My Fate Compendium of Type-Moon Chapter 22

"—You heard me. I'm going for the kill now."

Lancer finally gripped his revealed killing weapon with both hands and said in a low voice.

Saber also lowered the long sword in her hand, calculating the distance to Lancer with even more caution than before.

With the advantage of the invisible sword, she had the upper hand in the previous battle, but her killing blows were skillfully evaded by Lancer, so she understood how superb her opponent's skill was.

This man has some serious skills!

Lancer also lowered his body, like a hunting eagle, with a glint of excitement in his eyes.

Only he knew how much effort he had put into mastering his twin guns, but from the very first attack until now, he had been doing his best just to keep Saber from getting close to him, and he was unable to switch from defense to offense.

Both the sword whose true form was unclear and the man with superb martial arts skills put unprecedented pressure on Lancer.

This woman is truly formidable!

But both Saber and Lancer knew that this tense atmosphere would surely shatter like a soap bubble under the power of their Noble Phantasms.

There were generally two types of effects that Noble Phantasms could produce: one was to unleash a killing blow while shouting its true name; the other was to use the weapon's inherent properties as a Noble Phantasm.

What exactly was Lancer's red spear—

Saber's intuition told her it was the latter. From Lancer's stance, he intended to continue fighting Saber, and she didn't yet feel the pressure of an imminent decisive blow.

"..."

Silence still hung between them, but the atmosphere had doubled in tension. They slowly moved their feet, closing the distance.

—Lancer moved first.

Compared to the fluid and ever-changing spear dance that seemed like divine skill before, this straight thrust appeared much more rigid. Lancer seemed to no longer be calculating how to maintain distance from Saber's long sword hidden beneath the "Wind Barrier." No, he even seemed to have abandoned his own defenses.

Saber naturally responded in the most conventional way, easily blocking Lancer's spear with her sword. Lancer's thrust was not particularly heavy or fast; it was just a very ordinary, unremarkable stab. However...

The anomaly began with a strong gust of wind.

Centered on the interlocking spear and sword, a whirlwind of unknown origin erupted.

"What!?"

Amidst the sudden golden radiance, Saber's gasp and Lancer's triumphant declaration sounded together:

"Your hidden sword has been exposed, Saber!"

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The golden color briefly illuminated the dim darkness, only to be quickly obscured by the gathering flowing wind.

Only the two participants truly understood what had happened in that brief, strange phenomenon.

That gust of wind came from Saber's sword... more accurately, from her ability, the "Wind Barrier."

It was a technique that used magic to gather a large amount of air and bind it around the long sword to alter the refractive index of light, making the entire sword invisible. As a Noble Phantasm ability, it was by no means an overly exaggerated type, but it could be extremely effective in close-quarters combat.

Enemies fighting Saber would suffer slashes from an invisible sword, and their own attacks would be blocked by the invisible sword.

Unpredictable, impossible to gauge.

As a result, Lancer had to keep his distance from Saber's long sword, staying outside her attack range. While his continuous, flowing, and magnificent spear techniques gave him the advantage, it was only on the surface. Although he repeatedly confused Saber with his unconventional moves and blunted her spirit, he himself had never found an opportunity to deliver a decisive blow.

But under Lancer's crimson spear blade, the Wind Barrier failed.

The compressed air, capable of altering light refraction, dispersed in that instant, and as the sword blade clashed with Lancer's spear—the magic binding the wind flow to the sword was released.

The moment the barrier broke, Lancer glimpsed the true form of the golden sword.

"I've seen the blade now, so I won't be fooled by the length of an unseen sword anymore."

Lancer shouted loudly and immediately thrust his spear.

As stated earlier, with the length of the blade understood, Lancer's spear momentum suddenly increased, his attacks becoming fiercer and more precise. Saber judged that if even one of these thrusts was not blocked, it could result in a fatal injury—therefore, she could not simply dodge. She wielded her long sword, parrying all the spear thrusts, defending completely.

The form of the golden sword flashed with afterimages.

"Ugh..."

Air pressure leaked out from the "Wind Barrier" again, turning into continuous rolling winds that fiercely blew Saber's golden hair. Lancer's red spear was indeed weakening the "Wind Barrier." Each time the sword clashed with the continuously advancing spear tip, Saber's originally invisible long sword would reveal its form. As their weapons continuously clashed, the full appearance of the golden sword gradually emerged, like a series of frames in a continuous animation.

"But... if it's a spear technique like this..."

Saber encouraged herself, thinking she could still handle this kind of spear technique.

If it was a single spear wielded with both hands, it was a normal spear technique that Saber was familiar with.

During the battle, Saber keenly spotted a weakness. Lancer's next spear thrust was aimed at her abdomen, but she decided not to block this attack, relying on the hardness of her armor to defend against Lancer's strike.

This was a perfect opportunity for a counterattack.

Saber decisively shifted her grip and thrust her sword towards Lancer's shoulder, ignoring the spear tip that grazed her side, intending to heavily wound Lancer with a single sword strike.

"Sigh..." Far away at the Fuyuki Bridge, the two men watching sighed in unison.

It was like a sports game; if a player made a bad shot, even non-fans would lament it.

"That was a miscalculation."

"Indeed, being too confident can sometimes be a weakness."

Webber, having finally recovered, fell into confusion again upon hearing their judgments.

"W-why?"

With the enhancement of magic, Webber could barely make out the clash between the Servants. "Lancer's spear trajectory was indeed off. If Saber's armor was sturdy enough, she could have used this opportunity to counterattack... that decision wasn't wrong."

As soon as he spoke, the two Servants in the magical projection had already passed each other.

At the last possible moment, Saber suddenly retracted her sword and rolled back, but it was still a step too late. The whistling tip of Lancer's spear had already drawn a few drops of blood.

It was self-evident who was bleeding.

"Clink!" Sakutsuki and Iskandar clinked their glasses, using the spectacular clash as a drink accompaniment, but their conversation veered in another direction.

"Did you notice, Rider?"

"Ha, even I didn't anticipate that. In ancient times, he (Master) would surely have been a fine strategist."

"Huh? Me?" Webber only realized it belatedly, pointing at himself in surprise. "But I clearly made the wrong judgment?"

"Don't underestimate yourself, Webber!" A colossal hand patted his slender shoulder, nearly knocking Webber over.

The red-haired giant laughed heartily, revealing Webber's oversight. "Because Lancer's spear didn't cut through the air, but through magic. Anything woven from magic will be nullified upon contact with that spear."

Because of this, Saber's armor, woven from magic, was like a burden before this magic-piercing spear.

And in the battlefield, Artoria had made the same judgment.

The knight, appearing as a young girl, clutched her side. The wound had already been healed by Irisviel, but she did this to confirm the source of her injury.

There wasn't a single scratch on her armor.

Yet, the wound had existed, and Lancer's spear tip was still stained with blood.

Coupled with the inexplicable shattering of the "Wind Barrier"—the barrier of wind only developed a hole when it clashed with Lancer's spear.

The truth was already quite clear.

"A spear that can block magic..."

"Precisely. If you intend to rely on that armor for protection, I suggest you forget it, Saber. Before my spear, you're as good as naked."

Saber scoffed at Lancer's slightly frivolous taunt.

"To be so smug just by removing my armor will be quite troublesome for me."

Now that she knew the threat of Lancer's spear, Saber feared nothing, and the situation remained evenly matched.

A clear aura bloomed, and the silver-blue armor that covered Saber's entire body suddenly scattered like water splashes.

Irisviel gasped in surprise, while Lancer's eyes showed vigilance.

Saber had voluntarily removed her armor. The chestplate, vambraces, skirt armor resembling a long skirt, and even the foot guards—not a single piece remained. As the armor fragments collapsed with crisp metallic sounds, they lost their supply of magic and immediately vanished like clouds.

"Hmm, as expected of Saber, whose average stats are A. Her aptitude in this area is also A," Sakutsuki mused, stroking his chin, his golden eyes shining as he looked at the stunning figure under the moonlight.

"Hm?" Iskandar, naturally, didn't understand this kind of modern slang. "This area? Which area?"

Incidentally, the pectoral muscles of this burly man were at least B or B+.

"It's nothing," Sakutsuki said with a smile, not bothering to explain. "Let's keep watching. This battle will soon reach its final climax."

As if to echo Sakutsuki's words, Saber, clad in a light blue undergarment, lowered her long sword and declared sternly:

"Since I can't block that spear, I'll kill you before you can attack. Prepare yourself, Lancer!"

Saber assumed her stance again, lowering her long sword with the blade swinging back, facing Lancer sideways. This stance signified that she no longer cared about defense, aiming only to unleash a diagonal slash from bottom to top with all her might.

Clearly, she was ready to decide the outcome with this all-out attack.

"How decisive. Planning to win it all in one blow?"

Lancer wore a look of satisfaction, as if recalling something nostalgic. However, his tone clearly betrayed his tension.

"I quite like your bravery and your decisive resolve..."

The agile man moved like a matador facing a bull, his light footsteps deliberately provoking his opponent as he constantly shifted to the side.

"But in the current situation, this is a mistaken choice, Saber."

"We'll talk after you've blocked my next assault."

Saber showed no signs of backing down.

For her, wearing armor and fighting lightly equipped made a significant difference.

After losing her sturdy defense, Saber gained more agile movement and enhanced Magic Burst capabilities.

"Magic Burst" is a powerful skill that involves storing magic under high pressure in one's weapon or limbs and releasing it instantaneously in any direction, thereby greatly enhancing mobility.

In terms of physique, Saber was merely a petite girl. The secret to her being able to wield a greatsword with ease and fight like a formidable warrior lay in this.

Saber could convert all her excess magic into close-quarters combat mobility. With Magic Burst at rank A, even a mere short staff would become a weapon of immense power. If the magic required to maintain her armor were also used for "Magic Burst," her strength and speed would increase by at least sixty percent... and her destructive power would be enough for a fatal blow.

This was Saber's answer to Lancer's "Magic-Breaking Spear"—to compensate for the disadvantage of having her defense stripped away by leveraging the advantage gained from abandoning defensive power.

The scene fell silent for a moment, the standoff between the two Servants seeming to freeze even the air.

Both were masters, possessing the ability to discern the opponent's next move by observing their magic and muscle movements. Therefore, despite their declarations of victory, they maintained their standoff, neither making a move rashly.

Until—Lancer's right foot stepped onto a patch of sand.

The fierce battle between the two had long since ripped up the asphalt on the road, exposing the soft sand and gravel layer beneath.

Lancer's leg lost its footing, and his movements momentarily faltered.

Saber had no intention of giving Lancer a chance to regain his posture. A violent explosion vibrated the air, and the previously invisible golden sword now shone brilliantly in the night sky.

The Wind Barrier had been actively dispelled.

This was another one of Saber's maneuvers. The moment the Wind Barrier was released, the bound atmosphere would be unleashed all at once like a weapon, propelling her forward to approach the enemy like a cannonball.

This was Saber's plan: to use her physical prowess, Magic Burst, and the Wind Barrier to break through Lancer's prediction at triple the speed and deliver a decisive blow.

Her charge, several times the speed of sound, broke through the atmosphere, and the shockwave blew around the surrounding ruins and broken walls like leaves.

In this state, Saber had no way to hold back. Even if Lancer's counterattack inflicted heavy damage on her, she was prepared to take his life in that instant.

Facing the high-speed charging Saber, Lancer seemed to have given up on engaging, his red spear remaining motionless.

Instead, the one to make a move was—his foot.

The slight opening Saber had detected was intentional, meant to reach this very spot, a place where Lancer had left something behind.

I won, Saber.