Atalanta ground her teeth in fury, her fluffy tail lashing fiercely against the floor.
Looking at the cat-eared girl with her fur standing on end, Shirou thought for a moment before asking.
"Archer, if I beat you one more time, will you be willing to help me?"
Now that the "Red" Lancer had been defeated, the tide of battle had undergone an astonishing reversal.
The "Black" faction, which had originally been at a disadvantage, now held an absolute advantage.
The Ruler and the "Red" Saber were advancing toward the audience hall where Semiramis was.
Even if Shirou did not go over to help them and simply competed against Atalanta here, he could still be considered to be holding back the enemy's main combat force.
"..."
Hearing Shirou's words, Atalanta narrowed her eyes, then nodded hesitantly.
"That's true, but... I must be the one to choose the event.
"And if you lose, you're not allowed to resist. You'll obediently let me kill you!"
"Fine. What do you want to compete in this time? Archery again?"
Shirou readily accepted Atalanta's conditions.
His utterly unhesitating attitude was arrogant, yet not unpleasant.
It was the confidence possessed only by someone who had honed their greatest strength to the utmost. Atalanta was annoyed, but deep down, she could not help feeling genuine respect.
"The event is a race," Atalanta said with a frown.
"A race?" Shirou froze.
Atalanta nodded and turned her gaze toward the end of the corridor.
"Beyond here is the Infinite Corridor, whose space Assassin twisted with magic.
"If we start running from here, we'll return to where we're standing now after covering roughly three kilometers."
I see, Shirou thought. She even calculated the distance. Looks like she spends quite a lot of time wandering around the Floating Garden.
"What are you