At that moment, within the forest, Darnic—still working alongside Caster—sensed the gathering storm clouds and thunder overhead. He raised his head, his expression turning grim.
Crack…
A bolt of lightning split across the sky, illuminating the deep forest below.
"What's wrong, Darnic?"
Caster noticed him pause and turned back, seeing the man's furrowed brows.
"I specifically ordered Saber to remain inside the fortress."
A heavy unease clouded Darnic's face.
Caster, realizing the matter, turned his senses toward the depths of the forest, probing the flows of magical energy from afar.
"Indeed… Saber is currently clashing with a Servant of the Red Faction. That immense magical aura—I cannot mistake it."
He confirmed Darnic's fears.
"..."
Darnic immediately connected a magical communication line to Fiore, who was stationed at the fortress watchtower.
Sensing the flow of prana, Fiore 'answered' the call.
"Uncle?"
"Fiore… was it you who ordered Saber into battle?"
Hearing the sharp, almost accusatory tone, Fiore lowered her eyes slightly, pressing her lips together. She turned her gaze toward the distant forest where the Shogun fought.
"Yes. It was I who sent her, Uncle."
She did not deny it—she admitted plainly.
"Why did you let Saber fight? I've said before: unless absolutely necessary, we must preserve her strength!"
His voice grew harsher. And indeed—it was true she had disobeyed orders. His anger was inevitable.
"I'm sorry… Uncle. But this was the Shogun's own will. I could not stop her."
"Could not stop her?! You are her Master!"
"..."
She did not answer immediately. Instead, she sighed deeply, her hand brushing unconsciously over her paralyzed legs.
"You are right. But… I do not wish to constrain her too much as a Master. Besides, Berserker is in grave danger right now, and Caules is helpless. If Berserker is recalled, the enemy will only grow bolder in harassing the fortress."
That was her reasoning—what she felt was the most valid justification.
"…Is that truly your decision?"
Darnic's voice sank into silence, then questioned again.
"Yes. Even if it means violating orders, please punish me alone. But do not blame her."
Fiore knew very well: even so, Darnic would never have her use a Command Seal to recall the Shogun. To him, her seals were as precious as Vlad III's—they could not be wasted lightly. Thus, in the end, he would have no choice but to tolerate the Shogun's willfulness.
Though he was her uncle, if forced to choose between him and her Servant, she would not hesitate. She would choose the Shogun without regret. That was the resolve she bore as Raiden Shogun's Master.
...
Deep within the forest, the Shogun and Achilles' battle still raged on… though in truth, it was utterly one-sided.
Clang! ×N
After a flurry of sharp weapon clashes and a thunderous explosion, Achilles gritted his teeth and leapt back to his starting point.
"Tch…"
Clicking his tongue, he wiped the blood trickling down his forehead.
From the smoke and dust emerged a slender figure. With only a casual flick of her sleeve, the haze dispersed instantly.
Unlike Achilles' battered appearance, the Shogun advanced with graceful steps, naginata in hand, her body wreathed in coursing lightning. She hadn't even activated the Chakra Desiderata—it wasn't necessary.
"I heard you wished for a duel with this vessel? Then I shall grant it."
She leveled her naginata, her cold words echoing toward Achilles.
"Heh… don't boast without thinking of the consequences."
Achilles smirked scornfully, then shifted again into a charging stance.
"But tell me… why not draw your sword? You… take out your blade! You're Saber, aren't you?!"
To see her refusing to unsheathe a sword felt like an insult—like he wasn't worthy of witnessing her true skill. The thought stoked his fury, and he shouted angrily at her.
"…For you, there is no need to draw a sword."
The Shogun listened to Achilles' furious shouting without the slightest reaction. She only let out a quiet sigh and spoke calmly… her honest truth.
"!!"
Achilles instantly bristled with rage!
"You woman!!"
Boom!
He stomped forward, shattering the ground beneath his step, and in the next instant he appeared before her, thrusting his spear straight at her forehead.
The Shogun did not even blink. A flash of violet lightning flickered—and she vanished from his sight, reappearing behind him in a single bolt.
"Tch…"
Achilles quickly swung his spear around, striking backward with sharp precision!
Whoom~
But once again, the Shogun transformed into lightning, flickering to his flank, as though mocking him.
"Arghh!"
This time Achilles anticipated her movement. He lunged with a preemptive strike, his spear whipping toward her position!
Clang!
The Shogun made no attempt to evade. Raising her naginata crosswise in both hands, she caught the thrust cleanly. The violent clash rang out like thunder, releasing a shockwave that blasted the dust and dirt outward in waves.
Meeting his eyes briefly, she then flicked his spear aside with ease—before unleashing a storm of slashes from every angle!
Clang, clang, clang! ×N
Ten strikes per second, raining relentlessly upon Achilles! The only things between them were blinding sparks and streaks of violet lightning carving through the dark.
Every sweep of her blade tore through the trees, the forest around them shredded as if by a frenzied grinder.
Achilles was driven back step by step under the onslaught. Despite pouring in all his strength to resist, his armor cracked and split under the rapid blows. Finally, overwhelmed, he abandoned the clash, trying desperately to knock her weapon aside and retreat.
The Shogun let go of her naginata's shaft with one hand. In that instant, the weapon floated upward as though alive, suspended above her palm. Lightning filled the entire area, thundering wildly.
As the naginata spun by itself, it drew down the lightning of the heavens. A violet storm roared into being, the clouds above funneling their thunderbolts into its blade.
Her amethyst eyes glowed faintly.
"Bury the Thunder!"
Her cold, beautiful voice resounded as she spoke the incantation. The lightning of the heavens converged into one point—then struck downward in a cataclysmic torrent!
Crack!!
With a deafening roar, the naginata's storm of thunder burst forth, unleashing a tsunami of violet lightning that engulfed the battlefield.
It was like a flood of thunder, a raging tide of light. Walls of lightning, several stories high, swallowed the ground, the trees, and everything before her. The crushing wave bore down upon Achilles, tiny as an ant before the storm. The scale alone seemed enough to consume the entire forest—let alone one man.
"Ugh… w-wait! You serious?! You're actually going all out?!"
Achilles' rage was gone—replaced only with astonishment and disbelief. He hadn't come tonight to decide victory or defeat against Saber—only to test her strength. But she clearly intended to annihilate him!
So much as a word out of place, and she unleashed a Noble Phantasm!!