Shirou, who returned from the Fairy Kingdom

Atalanta gritted her teeth in anger, whipping the floor with her fluffy tail.

Looking at the cat-eared girl with her hair standing on end, Shirou thought for a moment and asked.

"Archer, if I beat you just once more, will you be willing to help me?"

With the "Red" spearmen now defeated, the tide of battle has taken an astonishing turn.

The "Black" alliance, which was originally in a disadvantageous position, has now gained an absolute advantage.

The Arbitrators and the "Red" Sword Soldiers are marching toward the audience hall where Semiramis is located.

Even if Shirou doesn't go to help them, just fighting Atalanta here can be considered as holding back their main fighting force.

"........."

Upon hearing Shirou's words, Atalanta narrowed her eyes and then nodded hesitantly.

"That's true, but... I have to choose the events for the competition."

And if you lose, you're not allowed to resist; you'll just obediently let me kill you!

"Alright, what do you want to compete in this time? Would you like to have another archery contest?"

Shirou readily accepted Atalanta's terms.

His unwavering attitude, though arrogant, was not off-putting.

That's the kind of confidence that only someone who has honed their skills to the extreme can possess. Although Atalanta was displeased, she felt a genuine sense of admiration for them.

“The competition is a race,” Atalanta said, frowning.

"A race?" Shirou was stunned.

Atalanta nodded, her gaze shifting to the end of the corridor.

"Ahead of here is an infinite corridor where Assassin has used magic to distort space."

If we start running from here, it will take about three kilometers to get back to where we are now.

"I see," Shirou thought to himself. "She even calculated the distance; it seems she spends a lot of time wandering around the Sky Garden."

What are you hesitating about?

The cat-eared girl gave a provocative smile: "Could it be that even the Holy Sword Wielder of Britain is afraid?"

Shirou shook his head: "No, I'm just a little surprised..."

No problem, let's do it your way. Let's have a "race".

If you win, I will willingly become your prey, at your mercy.

If I win—"

"I swear in the name of the goddess Artemis—"

Atalanta glanced at Shirou and said solemnly:

"If you beat me in the 'race,' I'll listen to you."

"Ok?"

Shirou blinked: What does "I'll listen to you" mean?

This ambiguous statement made him feel extremely uneasy.

It's not that Atalanta would cheat, but I just feel very... very bad.

"Hey, Archer, what exactly does that mean...?"

"The match has already started, kid!"

Atalanta turned her head and revealed a beautiful yet cunning mocking smile, then her body flew out like an arrow released from a bow.

"what!?"

Shirou hurriedly chased after him.

……

……

To be honest, running in an empty corridor is not Atalanta's forte.

As the daughter of the forest, her true forte is obstacle course racing in extremely complex environments.

Even so, Shirou's basic walking speed was still far behind hers.

Only a dozen seconds later, the "Red" archer disappeared from Shirou's sight.

"Haha...haha...haha..."

Shirou, panting heavily, ran wildly through the repetitive corridors.

The gap was much larger than he had imagined.

I should have used the time I spend practicing high jump at school to practice long-distance running!

In Greek mythology, Atalanta was a hunter with unparalleled speed.

Her father was a king of Arcadia, but Atalanta was not raised as a princess.

She was abandoned in the mountains shortly after she was born.

The king, who longed for a son, had no need for a daughter and abandoned the infant Atalanta in the deep mountains.

The goddess Artemis took pity on her plight and allowed a mother bear to raise her.

The girl grew up in the mountains under the protection of a bear, but was later taken away by a hunter.

Although he later lived a normal life, the wounds in his heart from being abandoned could never be healed.

Although Atalanta grew up to be an excellent archer, she still chose to remain single.

She certainly had friends, a group of companions who had sailed together on the Argo and experienced many adventures.

However, she hasn't met anyone she'd be willing to risk her life for, nor does she intend to look for such a person.

She became even more withdrawn after causing trouble for herself during the hunt in Calydon.

But—perhaps because of her adventures, she became famous, and Atalanta's beauty became known to everyone, even reaching her father's ears.

Her father reunited with Atalanta and told her joyfully, "Anyone is fine, go and get married and have children."

For the father, reuniting with Atalanta was a cause for celebration, but that was entirely based on the premise that she had grown into a beautiful woman who could be used as a bargaining chip in marriage.

...As a result, from beginning to end, the father never loved this daughter.

After that, Atalanta became even more distrustful of humans.

So when suitors flocked to her, the young woman solemnly swore an oath to the moon goddess she worshipped:

"My husband will be the man who can beat me in the trial of the 'race'."

Atalanta, of course, had no intention of marrying anyone.

She firmly believed that no man could beat her in speed, which is why she dared to make such a vow.

The men launched the challenge one after another, only to end up with a foolish and violent death.

Atalanta, with her unparalleled speed, successfully preserved her purity during her lifetime.

Having become a Servant, she felt her heart surge with excitement as she faced the long-awaited trials.

The girl felt in excellent condition, as if she had transformed into a gust of wind and was passing through her favorite and most familiar forest.

Pay the price for your arrogance, kid...

The person who can beat themselves in a "race" has never existed, is never here, and will never exist.

"Hey?"

A low, startled cry came from Atalanta.

Just as she was basking in the joy of being far ahead, a gust of wind swept in from the side.

Shirou sprinted at an incredible speed, passing her directly.

How is this possible...!?

Atalanta stared wide-eyed in disbelief.

Now she could no longer see the path ahead, only the red-haired boy's back.

impossible.

Atalanta had already fought Shirou three times and knew that he did not possess such speed.

Even if he surpasses me in every other aspect, when it comes to speed... I can't possibly lose!

Atalanta tightened her grip on her feet and began to accelerate.

She hadn't been taking it seriously until just now, since the other person was a complete novice, so she was saving her energy.

This is her idea.

But now, Atalanta has no choice but to use all her strength.

On the other hand, Shirou's speed gradually slowed down.

Or rather, Shirou was only incredibly fast at the moment he surpassed Atalanta.

The girl was confused and couldn't understand how he did it, but none of that mattered now; she could focus on the game.

The gap is narrowing, and the two are now almost shoulder to shoulder.

The finish line was now within sight.

Atalanta was once again certain: she would be the one to win this trial!

A magical whisper reached my ear—

"Time alter Heptagon accel!"

"?"

The boy who ran alongside Atalanta has disappeared.

When he reappeared in the hunter's sight, he was already dozens of meters away at the other end of the finish line.

I... lost...?

……

……

The "Red" archer, with a pale, incredulous expression, slowly walked across the finish line.

This was absolutely impossible, but it did happen, witnessed by the goddess Artemis.

Atalanta—

She, who had never lost even one "race" in her previous life, lost to a boy in her second life as a Servant.

The girl could not accept this fact.

Then, when she walked up to Shirou, she was even more surprised.

"Hey kid...you..."

The "Black" swordsman's face was covered in blood for some reason.

The monster, which had fought calmly and unscathed against powerful enemies like the "Red" Spearman, was now leaning against a wall, vomiting blood continuously.

"Seven times speed... is it still too much... ugh... vomit vomit vomit..."

The time manipulation magic "Inherent Time Control" works by altering the flow of time within the body.

The separation of "self" from "world" creates a time difference, which manifests as the acceleration of the self.

After the magic spell ends, the caster will experience "world correction".

This correction is neither physical nor magical damage, but rather an impact on both the body and the soul.

In gaming terms, it's like deducting damage as a percentage...

Therefore, even though Shirou obtained the heart of the strongest dragon, he could not avoid this enormous damage.

The first attempt at seven times speed nearly cost Shirou his life.