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

She deftly flipped in the air to dissipate the force, finally landing steadily several feet away. She still gripped her twin swords tightly, but her eyes were even more solemn.

"This big guy... is faster and more agile than I expected..."

Miyamoto Musashi stared at Hercules, who was slowly retracting his upward thrusting stance amidst the smoke and dust. Feeling the slight numbness in his arms, his assessment of the danger of this berserk hero instantly rose another level.

"Roar!"

This time, Hercules launched the first charge, unleashing a godlike force that hurtled straight at Miyamoto Musashi. The terrifying power made Miyamoto Musashi instantly realize: he absolutely could not use his twin swords to meet its attack head-on!

So, though she charged forward, she precisely caught the trajectory of Hercules's stone sword during her charge. With her exquisite agility, allowing her to stop or retreat at any moment, she leaped lightly backward, narrowly avoiding the blow that could split mountains and shatter rocks.

Just as the stone sword grazed past him, Miyamoto Musashi's right hand lashed out with lightning speed, not with a direct clash, but with a clever diagonal strike to the side of the stone sword. Using the opponent's force against them, the heavy stone sword was deflected to the right by this skillful strike.

At the same time, she used the momentum to spin rapidly to the left and forward, like a butterfly flitting among flowers, and a sharp spinning slash precisely struck Hercules's waist and abdomen! The blade flashed, and her figure had already slid like a ghost to the blind spot behind the giant.

"Roar--!"

The excruciating pain in his lower back and abdomen instantly ignited an even deeper rage in Hercules!

Before Miyamoto Musashi could launch another attack from behind, the giant had turned around like a whirlwind! The huge stone sword, with a piercing shriek that tore through the air, slashed horizontally toward Miyamoto Musashi's head with perfect accuracy!

"Ouch! That was close!"

Miyamoto Musashi's intuition for danger was equally extraordinary. At the critical moment, she abruptly stopped her forward momentum and ducked her body.

She felt an incredibly strong gust of wind rush past her head, and even though she wasn't hit, the terrifying pressure made her head buzz and she felt dizzy.

Hercules's wide-ranging attacks, seemingly rough, were actually incredibly swift and not at all clumsy. Each swing of the stone sword whipped up a violent gust of wind, forcing Miyamoto Musashi to retreat repeatedly, creating distance to temporarily avoid the onslaught.

Miyamoto Musashi felt a chill run down her spine: it was just a simple swing from the opponent, but the range and pressure it exerted made her feel the same suffocating sensation she had when facing Katniss's wide-ranging spear attack!

"At this rate... I can't afford to inflict any more new wounds on him..." After several perilous chases and dodges, Miyamoto Musashi took a deep breath, the last trace of hesitation fading from his eyes, replaced by an unwavering determination. "Hmph... Is it time to face the threat of death again?"

This was not her first time facing danger. She was willing to pay any price to defeat this legendary hero before her!

"tread!"

This time, she didn't back down! The power of [Heavenly Eye A] was activated at full force instantly! In an instant, Hercules's violent attack trajectory became incredibly clear in her eyes, like lines that had been drawn.

More importantly, Heracles' fleeting, minute flaws were now clearly visible to her!

"Drink it—!!"

The twin swords transformed into two wildly dancing silver streaks! Miyamoto Musashi's figure suddenly accelerated, launching a rapid and relentless barrage of attacks around Hercules! She nimbly weaved and leaped through the gaps in the deadly gusts of wind whipped up by the stone swords, as if dancing on the tips of blades.

The price came with it. The violent airflow cut several small bloody gashes on her body, and she narrowly escaped death several times as the stone sword almost grazed her clothes and came crashing down!

She knew her body was fragile, and if she were to be struck solidly by that heavy stone sword, even just grazed, she would probably lose all fighting ability.

The margin for error was despairingly low! But Miyamoto Musashi's gaze remained unwavering. She stared intently at her target: her opponent's body wasn't as invincible as Katniss's! By continuously inflicting wounds and accumulating damage, she would eventually crush her completely!

"That samurai named Miyamoto Musashi has chosen a good strategy." Chiron, standing on the sidelines, clearly understood Miyamoto Musashi's intentions. "Playing to one's strengths and avoiding one's weaknesses, using speed and skill to continuously injure the opponent and gradually weaken their combat power, is indeed a classic method of defeating the strong with the weak."

However, he shook his head slightly and sighed, "What a pity, your opponent is Hercules..."

"Heh heh heh..." Jason chuckled coldly, a gleam of pleasure in his eyes. "Hercules... he's starting to get used to the taste of swords. That annoying flea won't be able to keep jumping around for long; her stamina is about to run out, and then—"

One slash! And another! Miyamoto Musashi lost count of how many times her blade had cut through Hercules' skin, leaving scars. Yet, an ominous premonition quietly rose within her.

Her opponent's stamina was beyond imagination, seemingly endless. What alarmed her even more was that the sensation transmitted back from the twin blades in her hands seemed strange—the blades felt…dull?

"boom!"

Until one day, when she swung her sword with all her might at Hercules' arm, the katana was actually deflected with a dull thud! At that moment, Miyamoto Musashi realized that it was no illusion!

At the same time, in her fully activated [Heavenly Eye A] vision, all the clearly visible "lines" and "dots" on Hercules' body that were previously easy to strike, as well as the light representing his weaknesses and flaws, suddenly disappeared! It was as if they had been completely covered by an invisible barrier!

"Pfft—!!"

In that split second of mental shock, a fatal opening appeared! Hercules seized the opportunity, and the stone sword, carrying immense force, slashed fiercely into Miyamoto Musashi's abdomen!

Although Miyamoto Musashi instinctively crossed his twin swords in front of his abdomen to block at the last moment, he could not completely neutralize the overwhelming force of the impact! With a muffled thud and the groaning of bones, Miyamoto Musashi was sent flying like a kite with a broken string!

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Her body tumbled several times awkwardly on the hard ring surface before finally coming to a stop. A sweet taste rose in her throat, and a trickle of bright red blood spilled from the corner of her mouth.

The sharp pain in her abdomen made her curl up, as if her internal organs had shifted. Although she wasn't completely incapacitated, it was clearly impossible for her to immediately return to the high-intensity, high-precision combat she had been in before.

But the raging Hercules would not give her a moment's respite!

The giant let out a deep roar and charged forward again with heavy steps! When he got close, he raised his huge stone sword high and, without any fancy moves, with the force of thunder, slashed it down at the head of the collapsed Miyamoto Musashi!

Chapter 648 Miyamoto Musashi VS Hercules (Part 2)

In a life-or-death moment, Miyamoto Musashi gritted her teeth, endured the excruciating pain, and plunged her twin swords into the ground! Using this force, she slid sideways across the ground, narrowly passing through the gap in Hercules's lower body and avoiding the fatal slash.

In the instant she slid past, she even attempted a counterattack, her twin blades slashing towards Heracles' ankle! However—

"clank!"

The sound of the twin blades slicing into the giant's ankle skin was no longer the familiar cutting sensation, but rather like striking incredibly tough old cowhide, or even metal, producing a chilling clang, and being forcefully repelled!

Miyamoto Musashi's heart sank to the bottom, a chill running through her. She finally confirmed the terrible truth: her sword... for some reason, could no longer inflict any harm on Hercules!

The Twelve Trials are both a "divine blessing" bestowed upon Hercules and an embodiment of the "curse" that binds him; they are powerful artifacts symbolizing immortality.

Its effect not only grants Hercules up to twelve resurrections, but also possesses the astonishing property of "making an attack that has been sustained once ineffective a second time".

Of course, this is an exaggeration. The essence is that whenever Hercules is attacked by the same magic, weapon, or Noble Phantasm, his body develops resistance to that magic, weapon, or Noble Phantasm, and this resistance increases over time until he eventually reaches a state of complete immunity.

Therefore, considering the effect of twelve resurrections, even if a powerful Noble Phantasm is used to defeat Heracles, it will no longer be able to cause him any effective damage when he is resurrected from death.

It was this Noble Phantasm, born from his supreme glory, that nearly propelled Hercules to the pinnacle of invincibility.

Unless one can find twelve distinct and powerful Noble Phantasms to end his life one by one, or find an ultimate weapon capable of taking all twelve of his lives at once.

Otherwise, as the battle continues, Hercules will only become more and more invincible, until he becomes an unsolvable and terrifying being.

At this moment, Miyamoto Musashi was trapped in this desperate predicament. Her twin swords struck Hercules's massive body countless times with precision, yet she could not truly kill him.

This futile attack not only failed to weaken the great hero's fighting power in the slightest, but instead prompted his strong body to adapt and evolve, making him increasingly resistant to Miyamoto Musashi's blade.

If this continues, the famous sword in her hand, which had once slain countless powerful enemies, will eventually become nothing more than "scrap metal" that cannot harm its opponents in the slightest.

Unless... Miyamoto Musashi's sword strikes are like Wang Chong's, with power that has already surpassed the limits of the physical laws of this world.

Otherwise, she would have to follow the established rules of this planet and would be unable to break through Hercules' increasingly formidable defensive barrier.

"Look! Her blade can no longer penetrate Hercules' defense! Hercules, ignore this woman's attacks! Grab her and throw her off the ring!"

Jason, watching the battle, had a smug look in his eyes. His Hercules was still invincible, and no one could match him.

At Jason's command, Hercules completely ignored Miyamoto Musashi's renewed attack and focused all his attention on the capture.

His muscular right arm wielded a massive stone sword, slashing down heavily and swiftly, precisely blocking any possible escape route for Miyamoto Musashi; at the same time, his left hand, as large as a fan, carried a sharp wind pressure, grabbing straight at her body.

Seeing that her retreat was blocked by the stone sword, Miyamoto Musashi's fighting instincts drove her to swing her sword at the giant hand that was grabbing at her, trying to force it back.

"Damn it!" Just as the blade was about to strike, Miyamoto Musashi suddenly realized—Hercules was no longer afraid of her slashes! This strike would not only fail to deflect the giant hand, but would instead hand her weapon to the opponent!

However, it was too late. Hercules' thick fingers ignored the sharp blade and firmly gripped the hilt!

An immense force suddenly came, and Hercules raised his arm, lifting Miyamoto Musashi, sword and all, off the ground!

Miyamoto Musashi was brought up because her right hand, gripping the hilt of her sword, never loosened its hold. As a swordswoman, how could she stand by and watch her beloved sword be taken from her by the enemy?

But this obsession with weapons pushed her into an even more dangerous situation!

With a low growl, Hercules swung his arm with tremendous force, flinging Miyamoto Musashi into the air like a sandbag!

"Could it be... that we've already lost?"

A strong sense of resentment surged within Miyamoto Musashi. Did the mere fact that his blade couldn't yet penetrate his opponent's defenses mean he was doomed to defeat?

Katniss, who also possessed astonishing resistance, had fallen to her own blade. Why then could this great hero before her not be severed?

Whether or not I can sever it... depends on my will... If I've already decided in my heart that it's impossible to sever... then there's truly no chance of winning!

Undeterred, Miyamoto Takeshi forced himself to steady himself in mid-air, his sharp gaze fixed on the colossal figure below that was about to wield the stone sword.

The immense crisis teetering on the brink of life and death compressed all her spirit and fighting will to the extreme. Driven by this pure will, her [Heavenly Eye A] suddenly underwent a profound transformation.

"Clang—!!!"

A deafening clang of metal clashing rang out! Hercules's powerful strike, capable of splitting mountains and shattering rocks, struck Musashi precisely as he fell from the sky!

However, what happened next was not the tragic scene that everyone expected, where Musashi was instantly knocked away.

Miyamoto Musashi's twin swords crossed, firmly wedging themselves against the massive stone sword! The swords rubbed together violently, sending out a series of blinding sparks!

Using the terrifying force of the stone sword strike, her entire body, with the sword as the axis, unleashed astonishing flexibility and power from her waist, spinning rapidly in the air like a top!

This ingenious technique of deflecting force cleverly neutralized most of the terrifying impact contained in the stone sword!

Just as the spin was about to end, Musashi decisively released his grip on his twin swords. Using the remaining centrifugal force, he performed an incredibly agile somersault, inexplicably circling behind Hercules's broad, mountain-like back!

"Puff puff puff puff—!"

Miyamoto Musashi's twin swords transformed into two streaks of lightning, striking Hercules's back once more! The sound of the blades cutting into flesh was clearly audible, yet upon closer inspection, no obvious wound could be seen on the tough skin.

"So that's how it is... He wasn't truly 'invincible' before..."

Miyamoto Musashi's eyes flashed with a sharp light, and her eagle-like "Heavenly Eye" finally saw through the secret of Hercules' "invincible" body.

"The cut caused by my blade was pushed away by the opponent's super-fast regenerative ability! The opponent's recovery speed is faster than the damage I can cause!"

In that instant, the weaknesses of Hercules that ordinary people could not see and that could theoretically be "cut off" began to shimmer with a faint light that only she could perceive, as if layers of mist had been cleared away in Miyamoto Musashi's perception!

"Then... my blade must be faster! Sharper! My rate of improvement must surpass Hercules's damned rate of adaptation!!"

Ignoring the deafening roar of Hercules behind him as he was attacked, and the massive arm that swept in with a fierce wind, Miyamoto Musashi unleashed the Niten Ichi-ryu sword dance to its fullest extent!

The twin blades transformed into a continuous storm of silver light, slashing wildly at the same spot at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye!

The clanging and clashing sounds rang out like a sudden downpour. Although each strike still failed to inflict any substantial wounds, under Miyamoto Musashi's relentless and frenzied onslaught, Hercules' massive body began to show signs of slowing down!

"boom!!!"

In the end, Hercules' overwhelming strength and fighting instincts prevailed. The heavy stone sword, carrying immense force, slammed into Miyamoto Musashi's side!

Musashi was struck as if by a heavy hammer, spitting out a mouthful of bright red blood, and his body flew uncontrollably toward the edge of the arena!

In the nick of time, she endured the excruciating pain and plunged her twin swords into the ground! The sword tips carved two blinding sparks and deep grooves into the hard stone bricks of the arena, abruptly halting her retreating figure and leaving her trapped inside the arena by a narrow margin!

In a corner out of sight of everyone—on Hercules's thick wrist—a tiny, almost imperceptible bloodstain quietly appeared, only to disappear quickly under the powerful regenerative force.

But this seemingly insignificant wound revealed a fact like a thunderclap: for the first time, the speed at which Miyamoto Musashi's sword caused damage truly surpassed Hercules' terrifying adaptation and regeneration speed!

However, this small breakthrough is far from enough to defeat Hercules.

"what--!!!"

Miyamoto Musashi let out a defiant roar, seemingly oblivious to the devastating injury that would have made an ordinary person faint. Once again, like a madman, he dragged his wounded body and charged headlong into the god-like Hercules!

"What the hell is this guy doing?! He's been fighting for so long and he's gone crazy and is fighting like a madman?" Jason felt a surge of irritation as he watched this scene.

Logically, Hercules's attacks, capable of shattering mountains, should be enough to completely incapacitate an opponent with just one hit.

But now that he had hit the woman three times in a row, how could she still struggle to stand up and even launch a more ferocious counterattack? He absolutely could not allow his trump card to fail in any further way.

Chapter 649 Six Paths and Five Wheels - Kurikara Celestial Phenomenon

“What a pity…” Chiron uttered these three words softly, with a hint of regret.

He didn't think the other person was crazy, but rather he realized that the other person had once again broken through their own limits in a desperate situation.

He sighed because even though this renowned swordsman had achieved a breakthrough, his power was still insufficient to truly defeat Hercules.

"Drink--!!!"

Faced with Hercules's terrifying stone sword, which seemed capable of splitting the earth, Miyamoto Musashi did not choose to dodge or deflect the force this time!

If one's own blade and one's own beliefs cannot even budge the slightest bit from the opponent's attack, then how can one talk about severing this invincible body?

"I really want... I really want to have your power... No! No! My sword, my will, I can do it!!"

With his twin swords, imbued with all of Miyamoto Musashi's conviction, power, and newly gained insights, he fearlessly met the unstoppable stone sword head-on!

Surprisingly, the expected scene of Miyamoto Musashi being instantly thrown away by the immense force did not occur!

"What?! She...she actually withstood Hercules' full-force slash?! How is that possible?!"

Jason gasped in shock, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets. Previously, when faced with such a powerful blow, Miyamoto Musashi could only dodge with his movements or deftly deflect it, never daring to directly confront its edge.

But at this moment, her feet were rooted to the ring, and her body did not move an inch in the head-on collision!

"Look! What's behind Musashi?!" Mash, who was guarding Ritsuka, noticed the unusual situation and exclaimed in surprise.