Genuine and Fake

"Senpai! Director! Stay behind me! Don't ever leave my side!"

"It's an enemy attack! Director, protect me!"

"What are you saying! Let the Servant protect you!"

Unceasingly, arrow-like missiles rain down. Just in time, Mash enters combat stance and shields Olga Marie and Ritsuka with her massive shield, blocking the direct hit.

"Hmph, good reaction. It sent shivers down my spine... Doctor!"

"I know! I'm searching for the Servant's response! It seems that Archer is targeting us!"

An archer, huh? Just when I was contemplating that, they show up as if on cue.

The number and force of arrows increase gradually. The relentless storm-like waves crash against the shield.

"Ugh, ah...!"

Even as a demi-Servant, her slender arms manage to withstand it. Her skill as a protector is undoubtedly top-notch.

"King of Heroes...! I'll protect my Master and the Director... Please, counter-attack...!"

She sends words sporadically towards us. There's no need to worry about my Master. Her core won't be easily broken.

"Well done. I'll leave the two over there to you."

"Great job, Mash! You too, Gil!"

"Don't lean out so dangerously! Honestly!"

However, she can't take too much time. While the shield is as sturdy as a fortress, her flesh and blood are not. If she keep allowing this recklessness, she will be overwhelmed.

I draw my sword from the ripple. Calculating the point for a counter-snipe based on the direction, force, and frequency of the arrows, I deflect them.

"Trying to escape my sight is ridiculous, you fool!"

From my sword, I release a bundle of light. A beam containing numerous amounts of heat, evaporating the arrows while heading straight into the distance.

Finally, it hits. The beam impacts a corner of a ruined building hundreds of meters away, creating a flashy explosion and causing the building to collapse.

"We did it!?"

"Don't let your guard down. They might not die just from destroying a high ground."

"I can see it! It's the Servant's response! ...Wait, what!? You already figured out their location!?"

"I just said I won't tolerate negligence! Are you an idiot!?"

"Ho, there are quite unusual faces here."

A voice resounds. At the same time, a man with an aura like black fog, an unmistakably strange atmosphere, stands opposite us.

"That is...!?"

"Shadow Servant! Probably the true Servant summoned here in Fuyuki!"

Tattered red cloak, tanned skin, white hair.

At first glance, he may look shabby to be called a hero, but the murderous intent he exudes and the overflowing power are unmistakable.

"To think I'd meet you like this, King of Heroes, Gilgamesh. Since when did you start babysitting little girls?"

"Before I knew it. You're quite a pathetic appearance, Shadow Servant or whatever."

"...It seems I'm not in your eyes. As always, you won't even call me a fake."

...It seems that this vessel and the Shadow Servant have some kind of history. He seems to know about me.

I recall the memories of this vessel.

—That's Faker. Someone who projects the seen weapon as it is and wields it, that's how he's perceived.

I see. It's understandable this vessel doesn't like him. This vessel wouldn't harbor favorable feelings for someone who arrogantly copies and uses the treasures of the highest order.

"A tramp-like attire, an attack resembling a random thug... No one among my acquaintances exposes themselves to such shame, you fool."

"You seem quite tense, King of Heroes. Where did you leave your usual negligence and complacency?"

"Well, let's see. I also have my moods. I don't have any connections with a counterfeit like you no matter how I behave at that time."

"That's right. In that case, I'll do my job then!"

In an instant, Archer leaps high into the air and readies his bow. It seems he's preparing for another rain of arrows.

"Keeping a distance is clever... As an archer, you should stay composed, shouldn't you? That's why you're a counterfeit!"

"Unfortunately, I have no intention of keeping up with your pride!"

In an instant, a vast number of arrows are swung down, relentlessly pounding Ritsuka and the others.

Each arrow is a deadly blow, delivering a forceful impact to Mash as she tries to intercept them.

"Guuuh...!"

The sound of Mash's agony echoes. Though she protects them well, it won't be long before she reaches her limit.

This won't do. If i keep on the defensive, we'll be the first ones to make a sound.

But how should i attack...? A single decisive blow to silence him, it's not like that doesn't exist, but revealing my trump card now might work against me in the long battle ahead.

"Gil!"

While I contemplate, Ritsuka, hiding behind the shield, raises her voice.

"Hey, Fujimaru! Be careful! What are you thinking!?"

"Gil! They are the same Archer, right!?"

"Can you afford to be late!?"

Her urging echoes in my ears.

"An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth! Fight back with a bow!"

...It reminds me of the tactics I was just thinking about.

As an Archer, I should fight by wielding a bow and arrows.

"Hah, so you preach the laws set by Hammurabi to me, a mere young girl!"

"It's fine! You won't lose! You are the King of Heroes, right!?"

"I believe in you! Because both Mash and Gil are my Servants!"

"Senpai..."

Believing, they believe in me, huh?

We haven't been together for long, and I haven't even established my own tactics yet, yet they believe.

It's dazzling, I briefly thought.

How brilliant it is to believe in someone even when facing a dire situation. To entrust your life to your partner without fear.

Even if it leads to the fate of death, she would accept it with a smile. That's what it means to trust.

I see, this is fitting for my new life.

"...I won't retract that statement, understand?"

I genuinely want to respond to those expectations.

Yes, as a Servant, I want to accomplish something. To fulfill my wish to achieve something.

I won't let this stop the journey of a girl who will one day save the world, even in a place like this.

That is the meaning I etched into my nameless soul!

Reaching for the golden ripples, with determination, I grasp the treasure.

"What's that...?"

It takes the form of something like a bow shining in gold.

The body is shaped like that of a bow, but there's no string. No arrows to be seen.

Instead, several gems float and revolve around the bow's body, giving it a strange appearance.

"It's nothing but a bow, fool."

Aiming it straight at Archer with my left hand, the floating gems burst, scattering fragments all around.

"This is a bow of light that humankind will create in the distant future. It has no strings, no arrows, but it pierces through enemies like no other, the supreme masterpiece."

...

"A bow of light...!? I can't believe you had such an extraordinary artifact like that! That's the King for you!"

"Wow... It's beautiful..."

(This crystallization, a bow of light... Could it be—!)

"Now, let your body know the difference between the genuine and the fake. Don't be arrogant, don't let your guard down. This shot will pierce your spiritual core!"

"Kuuh...!"

Realizing the absolute danger, Archer's figure dissipates into mist. However, Gilgamesh not generous enough to let Faker, the insolent one who aimed his blade at him, escape.

"No matter where you disappear, I won't let you go! If you can't surpass the speed of light in this shot, evading is meaningless!"

A tremendous amount of energy is filled into the bow of light until it reaches its critical limit. At the same time, the gems reflect a blinding light so intense it blinds the surrounding area like morning light.

"Senpai! Close your eyes!"

"Kuuu...!"

"Now, take this! The true magnificence of the authentic!"

The arrow of light, gathered to the brink of criticality, is released. The space where Archer's figure is determined by Gilgamesh's eyes is filled with a massive beam of energy soaring through the sky.

It swallows, scatters, and freely secures the trajectory by reflecting off gems, an ultimate shot.

Its majesty leaves no room for escape.

(To think I'd end up encountering the King of Heroes, who doesn't show a trace of arrogance. I'm quite unlucky—)

In a moment of self-derision, Archer's presence disappears into the light.