CLANG!
A gale-force wind, as sharp as if it had torn through the sound barrier, lunged directly at Arthur's face. The force blew back his hood, revealing his features. Before his conscious mind could even register the movement, his body reacted, raising the Holy Sword of the Planet to intercept the spear blade.
BOOM!
Arthur was forced back. His supporting foot sank into the ground from the sheer impact, crushing the solid asphalt into a spiderweb of cracks.
Reinforced by magecraft, his strength is already on par with a second-rate Servant, perhaps even slightly beyond... Feeling the force vibrating through his blade, Arthur silently gauged Kamitani Yuu's power. The conclusion left him inwardly shaken.
This was merely the Master's own strength. If one were to account for his actual Servant, it would be equivalent to facing the combat power of two Servants simultaneously. Such an exaggerated combination would undoubtedly be the most troublesome opponent for any other Master in this Holy Grail War.
"I must draw out more information during this exchange."
With that thought, Arthur's expression shifted to one of absolute focus. Deep within his chest, the heart of the Red Dragon—his magical core—began to contract and expand violently, surging strength and prana through his entire body.
The heroic King of Knights took a sharp breath and parried upward, knocking the vermilion demonic spear aside. With a swift flick of his wrist, he brought his sword down in a powerful diagonal slash from the upper right.
Using the recoil from the parried spear, Yuu shifted his center of gravity, twisting his body to evade Arthur's slash. Simultaneously, he pulled his arms back and thrust forward with explosive power, a lightning-fast strike aimed directly at the opening Arthur had exposed.
However, the ahoge on Proto-Saber's head twitched slightly, as if foreseeing the attack. He swung Excalibur in a graceful arc, intercepting the lightning-fast thrust.
In the beginning, both sides might have been testing the waters with measured strikes. But as the battle reached a fever pitch, their silhouettes blurred into light and shadow, clashing at a hyperspeed that the naked eye could not track.
Watching this, Irisviel stood with her lips slightly parted in shock. She knew she was witnessing a brutal duel that typically only occurred in the ancient days before the decline of Mystery. Two heroes, clad in armor and wielding legendary weapons, were fighting with everything they had amidst a storm of steel.
The terrifying prana being unleashed and the searing slipstreams of air left her dazed. If this was merely a clash of cold steel, what was this atmospheric pressure that felt like it would tear everything apart?
Their footsteps shattered the earth with ease. The wind pressure from their weapons sliced through streetlights as if they were made of paper. Irisviel could no longer see their movements; she could only feel the aftershocks. Sheets of metal torn from the warehouse walls swirled past her like crumpled tin foil, and the asphalt of the road was overturned like a plowed field. Looking at the battlefield, one would think a massive earthquake had just struck.
A frantic wind ravaged the deserted shopping district, trampling and destroying everything in its path. A mere melee between these two was enough to level the entire street.
"This is... a battle between Servants..." Irisviel could only watch, frozen, as the fantasy-like scene unfolded.
Elsewhere.
Lancer, Fionn mac Cumhaill, had not had a very... successful hunt today.
Since morning, Fionn had been roaming the streets of Fuyuki searching for other Servants, undisguisedly radiating his presence. Yet, until nightfall, not a single Servant had accepted his silent challenge.
"The enemy Servants must be watching from the shadows. After all, the Holy Grail War hasn't officially begun yet."
Just as he was trying to console himself that there would be no battle tonight, a surge of prana erupted from the warehouse district east of Seaside Park, followed immediately by the powerful auras of two Servants.
"Hm, Servants have begun a battle over there..." Looking toward the warehouses, Fionn gave a wry smile and scratched his head. "So, it was simply my bad luck today."
"Still, to emit such a surging fighting spirit, those two must be famous heroes. Well then, let's go have a look."
Following his Master's instructions, Fionn left his position and hurried toward the park. With his A+ Agility, it took only moments to reach the vicinity. Dropping his spiritualization, he stood atop a tree branch to observe, clearly seeing the two figures locked in combat.
"Oho, though I can't see one of the weapons, judging by the grip, the combatants must be Saber and Lancer, right?"
Watching the intense struggle, Fionn nodded with great interest. "Such heroic figures... I can hardly wait to join in!"
"...Wait... Lancer?"
Realizing something was amiss, Fionn looked down at his own spear, then back at the silver-haired figure in the street wielding the vermilion demonic spear. His expression turned odd.
If the combatant down there was Lancer, then who was he?
"No... it's too hasty to judge a Class solely by the weapon. But to be able to fight Saber to a standstill, perhaps he is Rider or Berserker?" Fionn mused, ruling out the weaker Caster and Assassin classes.
[Lancer... the one fighting Saber is not a true Servant...]
The next moment, his Master's solemn voice echoed through the mental link.
"Not a true Servant? Master, what do you mean?"
Faced with Fionn's confused inquiry, Kayneth fell silent for a moment before responding with a complex tone: "That man is a human Master who has used an unknown method to disguise himself as a Servant..."
"What?!" Fionn was genuinely startled. He hadn't expected anyone in this age of declining Mystery to possess strength that rivaled a Servant.
"However, this is a golden opportunity. Their attention is entirely on each other; they would never expect a sudden attack now."
Through the shared vision of his familiar, Kayneth's gaze turned cold. "Lancer, prepare to move. I authorize the use of your Noble Phantasm. Assist that 'Master' in taking Saber down."
"Though it goes against the fairness and nobility of a knight... if it is your command, Master, I have no choice but to temporarily set aside my glory."
As the leader of the Fianna Knights, Fionn was not like Diarmuid, who struggled between loyalty to his Master and the path of the knight. Even if it contradicted his personal principles, he would choose to follow his Master's orders.
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