Chapter 1050: A Familiar Stranger 

Lorelei's words piqued Shinji's curiosity.

None of the noble families intending to participate in the Holy Grail War were pushovers. Waver's relic of Iskandar was stolen from Kayneth; Luvia summoned Karna; the Tohsaka family had Gilgamesh; the Einzberns secured relics for both Artoria and Heracles; even the nouveau riche Atrum had his sights set on Siegfried from the start.

So, what kind of Servant would the Barthomeloi, the most ancient and powerful family of the Clock Tower, have prepared? Even though there wasn't much time to prepare, judging by Lorelei's extravagant equipment, they could easily summon a top-tier Servant.

Luckily, the Fuyuki Holy Grail could only summon Heroic Spirits, not gods. Otherwise, the person standing opposite Shinji might very well have been the god of light, Lugh, or the thunder god Thor.

"They've arrived."

At Scathach's perfectly timed reminder, a rainbow light, identical to when Lorelei appeared, bloomed once again.

However, this time it didn't cut through the sky. Instead, it raced across the ground, approaching Shinji at incredible speed with pure, undiluted killing intent, aiming for his back in a sudden assault.

Scathach immediately manifested a second spear and was about to step forward to intercept, but Shinji's reaction was even quicker. Ignoring his standoff with Lorelei, he raised his spear and rushed forward at equally astonishing speed.

"You are... leave this to me!"

What followed was a fierce clash between the heavy shadows of spears and the ever-shifting, radiant light.

Although Shinji had once complained that Scathach's spear didn't suit him, now that he was truly fighting, his movements were even sharper than when he wielded the Blade of Immortality.

Despite having fought numerous battles already, there was no trace of fatigue on Shinji's face. He looked more energetic than ever, a smile even playing at the corners of his lips as if he was thoroughly enjoying the battle.

This strange behavior puzzled everyone.

Even more, bewildering was the fact that, while the power, speed, skill, and presence of the Servant Shinji was fighting were undeniably strong, they had not gained the upper hand from the moment the clash with Shinji began. As time passed, they were gradually being suppressed.

No, not just suppressed—completely subdued.

In just a few dozen exchanges, which for top-tier Servants only took a few minutes, Lorelei's Servant was forced onto the ground by Shinji. Their weapon, the true form of the rainbow light—an ornate trident-like longsword made of three colored crystals—was snatched away and pointed at their back.

"I see now. I think I understand your situation. Even though you might not grasp what I mean right now, I'm still glad to see you here, Altera."

Yes, the Servant pinned down by Shinji was none other than Altera. The moment Lorelei had descended in a rainbow light, Shinji had felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity. And when the light appeared again, he recognized her immediately. That's why he didn't hesitate to abandon his confrontation with Lorelei and charge forward.

The dark-skinned woman, now pinned down and still struggling, paused and turned to look at him who was undoubtedly her enemy.

At the same time, Lorelei asked, "Do you two... know each other?"

"You could say that. Though right now, she has no memory of me."

Shinji smiled brilliantly as he met the woman's gaze.

"Otherwise, she wouldn't have been subdued so easily."

"What do you mean?"

Lorelei was confused.

"That's a secret. I can't tell you for now."

Shinji narrowed his eyes, and the tenderness and affection on his face were unlike anything anyone present had ever seen before—not Waver, who had known him for years, not Lorelei, and not even Scáthach, who had been keeping a close eye on him.

Altera, the King of the Huns, The Scourge of God, Attila—without a doubt, she was a top-tier Servant, on par with Iskandar and Gilgamesh. Subduing her, especially without sustaining any injuries, was an almost impossible task.

But Shinji had done it. Not because he was too strong, and not because Altera was too weak, but because he was too familiar with her.

Their first encounter in the early 21st century had occurred in that dark, lightless Temple when he and Arcueid awakened the slumbering giant.

From that point on, every day, he would make time to use the privileges granted by that ambiguous friend-or-foe figure to visit her in that sealed stone chamber.

At first, they merely chatted. Gradually, as they became more familiar with each other, they opened up and did many fun things together.

Telling stories, cooking, watching movies, playing cards, carving, painting, even sharing memories—whatever Shinji could think of, if Altera was interested, they would try it together.

Of course, this also included sparring.

Not against the giant Altera herself, of course. That would be a fight between beings of completely different calibers. Even the current Shinji, who dared to boast about defeating Scathach, would be effortlessly crushed by the giant Altera.

Instead, he sparred against Altera's dream form. The dream of the great king who had galloped across the land as a human over a thousand years ago, and the precious memory that had withstood over fourteen thousand years of solitude.

Because Shinji had expressed a desire for a sparring partner, she would occasionally project her dream self to fight him. Over four years, they had sparred no fewer than five hundred times, a number second only to the training he had undergone with his sister, Sakura, since childhood.

With so many battles under his belt, Shinji's understanding of Altera's human—or rather, her dream—form was so meticulous that it bordered on obsessive.

A mere glance at Altera's eyes, and he knew where she would strike. A slight movement of her wrist, and he knew how she would attack.

Her style, her little habits, her favorite moves;

Her weaknesses, her flaws, the mistakes she would make—

Shinji knew them all by heart. Sometimes, he could even fight her with his eyes closed and still predict her every move.

By contrast, Altera also knew Shinji very well—well, the Altera inside Mooncell did.

The one on the battlefield now, though based on Altera's dream and elevated into a Heroic Spirit, had no memory of the virtual world or the giant. Thus, she knew nothing about Shinji.

To put it another way, the Altera that Shinji had subdued and the Altera he had sparred with were like two different versions of Karna—the Lancer and the Archer—similar but not the same.

However, Karna possessed the Uncrowned Martial Arts, a skill that placed him at the pinnacle of human history. Even without memories, Shinji wouldn't have been able to defeat him with brute strength alone. Altera, on the other hand, didn't rely on martial arts. She fought by instinct, and that gave Shinji an opening.

It was like playing a game on multiple playthroughs. Even if the final boss was formidable, after facing them so many times, they would no longer pose a challenge. (Well, except in games where the difficulty increased with each playthrough.)