[93] The Battle of Special Effects
Chapter 93: The Battle of Special Effects
After Rider made his unbridled entrance, accompanied by a burst of golden light, another Servant appeared in the center of the battlefield. However, because this new arrival did not make his presence known as ostentatiously as the King Of Conqueror did, the onlookers were unable to determine the class of this fourth Servant, who stood atop a lamppost about ten meters off the ground, clad in shimmering golden armor.
However, a simple deduction made it clear that this man in full armor could not possibly be an Assassin or a Caster. Moreover, if he had appeared in response to Rider's summon, it also meant he could not be the frenzied Berserker. Thus, by process of elimination, it was almost certain—the newcomer was the last of the three knights, Archer.
Saber, Lancer, Rider, Archer—four Servants had now gathered here. This meant that more than half of the participants in the Holy Grail War were now present.
Before the gathered Heroic Spirits and their Masters could regain their composure, the arrogant Archer took the initiative to provoke them:
"To think that in one night, two who would call themselves 'king' without understanding the true breadth of the sky and earth have appeared."
Although Rider had spoken similarly just moments before, Archer's voice was fundamentally colder and more ruthless, causing the other Servants present to regard him with increased aloofness.
Rider, Iskandar, seemed not to have anticipated encountering someone even more headstrong than himself and scratched his chin in confusion before speaking, "Even if you are disrespectful... I, Iskandar, am still the renowned King Of Conquerors."
"The only true king, the hero worthy of the title, is me alone. All others are but mere pretenders."
As Archer's words echoed, the other Servants were taken aback. Such insults were intolerable to any normal Servant. Did he really intend to make himself the target of everyone's hostility?
"Since you've gone this far, why not reveal your own illustrious name? If you are indeed a king, you would not fear proclaiming your own fame," Iskandar challenged.
The blond male suddenly flared up in anger, his eyes wide with fury, "Are you questioning me? You, a mongrel, dare to ask for my name?"
Iskandar's request for Archer's true name seemed to have deeply offended Archer. Accompanied by a variety of weapons appearing in the sky—swords, spears, axes, and more—the golden Heroic Spirit spoke with murderous intent, "Bathed in the glory of my summoning yet claiming not to recognize me? Such ignorance does not deserve life!"
Just as everyone was tensely watching Archer, ready to clash with Rider at any moment, suddenly, a mass of pitch-black weapons filled the scene. From the darkness, Matou Kiriya chuckled softly, whispering, "Kill him!"
A torrent of magical energy swept through, forming a shadowy figure that left everyone stunned. The figure, clad in pitch-black armor as dark as hell itself, was fully revealed to all present.
And almost immediately, everyone realized that this shadow, pulsating with rampant magical power, was none other than Berserker, a spirit akin to a vengeful ghost!
...
Durin nodded appreciatively at Berserker's impeccable entrance. He felt reassured that recruiting Laetitia, the powerful lich, was the right decision. After all, without her potent necromantic enchantments imbuing the armor with an aura of death, Durim himself would have struggled to create such an effect.
On the other hand, the special effects for the Heroic King had also required considerable effort. Durin had crafted an environment distorted by spatial magic. However, given the limitations of the effects and the fact that each Heroic Spirit possessed various special effects, the usually fashionable Heroic King now appeared the least impressive on the battlefield. Even a certain Lancer, whose dual spears were enchanted, seemed incredibly formidable, not to mention Saber, who bore the "Wind King's Barrier" personally applied by Durin.
But these were indeed the limits of magically created special effects, and there was nothing to complain about.
As Durin contemplated this, the situation on the field suddenly changed!
The pitch-black knight, releasing an unmistakable murderous aura, seemed to emit a resentful sound and stirred. At the same time, Archer, who had earlier shown his intent to kill, swiftly changed his target and unleashed the multitude of weapons prepared behind him in one fell swoop!
"I will tear you to pieces to quell the hatred in my heart, you mongrel!"
In an instant, as the Heroic King declared his intent, the spears and swords behind him violently shot forward. As the weapons pierced the ground, the explosive magical arrays hidden beneath erupted, a testament to the effort Durin had put into preparing the effects for the performance.
Under the adjusted camera angle, the scene resembled a bomb explosion, exuding a formidable deterrent power.
However, despite the apparent effectiveness, the actor playing the berserker clad in death armor crafted by a transcendent lich did not receive any damage. He simply grabbed the Noble Phantasm that had just fallen from the sky after the smoke cleared and charged towards the distant archer!
Although this scene seemed fast-paced, thanks to Durin's earlier research on slow-motion filming techniques, a somewhat splendid effect was successfully achieved. Yet, regarding this...
"You dare to touch my Noble Phantasm with your filthy hands... Are you so eager to die? Beast!"
The archer, brimming with killing intent, summoned a variety of weapons once again and unleashed them recklessly. Despite the berserker, who had experienced this baptism of Noble Phantasms, indeed sustaining some injuries.
"You despicable thief, let me show you how many of my Noble Phantasms you can withstand!"
Observing the actor playing the archer fully immersed in character, Durin, knowing the true nature of this young knight behind the scenes, displayed a surprised expression. After all, he had originally been concerned that the other party might falter, but now it seemed that far from faltering, the other party truly resembled a king of heroes!
Soon, as Archer and Berserker continued to test each other, with the King of Conquerors providing a flawless commentary on the side, the battle gradually drew to a close.
In an instant, when Berserker instinctively smashed the lamppost beneath the Heroic Spirit King's feet, the previously indifferent Archer suddenly flew into a rage and shouted, "Bastard... Are you trying to make me, who gazes at the sky, stand on the same ground as you?!"
As he delivered these lines, Archer's actor perfectly immersed himself in the role. To put it simply, his performance was truly electrifying!
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