Secret Sword: Tsubame Gaeshi

Fuyuki, Miyama Town, in front of the gate to Ryudou Temple.

As night fully fell over Fuyuki, the temperature dropped to its lowest point of the day.

The wind cut like a knife, and leaves drifted down with the rain.

The swordsman standing guard at the temple gate wore his long, deep-blue hair in a ponytail, tied with a pale-purple ribbon.

He had a handsome face, with hair at his temples falling to his collarbones.

Over a purple kimono, he wore a dark-purple sleeveless haori. Purple wrist guards encircled his wrists, and straw sandals covered his feet.

A five-foot-long nodachi was slung diagonally across his back.

He stood with his arms folded, looking down at Sasuke and the others below the steps.

Berserker slowly lowered Illya from his palm. She stared at the swordsman in the kimono, her expression puzzled.

"Assassin?"

The swordsman seemed to have no intention of hiding anything. He answered directly.

"That's right."

"Sasaki Kojiro."

"Isn't it only proper to give our names before we fight?"

But as Sasaki Kojiro looked at Berserker, he couldn't help sighing.

"Though I imagine getting Berserker to converse with me would be quite difficult."

"What a shame."

As he spoke, Sasaki Kojiro began descending the stone steps, slowly drawing the nodachi from his back.

Raindrops traced the blade, ringing like a metallic percussion instrument. Sasaki Kojiro wore a look of utter confidence.

"But no matter..."

"To know one's enemy, this blade will suffice."

"If you want to pass through here,"

"you'll have to defeat me first."

Illya hadn't expected Assassin to cooperate with Caster. But did Assassin really think he could stop her Berserker here?

Illya looked up at Sasaki Kojiro and gave her command.

"Kill him, Berserker!"

At her clear order, Berserker roared and charged at Sasaki Kojiro, swinging his giant axe.

His massive frame surged forward at high speed, tearing up the steps beneath him. Mud and water sprayed in every direction, a testament to his immense strength.

But Sasaki Kojiro showed no sign of panic. Instead, he seemed inexplicably composed.

In the blink of an eye, Sasaki Kojiro and Berserker exchanged countless blows.

The clash of their weapons made the air tremble. For a moment, even the rain couldn't touch them.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Every strike shattered the steps. Damp leaves caught between the two were crushed to powder by the overwhelming pressure.

This was a battle between Servants—not a war ordinary people could ever take part in.

Of course, that depended on the person.

Sasuke, for instance, could easily have joined the fight.

But he had no interest in doing so. Still, with his Three-Tomoe Sharingan activated, he watched the battle.

Sasaki Kojiro was certainly an interesting man.

It took only a few exchanges for Illya to realize something was wrong.

Berserker swung his giant axe at Sasaki Kojiro again, aiming up the steps. But before Berserker could put his full strength behind the blow, Sasaki Kojiro intercepted it with his extraordinarily long blade.

He followed up with a series of slashes. If Berserker hadn't been so agile and possessed such sharp Instinct, his neck might already have been cut open.

Even though Berserker dodged several strikes, his huge body still bore numerous new cuts.

But that kind of damage meant little to Berserker.

Whenever Berserker tried to unleash a full-power blow, Sasaki Kojiro intercepted him. Even creating distance made no real difference.

It only drove them farther from the temple gate.

Berserker was being suppressed by Assassin...

Watching Berserker get driven back again and again, Illya furrowed her brows.

How could this be?

Aside from being slightly less agile than Sasaki Kojiro, Berserker surpassed him in every other ability.

Whether strength, endurance, or magical energy, Berserker had the advantage. Yet each time he launched a powerful assault, it was as if he were striking cotton.

Illya knew Caster's bounded field could weaken a Servant's magical energy and Noble Phantasm, but surely it couldn't have weakened him this much.

As Illya stood there, puzzled, Sasuke—silent since the start—finally spoke.

Looking at the supremely confident Sasaki Kojiro, he explained to Illya.

"His swordsmanship has reached a masterful level. And with the terrain in his favor, Berserker can't bring his full strength to bear."

When Sasaki Kojiro drove Berserker back once more, Illya temporarily ordered Berserker to stop attacking.

If he kept charging in blindly, they'd never get past this point.

"You flatter me. It seems you understand swordsmanship quite well yourself."

Sasaki Kojiro didn't comment on Berserker as an opponent. Instead, he responded to Sasuke's analysis.

"Berserker's overall abilities are far beyond mine."

"But it's a pity. This is my ground, and every advantage is tilted in my favor."

Berserker wasn't merely fighting Assassin. He was up against Caster as well.

Sasaki Kojiro had more than the bounded field and terrain working for him. Caster's long-range support was also crucial.

Sasaki Kojiro had little affection for that vixen of a Caster, but she deserved a good deal of the credit for keeping Berserker at bay.

If Sasaki Kojiro had been left to fight Berserker alone, the outcome surely wouldn't have been the same...

Illya's brows knitted tightly. She couldn't believe this was happening!

Her Berserker was supposed to be the strongest!!!

"Berserker!!!"

At Illya's shout from behind him, Berserker's aura grew even more intense. The moment he crouched, the stone steps around him crumbled beneath his weight.

Berserker was going to unleash his strongest attack with all his might!

Sasaki Kojiro could see it coming. His previously relaxed expression turned grave.

There was no point in continuing this meaningless battle.

"Indeed, there's no need to waste any more time here."

"Otherwise, that vixen in the temple will blame me, and I won't be able to handle it."

"Let's settle this with one strike."

At that, Sasaki Kojiro's expression became utterly calm. He even gave up the advantage of the steps, moving to a level patch of ground.

Sasaki Kojiro took a slow step forward. He gripped the hilt in both hands and raised the blade, its tip pointing straight ahead. Then he closed his eyes.

And at that very moment!

Having finished charging, Berserker hurtled toward Sasaki Kojiro at a speed that seemed to tear through space. He brought his giant axe down toward Sasaki Kojiro's head!

Illya looked utterly confident. There was no way Sasaki Kojiro could block Berserker's attack this time!

At almost the same instant, a tremendous boom burst around Sasaki Kojiro. The air itself seemed to tear apart.

Sasaki Kojiro's sharp eyes opened. He fixed his gaze on Berserker, now right before him.

His counterattack was ready.

"Secret Sword—"

"Tsubame Gaeshi."