Massive magical fluctuations rocked through the entire Homurahara Academy.
Covered in thick, red pillars of lightning and gazed by Medusa's Mystic Eye of Petrification, the Blood Fort Andromeda ruled everything.
Rin Tohsaka's entire body paled instantly. It was like someone had put her right against the sun, without letting her feel the heat of it. In front of her, tons of weight fell on Lancer and Archer as well, their Mana getting sucked away by the Bounded Field.
"Archer…" Rin managed to utter a word, hoping he would listen. "Let's…"
She still believed that if Archer used his Noble Phantasm, they could escape this place. Because if they didn't, there would be nothing remaining to escape with.
Pinned by the monstrous eye opened in the middle of the sky, Archer and Lancer struggled to straighten their spines.
"… Haha…" Lancer suddenly broke out in laughter. "Do you really think we would let you suck us dry, Ma'am?!"
It was obvious that Lancer was asking Archer to team up to take down Rider.
With his hands shaking, a tremor coursing through his entire body, Archer looked over his shoulder.
Rin's eyes widened, her skin gaining a whitish touch.
"This guy…" she mumbled, a vein pulsing on her forehead. Perhaps, she had realized, too, that without dealing with Rider, it would be difficult to escape the Bounded Field.
"You will… get no assistance from me, Archer!" Rin screamed, barely able to open her mouth as the Bounded Field fed on her Mana. "Right here and now, show me what you've got!!"
Finally, the struggling expression on Archer's face vanished, a small smile appearing in its place.
Archer and Lancer's eyes matched.
Then, with another grin, their Mana reserves exploded.
Boooooooooooooooom!
Both blinked out of existence and reappeared on top of Medusa, who was still perched up on the iron railing on the building's roof.
Lancer thrust the spear straight at her stomach.
Archer hacked with the swords in his hands at her head.
Medusa slithered midair, twisting her body unnaturally, dodging both attacks.
She threw one of the needles in her hand at Lancer. As he pulled back, with a twist of her wrist, she wrapped the chain at the end of the needle around his spear. Simultaneously, she spun around and kicked Archer.
As Archer dodged her kick, she pulled Lancer's spear in, shooting it right where the Archer had dodged.
Lancer's red eyes narrowed into thin needles.
Letting out a grunt, he snatched the spear back, Archer barely dodging the spear.
"Have you gone mad?!" Archer snapped, twisting his body as chains came for him. "Can't you even take hold of your own spear?!"
"You dare lecture me about sanity?!" Lancer threw back. "Didn't you just let yourself fall for the most obvious trap in the world?!"
Meanwhile, taking advantage of the discord, Medusa crouched on the roof, her thighs bulging.
A chill ran down both Lancer and Archer's spines.
With a hiss, Rider vanished and appeared behind Lancer. As he spun around, she kicked his waist, sending him flying.
As if there were two Medusa within the Bounded Field, she appeared next to Archer, dodging his swords instantly. With a blur, she planted her heel on his chin, wrapped the chains around his neck, and blasted him in Lancer's direction.
A cracking BOOM rang out as Archer and Lancer collided midair, both coughing out blood.
And — in merely three seconds — their partnership came to an abrupt end.
Red-Blue blurs took over the sports field as Archer and Lancer attacked each other. In between, a dash of purple joined them as Medusa broke Archer's sword, parrying Lancer's spear.
"… You two—" Medusa grinned, feeling drunk on Mana. "— do not deserve to be called Heroic Spirits."
Lancer and Archer snapped.
Two craters appeared where they were standing as they pounced on Medusa.
Lancer spun his spear so fast that it felt like he was carrying lightning. In one swift motion, he thrust his spear between the two chains and planted the spear's tip into the ground, pinning the weapons.
From the other side, Archer's hands blurred like lightning as well, forcing Medusa to let go of the needles.
With every attack, she broke the swords in Archer's hands, but more swords kept appearing in his hands, making her back up.
Then, as if hung in time, Archer's attacks all paused.
Medusa, caught off guard, kept backing up, unable to control her momentum.
Behind her, Lancer appeared and planted his knee into her back. From the front, Archer dashed and kicked her waist, blasting her to the side.
Ground upended.
Buildings came falling on top of her.
With a heart-wrenching boom, Medusa got buried under the rubble.
On the sports field, Lancer and Archer panted, staring at the dust and debris.
"ARCHER!" Rin's scream jolted their hearts.
Like a purple wraith, Rider appeared behind them, wielding her needles.
Unlike Lancer's spear and Archer's swords, these needles were concept-weapons related to her existence, and not actually weapons. It didn't matter if someone stole or sealed these needles because, with a thought, she could call them back anytime.
Of course, neither Lancer nor Archer knew this.
Before any of them could react, Medusa planted the back of her needles on their sides. Then, just as their backs bent in pain, the tip of those needles went for their throats.
Lancer's spear burst out in red, flaming Mana as he activated his Noble Phantasm.
Archer's mouth moved as he called out a forbidden seven-layered shield.
Behind them, Rin coughed out a mouthful of blood, losing all Mana.
Suddenly, just as all hell was about to get loose, destroying all and everything, someone's footsteps rang on the battlefield.
Archer stopped saying those words, a pinkish glow disappearing from his surroundings.
Lancer's raised hand hung midair, Gáe Bolg calming the rage it carried within.
The tips of Medusa's needles stopped an inch away from their throats, too.
And all eyes landed on the boy who had stepped in front of them, holding his heart, devoid of life —
— Shirou Emiya — Master of Saber!
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