Ex-Machina on a Dimensional Journey

The Chains, deprived of their master's control, arrived belatedly. They fell around Achilles, clattering without cease.

The enemy was nowhere to be seen, yet Achilles did not relax his guard. The arrogance had long vanished from his face, replaced by utter seriousness as he watched everything around him and remained wary of every possible direction of attack.

Until...

Whoosh—

The sound of something tearing through the air at high speed reached Achilles's ears, and its source was directly above him!

Achilles swiftly retreated. The instant his body shifted from its original position, something utterly familiar grazed past his nose and plunged into the ground below.

Boom!

The earth shook once more. The already dense cracks rapidly widened, as though the ground were on the verge of collapse.

A fierce gale swiftly swept across the battlefield, blowing away every trace of dust and smoke. Even the surrounding trees were uprooted by the storm and hurled into the sky.

Neither of the two Servants present could keep their eyes open against the violent wind. As they raised their hands to shield themselves, they also tried to make out the scene within the eye of the storm.

At the edge of the storm, Atalanta planted her feet firmly against the ground to resist the terrifying force of the wind.

Achilles, caught within the storm, was not so fortunate. His red ribbons whipped wildly in the wind, and his arms alone could no longer shield his eyes.

There was no doubt that this sudden storm had come from the enemy.

A streak of golden light flickered at the center of the storm. Atalanta, standing outside it, could not see what was happening within, while Achilles, trapped inside, could not even open his eyes.

Yet the dazzling golden light shining through his eyelids still made