Witnessing the crimson torrent erupting from Mordred's sword, Arthur felt another surge of mana flood through his body.
Slowly, he lifted the golden sword in his grasp.
A dazzling beam of golden brilliance surged toward the sky, colliding fiercely with the scarlet beam. Neither side yielded an inch, plunging the surroundings into a terrifying, storm-like maelstrom.
"Saber——!!"
At that very moment, a voice rang out from the heavens.
A red-haired youth riding upon a mythical hippogriff that should not exist in this world rushed toward them at incredible speed. Leaping directly from the beast, he landed at Arthur's heavily injured side.
"Master!"
Arthur was genuinely astonished by Shirou Emiya's arrival, but there was no time to dwell on surprise.
Mordred's final Noble Phantasm was descending.
At that instant, a chill surged up Arthur's spine—a premonition of danger, the unmistakable sensation of being targeted by some hidden menace.
Even now, someone else was plotting against him. Yet time waited for no one, and Arthur couldn't divert his attention from Mordred's strike to search for whoever lurked in the shadows.
"Master, I leave this to you!"
With no room for more words, Arthur entrusted his back to Shirou Emiya.
"I vow to fight only for survival."
"I vow to fight one-on-one."
"I vow never to betray humanity."
"I vow never to oppose the fae."
"I vow to battle for honor alone."
Five oaths—the most Arthur had ever released during this Holy Grail War. Shirou felt exceedingly small before the titanic surge of power radiating from the King of Knights.
Its sheer might left no doubt it could easily repel even the blasts from the Hanging Gardens.
The golden beam collided violently with the crimson torrent in midair. The immense shockwave flattened surrounding trees, shattering even the protective barrier hastily erected by Kairi Sisigou.
Yet simultaneously, an eerie voice whispered ominously behind Arthur.
A hollow, ancient voice—inhuman, dripping with malice.
"[Zabaniya—Delusional Heartbeat]!"
A grotesque hand emerged silently from the shadows, inching toward Arthur's back. Following closely behind was a skeletal figure, face obscured beneath a skull-like mask.
A palpable threat of death closed in from behind. Every instinct screamed at Arthur to react—failing to do so would spell certain doom.
Yet Arthur ignored the threat at his back entirely, pouring all concentration into maintaining his Noble Phantasm.
Because behind him stood someone he fully trusted.
"[Trace—on]!"
An ornate Greek cross-shaped shield materialized instantly between Arthur and the monstrous hand.
The shadowy figure in the skull mask found it vaguely familiar but dismissed the thought immediately. Greek shields often resembled one another, after all.
A mere projected shield can't block my Noble Phantasm.
Utterly disdainful, the shadow continued his thrust toward Arthur's heart without hesitation.
"[Akhilleus Kosmos]!"
Shirou's desperate shout accompanied a brilliant burst of light from the projected shield.
Isn't that Rider's Noble Phantasm—?!
Stunned, the assassin paused abruptly, realizing why the shield seemed so familiar. Wasn't this Achilles' greatest defensive Noble Phantasm?
He glanced sideways. At some point, Shirou had summoned a wooden bow, already aimed directly at him.
An arrow had been loosed, slicing through the air at incredible speed.
If his strike missed Arthur, he'd have no choice but to endure Shirou's incoming attack.
Know thy enemy, and victory shall be yours.
His Master had ordered meticulous intelligence gathering, especially regarding Shirou Emiya. He'd personally witnessed Shirou effortlessly defeating Archer of Red.
He understood clearly—being struck by that sword-turned-arrow at this range was tantamount to suicide. Shirou Emiya's [Broken Phantasm] easily rivaled a C-ranked Noble Phantasm, and Assassin-class Servants like himself lacked the resilience to withstand such an explosion at point-blank range.
He had no intention of withdrawing prematurely before fulfilling his Master's command. Moreover, eliminating Arthur now wasn't guaranteed. The King of Knights, already critically wounded and lacking Command Spells for recovery, was likely to disappear after this clash regardless.
Given the situation, there was no reason to risk his own life for uncertain gains. The greatest threat in the Holy Grail War—aside from Arthur—had already been neutralized.
After a brief but calculated assessment, the skull-masked assassin melted instantly into the shadows, vanishing from sight.
The sword-arrow passed harmlessly through empty air.
Clang—!
The Greek cross-shaped shield fell to the ground, echoing sharply.
Shirou Emiya's projection magecraft could not replicate genuine divine constructs. [Akhilleus Kosmos] was merely an empty shell—just a hollow façade. It had absolutely no defensive capability against Noble Phantasms; it was softer even than a common Greek shield.
In other words, this shield was simply a trick—a bluff.
Shirou had gambled that the Servant wouldn't risk his own existence to guarantee Arthur's defeat.
Evidently, this Servant knew how to weigh risks and rewards. Had it been Mordred, she'd have never hesitated, attacking regardless of consequences.