93 The Duel of the Holy Spear and Divine Bow
In one of the two great epics of ancient India, Mahabharata, Arjuna is one of the core heroes, whose important status can almost only be said to be slightly less than King Arthur from the legend of the thirteen Knights of the Round Table.
As a hero chosen by the gods, Arjuna is upright, brave, and skilled in battle.
He embodies the perfect Kshatriya (the second caste, specifically meaning 'warrior' and 'noble') of ancient India, a figure who runs through the entirety of this epic.
Within the epic, there is a story about two princes of the Kuru kingdom, 'Pandu' and 'Dhritarashtra', competing for territory.
Dhritarashtra is the elder son but was born blind and fathered 100 sons led by Duryodhana; meanwhile, Pandu fathered five sons by praying to the gods and being granted children by divine intervention, each possessing supernatural abilities.
After Pandu's death, Dhritarashtra, relying on his 100 sons, seized the throne and expelled Pandu's five sons abroad.
Arjuna was the third son of Pandu's five.
Together with his four brothers—Yudhishthira, Bhima, Nakula, and Sahadeva—they married a neighboring country's princess, and after various adventures gained the support of many nations, they demanded half of the territory from Dhritarashtra's 100 sons but were refused, triggering the Kurukshetra War.
The five sons of Pandu were all highly skilled warriors.
Dhritarashtra's 100 sons were led by Duryodhana and allied with Karna, a man of no known parents and commoner origin, who was made a king and formed a deep friendship with them.
Thus, the fatefully opposed half-brothers, the 'Gifted Hero' (Arjuna) and the 'Charitable Hero' (Karna), faced each other in a destined confrontation.
In the end, the victory went to Pandu's five sons, concluding the conflict.
After the war, Pandu's five sons passed the throne to their descendants, and the five brothers, along with their common wife, entered the Himalayas for ascetic practice and eventually ascended to heaven.
However, the heroic spirit before the boy's eyes was somewhat different.
Unlike the great hero Arjuna who never wanted others to see his smile, this one openly revealed a twisted, evil grin without restraint.
"That's not right. Calling me Arjuna is better described as calling me the 'Black' side of Arjuna, hahaha! Emiya Shirou! I've been waiting for you a long time. Though it's not boring at all to
freely fight and loot in this city." The man showed the evil smile of a villain, and the black mud on his body wriggled like worms.
"Another black mud heroic spirit? What exactly do you want with me? You've come chasing me all the way to another world—so persistent." Shirou frowned and asked.
"Purpose? There's no such thing! If I must say, it's revenge.
Killing you won't help, but this is the mission I was summoned for, so just go die!" The man called 'Black' revealed the most evil grin, quickly drew his bowstring, and shot several blue streaks of light.
The blue arrows, blessed by divine fire, moved at an astonishing speed, instantly arriving in front of the boy, locking onto his hands, feet, and body at five points.
Shirou spun the Grim Reaper's scythe, turning it into a fast-spinning circle, sweeping the blue arrows away.
"Heh hahahaha! You're in a strange state now, huh? Well, I guess it's not impossible for you to be a Faker? But where's your proud projection magic?
Where are the black and white dual blades? Why a scythe? Planning to become a Vaishya (third caste), farming?"
"That's hilarious. If you kneel and beg now, maybe I'll spare you, haha!" The man laughed oddly.
His laughter was abruptly cut off.
Four iron swords suddenly appeared out of thin air, flying from top to bottom, stabbing at the man's mouth; four more iron swords stabbed upward at his body from below.
The divine bow and iron swords sparked, clashing loudly. The man hastily blocked each flying sword with his bow.
"Swords? I have as many as I want. But can you catch them all?" Shirou asked with a light laugh.
"I Retract my earlier words. You're really making me angry. I'll definitely kill you! In the most painful way possible, bleeding you to death." The man coldly glared at the boy; the black mud on his face stirred with killing intent.
"I think that's the only one thing you can't do!" Shirou wielded his scythe and charged at the black mud heroic spirit.
Having absorbed hundreds of spirits, the boy, empowered by the costume's enhancement, unleashed incredible speed.
But the black mud heroic spirit's burst speed was even faster. Every time Shirou tried to catch up, the enemy would pull away again.
After several rounds, Shirou barely managed a draw with the black mud heroic spirit using projection magic.
"Hey, is that all you've got? Looks like you really aren't the real Arjuna. Dealing with you isn't too hard." Shirou taunted.
"Heh hahahaha! You're really brave to say that! Then try this move! Die! Die! With Shiva's wrath, may you perish here—The Hand of the Destroyer 'Pashupata'!" The man activated his Noble Phantasm, releasing a dazzling orb of light that rose high into the sky.
A destructive aura emanated from the white light, seeming to reduce all it touched to nothingness.
"Add!!" Shirou shouted.
"Got it!" The eye on the Grim Reaper's scythe opened wide, changed its form, and released the previously absorbed doubled energy, instantly activating the second phase of the seal.
"Holy Spear, set sail, Rhongomyniad—!"
The holy spear in the boy's hand emitted a brilliant golden light, transforming into a massive golden pillar of light that struck the white orb.
Even facing the power of a destroyer god, it still radiated an invincible aura.
The golden light overwhelmed the white light, pushing it back and charging toward the black heroic spirit behind.
"Not over yet! In the flame of Agni, become dust!—The Roar of the Fire God (Agni Gandiva)!"
The 'other side' of the gifted hero Arjuna simultaneously activated his second Noble Phantasm, The Roar of the Fire God (Agni Gandiva), alongside The Hand of the Destroyer (Pashupata).
The blue flame magical cannon and the white orb overlapped, colliding with the golden light released by the holy spear.
The enormous energy grew, blue and golden lights respectively covering each side, coloring the surroundings.
At this moment, everything was enveloped in intense light. One side—the tall buildings and the ground—turned blue, while the other side was radiant gold. The earth shook, the wind howled, and hundreds of puppet corpses piled like a mountain were swallowed by the light and shattered into dust and debris.
The energies of the Noble Phantasms neutralized each other, and the entire street was covered in a blinding light, leaving nothing visible.
At that moment, a shadow dashed in front of the black mud heroic spirit.
Before the dazzling light faded, Shirou leapt high, swinging the Grim Reaper's scythe toward the neck of the black mud heroic spirit, aiming to reap him.