"…Cough."
The academy's grounds lay in absolute ruin. At its center stood the lilac-haired Rider, her form battered and broken, barely clinging to her footing.
As she spat a crimson spray of blood onto the earth, I lowered the blade I had leveled at her throat and spoke.
"…It seems you are at your limit. Yet, considering you have endured this long, you must be a Heroic Spirit of no small renown. Shall we exchange names?"
"How… unexpected…" Rider wheezed, another cough racking her frame. "To think a Berserker… could speak."
"It is nothing. I have simply not allowed my mind to be swallowed by Mad Enhancement. To be drowned in such mindless rage would be a stain upon the title of Hero."
"…For one who speaks so eloquently, you were remarkably silent during our exchange."
"That was due to a foolish Command Spell from my Master, ordering me to hold my tongue while the blades crossed. We are at a lull now, so it matters little. More importantly… your Master seems quite substandard."
"…What is the meaning of that?" Rider asked, her eyes narrowing with a flash of suspicion. I merely shrugged in response to her gaze.
"Nothing profound. I merely felt that while your technique is exceptional, your vessel cannot keep pace with it. Such is the nature of Heroic Spirits in this world, but in your case, the disparity is… egregious."
"....."
She remained silent, as if the truth of my words had pierced deeper than any blade. Perhaps I had struck too close to the heart of the matter? No matter. We were enemies, after all.
"Now, let us resume. You seem to have recovered enough to die on your feet."
"…So, you noticed?"
"Of course. I am bound by my own Master's whims, but I would be a poor excuse for a knight if I failed to notice an enemy stalling for time while I spoke. Now then…"
Let us bring this to its conclusion.
I lunged once more. Rider snapped her head back, the edge of my sword whistling mere inches from her throat as she evaded the lethal stroke.
Simultaneously, she unleashed a soaring kick. I raised my hand, parrying the strike with the back of my palm, before catching her ankle in a vice-like grip and hurling her across the yard.
Rider rebounded off the earth with feline grace, regaining her footing instantly. In a flash of silver, she lunged, driving a massive iron stake toward my heart.
I caught the weapon bare-handed. As she swung another kick toward my temple, I blocked with my left forearm and channeled a surge of Prana Burst into my right hand, the one gripping her stake.
Under the crushing pressure of my grip, the iron weapon groaned and shattered into fragments. Even as her armament disintegrated, Rider showed no hesitation, throwing a desperate punch.
I tilted my head, letting the blow graze the air, before seizing her by the throat and slamming her into the cold stone of the pavement.
"—Gugh…!"
The impact forced a final, agonizing gasp from her lungs. She tried to force herself up once more, her movements sluggish and weighted with leaden fatigue.
The wounds were too deep. She collapsed back onto the earth. I raised my blade high above her prone form.
It had been a somewhat diverting engagement.
As I brought the sword down for the killing blow, Rider closed her eyes, sensing the shadow of her looming doom.
But before the steel could bite into flesh, she vanished. My blade struck only empty air and the shattered remains of the concrete.
"…Hmm?"
I stared at the empty space where she had been a heartbeat before. A realization dawned on me in the silence.
"…She was pulled back by a Command Spell."
No doubt her Master, fearing the loss of his Servant, had invoked the absolute authority of the seal to summon her away from the threshold of death.
In the end, it was a hollow victory. A pity—it would have been more efficient to cull her here, ensuring the balance of this war shifted in our favor.
Still, forcing the enemy to expend one of their three absolute commands was a modest consolation. Unsummoning my blade, I adjusted my civilian attire and began the trek back to the Einzbern castle.
**
"…You useless, wretched Servant!"
Slap!
The battered Rider's head snapped to the side as her Master's palm connected with her face.
A flicker of a grimace crossed her features, but her Master paid it no heed, his face contorted in a sneer as he continued his verbal assault.
"Not only did you gorge yourself on my magical energy, but you forced me to waste a Command Spell! How do you intend to atone for this!"
".....I am… deeply sorry."
"Shut up!"
Crash!
He hurled his glass at her. It shattered against her brow, the remaining water soaking into her hair. Though fury flared behind her eyes, she was bound by the laws of the summoning, unable to strike back. She simply bowed her head lower.
"…I shall be more cautious henceforth."
"Dammit! Most of the prana we gathered has been drained by your failure… We have no choice but to accelerate the schedule. Rider, we activate the Bounded Field tomorrow."
"…Understood."
*
At the Emiya Estate, Artoria stood watch, awaiting Shirou's return. It was then she felt a presence approaching the gates.
The footsteps came to a halt just outside. Sensing this, Artoria tensed her frame, her eyes fixed upon the door with wary focus.
Knock, knock.*
Hearing the rhythmic sound, Artoria cautiously opened the door a fraction, her body positioned to react to any sudden malice.
"…Who is—Rin?"
"…Haha. Good evening, Saber."
Standing there was Rin Tohsaka, the Master of Archer and a classmate of Shirou's. Artoria's confusion was momentary, replaced by a sharp note of alarm as she noticed the unconscious boy draped over the magus's shoulder.
"…Why has Shirou collapsed?"
"Haha… Look, before I explain, can we just head inside first?"
"....."
The thought occurred to Artoria that Tohsaka might have been the aggressor, but if that were the case, she would hardly have bothered to carry him home. Moreover, standing in the open was a risk she could not allow. Artoria gave a stiff nod.
"…Enter."
"Thanks, Saber."
They stepped inside. After Rin had settled Shirou onto his futon in his room, she followed Artoria back to the living room.
Artoria sat in a composed, formal manner. As Rin took her seat opposite her, Artoria opened her eyes, which had been closed in meditation.
"…Will you tell me now? What has happened to my Master?"
"…Well…"
Rin recounted the events at the school: the confrontation with Shirou, the sudden screams of students, and their encounter with Berserker.
"…And so, with Berserker's assistance, we were able to escape the academy grounds safely."
"I see."
The mention of Berserker brought a complex swirl of emotions to Artoria's expression, but she nodded slowly, accepting the account.
"…I must thank you for bringing him home, Rin."
"Don't mention it."
Artoria saw Rin to the door. Before she departed into the night, Rin turned back to the King of Knights.
"—Oh, right, Saber. Regarding the Bounded Field… Could you tell Emiya-kun to meet me on the school roof tomorrow?"
"Understood. I shall relay the message."
Rin turned and walked away from the estate. Artoria remained for a moment before heading back inside. Walking through the quiet corridor toward the living room, a soft glow from above caught her attention.
She looked up. A full moon, pale and luminous, hung suspended in the heavens. For a long while, Artoria stood in the silence, gazing at the distant moon without a single word.
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