Drip...
Splurt!
Spraying blood splattered on the ground like ocean waves. Saber and Kenshin left different injuries on each other.
But...
"Cough, cough..."
Collapsing on the ground, Kenshin knew that in this round of exchange...
He lost.
That "Sword of Promised Victory"... the opponent deliberately released it to lure him into close quarters.
"Assassin..."
"Your swordsmanship and footwork are quite formidable, especially having improved in such a short period."
"But you have a fatal flaw..."
lying on the ground, he could vaguely turn his head to see Saber half-kneeling, covering her wound.
'Flaw?'
He vaguely remembered this word being said to him by his master four or five years ago when practicing swordsmanship on the mountain. He didn't expect to hear an enemy say this word to him again now.
The opponent's emerald green pupils were trembling slightly. That was a gaze of pity...
"You must have been walking on the path of an Asura, constantly slaying enemies, right?"
"It is truly incredible that despite killing so many people, one can still feel that 'goodness' still exists in you."
An assassin whose heart hadn't collapsed or twisted was truly rare.
"I remember a certain country describing assassins like this..."
"Dead Men (Death Soldiers)."
Vaguely grasping part of the knowledge, Kenshin panted, knowing what the opponent meant.
"You are simply the embodiment of that."
"In every battle, I could feel your sharp killing techniques."
" solely in terms of swordsmanship and footwork, you are above me, a King. In close combat, you should have occupied the advantage no matter what."
"But now, you lost to me..."
"You didn't lose due to the gap in weapons, nor did you lose due to the gap in 'technique'..."
Standing up shakily, Saber stood up even after taking a hit. That blood-stained figure was so upright and tenacious.
"You lost to that self of yours that had no will to live!"
Hearing the last sentence, Kenshin's pupils contracted violently.
'Shinta... you just have to think about how to live on...'
'Must live...'
Even his breathing became uneven; his thoughts returned to that distant past.
Kenshin had only learned part of the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu from Hiko Seijuro before descending the mountain alone.
Disregarding his master's objection...
And what welcomed him was...
A turbulent era... a bloody storm of slaughter... deceit and treachery...
In that kind of world, what was needed was powerful strength and a cold heart.
Will to survive?
When he became a manslayer, Kenshin had already discarded it. If he feared death, he would have been killed long ago.
Precisely because of this "coldness" of slaughtering enemies without fearing death, he had lived until today.
And now, for the first time, someone said the reason for his defeat was actually caused by "not fearing death."
"Every attack is focused on slaying the enemy..."
"Every move gives the opponent no chance to breathe..."
Continuing to speak, Saber spoke slowly.
"You won't even try to dodge attacks that would cause minor injuries..."
"For unavoidable troublesome attacks, you figure out a way to trade injuries with the opponent."
"If you can trade an injury for the enemy's death, you won't consider the consequences."
"Killing countless people, you don't even cherish your own life anymore!"
Exposing what happened in the moment of their exchange just now, Saber was also glad she succeeded. Facing such a god-speed and "death-defying" swordsman, all Saber could do was try her best to survive.
Fortunately, she did it.
She slightly avoided Kenshin's fatal sword edge, only receiving a heavy injury.
Conversely, Kenshin didn't dodge her strike, resulting in receiving a fatal blow.
"You should cherish yourself more..."
"If you die, you can't do anything."
Considering it an acknowledgment of him all this time, Saber looked at Kenshin, who was lying on the ground still bleeding, and said.
"Can you tell me your name?"
Finally, Saber looked at this Assassin whose magical energy had begun to fade and asked that question. They had fought without knowing each other, but she still didn't know his name.
"Himura... Ken... shin!"
"I will remember your name."
"Cough, cough!"
Hearing Saber's words, Kenshin slowly closed his eyes.
Perhaps encountering so-called "death" for the first time, Kenshin's mind was inexplicably complex.
'Is this death?'
He really hadn't ever considered what would happen if he died.
Descending the mountain naively relying on a burst of hot blood, welcoming a cold, dark era.
And finding a "companion" on that pitch-black road with great difficulty, only to have it destroyed in one fell swoop.
Himself, who came here "bewitched," was finally about to lose his life here too.
Saber, Archer, Berserker, Rider, Lancer, Caster...
Including those various Masters, he had witnessed quite a few rare things.
What a pity, the life of Hitokiri Battousai ends here.
He was ultimately just as Saber said...
Possessing a huge flaw.
The will to live on...
That was indeed something he had abandoned.
Failed to see Master one last time... he was filled with regret.
"Sorry..."
"Could not... save... you..."
Hearing Assassin's sorrowful tone, what entered Saber's vision was his body dissipating like light particles floating towards the sky, leaving not even blood behind.
The only thing lying there was her long-lost sheath!
Assassin, Himura Kenshin! Retired!
...
"Hey! Rider, Assassin lost!"
Waver watched this scene and immediately spoke to Lelouch beside him.
"Tch, did things go against our wishes?"
"It seems Saber's will to live was stronger."
Not expecting such a result, Lelouch always felt it was not very smooth.
Although from the perspective of superficial alliance, he should be happy.
"Please do not worry... Your Majesty."
"The defeat of a Servant alone has no impact."
"My son, Kirei, will definitely complete the mission."
Standing aside and bowing, Risei Kotomine said in a deep voice.
"True. As long as he can kill Kiritsugu Emiya, it doesn't matter who wins between Saber and Assassin."
"But... the situation over here seems very bad too?"
Switching the perspective of the familiars, they watched the battle between the other Masters.
...
Bang! Bang! Bang!!!
"Prepared so fully... is this your answer?"
Looking at his formidable enemy pointing a gun at him from afar, Kirei Kotomine spoke.
His right leg had been shot and he couldn't stand or walk, only relying on one leg and his hands to move; this was a considerably difficult situation for him.
Kiritsugu Emiya, on the other hand, had blood seeping from the corner of his mouth and was panting heavily; his condition wasn't very good either.
He didn't plan to come here to die this time...
Naturally, he used as many means against Kirei Kotomine as he had.
Fortunately, the situation was very good now; he found an opportunity to shoot the opponent's right leg earlier, restricting his mobility.
Next, as long as he didn't give the opponent a chance to get close, relying on the convenience of firearms, he could drag the opponent to death.
'Still have 12 rounds of normal bullets...'
'Two grenades...'
'Enough!'
Making such a judgment, Kiritsugu Emiya already had a way to kill the opponent.
PS: Does anyone remember the "Living Towards Death (E)" skill revealed in Kenshin's Servant settings earlier? Well, actually, from that setting, one can see that subsequently, Kenshin would almost certainly lose against those Servants strong in close combat. Kenshin in this period, apart from killing, really didn't possess the "belief to survive." So Saber detected this through previous contact and actively engaged him in close quarters to trade injuries. One can only say that as an enemy, Saber indeed saw through his weakness as a manslayer. This time Kenshin lost to his "immature" period; next time might not be certain.