While Arthur was still locked in combat with Rider, Shirou's battle against Archer continued.
For Archer, the endlessly adaptive [Cross Tail] combined with [Incursio]'s ability to stack indefinitely had become nearly impossible to handle.
Unless Archer could fire an arrow powerful enough to pierce through Shirou's defenses in a single strike before he could react—or shoot one so fast it reached Shirou before he could even raise his shield—her chances of victory were slim.
Speed and penetrating power were fundamentally linked in archery; once an arrow reached a certain velocity, its destructive power naturally followed.
Unfortunately, Archer's current archery skills hadn't reached the level needed to break through Shirou's defense so easily. She specialized more in wide-area arrow storms, or relentless barrages of attacks designed to overwhelm enemies, rather than building power into a single, piercing shot.
Moreover, Shirou had at some point donned his own set of [Incursio].
But why hadn't he stacked multiple layers of armor on himself?
Because [Incursio] exerted a crushing strain upon the user's body. Stacking multiple layers on oneself exponentially multiplied that pressure—likely due to resonance between identical copies.
Only [Cross Tail], with its unmatched flexibility and durability, could bear the strain of multiple layers. Ten layers appeared to be [Cross Tail]'s absolute limit. One more, and it would likely shatter into pieces from the overwhelming force.
Thus, all Archer had to do was break past the shield and pierce the single set of armor Shirou wore to kill him.
It sounded so easy, didn't it?
"This is so frustrating!"
Archer darted rapidly through the forest. While she wasn't as fast as Rider, she was still swift enough. Perhaps if she could launch arrows from multiple directions at lightning speed, Shirou's shield wouldn't hold up.
However, Shirou seemed to recognize this vulnerability as well.
As Archer watched, Shirou's shield—[Cross Tail], covered by multiple layers of [Incursio]—suddenly changed shape, surrounding him completely like a solid fortress, leaving only one small opening through which he could still shoot arrows.
"Damn it!"
It wasn't that Archer couldn't shoot through the tiny opening. With her skills, hitting that gap was as easy as breathing.
The issue was that Shirou's threads could seal that opening the instant before her arrows struck. His defense was essentially perfect.
At this point, she'd almost rather be fighting Rider; at least he had clear weaknesses. Landing a single shot on him would give her a fighting chance.
Only a chance, though. A direct fight would surely end in her defeat.
Ting—!
As frustration gnawed at her, a faint noise nearby caught her attention.
Aside from their ongoing fight, this eerily quiet forest shouldn't be making such sounds.
She glanced around and saw the chain-bound swords and ordinary-looking katana—those failed shots Shirou had fired earlier—beginning to rapidly dissolve.
An intense, spine-chilling sense of danger shot up her back.
Run!
Her instincts screamed at her, and she retreated desperately at lightning speed.
But it was already too late.
Without her noticing, countless chained swords and plain-looking katana surrounded her completely, rapidly disintegrating.
Only now did she finally understand Shirou's real purpose in firing such inaccurate, slow-moving shots toward her general position.
His true goal had always been to encircle her.
She never imagined she'd fall into a trap laid by a mere Master. The humiliation burned deeper than any wound.
Not only had she failed to harm the enemy Master, she'd walked right into his hands instead.
Was this the bitter truth of hunting—that until the final moment, you'd never know who was the hunter, and who was the prey?
"By my [Command Spell]—Archer—!"
By the time her Master, observing through a familiar, recognized the danger, the explosions had already begun.
BOOM—!
Like bombs dropped from an aircraft, violent explosions erupted around Archer, lighting the forest as brilliantly as daylight.
When shattered, [Incursio] released the immense power contained within, triggering explosive destruction.
But what about [Murasame]? It indeed possessed a special ability, yet Shirou could not fulfill its strict conditions. He couldn't truly wield its deadly power.
When wielders lost their emotions, [Murasame] transformed into a demonic blade, compelling them to abandon their humanity, harnessing the negative emotions of those slain to vastly amplify their strength and speed.
However, Shirou's inability to activate that power didn't mean it disappeared altogether.
When [Murasame] shattered, its explosion was not only powerful—it was lethally poisonous due to its inherent "one-cut kill" venom. Although primarily not an explosive-type Teigu, its destruction would naturally unleash its deadly poison.
Had the priest hesitated even a moment longer to recall Archer with a [Command Spell], she might have died on the spot.
Assassin didn't immediately have an antidote ready. She only knew no poison in the world could surpass her own.
Thus, she decided to counter Archer's poison with her own venom. Assassin's toxin entered Archer's bloodstream, devouring [Murasame]'s lethal poison like a serpent consuming its prey.
The reason Archer's skin repeatedly showed black patterns appearing and vanishing was due to the ongoing internal struggle between the two poisons.
If Archer had been a mortal, even a split second would've been enough to end her life.
...
"Master! Are you alright?"
As soon as Rider departed, Arthur raced back to Shirou's side with incredible speed.
Thanks to their Master-Servant connection, he always knew exactly where Shirou was.
Even though Shirou had defeated Archer, Arthur had no way of knowing whether his Master had been injured in the fight, and anxiety filled his heart.