Part 88: Walpurgis night / Tiger Dojo 9

"Saber, can you go?"


"Yes. I should go alone if it is Caster.
Your judgment is correct."
"All right. We'll defend this place. You can concentrate on beating Caster."



Music: Clashing Souls




"…They're increasing. Twenty, thirty, fortyhey, even if they're weak, that's too many…"


"It's no problem at all. There's no way some fake dragon warrior will be able to beat the incarnation of the dragon. Even a hundred of them would be no match for Saber."

…The sound moves off into the distance.
Perhaps they were slashed away by Saber, but the presence around this place is lessening.

"……"
As Ilya said, it seems Caster's familiars can't stop Saber.
They must not be entering the living room because they have their hands full with Saber.



If Ilya's words are true, the battle will end soon.
Saber won't lose in a one-on-one fight.
As Saber has no need to protect us, she should slash Caster away easily.


"You look depressed. You seem unhappy even though this battle's almost at an end."
"You too, Tohsaka. You look like you don't like this."


"Yeah. …Everything's going too well.
Even if Saber is much stronger than Caster expected, I wonder if Caster would come and attack us without a backup plan."

"……"
…That's right.
Caster came to this mansion willingly.
If Caster knew a Master was here, Caster should also know which Servant is here.
Saber, her natural enemy, is here.
…If Caster comes to attack here in spite of that, that would mean

Music: Stop




"The familiars are still there…?


…!? Shirou, your hand…!"

"Huh?"
I look at my left hand.





What does it mean?
The proof of the contract, the Command Spell, has disappeared.

Music: Whirlpool of Fate 2



What's going on?
Saber should have defeated Caster with no problems.
So why did my Command Spell disappear?
…No, the disappearance of the Command Spell doesn't mean the end of the contract, so I shouldn't panic too much.

The Command Spell is there to control disobedient Servants.
I never needed it with Saber.
So even if it goes away, Saber and I will do just fine.

You're forgetting the most important thing: Saber wants to be ordered around.



…What are they doing?
Saber's coming back, so why do they have to be on guard like that?



…Steps in, holding her chest in pain.

"Saber…!"
I run to her.
"…! Hold on, Shirou…!"
I can't hear Tohsaka's warning.
My only concern is Saber in pain.
"Are you all right, Saber? Where"





I'm slashed from my left shoulder to the waist in a single blow.
The brilliant slash numbs the pain, and that mysterious healing power doesn't work against Saber's sword.





Alas, poor Caster. She would have won if only we didn't have the amazing power of Load State.



Video: Tiger Dojo 9 (mirror)

See if you can catch the mistake towards the beginning.



Music: Ever-present Feeling




Taiga:
G-Good evening, everyone!
This is the Q&A session to help Shirou when he dies easily from a simple mistake, the Tiger Dojo!

Well, the cause of death this time is




Um, I guess the lesson is that you shouldn't let your guard down no matter how dominant your position is.

You're a Master, so you should control Saber's recklessness!


Huh? That's wrong. Saber's the one at fault this time, right?
Falling for Caster's trap proves that she's not concentrating.


I bet she was self-conscious around Shirou and tried to show off. But she ended up killing Shirou herself. Geez, her class has fallen.

Music: Stop






Taiga:
Oh. Awawa, awawawawawa.


They say she's the most powerful, but she hasn't had that many wins. She's also small and lacking in charm as a lady.

Doesn't she seem like a gluttonous power character?


Uh, Ilya-chan, stop, stop.
Saber-chan regrets this. As a samurai, it's not good to be rubbing salt into a wound.


Hm. I see, Bushido is all about sympathy and no love.
…I guess it can't be helped. I'll overlook her clumsiness this time.


But you do have to keep a leash on Saber. Because if you don't do that, in the other dead ends…






That kind of talk isn't permitted! Spoilers aren't good, and you mustn't anger Saber-chan too much!

She can get scary if she gets really pissed off. Somebody almost died after making fun of her.


Oh, you mean in day 13, right?
That was fun…

I thought this was day 13…


Hey Taiga, did you just hear a growling noise?


…? I don't hear anything



Ilya:
Kyaaaa!
What is that!? Something weird is riding on something weird!