"Understood, my Master."
Lancer suddenly switched to a respectful tone in his reply, simultaneously changing his stance.
He casually threw the short spear in his left hand to the ground, and the runes on the long spear in Lancer's right hand were slowly undone.
That was a deep crimson spear. The spearhead was entwined with a magical power completely different from before, like an ominous mirage.
Actually, Rin had wanted to complain about Saber from the beginning; they had been fighting for so long, yet she still hadn't recognized Lancer's identity. Long and short double spears, a mole of love – how could she not think of Diarmuid? It's a shame you two are both from the Celtic mythology series; do you have to be stabbed by Lancer to recognize him?
Saber, you need to brush up on your mythological history. Consider this next stab a lesson.
"Berserker, your king is about to suffer a loss."
"Scars are a warrior's glory. My King will not be easily defeated."
"Heh, you certainly have a lot of confidence in your king."
Lancer held the spear with both hands, letting out a series of low growls. Saber also lowered her stance, more cautiously predicting Lancer's movements.
Their silence intensified the tension. They moved slowly, searching for each other's weaknesses. Lancer was the first to strike.
Compared to the dazzling and varied moves he had displayed before, this straightforward attack even felt clumsy. It was as if he hadn't predicted Saber's next move, no, he didn't even intend to defend against her counterattack.
Saber, as expected, deftly blocked the incoming spear with her sword. But this spear, which should have been harmless—
Centered on the clashing spear and sword, a whirlwind erupted without any warning.
"Ah?!"
Saber cried out in surprise, retreating three steps. Lancer, however, had a calm expression, with no intention of pursuing her. To Irisviel, nothing had happened at all.
It was just a gust of wind, only for an instant, and there was no other magical power. But the question was where this wind came from, because it clearly wasn't caused by the spear in Lancer's hand.
However, Saber was the only one who felt surprised. Lancer smiled, scoffing at her astonishment.
"Your sword is exposed."
Lancer, whispering triumphantly, and Saber, silent and bewildered. Only these two parties understood the reason for this, oh, and Rin and Lancelot.
The moment the spear and sword clashed, the Wind King Barrier that concealed the sword's invisibility was torn apart! A dazzling golden sword body, and in that instant, the afterimage of a golden sword appeared, flickering.
The Red Rose for Exorcising Demons, a noble phantasm against magic that Rin had projected countless times. The runic inscription on the red demonic spear meant: yew, binding, gift, fertility, and god of war. It was a sharp long spear that could nullify defenses made of magical power. Its attacks were especially effective against armor woven from magical power, and magical enhancements or additional abilities applied to weapons would lose all their effects upon contact with this spear. This was a "noble phantasm killer" spear that could only be defended against by physical means. However, it could not affect established contracts, curses, or completed magical effects.
It could be said to be the absolute bane of barrier noble phantasms like the Wind King Barrier.
Unfortunately, Saber hadn't discovered the secret of that red spear. Rin now had an impulse to jump down, grab Saber's cowlick, and tell her: Don't you have any observation or associative ability?! You've been fighting like this and still haven't figured out who he is?!
Unfortunately, Saber couldn't hear Rin's inner roar. During the continuous attacks, Saber discovered a flaw in her opponent. Even if a crude and straightforward attack wasn't blocked, as long as she could dodge it, the hardness of her armor could still defend against his attack. This was an excellent opportunity for a counterattack.
At least it looked that way... Saber, with decisive action, immediately turned her sword to stab Lancer's shoulder, ignoring the spear tip that grazed her flank—
Blood splattered. The crimson spear blade easily cut into Saber's bright silver armor, which was woven with magical power. Saber, adapting quickly, rolled to the side and retreated rapidly. The situation could only be described as a close call. Lancer's spear, however, was stained with blood, and it was obvious whose blood it was.
Saber, who had narrowly escaped Lancer's pursuit, immediately stood up to continue restraining her opponent, but the painful expression on her face was impossible to hide.
Rin couldn't help but pat her forehead, feeling that Saber's quick wit and intelligence during her duel with Jalter had completely vanished. It seems that duels between knights really do lower one's IQ!
"...I understand. I know the secret of your spear, Lancer!" Irisviel quickly used magic to heal Saber's injuries. Saber grimly faced the enemy's power, clenching her teeth once more.
The Red Rose for Exorcising Demons's ability only takes effect upon contact with magical power. So, she would sever the magical power in that instant.
Although this noble phantasm's destructive power was ordinary, its ability was quite troublesome. The superiority or inferiority of a Servant's weapon could be said to be determined by its magical power and magical effects.
"You should give up your armor, Saber. Before my spear, you're no different from being naked."
Facing Lancer's mocking words, Saber scoffed at them. To this, Rin felt that this statement had crossed the line from a knight's code of conduct into teasing a young girl and acting like a hooligan!
"If taking off my armor makes you so proud, I'll be very annoyed."
Saber's entire body trembled. The bright silver armor wrapped around her suddenly shattered, and the magical armor plates scattered.
Lancer narrowed his eyes, closely watching Saber's every move.
From breastplate to gauntlets to greaves, not a single piece remained; Saber had automatically removed her armor.
"If I can't defend, then I can only cut you before you cut me. Prepare yourself, Lancer!"
Saber, dressed in a simple casual dress, resumed the battle.
Saber decided to settle the match with a final, all-out strike, regardless of the outcome. Everyone could see her determination on her face.
Removing her armor not only lightened Saber's weight, but the magical power previously used to maintain the armor was also injected into her attacks. For Saber, who possessed the skill to release magical power, this held significant meaning.
This was also why Rin rarely used magical power to form and weave armor. For Rin, who never cared for frontal combat in a knightly style and was more like an assassin aiming for a single fatal blow rather than a warrior, it was more practical to use all magical power for offense rather than defense.
"A final strike, huh? Is this what they call an all-or-nothing gamble?" Lancer said with a nostalgic tone and a satisfied expression, though his words clearly carried tension.
Rin, knowing what was coming next, truly couldn't bear to watch. During her battle with Lancer, Saber made several fatal mistakes:
Firstly, she completely failed to deduce the opponent's true name based on the exposed characteristics. It could be said that the information Lancer revealed before the battle was already sufficient to accurately infer his true name.
Secondly, she didn't immediately understand the effect of the Red Rose for Exorcising Demons when the Wind King Barrier was broken. As a result, she only reacted after suffering a major loss. If it weren't for her own excellent combat skills, that last blow would have been enough to eliminate her.
Next, she was about to make another almost fatal mistake... Converting the disadvantage of being forced to remove her armor into the advantage of discarding it, and using all her Mana for offense—this was Saber's method to deal with the 'demonic spear'.
"I greatly appreciate your courage and decisiveness."
Lancer moved sideways, provocatively, like a matador before a bull.
"But now, I want to say, you miscalculated, Saber."
"Then let's see, say that after you've taken my sword."
Saber charged forward without showing weakness. There, Lancer's long spear could not fully utilize its advantage. If he couldn't keep up with Saber's speed, he would surely die.
Saber watched her opponent's footwork, calculating the timing. It was then that she discovered a flaw in Lancer. He stepped on ground made of sand, which must have been blown up from the asphalt road. Lancer's leg sank into the sand, and his movement stopped.
Saber had no intention of letting this opportunity slip.
A violent explosion shook the air. The previously invisible golden holy sword was now shining intensely in the night sky.
This was the second effect of the Wind King Barrier. The moment the Barrier was released, the wind would burst forth with extreme propulsion like a powerful thruster. Saber had also used it during her battle with Jalter.
The unleashed gale pushed Saber from behind. Because she used all her Mana to release Mana Burst, the instantly accelerating Saber rushed towards Lancer like a supersonic cannonball!
At this moment, Saber's speed reached three times her usual, and her high-speed charge, several times the speed of sound, shattered the surrounding atmospheric wall. The shockwave scattered the surrounding rubble and leaves without a trace.
Then, Saber was about to pay the price for her mistake...
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