Dating Caster

This is the very charm of the Holy Grail War.

However—

Not everyone knows how to appreciate this charm.

"The game ends here, Lancer—"

Extra, extra, extra, extra~

Stockpiling, stockpiling, stockpiling~

Chapter 17. Barren (Met someone interesting, so I added a chapter)

"The game ends here, Lancer—"

An unfamiliar voice echoed through the empty warehouse district. Judging by the commanding tone used toward Lancer, it was not difficult to determine that the speaker was none other than Lancer's master, Lemon Head.

Saber and Irisviel looked up, trying to locate the owner of the voice, but because it came so suddenly, they could not pinpoint the source.

"Do not waste any more time. That Saber is a formidable foe. I grant you permission to use your Noble Phantasm. End this quickly."

Kayneth's words tugged at the nerves of every observer. A Noble Phantasm is a Servant's trump card, their most powerful weapon; this battle had finally reached its decisive moment.

"Understood, my master."

Lancer replied in a respectful tone while simultaneously changing his stance.

He casually tossed the short spear in his left hand to the ground at his feet.

"Then... that long spear is Lancer's...?"

The seals on the spear in Lancer's right hand were slowly undone. It was a crimson spear. A magical energy, completely different from before, coiled around the blade like an ominous mirage.

"Precisely. From here on, this spear shall taste blood."

Lancer held the spear with both hands, finally assuming the standard charging stance of a lancer.

"Saber, are you using magical energy to gather wind and hide your sword?"

Saber did not answer, merely lowering her body to predict Lancer's movements more cautiously. A Noble Phantasm is a Servant's hidden card, not to be revealed until the moment of life or death. Since Lancer had taken the initiative to reveal his, Saber naturally had to be on guard.

"I see." Lancer did not expect an answer from Saber and continued, "Do you have some hidden reason for needing to conceal your sword? In other words, that sword would reveal your identity."

"I am afraid not, Lancer." Saber remained unmoved, focusing on capturing every one of Lancer's movements. "You cannot know the true form of my sword, for the outcome will be decided before that happens."

"Is that really so?"

Lancer closed in step by step with overwhelming pressure.

"Saber, I shall force that invisible sword of yours to reveal itself!"

Lancer was the first to move—

Compared to the flashy and varied techniques he had used before, this straight strike even felt clumsy. It was as if he hadn't predicted Saber's next move; no, he hadn't even intended to defend against her counterattack.

Saber naturally used her sword to deftly block the thrusting spear. Yet, this strike, which should have been harmless, instead...

Suddenly, a strange wind whipped up.

Centered on the clashing spear and sword, a whirlwind rose without any warning.

"Ah?!"

"Your sword, it is exposed."

"..."

Lancer whispered triumphantly, while Saber remained silent, bewildered. The only ones who understood the reason for this were the two combatants, along with the onlookers Kong and Medea.

The effects of a Noble Phantasm are generally divided into two types: one is unleashing a lethal strike while shouting its true name; the other is an attribute already inherent to the weapon, used as a Noble Phantasm.

Saber's Invisible Air belonged to the latter, and Lancer's spear likewise belonged to the latter.

At the very moment his spear clashed with her sword, the air compressed within Invisible Air to distort the refraction of light was released. Lancer had caught a glimpse of the true sword revealed within the broken barrier. His words just now were proof that his spear had torn through Invisible Air.

"I have seen your blade clearly now. I will not be deceived by you again."

The facts were as he had said; every strike was a lethal attack, with no wasted movements, each maneuver calculated with precision. Saber could only do her best, struggling to parry every attack with her sword.

In an instant, the afterimage of a golden sword flickered into view.

The continuously leaking air pressure gathered into a fierce gale, violently blowing back Saber's golden hair. There was no doubt that the red spear had dispelled Invisible Air. Through the constant exchange of blows, the once-invisible sword was now almost completely exposed.

However, a technique used by a single long spear was not as difficult to deal with as the dual long and short spears. Although Lancer was an excellent lancer, the moves he used in his long-spear state were all ordinary techniques Saber had seen before; parrying and counterattacking were not strenuous.

During the battle, Saber keenly caught a lapse in Lancer's defense. The next strike was aimed at Saber's abdomen. Saber's entire body was encased in sturdy armor; even if she didn't block this strike, the hardness of the armor could withstand the attack.

This was a perfect opportunity for a counterattack.

Saber decisively turned her sword to thrust at Lancer's shoulder, ignoring the spear tip grazing her flank, intending to inflict a heavy wound on Lancer with a single strike.

"Saber!"

Watching Saber, who had barely escaped Lancer's pursuit, clutching the wound at her waist to stop the seeping blood, Irisviel hurriedly used healing magecraft.

"Thank you, Irisviel. I am fine; your healing magecraft is effective." Although Saber said this, the pained expression on her face did not dissipate. It seemed the pain from the wound had not yet fully subsided.

"Big sister, please calm down..."

Wang Xiaoming looked at Medea, who was even more agitated than Saber in the center of the battlefield, with an expression like he had a toothache. If that hateful gaze could kill, Lancer would likely have been reduced to mincemeat by now.

Come to think of it, why does this look so much like the expressions of those poor souls whose figures were ruined by bratty kids?

"So, there really is no way to win easily..."

Hearing this, Lancer didn't show a hint of disappointment; instead, he shouted with an expression of pure excitement.

It seems this man is single-mindedly obsessed with fighting strong opponents.

Saber gritted her teeth and touched the spot where the spear had grazed her, but the result shocked her—she couldn't feel a wound; her armor was completely intact.

Saber gritted her teeth and calmed down, her mind piecing together the sequence of events, seeking the reason behind it all.

The armor had indeed blocked Lancer's spear, yet even so, the spear had still managed to wound her.

There could only be one conclusion from this deduction: the moment the spear touched the armor, the armor had vanished.

Although Saber could not turn into a spirit, she could at least manipulate her armor to materialize it. In other words, her armor was composed of mana, unlike the clothes Irisviel had bought for her, which existed in reality.

Connecting this to the earlier dissolution of Invisible Air... the moment his spear touched the barrier, the barrier had loosened.

"...I understand. I know the secret of your spear, Lancer!"

Saber murmured. Facing the enemy's strength, she gritted her teeth once more.

That red spear could sever mana.

"Your armor is generated by mana. If you intend to rely on it for protection, you'd better give up that thought, Saber. Before my Magic Spear, it is no different from being stark naked."

"If taking off my armor makes you this smug, I'll be quite troubled."

Since she had already identified the secret of Lancer's spear, there was nothing to fear. Who would win and who would lose was yet to be decided.

The silver armor enveloping Saber suddenly scattered and flew away.

Irisviel was dumbfounded, while Lancer narrowed his eyes.

From the breastplate and bracers to the greaves, not a single piece remained. Saber had automatically deactivated her armor. The fragments of armor lost their supply of mana and gradually vanished like mist.

"Since I cannot defend against it, I can only strike you before I am struck. Prepare yourself, Lancer!"

Wang Xiaoming first squinted his eyes to size up Saber's rather meager figure, then shifted his gaze toward Medea, nodding in satisfaction.

Although he didn't say a word, Wang Xiaoming's actions made Medea wish she could knock a few more bumps onto his head.

I saw two interesting readers in the comment section just now.

So I added an extra chapter.

Thanks again to the two of you for your suggestions~~

Chapter 18. Extra Chapter During the Day

"Since I cannot defend against it, I can only strike you before I am struck. Prepare yourself, Lancer!"

Saber, wearing thin casual clothes, began the battle once again. The spear tip thrust from below. She dodged nimbly, confronting Lancer with half her body. She no longer defended, merely staying ready to deliver a counter-strike to fell her opponent.

Saber had decided to settle the outcome with a final, reckless blow. Everyone could see her resolve on her face.

"A final strike, is this what they call a desperate gamble?"

Lancer said with a nostalgic tone and a satisfied expression, though his words clearly carried tension.

Saber, having shed her armor, not only felt lighter, but the mana previously used to maintain the armor was now being poured into her attacks. For Saber, who possessed the Mana Burst skill, this held significant meaning.

The so-called Mana Burst refers to the skill of gathering a large amount of mana into one's weapon and limbs, allowing it to be released at will to instantly increase physical capabilities.

In other words, every one of Saber's movements could be instantly accelerated. This is also the reason why Saber, who appeared to be nothing more than a petite young girl, could wield that great sword with ease and fight like a true power-type warrior.

Since she could now use all her remaining mana for close-quarters combat, she mobilized every bit of energy available for Mana Burst. As a result, her strength and speed were nearly sixty percent higher than usual. Every strike contained enough destructive power to be lethal.

Turning the disadvantage of being forced to remove her armor into the advantage of discarding it—this was her method for dealing with the "Anti-Magic Spear."

"I truly admire your courage and decisiveness..."

Lancer moved his feet laterally in a provocative manner, like a matador before a bull.

"But now, I must say, you have made a miscalculation, Saber."

"Then let's put it to the test. You can say that after you've taken this strike from me."

Saber did not show any weakness.

"Then let's put it to the test. You can say that after you've blocked my next offensive."

Both were experts, both possessing the ability to judge the next move through the fluctuations of the opponent's mana and muscles. Therefore, even though both had declared their certain victory, they maintained their standoff, not striking easily.

Until—Lancer's right foot stepped into a patch of sand. Their fierce battle had torn up the asphalt of the road, revealing the loose layer of sand and gravel beneath.

Lancer's leg sank into the sand, and his movement stalled for an instant.

Saber did not intend to give Lancer a chance to regain his footing. A violent explosion shook the air, and the previously invisible golden sword was now shining brightly in the night sky.

This was the secondary function of Invisible Air. At the moment the barrier was released, the bound atmosphere would be unleashed all at once like a weapon; this was an attack that could only be used once.

However, this time, Saber did not use it as a weapon, but as a thruster.

The air released from the golden sword propelled Saber from behind; by channeling her entire body's strength into a Mana Burst, she had transformed into a supersonic cannonball.

This was Saber's plan: to shatter Lancer's prediction with triple the speed and deliver a strike destined for victory.

In this state, there was no possibility for Saber to pull back; even if Lancer's counterattack dealt her heavy damage, she was prepared to take his life in that very instant.

Facing the high-speed charge of Saber, Lancer seemed to abandon his defense. His red spear remained motionless, but his right leg, buried in the sand, moved.

The opening Saber had caught was intentional, a lure to draw her to this exact position—the spot where he had just discarded his short spear.

"This is your mistake." Lancer wore a smile of certain victory as his right leg kicked up the sand beneath him.

However, it was not just sand that flew into the air, but the short spear Lancer had just thrown away.

The spearhead pointed directly toward Saber's incoming path, and the runes on the short spear had already been undone, revealing a golden shaft beneath that radiated a heart-stopping magical energy.

In that moment, Saber's naturally keen sixth sense told her clearly that she was wrong.

She should not have assumed that a spear must be a two-handed weapon; this had been a trap from the start. How could she have failed to be vigilant when she saw him wielding a spear in each hand?

Perhaps, for Lancer, this was the correct way to use them.

That Servant might have once been a Heroic Spirit who struck terror into the hearts of others with his "two magic spears."

Moreover, a Noble Phantasm was by no means limited to just one.

Saber's greatest mistake in this battle was her preconceived notions, having reached a conclusion about Lancer before the fight even began. With that premise, no matter how skillfully Lancer wielded his twin spears, Saber had ignored them until she stepped into the trap he had laid.

Unfortunately, it was too late to realize it now.

Saber's body could not stop, and Lancer's spear would not stop either.

The two could only wait for the moment after this instant when the outcome would be decided—perhaps, at that time, it would not just be victory or defeat, but life or death.

The gale winds swirled in reverse.