Chapter 103

"Caster! You broke the rules!"

Archer's voice was filled with gritted teeth.

After a round of verbal sparring, Archer managed to confirm from Caster that Assassin was indeed summoned by her.

Following more exchanges, Caster boasted that in this "sanctuary," not to mention Berserker or Saber, even a minor Archer couldn't scratch her.

Mocked in this way, Archer smiled and declared he would try one move. In an instant, he cut her in half before she could raise her hand.

Seeing Archer's slightly bored expression, Shinji reluctantly reminded him, "Hey, look up, Archer."

"Hmm?" Archer frowned and looked up, only to see a massive black moth. The next moment, the giant moth spoke!

Good grief! It's a talking moth!

"…What a pity, Archer, I didn't expect this was your limit."

As soon as Caster finished speaking, dozens of light bullets rapidly formed in front of her and bombarded the ground with astonishing speed!

Knowing that even one of these magical bullets carried the combined power of three current Shirou Emiya, Shinji, without thinking, ran towards a temporarily safe direction!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Archer leaped to dodge the incoming light bullets, but Caster didn't stop her attack, continuing to release the light bullets without pause!

At this point, Archer could only defend, using his twin blades to block the unavoidable light bullets one by one.

...

Glancing at the temporarily inactive giant moth (Caster) in the sky and then at the sword Archer had just thrown him, Shinji was puzzled.

What's the meaning of this? I don't intend to fight Servants!

At least, if I were to fight a Servant, it would be in a specific place and only against females!

"With your skills, even if you can't fight, you should be able to dodge, right? If you can't, use that to block."

Holding Kanshou and Bakuya, Archer didn't look back, his eyes fixed on the giant moth in the sky and the glowing points in front of it.

"Is it spatial manipulation or a Reality Marble? Well, whatever it is, it seems you can perform something akin to magic within this temple, Caster!"

"Is that so?" Caster's lips curved upwards, her tone dripping with scorn. "I look down on you, Archer. I thought you might be of some use and wanted to test you, but it turns out you're weaker than that dog (Assassin)."

"Oh my, such words are unpleasant to hear. If there's another chance, I'll be sharper next time."

"There won't be another chance. Fools don't get second chances. Disappear now, Archer!"

As she spoke, the light points in front of Caster gathered again and shot down at a speed that was impossible to match!

...

Hiding in a corner by the wall, Shinji watched Archer, whose surrounding space was sealed, and Caster, who was mocking from mid-air. He couldn't help but marvel.

It's undeniable, within this temple that surpasses a workshop, Caster is indeed strong. This doesn't even account for the countless traps she hasn't used yet.

However, Caster's arrogance was excessive. Shinji felt that if Caster had been less arrogant and more cautious, using all her traps from the start, she might have caught Archer, who wasn't going all out, off guard.

Shinji sighed inwardly. What a pity. Caster's overconfidence is not something that can be changed in a day.

Caster hadn't noticed that Archer's twin blades had been crossed and thrown before falling into the trap. She also hadn't noticed that the sword in Shinji's hand—a projected "Broken Phantasm"—had disappeared.

"Idiot! I told you to dodge! Caster!!"

With Archer's roar, the spatial confinement around him shattered like glass!

"How... How is this possible..."

Caster was stunned, but quickly felt a sense of crisis from her left, right, and behind!

Simultaneously, Archer found the best shooting point. Without hesitation, he summoned the fake Spiral Sword and his longbow, nocking an arrow and starting to chant!

"My body is made of swords."

At the same time, knowing that a frontal attack would be most fatal, Caster ignored the approaching three swords from behind and both sides, quickly dodging them while chanting and forming a protective barrier in front of herself!

"Fake Spiral Sword!"

...

Looking at Caster, who was lying on the ground with blood pooling beneath her, her cloak full of holes and her breath erratic, Shinji confirmed to himself that her brain was indeed not functioning properly.

Archer had held back, not pulling the bow to full draw and delaying the shot by a fraction of a second, not aiming directly at Caster but the empty space beside her.

If Caster had been quicker and calmer, that tiny bit of time would have been enough for her to escape after forming the protective barrier.

Of course, in the sequence of four attacks, Caster missed one trap.

The swords from both sides, Kanshou and Bakuya, might have been harmful, but the sword Shinji threw earlier from behind had no lethal power!

Mistakenly believing that the sword from behind was also lethal, Caster chose to face the arrow head-on rather than retreat.

Perhaps, Caster had panicked.

"Cough... Ha... Ha..."

Caster, her body barely regenerated, staggered to her feet, her breath still uneven.

"Archer, why didn't you kill me?" Caster asked shakily.

Since Caster landed, Archer's gaze had been fixed on Shinji. Now, he turned to Caster. "No, I said I'd try one move. The first attack missed you, so the subsequent ones were just bonus. What? Do you wish I had aimed to kill?"

Caster froze, staring blankly at Archer. "So, you didn't intend to kill me?"

"It was just an involuntary response to provocation."

Archer folded his arms, his tone casual. "My goal was merely to help my Master repay that man's favor. I had no intention of fighting other Servants. I avoid unnecessary battles and only draw my sword when victory is assured or a vow demands it. I dislike meaningless killing."

Hearing this, Caster suddenly laughed. "Dislike meaningless killing, huh. Hehehe... Archer, I like you a lot. Both your strength and beliefs are rare. It's a pity you are my enemy."