Settling into his stance, Kenshin kept his focus locked on his opponent.
She looked young, but she wasn't going down nearly as easily as he'd anticipated.
"That unnatural speed... you're Assassin!"
"Heh. I've already lost my Master, and you're still hounding me."
Identifying the attacker, Sakura Kyoko was, honestly, bewildered.
Logically, a Masterless Servant should have been the lowest priority target. Other factions would gain nothing from engaging them.
Unless it was a recruitment attempt.
But Assassin's intent was clearly murderous.
What were the people behind him really after?
"Doesn't look like you're going to explain yourself."
"Then I'll just have to beat you first!"
Fortunately, her contract with Jonouchi kept things manageable. She wouldn't be caught in a helpless position.
The magical energy she'd stored up was enough for a proper fight.
Swoosh!
Watching her approach instead of flee, Kenshin grew puzzled.
'By all logic, her main problem should be insufficient mana.'
'And yet, she's neither retreating nor panicking. She's actively pressing the fight.'
Already crossing blades, Kenshin's footwork shifted constantly to evade the barrage of strikes.
But the deeper he went into the exchange with Lancer, the more his unease grew.
He was supposed to be the one pressuring her, driving her into desperate retreat.
Yet Lancer's composure was unshaken.
He had a bad feeling.
"Take this! And this! And this!!"
The spear thrust, swept, and coiled. Its segmented shaft could flex and whip like a nunchaku, creating entirely unpredictable attack patterns.
Even the battle-hardened Kenshin had to respect the weapon's range and keep it at bay.
A transforming spear was a first for him.
The girl's outfit was baffling, but her "martial skill" was competent. She wasn't just wildly swinging a stick.
"Pretty good at dodging, huh?"
Unable to pin him down despite her aggressive assault, Kyoko noted that his speed was simply too great for her spear alone to contain.
"Fine then. Try this!"
Swoosh!
Thorn chains erupted from the ground around Kenshin, forming a square cage that immediately began contracting.
"Heh heh. Can't run away now."
With his evasion space eliminated, every strike became a guaranteed hit.
SwooshSwooshSwoosh!!!
"?"
But what she witnessed next was Assassin's swordsmanship at its most devastating.
Afterimages of the blade flashed. Every single thorn chain was severed in an instant.
They crumbled to the ground like scattered fireworks.
'That weapon... it cut through my chains?'
Staring at Kenshin, Kyoko was stunned. She hadn't expected him to be this formidable.
Swoosh!
Before she could recover, Kenshin was already upon her.
"Tch!"
Falling back instinctively, she launched chains from all directions in a desperate counterattack.
CLANG!!
CLANG!!
One after another, every chain that approached was split apart by Kusanagi's edge.
'What a blade. Utterly lethal.'
The divine sword gifted by the "King of Heroes" was a terrifyingly effective instrument. His old katana would never have allowed him to carve through opponents like this.
For the first time, Kenshin truly appreciated the significance of a good weapon.
"What a monster you are."
Driven to close quarters again, Kyoko resorted to another technique.
Rossa Phantasma!
Over a dozen doppelgangers materialized, surrounding Kenshin completely.
Encircled by that many bodies, he showed no trace of panic. Only absolute calm.
As the clones rushed in from all sides, Kenshin answered them thus:
"How unfortunate."
"What the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu excels at most..."
"...is fighting outnumbered!"
In a single sweep of his sword, every clone that closed in was "cut down" almost simultaneously.
"This..."
The spectacle left Sakura Kyoko genuinely awestruck.
It was like something out of an anime or a classic samurai film. The swordsman before her was absurdly powerful.
"What era was this master swordsman even from?!"
Leaping back to put distance between them, Kyoko's frustration mounted.
It felt like every single Servant was stronger than her.
At least Jonouchi's card-based fighting style might be manageable. But an Assassin who could dominate in open combat? That was just unfair.
'Bad. Very bad.'
Sprinting through the streets, Kyoko abandoned any thought of further engagement.
This Assassin was outrageously strong.
Compared to Sayaka's "throw-away sword" brawling style, this man demonstrated what a true master swordsman looked like.
Whoosh!
Though he could have easily caught up, Kenshin did not pursue.
This outing wasn't truly about killing Lancer.
"As expected, there's no way to identify Lancer's true identity."
Kotomine Risei and Tokiomi had been monitoring the encounter through familiars.
Beyond ensuring the plan's viability, they'd also been gathering intelligence on the girl.
"Clones, thorn-like chains, a morphing spear, long crimson hair... eccentric clothing."
"Impossible to narrow down which era's hero she represents."
This wasn't a failure of research. Her characteristics simply didn't match any known Heroic Spirit.
After all, Heroic Spirits were defined by their legendary deeds. And nothing about this girl corresponded.
"Regardless, not knowing her true name won't impede us."
"Assassin has cornered her into fleeing. That's sufficient."
"From here, any extreme action she takes becomes evidence."
Listening to his father and teacher scheme, Kirei kept silent.
One question had been nagging him throughout, but propriety had kept it unspoken.
That question was:
How was Lancer able to trade blows with Assassin for that long?
She had lost her Master!
Maintaining combat capacity in an "uncontracted" state for that duration was abnormal.
The gulf between a contracted and uncontracted Servant was enormous. A Master provided stat buffs. Depending on the Master, a Servant's parameters across Strength, Endurance, Agility, Mana, Luck, and Noble Phantasm could fluctuate anywhere within the E-to-EX range.
Take Assassin, for example: Kenshin's Agility reached "A" rank. The "Most Ancient King" Gilgamesh, by comparison, only clocked in at "B" in Agility.
Under normal circumstances, a contracted Servant fighting a Masterless one should hold massive advantages beyond just mana supply.
And yet...
Lancer showed no signs of "weakening" whatsoever.
Something they didn't know was at play. Kirei was sure of it.
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]
PS: I'll be including character data at the end of some chapters from now on.
Stat grades also have "+" and "++" modifiers (e.g. A+, A++). EX denotes something beyond measurable evaluation.
The following are partial settings for this book:
Berserker (Warrior of Light):
Out-of-Combat Recovery (EX): Continuously regenerates mana and heals wounds when not engaged in battle. Can return to peak condition in extremely short periods, even from near-death states (including severed limbs and critical injuries).
Job Change (A++): Due to possessing multiple identities and weapon proficiencies, can switch combat classes by changing weapons. Owing to unique personal history, can even be summoned under special classes such as Saver, Avenger, or Ruler.
Stardiver Dragon Flame (A): Usable only in spear stance. Unleashes "latent energy" as a targeted attack. The selected target is locked on and cannot evade.
Caster (Jonouchi):
Great Fortune (EX): When gambling or making chance-based decisions, the desired outcome will always appear. Rarely fails, though the probability of failure is extremely low.
Familiar Summoning (E-A++): Can summon various unknown monsters for combat.
Magecraft (E-A++): Utilizes cards to deploy a wide range of spells and traps.
More data to follow in future chapters.