Olga Marie stared at Adam, completely lost. To be honest, she hadn't followed a word of what he just said. In everything she had ever read about the legends, she couldn't recall Heracles possessing any Noble Phantasm like the one he described.
Ritsuka simply nodded along with a grave expression. She had no idea what he meant either, but she was determined to look like she did.
While they were talking, Medusa came flying back through the air. The alternate Mash reacted instantly, catching her before she could hit the ground.
Medusa was panting hard. Her hair was a mess, small cuts dotted her skin, and she looked thoroughly battered.
Before Adam could even ask how she was doing, Heracles charged again.
The alternate Mash was still supporting Medusa and couldn't free her hands in time.
Mash stepped forward without hesitation, raising her shield to meet the attack.
Clang!
Heracles' enormous strike slammed into the shield with crushing force. The impact made Mash's legs tremble violently.
So heavy…!
But Heracles wasn't finished. He swung his massive blade again and again, raining blows down on her shield like a relentless storm.
Just as Mash felt she was about to reach her limit, a flash of golden light appeared beside her.
Adam had already taken over holding Medusa. The alternate Mash had summoned her shield. A brilliant radiance bloomed from its center, spreading outward until layer upon layer of glowing golden energy coated its entire surface.
She planted her feet, drew back, and thrust the shield forward with explosive power straight at Heracles.
The instant the golden layers touched his body, they erupted into a colossal pillar of light that blasted him backward.
Mash watched in complete awe, eyes sparkling.
"Teacher! So this is the power of protection!"
"It's incredible!"
The alternate Mash nodded at her.
"Of course. As long as you always carry the will to protect someone in your heart, you'll reach this level one day too."
Heracles staggered back to his feet and let out another furious roar.
"ROOOAR—!"
Adam watched the fully maddened Berserker with genuine concern. Even if he summoned the Servant he had in mind—Illyasviel von Einzbern, the magical girl—would Heracles actually calm down in this state? What if he ended up hurting Illya instead?
Adam remembered how happy Illya looked whenever he patted her head, and how shyly she would say she liked it when her Master did that.
No. He couldn't let that sweet girl get hurt.
He had no idea how this world's Heracles would react to her. If something went wrong and he accidentally turned her into paste, that would be a disaster.
There was only one solution: force Heracles to "calm down" first with overwhelming force, then let Illya try to bring him over to their side.
Calming the Berserker was actually quite simple.
Pure physical therapy.
Hit him with a devastating attack that stripped away several lives at once. That would leave him temporarily stunned while his body recovered.
The only question was who could deliver that kind of damage.
Adam glanced at where Cu Chulainn had landed. The man was still buried under rubble, only his legs sticking out and twitching faintly—proof he was still alive.
Otherwise Adam might have declared, "Cu Chulainn is dead! You heartless monster!"
He looked down at Medusa in his arms. She appeared completely limp, covered in wounds. For some strange reason, though, her cheeks were flushed with an unnatural blush.
(In truth, Medusa still had plenty of fight left in her. She was simply too comfortable resting against Adam to stand up.)
Medusa felt the warmth of his embrace and silently cursed herself.
We're in the middle of a battle! So why… why can't I make myself move?!
Adam finally turned his gaze to the alternate Mash.
Although she had been telling the other Mash that a Shielder's most important duty was protection…
When it came to her actual offensive ability—
"[Mash], use that!"
The alternate Mash, who had been keeping a sharp eye on Heracles, understood instantly.
Ritsuka, Mash, and Olga Marie all looked confused.
Olga Marie raised an eyebrow. "Adam, what exactly is 'that'?"
Ritsuka scratched her head, remembering the previous fight. "Adam, are you talking about the move [Mash] used before…?"
Olga Marie blinked. "What move did she use before?"
Ritsuka immediately launched into an excited explanation. "Director, you should've seen it! Adam's [Mash] summoned this enormous glowing white shield and smashed the Assassin straight into Assassin paste!"
Olga Marie nodded in understanding, then frowned again.
"So something like that happened… But still, Adam—is this really safe? I know this Mash is strong, but using that 'light shield' against a Berserker like Heracles… will it actually work? Maybe you should summon a few more Servants to back her up?"
Her concern was reasonable. After all, they had just been told that Shielders specialized in defense. Asking one to take down a rampaging offensive powerhouse like Heracles seemed like too much to ask.
Mash stared at her alternate self's back, equally worried. She remembered that Heracles could nullify any attack below Rank B.
"Will Teacher really be okay…?"
Adam simply smiled.
"Do you know…"
"…what a 'Human Order Cannon' is?"
***
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