Chapter 71: White Heat.
"Can I trust you, Caenis?"
Eikou asks with a smile.
"..."
Caenis's blue eyes stare straight at him, undisguised surprise filling her gaze.
After all this time, she finally truly looks straight at and carefully observes the teammate beside her, as if only now meeting him properly for the very first time.
"…W-what wrong?"
Being stared at so intently by her, Eikou feels a little embarrassed.
"It's nothing,"
Caenis grins, revealing a set of bright white teeth.
"Then I'll leave defense to you. I really do prefer attacking, after all. You'd better block for me properly! I hope your actual performance will be as reliable as what you said!"
"Of course it will,"
He reveals a sharp gaze and speaks in a very cool manner.
[...]
[The enemy side is Kotomine Kirei, but on your side you have yourself and Caenis; in theory, the strength can be balanced.]
[Before the match begins, Servant EMIYA uses Reinforcement magical energy to increase the durability of the volleyball, preventing it from being destroyed midway by your attacks.]
[Round Three officially begins.]
[Caenis serves first.]
[Right from the opening, she takes out her true strength. Under the enhancement effects of your Skills combined with her own Skills, she immediately displays an explosive power that leaves one astonished.]
[The volleyball is smashed out like a comet, so fast that it gives the sensation of time going out of sync, vision becoming distorted, fast enough to emit a piercing shriek.]
[As for Servant EMIYA, as the defender on the enemy side, when facing this ferocious shot, he does not hesitate at all and immediately jumps away to another position.]
[However, a black figure charges toward the volleyball at a speed that makes people gape in shock, blocking it with momentum as steady as a mountain.]
[That is Kotomine Kirei.]
"..."
Air pressure surges, sand and dust scatter.
Kotomine Kirei's eyes suddenly turn ferocious. As he leaps up to meet the ball, the black Magic Circuits on his upper body operate violently, magical energy being used to focus on enhancing his physical body.
Boom!
He hurriedly twists his wrist and swings his arm, throwing out a fierce punch. In an instant, air pressure explodes, and the volleyball roars straight toward Caenis like a dangerous artillery shell.
At that very moment, Eikou steps forward, plants his feet firmly, and forcibly blocks the impact.
[You attempt to block Kotomine Kirei's attack. Please perform an Endurance Check at Hard difficulty.]
A die falls.
[Check successful, you have blocked this attack!]
[However, when facing this powerful Alterego, you still take a considerable amount of damage. The difficulty of the next Check will increase to Very Hard!]
"Haaaaa..."
Eikou tenses his muscles, grits his teeth, and pours all his strength into pushing the volleyball back.
"Caenis!"
At the instant the ball is knocked up into the air by him, he does not hesitate at all and calls out his teammate's name.
And Caenis's figure flashes like a bolt of lightning—in the blink of an eye, she rushes in from behind him. Her firm, seductive thighs suddenly exert force as she leaps high into the air, swings her arm, and aims straight at the opening in the enemy's formation.
Immediately after comes a merciless smash!
Smack!
Too fast to clearly see, and so powerful as to be brutally violent, the full-power strike of god Caenis lands directly on the opponent's completely undefended opening.
The volleyball crashes heavily into the sand.
[You score a point!]
[Current score, 5:6]
[With just one more point, your team will tie with Kotomine Kirei.]
[But this is acceptable to Kotomine Kirei, because he is gradually adapting to the defensive gaps created by Servant EMIYA, while also searching for openings in your team, like a wolf stalking its prey…]
[Your team's setup looks tight on the surface, but in reality, you are already close to being unable to withstand such high-intensity consumption.]
[Your team still has one substitute member, Medea Lily, but she is not good at such intense physical sports, so in the end, you still have to rely on yourself.]
[...]
[After that, you block another ball from Kotomine Kirei. By relying on finishing quickly, you barely manage to secure another point.]
[It is now 6:6]
[The match has finally entered the critical turning point.]
[...]
[This will be the most decisive ball.]
[Seeing that the match has entered match point, Kotomine Kirei also flips over more of his trump cards.]
[He activates [Baptism Sacrament A]. His body continues to receive Protection and Healing from the Lord, recovering to peak condition.]
"What?!"
Eikou hasn't even had time to take a few more breaths before he is so shocked that his mouth nearly falls open.
There's more?!
Just how many cards does this bastard Priest still have hidden? Just how many more "surprises" are there that he still doesn't know about?!
The most terrifying thing is when you think the opponent has already gone all out, but in reality, he has always left himself a way out.
[The next Round will be served by Kotomine Kirei.]
[Kotomine Kirei's Magic Circuits begin operating at high speed. The amount of magical energy released far exceeds that of ordinary people, and the dense black mud-like form of magical energy makes you feel unprecedented pressure.]
"Could it be that he intends to… use a Noble Phantasm to decide the outcome?"
[For you, this will be the final decisive strike of this volleyball match!]