Shiki felt fantastic.
The day before, in this very Holy Church, the old priest overseeing the Holy Grail War had breathed his last. Now, one day later, in the same place, his son, the "Joyful Monster," seemed ready to follow in his footsteps.
"Mr. Lancelot, don't hold back. Go say hello."
Shiki stood outside the Holy Church, with the Black Knight, Lancelot, materialized behind him.
Immense magical energy surged from him, his presence instantly reaching its peak.
A Heroic Spirit's Servant body inherently possessed far more magical energy than an ordinary Magus. Coupled with the Black Knight's intense fighting spirit, his aura was like the sun in the night—impossible for anyone to overlook. Naturally, the people inside the Holy Church were no exception.
At that moment, Kirei Kotomine was praying devoutly inside the chapel.
The sight was somewhat bizarre, but he was genuinely immersed in it. When he sensed that magical energy prickling against his skin, his heart remained strangely calm.
Seated leisurely on a chapel pew, Archer sensed the Black Knight's aura and let out a disdainful snort. "That mad dog is back to challenge a king beyond his means."
Back at the harbor, if the now-dead Tokiomi had not interfered, he would have beaten that "stray dog" so thoroughly that not even a corpse would remain.
Now that he was looking for entertainment, he intended to sit back and watch the tigers fight, to see what tricks Kirei Kotomine, with his true nature awakened, could still pull off in this Holy Grail War.
At the same time, he was waiting for a truly worthy opponent to come challenge him. He just had not expected the Black Knight to deliver himself to the door less than two days after changing Masters.
"Fine. That stray dog should have died long ago. Today, I'll bury him in the back garden. Perhaps the flowers will bloom more brilliantly next year."
Archer rose to his feet and headed outside the chapel.
As he walked, his ordinary casual clothes instantly transformed into a dazzling set of golden armor.
"Archer."
Kirei finished praying and looked expressionlessly toward the outside of the chapel.
He did not understand why the other side had chosen to challenge Archer now. The opponent he had been waiting for was not Berserker's Master. This boy who had been unexpectedly dragged into the Holy Grail War would likely be buried here.
He had absolute confidence in Archer's strength, and even more confidence in his own. He did not believe this boy could be his match.
The chapel doors slowly opened, and the four of them faced one another from a distance of over thirty meters.
This was Shiki's first time seeing Kirei Kotomine and Archer in person. Honestly, he did not feel anything in particular.
People were people, Servants were Servants. They were no different from himself.
As the two sides faced off, Archer was the first to speak.
Clad in golden armor, he wore an arrogant expression and did not regard Shiki or the Black Knight as worthy of notice. He tilted his head up slightly, his nostrils nearly pointed at the sky. "A stray dog that should be groveling on the ground, begging for the King of Heaven's mercy just to survive, dares to enter the King of Heaven's garden? Are you so eager to die, mad dog?"
The moment his words fell, golden radiance surged behind him. A weapon was projected in an instant and shot toward the Black Knight like lightning.
Facing the sudden attack, the Black Knight did not even blink.
He casually extended a hand and firmly caught the spear, then drove it into the ground beside him.
Red veins flowed across the spear, as though proclaiming that the weapon now belonged to the Black Knight.
Knight's Arm was one of the Black Knight's Noble Phantasms. It could not only grant Noble Phantasm properties to weapons in his hands, but also allow him to control an opponent's weapons while preserving their original rank. This ability was somewhat similar to Shiki's Asura Path.
It was an exceedingly practical and powerful ability.
Shiki raised a hand to smooth down his short hair, which had been tossed up by the air currents, and quickly moved aside, away from the Black Knight.
He had no intention of getting caught up in a battle between Heroic Spirits. Though he could be considered somewhat capable now, he was still no match for Heroic Spirits. The gap in their physical abilities was simply too vast; they were not on the same level at all.
The sudden attack did not make the Black Knight move much. He remained steadily where he stood, his posture seemingly mocking Archer's attack as weak and powerless, as if saying, "Is that all you've got? Put some effort into it."
Archer had always been hot-tempered, and the Black Knight's attitude instantly sent him into a rage. This was already the second time, and no one was going to stop him this time. He would definitely tear that "stray dog" before him to pieces.
"Stray dogs should act like stray dogs!"
Golden Archer roared furiously. No longer holding back, he began unleashing his Noble Phantasms like mad.
The space behind him shimmered in connected sheets of light, and more than thirty golden gates slowly emerged, all manner of strange weapons poking out from within.
With sufficient magical energy, these weapons could all be used as arrows. This was precisely the powerful ability granted to him by the Archer class.
Weapon after weapon was hurled at the Black Knight like raindrops, as densely packed as a modern automatic rifle firing wildly.
Meanwhile, the Black Knight displayed peerless martial skill, moving with agility and speed as he used every conceivable method to block Archer's attacks.
No matter what kind of weapon flew at him, he dealt with it effortlessly.
Was the weapon in his hand inconvenient? Then he threw it away and seized a stronger one. Did it not feel right? No problem—he grabbed another sword that suited him better.
In just over thirty seconds, more than two hundred weapons whistled past him, yet not a single one so much as grazed the Black Knight's armor.
In contrast, the ground around the Black Knight had already been blasted full of holes by the weapons, looking exactly like a Middle Eastern battlefield that had just endured a fierce battle.
The violent blast waves forced both Shiki and Kirei to retreat again and again, away from the battlefield. Battles between Heroic Spirits were far too dangerous; once caught up in one, death was inevitable.
Archer's repeated attacks had failed to break through. To him, the "King of Heaven," this was simply the greatest humiliation.
"Mad dog, you do have some skill. Then entertain me to your heart's content. Perform all you like, and let's see what tricks you, a stray dog, can pull. If you can't take it, then die!"
With rage burning in his chest, the radiance behind Archer grew even more dazzling as one powerful weapon after another emerged.
These weapons were entirely different from the previous ones. Even from afar, their appearance and the overwhelming presence they radiated made it clear that they were no ordinary items.
Shiki raised an eyebrow. This Archer truly had a rich collection; he had quite a few impressive things in his hands. Some of those weapons even made Shiki feel tempted.
But it was only temptation. He had not reached the point of needing to get his hands on them.
After all, apart from three or four of Archer's Noble Phantasms, the rest would not be of much use in the battles to come. Even if he stole them, they would all disappear once the Holy Grail War ended.
Too much effort for too little gain.
Through telepathy, Shiki said to the Black Knight, "Mr. Lancelot, stop humiliating Archer. Put some pressure on him, and let's end this quickly. This Holy Church may be in the suburbs, but if we fight for too long, it could draw other people's attention."
In truth, the Black Knight was currently "playing" with Archer. Of course, it was not merely for amusement. During the battle, he was constantly improving himself, and he had already taken 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 no longer stood in place and passively endured attacks. Instead, he began walking toward Archer, continuously hurling the weapons in his hands at him as projectiles.
The weapons that flew out and returned made Archer even angrier. He controlled the Noble Phantasms behind him and knocked aside the two weapons flying toward him.
Watching the Black Knight stroll leisurely toward him, Archer was so angry that he laughed. "Mad dog, you have completely enraged me!!!"
Archer decided to use his killing move.
The Noble Phantasm Gate of Babylon was not merely a flat window for launching projectiles. It could also take on a three-dimensional form.
Under Archer's control, more than thirty gates of light instantly formed a hemisphere around the Black Knight, enveloping him before unleashing a frenzied bombardment.
Magical energy was poured out as though it cost nothing, instantly dyeing the open ground before the chapel gold.
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