Shinji Matou At Your Service

Whether all the Red Team's Servants are monsters cannot be determined for now, but the Red Lancer, Karna, before them is undoubtedly a monster.

In terms of might, Gilgamesh, with his endless Noble Phantasms and constant barrages, and Iskandar, who commands vast armies and tramples the earth, are stronger than Karna. However, the shock they brought to Shinji was not as overwhelming as that brought by Karna.

Gilgamesh and Iskandar's strength comes from external powers, whereas Karna's strength is purely his own, an intrinsic might.

This isn't to say that relying on external powers isn't strong enough—equipment is a form of strength. Ordinary people grew to make the mysterious world tremble by relying on the power of technology, which is also an external power. Karna's status as a top-tier Servant, one of the "Golden Three Targets," is also due to his Immortal Blade and Golden Armor.

Regardless, when a creature sees a powerful individual within its species, it feels envy—this is a biological instinct, and humans are no exception. At this moment, even without the Immortal Blade and Golden Armor, Karna could still deliver such an attack. This kind of shock was no less than seeing someone dive into the sea alone to hunt sea monsters in Scáthach's memories.

But Shinji, determined and knowledgeable, quickly overcame his fear and shock. As Karna rose from the crater he had created, Shinji's fear and shock gave way to an unparalleled fighting spirit—someday, he would become as strong as Karna, if not stronger.

Fighting strong opponents, understanding oneself, and becoming stronger were his primary goals in this parallel world journey, aside from obtaining the Holy Grail.

With a gesture, the Qingyun Sword returned to his hand, and luminescent particles gathered beneath his feet, ready to manifest Hermes' winged sandals at any moment. This was the only method Shinji could think of to fight Karna.

The distance couldn't be too close; otherwise, Karna would never give him a chance to escape, given his divine-level spear skills.

The distance couldn't be too far either, as Shinji lacked long-range attack methods without the "Divine GunBlade."

Only at mid-range could he use his various Noble Phantasms to restrain Karna, with the Qingyun Sword's wide-area attack and vision-obscuring abilities playing a significant role.

The winged sandals, ready to activate at any moment, were both a trap and a final safeguard. Thus far, he hadn't shown his flying ability, which he could use to catch Karna off guard at a critical moment. If the situation worsened, he could also escape into the sky.

Yes, Shinji planned to wear Karna down slowly. His Noble Phantasms weren't enough to kill Karna outright; to win, he had to outlast him.

Karna, among the many Heroic Spirits in the Throne of Heroes, was also a major magical power consumer. Apart from normal attacks, passive skills, and the Golden Armor, all his other skills and Noble Phantasms consumed enormous magical energy. Shinji estimated that Karna could use Divinity or his Noble Phantasms at most two more times; if he could withstand these two waves, Karna would have to retreat.

Shinji's rapid-fire Noble Phantasm tactic would also consume vast magical energy, but he had homunculi to share the burden, allowing him to use his magical energy recklessly, which was the source of his confidence.

Karna, let's see how long you can last!

Ten meters away, Karna retracted his magical energy and stepped out of the crater. With his sharp eyes and experience, he understood Shinji's plan the moment he saw him holding a sword in one hand and a spear in the other.

He had to admit that this strategy was somewhat troublesome. Anti-army Noble Phantasms, despite their low rank, weren't easy to counter with just spear skills. And Shinji's confident demeanor clearly showed he wasn't worried about magical energy consumption—this wasn't a facade; with his "Discernment of the Poor" skill, Karna could see through illusions and face the truth.

The opponent could afford to drag the fight out, but he couldn't, which was the troublesome part for Karna.

However, this was only a minor annoyance, and Karna had already thought of two solutions.

First, close the distance for a melee fight. Although Black Assassin wouldn't easily let him get close, Karna was confident he could use "Mana Burst (Flame)" for a sudden acceleration. Once he got close, the outcome would be decided.

Second, unleash a Noble Phantasm for a decisive blow. Karna had full confidence in his Noble Phantasms; any of his offensive Noble Phantasms could turn Black Assassin to ashes.

Thinking this, Karna pointed his spear at Shinji, silently issuing a challenge for another round.

Shinji didn't waste words either; with a change in his seal, the wind and fire ignited once again.

At that moment, both of them almost simultaneously sensed the presence of a fourth Servant.

"Attack, Saber!"

Accompanied by a rough male voice, a bright sword light tore through the wall of fire, launching a surprise attack from behind.

Karna calmly swept his spear horizontally, the edge of his Immortal Blade precisely blocking the sword light, revealing the tall man holding a greatsword amidst the flames.

"Black Saber—"

With Assassin in front and Saber behind, Karna remained unshaken and calmly spoke.

"—I see, this is Trifas after all. It's not surprising to have reinforcements. Then let me face both of you at once."

"Wh—"

The voice wasn't from Black Saber or Shinji but from Goldes, Black Saber's Master, standing next to Jeanne.

Everyone in Yggdmillennia knew that Goldes had been overly confident lately. His confidence stemmed from the artificial battery system he had created and, more importantly, from his Saber—no matter how powerful the opponent, Goldes believed his Saber would never lose.

But now, someone was belittling his Saber, which shocked him.

Immediately, his surprise turned into hatred, and with a chest full of anger, Goldes roared:

"How dare you spout such arrogance! Saber, Assassin, crush that arrogant Red Lancer for me!"

"No, Saber, you go alone. I'll take a break."

Shinji's reaction was completely contrary to Goldes' intentions. He dispelled his spiritual clothing, put away the Qingyun Sword and the Ishtar War Spear, and turned to walk towards Jeanne at the edge of the battlefield, seemingly unconcerned about leaving his back to Karna.

Goldes shouted angrily, "Assassin, what are you doing? Didn't you hear my order? I told you to kill Red Lancer together with Saber!"

"Shut up, Fatty. If you keep quiet, no one will mistake you for a mute."

Shinji applied healing runes to his calf as he walked, not even glancing at Gold.

P.S.: Discernment of the Poor: Rank A.

Karna, blessed with the solitude of the world, has the skill to inquire about the lives and values of the weak. This skill demonstrates his ability to grasp the essence of others. He can see through the personality and attributes of his opponent and won't be deceived by verbal arguments or lies.