Unveiling the Opening Act of Wits

Chapter 50: The Curtain-Raising Battle of Wits

If Cú Chulainn, as a Caster, was a legendary hero whose existence was known even to children, then Archer was truly an unknown nobody.

At least, until the year 2018, even if Archer revealed his true name to the world, no one would be able to find his name in past legends or myths.

The reason is simple.

Archer isn't a Heroic Spirit from the past, but a Heroic Spirit from the future.

"Originally, the so-called 〈Throne of Heroes〉 has no concept of time."

Whether past, present, or future, as long as one possesses the qualities to become a 〈Hero〉, they will be recorded in the 〈Throne〉 and become a Heroic Spirit.

In that case, it's only natural that no one in this era would recognize Archer.

Therefore, if one must call Archer by his true name, then "Nameless" would be more substantial.

An unknown hero from the future.

That's probably the best way to describe Archer.

"Although, for me, as long as I have the means to complete the mission, whether I have a name or not doesn't matter."

With this thought in mind, the Servant of the Archer class stood against the wind, gazing into the distance.

The location was in the deep mountains, resembling a man-eating beast.

The specific location was a temple nestled in the mountains.

Archer stood at the top of the temple, using his 〈Clairvoyance〉 skill to look at a place several kilometers away.

There, the expected enemies were rushing towards him.

There was a somewhat anxious girl wearing an out-of-place noble dress.

There was a sage holding a wooden staff, with a repulsive frivolous smile on his face.

There was a Demi-Servant holding a shield, with a mysterious creature standing on her shoulder.

There was a boy who looked frail, but whose eyes were constantly flashing with a light that could not be underestimated.

This group of four was rushing towards him.

"As expected, they're here?"

Archer's tone was full of anticipation.

Archer had been waiting here since Berserker was defeated.

"Since the other Servants have been defeated, it's only a matter of time before they come to challenge me."

So, instead of launching another attack, it's better to wait here for the enemy to come to him.

In any case, as long as the enemy gets close, he, who occupies the high ground and can monitor the surrounding area for several kilometers, will have the advantage.

To this end, Archer had also deliberately destroyed the sewers around the deep mountains, preventing Luo Zhen and his party from approaching from underground as they did last time.

"This time..."

Red mana burst out from Archer's hand, forming a black iron bow, which he held tightly.

The moment Archer grasped the bow, two Servants in Luo Zhen's group, who were approaching the deep mountains, immediately reacted.

"Enemy reaction detected!"

Mashu immediately tensed her face and raised her shield.

"As expected, that Archer guy launched a preemptive strike?"

Cú Chulainn smiled disdainfully, as if he knew Archer's style very well, but tightened his grip on the wooden staff.

"The opponent is an Archer, so it can't be helped."

Olga Marie seemed to be prepared to be targeted as well.

"Then..."

Luo Zhen perked up, unceremoniously grabbed Fufu, who was standing on Mashu's shoulder, and threw it onto Olga Marie.

Immediately, Luo Zhen looked towards the deep mountains, revealing a playful smile.

"Let's act according to the plan and neutralize Archer's snipe!"

Luo Zhen's words made everyone around him smile.

Then, surging mana bloomed around them.

"What...?"

Archer's eyes suddenly narrowed as he was about to shoot.

Within the range of his 〈Clairvoyance〉, the actions of Luo Zhen and his party, who were rushing towards him, suddenly changed.

"This is a secret move! Watch closely!"

Caster shouted, raising the wooden staff in his hand, and after a series of rotations, slammed it heavily onto the ground.

Accompanied by a "clang," a rune shimmering with light appeared on the ground struck by the staff.

That was a Rune, capable of substituting for incantations and magic circles, allowing Magecraft to be activated simply by inscribing it, originating from the mysteries of Northern Europe.

Caster completed the writing of the Rune almost instantaneously, activating the Magecraft.

In the next second, the ground struck by the staff suddenly bulged, and thick tree roots emerged.

As one who inherited 〈Rune Magecraft〉, Cu Chulainn was often referred to as the Sage of the Forest when acting as a Caster.

Although 〈Rune Magecraft〉 has a wide variety of types, and by flexibly using different Runes, diverse and powerful effects can be achieved, such as skills like 〈Magic Resistance〉 and 〈Clairvoyance〉, and even methods to raise one of the ability parameters to the highest level, Caster is capable of all of them, but they have the drawback of not being usable simultaneously. Coupled with his personality, Caster tends to favor aggressive attacks.

Now, Caster was displaying his aggressive side, causing thick tree roots to emerge from the ground, extending like bridges towards the depths of the mountains.

Luo Zhen and his party sat at the front of these roots, approaching the depths of the mountains at an astonishing speed as the roots extended.

In the blink of an eye, nearly a kilometer of distance was eliminated in this way.

"Don't think you'll get away with this...!"

Seeing the enemy rapidly approaching in an unexpected manner, hardly giving him a chance to kite, Archer clicked his tongue and unhesitatingly aimed the arrow on his bowstring.

However, since Luo Zhen had decided to launch an attack in this way, he naturally wouldn't give Archer a chance to snipe him.

Therefore, even though the sewers were no longer an option, Luo Zhen had quietly sent his Familiars over.

Now was the time for these Familiars to play their part.

"Boom!"

Just as Archer's arrow was about to soar through the air, the ground around the temple also burst open.

From underground, giant Magic Ants emerged.

"————!"

Even as Archer's expression changed, the Magic Ants began to move.

They transformed into something akin to artillery platforms, not swarming towards Archer, but instead carrying huge rocks, using their monstrous strength comparable to that of high-level Familiars to hurl the rocks one by one.

Thus, a rain of stones blanketed Archer.

"Just showing off useless tricks!"

Archer leaped up, dodging the approaching stone projectiles while spinning his body, delivering a fierce kick, preparing to send a rock flying that was heading straight for his face.

Archer didn't notice.

On the back of the rock he kicked, a delicate rune suddenly lit up.

By the time Archer noticed the magical energy, it was already too late.

"Rumble!"

An explosion resounded.

The rock inscribed with the rune exploded like a bomb, turning into a rolling heatwave that engulfed Archer.

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