A Villain's Journey Begins in the Type-Moon World

Although it didn't completely break through Ayaka Sajou's magic barrier, the impact it brought still surprised everyone present.

"Damn it! It's Artemis's arrow! They've forced Artemis to act after all! Hurry up and head in that direction! And send someone to lift me up high! With Artemis's eyesight, she'll definitely be able to see me!"

Orion was the first to react and immediately shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Let's get closer first! Hey, Circe, get the ship moving at full speed that way right now," Ayaka Sajou urged as she began channeling magic power to repair and recharge the magical barrier.

"I know, I know, stop rushing me! Honestly, I hate it when people interrupt me!" Circe clicked her tongue in annoyance as she regained her footing, clearly impatient with Sajou Aika's urging.

Despite her complaints, her hands didn't stop moving. She quickly formed hand seals, chanted ancient incantations, and her body surged with magical power.

The next moment, powerful ocean current magic and howling wind magic were activated simultaneously. The pirate ship seemed to be pushed by an invisible giant hand. The bow suddenly sank, and then broke through the waves, rushing forward at a speed far exceeding that of before, heading towards the direction from which the deadly light arrow had just struck!

Soon, on the rolling horizon, the outline of a tiny black dot came into view. Almost simultaneously, that terrifyingly bright light, like a death knell, flashed suddenly at the edge of their vision!

"Watch out, the next attack is coming!" Orion, who was intimately familiar with Artemis's attack methods, immediately shouted a warning, his voice carrying a hint of barely perceptible tension.

Sajou Aika, who was prepared, sharpened her eyes and poured her magic power into the area. This time, she accurately predicted the attack trajectory and immediately mobilized a large amount of magic power to strengthen the local barrier area that the light arrow was about to hit.

Golden magic runes swirled wildly in the target area, instantly making the barrier more solid and dense.

"boom!!!"

The second devastating beam of light crashed violently into the enhanced magic barrier!

Amidst a deafening roar, the entire barrier trembled violently. Visible shockwaves and air currents spread outwards from the point of impact, and the seawater that was stirred up poured down from mid-air like a torrential rain, instantly turning the deck into a wet mess.

"It's blocked!" Elizabeth breathed a sigh of relief as she saw the barrier successfully withstand the terrifying attack, her tense nerves relaxing slightly.

But Elizabeth immediately turned to Orion and shouted, "But Orion, you'd better hurry! Even if we can block them, we're being shot at like sitting ducks at sea, and the situation is too passive!"

"I know, I know... Oh, but speaking of which, I was just a tiny black dot at this distance when she 'accidentally' shot me into the sky and made me a constellation."

As Orion spoke, he leisurely moved towards the bow of the ship. He searched for a more conspicuous spot and continued:

"So, I really have no idea whether Artemis's sharp eyes can recognize me at this distance. You'd better find a way to get close enough!"

"boom!"

"Ouch! Who kicked my butt?! Wow—I almost fell into the sea and became fish food!"

However, before Orion could finish speaking, he felt a solid kick to his buttocks! He immediately lost control and flew forward, like a human cannonball, landing squarely on the foremost mast of the ship with a 'thud,' in a very disheveled manner.

Wang Chong expressionlessly retracted his right leg, which he had just kicked out, and casually dusted off his trouser leg as if he had merely kicked away a pebble in his way, his face full of disdain.

At this moment, Wang Chong had carefully disguised his appearance. He had changed into rough clothes that were no different from those of the other pirates, and he had also deliberately dirtied his face, so that he could blend perfectly into the group of busy pirates. At first glance, he looked like an inconspicuous ordinary pirate henchman.

His transformation into this form was naturally significant. Wang Chong patiently awaited the moment when the two ships would finally dock.

When the chaotic melee erupts, he can silently blend into the enemy ranks and carry out what he wants to do.

"The most urgent thing is to prevent the shrewd Hector from recognizing me. Ideally, someone should take the initiative to entangle him from the start, or find a way to force him into the sea... Tsk, if all else fails, I'll just have to find an opportunity to sneak over and knock him unconscious with a single blow."

Wang Chong pondered this in his heart.

……

The gaze shifts to the other side. At this moment, the Blackbeard Pirates, comprised of over a dozen infamous pirate ships, stand in a tense array on the waves. The atmosphere on the deck of their flagship, the "Queen Anne's Revenge," is heavy.

The goddess Artemis, who wielded a giant divine bow and had silver hair as white as moonlight, slowly lowered her weapon, filled with worry and helplessness.

Each time she was forced to shoot arrows at innocent people, it felt as if her heart was being gripped tightly by an invisible hand.

The only thing that could offer her some comfort at this moment was that there were clearly powerful mages on the enemy's ship, and the magical barrier they had set up was able to withstand the power of her Noble Phantasm's attacks so stubbornly.

"I say, Your Majesty the Goddess..." A voice with a slightly lazy tone, yet concealing a sharp edge, came from behind Artemis.

Hector, seemingly nonchalant but with eyes as sharp as an eagle, strode forward, his tone carrying a hint of mockery yet an undeniable warning:

"You wouldn't... have gone easy on someone or something, would you?"

"If you feel I haven't given it my all—"

Artemis whirled around, her exquisite face revealing undisguised disgust. Her icy gaze pierced Hector as she spoke clearly, word by word:

"Then, son of Priam, you may stand directly in front of where my arrow is pointing and test my resolve with your own body!"

“Oh dear, what a terrible suggestion.” Hector exaggeratedly raised his hands in surrender, but his smile remained unchanged.

"If that's the case, it seems that the magic barrier on the other side is indeed extraordinary. In my memory, there are only a handful of magicians who can achieve this level of protection."

Hector's gaze fell on the enemy ship in the distance, still stubbornly approaching under the golden barrier, and for the first time, a genuine sense of vigilance and solemnity appeared in the depths of his eyes.

"If that's the case, then wouldn't the enemy become an indestructible iron tortoise shell? Wouldn't we be left with no way to attack?"

Just then, a crisp, slightly feisty female voice rang out. Anne Bernie, with her hot, voluptuous figure and dazzling blonde hair, and Mary Reid, who was petite and looked like a porcelain doll but had sharp, piercing eyes, walked together to Hector and Artemis's vicinity.

Chapter 558 A Showdown Between Two Sides (Part 1)

These two are the famous female pirate partners in the Blackbeard Pirates.

"Hmm... The boss is getting impatient, so he sent us to ask Uncle Hector."

The short, white-haired little girl, Mary Reed, took over the conversation and got straight to the point:

"Given the current situation, do you have any brilliant ideas or strategies? We can't just stand by and watch the enemy charge in with their armor bulging, can we?"

"A brilliant plan?"

Hector stroked his chin, his gaze sweeping once more over the approaching ship in the distance. His voice unconsciously lowered, as if he were talking to himself, or perhaps addressing Anne and Mary:

"I'm afraid there really aren't any left... Judging from this situation, we can only wait for the enemy to approach us and get into close combat... So, those magicians who are hiding in the back and concentrating on casting spells are often the most troublesome characters once they are allowed to unleash their power."

He paused, leaned forward slightly, and lowered his voice to almost a whisper, carrying an undeniable coldness:

"However, once the enemy gets close, any movement on the ship will probably not be kept secret from the 'love-struck goddess' over there... She will notice something amiss sooner or later."

Hector's gaze swept over Anne and Mary, his eyes sharpening: "You two, listen for my signal and be ready to act at any moment. Come with me and take down this potential big troublemaker—Artemis—immediately!"

"Remember, we'd rather lose one of our own fighters than let her betray us at a crucial moment and become an enemy who stabs us in the back!"

In Hector's ears, the word "goddess" already carried a cold, murderous connotation.

Anne Bernie and Mary Reid exchanged a quick glance, both seeing understanding and resolve in each other's eyes.

They knew perfectly well that the powerful goddess Artemis was only temporarily serving them because her lover Orion had been taken hostage.

Now, the ship guarding Orion has been attacked, and Eric has been killed and forcibly repatriated. This news itself means that Orion has most likely been successfully rescued by the opposing group of enemies! The other side must already know the inside story of Blackbeard's pirate crew coercing the goddess.

Therefore, Hector's concerns were not unfounded. He had to prepare for the worst and act decisively:

If he discovers any sign on the opposing ship that could confirm Artemis's confirmation of Orion's rescue, he must not hesitate to immediately turn against her and launch a preemptive, deadly attack on the powerful goddess, nipping the danger in the bud!

……

"We're finally getting closer. We can now make out the outlines of those ships ahead more clearly..." Elizabeth, as the vanguard, stood at the bow, closely watching the changing battle situation ahead.

"Speaking of which, about five minutes ago, the light arrows that Artemis was shooting at seemed to have stopped completely."

Orion, who was also intently observing the enemy ships' movements, frowned and asked with a hint of worry, "Could it be... that Artemis has already discovered that I'm on board?"

"I'm pretty sure it's true. And judging from the current situation, the pirate ships on the other side are very likely already fighting," Circe said confidently as he arrived at the front.

"Ah! If that's the case, we have to hurry!" Orion exclaimed anxiously, his voice filled with obvious worry. "I'm really worried that Artemis won't be able to fight them all by herself. What if she's in mortal danger?"

"Calm down..." Circe said, while fully activating his magic to increase the speed of the warship, "In my opinion, the goddess is at most subdued by them, but her life is not in danger."

"Think about it, the fact that they would rather take you hostage to threaten her than just kill both of you shows that Artemis was more valuable to them while she was alive."

"Therefore, their most likely strategy right now is to take Artemis under control first, and then deal with us, with the ultimate goal of taking you back as a hostage. So, you'd better be extra careful when the boarding action begins."

"Although Artemis's life can be temporarily out of danger... Miss Circe, I still implore you to do your utmost to get the ship here as quickly as possible!"

Orion couldn't help but plead, "Didn't we plan to create an opportunity for Artemis to join forces with us against the enemy? The more powerful a fighter we have, the better our chances of breaking through!"

"Do you think I don't want to go faster? I'm already using the same frantic drive and fighting spirit I had when I was dieting! This speed is almost my limit!"

Circe retorted irritably, a vein throbbing on his forehead: "If you keep nagging in my ear and interfering with my spellcasting, believe me, I'll throw you into the sea to feed the fish right now?"

Startled by Circe's roar, Orion instantly fell silent, only daring to mutter to himself:

"Sigh... I thought that finally meeting a few female Servants would lead to some wonderful and romantic encounters. Who knew that each one of them would be more ferocious and violent than the last, always ready to feed people to the fish. Have gentle and considerate girls really disappeared from this world?"

Regardless of Orion's inner feelings, it would take at least another ten minutes before the two warships could make contact.

Everyone could only suppress their anxiety or fighting spirit and silently wait for that moment to arrive.

However, what no one knew was that someone on their own warship had already quietly intervened in the battle.

Wang Chong was now squinting, completely focused. His unique Observation Haki—Mental Net—was fully activated, and his invisible perception spread like a spider web, clearly capturing the fierce battle taking place on the Queen Anne's Revenge opposite him.

In the mind's eye, a battle had already broken out on the pirate ship: Artemis was caught in the crossfire of Hector, Anne Bernie, Mary Reid, and Eric, who had just appeared!

It was Hector who first noticed something was wrong. Although he couldn't directly see Orion on the pirate ship sailing in the opposite direction, he keenly sensed that the tense and oppressive atmosphere around Artemis had quietly dissipated, and she seemed much more relaxed.

Although Artemis was still drawing her bow, preparing for her Noble Phantasm attack, this inexplicable sense of unease prompted Hector to act decisively and strike first!

"boom!"

With a deafening clang of metal clashing, Hector's long-planned, lightning-fast sneak attack was narrowly blocked by Artemis with her sturdy divine bow.

After deflecting the fatal blow, Artemis used the recoil to nimbly leap backward, creating a safe distance, her voice laced with cold mockery:

"Hmph, you always seem so carefree and nonchalant, but when you fight, you're so fast and ruthless. Your sneak attack tactics are truly unpredictable. If I hadn't been on guard, I probably would have fallen for your trick just now."

"We're even..."

Hector, seeing that his sneak attack had failed, sighed in frustration, his eyes sharpening and becoming focused:

"I originally thought you were just a foolish goddess blinded by love, who would be overjoyed to see your beloved safe and sound, and might even switch sides on the spot. I never expected that you would not only suppress your emotions instantly, but also continue to pretend to shoot, intending to cooperate with the enemy from the inside and outside."

"If I hadn't noticed that the air of resentment and humiliation on you had dissipated, we probably wouldn't have realized what was happening until we clearly saw Orion standing on the opposite bow. By then, it would have been too late to take you down."

As Hector spoke, Artemis was quickly surrounded and her escape route was blocked by three people.

Anne and Mary reacted swiftly, rushing to cover Hector the moment he made his move. Eric, who had been lurking in the cabin, finally revealed himself and joined the battle after confirming that Orion's rescue had been completely exposed. The four surrounded Artemis.

"Alright, Your Majesty,"

Hector brandished his spear, his chilling killing intent locking onto his target once more: "Surrender now, get some rest, and you'll suffer less. Otherwise..."

Before the words were even finished, the deadly spear tip had already transformed into a streak of cold light, tearing through the air and ruthlessly piercing towards Artemis's heart!

Artemis was familiar with Hector's swift and unpredictable fighting style and immediately twisted to dodge. However, the moment she moved, another deadly attack descended!

"boom!"

Gunshots rang out! Anne Bernie had accurately predicted Artemis's dodge trajectory, and the bullet whistled through the air, mercilessly striking Artemis's shoulder blade.

Although the goddess's divine body was far more resilient than that of mortals and would not lose its fighting ability, the intense pain and impact from the bullet still caused her to groan, and her movements inevitably became slightly sluggish.

"Ouch...it hurts! I can't find an opening to retaliate!" Artemis gritted her teeth and endured the pain, instinctively wanting to draw her arrow to fight back.

But Mary Reid, who was right next to her, had already seen through her intentions. Her short figure moved up like a ghost, and her sharp dagger, carrying a chilling aura, slashed directly at Artemis's bow-wielding arm, abruptly interrupting her shooting action!

Surrounded by three top-tier melee Servants, especially two of them—Hector and Marie—who had locked down her close-range space, Artemis, as an Archer, was immediately put in an extremely dangerous and passive situation.

She could only rely on the hunting goddess's extraordinary agility and refined close combat skills to struggle and dodge amidst the flashing blades and spears.

However, Artemis knew in her heart that this kind of close combat relying on agility was not a long-term solution. Once the taciturn but ferocious "Blood Axe" Eric seized the opportunity to launch a fatal blow, she would either be dead or crippled!

Chapter 559 Showdown Between Two Sides (Part 2)

"Ah... if only Darling were here with me..." In the midst of the perilous situation, Artemis couldn't help but feel a bittersweet longing.

Of course, what she longs for is Orion, the hero who is the son of Poseidon, the god of the sea, and possesses superhuman bravery and divine power—that is, Orion in his normal state, rather than the panda doll that can only be cute and has almost no fighting ability.

If they could fight alongside Orion in its normal form, one in close combat and the other at long range, they would surely be able to break through this deadly encirclement.

"That's enough! Pay the price in blood!" As if to confirm her worries, Eric, who had been waiting for an opportunity, finally caught the flaw that Artemis had revealed due to a momentary lapse in concentration.

He let out a beastly roar, and the heavy blood axe, carrying the force to split mountains and rocks, and a suffocating stench, slashed down at Artemis's unsuspecting back!

"Oh no!" Alarm bells rang in Artemis's mind! Her bow and arrows were busy parrying Hector's tricky thrusts and Mary's swift, clinging blades, leaving her no time to return and help those behind her.

She tried to dodge, but the stiffness in her body from being shot and the momentary lapse in concentration almost completely deprived her of the chance to avoid the fatal axe blow! The shadow of serious injury suddenly descended.

Boom!!!

At this critical moment, the massive Queen Anne's Revenge suddenly crashed into an invisible mountain, the ship making a teeth-grinding thud, followed by a violent, almost capsizing rocking and tilting!

"Waaah!"

The sudden, violent jolt caught Mary, who was focused on attacking Artemis, off guard. She lost her footing, cried out in alarm, and fell to the ground in a sorry state. Hector and Erik were similarly greatly affected.

Hector was forced to abruptly retract his thrusting spear and spread his arms to maintain his balance.

Eric's seemingly inevitable and deadly strike was severely deflected from its target due to the ship's violent tilt. The heavy axe blade whistled past Artemis's clothes and cleaved deep into the adjacent deck!