Battle, Exchange, and Hint

The King's Treasure's unconventional use failed to slow the Black Knight's advance even slightly.

His peerless martial arts were displayed to their fullest in this fierce exchange. Even as weapons rained down from all directions like a storm, he handled them with ease.

The Infinite Martial Prowess, a fusion of mind, skill, and body, made him an undefeated war god on the battlefield.

Even if Archer doubled the output of the King's Treasure, it would be nothing more than a negligible attack to the Black Knight.

Compared to his previous fight with Saber, the pressure he felt now seemed insignificant.

The Black Knight skillfully evaded the attacks time and again, which caused Archer's anger to burn like a raging inferno, but amidst this fury, he also gradually calmed down.

The Black Knight before him, whom he called a "mad dog," was undoubtedly the most powerful existence in this Holy Grail War due to his high level of martial arts.

Archer admitted to himself that his method of attack with the King's Treasure was ultimately too singular. These projected weapons were not true arrows; their power and speed posed only a very limited threat to the Berserker Black Knight.

"Damn mad dog!"

Archer gritted his teeth, filled with unwillingness.

With a wave of his hand, he retracted the King's Treasure, stared at the Black Knight with a solemn expression, and declared loudly, "This King acknowledges you, Berserker! You are worthy of forcing this King to draw his true weapon."

The opponent he had expected to defeat easily had proven unexpectedly powerful, forcing Archer to shed a sliver of his arrogance.

However, the Black Knight was still far from qualified to make him use his ultimate treasure against him. For now, he only intended to bring out his Archer-class weapon—a golden, sharp longbow.

Wielding the longbow, Archer leaped high like a golden lightning bolt, landing steadily on the church's rooftop.

He looked down at the Black Knight and shouted, "Come, Berserker, the second round begins!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he drew his bow and nocked an arrow. An arrow constructed from magic instantly took shape and shot towards the Black Knight with astonishing speed.

The speed and power of this arrow far surpassed the previous Noble Phantasm projections. For the first time, the Black Knight felt threatened and had to dodge sideways.

The arrow whistled sharply as it embedded itself into the ground, disappearing instantly. It left behind a bottomless black hole, making it impossible to imagine how deep it had penetrated.

The arrow was also a weapon, but the Black Knight's Noble Phantasm, "Knight's Undying Hands," could not be used against this magic-constructed arrow.

He didn't immediately charge forward to engage Archer in close combat. Instead, he mentally asked his Master, Shiki, "Master, is the Noble Phantasm Archer brought out the one you wanted?"

"Wait a moment, I'm observing," Shiki replied, frowning with a hint of hesitation in his voice.

The original plan was for the Black Knight to exert immense pressure on Archer, forcing him to reveal his Noble Phantasm—the Anti-World Noble Phantasm EA. This was what Shiki truly desired to obtain and intended to apply immediately in subsequent battles.

However, Archer's choice this time was somewhat unexpected, though upon reflection, it was also within reason.

Archer was a bowman by nature, and using a bow and arrow was his specialty; long-range combat was his advantage.

Shiki quietly activated his Magic Eye and, through his eyepatch, stared intently at the weapon in Archer's hand.

Its unique design looked nothing like an ordinary bow; it was more like a weapon that had transformed into a bow.

Shiki tried to search his memory. He vaguely recalled that Archer, Gilgamesh, seemed to have used this Noble Phantasm somewhere, but he couldn't recall the specific details.

As Shiki's attention wavered, danger quietly approached.

Kirei Kotomine, the Executor of the Church, had been waiting for such an opportunity.

He was proficient in Baji Quan and also mastered the "Shrinking Ground into Inches" footwork. With a flash, he appeared beside Shiki like a phantom. Twisting his body, he unleashed the most aggressive elbow strike in Baji Quan, aiming directly for Shiki's vital point.

Kirei was filled with confidence. This elbow strike of his was enough to break a tree that two people could barely embrace, let alone a human body, which was much more fragile.

In his opinion, losing focus during a confrontation was simply courting death.

However, he underestimated Shiki.

Although Shiki was distracted, his Magic Eye possessed the ability to sense magic. Every move Kirei made was clearly visible to him.

"Naive fellow," Shiki muttered inwardly, his body agilely flashing as he quickly retreated.

In terms of physical prowess, he was indeed no match for the battle-hardened and rigorously trained Kirei. Even with superior technique, it was difficult to exert its full power against absolute physical strength.

However, he was somewhat confident in his agility and did not fear Kirei.

After establishing a distance, Shiki said with some displeasure, "Hey, Priest, sneak attacks are not the virtues of a clergyman."

"Heh, boy, I'm not a priest now, but a Magus," Kirei replied.

Although Kirei was slightly surprised that his attack missed, his expression remained unfazed. Instead, he was somewhat impressed by Shiki's agility. "To be able to evade my attack at such a critical moment, you've got good skills, boy."

"Heh, is that a compliment?" Shiki thought to himself that his skills were far greater than this, but his lack of physical ability limited his performance. Without solid physical conditioning, many moves and techniques couldn't be executed, and forcing them would only lead to trouble.

Seeing Kirei assume a stance again, Shiki frowned. "Priest, you're not still planning to fight, are you? If we keep fighting, I won't hold back. If I accidentally kill you, don't say I didn't warn you."

Kirei remained silent, his actions conveying his attitude.

In his eyes, enemies must be eliminated, whether they were children or youths; he would show no mercy. As an Executor, using any means necessary had long become his code of conduct.

Seeing this, Shiki felt helpless.

Since the Priest was determined to fight, he would indulge him. He channeled the power of his Magic Eye, and the abilities of the Asura Path quickly enveloped his entire body, making him appear like an object shimmering with blue, flowing circuits.

"Reinforcement Magic!"

Kirei understood. It was a simple yet effective magic. While many people knew it, few could master and cast it as Shiki did.

However, Kirei Kotomine felt no fear.

He was also skilled in reinforcing his body with magic, and coupled with his own exquisite martial arts, he was confident he could defeat the youth before him.

"Young man, if you abandon Berserker and leave this city, you can still make it out. Otherwise, I can only offer you your final end."

Kirei Kotomine attempted to break Shiki's will with words, a combat technique of his. In his eyes, life was a price everyone had to consider, and this youth before him was no exception.

Upon hearing the word "end," Shiki, who was far away, felt a jolt in his heart.

He froze in place, his thoughts instantly pulled back.

That's right, he remembered!

The Noble Phantasm in Archer's hand was not a bow, but a sword.

This was a Noble Phantasm formed by two swords combined, possessing immense power and heaven-defying abilities.

For Shiki, this was also a Noble Phantasm worth obtaining, which could be utilized in later battles. There was no need to pursue EA, as their utility was not significantly different.

After quickly communicating with the Black Knight in his heart, Shiki's face broke into a smile. He looked at Kirei Kotomine and said, "Speaking of which, I really must thank the Priest for the reminder, it jogged my memory of crucial information. So, to repay the Priest, I won't kill you; I'll spare your life."

Such arrogant words filled Kirei Kotomine with doubt.

He couldn't understand where this youth's confidence came from. In the end, he could only respond to Shiki's "gratitude" with action.

"Die!!!"

He charged towards Shiki.

Meanwhile, in another part of New City, upon seeing the youth, Kiritsugu felt a vague sense of unease, a feeling that something significant had happened at the church.

He abandoned his search for the Rider combination and changed his investigative direction.

Without Saber's companionship, he could only cautiously proceed to the church to assess the situation.