Shinji was utterly exasperated.
It wasn't the paralysis from being struck by Red Rider's lightning, but rather an overwhelming urge to swear.
Having long known his opponent's true name, Shinji only needed a moment to figure out who "that person" was—Red Rider's greatest enemy in his lifetime.
While being compared to that heroic figure might be something to be proud of, Shinji would rather not receive such an evaluation, especially when facing a fully serious Rider.
What did I do to deserve this? Just a bit of complaining, and now I've been targeted? And the most suitable opponent is being ignored? How unlucky can I get?—No, wait, there's someone even unluckier than me, someone who got targeted just from a glance.
This unluckier person was, of course, Black Saber Siegfried, who got targeted by Karna because his gaze resembled that of Arjuna, Karna's half-brother and arch-enemy.
Wait a minute, Siegfried and Karna being of equal rank makes sense as opponents. But my gap with Achilles is not just a small one. Besides, Karna was killed by Arjuna. Damn, I'm being mistaken for someone who was killed by Achilles, which means I'm even more unlucky.
Yes, Red Rider was none other than the famous hero of ancient Greece, Achilles, another top-tier Servant in the Red Faction, whose renown could easily rank in the top ten globally.
Achilles, born as the son of the sea goddess Thetis and the hero Peleus, was blessed by the gods from birth. His mother, Thetis, loved him so much that she tried to make him immortal by burning away his mortal parts with divine flames. However, her husband Peleus opposed this, fearing that Achilles would be destroyed as a human. Thus, Achilles grew up retaining some human aspects.
When the war between Troy and Achaea broke out, his mother posed a question to him:
—Do you wish to live a long and peaceful life in obscurity, or to gain great fame in war and live a short life as a hero?
Achilles' choice is well known. While his mother felt proud of his decision, she was also deeply pained, knowing that his destiny was sealed from birth—if he chose to be a hero, his life would be as fleeting as a passing lantern.
He grew up to join the Achaean army in the Trojan War, achieving numerous feats and eventually becoming the chief commander of the Achaean forces, the brightest star of his time and in all of Greek history.
His greatest adversary was Hector, the chief commander of the Trojan forces, who single-handedly held off half of the Achaean army.
The brilliance of Achilles and Hector illuminated the entire Trojan War. Compared to them, heroes like Agamemnon and the two Ajaxes, who could have been protagonists in other legends, seemed to fade into obscurity.
If someone else had compared Shinji to Hector, he would have been delighted. But for Achilles to say it was another matter entirely, as Hector had died at Achilles' hands. This was both an acknowledgment from Achilles and a declaration of intent to kill.
Since you want to kill me, don't blame me for using any means necessary. The Holy Grail War is a life-or-death battle!
At this point, Shinji was ready to go all out.
"Let's fight, enough with the talk! If Hector couldn't kill you back then, I'll finish the job for him now. Don't think being immortal or a demigod means you can do whatever you want! Try breaking through my 'Divine Thunder Barrier' first!"
"You think you're the only one with a Noble Phantasm? You're underestimating me."
Provoked by the enemy who bore the shadow of his nemesis, Achilles' pride surged, and his tone became even more arrogant.
"I have at least three ways to break your bounded field. But I've already said I won't use my chariot, and you definitely won't agree to the other method. So I'll use this."
He retracted his right hand from pointing at the sky, manifesting a magnificent shield that had appeared earlier.
"With the shield my mother gave me, I'll crush you."
Seeing the faint mountains and oceans on the shield's surface, Shinji's eyes narrowed—it was Achilles' strongest Noble Phantasm, "Akhilleus Kosmos: The Miniature World Enclosed by the Azure Sky."
In the epic "Iliad," hundreds of lines are dedicated to describing this shield. Forged by the god Hephaestus, it recreates the world in which Achilles lived in miniature on its surface. It is one of the strongest known defensive Noble Phantasms, rated A+. Facing this shield is akin to confronting the world itself. Once activated, it can defend against any Noble Phantasm, whether anti-personnel, anti-army, anti-fortress, anti-country, or anti-divine.
A mere B+-rank Indra's Thunder, even as a one-time consumable using "Broken Phantasm," would be insufficient—unless the original owner, the Thunder God Indra himself, were to wield it.
Not only is it a defensive tool, but Achilles can also convert this shield into an "offensive" weapon. By deploying the Noble Phantasm and charging forward, Achilles can crush his enemies with the miniature world on the shield—a use that even Hephaestus never envisioned.
Fortunately, Shinji had enough understanding of Achilles to think of a countermeasure as soon as the shield appeared. Under the specially designed hem of his Mystic Code, white spiritual particles gathered, materializing into a pair of winged shoes.
"Bring it on. As long as we seek the Holy Grail, we can't avoid a fight!"
"Now that's the spirit! That man always did what he set out to do—except for killing me. Are you ready, Black Assassin?"
As magical energy poured into the shield, the engraved world became increasingly vivid.
"Even now, if I say no, will you stop?"
"Of course not. Take this, Achilles—"
Just as Achilles was about to unleash his trump card and Shinji was preparing to activate his winged shoes, both of them halted simultaneously.
They sensed a Servant's aura, full of majesty and pressure, rapidly approaching. The distinct black aura indicated the identity of the newcomer—Black Berserker, Vlad III.
"Tch, an interloper. Black Assassin, our duel will wait until next time. Until then, don't die on me."
Achilles clicked his tongue in annoyance, put away his shield, and snapped his fingers. Instantly, three fine horses appeared, pulling a white chariot, and knelt beside him.
"The same to you, Red Rider, Achilles." Shinji also dispelled his spear and Indra's Thunder, leaving only the winged shoes.
Achilles leaped onto the chariot, cracked his whip, and the horses galloped skyward with great speed. The sight was awe-inspiring.
As he watched Achilles depart, Shinji muttered softly:
"A testament to the Rider class, the Troias Tragōidia: Tempestuous Immortal Chariot? It seems that two of the horses pulling it are descendants of Poseidon. I wonder how they compare to your older brother, Bellerophon?"
He squinted his eyes and extended his right hand as if caressing something.
P.S.: Broken Phantasm, (The Destroyed Illusion): A skill that destroys a Noble Phantasm filled with vast magical energy, using the phantasm itself as a container to store that energy and belief as explosive power, dealing massive damage to the opponent. Normally, a destroyed Noble Phantasm is hard to repair, and few can act as containers to store magical energy, so this skill is rarely used—except by a certain red Archer fond of knockoffs.
P.S.2: Greek mythology is chaotic, and Poseidon is particularly notorious, especially for his penchant for human-animal play.