Sure enough, Rider and his Master, Shinji Matou, were hiding in the forest, spying on the battle from afar.
The moment Archer was injured and Rin stepped in to treat him, and just as the others were watching Berserker regenerate from his fatal wounds, they ordered Rider to launch a surprise attack.
"You useless Servant! Can't even hide your killing intent, huh?!"
Furious and humiliated, Shinji slammed his fist against a tree, spitting out venomous curses.
"Shinji Matou, so you really decided to side with the Einzbern," Sakura said, raising her hand. A magic wand appeared in her grasp.
"Hehehehe~~" Shinji suddenly burst into a bizarre laugh, like a madman teetering on the edge. "Side with them? Yeah, I did. That Berserker's true name is Heracles. His Noble Phantasm is 'God Hand: The Twelve Labors'. Do you even know what that means?"
He looked down from above at the group keeping a wary eye on Berserker.
"It means he's got twelve lives!" Shinji laughed maniacally. "And no matter what Noble Phantasm you use, once it kills him, the same attack won't work again!"
"What did you say?" Saber exclaimed in disbelief.
"No wonder Saber's attack didn't work," Sakura realized immediately.
Saber had already used that same move to kill Berserker once. After reviving, Berserker had developed resistance to it.
"Heracles..."
As she treated Archer's wounds, Rin also sensed things were turning for the worse.
With both fame and power ranking among the top, it was no wonder Berserker's stats were so absurdly high.
Shinji probably learned Berserker's true name from Perseus. After all, in Greek mythology, Heracles' mother was Perseus' granddaughter.
"Seems like your Servants are pretty capable, managing to take down Heracles." Shinji leaned against a tree. "But now that you're up against both Rider and Berserker, think you can hold out?"
Sakura ignored his taunt and turned slightly to ask her sister, "Can I ask you and Archer to hold off Berserker? Saber, go handle Rider. I'll take care of Shinji Matou."
"Eh?" Rin still looked uneasy.
That guy clearly came prepared for this battle, and she was worried her sister might fall into his trap.
"Not a bad tactic. Once their Master is taken out, even Rider can't keep fighting." Archer was the first to agree with Sakura's strategy. "That said, having me and Rin stall Heracles—"
In a match where Servant fights Servant and Master fights Master, only Sakura had the power to kill the enemy Master.
"Is there a problem, Archer?" Sakura asked.
"We're allowed to kill that guy, right?"
With his left arm fully healed, Archer stood and faced Berserker, ready for an attack at any moment.
"Hey! You've got guts, Archer!" Saber admired his courage and swagger.
Sakura just sighed. "If it's possible, of course I don't mind. But… that kind of talk feels ominous. Please don't overdo it. If we lose our Servants, my sister would have to face Berserker alone—and that's far too dangerous."
From his perch in the tree, Shinji slowly raised his hand, then swung it down.
Taking his command as the signal, Saber dashed toward Rider.
Rin tossed a gem at Berserker to disrupt his assault.
Archer once again projected his twin swords and took position for his tactical role.
Then, Sakura suddenly vanished from where she stood.
"Huh?" Shinji let out a suspicious noise.
Mana gathered behind him.
"Too bad, Shinji Matou. This is where you die."
Sakura's voice was accompanied by crackling lightning and rolling thunder, startling a flock of birds from the trees.
"Master…"
Rider glanced back in concern, but he had no time to spare.
"If you've got time to worry about someone else, worry about yourself first, Rider!"
Saber's blade clashed against Rider's, trying to overpower him.
"…I envy you, Saber," Rider said unexpectedly.
"What?" Saber frowned, not understanding.
"Using Magecraft that doesn't suit you only leads to self-destruction." Rider spoke calmly even as he clashed with Saber with full force. "In that regard, both your Master and Archer's Master are impeccable."
Saber grinned and pushed closer. "What, jealous? It's not too late to surrender, you know. My Master is excellent—bringing in another Servant wouldn't be a problem."
"Sorry, I can't do that." Rider's answer came without hesitation. He suddenly surged with strength and shoved Saber back, sword and all. "Even if my Master's useless, I won't just stand by and watch him bring about his own downfall."
"Nice resolve. So what's next?" Saber asked with a tilted head and a smile.
"I'll defeat you—and everyone else here." Rider's deeply furrowed brow carried a determined, unwavering resolve.
Even Saber had to admit—this enemy was a hero without regrets.
"Then you can die first!"
With a roar, Saber charged in again, swords clashing with Rider's once more.
This time, Rider didn't even have the chance to check on his Master.
Struck by lightning and thunder, Shinji Matou tumbled from the tree, his whole body scorched and smoking as he rolled on the ground in pain.
"You came out of nowhere…" he snarled, glaring at Sakura. "What kind of Magecraft is that…"
"It exists. The path of sorcery is endless. Even I'm only just getting started." Sakura pointed her wand at Shinji again, her voice turning cold. "You keep showing up looking for trouble—I'm running out of patience."
They were enemies in the Holy Grail War anyway. Better to finish him off while she had the chance.
Though she'd never killed anyone in a Magecraft battle, Sakura knew the day would come eventually—Shiomi had made sure she was mentally prepared for it.
So—
"You were just someone tossed out by the Tohsaka family. What's there to be proud of?" Shinji used a tree trunk to haul himself up. "Let me show you the difference between our bloodlines!"
The wind that had been whistling through the forest suddenly grew chaotic, filled with the synchronized fluttering of hundreds of membranous wings. The buzzing was rhythmic yet grating, an unsettling sound that crawled under the skin.
But that was only a side effect.
In a flash, Sakura was surrounded by countless bladed-wing insects swarming out from the forest.
"So that's how it is. Looks like I've walked into a trap." Sakura gave a soft twist of her wand, calmly assessing the situation.
And at the very moment those bladed-wing insects were ordered to attack, a pillar of fire erupted into the sky, engulfing the forest before the castle.
...
(100 Chapters Ahead)
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