The wind howled through the night sky like a trapped beast, letting out a low roar.
At Shiki's signal, violent power instantly surged around the Black Knight. His fighting style abruptly changed as he unleashed his abilities at their limit without restraint.
The distance of just over thirty meters seemed like no more than a blink before his speed. He was already on the Holy Church's rooftop, his weapon stabbing like lightning toward Archer's vital point.
"What!?"
The golden Archer reacted quickly, hurriedly raising the bow in his hand to block.
However, the Black Knight's strength was far too great. Archer was blasted straight into the Holy Church by an immense force.
The rooftop could not withstand their clash and collapsed with a thunderous crash.
The Black Knight did not pause in the slightest. He leaped down from the roof and continued pursuing Archer. In merely two strikes, he sent Archer flying out of the Holy Church, where he rolled across the ground in misery.
Such a pathetic appearance was an unprecedented humiliation for Archer.
He roared in fury, "Berserker!!! You actually—" Before he could finish shouting, a downward slash from the Black Knight instantly shut him up.
With a tremendous boom, explosive air currents shot in every direction, kicking up clouds of dust.
Among a Servant's base parameters, E-rank was equivalent to ten times that of an ordinary person, while A++ meant that, through a certain technique or method, one's attack could reach one hundred and fifty times that of an ordinary person at the moment of impact.
The Black Knight possessed A++ rank strength. Combined with the techniques unleashed by Infinite Martial Prowess and the enhancement of vast magical energy, the force of this strike was utterly terrifying.
Within the dust, a massive crater emerged. Amid the debris flung into the air, a golden figure leaped out of the pit in disarray.
"Damn it!!!"
Archer shouted furiously, his voice turning shrill with rage.
Since being summoned, he had never been in such a sorry state. He had never been beaten so badly, nor had he ever nearly had his weapon knocked from his hand.
For Archer, who saw himself as the "King of Heaven," this was an utterly unbearable humiliation. The anger in his heart was nearly taking physical form.
Yet Archer still retained a trace of reason. He knew clearly that his physical abilities were inferior to Berserker's.
Trying to make up for that gap through Kirei, a Master with low aptitude for magecraft, was obviously impossible.
At this point, the best method was to use Command Spells and strengthen himself with the enormous magical energy contained within them.
Though doing so made Archer feel as if he were beneath others, destroying the Berserker before him and venting the fury in his heart were the most urgent matters now.
"Kirei!!!!"
Filled with intense emotion, Archer's roar was transmitted to Kirei Kotomine through their contract.
However, Kirei Kotomine was in a miserable position himself.
He had never imagined that this boy who had recklessly barged into the Holy Grail War possessed such exquisite combat skills.
The power and special abilities the boy displayed had put him at an absolute disadvantage within just a few exchanges.
Shiki's fists were incredibly heavy. Every time their fists collided, Kirei could hear the sound of his bones cracking. The agonizing pain of those punches landing on his body left him in unspeakable misery.
Kirei was astonished. This boy is no ordinary Magus. He is a powerful man proficient in both martial arts and magecraft.
One should have held respect for such a powerful opponent.
But at this moment, he no longer had the strength to move.
Three punches and one kick from the boy sent him crashing into the Holy Church, destroying the only pulpit. The pain and injuries throughout his body left him lying on the ground, unable to move.
"Cough, cough!!"
Kirei coughed up a trace of bloody froth. He heard Archer's furious calls and understood his intent.
This made Kirei feel utterly strange. Archer, once so arrogantly invincible, now needed the power of Command Spells to strengthen himself. All the boasts he had made before now seemed so embarrassing.
"Where did this monster of a boy come from?"
Under Archer's unceasing roars and urging, Kirei struggled to raise his left hand. Connecting to the Holy Grail with his will, he recited the words to activate the Command Spells: "O Holy Grail, by my Command Spells I order you: strengthen my Servant. Let it be done."
The last two Command Spells Kirei possessed glowed and vanished, signaling that they had taken effect.
To be safe, he had used all of his Command Spells.
Yet through the contract, he discovered that Archer was still urging him on.
Kirei was utterly confused. What was going on? Had the Command Spells failed to take effect?
Yes, what was going on?
Archer was confused as well. Kirei was clearly not dead, so why was he not using the Command Spells?
"Damn it!!!"
He cursed aloud, but the Black Knight's sword once again shut him up.
The Black Knight's violent power made Archer unwilling to take the strike head-on. He could only redirect the force on the blade elsewhere, yet he was still forced back more than ten meters by that power.
Retreating—this was yet another humiliation for Archer, the king of heaven.
"Kirei!!!"
Archer began to wonder whether he had made his choice too rashly, but he immediately rejected that thought. How could a king admit he was wrong?
It was not that he had chosen wrong. The enemy was simply too powerful.
So powerful that even Enkidu, a Noble Phantasm, could be snapped apart with ease. Other Noble Phantasms of the same level would be even less capable of restraining Berserker.
"Do I have to draw Ea!"
The moment that thought arose, the fury in Archer's heart flared up again.
As his greatest treasure, Ea should have been aimed at an enemy worthy of it, not some "mad dog" like Berserker.
But now that he was at a disadvantage, there seemed to be no other way to deal with Berserker.
"Damn it, fine. I have to admit it—you are stronger right now!!"
Facing Berserker's renewed attack, Archer threw away the bow in his hand and reached into the Gate of Babylon to draw his supreme treasure, Ea.
With Ea's power, he was confident he could effortlessly crush any enemy, including the "stray dog" before him.
Just as ripples of golden radiance appeared behind him, a vermilion flash streaked through them like lightning and shattered the golden ripples directly.
A crisp cracking sound, like shattering glass, rang out.
Archer froze. Why could he no longer sense the space of the Gate of Babylon?
Why could he no longer connect to his Noble Phantasm?
He turned to look at the vermilion object and discovered that it was a spear. He recognized it.
"It is Langser's Noble Phantasm!!"
"That is right. It is Langser's Noble Phantasm."
Shiki descended from the air alongside the Black Knight. They were already in the mountains several kilometers away from the Holy Church.
The Black Knight had displayed all his violent power, hacking and slashing Archer all the way here.
After changing Masters, Archer's base parameters were slightly inferior to what they had been under Tokiomi. A Master's qualities truly did affect a Servant's parameters.
Shiki looked at the battered Archer and smiled faintly. "Archer, Gilgamesh, did you expect the 'King of Heaven' to end up like this?"
Archer forcefully waved his hand, trying to make the Gate of Babylon operate again, only to find that it had no effect. He understood. His Noble Phantasm had been sealed.
He was not stupid and guessed that it was related to Langser's Noble Phantasm. But as he remembered it, Langser's Red Rose of Purgation could only sever magical energy; it could not seal Noble Phantasms.
Archer had a strong feeling that the boy before him was responsible for all of this.
He demanded, "Who exactly are you?"
Shiki stretched out his hand and recalled the vermilion Noble Phantasm, then took the bow from the Black Knight's hand.
After the ability of Asura Path covered it, he immediately gained temporary authority to use this Noble Phantasm. Once he confirmed it, he smiled.
But in Archer's eyes, that smile was filled with mockery.
"Boy, you used this ability to seize Langser's Noble Phantasm, and you relied on this ability to give Langser's Noble Phantasm the power to seal Noble Phantasms, did you not?"
"Heh, Archer need not concern himself with that. Sir Lancelot, give this king who calls himself the oldest king a dignified death."
"As you command, Master."
Shiki had obtained what he wanted and felt there was no use in keeping Archer alive. He turned and left. With the Gate of Babylon sealed, Archer was far too weak before the Black Knight.
Shiki could not see what happened behind him. He could only hear the furious roar of the oldest king, as well as the "dignity" the Black Knight granted him.
Chains of Binding: Lake of Overburdened Light.
The Black Knight truly released his Noble Phantasm. A mirror-like gleam, like the surface of a lake, blossomed within the forest and instantly severed everything within a two-hundred-meter radius.
With the true name of that released Noble Phantasm, a king made his exit.
Before you continue