Assassin of Black

Just as the dagger was about to pierce Kairi's throat, Mordred, who had been standing in front of him, suddenly turned around, swinging her sword while tripping him with a swift leg sweep.

*DING!*

The sword flashed, and the dagger was instantly deflected by the magical sword surrounded by crimson lightning, embedding deeply into the nearby blue stone floor.

"Ahh..."

The hidden attacker let out a regretful sigh from the shadows, unexpectedly sounding quite young.

"Assassinating my Master right in front of my face, you should at least have some decency."

Mordred propped her sword on her shoulder, a mischievous grin playing on her lips.

Kairi, having narrowly escaped the sneak attack, instinctively turned his head and noticed someone standing behind him. Despite the close proximity, he felt no presence, as if there was only emptiness there.

But that wasn't the most surprising thing for him.

What truly surprised him was that the one standing behind him was a young, little girl, even younger than Mordred.

With messy silver hair, big yellowish-green eyes, and clad in a leather upper garment with several dagger sheaths hanging from her waist but no skirt, she emitted a peculiar charm despite her youthful appearance.

'Is this little girl Assassin of Black—the infamous Jack the Ripper, responsible for the series of brutal murders?' Kairi thought with a slight surprise.

"Being stabbed is too much..." Jack muttered softly as she looked at the bleeding wound on her hand. Her voice, unexpectedly, had a childlike innocence.

"Too much my ass! You're a Servant, yet you resort to such despicable methods like heart-eating to replenish your magical energy, you filthy trash!"

However, unlike typical normal people, Mordred had neither empathy nor mercy when seeing an innocent-looking little girl like Jack. Since the beginning of the battle, she had been a rebellious knight pursuing only victory.

Moreover, she hadn't forgotten that, despite the appearance of a child, this little girl was a genuine serial killer.

"How interesting. Are you standing up for those scums?" Jack tilted her head, her innocent big eyes fixed on Mordred. "They're all trash, so what's the problem?"

As she spoke, Jack effortlessly threw another dagger without moving her arm.

Although Jack's movements were discreet, relying on her extraordinary intuition, Mordred raised her arm the moment the dagger left Jack's hand, effortlessly deflecting the dagger with her magically enhanced gauntlet.

"Impressive~" Jack chuckled, leaping backward into the thick fog, obscuring her figure instantly.

"Master, take care of yourself. I'll be back in a moment!"

Leaving those words behind, Mordred immediately charged into the dense fog. Though the inhaled fog made her body slightly heavier, it didn't significantly affect her movements.

""Hey, we're Jack, Jack the Ripper. Can you tell us your name?""

"Cut the crap!"

Jack's voice echoed from all directions, impossible to pinpoint her position. Besides the thick fog, Assassin's inherent skill known as the 'Presence Concealment' provided her with a natural concealment, making it even harder for Mordred to locate her.

However, besides these factors, there was one thing bothering Mordred. There seemed to be only one person, so what did this 'we' mean?

However, before she could dwell on it, several daggers suddenly pierced through the fog. Although she quickly reacted, sweeping them all away with her reflexes, one dagger managed to hit her chest armor.

*DING!*

Not a problem, though. Her armor was forged by the legendary witch Morgan herself, not as powerful as mythical dragon scales, but more than enough to withstand ordinary daggers with no magical properties.

Indeed, her armor remained intact. However, Mordred felt an unknown power follow the dagger, penetrating her armor and leaving a moderately deep wound on her waist.

"So, you're 'female'..."

Jack's words struck a nerve within Mordred.

Mordred's demonic helmet retracted, revealing her beautiful face. Her powerful magical energy lifted her golden hair, and her furious, emerald eyes glowed.

"You fucking brat—!!!" Mordred yelled angrily with clenched teeth.

*WHOOSH—!*

With a beast-like roar, crimson lightning soon surrounded Mordred's magical sword, raging like the heavens venting their fury, instantly dispersing the thick fog.

Exposed without cover, Jack stared dumbfounded at Mordred. It was her first time witnessing someone using such straightforward violence to dispel her fog.

"It's over Assassin of Black. If you want to cry, do it now! After your head rolls off, you won't get the chance!" Mordred smirked and advanced step by step toward Jack.

"Forget it, we're still hungry..." Jack said with a childlike innocence, holding two daggers tightly.

"Hmph. don't worry; after you're dead, hunger won't bother you."

With a stomp, Mordred shattered the cobblestone beneath her, and the powerful recoil propelled her body like a meteor toward Jack.

Raising her sword high, Mordred intended to cleave down from above, a forceful attack. On the other side, Jack moved with eerie agility, aiming to cut her opponent's neck with her daggers.

But as Saber, how could Mordred lose in close combat to a hidden killer lurking in the dark?

Observing the battle of the two Servants, Kairi had complete trust in his own Servant. Assassin posed a significant threat to a Master, but when facing a Servant, it hardly stirred up any waves.

Yet, at this moment, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his palm.

It came from his Mystic Code, which served to lay down a bounded field and detect intruders.

This reaction undeniably signaled an intrusion!

A nameless fear soon spread in Kairi's heart. Without thinking, he looked at Mordred and shouted.

"Saber!"

*Rattle—!*

As his words echoed, dozens of golden chains suddenly swept from the depths of darkness, like dragons, diving toward Jack and Mordred.

A chill instantly surged and filled Mordred's heart as her strong intuition told her that she couldn't let these chains bind her, no matter what.

Her body acted before logical thinking.

She forcefully stomped her feet on the ground, putting brakes on her powerful sprint, and swinging her sword to collide with the incoming chains.

*Clang!* *Cling!* *Clang!*

The piercing sound of metal clashes echoed through the night sky, bright sparks illuminating the surrounding darkness.

Mordred clenched her teeth and fiercely swung her sword, sending the golden chains flying. Seizing this opportunity, she quickly retreated, creating distance from these eerie chains.

At the same time, Jack, with her petite figure and extraordinary agility, also evaded the chains. However, their sheer number and speed overwhelmed her, catching her off guard, and in the end, she was captured.

What happened next made Mordred and Kairi involuntarily twitch.

Jack, entangled in golden chains, almost instantly lost her ability to resist. Her head hung weakly, while her breath became extremely feeble as if all her strength had been drained.

"Be careful, Saber! Those chains have the effect of nullifying magical energy!"

Rich combat experience immediately made Kairi realize the horror of these chains. Though Servants seemed physical, they were fundamentally magical energy entities. If they were bound by these chains and unable to break free, they would completely dissipate!

Who could it be? Someone actually targeting both Assassin of Black and Saber of Red. Which side did they belong to?

As Kairi and Mordred stared gravely at the chains, before long, footsteps echoed in their ears.

*Tap* *Tap* *Tap*

A figure slowly emerged from the shadows.

Looking at the black hair and eyes blending into the night, Kairi's heart rate suddenly increased several times, and a strong shock instantly appeared in his eyes.

'Rider of Black?! It's him?!'

Among the two Servants of Black that had known so far, Rider of Black undoubtedly gave the Red Faction the strongest sense of pressure.

Lancer of Black gained such terrifying power due to the regional bonuses, but Rider of Black, who probably inherited the power of Odin, was an authentic powerful Servant.

"Our situation is not good, Saber. Let's retreat quickly!" Kairi immediately commanded.

Although he didn't know why Rider of Black would attack Assassin of Black who was supposedly on the same side, the threat posed by Rider of Black was much greater!

However, Mordred did not respond to his command at all. She just stood silently in place, like a statue.

After a while, her hoarse voice resounded.

"Why it's you...?"