After a while, a shadow that was so clear that even the rider's eyes could catch it slowly walked out from the depths of the forest. A person, a sword, and an undisguised aura of a Servant.
"Hey. It's Saber, right?"
Facing Red Rider's question, Black Saber Siegfried nodded silently.
"I'm the Red Rider. I'm a rider but I don't ride or anything like that. My weapon is a gun or something. Well, don't worry about it. The riders over there are the same, right? Compared to these—"
Rider declared in a humorous voice. It was as if he was saying: If you want to see my true abilities, all seven of you should come together.
"Is that all right? You think you can be my opponent with just one rider! If you want to defeat me, Red Rider, you have no chance of winning unless you mobilize all your forces, you know?"
That sneering expression was filled with great confidence. Although he did not use his original weapon, he was still full of vigor and great fighting spirit.
However, the one confronting him was none other than the world-famous Siegfried! The hero who had slaughtered the evil dragon Fafner raised his eyes in displeasure. If an ordinary person were to be touched by this murderous intent, their heart would be crushed.
However, even after seeing that expression, Red Rider still accepted it calmly. Even though he was under the heavy pressure of being a hero, he still did not stop smiling provocatively.
That was the murderous intent and hatred he had long been accustomed to. For a hero who was satisfied with just having unique friends and beloved women in the world, this level was like a breeze.
If I had to say it, it was just a difference in the times and the weapons. It was the same as always, no difference. And then I just threw it all away with one word: boring.
This is exactly the lifestyle that Red Rider liked when he was alive.
"Come. Let me engrave the name of a true hero, a true warrior on you."
Hold up the gun.
Instantly, the heavy pressure of fighting spirit collided violently.
If there were an ordinary person at the scene, he would have been driven to collapse by the invisible pressure. But Siegfried, as a brave man, overcame it tenaciously.
Three—The countdown begins.
The forest is vast, surrounded by tall trees that are not suitable for wielding spears or swords.
2. The gradually freezing air is so familiar.
The gun has a more excellent thrusting ability than any other weapon on the scene. As long as he has this "Hero Killer Gun" that can pierce the heart and penetrate the skull with one strike, Red Rider does not think the current situation is unfavorable.
One - the feeling of being on the verge of exploding, as if time has stood still.
Most importantly, as long as he has the support of the world-famous archers, Red Rider's confidence is as solid as a rock.
Zero—everything present was blown away, swept away as an impure existence.
Someone stepped forward and someone raised his weapon.
Siegfried's sword cut through the air like a bolt of lightning, its speed and strength were impeccable.
But Red Rider sneered at Black Saber's fierce attack, and his slender spear drew an arc, easily blocking the greatsword.
"Too tender!!"
Then, he kicked at the same time. That fighting style was not based on etiquette like a knight, but a fighting technique that was thoroughly honed on the battlefield.
Siegfried was unmoved by Rider's kick, and he took it all in with his abdomen, then swung his sword in counterattack.
The attack failed, but Red Rider didn't care. He also used his body to withstand Siegfried's sword and continued the fierce attack.
Both sides were more attacking than defending. In the blink of an eye, guns and swords had hit each other several times. However, neither of them had a single wound on their bodies, and their attacks were basically all negated.
After a dazzling round of attack and defense, the two unrivaled heroes leaped back at the same time.
Red Rider put the gun on his shoulder and showed a ferocious smile that only a warrior could have.
"As expected, Black Saber, you can't be stabbed by a spear. This hardness must be immortal or invincible, just like me."
You said the same thing? Siegfried got back into position, his sword-like eyebrows slightly furrowed.
He has bathed in dragon blood and wears the "Dragon Blood Armor", so he cannot cause damage unless his attack methods are above B-rank. However, if Red Rider uses a treasure, it may be effective.
However, Red Rider had no feeling that his attack would be effective at all - his immortal body was of a different type from his own. It was not a protection that could be broken simply by strong force, but required something more necessary, such as fire, lightning and other attacks with specific directions. Or conditions, such as being in a forest, or being close to the immortal body at night, etc.
No one in this world is completely immortal. Even Heroic Spirits are not beyond the scope of "humanity". Those who are beyond the scope are those who cannot be summoned as Servants in the Holy Grail War, and are out-of-specification beings.
If you don't figure out what kind of immortality Red Rider is, you will have no chance of winning.
Saber made up her mind and changed her sword stance from offense to defense, while raising her eyebrows twice in succession. This was the secret signal Shinji had proposed earlier. Although Siegfried had not said a word, he remembered everything Shinji said that would be useful in the battle.
The code means to keep the troops in place.
As expected of Brother Fei, he has already noticed something is wrong. It's a pity that your Master doesn't have such good eyesight as you.
Shinji, who was lurking nearby with the help of his spirit form and "Breath Blocking" skills, switched two of his treasures to a position where they could be materialized at any time, and quietly approached from behind the Red Rider.
At the same time, Siegfried heard the roar of Master Gold.
"What the hell are you doing, Saber! That guy wasn't even hurt! Noble Phantasm, use it now!"
No! Red Rider hadn't gotten serious yet. The mystery of his invincibility without any injuries had not yet been solved. If my Noble Phantasm could penetrate his defense, it would be fine. If not, it would be equivalent to exposing my true name and weakness.
Even if he was scolded by the Master, he was unwilling to do such a stupid thing and could only ignore the Master's orders.
I hope you understand, Siegfried thought. If it were normal, he would have tried his best to persuade him, but unfortunately he didn't have the time to do so now.
Red Rider was unaware of Siegfried's psychological fluctuations, and continued, "We are both helpless against each other."
"... "
Saber did not intend to speak according to the agreement with the Master. Seeing that he had no reaction, the Red Rider showed a little displeasure on his face.
"What a cold fellow. If you can't laugh on the battlefield, you will forget to laugh in Elysion. This world is so gloomy that it's rotting and festering. So at least you should be happier when you dissipate? Don't you think so?"
—I don't think so. Laughing on the battlefield can sometimes be an insult to the enemy. No, at least there is a risk of others thinking so. Acknowledging each other's strength and laughing together is the joy of enjoying the battle, but laughing in front of a corpse is just pure mockery.
Facing Siegfried who silently expressed his refusal, Red Rider raised a finger and repeated what he had just said:
"It's better to be happy when it dissipates. Didn't I tell you that?"
The next moment, an invisible arrow flew faster than the sound and hit Siegfried's chest.
The Saber that was blown away caused damage to several large trees and fell to the ground, rolling.
◇◇◇
Fiore is becoming more and more satisfied and admires her servant.
To be honest, she was a little wary and dissatisfied with Shinji at first. Whether he really forgot his real name or was lying, it showed that he didn't trust his Master, which made Fiore, who wanted to work together with her Servant, feel doubtful - she was indeed ignorant of the world and lacked common sense, but it didn't mean that she had low emotional intelligence.
After all, she was the next leader of the huge union of the Thousand World Trees, and she had all the qualities that a superior should have. She didn't say it or use the Command Spell to force it because she didn't want to over-force the servant she had just summoned and destroy the relationship she had just established. In this respect, she and Gold were completely at opposite ends of the spectrum.
After Shinji left, she didn't rest as Shinji expected, but was thinking about how to get along with the Servant and how to make him let down his guard. In the intervals of thinking, she would also sense Shinji's position to see if he was exploring the terrain.
The result, of course, was nothing. If they could sense the location across Asia, the Thousand World Tree Clan would not need to rely on the Holy Grail to rebel, and could directly confront the Clock Tower head-on.
However, Fiore did not doubt Shinji because of this. Instead, she thought that this was his ability as an assassin. With a treasure that could cover the panel, it was not unacceptable for him to hide in a hidden position. Moreover, if she, as the master, could not sense it, the enemy would be even less likely to sense it, which was also a manifestation of strength.
It seems that he did not lie about his strength and is indeed very powerful. Perhaps there is something unspeakable about his real name.
Just like that, as both sides took it for granted, the distance between them increased instead of decreased, which is really a strange thing.
With a good start, it will be much easier to get along with each other.
Since then, Fiore has discovered more and more shining points of Shinji, such as his diligence in working overtime at night, his cheerfulness and talkativeness that he can chat with her for an entire afternoon, and his first-class insight into defense loopholes and the true names of servants. And a very important point is that he defeated Corless on the computer, which can help her maintain her sister's dignity.
As they spend more time together and their abilities are revealed, Fiore no longer worries about his real name. She believes that sooner or later she will know, and her trust in Shinji grows.
So much so that when Shinji asked her and Gold to team up to watch the battle in Mirenia Castle, she agreed first and then asked the reason.
"Servants form teams, and Masters also form teams, so that they can fight together - this is the superficial reason."
"What about the deeper ones?"
"I'm afraid Fatty has lost his mind. He and you are two different extremes. You respect me and trust me, but he treats Fei Ge as a puppet and a prop. What's more troublesome is Fatty's self-centered personality. If his opinions conflict with Fei Ge's, he will definitely think that he is right and force Fei Ge to execute - the problem is that in terms of fighting, ten of him cannot beat Fei Ge, so I hope you can stop him when he makes a mistake."
"Uncle Gold is not as exaggerated as you say. Although he is not easy to get along with, he is not a bad person at heart."
"You don't trust my judgment?"
"Yes, but I also believe in myself."
"Then let's wait and see. No matter what the result is, I won't suffer any loss. It would be best if it is as you said. If the situation I mentioned really happens, then it depends on you. As for who has better vision, the answer will be revealed after this battle."
Shinji's smile and confident tone aroused Fiore's fighting spirit. She was a genius that everyone had high hopes for, and geniuses were always unwilling to admit defeat. If she couldn't be inferior to a Servant in combat power, she couldn't be inferior in everything.
"I will definitely win."
"Now what I say doesn't count. How about this, if you win, I'll help you improve your costume, and if I win, you'll make two props for me, how about that?"
"It's a deal!"
"It's a deal."
To Fiore's surprise, her fighting spirit was ruthlessly defeated by reality not long after it arose.
When she heard Gold yell, "What the hell are you doing, Saber! That guy wasn't even hurt! Noble Phantasm, use it now!", she knew she had lost.
Assassin is really awesome.
The girl praised him and began to dissuade Gold.
"Uncle—"