Berserker loomed over the crushed remains of Shirō's body, his monstrous presence casting a long shadow over the battlefield.
And then—
A golden glow erupted from beneath the rubble.
Shirō wasn't done yet.
Shirō's body screamed in protest as she pushed herself up from the rubble. Every inch of her hurt. Her lungs burned with every breath. Her armor was cracked, her limbs felt like lead, and her vision wavered.
But something inside her clicked.
Like a whisper at the back of her mind, a memory not her own surfaced.
Excalibur wasn't just a sword. It was a conduit. A vessel. And a weapon of pure destruction when wielded correctly.
She could feel the mana pulsing within it, begging to be used.
She clenched her fingers tighter around the hilt.
Mana Burst.
She didn't know how she knew the name. She just knew. It was instinct. Like breathing. Like swinging a blade.
She let the mana flow into her legs—
And the world blurred.
One second she was in the dirt. The next—she exploded forward with inhuman speed, her feet barely touching the ground as she rushed Berserker.
Illya barely had time to react. "Huh—?!"
Shirō closed the distance in a heartbeat, Excalibur raised high.
With a burst of golden energy, she slashed.
The blade howled as it met Berserker's flesh—
And actually pushed him back.
Not much.
Not by a long shot.
But it was something.
Berserker staggered.
It lasted for a fraction of a second, but it happened. Shirō saw it. Felt it. Her strike had done something.
Her heart pounded. Adrenaline coursed through her veins.
This was it. This was the answer.
If she could channel her mana more efficiently, enhance her strikes, reinforce every movement—
She could fight.
Illya, for once, was speechless. "Huh. That's new."
Berserker, of course, was completely unfazed. If anything, he seemed mildly annoyed.
And then he swung at her again.
Shirō had no time to dodge. The backhand caught her in the ribs and sent her flying once more, slamming into the mountainside.
The rock cracked around her. She groaned, shaking off the pain.
Archer, standing a few feet away, watched the whole thing with a neutral expression. "…Well. That was still pathetic."
Shirō growled. "I moved him."
"Barely." Archer crossed his arms. "You're still nowhere near strong enough. But… you are learning."
It was the closest thing to a compliment she was going to get. And, frankly, she'd take it.