Rin came to a screeching halt.
Are you kidding me? He sent three Servants just to kill me?!
"Just die in peace, little girl from the Tohsaka family!"
Matou Zouken's face curled into a sinister, dark grin, his pitch-black eyes flashing with the satisfaction of success.
The blackened Berserker strode forward and slashed his sword at Rin.
At the moment the massive sword came down, Rin's expression turned dazed.
Ah.
It's over.
The blackened Berserker's greatsword was inches away.
With the strength of the Knight of the Lake, there was no room for her to resist.
In that instant, Rin could clearly see her own death. She could envision herself being cleaved in two, her body lying on the ground in pieces.
The Holy Grail War wasn't over yet. The debts owed by the three founding families hadn't been repaid.
Nor had Roy's favour.
Sorry, there's no time in this life to offer myself in return… looks like I'll have to repay it in my next life—as a beast of burden or something—
"Stop!"
A sharp cry rang out.
A powerful wind blew, and the clash of blades sparked a dazzling light.
Okita Souji forced the blackened Berserker back with one slash, wiping nonexistent sweat from her brow.
"Whew, almost didn't make it!"
If Miss Tohsaka had been sliced in two, her Master would definitely think she was even more useless!
She had to find a way to improve her standing in her Master's eyes!
"…Saber?"
Rin was stunned for a second before she came back to her senses.
Her entire body broke out in a cold sweat, her eyes full of the joy of surviving a deadly crisis.
"Why are you here?"
"My Master saw the commotion here and guessed you might be under attack, so he sent me to assist!"
Okita gripped her sword tightly, her sharp gaze like a blade aimed at the blackened Berserker across from her.
"AAAAAaaaaaaaaaa——————!!!"
The blackened Berserker let out a fierce roar to the heavens.
Then, like a rabid dog, he charged at Okita with reckless abandon.
"Head for the outskirts—my Master is there!"
Okita quickly gave her instructions. Her expression turned cold as she raised her blade and rushed to meet the blackened Berserker head-on.
"Thank you!"
Rin knew there was no time to be sentimental, and after a quick word of gratitude, she turned and dashed toward the city's outskirts.
Zouken was beyond her ability to deal with.
Even if the blackened Saber and Berserker didn't care about his survival, he still had an Assassin. In this kind of situation, reuniting with Roy was the top priority—she had to survive first!
"Why is Saber here?"
Zouken was also surprised by Okita's sudden interference. He clicked his tongue in irritation.
"Did Caster and her Master abandon their duel with that homunculus brat? I deliberately chose this moment to strike, and still, my plans are foiled—how infuriating!"
He had been just one strike away from killing Rin, only to be interrupted. His mood was foul.
Zouken knew that Roy and Rin had formed an alliance—they would undoubtedly protect each other.
That's why he had chosen this time, when Roy was duelling Bazett, to ambush Rin and kill her quickly.
But Roy's Saber had still managed to block his move.
He didn't believe Roy and Saber could have defeated Bazett and Caster in such a short time. They must have noticed something was wrong and temporarily put aside their duel.
Still, no matter. He had three Servants on his side!
"Assassin, go kill that little girl!"
"Understood, Magus."
A shadow flickered nearby.
In the dark, a tattered black cloak fluttered in the wind.
A figure wearing a skull mask moved like a ghost, sending chills down the spine.
Zouken sneered, standing unhurriedly in place, confidence written all over his face.
Among the remaining Servants, they were either blackened or enemies like Lancer and Caster. Assassin was under his control. As long as the still-absent Rider didn't interfere, Rin was as good as dead—there was a 90% chance she wouldn't survive the Assassin's pursuit.
Especially after seeing the Archer being crushed by blackened Saber, and Saber only barely managing to hold off blackened Berserker—he was even more convinced.
"Tohsaka brat… My time is running out. If you want to blame someone, blame yourself for standing in my way!"
Zouken lowered his head, stroking his wrinkled, age-spotted, rough, gray-brown skin exposed from his sleeve. His expression briefly darkened.
This Holy Grail War was his last chance. He had to obtain immortality—fast…
***
Elsewhere.
"Huff… huff…"
Roy, gasping for breath, met up with Rin.
The suburban residential area was less than a mile from the Tohsaka residence. Watching Roy gasp like a bellows, Rin's feelings were a little complicated.
But now wasn't the time for that.
"You called a ceasefire with Bazett, right? Can you hire her and Caster to deal with Zouken and Assassin?"
"But… Caster… is already… gone… hah, ah!"
Roy stared at Rin, his chest heaving like a forge bellows.
"Caster's gone?!"
Rin's voice suddenly shot up several decibels.
Though she hadn't left home, she knew about Roy's duel with Bazett.
She hadn't gone to the scene, not because of any conflict with Roy, but to watch for potential traps from the Mage's Association. Less than a mile's distance—perfect sniping range for Archer.
But the duel had only just begun…How could Caster already be gone?
He and Bazett working together were equivalent to two Servant-level combatants!
"They were strong. I only won by a small margin."
Roy took a few breaths, his lungs finally settling, and answered seriously.
So… he already beat Bazett's team?
You're even more impressive than I thought.
But seriously, couldn't you have been less impressive just this once?
"Miss Magus."
At that moment—
A deep, emotionless voice rang out from behind them.
The ghostly figure with a skull mask leapt effortlessly across rooftops, appearing behind Rin.
He stood atop a slender treetop, steady as if weightless, looking down at the pair below.
"Leading an enemy to your companion while under threat of death—unwise. You'll only endanger your ally."
Roy looked up at the Assassin.
The Assassin class differed from the others. The word itself originated from the Hashshashin—the group led by the Old Man of the Mountain. No holy relic could surpass the power of that original concept. So in a standard Holy Grail War, any summoned Assassin could only belong to that lineage.
Judging by his appearance, the Assassin summoned by Zouken was undoubtedly Hassan of the Cursed Arm.
Rin stood no chance against him.
So then…
Do I have to fight the Servant?
"Please offer up your heads!"
Hassan of the Cursed Arm shouted as he leapt down, dagger in hand, diving toward the two.
Even before reaching them, the wind howled with a piercing shriek.
Rin's expression was grim, with a hint of bitterness.
If the Caster team were still around, maybe they'd have a chance.
But now, it was just two magi—how were they supposed to fight a Servant? Even a third-rate one was out of their league.
***
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