Shirō barely had time to react before Archer lunged at her. Even with Excalibur in her hands, even with the knowledge that she now wielded one of the most powerful swords in history, she was completely and utterly outmatched.
The moment she raised her blade to block, Archer's twin swords slammed against it, sending a shockwave through her arms. The impact rattled her bones, nearly making her drop Excalibur.
"Too slow," Archer said, his voice flat, unimpressed.
Shirō gritted her teeth and forced herself to stay on her feet. 'This is fine. I have Excalibur. I can fight him now!'
Wrong.
The instant she thought that, Archer twisted his grip and knocked her sword aside. Before she could recover, a sharp kick slammed into her stomach, launching her backward. She hit the ground hard, coughing as the breath was driven from her lungs.
"Get up," Archer commanded.
She did. Of course, she did. She refused to stay down. Not when she was supposed to be Saber. Not when she had 'Excalibur.'
She charged forward, gripping the sword with both hands. If she could just land one hit—just one—then maybe she could prove she was improving. But Archer saw it coming from a mile away.
His movements were so 'effortless', like he wasn't even trying. He sidestepped her strike with infuriating ease, twisting his body as his swords flashed.
Shirō gasped as she barely managed to parry one of his attacks, but the second sword was already coming. Her balance was off. She tried to move, but it was too late. The blunt edge of his blade slammed into her ribs, sending her sprawling across the dojo floor.
She groaned, gripping her side. Damn it, that hurt.
Rin, who had been watching from the sidelines, let out an exasperated sigh. "You have Excalibur, Shirō! Use it properly!"
Shirō pushed herself up, her hands shaking. "I 'am' using it properly!"
"No," Archer said flatly. "You're swinging it around like a child with a stick."
Shirō grit her teeth. "I 'just' got it!"
"And that's why you're losing." Archer twirled his swords lazily, his expression unreadable. "If you're relying on Excalibur alone to make up for your lack of skill, you'll die the moment you face someone competent."
She hated that he was right.
But she 'had' to get better.
With a frustrated growl, Shirō steadied her stance and charged again. This time, she tried to be smarter about it, faking a swing to the left before shifting her weight and aiming for his right side.
It didn't matter.
Archer still blocked her with terrifying ease. With a flick of his wrist, he twisted his blade and 'disarmed' her.
Excalibur went flying.
Shirō barely had a second to process this before Archer's knee slammed into her stomach. The pain was instant and overwhelming, knocking the wind out of her.
And he 'still' didn't stop.
Before she could even collapse, Archer grabbed her by the front of her armour, hoisted her up, and 'threw' her across the dojo.
Shirō hit the floor hard, her vision blurring from the impact. She groaned, trying to push herself up, but her arms refused to cooperate.
Rin winced from the sidelines. "Oof. That looked painful."
Archer sighed, rolling his shoulders. "And that's what happens when you rely on a weapon without skill."
Shirō coughed, glaring up at him. "You—"
"Again," he ordered.
Shirō groaned, but forced herself to stand. She didn't care how much it hurt. She had to get stronger. She 'would' get stronger.