Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Seen from afar, massive trees collapsed one after another, sending thunderous crashes echoing through the forest depths.
Arthur and the green-haired hero's fight had long since moved away from the church stairs.
The spear-wielding Servant deliberately tried to create an ideal shooting environment for his archer ally, while Arthur sought to draw him away from Shirou.
Although Arthur could evenly match him in close combat, he had no chance of keeping pace with the enemy's extraordinary mobility. If the opponent wished to attack Shirou directly, Arthur would have no way to stop him without Shirou resorting to Command Spells.
Rather than risk facing a coordinated assault from both enemy Servants, Arthur opted to separate them, even if it meant distancing himself from his Master.
As for why Arthur was certain the enemy attacking Shirou was Archer—it was obvious, wasn't it? Who else would be firing arrows except an Archer?
At least, that was Arthur's reasoning.
"Say, aren't you worried about your Master at all, Saber?" taunted the green-haired hero. "He's facing a Servant, after all. We both know how battles between Masters and Servants end—do I really need to spell it out for you?"
Arthur gave no reply. Instead, the invisible sword in his hand sliced straight toward the hero's neck, trimming strands of emerald-green hair.
"Tch! Fighting a sword you can't see the length of is damn annoying! Don't tell me you're actually the type of coward who hides his blade!"
Irritated, the spear-wielder flipped backward to avoid another strike. Unable to properly judge the length of Arthur's sword, he'd misjudged his distance multiple times, leading to numerous direct hits from the Saber's blade.
Though these blows hadn't truly harmed him, it wasn't the hits themselves that irked him most—but the fact that, despite his legendary speed, he couldn't land a decisive blow against Saber. No matter how swift or sudden his strikes, Saber always managed to parry or counter instantly.
This Saber clearly possessed an advanced skill superior even to [Mind's Eye].
The green-haired hero twirled his spear deftly, gripping it firmly once more, pointing it straight at Arthur.
In fact, Arthur's combat skills even surpassed his own in some ways. Incredible movement speed didn't always translate to superior attack speed in close quarters. Thus far, he'd consistently found himself at a disadvantage during their exchanges.
Small wounds covered his body. Though minor, they were enough to unsettle him deeply.
That sword… can actually harm me.
He sensed no divinity from Arthur's aura, leaving only one possibility.
"Is that weapon you wield divine?"
He asked this straightforwardly, but Arthur remained silent, his eyes locked intently on his opponent.
"Right, who'd reveal their secrets to the enemy anyway?" The hero laughed boldly, his wounds rapidly healing. Though unable to fully negate the damage from Arthur's attacks, his natural resilience swiftly reduced them to mere scratches—just like when he pulled out Chiron's arrows in the anime, quickly regenerating.
Yet, such exhilarating, genuine battles were exactly what he craved. To him, combat meant inflicting damage without truly suffering in return. Any other outcome was unacceptable.
"Prepare yourself, Saber! From now on, blocking won't be nearly so simple!"
Emerald-green mana erupted beneath his feet, unleashing an overwhelming presence so powerful that even the wind froze in its tracks.
His lips curled into an eager, manic grin, eyes blazing with unstoppable battle-lust.
So what if Saber could instantly read his moves? He was the fastest Heroic Spirit alive!
"Let's see what's quicker—your reactions or my attack!"
In that moment, Arthur sensed an immense shockwave erupting directly in front of him.
There was no subtlety, no finesse.
The spear-wielding hero surged forward like a missile, blasting toward Arthur at unimaginable speed.
The spear's momentum generated a fierce, explosive shockwave. In the blink of an eye, the cruciform spear was mere inches from Arthur's chest.
This strike was unavoidable!
BOOM!
A muffled impact sounded as a hurricane-force blast erupted outward.
Whoosh!
Arthur was launched backward like a cannonball before he even had time to cry out.
Crash—Crash—Crash—!
He slammed through trees one after another, shattering their trunks instantly. A cascade of broken timber fell in his wake.
He's too fast!
Arthur barely managed to lift his weapon, desperately blocking the spear from piercing through his chest.
Yet, even as Arthur continued hurtling backward, another dazzling figure broke through the atmosphere, racing from the forest depths like a comet. Violent air currents whipped wildly as the green-haired hero instantly reappeared before Arthur.
"Let's see you block this, hero!"
With a savage roar, the spear moved so swiftly it became a blur—a torrential storm of thrusts raining down upon Arthur with unstoppable force.
An overwhelming barrage enveloped Arthur completely.
Earlier, Arthur's constant pressure had prevented the hero from fully unleashing his raw offensive capability. But now, freed from restraint, his spear thrusts reached their maximum potential.
Arthur's pupils shrank sharply.
He was still flying through the air without any foothold. Blocking this ferocious barrage under such conditions was next to impossible.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Metallic collisions echoed endlessly—
"You can't fool me anymore!"
The hero roared triumphantly. After such an intense clash, he'd memorized the length of Arthur's invisible blade perfectly, forming its image clearly in his mind.
Even without skills like [Mind's Eye], never underestimate a Heroic Spirit who'd endured countless battles in life!
Suddenly, the hero thrust upward with his spear, skillfully catching Arthur's blade. His other hand simultaneously maneuvered the spear's rear upward, swiftly redirecting the weapon mid-motion.
With lightning speed, he deflected Arthur's sword, quickly realigned, and drove the spearhead directly toward Arthur's chest.
Yet Arthur reacted just as swiftly. As his sword was knocked upward, he smoothly followed its momentum, adjusting into a reverse grip, stabilizing his weapon with the hilt forward. With thunderous speed, he swung the blade straight toward the hero's chest.
"Then let's trade blows!"
Confident in his rapid healing, the green-haired hero didn't hesitate to accept this exchange.
Moreover, due to Arthur's repositioning, the force behind his slash had considerably weakened. Both strikes were about to land simultaneously.
"I win!"
The hero's lips curled confidently—he would never truly suffer injury from this Servant's blade.
"[Strike Air]!"
Arthur's composed voice shattered his confidence.
Instantly, an unstoppable cyclone burst forth directly from the invisible blade, right against the green-haired Servant's chest.
BOOM!
A thunderous blast echoed as a figure cloaked in emerald-green shot backward like a meteor, streaking across Arthur's vision.