Arrows tore through the air, streaking one after another through the corridors of the Sky Garden.
Shirou dodged the arrows loosed by the "Red" Archer while closing the distance between them.
After Karna was defeated, Atalanta immediately stopped fleeing, turned around, and launched a fierce assault on Shirou.
This was already the third time he had crossed blades with the "Red" Archer in this Great Holy Grail War. Shirou had fought her even more often than the "Red" Lancer.
Even the dullest person could pick up a few tricks after that many encounters, and for a genius of archery like Shirou, he could already clearly see through the principles behind her bowmanship.
The "Red" Archer's arrows no longer posed any threat to Shirou.
She might have been a born hunter, a huntress of godlike speed.
But when it came purely to the skill of wielding a bow, there was an obvious gap between her and exceptional warriors like Shirou, Chiron, and Karna.
Atalanta excelled as a support fighter in team battles. In a one-on-one fight, she could not bring out the full extent of her strengths.
"That's enough...!"
A longsword Shirou fired detonated in front of Atalanta, and the force of "Broken Phantasm" blew her away.
"Gah, hah...!"
The girl landed in a sorry state.
Although she had managed to avoid most of the damage at the last moment, Atalanta still took a tremendous impact.
It was incredibly frustrating, but the "Black" Saber really was strong. He was a monster she could never handle on her own.
Atalanta was a girl raised in the forest, so she understood very well the need to adapt.
Had this been when she was alive, she never would have tried to fight an impossible enemy like the "Black" Saber.
If this were a contest of archery, the outcome had already been decided in their previous match. It had been her complete and utter defeat.
But this was the Great Holy Grail War. Since they had been assigned to different factions, they had no choice but to fight until the very end.
If he and I hadn't been assigned to opposing factions, then...
Boring. Right now, I only need to focus on how to kill the man in front of me.
Atalanta shook her head, clearing away the stray thoughts.
Since she had manifested as the "Red" Archer, she had to defeat him no matter what...!
"Hold on a second. Sorry, but could we call a temporary truce first?"
"...Huh?"
Atalanta stared blankly and lowered the heavenly bow she had already nocked.
Shirou scratched the back of his neck with a rather apologetic expression.
"I just made a promise to Karna. I'm going to help him rescue the Masters being controlled by Assassin and the others."
"What...?"
Atalanta frowned suspiciously.
Shirou said, "The Masters sent by the Mage's Association are technically involved in the Holy Grail War too, but in reality, they've already lost. There's no point in keeping them here any longer. The Queen of this garden has her hands full right now, so I think this is the perfect chance to rescue them. Archer, can you lead me there?"
Atalanta was silent for a moment before she spoke. "What's in it for me?"
"Your nominal Master is among them, isn't he?"
"..."
Atalanta was not a demon, of course.
Although she had no real connection with him, he was still the Magus who had gone out of his way to prepare a Catalyst and Summon her.
Atalanta did feel reluctant to simply stand by and watch him remain under Assassin's control.
If possible, she hoped that man could at least survive.
But there was one feeling in the girl's heart that strongly rejected the idea.
"No. Who knows what kind of scheme you're really plotting?"
"What, are you still mad?"
"...!"
Atalanta's beautiful cheeks flushed faintly from embarrassment and anger.
At the end of her second match with Shirou, she had once extended an olive branch to him.
At the time, Shirou had told her, "Your Master has probably already been taken over by Assassin." After thinking it over carefully, Atalanta had asked him,
"'Black' Saber, you've already parted ways with the 'Black' faction, haven't you?"
"In that case, would you like to work with me?"
The result was that he refused her without hesitation.
It was the first time she had ever been rejected by a man, so she had been inexplicably shaken by it.
Her later decision to formally help Amakusa Shirou had, to some extent, been driven by spite.
"What's done is done! Who cares about that anymore? Don't get so full of yourself, kid!"
Shirou looked speechless. She clearly cared a lot.
"Archer, don't forget. You and I still have a wager between us. I won last time, so you have to listen to me, right?"
"Hah... Haaaaaaaah?"
Atalanta was struck speechless.
"When you beat me in archery, didn't I already pay the wager by telling you about the 'Black' faction's information?"
"Mm-hmm, that's true. But didn't I also tell you about your Master's situation afterward? So on that front, we're even. Archer, I still haven't claimed my 'prize' for winning our match."
"..."
The girl was stunned by Shirou's shameless attitude.
This kid... He had such a cute, honest-looking face, so how could he say something so brazen?
Atalanta gnashed her teeth in anger, her fluffy tail whipping back and forth against the floor.
Looking at the bristling cat-eared girl before him, Shirou thought for a moment and asked,
"Archer, if I beat you one more time, will you help me?"
Now that the "Red" Lancer had been defeated, the battle situation had undergone a shocking reversal.
The "Black" Alliance, which had originally been at a disadvantage, now held the absolute upper hand.
Ruler and the "Red" Saber were advancing toward the Audience Hall where Semiramis was located.
Even if Shirou did not go to help them, staying here to compete with Atalanta would still count as tying down one of the enemy's main combatants.
"..."
Hearing Shirou's words, Atalanta narrowed her eyes, then nodded hesitantly.
"That's true, but... I get to choose the event. And if you lose, you're not allowed to resist. You'll let me kill you quietly!"
"Fine. What do you want to compete in this time? Another archery match?"
Shirou accepted Atalanta's condition without hesitation.
His complete lack of doubt was arrogant, but not unpleasant.
It was the confidence of someone who had trained his specialty to its absolute limit. Though Atalanta found it irritating, she felt genuine admiration deep down.
"The contest will be a 'race,'" Atalanta said with a frown.
"A race?" Shirou froze.
Atalanta nodded, her gaze turning to the far end of the corridor.
"Ahead of us is the Infinite Corridor, where Assassin has warped space with Magecraft. If we start running from here, after roughly three kilometers, we'll return to the exact spot where we're standing now."
I see, Shirou thought. She even calculated the distance. Looks like she spends a lot of time wandering around the Sky Garden.
"What are you hesitating for?"
The cat-eared girl flashed a provocative smile. "Could it be that even the Holy Sword User of Britannia is scared?"
Shirou shook his head. "No, I'm just a little surprised... All right. We'll do it your way. Let's have a 'race.' If you win, I'll willingly become your prey and let you do as you please. If I win..."
"I swear in the name of 'Artemis, the Goddess.'"
Atalanta glanced at Shirou and spoke with a solemn expression.
"If you beat me in this 'race,' I'll do as you say."
"Hm?"
Shirou blinked. What did "do as you say" mean?
That vague phrasing filled him with a strong sense of unease.
It was not that he thought Atalanta would go back on her word. It just felt very... bad.
"Hey, Archer, what exactly do you mean by..."
"The race has already started, kid!"
Atalanta looked back with a beautiful, sly, mocking smile, then shot forward like an arrow loosed from the bow.
"Ah!?"
Shirou scrambled to chase after her.
…
…
To be honest, running through an empty corridor was not Atalanta's strong suit.
As a daughter of the forest, what she truly excelled at was racing through obstacle courses with complex surroundings.
Even so, the difference between her and Shirou's basic running speed was far too great.
Barely ten seconds passed before the "Red" Archer disappeared from Shirou's sight.
"Haa... haa... haa..."
Shirou gasped for breath as he sprinted through the endlessly repeating corridor.
The gap was much bigger than he had imagined.
If he had known this would happen, he would have spent the time he usually used for high jump practice at school training for long-distance running instead!
In the accounts of Greek mythology, Atalanta was a huntress with unmatched speed.
Her father was a king of Arcadia, but Atalanta was not raised as a princess.
She had been abandoned in the mountains shortly after she was born.
The king, who wanted a son, had no need for a daughter, so he discarded the infant Atalanta deep in the mountains.
The goddess Artemis took pity on her and had a mother bear raise her.
Under the bear's protection, the girl grew up in the mountains and forests, until she was later taken in by hunters.
Although she eventually lived like an ordinary person, the scar left on her heart by being abandoned never healed.
Even after Atalanta grew up to become an outstanding archer, she still chose to remain alone.
Of course she had friends, companions who had sailed with her on the Argo and gone through many adventures together.
But she had never met anyone she would be willing to love even at the cost of her life, nor did she intend to look for such a person.
During the Calydon Hunt, after strife broke out because of her, she became even more withdrawn.
However, perhaps because her adventures had made her famous, Atalanta's beauty became widely known as well, and the news even reached her father's ears.
Her father reunited with Atalanta and told the delighted girl, "It doesn't matter who it is. Go marry someone and bear children."
To her father, reuniting with Atalanta was worth celebrating, but only because she had grown into a beauty who could be used as a marriage bargaining chip.
...In the end, from beginning to end, her father had never loved this daughter.
After that, Atalanta found it even harder to trust humans.
So when suitors came flooding in, the girl solemnly swore to the Moon Goddess she worshiped.
"My husband will be the man who can defeat me in the trial of the 'race.'"
Of course, Atalanta had no intention of marrying anyone.
She was convinced that no man capable of beating her in speed existed, and that was why she dared to make such an oath.
Men challenged her one after another, only to meet foolish, violent deaths in the end.
In life, Atalanta had protected her purity with her unrivaled speed.
Now, as a Servant, facing a trial she had not encountered in so long, her heart surged with excitement.
The girl felt she was in perfect form, as though she had become a gust of wind racing through her favorite, most familiar forest.
Pay the price for your arrogance, boy...
There was no one in the past, present, or future who could ever beat her in a "race."
"Huh?"
A low cry of astonishment came from Atalanta's mouth.
Just as she was immersed in the joy of her overwhelming lead, a violent gust of wind swept in from the side.
Shirou sprinted with unbelievable speed and overtook her directly from beside her.
How is that possible...!?
Atalanta's eyes widened in disbelief.
Now she could no longer see the path ahead. All she could see was the red-haired boy's back.
Impossible.
Atalanta had already fought Shirou three times, and she knew very well that he did not possess that kind of footspeed.
Even if he surpassed her in every other area, when it came to footspeed alone... there was no way she could lose!
Atalanta clenched her teeth and began to accelerate.
Until just now, she had not actually been serious. After all, her opponent was a complete amateur, so she had decided to conserve some stamina.
That had been her reasoning.
But now, Atalanta had no choice but to go all out.
On the other hand, Shirou's speed was gradually slowing down.
Or rather, Shirou had only been unbelievably fast in the instant he overtook Atalanta.
The girl was confused and could not understand how he had done it, but none of that mattered right now. She had to focus on the race.
The gap kept shrinking. Their shoulders were almost level.
The finish line was now close enough to see.
Atalanta was certain once again. She would be the one to win this trial!
A Mana-laced whisper reached her ear.
"Time Alter Heptagon Accel!"
"?"
The boy sprinting side by side with Atalanta vanished.
When he appeared again in the huntress's field of vision, he was already dozens of meters away, beyond the finish line.
I... lost...?
...
...
The "Red" Archer slowly crossed the finish line, her face pale with disbelief.
It was something that should never have happened, yet it had indeed happened under the witness of the goddess Artemis.
Atalanta.
The girl who had never lost a single "race" in life had lost to a boy in her second life as a Servant.
The girl could not accept that reality.
Then, when she reached Shirou, she was even more shocked.
"Hey, kid... you..."
For some reason, the "Black" Saber's face was covered in blood.
This monster, who had remained calm and unscathed even against a formidable enemy like the "Red" Lancer, was now leaning against the wall and vomiting blood again and again.
"Seven times speed... was still too much, huh...? Gwah... urgh, ugh, ugh..."
The Time Alter Magecraft "Time Alter" worked by changing the flow of time within the body.
By separating "oneself" from the "world" and creating a time lag, it manifested as acceleration of the self.
After the Magecraft ended, the caster would be hit by the "correction of the world."
This correction was neither physical damage nor Magecraft damage. It was an impact on both the body and the soul.
In gaming terms, it was percentage-based damage...
So even though Shirou had obtained the heart of the strongest dragon, he could not avoid such massive damage.
His first attempt at seven times speed had nearly cost Shirou half his life.
In truth, it had been a major miscalculation.
Shirou had originally thought that using "Time Alter Hexagon Accel" once would be enough to beat Atalanta, but not only had he failed to create a gap, he had nearly been overtaken right before the finish line.
In that moment, he had steeled himself and tried "Time Alter Heptagon Accel." He won, but he paid a terrible price.
Not only was he severely injured, but the Magic Circuits throughout his body had gone into rampage, drastically reducing the self-healing efficiency of the dragon's heart.
"Are... you... okay...?"
Atalanta was startled by Shirou's blood-soaked appearance and asked timidly.
Shirou glanced at her and snapped, "Do I look okay to you?"
"Sorry..."
Atalanta lowered her brows apologetically.
What exactly had happened?
The huntress was not familiar with Magecraft, so she could not understand.
But she did understand one thing. The "Black" Saber must have made an enormous sacrifice to win this trial.
You went this far just to beat me...?
Atalanta's heartbeat quickened, and she felt an inexplicable emotion rise in her chest.
She did not understand what that feeling was. She simply reached out on instinct.
"W-what are you doing?"
Atalanta placed her palm against Shirou's cheek, startling him.
Shirou was extremely weak right now. If the "Red" Archer wanted to kill him, it would be easy.
But it seemed she had no intention of killing him...
Atalanta gently stroked Shirou's cheek.
She softly wiped away the blood running from the corner of his eye, then showed him a gentle smile Shirou had never seen before.
"...You really are an idiot."
"Huh?"
Shirou was dumbfounded. "By the way, miss...?"
"My True Name is Atalanta."
"Oh... oh, okay... nice to meet you..."
As she spoke, Atalanta continued touching Shirou's face.
It was like the action of a blind person, sensing the other person's features through the touch of fingertips and palm.
"...Ugh."
Atalanta realized her cheeks were starting to burn.
Was the oath she made in life taking effect?
The girl did not think so. This was her own will, unrelated to anyone or any god.
In that moment, she simply wanted to touch him as much as she could, feel him as much as she could, and learn as much as she could about the existence of this red-haired boy.
"In life, I once swore to the goddess, 'The one who can beat me in a race shall become my husband.'"
Atalanta smiled, pure yet filled with a bewitching allure.
"'Black' Saber, claim your 'prize.' I am your woman now."