Chapter 59: Professional Special Effects, Please Do Not Attempt.
Orléans, the forest outside the castle.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!——————!!
A series of gunshots rang out as Emiya Kiritsugu darted through the forest.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh————————!!!
The whistling of three arrow tails tore through the air.
Left front, right side, below.
Emiya Kiritsugu precisely dodged all three arrows, then pulled a throwing knife from his coat and counterattacked toward his enemy!
As expected, the opponent was no longer there.
A true expert in jungle combat.
Atalanta.
Ethan had already told him her name.
Moreover, just by witnessing that Noble Phantasm earlier, one could naturally associate it with this Servant.
A huntress from Greek mythology, renowned for her extraordinary speed, raised in the wilderness, with eyes as sharp as a beast's.
To defeat a Servant like her, one had to strike unexpectedly.
Realizing this, Emiya Kiritsugu immediately hid behind a boulder, concealing his presence.
"Come out, Assassin. In this forest, you cannot defeat me."
Atalanta stood high above, looking down as a predator seeking its prey.
Suddenly, the grass below rustled unnaturally.
"There!"
Atalanta instantly drew her bow and fired—but hit nothing.
Rustle, rustle.
The grass below continued to shift abnormally, forming a circular trajectory around Atalanta.
"Stop hiding!"
Atalanta fired repeatedly toward the shifting grass, yet, as expected, she failed to hit anything.
The Mad Enhancement granted by Dragon Witch made her incredibly impatient—she only wanted to eliminate this Assassin as quickly as possible.
Ratatatatata——————!!!
Another round of gunfire erupted from behind a boulder to the left.
"Haaah!!!"
Atalanta instantly drew her bowstring to its limit and fired an arrow!
CRACK!!!
The arrow pierced through the boulder, shattering it to pieces.
Revealing Emiya Kiritsugu, caught mid-retreat.
"I've found you, Assassin!"
Atalanta, thrilled by this opening, immediately unleashed a barrage of arrows!
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh————————!!!
The arrows relentlessly pursued Emiya Kiritsugu as he sprinted, forcing him to dodge non-stop.
Though his agility and flexible movements allowed him to evade for a while, it didn't take long for Atalanta—an expert in hunting prey in forests—to read through his patterns.
Whoosh————————!!!
A sharp arrow struck and destroyed the rock that Emiya Kiritsugu had intended to use as cover.
"One more arrow, and you'll have nowhere left to run, Assassin."
Atalanta's bow was already aimed directly at Emiya Kiritsugu, now completely exposed.
"An Assassin without the shadows is nothing more than a lamb waiting to be slaughtered. If you want to blame something, blame your luck for drawing the worst card."
"Oh? Is that so?"
Emiya Kiritsugu looked up at Atalanta.
"You said that as long as you're in the forest, you have the advantage, right?"
"And if I did?"
"Then… is that still true now?"
Behind Emiya Kiritsugu, at some unknown point, a raging fire had erupted.
"——————?!"
Atalanta quickly scanned her surroundings, only now realizing she was completely encircled by flames.
Somehow, this Assassin had set the forest ablaze.
A mountain wind swept through, causing the flames to surge even higher, devouring everything in its path!
The birds and beasts of the forest panicked, fleeing in terror, their cries filled with despair.
"You... dare go this far?!"
Atalanta's bloodshot eyes widened in fury as she roared.
"Just a familiar method."
Emiya Kiritsugu's figure moved, and in the next instant, he was already right in front of Atalanta.
"Besides, the one who should be afraid of being exposed is you."
A pitch-black gun barrel was aimed straight at Atalanta.
Ratatatatata——————!!!
Atalanta dodged immediately, but with the raging flames spreading around her, her movement space was severely limited.
Before she could regain her footing, she heard a cold voice from behind.
"What a shame."
BANG————————!!!
A gunshot rang out.
Atalanta's body jerked violently, then she collapsed backward.
The Origin Bullet had struck her Spirit Core with pinpoint accuracy—she wouldn't last much longer.
"Ah… In the end…"
Atalanta gazed up at the sky, where flocks of birds were flying away.
"How pathetic… In the end, what was I even fighting for…?"
The forest in front of her was still engulfed in flames, crackling and exploding as the fire raged on.
The intense heat was so fierce that even the wyverns in the sky had begun to flee.
Atalanta's body gradually faded into shimmering particles before completely disappearing into the air.
"So, that just leaves one enemy Servant and that troublesome dragon, huh?"
Emiya Kiritsugu silently gazed toward the distant castle, where half of it had already been destroyed by Mordred's Noble Phantasm.
"I need to buy more time for Master."
His figure moved instantly, dashing toward Mordred.
—
On the broadcast screen, Emiya Kiritsugu's performance set the livestream audience ablaze.
[Burning down a forest is illegal! Better be ready to serve some jail time, my guy!]
[Meh… At least he didn't blow up the entire mountain. I guess that's acceptable.]
[Hahaha, just old Kiritsugu, nothing surprising.]
[Gas explosion! This entire mountain is basically a giant gas bomb!]
[He really set the whole forest on fire? Classic Emiya Kiritsugu.]
[Atalanta never could've imagined that Kiritsugu would torch the forest just to stop her from running away!]
[Atalanta didn't even get to fully activate Mad Enhancement this time. If she had, maybe she would've had a chance in close combat.]
[But if she really went berserk, Kiritsugu would've just widened the distance to the extreme. That's even more annoying.]
[Is this really how an 'Ally of Justice' acts?]
…
[System: 'Justice's Old Companion' has sent 100 Saint Quartz!]
[Message: It's all Alaya's fault!!! She's the one who made me do this!! I, Emiya Kiritsugu, am always a law-abiding citizen!]
—
"Cough… cough…"
Inside the castle's grand hall, which was also engulfed in flames, Jeanne Alter used Dragon Witch's Flag to prop herself up, struggling to stay on her feet.
The unexpected appearance of Tarasque had completely caught her off guard.
A relentless combo attack from both Martha and Tarasque had struck her head-on.
"We did it, Senpai!"
Mash shouted excitedly.
"Ah… I really didn't think we could pull it off…"
Ethan nodded slightly.
Tarasque wasn't suitable for stealth missions, nor could they afford to send it away to team up with Mordred or Jeanne Alter.
So instead, he had it hide outside the castle, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
Martha agreed to the plan, and fortunately, her ambush had succeeded.
Jeanne Alter, severely injured, staggered to her feet.
Her eyes burned with hatred as she glared at the intruders.
"…It seems I underestimated you lot. But do you think this is enough to defeat me? I am Jeanne! The Dragon Witch born for vengeance!!!"
"No, you are not Jeanne."
Ethan stepped forward, raising his voice at Jeanne Alter.
Her expression froze in shock.