"So... what do we do now?"
The group was hiding behind a large rock, sneaking glances at a girl in black armor radiating a terrifying aura.
"Is she... King Arthur?" Olga turned to look at her.
The armor was covered in blood, exuding an overwhelming murderous intent.
And there was a hamburger in her mouth, which she was happily chewing.
"She doesn't look like it at all. It'd be more believable if you said she was Morgan—"
Suddenly, a piece of tomato flew straight at Olga's head. She turned around and saw Saber staring at her.
...Did she just spit that tomato from her mouth onto my head?
"She's seen us, but she's not doing anything? Does she have some kind of plan?" Mash asked nervously, while Caster and Nura observed closely.
"She looks familiar..." Nura scratched her head, staring.
"Familiar? Have you met her before?" Gudako asked.
"No, Master. I just remember meeting someone with a similar face, but with different hair and eye colors."
Saber watched the group chattering behind the rock without charging at them, starting to lose her patience.
Should I just kill them all here? Only Caster is left. If I take him out now, the Holy Grail will be mine.
Hmph... Shirou, wait for me.
"Alright, Mash! We need to build a wall!"
"Huh? Why is Senpai quoting President Trump?"
"It's not a quote! I need your shield to be as tough as a wall! Go, Mash! I choose you!" Gudako kicked Mash forward, causing her to scream and face-plant into the dirt right in front of Saber.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING, FUJIMARU?!" Olga panicked, grabbing Gudako by the collar, while Fou angrily jumped up and kicked Gudako in the face.
Mash stood up, trembling under Saber's emotionless gaze.
Saber looked at Mash's shield, intrigued.
"Ho? You're using Galahad's shield?"
"Eh?"
"Let's see if you have the strength to bear the responsibility of that shield." Saber raised her sword, emanating an overwhelming presence.
Seeing Saber unleash her terrifying power, the two Servants felt it was a bad idea to let Mash face her alone.
"Master, I suggest pulling Mash back. She doesn't stand a chance against Saber," Nura warned.
"No need to worry."
Gudako looked at them all, smiling confidently.
"I believe the power of our friendship is enough to tame Baeber! Mash at level 30 is enough to bring Baeber down to 1 HP, and that's our chance!"
"..."
Master, I think you're playing the wrong game. This isn't Pokémon.
"SENPAI, SAVE MEEEE!"
Mash cowered behind her shield as Saber relentlessly slashed at it.
Saber then kicked the shield away, sending Mash flying and kicking her repeatedly like a soccer ball.
"SENPAIIII!" Mash's tears streamed down as she was launched into the air, tortured in a new way.
"Well, that didn't last as long as I thought. What do I expect from a 3-star meat shield?" Gudako scratched her head, watching Mash with no trace of concern on her face.
She should be added to the Chaotic Evil list, Olga thought, sweating in fear at Gudako's indifference.
"Can we go save her now?" Nura asked, and Gudako nodded immediately.
Right after, Saber sensed a barrage of fireballs hurtling toward her.
She kicked Mash away and deflected the flames with her sword.
But then she felt someone behind her, preparing to strike.
"Hmph, child's play!"
She spun her sword, creating a gust of wind that repelled both the flames and Nura, pushing them far back.
Immediately after, Saber lunged at Nura and slashed.
But her sword passed through Nura, and she noticed part of his body had turned into strange black-and-white smoke.
Saber narrowed her eyes, reversed her grip on the sword, and aimed it behind her.
"Mana Burst!"
There it was—classic Saber, blasting beams as expected.
Her sword unleashed a surge of black-red energy backward, followed by the sound of spilling blood.
She turned around, watching the smoke dissipate to reveal Nura clutching a wound.
There was a hole in the left side of Nura's abdomen, bleeding profusely.
"Facing an enemy with instincts sharper than a beast is my weakness, you know?" Nura said with a strained smile, sweating slightly.
Great. His innate yokai regeneration was working far too slowly. If Saber landed another hit, he'd be done for.
Saber raised her sword, radiating terrifying energy from the blade.
Suddenly, roots wrapped around her legs, and two wolves lunged at her shoulders, aiming to bite.
With a casual swing of her sword, she killed both wolves in one strike.
Nura seized the moment, gripping his katana and aiming a slash at Saber's face.
Clang!
His hands trembled from the impact as his blade met Saber's. She swiftly kicked him in the stomach.
Another cloud of smoke—Nura vanished again, and Saber's patience was wearing thin.
Whatever. That guy's already badly injured. I'll deal with Caster first.
Her gaze shifted to Caster, who was hiding behind the rock.
Mana enveloped her sword, allowing her to cleave through the rock shielding Caster.
Caster rolled to the side, infusing his staff with rune magic and hurling it at Saber.
Saber deflected the staff, but it looped back toward her.
Caster drew a magic circle on the ground, and another appeared beneath Saber, exploding instantly.
"Not done yet!"
He activated another rune, summoning a whirlwind at Saber's position, combining it with flames to create a firestorm.
The staff returned to his hand as he watched the raging inferno.
Well, that didn't last long.
From within the firestorm, Saber's silhouette emerged like a shadow, walking forward effortlessly.
"Heh, what a monster," Caster muttered.
Saber stepped out of the flames, brushing embers off her armor and glaring at Caster.
"Even with your Master dead, you still fight? Quite the loyal dog."
"You're not the first to call me that," Caster replied.
The two locked eyes, Caster sweating nervously.
His Noble Phantasm wasn't ready yet, and he needed someone to hold Saber off.
Mash? She was unconscious and too inexperienced to handle Saber.
So... who else was there?
Wait a second...!
Caster suddenly realized he'd almost forgotten someone.
Someone whose stealth was so perfect it made others forget their presence.
And... that someone was right behind Saber.
Saber sensed a presence behind her, realizing she'd overlooked another enemy!
She turned, only to see a man trailing smoke, with black sclera and glowing golden eyes.
He swung his katana at her, and Saber quickly blocked it.
But as she did, the katana slid along her blade, and he delivered a 180-degree kick to her stomach.
Saber caught his leg in a vice-like grip, ready to swing her sword at Nura.
Nura, feeling the tight hold on his leg, resorted to his only option.
Slash!
Saber's eyes widened as Nura severed his own leg.
She looked up, only to be struck across one eye by Nura's powerful slash from above.
"HOLY HELL, NURA! YOU'RE DOWN TO A SLIVER OF HP!" Gudako screamed, utterly terrified.
Saber staggered back, touching her wounded eye and glaring at Nura.
"Sacrificing a leg—was it worth it?"
Nura, balancing on one leg, grinned.
"Of course not. Sacrificing one thing for another is something I absolutely hate. I'd rather take everything."
"And yet you did it?" Saber glared at him.
Uh-oh, she's pissed.
"Hmph, you're too strong, so I had no choice. Besides, Caster's our main attacker."
Suddenly, flames erupted all around, spreading behind Nura.
Caster tore off his cloak, raising his staff.
"WICKER MAN!"
"When did Caster charge his Noble Phantasm?!" Olga's jaw dropped.
"Oh, I just used a Command Spell," Gudako said, pointing at herself with an innocent look.
A massive wooden figure wreathed in flames charged toward Saber.
Saber gripped her sword tightly and raised it.
"EXCALIBUR—"
Her sword radiated an overwhelming aura, with terrifying mana surging around her.
"MORGANNNNN!!!"
"Wait, Morgan?" Nura's eyes widened, confused.
"NURA! WHY ARE YOU STANDING THERE?! RUN!"
In an instant, the Wicker Man charging at Saber was cleaved in two.
A massive explosion engulfed Fuyuki.
"WAKE UP, MASH!" Gudako frantically slapped Mash's face while Olga prayed, crying, with Fou beside her.
Mash opened her eyes, seeing her Senpai in a panic.
"What's wrong, Senpai?"
"LOOK!"
Mash sat up, following Gudako's pointing finger.
Oh, an explosion was heading straight for them...
WHAT?!
"USE YOUR NP, QUICK!"
"AHHHH! LORD CHALDEA!"
A shimmering blue wall appeared, blocking the explosion.
And then, everything went white...