To settle the score from their first battle, the "Red" Archer chased the "Black" Saber onto his airship.
At that moment, Atalanta's animal ears were trembling slightly with excitement.
Just as she drew her bow and nocked an arrow, Shirou suddenly raised a hand to stop her.
"Wait a second!"
"What is it?" Atalanta frowned.
Shirou said, "When I think about it, why do I, a Saber, have to compete with you in archery?"
"Hah? Who cares?"
Atalanta gave a disdainful snort.
"If you're a hero with a name in history, then don't refuse someone's challenge so easily."
"I'm fine with not being a hero," Shirou muttered, utterly unconcerned.
Ignoring his opinion, the girl fired her first arrow without hesitation.
From nocking the arrow to releasing it, the entire motion flowed seamlessly, a perfect example of an Archer.
If Shirou's archery was the ultimate expression of "stillness," one that merged with nature itself, then Archer's technique was the complete opposite, "movement."
"..."
The arrow tore through the air toward the boy's forehead, only to be cut down by the sword he instantly drew from thin air.
"Hey!" Atalanta snapped, furious. "No swords!"
"I'm a swordsman. What am I supposed to use if not a sword...? Come on, sis, you're making things difficult."
In life, Atalanta had once gone on adventures with countless heroes, and she was sharp enough to pick up on Shirou's attitude.
Watching the red-haired boy, she asked, "So what do you want?"
"I'll compete with you in archery, but on one condition."
"Hmph..."
Atalanta raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to continue, but Shirou merely glanced at the Sky Garden that had already receded into the distance.
The animal-eared girl immediately understood.
What this guy wants is information on the "Red" faction... especially Assassin and her Master.
Did he realize that Assassin and I don't get along?
No, that shouldn't be possible...
"Well?" Shirou urged.
Atalanta thought for a moment, then nodded. "Fine. If you win, I'll tell you everything I know."
"Deal."
Shirou put away his sword. "If I lose..."
"Then I'll take your life!!"
Atalanta shouted and leaped backward, landing on the ram at the ship's bow and putting a great distance between herself and Shirou.
Two arrows were nocked on the string of the Tauropolos.
She was not aiming at the red-haired boy before her, but at the night sky bathed in hazy moonlight.
"With my bow and arrows, I pray for the protection of the God Apollo and Goddess Artemis."
The next instant after she spoke those sacred words, the arrows between the girl's fingers flashed with brilliant light.
The "Red" Archer, Atalanta. Her Noble Phantasm was neither her bow nor her arrows. Both were merely Catalysts.
The "technique itself" of drawing the bow, nocking the arrow, and firing was her Noble Phantasm.
Put another way, her skill had become so powerful that it had been elevated into a Noble Phantasm.
"I offer thee this Calamity — Phoebus Catastrophe!!"
The two arrows shot into the sky, leaving shining trails behind as they pierced the clouds and vanished.
In the blink of an eye, the night sky filled with a faint glow, accompanied by the dense whistling of a fine rain. But this was no merciful rain.
Hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of arrows of light fell from the heavens.
The Sun God Apollo and the Moon Goddess Artemis were deities deeply connected to the sun and moon, as well as gods of the bow, the arrow, and the hunt.
By offering prayers to those two gods, Atalanta rained destruction called calamity down upon the earth, upon her enemies.
The "Red" Archer lifted her chin slightly, gazing at her prey with proud, cold eyes.
So, what will you do? You boy who is no hero.
"..."
Shirou stood motionless, silently looking up at the sky filled with that rain of light arrows.
He could block Archer's attack with Excalibur, or by unleashing a volley of projected Noble Phantasms, but if he did that, the wager would be meaningless.
In that case, he would use "that move"...
"That move" that could wipe out thousands upon tens of thousands of arrows with a single shot...
To be honest, Shirou had never used "that move" in actual combat before. This was his first attempt.
So even he was not sure whether it would succeed.
If he failed, Shirou's Spirit Origin would be pierced through by the barrage of arrows without any resistance.
It was an enormous risk.
And yet, for some reason, Shirou felt strangely calm, as though he had entered a special state.
In other words, at the very moment Shirou became certain he would succeed, he raised the black bow, its Mana surging ever higher.
"Don't forget our wager, Archer."
"!"
Atalanta's animal ears suddenly shuddered.
What... is this...?
The girl's eyes widened. Am I... actually afraid? Of this boy?
A drop of cold sweat slid down her cheek as she fixed her gaze on Shirou's movements.
The red-haired boy set a spiraled longsword against the string, then spoke the True Name of his Noble Phantasm, his martial art.
"Nine Lives."
It came from the distant Age of Myths in which Atalanta herself had lived.
A "school" created through innate talent by the greatest hero in history, yet lost because no one was capable of inheriting it.
A legendary divine technique that unleashed nine consecutive strikes in a single instant, "School: Nine Lives."
Used with a sword, it became a nine-strike sword dance completed in the blink of an eye. Used with a spear, it became the ultimate technique of striking nine times with a single thrust.
In the Fairy Kingdom, Shirou had analyzed a weapon once used by the Great Hero, the Mystic Code Marmiadoise.
After a long and brutal period of training, the young man finally completed that peerless technique.
Though he could not achieve nine strikes in an instant, he had managed eight.
Earlier, during his battle with the golden wolf at Touko's house, Shirou had successfully used that move.
However, what Shirou had learned was at most the close-combat application of "School: Nine Lives."
Heracles was considered to be best suited for the Archer-class. What, then, was his godlike archery truly like?
Shirou had no way of knowing.
All he could do was imagine. He could only imagine.
And by incorporating that imagination into his daily training, Shirou had grasped this.
Atalanta's eyes widened in disbelief.
Although only a single arrow had left the boy's hand, it produced a sight like that.
The arrow, wrapped in Dragonkind Mana, split into eight trails across the night sky.
That scene of destruction looked just like a massive, pitch-black serpent.
The silhouette of an eight-headed evil dragon soared through the night sky, devouring every approaching arrow of light.
"Ah... ahh...?"
Atalanta's mouth hung half open. She could no longer speak.
The eight trails became eight great jaws, twisting and racing as they gnawed through the world, swallowing the calamity she had prayed for the gods to bring down.
Anyone who had poured sweat and effort into the bow and arrow would understand just how abnormal that sight was.
Though it could not reproduce the miracle of "nine" like the original, simply reaching the number "eight" was astonishing enough...
Was that really all?
No. That was not right.
Only Archer understood what was truly happening.
Atalanta, the huntress who had once gone on many adventures with Heracles in life and knew the great hero well, was the only one who understood Shirou's true abnormality.
Because...
This kid's "Nine Lives" is being used completely wrong!!
The true, original "Nine Lives" was an auto-tracking Noble Phantasm that fired nine arrows at the same time.
Gripping nine arrows in one hand and firing them all at once was something only Heracles, with the blood of the God King and his extraordinary body, could do.
Heracles' bow had been forged in an age where profound Mystery still lingered. It was a mighty bow that had absorbed the blood and Mana of enemies across countless battlefields.
As for that indestructible string, Atalanta had secretly tried drawing it before, only to find she could not even make it budge. Surely only someone with truly abnormal Monstrous Strength could wield it freely.
That was why Atalanta had never once considered challenging Heracles in archery.
After all, that was already a divine realm beyond human reach.
Yet today, she had seen a boy enter that divine realm in his own way.
This boy had never even met Heracles in person.
Relying on imagination alone, he had taken a myth he had only heard from others...
And recreated the ultimate technique a hero had spent his entire life building, giving birth to a new divine art.
Should she call him a genius, or simply lucky?
Or perhaps...
Atalanta stared upward in a daze, feeling that the eight-headed evil dragon dancing wildly in the sky was beautiful.
She was so shaken that she forgot the passage of time.
Only when the rain of arrows from the complaint and the phantom of the great serpent vanished together, restoring silence to the night sky, did the girl finally come back to herself.
"How on earth did he do that...?"
"Hm? What?"
Shirou walked toward the ship's bow as he spoke.
"Now then, tell me what's going on with your side."
"...You!"
Atalanta looked displeased.
Shirou had already put away his bow, which meant he believed he had won this archery duel.
That casual, utterly unselfconscious gesture made Atalanta feel humiliated all over again.
But...
No matter how stubborn she wanted to be, she had to admit that the skill the "Black" Saber had shown just now far surpassed her own.
Guh... I actually lost to a Saber in an archery contest!?
Atalanta realized that fact belatedly, and shame and anger surged through her at once.
"Archer? We had a deal. You're not planning to go back on your word, are you?" Shirou urged.
"I don't need you to remind me. I'll keep my promise."
Atalanta forced down her dissatisfaction and said through gritted teeth, "What do you want to know?"
"Where is your Master right now?" Shirou asked.
"How could I possibly tell you something that important!"
Atalanta's brows drew together. "I did say I could tell you information about our side, but there's no way I'm giving you information about my Master."
Shirou smiled slyly. "Don't tell me you don't know?"
"...Ugh."
Atalanta's expression froze.
Just as Shirou had said, after she was summoned, Atalanta immediately realized that the white-haired man before her was not her Master. She could sense no Mana connection.
Later, Atalanta learned that the young Father named Shirou Kotomine was a member of the "Red" faction, as well as her proxy Master.
Her Master did not wish to appear in person, and had therefore entrusted the entire war to Father Kotomine.
No matter how she thought about it, that explanation was suspicious... and the Assassin at his side was suspicious too.
And it was not only Atalanta's Master. The Masters of the other Servants were in the same situation, with only the Master of the "Red" Saber refusing Shirou Kotomine's cooperation.
Though she found it extremely suspicious, it was not completely unreasonable.
In this Holy Grail War... the biggest problem was not losing, but what would happen after winning.
Even though this was the largest war in history, the Greater Grail could only grant one set of wishes.
Therefore, the moment the "Black" side was defeated, the "Red" side would likely break into civil war.
That was probably why the Magi were reluctant to show themselves so easily, and had instead entrusted Father Kotomine to participate as their proxy.
Atalanta still found it suspicious, but there was no better option, so she could only take things one step at a time.
"That's all I know. What else do you want to ask?"
"Mm, I've got the general picture."
Shirou thought for a moment, then said, "I think your Master has probably already been dealt with by Father Kotomine."
"...What!?"
Atalanta's heart jolted. "Are you saying my Master is already dead? What proof do you have?"
"No, no, no. He should still be alive. The fact that your Mana supply is still stable proves that."
Shirou said, "He's alive, but... only barely, in the practical sense."
"You mean..."
The beautiful face and bewitching smile of the "Red" Assassin surfaced in Atalanta's mind.
If it was that woman...
The Empress of Magecraft who could toy with men effortlessly would not find something like that difficult at all.
"I'm impressed you thought of that," Atalanta said, drawing in a cold breath.
Shirou chuckled. "I just happen to know someone doing something similar. Stripping the Magic Circuits from defeated opponents and placing them in nursing facilities. As for your side, they've probably had their Command Spells removed, leaving only their functions as Magi intact. As long as they're still needed for their Mana supply, you don't have to worry about their safety. Their minds are probably just being controlled by Magecraft."
"I'm not worried. And... all of that is just your guess. You don't have any real proof, do you?"
Shirou nodded. "Ruler seems to have noticed something wrong too. She's been searching everywhere for Father Kotomine's whereabouts."
"Ruler, huh?"
Atalanta looked thoughtfully in the direction of the Sky Garden.
"Hey, 'Black' Saber. You've already split from the 'Black' faction, haven't you?"
"Yeah, I have."
"In that case, do you want to work with me?"
"No."
"..."
Atalanta frowned and turned back to Shirou.
"I see. From the look on your face, you've already formed an alliance with someone else... I was one step too late."
When the red-haired boy nodded, Atalanta looked faintly regretful.
Come to think of it, this was the first time a man had ever rejected her, she suddenly realized.
"In that case..."
Halfway through speaking, Atalanta's face suddenly tightened.
"...What's wrong?" Shirou asked.
The girl sighed, then said with a self-mocking expression, "My 'Master' has ordered me to go help... Apparently, things down below are looking bad. So, what are you going to do? Stop me here?"
Shirou shook his head and said, "Not tonight. The next time we meet, we'll be enemies."
"Fine."
Atalanta gave a slight nod.
Then she turned and leaped from the airship hundreds of meters above the ground, moving so fast she was nearly impossible to follow with the naked eye.
What a strange boy, the girl thought as she fell freely.
Because of what she had experienced and seen in life, she deeply hated men. Even talking to them made her uncomfortable.
And yet, strangely enough, the "Black" Saber did not make her feel that way at all.
This was a first for her. She could even feel a certain sense of reassurance from the red-haired boy... which was why she had taken the initiative to propose an alliance.
She felt that the two of them should have made teammates with excellent compatibility, and that was why...
"But... if he rejected me, there's nothing I can do."
Atalanta landed lightly on the ground, not even noticing that her tail had begun wagging happily.
"Next time we meet, I'll definitely kill that kid and make him regret not accepting my offer tonight~"