Hi everyone, it's been a long time since my last update, and I can say that I'm glad to do this again, although I shouldn't be doing this in this version to begin with. First of all, I was supposed to have published this chapter in my old original Spanish version, but I didn't. The reason behind this will be explained later.

Then the reason I posted this now was because I was sick of waiting and picking up where I left off, plus I liked writing the English version. The truth is that it has become a strange habit for me.

Without further ado let's get started.

Chapter 19: Master and Servant

24/04/2021

The day had come at once in Fuyuki and all its inhabitants woken up with the promise of a new day, while the fighters of the Holy Grail War took a breath before starting again and others did not waste more time to elaborate new strategies for the next fights even though they were currently on hiatus due to the 'incidents' of Caster and his renegade Master causing and could jeopardize this conflict. At the moment, no one will be moving chips until nightfall, and this will give enough time to develop a strategy and others to be prepared.

In the middle of a field on the outskirts of Fuyuki, in front of the Mackenzies residence, 2 people looked at each other silently without saying anything from a distance exchanging glances with each other as if it were a contest, although they were actually evaluating each other to find in each person a strong or weak point. These people had in each hand a three-foot wooden staff that turned out to be unmistakably a shinai, a bamboo saber that is only good for training.

Indeed, these 2 youngs were going to fight in a fencing duel, although it did not seem to be some kind of exhibition or something like that. As they both continued to evaluate themselves, they saw in their eyes that none they neither harbored doubt nor were willing to back down or leave it at that. They were both determined to win the best possible!

Both Ishida and Inoue were still concerned as they watched this unfold in front of their eyes and although some wanted to stop this, he knew that no one would listen to them. It was clear that this was because Ichigo had been afflicted with his helplessness for not saving those poor children from Caster and not doing a damn thing to make that demon pay. These factors caused the former Shinigami to lose his will to fight and move forward and therefore he had been left in depression. If that wasn't enough, the relationship between Ichigo and his Servant had fallen low due to the latter's mistrust and the former's incompetence. Orihime didn't blame Ichigo for being so depressed, since, after all, he was only human, and she could also feel when one could not do something and couldn't protect anything. Too bad the stubborn pride of the blonde warrior couldn't see it that way and get carried away by those unnecessary emotions as if she saw them as mental illness. She wondered if Rukia saw it that way too before meeting Ichigo.

It was like this, to regain Ichigo's spirits and determination and Saber's respect, Urahara suggested to both of them that they should do kendo practices to test each other's strength and fortitude and to add more encouragement, the winner will be the one who will command from now on either the Master or the Servant. Saber had been very enthusiastic about the idea and had accepted willingly just to show her impertinent Master who was boss and make him understand what would happen to him if he got in her way again. Ichigo had also accepted, albeit reluctantly, the challenge only to make her swallow her words, and so it all began.

To be honest, Orihime was against both Kurosaki and Saber going to have to fight, even if it's in a kendo match just to discover the strength and gain each other's respect, but she knew there was nothing she could do to prevent it anymore that they both looked very determined in their gazes. She would have preferred the two of them talk to each other rather than hurt each other, but she knew that was impossible.

Rider watched this with interest. He knew very well that other ways to increase the bonds between 2 warriors apart from eating together at a good banquet, was to exchange swords in a display of strength and dexterity to know the capabilities of the one. This is how in life, the King of the Conquerors had forged ties with his men who had accompanied him in all his adventures and conquests, which also generated respect. And it seemed that this could also apply between a Master and his Servant. Now he was curious about how things were going to turn out in this fight and to see how the Master will manage to dominate his Servant without using a Command spell.

As for Waver, well, like the first ones, he was totally unsure that this was a good idea. Of course, a fight between a human and a familiar, or, rather, a Heroic Spirit, a being that transcends any human being, was something quite unheard. Crazy for saying the same. He didn't know what this show of strength exercise was about, but it was clear that most likely not even Ichigo couldn't make it out of this alive. Even if he was told that Saber would downgrade himself to a human level, he couldn't tell if the orange haired boy would come out with one of his bones in place. He just hoped everything would works out.

Regardless of what the spectators were thinking, both combatants continued to look at each other from a distance without moving any muscles. Ichigo looked at the blonde's guard pose and from what he could see, she didn't hold her shinai up like it should be, and instead just gave a listless look as if she was signaling her to come first.

Instead, Mordred made a note upon seeing the stance her opponent was taking in front of her. He was in a perfect position, holding the weapon with both arms. The ideal stance for any swordsman. That along with the look he was giving her, vaguely reminded her of one of her former Round Table mates like Lancelot or Gawain. There was no doubt in the Red Knight's mind that at least her incompetent Master knew how to maintain his composure in cases like these, but the rest she will put him to the test.

The silence between the 2 was still as mute as the environment and one could only think which of the 2 would make the first move. They didn't have to wait when decided that the 2 would start at the same time when they both started running towards their positions preparing their respective shinai for the collision. It didn't take long for them to cut the distance when they both finally crossed their respective wooden weapons.

...!

Despite not being made of the metal or steel that swords are normally forged from, the sound of wood smashing against wood resounded through all the area. Now their shinais were entwined with each user trying to keep their focus and not give in. Both Master and Servant looked into each other's eyes with the very short distance that separated them and each looked determined not to give in and maintain their dominance over the other.

Ichigo made a note as the memory of the countless times of blocking an opponent's attack with his sword filled his mind, and that helped him to react somewhat normally. He could feel in his hands the force that his opponent exerted on the sword, and he had to admit that it was very strong. Perhaps on the same level as Renji Abarai.

There was no doubt in the mind of the former Shinigami that this fight was going to be the same as that of the Lietenant of the Sixth Division.

Saber was also reflecting on the strength of her adversary. She was hardly impressed by the resistance the latter was mounting when he slammed his shinai into hers. He barely flinched and remained stiff as stone. However, it would not last long. She may not be using the strength of a Servant right now, but she was using that of when she was a knight loyal to King Arthur, and at that time she was stronger than any man, so she wouldn't containing.

Both opponents continued to pressure each other in order to break each other's defense, but they both held their ground and would not give in so easily. The spectators watched intently, waiting for who would yield. When it became clear that this was going to take a while, Saber decided to change strategy and spread her shinai to launch a series of leaning side left and right attacks, which naturally Ichigo blocked with some difficulty, moving his shinai in the same way across where the attack was going to come.

Saber continued to attack relentlessly while forcing Ichigo back due to her momentum of quick attacks relentlessly gaining the upper hand. She struck fast and hard. Each blow hit Ichigo like a speeding truck in quick succession. Now Ichigo was really in trouble as soon as the duel started, either because his reflexes were still rusty after 2 and a half years or because Mordred didn't make it easy for him. Either way, the boy had to give his all just to stop and block Saber's attacks.

"Hehehe, what's wrong? Is this the best you can do?" Mordred scoffed as she continued her rampage of merciless attacks.

Ichigo growled at her mocking tone but didn't let it distract him. There was no doubt that her fast and precise attacks reminded him a bit of Ikkaku Maradame when they first fought, although he still kept thinking that she had the strength and dexterity of a lieutenant like Renji. No matter. Still, he had to hold on and find an opening in order to fight back.

The onlookers watched worriedly as Ichigo gave ground to the blonde and nearly stepped out of line. Ichigo realized that too and had to think of something as quickly as possible.

Seeing her victory at last, the blonde smiled triumphantly before raising her shinai up to throw him vertically. "This ends now!"

She brandished her wooden sword towards her target to end this short pointless duel, but...

…?

She never reached it when her shinai was blocked by another one held upright by both at each end by both hands. Everyone was surprised by this change and that Ichigo was inches away from stepping out of line.

"Don't talk like you've already won." Ichigo said with his own smile. "I haven't shown you anything yet."

Without waiting for something, Ichigo gathered his strength in his arms and pressed on the blonde's shinai, managing to push her and separate her to a few meters from the other direction from where she had come. Everyone was surprised by this.

"Hmm, that boy didn't do a bad job." Rider commented with a smile as he turned to Waver. "You should learn from him."

Waver only frowned at his Servant's suggestion. How did he really hope that he too would become a fighter or swordsman like him? All his time in the Clock Tower he was only taught how to use magecraft, but not for combat, but something subtle like alchemy. He never had an eagerness for violence.

Kisuke smiled too when he saw how his former apprentice managed to make a counterattack at the last second. 'It seems that he is adjusting very well in fencing after these 17 months without touching a sword. Although it is still too early to say that...'

Saber managed to recover from her shock at being pushed so suddenly by this jackanapes with how easy it had been at first to bend him, but it seemed like she had been wrong. He really did well to block her previous attacks to some extent and avoid the supposed final blow that would end in an easy victory for her, but he caught her off guard and shoved her the way she had come.

She snorted at that. Even if he only managed to push her like that, it didn't mean he had the upper hand. He just took her by surprise and nothing more. It will not happen again.

This is just beginning.

"Not bad. I see that in the end you are something." Saber said with a smile.

Ichigo smiled back at her at the compliment and then stood on guard ready for the next round. Flexing his legs, he began to run with the speed of an athlete reducing the distance in less than an instant and lunged at her with his own series of leaning attacks from side to side. The difference in this strategy used by the 2 was clear when Saber was shown blocking every blow of Ichigo's wooden sword without issue. It would take more than that to push back the heir to the King of Knights. Despite the momentum of the attacks, Saber continued to maintain the rhythm of her defense until the two clashed with their swords forcing themselves to look into each other's eyes again.

"You really are something." She said again with a big wild smile. "I doubt the squires I practiced with are as good as you."

"Heh, I'm glad I didn't disappoint you. You know, I still have more to show you."

"Really? Show me." The blonde replied in defiance. "I must admit that you have good sword skills, but you should know that you have no chance against me. The differences between the two are clear and you know it. You cannot win!"

"Oh yeah, and who says it?" Ichigo retorted with a grunt. "You haven't defeated me yet, and it's too early for you to say that."

Saber barely hesitated when she felt the force exerted by her Master on her, and she counterattacked by exerting hers, separating both opponents. The 2 looked at each other again from a distance evaluating each other. Ichigo made another note. This was definitely going to be the same as facing Ikkaku or Renji. After another moment's pause, Saber was the next to resume her attack by running towards Ichigo. The latter was prepared.

The next thing that came once they cut the distance was another rush of sword clashes from the Master and Servant that filled the field. They were both slightly even and stalled for 3 or 4 minutes more without either backing down. It was only like this until Saber stopped her Master's attacks and pushed him to the opposite side before detaching her shinai and then quickly struck her Master's left shoulder not allowing him to buy time to dodge it.

Ichigo hissed in pain at the impact on his shoulder and felt as if he had been hit with a metal bar instead of wood and could have fractured his bone. However, she didn't stop there when the blonde took the opportunity to make another devastating blow and struck with the tip of her shinai on Ichigo's open torso, causing the latter to cough violently and leave him almost out of breath. He almost felt one of his rib's twitches.

Much of the spectators gasped in surprise and horror at the blows that the blonde made. It had been 8 or 9 minutes since they started, and it seemed like this was ending now.

Ichigo dropped to his knees almost to the ground and grabbed his torso with both hands while still moaning. Saber just stared, standing seemingly unfazed at the pitiful form of her Master still writhing on his feet. The truth is that he did not know what to expect when he saw how before he began to match her (almost) in fencing. I was hoping he could hold out at least, but in the end, he turned out to be as fragile if he was defeated with just 2 consecutive hits.

After a few moments of pause and seeing that he no longer seemed to get up, Saber let out a small sigh knowing that she had won as soon as she started.

"Well, I guess this end here. Call your friend to heal you."

"Wait!" Before the blonde turned around to leave in triumph, Ichigo had suddenly screamed before slowly straightening his body ignoring the pain until he stood up. He looked at the blonde on guard. "Where do you think you're going? We're not done yet."

Saber looked at the boy a little curious to see how he seemed to have resisted the pain that had given him with his shinai either in the shoulder and the torso, and his eyes did not deceive the hesitation or fear. The spectators seemed a little more shocked to see how the orange haired wanted to continue fighting, although for those who knew him better it was to be expected. After all, he was the same stubborn as ever.

The blonde was looking at him for a moment making a note how resistant he was or was he just stubborn. Maybe the next attack will make him change his mind. With that in mind, she was also on guard ready for the next round.

Uryū and Orihime remained slightly uneasy as they saw how the two would fight again.

Once again, Saber was the first to run towards Ichigo as the latter held his place in order to resist the red knight's struggle. Another sequence of wooden blows filled the field, and everyone was surprised that the momentum of the blonde's attacks was stronger than the previous ones and was really putting Ichigo in great difficulty as he was forced to retreat while blocking every sudden attack that came upon him.

His friends looked more concerned by this outcome.

"Hey, that's cheating!" Kon exclaimed suddenly. "She was supposed to fight on a human level, and it seems like she's overdoing it too much, right?"

Some agreed that now Saber was rising to another level to the point of being inhuman, and that was what she shouldn't do.

"No, she is not." Urahara replied suddenly calling the attention of the others to see him with a serious expression. "While it seems that Saber-san is fighting at a superhuman level, but it does not appear that she is using the prowess of a Heroic Spirit. It would surely be the strength that she had at the time when she started her rebellion."

This gave Uryū some food for thought. It is true that the Heroic Spirits were normal and ordinary humans in life (or so they appeared to be) who lived great battles and performed feats in history that had made them experienced warriors to take into account, surely reaching an almost superhuman level, or that was how people glorified them, whether of his time or later. The truth is that when he learned a little about the history of the infamous Sir Mordred, it was hard for him to believe that this young girl in her teens was the one who led an armed rebellion against her father, a great king, and later managed to kill him.

To achieve such a feat, it would take, apart from being royal ancestry, a charismatic enough person to convince people to follow him to the point of putting them in a civil war to overthrow the king, and from what he saw, the blonde did not appear to be that kind of charismatic person who would make an impression. However, he should also be a good warrior, and very strong. If what Urahara said about her already fighting at an almost superhuman level in life, it would show that she was a powerful warrior. He couldn't help but wonder where she got that amazing strength from.

Ichigo didn't have a breath to stop frantically swinging his arms from side to side in order to block the imminent attacks of his crazy opponent, who was attacking him mercilessly and hesitantly in order to shut him out.

'Shit! What's wrong with this crazy girl?' Ichigo thought with difficulty as he kept avoiding the blows. 'Is she really fighting on a human level?'

He could not say it well. The former Shinigami had extensive experience of fighting in zanjutsu against spiritual entities either equal to or superior to him, and he felt that she was on a similar level to some of them. He grunted in frustration. Even with that knowledge, it wasn't helping him too much in his situation. The mad blonde really didn't want to make it too easy for him and she also wanted to humiliate him anyway. All he had to do was wait for the onslaught of thrusts to subside and find an opening so he could fight back.

Ichigo barely managed to stand with one foot on the ground and tried to resist the blonde's hard struggle. The latter wore a mocking smile.

"What's wrong? Can't you take it anymore?"

Ichigo growled again. "Uru sei!" Trying to push to the other side, the orange-haired boy met stiff resistance from the blonde, who wouldn't give in so easily and her smile barely wavered instead. That is how she gave a shove before pulling her shinai apart and then turned horizontally towards one of the ribs on Ichigo's right side, giving him no time to dodge it.

Ichigo winced in pain from the blow to his side and put a hand on him. Uryū, Orihime, and Waver looked on in shock at the new damage the orange-haired boy received. Urahara did not change his expression and stared seriously.

Ichigo kept panting a little in pain with one free hand on his side while the other held the shinai. Saber just stared at him with a confident air, waiting for that last blow to convince him to quit.

"Well? Have you finished?"

The former Substitute glared back at him and scoffed at the idea of leaving. In reality, the blow was not as brutal as expected and it failed to break a rib, so this will not be a bother. He still hadn't lost!

"Bullshit." He replied with a smile. "That shit all at of blow won't make me give up."

Saber gave a little snort at the persistence of her Master, but she didn't decide to argue, and she was on guard.

Determined to teach him another lesson, Saber quickly turned to her opponent and unleashed a barrage of attacks with the tip of her shinai as if she wanted to stab him about 100 times (and the shinai had no edge) but would serve to break ribs.

Again, Ichigo was engulfed in another fleeting attack at ridiculous speed and Ichigo couldn't help but focus his own arms to counter every thrust of the erratic knight's sword. This was getting quite long and stressful for the poor teenager caught in the middle of this endless chaos and it seemed like his opponent wasn't about to stop.

'Kuso…!'

Meanwhile, Ichigo's friends watched the denouement totally concerned seeing that this had already gone too far.

"Oh, someone stop the fight!" Kon exclaimed worriedly. "In the end that crazy girl will kill him!"

Uryū fully agreed that this had gone too far and did not wait for a moment to get up and intervene to stop this madness. However, Urahara's hand prevented his departure.

"You better not do it." The hatter said with no hint of concern in his voice to the surprise of the Quincy and the others. "I know you are worried about Kurosaki-san, but I remind you that he had already been involved in many situations like this, and although he almost always did not turn out well, he always managed to survive. Even without his Shinigami powers or lack of it of practice in these 17 months, the experiences in those fights are still etched in his mind and he will know how to use it to his advantage. " The former captain explained with seriousness and conviction not lacking in his voice. "Calm down and keep watching."

Even with those words, Ishida and Inoue couldn't tell if it was a good idea for this to continue like this and have the luxury of continuing to wait for some kind of miracle to happen.

Meanwhile, both Waver and Rider heard the words of the supposed blonde 'magus' and the only thing that caught their attention was when he mentioned "His Shinigami powers." What did it all mean that?

Returning to combat, Ichigo was still under the greatest pressure in his life. It was clear that the mad blonde was having fun with him watching him suffer so much stress until his arms would give way and he could no longer defend himself and finally take all those baton hits on his torso. He really was screwed.

'It wouldn't be that different from Grimmjow or Ulquiorra.'

His mind clicked at that thought. It was not the first time that he was in this type of situation. The memories of his previous fights against the Espadas in Hueco Mundo made him understand that it had not been easy to deal with them due to the brutality and speed that they exerted.

Grimmjow displayed great brutality combined with his monstrous speed in his last duel and the same could be said of Nnoitra who was also an equal in that field except in a higher rank. Ulquiorra was different from those last 2, keeping his mind calm and fighting with incredible precision. Needless to say, the latter gave him had really tough to deal with not to mention his 2 Resurreciones.

The blonde did not appear to be a completely different opponent as her fighting style was just as fast, almost unpredictable and accurate. However, at the same time he also acted in a reckless and at the same time predictable way as if he was impatient to finish as soon as possible. That left a pattern that Ichigo could use to gain some advantage. He just had to calculate the trajectory of the wild knight's moving arm movements and counterattack.

With that in mind, the former Substitute used his intuition to be able to predict the attack that will finish him off. His inhuman senses may have disappeared along with the rest of his Shinigami powers, but his past experiences were still intact, and he would use them to his advantage to win.

'Watch closely.' Ichigo's mind tried to freeze the slow-motion image so he could watch the attack closely. 'This is not different than when you faced Grimmjow, Ulquiorra, Ichimaru and Aizen.'

His eyes were focused on the movements of Saber's right arm trying to figure out when she was going to change focus for her final attack.

'I just have to wait for the right moment.'

It was thus that after an indeterminate time, Ichigo could 'see' in almost slow motion as the blonde's arm was retracted backwards, probably to deliver the last blow. And that gave the former Substitute the opening he needed to fight back.

'I got it!'

As fast as lightning, Ichigo left one hand free and shot the other towards that lunged towards him with the shinai, and with surprising speed managed to catch Saber's wrist, stopping her onslaught. The blonde opened her eyes in shock when she saw how the boy managed to catch her like that suddenly without realizing it. The boy was crouched a bit as Saber's shinai jutted above the first's shoulder. Ichigo couldn't help but draw a small smile. This was the opening that he needed.

Without wasting any more time, the former Substitute pointed his own shinai at the blonde and with surprising speed hit the blonde's chest. The blow was so strong that it sent the Servant flying the way she had come after Ichigo released her arm and she crashed to the ground. The entire environment fell silent as the spectators held their breath and could not help staring in bewilderment and disbelief at this turn of the tables.

Even Waver was at a loss for words and wondered if his eyes were playing tricks on him.

A mere human hadn't just stopped a Servant's fleeting and powerful attack. Did he also manage to hit her and send her flying in the same place?

Instead, Urahara just smirked at the action as if he had anticipated what was about to happen. 'Well, it seems there is still some Shinigami in him…'

It was clear that Isshin's son kept surprising him with the feats he did. Since he saw him for the first time when Rukia gave him all her powers to defeat that hollow, he knew that this boy was destined for great things. No. He was already destined for great things from the day he was born due to a special and uncommon ancestry.

Either way, he was training him shortly after gaining his 'true' Shinigami powers after surviving in the Hole of Despair, but he wasn't actually teaching him combat techniques or tactics, he didn't even teach him about the Shikai and the Bankai as it was not necessary to do so at that time. He had only taught him how to properly use his Zanpakutō, synchronize with it, control his reiatsu, and overcome his fear. All that had made him a good warrior, but inexperienced, but he would learn the latter over time in every fight he had to fight in Soul Society. All the knowledge he obtained to go the furthest he gained in battle and Urahara had only given him clues to be able to achieve it, and that is how he became the strongest of the Shinigami.

However, despite he having lost everything, the teenager still had something left that made him a Shinigami.

Ichigo looked from his position to the slightly stunned figure of his Servant who soon rose from the ground to stand up and looked surprised and somewhat annoyed by what had just happened.

"What's wrong? It seems you weren't expecting this, did you?" Ichigo said with his shinai on guard waiting for a retaliation from the blonde.

Saber grunted at the comment and braced herself as well. "Don't get so cocky! You just were just lucky."

Ichigo didn't change his expression as his hard gaze remained fixed on the Servant in anticipation of her attack. He didn't have to wait any longer when she sped toward him. The latter stayed in position to block his opponent's attack, and then went back on the offensive with a barrage of sneak attacks, and Saber did the same.

Now the match had reached a new phase, looking more like a dogfight, with both showing an astonishing display of strength and stamina, but what most astonished viewers was how quickly the former Substitute had adapted to the fight and now they were both fighting wide open, at least for the moment. Either way, Ichigo seemed to fight just as well as he always did in his previous fights. However, few knew that this would not be of much use to him since his opponent was still not working hard as he only held back to a certain extent and only used part of his strength to make him feel pain.

Saber could hardly believe what her eyes saw. How can this boy resist her and bend her like this all of a sudden? None of her opponents whom she had fought and killed in her lifetime could have represented her a worthy opponent except some of her former comrades from the Knights of the Round Table, and especially father. And yet here was someone who could challenge her almost equally, almost. And he also managed to catch her off guard and slam his shinai onto her chest... making her fly the way it came in the blink of an eye.

What kind of human was he fighting? It is true that she was barely holding back a bit, not drawing all the strength that a Heroic Spirit could use, but this boy was almost forcing her to do it if she did not want to be in trouble, or worse, lose to a mere lout who apparently did not seem ' having 'used a sword.

No! He wasn't going to let this end like this. He couldn't afford to lose to a weird-haired commoner.

With that resolution, Saber increased her physical stats a bit more, and managed to stop Ichigo's successive blows that forced the boy to stop abruptly due to the incredible force used and concentrated only on resisting. Saber looked at the boy in distress doing his best to avoid being touched by the wooden blade, and despite being in dire straits, his eyes were still fixed and focused as if panic and defeat had not yet entered, although not it would be too far. Either way, the blonde was hardly surprised by how tough and persistent the stubborn boy was becoming.

He was almost ... almost ... almost like her at times.

That strange momentary distraction, not very typical of her, it cost a bit when Ichigo noticed how the blonde's face seemed cloudy and he felt the force exerted on the opposing shinai contract for some reason, and his instinct warned him to take advantage of it without hesitation. True to that, Ichigo pushed a disoriented Mordred forward with all his might, causing her to recoil almost by surprise, and then Ichigo slammed the tip of his shinai into her stomach. That blow had almost taken his breath away, but a Servant's physical defense was stronger than that of any human so he could withstand most of the blow.

She backed away a few feet away. She was a bit stunned. Not because he hit her again. It was because of her recklessness in losing concentration in the middle of a battlefield.

'What the hell just happened to me?'

Meanwhile, viewers were increasingly surprised and anxious about these new changes.

Mordred herself was tempted to level up further until she had the strength she used when she last fought father at that port, but she quickly dismissed that idea as it would be too much to use her full strength and she might accidentally kill him. In addition, her pride dictated that she should not use her maximum capacity against an opponent whom she did not consider a threat, much less someone like Agravain, Gawain or father. Either way, this brat was almost making her give what he had, and she couldn't help but feel too excited to meet someone like that. In the end her Master was not as incompetent as she always thought.

"You are good, very good!" Saber congratulated Ichigo. "I see that I underestimated you well but remember that does not mean that you can fight a Servant, and much less that worm."

Ichigo grumbled a bit as he realized his Servant wasn't 'flattering' him and it seemed more like another mockery for not reaching his heels even against the weakest of Servants like that damned killer psychopathic worm. The very thought of being below her level and him mocking her helplessness made her blood boil. In fact, he would be almost similar as the murderer of his mother, that obnoxious Grand Fisher. He couldn't bear to show weakness in the face of an enemy as devious as one of the 2, and he wanted to show just how strong he was and what he's capable of.

With that resolve revived, he moved on.

"Come on! You too should give everything you have!" The former Substitute yelled out loud for her to hear her and get her point. Of course, that statement surprised the blonde and was not lost on viewers who reacted perplexed.

"W-what? What did he say?" Kon mumbled surprised and confused.

Saber looked confused and skeptical at the boy for his intentions. "What? Are you crazy?"

"I'm not." Ichigo replied as he stood on guard, and then put on a daring smile on his face. "You are right. Right now, I am not capable of facing a Heroic Spirit, and much less that bastard. But if you really show me the true strength of one, and I am able to survive, I will be able to do it all!"

The outrageous statement of the orange haired only served to make the blonde look at him with more amazement and disbelief. Seriously, has this idiot really gone crazy? Does he really think that he will survive an onslaught that no human could withstand like Berserker's? Do he want to end the shattered bones!?

The audience was equally shocked and horrified by this. They couldn't believe what their ears had just picked up from the former Substitute. Does he really want to get killed like that all of a sudden?

Silence was what was on the field after Ichigo's final statement, and Saber continued to stare at her Master's defiant expression, and saw to her little astonishment, that he showed not the slightest hesitation in his eyes and just waited concentrated for the brutal attack to come.

Saber's mind was still in conflict with herself as to how she should take Ichigo's request to attack him with all she had. Normally Saber would gladly respond seeing how this jerk had taken her, but part of her was hesitant to do so as she didn't want to accidentally kill him. But once again, the healer girl would be here to heal or resurrect him.

If that's what he really wanted, so be it.

'He really is a dumbass…'

With everything decided, Saber prepared to charge for the great horror of Ichigo's friends, although the latter was still smiling, expecting this. Without warning, Saber took off like a bullet, closing the distance in less than a few seconds.

*CLANG *

The sound of the 2 swords was louder than the previous ones and served to startle nearby onlookers. Ichigo had managed to block the blonde's sneak attack in less than a millisecond before it made contact. Even with the attack stopped, Ichigo felt the force exerted by the Servant almost split his shinai. He felt the bones in his forearms crack and were about to explode. It really was the worst onslaught he had ever stopped, but it was nothing new.

The teenager did his best not to back down or give in to the pressure that the crazy blonde was putting on him, but that was too much, and his ankle was lacking a bill.

'Shit, maybe it was a mistake to fight her with all her might…'

It was now too late to regret it and he kept holding on to find an opening. Sure, if she gave him time to think. In the end he did not have the opportunity to fight back when Saber decided to finish with a series of sneak attacks that broke through Ichigo's defenses and hit different parts of Ichigo's torso with great brutality, leaving the latter breathless and leaned a little, allowing Saber to execute her last blow with a strong attack on the head. The blow was so strong that it had caused a concussion in the poor boy.

Everyone reacted totally horrified by that blow when they saw Ichigo collapse falling on his knees on the ground, and it seemed that he was not going to move anymore.

Ichigo felt his world spin around and around without stopping as his mind gradually clouded to a blank area. He could no longer register what was happening around him.

In front of him, Saber stared at her defeated opponent with an indescribable expression waiting for any sign to determine whether to give in or not. She couldn't see his expression because his bangs hid his eyes and whatever features it might show. She waited a good few minutes for him to make any signs, but he didn't make any. Viewers were more concerned than ever to see that there was no movement in the former Substitute, and then they thought he might be in a coma or worse.

Instead, Saber did not look particularly concerned about this and decided that it was enough to wait and turned around convinced that she will no longer get up and that she had won this little duel.

Then when she took a few steps in the opposite direction, she suddenly felt something that made her stop and she turned back. The others also noticed something unusual in the environment. It didn't take long to figure out the source when they spotted Ichigo's stunned body as the source, and few knew what was going on.

When Mordred had turned her body to look at him correctly, she suddenly saw how Ichigo's body began to lift on his legs and he said nothing as if he was ignoring all the pain he had felt before, and his hair was still hiding his gaze. The first thing his Servant noticed was that his hands, were furrowed by a series of greenish glowing lines, but not only that. She also noticed that the air around him had become a bit dense.

'What the hell is wrong with him?'

The rest also observed this strange change in surprise and without understanding what was happening, but those who were well acquainted with the Saber's Master, were the first to realize this. From their perspective, they saw that their friend's body was covered by a strange semi-transparent bluish aura that burned almost like a flame and emerged from within.

'Is that reiatsu?' Uryū recognized upon seeing the source of power emerging from Ichigo. He had certainly felt it before at some point when the hollows appeared halfway to the Urahara Shōten, but this time it was of a very small scale. The other time he felt it was when he tried to channel his reiryoku with the Reishūkaku, causing it to release more freely but only momentarily. Now, the amount he was releasing right now seemed more intense and uncontrolled. Almost like during his first duel with Renji in the world of the living.

"W-what the hell is wrong?" Kon exclaimed perplexed. Neither responded as Uryū and Orihime stared blankly at what was happening. Instead, Kisuke stared in a calm and expectant way not only at the sudden source of reiatsu swirling from the teenager, but also at what he was holding in his arms.

'Magic Circuits.'

There was not a single word in Ichigo's blank mind capable of describing what was going on with him. From the beginning he saw defeat as he had lived it before, but in his moment of despair he noticed that something had emerged from within him, and everything suddenly changed. He felt nothing physically in him. He didn't feel any pain in the areas where Saber had attacked him so viciously, and instead felt a strange emotion that he hadn't felt in a long time. He didn't know what was going on, but he didn't care, since it felt somehow… incredible! And he decided to take advantage of it.

"Hey, you, what the hell is wrong with you now?" Saber asked still bewildered as she stared blankly at her Master's new 'form'. Nothing had changed physically except that strange bluish aura emerging from around him, and somehow it felt familiar. It was almost the same as that time when her Master had sent her a strange source of energy, which was not mana, when he used that sphere to mold his energy.

She didn't know why, but her instincts told her to attack first, and it was precisely what she did next. However, before the red knight made any move, Ichigo's gaze stared at his opponent, revealing that his eyes were no longer his usual brown color, and now a bright bluish hue. At the moment of showing them, Ichigo shot out like lightning surprising Mordred who seeing the inevitable collision, put the shinai the guard.

It didn't take a millisecond when both shinais collided again causing Mordred to have a hard time pushing her back. She was shocked by this change.

Meanwhile, Uryū kept watching this strange event in amazement, and knew that it was not normal. It was certainly the same reiatsu that Kurosaki emanated when he fought Renji for the first time.

"I see... so I was right." Both the Quincy and the healer heard Urahara's voice and turned to look at him wearing that mysterious smile and that was a sign that he had discovered the mystery.

"Do you know what happens to him?" Ishida asked the shopkeeper. The latter adjusted his hat before speaking.

"Do you remember before going to the pier when we decided to measure your strength with the Reishūkaku? As you told me before, Kurosaki-san seems that he had started to recover some of his original reiatsu, which was unheard of, since was needed something to step in and I came up with something." Urahara explained how she was focusing her attention on Ichigo who had resumed his attack on Saber.

"As I theorized, Kurosaki-san now possesses an element that qualifies a human as a wizard, and that is Magic Circuits."

"Magic Circuits?" Ishida repeated almost aloud, remembering Urahara's theory that the Grail had attached to Kurosaki in his soul a series of pesudo-nervous systems that caused his reiatsu to awaken.

"Yes. I still don't know how this works, but it seems that Kurosaki-san instinctively managed to activate them, almost when a soul plus was in grave danger." Urahara added to the matter while still looking at Ichigo. "Let's see what he can do now."

Although Saber didn't want to admit it, her incompetent Master was now almost on her level, and the tables had been turned when he began attacking her with a series of sneaky attacks that she managed to defend with some difficulty. The shock was distracting her a bit as he tried to figure out what was happening to him, but she knew he had to save those questions for another time.

Saber managed to parry another blow and now both of them were looking intensely into each other's eyes. Saber's eyes were narrow and sharp as she stared into her Master's eyes that were equally narrow but filled with madness as if he had lost control. It was only after a moment that she decided to break away and launch a successive sword attack at him. Ichigo managed to avoid the attack instinctively by moving his body from side to side as if watching it in slow motion. The blonde growled at that and kept swinging her sword nonstop in order to wear down her Master and finally hit him squarely. However, at one point, Ichigo swung his shinai up, hitting Saber's underneath, causing it to bounce up to the surprise of the blonde.

The berserker Ichigo took advantage of the opening to direct the tip of his shinai towards Saber's unprotected torso, however, the blonde reacted quickly by moving to the side causing the tip to only touch the air and for its user to enter an opening in which his Servant could attack him off guard. Saber swung her shinai with a semicircular twist and managed to hit Ichigo's back squarely. Everyone looked horrified to see that Ichigo had once again suffered another fatal blow.

Then, instead of being out of breath like the first time, Ichigo had recovered quickly and returned to the attack as if he had felt absolutely nothing much to Saber's astonishment. She was unable to react well when she received a severe blow to her left shoulder.

Everyone held their breath as they saw how the berserker Ichigo had hit his Servant again. Just when Ichigo was about to hit from the front, Saber managed to block the attack and the two looked at each other again. The Servant's mind was in chaos. Who the hell is this guy? How could he catch her so off guard and hit her several times like nothing? And even more, what was wrong with him? He was acting like he was possessed by something and suddenly he started to get tougher and more direct, almost like he was fighting another Servant. But that was impossible. He is nothing more than a mere human, and he was not even a magus.

Despite that knowledge, she knew he was not normal as she still remembered that he had sent her a strange supply of mana that she was unaware of, but that hadn't done her much good to properly fight Berserker and Caster. Whatever was wrong with him, she had to end this and ask for answers immediately.

Saber lifted one bent foot, leaving the other as support on the ground. Ichigo didn't see what his Servant was up to coming when she kicked him hard that forced him to stagger back a few meters leaving him almost out of breath.

The silence between the two was intense while each evaluated the damage suffered. Saber's right side ached, and her left shoulder was just as numb. She couldn't feel her bone dislocate. She couldn't believe that someone who is not a Heroic Spirit has caused her so much damage.

Ichigo couldn't assess himself as his mind was still blank, but he felt consciousness leave him. It was only a matter of seconds that the body could no longer bear so much stress and finally collapsed to the ground unconscious.

They all watched with a mixture of amazement and horror as the orange haired Master had finally fallen and did not even want to know what kind of injuries or shock the poor boy had suffered from this torture. Instead, Kisuke just watched with strange calm and somewhat disappointed, but inside he felt worried about the state of the teenager.

Orihime had arrived first to use Sōten Kisshun and make Ichigo's injuries, bruises, broken bones and any concussions disappear out of existence. Meanwhile, Saber looked into the distance at the body of her Master being attended to with that orange magic barrier produced by the girl squatting in front of him, and her mind did not miss how this boy had managed to give him a pretty tough fight.

It didn't make sense for a human to be capable of such a feat, and even a magus couldn't do much to force her to take it seriously either. This was not supposed to last long since this consisted of ending the annoying stubbornness of her Master and making him understand her place, that she was the dominant of the group in both power and leadership and look how he forced her to arrive up to this point. She knew well since he had momentarily sent that source of energy nothing related to mana, and from then on, she knew that he was not normal.

Not just him. The talkative girl and the four-eyed boy are not normal either. None of them were mages, and they wouldn't be surprising since they came from a completely different world. She knew she couldn't get answers now as they were covering up their true identities towards Rider and his young Master, but little did they know that maybe that will end soon.

Shortly after finishing the treatment, Ichigo's condition returned just before the match, but he was still unconscious but out of danger. Uryū and Kisuke were in charge of transporting the body to a good place so that it could rest. Orihime focused her attention on Saber.

"Saber-san, do you want me to heal you too?"

Saber said nothing as she thought about accepting the offer. Normally, the proud knight would not accept any help to heal and restore wounds suffered in battle, as this was how a warrior became strong and tolerated pain. However, since this match was over and the injuries sustained were going to be a nuisance, she had no choice but to accept her help.

"Do what you want." She answered.

Catching this as a sign, Orihime sent Ayame and Shun'ō to where the blonde was standing and surrounded her with the oval barrier beginning with her restoration.

At the same time, Waver and Rider watched from a distance as the fight ended after almost 30 minutes since it started. Ichigo had been restored (still unconscious) thanks to that strange healing ability of the girl and now he was doing the same with Saber. To the mind of the British magus this was unheard of. He knew he had seen and learned healing magic in the Clock Tower, but what he was seeing had nothing to do with it.

It just didn't seem to be some kind of magic that he knew about, and he was even able to 'bring' Ichigo back to life after Berserker's devastating blow. But not only her.

During the confrontation with Caster, the bespectacled boy displayed unusual abilities such as disappearing and appearing instantly and shooting glow arrows as if he were an Archer.

Certainly, those abilities didn't seem to be some kind of magic that he at least knew about, but he couldn't help feeling that these strange people were hiding more things from him. He also saw during Ichigo's confrontation with his Servant that the boy also showed unusual abilities as soon as he activated his 'Magic Circuits' and that they had said that he did not know how to handle them, but he managed to fight equally with Saber. These people are definitely not normal at all, and that made him quite uneasy, except for Rider for some reason. It was the last straw that these people were hiding things behind his back as if they wanted to take advantage of him. If this continued, he would no longer have to trust them and he would have to break the alliance.

I suppose most of you are wondering why I didn't publish it earlier in its original version, right? You see, this is probably the MOST COMPLICATED chapter I've done so far. Really. I had to rewrite and replace some dialogue and combat scenes, and I have to remind you that I'm not good at it.

At first my main idea was to make an allusion to the first section of training between Shirō and Saber in episode 10 of the Fate Saga. However, the difference that there was, as most of you know, was that Ichigo had more experience than Shirō in sword art so he could give his Saber a good fight to a certain extent instead of being used as a punching bag. Although of course, the problem would be that since Ichigo had been 17 months without using a sword, his abilities would have been rusted but with time he would adapt to the situation which led me to the second idea of making the chapter as an allusion from the training section between Ichigo and Jackie Tristan.

Either way, the tricky part was how to proceed with the fight scenes as it was just a display instead of killing each other. I also decided that during a certain situation Ichigo will be able to momentarily activate his Magic Circuits to counterattack a relentless Mordred, but it didn't last long since he couldn't fully dominate them, so the fight was over. Anyway that was a hint of a new power for Ichigo that will eventually reveal itself.

In the next chapter, the Karakura's gang will finally reveal to Waver and Rider their true identities and how they came to be. A possible training will also be planned for Ichigo to learn to master the Magic Circuits and learn some magecraft.

That was it for today, and I hoped I did well and liked it. Thank you.

Ja ne!