Originally, Shiomi had thought that running into the Heroic Spirits Taigong Wang and Nikitich this time was nothing but good luck.
They were capable, reasonable, easy to talk to.
Yet in the blink of an eye, it had turned into this—a spar to test each other's strength.
Something about a Heroic Spirit's pride.
Still, a proper exchange to gauge one another's abilities would help in the battles ahead. The better they understood each other, the faster they could resolve whatever lay before them.
After all, he still had no idea how far things had progressed in the Chinese Lostbelt on the side of the 'Alien Gods.' He could only hope he wouldn't arrive too late.
He steadied his breathing and cleared his mind.
Shiomi lifted his head and looked at Taigong Wang and Nikitich.
Nikitich had already removed her cloak and felt hat, revealing light combat attire that outlined her full, well-built figure.
At some point, the page hammer in her hands had transformed into a long-handled battleaxe, which she swung experimentally.
Behind them, Morgan, Scáthach, and Artoria stepped back a few paces.
Taigong Wang and Nikitich's intentions were obvious—the one they wanted to test was Shiomi.
So the three of them stayed out of it, and the two Heroic Spirits tacitly allowed it.
Taigong Wang did not move immediately. Instead, he let Nikitich take the lead.
Nikitich clearly wanted to fight. And as a strategist-type Heroic Spirit, Taigong Wang intended to have her probe Shiomi's fighting style first before deciding on a specific approach.
"You're not using a weapon? You should have one, shouldn't you?" Nikitich asked in surprise.
"Blades and spears don't have eyes. If things get heated and I end up injuring an ally, that won't help our future operations."
Shiomi settled into a ready stance.
"Confident, aren't you? I suppose that's to be expected of a god..." Nikitich smiled, then her expression sharpened. "Don't regret it."
Mana burst outward from her body, stirring fine dust into the air.
With a thunderous step, Nikitich lunged forward, her axe cleaving straight toward Shiomi.
Since he had made no request for her to hold back—and she wasn't particularly good at holding back anyway—there was no reason to restrain herself. Shiomi was a god. Taking a few solid hits wouldn't kill him.
In an instant, she was directly above him. Mana coiled around the axe, erupting into icy-blue flames.
"Ha!"
With absolute confidence, she brought the axe down toward Shiomi's head.
At a moment like this, any opponent would either block or dodge. That was precisely why you aimed for the vital point from the start. If you tried to show mercy, you would only miss entirely.
Nikitich wanted to test Shiomi's close-quarters combat ability. She had heard Taigong Wang mention that Shiomi Tenkei's master, Scáthach, was not only a Magus proficient in the Primordial Runes, but also a peerless warrior with the spear.
At the very least, she intended to force Shiomi to draw his weapon—
"…What…?"
The icy-blue flames were not from her own Mana release, but from the dragon of her second Noble Phantasm, a power that infused her weapon.
Flames that even the Lostbelt's kin could not withstand were caught in Shiomi's bare hand.
…No, not even "barely."
The axe fell and struck the palm of Shiomi's outstretched hand. Instead of the sound of flesh splitting, a solid clang rang out, as though steel had struck stone.
Landing on the ground, Nikitich tried to press the weapon down further, only to find it utterly unmoving.
Shiomi gripped the blade tightly, his strength like a vise locking it firmly in place, impossible to wrench free.
"My turn," he said softly.
His free left hand slowly rose. A violent wind erupted across the once-calm field, rushing toward his palm and gathering there.
"Luna Hurricane."
A warrior's instinct screamed danger, and Nikitich realized something was wrong. But it was already too late to pull back.
The air, compressed to its absolute limit, burst outward in an instant, transforming into razor-sharp blades. A tornado exploded in all directions, sending Nikitich and her axe flying together.
She twisted midair and landed, slamming the axe into the ground to forcibly halt her backward slide.
She was not injured. If not for her second Noble Phantasm, "Berza Damask: Shining White Dragon-Slaying Armaments," which she constantly wore as armor, that single strike would have ended the spar right there. Her initial lack of seriousness would have cost her the match.
"Oh my, casting Magecraft of that scale without even a chant." Taigong Wang lazily rested a hand on the back of Si Bu Xiang's neck as he analyzed Shiomi's fighting style. "Rather than Magecraft, it's more like directly interfering with phenomena and manipulating them at will, wouldn't you say?"
He then raised his voice.
"Nikitich-dono, you should take this a bit more seriously. Even in a spar, you'll want it to be satisfying."
"I underestimated him," Nikitich admitted.
After all, Shiomi had not even moved from where he stood.
"Come, my beloved steed!"
As a Rider-class Servant, beyond the standard Riding skill, there was another defining advantage: a proud Mount Noble Phantasm.
Iskandar's chariot and Perseus's Pegasus were both of that kind.
Taigong Wang before them was the same, possessing the famed Si Bu Xiang as his mount.
And as for the other Rider, the dragon-slaying hero Nikitich, her Mount Noble Phantasm—
"Horse...?"
Shiomi tilted his head, wondering if he had misheard.
What emerged from the light was not a warhorse, but a four-legged white dragon with a broad pair of wings on its back.
Compared to Britannia's white dragon, the Usurper King Vortigern, there was no trace of ominous malice in Nikitich's mount. Instead, Shiomi sensed a pure and immaculate aura.
A Dragonkind that stood above Phantasmal Species.
A Rider capable of commanding Dragonkind like this likely possessed Riding at an exceptional EX rank.
"This is my second Noble Phantasm, 'Berza Burko: My Beloved Shining White Horse.'"
Nikitich leapt onto the dragon's back and stroked its neck as she introduced it to Shiomi.
"That was just a warm-up. Now we fight for real."
"No, no, no. That's clearly Dragonkind, isn't it?"
Shiomi waved both hands in protest, firing off complaints in rapid succession.
"Shouldn't it be called something like 'My Pure and Radiant White Dragon' instead?"
Even now, he remained completely at ease. His composure earned Taigong Wang's quiet admiration.
If only such rare talent had once fallen into his hands as a disciple. Being his master would have been immensely gratifying.
"What a pity Lady Nüwa never considered letting me serve as Tenkei-dono's teacher."
Taigong Wang idly fiddled with his fishing rod.
"You've taken on a fine disciple, Scáthach-dono."
"Now then, this is where it truly begins, Master of Chaldea!"
Brimming with fighting spirit, Nikitich urged the white dragon sharply upward into the sky. Once her figure had shrunk to a distant speck, she abruptly dove straight down.
By pulling back to gain distance and acceleration, Nikitich launched an unstoppable charge.