Beneath the ink-black night sky, a pale white mist silently spread.
Watching the young man emerge from the pile of toppled shipping containers, a spear in one hand and a sword in the other, Arthur's brow furrowed. His heart was heavy, filled more with confusion than gravity.
A nameless knight by a certain person's side? What a joke. With such martial skill, how could he possibly be an unknown?
And that swordsmanship... is it a result of his abilities, or is he truly a knight I once knew...
Could it be Sir Percival? But Sir Percival's swordsmanship shouldn't be at this level. Besides, he even seems to know Ector's techniques... Could it be Brother Kay?
Countless thoughts flashed through his mind, and Arthur's mood became complicated.
As if sensing the change in his state of mind, Irisviel, who had been watching the battle from the very beginning, was shocked that someone could fight the legendary King of Knights on such even footing, even seeming to have the upper hand.
Although she didn't know the true identity of this Lancer, Irisviel understood that tonight's battle would not end so simply. She looked at Arthur with some concern and asked.
"Saber, do you need to adjust your condition?"
The implication was to ask if they should retreat for now. Arthur Pendragon understood that his recent performance had worried his Master. After collecting his scattered thoughts, he couldn't help but smile apologetically.
"It's alright, Master. I can still continue. I was indeed thrown into disarray for a moment, but I will not be careless from here on."
Confidence returned to his eyes. Arthur raised the sheathed holy sword in his hand and looked at the weapon in the young man's hand.
"And if my estimation is correct, that 'sword' of yours, created by magecraft, won't last much longer, will it, Lancer? What a pity. If you had a proper sword, your sword skills might have overwhelmed me just now."
Just as Arthur said, even though it was made from special magical paper and enhanced with reinforcement magecraft, the "paper sword" in Aozaki Rin's hand was now slowly turning into shreds and dissipating into the air.
He could, of course, use his alchemy to create another "paper sword," but that would only prolong the inevitable. It wouldn't be able to elevate the "paper sword" to a level where it could clash fiercely with his opponent's holy sword.
For a moment, he missed the Durandal he had used in the past, but Aozaki Rin wasn't too concerned. After all, he had only used swordsmanship to expose an opening in Saber, prevent him from seeing through the rhythm of his spear attacks, and to conceal his own true identity.
Aozaki Rin smiled faintly, gave his spear a flourish, and reinforced the "paper sword" in his hand once more. Using some of the lines he had prepared two days ago, he continued his disguise.
"So what? Even so, you were unable to break through my attacks, were you, King of Knights?"
"Hah, how arrogant."
Arthur couldn't help but chuckle, a cunning glint in his eyes as he spoke casually.
"But has anyone ever told you, Lancer, that you're really not suited for taunting? It's just like you're reciting from a script."
What?
Thinking his acting should have been fine, Aozaki Rin was stunned for a second and blinked. In that instant, as if he had been waiting for it, Arthur's lips curved into a smile. A blast of air from his Invisible Air launched him forward in a flash!
"Although you've been trying to act like a haughty warrior, the aura in your attacks is far too clear and pure! A person with such an aura would never be one to verbally provoke others! So, let me see your true face, Lancer!"
Breaking from his usual habits, Arthur, knowing the young man had seen through most of his sword techniques, chose to slash with his non-dominant hand while simultaneously thrusting his other hand, balled into a fist, towards his opponent's abdomen.
In terms of form, the attack might have seemed clumsy, but in terms of surprise, it was truly unexpected.
Realizing that Arthur's words were a feint to distract him, Rin instinctively thrust his spear to repel the incoming fist while slashing his "paper sword" at the holy sword to parry.
But at that moment, Arthur let go of his holy sword. His other hand shot out like a claw towards the mask on Rin's face. This forced Rin to push off his feet and dodge the hand that had already touched his mask. The "paper sword" in his hand instantly dissolved into a flurry of sheets, forming a "paper wall" to block Arthur as he retreated a certain distance.
—Rip!
The "paper wall" was sliced apart by the holy sword. Arthur, pinching a few shreds of paper in his left hand, raised an eyebrow at Aozaki Rin, who was now lightly pressing on the slightly damaged crow-eye mask on his face. He chuckled.
"As I thought. You're very afraid of your face being seen, Lancer. I don't know the reason, but a 'weakness' like that is far too obvious."
Although his own actions might have seemed somewhat "despicable," on the battlefield, there are only sides, not so many rights and wrongs.
Furthermore, the young man's drastic reaction made Arthur believe that his appearance might be a shortcut to immediately identifying his true identity.
And with such a clear "weakness," the rest of the battle would undoubtedly be much easier.
This is a bit troublesome...
Using alchemy to repair the mask on his face, Aozaki Rin frowned in annoyance.
If his face were to be seen, other Masters might find out. After some investigation, they would learn that he was the adopted son of the Sajou family. This would make the other Masters wary of the Sajou family, which could bring danger to his adoptive sister.
So, unless absolutely necessary, Rin did not want to reveal his face.
But if that was the case, his opponent would definitely target this point, leaving him constrained.
However, it's not like there's no way to deal with this. If close combat carries the risk of my mask being removed, then all I need to do is maintain distance...
Aozaki Rin didn't respond to Arthur's words. He switched the Spear of Longinus back to his right hand and snapped the fingers of his left.
In an instant, the countless scattered papers were drawn by threads of magical energy, gathering and floating beside him, coalescing into one "paper cone" after another.
At the same time, Aozaki Rin lowered his body slightly, the tip of his spear pointing forward, his right arm drawn back and his left hand steadying the shaft, taking the stance of a powerful thrusting charge.
Is he planning to decide this with one blow...
Sensing the change in the atmosphere, Arthur took a step back to steady his center of gravity. The red dragon's heart within him beat faster and faster, each breath generating a massive amount of magical energy. His emerald eyes were completely focused on the movements of the masked young man as he exhaled a thick, hot cloud of white air.
However, just as their decisive blow was about to be unleashed, a slightly arrogant laugh suddenly echoed through the night.
"While it is not my intention to interrupt a duel, since tonight is already so lively, why not have my Servant make you both withdraw?"
As the voice fell, a warrior appeared in the mist. He was over two meters tall, with kelp-like black hair flowing past his shoulders. His physique was brawny and powerful, his upper body bare, and his hands wrapped in bracers. He wore a Greco-Roman style battle skirt, his muscles coiled and taut, and he wielded a nameless axe-sword.
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