Emiya Shirou doesn't want to work overtime

The next day—

The sky was still a brilliant crimson, and Kishinami Hakuno got out of bed, looking sleepily at Archer, who had been standing by her bedside since the previous night.

Servants do not need to sleep. If it weren't for the limitation of magical power, Servants would fight endlessly like terrifying war machines.

"Why did you wake up so early today?"

Archer was somewhat surprised to see Kishinami Hakuno slowly sitting up from the bed, after all, the sun had only just risen from the horizon.

Normally, Kishinami Hakuno only wakes up when it is fully light.

"Hmm, it's probably because of anxiety about the upcoming battle."

As he sat up, Hakuno Kishinami slowly answered Archer's question and expertly took the black tea that Archer had just brewed.

The slightly steaming black tea did not give Kishinami Hakuno a burning sensation; on the contrary, its temperature was extremely gentle, just right, allowing one to appreciate it with their heart.

"Don't worry too much, leave the fighting to me—"

Looking at Archer's extremely resolute face, Hakuno Kishinami couldn't help but feel a sense of security.

Without Archer, it would have been impossible to defeat those unique opponents on my own.

“Archer, let’s go to the arena today too. None of you are the kind of people who can find information about Emiya-kun within the academy. You’re the only one who knows Emiya-kun. There’s not much point in us staying in the academy any longer.”

Taking a small sip of black tea, and watching the sun rise higher and higher in the distance, Kishinami Hakuno told Archer about his plans.

"Familiarize yourself with the arena beforehand to gain an advantage?"

Archer nodded slightly, somewhat agreeing with Kishinami Hakuno's thoughts.

Based on their first encounter, both players had their strengths and weaknesses. There's still a long time before the final battle, so it's too early to predict the outcome.

Although you are randomly assigned to a location each time you enter the arena, the maze's area is finite.

Even in a maze that expands infinitely, the two parties entering the maze will be confined to a certain area.

Both the entrance to the arena and other exit points will be generated in this area.

Without doing so, the two sides would rarely have the chance to meet in an extremely vast maze.

It's important to know that Mooncell intentionally orchestrated the conflict before the final battle.

Therefore, if they can become more familiar with the area they are in, they will be able to gain the upper hand in the arena battles.

The second key hasn't been generated yet, so the opponent will definitely re-enter the arena.

"I guess so. It's better than just sitting here doing nothing."

Kishinami Hakuno shook his head helplessly. No matter how talented he was at deduction, he couldn't deal with something like this that couldn't be found in any of the academy's records.

If her Servant hadn't happened to be Archer, she probably wouldn't have been able to devise an offensive plan targeting Shirou Emiya's weaknesses until the final battle.

"Then let's set off. I'm afraid the other side will use the same strategy!"

"!"

Kishinami Hakuno's eyes narrowed slightly. Since he had deduced the relationship between Archer and Emiya Shirou, Tohsaka Rin could also make the same guess easily.

And Shirou Emiya, who was facing off against him, was immediately certain.

In a close and evenly matched situation, seizing the initiative in the battle is a crucial factor in determining victory or defeat.

"Run!"

Without hesitation, Kishinami Hakuno left his room in a hurry without even washing up.

"Really, they're on the go, non-stop."

With those words in mind, Arher vanished under a shroud of a ethereal, bluish mist, entering a state of spiritual transformation.

Inside the arena.

Archer and Hakuno Kishinami sped through the castle, dealing with the hostile programs that had appeared there as quickly as possible.

And they quickly analyzed and recorded the surrounding scene, building a map of this area in their minds.

Unfortunately, the very next second, Kishinami Hakuno's idea was shattered.

"call out----!"

A sword arrow transformed into a bullet, piercing the air like a black lightning bolt.

The sharp sound of wind being cut rang out only after the sword arrow had passed through.

A silver beam of light flashed on the sword arrow and shot forward.

The target is Archer, who is inside the castle.

That was a shot that exceeded the speed of sound.

Even sniper rifle bullets cannot match it.

The sudden gust of wind shattered the windows around Archer in an instant.

Archer's gaze instantly turned serious, and a pair of black and white blades appeared in his hands, unleashing a powerful aura.

"Qiang————!"

With a crisp sound, the arrow collided violently with the two blades in front of Archer, sending sparks flying.

Then, the double blades, which had collided violently with the sword arrow, shattered.

"It seems we've fallen behind; they've seized the initiative."

Archer's brow twitched suddenly, and he looked out the window to the side.

Following Archer's gaze...

Inside the castle in the distance, behind a shattered window in a place resembling a reception hall, Shirou Emiya knelt on the ground, gripping a golden longbow tightly as he faced the other.

After all, it was already the next day when Kishinami Hakuno thought about this. As someone with richer analytical skills and combat experience, Tohsaka Rin's first thing to do after Emiya Shirou and Archer finished their battle was to return to the arena and familiarize herself with the venue once again.

After being shocked by Shirou Emiya's speculation—a shock that was both unexpected and yet understandable—she immediately dragged Shirou, who was preparing to rest, back to the arena.

Just like Archer predicted that he would be at a disadvantage in the final battle.

Shirou Emiya and Rin Tohsaka deduced that Shirou Emiya would be at a disadvantage in the final battle.

It should be noted that Shirou Emiya's injuries from his battle with Gawain have not yet fully healed, and he is still in a weakened state.

Neither physical strength nor projection speed is as good as Archer's.

Moreover, Shirou Emiya's mental world had just been detonated and had not yet fully recovered.

Emiya Shirou felt extremely fortunate that he was able to avoid major physical and mental problems after the explosion.

Even now, although Shirou Emiya is able to use his Reality Marble, all the swords in Unlimited Blade Works were destroyed in that battle.

He should now start from scratch, reprojecting and reforging the weapon within his own inherent barrier.

Because of the terrifying injuries to Shirou Emiya's soul, those cracks would occasionally devour the weapons that Shirou Emiya forged and projected.

At present, Shirou Emiya has very few swords within his Reality Marble, and whether Unlimited Blade Works can be unleashed again is a big question.

Chapter 650 Apprenticeship of Chiron

There was no open space outside the castle.

The entire castle seemed to be built in the air; looking out through the glass windows, one could see incredibly soft clouds floating just inches away.

Below was an abyss from which the ground was completely invisible, and the sun seemed to be right next to you.

Even those with the ability to fly would be greatly affected by the height of such a towering castle, so there is almost no need to consider fighting outside the castle.

However, Archer did not expect that Shirou Emiya would be able to find a way to attack from a distance in a maze that looked like an indoor battle.

It can only be said that the timing was different. If Archer had been familiar with the arena beforehand, he would have been able to find the same way to gain the upper hand.

"Let me see just how good your shooting really is—!"

As he said this, a jet-black Japanese bow appeared in Archer's hand.

"Om-!"

This was a whirlwind of magical energy erupting from Archer's body.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh—!"

At that moment, countless silver beams of light rained down on Archer.

"Boom boom boom boom boom—!"

With a deafening explosion, the ground where Archer had been standing was instantly shattered by the incoming sword arrows, turning into countless fragments of stone flying through the air.

Meanwhile, Archer, already adorned with the Demon's Embrace, instantly appeared dozens of meters away, drawing back his bowstring and aiming at Shirou Emiya, hundreds of meters ahead.

"Sizzle sizzle sizzle sizzle—!"

At that moment, countless crimson sword arrows shot out from Archer's hand, drawing several sharp arcs in the air.

"Clang clang clang clang clang—!"

Like needles clashing against wheat awns, countless shots sparked countless collisions, creating a cacophony of crisp, resounding impacts.

In the open space in the middle of the castle, sparks suddenly exploded one after another, as if an invisible flash of swords and shadows was flashing, which was extremely dazzling.

The silver beams of light continued to hurtle toward Archer with increasing ferocity.

The crimson lightning, not to be outdone, grew increasingly dazzling, flashing like streaks of light that instantly met the attack, firmly blocking the sword arrows that Emiya Shirou was shooting at.

These exchanges prompted Kishinami Hakuno and Tohsaka Rinko, who were standing behind them, to also get moving.

"How can it be--!"

At this moment, Archer, who was firing, was filled with surprise.

Rin Tohsaka and Hakuno Kishinami did not sense it, but Archer, who was in the midst of battle, could detect it very clearly.

In the archery duel with Emiya Shirou, he was at a disadvantage.

Emiya Shirou's sword arrows were all aimed at him.