordinary' manner, without the weight or power of a Noble Phantasm.
In the third and final second, Hercules finally addresses the incoming attack.
The arrow is a Divine Construct. He can detect that, at this range - and he knows that, once it makes contact with his body, it will be unraveled by [Nega-Divinity]. However, at this range, he can also finally see - that the attack is aimed towards his bow, which lacks any of his body's protections.
"His bow?" Natsuki Subaru asked.
"Yeah, ain't it obvious?" Hector replied, a lazy grin on his face. "If we assume he's got the range of an Archer, then at least two thirds of the fight is gonna be down to getting into range of the guy. If you're telling me he's invincible on top of that… well then answer's to break his weapon, right?"
"Come to think of it, you've got some experience in fighting invincible heroes, huh?" Jason muttered.
"Eh, something like that," He scratched the back of his head. "But that's just the basics of fighting, really. Always, no matter what, hit your enemy where he's the weakest."
A divine arrow like this will almost certainly have some sort of effect to home in on its target. And so - in that case, his only option is to block it.
A muscular palm intercepts the arrow. Were the skill any slower to take effect, Hercules would surely lose a hand for this - but Nega-skills are instantaneous and perfect in their effects, and thus, the loser here is the arrow. The effect of Artemis's authority is unraveled, totally and finally.
-However.
[Tri-Star Ortygia] is a weapon created from the remnants of a near-dead Servant. The bow is a purely divine construct, calling back to Artemis's nature as a machine god, a miniaturized version of the interstellar cannon that she once was. The string is made of stars, formed of the belt of Orion, the hunter Artemis favored. Both are inert. What little life Artemis had in her when she transformed was expended as a result of her authority. But, the arrow-
"GRAAAAH!" A tiny voice roars.
The arrow disintegrates, reverting to its prior form. And, with minimal loss of inertia, the tiny plush form of Orion bounds between Hercules's fingers, bringing his miniature club down on the Beast's bow with all his might.
And so, be it due to the force of Atalanta's shot, because of his status as the weapon's true owner, or simply because Orion is Artemis's 'weakness'-
Hercules's bow is shattered, three seconds into the battle.
The Beast of Heroes allows himself a moment to feel impressed - and then, sparing a simple backhand to dispatch the mana-exhausted Orion, he readies his next weapon.
"-[Marmyadose], fill yourself with heat."
A/N: "Equal in Weight", that is "Equal to a man" is the literal meaning of Atalanta's name, in case anyone was confused.