Chapter 137: The Holy Sword

Rin had just seen this thing last night, while Lancer and Berserker found the scene painfully familiar, having witnessed it countless times on display screens.

"What is going on?!" Lancer had already learned the intel about the several Masters from Iskandar. Rin, Sakura, and Waver made three; then there was the priest who had changed so much even he no longer recognized him, and Kiritsugu's daughter Illya. Shirou definitely claimed one slot. That left just one spot remaining, yet in his impression, no other student from this academy had summoned a Heroic Spirit. Still, the Heroic Spirit about to appear was evidently an ally. This was good news, but the expression of the Berserker facing Lancer grew increasingly grim. The Master of this Heroic Spirit was none of the other than the very target he had intended to violate just moments ago. If she were summoned, she would undoubtedly use her Command Seals to tear him limb from limb on the spot. Realizing that this place was no longer safe, he took Lancer's heavy blow head-on and fled straight away.

"You won't escape!" This guy had walked right into Lancer's crosshairs and still thought he could run. Although his hopes were high, Lancer was about to show him the harsh reality.

"Draw blade!" There was no cliché background music; Lancer simply slid two katanas into his opposite waist sashes and assumed a drawing stance. Yet quick-draw techniques relied entirely on lightning-fast strikes. Although he had never formally studied it, this attack undoubtedly captured the very essence of the technique. Two deep red flashes of blood slashed through the air, followed immediately by a miserable scream.

Though it did not inflict massive damage, it was enough to obstruct him.

"I ask of you, are you my Master?"

Hearing these familiar words, both Lancer and Berserker felt like crying... though one was emotional at seeing someone he hadn't seen in a long time, while the other was filled with despair at knowing his doom was virtually sealed.

Rin had witnessed the entire sequence of events. The opponent was clearly not the Heroic Spirit of this summoning. Although she had only just arrived, her cleverness allowed her to deduce a great deal from the scene: the reason Lancer had rushed over, a weapon on the ground clearly modified by magecraft, and the lingering presence of her own Heroic Spirit upon that weapon. But that was just the baseline; what followed next gave her a profound shock.

She also recognized the girl lying in Ayako's arms. Not only had she met her in childhood, but the girl's nearly saint-like, endlessly obliging personality had earned her numerous supporters at school. However, her almost "magic-grade" natural dark nature and bizarre behavior had prevented any boys from ever succeeding with her. Even so, the fact that she possessed virtually zero discernible magical talent could not be erased. Rin had never once categorized her as a rival. Yet the moment she summoned Saber, Rin felt her worldview collapsing. Although her own Heroic Spirit's attributes were no worse than the Sabers that had appeared previously, his assigned class was nonetheless reputed to be the worst of all: Assassin. This massive contrast threatened to shatter her very convictions.

"Are you the one who harmed my Master?" The familiar voice stirred a trace of excitement in Lancer, but more pressing matters demanded his attention.

He crossed his twin blades once more, aiming at his enemy. Seeing the familiar motion, Artoria wore a slight smile and muttered in a voice only she could hear, "It seems you really have no intention of keeping secrets from me this time." It was impossible to tell what she was lamenting, but undoubtedly, her previously sharp gaze grew piercing once again.

"Damn it!" Berserker nearly wanted to slam his head against a wall. He had just casually tried to flirt with a girl, and that casual flirtation had summoned Saber right out of the air. Yet that wasn't even the unluckiest part—while he couldn't beat her in single combat, he still had some confidence in his ability to run. However, the guy blocking his path had now been confirmed as this iteration of Assassin, and to make matters worse, Assassin's Master was Rin. Rin was unquestionably the best among all the Masters in this Grail War. Trapped between two Heroic Spirits, his chances of escape were practically zero, though this also presented an opportunity.

"Beep, beep!" A sharp sound rang out. While there were no visual pyrotechnics, Lancer guessed that the other party's objective was most likely calling for reinforcements.

"My King, the opponent is an unpardonable criminal, and it appears he has just sent out a distress signal. I request permission to eradicate him with our full strength!" Ignoring the astonished expressions of both his Master and the enemy, Lancer dropped to one knee.

"Granted!" Artoria replied calmly, leaning on the holy sword enshrouded by the Wind King Barrier.

Lancer answered, "Your will is the direction of our blades."

"Your time is up!" This time, facing Berserker directly, Lancer made him feel a faint sense of wrongness, though he could not quite pinpoint what was amiss.

Forming a circle with his index finger and thumb, Lancer pressed them to his lips. Following a sharp whistle, a high-pitched cry of an eagle echoed from the sky.

If Gawain or Lancelot had appeared this time, things wouldn't have been so troublesome; Lancer only needed to give them a look, and they would have gladly helped him take down the fellow before them. But since Artoria had appeared, Lancer had to maintain appearances—at the very least, he could not ask Artoria to join him in ganging up on an opponent. Still, he called Hakuyou to assist in the coordinated attack.

"Bang!" A gunshot rang out. To everyone's surprise, however, a thin line of blood grazed Lancer's left cheek.

"A bullet faster than sound?" Lancer murmured to himself. By now, the enemy's backup forces had clearly arrived as well. If he pressed the attack by force, the full-scale war might begin prematurely. At the very least, this was not the right time to start a war—not before confirming whether the other Masters and Heroic Spirits belonged to their own faction.

"Still, you won't escape like this!" Although safety and balance prevented him from chasing after the target personally, he still intended to send a small "gift."

"Cursed Crossbow!" Because it was not his Noble Phantasm, releasing it required no special ritual; he only needed to speak its true name. Yet the attributes of this weapon had also changed. The curse originally bound to it had been designed to afflict the wielder of the crossbow bolts, but now, for some reason, the target of the curse had shifted to whoever was struck by the bolt. Fortunately, this was good news.

"Ah!" Though the enemy managed to deflect the arrowhead, this attack was far more than a simple blood-letting. The curse was a conceptual attack; judging by the enemy's miserable scream, he could already guess the outcome.

"Looks like there's a good show to watch this time!" Lancer wore a malicious grin, though he quickly adjusted his expression to maintain his radiant, heroic image.