The forest let out its third mournful cry of the night.
No matter how dense the canopy, it could not conceal the resplendent hues of twilight. No matter how sturdy the trees, they could not withstand the ferocious gusts of fists.
The chaotic winds lifted the young man's cloak and tousled the swordsman's silver hair. They stood like generals facing each other before an army, their blades and fists clashing, their strikes landing on each other's chests. Behind them, the sky burned with the colors of dusk, and the raging storm painted the scene in crimson hues!
Red Archer, Red Rider, Blue Ruler—every Servant present halted their battles, captivated by this tragic yet magnificent spectacle. For a moment, words failed them.
This was a sight only Heroic Spirits, only Servants, could create—a new tale woven from legends and epics intersecting across time and space, right here and now.
The ancient martial arts of China's Bajiquan clashed with the cursed demonic sword that felled the evil dragon.
When two histories that should never have met collided, which side would emerge victorious?
With bated breath and anticipation, the heroes fixed their gazes on the two figures frozen in place, awaiting the answer.
And soon, the sound of flesh being shattered provided it.
—His left arm, inch by inch, shattered. The twilight-hued sword energy unfurled, effortlessly tearing through the Assassin's mortal flesh.
Even the Bajiquan could not withstand the demonic sword forged by the Mist Clan. Though the force behind the strike was overwhelming, the backlash from clashing with an equally indestructible blade was enough to destroy the wielder themselves.
Only when the left arm was completely gone, revealing the white bone beneath, did the twilight sword energy finally dissipate. By then, the Assassin was left with only one arm, yet the silver-haired swordsman remained expressionless, locking eyes with the grinning young man.
At a glance, it seemed Saber had once again triumphed over Assassin. But to declare the outcome decided now would be premature.
—His chest, now dull and lifeless, the once-glowing blue etheric patterns faded. The swordsman suddenly opened his mouth, coughing up mouthfuls of blood.
Clearly, Sakatsuki's Bajiquan had breached Siegfried's invulnerability, dealing significant damage to the Saber!
"Incredible..." Amakusa murmured within the church.
He had witnessed the fierce battle between Karna and Siegfried. Even with Karna's physical attacks reaching A-rank, they had only left minor wounds on Siegfried—injuries that could be healed with basic magecraft.
Yet Sakatsuki had dealt damage in a single strike that Karna couldn't achieve in an entire night!
Unconsciously, Amakusa ran a hand over his arm, realizing only then that his hairs were standing on end, his skin covered in goosebumps.
Just how terrifying was this Assassin's killing power?
The Black Faction's shock was no less than Amakusa's. Not only Darnic, who was privy to the details, but also one particular Master closely tied to Siegfried was overcome with unprecedented fury.
"...Tch! Saber! Saber! How can you fail against a mere Assassin? Is this the prowess of a dragon-slaying hero?!"
So far in the skirmishes, Black Saber's lack of achievements had already made his Master, Gordes, restless. Seeing the current situation, his dissatisfaction reached its peak, and he shouted loudly in his private room, venting his anger.
Apart from Black Saber Siegfried and his Master Gordes, the other Black faction Masters and Servants had more or less established relationships. Archer and Fiore were already inseparable—their bond resembled that of teacher and student rather than Master and Servant. As for Lancer, since Darnic was willing to lower himself to serve, there were no issues whatsoever.
While Celenike found Rider's gallant and unrestrained nature troublesome, she had been charmed by his integrity and purity. As long as no major incidents occurred, there would be no cracks in their relationship. Caules' Berserker faithfully followed orders, and thanks to their heart-to-heart talks, they had formed a cooperative partnership. Roche and Caster went without saying—Roche, as the Master, had long been awed by his Servant's exquisite puppet techniques.
Yet only Gordes and the Saber he summoned stood apart. After Siegfried was summoned, Gordes abandoned all attempts at communication with him... He made no effort to understand his Servant, simply fearing the exposure of his true name.
This was both correct and a hopeless mistake. What was Siegfried, as Saber, thinking? Did his heart harbor resentment? Rebellion? Murderous intent? Contempt? Or was he thinking nothing at all?
Gordes knew none of this.
Between a proper Master and Servant, considerations, goals, and beliefs should all be clarified beforehand. But Gordes refused to do so, treating his Servant as mere equipment. Was this out of vanity? Or was the notion that "in the end, it's just a familiar" too deeply ingrained?
Regardless, the fact that Saber had fought Red Assassin to a mutual standstill had indeed caused an utterly unwarranted sense of impatience to gradually accumulate within him.
Even so, had Gordes stood behind Siegfried as a Master, observing the battle—or had this been a typical Holy Grail War where any Master-Servant pair was always under threat from the other six factions—he might never have committed the foolish act he was about to perform.
However, Gordes was watching the battlefield from a safe location. Even if Saber were destroyed, at worst he would only lose face, not his life—this naive notion completely clouded his judgment.
"Saber! By my Command Spell, I order you! Use your Noble Phantasm—"
Bang!
The door to his private room burst open. Startled into silence, Gordes turned to look.
A stunning beauty in white-and-gold uniform, her figure alluring, gazed at him with an apologetic yet urgent expression, stopping his reckless command:
"Please wait, Mr. Gordes! Now is not the time to use a Command Spell!"
"Reika Rikudou, Master of Black Assassin," Gordes groaned in frustration. "Don't you agree? Our Servants are struggling, and as Masters, we hold Command Spells that can turn the tide! We have three whole Command Spells—using one now wouldn't hurt, would it?"
Though he was supposed to be persuading others, Gordes ended up getting carried away by his own words: "Yes, exactly! If we can take down Red Assassin and Rider, even that pesky Archer in one fell swoop, victory will belong to us, the Black Faction! And we shall be hailed as the great heroes and saviors of our side!"
Lost in his delusions, Gordes failed to notice how Reika before him pressed her lips together, her eyes filled with disgust—though the expression quickly returned to normal.
This magus was beyond saving. After summoning the strongest Saber, he had embarked on the path of self-destruction through arrogance.
Since Sakatsuki hadn't given any instructions to salvage him, all Reika needed to do was complete her mission while making the most of Gordes' worth—whether by using him as a decoy to draw enemy fire or letting him cause trouble for the Red Faction, both were viable options.
But before that, she had to ensure the integrity of Gordes' Command Spells—a plan Sakatsuki had urgently revised after learning about the Blue Faction's characteristics.
After all, tonight was a special turning point. Sakatsuki was confident in his ability to subdue Siegfried. In other words, Gordes' Command Spells were his Command Spells, and he couldn't afford to let this fat fool waste them.
"Please wait, Lord Gordes. We are all striving for the Black Faction's victory, so if you would just listen—"
The arrogant Gordes and the seemingly earnest Reika Rikudou remained unaware that outside the private room's entrance, Darnic, clad in his white-gold ceremonial robes, leaned against the wall, silently listening to their conversation with a thoughtful expression.
"So she's after the Muzik family's homunculus technology and the Saber he summoned... That's why she's going to such lengths to win Gordes over..."
After pondering with a politician's calculating mindset, Darnic convinced himself he had unraveled Reika's little scheme, a confident smile spreading across his face.
"Clever woman. Pity your efforts are in vain. Now that Yggdmillennia has successfully seized Red Berserker, all we need is to press our advantage and eliminate the Mage's Association's cannon fodder. Then our Yggdmillennia shall thrive eternally through the Greater Grail! The Yggdmillennia shall become nobility among the mystical world—while you, are nothing more than discarded dregs to me!"
Having arrived at a completely mistaken conclusion, Darnic turned to leave, preparing to order the Servants' retreat and handle matters concerning Red Berserker's subjugation.