The Battle of Siegeswalda: Assassin

Both Saber's brute-force, almost suicidal fighting style and Archer's combat style, which was completely unlike that of an archer, left a very deep impression on their opponents.

"That's not enough! If you want to kill me with a bow and arrow, you'd have to be at least as good as Tristan, Archer!"

After making the above statement, Saber easily deflected the arrow the opponent was using to snipe, revealing a disdainful expression.

It's not that Archer is less capable than Tristan.

Saber is a confident warrior, but she is by no means a fool who underestimates her opponents' abilities.

Although Saber didn't know Heroic Spirit Archer came from, she understood one thing during their first encounter: Archer, who was now her enemy, possessed skill comparable to the best archer she had ever met in her life.

However, attacks without murderous intent cannot harm her. Saber's keen combat intuition sensed that the opponent's true purpose was not this wave of attacks, but rather that these arrows were merely there to hinder her advance.

"What trick are you playing now, Archer!"

Sensing this, Saber's body began to erupt with crimson magical energy. With the explosive acceleration brought by the [Mana Burst] skill, Saber began to rapidly approach Archer's location.

But the next second, she realized it was a trap.

The barrage of arrows suddenly stopped, but Saber had no time to think about it; she was stunned by the sight before her.

Swords—dozens, even hundreds, of uniquely shaped swords—appeared behind Archer.

"How is that possible?!"

Saber couldn't know what had happened, but she knew that Archer's attack was far more powerful than the previous barrage of arrows. If all the arrows hit her this time, she would probably be forced to retreat!

Without giving Saber any time to think, the swords behind Archer had already turned around and were all pointing at Saber.

"Tsk!"

The instinct for battle pounded wildly at Saber's nerves, seemingly constantly warning her of the danger her master was in. However, even though Saber had already activated her fighting spirit and wanted to dodge the attacks of the swords, she was restricted by the buildings on either side and could not do so.

Then there's nothing that can be done; the body has already reacted before the nerves!

Saber swung his greatsword, which was enveloped in crimson magic, down with great force. The crimson magic transformed into a massive slash that clashed violently with the sword barrage unleashed by Archer!

The deafening noise and sparks from the collision tore through the night sky of Sighisoara.

What was originally just a simple magical strike exploded with the power of a bomb upon impact. The shattered bricks turned into dust in the explosion, spreading across the entire battlefield and making it impossible for Archer, who was at the edge of the battlefield, to see the whole picture.

Taking advantage of this opening, Saber, tearing through the smoke and dust, once again squeezed out the magical power in her body, accelerating her speed toward the Clock Tower where Archer was.

So close at hand

Having reached the foot of the Clock Tower, Saber could clearly see Archer's annoying expression. The remaining distance was simply the height of the Clock Tower. There was no need to climb stairs. The required number of steps was twelve, not by using both hands and feet to climb, but by sprinting along the ninety-degree outer wall.

Archer showed no sign of panic at Saber's sudden attack; he simply raised his right hand and murmured, "Law Aias."

"?!"

A massive, petal-shaped shield bloomed in front of Saber, just in time to block her attack.

--Seven Rho Aias

The best defensive Noble Phantasm Archer possessed.

Saber's impact did not shake the shield in the slightest. A shield that had been elevated to the level of Noble Phantasm could not be broken through by a simple impact.

However, Saber, who had only temporarily escaped gravity using magic, was unable to escape its grasp this time and began to accelerate her descent to the ground.

Seeing this, Archer calmly placed a longsword with twisted patterns on the bowstring.

Saber, who witnessed this through the disappearing shield, felt a chill creep up her spine.

--Extremely dangerous!

Every nerve in her body was warning Saber that she must avoid this attack at all costs.

At this moment, having lost her footing, all Saber could do was use the instantaneous acceleration from "Mana Burst," but Archer's whisper caused Saber to feel a sense of surprise for the first time.

"Farewell, Mordred."

"Varied...?!"

However, before Saber could voice her doubts, Archer was already prepared.

"--Pseudo- Spiral Sword (Caladbolg)"

The flash of the Noble Phantasm once again pierced the city's night sky.

It was already late at night, and the darkness that enveloped the city was almost suffocating.

Previously shrouded in panic due to the "serial murder case," no residents in Sighisoara dared to go out at this time. Even the homeless who were used to drinking late at night had returned to their hideouts early. After all, compared to the illusion of a night, their own lives were more important.

The streets, which should have been quiet until the early hours of the morning, were instead graced by a peculiar pair—

A girl of about fifteen or sixteen years old and an ordinary-looking man beside her—this was Wang Xiaoming and Lily, who were responsible for searching for the [Black] Assassin after they parted ways with Shishigou.

The streets were deserted at night, and even the patrol officers on duty were unwilling to approach these dark alleys, which even the streetlights could not dispel.

Fortunately, with Lily's Magecraft help, Wang Xiaoming and his friends haven't yet found themselves in the awkward situation of searching for their way in the dark.

"Master... Saber should be alright, right?"

Suddenly, Lily's voice reached Wang Xiaoming's ears.

Turning his head, he noticed that Lily's eyes, which should have been bright like those of a forest deer, were now filled with worry.

Mordred was the second friend she made during this Great Holy Grail War.

Even Ruler, with whom she hadn't known each other for very long, was Lily kept in mind; how much more so Saber, with whom she got along well.

Don't worry...

A warm hand gently covered Lily's head, and Wang Xiaoming's voice, as always, made the girl feel at ease:

"She's the best Saber we have here."

"Um."

Lily nodded, seemingly wanting to say something more, but what happened next caused her expression to change abruptly:

"Careful!"

Chapter 204. The Battle of Sighisoara. Assassin

Whoosh--

A cold light, seemingly appearing out of nowhere, shot towards Wang Xiaoming's back from his blind spot. Alerted by Lily, Wang Xiaoming almost instinctively grabbed Lily and moved to the side.

The next second, the dagger, which had almost grazed Wang Xiaoming's arm, stabbed hard into the bluestone pavement not far from the two of them.

"Eh--"

Perhaps in surprise that a mere human could dodge their attack, a drawn-out sound of astonishment reached Wang Xiaoming and Lily's ears.

At the same time, a thick fog, almost so thick that one couldn't see their own hand in front of their face, quietly appeared all around. Looking at this familiar scene, and recalling the previous assassination-like attack, the true identity of the mastermind behind this was now obvious.

"Jack the Ripper, it's you, isn't it?"

Wang Xiaoming, who instinctively pulled Lily behind him, shouted into the fog while keeping a watchful eye on his surroundings.

"It's us!"

Perhaps he never intended to hide his identity. After Wang Xiaoming finished speaking, the uniquely childlike voice of Jack the Ripper rang in his ears.

How did you get here?

Wang Xiaoming continued asking questions.

"Because I never left~"

The answer I received was as straightforward as ever.

As Assassin stated, after being knocked away by Archer's attack, she had been hiding in the shadows, hoping to find an opportunity to eliminate an opponent. However, just as she had hoped, the Servant who appeared to Servant Caster and her Master inexplicably separated from Saber's team.

Sensing his opportunity had arrived, Assassin quietly followed. Unfortunately, his carefully planned attack was thwarted by Caster.

But speaking of which--

Caster's Master, despite appearing to be an ordinary person, was able to dodge his attacks and move freely within his Noble Phantasm, [The Mist].

"Ah, I knew it!"

Assassin's voice was as joyful as a child finding candy. "You were the one who could make Mordred resist our poison mist before, weren't you, Red Faction Caster!"

"..."

Regarding the speculation about Assassin, Wang Xiaoming neither denied nor confirmed it, but calmly continued:

What do you want?

"Of course, we'll kill her, and you too!"

Clinging to a last glimmer of hope, Wang Xiaoming "patiently" asked again, "So there's nothing to discuss?"

"What's there to talk about? Just stay quiet and let us take you down!"

Assassin's voice remained cheerful, and perhaps even Assassin herself didn't realize how incongruous her words were with her young appearance.

"Then forget it."

With a helpless sigh, Wang Xiaoming gave Lily a wink. Lily nodded, then took out her wand, muttered a few incomprehensible words, and then—

"Huh?!"

Hidden in the thick fog, the Jack the Ripper exclaimed in astonishment at what was happening before his eyes, unable to comprehend what was transpiring.

At that moment, a gentle breeze began to appear centered on Lily, and it quickly grew stronger, eventually transforming into a hurricane capable of overturning everything in just a few breaths.

This is a storm stirred up by Lily using the flowing magic in the Great Source. Apart from Wang Xiaoming and Lily, who are located in the eye of the storm, everything within a range of nearly 100 meters is being ravaged by the hurricane.

A moment later, the storm subsided, and the thick fog that had appeared because of Assassin had long since dissipated, leaving only the small figure of Assassin, who was still standing, dizzy from the storm.

"Don't come any closer QAQ!"

As expected of Servant, Jack the Ripper regained consciousness in the blink of an eye. However, the aggrieved look on Assassin's face as he held daggers in both hands in a defensive posture inexplicably made Lily, the instigator, feel a sense of guilt. She then turned her pleading gaze to her Master.

--Chance!

Taking advantage of Caster's momentary distraction, Assassin gripped her dagger and charged forward, her target the plain-looking man beside Caster.

With her A-rank agility as an Assassin, she could reach Caster Master and eliminate him in the blink of an eye.

As for Caster, being a class that consumes a lot of MP, even if Assassin has ways to control herself, she has nothing to fear without Master!

--This is Jack the Ripper's great victory!

The idea is good, but unfortunately Assassin doesn't seem to know that, compared to the seemingly adorable Caster, Caster's Master is, in a sense, the final boss.

What to do when your unruly child is difficult to discipline...?

Seeing Assassin about to rush towards him, Wang Xiaoming sighed helplessly, "A good beating will do the trick..."

"QAQ Let me go!"

At this moment, Assassin's hand joints were locked by Wang Xiaoming, and then he was turned around.

And yet, Assassin, Servant, couldn't break free from the bonds of a human. If the other Servant participating in this Holy Grail War knew this...

Even though he's just a kid, Assassins still have their pride, you know!

Thinking of this, Assassin began to struggle, determined to fight back for freedom even if it meant being beaten and kicked.

Unfortunately, no matter how hard Assassin tried, he couldn't break free from Wang Xiaoming's fixation.

Don't waste your energy.

In the end, it was only a harsh reprimand from Wang Xiaoming that completely deflated Assassin.

Seeing the listless Assassin, Wang Xiaoming still kindly asked, "Can we talk now?"

What do you want to talk about?

Assassin remained wary of this topic.

Why did you...?

When Wang Xiaoming had only asked half of the first question, he keenly noticed that Assassin was beginning to emit tiny golden spiritual particles.

--It's Command Spell.