Lancer vs Saber (II)

The raging wind swept through as a figure in silver stood firm, his imposing presence resembling an unyielding tide.

All the observers' gazes unconsciously converged on him, making him, for that fleeting moment, the center of the world.

"That armor..."

Kiritsugu, observing the battlefield through his sniper scope, blinked in surprise. Unsure if it was his imagination, he couldn't shake the feeling that the style of that silver armor bore a striking resemblance to Saber's.

A subtle intuition even arose within him, suggesting that if Saber were summoned under normal circumstances, her armor would likely look like this unknown Servant's.

Kiritsugu wasn't the only one to notice this; other Masters and Servants hidden in the shadows had their eyes subtly flickering, various thoughts swirling in their minds.

Feeling the weighty pressure, Artoria tightened her grip on her black holy sword. In her pale golden eyes that harbored a hidden ruthlessness, a hint of solemnity emerged.

"You are Lancer."

"This is the last warning, Saber." Arkhan casually twirled Black Abyss in his hand. "Tonight, my target isn't you. If you back off now, it's not too late."

Upon hearing his Servant's statement, Kayneth opened his mouth, intending to rebuke, but ultimately remained silent.

"Sure..." Artoria replied with a faint smirk on her mouth. With a step forward, propelled by Mana Burst, she surged towards Arkhan like a black comet. The dark magical energy burned on her sword like flames. "When you're dead, I'll naturally stop!"

The black holy sword, enhanced by A-rank Strength, descended like a colossal axe.

Arkhan, with a B-rank Strength, naturally wouldn't choose to directly confront this attack. He pointed his left foot and turned his body aside, evading Artoria's vertical strike. Simultaneously, Black Abyss in his hand drew a semicircle in the air, swiftly slashing towards her neck like a gliding swan.

*Swish—!!!*

Artoria leaned her upper body backward, narrowly avoiding the tip of the spear by a hair's breadth. Only a few strands of her golden hair floated down as she witnessed the black and profound spearhead pass by her forehead. She seemed to catch a whiff of the scent of death.

She half-turned, planted her foot to stop her backward momentum, and then stomped forward, leveraging the recoil force to pounce ahead. The black holy sword in her hand stabbed straight for his heart.

Seeing this, Arkhan's gaze remained calm as water.

Instead of retreating, he advanced, his deadly Black Abyss thrusting toward the vital point between Artoria's eyebrows.

The length of his spear was nearly twice that of Excalibur; in a head-on clash, she would inevitably be the first to suffer. Faced with no better option, she had to abandon her attack and shift to defense, deflecting the black spear.

"Too slow." Arkhan's tone was calm as he slid forward.

Black Abyss swung out like a storm, leaving indiscernible afterimages, relentlessly aiming for Artoria's vital points.

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

Artoria gritted her teeth, continuously wielding her black holy sword to block his relentless attacks.

Despite her intuition and long-standing combat experience as aids, facing Arkhan's relentless onslaught, she struggled to block his fast attacks. In this condition, her Agility was only at D, and against his A-rank Agility, she was like an easy target.

Though it seemed she was on the defensive, she remained calm. She knew that agile warriors like him usually lacked endurance. With her Endurance at A-rank, she believed that if she could endure, an opportunity would arise.

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

The black holy sword clashed with the black spear, creating a clear and resonant dragon-like sound. Brilliant sparks scattered, magical waves surged, turning into a raging wind that swept in all directions in the not-so-large battlefield.

All Masters watching the battle fell silent.

This kind of battle, transcending reality, was beyond their comprehension. Only now did they deeply feel the gap between heroic spirits and ordinary humans.

"They're like monsters wearing human skin..." Kiritsugu's expression grew slightly serious as he muttered.

He had read the records of the Einzbern family regarding past Holy Grail Wars. Frankly, when he first read those records, he even doubted how much brandy the author had consumed while writing them.

Could such scenes really happen in reality?

He had raised that question, but the Einzbern old man didn't explain much, only saying that he would eventually witness such a scene with his own eyes.

It turned out that experience makes one wiser; he had underestimated these legendary figures who had left their mark on history.

'Dealing with the Masters directly is more practical.' Kiritsugu made a decision.

Unless deploying a truly elite force, ordinary armed militants and mages were no different from paper in front of these beings. Now that Saber and Lancer were entangled, it was the perfect opportunity to execute his plan.

He turned his sniper rifle, aimed at the previously locked position, and looked at the cold blue screen displaying a figure composed of red and orange.

Lancer's Master must have used magecraft to cover his presence. As one of the Lords of the Clock Tower, his expertise in magecraft was undoubtedly top-notch in this Holy Grail War. That was why he could confidently stand there.

However, such methods were ineffective against machines. The Mage Killer, with a calm expression, pulled the trigger.

*Psttt—*

The sniper rifle recoiled slightly and the muffled gunshot was reduced to a low hum by the silencer. The 7.62mm bullet sped through the air at 400 meters per second, heading straight for the target's head.

'It's over...'

Kiritsugu's eyes narrowed slightly as if he had already seen the outcome. A mage unprepared for a sniper shot couldn't withstand it, even if they were a Lord of the Clock Tower. In 0.3 seconds, that head would explode like a firework.

Time seemed to freeze at that moment.

Mercury-like frozen water suddenly surged from Kayneth's feet, forming a silver-white shield, intercepting the bullet that could shatter a lion's head easily.

'How is this possible?!'

The usually composed Mage Killer widened his eyes in shock. This was simply beyond science. With human reaction speed, it was impossible to make a timely and effective response in that situation!

After a brief moment of shock, Kiritsugu quickly regained his composure, and quickly activated 'Time Alter - Double Accel'. With a speed far beyond that of an ordinary human, he retreated with his sniper rifle along the pre-planned route.

One shot failed, flee a thousand miles.

That was the basic skill for an assassin. Lingering in one place only increased the risk of being attacked. If that Lord and his Servant reacted in time, he would truly have no chance of escape.

"Maiya, the operation has failed. Retreat quickly!"

"Understood!"

With that, both of them left their position.