Church, Battle, and Noble Phantasm

Shiki felt great.

The previous day, within this church, the old priest overseeing the Holy Grail War had met his end; and now, a day later, still in this very place, his son, the "Joyful Monster," seemed poised to follow in his footsteps.

"Mr. Lancelot, please, don't hold back. Say hello."

Shiki stood outside the church, the Black Knight Lancelot materialized behind him.

A tremendous surge of magical energy rose from him, his presence instantly amplified.

Servants, Heroic Spirits, inherently possessed vast amounts of magical energy far exceeding ordinary Magus. Coupled with the Black Knight's intense fighting spirit, his aura was like the sun in the night sky, impossible for anyone to ignore, and those within the church were no exception.

At this moment, Kirei Kotomine was praying devoutly inside the church.

The scene appeared somewhat bizarre, yet he was truly engrossed. Upon sensing the magical energy that prickled his skin, his heart felt an unusual calm.

Archer, seated leisurely on a church pew, scoffed disdainfully upon sensing the Black Knight's presence. "Another overconfident fool challenging a king. You rabid dog."

If it hadn't been for the deceased Tokiomi interfering at the port earlier, he would have long ago beaten this "stray dog" into a pulp with no chance of survival.

Now, seeking amusement, he intended to sit back and watch the fight, curious to see what further tricks Kirei Kotomine, with his true nature awakened, would pull in this Holy Grail War.

At the same time, he was awaiting a truly formidable opponent. He hadn't expected this Black Knight, who had only changed Masters less than two days ago, to deliver himself to his doorstep.

"Fine, this stray dog that should have died long ago will be buried in the backyard today. Perhaps the flowers will bloom more vibrantly next year."

Archer stood up and walked towards the outside of the church.

As he walked, his ordinary casual clothes instantly transformed into a set of dazzling golden armor.

"Archer."

Kirei finished his prayer and looked expressionlessly towards the outside of the church.

He couldn't understand why the other party would challenge Archer at this moment. After all, the opponent he had been waiting for was not Berserker's Master. This young man, who had accidentally become involved in the Holy Grail War, would likely perish here.

He had immense confidence in Archer's strength, and even more so in his own. He did not believe this young man was his opponent.

The church doors slowly opened, and the four individuals from both sides found themselves facing each other, standing about thirty meters apart.

This was the first time Shiki had seen Kirei Kotomine and Archer with his own eyes. To be honest, he didn't feel anything particularly special.

People were people, Servants were Servants; they were no different from himself.

As the two sides confronted each other, Archer was the first to speak.

Clad in golden armor, his face was filled with arrogance, completely disregarding Shiki and the Black Knight. He tilted his head slightly, his nostrils practically pointed to the sky. "You stray dog, who should be prostrating yourself and begging for the King of Heaven's mercy to merely survive, dares to trespass into the King of Heaven's garden. Do you wish to die so badly, you rabid dog!"

As soon as his voice fell, golden radiance surged behind him, and a weapon was instantly projected, shooting towards the Black Knight like lightning.

Facing this sudden assault, the Black Knight didn't even bat an eyelid.

With a calm extension of his hand, he firmly grasped the spear and then forcefully drove it into the ground beside him.

Red veins flowed along the spear, as if proclaiming that this weapon was now under the Black Knight's control.

A knight's hands are never empty; this was one of the Black Knight's Noble Phantasms. Not only could it imbue the weapon in his hand with Noble Phantasm attributes, but it could also dominate the opponent's weapon, retaining its original rank. This ability bore some resemblance to Shiki's Asura Path ability.

A very practical and powerful ability.

Shiki raised his hand to smooth his short hair, which had been blown by the airflow, and quickly moved aside, distancing himself from the Black Knight.

He didn't want to get caught up in a battle between Heroic Spirits. Although he now possessed some strength, it was still insignificant in the face of a Heroic Spirit. The gap in physical ability was too vast; they were not on the same level.

This sudden attack did not cause the Black Knight to make any excessive movements. He remained firmly in place, his posture seeming to mock Archer's attack as weak and ineffective, as if saying, "Is this all you've got? Try harder."

Archer, already possessing a short temper, was instantly enraged by the Black Knight's attitude. This was the second time, and this time no one was there to stop him. He was determined to tear this "stray dog" to shreds.

"A stray dog should act like a stray dog!"

The golden Archer roared in anger, no longer holding back, and began to unleash his Noble Phantasms frantically.

The space behind him lit up with radiance, and over thirty golden gates slowly materialized, with all sorts of bizarrely shaped weapons peeking out from them.

Empowered by abundant magical energy, these weapons could all be used as projectiles. This was precisely the formidable ability granted to him by the Archer class.

One after another, weapons were hurled at the Black Knight like raindrops, their density akin to the furious barrage of a modern assault rifle.

The Black Knight, however, displayed peerless martial skill, his movements agile and swift, fending off Archer's attacks in a multitude of ways.

No matter what kind of weapon flew at him, he could handle it with ease.

Uncomfortable with his current weapon? He'd discard it and seize a stronger one. Found it inconvenient? No problem, he'd grab a more suitable sword.

In just over thirty seconds, more than two hundred weapons whizzed past, yet not a single one even grazed the Black Knight's armor.

In contrast, the ground around the Black Knight had already been riddled with holes from the weapon impacts, resembling a Middle Eastern battlefield that had just endured a fierce engagement.

The intense explosive shockwaves forced both Shiki and Kirei to retreat repeatedly, moving away from the battlefield. The battles between Heroic Spirits were too perilous; getting caught in one meant certain death.

Archer's prolonged inability to land a decisive blow was nothing short of a profound humiliation for him, the "King of Heaven."

"Rabid dog, you have some skill. Then, entertain this King to your heart's content, put on a good show. Let's see what tricks you, this stray dog, can pull off. If you can't handle it, then die!"

Archer's rage intensified, and the radiance behind him grew even brighter, with one powerful weapon after another appearing.

These weapons were vastly different from the previous ones. Even from a distance, judging by their appearance and the powerful presence they exuded, it was clear they were no ordinary items.

Shiki raised an eyebrow. This Archer truly had deep pockets, possessing quite a few impressive items. Some of the weapons even made him feel a pang of desire.

However, it was merely a flicker of interest, not to the point where he absolutely had to obtain them.

After all, aside from three or four items, the Noble Phantasms in Archer's possession wouldn't be of much use in the upcoming battles. Even if he were to seize them, they would all vanish once the Holy Grail War concluded.

It would be a thankless effort.

Through telepathic communication, Shiki spoke to the Black Knight, "Mr. Lancelot, stop humiliating Archer. Put some pressure on him and let's end this battle quickly. This church may be in the suburbs, but if we fight for too long, it might attract unwanted attention."

In reality, the Black Knight was currently "playing" with Archer. Of course, it wasn't purely for amusement; during the battle, he was also continuously improving himself and had already gained control of several powerful weapons.

Hearing his Master's command, the Black Knight felt it was time to get serious. "As you command, Master!"

The Black Knight stopped passively taking hits and began to advance towards Archer, his weapon still being used as a projectile, which he continuously threw at Archer.

The weapons that flew out and returned further enraged Archer, who controlled the Noble Phantasms on his back to knock away the two incoming weapons.

Watching the Black Knight slowly approach him, Archer couldn't help but laugh in anger, "Mad dog, you have thoroughly enraged this King!!!"

Archer decided to unleash his finishing move.

The Noble Phantasm, King's Treasure, wasn't just a flat throwing portal; it could also manifest in a three-dimensional form.

Under Archer's control, over thirty Gateways of light instantly formed a hemispherical shape, engulfing the Black Knight. Then, a barrage of frantic bombardment was unleashed upon him.

Mana was poured out like it was free, instantly dyeing the open space in front of the church a golden hue.