Part 47: Rejection of battle / Elegant moonlight

Music: Whirlpool of Fate 2




"What… are you saying you will not fight either…!?
No way. What was I resting my body for until now!?
Now we know where our enemy is, we have to attack!"

"I know that. But we have to wait, Saber.
If the Master at Ryudou Temple is that careful, there will certainly be a trap. It would be suicidal to go there without any plans.
As Tohsaka says, we should at least wait until Archer is healed."


"Such danger is normal. I have never expected to earn victory without getting hurt.
Even if the enemy traps pierce my body, I can fight as long as I do not give them my neck.
It is enough if we can beat the Master, no matter what injury I bear!"

"Whadon't say such stupid things. It's never okay to get hurt!
It's fine to go knowing the danger, but such a suicidal attack is stupid. …As your Master, I can't let you do something so dangerous."

That's right. Going to the Ryudou Temple is certainly a suicide attack.
There will be some obstacle on the only road heading to the temple.
It's fine to accept that and go, but heading there without any plans is suicidal.
No matter how strong Saber is, she has me as a handicap.
If she pushes herself and fights, and if the result is



It's like the game is trying to give our contest a little send-off.



Look Master, Servants are meant to get hurt.
I will not allow my Master to avoid a fight in fear of that."

"It doesn't matter if you don't allow it. If you're going to push yourself, I'll stop you as many times as necessary.
…If you don't want that, heal yourself quickly. You're not fully healed yet, right?"

"It should not interfere with my fighting ability. There is no need to consider prolonging a battle due to my wound."
Saber's will to fight does not change.

"!"
Geez, why doesn't she understand even after I tell her this much…!?

"Okay, fine. But I can't agree that easily.
You lost to Berserker before! Are you going to push yourself and fight, and get both you and me defeated again!?
Don't kid me, I don't want to be killed that miserably ever again…!"

Music: Stop


""
So.
I thought she would argue right back, but instead, she takes a breath and…


"…Bringing that up is unfair, Shirou."
She says as if apologizing.

"…I'm sorry if I'm being unfair.
But I won't be attacking anyone yet.
I can't just ignore the Master at Ryudou Temple either. But we're in no condition to fight. If we fight like this and lose, who'll stop the Master at Ryudou Temple?"

"Look, we'll be attacking only after your wound is healed and we're in perfect shape. If you have any complaints, go find yourself another Master."





After answering in a quiet voice, Saber falls silent.

…The conversation is over.
Tohsaka has returned to her room and Saber returns to her room as well.

Staying alone in the living room, I really regret what I did.
No, it's too late already.
I could have put it another way, so why…



Why could I only convince her using words that make her look like that?

The position her hand is in looks amazingly uncomfortable. I'm not sure I can even do that.





The clouds are moving.
There is no wind at ground level.
But way up in the sky, the air is roaring and letting the overlapping clouds flow.
"There is some wind."
Maybe she can hear the wind.
Looking up at the wind in the sky, she mutters quietly.





Heavy, hard silver armor.
Her figure covered in blue clothes is not something you can call a girl now.
Impregnable defenses made from magical energy overpowering others,
and an invisible sword, hidden by magical energy beyond human levels.
That figure, said to be invincible on the battlefield, proves their existence to this day.

Even with the invisible sword, her majesty proves that she is an excellent swordsman.
That is why she is Saber.
The one said to have the greatest power of the seven Servants, the hero of the sword.
A knight among knights, true to decorum, and acting on its master's order.
Whatever the other heroic spirits may be, she is an ideal swordsman who will not disobey hey master.

So, uh… about that…

""
But that ends today.
She is hereby disobeying her master's order.
Noshe is not disobeying her master.
She has considered how to make her Master win, and the result of her decision is this.

"He is too easy-going. He will just be killed by another Master like this."
But her Master this time will not be able to fix his personality.
So it will be her role to devote herself to being heartless.
If the Master is not going to fight, his sword will have to fight.





Music: Midnight Interval



There is only one destination. The sacred mountain on the outskirts of town. The Ryudou Temple located on top of it.
Even Saber understands how hard it will be to single-handedly kill the Master at the temple.
As Shirou says, it is obvious she will suffer great injury. In the worst case, she will be the one killed.

But what kind of a Servant would she be if she couldn't do something like this?
The Servant is supported by their superior abilities and the pride that they have built up.
They have pride as heroes and confidence that they are the strongest, who have fought through many battles.
She is a heroic spirit passed down and honored from the ancient times, so defeat will not be acceptable no matter who the enemy is.
No, even imagining defeat is unforgivable.

Even though some childish parts remain, she is no exception.
Because she is crowned with the name Saber, she cannot ignore her pride.
Her pride will not allow her just to observe when faced with an enemy.

Therefore, she will not falter no matter what kind of trap is waiting, and all she can do is challenge by herself.
If they say there is no chance of victory, she will create one with her own sword.
The sword in her hand is a fine sword that has defeated many foes.
As she has the Invisible Air, there is nothing for her to fear.





This is different from the Ryudou Temple she remembers.
The air is stagnant.
The wind is dead.
The ley line of the land is already contaminated.
This place is a land of death.
Once entered, one will not be able to exit alive.

""
But there's no hesitation.
Saber's speed does not drop one bit as she runs up the steps.



They are long stairs.
The temple gate is far away even for Saber, who is running like an arrow.
To run such a long distance without being detected is impossible.
There will certainly be a surprise attack.
The gate should not be easily reached.
But no matter what scheme awaits, the only thing to do is defeat it and advance.



Even if Berserker appears, she will break through it.
That is the product of her determination and confidence.
Saber feels so complete that she can break through any obstacles.

Music: Stop

And at the top.
When she is about to reach the temple gates, that obstacle appears.







"!"
Saber stops.
Even she, determined to beat any enemy, is surprised by this 'enemy'.
A natural motion.
The gallant figure of the man that appears is far too lacking in enmity and unbelievably free of any openings.

"You"
Stopping, Saber readies her invisible sword.
The man with the moon at his back wards off Saber's killing intent as if it were just a light breeze.

"A samurai?"

…in Japan?!

She must be surprised by an opponent she has heard of, but never seen before.
Her second Holy Grail War.
Even for she who has seen many heroic spirits, this is a first for a Servant like this.



Sweat forms on Saber's brow.
Not because of fear, but because it is incomprehensible.

It's not as if there haven't been strange Servants like him before.
There should be no Servant more mysterious and suspicious than Archer from last time.
In comparison to that, the Servant in front of her has no fearful aspects nor a fearful weapon.

…That is why it is strange.
Nothing can be felt from the man.
There is no doubt that he is a Servant, but there is no sense of any magical energy nor a hero's Noble Phantasm.



""
She cannot approach.
It could be said that the range of the man's weapon, the Japanese katana, is hard to judge… but above it, Saber's location is at a disadvantage.



There is about five meters between them.
She would certainly receive that sword before she could run up and rush him.

…But nothing can be felt from that sword.
It should be easy to repel it.
So she should not hesitate and rush in… but Saber instinctively understands she cannot close in without care.



She adjusts her stance slightly and glares at the enemy in front of her.
His identity is unknown, but she should at least determine the class of this samurai.
"…I ask of you. Which Servant are you?"
Saber asks, not expecting an answer.

With a smile,

Music: Premonition of a Storm



The Servant says so as if singing.



"What are you"

"It is rude to ask like that. It is only natural to name oneself before a match, is it not? All the more so if the opponent is a fair one as you are. I would not expect for you to make a face like that."
Assassinthe man who called himself Sasaki Kojirou continues, as if enjoying Saber's confusion.



That this Servant is a swordsman who wielded a katana called Monohoshizao, and was often rumored to have no match in this large world.
No, what would change even if she knew?
His birth is unknown, and even his existence is uncertain.
His story was only told through word of mouth. There should only be one who knows the existence of this swordsman. That being the worthy rival of the rare-skilled swordsman, the one being his only enemy who defeated the man called Sasaki Kojirou.

One cannot call this person a hero.
The Servant AssassinSasaki Kojirou is an existence quite unlike Saber.
What Servant would know the skills of a swordsman who is usually not treated as a hero?



Saber's voice in reply is heavy.
For her, it is too risky to state her true name.
She cannot reveal her true name no matter what torture she receives, and she has no intention of revealing it.
But that is only for the sake of victory.
She cannot disgrace the faith of the knight for such a thing.

"You called yourself Kojirou.
Servant Assassin, I am-"

Music: Stop



"Stop. I see, you are the kind that must introduce yourself in return if given my name.
No, it was I who was rude."
Clank.
Assassin descends the stairs elegantly and confronts Saber.

"I do not intend to know my enemy like that. For us, these swords shall be enough to know our enemies.
Am I wrong, Servant Saber?"
"Wha"

"It should not be that surprising. I do not know what it is you are holding, but the pressure on your body is that of a swordsman.
…Hm, that dazzlingly beautiful aura of swordsmanshipwho else could you be but Saber?"
Another step.
Assassin descends the stairs and directs the point of his sword at Saber.



"I see. Certainly, that is true."
Answering, she readies her sword close to her.

"That is good.
Then let us duel, Saber.
I must see your sword skills said to be the best among all Servants"





The game sure does love blueballing you sometimes. Let's take a look at some status screens:





According to record, Kojirou is from the Echizen-country, and studied under the originator of the Toda style. He favored a long sword, and after defeating his master's younger brother, he named his own style "Ganryu".

After that, he traveled around the country as a master swordsman. It is said that he developed his secret sword technique, Tsubame Gaeshi, which could even kill a flying swallow, around the Nishiki-river in the Suou region. After that, he terrified swordsmen around the country, and battled against Miyamoto Musashi at Funajima to maintain the reputation of the domain he served, dying in the process.

Because of the sword's length, he could not fight while holding onto his sheath, so he threw away his sheath in front of Musashi, and Musashi's quote when he saw that, "Kojirou, you lose" is all too famous.

Miyamoto Musashi was one of Japan's best swordsmen. Sasaki Kojirou is known as Musashi's worthy rival, but his real figure is hazy like the moon on water. While it is said that there was a person like him, we have to say the figure of Sasaki Kojirou passed down to the present is a fictional swordsman.





In a real battle, long range translates directly into advantage. But when you are talking about a sword, it must be admitted that such a length is out of the question. It will be effective in a one-on-one battle, but its length and weight would trouble the user in a large-scale combat. There are no swordsmen able to use this longsword satisfactorily other than Assassin, who has skills surpassing human limitations.