"To be honest, Captain, even if that Master hadn't said anything, you never really trusted me from the start, did you?"
Hector, having pulled the Holy Grail from Blackbeard's chest and taken a few steps back to maintain some distance, spoke with a sigh.
He had to admit, he was a spectacularly failed spy.
No one on Blackbeard's side trusted him, and on Lin Qi's side, he'd been viewed as the biggest threat from the very beginning. One could say he was unwelcome on both sides.
What kind of spy ends up like him?
"...Heh. A great hero like you suddenly joining my rickety ship? Something was obviously wrong, no matter how you think about it," Blackbeard sneered, clutching the gaping, blood-gushing hole in his chest.
Besides, he was inherently suspicious by nature.
"Is that so? So it was a mistake from the very start..." Hector said casually, his steps never ceasing as he retreated towards the side of the ship, all the while keeping a wary eye on both Blackbeard and Lin Qi's group.
Even though he had avoided vital organs, the wound wasn't fatal.
But it still hurt like hell, and if left untreated for too long, even a Servant like him would be forced to exit the stage.
After all, he wasn't that man, Heracles, who was tougher than steel; normal attacks were perfectly capable of breaking through his defenses.
Drake's bullets, Euryale's arrows, and Lin Qi's Runic magic fireballs—all like silent assassins—rained down upon Hector in a torrent.
Knowing the importance of the Holy Grail, the three of them had no intention of wasting words, each unleashing the maximum firepower they could muster in a short time to attack Hector.
Seeing this, a flicker of regret passed through Hector's eyes.
In his original plan, aside from seizing the Holy Grail, he was also supposed to abduct Euryale along with him.
Unfortunately, even now, Euryale was being protected very well by them.
If he got greedy now, he'd probably be in for a world of hurt.
Knowing when to quit, Hector transformed his longsword back into his spear and began spinning it rapidly, making it whirl like an electric fan.
This blocked the attacks from Lin Qi and the others.
"Sorry, everyone! Looks like this uncle can't play with you any longer!"
By now, Hector had retreated all the way to the ship's railing. A single light leap would send him plunging into the sea.
"Trying to run? It won't be that easy!"
Blackbeard, driven by sheer fury, fired several shots at Hector in a desperate attempt to force him back from the railing.
Hector had also been keeping an eye on Blackbeard's movements. Spotting the attack, he easily dodged some of the bullets and blocked the rest with his spear.
"Farewell!"
Seeing Lin Qi and the others closing in, Hector had no mind for further chatter. He dove headfirst into the sea with a fish-like leap.
"F*ck! There's no way to stop him if he wants to run like that!"
Drake, arriving a step too late, looked down at the vast, boundless ocean where the figure had already vanished and couldn't help but curse.
It couldn't be helped. He was, after all, the great hero of Troy, and more adept at defense than offense. If he wanted to run, stopping him without extensive preparation was practically impossible.
"He's injured, and he's swimming. He can't have gotten far. Let's return to our ship and pursue!"
Seeing his premonition come true, Lin Qi's expression was grim, but he still offered the suggestion.
The most important thing now was to ensure Hector didn't reunite with Jason's group, no matter what. Otherwise, the upcoming battle would revert to a high-difficulty scenario.
"Well said! Let's move!"
Drake nodded, clearly understanding the severity of the situation. Without another word, she turned to head back to her ship and continue the pursuit.
"Boss! Not good! There's another ship ahead, heading this way!"
"And judging by the style of that ship, it's probably carrying more superhumans who can take cannonballs head-on!"
After taking just a few steps, the two of them heard the panicked voices of the pirates.
Lin Qi and Drake were both startled. They hurriedly ran to the front of the ship and looked in the direction the pirates were pointing.
Somehow, a golden warship had already appeared not far from their two ships and was steadily approaching their position.
It was Jason's Argo!
Even though Lin Qi had never actually seen the Argo before, such a gaudy ship was probably unique in this Singularity.
At the same time, they both spotted Hector's figure, swimming desperately towards the Argo.
His arms moved so fast they were practically a blur!
Hector was no fool. After realizing both sides were targeting him, he had immediately and discreetly contacted Jason to explain the situation.
Upon hearing this, Jason didn't hesitate, steering his beloved ship straight towards Hector's location.
He'd arrived just in time!
Hector was overjoyed, but Lin Qi and the others were not.
"F*ck! Don't think you can get away that easily!"
Drake cursed in rage, pulled out a cannon, and fired a shot directly at Hector's position.
The cannonball traced an arc through the air, striking the water just ahead of Hector. The impact sent him spinning twice in the water and sent a huge spray into the air.
Hector, startled out of his wits, took a deep breath and hastily dove underwater, beginning to swim submerged.
Drake, unable to spot Hector anymore, had no choice but to disperse the cannon with a string of grumbled curses.
Seeing this, Lin Qi knew there was little chance of stopping Hector now.
"It's no use. We can't stop Hector. We have no choice but to retreat."
Heracles wasn't an opponent they could defeat with their current forces. Even if they used every trick up their sleeves, taking one of his lives would probably be the best they could hope for.
And then they would tragically discover that their attacks couldn't even scratch Heracles, before finally being chopped down one by one by his blade.
"Let's go!"
Drake gave the order decisively, without any intention of testing their limits or showing bravado.
She had long since heard from Lin Qi and Euryale (who shared the same mythology) and naturally understood that Heracles was practically invincible in this Singularity.
Blackbeard had been lying there, clutching his chest for a while now, originally thinking he could say a few sentimental words before making his exit.
But seeing that the two of them didn't even glance his way and were directly preparing to run, his eyes widened in disbelief.
"Hey, hey! Are you guys ignoring me? I'm still right here, you know? Could you at least look at me!"
"Please, we're in a hurry to escape. We don't even have the mind to fulfill our original agreement of hanging your head off anymore. Where would we find the leisure to chat with you?" Drake retorted without even turning her head.
"Isn't the whole 'cutting someone's head off' thing a bit brutal to you people?!" Blackbeard felt the world was being especially cruel to him.
"Wasn't your normal death also by decapitation anyway?"
"This time, we're leaving your head attached. Just take your exit quietly!" Having said that, Drake leaped nimbly, following Lin Qi back onto her own ship.
"Noooo! I worked so hard to come up with these sentimental lines! At least let me finish them, onegai!"
The only response to Blackbeard's plea was Drake's look of disdain and a scornful hand gesture.
…