That protagonist is trash; I could do better!

Furthermore, due to the powerful defensive capabilities of the Golden Armor Noble Phantasm, ordinary Noble Phantasm projectiles from the Royal Treasury would certainly not be able to severely injure him.

Shinji Matou deliberately revealed his defensive barrier and used magic to shatter the Gate of Babylon in order to induce Archer to use a Noble Phantasm with anti-magic properties. Such Noble Phantasms are often the top-tier weapons in the Gate of Babylon and have enough properties to penetrate Archer's golden armor.

Hundreds of Noble Phantasms surrounded Matou Shinji. Time stood still, magic power was at its maximum output, and spiritual calculations accelerated Matou Shinji's thought process. At this moment, Matou Shinji could see every Noble Phantasm clearly: spears, swords, axes, knives, and even some Noble Phantasms that were not in the form of weapons. Each one was a powerful weapon comparable to the Sword in the Stone.

Shinji Matou stared at Archer as if the incoming Noble Phantasm didn't exist. The moment the last incantation was finished, a strange magical force fixed the space where Archer was located.

"what!"

Archer was stunned.

boom!

boom!

boom!

boom!

boom!

The earth trembled, and a violent explosion shattered half of the castle. Shinji Matou appeared where Archer had been, calmly turning around to look at the ruins behind him.

Thick smoke billowed, and Archer was nowhere to be seen.

Shinji Matou slowly stepped back to avoid being affected by the constantly collapsing castle buildings, and snorted, "Decisiveness leads to being easily defeated."

"Caste!"

Irisviel called out urgently, only breathing a sigh of relief when she saw that Shinji Matou was unharmed.

Below in the courtyard, everyone was stunned. Apart from the Servants, the two Masters had no idea what had happened.

Weber exclaimed incredulously, "What's going on! What's going on! What's going on? Why is Caster there?"

Rider solemnly said, "Kid, can't you see? You are clearly a magician yourself, and you should be a magician who manipulates space. When Archer used his strongest attack, you swapped your space with Archer's space, using the enemy's sharpest weapon to break through the enemy's strongest shield. Moreover, it is very likely that Caster planned to do this from the beginning. His strength and cunning are truly terrifying."

Chapter Sixty-Two: Awaken! EA!

"Archer lost!?"

Even without Assassin's report, Tokiomi Tohsaka vaguely sensed what had happened through his contract with Archer. Archer was severely injured, his magical energy feedback was extremely weak, and it was uncertain when the Servant's Spirit Origin would dissipate.

Tokiomi Tohsaka muttered to himself solemnly, "How could this be? What methods did Caster use to force that Servant Killer to such a point?"

“No, now is not the time to think about these things. If the King of Heroes withdraws, the Tohsaka family will have to officially withdraw from the Holy Grail War.” Tohsaka Tokitomi stared at the two bright red Command Seals on the back of his hand and muttered to himself, “It’s not necessarily a bad thing. The last time I used Command Seals to restrict the King of Heroes’ actions, it must have made him unhappy. This time, using Command Seals to help him can repair the rift in our relationship. Having learned his lesson, the King of Heroes will probably be more cautious in his actions.”

"Then, in the name of the Command Seal, Archer, heal."

"The king shall punish those who offend you!"

呲~

Tokitomi Tohsaka made another mark on the back of his hand to erase the Command Seal.

······

Shinji Matou jumped from the roof of the castle to the courtyard below. Everyone in the courtyard was still savoring the fierce battle that had just taken place. Both Archer and Shinji Matou had displayed strength far beyond what they had imagined in this battle.

Waver nervously hid behind Rider. In his eyes, Shinji Matou's childlike appearance was more frightening than a demon.

Archer's Noble Phantasm was beyond Waver's limited understanding, yet Shinji Matou was able to use magic to reverse that terrifying attack.

Shinji Matou glanced at Rider with a half-smile: "Rider, let's leave that aside for now. Do I have the right to look down on Archer's kingly way? He's just a self-absorbed madman at best."

Rider nodded naturally: "The winner takes all. Now, will you challenge my path of conquest?"

Shinji Matou waved his hand casually: "No, my mana is almost depleted now. Aren't you going to seize this opportunity?"

If Rider makes a move here, Saber will become his opponent.

Of course, it would be better to avoid fighting. After defeating Archer, Shinji Matou still has important things to do. Before obtaining the four spiritual veins of Fuyuki City, it is not advisable to let too many Servants leave the field at once, so as not to activate the Greater Grail system.

Rider shook his head: "Taking advantage of someone's vulnerability is not my style. Besides, with you saying that, there's no point in defeating you here. It was a beautiful battle. I've fought for countless years and have never seen a guy with such boundless martial arts skills and fighting prowess as you. Don't you really want to consider joining my ranks? If you join, you can at least be on equal footing with me in my army."

"no."

"Haha, just as I expected." Rider laughed heartily, picking up a jug of wine from the ground. "Caster, want a drink?"

"I'm sorry, but Japanese law prohibits people under the age of 18 from drinking alcohol."

"It's a real shame that this banquet ended with Archer's departure, which was quite unexpected. That's what makes the Holy Grail War so interesting. That's all for tonight. I look forward to our next meeting, when I'll show you the way of conquest of Iskandar, the King of Conquerors."

"Also, Saber, I will never accept your insistence on the path of kingship. For this, I will do everything in my power to defeat you and prevent you from obtaining the Holy Grail."

Rider drew his longsword from his waist, about to summon the Divine Wheel, when his movements suddenly froze, and he looked up at the sky in disbelief.

Splash splash~ Splash splash~

A dozen Babylonian gates unfolded, golden chains intertwined to form a giant king, and golden particles gathered to form Archer's body. Standing on the Chains of Heaven, the golden armor on his upper body shattered, covered with wounds of all sizes, yet the wounds healed at an extremely fast speed.

Support from the Master? Such a rapid healing speed exceeds the scope of ordinary healing magic; it must be a Command Seal!

"Without my permission, who dares to leave this banquet!" Archer roared, looking down at the Rose Garden. He was no longer as composed as he was at the banquet; he was like a terrifying monster exuding a cold and gloomy aura.

Shinji Matou wasn't surprised at all and laughed, "You could have escaped with your life, so why didn't you obediently play dead and wait for me to leave?"

"Shut up! You magician who only knows how to play tricks! You have completely angered me, and no one in this world can save you!"

Shinji Matou shrugged: "How many times have you said that? I'm sick of hearing it, Archer."

Clearly, Archer was truly enraged and had no intention of arguing with Shinji Matou anymore. A golden vortex unfolded in front of him, and a golden key-shaped short sword fell down.

"Awaken, EA!"

Archer twisted the hilt of the key-blade short sword, and its structure rapidly changed. The blade emitted a dazzling light, and strange red crystals spread out from the blade, growing into a giant crystal tree large enough to cover Einzbern Castle.

The giant red crystal tree reassembled, becoming a burning sphere, like the sun, just as the planets looked when the world was first created and chaos had not yet separated, when they were still in hell.

“That’s it!” Weber froze, staring incredulously at the object that had appeared.

Everyone present could feel the terrifying aura emanating from the miniature hellish star, instinctively sensing that it was some kind of existence beyond their capabilities.

Ea!

Shinji Matou felt a slight tremor in his heart, and the light in his Mystic Eyes faded. If he were to try to analyze this object using his Mystic Eyes, he might instantly drain all the magical power in his body, causing damage to his Spirit Origin. Despite being mentally prepared, he would still feel fear when he actually saw the object. This feeling was like an ordinary person being aimed at by a machine gun that was about to fire, a struggle between the instinct to survive and the helplessness of knowing that he was going to die.

"This is my true Noble Phantasm, magician. I acknowledge your strength; you are indeed stronger. This time, I will use my full power!"

Rider stepped forward and demanded, "Archer, do you want to wipe us all out too?"

Archer, his red eyes sweeping over the courtyard, coldly said, "Foolish question, you bastards have no value in this world anymore. The Holy Grail War will be decided tonight."

"Oh, this is troublesome." Rider slapped his forehead.

"How can you take your anger out on someone else like that! It was clearly Caster who caused this trouble." Webber said with a mournful face.

Saber glanced nervously back at Shinji Matou and asked in a low voice, "Caster?"

Shinji Matou responded with a composed smile.

Saber hesitated. Could Caster really handle Archer's Noble Phantasm? She sensed a power from that strange sphere that far exceeded that of Excalibur, Archer's Noble Phantasm.

Archer was either furious or enraged. When an arrogant person makes a fool of himself in front of others, it is not enough to simply solve the problem; the person must also erase the fact from the world.

Nobody knows, it just never happened.

Chapter Sixty-Three: Don't Blame Me for Being Despicable, Archer

Above the courtyard, the golden servant looked down at everyone, drawing the Ea sword from the burning concept of the Hell Star. The hilt was made of gold and engraved with ancient characters. The blade was made of three strange black substances and engraved with red marks similar to magic crests.

Archer raised his sword, glaring down at the crowd, and proclaimed loudly: "The time for judgment has come! Prepare to face the wrath of this king!"

As expected of the king of chuunibyou (middle school syndrome), he never forgets to show off.

Shinji Matou pursed his lips, quietly waiting for what would happen next. From the moment Archer drew Ea, any action was basically futile.

Just now, Matou Shinji didn't dare to attack rashly. The Ea has different output levels. The low-level output power is enough to tear Matou Shinji to pieces, and there is basically no casting delay. It's better to let Archer finish his show and then interrupt him with a casting-bar ultimate move.

呲~

The three sections of the sword spun, creating a terrifying red wind pressure that tore through space. Its awe-inspiring power made everyone present hold their breath.

"What a terrifying Noble Phantasm!" Rider's face was extremely grim, certain that even if he used his trump card, he would have no chance of blocking this attack.

Saber raised the Holy Sword, and the Wind King's Barrier could barely conceal the dazzling golden light emanating from the sword.

Just as the sword Ea was about to strike and crush the entire castle into ashes, a streak of red light silently appeared in the distance of the forest, tracing a strange path.

Swish!

The demonic spear pierced Archer's right arm, abruptly ending the terrifying aura. The sword Ea, deprived of its master's magical power, ceased to function and fell along with the severed arm. The spear's light vanished in an instant, and the accompanying curse spread throughout Archer's body before embedding itself into the space, rendering him completely immobile.

“What…” Archer was both shocked and angry, but he could barely speak.

Gáe Bolg Alternative (Spear Through Death)

Grade: B+

Type: Anti-Personnel Noble Phantasm

Distance: 5~40

Maximum capture: 50

It is the old form of Cú Chulainn's Noble Phantasm. When its true name is released, its power is comparable. Usually, Scáthach will use the first spear to pin the enemy to space in a melee combat situation, and then throw the second demonic spear with all her might to take their life.

Lancer only agreed to fire one shot, which would pin Archer to the ground, buying precious time for Shinji Matou.

The third card has finally arrived!

Shinji Matou breathed a sigh of relief. The Ea had just been activated, sealing off the entire space and preventing him from escaping using spatial magic.

If Lancer doesn't intervene, Shinji Matou figured his group was doomed.

"Lancer! Is that guy here too?!" Rider turned his head in surprise, looking in the direction from which the magic spear had been fired.

“Don’t blame me for being despicable, Archer.”

Shinji Matou clasped his hands together, slammed them to the ground, and roared, "In the name of the Command Spell! Manifest, Etz haChayim! (Kabbalah Tree of Life)!"

呲~

The Command Seals on the back of his hand transformed into light and vanished. The immense magical power stored within the Command Seals activated Shinji Matou's true Noble Phantasm. His silver eyes emitted a dazzling light, like an entrance to another dimension, strange and terrifying.