Siegfried studied the man before him, his expression serious and disciplined.
Even with the absolute protection of the [Armor of Fafnir], he was not a man who allowed himself the luxury of arrogance. He never underestimated an opponent, regardless of their apparent strength.
He had already witnessed the unknown Servant's "teleportation" during the earlier stage of the battle. The underlying logic of the technique remained a mystery, so Siegfried chose to wait, his greatsword held in a neutral guard, refusing to commit to an opening move.
"..."
Seeing that his opponent wasn't going to recklessly charge in, Minato didn't rush his assault either.
The clash between Madara and Karna had effectively leveled the local terrain, erasing most of the [Flying Thunder God] seals Minato had meticulously placed earlier. Currently, the only complete marker within his immediate reach was the one beneath his own feet.
If he wanted to utilize his full mobility in this fight, he would need to start 'laying the groundwork' all over again.
WHOOSH!!
Minato reached into his pouch and drew a three-pronged kunai, hurling it toward Siegfried with pinpoint accuracy.
"!"
In Siegfried's vision, the single "dark weapon" flying toward his face suddenly multiplied by the dozens.
[Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu]!
CLANG!
Siegfried's greatsword, [Balmung], flared with a faint blue magical energy. With a series of precise, blurring sweeps, he batted aside the storm of projectiles.
THUD!
The kunai were knocked from the air, embedding themselves into the scorched earth around him.
In that exact microsecond, Minato's silhouette appeared directly in front of Siegfried's face.
SHROOM!!
A sphere of spiraling blue energy manifested in Minato's palm. He slammed the [Rasengan] directly into Siegfried's exposed chest.
"What?"
The Dragon-Blooded Knight had zero time to dodge. The sheer velocity of the transition was staggering, and the method of the "shift" still defied his comprehension.
BOOM!!
The [Rasengan] connected with perfect precision, the rotational force grinding against Siegfried's body and blasting him backward.
SLIDE!
Siegfried's boots plowed deep furrows into the earth as he was skidded back dozens of yards, his heavy frame finally coming to a halt.
"..."
Despite the successful hit, Minato didn't relax.
Against a normal ninja, a direct [Rasengan] to the torso would have ended the fight instantly. But these Servants were a different breed. They possessed Noble Phantasms and defensive layers that transcended human logic. Minato was far too experienced to believe a single blow would be enough.
CRACKLE!
Siegfried slowly pushed himself up from the ground. Minato's eyes narrowed as he focused on the spot where the [Rasengan] had struck.
"!"
The exposed skin of Siegfried's chest bore only a faint, superficial mark. Forget a lethal wound,the attack hadn't even managed to qualify as a graze.
"I see. You are using those strange formulas on your weapons as anchors for your movement."
Noticing the faint geometric seal that had been etched onto his chest during the impact, Siegfried quickly deduced the principle behind Minato's "teleportation."
Before he could even finish speaking, Minato was in his face again, his speed even greater than before. A kunai was gripped in a reverse hold, aimed directly at Siegfried's throat.
To Minato's surprise, Siegfried didn't even attempt to evade. Instead, he swung his massive greatsword toward Minato's left flank, a counterattack designed to trade a lethal blow for a lethal blow.
PST!
Minato didn't hesitate. At the exact moment the kunai's tip touched Siegfried's Adam's apple, his silhouette vanished in a flash of yellow light.
SWISH!
The greatsword cut through empty air, missing its mark by a fraction of an inch.
'He has absolute confidence in his speed, and his situational awareness is flawless,' Siegfried thought. 'If his reaction had been a millisecond slower, I would have won.'
[Balmung] would have effortlessly torn through the man's body. Siegfried was certain of his own lethality. But the enemy had calculated the exact window of opportunity, striking and then retreating with a perfect, hair-trigger response.
He had delivered the attack and escaped the counter in a single, seamless motion.
'A kunai to the throat won't work either?'
Minato stood several yards away, his brow furrowing as he noticed a small tear in his cloak near his armpit,the only result of Siegfried's counter.
He was certain his kunai should have punctured the man's windpipe. Yet, the opponent had taken zero damage and countered with terrifying efficiency.
The [Rasengan] couldn't hurt him. A blade to the throat was ignored. Minato realized he was facing a target with an overwhelmingly high level of passive defense.
'It's just like our Lancer...'
Having seen Karna's legendary damage reduction and self-healing, Minato knew that facing a similar opponent was a tactical nightmare. Short of using a high-level sealing technique to restrain the enemy's movements, he had very few options for a direct kill.
Maybe he should try a [Rasengan] to the head?
'He's already noticed the problem with the [Flying Thunder God] markers,' Minato analyzed.
'Executing another surprise attack won't be as easy. I need to find another way to close the distance.'
After a moment of deliberation, Minato decided to continue his reconnaissance. But this time, he didn't charge directly. Instead, he began moving toward the kunai that were scattered across the battlefield.
Each one of those kunai carried the [Flying Thunder God] seal.
"!"
Sensing Minato's shift to the flank, Siegfried swung his greatsword. A wave of blue magical energy erupted from the blade like a physical shockwave, scouring the ground.
FLASH!
The attack hit nothing. Minato vanished again, reappearing even faster at another marker.
'This is getting troublesome...'
Siegfried looked at the "dark weapons" littering the area, realizing the tactical disadvantage those small items imposed.
'Based on his operating principle, he's almost certainly an Assassin.'
He had identified the Class, but the True Name remained a mystery. Among the legends he knew, none possessed such a terrifying degree of mobility.
If he couldn't neutralize the "teleportation," there was no point in even releasing his Noble Phantasm. At this speed, he could never hope to aim or land a hit.
"Ha!"
To avoid being cornered, Siegfried swung his greatsword in a wide circle. A surge of magical energy physically pulverized and blew away every kunai in his immediate vicinity.
Minato understood the move, but he didn't try to stop it. Approaching that level of raw mana output would only get him blasted back.
But as the dust from the shockwave settled, Siegfried noticed something strange. There were now two opponents standing on opposite sides of him.
'A clone Noble Phantasm?'
Studying the two Minatos, Siegfried shifted into a more defensive stance.
The first Minato teleported directly in front of him, another swirling blue sphere in his hand. Siegfried immediately launched a lightning-fast horizontal slash.
SHOO!
POOF!
The blade cut through the Minato in front of him, but the man dissolved into a cloud of white smoke.
"!"
The sound of something whistling through the air behind him made Siegfried realize his mistake.
'The front was a feint!'
He saw a small stone falling toward the ground behind him,an item Minato must have been holding and tossed just before the [Shadow Clone] was struck.
"[Rasengan]!"
Minato appeared at the stone's position, slamming the [Rasengan] directly into the back of Siegfried's head.
BOOM!!
The impact was even more violent than the first. Siegfried was sent flying face-first into the dirt, his body tumbling and spinning from the force. It was a brutal, undignified landing.
"Did it work?"
Minato watched the fallen knight, his expression tense. He was certain he had hit the crown of the head. With the destructive power of a [Rasengan], no human,or even a normal Servant,should have been able to walk away from that unscathed.
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]