Chapter 41 Sparring Match: Shirou Emiya vs. Richard I the Lionheart II
"What just... happened!?"
Ayaka's ordinary human vision couldn't track a thing. Even amidst the blur, that uniquely god-speed clash was a total blackout of information. To be honest, Ayaka didn't even know who to root for. While her heart hoped Saber would win, seeing the red-haired boy—Shirou—have a piece of his shirt sliced off made her heart tighten instinctively.
She didn't want anyone to get hurt. Ayaka held a very simple realization that hadn't yet elevated to "resolve." She looked toward the Saber beside her as if seeking help.
"Saber accelerated."
Artoria replied calmly, though her eyes virtually never left Shirou. "...Or rather, he might have been accelerating all along, but simply used full speed in that instant, or something to that effect."
Artoria's dynamic vision caught up with the golden swordsman. The speed of the golden knight, forced into using a secret technique by that winning move, was—double.
How was that possible?
It almost rivaled the god-speed Artoria could produce by slightly utilizing Mana Burst. This feat even doubled his own initial speed; he could likely defeat his former self with ease. Both Shirou and Artoria found this fact hard to believe.
"Ayaka, you are Saber's Master, correct?" Artoria frowned slightly.
"Yes, and no?"
"That London guy mentioned it. I'm asking you seriously. Can you see Saber's parameters?"
"I'm sorry, we don't have a formal contract, I'm sorry!"
Ayaka apologized repeatedly, seemingly due to some sense of guilt. Naturally, she was of no help at all.
"......Is it some kind of Personal Skill?" Artoria murmured to herself.
Movement speed doesn't inherently buff attack power. Even with Richard at double speed, it was nothing for Shirou to block. Artoria's only concern was—what lay at the end of that god-speed? For example: at the termination point of a long crusade's march.
That speed, silently and inconspicuously, like treading over gravel... surpassed the realm of King Arthur.
.
.
.
"To be honest, that last move was truly dangerous."
Richard had been smiling throughout the fight until now, but only when saying this did his expression become serious and soft. "To exchange blows with a swordsman like you is wonderful. Fighting you is truly deepening my understanding of the sword—though I might not necessarily be able to take that knowledge back to the 'Throne'."
"Strictly speaking, I'm not a swordsman. I'm a Magus."
Shirou responded teasingly, delivering a vertical slash. As if striking a phantom, the space where he should have cut was empty.
From behind Shirou came Richard's stifled laughter. "If this isn't a swordsman, then most of the swordsmen I encountered in life have nothing left to do...!"
Without looking, Shirou tilted his blade back, blocking the nameless longsword exactly in its path.
Within the gap created by their separation, Richard lunged again with a more intense strike. However, the speed of the blade's tip alone remained constant. Shirou kept pace within a tenth of a second of observation, sweeping the cold gleam out of the danger zone with a near-simultaneous upward parry, after which both retreated.
"Haha, what on earth is your swordsmanship and martial arts? You can even block that!"
'About that... it's probably because I was ruthlessly trained for nearly ten years by King Arthur herself.'
Ten centimeters directly in front of him, the golden knight came to a halt, standing with an incredible stillness. Shirou noticed that his movements, or rather his overall balance, began to shift into an inexplicable, subtle change.
Then, his lips moved, uttering a sentence that was stirring and incredibly heavy, yet impossibly light.
"Now... let the war begin."
The golden knight turned into a flash of light. Richard's speed became faster and faster. Making no attempt to hide the change occurring within him, his movement speed during the intervals of every strike became increasingly rapid.
Saber linked-attacked in a sprint, raising the tempo as if it were a joke. Shirou could only block, block, block, block, block!
By the time he noticed—Richard's form was beyond even Shirou's dynamic vision.
'Faster than Artoria's Mana Burst!?'
His hair stood on end. A sense of crisis, like cold water poured down his spine, expanded. For the first time in over ten hours, Shirou felt the pressure inherent in the word "Servant." Richard had stepped into the highest level of the "Invisible" realm.
Mind's Eye maintained a clattering roar, driving his weapons to take the correct actions. That was a record Richard couldn't stop and hadn't stopped during the early stages of the engagement. Thanks to this... Shirou dragged his heart into the waters of a frozen winter lake, regaining his calm.
'Don't show an opening. Don't be intimidated by him.'
If the attack were truly invisible, it would be the worst possible opponent for Shirou Emiya to handle. But since he could capture it with Mind's Eye alone, there was a discrepancy with Shirou's first reaction.
'Is this truly an "Invisible Attack"?'
Refining his focus, Shirou concentrated his consciousness on Richard, who was darting around the alley like a blur, attacking from all directions. More accurately, he focused on the blade.
His combat intuition sensed a meteor about to pierce him. Without a thought, his weapon rose to strike the meteor. An instant before Kanshou and the meteor collided, Shirou's pupils caught the edge of the blade.
'......I can see the tip of the sword.'
Shiro understood. Richard was the same type as Rider (Medusa). In a battle of Noble Phantasms, Rider's trump cards were her Mystic Eyes and Pegasus. But in a melee, Rider's trump card was super-acceleration by betting her physical functions.
A maximum average speed, plus a secondary acceleration applied to her legs by the skill Monstrous Strength. That serpentine, monstrous speed was something even Artoria struggled to keep up with.
However, even so, Rider could not defeat Artoria. Because all that increased was movement speed and attack tempo. Neither the melee techniques nor the killing speed of a single strike had ever changed.
"Hah..." Shirou let out a long breath.
"What's wrong?"
Richard's cheerful voice rained down simultaneously from the front, back, and side. This was likely because before the sentence was finished, the golden flash had already drawn a curve. Richard's march had no time limit and required no rest. By sight alone, it was currently impossible to see Richard's true body; perhaps all the silhouettes captured were merely visual illusions.
"If I couldn't see your sword at all, I was thinking about whether I should just surrender."
Shirou said half-jokingly, "Luckily, you're a half-measure just like me."
Richard didn't respond, merely allowing the swaying heat to permeate the entire space. His heat contained no anger, only the joy of expecting an equal adversary to do something.
To respond to that joy, Shirou neutralized the blade edges one after another with a contrasting coolness. The two weapons let out sharp metallic rings.
This Heroic Spirit—his speed was the war he had experienced itself.
No problem.
It wasn't easy to understand, but it wasn't hard either. God-speed was just a symbol representing the military march of the wars he caused. That being the case, the solution was clear.
Well, all in all...
If I can win against him in the duels of those past wars from his lifetime, it'll be fine!
CLASS: Saber
MASTER (?): Ayaka Sajyou
TRUE NAME: Richard I, "The Lionheart"
GENDER: Male
HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 178cm / 66kg
ALIGNMENT: Lawful Neutral
Strength: B
Endurance: B
Agility: EX
Mana: B
Luck: B
Noble Phantasm: A
CLASS SKILLS: * Magic Resistance: B
Riding: A
PERSONAL SKILLS: * Lionheart: A A skill embodying the "Heart of a Lion." An ability transformed from the bravery that fears nothing. This skill evokes fear and caution in the hearts of enemies while boosting the morale of allies.
Talent in All Fields (Jizu Baiban): A Derived from anecdotes of Richard showing talent in various fields such as martial arts, art, and romance. Things he liked in life are B-rank or higher; newly learned things can be mastered faster than usual. God-Speed: A A skill etched into his Saint Graph due to his marching speed and lightning-fast performance on the battlefield. The longer the battle continues, the higher his Agility parameter rises.
NOBLE PHANTASMS: * Excalibur: The Ever-Distant Sword of Victory Rank: D~A+ | Type: Anti-Army | Range: 1~99 | Max Targets: 1~1000
The "Mystery" Richard obtained in life. It is the result of his lifestyle fueled by his longing for the King Arthur legends and his belief in being an inheritor of that legend. That power is the result of Noble Phantasm-ization based on the legend that Richard would name any weapon he obtained "Excalibur." Any weapon he gets his hands on can be used as a Holy Sword. Although the power varies depending on the weapon, it will never reach the level of the true "Holy Sword of the Planet." This remains true even if the weapon in his hand is the genuine Holy Sword.
Rounds of Lionheart: Sound the Lion to the Circular Cross Rank: A | Type: Anti-Army | Range: - | Max Targets: -
A Noble Phantasm that allows Richard to manifest people he had ties with in life—such as attendants, followers, or mentors—using his own Saint Graph as a catalyst. The number that can be summoned varies depending on the Master's mana capacity and the quality of the land where he is summoned. Although even individuals recorded on the Throne with Heroic Spirit status can be summoned, the manifested Heroic Spirits will be weaker than if they were summoned normally. They can lend Richard their aid, but because maintaining their manifestation requires a massive amount of mana, it is practically impossible for them to act like a normal Heroic Spirit.
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