Residential District.
In the pitch-black night, the faint clashing of blades could be heard continuously, making one's hair stand on end. Countless familiars circled in the sky, taking in the full night view of Fuyuki City.
Tohsaka Residence.
Rin Tohsaka was confronting Matou Zouken.
Zouken wasn't dead. Although it was regrettable, it wasn't beyond Rin's expectations.
But thinking about how her family had been kept in the dark for over ten years, and how her sister had suffered immense torment for no reason, Rin could barely hold back her urge to kill him on the spot.
Although she desperately wanted to tear him apart, Rin remained calm—so calm it even frightened herself.
Hearing his so-called "trump card," she became inwardly alert, ready to use a Command Seal at any moment to summon Archer back to protect her.
Thankfully, Roy had given her an additional Command Seal, giving her the leeway to summon her Servant to save her life. Otherwise, with only the one original Command Seal she had, she might have died tonight.
"If you really have a backup plan, why not reveal it now? Otherwise, your Assassin will have to pay the price for your bluffing!"
Rin squinted her eyes, glaring at Zouken with a smile that didn't reach her eyes.
She had another question in mind.
Why did Zouken target her the moment he reappeared after three years? Although it sounded somewhat arrogant, it was Roy and Aozaki Aoko who had destroyed the Matou family three years ago. Why didn't this old undead go after Roy and instead chose to focus on her? Was it because he feared Aozaki Aoko's title as a Magician?
"Hehe, if Assassin dies, this old man would be quite troubled."
Zouken put on a respectfully courteous smile. Even an ordinary person could see through the fake demeanor—so false it made Rin sick.
"Then, let His Majesty the King make her appearance!"
Behind him—
Black mist emerged, a chilling, murderous aura spreading, a coldness so tangible it made one tremble.
A pitch-black figure stepped out, the clatter of armour sharp and piercing.
Fully armoured Black Saber—Artoria Pendragon—appeared before Rin.
"Blackened Saber?! Why is she here?!"
Rin looked at the manifesting Black Saber in disbelief, completely caught off guard.
The repelling barrier around Fuyuki City was still standing outside the city walls. Though damaged, it hadn't vanished. In theory, blackened Servants shouldn't be able to enter!
"Young girl of the Tohsaka family, what do you think this old man has been doing during these three years of disappearance?"
Zouken's sinister and triumphant laughter echoed.
"Fuyuki City's repelling barrier is indeed formidable, but it's by no means the full strength of a Magician. That old man must have had some special considerations. Using the leyline as a mana source? This old man has lived in Fuyuki City for hundreds of years and understands the leyline better than you, an inexperienced little girl, hahaha!"
Rin's expression turned grim.
She silently called out for Archer to return.
At the same time, her mind rapidly processed the situation, more or less understanding Zouken's method and objective.
Rin had become a Magus halfway through her life.
That wasn't entirely accurate—her father, Tokiomi Tohsaka, had already fully organized the Tohsaka family's magecraft before his death. But he had died too early to teach her in person. Over the past ten years, Rin had no choice but to study on her own, growing to this level by sheer effort.
While learning her father's magecraft, she also had to navigate the backstabbing politics of the Mage's Association, all while bearing the guilt of the Three Great Families' immense sins against the world.
Rin was a genius. Her rapid growth over a mere decade proved that. But magecraft was fundamentally about accumulated knowledge. She lacked a teacher and was still too young, leaving too many holes in her skillset.
In a head-on fight, the weakened Matou Zouken would be no match for her. But with his vast experience and knowledge, he struck at her flaws—targeting the repelling barrier. He must have tampered with the leyline and let Black Saber into the city.
No wonder the blackened Saber disappeared after that night. It turned out Zouken had brought her into the city.
Thinking this through, the damage to the repelling barrier might also be his doing.
As proof, the first time the barrier showed damage was on the day the blackened Servant appeared. Zouken had likely planned everything out from the start.
She had suspected that the problem lay with the leyline, but checking the leyline took too much time, and she had postponed it. In the end, Zouken's scheme succeeded—it was a trap destined to work from the beginning.
Now, these two were targeting her—likely for the barrier.
As long as she, the one maintaining the barrier, died, the repelling barrier would be left without a host. Then, Black Saber could rampage into the city effortlessly.
At that point, no one would be able to stop a Black Saber with the Lesser Grail!
"The great King of Britain—stooping so low as to collude with a magus rotten to the core?"
Rin hadn't given up hope. She tried to stall for time while sowing discord.
But Black Saber ignored her completely, silently raising her pitch-black magic sword.
She moved to strike.
It was a simple motion, yet the chilling aura radiating from it made every hair on Rin's body stand on end. The sense of danger shot up her spine.
She raised her hand without hesitation.
Whoosh!
A violent gust of wind suddenly burst forth.
In a blink, Black Saber's figure seemed to jump dimensions, appearing right before Rin.
Clang!
Black and white twin blades crossed in front of her like a shield, blocking the downward strike. A familiar red coat appeared before Rin's eyes.
She let out a breath of relief.
The Command Seal on the back of her hand had clearly lost a stroke.
Though it was a shame to use such a rare Command Seal so quickly, staying alive was more important than anything.
Bang!
But before Rin could even enjoy two seconds of relief—
Red A suddenly bent down, half-kneeling, a look of pain on his face.
He was being crushed under Black Saber's powerful sword, his arms shaking uncontrollably.
"Archer! Put in some effort, will you?!"
Rin shouted while gripping several differently colored gemstones, charging toward Zouken without hesitation.
"You really know... how to make things hard for me!"
Archer's face flushed as he cursed in his mind.
How was a lone Archer supposed to fight a Saber with the Lesser Grail?
This was even more ridiculous than having him solo six lives of Heracles!
But it had come to this. He had no choice but to quickly retreat, creating distance from Black Saber and preparing for a drawn-out fight. Although Black Saber had no interest in him, a barrage of arrows still forced her attention away.
"Hah, little girl—did you really think there was only one blackened Servant left?"
Zouken chuckled lowly, his tone full of eerie menace.
Rin's internal alarm blared.
The next moment, a pitch-black Berserker appeared in the scene and struck at Rin with a sword as fast as lightning.
***
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