SentinalSlice: You know, I didn't replace Shirou with Pyrrha for no reason. Indeed, they have many points in common, especially in their combat method (use of magnetism, long-range and short-range attack, and acrobatic combat style). But what make their commonalities interesting are... their differences. And yes, Pyrrha may have a rather violent shock when she wills understand that Archer is Shirou, the one she came to save.
Guest: I have already answered this question. I did not 'choose' the double Origin of Pyrrha, I simply respected the story of Pyrrha and the vision that Monty Oum (her creator) had of her and reasons that motivated her name, her appearance etc... In short, her Origin. And I point out to you that Achilles was not born invincible. His mother Thetis plunged him into the river Styx when he was a child... It was this bath in the river separating the world from the dead from the world of the living that made Achilles invincible. Except that Thetis held the child by the heel and that this area was not transformed. This explains the death of Achilles during the Trojan War since Paris killed him with an arrow shoot at the heel.
More, with Excalibur's scabbard in her, Pyrrha deserves the nickname 'Invincible Girl' more than ever.
Fourth Day
It's not that our path is difficult. It's that the difficulty is our path.
Seneca
Pyrrha cast one last glance at Sakura who had just turned around the corner... almost running in her haste to get away. She turned to Rin Tohsaka.
"Sakura is my best friend. I doubt she deserves to be treated as unfairly as you just did. My house is her house, and I would ask you to remember that I am defending my family."
Rin immediately lost her smile. It was apparent that she had not expected such an aggressive response from the redhead Amazon.
"Pyrrha-san is another reason to keep her away. You should find an excuse for her not to come to your house... at least as long as the Grail War lasts. Pyrrha-san, you're a target. Maybe some Masters already know where you live and could attack while Sakura is at home. Even walking by your side on the street puts her at risk."
The argument seemed to hit the nail. Pyrrha had not forgotten her terror when Lancer attack her house. Nevertheless, this encounter had broken the 'quiet and ordinary day' appearances that this morning had had until then. And - unconsciously - the Invincible Girl reproached Rin that the Grail War had once again burst into her life. The redhead knew herself well enough to know that it was irrational, but that didn't change her emotions. Rin's presence irritated her and Pyrrha response was unambiguous:
"Maybe you're right. But that doesn't change the rudeness of your conduct. Three days ago, we never spoke to each other. What right do you have to decide who we can talk to, Sakura and me?"
The Invincible Girl raised a hand before the Toshaka heiress could open her mouth:
"No need to answer, it wasn't really a question. Next time, think about your behavior before humiliating Sakura in the street. If not, what did you want to talk to me about?"
The change of subject was a relief for Rin. The Red Devil was starting to lose her footing under the reproaches of the Amazon Girl. Fortunately, she was used to 'wearing a mask' hiding her true personality under the guise of a nice family girl, good at school, polite, and reserved. Also, Rin succeeded in responding with a smile:
"In fact, I think we should discuss our alliance against Shinji Matou... which was another reason I wanted to keep Sakura away. Nevertheless, I don't think we can discuss the Grail War on the street. How about we meet on the roof of the main building at noon?"
Pyrrha felt a little uncomfortable, finally understanding the reasons for Tohsaka's insistence on keeping Shinji's sister away from a discussion about their common enemy. And so she said:
"I agree. Now, if you'll excuse me, Tohsaka-san. I have some things to discuss with Saber. We'll see you on the roof at lunch. Mata nochihodo (see you later/see you later)."
Without waiting for the answer, Pyrrha Nikos pressed the pace, moving away from Rin who had just stopped on the pavement, displaying a horrified expression.
Merlin then intervened on the mental link between Pyrrha and Saber:
'You don't have to blame Rin too much. I think she'll think twice before you act so intrusive and disrespectful. I don't think she meant any harm. I already said, and I repeat, 'Miss Perfect' is secretly an airhead. She just didn't think about how Sakura might feel about being dismissed like a maidservant. Rin was just looking forward to seeing you again, she wasn't trying to hurt your friend's feelings, let alone make you angry."
Saber had remained silent throughout the altercation. He sighed mentally... King Arthur had never realized that the world of teenage girls had been caught up to quarrels of precedence that rivaled that of the Court of Camelot where the knights fought to get the king's attention. Ironically, Arthur realized that this comparison made Pyrrha... the queen of the Homurahara Academy.
Rin Tohsaka felt that he had suffered an overwhelming defeat. It's hard to believe that ten minutes earlier, she thought it was a wonderful day and full of possibilities. Now the Tohsaka heiress felt depressed.
She didn't blame the Amazon Girl.
It was all her fault...
Rin could lie to others, but she couldn't lie to herself.
She had not driven Sakura out for her own good or because she did not want to talk about the Grail War near Shinji's sister. No... simply, when she saw Sakura so radiant, so happy to be with Pyrrha, Rin felt violent jealousy.
The Red Magus had therefore earned that Pyrrha Emiya shutting her out.
In this disaster, Tohsaka was only happy with one thing... Archer had not attended.
This arrogant jerk couldn't help but make fun of her like when she undressed Emiya in an alley...
The memory immediately made her blush with embarrassment.
Um... now that Rin thought about it, she was really good at ruining her reputation with the Amazon Girl.
Rin rubbed vigorously her scalp with two hands:
"I screw it again!"
The hereditary curse of the Tohsaka had struck again.
Shinji stood in the alley separating the main building from the dojo. At this hour of the morning sun was behind the building of the archery's club and, therefore, a deep shadow bathed the alley. Almost invisible, especially because he was standing by the porch, Shinji Matou could watch the students enter through the door without being seen.
He had just seen Pyrrha Emiya cross the gate. Well... that was a good start. Nevertheless, he was still waiting, although the Redhead occupies one of the first places on the list of people who had laughed at him. No, everything would be perfect when she was there... He clenched his fists in anger. It was all her fault.
Finally, Rin Tohsaka entered the Homurahara Academy. Matou paid no attention to her sad countenance. In fact, his eyes lingered on her silhouette with particularly unhealthy thoughts were mingled with the desire to humiliate, hatred... and libidinous urges.
Then Shinji smiled. Yes, this haughty bitch was going to pay, he was going to make her crawl and beg. How could she have dared to reject his alliance offer? And as if that were not enough, to humiliate him before Emiya's eyes?! Was not Tohsaka aware of the honor he had bestowed on her?!
He waited for Rin to enter the main building and gave her time to change shoes, climb the stairs. Then Matou entered the dojo.
"Now, Rider!"
In a whirlwind of bluish particles, the blind buxom lady appeared. As always, she wore a kind of short black evening dress closely wrapped around her curvy body. Her long purple hair went down almost to her heels, forming a silk cape more majestic than the sacral adornment of many queens. A mask covered her eyes and a strange sign was drawn on her forehead.
No muscle moved on her face as she reached out to the wall:
"Blood Fort Andromeda!"
The sigil on the partition, hitherto invisible, revealed itself. The magic circle around a blood-pool-like mark immediately began to radiate.
At this moment, streams of red light twisting like snakes sprang from the perimeter of the Homurahara academy. Leaping towards the sky, they came together to form a whirlpool. Suddenly, a gigantic cursed eye opened at the center of the vortex of unleashed energy.
Seen from the outside, the school was now entirely enclosed in a dome of reddish energy delimited by the crawling of the tentacles of light.
Inside the buildings...
The horror had befallen the students and teachers. They lost consciousness, collapsing on their desks or in the corridors. Lying on the ground, they were in the grip of convulsions...
An abominable process had just begun.
For a moment, Pyrrha felt pressure throughout her body, as if thousands of hands had seized her and tried to tear her. Then her Magic Circuits activated... Feeling this energy that wanted to annihilate her, the Invincible Girl drove her away under a flood of Prana that spread through her nerves, muscles, and bones, fighting the evil influence.
Breathless, she leaned against the wall.
As her dizziness subsided, her eyes roamed the classroom, without first realizing what she saw and heard...
The room was bathed in red light. Apart from her, the students were all lying or prostrate, moaning. She then focused on the teenager who had collapsed on her neighbor's desk. His skin... his skin melted! And the process was far from painless given the cries he made.
It was something so horrible... so hideous and so unnatural that her discomfort was swept away by a burst of anger. The urge to vomit receded. Pyrrha turned to the windows overlooking the courtyard. The sky was a pale red, crossed by currents of energy of a darker red.
She remembered... the Sigils... Shinji... a Noble Phantasm who was like a stomach that devoured everyone inside. Shinji... this madman had used the power of his Servant to kill everyone present!
[Saber!]
But only silence answered her call.
[Saber! Come quickly!]
As the silence was total on the mental bond connecting her to her Servant, she focused on the other presence which had imposed himself on the normally exclusive bond between a Master and Servant:
[Merlin?]
There too she got no answer. The Spartan Girl turned to the windows and the translucent dome insulating the school... A Noble Phantasm trapping those insides? Of course, in order for it to be effective, victims had to be prevented from escaping or from being helped from outside. The students and teachers of the Homurahara Academy were prisoners inside a Bounded Field that formed an unbreakable barrier. So the only way out was to defeat Shinji.
Straddling the unconscious people who littered the ground, Pyrrha reached the corridor.
The same horror movie show welcomed her there, except...
Rin Tohsaka was standing in the middle of the hallway, with her eyes fixed on one of the girls one always saw with her. Tohsaka looked at her friend with an expression of horror.
"Rin."
The call from the Invincible Girl startled the Red Magus. However, when Rin turned to Pyrrha, she had already regained her composure. Nevertheless, the expression on her face mingled anger with a steel's hardness :
"This is Shinji making!"
"I already understood that, he must be in the dojo."
"This cursed madman!"
Pyrrha nodded, she had made exactly the same thought. But there was more urgent affair than finding more original insults:
"But I thought that by destroying the other sigils we could prevent the activation of the Bounded Field!"
"It doesn't work exactly like that."
The two young women jumped and turned around at the sound of Shinji's voice.
The blue hair's teenager finished climbing the stairs. He had this little superior smile of an individual perfectly content with himself who used to make Pyrrha want to punch him in the face. Seeing their shocked look, the heir of the Matou passed one hand through his hair, placing the other on his hip. And, as if it were some point of an ordinary school lesson, he corrected the error they had made:
"By destroying the other sigils you prevented the automatic activation of Rider's Noble Phantasm. But it was always possible for her to activate it. Of course, so it has less power... and because of you people here will suffer longer. I am not cruel. I would have preferred that they die quickly. "
Pyrrha breathed in deeply as Rin clenched her fists at the redhead side.
In normal times, the Invincible Girl might have been amazed by Shinji's absolutely egocentric worldview. By what incredible distortion of reasoning had he come to the conclusion that the activation of the Noble Phantasm of his Servant was their fault?
But it was Shinji... a man so arrogant, so self-centered that he could never be wrong. Everything was always the fault of others and he was always the poor persecuted, unjustly attacked.
Shinji Matou was a ridiculous and pathetic little character, quite repugnant. But it was also a Master who used a Servant to avenge what he considered humiliations.
"Shinji, you will immediately order your Servant to dispel this Bounded Field!"
But Shinji turned to Pyrrha and looked at her with a haughty attitude:
"Is that the tone in which you implore my mercy?"
"I don't beg! You must stop this horror before you kill someone!"
The heir of the Matou sniffing in a contemptuous way:
"On the way, I ran into Fujimura... she was trying to get up, still conscious. She asked me to call for help." He laughs. "Dumb trailer trash. Because she grabbed my ankle, I made her let me go with the help of heels"
The anger overwhelmed Pyrrha Nikos. Taiga...
Rin spoke:
"What about your sister? Sakura? She's here too, are you going to let her die?"
Hearing the name of his sister, Shinji's face took on an expression of disgust and contempt:
"Sakura? If she dies, I'll be rid of her. In a Magi house, there's no need for useless children. By becoming a Master, I proved to everyone that I was the true heir of the Matou lineage."
All the blood withdrew from the face of the Tohsaka heiress while her eyes sparkled with anger. Rin cast a brief glance at Pyrrha:
"He is beyond reason. We have no choice."
The redhead Amazon nodded as Rin reached out:
"Gandr!"
The attack caught Shinji by surprise. He raised his arms in a pathetic gesture of defense, uttering a cry worthy of a frightened little girl.
Only none of the black projectiles with red halos touched him. They broke on a steel wall formed by a rotating chain.
Rider had materialized in front of her Master.
Shinji's superior attitude had disappeared. Conscious of having lost face by panicking at the first alert, he was now literally enraged.
He held out a trembling finger to Rin:
"Tohsaka, you will regret it, I will make you pay!"
Yes, in addition to his other faults Shinji Matou rambled...
He turned to Rider, who was waiting in a relaxed pose with her arms beside the body. But before he had time to give his orders, Pyrrha had reacted.
She began to run while reciting her aria:
"Eίμαι σίδηρος
στη μορφή του
το πιο εκλεπτυσμένο"(1)
Passing by the broom closet, the Invincible Girl grabbed it and broke the handle right in front of the brush. Of course, it wasn't Miló, but that's all she could use as a weapon. Just as she had strengthened her body, she reinforced her improvised weapon and the wooden stick seemed to be covered with a layer of silver metal.
A few days earlier, using a three-verse aria would have been a pain. But after her brief clash with Archer and her passage into the world of the dead, her body seemed to have adapted. Her Magic Circuits had barely warmed up and yet her strength and speed were greater than in her attempt to intercept Caladbolg.
Rider leaps forward, reacting to Pyrrha's attack.
For ordinary sense, the meeting of the two women was the equivalent of a single explosion that broke the windows, throwing a rain of glass on the floor of the courtyard.
In fact, Rider and the Invincible Girl had clashed at an incredible speed, exchanging blows, blocking, dodging in limited space. Then the Servant managed to hit her opponent with an overhead kick.
Plunged to the shoulders into a wall, Pyrrha fell to her knees, panting. She had several injuries to her shoulders and arms, and probably several broken ribs.
Rider was a few steps away, holding her nail-shaped dagger in front of her face, she seemed surprised to see that only the tip was covered with blood.
Although Shinji could see nothing of the clash, and the explosion made him shy away, Pyrrha's attack had only aroused his anger.
"Stop playing, Rider, kill her!"
His Servant turned to him:
"I don't understand, Master. I'm trying but... but the blows don't go through her bones."
Already, Pyrrha was straightening up, golden light deaf from her wounds, closing the cuts. Her eagerness to fight did not diminish, she rushed forward, attacking again.
Rider leaped to cling to the ceiling and dropped her dagger held in both hands, aiming at Pyrrha's neck.
However, the Invincible Girl plunged forward and rolls. Straightening up without any unnecessary movement, she turned around and violently punched Rider in the face.
For the first time since the start of the fight, Pyrrha Nikos had managed to strike a blow.
Unfortunately, the effect was not really what she had hoped for. Barely shaken, the Servant threw her chain, which wrapped around her opponent's leg. When she pulled, Pyrrha fell and found herself dragged to the ground. Rider lifted her until the redhead found herself upside down, then, the chain snapped, unfolding so as to project Pyrrha against a ferroconcrete pillar. The impact was violent enough to twist the master beam that supported the structure of the building, shaking the entire building. As the Invincible Girl curled up on the ground, Rider grabbed her by the throat with one hand and watched to judge her reactions. But Pyrrha was groggy, and covered in blood, barely conscious and at least unable to continue the fight. The Servant threw her out the window in an almost nonchalant gesture.
Rin had witnessed the whole scene, without being able to react. When she saw Pyrrha thrown away, the young Magus uttered a cry of horror that made Shinji giggle:
"Well, now that the nuisance is gone, I'll be able to take care of you. When I'm done, you'll have learned respect."
Pyrrha Nikos lay on the ground. After being violently beaten, she had just fallen three stories. A normal human would have died... Just Rider's last attack would have been enough to break all her bones. The chances of survival were the same as being hit by a truck.
But Pyrrha came from Remnant, a world where humans had evolved to fight the threat of the Grimms. All the inhabitants were incredibly strong and robust. Moreover, she had strengthened her bones and muscles with far more Prana than it was prudent to do.
There was a breath of life left in that broken body and that was good enough for Avalon.
Over the years, the Noble Phantasm had become accustomed to the body of its host. The scabbard sought to protect the Invincible Girl as if she were its rightful owner. With the Mana available in the contemporary world, it just meant that Avalon could accelerate Pyrrha's natural healing abilities.
Except things had changed after she summoned Arthur Pendragon, Saber's proximity had restored the true power of Excalibur's scabbard.
The wind began to blow around Pyrrha, lifting up the snow and broken glass that surrounded her. As the wind blows faster and faster, it turns into a small tornado. And the miracle happened, the dying woman was now bathed in a golden light that fixed the broken bones, the torn ligaments, closing the open fractures.
Her hand waved and tensed, as the consciousness returned in her eyes...
After a moment of hesitation, The Amazon Girl sat down painfully and looked around.
She had survived!
As the last vestiges of pain disappeared, Pyrrha closed her eyes for a brief moment. Her heart and mind were in an emotional storm. What was happening to her? What was... No, it could wait. Yes, she had to understand how she had become able to regenerate such serious injuries, but the 'how' and 'why' could wait for another moment. The important thing now was to stop Shinji.
Pyrrha stood up.
She couldn't win against Rider. The Servant was too strong, too fast, too agile. There was not a category in which the Servant did not outrun her completely.
But she knew someone who could defeat her.
She put two fingers on her left hand:
"Saber comes to me!"
The First Command Mark began to radiate a red light, then disappeared leaving only a grey and partially erased trace. But Pyrrha had not resorted in vain to her Master power. A vortex of scarlet light was born a few steps away. Saber emerged from it, clothed in his armor and ready for battle.
Pyrrha designated the third floor:
"Saber, your opponent is Rider; you must defeat her."
But the Servant looked at her with anxiety, his Master was covered with blood and her clothes were torn:
"Yes, Pyrrha, but first..."
"No, go now and leave me my armor. Neutralize Rider, I'll take Shinji!"
"But, uh..."
"Students and teachers are in danger of death. Don't make me use a second Command Mark!"
Saber seemed to hesitate, and then he bowed with a hand over his heart like a young knight saluting his king:
"At your command, Master."
He put the backpack containing the armor of the redhead at her feet, then vanished into a deafening 'bang'.
Rin Tohsaka was the heir to an old Magi family. The Tohsaka were the Second Owners of Fuyuki, responsible for watching over the leylines of the region. The founder of this house was one of three creators of the ritual known as Heaven Feel or Grail War. Finally, Rin had been chosen by the Grail to be one of the seven Masters of the Fifth War.
Since childhood, her father and mother had instilled in her the pride of her lineage. She was not allowed to be average, the Tohsaka heiress had to be the best in all areas.
Unlike most Masters, she had no wish as such. The Red Devil participated only to prove her superiority... an action that had horrified Archer.
Rin had suddenly realized it. Her Servant was right. She did not understand what a war was.
The truth was that wars were dirty, repugnant, horrible, unjust...
As Shinji walked towards her, his eyes filled with lustful intentions. Rin owed only to her pride to not howling. Tohsaka's eyes roamed the corridor. Several of her comrades twisted on the ground.
They were the innocent, collateral victims of any war.
Her eyes returned to Shinji. His intentions were read on his face deformed by concupiscent.
Rape was almost an institution in times of war. It was better not to be a pretty girl when the soldiery broke over a conquered city.
Definitely, one had to be very infantile to believe that war was a game to prove who the best was.
Her eyes turned away, searching for an escape route... she could not escape... she could not fight. Trapped in Rider's Noble Phantasm, weakened and deprived of the help of her Servant, Rin Tohsaka was helpless.
Except...
Her hand touched the mark on her right hand.
But before she could resort to her last asset, a gust of wind wrapped around her. By reflex, Rin raised her arms to protect her face while her skirt snapped on her legs and her hair was shaken by the storm.
When she could see again, a figure stood in front of her; a rampart in the form of the Knight of Azure and Silver.
Saber's green eyes exploded with anger even though his face was impassive:
"Don't be afraid, Master of Archer. By my oath of knighthood, I cannot leave a lady helpless. At this moment, I will make myself your champion and avenge the offenses made to the innocent. By my Sacred Sword, I swear, I will prevail. Rider, on guard! I challenge you to a duel!"
While her idiot Master retreated behind her with little mouse cries, Medusa Gorgon - the Rider-class Servant of the 5th Grail War- had a smirk.
The fight that followed would not be to her advantage. Rider was a specialist in ambush, and hit-and-run. A corridor was certainly not the kind of battleground that suited her. On the contrary, Saber would certainly be very comfortable there.
Nevertheless, Saber was literally in her bowel! He was under the influence of Blood Fort Andromeda. Her Noble Phantasm weakened her enemies and the energy that was stolen from them was added to her.
Her chain described an arc of a circle, lengthening excessively as she leaped, changing position at full speed, braiding a steel spider-web. The chain snapped around Saber's arm holding his sword, wrapping around his waist, his shoulders. Falling to the ground, Rider cruelly pulled on the chain... which stretched out.
Raised, Saber found himself quartered, his feet no longer touching the ground, tied up in the middle of the corridor. The knight had not even reacted, merely following Rider's movements with the eyes.
Now, the final blow!
Taking her momentum, Rider almost bowed down to the ground and smiled while racing...
"Mana Burst!"
There was an explosion of brightness and a wall of lightning formed around Medusa. Under her mask, Rider opened big eyes horrified... her chain had just broken and the twisted and melted links were scattered in all directions.
Shinji had found the smile at the sight of Saber trapped like a fly in the spider's web. About to make a vain comment on his power, a brutal displacement of air made him stagger.
Before him, Saber had freed himself from Medusa's chain... the fragments lay on the ground. As for Rider, she had disappeared! It all happened too fast. He had seen nothing but a sudden explosion of light. Hearing drizzles behind him, Matou turned around...
Rider was stuck in the wall at the end of the corridor. And it was the sound of the falling pieces of ceilings and walls, dislodged by the shock, which he had heard.
"Rider, get up, now is not the time to let go. Get up."
Rider didn't seem to hear Shinji, she moved slightly, but seemed completely knocked out.
Rin had witnessed the clash without any more understanding its course than Shinji.
She retained only one thing, Rider, the Servant who had beaten up Archer had been beaten in an instant by Saber.
Such power!
"Rin, are you all right?"
Hearing the voice of Pyrrha, the Red Devil turned around. Dressed in her armor, the Spartan Girl had just returned. She was alive! I mean, that fact should have seemed obvious to Rin since Saber was still here. But the events happened so quickly that Tohsaka could only endure without having time to think.
Unable to speak, she merely gave a reassuring sign to her friend. Pyrrha was worried about her? But it was the redhead who was covered in blood, having been thrown from the third floor. How could she still be alive? Was Pyrrha... invincible?
At that moment, Rin Tohsaka had a certainty, Saber and his Master would be the winners of this Grail War. The most powerful of the Servants allied to a Master impossible to kill, there could be no more potent combination.
Pyrrha Nikos took a brief look at Rider and then turned to Arthur:
"Keep an eye on the Servant, I'll take care of Shinji."
As she advanced towards him, Medusa's Master uttered a cry of terror and raised his arms:
"Stay away from me."
But as Pyrrha did not comply, he opened feverishly the book he held in his hand... and suddenly three shadows formed on the ground and... rushed towards the Invincible Girl, turning into cleavers made of darkness.
"Eίμαι σίδηρος
στη μορφή του
το πιο εκλεπτυσμένο"
Once again, the redhead Amazon Strengthened Akoúo with Prana, making the Oplon shield more sturdy. Without trying to evade the attack, she blocked it.
There was a "clang" sound and the dark guillotines disappeared in a flash of green energy.
Shinji hastily created three other black shadows that materialized on the ground. Like the first threesome of guillotines, they turned into shady waves... and disappeared when they hit Akoúo. The shield took the shock without problem, briefly haloed with green Prana.
Before Shinji could try anything else, Pyrrha was on him.
She seized him and turned him over, immobilizing him with one arm and pressing Miló in its sword form against his throat:
"You're gonna tell your Servant to clear the Bounded Field."
Although he was terrified, Rider's Master still found the strength to protest:
"But, uh..."
"Shinji, either you obey... or I force you!"
"But I'm going to be helpless."
After what the elder of the Matou had done, what might happen to him left Pyrrha completely indifferent. Her tone was cold as steel when she replied:
"I will be weeping over this injustice."
Hearing the noise, Pyrrha turned around, while keeping Shinji in front of her, like a shield. Rider got up.
"Shinji orders Rider to dispel the Bounded Field. Either you obey, or I kill you. Choose!"
The Matou heir uttered a pitiful little cry but no longer protested:
"Rider, do that she says!"
Without a word, the Servant nodded. She remained silent, did not make a gesture. But suddenly the red light and the pressure on Pyrrha disappeared. In the classes, the moans of pain had stopped, one heard only a concert of difficult breaths.
At the same time as the pressure from Blood Fort Andromeda, another weight disappeared on the soul of the Spartan Girl. She had saved the students.
"Well, now, Shinji, you're gonna give me your Command Seals."
"Command Seals?"
"Your Command Marks!"
"What are you talking about, Emiya?"
Pyrrha looked at Rider's Master's face, close to her. He seemed honestly surprised by what she was saying.
"I'm talking about the Command Marks through which you control Rider, your right to be a Master."
This time Shinji understood and his expression went from incomprehension to horror:
"You're gonna leave me defenseless against the other Masters?"
"I've never killed anyone before, do you want me to start with you?"
"Are you serious?"
"Shinji, life has already made me an orphan twice. Today you tried to slaughter my family, my friends, everyone I care about. All because we had 'disrespected you'... if I were you, I wouldn't push myself."
Medusa watched her Master, Pyrrha, and Saber.
She had no sympathy for Shinji. Having been raped, Rider felt more affinity with her victims than with their executioner.
But...
Medusa wanted the Grail. No, she needed it... Since childhood, she had suffered from not being like her sisters. What she had suffered because of it... Only the Grail could free her from the curse that weighed on her.
And then, the Book of the False Attendant... the equivalent of a Command Mark... forced Rider to obey her Master. It did not matter that this larva is not her real Master and that he even tried to kill Sakura with the other students of the school.
She made her decision. If victory was no longer possible, they had to flee.
Of all the Servants of the 5th Grail War, she was the fastest.
Pyrrha had no time to make a gesture. Her wrist seized in a steel embrace, her arm was twisted, the Invincible Girl let go of Miló. The next minute, she found herself catapulted inside a classroom.
As Pyrrha rose up, furious, she saw Rider holding Shinji under her arm... like a bundle of dirty laundry:
"Master, I will resort to my Noble Pantasm!"
And suddenly, Rider lifted up her nail-shaped dagger and... stuck it in her throat, pierced her neck through and through. A stream of blood flowed. However, instead of falling to the ground, the red liquid stagnated in the air, before gathering to form a bloody Sigil!
An instant later, an explosion of light ravaged the corridor.
When the smoke cleared, Rider and Shinji were gone.
(1) "I am (made) of iron in its most refined form."
Author's Note: The fight between Saber and Rider seemed very short, and Saber's victory was too easy. Nevertheless, it is not an undeserved victory. Saber observed the fight between Rider and Archer the day before. He understood that Rider's speed and agility were her main advantages against him. His battle plan was very simple... let her come to him. And in a hallway the question of where she was going to attack was irrelevant. So Arthur left Medusa chained him and then used 'Mana Burst' at its maximum power. Thank his battle instinct, the timing was perfect. The lightning shattered Rider's chain, but also electrocuted Medusa. With the muscles paralyzed, she could no longer move and therefore had to take Saber's attack head-on. Checkmate. As the following chapters will show, on a battlefield more favorable for her, Rider must win.
I know that makes Archer seem pretty ridiculous by comparison. But it must be understood that the Servants of one class are more or less advantaged against some others classes and disadvantaged against certain others. It is like a stone that is wrapped in paper. This does not mean that paper is a lot more 'strong' than scissors because the scissors are broken by the stone. It just means that paper has the advantage of facing the stone.
Also, don't forget that Archer almost one-shoot Saber. Without Pyrrha, Arthur Pendragon would have been eliminated the first day.
Before you say that one Servant is stronger than another, remember who has advantages and who has disadvantages in a battleground. In a distance fight (like in chapter 6), Archer is advantaged. In a fight in a forest with lots of hiding places, Rider can use her full speed and agility. And in a narrow corridor, it is Saber who is advantaged. Stone paper scissors.