Section Six: To New York? (2/2)

Hmm. There doesn't seem to be any sign of her anywhere.

Not that that's any surprise at this point. She's a slippery one, isn't she?

... ...

What is it, Jason? You're looking a little green around the eyes.

That's because my eyes are green, okay!? If you mean "gills," just say so!

Are you feeling sick or something? Do you need to throw up?

I can see you edging away from me, you know! And no, I don't! I'm just sensing an aura, that's all!

Whose aura? Medea's?

...No, it's not her. Her aura's kind of...sludgier.

Almost like a really...viscous smoothie!

(I wonder what would happen if I told Lady Medea he said that? Only one way to find out!)

？！

(Nnn. All right, Master, if you say so.)

Okay, so if it's not Medea, then what is it?

Well, if I had to describe it...

I'd say it's as beautiful as the Aegean Sea... As majestic as the Colossus of Rhodes...

As sharp as obsidian... And as tough as titanium.

It's a pretty incredible aura I'm sensing.

Is that so?

Hmm.

...What? Why're you looking at me like that?

Oh, you know. I just thought I had a pretty good idea of who you were talking about.

Really? I don't have any idea. Who is it then?

There's only one person in the whole world Jason ever praises besides himself.

？！

What, really? You mean you know who it is?

You don't?

Huh?

Aaah! What is that thing!?

It's a giant! We've got a freaking giant out heeere!

...!

Up there!

!

...Huh?

Oh crap.

This is as bad as Cú when he's gone full Berserker, and that's putting it mildly.

I-I just finished analyzing him! It's hard to believe, but there's no mistaking it!

That's Heracles blown up to colossal size!

？！

Yes, he is. He's easily big enough to be classified as a full-fledged giant now!

A giant? Great. If I'd known we'd have to deal with one of those, I would've brought David along.

Yup, he's basically a giant now. Great. If I'd known we'd have to deal with one of those, I would've brought David along.

Don't bother. It wouldn't have worked anyway.

What do you mean, Cú?

That's not just any giant. That's a giant Heracles. And I'm betting he's still got all the traits he does normally.

Traits? What traits?

You're telling me he's got more going for him besides the obvious size, strength, and weight?

Please tell me he doesn't!

Well, to make a long story short...he can die and come back to life up to eleven times.

...Huh?

I know, right? It sounds crazy.

Oh, and while this isn't as big of a deal in comparison, only A-rank or higher attacks have any effect on him.

You've got to be kidding me!

I wish we were, but nope. That's just...Heracles.

Dammit, who the hell thought it was a good idea to make him that big and get him all riled up anyway!?

Wait, what am I saying!? I know who did it! Ugh, Evil Ushiwaka, you idiot! Do you have any idea what you've done!?

？！

There's no fricking way we can beat Heracles like that! I'm telling you, not a chance in hell!

I say we just give up here and grab a drink on the way home.

Oh, and if your drink's alcoholic, don't forget to arrange for a designated Rayshifter first!

Come now, Lord Jason. Surely there must be some strategy we can use against him.

No! No there isn't! Heracles is invincible, you hear me!? Invincible! Muahahaha!

And now that he's so freakin' huge, I can't even imagine his sheer, destructive power!

He truly is a king... King Giant Heracles!

Part of me is waiting for him to climb the Empire State Building or something...

This is really, really bad.

... ...

You know, Master, I've changed my mind. No more running away for me.

Instead, I say we just stay here and watch him destroy the world!

What do you think? If you can't beat 'em, watch 'em win, right!? We've got great seats!

...(Sigh)

Yeow!

What'd you do that for, jackass!?

Snap out of it already, moron.

That thing might look like Heracles, but he's gone so berserk he doesn't even remember you.

So he's not the Heracles you know anymore. Am I wrong?

...Well... No, I guess not...

？！

...All right, all right. But seriously, all kidding aside, that guy is waaay out of our league.

We can't possibly hope to defeat him just by attacking him like usual.

Well, he's already on top of a beanstalI mean, a tall building, right? Maybe we could demolish it, and let the fall kill him?

Did you forget that whole traits talk already?

Even if that worked, we'd have to repeat it eleven more times to finish him off for good.

Do you really think he's gonna climb a skyscraper eleven times in a row?

Okay, you've got me there.

Heracles would be a lot harder to handle on the ground. Hell, he'd probably just swallow us whole if we got too close. Haha...

Swallow us whole...

... ...

That's it!

It looks like you and I just had the same idea, Mentor.

Kanra kara kara! You too, huh, Shana-oh?

That's right. There's long been a traditional way to kill giants and oni, and it doesn't require a blade.

All you need is a single needle!

But Mentor, don't we need the Mallet of Fortune for this plan?

Hahahaha! Not at all!

I might not be able to make people grow, but I can make them shrink easily enough.

Huh? Hold on. What is it you're planning, exactly?

Allow me to explain!

First, I cast a spell that will make us all tiny!

Okay.

Second, we jump into that Heracles guy's mouth!

Right.

Third, we split up!

You want us to split up AGAIN!? And there, of all places!? Isn't that exactly where we should be working together!?

Ideally, sure, but it's not that simple.

Once we get in, we still have to figure out how we can defeat him, being tiny and all.

In fairy tales, heroes would kill giants this way by stabbing their stomachs with a needle, passing through their eyes, and so on...

But we don't yet know if that giant there has any of those weaknesses.

That's why I'm going to trust all of you to figure out exactly what needs to be done to beat him!

Once we do that, then we work together to execute our new strategy. Makes sense, right?

It's a completely insane idea, but it could work...

Are you going to be okay coming along with us, Master?

Ahahahaha, you have a real reckless side to you, don't you, Master? I like it!

Oh, come on...

He's not thinking about how we're gonna get out of Heracles later at all, is he?

That's our Master for you!

？！

All right, everyone, let's go climb that building and pay the big guy a visit!

Ugh, this sucks!

When you said we'd be making our way up, I thought you meant we'd be taking the elevator, not the stairs!

Hmph. Seems to me like a perfect opportunity to make up for all the exercise you haven't been getting.

That's a concern for flabby people, not me. Got it?

Hmph.

Harrumph.

Kanra kara kara!

(I never thought I'd see Shana-oh of all people making friends.)

I never thought I'd see Shana-oh of all people making friends.

What was that!?

Whoops. I didn't realize I was thinking out loud.

What in the world are you talking about?

Mentor.

To be completely honest, I've always considered myself something of a genius...

But I have no idea what you just said.

Well, let's just say I'm just watching out for you, like a parent would.

You may have been summoned to this world as a Heroic Spirit, but you're still you.

And it's not at all easy to find people who will accept you just as you are.

I know you have Benkei and Shizuka, but that's not the same as

... ...

...Well, my point is, you found someone you like, and who likes you back.

You have friends.

And while I don't know much about the intricacies of being human, I do know that having friends is a healthy, happy, beautiful thing.

That's why I can't help but be glad you were summoned to Chaldea!

That's great, except you're forgetting one little detail: WE ARE NOT FRIENDS!

Exactly!

I'd sooner run down the slopes of Hiyodorigoe than be friends with...with...her!

？！

Not you too, Master!?

At any rate, she and I being friends is completely out of the question!

Anyway, never mind all that! We're here now!

G-good. Then let's just focus on Heracles now!

Good, this roof should work nicely.

All right, here's the plan.

We all jump at his mouth together, then I'll make you all Issun Boushi-sized before we land inside it.

Wouldn't it be better for you to shrink us before we jump? That would reduce the odds of him spotting us, too.

Don't be an idiot, Benkei.

We'll never be able to jump that distance if Mentor shrinks us down beforehand.

Besides, we want him to notice us! That way, he'll be looking right at us, so it'll be easier to land in his mouth.

Exactly.

All right, I'm going to cast a spell that will carry you all over to him!

The heavenly drums ring, but not with thunder.

The tengu streaks through the night like a shooting star!

Come forth, gales of a stormy night! Rain down, fires of hell!

Now flap and flap until you've flown far, far away!

!

？！

Well sure he has. Anyone would notice such a huge surge of magical energy so close to them!

But it's too late for him to do anything about it now! Go on then, shrink down!

Make way for Issun Boushi!

Aah! That tickles!

Also, hang on. Now that I think about it, why am I jumping into Heracles's stomach with the rest of you!?

Groooss! I don't want to get stomach acid on me!

Shoulda thought of that sooner!

Sorry about this, Heracles, but we're coming in!

？！

Huh, looks like it's a whole other world in here!

Well, it's at least better than going through an actual stomach. Come on, everyone, let's get moving!

What was that!?

I guess since there's a whole world inside Heracles now, there are also demons and monsters to populate it?

Looks like we'll just have to do the big guy a favor and take care of them so they don't give him heartburn!

Gah! This thing just vented nasty...stuff at me!

Not to worry. My magecraft is keeping us safe!

I don't even want to think about what kind of damage this place is doing to my psyche! Ugh, let's just get this over with!

So where do we go now?

...Master, this way!

The needle is reacting to something!

Maybe this means II mean, Evil Ushiwaka is here, too?

It's hard to believe that could be the case...

But given how the needle is reacting, there may well be something that came from the Mallet of Fortune in here.

Then we just gotta take care of whatever that something is.

Come on, Medb. You want to get this over with, right?

Okay, okay! Come on, Master, let's go.

...Well, if anything in here's causing this mess, it's got to be that guy.

He's definitely raring to go, isn't he?

Is it just me, or is it really weird that we're about to fight Heracles in his own stomach?

It should make for quite the tale of derring-do!

I was not ready for today...

If word got out that a queen of my caliber was sneaking around in someone else's stomach, I'd never live it down!

Welp, that's Heracles we're fighting, so I'm out. But hey, I can still wish you all good luck! So, good luck!

Ugh, you're nothing if not consistent, huh! All right, Master, let's do this!

Prepare to witness my tiny soldier mode!

... ...

Whoa, we actually beat him!? Then again, I guess that makes sense, since he wasn't the real Heracles!

We need to get out of here before Heracles returns to his normal size!

？！

Right. Hold on to me tightly, Master of Chaldea!

Phew. That was definitely our toughest fight so far!

Ugh, I can't believe how much trouble I'm causing. What in the world could I be thinking!?

Huh? What's happening to the needle!?

What's going on here!?

Do you read me, Master? We're picking up a Singularity.

I mean, that's not to say all the other places you've been to haven't been Singularities as well...

But we're detecting a new one and its signal is much stronger than the others.

And I guess this hole we're looking at is the heart of the thing.

That distortion in space appears to be a door to somewhere else entirely.

The needle's never reacted this strongly before. This must mean

？！

I think so. My instincts are all telling me that's where we'll find her.

I guess this hole leads to wherever we need to go so we can finally settle this.

Maybe now we'll see what this Evil Ushiwaka, aka the other Shana-oh, has been planning all along.

... ...

All right, everyone, let's get going!

And don't worry, Master of Chaldea. Whatever happens, I'll make sure to keep you safe!

But that's MY job! Mentooor!