Things were progressing too quickly now. It left everyone with the feeling that something was wrong, yet they could not quite point out any actual flaws.
Still, if one were to use a game as an example, going straight to challenge the final boss after obtaining the key item seemed fairly reasonable.
Combined with the fact that this was reality and that Shirou and the others were facing a real battlefield, Rin's strategy of catching the enemy off guard made the entire plan seem even more reasonable.
The main reason everyone felt something was strange was that Shirou had not participated in any of the discussions regarding the plan. In fact, even his own memories had begun to become fragmented.
And this was only the side effect of unsealing the holy shroud and using Projection once. It was difficult for everyone to imagine what would happen if Shirou completely unleashed the arm and fought without holding back.
Once the image became clear again, everyone's attention returned to Shirou and his group.
The three of them were moving through the forest.
Shirou led from the front, Rin followed from behind, and Illya walked between them.
The distinctive Jeweled Sword could be seen hanging at Rin's waist, along with a bag that was obviously filled with gemstones.
She had practically brought out her entire fortune.
Illya, walking in the middle, carried far less equipment. More notably, her two maids were not accompanying her.
In a situation where even a little extra combat power would have been valuable, that seemed rather strange.
As for Shirou himself, he was still wearing the familiar black-and-white coat.
The area around his right arm appeared somewhat bulkier than normal, but under the dim moonlight of the night, it was not especially noticeable.
What stood out more was his expression.
His eyes had already begun to resemble Archer's.
The three continued forward.
Only when Shirou suddenly stopped did the other two halt as well, each taking out their respective magical tools.
"On the cliff two kilometers ahead, there is a Servant. We have already been spotted."
Shirou raised his left hand and pointed forward.
Everyone's gaze followed the direction of his finger.
"That is... Berserker."
Although the figure was distant and somewhat blurred, and appeared smaller than usual, Illya recognized him immediately.
"So they understand how important the Holy Grail is as well... Does that mean our sneak attack strategy is not going to work?"
Rin's expression darkened after learning that a Servant was guarding the area.
The original plan had been to catch the enemy off guard and strike directly at their base.
Who would have thought they would be so cautious as to station a Servant nearby?
Seriously, have you people dealt with that golden Servant yet? If not, why are you still standing guard here?
While silently complaining to herself, Rin reached toward the Jeweled Sword hanging at her waist, preparing to draw it.
Although revealing their hand too early might allow the enemy to prepare countermeasures, there was no way they could hold back against Berserker.
"...I will do it."
Shirou, standing at the very front, suddenly spoke.
At the same time, he removed his black-and-white coat and draped it over Illya's shoulders.
"By yourself? That is an enemy that even Saber and Archer could not defeat working together!"
Upon hearing Shirou's words, Rin finally could not hold back and immediately voiced her objection.
"Is that not exactly why I am here? To fight Servants?"
After saying that, Shirou directly unraveled the Shroud of the Holy Remains wrapped around his right arm.
The moment it came off, countless Magic Circuits spread from his right arm across his torso and up his neck.
His widened eyes, clenched teeth, and the large amounts of cold sweat pouring from his body all made it clear that he was enduring tremendous pain.
The instant Shirou removed the shroud, the black figure standing atop the cliff leaped down.
A thunderous roar echoed through the forest.
In the stillness of the night, the sound was especially clear.
"Stay away from the battlefield."
Without saying anything further, a black bow and several arrows appeared in Shirou's hands, and he charged forward.
The arrows shot through the forest toward their target.
Yet Berserker completely ignored the attacks, charging straight toward Shirou while carrying his massive axe-sword.
"There is no way to break through his defense."
Watching the arrows bounce harmlessly off Berserker's body, Frostnova immediately understood Shirou's greatest problem.
The Servant's body was like a suit of heavy armor.
The attacks could not penetrate it at all, and his movement speed was astonishingly fast.
Fortunately, Berserker's attack pattern was relatively straightforward, allowing Shirou opportunities to counterattack.
If Berserker had been fighting with tactical precision, Shirou probably would have been sent flying from the very beginning.
Shirou himself clearly understood this as well.
After realizing that arrows, Kanshou and Bakuya, and other Noble Phantasms were incapable of harming Berserker, he shifted his attention to the axe-sword in Berserker's hands.
With only a glance, Shirou rapidly analyzed the weapon.
Compared to many other Noble Phantasms, the axe-sword itself was not particularly extraordinary.
What Shirou wanted was the skill of its owner.
If other Noble Phantasms could not injure Berserker, then he would use Berserker's own weapon and even his skill to defeat him.
Stopping in place, Shirou raised his right hand high.
The loose end of the shroud wrapped around his wrist fluttered in the wind.
In the next moment, an enormous amount of magical energy gathered in his right hand.
An axe-sword identical to Berserker's appeared.
"This is..."
The moment Blaze saw the weapon, her eyes lit up.
Back when she had watched Shirou wield that axe-sword and cut down the giant colossus, she had already thought it was unbelievably cool.
She had not expected to have the chance to witness it up close.
From the moment Shirou understood his situation to the moment he projected the axe-sword, only a few seconds had passed.
Within those few seconds, Berserker had already rushed toward him at incredible speed, rapidly closing the distance between them.
Looking at the enormous figure charging toward him, Shirou did not panic.
Instead, he tightened his grip on the axe-sword.
The immense drain of magical energy, the erosion from Archer's arm, and the projected physical strength inherited from the axe-sword all struck him simultaneously.
The overwhelming pressure and side effects caused blood to flow from his eyes and ears.
Then Shirou charged forward.
Even watching from only a short distance away, Blaze still could not see exactly how Shirou managed to swing so many strikes in such a brief instant.
"That is it? It is over?"
Watching Shirou defeat Berserker just like that, Croissant began doubting her own eyes.
The final boss that Saber and Archer together had failed to defeat earlier had somehow been soloed just like that?
"Berserker was not at full strength. He could not resurrect anymore. And... he did not swing his final strike. Otherwise, he absolutely could have taken Shirou down with him."
After glaring at Croissant, Illya explained.
From the moment the two locked eyes until the battle ended, less than a few minutes had passed.
As for the final sequence from projecting the axe-sword to unleashing Nine Lives Blade Works and defeating Berserker, it had taken only a few seconds.
It was difficult to expect observers to fully process all that information in such a short amount of time.
"He did not swing that final strike because he saw you, did he?"
After hearing Illya's explanation, Alina followed the direction of Berserker's final gaze and indeed found it resting on Illya.
She tended to notice details more carefully than most.
However, Illya did not answer.
She simply remained silent.
But sometimes, silence was the clearest answer of all.
In the image, after the axe-sword dissipated, Shirou rewrapped the Shroud of the Holy Remains around his arm and used the hem of his coat to wipe the blood from his face.
During his battle with Berserker, he had not actually been injured by his opponent.
The wounds covering his body were all the result of activating Archer's arm and overusing Projection Magecraft.
Fortunately, the injuries were still within an acceptable range.
After Rin and Illya used magecraft to treat his wounds with some basic first aid, the group continued onward.
Following the battle with Berserker, Rin now understood that Shirou's combat ability had reached a level where he could, to some extent, contend with Servants.
As a result, she had already prepared for the worst-case scenario.
If they encountered Saber later...
Shirou would be responsible for holding her back, while Rin and Illya would proceed to destroy the Holy Grail.
Naturally, the best outcome would be if Saber never appeared at all. In that case, they could simply charge in and eliminate the target directly, leaving everyone satisfied.
As for the golden Archer?
There was absolutely no way that guy would show up here.
After all, Servants were extremely attractive to the black mud.
Even if he did appear, it would simply become a case of Rin's group and the black mud attacking him together.
Of course, the most likely worst-case scenario was that after they dealt with most of the obstacles, he would step in to prevent them from destroying the Holy Grail.
Or perhaps he might even join forces with the black mud.
However, those were concerns for later.
Right now, the most important factor was Saber.
Shirou had been unconscious at the time, but Rin had not.
While treating Shirou's injuries, she had personally witnessed how Saber defeated Berserker and drove back Gilgamesh.
The scene had been even more outrageous than Gilgamesh's battle against Berserker and Archer.
"...Is she really that terrifying?"
Listening to Rin describe Saber's strength, Talulah rubbed both of her arms, trying to make the account feel more believable.
The main issue was that Rin's description sounded absurd.
Cutting Berserker in half with a single strike.
Catching his attacks with her bare hands.
And even forcing Gilgamesh back while simultaneously dealing with Berserker's assaults.
None of it sounded particularly realistic.
"I do not remember. I was nearby at the time, but I was focused on treating Shirou's injuries."
Illya could not answer the question either.
She had not actually seen the battle herself. Since all her attention had been devoted to dealing with Shirou's arm and treating his wounds, she had no recollection of what happened.
And if she did not remember it, she could not project the memory for everyone else to watch.
It was still possible to forcibly retrieve those memories, but doing so would consume a significant amount of magical energy.
Her own reserves of magical energy were already quite limited, so it was better not to waste them.
"It is fine. Amiya already said that Saber's appearance is inevitable. We will find out soon enough."
Seeing that Illya genuinely did not know, Talulah did not press the matter any further.
Whether Saber was truly as terrifying as Rin had described...
They would soon find out for themselves.