Amid the heavy distortion of space, a silver longsword and a pair of black-and-white twin blades slashed upward, clashing with Berserker's massive axe-sword and unleashing a violent shockwave in all directions.
Rin and Sakura, just a few steps away, were nearly swept off their feet.
With their Masters behind them, retreat was not an option.
Saber and Archer moved in unison.
"Get back!"
"Hrah!"
The mana they released surged like red lightning, and the two Servants combined their strength to push back Berserker's strike, narrowly averting a critical blow.
Berserker flipped through the air several times before crashing down onto the open ground in front of the castle, smashing a crater half a person deep.
"——————!!"
He let out a roar filled with primal fury, as mana surged through his body. His gray skin began to glow with an ominous red hue.
Compared to the battle two days ago, Berserker now radiated an even more intense aura of pressure.
"Rin's presence suddenly vanished—I thought it was strange, but I didn't expect this…" Archer muttered bitterly. "Caught by Berserker's Master… I was careless, Rin."
"If that's all it was, then I don't have much to say." Rin took Sakura's hand and slowly backed away from the fight.
Even when supporting a battle, avoiding direct combat was basic Magus common sense.
"They must've used something to bring us here," Saber said through gritted teeth.
"Perseus's bag," Sakura replied.
Archer's eyes widened. "That explains it—no wonder we lost contact so suddenly."
"Wait, are you saying Berserker's Master is working with that smug Rider's Master?" Saber asked.
Sakura shook her head, scanning the area around the castle. "Hard to say. Neither Rider nor his Master have shown themselves."
But aside from Berserker's overwhelming presence, several other auras lurked nearby.
Before they could discuss further, Berserker charged again.
Just like before, Saber took the front line, while Archer supported her from a distance with ranged attacks.
Despite her small frame, Saber's strength matched Berserker blow for blow. Empowered by her crimson mana, she swung her blade with relentless force, even managing to temporarily push Berserker back.
"Saber, don't hold back—just fight with everything you've got," Sakura called out from a distance, gripping her left hand tightly.
"Now you're talking!"
Mordred's battle spirit surged—there was no need to hesitate against an enemy she'd already faced.
The only uncertainty was Berserker's apparent resurrection ability, which seemed tied to his Noble Phantasm.
No matter how many times he was killed, he kept coming back.
Until they could uncover the true nature of his Noble Phantasm, the situation wouldn't improve.
And this time... it didn't look like they'd be able to retreat so easily.
Beyond Berserker, Mordred could sense multiple presences lurking in the dark—and among them, Rider's aura was unmistakably present.
"...As much as I'd like to keep my head up, this really isn't the time to be looking around..." Saber gritted her teeth and let out a strained laugh as she released her mana, intercepting Berserker's strike.
Behind her, Archer's volley of arrows rained down onto the unsteady Berserker—but not a single shot left a mark.
"Hey, hey! Archer, don't tell me you're slacking off! That big guy isn't even scratched!"
Muttering complaints, Saber charged back into melee, continuing her clash with Berserker.
From the rear, Archer lowered his black longbow.
It wasn't that he was holding back—Berserker had simply grown tough enough to shrug off ordinary arrowfire.
"Tch..." Archer couldn't help but respect the brute's resilience.
With no time to overthink it, Saber decided to follow through. Her longsword once again flared with mana.
She hated fighting Berserker.
Not because she couldn't bring him down, but because a Berserker who'd lost his reason was nothing more than a puppet, moving solely at their Master's command.
How could something that merely followed orders stand in her way?
That's why Mordred despised such enemies—and, in some twisted way, was drawn to them too.
She set her sights on Berserker's head.
"Clarent!"
Responding to her emotion, the sword granted to the king, the blade that symbolized royal authority, grew heavy with hatred—and twisted under its weight.
The Knight of Rebellion surged forward like a bullet, unleashing her mana in a single explosive burst. Relying on honed instinct, she dodged Berserker's downward swing, flipped midair, landed atop his axe-sword, and swung down hard at his neck.
Even without invoking its True Name, her mana-enhanced "Clarent" should've dealt a wound on par with their last battle.
But—
Berserker didn't even try to evade it. He just took the strike head-on.
Even without rational thought, Berserker should have retained a combat instinct—an inner sense to guide his body reflexively in battle.
If he didn't dodge, there could only be one reason.
"...What...?" Saber's eyes widened.
It was like her blade struck something tougher than legendary orichalcum. Her attack, aimed at what should have been the weakest point and charged with potent mana, had no effect.
Berserker was completely unscathed.
"Fall back, Saber!"
Archer's voice rang out from behind. His signature black-and-white twin blades were already spinning through the air like boomerangs.
The twin swords soared high above the courtyard of Einzbern Castle, homing in on Berserker.
Saber glanced back and saw that the blades in Archer's hands had changed—now enlarged into long swords bristling with jagged spines.
Charging forward with both blades in hand, Archer held them behind him like a pair of wide, razor-edged wings.
Seeing his intent, Saber stomped hard on the axe-sword Berserker was reaching for, throwing him off-balance, then flipped backward in one smooth motion, passing Archer mid-charge.
"Steel that cleaves mountains! Blade that cuts rivers!" Archer muttered his enhancement chant as he closed in. "Triple-Linked Crane Wings!"
With a fierce snarl, his reinforced blades struck simultaneously with the spinning boomerangs.
While the thrown blades failed to pierce Berserker's monstrous defense, the blades in Archer's hands slashed clean into his shoulder, tearing open a gruesome wound that exposed bone and viscera.
Berserker let out a horrific scream—then detonated in a violent explosion.
In that same instant, Archer abandoned the weapons used to strike and leapt away, retreating to safety and clutching his left arm.
"Pushed too hard for the kill. Looks like I've done a number on my arm..." Archer muttered, gauging the damage.
Berserker's defense was too formidable—he wouldn't go down easily. A change in strategy was inevitable.
Rin, seeing the injury, quickly activated a healing spell through the mana link between Master and Servant, accelerating Archer's recovery.
"Much appreciated, Rin—"
Smiling as he thanked her, Archer suddenly caught a glimpse of a dark silhouette leaping out of the forest—heading straight for Sakura and Rin.
But Saber was just as quick to react.
Rider's bloodlust hadn't escaped her intuition. His sickle-like sword was intercepted in a flash, forcing him back several steps.
"Can't even hide your bloodlust, and you think you can ambush me? Idiot!"
Saber glared at Rider, fury blazing in her eyes.
...
(100 Chapters Ahead)
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