The more Shinji spoke, the softer his voice became, and the expression on his face became softer and softer, until in the end he even revealed a smile.
But in Astolfo's eyes, this smile was more terrifying than Vlad III's rafters and Atalanta's "Arrow of Complaint", especially the eerie aura emanating from that smile, which made the hairs all over his body stand up.
The content of the punishment spoken with such a smile made the intuitive Astolfo tremble all over.
Assassin is not joking or bluffing, he is serious and will do it.
In the past, Astolfo relied on his invulnerable Servant body and A-rank anti-magic power, so he didn't care about Serenika's punishment. After all, the torture instruments in the workshop were either useless or no different from tickling. He was not afraid of other punishments such as confinement and tying up.
But if it's really like what Shinji said, then the nature is completely different. You don't need to see how hentai that black magician who exudes the breath of death is. Before, she was not a threat because of her lack of ability. Once she is given the ability to turn her thoughts into reality, then - although I don't know what kind of punishment it will be, the unknown itself is the greatest fear.
In the blink of an eye, Astolfo broke out in a cold sweat, and his fearless aura disappeared without a trace. He looked like a shivering hamster, and said helplessly:
"I, I understand. I won't mess around."
"That's good." Seeing Astolfo's frightened expression, Shinji's expression also eased a lot, "Remember, you are responsible for the lives of many people, including me. You are our trump card."
"Trump?" Astolfo's eyes lit up. "You mean—"
"Be patient for now, there will be a time for you to show your abilities."
Shinji said this, glancing meaningfully at the silent Sky Garden.
"Anyway, I'll leave the aerial mission to you. If you can contain half of that thing's firepower, that's a big deal!"
"What about you?"
"I—gotta keep an eye on some thieving cat!"
Shinji pressed Astolfo's shoulder with one hand, used the force to jump up, and relied on the "Hermes Feather Shoes" to float in the air.
"It must be said that it was a brilliant move to lure Spartacus, who could not distinguish between friend and foe, to attack the ruler. Not only did it destroy one of our chess pieces, but it also freed up our own combat power. However, whether this wishful thinking can be realized depends on whether I agree or not!"
With a wave of his hand, a black-gold spear appeared out of thin air and was aimed at Atalanta who had completed the luring mission and was about to retreat.
The spear that had once killed the great holy mountain drew a brilliant light in the sky, and its color was exactly the same as the Venus in mythology—the owner of the spear, Ishtar, was the goddess Venus!
◇◇◇
It is only natural that Achilles would be confused.
To the young Achilles, Chiron was an absolute symbol. His kind and serious words penetrated the heart of young Achilles like magic.
For Achilles, Chiron is both a father and a teacher; a brother and a good friend. For him, as the son of a hero, blessed by the gods of Olympus, and admired by the soldiers at a young age, there are very few people who can be called friends or teachers.
Chiron was undoubtedly one of them. He was the most trustworthy person to him, comparable to his good friend Patroclus.
However, that hero now stood in his way in pursuit of the Holy Grail.
As the Black Archer, as an enemy, as a rival who was fighting against me—
"—I'm coming, Sensei."
"That's unnecessary, Red Rider."
Achilles, who had been a little shriveled by the opponent's harsh words, immediately cheered up and thrust out with his spear. The two began to fight within a distance where they could talk. In other words, this was the composition of the archer who was approached and the lightly-armored warrior who launched the attack.
Even though he felt a little guilty, he still pointed the spear at the opponent's heart. With Achilles' spear skills that were good enough for a top-level lancer, a normal Archer would have been pierced through the heart long ago.
However, he forgot the most fatal point.
Under Achilles' stunned gaze, Chiron retreated instead of advancing, taking a step forward in the direction of the spear. This seemingly suicidal step shifted the point of the spear tip from the heart to Chiron's side.
"What... !!"
"Have you forgotten, Rider? Who was the person who gave you this gun and taught you the basics of gunmanship?"
Chiron's words brought a huge shock to Achilles.
As he said, Achilles' spear skills were not honed by his own methods, but were originally learned from his master Chiron. In this case, it was natural that all his body movements and habits could be seen through. In addition, this spear was originally a gift from Chiron to his father Peleus to celebrate his parents' marriage, so he also knew the attack range of this spear.
Chiron then displayed another amazing skill. As he took a step forward, he had already loaded the arrow onto the bowstring. It was a rapid-fire shot, an unavoidable blow from zero range.
"—You're going to die, Rider?"
Chiron aimed at the opponent's skull and shot the arrow without hesitation.
Achilles reflexively dodged by bending his waist and leaning back. With incredible speed and awareness, he barely escaped from this life-or-death crisis.
At this time, Chiron kicked. Achilles lost his balance and was kicked away, then hit hard against a tree. At a moment's distance, Chiron loaded the arrow onto the bowstring again.
Something in Achilles' mind switched. He gritted his teeth, looked at his teacher with a determined look, and rushed forward towards the arrow. While leaning forward to avoid the arrow, he immediately raised his spear and made a sweeping attack - but was dodged.
An inexplicable joy surged in his heart. He roared and continued to swing his gun.
Achilles dodged the spear attack that was like a barrage of bullets, and while skillfully adjusting the distance, he nocked the arrow.
Archers cannot engage in close combat, and they can win once they enter the attack range of the spear - my previous shallow idea was really stupid. The opponent was Chiron. Not only myself, but also Hercules, Jason, Castor, Asclepius and other heroes as numerous as stars have received his teachings. He is a true great sage.
Only when the two sides are close can they barely draw. Under this premise, if you don't use all your skills to attack with all your strength, you will definitely lose...!
Achilles flexibly used forward stabs, sweeps, feints and other tactics to launch a fierce attack on Chiron.
Chiron would sometimes dodge, sometimes block with his bow, and sometimes even use a combination of fists and feet. Once he saw an opportunity, he would draw his bow and shoot arrows.
Achilles was stabbed in the body by a sniper at close range. Even though his body was blessed by the gods, it was defenseless against the attack of Chiron, who also possessed "divinity".
All of his attacks were seen through by the opponent, and the opponent's attacks were always impossible to accurately predict at critical moments. Although he could still maintain his balance with his innate strong physique, he would be forced into a dead end if he continued like this.
Achilles tried to temporarily get his mind off the battle in front of him. The reason why his moves were seen through was because all his basics came from the teachings of the man in front of him. This included his posture and the timing of his thrusts, as well as his sweeps and other moves.
—Don't be confused.
He did teach me the basics. However, after I started fighting in my youth, I didn't rely on these basics alone to win. I have various skills that can be applied, and I have found a way out of desperate situations. I have fought with many heroes and have been constantly honing my skills.
In all kinds of battles, in all kinds of crisis situations, how did I find a way out? Oh, for example, at that time—
Achilles' movements changed. Instead of using basic skills and overwhelming speed to force a breakthrough, he began to add various clever changes to his moves.
I saw him suddenly let go of the gun, and the next moment he kicked Chiron in the face with his "ankle", which was originally his fatal weakness.
He kicked the gun up with his foot, then jumped into the air to catch it, aiming at the target and swinging it. The tip of the gun scraped Chiron's neck, and blood gushed out.
"Ouch...!!"
Chiron could not help but pull away. As if to say "how?", Achilles twirled his spear.
The two looked at each other and smiled fearlessly.
"—Hmm, you really have the ability to become a Heroic Spirit."
"Of course. Unlike you who only teach others, I have experienced countless battlefields."
He had fought with many heroes, and even communicated with them. He did learn the basics from Chiron. But the piles of corpses accumulated in the battles were also an indisputable fact for Chiron.
"Oh, that's great. After all, it's hard to kill your own students unilaterally."
Chiron said this with a smile, and Achilles also laughed.
He had completely thrown aside his hesitation about fighting his mentor, and now all he had was the joy of fighting a strong man.
Achilles was hesitating whether to shorten the distance or increase the distance. Although according to common sense, shortening the distance to launch an offensive is the most reasonable approach, but now may be the time to abandon this conventional idea.
The spear he held was originally a weapon for throwing, a weapon that was designed to break through all defenses and penetrate the chest of a hero. Chiron knew the horror of this spear better than anyone else, after all, he was the gift-giver.
—So, what should we do
Their eyes met. Red Rider and Black Archer - each watched the other's every move, thinking about their next move.
Both of them had smiles on their faces. There was indeed a bond between them. A mentor and a disciple, a friend who trusted each other from the bottom of their hearts. Even after putting aside this relationship, they could still feel the strong "joy" that filled their hearts. It was definitely in their hearts.
PS: With Achilles' spearmanship proficiency that's enough to make him a top-level lancer, an ordinary Archer would have had his heart pierced by him long ago - the problem is that there are basically no ordinary Archers among the summoned Archers, and they're all basic in melee combat, okay