Time spent learning magic passed quickly. Days later, during a typical school day, Morpheus followed Rin Tohsaka, using the Holy Grail's spirit form ability to enjoy slacking off in class.
Soon, he sensed an unconcealed surge of mana.
A Servant!
"Morpheus!" Rin called out in her mind.
"I'm here," Morpheus replied, reassuring her.
Hearing his voice, Rin relaxed slightly. She asked mentally, "That's a Servant, right?"
"Yep, a Servant. They're deliberately exposing themselves, likely checking if any participants are at this school," Morpheus confirmed.
He even guessed the mysterious Servant was either Medea or Cú Chulainn... probably Cú Chulainn.
"What's your plan?"
"You're not against me taking them out here?" Rin asked, surprised. "You said it could cause issues for that girl."
"I said we need to wait a bit. I've been preparing lately. Once it's ready, I'll show you the proof."
Rin recalled Morpheus sneaking off whenever he wasn't teaching her magic, doing who-knows-what.
With his Independent Action at EX, her commands barely restrained him. Rin could only tacitly allow his freedom.
By afternoon, school ended. Students joined extracurriculars or clubs. As the school emptied, the main figure finally appeared.
"Oh? Hiding would've been smarter, but you stayed instead of leaving. Feeling confident?" A man in blue, form-fitting armor smirked at Rin, his tone suggesting odd proclivities.
"I am confident," Rin replied, smiling at the blue-clad man. She called softly, "Morpheus."
A trench-coated Morpheus materialized beside her.
"Calling his name directly? But such an ordinary name... I can't even guess your era or identity," The blue Servant said, twirling his hand. A crimson, spiral-shaped spear appeared.
Rin expected Morpheus to draw his bow, but instead, he extended his right hand, summoning a sword.
It was a short sword, about three feet long, clearly single-handed, made of an unknown metal. Its narrow blade made it look like a shrunken greatsword.
Rin stared, then recalled Morpheus's words.
As a magician, he was skilled in close combat!
Was he planning to fight with melee skills?!
But the opponent was a Lancer, and from the limited data Rin could see as a Master, his stats far outclassed Morpheus's!
To fight, he should leverage his Archer abilities for ranged attacks!
Yet, Rin soon noticed something different.
Today, Morpheus's mana was far denser than usual!
"When did he cast magic? This isn't just channeling mana. He said his magic transforms internal mana to trigger external changes. He's definitely using magic, not just boosting strength."
As Rin puzzled, the blue Lancer moved!
In an instant, he accelerated to speeds barely trackable by the human eye. His short-range dash, while subsonic, was too fast for most to react to!
In that moment, his spear thrust, its tip breaking the sound barrier!
The blue warrior grinned, expecting a kill, but his attack was blocked!
"You're a Saber?" The Lancer shouted, launching another flurry of attacks, a storm of strikes aimed at Morpheus.
Morpheus merely smiled, raising his sword to effortlessly parry every blow, even finding time to answer.
"Maybe I'm a magician?"
"Caster? You're joking!" The Lancer paused, then laughed, speeding up his assault. "If you're a Caster, I'll ram my head into a wall!"
His spear gathered immense power, transforming into a crimson meteor piercing the night!
Morpheus's short sword gleamed coldly, also slicing through the dark like a meteor, clashing with the spear.
Boom!
The ground beneath them shattered, cracks spreading. Almost simultaneously, both shifted positions with explosive force, clashing again at blinding speed.
This wasn't their full power... both held back... but the Lancer was still shocked.
He could tell Morpheus was hiding his identity, yet despite being an Archer, he was wielding a sword in close combat and matching him blow for blow!
The Lancer surged his mana, his speed skyrocketing past the sound barrier in under half a second!
The air roared, his spear thrusting faster than his body, channeling all his power to its peak without using his Noble Phantasm!
His Agility was A-rank, his short-range burst unparalleled!
Yet, his attack was blocked, as if Morpheus casually raised his sword. The thin blade withstood his near-full-force strike without bending!
Morpheus's reaction speed surpassed his, executing a defense beyond his expectations!
And he hadn't even used his Archer abilities!
The Lancer took a deep breath, knowing further fighting would force him to reveal his Noble Phantasm. He leaped back, creating distance.
"I'm done. My Master's a coward... if I show my Noble Phantasm, he'll chew me out."
Waving at Morpheus, he added, "Don't die first. I'd be disappointed!"
With that, the Lancer vanished into the air.
Rin stepped forward. "Why didn't you finish him?"
"I didn't have time to create distance."
Rin wanted to argue but held back.
"What? Think my speed was enough to pull back and snipe him with my Archer skills?"
Seeing Morpheus read her mind, Rin nodded. "Yes, that's what I thought. So, give me a reason."
"I realized something. Knowing his identity, I can likely deduce where he's hiding."
"Divination?" Rin nodded, then froze. "Wait, you know his identity?!"
"Yup, figured it out instantly," Morpheus said, revealing the Lancer's identity without hesitation.
"Ireland's Child of Light, Cú Chulainn. That spear is Gáe Bolg, the Spear of Greed. If he unleashes it, it'll be tricky. Best not push him to use it yet."
Rin gaped as Morpheus spilled the Lancer's details like he was reading a database, then sighed. "So, you didn't say it earlier because you feared he'd go all out if he knew you'd identified him?"
"Exactly. I'm considering a lot, unlike you, Master, who only thinks about whether to fight!"
Rin was used to Morpheus's teasing tone and, surprisingly, wasn't annoyed, which made him pout.
"Not even mad? That's boring. Have you built up immunity?"
Morpheus then began repairing the school field, filling cracks with dirt and using magic to mend it, ensuring no corner was missed before vanishing.
"You could've left it... someone would've handled it later."
"Taxpayers' money isn't free, you know."
Rin fell silent, realizing she couldn't outtalk him!
***
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