Destruction, destruction, still destruction! Beams of destructive light pierced through heaven and earth, the sky continuously twisting. At the point where the two destructive attacks collided, the ground had been completely pulverized. Looking down through the impact, one could only see the void of the sky. Whether above or below, all was sky. At this moment, Shirou and Karna stood upon the sky.
"Ugh, ahhhhhh!"
"Ugh, ahhhhhh!" The roaring two poured out their magical energy without reserve, wanting to overpower the other and completely eliminate them. But two evenly matched opponents wouldn't be easily separated. Thus, the adverse consequences caused by their stalemate were fully borne by Semiramis.
"Damn it! What are they doing?!"
"My Hanging Gardens are about to flip over!" Shirou and Karna, who were clashing on the periphery of the Hanging Gardens, didn't know that the boundless power generated by their colliding magical energies was continuously forcing the Hanging Gardens to tilt.
Although the current tilt angle was still small, this trend was unstoppable. If it continued, Semiramis's Hanging Gardens would eventually capsize. This was absolutely unforgivable for Semiramis. After all, according to Amakusa Shirou Tokisada's plan, the Hanging Gardens still had a very important role in the future, and she absolutely would not allow it to be destroyed. But now, she couldn't stop Karna and Shirou's duel. She couldn't even interfere! Because she herself was now in a precarious situation!
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Looking at Astolfo, who was holding his ground in the poisonous mist, Semiramis's eyes were filled with ice. She clearly perceived that the only reason Astolfo hadn't been defeated yet was due to the protection provided by the cloak he wore.
On this cloak, there was a special enchantment specifically for her. Moreover, this cloak was definitely not Astolfo's Noble Phantasm, because she clearly remembered that Atalanta, who had rushed into the Hanging Gardens earlier, also wore the same cloak. Even Frankenstein was equipped with the same cloak. This meant that it was a magical item created by the enemy specifically to counter her.
"How detestable!"
"I never imagined I would fall into such a crisis!" No sooner had Semiramis's words fallen than the previously closed door was instantly shattered from the outside. Frankenstein, wielding a hammer, and Atalanta, holding a bow, finally arrived.
"Semiramis, we have come to take your life!"
"Hmph! Such boastful words!" Semiramis showed no surprise at the arrival of the two. After all, the whereabouts of Atalanta and Frankenstein had always been under her surveillance.
"Let me bury you here!"
"Eliminate them, Bashmu!" As Bashmu, summoned by Semiramis, charged towards Atalanta and the other two, the battle in the Throne Room reached its final moment.
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Meanwhile, the battle between Achilles and Chiron had reached its end. With a powerful punch, Achilles directly pierced Chiron's Spirit Core. The disciple who had never defeated his master finally achieved victory today.
"Thank you very much, Master." Looking at Chiron lying on the ground, Achilles spoke with deep emotion.
"It should be I who thanks you, Achilles. You are truly
strong, you are indeed the strongest."
"Master, my strength, my techniques, are all entirely thanks to you. It is because of your teachings that I am who I am today."
"Heh heh!" Chiron chuckled at Achilles's words. Blood seeped from his lips; at this moment, Chiron no longer had the strength to even stand. He simply lay there, silently gazing up at the dark night sky.
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"Don't call me Master anymore. I am no longer in a position to be addressed by that title. Now that that duel is over, you should call me Black Archer."
"But!" Achilles wanted to say something more, but Chiron stopped him.
"Look, I'm still alive. As long as I'm alive, I am your enemy. Right now, we are not Chiron and Achilles, but Black Archer and Red Rider. Give me the final blow, Achilles."
"I can't." Achilles loosened his clenched fist. The madness in his eyes had long dissipated, replaced by his usual rational and approachable serene expression.
"There's a reason why I didn't use my Noble Phantasm in
our fight," Chiron suddenly said. He clutched his shattered heart; the time he could maintain his current state was running out. His second life was ending, and he was now stepping towards his second death. Despite this, he spoke these words.
"Reason?" Hearing this, Achilles felt an inexplicable chill. He unconsciously widened the distance between himself and the dying Archer.
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"Among the attack methods I can employ, this Noble Phantasm is undoubtedly the most top-tier in terms of both power and precision. But more importantly, it has a decisive peculiar nature." This torrent of words made Achilles unconsciously listen intently. Even though the feeling of chill grew stronger, he couldn't stop Chiron from continuing.
"Of course, this is an offensive Noble Phantasm. As such, I must be in a state of drawing a bow. Whether it's a sword or a spear, all Noble Phantasms must be activated in a corresponding posture." It goes without saying that these postures vary greatly. There are Noble Phantasms primarily based on curses, Noble Phantasms that use the sword itself as a medium, and those whose emphasis isn't on the weapon itself but on the sublimation of skill, and are thus called Noble Phantasms.
"However, my Noble Phantasm is different in this regard. The stars floating in the sky, if they are me, it means I am always in a state of drawing and nocking an arrow."
"!" Upon hearing this, Achilles instantly understood everything and instinctively leaped backward. However, Chiron, with a fearless smile, declared loudly:
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"In other words, the Noble Phantasm has already been activated, and the aiming position has been determined. There is no need to accumulate magical energy yourself, and not even the need to call out the True Name. Because the target has been locked and the arrow fired, long, long ago!"
By the time Achilles realized it, everything was already over. Sagittarius had already notched an arrow, ready to fire at any moment. The only condition necessary for Chiron to activate his Noble Phantasm was to set a target for this arrow.
He didn't even need to activate its True Name; the Noble Phantasm's name was "Antares Snipe." It was an absolute shot that only the constellation that maintained a drawn bow position aimed at the scorpion in the sky could achieve. It was a truly unfair Noble Phantasm, capable of completely eliminating the most fatal time lag that inevitably existed in a bow weapon.
The meteor accurately struck and pierced Achilles's heel without deviation.
"Gahhhhhhhh!?" Pain, pain, sharp and intense pain! At the same time, it was also a pain that existed in his memory.
Achilles had experienced the same pain once in his life.
That pain felt like everything was being torn out, like being skinned alive. And this was exactly the pain of Achilles's heel being pierced!
"Damn you, Archer!!" Achilles exhaled with a sigh of relief, as if relieved.
"Did my star accurately pierce where it was supposed to pierce? It seems that in the very end, I finally fulfilled my duty as a Servant." Achilles stopped shouting.
Because he had realized that no matter how much he
screamed, it wouldn't change reality. Chiron's eyes were devoid of life; this meteor strike, almost literally, had consumed his last drop of strength.
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"How cunning, Master!" Watching Chiron disappear as the plane crashed, Achilles looked at the huge light pillar rising in the distance, swiftly summoned his chariot, and flew towards the Hanging Gardens. He could not stop yet! Even severely wounded, his Holy Grail War was not over! Achilles was still searching for his enemy.
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