Fate: Question And Answer System of Traversing Heroic Spirits

[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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