Part 48: Absence of Saber / Intermission

"…aw, son of aguess it's time to clean the futon again."

"…What… my chest, hurts"
It feels like my heart is hot.
No, it's more like forcibly having heat driven into my heart from outside.

"From outside…?"
A small doubt.
Before I think what it could be, my body starts to run.

Music: Footsteps of Destruction



"She's not here. Don't tell me she…"
No, it has to be.
If she's not here, shemust have gone to Ryudou Temple by herself…!

"Idiot, why…!? You're not fully healed, so why!?"

I'm so angry it gives me a headache.
Why doesn't she obey me?
I didn't say I don't want to fight.
I just…



Didn't want her to be hurt like that…!

…still zero.

"Kuh!"
Nothing will happen sitting here.
I have to hurry to Ryudou Temple.
I can't let Saber fight alone.
No, who knows what good I'll be even if I go there, but there should be something I'm able to do…!



Hear that, girls? Shirou wants you all to just meekly obey the menfolk.





Music: Lightning Swordsman

Video: Sword and Katana (RN) (mirror)











The session of more than a few dozen blows does not change the positions of the two.
Assassin, positioned above, does not retreat even a step,
and Saber, trying to ascend the stairs, is unable to draw nearer and uselessly wastes time and spirit.







No, it isn't as simple as defending.
If Saber's sword is lightning, Assassin's sword is a hurricane.
Even though it does not match Saber in speed or power, its elastic tracks parry Saber's every blow.
And the counter increases speed and flows toward Saber's neck like a strong wind.

















"Kuh!"
The charge stops.
Her sword won't make it in time against his sword's counter-attack.
She steps back, knowing the only way she can avoid it is to retreat.



Is that contradiction because of Assassin's skill or the unfavorable position of attacking someone on higher ground?
Without a definite answer, she avoids the sword pursuing her and parries the point trying to pierce her neck.







When she notices, she has retreated a few more steps.
It's such a long sword.
It should be easy to go inside on him once she has parried it away once, but she somehow cannot manage to do so.



The enemy's excellent skill and the definitely disadvantageous ground.
Saber bites her lips, thinking she would not have this much trouble with that longsword on flat ground.



Assassin does not move.
For him, this is only a battle of defense.
He has no need to chase the retreating Saber without reason nor forsake his advantage of higher ground.



"…Hmm. I believe this is the first time you've even seen a katana, is it not?
My sword is a heresy, and it will slice the head of one of average skill. I am happy you have blocked this much, Saber."







"What? It cannot be that this is the end. That invisible sword is not just mere show, is it not?"



"Hah, quit your impudent talk!"



The sword and the katana crash.
"All right, I am correct…!"





The longsword stops in empty space.
Assassin smiles and looks at his sword blocking the invisible sword, parries her sword, and



Saber defends herself from the blow to her neck.



That is why Assassin does not follow through too much.
As he does not know how long Saber's sword is, it is too dangerous for Assassin to close in on Saber.
If Assassin ever goes to attack Saber, that will be when

"Hah…!"

Saber tries to smash Assassin's head.
That blow…

…Is perfectly dodged by Assassin, who merely retreats a bit.



"…All right, I see it now. The blade is roughly three Shaku (ninety centimeters) long and four sun (twelve centimeters) wide. The shape is… hmmm… like your name, Saber, it is a typical western sword."
He talks calmly but it does not even need to be said how good his judgment is.
Saber's blows are too fast to perceive even if the sword can be seen.
But not only does he defend against the invisible sword, but he has figured out its shape

"I cannot believe it. You have measured my sword without using any magic nor exchanging blows with me."

"Oh, are you surprised? But this is just a street performance. As I am an unorthodox sword-user, I only improve on such techniques."



"I see. It was your way of fighting not to meet any of my blows, but parry them. I see the term unorthodox comes from how much of a coward you are."

You tell him, girl!



"HaNo, no. Forgive my rudeness in not locking blades with you.
I have this longsword. It will break if I fight off your sword. It must be your style to compete in power, but I cannot do so. I cannot lock blades with you and compete strength with you."





"The Katana is always such a sword.
Western swords cut with their weight and power.
But our blades cut with speed and technique.
It is no wonder our fighting styles are mismatched, is it not?"



Now is a good time, Saber. Stop hiding your true powers."
"…Assassin, are you saying I am going easy on you?"



"Are you saying you are not? I do not know your intentions, but you are taking me lightly fighting with your sheath on. Are you telling me that I am not worthy to fight seriously?"





"What?"



To relinquish his advantage of being overhead is the same as losing for Assassin.
Assassin is certainly a skilled swordsman, but that is only with the conditions of these geographical features.



But Assassin would know this as well.
So why?

Music: Nightmare



"Be ready. Or you will die, Saber."
Saber's instincts react to that voice.
He's telling the truth.
It is not advantageous at all for Saber that Assassin has come down.
The instincts that have got her through numerous battles warn her of her misunderstanding.



Video: Tsubame Gaeshi (RN) (mirror)









"Fu"
There's about three meters of distance between them.
With Saber trying to charge in, Assassin stands ready.
That…



…Is a stance that the swordsman has not yet shown in this battle.



"Secret technique"
Saber charges in.
The longsword is useless now.
As long as she's inside its range, its length will backfire.
But.



"Tsubame-Gaeshi"
Such logic does not exist with this swordsman.





The lightning strikes.
An evil strike that attacks with speed overwhelming Saber!







She moves her attacking sword into defense, and she repels Assassin's full-power attack…!

"Got it…!"
Even Assassin will have an opening if that attack is repelled.
In the small instant where she tries to slice Assassin's stomach…

"Ah"



In that instant, Saber trusts her instincts and rolls down the stone steps.

Music: Stop







"Oh. You have dodged my secret technique. As expected of Saber, you are unlike the swallow."

"I do not believe it. That cannot be…"
"No, it is nothing much. It is just something I thought of when considering how to hit swallows."

"Hah, that's nothing compared to my secret technique for pulling the wings off a fly!"

He raises his longsword a little.
As ifto trace the movement of the technique that inspired fear in Saber.



"Can you see it, Saber?
Swallows avoid the sword by feeling the wind. It does not matter how fast your sword is. You cannot swing a sword without shaking the air, correct? The swallows feel this shaking and change their direction of flight.
So no one could kill the swallows with one blow, no matter what kind of blow it was. A sword is only a straight line after all. It is only natural for it to be unable to apprehend the swallow, which can move vertically and horizontally."



Use one blow to attack the swallow and use your second blow to catch the escaping swallow as it reads the wind.



But they are fast. The second blow cannot come in time with this longsword. If I wanted to get the swallows, I would have to do both attacks at about the same time. But such a thing is beyond human abilities.
I accepted such a thing was impossible, but







"Multi-dimensional refraction phenomenon… Kishua Zelretch… A Servant that has reached the level of a Noble Phantasm with mere skill"

They eventually explain what this means, but not until the very end of Heaven's Feel.

That fact is what should be admired.
That one blow made it clear.
Sasaki Kojirou does not have a Noble Phantasm like heroic spirits have.
He has only his demonic technique, made possible by his god-like skill.
It is impossiblebut this mere human is equal to heroic spirits armed with Noble Phantasms!







Music: Stop

No, unlike Gae Bolg, that allows you to find a countermeasure once you find out it will go for the heart, there are no possible counters for Assassin's secret technique even when you know about it.

Because Gae Bolg is so easy to dodge, right?

If there is a countermeasure, it is only not to let him use it.
To beat it, she must attack him with her strongest blow before Assassin uses that technique



"…I see. Certainly, you are not someone I can go easy on."
She lowers her arms.
She lowers her sword as if to stick it into the ground. She glares at Assassin, who is approaching her.
"Hm…? So you are finally ready to do so?"



Assassin stops descending the steps and readies himself for a certain kill.
Saber looks at him bravely.
"I too have no complaints.
Will you be able to take my attack, Servant Assassin…!?"



Saber releases her own restraints.

The air shakes.
As if acting in response to her will, the sword erupts with a massive amount of wind.

"Mm!"
Assassin retreats a bit.
It is only natural as the wind pressure released from Saber is extraordinary.
Not only Assassin, but even the large firm trees of the forest are shaking and creaking.



It is a flow of wind like an explosion.
The trapped air is released and explodes outward.
This raging wind that would easily blow away a normal person is coming out from Saber's sword.









That is the power of her sword.
"Invisible Air" is a sword that has wind sealed in it.
The sword that covers itself in compressed wind changes the refraction of light to make it look invisible.
So this phenomenon occurs once the wind is released.
The released wind seeks escape and emits itself chaotically into the surroundings.





In that instant.
It is the commanding magic of the sword that allows her to freely manipulate the raging wind.
With Saber possessing incredible amounts of magical energy, she should be able to hold this boundary field for a few minutes.
As proof, her sword is still invisible even though she has already released this much wind.

I can't help but giggle the way they keep repeating that. Yes, I am 4.







…aw, screw you, game.



Transparency: B+
Clear and serene. A barrier that nullifies mental intervention. Since he is not an assassin, he cannot use the Assassin Ability, Presence Concealment, but he can conceal his presence as a master of martial arts.

Knowledge of Foremost Harmony: B
A special ability that prevents reduction of the effectiveness of an attack, no matter how many times it is used against the same opponent. Attacks will not be perceived by the enemy.