Archer vs. Rider: Round Two

"Huh?"

Although she didn't understand why her Master was making such a strange request, Lily still seriously began to think about his wish. After a while, she said in an uncertain tone:

"Although I don't place my hopes on the Holy Grail, I still hope everyone can get along amicably with smiles. And Ruler, Saber, Archer—if they can leave without any regrets, that would be the best thing."

"That's truly an extraordinary wish."

After listening to Lily's wish, Wang Xiaoming nodded in agreement and said, "In that case, let's work together to achieve this wish."

"Huh?"

Lily blinked, clearly not quite understanding what Wang Xiaoming had said.

"Because fulfilling your wish is my wish too."

Wang Xiaoming's matter-of-fact tone brought Lily back to her senses. Suppressing the urge to smash her Master's head open with her wand, Lily huffed and puffed:

"Master, think this over seriously!"

Seeing Lily's still adorable appearance even when she's angry, Wang Xiaoming's smile deepened.

"How could that be? I was very serious when I expressed my wish."

Although the Master's "unserious" demeanor was really annoying, Lily still keenly caught the seriousness deep in his eyes. Clearly, what the man in front of her was saying was exactly what he was thinking.

But even so--

As Lily angrily turned her gaze back to the Projection of the battlefield, she muttered under her breath:

"In short, Master's answer was too cunning..."

Meanwhile, the Red Faction Servant, who were in a state of combat readiness in the aerial fortress, inexplicably burped, while the Semiramis, who had witnessed Caster's interaction throughout due to his Noble Phantasm, angrily dismissed the Projection in front of him.

... ⒈, O!⒉, O! O"⒊⒎"⒐?⒐⒉

Unlike the tense preparations on the Red Faction, the [Black] side's headquarters was surrounded by an indescribably cold atmosphere. No one would have thought that the Greater Grail, which had been hidden by the Yggdmillennia Clan for 60 years, would be taken away by those guys on the Red Faction in this way.

Looking at the aerial fortress suspended in mid-air, all the Master of the [Black] faction fell into a silent slumber.

"As expected, things don't always go as planned."

Darnic, the current ruler of Yggdmillennia, murmured as he turned his gaze from the fortress in mid-air to the three Command Spell engraved on the back of his hand, lost in thought...

As expected, it seems we still have no choice but to activate it.

--[Legend of Dracula of Dracula], Vlad III's strongest Noble Phantasm, and also the most hated Calamity Noble Phantasm.

If this Noble Phantasm is activated, Vlad III will become a vampire, both physically and mentally, in the widely known world. He will not become [Vlad III], but a true monster.

The price was Darnic's "life." This is because Vlad III's wish was to wash away the legend of Vlad III being tainted by blood—in other words, he sought the Holy Grail to erase the historical stigma of vampires.

For someone like him to use Noble Phantasm turns him into a vampire would mean negating everything about him. And Vlad III would naturally not let go of anyone who tramples on his wishes, no matter who they are.

But just as Vlad III has a long-cherished wish to pursue, Darnic also has a dream that must be realized.

No matter the means, even if it requires sacrificing others' lives, trampling on the wishes of one's Servant, or offering one's own life...

--A wish that must also be fulfilled.

Even if it's ugly and despicable, we must win.

However, he did not hesitate.

Darnic lives a life of pushing others off cliffs, will not give up victory now for the sake of others' wishes. Instead, he will destroy everything that stands in his way for his own desires.

Darnic downed the remaining coffee in one gulp, took a deep breath, then stood up and instructed Fiore in the room:

"--I'm going out now. Fiore, the command of the Master is now in your hands. From now on, you will all follow her instructions."

"... Uncle?"

Darnic did not respond to Fiore's call and leaped out of the window. Flying was not a difficult thing for Magecraft; it was as if he were climbing stairs. Darnic took firm steps in the air.

As for the awareness of death, I was prepared for that long ago.

Chapter Recommendation: <Souji Tendou's Knight's Guide>

Souji Tendou's Knight's Guide

Introduction:

The white-clad conglomerate X is still making investments and causing trouble all over the world, while Shocker, which seems to never disappear, is secretly recuperating.

In Toriizaka, there's a True Magic body can produce a dragon, and a young man with an underwear fetish who can scatter money all over the world;

Souji Tendou from Fuuto abandoned the mechanical beetle in his hand and pressed the button on that special memory device:

"Belial!"

"The end of Kamen Rider has come."

(Highly recommended by the individual; premium seedlings)

Chapter 239. Archer vs Rider. The Second Battle

"This is not good."

Looking up at the Greater Grail being sucked up by the aerial fortress, Chiron muttered to himself.

Losing the Greater Grail means that the Black side has completely lost its advantage in the Great Holy Grail War.

No matter how powerful the Servant they command, the ultimate goal of the Holy Grail War is to seize control of the Holy Grail. For the [Black] faction, obtaining the Greater Grail, which activates the Holy Grail, is the starting point of their battle and a symbol of hope and revival.

This symbol is being captured by the enemy through clever tactics.

Losing the Greater Grail now would be even more disadvantageous for the [Black] side. Even if they wanted to snipe the enemy, all the enemies were hiding inside the fortress and had no intention of showing themselves, seemingly prepared to hold their ground.

So, to obtain the Holy Grail, only...

"Archer..."

A familiar voice came from behind. Turning around, he saw Siegfried walking towards him. Although her expression remained unchanged, her entire being exuded an aura even more serious than during the previous battle.

"Oh, it's Saber. How's the situation over there?"

Archer was inquiring about the Master who was still in the Millennia Fortress. Berserker's self-destruction had completely destroyed the barrier Millennia Fortress.

This means that, for the Red Faction, the [Black] side's stronghold was like a girl stripped naked. The remaining Dragon Fang soldiers that Semiramis had scattered on the battlefield swarmed in, causing few casualties, but still causing a lot of trouble for the [Black] side's Master.

Saber, having just returned to the battlefield after relieving the Millennia Fortress, also brought with her the latest orders—

"The Master's safety has been ensured. We are heading to that fortress to reclaim the Greater Grail. Lancer hopes you will join us."

"Alright, since it's the lord's order, I naturally can't refuse."

The Greater Grail hasn't been completely taken by the Hanging Gardens of Babylon yet. If we take this opportunity to sever the connection between the Greater Grail and the Sky Fortress, we can still reclaim it.

This requires entering the fortress and engaging in battle with the enemy's Servant.

Ordinary people might hesitate to enter enemy territory and fight against opponents stronger than themselves, but these are Servant who have already experienced various hardships and trials in their previous lives before becoming Heroic Spirit. They will not stop because of fear.

"Archer, you are truly a Heroic Spirit worthy of our trust."

Saber's tone was full of approval, but Archer waved his hand in response to Saber's praise:

"You're still far behind."

Then she used telepathy to connect with her Master, Fiore Fulvige Yggdmillennia.

"Master, Saber and I are going to infiltrate enemy lines to retrieve the Greater Grail. Although the enemy's current focus is on the Greater Grail, please don't hesitate to use Command Spell if you encounter any danger."

After receiving Fiore's affirmative reply, Archer stopped telepathically and entered the aerial fortress with Saber. They later reunited with Lancer and Caster.

It can be said that the Black side has mobilized all its forces to go to the aerial fortress to reclaim the Greater Grail.

As the opponents of the [Black] faction Servant who have invaded the aerial fortress, the Red Faction Servant, who have already completed their preparations within the fortress, have already assigned their own opponents.

The opponent chosen by Achilles) was naturally the strange Archer from the Black faction. Rider, who originally intended to teach him a lesson, discovered at the very start of the battle that things weren't quite as he had imagined—

"Ugh, what a hassle!"

As Rider clicked his tongue, he dodged to the side. The next second, a yellow arrow pierced right through the spot where Rider had just been standing.

Rider is a hero who rose to fame during the Trojan War. He is a world-renowned hero and one of the highest-ranking Heroic Spirit with corresponding strength.

Furthermore, Servant's stats are largely influenced by their fame; the more famous they are in that region, the more likely they are to unleash abilities close to those they had in life.

Therefore, few people are unaware of Rider- Achilles, especially in Europe.

The [Black] faction summoned Vlad III, the great hero of Romania, on the land where the Great Holy Grail War was taking place. This was also a strategy of using the Servant's fame, but it was nothing more than a clever trick that Rider could laugh off.

Unlike Vlad III, who can only unleash his full power within his own territory, he possesses worldwide fame and can fight with his highest abilities wherever he goes.

Conversely, Rider never considered fighting with zero profile.

Semiramis's Noble Phantasm, [Hanging Gardens of Babylon of Babylon], is a massive floating fortress. Within this fortress, Assassin's stats will increase across the board, and he will gain the highest level of fame. However, at the same time, this land will be under Assassin's control, and the fame of Servant other than Assassin will be virtually zero.

In other words, the more famous a hero is, the more restrictions they will face.

Rider's current sluggishness is a result of his lack of fame to enhance his power, leading to a decline in his spiritual level.

Meanwhile, the Chiron, who was confronting him at this moment, didn't seem to have this problem.

As Archer blocked Rider's spear with his twin swords, various Noble Phantasm instantly appeared behind him and shot towards Rider. Although they were all fakes, the dangerous aura emanating from Noble Phantasm still made Rider feel a great threat.

"What's wrong, Rider? Your movements have become sluggish. Are you already tired?"

Archer watched Rider hastily dodge his attack and provoked him with a sarcastic tone.

"Ha, don't be ridiculous, Archer. This is the only time you can afford to spout nonsense!"

Just like the previous battle, Rider still holds an overwhelming advantage in this fight. Archer's physical abilities are very low, making him easy to defeat even for Rider without any fame boost.

--This is the gap in its power as a benchmark.

However, Archer's amazing combat skills greatly narrowed the gap in physical abilities. Although these things cannot be reflected on the character stats, his opponent was Achilles, who was one of the highest- Heroic Spirit.

Although the balance of the battle remained unchanged, Archer's counterattacks became much more effortless than before.

This alone demonstrates just how astonishing Archer's accumulated martial arts skills were.

[Seriously, being too famous isn't always a good thing.]

With his mind filled with all sorts of random thoughts, Rider once again swung his spear to deflect the incoming Noble Phantasm.

Heroic Spirit are not beings who gain power by becoming heroes, but rather they earn their title by demonstrating their immense power to the world. Riders are not cowards who shrink back just because their bodies become slightly heavier.

However, Archer's situation still bothered him.

He should have lost all his fame boosting because he was in the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Even so, his movements weren't much different from before. What's going on...?

When martial arts reach Rider's level, one can know the opponent's condition simply by the clash of their weapons.

Therefore, Rider was able to clearly know that Archer was almost unaffected by the changes on the battlefield, and that he had the same ability values as when he was fighting outside.

Rider faces various restrictions in the Hanging Gardens of Babylon because of his extremely high profile, while Archer, due to his low profile, suffers almost no negative impact.

But--

"Well, it's a little inconvenient... but that's all, Archer!"

Even if the gap between the two sides has narrowed slightly, it is still a very small difference. Rider remains a top-tier Servant, while Archer remains an unknown Servant; this has not changed at all.

Since Archer's abilities haven't improved, Rider can fight just like before once he gets used to his current speed...

Like this--

"Cough!"

Archer managed to parry Rider's thrust with a quick crossed sword, but the blood seeping from his mouth and the shattered swords in his hands testified to the power of Rider's attack.

If Archer hadn't jumped backward the instant he was attacked, the blow would have shattered the blade and pierced his chest.

"Did you manage to withstand that attack? Well then, Archer, I admit, your judgment and skill are worthy of being remembered even in the Trojan War."

"That's truly an honor, Rider."

Archer, having readjusted his posture, gripped the hilts of his twin swords once more, a smile spreading across his face.