Shirou, who returned from the Fairy Kingdom

He flipped over and thrust, aiming at Shirou's chest.

Completely disregarding the laws of physics and the inherent characteristics of weapons, the thrusts unleashed in that brief instant consisted of a seventy-eight-hit combo.

The overwhelming speed and precision sent chills down the spines of the spectators.

How can one defend against such a deadly attack?

It's very simple────

Just use stronger output to knock them all down.

The ultra-high-speed attack launched at the same location in an instant is truly terrifying, but it also means that there is only one pattern to the attack.

If Shirou were still human, he couldn't do it, but now he's in Super Artoria Mode!

"------"

Take a deep breath.

What lies within Shirou's chest now is not a fragile human organ, but the strongest heart in the world, born alongside the stars.

With just one deep breath, an incredible amount of magical power filled Shirou's body.

The boy, who has fought with only 27 magic circuits in both his previous and current lives, will definitely find this fighting style unsettling.

However, he was also a genius in some sense.

Take a step forward.

Shirou shouted and swung his holy sword, severing all seventy-eight thrusts imbued with the essence of the Son of the Sun God.

Not only that, but he also unleashed a full-force attack on Lancer's body.

"Truly astonishing! He deflected all my guns with sheer force! If that's the case..."

Just as the golden blade was about to touch Karna's body, an extremely fierce fire erupted from within him.

"Agni, the flame!"

The sun's flames, carrying terrifying heat, mercilessly enveloped Shirou's entire body.

"Ugh...!"

A mournful cry, unable to be uttered, escaped from his mouth.

Normally, in this situation, retreating would be the wise choice, and Karna probably thought so too, and had already prepared for the next round of attacks.

But Shirou did not back down.

As he was scorched by the flames, the skin on his hands, feet, limbs, and cheeks turned a dark color—the color of Albion's skin.

"What……!?"

The sudden change before his eyes made Karna's eyes widen in surprise.

"They're actually unfazed by the flames of the sun god...!?"

"Drink aa ...

Shirou burst out of the flames and charged toward Lancer, who was beginning to waver.

Even though Karna was shocked by Shirou's transformation and revealed a weakness, he still avoided a counterattack and even kicked Shirou away when he rushed in to launch an additional attack.

"---Projection, begin (Trace on)."

With a whisper, the black longbow passed through Shirou's left hand.

Shirou, who was kicked away, completed the entire process from aiming to drawing the bow in the fastest possible time.

"!"

Karna was taken aback: Even at this point, are you still planning to launch a long-range attack?

In order to dodge Shirou's slash, he had lost his balance and was unable to dodge a second time.

However, he also has the skill "Magic Release (Flame)".

Generally speaking, if Karna has sufficient mana, he can use fire to move rapidly or even fly at supersonic speeds.

However, he had already used "Magic Release (Flame)" in his attack on Shirou.

Although Karna himself was not affected, he ultimately abandoned the idea of ​​continuously releasing magical energy, considering the burden on his Master.

Since that's the case, then we'll have to accept this attack.

The great hero thought fearlessly.

—On the "Red" Lancer, there is a golden armor that seems to be integrated with his body.

That was a Noble Phantasm given to Karna by his father, the sun god Sueiri, and it was one of the reasons why he was the strongest melee Servant.

"Sun, transform into armor (Kavacha and Kundala)."

A defensive treasure that continuously emits the divine radiance of the sun, a supreme treasure that even the gods cannot destroy.

It can reduce all hostile interference (physical attacks, magic, curses, and other interference concepts), reducing the damage Karna suffers to only one-tenth.

Don't even mention that Shirou's shot didn't use "Imagine Collapse," even if it did, it wouldn't pose much of a threat.

Of course, Shirou had anticipated this desecration, so—

"Well--!?"

The arrow shot from the bowstring struck Lancer in the chest.

The power was reduced to one-tenth of its original strength; only the arrowhead pierced the skin, at most causing a scratch.

however--

Karna lowered his head in disbelief, staring at the attack that had struck his chest.

Something was violently expanding within the "Red" Lancer's body; this thing was hard, sharp, and terrifyingly cold—

"A sword...!?"

No matter the type of attack, whether physical or magical, it can almost always be blocked by Karna's golden armor.

But—that refers to attacks from the outside.

The arrow that Shirou shot triggered an "attack generated from within," which the Golden Armor was powerless to counter.

The next second, dozens, even hundreds of sword blades exploded from Karna's body.

"Well……!"

The internal organs were shattered in an instant, and even the most resolute hero could not help but let out a cry of grief.

He tumbled in the air before falling, barely managing to steady himself on the ground.

Blood trickled from Karna's mouth; this was probably the first time he had been injured while wearing armor.

Seeing that his plan had succeeded, Shirou immediately switched to melee mode and charged forward.

He didn't believe that an attack of this magnitude would be enough to defeat Karna, and that judgment was correct:

The golden armor provides not only ultimate defense, but also regenerative abilities that can bring the dead back to life.

The only way to defeat him is now!

Shirou wouldn't miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. No matter what kind of hero he is, how could he possibly resist being pierced through from the inside by dozens of sword blades!

—It boiled up like flames shooting into the sky.

The flames erupting from Karna's body burned away all the blades embedded within him, making it difficult for Shirou to advance any further.

The continuous release of magic puts an enormous burden on the magician—which shows just how difficult the situation Karna has been pushed to.

Shirou watched the towering flames silently, preparing to finish them off after the magic power was released.

"...?"

Shirou seemed to sense something, and looked up at the night sky.

Several gray pigeons flew over his head.

"Assassin, huh?"

The image of the alluring smile of the woman in the black dress flashed through Shirou's mind.

"Oops……"

As Shirou had expected, Lancer's figure had vanished after the flames subsided.

It seems that the Master of the "Red" faction realized the situation was bad and used Command Seals to forcibly transfer Lancer away.

"—That was truly impressive; they actually managed to force Lancer to back down."

As Shirou gazed into the distance with a mixture of excitement and melancholy, the girl's voice rang out.

"Here, take it back."

Joan of Arc stuffed the paper bag into the arms of the young scholar.

"You're still here?" Shirou rolled his eyes, checking to see if the woman had taken advantage of the chaos to eat his food.

Joan of Arc pouted unhappily: "I am the arbiter of the Holy Grail War, so of course I will witness your battle until the very last moment."

"up to you."

Shirou turned to leave; if he didn't go back soon, Aika would worry.

No...she must already be worried.

"Please wait a moment."

Joan of Arc called out to Shirou.

The boy frowned: "Is there anything else?"

The blonde girl looked embarrassed and scratched her cheek with her finger as she spoke.

"Actually, it's just that... all the hotels around here are fully booked, so..."

"Could I stay at your place for the night? Don't worry, I'll pay the rent."

"...What is this guy talking about?"

Shirou immediately showed an expression of utter disgust: If I take you in, what if the "Red" spearmen come to kill me again in the middle of the night?

It's because of you that I'm having such bad luck tonight.

Just as Shirou was about to coldly reject this shameless woman—

Shirou suddenly realized something and looked Ruler up and down.

"?"

Jeanne also noticed that Shirou had suddenly started observing her.

The boy's blatant gaze traveled from her long, beautiful legs upwards, past her curvaceous waist and hips, and finally settled on her full, proud breasts.

"……Well!"

Joan of Arc's cheeks flushed instantly, and she covered her chest with her arms.

"Although I will pay rent, it's definitely not what you're thinking! Don't misunderstand!"

Shirou asked, "Are you a saint in Catholicism?"

Joan of Arc bent slightly, shyly arching her back: "I... I guess I'll just have to forget about it. I'll figure something out myself tonight... Huh?"

Ruler paused for a moment, then nodded.

As the arbiter of the Holy Grail War, there is no need for him to hide his true name.

Rather, it would be more accurate to say that if she continues to conceal her true name, it will be difficult for her to gain the trust and support of the Masters and Servants.

The girl straightened her clothes and solemnly announced, "I am the Ruler in charge of judging this Holy Grail War, and my real name is Jeanne Darque."

"oh oh……!"

Upon hearing the name of the famous French saint, Shirou showed a moved expression.

"Hmph?"

Joan of Arc desperately suppressed the smirk that was creeping onto her face, thinking to herself, "Oh dear, I really am famous..."

Shirou extended an invitation with great enthusiasm: "I should have a spare bed at my place. Would you like to come with me, Jeanne?"