Chapter 254: Chapter 292: Chiron’s Last Lesson
[Suddenly, Achilles charged in and closed the distance, rushing straight into Chiron's arms. Chiron instinctively brought up his right knee to strike, but Achilles seized the limb mid-motion and threw him over his shoulder. Chiron hit the ground face-first with a dull thud.]
[Chiron quickly rolled to the side to recover, but Achilles latched onto his ankle, gripping it with unrelenting force. With a sharp twist, he attempted to break his teacher's knee.]
[However, Achilles was caught off guard when Chiron didn't retaliate with a spin kick, as he'd anticipated. Instead, Chiron planted both hands on the ground and leveraged the strength of his right leg to lift Achilles into the air.]
[Achilles, forced to release his hold, immediately retreated to create distance.]
Tohsaka Rin: "Wow… that was intense. Both of them are reading each other's moves like a book."
Chiron: "Haha… I didn't expect to be the first to slip up. Well done, Achilles."
Achilles: "Haha! I've grown since leaving your tutelage, Teacher. But I didn't expect you to rely on brute force to break free like that."
Chiron: "We know each other too well. Adaptation is key."
[Chiron silently scolded himself. He'd let his guard down precisely because he knew Achilles so well. Familiarity had bred a dangerous level of complacency.]
[The two clashed again. This time, Chiron struck first with a sharp kick toward Achilles's temple. Achilles raised his arm just in time to block.]
[But Chiron anticipated the block. He immediately twisted his body and unleashed a spinning heel kick. Achilles didn't even try to defend; instead, he launched a counterpunch.]
[Both attacks landed simultaneously, Chiron's foot slammed into Achilles's head, while Achilles's fist drove into Chiron's chest.]
[Achilles staggered from the impact but remained standing. Ignoring the pain, he lashed out with a powerful front kick.]
[Chiron crossed his arms to defend, but the force of the blow still sent him flying backward.]
[Without hesitation, Achilles activated Comet Run and chased after him, his fists blurring as he delivered strike after strike.]
[Chiron managed to catch one of Achilles's punches based on instinct alone. But a cold chill swept over him a moment later.]
[Achilles had anticipated this exact scenario. The moment Chiron caught his right fist, Achilles accelerated his left hand to inhuman speed. His open palm turned into a knife hand aimed at Chiron's throat.]
[Chiron reacted just in time—he caught Achilles's wrist mid-strike and twisted it. In the same motion, he coiled his legs around Achilles's neck and wrenched his left arm with all his strength.]
[Crack.]
[Achilles's left arm snapped.]
[But Achilles didn't flinch. Ignoring the agony, he drove his right fist forward and pierced Chiron's chest, straight through his heart.]
[He'd traded his arm for his master's life.]
[The light in Chiron's eyes dimmed as he coughed up blood. Achilles collapsed to one knee, breathing heavily.]
[The arena fell silent.]
Waver: "Damn… that was brutal."
Achilles: "Haha… just a flesh wound. It'll heal when we return to reality."
Tohsaka Rin: "Injury-for-injury… what a savage way to fight."
Tohsaka Tokiomi: "…."
He didn't know if it was just his imagination, but he had the distinct feeling that his eldest daughter was particularly captivated by this kind of battle.
---
[Chiron, despite the searing pain coursing through his body, launched a right roundhouse kick. Achilles swiftly dodged, but as he prepared to counterattack, he suddenly sensed imminent danger.]
[Trusting his instincts, Chiron immediately altered his move and delivered a fierce side kick. Achilles reacted just in time, raising his arm to block.]
[Seizing the opening, Achilles punched Chiron's heel. The sharp, jarring pain caused Chiron to momentarily lose balance.]
[Achilles pressed the advantage, grabbing Chiron and attempting to hurl him aside. Yet, in a flash, the momentum reversed and it was Achilles who was thrown through the air.]
[It was the same maneuver Chiron had used earlier.]
Chiron: "Haha… Achilles, you fell for it again. Didn't you learn your lesson the first time?"
Achilles: "At this stage of the fight, thinking too much is pointless."
[The clash resumed. This time, Chiron took the initiative, relentlessly pressing Achilles with precise strikes. Achilles stayed on the defensive, patiently waiting for the right moment.]
[He was hunting for the single, decisive strike.]
[Finally, he found an opening and drove his fist into the core of Chiron's spirit.]
["Teacher Chiron, please accept this! This strike embodies my essence—my everything!"]
[How was this strike forged? Against what kind of opponents was it refined? Could even Chiron withstand it?]
[The moment the punch connected, Chiron understood.]
[His first thought was: Beautiful.]
[It wasn't just a punch; it was the culmination of relentless training, refined beyond human limitations. It transcended brute strength, it was a strike born of mastery, equal in power to a Noble Phantasm.]
["...Beautiful."]
["...I'm grateful."]
[Chiron collapsed, hitting the surface with a heavy thud. He didn't rise again.]
---
Fiore: "Ah…"
Tohsaka Rin: "Wait… it's going to end with a single strike?"
Iskandar: "Hah! That's a strike honed to perfection!"
Chihiro: "That's what they mean when they say, I can afford many mistakes, but you only need one."
Chiron: "You're right… I landed countless hits, but none of them compared to that one punch."
Chiron: "Achilles… this time, you've taught me something."
Achilles: "...Tch."
---
[Achilles, wincing from his injuries, stepped forward and pulled the Diatrekhōn Astēr Lonkhē from the ground. The boundary field collapsed, and the world around them returned to normal.]
[Although his divine protections restored his abilities, the wounds lingered. More importantly, Chiron's spirit core was beyond repair.]
["Thank you, Master."]
[Chiron, lying still, managed a faint smile. "No… it's me who should thank you. You've grown strong, stronger than I could have imagined."]
["My strength… my skills… everything I am is because of you, Teacher."]
["Don't call me 'Teacher.' The duel is over. From this moment, I am simply the Black Archer. Now, Achilles… send me off."]
["...I can't."]
---
Waver: "He won the duel, but… how do you kill your own teacher?"
Kayneth: "Hmph. The spirit core is already broken. Even if Achilles doesn't strike the final blow, Chiron won't last much longer."
Achilles: "Damn it, Teacher… you're too cruel."
Chiron: "Hahaha… Achilles, let me impart one final lesson."
Achilles: "…Huh?"
---
[Chiron exhaled softly. "There's a reason I didn't use my Noble Phantasm during our fight."]
["...Reason?"]
[Achilles froze, a chill running down his spine. Instinctively, he leaped backward, distancing himself from Chiron.]
[Well then, I will also fulfill my last duty as a Servant.]
["The Sagittarius constellation hanging high in the sky, based on it my bow is always ready to release my arrow—"]
[In other words, my Noble Phantasm is always active]
[Chiron's eyes glimmered faintly. His lips curved into a serene smile.]
["The shot has been prepared from the very start."]
["Antares Snipe"]
[The invisible arrow, already nocked and aimed long before the duel began, shot forth like a meteor.]
[It pierced Achilles's heel.]
["Aaaaaaaaghhh!!"]
[The ancient, familiar agony surged through him. Even with all his resilience, Achilles couldn't suppress his scream.]
[Achilles: "Damn it, Teacher…!"]
[Chiron: "Did my arrow strike true? …It seems that, even at the very end, I fulfilled my role as a Servant."]
[The plane beneath them crumbled. Achilles grit his teeth through the pain and leaped onto another, while Chiron plummeted along with the wreckage.]
[His form disintegrated into shimmering motes of light.]
[Black Archer, Chiron—retired.]
["...Teacher, you really tricked me."]
[Achilles stood on the plane, his expression a mix of bitterness and awe.]
[Never forget your opponent's nature.
Never let your guard down until the very end.]
---
Achilles: "Unbelievable! You actually tricked me, Teacher!"
Chiron: "Haha… war is full of deception, Achilles. Looks like you still need more training."
Tohsaka Rin: "Even in death, he's teaching his student. Classic."
Achilles: "Yeah… I really got schooled here."
Semiramis: "Fool. You won the duel and still lost in the end."
Achilles: "Mind your own business, Empress."
Waver: "With his heel pierced, Achilles's divine protections are compromised. His strength will drop significantly. Chiron gave his allies one last parting gift."
Tohsaka Tokiomi: "Even so, the Red Faction still has Karna. And now the Black Faction is down a Servant. The scales tip toward Red."
Fiore: "That's true…"
---
["Aaaaargh!!"]
["What the—?"]
[His gaze snapped toward the source of the sound.]
[The sight that greeted him made his eyes go wide.]
[Standing before Jeanne d'Arc was Atalanta. Her form was twisted, corrupted beyond recognition.]
[Her limbs were blackened, her veins pulsing with dark energy. Her emerald eyes, once filled with purpose, now glowed with crimson madness.]
---
[Time rewinds slightly, returning to the moment before Achilles's duel ended.]
---
[Jeanne cried out in pain as Atalanta's jaws tore a chunk of flesh from her shoulder. The searing agony jolted her senses awake. She reacted instinctively, swinging her holy banner like a war hammer to drive Atalanta back.]
[But something was different.]
[The Atalanta before her moved with frenzied, chaotic speed. Her attacks were wild, unrelenting. The precision of a master huntress was gone, replaced by the mindless fury of a beast.]
[Atalanta was no longer a heroic spirit.]
[She had become a demon.]
***
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