Here, we need to revisit a frequently discussed topic—compatibility.
Atalanta's compatibility with Shinji was second only to Siegfried's with Achilles. Atalanta's strengths were her high agility and wide attack range, while her weaknesses were low health, low defense, and a lack of powerful, decisive attack methods. Unfortunately, except for her wide attack range, her other strengths couldn't be leveraged, and her weaknesses were targeted by Shinji, making it very difficult for her to utilize her abilities.
The situation grew even more frustrating. After closing the distance, Shinji didn't initiate an attack; he seemed utterly indifferent as if he didn't regard her as a threat.
This might have been acceptable since Atalanta's mindset differed from typical heroes. If you're not paying attention to me, I'll just run away.
But after just a few steps, that damn paralysis struck again, and that damn Assassin used the opportunity to close the gap once more.
Shooting arrows to block him was useless; they couldn't penetrate the combined defense of his shield and scepter.
This cycle repeated several times.
At this point, Atalanta was furious.
She didn't care about so-called pride or honor, or even many personal insults, but there was one thing she couldn't ignore.
She was a hunter, a legendary hunter who dedicated her life to the hunt.
She valued each hunt and honed her skills for it.
She respected every prey, whether strong or weak, and gave her all in every hunt.
This was her principle and her ritual of faith in the moon goddess Artemis.
The Holy Grail War was no exception. In the red-black duel, both sides were hunters and prey, jointly engaging in a grand hunt. If, after successfully closing the distance, Shinji had immediately attacked, no matter the outcome—even if she was killed by him—she would have no complaints, only perhaps some regret.
But Shinji didn't do that. He neither attacked nor let Atalanta leave, nor did he even speak.
Such behavior was naturally seen by Atalanta as toying with her as prey, an insult to the sacred hunt.
This behavior made her extremely angry!
In all fairness, Shinji had no intention of insulting or toying with her.
On the contrary, he had a certain fondness for Atalanta—not because she was a beast-eared waifu, but because of her wish entrusted to the Holy Grail.
Abandoned by her parents as a child and surviving thanks to the care of others, she wished to repay this kindness to children, hoping the Holy Grail could create "a world where all children grow up surrounded by love."
Perhaps naive, perhaps unrealistic, even a bit foolish, but such a person with such a wish was hard for Shinji to dislike, especially after he had a "daughter," Jack.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that of all the red servants, Atalanta was the one he least wanted to fight against.
But he couldn't let Atalanta roam freely to cause trouble. Except for the two casters without direct combat capabilities, all other servants had their opponents. Allowing a divine archer like Atalanta to remain active on the battlefield and possibly shoot crucial arrows to collapse the black faction's battle line was not an option.
In the end, the only method he could think of was to stick close and keep an eye on her—not fighting, not letting her go, just stalling until Spartacus self-destructed.
As for not speaking... his mouth might not have moved, but he hadn't been silent. He wasn't talking to Atalanta but to Jeanne instead.
Thus, the misunderstanding arose, and Shinji remained completely unaware.
After blocking Atalanta's arrow with his shield, the floating Assassin spoke again, "Miss Atalanta, can we talk?"
"I have nothing to say to enemies," Atalanta replied coldly, having already deemed Shinji insulting her.
"I don't mean to be your enemy," Shinji tried to sound more sincere.
"Then put away that spear and undo this annoying barrier."
"I can't do that. I'm afraid if I undo it, you'll run away. I'm not Achilles; I can't outrun you."
"Hmph, just as I thought, all talk."
Using the conversation as a distraction, Atalanta fully drew her bow and fired an arrow with all her strength at Shinji.
Shinji blocked with his shield while saying, "But I want to talk—"
He couldn't finish his sentence as the force behind the arrow was surprisingly strong, throwing off his balance. Although he quickly adjusted the output of his winged shoes to stabilize himself, Atalanta had already seized the opportunity to charge forward.
That's right, she charged forward.
After several failed attempts, she realized that increasing the distance wasn't feasible. Since that was the case, she decided to do the opposite. For an archer of her divine skill, close range was never an issue; as long as she could draw her bow, she could shoot.
She sprinted forward with fierce speed, then suddenly tilted her body, sliding low to the ground just before the Divine Thunder Barrier activated. As she slid under Shinji, she released four arrows targeting his chin, throat, chest, and abdomen.
However, such close-range rapid shots were destined not to have much force. The goddess's white scepter flashed, forming an eggshell-like shield. The four arrows struck the shield, creating intense ripples but ultimately failing to penetrate and harm Shinji.
"It's useless," Shinji shook his head.
Atalanta knew the four arrows weren't enough; she had more attacks in store.
She leaped up like a cheetah, her excellent jumping ability allowing her to reach Shinji's height in an instant. She fired several arrows at his nape.
Because they were so close, the arrowheads were already within the shield's range, so the shield naturally didn't block them.
At that moment, Shinji's body was only halfway turned. His shield-bearing right hand couldn't protect his neck due to physical limitations, and the scepter's area wasn't enough to block the four incoming arrows. It seemed he was about to be pierced through the throat.
At the critical moment, Shinji's body suddenly rotated horizontally at the waist.
That's right, he rotated horizontally as if lying flat in the air, his deep blue eyes meeting Atalanta's piercing gaze.
The four arrows missed.
With her lethal strike neutralized, a hint of frustration flickered in Atalanta's eyes. She spun her bow to slash Shinji's throat with the bowstring.
However, if Shinji could dodge point-blank shots, he certainly wouldn't be troubled by a bowstring. He casually deflected the bow with his scepter.
Seeing this, Atalanta knew it was futile and stepped on Shinji's shield to leap far away.
"Now will you talk to me? The moonlight is so beautiful tonight; fighting is such a mood killer."
Honestly, Shinji's attempt at conversation wasn't great. Atalanta could have retorted that this was a battlefield where fighting was inevitable, called Shinji frivolous, or even cursed him as an idiot, and Shinji would have accepted any of these responses. But he never expected Atalanta to say this:
"You insolent fool, how dare you disrespect Lady Artemis?"
"Huh?"
Shinji was utterly bewildered.
P.S.: Atalanta had already used her Noble Phantasm twice and was prepared for her true name to be revealed.
P.S.2: Atalanta's point-blank shooting is indeed powerful, using any ruthless means necessary. Unfortunately, she encountered Shinji in his turtle mode.