[FDJ]Chapter 31: Retreat

The sword gleamed as Saber shattered the stone thrown by Rider. Positioned in the low-lying terrain, Saber turned her gaze back to find Rider approaching at a distance of about 4 meters.

Both sides were well aware of each other's overt strengths: in a direct clash without Noble Phantasms, Saber had a slight advantage, but Rider gained the upper hand when using her Noble Phantasm. Both could heal themselves on the spot, and Rider would not give Saber a second to catch her breath. She aimed to turn her advantage into victory and bring down her opponent here.

With a thud of her staff on the ground, a surge of magical energy struck Saber, momentarily slowing down her hand movement as she raised her sword. But that slight delay was enough for Rider. In a one-on-one duel with no one else interfering, Rider's next punch might not be fatal, but the balance of victory would continue to tilt in Rider's favor until it crushed Saber.

Just ten minutes ago, Saber felt confident in repelling Rider with the advantage of the battlefield. Now, she was so tense that she loosened her right hand, no longer blocking.

Rider's fist did not hit Saber; she had indeed aimed for Saber's chin, a target beyond the reach of Saber's right hand that had hastily moved to defend.

The cold blade of the sword had already sliced through the outer skin of Rider's neck before she could land her punch. If she had dodged a moment slower, Saber would have been knocked down by her punch, but Rider would have paid the price of having half her neck sliced open. Simple saintly arts couldn't heal such a severe external injury, and even one Command Spell might not be able to repair it.

"I almost forgot you're a Saber-class Servant," Rider said as she touched her neck. The stinging sensation on her neck immediately subsided, leaving her feeling irritated by the dampness on her hand.

As a result, Saber also received a momentary respite. She quickly dealt with the injuries to her chest, ribs, and hands. Healing the damage caused by the enemy's Noble Phantasm would require more time for recovery.

Saber was quite surprised herself. Just now, she was affected by Rider's magic, unable to exert force with her left hand holding the sword, unable to maintain a firm grip on it. Her sword had moved on its own towards Rider's vital points. Saber was not skilled in swordsmanship; she hadn't systematically studied it during her life and had always treated the sword in her hand as a blunt weapon.

"Your sword..." Rider hadn't seen this weapon before, but the increasingly radiant holy aura emanating from its blade made her suppress her arrogance. The sword of a Saber wasn't holy because of the nature of its wielder, but rather because the sword itself was a high-quality sacred item. "Sword of Victory?"

Saber also didn't know how to answer. Her sword had only appeared in her dreams during her lifetime. She had never used a sword before. In her eyes, a one-handed hammer or a knife was more reliable than a sword, which was considered a precious weapon for nobles.

"I already know your true name, Martha of Bethany, the holy woman active in the 1st century. So, 'slaying the dragon' was actually taming it as a pet?"

"Tarasque has a kind nature, and it has also converted to the faith. I am its baptizer."

Rider's Master, upon hearing Rider's description, couldn't fully grasp the origin of the holy sword. Instead, Aetius, who had served alongside them in the military camp, suggested that the important thing wasn't the origin but to temporarily retreat and avoid the confrontation for the time being. They had already gained an advantage with Saber, who could injure the Huns. It was always safer to be cautious once the true name of a Servant was revealed.

"Do not engage with Saber anymore. Retreat for now. Safety first."

Receiving the order from her Master, Prince Torsmond of the Visigoths, Rider abandoned the idea of using her second Noble Phantasm to continue the confrontation.

Saber had a simple advantage in terms of the era they were in. Martha was a person from the 1st century, while Jeanne was born in the 15th century. At the moment, they were in the Roman Gaul province of the 5th century, and the knowledge granted by the Holy Grail to both of them was the "common knowledge" known to people at that time. The common knowledge of the 5th century did not include the exploits of the holy woman who would later turn the tide of the Hundred Years' War in the 15th century. However, Jeanne, not relying on the knowledge given by the Holy Grail, could still roughly know Saint Martha's history and deeds through her Master.

If it were the Holy Grail War that took place after the 15th century, with her armor adorned with the fleur-de-lis of France and her saintly aura, at least eight out of ten Servants would easily recognize her.

Saber, completely focused on the battle, did not recall the incident where her true name was revealed by Archer and Attila.

"Are you trying to escape?"

"Hmph, the purpose of the initial battle has been achieved. You can go back and focus on healing. Cunning Saber," Rider said and turned around, dissipating into a spiritual form to retreat. If Saber wanted to pursue, she could go after her.

However, after thinking for a moment, Saber decided to go to the location where Lancer was fighting Berserker to assist. La Hire had descended as a Berserker and lost his sanity due to madness, so he might be trapped by the enemy.

Once she calmed down, Saber realized that there was no need to engage in a confrontation with Rider. The purpose of the initial battle was simply to gather intelligence on the enemy, which they had already accomplished.

At the same time, Archer, who had taken a detour and arrived deep in the forest, encountered an enemy—the jester hiding in the shadows of the trees.

She was surprised when she saw the figure of the opponent. Indeed, she came face to face with a male Servant dressed strangely. She had encountered all sorts of odd people in her lifetime, but it was the first time she had seen someone with a completely white face painted with peculiar purple patterns. It instinctively made her want to stay away from such a madman.

Archer had the advantage of acting first, and her excellent vision ensured that the enemy she saw hadn't noticed her position yet. Gracefully slowing down, she landed on a tree branch. At the same time, Archer completed the motion of drawing the bowstring, preparing for the next moment...

A loud explosion nullified all of Archer's previously subtle movements.

Before the explosion, she noticed a strange metallic bug attached to the tree trunk flickering with a red light. She swiftly jumped away from the branch at the fastest speed, only getting her clothes and hair stained with wood splinters...

Another loud explosion followed.

As Archer landed on another tree, she also noticed a metallic bug attached to the trunk. Relying on her agile skills, she somersaulted and evaded the second explosion.

With a clattering sound, the metallic bugs lurking in the ground emerged from the soil, flickering with red light. There was not just one, but many of them, crawling out like centipedes from their burrows.

Startled and disgusted, Archer quickly leaped back, distancing herself from the bomb centipedes emerging from the ground.

However, before the group of bombs in front of her could explode, she anxiously noticed two metallic threads hanging down from above, and two metallic bugs crawled down.

Continuously evading, she kept discovering that the bombs were dangerously close. Archer even began to suspect that she had fallen for an advanced illusion. As a Servant, she didn't care much about magical energy, but did the Master of the Servant also not care about magical energy?

Caster, standing still in place, heard the continuous explosions. Subconsciously, he continued to set up bombs. With the Mystic Code, Juno's Box, provided by his Master, Aetius, he could place his bombs in most of the forest. It was a treasure that purely enhanced the distance for the user to perform magecraft, and Caster couldn't understand its principles, but it was very useful. He never expected that casually setting up bombs in the distance would blast the enemy. He believed that continuously setting up bombs wouldn't affect his Master.

Each bomb disappeared upon contact with the Mystic Code, teleporting to the location Caster had envisioned. Just yesterday, he was worried about fighting alongside other Servants on the front lines, but unexpectedly, his Master casually took out a practical Mystic Code that helped him avoid the issue of going to the front lines.

"Master, thank you for the gift. It seems like I bombed the enemy Servant. Maybe I can claim the credit."

"...My crystal ball has already shown the situation. Your summoned familiar... let's call it a bomb, didn't harm the opposing Servant. She is rapidly approaching."

"That's impossible!" Caster increased the speed of bomb deployment, like a "warrior" challenging the shipping rate with a credit card, blindly trusting in quantity to make up for everything.

"The power is not enough." Aetius, who grasped the battles in various locations through the crystal ball, had no intention of wasting time talking with his Servant. He had given the other party a bunch of Mystic Code to compensate for the difference in strength. There was the magic box, which multiplied the user's magic casting distance, a bracelet that eliminated incantations and strengthened magic, a cloak that concealed one's presence, a potion that turned water into a dragon, boots that allowed instant movement... His other Mystic Codes were not used by his Servant. It was a waste of his magical energy to create a bomb familiar that, in his opinion, was of average quality.

Aetius doesn't care about magical energy. He also doesn't care about the Mystic Code he gave to his Servant, as he is dissatisfied with the results. Compared to Lancer and Rider, his Servant's strength is simply not impressive. "She's about to catch up to you. Move immediately!"

"Move? Why? Even if my bombs can't kill her, they should at least injure her, right?"

"Move immediately! The Servant chasing after you is Archer, the Greek huntress, most likely Atalanta. Her speed is faster than a leopard."

"Who is that?" Caster asked, and as he spoke, an arrow shot out from the gaps in the trees, hitting his pointed hat directly.

"An enemy who can kill you!" Aetius began considering using a Command Spell to teleport his Servant back. He had already given him boots that allowed instant movement precisely for situations like this, to save on Command Spells. And how could a magi have the confidence to fight without building fortifications?

Caster stopped his bomb deployment and looked in the direction from which the arrows flew, wide-eyed. He hadn't yet seen who was in the forest when four consecutive arrows were shot at him. Two hit the magic box in his hand, destroying the precious item, while another arrow pierced the bomb centipede he had just summoned, and one arrow struck his right palm.

"It hurts! I'm bleeding! What should I do? Master!" Caster dropped the bomb centipede and the magic box, clutching his wrist and yelling in pain. His strange tone and erratic movements increased the pressure on Aetius, who was watching the crystal ball.

Whether it was because he remembered the boots given by his Master or because he unintentionally uttered the right incantation in panic, Caster disappeared into thin air, leaving only his ethereal laughter and a series of bomb centipedes behind.

After Archer ran out of the explosion range, she was covered in dust, mud, and wood splinters, looking like a ridiculous sight her that Saber would laugh at for a while when she returned to the camp. Annoyed, Archer picked up the bomb centipede that she had hit with her arrow and threw it into the air, igniting it with another arrow.

If she managed to catch the Servant who was using the bombs, she would shoot him dead like this! She picked up the damaged magic box from the ground, thinking that she could repair and reuse it. Without obtaining any information about the enemy but covered in dirt, Archer's mood was extremely sour. Archer was informed by Attila that Rider, who was fighting Saber, had already retreated. Since there was no longer any point in intercepting the injured enemy Servant, she changed her plan.

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