Kenneth's Counterattack (Continued)

Even if you looked like a young girl on the outside, how could you put it—you were King Arthur, weren't you? The famed Knight King who drove out foreign invaders, whose hands had long been stained with an unknown amount of blood, whose victims could no longer be counted...

So where did this sorrowful expression of a pure-hearted young girl come from?

You even felt guilty and therefore hesitated to attack, choosing to chat with me here instead. Did you not understand the simplest principle that speed was of the essence in war?

Not only had the Assassins surrounding them been urging her on for quite some time, even Scáthach was growing anxious for Artoria.

At the same time, she could not help wondering where this Knight King had come from. Could Britannia in that era really have been so peaceful?

If they had been her disciples, they would have long since taken advantage of an enemy's weakness and killed them, launching into a satisfying slaughter.

Fortunately, this meaningless conversation did not last too long. The controller standing behind Saber could no longer tolerate her halfhearted betrayal either, so he directly used a Command Seal to forcibly manipulate Artoria's body, ordering her to immediately cooperate with the surrounding Assassins and kill Kenneth, completely eliminating Lancer, this grave threat.

Scáthach merely smiled at this situation. This move could only be said to suit her perfectly.

"Good timing," she remarked.

Ever since their first meeting, she had wanted to fight this Knight King. She simply had never had the chance.

Now, however, was just right.

"Attack!"

"Get her together!!"

Seeing Artoria finally move under the Command Seal's control, the Assassins around them also sprang into action.

Their pitch-black figures scattered in all directions, then took advantage of the gap while Scáthach clashed with Artoria to ruthlessly draw their blades and slash at Kenneth beside her.

"Going straight for the Master? That's certainly a simple and effective strategy. It seems they want to end this quickly with me and waste not even a minute..."

Seeing dozens of shadow-like figures constantly sweeping in from all around, Scáthach sighed faintly.

What a nuisance...

Even she could not help frowning upon seeing Hundred-Faced Hassan's powerful ability to create duplicates.

There were too many of them, and they were not afraid of death. Though each duplicate was nothing special and could easily be skewered by her spear like an insect, they still posed a fatal threat to Kenneth.

Because of her Master's orders, she had to protect that Lemon Head beside her. Thus, while fighting Artoria, she also had to divide her attention to deal with these troublesome fellows.

Although such a feat was not particularly difficult with her martial skill, being forced to split her focus during battle still left Scáthach somewhat displeased.

Thus, she could only repel Artoria while thrusting out her spear to skewer several approaching Assassins, defending passively as she fought and retreated.

Bang! Bang! Bang!!

The violent collision of spear and sword continued to ring out as Scáthach twisted her body like an agile dancer, beginning a one-sided massacre amidst the Assassins' encirclement.

Every thrust of her spear took a life in an instant. Beneath her elegant movements lurked countless terrifying killing intents.

She was too strong...

As their exchanges continued, Artoria felt increasingly astonished.

Though their battle appeared evenly matched, she knew full well...

She was at an absolute disadvantage.

She was currently under the Command Seal's compulsive power and had been strengthened. Every aspect of her was more powerful than usual, and that was with Assassin interfering on her side.

Yet even with such an advantage, their side could only maintain a draw and remained locked in a stalemate...

At this moment, Queen Scáthach's immense strength was beyond doubt.

With only two crimson spears, her opponent could block Artoria's attacks while gradually clearing out the Assassins surrounding her. That terrifying spearmanship, worthy of being called the final song of the Age of Gods, left Artoria struggling to adapt...

"What is it, Saber? Can't you keep up already?"

"I can feel it. You're really not in the right state right now. With the little strength you're displaying, you're making the Saber class weep."

Despite facing one against two, or perhaps even one against a hundred, Scáthach showed no tension at all. Instead, she found the chance amid the fierce battle to taunt Saber.

"Your strength is unparalleled, Queen Scáthach. Your martial skill far surpasses mine."

As a king, and as someone whose swordsmanship had been taught by Merlin, Artoria had great confidence in her own skill. Yet before this undeniable reality, she had no choice but to admit it.

"There is no need to mind that. The vast majority of Heroic Spirits in this world cannot be mentioned in the same breath as me when it comes to martial skill."

Scáthach smiled calmly. It sounded somewhat boastful, but Artoria, who was fighting her, knew that she was not bragging.

As the pace of their battle continued to rise, Artoria, who had initially been out of sorts, gradually recovered some of her rhythm. She nodded at the smiling Queen of the Land of Shadows before her.

"My apologies, Lancer. Now I will give it everything I have!"

No matter how dissatisfied she was, Saber knew she had no other choice. Whether for her own wish or Irisviel's safety, she could not remain lost any longer. She had to win—she absolutely had to win! She could not let her Master lose more Command Seals because of her selfishness.

"Oh? Have you recovered your form?"

Seeing Artoria regain her fighting spirit and gradually quicken her movements, Scáthach's eyes gleamed with surprise.

"Good, that's more like it. Or rather, you should have been like this from the start. Otherwise, there would be no point in fighting at all!"

After that remark, the Queen of the Land of Shadows changed her movements mid-battle, immediately shifting from passive defense to active offense. At the same time, she swung the two scarlet demonic spears in her hands, thrusting from even trickier angles straight toward Artoria's heart.

But Artoria naturally would not let her succeed so easily. Facing Scáthach's deadly attack, she sharply twisted her wrist, then swung the blade of wind toward her without hesitation.

For a moment, an even fiercer clash erupted around the two of them.

Tohsaka Residence.

"Such godlike spearmanship can actually remain undefeated for a time against Saber and Assassin at once. The Queen of the Land of Shadows' martial skill truly defies comprehension."

Watching the battle through his familiar, Tokiomi Tohsaka slapped his thigh, anxiety written all over his face.

Simply witnessing Scáthach's sharp demonic spears and peerless martial skill made him increasingly uneasy. It also further confirmed that his earlier thoughts had been correct.

The godslayer, Scáthach, was indeed a grave threat in this Holy Grail War. She posed far too great a threat to Gilgamesh, so she had to be eliminated here!

After observing for only a short while, Tokiomi Tohsaka grew even more impatient. Watching so many Assassins fail to assassinate Scáthach's target, only to be skewered by a single spear, made him increasingly anxious. He even forgot the elegant bearing he had cultivated for years and cursed, "Useless!"

That worthless Assassin was having such difficulty merely trying to assassinate a modern Magus. Though Scáthach was interfering, anyone could see that most of her attention was currently tied up by Saber.

Yet they had still failed. How could Tokiomi Tohsaka not be anxious?

The disturbance they had caused was considerable, and the casualties were beyond counting. Though they had already sealed off the area, they could not maintain it for long.

His old friend Risei Kotomine had just called to ask what was happening here. Furthermore, the other Masters had surely detected the situation as well. If they did not end this battle quickly, it would likely turn into another chaotic melee between all seven Servants like the first night. By then, all their efforts would have been for nothing.

Yet he had not realized at all that Assassin had never been a disposable tool meant for frontal assaults. Instead, it was this increasingly uncontrollable situation that made the once-confident Tokiomi Tohsaka panic once more.

"Damn it, we can't drag this out any longer!"

He clenched his fists, then suddenly turned around and gave Kirei Kotomine, who stood behind him, a new command.

"Kirei, use a Command Seal. Order every Assassin to release their Noble Phantasm. They must kill El-Melloi!"

"...Yes, understood, Teacher."

Kirei Kotomine calmly raised his hand and used a Command Seal as ordered.

Compared to the anxious Tokiomi Tohsaka, his attitude was clearly much calmer.

Bang! Bang! Bang!!

Meanwhile, on the other side, the battle of flashing blades and shadows continued.

As Scáthach repelled Artoria's attacks one after another, she gradually became fired up and decided that the time was right. She simply abandoned Kenneth beside her.

Fighting two against one really was too restrictive. She should deal with the opponent before her first.

As for those Assassins... someone more suitable could handle them.

Judging by the time, she had delayed long enough. Since the King of Heroes still had not appeared, he probably was not coming.

So, the simple warm-up was over. It was time for her side to launch a counterattack.

"Go, Lemon Head. The time is about right. You can make your move now."

Before letting go, Scáthach deliberately reminded Kenneth, using it as the signal for the next battle to begin.

"Lemon Head..."

Hearing that form of address, Kenneth could not help frowning. He had just been about to loudly rebuke her, but considering his current circumstances, he could only let it go and focus on the battle ahead.

"I understand. You deal with Saber now. Leave the remaining Assassins to me."

"Will you be all right? Then I'll leave them to you."

After that brief exchange, Scáthach no longer fought with restraint. Her graceful figure stretched lightly through the air, and then two dazzling crimson lights suddenly tore across the night sky.

Bang!!

The instant spear and sword collided, an even more terrifying force erupted than before.

"What?!"

Artoria's eyes widened at the sudden, ferocious attack.

"Surprised? There's really nothing to be surprised about. The warm-up is simply over, and I'm about to get serious." Scáthach smiled faintly, then said nonchalantly, "Are you ready now, Saber?"

Whoosh!!

Without giving Artoria any time to react or answer, the demonic spear clenched in Scáthach's hand suddenly spun in her palm.

The slightly shorter spear burst forth with dazzling light in the next instant, gradually illuminating both her face and Saber's. Then...

A dark crimson meteor shot up through the night sky, sending Saber flying backward dozens of meters along with it. Scáthach immediately stepped forward and chased after her without hesitation.

"She really moves fast..."

Seeing Scáthach's figure come and go like the wind, Kenneth could not help sighing.

She had only just said they were starting, yet before he could say anything else, she had already impatiently shifted the battlefield.

He could not help feeling somewhat impressed.

Still, impressions aside, it was now time for him to strike back.

Kenneth slowly retreated, looking around at the ever-growing number of black shadows. His gaze grew increasingly cold as his lowered hand quietly clenched into a fist.

They had actually forced him into such a sorry state, these damned fools...

He would not let them off easily.

However, he was clearly not the only one thinking that way. The Assassins, who had been too afraid of Scáthach's demonic spears to approach, finally saw their opportunity after Scáthach took Artoria away to another battlefield.

Facing Kenneth without Scáthach's protection, they swarmed him like hunting dogs spotting meat. Dozens of black shadows pounced at him all at once, intending to tear him apart on the spot.

To ensure nothing could go wrong, Kirei Kotomine even used a Command Seal under Tokiomi Tohsaka's orders.

"By the authority of the Command Seal, I order Hundred-Faced Hassan to use its Noble Phantasm and kill El-Melloi."

As the order was issued, the binding force and enhancement created by the Command Seal immediately took effect upon Hundred-Faced Hassan.

They no longer intended to give Kenneth any chance. They directly activated their Heroic Spirit Noble Phantasm—

Delusional Illusion: Zabaniya.

As Hundred-Faced Hassan activated its Noble Phantasm, the shadows throughout the ruins began to tremble violently in the next moment.

Within the twisting shadows, hundreds of figures of different heights, builds, and genders appeared one after another. Every one of them wore a pale skull mask, staring fixedly at Kenneth before moving together.

Possessing one hundred personalities, existing as one hundred duplicates, and proficient in every form of assassination knowledge—such was Hundred-Faced Hassan.

Though they had already lost nearly half their number, under the Command Seal's effect, they used their Noble Phantasm to summon back the duplicates that had originally died.

At this moment, every duplicate possessed by Hundred-Faced Hassan had appeared on the battlefield. They would become their employer's blades and stab viciously at the enemy.

Seeing Assassin unleash its Noble Phantasm and summon every duplicate, Kenneth was not afraid. Instead, he almost wanted to laugh. He had not expected the other side's Master to cooperate so well, actually sending every Assassin after him just to kill him.

Since that was the case...

"Then I won't hold back either. Let me show you what El-Melloi's wrath truly is!"

Kenneth's expression was icy. Everywhere his gaze reached was filled with hundreds of Assassins within this territory.

"Lancer, return to me!"

Just before they charged at him and were about to reach him, the Command Seal on the back of his hand erupted with dazzling red light.

"...This servant has returned too late to protect you and has startled my lord. Please forgive me."