Siegfried, was forced to make a decision.
He had been silently ignoring his Master's repeated orders to unleash his Noble Phantasm, continuing to exchange blows with the "Red" Rider. But even his Master was growing impatient.
He was not inferior in skill, nor was he inferior in sturdiness. Precisely because of that, the two were locked in a stalemate. His own attacks didn't work, but the enemy's attacks didn't work on him either.
To break this deadlock, there truly might be no other way than a Noble Phantasm. But it was a gamble.
It would be fine if the enemy's defense was a Noble Phantasm of the same type as his own—"nullifying attacks below a certain rank." In that extreme case, a path to breakthrough was available to anyone.
In essence, it was a matter of ultimate sturdiness; an attack exceeding the defense would penetrate, even if its power was reduced by the defense's value. No matter how high the defensive power, it likely couldn't withstand his A+-rank Demonic Sword of Salvation, Balmung.
But, if this Rider's Noble Phantasm was of the type "nullification unless specific conditions are met"… then Balmung would be meaningless, and he would be treated as a fool who carelessly revealed his True Name.
Using this Noble Phantasm was the last resort, to be used only when there was truly no other way. Otherwise, not only the nature of his Noble Phantasm, but even his own name would be known.
"Tch, so even this won't get through, huh?" The "Red" Rider clicked his tongue while glaring at Saber. "Hah, we're not getting anywhere like this."
How many times had their blades crossed? Rider's spear had reached Saber's body numerous times, and Saber's sword had slammed into Rider's body just as often. Yet, both were unharmed.
Rider targeted only Saber, not even treating Berserker as an enemy. For some reason, her attacks didn't work on Rider either. Having fought this long, both Saber and Berserker sensed it.
His defense wasn't something that could be broken through by brute force; it likely required some specific condition. Was it fire, water, wind, or lightning? Or was it environmental, like being immortal within a forest or at night? The attacks of the two "Black" Servants lacked that condition, and the "Red" Rider, knowing this, faced their swordplay with ease.
'What are you doing, Saber?! He doesn't have a single scratch! Your Noble Phantasm! Use your Noble Phantasm!'
His Master's orders came through. But he could not comply. It was too foolish a choice.
Certainly, using his Noble Phantasm would make things clear—whether the enemy's immortality could be wounded even by his holy sword. That would also wound his pride as a Heroic Spirit.
But in a Great Holy Grail War where fierce warriors gathered from across the world, it wasn't strange for a Servant with an advantage against him to be summoned. He hadn't failed to imagine this scenario, and a Heroic Spirit wasn't one to give up simply because their attacks were ineffective.
Just as he had when he won his desperate battle against the evil dragon, he simply had to give it his all. Besides, unlike that dragon fight, he had reliable comrades now.
'Saber, Berserker. Listen as you are.'
Archer's telepathic message came through the familiar. Archer had been deployed to the rear to watch for invading enemies.
'I'm going to use my Noble Phantasm. I'll count down. Pull away from Rider at the right moment.'
He had seen Archer's Noble Phantasm before. That arrow resembling a twisted sword. Though he didn't know what legend it held, the arrow possessed power comparable to an Anti-Army Noble Phantasm and a cursed tenacity that wouldn't stop until the enemy was slain—it was truly worthy of an Archer's Noble Phantasm.
If it was Archer's Noble Phantasm, he could indeed test the enemy's immortality without activating his own holy sword.
Unlike Berserker, Saber, forbidden by his Master from speaking, could not reply to Archer. But Archer, knowing this, began the countdown as if he had received assent.
He had three seconds.
Berserker, though not a warrior, skillfully used the enemy's kick to create distance. He himself decided to press the attack until the last moment.
To prevent the enemy from detecting Archer's snipe, he had to move forward. He took a powerful step forward and received the thrusting spear with his body.
"Mm...!"
Saber's sword was absorbed into Rider's abdomen. The guillotine-like blade, however, did not penetrate Rider. Still, the impact got through.
Saber's holy sword didn't possess the lethality of a blunt weapon, but it was enough to push Rider back. He took a backstep to create distance, retreating to Berserker's side.
"What's this, a reset?" Swinging his spear triumphantly, Rider laughed.
At that moment, magical energy exploded from behind.
"Wha...?!"
It was lightning.
A rugged arrow flying at super speed twisted space, stirring the atmosphere as it struck Rider directly in the center of his body. Rider seemed to notice at the last moment, but it was too late.
Archer's arrow, upon hitting Rider directly, exploded with a roaring sound and a blinding flash.
A pillar of light that seemed to pierce the heavens.
Saber and Berserker understood this was the forbidden technique, Broken Phantasm, which involved self-destructing a Noble Phantasm to unleash all the mystery contained within. They were simultaneously astonished.
The Noble Phantasm just used was not the one employed against the "Red" Saber. It was only natural, as that Noble Phantasm had been destroyed by the "Red" Saber, but even so, this meant Archer had now lost two Noble Phantasms.
Servants typically possessed one or two Noble Phantasms. Even for a class like Rider, which boasted variety in Noble Phantasms, the number didn't reach double digits. With seven enemy Servants and an eventual internal schism expected on their side, they couldn't believe he would so calmly discard Noble Phantasms.
"Uuuu..." An unnatural creaking sound surrounded Berserker. She was probably absorbing the magical energy scattered in all directions by Archer's Noble Phantasm.
Saber looked at the blast epicenter. The flash faded, and thick dust swirled.
Archer's Noble Phantasm must have had power equivalent to A-rank. In other words, it was a Noble Phantasm capable of breaking through the defense of Siegfried himself, who possessed the hardest body among all heroes.
It was a two-stage attack: the arrow's direct hit, followed by the high-power attack from the Broken Phantasm. An average Servant would be obliterated without a trace, dying instantly.
The ground was gouged out, forming a crater, and the surrounding trees were blown away, roots and all. That was its power.
And yet—
"What was that? Your Archer's work?" Rider's voice came from within the dust.
"Impressive power, I'll give it that. I wonder how it compares to Big Sis's."
The dust cleared. In the center of the crater stood Rider, without a single wound, not even a smudge of soot.
"But, well, it doesn't work on me."
Rider was standing. Impossible.
Saber bitterly acknowledged that his premonition had been correct, not letting it show on his face, while Berserker intensified her growls.
What about the Masters? From what he could sense, they seemed dumbfounded. His Master, Gordes, also seemed unable to utter a word, and the orders to use his Noble Phantasm had ceased.
"So, what will you do, you two? Or should I say three, including Archer?"
Rider, having leaped out of the crater, rested his spear on his shoulder and smiled with ease.
To be frank, he had high expectations for the Great Holy Grail War.
A great war where heroes and champions from East and West, across all eras, were summoned. Its scale was incomparable to a normal Holy Grail War, and since both "Red" and "Black" were staking their pride, they should have prepared worthy heroes.
He had joined the war with such expectations.
The "Red" Rider, Achilles, was one of the foremost mighty warriors among the world's many heroes, top-class in terms of fame. He was a great hero known to all, and his most prominent feature was undoubtedly the divine blessing of immortality granted by the gods.
Except for his vulnerable heel, Rider possessed an invincible body that repelled all blades and spears. In life, he had fully demonstrated this immortality until he was felled by an arrow to his heel, achieving the feat of defeating the hero Hector, who was his equal.
The hero of the Trojan War had come to the ends of time seeking a heated battle with a hero who could rival him.
That's why, from the very first battle, it had been disappointing.
To wound Rider, one needed something that could oppose the gods' blessing — the Divinity skill.
But neither the "Black" Saber nor the "Black" Berserker possessed the Divinity skill; to Rider, they were merely walls that were difficult to break. The "Black" Lancer was the same. Being Vlad III meant he was no match for Rider. The "Black" Archer, who engaged in long-range sniping, seemed to possess top-tier Noble Phantasms but no Divinity skill, and he had survived the Noble Phantasm release unscathed.
The remaining hopes were the Rider, same as himself, and the Caster who only deployed golems. And, though the possibility was low, perhaps the Assassin.
If, by any chance, there wasn't a single Servant with the Divinity skill among the enemy ranks, this war would end with Rider alone. That would be far too boring.
"So, what will you do, you two? Or should I say three, including Archer?"
Faced with such immortality, how would they respond? Fleeing was acceptable, but if they came at him, he would simply crush them.
Personally, he hoped for the latter. No matter what, the one to be overcome should be a hero.
Sure enough, the "Black" Saber stepped forward.
"Thought you would."
A hero said to have fought evenly with his own faction's Lancer. Even knowing he couldn't win, he would come without giving up. That was a true hero.
The "Red" Rider was undeniably a hero. Above all, he was a man whose primary principle was to act heroically. Therefore, he wished for his opponents to also act heroically.
"Fine, come at me, Saber. At the end of this swordplay, you might just reach me."
And so, spear and sword crossed once more.
The battle fell into a stalemate again. No matter what, since neither Rider nor Saber could wound the other, it was only natural.
His sturdiness was as rumored. It was proven that they were getting nowhere.
Then, should he use his Noble Phantasm too?
His chariot and his spear. Both were prized masterpieces, not something to be used recklessly, but using them against the Saber before him shouldn't be a problem.
He might be stealing the "Red" Lancer's prey, but it couldn't be helped — this was war. He'd ask for forgiveness later.
Thinking this, as he created distance, something glinting, tearing through the night, entered his vision.
"Gu...!" An impact on his right shoulder. No damage.
"Archer? Haven't you learned your lesson?"
Did he still launch attacks knowing his strongest Noble Phantasm was ineffective? At this point, there was no meaning in even evading Archer's attacks.
He avoided the bombing-like arrows, deflected them with his spear, and received them with his body. The troublesome part was the enemy Archer's high ability.
The arrows flew as if predicting his movements. Even if they were ineffective, this was certainly a nuisance.
"What's with this guy's arrows?"
Rider's dynamic visual acuity discerned the strangeness of those arrows.
Arrows adorned in gold, silver, and even red, green, and blue colors had structures closer to swords, and he had no recollection of any technique that treated such things as arrows.
Rider, who had learned hunting skills under the tutelage of the archery master Chiron, had knowledge of bows and arrows. Bows and arrows were primary weapons on the battlefield as well.
However, arrows of this shape were abnormal.
"I've never seen arrows like this. And they're all Noble Phantasms? What the hell is this?"
What was fearsome was their magical energy. They weren't ordinary arrows. Every one of them, differing in rank, was a Noble Phantasm.
The twisted swords he had never seen before were all completely different Noble Phantasms. And he was causing all of them to self-destruct, slamming their explosive blasts against Rider.
Faced with this unbelievable spectacle, even Rider couldn't hide his astonishment.
"A Heroic Spirit who discards this many Noble Phantasms... Who are you, Archer?"
Flames, water, wind, lightning — all erupted from the exploding Noble Phantasms and assailed Rider. None of them could leave a single wound on him, scattering into mist.
Archer was using a multitude of Noble Phantasms to search for the condition to pierce Rider's immortality.
The number of swords he had knocked away with his spear exceeded ten, and the Noble Phantasms that had exploded within his sight were close to fifty.
A hero who used Noble Phantasms — the symbols of heroes — like water. A type of Heroic Spirit he had never encountered before.
Normally, when a Servant uses a Noble Phantasm, their True Name is revealed ninety percent of the time.
That's because Noble Phantasms are paired with Servants. Unless multiple heroes in legend used that Noble Phantasm, the Noble Phantasm's True Name and the Servant's True Name are exposed as a pair.
But what about this Archer?
He possessed countless Noble Phantasms and detonated them without any attachment. Moreover, none of them were familiar.
The more he used his Noble Phantasms, the less his identity could be narrowed down.
"Heh. Interesting."
Then, let him use as many as he wanted.
Archer's pride seemed to be the number of his Noble Phantasms, but they couldn't pierce his immortality.
It wasn't fire or lightning, nor was it an environmental factor like day or night; he was protected by a higher-order concept.
Let him expend his Noble Phantasms like water and expose his True Name. Leaving this mysterious Archer unidentified would be the worst possible souvenir.
He grappled with the arrows as if dancing. Rider dashed through the countless weapons raining down like a storm.
Hoping that perhaps among this rain was a weapon that could override his immortality — while rationally understanding it was impossible — the swift hero swung his spear.
Therefore, it was not rationality, but a warrior's instinct.
A single gleam of light seen within the ridiculous steel downpour. Feeling a spine-chilling thrill at the object falling directly towards his face, he turned his face away.
The gold that vanished behind him, barely grazing his cheek.
And then —
"What..." Everyone gasped.
Not only Saber and Berserker watching the battlefield, but Rider himself was astonished.
A single line of red on his cheek.
A cut, carved into his invincible body that no one could wound.
"Tch!"
Rider leaped back greatly. Immediately after, the spot where Rider had been was gouged out massively.
It was the exact same Noble Phantasm that had wounded Rider.
Archer had finally discovered the concept that could pierce Rider's defense.
What assailed Rider could no longer be described as rain. If every single one was a Noble Phantasm capable of piercing his body, it was literally a bombardment of steel.
Twisted swords made up the majority, but among them were spears and scythes. However, the shape didn't matter; these Noble Phantasms were imbued with an equal concept.
"This is interesting, Archer! I don't know who you are, but there aren't many who can wound me!"
The pain he hadn't felt in so long exhilarated Rider.
There was someone among the enemy capable of defeating him. Just knowing that was a harvest in itself.
A Servant who countered divine blessing not by bloodline, but by wielding Noble Phantasms. His identity was unknown, but Rider decided that it would be him who would take that head.
"It's a reset, Archer! I'll let you keep that head until we meet again!"
In this numerically disadvantageous situation, staying here any longer risked Archer's snipe tearing out his heart.
More than anything, he recognized Archer as an opponent that must be dealt with where no one could interfere.
When Rider whistled, a three-horsed chariot immediately descended from the sky.
The immortal divine horses Xanthus and Balius, and the famous horse Pedasos, harnessed to the chariot that had once raced across many battlefields with Rider, were the reason for his summoning as a Rider.
Lightly leaping onto the driver's platform, Rider cracked the whip and sent the chariot racing into the heavens.
"Big Sis!"
Then, Rider picked up the "Red" Archer, who had leaped out from the shadows, and grandly departed towards the distant sky.
Rider, who had faced three Servants alone, had fully demonstrated his overwhelming power and thrown the "Black" camp into disarray.
Watching the "Red" Rider depart, Archer lowered his bow and let out a breath.
The "Red" Rider had displayed martial prowess worthy of a great hero. Taking advantage of the abundant magical energy supply, his strategy of wildly firing Noble Phantasms had paid off.
He had likely made the enemy wary, but fortunately, he had found the "concept" to break through Rider's immortality.
"Still, a blessing from the gods? A troublesome Heroic Spirit."
But if Anti-Divine Noble Phantasms took effect, it meant the opponent was a Servant possessing Divinity, and his immortality was also likely a power derived from that Divinity.
Considering the owner of that spear, his immortality was understandable. Possessing both the numerous legends and the bloodline worthy of being called a great hero, it was easy to imagine him standing as one of the greatest walls in this Holy Grail War.
There were many legends worldwide of harming gods. Weapons that played active roles in such legends harbored properties as Anti-Divine Noble Phantasms.
Although, most of the Anti-Divine Noble Phantasms Archer recorded were the "originals."
This Great Holy Grail War.
Archer, summoned by Yggdmillennia, had an abundant magical energy supply.
The magical energy supply system using homunculi, set up so Saber could spam True Name releases if he wished, allowed him to use Noble Phantasms without considering magical energy consumption.
Archer originally possessed a cheat-like ability where even high-rank Noble Phantasms, when projected and used as bombs, could unleash power on par with a True Name release without consuming as much magical energy.
The abundant supply now enabled Archer to project Noble Phantasms beyond his normal limits.
Projecting Noble Phantasms outside the concept of "sword" consumed triple the magical energy. But that shackle did not bind the current Archer.
If not limited to swords, his stock of Anti-Divine Noble Phantasms increased further. There was also the method of projecting countless copies of the same Noble Phantasm.
At any rate, he had found a clue to defeating Rider. All that remained was to exert his utmost effort, so as not to fall behind that great hero.
...
Alright here's the end of the chapter, the original author has short little omake's at the end of his chapters, if you want me to post them then just say so in the comments
Author's Note (This is from the original author, not me the translator)
This time, as my own interpretation, I assumed Anti-Divine Noble Phantasms can negate divine blessings.
Additionally, due to the magical energy supply from the homunculi, he doesn't need to worry about consumption, so he can project spears, shields, armor, etc., with fifth-level or higher precision.