harleyscars Chapter 98 The Interrupted Duel
Chapter 98 The Interrupted Duel
At the Weiyuanchuan Wharf, the collision of steel and magic tears through the night wind.
"Clang!!"
Amidst the deafening clang of metal clashing, sparks flew out like dazzling fireworks.
Saber and Lancer crisscrossed rapidly between the containers, each collision creating a violent whirlwind.
"boom!"
The huge blue shipping container next to them was affected by the aftershocks of the two men's fight; the thick steel plate was torn open with a gap several meters long, as if it were thin paper.
However, this seemingly fierce exchange was actually just a test of each other's restraint.
Saber's gaze was fixed on the two spears in Lancer's hands, one long and one short, their shafts wrapped in thick runes that completely blocked the flow of magic.
"Which one is his trump card? Is it the red long spear, or the yellow short spear? Or... both?"
Saber wielded the invisible holy sword while rapidly calculating in his mind.
She will not rashly dispel the Wind King's Barrier until she has figured out the enemy's killing move.
On the other side, Lancer also had a furrowed brow.
"The blade is invisible, and even its length and width cannot be accurately estimated."
Is it some kind of magic that conceals its physical form through the refraction of light, or is the sword itself as invisible as the wind?
He barely managed to parry with his beast-like instincts, but his inability to see through the weapon's form allowed the spearman to maintain a degree of leeway in his attacks.
Meanwhile, on a crane hundreds of meters away from the battlefield, Kiritsugu Emiya coldly surveyed everything through the night vision goggles of his sniper rifle.
As Kiritsugu Emiya moved his gun, he suddenly spotted a figure.
"Maiya, Lancer's Master has been found." Kiritsugu Emiya's cold voice rang out in the headset's communication channel.
"On the roof of the factory building at the ten o'clock position."
Kiritsugu's crosshair locked onto the magician who appeared to have a slicked-back hairstyle in the shadows.
His finger was already on the trigger; one Origin Bullet would instantly end this stalemate between the Servants.
However, just as Kiritsugu was about to take the shot, he suddenly caught a glimpse of an unnatural distortion in the shadows.
A figure wearing a pale skull mask and a black robe hangs like a bird on a steel frame, silently watching the battlefield below.
"...Maiya, hold back." Kiritsugu removed his finger from the trigger.
"A rat has infiltrated. It's an Assassin. Open fire now, or we'll be exposed."
Meanwhile, in the underground workshop of the Tohsaka residence.
With his eyes closed, Kirei Kotomine took in the entire view of the dock through visual sharing with Assassin.
Tokiomi Tohsaka sat on a chair to the side.
"How is the situation, Kirei?"
"Lancer is currently engaged in combat with Saber, and both sides are in a probing phase. In addition, an assassin suspected to be Kiritsugu Emiya has been discovered on a crane in the southeast direction."
Kirei's voice remained flat as always, but when he mentioned Kiritsugu Emiya, his speaking speed changed very slightly.
"Oh? So that man who only knows how to hide in the shadows went too." Tokiomi let out a contemptuous sneer.
"Ignore him, Kirei. Let Assassin continue to lie low. It's not time for us to enter the fray yet."
Let them wear each other down; that's the elegance of magical warfare.
"Understood, teacher."
……
The standoff at the dock was broken by a sudden sound.
"The game is over, Lancer."
An arrogant and shrill male voice came from the dark factory roof.
"That Saber over there is a troublesome character. Take her out immediately! You are permitted to use your Noble Phantasm."
As soon as Kenneth gave the order, the atmosphere on the entire battlefield instantly became extremely tense.
"Understood, my lord."
Lancer chuckled calmly as he tossed aside his yellow pistol.
The runes on the red spear in his hand dissipated, and a chilling killing intent rose from his body.
"Then, Saber, I will take your life next."
Saber gripped the hilt of her sword tightly, her legs sinking slightly. She knew the test was over.
however……
Just as the two were about to launch a thunderous attack.
"Aaaaaaaahhhhh!!!"
With a piercing scream, a charred figure streaked away like a stray meteor.
It crashed down from high above into the very center of the battle between Lancer and Saber in an extremely illogical trajectory!
Boom!!!
The violent impact triggered a small earthquake, causing the hard concrete ground to collapse instantly, and rubble and dust turned into a murky cloud of smoke that shot into the sky.
"Master, watch out!"
Saber reacted extremely quickly, instantly abandoning her attack stance and flashing back to Irisviel's side.
The invisible sword in his hand unleashed a gust of wind, blowing away all the dust that rushed towards him.
Lancer also quickly retreated, his eyes filled with suspicion and uncertainty.
Kiritsugu, Maiya, and Kirei, who were hiding in the shadows and observing through Assassin, were all taken aback at this moment.
There was no warning of magic, no approaching trajectory detected! This person was as if he had been kicked into the battlefield from several kilometers away in an instant!
The smoke and dust gradually dissipated.
In the center of the battlefield, in a crater several meters in diameter, lay a strange man with horribly injured wounds.
He was wearing a tattered, oversized robe, one arm was severed at the root, the cut was charred black, and there was a horrific sword wound on his back that was deep enough to expose the bone.
Five minutes ago.
"You two scumbags take pleasure in slaughtering the innocent and consider defiling life as art!"
Arthur held the Star Sword, which shone with golden light, as the enraged red dragon stormed into the blood-stained living room.
Without any unnecessary words or movements, relying solely on his exceptional attributes and swordsmanship, a golden thread was drawn through the air.
"Whoosh!"
Ryunosuke Uryu, completely absorbed in his "masterpiece," couldn't even manage to turn around.
He only felt a slight chill on his waist, and then his gaze began to tilt uncontrollably.
Ryunosuke's lower body remained firmly in place, but his upper body slid down the cut and fell into a pool of blood with a "plop".
"what?"
Ryunosuke blinked in confusion. He reached out and touched the smooth, mirror-like incision on his waist, watching the warm, bright red blood and internal organs flow out.
"Wow..." His face showed no pain, but instead an extremely obsessed and fanatical smile.
"So... I have such a cool color hidden inside me too..."
With this morbid satisfaction, Ryunosuke smiled and stopped breathing.
"Ah!! Ryunosuke!!"
Caster let out a mournful cry as he managed to twist his body at the last moment, but his entire right arm was still severed by Arthur's sword.
"We just exchanged gifts on our first meeting, and you're leaving me like this!!"
Caster was both shocked and furious. He had intended to help his "best friend," but the other man died too quickly.
"Shut up." Arthur's eyes were cold, and he raised the golden holy sword once more, aiming it at Caster's head.
"Unforgivable! Unforgivable!!"
Caster frantically flipped through the human skin grimoire with his only remaining left hand, and countless sticky, tentacle-like sea monsters surged out of the shadows, trying to stop Arthur's advance.
But it had no effect; the filthy demons melted away the moment they came into contact with the holy sword's light, just as ice melts when it meets fire.
Caster's lifeless eyes darted around violently, and the moment he saw the sword gleaming with holy light, his knowledge allowed him to instantly guess the other party's identity.
"That's... the Holy Sword!"
Caster knew he was no match for a monster of this caliber in melee combat.
He immediately used magic, transforming into a cloud of black mist that smashed through the living room window and fled frantically outside.
Arthur gave chase without hesitation, but his movements were forced to slow down the moment he leaped onto the roof.
This is a residential area, surrounded by apartments where ordinary people live.
If he were to unleash his magic here, the massive aftershocks of that magic would instantly level the entire block, causing hundreds of casualties.
Caster saw through the knight's concerns. Like a gliding bat, he flew high above the residential buildings, using the buildings and civilians as human shields.
Arthur could only grit his teeth and use his amazing agility to leap across the rooftops, wielding the holy sword to deliver extremely precise ordinary slashes.
Golden sword energies swept past the eaves, constantly weakening Caster's defenses.
Caster was in a sorry state during his escape.
Just as Caster was feeling desperate, he inadvertently turned his head high in the sky and glanced toward the dock.
At that moment, a profile was reflected in the magical radiance in the far distance.
A young girl's face with golden hair piled up, emerald green eyes, and a resolute and dignified expression.
Caster's pupils contracted to their maximum size instantly, and his heart almost stopped beating.
At that moment, the fear of being hunted and the thought of Ryunosuke's death were all forgotten.
Only one crazy and obsessive thought remained in his mind.
"Ah... Ahhh!! That's...!"
Caster's face was contorted into a frenzied, weeping expression as he stretched out his only remaining arm in that direction, as if worshipping a god.
"I absolutely cannot mistake her!! Joan of Arc! My saint!!"
He completely abandoned all evasive maneuvers.
Like a moth drawn to a flame, he flew straight and frantically toward the dock at full speed!
"Where do you think you're going, you lunatic?!"
Arthur seized the opportunity, the water tank beneath his feet shattered with a crash, and he leaped high into the air.
Unable to unleash large-scale magical attacks, he channeled all his rage into the blade of the holy sword.
"Don't even think about escaping!!"
An extremely fierce slash was unleashed!
The golden crescent moon traversed hundreds of meters and struck Caster hard in the back.
Caster's multiple layers of fleshy defensive barriers, which he had erected with his last breath, shattered instantly like paper before this pure sword pressure.
"Ahhhhh!"
With a piercing scream, Caster transformed into a burning ball of flesh and plummeted straight towards the battlefield at the dock.
"Cough cough...cough..."
Caster coughed up a mouthful of purplish-black blood from the bottom of the pit.
But he seemed oblivious to the excruciating pain in his back that reached the bone, and also to the horrified stares from Lancer and the magicians hidden in the shadows around him.
He struggled to crawl at the bottom of the pit, desperately digging his remaining left hand into the cracked cement floor, slowly and stubbornly raising his head.
Those bloodshot, bulging eyes, like those of a dead fish, pierced through the swirling dust and fixed intently on the petite figure clad in silver armor.
"Oh... Saint... my Joan of Arc..."