Swords continuously materialized from nothingness, firing rapidly toward Gudako.
Nura and Mash stepped in front of Gudako, blocking the oncoming swords.
Nura slashed one of the swords away, then glanced at his katana.
It was chipped...
"Mash, just keep blocking. I'll do what any assassin would do," Nura said, then vanished into black and white smoke.
Upon hearing that, Mash immediately buffed shields for all allied Servants.
The Caster summoned two wolves, which instantly charged at the Archer.
The Archer threw aside his massive bow, materializing two yin-yang swords—Kanshou and Bakuya.
Just as the wolves neared him, a puff of smoke appeared behind him, revealing Nura preparing a sneak attack.
Clang!
"!" Nura looked surprised as Archer used Kanshou to stab the wolves in the head, and Bakuya to block Nura's blade.
Archer then kicked Nura forcefully, pushing him back.
A barrage of fireballs launched toward Archer, who swiftly dodged aside.
Mash appeared, attempting to ram into him with force.
Archer stepped on her shield, and just as Nura slashed at him, he leapt high into the air.
He threw Kanshou and Bakuya away, summoned his bow again, and shot three arrows downward. Mash raised her shield to protect Nura.
"Hey, hey! What kind of Archer is this good with swords?!" Olga cried out in confusion, watching him take on three Servants at once.
'Master, I suggest you back away a bit. If this Archer uses an explosive attack, you might get caught in it,' Gudako heard a voice in her mind—Nura's.
"Take this!"
The Caster used rune magic, sending numerous tree roots at Archer to bind him tightly.
Nura and Mash seized the opportunity to attack him simultaneously.
Suddenly, Kanshou and Bakuya appeared from nowhere, targeting both Servants at once.
Mash, lacking experience, couldn't block in time—Nura pushed her aside.
Both short swords slashed across Nura's shoulders, causing him to bleed.
"OH SHEET NURA!!" Gudako clutched her head, shouting in worry.
"A-Are you okay?!" Mash ran up, trying to check his wound.
"Idiot! The enemy's still right in front of us!" Nura warned.
Archer broke free of the roots, formed a sword twisted like an arrow, and fired it at Nura, aiming to finish him off.
Mash used her shield to block, but the sword veered off-course midair.
"What?!"
Nura stood up and blocked it with his katana.
The sword didn't stop—it turned again, targeting Nura once more.
'This isn't looking good,' Nura thought as he blocked it again.
"This guy's actually Satan! This is really not good!!" Olga said, while the Caster broke into a sweat, still using rune magic to bombard Archer.
"LEVEL UUUUUP!!" Gudako suddenly screamed so loudly it startled everyone.
She kept pressing the air repeatedly, and suddenly, Nura felt... different.
Like he was stronger.
He noticed Mash seemed to feel the same.
"NURA AND MASH, I JUST UPGRADED YOU BOTH!"
"Upgrade?? What do you mean by upgrading the two of them??" Olga asked, baffled, looking at Gudako.
Nura realized the pain in his wound was gone.
Not because it had healed—more like… his HP had increased, so what should have been a serious injury wasn't life-threatening anymore.
"Interesting… my Master's got some pretty unique tricks."
Nura vanished again, giving Archer the sense that he hadn't been there at all.
Mash charged at Archer, and although he blocked, he found himself slightly pushed back.
'She's stronger now... Could this be linked to their Master?'
Seeing this, Archer kicked Mash backward.
This time, he set his sights on the red-haired Master below.
Honestly, something about that girl reminded him of that annoying kid with the same hair color, which irritated him a bit.
Whatever. He had to deal with her immediately.
Just as he prepared to attack her, he suddenly realized something was off.
He was always extremely cautious in battle—yet he had forgotten someone...
"Combining the natural abilities of my species with being an Assassin makes my concealment even better than ever, because now..."
Nura appeared from above, ready to slash hard at Archer.
"It can make the enemy completely forget I exist!"
Archer tried to summon Kanshou and Bakuya to block, but it was too late.
Nura slashed deeply into Archer's shoulder, causing blood to spray.
The sword that had been relentlessly targeting Nura returned, this time aiming for the back of his neck.
But the moment it touched him, his entire body turned into smoke.
Over by the Caster, shimmering particles of light began to appear around him.
"Wicker Man!"
A giant made of wood and fire emerged behind the Caster, marching toward Archer.
Mash charged in, aiming to attack from behind.
Nura reappeared, holding his katana in a reverse grip, ready to finish off Archer.
"I am the bone of my sword..."
The pressure radiating from Archer made Mash and Olga break into a cold sweat.
"Steel is my body..."
Nura and the Caster watched seriously, eyes locked on Archer as he raised his hand.
"I have created over a thousand blades..."
His arm lit up, forming a glowing pink flower in the darkness of the cave.
Just as the attack was about to land, Archer opened his mouth—
"Rho Aias!"
***
Saber still vividly remembers that moment—
The moment she was first summoned.
The moment she got to taste delicious food she'd never experienced before.
The moment she felt... like an ordinary woman.
All of it, thanks to her Master.
He and she were from different eras, different ages, and different personalities.
Sometimes, he was a little strange—always saying things like, "I love swords, I love swords so much…"
Yet, there was an unbreakable bond between them.
Was it because he held the sheath of her sword? She wasn't sure.
Was it his ideals? Maybe.
But there was one thing she knew for certain—
Her feelings for him... were blooming.
Not the duty between Servant and Master.
Not the warmth she once held for Shirou as though he were her child.
This was something she had never felt—not even with Guinevere...
Subconsciously... she had come to see her Master as her wife (lol).
The wife she needed... the wife she could be at ease around...
The wife she could show her true emotions to—not as a king, but as herself.
That became even clearer when the two began the mana transfer ritual, with help from another Master.
She wanted to hold him, eat his food again, abandon the burdens she was supposed to carry.
She just wanted... to be happy.
"SABERRRR!!!"
And yet now...
All she could do was helplessly watch as her Master sacrificed his life to save her.
So like him—foolish to an astonishing degree.
How many times had she warned him?
That a Servant's battle was not something he should interfere in?
Even if the enemy wasn't a Servant, a Master sacrificing himself for a Servant was the most foolish thing imaginable.
As she cradled his lifeless body, the one who had made everything go wrong stood before her.
He smiled, saying that if she let the mud of the Holy Grail taint her and protect it, she might be able to use it.
Words from the one who killed her Master—how could she believe them?
And yet... she couldn't bear it.
She didn't want to lose Shirou.
Her hollow golden eyes began to glow, standing alone in the dark cavern.
She would take the Holy Grail—no matter the cost.