Chapter 29. The Name is Alcides
Stepping onto the rooftop of a building about five hundred meters away from the Heroic Spirit, Shirou's gaze was locked firmly on him.
First, why did the adjective "emaciated giant" spring to Shirou's mind the very first moment he saw him?
Furthermore, why did his sense of pressure feel so familiar to Shirou?
Most crucially, why was his first arrow aimed at Illya?
In a disadvantageous position, calmly grasping one's own situation and the enemy's abilities—there was only one answer seen by the insight cultivated through training. The only reason Shirou didn't dwell on it immediately was entirely because time was of the essence to protect Illya.
Shirou had seen him. Illya had seen him too. It was a form completely different from his current one.
Though the Heroic Spirit under the moonlight was so strange, the answer was remarkably simple.
The emaciated giant fell into a brief silence. After a moment, he spoke:
"Alcides."
"?"
The man from the Age of Gods uttered words that were difficult to understand.
"In this Holy Grail War, call me Alcides."
In mythology, wasn't "Alcides" the childhood name of "Heracles"?
There was no difference—or perhaps, there was an absolute difference.
Shirou couldn't grasp that point, but what he could understand, and felt a sense of relief from, was that the Heroic Spirit—Alcides—had turned his attention toward Shirou.
"At the very least, I've learned your True Name."
Shirou gave a forced smile.
"Yes. Just as you thought, you are currently a higher priority than that girl."
Alcides' target shifted entirely to Shirou. Generally speaking, the threat brought by knowing an opponent's True Name in a Holy Grail War cannot be underestimated, especially for a Heroic Spirit who was once Heracles and possessed obvious weaknesses.
Since he had decided to take the Holy Grail War seriously, he had no choice but to deal with it.
The fact that should have made Shirou feel fear now brought him peace of mind.
"I should actually pay my respects to your choice to use yourself as bait for that girl. You are a hero."
Alcides' voice was so humble and peaceful it almost felt like a joke.
Yet even while speaking these words, he radiated a terrifying sense of danger. The Heracles of myth... was perhaps the type of person who would pierce a rival's heart while praising them.
"If it weren't for the distortion, we surely would have met and tested our skills properly in another form. I truly find it a pity."
Distortion?
A question surfaced in Shirou's nearly burning mind, but the time to chew on it had already slipped away.
Alcides, who had just shown an intention to converse, raised his bow at that moment.
"So in the end, you're still going to kill me. You don't need to tell me; I'll do my best to stay alive."
The remaining time only allowed Shirou to strike back with a cynical retort.
Shirou Emiya, an ordinary human with only twenty-seven Magic Circuits, currently stood five hundred meters away from a Heroic Spirit who occupied a corner as one of the strongest in human history.
And—from this moment on, he would fight for survival with everything he had.
Alcides' aura was calm, but the bow drawn to full strength gathered a terrifying amount of magical energy that would make anyone turn pale. After witnessing it firsthand, Shirou did not intend to respond to his technique by raising a bow of his own.
"I am the bone of my sword."
The first line of the murmur.
The fingers of the opponent holding the bowstring loosened. Death was about to bloom. At the same time, Shirou lightly raised the palm of one hand forward:
"[Rho Aias]!"
True Name release.
The hand propped forward looked weak and lacking in strength, yet it unerringly held death at bay outside the barrier. Even with the terrifying force of the shot, it was relatively minor before the defensive power of the released Noble Phantasm.
"Steel is my body, and fire is my blood."
The second line.
Just a little more. Within a distance of five hundred meters, it was perfectly sufficient to capture Alcides.
The brilliant petals continued to bloom—Alcides' normal shots had been completely neutralized. Unless Alcides intended to clash Noble Phantasms right now, the following situation would inevitably enter Shirou's home turf.
Shirou would let the long-range attacking Alcides experience a "first-encounter kill" that he could never have known.
Before the situation could even be tested, he would pull it directly into his own rhythm. This was Shirou's desperate, all-or-nothing gamble.
Even more so, he couldn't have known another untold fact.
What Shirou's arm was currently connected to was Rin's Magic Crest. Rin carried the Jeweled Sword connected to an infinite resource of magical energy, which meant that as long as he opened [Unlimited Blade Works]...
Shirou was actually much more troublesome than he thought.
Though merely a weakling, and though these were but the techniques of a rabbit kicking at an eagle, they were not to be underestimated; if looked down upon, this power alone—which could rival and surpass a Heroic Spirit—would make the arrogant pay the price.
What Shirou possessed were the weapons of a mortal and the stubbornness of humanity; this forged sword had once bared its fangs even against gods and buddhas.
"—"
And so... Shirou was careless.
"!?"
Before the syllable could be uttered, it stalled in shock.
The moment Alcides stepped onto the outer wall of the building, the structure collapsed with a thunderous roar.
He was like an afterimage left on the wall.
By the time Shirou realized it was an afterimage, the figure and presence dropped beside Shirou with an uncatchable momentum, causing the floor beneath Shirou's feet to crack.
Faster than the figure was the giant shadow of a weapon that looked like a staff.
—Bang!
He's using his bow for melee combat!?
Shirou decisively pulled back his shield. The swirling wind pressure bypassed Kanshou and using the momentum to retreat two meters, Shirou finally neutralized it with Bakuya.
Alcides retracted the staff-like bow and crouched, his silhouette covered by fur facing him.
Shirou couldn't figure out the reason he abandoned his long-range advantage to launch a surprise attack.
Unless—he realized the significance represented by the incantation.
Without even understanding how he understood it, the emaciated giant flashed forward with an exaggerated speed that was difficult to counter, swinging his staff.
"Damn it!"
Urgently crossing the dual wings, he used a specific angle to deflect the bow's frame. Then, facing the wind pressure, he handled it by retreating several meters under the force.
"Splendid."
Alcides spun the body of the bow; his martial skill in using the bow as a staff was so perfected it left Shirou speechless.
Too fast. At a speed like his, if he attacked continuously, Shirou would have no time to continue the chant.
Or to put it another way.
In order to destroy Shirou's intent, Alcides was willing to give up his high-ground advantage and shift directly into close-quarters combat.
"The technique you intend to use possesses danger—at the very least, it is likely something I could not end quickly without going all out. If I must use my full strength, I might as well use it 'here' in the normal sense."
Insight cultivated through training and exercise. A combat theory that calmly grasps one's own situation and the enemy's abilities to find a way out. The danger-avoidance ability to predict the opponent's actions and break the situation.
Facing a worst-case opponent who displayed the exact same abilities—Shirou broke into a rain of sweat.
His name is, Alcides.