"It's time to fight, Ritsuka————!"
The moment Animusfia noticed the shadow under the sea, she raised her hand to wake up the resting girl.
Even though she was in poor condition due to the toxins spreading in the air and sea water, Animusfia obviously could not let Ritsuka rest any longer at this time.
Arturia, who had been keeping her eyes closed, and the kobold named "No. 2" by Apollo, also opened their eyes in time, ready to deal with attacks that might appear at any time under the churning sea.
Mashu, on the other hand, had already stood in front of Animusfia and Fujimaru Ritsuka with his shield raised, ready for battle.
It seemed that only Jason was still confused by the sudden change.
But no matter what, he held the sword tightly in his hand.
Even if his fighting skills are not superb, Jason still has the ability to fight as a heroic spirit.
And in terms of strength alone, he was actually better than most of the heroes on the Argonaut.
It can even be said that he is second only to Hercules, the god who can lift the sky.
But this still couldn't cover up Jason's now faintly blue complexion.
A strong man who can lift thousands of pounds will lose in a duel to a thin but experienced warrior.
You can't fight with just brute strength.
Jason knew this, which is why he felt fear when a crisis came.
The throbbing feeling that night when he faced the sudden betrayal of Heracles and his companions who fell beside him one after another reappeared in Jason's heart.
The word courage will probably never be associated with myself again.
Jason had already prepared this kind of realization.
If he had been young, he would have been unable to conceal his fear now, and would have been ready to turn the ship back with trembling legs.
However, if he were to face it now that he had experienced a lot, even if it was fear, it would probably not be that obvious.
Animusfia looked at Jason beside her, whose face was ashen and whose legs were shaking like chaff, and then frowned.
Do heroic spirits also have such a classic "fight or flight" reaction?
Most of the heroic spirits she had seen in the past regarded themselves as dead and sacrificed their lives for justice, so Animusfia thought that all heroic spirits would be like this.
Although I roughly understood that Jason was greedy for life and afraid of death, and could never be considered a hero in terms of character, Jason was still so afraid of powerful enemies even after becoming a heroic spirit, which really made Animusfia open. Blinded.
The legendary Jason was actually such a person...
It's not necessarily true that he is greater than he thought.
Animusfia thought silently while looking around.
"Don't let down your guard. Even if your karma with that Aries--the Golden Fleece--can help you become immune to the toxins floating in the air and sea water, if you are bitten directly, I'm afraid that thin karma won't be able to help you escape. The day you were born."
These were not the words Animusfia used to scare Jason.
Just the poison released inadvertently by Hydra can already affect the state of Artoria and Mash. Animusfia can no longer imagine what will happen to the heroic spirits if they are truly infested by Hydra's venom. as a result of.
Surprisingly, although he and Ritsuka were affected, judging from Animusfia's self-feeling, they were not affected more.
It's just that such discomfort should be easily overcome by a dragon like Artoria, but even King Arthur's condition was affected.
This is what puzzles Animusfia.
If the conditions of Mash and Artoria Alter were affected, then Animusfia, whose Ritsuka and physique were not as good as those of an ordinary person or even that girl, would have been lying on the boat long ago. right.
Is it more effective against heroes?
"You don't need to remind me——"
Jason gritted his teeth and watched the surrounding sea as he spoke.
A few drops of the seawater that was boiling splashed on Animusfia and Jason's bodies, and then the white smoke and severe stinging sensation rising from their skin made them frown. .
"Senior, please be careful!"
The sudden turn of events made it difficult for Mashu to cope with it, and it was even more difficult for Ritsuka to adapt.
After all, one second he was resting leisurely on the boat, and the next second he was already in combat mode.
"Have you known about the director for a long time?"
She looked at Animusfia, who used her body to block the seawater mixed with Hydra's diluted venom that splashed onto the ship from time to time, and asked.
"...I've known it for a long time - I guess it can be said that I've noticed it since the number of fish caught gradually decreased, but I didn't expect that the situation would suddenly become so bad. outside."
"Why didn't you tell me first?"
"So what if we tell you? Don't we still have to come here step by step? And it's still in a state where you haven't had a good rest, hiss——————"
Animusfia gasped as the large amount of seawater stirred up by the boat swinging on the sea wetted her entire thigh.
What kind of pain does Hydra poison diluted in the ocean cause to people?
Perhaps most people would think of liquids like sulfuric acid that sound very scary.
But before Animusfia came to the singularity, he was fortunate enough to have close contact with sulfuric acid once when he was a student.
After 98% concentrated sulfuric acid was poured on his hand, it took about twenty seconds before Animusfiya felt slight pain.
He was immediately rinsed with clean water and was almost intact afterwards.
The only thing I lost was probably the cuticles on my hands that had been accumulated for more than ten years since childhood.
Although sulfuric acid is indeed terrible, humans still have ways to deal with it.
And Hydra's venom is far more terrifying than Animusfia imagined.
The pain that invaded Animusfia's brain almost instantly and the toxins that immediately began to attack the nervous system that Animusfia simulated with magic made him almost lose control of his body in an instant.
Fortunately, after being diluted by sea water, Hydra's venom was not enough to knock Animusfia down instantly.
But fighting at sea has become a luxury.
Just the splash of seawater can cause him so much pain. If he were to soak directly in the seawater, Animusfia would end up here.
And even so, Animusfia could still feel that the toxins in the seawater had surpassed the protection of her magic power and began to penetrate deep into the muscles and bones below the skin.
If Animusfia were to tear open the clothes that had been stuck to her skin now, her thighs, which were already bloody and bloody, would be exposed.
The seawater, which was only slightly dark at the beginning, has now completely turned into a dark purple, and the huge black shadow under the sea is now getting deeper and deeper.
Animusfia and Ritsuka could even faintly glimpse the scales under the sponge that occasionally reflected dark red light.
"...Director..."
"Don't be distracted."
Drops of seawater splashed on the visor covering Artoria's face, and then her visor quickly melted and shrank like foam coming into contact with flames, and was dissolved into pieces one by one under the wisps of white smoke. Deep pit.
"Tsk..."
As Altria Alter clicked her tongue, her visor was quickly reconstructed under the influence of magic power, but it was not an option to continue like this.
"Hey, are you okay?"
Jason, who caught the change in Animusfia's expression, showed rare concern for him.
"It's still bearable...but if I get contaminated by the real thing, I can't tell you why - it's coming!"
Animusfia, who caught the changes in the surrounding sea surface, reminded everyone.
The sea suddenly sank, and the shadow under the boat briefly disappeared.
Then, like a mountain suddenly appearing in the water, everyone in Chaldea and the small boat they were riding in were rushed into the air by the sudden surge of sea water.
Something hard under the water hit the boat made of an unknown silver alloy.
Thanks to the strength of Apollo's Noble Phantasm, the boat was not directly hit and sank but flew into the air.
"Ritsuka——!"
Under the command of Animusfia, the girl Master used Mercury Magic at the same time as him.
Wrapped in silver-white light, Apollo's boat floated in mid-air.
But what surprised Fujimaru Ritsuka and him was that Apollo's boat was surprisingly easy to maneuver in the air.
And it was the first time that Animusfia, Mashu and the others could really see clearly the huge creature that had been staring at them underwater, waiting for an opportunity to move.
The giant red snake swims like a mountain on the sea surface, and the nine heads on it clearly show its identity.
The monster that killed many heroes with its venom, the Chimera, the Sphinx and the nine-headed serpent Hydra, the sister of Cerberus, the three-headed dog of hell.
