Killing each other was a joy. For Achilles, the sensation transmitted from the tip of his thrusting spear was the most beautiful. There was no need for concepts like fate.
In his heart, the thought even arose, "If only this moment could last forever." But at the same time, he also yearned for the battle to end quickly.
Wielding his long spear, Achilles continuously attacked Chiron. Facing an Archer who was not skilled in close combat, Achilles should, by all logic, have had an absolute advantage. But the reality was quite different.
Even though he had reached the attacking range where his spear could touch, Chiron could still shoot arrows at the same attack speed how terrifying that was.
The bow Chiron used remained perfectly still, even when struck by Achilles's spear. Achilles knew that it was a bow Chiron had used for years, even decades; even without a resounding name, it was certainly not a crude item. This made him suddenly recall that the shaft of his own spear was made of wood; perhaps that bow was made of the same material?
The spear and bow, both crafted by Chiron himself. As weapons, they were evenly matched, so he could only surpass his opponent with pure strength. However, at this moment, Chiron's archery skill had also been utilized to its fullest extent.
There was no superfluous movement or opening; his refined actions aimed precisely at the opponent's vital points or set up his next attack. Achilles could almost assert that in terms of archery, Chiron's combat ability had reached its peak.
Although Achilles was undoubtedly fighting desperately at this moment, Chiron could still continue to battle him.
Repeatedly reconstructing tactics, constantly trying again and again, considering all possible responses to every situation. Betting his everything on this battle.
Whether it was his life, his honor, or his dignity, he threw everything he carried into it. It was almost an ecstasy that made his mind melt.
"Ah!" Achilles roared fiercely. He roared like an impatient beast, simultaneously thrusting his spear forward. But even so, Achilles had not lost his sanity. He knew very well that at this rate, he had no chance of winning. He had mentally replayed the battle countless times, and in those battles, he had never once defeated Chiron. Even if he could win, the time it would take was simply too long.
He yearned for a victory decided in a much shorter instant.
"In that case, there's only one thing left to use!" Achilles widened the distance, taking a light jump backward towards the tail fin of the plane. Chiron, though surprised, continued to nock an arrow. Creating distance was not an option for Chiron. If Chiron himself had taken the initiative to create distance, it might have been possible, but Achilles actively creating distance offered no benefit to him whatsoever.
Therefore!
"Is it a Noble Phantasm?"
"Exactly, just as you imagined, Black Archer!" Achilles's clear voice echoed in the dark sky. What a bold and fearless hero! Chiron couldn't help but smile slightly. But at the same time, he tensed every nerve in his body.
The spear Achilles held was a weapon made of bronze and wood, crafted by Chiron himself. However, Achilles had created numerous legends with this spear. He had used this spear to defeat one valiant hero after another, led by the great hero Hector. If it were a spear thrown with Achilles's full strength, it would probably be an easy matter to erase him from the current world.
"But I can definitely dodge it!" Chiron held this conviction. With attacks like "throwing" and "shooting," it was absolutely impossible to defeat him, an Archer.
"Now, let me show you the power of this spear, a power even you don't know." After making this declaration, Achilles adopted a javelin-throwing stance. Chiron, instantly on alert, became even more confused after momentarily understanding the direction of his throw.
"Go! My spear, my conviction! Comet Form (Meteor Comet)!" The spear flew directly into the air, finally piercing the central part of the plane's fuselage. That was not a thrown attack targeting Chiron. The spear he threw didn't even carry a hint of killing intent.
"What are you doing!" The moment he voiced his question, Chiron noticed something amiss. Now, he and Achilles were no longer in the previous world; this was a different dimension! Although it resembled a Reality Marble, it was indeed a world completely different from a Reality Marble. This place seemed to have been cut off from the original world.
"I never thought you could still use magecraft." Facing Chiron, who had unconsciously uttered words of praise, Achilles smiled fearlessly and shook his head, saying: "It's all irrelevant anyway, the means and all that. This is a space I created to settle the score with that old man Hector."
"That guy kept running away, laughing and saying, 'If I fight you, who is protected by a goddess, I, an old man, will suffer divine retribution,' so to have a fair one-on-one fight with him, I created this move."
"That's truly...!" Chiron was immediately speechless. He had originally estimated that this space would give Achilles an overwhelming advantage. For example, a space that would boost his parameters or, conversely, lower his own abilities, which should have been the original purpose of such grand magecraft. It should have been that way! But this man had merely created this undisturbed space purely to pursue a fair and impartial battle.
Achilles happily clapped his fists together and said: "Here, there's no divinity or lack thereof. If you get punched, you bleed; if a joint is wrenched, it dislocates.
There's no room for a third party, not even luck can intervene, and time is also stopped."
"And once a winner is decided here, the winner will also be decided in the outside world. How about it, simple, right?" After his astonishment subsided, Chiron naturally smiled: "I see. So Hector accepted it back then, right?"
"Yes, that guy heard it and said something like, 'If that's the case, I might have a slight chance of winning,' and then he agreed. But in the end, I still managed to defeat him."
"So, Teacher, do you accept?" After a moment of silence, Chiron smiled and said, "If that's the case, then I accept this duel."
Seeing this, Achilles's lips curved upward continuously.
On either side of the spear, Chiron and Achilles once again entered a state of confrontation. The composed and self-possessed sage and the frenzied warrior dyed crimson. Both stared intently at each other!
"Here, I won't use my spear, and correspondingly, I won't let you use your bow. It's one-on-one, fist to fist. The one who can still stand after the battle is the winner."
"Have you completely disregarded the possibility of me using my Noble Phantasm?"
"If you want to use it, I don't mind. Your Noble Phantasm is also related to bows, isn't it? If it can cover the arena generated by my Comet Form (Meteor Comet), then by all means, try it." Facing Chiron's warning, Achilles remained unshakeable. Besides having absolute confidence in the world he created, he probably also had the conviction that the other party would absolutely not use a Noble Phantasm.
Indeed, just as he imagined, Chiron could not use his Noble Phantasm in this situation, nor did he intend to. If he were to use it, it would be after a winner was decided.
In other words, it had no relevance to the present.
"Haha, Achilles, it seems you're very confident in your
punching skills. That's very good."
"Hey, don't play dumb. You yourself are skilled in all
martial arts, aren't you?"
"That's true!" Both men smiled excitedly. Although it was a death match, as a final courtesy, they gently bumped fists. At this moment, they cast aside the Holy Grail War and their identities as Servants. Both of them were merely nameless pugilists, and they believed that was for the best.
"Red Rider, my true name is Achilles, son of the hero Peleus."
"Black Archer, my true name is Chiron, son of the great god Cronus."
"Here, honorably!"
"Let's settle this!!!"
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