The Dark King.
The Chaldeans looked at Saber in complete shock.
"King Arthur…..was a woman?" Tatsuko asked silently in disbelief.
Roman looked at the monitors again and gulped. "Yes, it would seem so. But she must have had her reasons for posing as a male. I mean, back in her time you couldn't assume the throne unless you were a man, so she'd have to pretend to be one for family reasons."
"I guess so, but who could have thought of something like that?" Olga asked.
"I have a theory," Roman groaned. "Merlin had a hand in it."
"It matters not," Saber said calmly. "All I care about now is getting rid of some pests that sauntered their way in here."
The Saber looked at the Masters, like a predator ready to strike its prey, and dashed towards them with her sword raised to strike. Mashu gasped, and dove in between them with her shield raised, and blocked the attack.
"Impressive." Saber said. She launched another strike which pushed back Mash further.
The Shielder got back up on her feet and launched herself in the middle of her Masters to protect them from another attack from Saber. This time, she was the one who launched the counterattack, bashing Saber's head with her shield before kicking her away.
Saber looked at her armor and noticed a small crack in it. A small smile came out of her mouth "This might be a challenge after all."
She dashed at Mashu, surprising the Shielder with her blazing speed. Mashu didn't have enough time to properly defend herself, resulting in her getting cut in the arm.
"Mashu!" Ritsuka yelled before trying to run at her, but was stopped by Tatsuko.
"Are you trying to get yourself killed!?"
"She's going to die if we don't help her!"
The yelling of both Masters caught the attention of Saber, who charged her sword with magical energy and prepared to attack both, but Mash attacked her before she could strike, hitting her in the chest with the shield several times.
Saber simply took the blows without any struggle before ducking under the shield, and punched Mashu in the stomach, nearly taking the wind out of the Shielder. Saber raised her arms, and attempted to slam the pommel of her blade into Mashu's back, but the Shielder rolled out of the way, and used her shield to try and sweep her opponent off her feet. Saber did not fall for the bait, and jumped into the air, and dove straight at Mashu.
The Shielder barely had time to bring her shield back up and block the strike, before Saber regained the offensive. The weight of each attack grew heavier and heavier, until Mashu felt her feet dig into the ground beneath her. She had to do something to get the Servant to stop her advance, but what could she do?
"Mashu, use this!" Ritsuka's shout rang in the girl's ears as she felt her body being filled with energy. The Master had used one of his Command Seals to power her up. Using this newfound strength, Mashu was able to push Saber back and counter her offensive with a powerful blow, sending her enemy flying towards a nearby rock, breaking it on impact.
Saber got slowly back up, having been hurt by that blow. She looked at her armor, noticing how that strike had made a huge crack on the chestplate of her armor. Her eyes opened in shock, which then turned to excitement.
"Yes… A worthy opponent…" Her sword ignited with magical energy, like black flames that burned everything it touched. "Prepare yourself, because I won't be holding anything back!"
Mashu centered her shield as Saber lunged at her, and swung her blade. The force of the blow pushed Mashu a great distance. The Shielder's eyes widened as she saw Saber right in front of her again, as if she just teleported. The Servant swung her sword in multiple directions while Mashu kept defending herself, Olga and the two Masters from Saber's onslaught. Saber found an opening, and slammed her fist into Mashu's face, sending her flying into a boulder behind her.
"Mashu!" Ritsuka and Tatsuko shouted in unison. The two of them nodded in silent agreement. They were going to have to risk their lives now to help their friend, but Olga grabbed them both by the arms.
"Don't be idiots!" She shouted. "She's going to get back up!"
"Saber's beating her Director Olga!"
"He's right, I know I stopped Twig Boy earlier, but this is getting out of hand!"
"And if you go out there you're only going to get killed!" Olga shouted. The two Masters looked at her in shock as she folded her arms across her chest. "You need to have faith in her. Otherwise the fight's lost already."
The two Masters looked at the director, then back to Mashu as she slowly got up. They looked at each other and sighed in defeat. Olga was right, they wouldn't be able to help Mashu fight this opponent. The best they could do is provide support.
The Shielder slowly rose up, and lunged at her opponent. Saber smirked and raised her hand causing black mana to swirl around in her palm. The mana condensed itself into a giant orb, which Saber threw at Mashu. The Shielder's eyes widened as she stopped her advance in order to block the strike. The impact alone caused her to nearly lose her footing, but she held fast and managed to stay on her feet. Salter's smirk faded as she fired another orb at Mashu, and another, and another. The Shielder could do nothing but keep her shield up against the onslaught.
Salter's onslaught was slowly causing Mash to lose power, her grip on her shield was getting weaker. She tried to push back but every time she did, she was yet again pushed back. Ritsuka and Tatsuko knew that there was only one option, more Command Seals.
Mashu looked at them and shook her head. "Senpai, don't use it. I can do this."
"But she's-"
"Please, I know that I have a lot to learn, but you can't use all of your Command Seals right now."
"But Mashu, you need the extra strength!" Tatsuko shouted.
Mashu shook her head. "I don't know when we'll need them, but I suspect she has something in mind. So please, save them for later Senpai."
Ritsuka and Tatsuko looked at her in slight surprise. They saw the determination in her eyes, and knew immediately that she was not going to back down. They gave her a nod of approval, allowing her to return her attention back to Saber. The Servant fired another orb at the Shielder. Mashu looked around the area for a bit, and slammed her shield back down. This could definitely work, if she played her cards right. She gave Tatsuko a knowing look, and the female Master grinned knowingly. Tatsuko silently activated her magic circuits so as to not draw attention.
As the orb hit the shield, a huge dust cloud erupted, and surrounded the two fighters. Ritsuka turned to Tatsuko with a surprised look.
"I didn't know you could do that!"
Tatsuko smirked. "Yeah, well considering my element's earth and all…"
"Oh right, you mentioned that on the way to the church."
"Yep, it seems like Mashu definitely had that in mind just now."
Ritsuka smiled. If Mashu could think that far ahead, he was looking forward to what else she could do.
Saber looked around but the cloud prevented her from seeing Mashu. She shielded her eyes from the dust and looked around. She couldn't see that well, but she could sense Mashu's presence somewhere near her, but where was she?
Saber's eyes widened in shock as she felt something slam into her from behind. She turned around and saw Mashu's fist digging into her back. Saber swung her blade at the Shielder, but Mashu jumped away and back into the dust cloud. Saber growled in irritation, she would have to be on the lookout for her, but where would she strike next? Her eyes widened slightly as Mashu's shield slammed into her side, causing her to go off balance for a few moments, but saw Mashu rush in and attack.
Saber swung her blade, but Mashu dodged and ducked from her strikes, landing a few punches and kicks on Saber, before grabbing her shield and slamming it into the Servant's left shoulder. Saber swiped at her, but Mashu retreated back into the dust cloud. Saber clicked her tongue in frustration, this girl was really starting to annoy her. She heard something behind her, and swung in that direction, but she hit nothing but air. How was that possible? Saber's eyes widened as Mashu lunged from her right, slamming the butt of her shield into the Servant's cracked chestplate.
Mashu took this opportunity to kick Saber's right arm, but the Servant anticipated that, and ducked under the Demi-Servant's leg. Saber lunged forward, intending to stab Mashu's heart, but Mashu deflected the strike and slammed the back of her fist into Saber's ear, causing the Servant to stumble. Saber swung her blade again, but Mashu retreated back into the cloud.
Saber exhaled sharply and closed her eyes. This little game of cat and mouse has gone on long enough. She charged her sword with more mana, and swung her blade into the dust cloud, clearing the visibility. She smirked as she saw Mashu's surprised face at the fact that her little trick was completely done. Saber glanced at the two Masters, and noted the extended arm of the female one.
"Looks like I'll have to punish you first then."
Saber launched herself towards the Masters, and raised her blade to strike. Mashu leapt after her and swung her shield into the Servant's side, and kicked her face, sending her flying away from the Masters. Mashu landed on her feet as Saber fell and skidded on the ground.
"I might be a useless and defective Servant," Mashu said as she readied her shield. "But if you want to get to them, you will have to go through me first!"
Saber got up slowly. She definitely felt that last strike. She took a step forward, only to hear something fall to the ground. She looked down, and saw a red liquid right near her foot. Another drop fell to the ground, and Saber became aware of a stinging sensation upon her cheek. She touched it, and saw the blood on her hand as she took it away. Her eyes did not betray any emotions, she remained calm as a cucumber for a moment, before a tiny grin formed on her face. It soon became an amused smirk as she stared at Mashu.
"This is starting to become more entertaining," Saber said calmly. "Congratulations, I am no longer bored. So, I think I will take you up on that offer of yours, girl. "
Mashu's eyes widened as Saber pointed her blade at her, with black mana starting to surround the Servant.
"I hope you are prepared, I'm done with my warm up."
Mashu brought her shield up as Saber charged at her with heightened aggression. Mashu managed to block a swing from Saber, but couldn't block the fist that slammed into her gut. However, Mashu anticipated this, and grabbed Saber's sword arm while the Servant was caught off guard. The Shielder dug in her heels, and used her weight to throw Saber a great distance, before making a dash towards the flying servant. She threw her shield at Saber, but the Servant deflected it, and sent it flying back at Mashu. The Shielder jumped and caught her shield before Saber fired another orb at her. Mashu blocked the attack but was pushed back a bit, allowing Saber to land on her feet and charge at the Shielder.
"This is getting intense," Tatsuko said under her breath. "No matter how many times Mashu keeps hitting her, Saber just won't quit!"
"Of course she won't," Olga said while watching the fight with slight anxiety. "She's a Servant, she isn't going to just roll over for her and die. She's going to keep fighting until either she dies, or we do."
Ritsuka shivered at the statement. While he agreed with Olga's words, he couldn't help but feel uncomfortable with the statement. He continued to watch the fight between Mashu and Saber, and saw how both fighters continued to exchange blows. Saber definitely had the advantage when it came to skill and overwhelming power, but Mashu was more durable, and was fighting with clever tactics and trickery to keep up.
Mashu ducked under as Saber swung her blade at her head, and punched the Servant in the gut. Saber coughed, but smirked as she grabbed Mashu's arm, and threw her towards the cliff. Mashu saw where she was going to hit and twisted her body so her feet touched the cliff, and used it as a springboard to launch herself at Saber. The Servant saw this and swung her blade to block the lilac haired girl's shield, locking both weapons in place.
"Color me impressed, you've managed to survive this long," Saber said with a smirk. "But I wonder how long you can keep it up."
Caster dodged another swing from Archer's blades with a smirk. The blue haired Servant sidestepped and prepared to swing his staff upwards towards Archer's jaw, but the corrupted Servant blocked the strike with his second blade.
Caster mentally cursed at himself as Archer kicked him in the chest, sending him into the tree behind him. Archer used this opportunity to dematerialize his swords, and resummoned his bow into his hands. The corrupted Servant aimed at Caster, but the blue haired Servant rolled out of the way as he fired an arrow aimed at his head.
"You're even more annoying as a Caster than you were a Lancer." Archer said in irritation.
"Hate to break it to you, but I have no idea what you're talking about." Caster said with a smirk.
"It doesn't matter," Archer said as he aimed his bow. "All I care about right now is taking care of you, and finding those kids."
Caster's smile faded, replaced with a stone cold gaze. "Looks like I need to take this more seriously then."
The blue haired Servant summoned more spectral wolves to attack Archer, but the corrupted Servant leapt into the air, and landed in a tree, shooting at the familiars with a volley of arrows until they all dissolved into thin air.
"That trick won't work on me again." Archer said calmly. "Just give up al-"
"Anzus!"
Archer had only enough time to leap out of the tree, and land on another before Caster shot another fireball straight at him. Archer clicked his tongue in annoyance as he had to land on the ground, but not before firing two arrows at Caster. Caster blocked it with a barrier, annoying Archer even further as none of his attacks were having a noticeable effect on his enemy.
He tried closing in the distance, yet this Caster was a bit different in that regard. Without issue, he blocked Archer's attack with his staff before launching a point blank fireball at him and hitting him several times in order to make him retreat.
A cocky smile formed from Caster's mouth. "What's the matter Archer? Can't beat a single Caster in hand to hand combat?"
Archer clicked his tongue in anger before dematerializing his bow once more, and brought his blades back to his hands. "How can one Servant be so annoying?"
Caster chuckled as Archer charged at him. The blue haired Servant shot another fireball at the corrupted Servant. He couldn't help but think how predictable this guy-
His eyes widened as he saw Archer dematerialize his swords, and dodged the fireball by sliding underneath it. Caster tried to bring his guard up, but Archer was a little faster this time, punching Caster in the face. Caster tried to swing his staff, but Archer sidestepped, and punched Caster's face again. The corrupted Servant kept dodging Caster's strikes, and remained within close distance to punch him repeatedly on all sides, before kicking him in the jaw and sending him spiraling into the trees behind them. Caster tried getting up, but was a little disoriented from the onslaught, causing Archer to smirk.
"What was that about not being able to beat you in hand to hand combat?" Archer asked smugly. Caster couldn't help but chuckle. He definitely had that one coming for being too cocky. The blue haired Servant managed to get up, and dodged a punch from Archer. The white haired Servant tried to punch again, but Caster successfully blocked it with his staff, allowing him to redirect Archer's arms away, reaching his staff around Archer's neck, grabbing his weapon, and forcing Archer's face to come forward towards his own. Caster reared his head back, and gave Archer a powerful headbut, before kneeing him in the stomach.
Archer doubled over, causing Caster to prepare to finish him off, but that's what Archer wanted, as he summoned one of his swords to his side in an attempt to decapitate the blue haired Servant. Caster blocked in time, but could not prevent himself from getting a long cut on his left forearm. Archer went low, and sliced a shallow cut into Caster's right leg, the blue haired Servant blocked the next strike, and slammed his staff into Archer's jaw.
Archer stumbled from the strike for a moment before dodging a shard of ice from Caster. The white haired Servant threw his swords at Caster, who was prepared to deflect them. But the blue haired Servant was almost caught off guard when Archer launched multiple copies of the same blades towards him. Caster managed to dodge the attack, but he was obviously surprised and shocked.
"How in the hell did you do that?!"
"Like I'm going to grace that with an answer." Archer replied.
"Really? Damn you're no fun at all." Caster said playfully.
"Get used to disappointment."
Archer lunged at Caster with his blades, but the blue haired Servant managed to sidestep and hit Archer in the chest with his staff. Archer was knocked back a few feet before regaining his balance and blocked another strike from Caster. The white haired Servant couldn't help but feel like something was off. How is this Servant managing to keep up with him? The entire battle so far had been evenly matched, when it should have been a completely one-sided affair. Something was wrong here, and he needed to figure out the issue before he could make a solution to fix this. Archer dodged another strike from Caster, and used his blades to try and decapitate him again. Caster saw this, and moved his head out of the way in time. He hissed in pain as the blades still managed to slice his cheeks lightly, but not enough for a serious injury.
Caster took the opportunity to use his feet and tripped Archer, who fell to the ground on his back. He tried to hit him with his staff again, but everytime he did so, Archer rolled away until he managed to get up and try to slice into Caster's arms. The blue haired Servant deflected the strike, and launched a fireball at Archer. The white haired Servant simply stepped to the side, and swung his blades downward. Caster deflected the strikes again, and landed a kick on Archer's chest.
"Is something wrong Archer? You look like you saw a ghost." Caster mocked. Archer realized that he was getting too distracted, he needed to focus on the enemy in front of him and nothing else.
Preparing his swords for another attack, he launched himself straight against Caster, which tried to block the hit, only to soon find out that he was tricked. Archer had moved to his undefended right side and slashed while he tried to get out of the way, resulting in a deep cut on his right arm.
"Is something wrong Caster? You look like you saw a ghost."
"Show off."
Caster covered his bleeding arm using a tourniquet from pieces of his robes that were cut, before making a small chant which Archer didn't get to hear, only to notice seconds later how dozens of fireballs were surrounding him.
"Dodge this."
"Shit."
Archer dove out of the way as the fireballs were launched at him. He managed to evade the majority of the magic projectiles, but a couple managed to singe him, leaving a couple of burn marks on his arms.
"Okay I have to admit that was pretty clever of you Caster."
Caster smirked. "Well isn't this a surprise, it seems you can give out compliments afterall."
"Don't get too comfortable," Archer replied. "Because you won't live long enough to get another."
"Are you sure?" Caster asked. "Because it seems to me that I'm the one winning here."
"Keep telling yourself that mullet head." Archer countered. "If anything we're just going around in circles here."
"You think so?"
"Don't play coy Caster, we both know how this is going to end." Archer answered.
"Yeah, it's going to end up with me as the victor buddy." Caster snarked. Archer threw his blades again, but Caster deflected them again, and effortlessly dodged the incoming sword copies that Archer conjured to shoot him with. Caster fired both an ice shard and a fireball towards the white haired Servant, only for Archer to duck and roll out of the way from the incoming projectiles. Archer dematerialized his swords and summoned his bow again and shot at Caster, but the blue haired servant conjured several ice spikes to counter them.
Archer continued to fire volley after volley, but Caster could create more ice spikes to repel them. The white haired Servant decided to change things up, and leapt into the air, shooting a volley from there, before landing on a tree branch, and continued his assault on the blue haired Servant. Thankfully for Caster, he had a way around this.
Using his runes and placing them in a specific order, he summoned a shield that blocked the ranged attacks used by Archer while allowing him to launch his own fireballs and magic spells from a safe place. This enraged the Servant, as it forced him into going close range against his enemy, exactly what Caster wanted.
One of the runes he had used had been set up as a trap, and when Archer stepped on it, it exploded, blinding the white haired Servant. Caster took the opportunity to smack Archer with his staff a few times before the corrupted Servant recovered. Archer grabbed Caster's staff, and used it as leverage to gain some control back in the fight. The white haired Servant used the end of the staff to hit Caster in the stomach, almost knocking the Servant down, but Caster smirked and wrestled control of his staff back to himself. He pulled Archer close to him and attempted to conjure a fireball at point-blank, but Archer jumped back and threw more copies of his swords at him. Caster used his runes to summon another shield in order to repel the blades, but left an opening big enough for his staff to come out, and fired more shards of ice at the white haired Servant.
"Oh you have got to be kidding me." Archer mumbled as he was forced to jump into the trees to gain more distance. Just how many times are they going to go back and forth like thi-
Archer's eyes widened as the tree started to glow red. He looked beneath him and saw runes beneath his feet. He looked at the smiling Caster and mentally cursed himself for being so careless. Archer managed to jump out of the tree in time before it exploded, and fired more arrows at Caster. However, Caster planned on that earlier. The ground above the arrows started to glow, and in an instant, the arrows turned to ash, irritating Archer. Just how many runes did this guy make? As a matter of fact, when did he have the time to make them? There was no way that he could have produced so many in such little time.
A large rumbling broke his thoughts. The two Servants looked at each other.
"Did you feel that?" Caster asked.
"Yeah, I definitely did." Archer answered.
The ground shook from another quake. Why was the ground quaking? Could it be from the cave? Another tremor confirmed that it was not from inside the cave. If it wasn't from there, then where is it-
Archer's eyes widened as he saw something flying towards him. He ducked as the object passed his head. The loud crashing sound behind him made him relieved that he did the right course of action, otherwise his head would have been taken clean off his body. He turned to see what the object was, and recoiled when he saw it. Caster turned completely pale as they both looked at a familiar axe-sword planted on the ground. The two Servants nearly fell to their knees in fear as they heard a deafening roar growing louder and louder.
Archer turned to Caster with a shocked expression. "You didn't lead him here on purpose did you?"
Caster shook his head. How could he have….His eyes widened. "Oh shit….. He was following our trail the entire time!"
The two Servants felt the tremors become more intense. They took deep breaths to calm their nerves, as they watched Berserker appear from the treeline with a bloodcurdling roar of anger.
Mashu panted heavily as the fight dragged on. While it seemed that she managed to do some damage to Saber, the corrupted Servant did not seem tired at all. Saber lunged at the Shielder, swinging her blade upward, but Mashu managed to deflect the attack with her shield, leaving Saber wide open. The lilac haired girl took the opportunity to swing her shield, and hit Saber in the chestplate. The corrupted Servant didn't even flinch as she grabbed the end of the shield and used it to pull Mashu in close, and punched her face.
Mashu stumbled, but she managed to smack Saber with her shield in retaliation. The corrupted Servant was pushed back as a result, and decided to get some distance from the Shielder, and fired a black orb of mana at her for good measure. Mashu blocked the attack and jumped back as Saber charged at her, having used the orb as a smokescreen to distract Mashu.
The corrupted saber thrusted and swung at Mashu, only to hit nothing but air as the Shielder became more accustomed to her attacks. However, Saber did not relent, making it difficult for Mashu to land another hit on her opponent. Saber swung her blade up, causing Mashu to instinctively bring her down to block it.
Saber smirked, causing Mashu to gasp as Saber altered the trajectory of her attack, and aimed it at Mashu's shoulder. The Shielder managed to bring her shield back up to block the strike, but was immediately pushed back by the force of the strike itself. Mashu regained her balance and ducked as Saber lunged at her with her sword.
As the battle raged on, the Ritsuka, Tatsuko and Olga watched with awe and wonder before them. Mashu was definitely stronger than before, but Saber was no pushover. No wonder she beat the other Servant's aside from Caster and Rider, she was in a league all of her own. Ritsuka continued to watch the fight, but a thought was eating at him. What was Saber's goal? Why was she drawing out the fight like this?
"Hey, you okay?"
Ritsuka looked to see Tatsuko staring at him with a concerned look. "You look worried."
Ritsuka gave a small nod. "Something isn't right here. Look at how Saber's fighting."
Tatsuko looked at the corrupted Servant and shrugged. "From what I see, both she and Mashu seem to be going back and forth."
"That's exactly the point Mr. Fujimaru is making, Ms. Tachibana." Olga said calmly. "If Saber was as strong as Caster said, then Mashu should be struggling to even keep up."
Tatsuko looked at the fight again, and squinted as she watched Saber's fighting pattern closely. What was she missing? And what were these two picking up that she wasn't?
"Okay look, I don't know anything about swordplay or fighting, so I'm lost here."
"Well I'm not an expert either," Ritsuka answered. "But there's something off about Saber. It's as if she's not really at her best."
Tatsuko shrugged. "Well maybe whatever corrupted the other Servants is affecting her too?"
Ritsuka pondered that thought for a moment. Tatsuko could be right. The other Servants did seem pretty aggressive when they fought, and they didn't seem to care about how much damage they received during their encounters. But why was he still feeling nervous? It was as if something was nagging at the back of his mind. His thoughts were broken as he heard a loud crash where the battle took place.
Saber jumped back as Mashu slammed her shield where the corrupted Servant once stood. The Shielder threw her shield at Saber, but her opponent grabbed it and threw it back at her. Mashu tried to catch her shield, but the force that Saber threw the shield caused her to be pushed back, allowing Saber to leap into the air, and strike down at her. Mashu deflected the attack and kicked Saber's side, sending her flying into the air briefly before correcting herself and landing on her feet. Mashu charged at Saber, but the corrupted Servant anticipated this, and fired another orb of mana at the Shielder. Mashu blocked it and was pushed back. She looked at Tatsuko with a knowing look.
"Does Mashu really think that will work again?" Tatsuko asked.
"Well, it's better than nothing." Ritsuka answered.
Tatsuko activated her magic circuits as Saber launched another orb of mana at Mashu. The Saber intended to launch herself behind the attack to end this once and for all, but she clicked her tongue in frustration as another dust cloud impaired her vision. Mashu leapt into the cloud of dust and debri, waiting for Saber to lower her guard. The Shielder knew that this time Saber might be ready for anything, but this was the only strategy that worked so far. Her eyes widened as she saw Saber lower her blade for a moment, if she struck now, then maybe she could build the momentum she gained last time when they did this. Mashu quietly lunged at Saber, ready to hit her with her shield. Her eyes widened as she saw Saber turn around to face her, grab her shield, and dissolve the dust cloud with her sword in one swift motion.
"That trick won't work on me a second time." Saber said with a smirk. Mashu gasped as Saber flung her, along with her shield, a few feet away from the Masters and Olga.
"Shit! Saber saw right through that!" Tatsuko shouted.
"This isn't good….." Ritsuka looked at his Command Seals once more and pondered to himself if now was a good time to use the second one. Saber was already overwhelming Mashu again, and it concerned him greatly. Maybe he should-
"Not yet…"
The three Chaldeans watched in shock as Mashu got up slowly and grabbed her shield.
"Please, Senpai, just wait."
Ritsuka looked at her in shock as Mashu looked at him with a small, weak smile. It was as if she knew instinctively what he was going to do, and decided to take action. Ritsuka looked at her, then back to his Command Seals. It was sorely tempting to give Mashu that boost, but he didn't want Mashu to think he didn't have any faith in her.
He decided that putting his faith in Mashu would have to be enough, and lowered his hand. He nodded to her, allowing Mashu to return her attention to the fight. The lilac haired girl stared at Saber with a pained look. The Shielder was obviously worn down, but she would not relent.
"I'm impressed that you can still keep going, girl." Saber said calmly.
Mashu said nothing as Saber aimed her blade at her. The corrupted Servant launched at her at full force, causing Mashu to dodge the strike, and slammed her shield on Saber's back. The corrupted Servant grunted in pain, but managed to get back up and trip Mashu's feet from under her. The Shielder rolled on the ground again as Saber repeatedly tried stabbing her on the ground. Mashu blocked an incoming strike, and kicked Saber in the stomach allowing her to get back up and slam her shield right into her chest.
Instead of flying into the air, Saber simply skidded a few feet. The corrupted Servant fired another ball of mana at Mashu, causing the Shielder to prepare to block it. The lilac haired girl did this on instinct, causing the corrupted Servant to form a small smirk.
She conditioned her well.
Mashu gasped as Saber changed her target from her to Ritsuka, Tatsuko and Olga. The corrupted Servant launched the orb at the three defenseless Chaldeans.
Mashu managed to make it in time and block the strike, saving the two Masters and the director from getting killed.
"Holy shit that was close." Tatsuko muttered.
"Are you okay Mashu?" Ritsuka asked.
The Shielder nodded. "I'll be fine. Are you all okay?"
The three mages nodded, causing Mashu to breathe a sigh of relief. However, Mashu's relief vanished as soon as she heard Saber chuckle.
"I think it's time this battle came to an end." She said with a tiny smirk.
"What do you mean?" Mashu asked.
"Oh come now, you all surely must have noticed something during the battle." Saber answered.
Mashu thought back to everything that happened so far. Saber just used her sword to attack, which was simple enough. The orbs of mana were a surprise, but she didn't feel like that was it. What was missing? She looked at Saber's blade and gasped.
"You haven't used your Noble Phantasm yet!" Mashu shouted.
"You're a sharp one." Saber answered. "That's right, this entire time, I haven't even bothered to use my Noble Phantasm. I could have used it at any time, but I knew you'd stop me from activating it. So I decided to bide my time."
"Bide your time?"
Saber nodded. "Yes. I allowed myself to get this banged up, though your little trick with that dust cloud did surprise me because I didn't count on that. But I wanted you to also block all of those orbs of mana, and get accustomed to how I shot them, so I could aim it at them at the right moment."
"I…what?"
"It should be obvious. I did this so I could get you all in one fell swoop."
Ritsuka froze. He realized why he felt something was wrong! Saber planned this from the very beginning. This entire fight was just to tire Mashu out so Saber could claim the victory!
"It was a trap this entire time!" He shouted.
Saber did not answer, but gave a small grin instead. A sudden surge of mana surrounded her as she gripped her sword with both hands, and lowered it to her side.
"Time to end this."