Archer, King, and Curtain Call

The wind howled through the night sky like a trapped beast, letting out a low growl.

As Shiki gave the signal, a furious power surged around the Black Knight, his combat stance shifting abruptly as he unleashed his abilities in their extreme state without reservation.

The mere thirty-plus meters of distance seemed like the blink of an eye before his speed. He appeared on the church rooftop, his weapon stabbing towards Archer's vital points like lightning.

"What!?"

Golden Archer reacted with extreme speed, hastily blocking with the bow in his hand.

However, the Black Knight's Strength was too immense; he was blasted into the church by a colossal force.

The rooftop, unable to bear the strain of their clash, collapsed with a roar.

The Black Knight didn't hesitate, leaping down from the rooftop to continue pursuing Archer. With just two blows, he had forced Archer out of the church, the latter rolling on the ground in a sorry state.

Such a disheveled appearance was an unprecedented humiliation for Archer.

He roared in anger, "Berserker!!! You actually!!!" Before he could finish shouting, a sword strike from the Black Knight from above silenced him instantly.

A deafening sound erupted, and explosive air currents shot outwards in all directions, kicking up a cloud of dust and debris.

In the Servant's base parameters, E-rank was equivalent to ten times that of an ordinary person, while A++ rank represented the ability to reach 150 times that of an ordinary person at the moment of attack, through some technique or method.

The Black Knight possessed A++ rank Strength, coupled with the release of Infinite Martial Prowess techniques and the amplification of his immense magical power, the force of this attack was terrifyingly potent.

From the dust cloud, a massive crater appeared. Amidst the swirling debris, a golden figure scrambled out of the pit.

"Damn it!!!"

Archer shouted in fury, his voice becoming shrill with rage.

Since his summoning, he had never been so disheveled, beaten so badly, or even come close to having his weapon knocked away.

For Archer, who considered himself the 'King of Heaven,' this was an unbearable humiliation, and the anger in his heart was almost palpable.

But Archer still retained a shred of reason; he knew clearly that his physical abilities were inferior to Berserker's.

To compensate for this gap, relying on Kirei, a Master with low magical aptitude, was clearly impossible.

At this moment, the best course of action was to use a Command Spell, strengthening himself with the vast magical power contained within it.

Although doing so would make Archer feel inferior, the immediate priority was to eliminate the Berserker before him and release his pent-up anger.

"Kirei!!!!"

Archer's roar, filled with intense emotion, was transmitted to Kirei Kotomine through their contract.

However, Kirei Kotomine at this moment found himself in a difficult situation.

He never expected that this young man who had so rashly intruded into the Holy Grail War would possess such exquisite combat skills.

The strength and special abilities displayed by the young man had put him at a severe disadvantage within just a few exchanges.

Shiki's fists were incredibly heavy; with every clash of fists, Kirei could hear his own bones cracking, and the searing pain from the blows to his body made him suffer immensely.

Kirei marveled inwardly, "This young man is not an ordinary Magus, but a powerful individual skilled in both martial arts and magic."

Facing such a formidable opponent, he should have held a sense of respect.

But at this moment, he was unable to move.

With just three punches and one kick, the young man had sent him crashing into the church, collapsing the only pulpit. The intense pain and injuries throughout his body left him lying on the ground, immobile.

"Cough, cough!!"

Kirei coughed up a bit of blood, heard Archer's furious shouts, and understood his intention.

This made Kirei feel incredibly strange; the once arrogant Archer now needed the power of Command Spells to enhance his strength, and the boasts he'd made earlier now seemed so pathetic.

"Where on earth did this monstrous young man come from!"

Under Archer's incessant roars and urging, Kirei painstakingly raised his left hand, communicating with the Holy Grail through his will, and uttered the words to use a Command Spell: "Holy Grail, by my Command Spell, I command you: strengthen my Servant, effective immediately."

The remaining two Command Spells on Kirei emitted light before vanishing, signifying that the Command Spells had taken effect.

To be safe, he had used all of them.

However, through the contract, he discovered that Archer was still urging him on.

This left Kirei very confused; what was going on, had the Command Spells not worked?

Yes, what was going on?

Archer was also puzzled; Kirei wasn't dead, so why wasn't he using the Command Spells?

"Damn it!!!"

He cursed aloud, but then the Black Knight's sword silenced him once more.

The Black Knight's ferocious power made Archer dare not meet it head-on. He could only redirect the sword's force elsewhere, yet he was still forced back several meters by the sheer power.

Retreating, this was yet another humiliation for the King of Heaven, Archer.

"Kirei!!!"

Archer began to doubt if his choice had been hasty, but he immediately dismissed the thought. How could a king ever be wrong?

It wasn't that he had chosen incorrectly, but that the enemy was simply too powerful.

So powerful that even the Noble Phantasm Ea was easily snapped by the opponent, and other Noble Phantasms of the same rank couldn't restrain Berserker.

"Do I have to draw Ea!"

The moment this thought appeared, Archer's anger flared up again.

Ea, as his ultimate treasure, should have been directed at worthy enemies, not a "mad dog" like Berserker.

But now, he was at a disadvantage, and it seemed there was no other way to deal with Berserker.

"Damn it, fine, I have to admit, you're stronger right now!!"

Facing Berserker who attacked again, Archer threw away the bow in his hand, reached out, and intended to draw his ultimate treasure Ea from the King's Treasure.

With Ea's power, he was confident he could easily crush any enemy, including the "wild dog" in front of him.

Just as the golden ripple of light appeared behind him, a beam of crimson light shot through the golden ripple like lightning, shattering it directly.

A crisp cracking sound, like breaking glass, echoed.

Archer was stunned. How could he no longer sense the space of the King's Treasure?

Why was his Noble Phantasm no longer responding?

He looked back at the crimson object and found it was a spear. He had an impression of it.

"It's Lancelot's Noble Phantasm!!"

"That's right, it's Lancelot's Noble Phantasm."

Shiki descended from mid-air along with the Black Knight. They were now in the mountains several miles away from the church.

The Black Knight had unleashed its full berserk power, hacking and slashing Archer all the way here.

Having changed Masters, Archer's base parameters were slightly inferior compared to when he was under Tokiomi. The quality of the Master indeed had an impact on the Servant's parameters.

Shiki looked at the disheveled Archer and smiled slightly, "Archer, Gilgamesh, I bet you never expected the 'King of Heaven' to end up like this."

Archer waved his hand forcefully, trying to get the King's Treasure to function again, but found it useless. He understood then – his Noble Phantasm had been sealed.

He wasn't stupid; he guessed it had something to do with Lancelot's Noble Phantasm. But he remembered that Lancelot's Red Rose of Purgation could only sever magical energy, not seal Noble Phantasms.

Looking at the young man before him, Archer had a strong feeling that he was responsible for all of this.

He questioned, "Who exactly are you?"

Shiki reached out, recalled the crimson Noble Phantasm, and took the bow from the Black Knight's hand.

After the Asura Path's ability covered it, he immediately gained temporary usage rights for this Noble Phantasm. Once confirmed, he smiled.

But in Archer's eyes, the smile was full of mockery.

"Boy, you're the one who took Lancelot's Noble Phantasm through this ability, and it's also with this ability that you made Lancelot's Noble Phantasm capable of sealing, right?"

"Heh, Archer doesn't need to worry about that. Mr. Lancelot, give this king, who calls himself the oldest king, a dignified death."

"As you command, Master."

Having obtained what he wanted, Shiki felt that keeping Archer was of no use. He turned to leave. Archer, with his King's Treasure sealed, was too weak before the Black Knight.

Shiki couldn't see what was happening behind him, only hearing the enraged roar of the oldest king and the "dignity" granted by the Black Knight.

"Chains of Binding: Lake of Overburdened Light."

The Black Knight truly unleashed its Noble Phantasm. A mirror-like luster, akin to lake water, bloomed in the forest, instantly severing everything within a two-hundred-meter radius.

With the true name of the Noble Phantasm called out, a king made his exit.