Chapter 243
"Hey, you bastard! Get your ass out here!"
A thunderous shout exploded across the sky.
A streak of light shot out from the Hanging Gardens, revealing Achilles aboard his divine chariot.
The chariot moved like a bolt of lightning and swept forward with the violence of a hurricane.
In the blink of an eye, it plunged from the high sky toward the ground.
Any homunculus unfortunate enough to stand in its path could not last even a single second before being smashed aside or crushed beneath the rampaging chariot, leaving a gruesome trail behind it.
"Yo, Achilles’ heel. Heard you were looking for me?"
Kiriya’s teasing voice immediately drew a furious glare from Achilles.
He turned toward the sound and saw Kiriya standing atop the outer wall of the estate, a dense forest stretching behind him.
"What’s wrong?" Kiriya called with deliberate provocation. "You brave enough to come over here and fight me, Achilles’ heel?"
"Hah? I’d love nothing more."
A vicious grin spread across Achilles’s face.
"You’re the one who’d better not run away when things get ugly!"
"Relax. I’m not running this time."
Kiriya suddenly adopted the air of some deranged martial-arts master.
"This time, either I beat you to death... or you beat me to death."
Achilles froze for a moment before throwing back his head and laughing.
"Hahahaha! Now that’s what I’m talking about!"
His grin widened.
"I’m starting to like you, kid. Don’t you dare disappoint me once we get started!"
With that, he urged his Troias Tragōidia: Tempestuous Immortal Chariot forward and charged straight toward Kiriya.
One pursued while the other retreated, and within moments the two disappeared into the depths of the dense forest.
...
The battle between Achilles and Kiriya began with such overwhelming momentum that naturally it attracted attention from every side.
Among those who noticed was Chiron.
The great sage of Greek mythology found himself experiencing rather complicated emotions.
Being able to see his former student again after so long was naturally something worth celebrating.
He had even hoped to find an opportunity to speak with Achilles properly and catch up on old times.
Unfortunately, his student had already chosen an opponent for himself, leaving Chiron’s enthusiasm with nowhere to go.
Seeing that the Black faction currently held the advantage in available Servants, Chiron eventually decided that he might as well provide Kiriya with a little support.
Perhaps it was time to remind that carefree former student of his that the world was not always fair, honorable, or considerate.
Sometimes, people were perfectly willing to gang up on you.
"Then allow me to give you another lesson, Achilles."
The corner of Chiron’s mouth lifted slightly.
He raised his bow, drew an arrow, and was just about to fire toward the distant battlefield when a piercing shriek suddenly tore through the air beside him.
Without even pausing to think, Chiron lowered his bow and rolled sharply to the side.
BOOM!
A bolt of crimson lightning crashed down where he had been standing, blasting the structure beneath it until the entire section seemed on the verge of collapsing.
The wind swept through.
Dust and smoke gradually dispersed.
A heavily armored figure emerged from within.
White armor decorated with crimson patterns covered her entire body, while a broad-bladed greatsword rested in her hand.
"You’re Archer of Black?"
An extremely arrogant voice came from beneath the closed helmet.
"Indeed."
Chiron remained perfectly calm.
"And I presume you are Saber of Red."
His eyes rested on the armored knight before him.
"So you are to be my opponent this time?"
"Damn right."
Mordred’s lips curled into a feral smile beneath her helmet.
"You look pretty strong."
She lifted Clarent.
"Strong enough to be worth cutting down."
Crimson lightning immediately erupted around her body.
Mana Burst: Lightning.
Her speed skyrocketed in an instant.
Mordred crossed the distance between them like a flash and swung her sword directly toward Chiron’s throat.
Whoosh!
Chiron performed a rapid backward somersault and narrowly avoided the blade.
The instant his feet touched the ground, he pushed off again with explosive force, displaying speed that was in no way inferior to Mordred’s as he did everything possible to reopen the distance between them.
At the same time, his hands never stopped moving.
Arrow after arrow left his bow, each one aimed precisely toward Mordred’s vital points.
The first was knocked aside.
Then the second.
After the third, fifth, eighth, and tenth arrows came in succession, however, Mordred’s patience began wearing thin.
"You bastard! Is running away all you know how to do?!"
The girl roared furiously.
"If you’re a man, come at me from the front!"
"Saber of Red, you are far too impatient."
Chiron calmly offered his assessment even while retreating.
"Did your teacher never teach you that one must remain focused and composed during battle?"
"My teacher didn’t talk half as much shit as you do!"
Mordred ground her teeth.
"Are you even a man?!"
"My Class is Archer."
Chiron remained completely unaffected.
"If I am not supposed to use a bow, what exactly would you suggest I use?"
His calm reply only made Mordred even angrier.
"You bastard!"
Mordred poured an enormous amount of magical energy into Clarent and unleashed several airborne slashes in succession.
The attacks forced Chiron to dodge repeatedly, disrupting the smooth rhythm of his retreat.
And that was precisely the opening Mordred had been waiting for.
"Got you!"
She seized the opportunity and thrust her sword forward, forcing Chiron to abandon his bow.
Mordred had assumed that would finally give her the advantage.
Instead, she immediately discovered that an unarmed Chiron was every bit as dangerous.
At the critical instant, Chiron slipped past her descending sword, caught Mordred by the arm, turned his body, and executed a brutally powerful shoulder throw.
BOOM!
Mordred was smashed into the ground with such tremendous force that the balcony beneath them collapsed.
"Guh—!"
A metallic taste flooded her mouth, and she spat out a mouthful of blood.
Yet even while lying beneath Chiron, Mordred never released her grip on Clarent.
Her sword immediately thrust upward—
Straight toward Chiron’s throat.
The great sage had no choice but to release his hold and retreat.
"Heh... you’re pretty good, Archer of Black."
Mordred flipped back onto her feet.
Her voice had become somewhat hoarse, but the fighting spirit within it was stronger than ever.
"I thought you were just some fancy-looking guy who’d fall apart once I got close."
Her grin widened.
"Turns out you can actually fight."
"Good. That’s exactly how it should be. A battle only has value when the opponent can hit back."
"To receive praise from the legendary Knight of Treachery is truly an honor."
Chiron calmly assumed the opening stance of Pankration and answered with characteristic humility.
"Hmph. Quit acting so damn refined."
Mordred spat a mouthful of bloody saliva onto the ground and raised Clarent again.
"That’s what I hate about you famous big-shot types. Always acting so polite and proper. None of you ever say what you actually mean."
Her smile became increasingly wild.
"That’s exactly why someone needs to be qualified to raise the sword of rebellion against people like you."
Then she charged again.
"Then let us see how far that rebellion carries you."
Chiron smiled faintly—
And immediately opened the distance again before firing another arrow.
"..."
Mordred stared at him in disbelief.
"GET BACK HERE AND FIGHT ME HEAD-ON, YOU BASTARD!"
...
High above the battlefield, within the Hanging Gardens, Semiramis sat upon her throne and closely monitored the progress of every engagement below.
Everything was proceeding almost exactly according to the battle plan she had laid out in advance, and the more she watched, the more relaxed her expression became.
"Things appear to be progressing quite smoothly."
Amakusa Shirou Tokisada spoke from beside her.
"Well enough."
Semiramis casually shifted her gaze toward one of the projection screens.
Then her eyes narrowed.
"Hmm. There appears to be one little insect that still needs to be dealt with."
Displayed upon the projection was Rider of Black—
Astolfo, flying toward the Hanging Gardens astride his Hippogriff.
"A mere Rider thinks he can break through to my garden alone?"
Semiramis smiled contemptuously.
She snapped her fingers.
"Then allow me to provide him with a suitably magnificent final performance."
The instant her fingers clicked together, several enormous magical formations appeared around the outer perimeter of the Hanging Gardens, completely surrounding Astolfo.
Several beams of magical energy fired simultaneously.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Violent explosions thundered through the sky.
Flames and blinding light completely swallowed Astolfo and his mount.
Yet no satisfaction appeared on Semiramis’s face.
Astolfo’s presence had not disappeared.
More importantly—It had not weakened in the slightest.
The wind gradually scattered the smoke.
Astolfo’s figure reappeared.
A golden barrier of energy surrounded both him and the Hippogriff, and the A-rank magical bombardment had been completely unable to penetrate it.
"I see."
Semiramis raised one elegant eyebrow.
"A Noble Phantasm?"
A trace of genuine surprise entered her expression.
"How unexpected. So you possess a defensive ability of this level as well."
"Hehehe!"
Astolfo grinned proudly from behind the golden barrier.
"You’re not the only one who came prepared!"
With several rapid spatial leaps, the Hippogriff carried him directly above the Hanging Gardens.
Astolfo positioned himself over the fortress as though preparing to descend onto it at any moment.
Semiramis’s eyes narrowed.
"My, my."
A soft laugh escaped the empress.
"It seems I have been underestimated."
She snapped her fingers again.
This time, even more magical formations appeared around Astolfo.
The density of the formations was far greater than before.
Magical lightning erupted from them in an overwhelming barrage, converging upon Rider from every direction.
And this time—
Astolfo’s defense failed.
Because the attacks descending upon him were ranked EX!
"AAAAAAAH!"
Astolfo screamed miserably.
Both Rider and the Hippogriff were blasted black with smoke as electricity surged across their bodies.
Their flight immediately collapsed, and the pair plunged downward before crashing onto the surface of the Hanging Gardens.
The kunai Kiriya had given him spilled from his possession as well, scattering across the interior of the aerial fortress.
Semiramis noticed none of it.
As far as she was concerned, the troublesome Rider had already been dealt with.
Her attention immediately returned to the battle unfolding on the ground—
More specifically, to Berserker of Black.
"Then let us eliminate one enemy Servant first and bring the numbers a little closer to even."
Semiramis smiled and snapped her fingers once more.
Below the Hanging Gardens, three enormous stone pillars shifted into formation.
They arranged themselves evenly like the three leaves of a clover.
Between those pillars, a gigantic magical formation rapidly took shape.
Terrifying quantities of magical energy began gathering within it.
Accumulating.
Compressing.
Rising toward a level that caused even the surrounding atmosphere to tremble.
Then—
An EX-rank magical bombardment was unleashed.
Down on the battlefield, Frankenstein was still rampaging through the enemy ranks.
She had become completely immersed in the fight, smashing apart Dragon Tooth Warriors one after another and giving herself over to the frenzy of battle.
Suddenly, a lethal sense of danger shot straight through her body!
Fran instinctively raised her head.
High above her, the underside of the Hanging Gardens was glowing with terrifying violet light.
Every survival instinct in her body screamed at her to escape.
She immediately tried to withdraw.
But the surrounding Dragon Tooth Warriors suddenly abandoned all concern for their own existence and hurled themselves toward her in a frenzy.
Fran smashed them apart almost instantly.
But even that brief delay cost her the final opportunity to escape.
BOOOOOOM!
A colossal pillar of light descended from the heavens.
Like divine punishment—
It crashed directly toward the earth.