Gudako served, projecting countless fake balls along with it.
"Useless, useless, useless!"
Lord El-Melloi II swiftly found the real ball and prepared to direct the others, but a nightmarish word reached his ears.
"brokenphantasm (volleyball)!"
The volleyball suddenly exploded, smoke and dust swirling everywhere. Even if they knew which ball was real, it was already too late!
"First set, Red Faction wins."
It was as if Chapter 20 had become a contest of volleyball swordsmanship.
After a brief break, the second match was about to begin.
Archer and Lancer had also recovered during the short break. In other words, Pooch was about to take the field again.
"Hey, who are you calling Pooch?!" Lancer said angrily, dressed in casual beachwear.
"What the dog barks at..."
"Shut up, Kotomine!"
"It's you." Shirou pointed at Lancer. "Come to think of it, the first match's victory was entirely thanks to you, Lancer."
Lancer immediately puffed out his chest proudly. "Haha, of course! I'm very good at beating enemies—though, didn't I seem pretty useless when I was on the court?"
"Did you forget? You were the great hero who sent Gilgamesh straight out of the game." Shirou patted Lancer's shoulder.
Lancer suddenly did not feel like speaking anymore. Did great heroes really have to vanish like shooting stars?
The match officially began. This time, Black Faction's Gilgamesh served.
"Hmph, Shi—no, that red Saber over there, listen carefully. Your victory in the previous match was only because you did not face me as your opponent. But this time is different. Last time, I was..."
Kirei began counting down.
"5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Delayed attack. Red Faction scores. The score is 1:0."
"Hey, Kirei!" Gilgamesh angrily tossed the ball forward, but it did not matter. Victory would definitely be hers anyway. What was one point?