Author's note: with all the changes in my recent life, I have less and less time to write. I don't think it will calm down until 2023.
Otherwise, I'm annoyed by all the readers who tell me I'm underemployed Shirou. He is the only character who had a whole chapter for himself, and in another chapter, I use half the content solely for explaining his mood. In almost every chapter he trains to become stronger... you didn't understand that I was preparing him for something? Have you ever seen Dragon Ball? During half the episodes, Goku is training to become stronger and no reader has ever accused Akira Toriyama of neglecting his main character.
Lancelot (Campioneverse) is a minor character who only appears in the LN. But I like her a lot. Uh... it's true that this is one of the few adult female characters in the series... so the choice is quite limited.
First of all, she's the prettiest girl in Campione! Then she's very nice. I mean, in Campione! , when we talk about the gods of Steel, you immediately imagine some sort of enraged madman who breaks everything in his path and who has as much self-control as a five-year-old who took amphetamines. Instead, Lancelot is rather calm, surprisingly kind, and friendly (qualities virtually unheard among the gods of Steel) in addition she literally radiates purity and benevolence. Of course, she loves to fight and she is always willing to fight valiant opponents... but she confronts them in a chivalrous contest.
Double Duel
The night was illuminated by the scarlet glow of lava pools. Over a hundred square kilometers, the Mojave Desert had been transformed into a vision of hell. Supernatural flames burned without the need for fuel. Ashes fell like grey snow.
In Las Vegas, police sirens and ambulance sirens screamed endlessly.
The panic of the inhabitants was at its height. From the windows of the buildings, people could see strange explosions in the desert. At times the ground trembled and lightning thundered... yet there was not a cloud in the night sky, the winds swirling erratically were blowing so violently that they had chased away the rare clouds that flew over the desert.
It wasn't a natural disaster, it was a fight.
To be exact, three simultaneous fights.
In the sky, Gilgamesh faced the goddess Ishtar and the Campione John Pluto Smith.
On the ground, Iskandar faced the goddess Ereshkigal, while Lancelot du Lac challenged Shirou Emiya to a duel.
Ereshkigal swirled her spear over her while watching Iskandar. The latter had invoked Bucephalus, his famous mount, and charged while brandishing his sword.
[Skill!]
The Goddess of the Underworld smiled as she heard Hakuno's telepathic voice and struck the ground with her spear.
There was a metallic ring as a circle of blue light appeared surrounding Ereshkigal. The ground began to shake as if under the effect of an earthquake. Suddenly stalagmites resembling sharp teeth emerged from the ground in front of Iskandar. It was too late to change course, but the Servant was not defenseless.
He held his sword to the sky, and the blade was covered with electric sparks. When the King of Conquerors cut the air with his sword, lightning struck around him, hitting the rock teeth and blowing them up.
The Queen of Kur continued to create stalagmites or raise the ground. But Bucephalus was fast and agile, dodging attacks, jumping over obstacles, or turning quickly to change direction.
[Attack!]
Again, Ere swirled her lance, making several stalagmites appear just in front of her. The Queen of the Great Below hit them with her spear, projecting the ends of the rock needles... straight at Iskandar!
But the king of Macedonia was not taken by surprise. He raised his sword and figures, at first spectral, materialized in a whirlwind of blue prana: Greek hoplites with linothorax armors and Corinthian helmets. They raised their huge circular shields, forming a bronze wall in front of their king.
As the soldiers summoned by Iskandar were Minors Heroes they managed to stop the rock needles even if the impact made them stagger and take a step back.
They returned to nothingness just after completing their mission. But already Iskandar was calling for more soldiers to help. The men who appeared were Agrianes (1) armed with javelins.
They threw their weapons at Ere, except...
[Block!]
The Queen of the Underworld struck the ground with her spear and a wall of stalagmites formed in front of her. The projectiles ricocheted off the stone teeth.
[Attack!]
While Iskandar was only a few steps away from Ereshkigal, the ground convulsed. The newly formed avalanche rushed straight to the king of Macedonia.
This time, Bucephalus could not completely dodge the attack and the horse fell to its knees in pain.
Iskandar was only slightly wounded, but Ereshkigal smiled. The first blood was for her. However, the sheltered goddess was not as used to fighting as the King of Conquerors... but thanks to her prior knowledge of the King of Conquerors' fighting style and especially thanks to Hakuno's flawless orders, she had the advantage.
'He' stood in the midst of the flames, the Peerless Knight, Lancelot du Lac. The ashes defiled 'his' armor... yet nothing seemed to tarnish the interior fire burning in 'him'. Even without seeing 'his' face, Shirou suspected that 'he' must be of great beauty. It was as if the knight had been carved from two materials 'purity' and 'beauty'.
The Faker swallowed his saliva, conscious of the sweat on the back of his neck.
It wasn't that he was afraid. It was more of a... stage fright. Since he was separated from Sakura, the idea of dying was indifferent to him. He continued to live just out of habit without really paying attention to it, constantly repeating the same grey, bland, meaningless day.
But Shirou had kept a certain loyalty to Saber. Even after all that had happened. And even if it wasn't the knight who served the King Arthur that he knew... Shirou was still afraid to disappoint Lancelot.
It was a strange thought in this situation, but Shirou was much more afraid of failure than death.
Lancelot had a little laugh that was not insulting.
"Sir Shirou, fear not, attack when you feel ready. The noblest of knights will not strike the first blow, I leave you this honor."
There was a quiet arrogance in his words; the Peerless Knight seemed to believe 'his' victory was assured. Shirou gnashed his teeth
"Thank you," he replied with a little acidity.
His fingers quivered as the young Magus focused on his Magecraft.
"Trace On!"
Shirou leaped to the sky as the Married Blades materialized in his hands. He stumbled down like a spinning top, chopping the air from his two deadly blades.
But Lancelot reacted with at least equal liveliness, blocking attacks with his shield or spear, dodging, and leaping backward when attacks became dangerous. Shirou followed the rhythm without relaxing the pressure. He would attack here, leap, and run around Lancelot, then attack there, move back the next moment, harassing the knight on one side, then on the other.
If an ordinary human had attended the fight, he would have only seen blurry silhouettes appearing in four or five places simultaneously in the middle of metal clashes, sparks, and prana explosions.
A line of Greek hoplites ran towards Ereshkigal. In her head a voice was heard:
[Skill!]
The Goddess of the Sumerian Afterlife lifted the metal cage she held in her right hand. Other identical cages appeared around the hoplites. Rays of blue light came from inside the cages to hit the Minors Heroes that disappeared in an explosion.
Iskandar was already attacking again, brandishing his sword.
[Block!]
With a movement of her hand, Ere swirled her spear vertically, forming a kind of fuzzy shield that deflected the sword stroke held by the king of Macedonia. Then, the Queen of the Netherworld counterattacked by kicking Iskandar's knee. The king lowered his guard for a brief moment, which allowed Ere to hurt him in the shoulder.
The red colossus leaps back, laughing.
"Not bad, not bad, you'd make a true asset to our ranks."
"I've already refused, King Iskandar."
[Attack!]
With a gesture of her hand, Ereshkigal made several replicas of her spear appear and threw them toward Iskandar. The Hero manages to dodge them, jumping on one side, then on the other, repelling the last lance with a movement of his sword.
The King of Conquerors raised his blade and lightning struck. Zeus's bastard child directed the wrath of heaven on the Goddess of the Underworld.
But when the smoke cleared, he grimaced with annoyance.
Ereshkigal had not been injured. She was surrounded by replicas of her spear planted in the ground and the last electric shocks passed from one spear to another... The Queen of Kur used them as lightning rods.
"Are you sure you don't want to join me?"
"I am obviously stronger than you," replied Ereshkigal drawing herself up proudly. "Maybe you, King Iskandar, should join me."
The King of Conquerors rubbed the back of his neck with a grimacing smile.
"I really don't have any luck fighting women. Altera in the Seraph and now you..."
He had heartbreaking sighs. He missed Roxanne... he even missed his mother... you know!
Shirou was gasping, sweating on his face and his chest looked like a breath of forge. In his head, he heard nothing but his heartbeat, as loud as a thousand blacksmiths striking an anvil with their hammers.
Yet, for the first time since his resurrection, he was perfectly in tune with himself, in peace, in his place. He no longer thought of the absence of Sakura, of his remorse for having killed Saber, or of the waste of his life.
In front of him, Kanshou and Bakuya struck Lancelot's spear and 'his' shield. The backlash went up in his arms, shook his bones, and shook his spine. He was bleeding from a dozen small wounds, the result of near-parried attacks...
But his mind was now crystal clear.
The part of him that was 'Shirou' and the part of him that was 'EMIYA' formed an undifferentiated whole, the soul of a Warrior.
He had no time to think, no time to mortify himself, he could only move his hands and feet, attack, deflect, and counter-attack.
The universe was white. Everything seemed at once to take place in slow motion and to flow at a mind-blowing speed...
Lancelot struck him in the gut. Shirou parried the attack but Kanshou broke into his hand. The redhead teen leaps back, releasing the Chinese sword which evaporated into blue prana particles. Simultaneously, he whispered something in a low voice. In a prana quiver, a Kanshou's replica appeared between his fingers.
Lancelot seemed surprised. 'He' hesitated briefly allowing Shirou to attack again. The knight blocked Bakuya with his shield, using a shield bash to repel Shirou. But the young Magus contorted like a cat and jumped over Lancelot to fall back behind 'him'.
The battle's speed accelerated further, and the knight turned around blocking attacks and counterattacking.
The two duelists seemed to dance, exchanging complex attacks and parades. If Saber had watched the fight, she would have approved the progress of her Master. Nevertheless, it was not a peer-to-peer fight.
When Lancelot struck with all his strength, Shirou had to cross Kanshou and Bakuya in front of him to block the attack. Staggering and panting, each time, he retreated three steps to regain his balance and one of the Dao swords was chipped by Lancelot's spearhead. The blades Traced by Shirou could only withstand a dozen of blows without breaking into a thousand pieces. Every time, the Faker had to use his Magecraft to Trace another sword.
Not only was Lancelot du Lac much stronger than 'his' opponent, but 'his' endurance seemed infinite. 'He' never seemed to be in trouble, 'his' speed and reflexes were incredible as if the paragon of chivalry foresaw the movements of the redhead Magus. Also - until then- Shirou had failed to wound the knight, even once.
Shirou just popped forward, swirling on himself like a dervish, one of his swords attacking at knee level, the other striking towards the throat. Lancelot covered 'himself' with 'his' shield protecting 'himself' quickly while counterattacking with 'his' spear.
Bakuya parried the spear shot, but the sharp spearhead broke the Dao Sword creating an electric arc at the time of the shock.
As the Sword disappeared into blue particles, Shirou reached out and his fingers closed on the handle of an intact blade.
Lancelot stepped back, lowering "his" spear.
"I counted, this knight has disarmed you twenty times, Sir Shirou. How do you do that?"
Panting, the throat painful because of over oxygenation, the redhead took a few seconds to catch its breath. He swallowed acid saliva and eventually responded.
" Magic... it's my Magecraft..."
"I see... this humble knight has so much fun in this fight that he has forgotten that you are a mage, Sir Shirou. Please accept my apologies. "
The paragon of chivalrous virtues rattled 'his' helmet adorned with swans.
"I am impressed by your sword skills, Sir Shirou. Few mortals have been able to fight against me for so long. In fact..." the knight burst out laughing. "More often than not, mortals fall to the ground at the first blow. I hope you have more magic tricks in your sleeve because if you don't, I'm afraid you've lost."
Shirou had finally caught his breath and he had a mocking smile, Archer's patented taunting smirk.
"Try me, Sir Knight!"
Shirou half-closed his eyes.
"I am the bone of my sword."
The Faker launched the copies of Kashou and Bakuya in his hand. And, as Lancelot side steeped to avoid attacks, Shirou Traced another pair of Married Blades.
"Steel is my body and fire is my blood."
The knight of the Round Table must have had an excellent sixth sense because 'he' parried the swords that returned behind 'him', magnetized by the pair that Shirou was holding in his hand.
"I have created over a thousand blades."
Shirou threw the second pair of Twin Blades at Lancelot to divert 'his' attention before Tracing a black metal sword with an elegant gold guard and a white gem in the pommel.
Shirou ran and leaped to strike from bottom to top.
There was a sound of metal tearing when Durandal struck Lancelot's helmet. The knight waved and fell to 'his' knees, putting a hand to 'his' face. Indeed the helmet had just fallen to the ground, broken in half, releasing a beautiful flow of hair as golden as sunrays.
The knight examined the blood on 'his' gauntlet for a moment and then looked up to Shirou.
"Magnificent, this fight is worthy of the best Arthurian stories, few can boast of having wounded this knight, Sir Shirou."
But the redhead remained with his mouth open, completely amazed. His opponent was... 'he' was a... she was a woman! And the redhead teen had rarely seen a more beautiful one. Her eyes were dark blue, like a stormy sky. Her delicate and regular face was both noble and dreamy. Her hair formed a fringe above her eyebrows and two braids fell on her shoulders.
Lancelot had a charming smile and stood up, waving her spear at the sky.
Immediately a flash of lightning fell on the spearhead. The female knight was briefly surrounded by electricity, which she seemed to catabolize like a sponge absorbing water.
"Now, let's have some fun!"
Iskandar snapped the reins. The oxen began to roar while the bonze wheels of his war wagon began to crackle with purple lightning.
Leaping into the sky, the strange aerial vehicle moved away from Gilgamesh's Vimana still surrounded by explosions and Nobles Phantasms that continued to cross over the ground. Then Gordeus Wheel accelerated towards a silhouette lit by flames, towards Ereshkigal.
"Light is at the other end of the world — conquer!"
"Via Expugnatio!"
[Noble Phantasm!]
Ereshkigal answered with a simple nod and then raised her spear above her head. The weapon changed. Now it was no longer a material object, it was a red flash convulsing in the hand of the goddess, as if eager to escape her and jump towards the sky.
"A sky without light..."
Metal cages appeared around the goddess. The blue flames they contained began to shine louder and louder.
"A surface without reflection..."
Ereshkigal struck the ground with the heel of her lance. There was a metallic sound and a red circle of fire formed around her.
"Mud without bubbling flower..."
The goddess's hair was shaken by the wind whirling around her as a dozen or so lances made of red electricity came out of the ground.
"There is nothing here! I don't even understand what the souls are saying."
Around Ere the electric spears continued to grow ever bigger, ever larger, collecting more and more mana.
"Even then, I will create!"
The spears converged towards the weapon that the Queen of Netherworld held in her hands and merged creating a weapon proportionate to the true form of Ereshgigal... an eerie skeletal specter about ten meters high!
All around her were dazzling scarlet electric arcs and the air smelled of ozone. The brightness of the lightning strikes forced the few witnesses to protect themselves from blindness.
"Nammu Abzu Gugalanna!"
In a metallic noise, a dazzling ray of red energy leaps toward the sky, surrounded by electric arcs of the same color.
A titanic explosion illuminated the night spitting in all directions of the orange flames.
Gordeus Wheel disappeared in this fantastic blast that lit up the landscape for miles around.
Until then, Shirou had avoided getting pierced through and through.
He owed it as much to his reflexes as to his armor, Rin... Ishtar... had participated in its creation, using much of the Geumkang Crystals they found in Korea in the creation of protective enchantments. If the Faker hadn't had that armor, he'd have died a long time ago.
The redhead struggled with pain as he desperately blocked the attack of the she-knight. Fortunately, Durandal was almost unbreakable because Kanshou or Bakuya would never have resisted an impact of this magnitude... now Lancelot used an Authority analogous to the Reinforcement Magecraft and her strength had become overwhelming. The energy she absorbed when lightning struck her made the god of Steel always more powerful.
She had become so strong that every time Shirou's sword struck the knight's spear or shield, his bones almost broke. Moreover, Lancelot's eyes shone with a powerful glow as the thirst for combat invaded the god of Steel.
The paragon of chivalry burst out laughing visibly delighted.
"What a fine fight, alas, I don't think you can fight much longer, Sir Shirou."
Indeed, Shirou was barely standing, covered with cuts and bruises.
"In appreciation of all your efforts, the knight will show some of my true power."
Lancelot held out her hand and a magnificent white horse appeared beside the knight.
"First of all, I am a rider. In ground combat, I am only half of myself. My true strength is revealed when I am on the back of my mount."
Putting one foot in a stirrup, the goddess got into the saddle and saluted from her spear before moving away at the little trot. She turned towards her opponent.
"Prepare yourself, Sir Shirou, very few have survived the charge of Lancelot du Lac."
The horse gradually accelerated and then... left the ground, rising into the sky higher and higher.
She then stopped and raised her spear.
There was an electrical cracking and the sky convulsed, clouds suddenly formed above Lancelot's spear, swirling like a boiling cauldron.
A first lightning struck the spear, and then another, soon a flood of lightning enveloped the goddess who found herself surrounded by an electric aura.
She laughed, ennobled by her own power.
Lancelot lowered her spear towards Shirou.
"Charge!"
And her horse's neighed, its eyes blazing with a bright blue electric fire.
Shirou coughed up a mixture of blood and saliva and then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
He understood well that Lancelot's charge on her mount was an Authority... somewhat this world equivalent to a Noble Phantasm. And he didn't really want to be the target of a Medusa's Bellorophon look alike!
He approached Lancelot's broken helmet and looked at the blood staining the metal.
"Trace On!"
A strange sword appeared in his hand. The blade was black and made of two bands of metal braided together, leaving several diamond-shaped openings along the central groove.
He plunged the tip of the sword into the blood.
This sword was called Hrunting, it was a Noble Phantasm who had the strange capacity to 'feel' the presence of a person whose blood it had 'tasted'.
But EMIYA had imagined a surprising application to this Noble Phantasm. Two weeks earlier, the fight against Lancelot would have been impossible for Shirou to win, but Erica Blandelli and Liliana Kranjcar had taught him enough about Alchemy so that he could Alter a Noble Phantasm as Archer did.
In the sky, Lancelot returned. The female knight's spear was now lit with a white light that engulfed her and her mount... turning them into a comet that was on collision course with... him.
The Faker Traced his Black Bow and put Hrunting on the rope that he pulled back. The Magus found himself wrapped in an aura of bluish light as the sword lengthened, and thinned, turning into a strange black arrow of cruel and barbaric design, barbed from the arrowhead to the empennage.
"Hrunting!"
The black arrow turned into Red Bullet heading straight for the sky... at the speed of Mach 10!
Throwing the reins of her flying mount, Lancelot tried to dodge the projectile but... like a homing missile, Hrunting pursued her. She might have gotten away with it if Shirou hadn't Traced a second copy of the Noble Phantasm and then a third. It was finally the fourth Red Bullet that caught her, piercing her heart.
The Queen of the Amazons burst out laughing even as she was spitting blood.
"Ah, that's a good fight... maybe it's time I woke up!"
Her body turned into a fog that the wind dispersed.
Gilgamesh made appear a huge black shield very ornate and blocked the flame bullet that the giant bird had just spit. The attack made the shield tremble much more violently than the first time. John Pluto Smith could only use this Divine Authority six times in a lunar month but if he used this attack several times in a row, each new attack was more powerful than the previous one.
Moreover, the miasmas emitted by the giant bird's body could put even a god to sleep, forcing Gilgamesh to wear a protective mask for protection.
That said, the Campione just managed to annoy the king of Uruk... hardly more. Even Ishtar had not managed to hurt the True King. Gilgamesh seemed invincible.
While fighting these two opponents, the king also watched the performances of his allies. Ereshkigal's victory did not surprise him. Hakuno Kishinami guided the attacks of the Sumerian goddess. He smiled with pride. Even if it was not the Master he had met in the Moon Cell, but a double from a parallel universe, the Edge of Heaven recognized this style of combat. Hakuno had an extraordinary talent for analyzing an enemy's fighting style, predicting attacks, and figuring out a workaround, exploiting weaknesses.
Gilgamesh's expression turned into a scowl when he looked at this... Emiya painfully straightening covered in blood. This Faker imitated Noble Phantasms. He even imitated Durandal, one of his swords! And this desecration of his treasure disgusted the king.
Responding to a mental order, the Vinama veered and descended toward the ground, stopping near the silhouette of a red colossus lying in a crater caused by his fall.
Seeing the arrival of the King of Uruk Iskandar sat down with a visible effort. The King of Macedonia was covered with burns, bruises, and cuts; his cape was almost completely charred.
"Any problems, King of Conquerors?"
Iskandar scratched his head vigorously.
"I lost, Goldy!"
"You couldn't win, Iskandar. Your real opponent was the Sovereign of the Moon Cel, not Ereshkigal. And Hakuno Kishinami even beat gods!"
"A capable little princess!"
Usually, Gilgamesh was strangely tolerant of Iskandar's behavior but he could not stomach such a level of ignorance. The True King's voice became metallic as he corrected his friend's mistake.
"Don't take Hakuno for a princess, she's a queen. Age has nothing to do with that. Hakuno Kishinami is a miracle, an existence that defies all probabilities, rarer than a perfect diamond. Your defeat is the result of your opponent's ability. Never forget it. Those who underestimate Hakuno disappear quickly and without understanding that she is exceptional."
Ereshkigal had run to Shirou.
She looked at her sister's friend with concern.
The redhead could only stand by an effort of will. His od was nearly completely exhausted, he was worn out and he had wounds on all his body. Blood flowed from his mouth and his face was hidden by a bloody mask.
Ishtar descended from the sky, completely furious, and flew over them to head for Gilgamesh.
But the First King was no longer amused by their fight, there was too little challenge. As the Mistress of Heaven shouted at him, the True King looked back at her with contempt. With an affected nonchalance, the Edge of Heaven took out a strange object from his treasure, a stone tablet that opened like a book.
Ereshkigal flinched.
"Oh no... not that..."
Shirou suddenly stood up attentive.
"What is it? A... a weapon?"
"No, it's Dingir. It is a tablet that contains the real name of all beings that have attained divine status in Sumer. In the hands of a god or a king, this tablet gives authority over the deities listed in it... so Gilgamesh can punish even a god if he gives something in return. The severity of the punishment depends on the value of what Gilgamesh sacrifices."
Gilgamesh held out his other hand and a small gold dagger materialized in his palm.
The First King turned to Ishtar, who was at present as pale as a hospital sheet.
"I have suffered enough of your presence, pitiful goddess. Suffer my wrath."
He placed a finger on a name written in cuneiform letters.
"Innana!" (2)
The dagger disappeared, and the sacrifice was accepted. In answer, Ishtar howled in pain wrapped in blue-violet lights that formed a shining pillar that rose towards the sky while fiercely pulsating.
The punishment lasted only a few seconds, but it seemed like an eternity.
When the light went out, Ishtar fell unconscious to the ground.
As Ereshkigal transformed to put on her sister's clothes and temporarily appropriated her powers, Gilgamesh turned to the Goddess of the Netherworld.
"I propose you a truce... for now. We have wounded to heal in your camp as in mine."
Shirou had just taken Ishtar's pulse and sighed with relief. But his anger returned immediately, the redhead teen looked at the King of Uruk with anger.
"You'll pay for this."
A sword go out of a golden opening and crashed between the Faker's legs making him jump backward... The attack had been so rapid... unless Shirou was too exhausted... that he had only reacted with a delay.
"The king had just decided to spare you... for now, mongrel. Luckily for you, the One and Only King is tired of this fight and looking for more fun. Come back when you learn new tricks, your current antics are too ridiculous for the king to agree to play with you. If you are so keen to avenge this despicable goddess you'll have to become more fun."
The Golden King waited for Iskandar to join him, and then the Vimana gained speed and disappeared beyond the horizon.
Shirou remained a moment to wince at exhaustion.
Ereshkigal spoke to him but he no longer understood what she was saying, a hand on his heart he fell to his knees hearing only his disorderly heartbeat.
Suddenly everything turned black.
Shirou Emiya lost consciousness.
Author's note: Most of Lancelot's Authorities are passives, but she has incredible resistance to physical attacks, her spear is an Authority that symbolizes the desire to pierce anything... and therefore explains that Shirou's Kanshou and Bakuya break up so frequently during their fight. Lancelot's shield is another Divine Authority that can block attacks capable of destroying mountains. Lancelot's mount is a horse as enduring and strong as the queen of the Amazons. It can run on any surface even water or... air. The charge of this horse amplifies the ability of Lancelot's lance to pierce anything. The armor of Lancelot is yet another Divine Authority, the she-knight can change the shape of her armor at will, but also repair the damage (fortunately, the armor is not as resistant as the shield).
The only active Divine Authority used by Lancelot in the duel is "Absorbing the Essence of the Sky". Lancelot can call lightning. And every time she is struck by lightning, she absorbs this energy to become stronger, more enduring but also faster, gaining lightning reflex... and in addition, each lightning stroke regenerates her magical energy. You can say that the repeated use of this Divine Authority transforms Lancelot into a kind of endless motion machine.
One last thing, Lancelot has the Skill Mind's Eye... so she could see Shirou's movements before he even moved.
Forgive me for making Shirou fight a 'fragile' woman ... he's so pathetic to struggle against such a weakling!
Oh, as long as I think about it, Lancelot still has two Divine Authorities she hasn't used in this fight... and remember that Shirou only faced a 'reflection' of Lancelot. The true Lancelot is still sleeping in her legend.
Next time you see her, she'll be much stronger.
You have been warned.
(1) Ethnic group from present-day Serbia that was recruited by the Macedonians for their guerilla troops.
(2) Ishtar's most ancient name.