42 Can't think of a title.

Steel met Steel as these legendary figures clashed for the first time.

The resulting shockwave blew away everything in the vicinity so that all was near them was but a wasteland.

Ruler had retreated before they engaged, realizing her parameters would not allow her to intervene in this battle. With her Authority gone, her ability to command the other servants, she could only rely on the knight before her to keep the order.

She would not dissuade this fight as it was now, the Red faction was the one who initiated the attack and she was clear that even if Arthur wished to retreat, it wouldn't be so simple.

The first few clashes were anticlimactic as both were testing the other's ability.

With each bout, their continued to ramp up the fight.

Alex figured out almost immediately the differences between them.

Achilles was fast…..

No, to call him fast would be an insult. This man was probably the fastest hero in the throne. His speed eclipsed the knight's own. But that did not mean he was at the mercy of the Greek hero.

He had a vague recollection of the Greek hero's stats. His strength, speed, and endurance were at the very least equal to his and probably above. Maybe not so much his strength as he felt the force behind each thrust of the spear and could manage without using anything else.

If he recalled correctly, the hero's statistical weakness was his mana, compared to his other stats.

He couldn't help but compare Achilles to Karna whom he faced earlier. In all honesty, he didn't know who would come out the victory if they both fought, and they were on the same team that wanted his head.

But he was quick to push aside such thoughts, the fight needed his full concentration.

He was relying heavily on his instinct as he deflected hundreds of thrusts that came at a speed that even he had trouble keeping up with.

The fight had gone on for merely minutes yet, they lost count the number of times they crossed blades. Alex had long ago activated his reinforcement for that little extra help in dealing with the rider's speed.

It seemed like every time he got accustomed to it, the man accelerated.

Small cuts began to appear on the knight as every so often the Greek hero had managed to slip through his perception as the spear pierced through his guard.

Alex would need to lure him in, exploit an opening and take the hero by surprise. So, he removed his reinforcement, the small opening that showed with his lowered speed and strength would not be missed by the spear-wielder.

Almost immediately, the hero committed to an attack as his spear glowed green and he thrust his spear forward.

Alex shifted his weight to his back foot, he wouldn't be dodging this strike.

As the spear came striking at him, he activated one of his core abilities.

[Mana Burst]

The explosion of magical energy that rolled off him did not go unnoticed. It wasn't like Karna's that erupted in flames nor like Mordred's that was accompanied by red lightning. His was merely the magical energy of his dragon's core being unleashed for a moment.

His blade glowed brighter as it met the spear, the increased strength and speed catching the Greek hero by surprise and knock his spear out of the way, creating a large opening by disrupting his balance.

With a mighty swing downward, the force burst out in all directions as a cloud of dust sprang up.

One figure was seen bursting out of the dust cloud as he created distance. His green hair swaying in the ensuing wind.

His iconic smirk was no where to be seen as he stared down at his chest.

He was wounded.

He who boasted an invulnerable body, was wounded in battle. There was a cut down his chest. It wasn't too deep but also not too shallow. With his insane speed, he managed to avoid anything too serious even in that circumstance.

The dust finally dissipated as the glow of the strongest holy sword still shined brightly.

Alex could feel it humming in his hand. Maybe it was the provocation that this man's ability held. Only being able to be damaged by divinity. The blade that represented the [Glory] of humanity probably resented such a notion even if itself was a divine construct.

"…..The strongest holy blade, huh?" The Rider said absentmindedly as he looked at his wound. "You've earned the right to see my full strength. You should know my identity, right?"

Alex nodded at his statement.

At the declaration, the air shifted, and the Rider took a loose stance.

Alex could feel the tension increase as he also took a defensive stance. It was a moment later he felt something, his instincts were screaming at him and he moved his blade up in front of his chest and to his surprise it collided with something.

It was almost instantaneous.

The earth erupted with the hero's charge as the tip of his spear met with the flat of Alex's blade.

The knight was sent hurling back as sonic booms were accompanied by the sheer power of the thrust. His figure could be seen flying back hundreds of yards before the momentum finally subsided and he regained his footing.

"…..You blocked that." Rider stated as he stared at his opponent.

It was a noble phantasm, but it was a little odd. It was a continuous ability that was contingent on his opponent knowing his weakness. It came from the legends that when he left his chariot, he was the fastest hero of all eras. He could charge through a battlefield in a single breath, his speed nearly instantaneous. The force of his charge was enough to constitute an anti-army attack. Yet he put it all into a single thrust.

Alex stood up, his legs a little wobbly before he steadied himself. There was blood running down his face and several lacerations. He could feel the blood also in his throat as his insides took quite the hit. At the last second, he had activated mana burst to mitigate the damage and was able to block with Excalibur.

With he damage he sustained, he couldn't help but laugh at his current circumstances. He would love to face this foe when he was at full strength. But he also had a job to do right now and the odds were not in his favor if he just continued how he was going.

Since he did not like the game they were playing...….the obvious reaction was to flip the board.

His wounds were not enough to take him out of the fight, it hurt, but he could ignore it for now.

Achilles saw that his opponent was going to continue and smiled for the first time in the fight. At first he was angry that someone dared to use his friend's noble phantasm. It was a blind anger but after he finally got wounded…..he calmed down a bit. He was surprised, but also a bit excited. He didn't think there was anyone in this war that could break through his invincibility.

To finally have a fight he was looking for…..he could push his previous anger aside and focused solely on the battle.

Alex activated his mana burst immediately as he charged, but his actions seemed to be eclipsed by another phenomenon that was happening on this battlefield.

A gigantic golden ripple opened up in the sky, a similar one that he used to summon forth that shield from earlier.

Something came out. Something that required a portal that large to bring into the world.

A gigantic blade shot down at Achilles location.

It's length was that of a sky-scrapper.

It was the mountain felling sword, Ig-Alima. A divine construct named after another Sumerian diety. Usually divine constructs have a unique power or authority associated with them. Not this blade. It's uniqueness only comes from it's sheer size.

The earth quaked and ruptured as the blade penetrated into the ground.

"WHAT THE FU-" Achilles shouted as the blade came down at him. His reaction mimicked that of all the others that were watching the spectacle.

The hero had moved out of the way even with the shock of the situation, but as his attention was understandably diverted, he missed the figure running down the length of the blade above him.

He didn't react in time as another dozen ripples opened up around him and a silver chain shot out.

"Enkidu" Alex called out as the chain wrapped around the dumbstruck hero.

Achilles tried to move but he felt himself weaken, the chains got stronger as they seemed to drain him of his divinity.

His eye's widened as he noticed the holy blade that was making its way towards his body, unable to even move his spear to block.

It took Herakles overcoming his own legend to break those chains and his physical strength was leagues above Achilles.

But before Excalibur could make contact, several arrows flew at him from a distance. He had to shift to deflect them as to not be struck.

In this brief moment, Achilles body began to dissipate as he was teleported away at the expense of a command seal.

The chains retracted back into the gate as their target was no nowhere to be seen.

No more arrows came flying at him as he assumed that the Archer also retreated.

Alex just sighed as he returned the giant blade back to the gate as well. The forest had pretty much been decimated by their battle.

He had revealed the gate, but did not manage to slay his foe. Not that this was his true objective. He was technically supposed to be neutral and not engage with the other servants. But, if one of them tried to fight first, he wasn't obligated to sit there and take it.

They would be more wary the next time they fought. The Greek hero would come at him with everything he had. He was a rider and he had yet to even use his chariot not to mention his shield, it just went to show how strong the hero of the trojan war is.

***

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?" Rider of Black started shouting as the faction returned to their stronghold.

"I am also at a loss at what just occurred." Darnic stated. "Does anyone have input on the fight we just witnessed?"

They all looked around the room, pretty much sharing the same look of disbelief at what happened.

King Arthur just summoned a blade the size of a building and flung it at Rider of Red.

Nothing about that made sense. There was absolutely nothing in his legend that indicated a building sized blade being able to be summoned.

"The blade was of divine origins." Archer stated.

"That just makes it even more absurd." Rider's master replied.

"That isn't all…..the chain he summoned after, to bind Rider, I believe I know what it was." Archer said again.

"Please enlighten us then Archer." Lancer said. He too was a bit perturbed by what happened. The thought that someone could throw such a monstrosity at his castle did not leave him in the best of moods.

"I felt a hint of fear when I looked upon the chain even at a distance and it was able to bind Rider with such ease. I can think of only one chain in existence that has such an effect. The chain that was used to bind the Bull of Heaven in epic of Gilgamesh, Enkidu." Archer replied. "It is a weapon used to bind gods and render them mortal."

"That's impossible, how could he possibly come in contact with that when they were separated by thousands of years!?" Saber's master yelled out.

"That isn't all, the shield he used previously was the Rho Aias that was used by Aias the Great in the Trojan war."

"We are fortunate that he is a neutral party and even caused the Red faction a loss. It seems we also have the identity of Rider of Red, isn't that right Archer?" Lancer said as he eyed his comrade.

Archer smiled. "Indeed, it seems fate is playing a cruel joke to have me fight my student in this war." The others look at him in mild shock. "Rider is non other than Achilles."

"We can only make new plans with the information we have learned." Darnic stated. "For now though, Caster would you please accompany me to switch the allegiance of Berserker of Red?"

Caster nodded as the two walked out of the room.