Fate: Hero of Justice Takeover

The golden hue briefly illuminated the dim darkness, soon to be overshadowed by the gathered winds.

Only the two participants truly understood the brief, strange phenomenon that had just occurred.

The wind came from Saber's sword… more precisely, from her ability "Invisible Air."

By gathering a large amount of air with magic and binding it around her sword, she could alter the refraction of light, rendering the entire sword invisible. As a Noble Phantasm, it wasn't particularly exaggerated, but it was highly effective in close combat.

Enemies facing Saber would suffer unseen sword strikes, and their attacks would also be deflected by the invisible sword.

Unpredictable, impossible to gauge.

As a result, Lancer, to deal with Saber's sword, could only distance himself, staying out of her attack range. While using elegant spear techniques that flowed like a dance, he appeared to have the upper hand, but it was only superficial. Despite repeatedly confusing Saber with trick moves and weakening her spirit, he also found no chance to land a decisive blow.

However, under Lancer's crimson spear, the Invisible Air's Barrier failed.

The compressed air, which could alter light refraction, dissipated in that instant when the sword clashed with Lancer's spear—unbinding the magical flow that had been holding the wind in place.

In that moment, Lancer glimpsed the true form of the Golden Sword.

"I've seen the blade now. I will no longer be misled by the invisible sword length."

Lancer shouted loudly and immediately thrust his spear.

As mentioned earlier, after mastering the sword's length, Lancer's spear strikes suddenly became more intense and accurate. Saber realized that if she didn't block just one of those strikes, it could lead to fatal damage—so she couldn't simply dodge. She had to spin her sword to deflect every thrust, going into full defence.

The shape of the Golden Sword flickered in flashes.

"Ugh..."

The air pressure leaked out from the "Invisible Air," turning into a continuous rolling gale that fiercely blew through Saber's golden hair. Lancer's red spear was indeed weakening the "Invisible Air." Every time the sword clashed with the approaching spear tip, Saber's once invisible sword would take shape. As the weapons continuously collided, the full form of the Golden Sword gradually revealed itself like frames of an animation.

"But... if it's such spearplay..."

Saber encouraged herself.

If it was a one-handed thrust, it would be a normal spear technique that Saber was used to.

In the battle, Saber keenly detected a gap. Lancer's next strike was aimed at her abdomen, but she didn't block it. The hardness of her armour would be enough to protect her from Lancer's attack.

This was a perfect opportunity for a counterattack.

Without hesitation, Saber turned her sword and thrust it toward Lancer's shoulder, intending to strike him with a single blow, ignoring the spear tip grazing her side.

"Sigh...!"

From afar, on Fuyuki Bridge, two men watching the battle sighed in unison.

It was like a soccer match—if a player makes a terrible shot, even non-fans would lament.

"That was a miscalculation."

"Yeah, sometimes overconfidence is a weakness."

Waver, who had finally recovered, fell into confusion once again after hearing their judgment.

"W-Why?"

With the aid of magic, Weber could barely make out the clash between the Servants.

"Lancer's spear strike did indeed miss the mark, as long as Saber's armour is strong enough, she can counterattack... There was no mistake in her decision, right?"

As his words fell, the two Servants in the magical projection had already passed each other.

At the critical moment, Saber suddenly pulled back her sword and retreated, but it was a bit too late, as Lancer's spearhead had already drawn a few drops of blood.

It was obvious who was bleeding.

Clink!

The sound of two cups clinking echoed as Sakatsuki and Iskandar toasted, using this exciting clash to accompany their drinks. However, the topic shifted elsewhere.

"Did you notice, Rider?"

"Hah, even I didn't expect that. If this were the ancient days, he (Waver) would surely have made a good military strategist."

"Eh, me?"

Waver belatedly realized and pointed at himself, surprised.

"But I clearly made a misjudgment."

"Don't sell yourself short, Waver!"

A giant hand like a mountain slapped his frail shoulder, nearly knocking Waver down.

The red-haired, burly man laughed heartily as he pointed out Waver's oversight.

"Because Lancer's spear doesn't cut the air, it cuts through magic. Anything woven with magic is nullified when it touches that spear."

Hence, Saber's armour, made of magic, was useless against that magic-destroying spear.

On the battlefield, Artoria also reached the same conclusion.

The knight with the appearance of a young girl pressed her side, where the wound had already been healed by Irisviel. She did this to confirm the source of her injury.

There was no scratch on her armour.

But there had been a wound, and Lancer's spearhead was still stained with blood.

Moreover, the "Invisible Air" had ruptured astonishingly—only when the wind barrier collided with Lancer's spear would it tear open.

So the truth was now clear.

"A spear that can nullify magic..."

"Exactly. If you think you can rely on that armour to protect you, Saber, I'd suggest you forget it. In the face of my spear, you're as vulnerable as if you were naked."

Lancer's teasing words made Saber sneer.

"Just because you've removed my armour doesn't mean you've won. I'll have a headache dealing with you."

Now that Saber understood the threat of Lancer's spear, she felt no fear. The situation was still evenly matched.

A crisp, clear breath filled the air, and the silver-blue armour covering Saber's body suddenly scattered like water droplets.

Irisviel gasped in surprise, and Lancer narrowed his eyes in caution.

Saber had voluntarily removed her armour—her chestplate, gauntlets, skirt-shaped armour, and even foot guards—all disappeared. The shattered armour fragments, losing the magical energy that sustained them, vanished like mist.

"Mm, no wonder Saber's average attribute is A. She's an A in this regard too."

Sakatsuki stroked his chin, admiring the stunning figure under the moonlight, his golden eyes gleaming.

"Huh?"

Iskandar, unfamiliar with modern slang, didn't understand.

"This regard? Which regard?"

By the way, this muscular giant's chest would easily rate as B or B+.

"Nothing."

Sakatsuki smiled without elaborating.

"Let's continue watching. This battle is about to reach its final decisive moment."

As though to confirm Sakatsuki's words, Saber, now in light attire and holding her sword low, faced Lancer with a fierce shout.

"Since I can't stop your spear, then I'll kill you before I defend myself. Brace yourself, Lancer!"

Saber took her stance again, lowering her sword and swinging it backwards, positioning herself sideways in front of Lancer. This stance showed she no longer cared about defence; she intended to use all her strength in a rising diagonal slash.

Clearly, she was ready to gamble everything on a single strike to decide the outcome.

"How decisive. Are you planning to end it all with one strike?"

Lancer's expression showed satisfaction, as though he'd seen something he cherished. But there was a clear hint of tension in his voice.

"I admire your courage and decisive determination…"

The agile man moved like a bullfighter, lightly stepping to the side to provoke his opponent.

"But considering the current situation, this is a mistake, Saber."

***

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