I am the protagonist

Swordsmanship is just one of the most exciting aspects.

"Caster, can we borrow the venue?"

"Hmph, fine, I'd be even happier if you could die at Assassin's hands."

Medea didn't object at all to giving the vacant space at Ryudouji Temple to Assassin and Shirou Emiya as a stage; in fact, Medea now hoped to see Shirou Emiya die in front of her.

To be honest, if Shirou Emiya and Rin Tohsaka hadn't blocked her path, preventing her from returning to her Master's aid, her Master wouldn't have faced death so early on.

The open space inside Ryudong Temple was almost deserted.

This is also because Medea dismissed everyone here after the Holy Grail War, and now only Medea lives in Ryudouji Temple, apart from the Assassin who guards the gate.

"Then, I won't stand on ceremony!"

Chapter Sixty-Two: Battles of Mutual Assistance and Restraint

The clash of knives and guns.

Shirou brandished his spear, his attacks simple yet deadly.

The samurai easily blocked the spear attack and held his ground.

"sharp."

The samurai marveled at the young Master's strength; such spear skills were not something an ordinary Master could acquire, yet this young Master had actually gained the strength to fight Heroic Spirits head-on.

"Very skillful marksmanship, this marksmanship is just like that Lancer's."

"If I'm not careful, your spear tip could pierce my heart."

"You flatter me, a hero of our time."

Shirou was equally amazed by the samurai's strength; his astonishing swordsmanship was completely unlike what an Assassin should possess, entirely different from the image of an assassin.

"Perfect swordsmanship, no matter what methods I use, you can easily find the flaws and defeat me."

"That long sword almost chopped off my neck."

"Six times, I guess."

"You clearly had such an opportunity, yet you couldn't let me succeed easily. You've also practiced your marksmanship diligently, and you've managed to improve it to this level in such a short time."

The samurai gradually began to take things seriously.

Because at this moment, the samurai realized that the young master standing before him was no longer the person who had no fighting ability in the past, but an excellent warrior.

"However, you are also extraordinary; the spear in your hand almost pierced my heart."

"Also six times."

The samurai's lips curled up slightly in a smile.

The fact that such a battle could still take place after the Holy Grail War was so intense was just like the feeling of fighting Saber back then, even more dangerous than when fighting Saber.

"I am outmatched in strength."

"Even its destructive power is far inferior to the spear you made."

"In other words, aside from technique and speed, I've lost to you in everything else."

That's what they say, but Shirou also knows his own situation.

If he doesn't use any other power, then this is his most suitable state.

Too much force will slow down the speed.

The coordination of wielding a long spear will be greatly reduced.

Once the speed is increased too much, it will lose all its power.

He can only maintain this state for now, otherwise the samurai in front of him will easily exploit his weaknesses and defeat him.

"Don't joke around, samurai."

"I am now superior in strength and weaponry, but there is a huge gap between us in terms of technique."

"Perhaps increasing my strength now is the best way to suppress you, but I think that once you adopt this fighting style, you will have the opportunity to kill me instantly."

"This result is not something you're the only one who can see."

"Oh, interesting, you actually predicted this outcome."

The samurai was surprised that this young master had also predicted such an outcome.

Indeed, this is the case; the current state of power and speed is a very delicate one.

With sufficient strength, it is possible to break the current delicate situation.

However, if the side that breaks the deadlock does not have the absolute strength to turn the tide, then the battle is completely over.

My skill and speed completely overcame my disadvantages in strength and weaponry.

But I was also restricted.

If I take another step forward, that spear will pierce my heart.

The samurai foresaw both his victory and his defeat.

It's a pity, but if he were to fight that spear head-on now, he would probably die.

Of course, if he were to try it on the young Master before him, he would also die.

However, this is not the time of the Holy Grail War.

The Holy Grail War is completely over, and the samurai doesn't want to return to Valhalla so soon. Naturally, this mutually destructive situation is not what he desires either.

"It seems this duel won't end so easily."

"makes sense."

Shirou and the samurai stared at each other, and their figures vanished in that instant.

"Oh!"

The collision between the longsword and the spear sparked many fireballs in the air.

Each collision caused several cracks to appear in the ground.

What a rude fellow.

Medea watched the fight between the two from the sidelines, and her contempt as a magician was directed directly at them.

But while he looked down on the kid, he was also observing his strength.

[He's much stronger than during the Holy Grail War, and this brat is deliberately using magic.]

[Once that immense magical power is unleashed, Assassin simply won't be able to withstand it.]

However, even that brat couldn't dodge the Assassin's attack.

[Tch! Why don't those two just die together!]

Although she harbored such a curse in her heart, Medea knew that no matter how sad she was now, it would be of no use.

During the Holy Grail War, everyone fought each other for the same goal.

But now the Holy Grail War has come to a complete end, and they have lost their reason to fight each other. Moreover, their heroic spirits have remained in this world permanently because of the end of the Holy Grail War.

Medea was heartbroken by the death of her second Master.

But death is death.

No matter how well someone understood her, this Master still left her in the end.

Although her second Master was someone who could understand her and even tolerate her, they still didn't have much contact.

The Master was killed in this situation because she was powerless to help.

Medea knew that this was actually a problem caused by her lack of strength. If she could have blocked the attacks from that little girl and Shirou Emiya, then her Master wouldn't have been in such a predicament.

Ultimately, it's because I'm too weak.

The identity of a magician has far too many limitations.

Medea could only sigh and suppress her hatred.

Meaningless hatred is unnecessary.

The end of the Holy Grail War means that they will no longer have a reason to fight each other.

Having a second chance to live might be a good opportunity for her.

In this era, no one will call her a witch, and no one will continue to fear her; perhaps this is the benefit of being reborn.

The only bad thing is that the person who understood her died.

The battle between Shirou and the samurai continued in this atmosphere.

Both of them maintained their limits, keeping their strength and speed at a constant level. Even though the battle lasted for several hours, their stances were not broken.

Chapter Sixty-Three: A Draw

"It seems there's no easy way to determine a winner."

"It depends on the situation, yes."

Night has fallen.

Before this, the battle between Shirou and the samurai had not stopped at all. Countless clashes, swords and spears clashing, and mutual scheming had exhausted both of them.

However, the two of them still maintained an indifferent expression.

This is the awareness that soldiers need to have.

Never show signs of fatigue in front of your opponent!

The samurai happily sheathed his longsword.

"It looks like our battle will have to be postponed until later."

"Alright, let's end this in a draw."

Shirou also scattered the spear in his hand.

The fact that both of them stopped fighting at the same time meant the end of the battle.

“Caster, I will visit again later.”

"I'll take my leave today."

After Shirou finished speaking, he left Ryudouji Temple.

But when Shirou walked down the steps of Ryudouji Temple, he plopped down on the ground at the corner.

"This is exhausting!"

"Five hours, a full five hours."

"My body can't take it anymore."

At that moment, Shirou felt as if his body was about to fall apart.

Maintaining a certain level of strength and speed while constantly being on guard against a swordsman's sneak attack is something even Shirou finds difficult to withstand for such a long time, let alone simply using spear techniques to withstand the attacks.

"Assassin is no ordinary swordsman. We both had certain restraints, but in the end we fought to a draw. He truly deserves to be called a hero of another era. His strength is no joke."

After resting on the ground for a while, Shirou felt that his physical condition had recovered a lot, basically to about 60%.

Going home to prepare dinner now should be no problem at all.

Shirou just felt that he should finish the fight with that samurai sooner next time.

"However, thanks to the pressure from that samurai, I have finally become proficient in using the spear."

It has to be said that pressure really is a driving force for progress.

Shirou already knew how to use a spear, but that was due to the combat experience and skills that came with the weapon when it was made.

Through this intense battle, Shirou internalized the combat experience and skills inherent in the spear, making them his own.

He fully absorbed that combat experience and combat skills.

Shirou is now able to use the spear more skillfully.

This is also the greatest benefit Shirou has received today.

"what……"