Chapter 67: Volleyball Match.
[You set up the net on the beach, preparing to determine victory and defeat.]
[Your team consists of: you and Caenis, with substitute member Medea Lily.]
[Your opponents consist of: Kotomine Kirei and Cu Chulainn, with substitute member EMIYA.]
[The official volleyball match begins.]
June 25, midday.
The golden sand shone brilliantly under the sunlight, and the scorching sea breeze blew in, carrying an unmistakable feeling of summer.
When it came to beach volleyball, Eikou's first reflex was vibrant matches full of youthful energy, sexy girls wearing swimsuits, still brimming with vitality under the blazing sun, glistening sweat paired with victorious smiles, passionately hitting the ball over the net.
However...
Eikou stared thoughtfully at the people opposite him.
Cu Chulainn, EMIYA, Kotomine Kirei.
No matter how he looked at them, they didn't seem like people who belonged in the atmosphere of a vacation. When gathered together, they were even enough to properly fight a Holy Grail War.
"Alright, let this old man serve first then..."
The most mature-looking among them, Kotomine Kirei, spoke in a deep, heavy voice.
"You damn priest, do you actually know how to play volleyball or not."
Cu Chulainn said irritably.
"Heh, no need to worry..."
Kotomine Kirei revealed a smile filled with hidden meaning.
"As someone engaged in religious work, I have never come into contact with ordinary recreational activities like this. However, as a Servant, I have already been infused by the Holy Grail with the necessary theoretical knowledge in this regard."
"What kind of Holy Grail teaches you how to play volleyball anyway?! What kind of Holy Grail Wars do you usually participate in as a priest?!"
EMIYA, sitting in the back as a substitute, shouted loudly.
"Speaking of that, the Holy Grail seems to have told me some similar things as well,"
Cu Chulainn scratched his head as he thought. "If you want to play volleyball well, the first thing you need to do is tell the person who invited you into the volleyball club something like [I've never felt that playing volleyball is fun]!"
"Is that really knowledge about volleyball, or did the Holy Grail just pour Black Mud into your head?! It forced you to binge-watch shounen anime, didn't it?!"
"Alright, saying more is pointless..."
Kotomine Kirei directly ignored the Red Archer behind him and raised the ball high.
With a slow, pleasure-filled tone, he lifted his arm and spoke in a low voice.
"Three, two, one..."
In the very next second, he suddenly clenched his fist. The muscles on his arm instantly bulged, as if a terrifying energy violently erupted from within his body.
"It's time for the trial."
Bajiquan!
Boom!
Power surged like raging waves, all concentrated into that single punch. The terrifying explosive force burst outward, instantly blasting away the upper garment on Kotomine Kirei's body.
Beneath the neat, composed attire of someone engaged in religious work was an excessively swollen mass of muscles, abnormally developed, like a body of steel forged through thousands of hammerings in blazing fire. In that explosive instant, it looked like a ferocious beast that had lain dormant for a long time finally revealing its sharp fangs and claws.
That punch came down on the ball like a heavy hammer.
Eikou only had time to see a flash before his eyes as the volleyball, carrying the full force of the priest, shot straight toward him.
A fierce gust tore through the sunlight and swept over him!
What the hell is this, is he trying to kill me?! Does this priest actually understand what competitive sports are supposed to be?! Eikou screamed internally.
[You did not hesitate to activate your Skill.]
[Grant yourself one instance of invincibility with [My Love Is Eternal A], and grant yourself powerful explosive strength with [Martial Force of the Hegemon-King E].]
[You unleash all your strength, attempting to drive the ball that was struck back in return.]
[Please perform an opposed Strength check at Hard difficulty.]
"Why is it Hard difficulty? Theoretically, my Strength is higher, isn't it?!"
Eikou shouted.
[That may be so, but the intensity of his Spirit Origin is absolutely not as simple as the surface data suggests. He is an Alterego fused from multiple Heroic Spirit concepts, with unfathomably deep strength.]
Damn it, you Alteregos, can you stop fusing things together all the time already? There are way too many mechanics like this, you know? Eikou complained silently in his heart.
A die fell.
Bang!
Eikou clenched his teeth and used his own body to forcibly withstand that blow.
[Check successful.]
[You exhaust all your strength, forcefully strike back the attack, launching a counterattack.]
[At this very moment, that familiar blue figure leapt high into the air, raised his wrist, tensed his muscles, and powerfully slapped his hands to receive the volleyball you had just sent over.]
[That is the Hound of Culann — Cu Chulainn!]
"Ha!"
Lancer Blue, leaping high into the air, had a sharp, blood-tinged glint flash through his red eyes.
His thick, solid arm swung violently, smashing the volleyball straight on, directly returning it toward Eikou.
"Take this, Gae Ball!"
Boom!
The volleyball was violently struck by his massive hand, dazzling dark-red mana gathering around the ball, as if it transformed into a blood-colored long spear, suddenly shooting straight toward them.
Using a Noble Phantasm right at the start, and even shamelessly throwing in a pun too?!
Eikou ground his teeth and was about to continue tanking the attack, but a tall, well-built figure with dark brown skin had already stepped in front of him. The white beast ears atop her head stood straight up, as if she had entered a cold, focused battle state.
That was Caenis.
In the blink of an eye, the Greek warrior who called herself a god used a fierce, sharp stance to firmly receive that ball head-on.
A violent gust swept through, even producing an ear-piercing explosion. Caenis's feet were planted deeply into the ground, sinking into a deep crater, yet her figure remained unmoving and unshaken.
[Caenis activates multiple Skills, forcibly withstanding Cu Chulainn's strike — this blow has already reached the level of a Noble Phantasm.]
[Caenis activates [Monstrous Strength B＋]]
[With astonishingly overwhelming momentum and terrifying strength beyond imagination, she forces back the seemingly irreversible ball and launches a brutal counterattack.]
[But before you can even celebrate, Father Kotomine Kirei on the opposing side catches that ball. He once again unleashes tremendous mana and strikes the volleyball back yet again, this time aiming straight at Caenis.]
Eikou saw Caenis desperately trying to receive the ball, and above the two of them appeared an oppose check Strength.
Contrary to expectations, even though Caenis possessed Strength at A Rank and was further reinforced by Monstrous Strength B＋, despite gritting her teeth and exerting all her power to resist, she still fell into a disadvantaged position.
"Hm…"
Eikou frowned and quickly used True Name Discernment to check the information on both sides.
Immediately afterward, he drew an extremely bad conclusion.
This is bad. Caenis has Alignment Evil and is completely countered by Kotomine Kirei — who has Evil special attack!
"Ugh…!"
Caenis let out a low, painful groan. She endured the pain and roared out a defiant warrior's cry.
The volleyball slammed into the ground, even smashing out a deep crater that made one's eyes widen in shock.
First set, Kotomine Kirei's team takes the temporary lead!