Did you not hear me? I said to let me pass.
I have no business with you, Assassin.
And did you not hear me when I said to force your way through?
If you do not hurry, your Master's life will be lost.
Don't be so angry at Assassin, Caster.
He faces Saber.
I don't know who that samurai is,
but to hold Saber at bay, he is a master swordsman indeed.
Shouldn't you be complimenting him instead?
Surely you jest.
I should hardly call him a hero if he failed to stop the likes of you.
That man lacks the skills to make a master swordsman reveal their name.
Saber is here?
#07 The Reward for the Fight to the Death
How can this be?
Weight, power, speed... I have the advantage in all of them.
Why can I not break his defense?
Oh, well done.
I should have taken your head seven times, but it remains attached.
It appears Western swordplay is more than mere flailing, after all.
And you, as well. For a man of such slight build, your technique is impressive.
If nothing else, you are skilled in trickery.
Of course. You have the edge in both strength and spirit.
That leaves me only my wiles to defeat you.
I have nearly adjusted to your invisible sword, as well.
Just from that brief exchange?
Does this Servant surpass me so greatly in sword technique?
Now, let us continue.
Show me what you are really capable of, Saber.
Shirou... Hold on.
From what you've said, your Masters work together?
Work together?
Yes...
Assassin guards the gate, and Caster lurks within.
Isn't it obvious these two are allied?
It isn't particularly unusual.
For example, you and Rin have joined forces.
Me? Work with that dog?
With Assassin, who is no more than my pawn?
Your pawn?
Yes.
That dog has no Master, you see.
What?
Caster,
you broke the rules!
What's wrong with a mage such as myself summoning a Servant?
Caster summoned Assassin?
You're saying that a Servant summoned another Servant?
That gatekeeper there, not summoned by a proper Master, is not the true Assassin.
She broke the rules and summoned an Assassin-class Servant by herself.
Establishing this as her territory, she harvests souls from people in the city.
She herself doesn't fight,
but monitors the battle with borrowed eyes throughout the city.
The three knight classes, which include Saber, aren't as affected by magic.
It's only natural for a magic-user class such as yourself to resort to underhanded tactics.
But was it not your own volition to do so, Caster?
What makes you say that?
Masters and mages.
If one summons a mage more powerful than oneself,
one would be on guard, even with Command Seals.
Given that,
it's hard to believe a Master would let you summon a Servant to obey you.
In which case,
I can imagine you've long since made a puppet of him, like this fool of a Master behind me.
Winning the Holy Grail War would be a simple matter.
My considerable effort is directed toward what comes after.
Oh, defeating us is simple, you say?
This from a witch, who does nothing but slink in the shadows?
Yes, in this place, you may not so much as scratch me.
To those who call me a witch,
I shall deal the appropriate punishment.
Not even a scratch, you claim?
One blow, then.
If that will not suffice, I will leave you to Saber.
Too bad, Archer.
Spatial Transportation? Innate Time Control?
Within this territory, you can mimic True Magic?
You impress me, Caster.
And you disappoint me, Archer.
I tested you, thinking you might be useful, but you are worse than Assassin.
I'm sorry to hear it.
If I get another chance, I'll try harder not to let you down.
You vixen... You have a huge store of mana to draw on, don't you?
You think you can escape?
That imbecile!
Oh, crap.
Put me down, idiot!
What are you thinking?!
The hell if I know!
When you say that, your excessive stupidity hurts my head! Idiot!
Idiot?
You know you're an idiot, and you go around calling others idiots? Idiot!
What are you, a child?
I can no longer tolerate a child and fool like you.
At least decide on one, numbskull!
What did you say to me?
Put me down, damn it! I can handle this myself!
Can you, now?
You son of a...
How does that feel, Archer?
Even the three knight classes cannot move if space itself is immobilized.
This would appear to be checkmate.
I don't know which land's hero you were, but this is farewell.
What was that, Archer? If you wish to beg for your life, I can—
Imbecile! I said, "Dodge this," Caster!
That's...
I am the bone of my sword.
Caladbolg!
It seems that matters do not progress as planned up there.
My Master is in peril, so I no longer have the luxury of concealing my true skill.
Even now, you will not reveal your Noble Phantasm.
Your Master is unskilled, so you count on the strength of his luck?
Your trust in him is admirable.
I see that halfhearted measures cannot break it.
However, that simply will not do.
You yield the advantage of higher ground? What are you playing at?
I may have no true name, but I have devoted my life to the sword.
If giving all for this fight is not an option,
shall I break open that belief with brute force?
Concealed Sword!
Swallow Reversal!
Too late!
Archer, why do you not finish me off?
I said I would test you with a single blow, didn't I?
You do not intend to kill me, then?
My objective was this boy.
My policy is to avoid unnecessary fighting.
Hey...
I see.
You two are quite alike, then.
That boy cannot abide a Servant like me, who feeds on the innocent.
And you dislike senseless slaughter.
See? You are completely the same.
How am I anything like this jerk?
Agreed.
I admit we may both be pacifists, but for different reasons.
You call yourself a pacifist?!
I haven't forgotten. You tried to destroy Saber along with Berserker!
That was before we entered into an alliance.
Surely you don't expect me to save everything in sight.
Thinking that way, even Berserker would be something to save, not defeat.
I like you two!
Your strengths and the ways you use them are unique.
Join forces with me.
I have a means to put an end to this war.
Never!
I won't work with people like you!
Damn it, Archer! Hey!
I'll pass.
Your team has limited fighting potential.
No matter how much power you gain, you are no match for Berserker.
What you offer isn't enough to ally myself with you.
I see. Negotiations have broken down, then.
Correct. Besides, I've come here of my own volition.
My Master did not send me, so I have no reason to kill you.
Shall we call this a draw due to injury?
Hey, now...
I'm surprised.
Your Master has been hunting me, has she not?
But still, you would let me go?
Yes, it is no concern of mine how many you kill here.
What a terrible man you are.
Wait a minute, Caster!
Archer, why did you let Caster go?
Even if I'd struck her down, she'd have simply made her escape.
To defeat Caster, we must get to her Master.
But all the problems happening in town are her doing.
Until we stop her, victims will keep piling up.
On the contrary, I want to let her continue.
Caster will keep draining people of life force, and will use that power to defeat Berserker.
We'll deal with Caster afterward.
Tohsaka would never agree to such a plan!
You're right, which is why I'd like Caster to settle matters as soon as possible.
I don't know how many will die, but humans are mortal, after all.
However they die, and at whose hands, the result is the same.
You withstood my Concealed Sword.
It is not all that special as tricks go.
It's simply something I mastered when I thought to slay a sparrow.
A flying swallow will not be caught by my sword, which is but a single line.
But with two or three lines, matters change somewhat.
However, swallows are swift little things.
To accomplish the feat, one must strike repeatedly within a single breath.
But that is beyond ordinary men's ability.
But unfortunately for you, I had nothing better to do.
Mastery through endless repetition.
The next thing I knew, I had accomplished it.
That isn't right. "Strike repeatedly within a single breath"?
Those blows were simultaneous.
At that instant, three swords existed.
As difficult as it is to believe...
That was a dimensional-refraction phenomenon.
A Servant who uses only sword skills to achieve what a Noble Phantasm would...
Caster is a soft-hearted. She should have taken their lives while she had the chance.
If everyone in the city dies, fighting would be easier.
You...
I thought we had an alliance.
That's a load of crap!
I'm nothing like you.
Like I'd ever sacrifice those around me to achieve victory or a goal!
I feel the same way, Emiya Shirou.
But it is impossible to save everyone.
If Caster wins the Grail, the damage won't be limited to this city alone.
If we fail to win, the damage will be even greater.
Therefore, the only choice is to sacrifice this city's people.
If that has the result of keeping the overall losses low, it's the same as your strategy.
Saving one person means being unable to save another.
You said you didn't want to involve innocent people, didn't you?
Then admit it.
If you try to avoid killing anyone, you won't save anyone in the end.
You plan to go after Caster?
To waste that life which I went through all that trouble to save—
Shut up!
I wouldn't want your help, even if you offered!
I see.
Your dislike of me makes this easier.
Archer?
Son of a...
Emiya Shirou, if you have no will to fight, die here.
Fighting for others, but not yourself, is nothing but hypocrisy.
It isn't victory that you want. It's peace.
Even though there isn't any such thing in this world.
What?
Farewell. Let your ideals drag you to your death.
Shirou!
That vixen... She retreated?
Saber...
Assassin, just now, why did you not strike me down?
I was captivated, you see.
You were attractive when we fought, but your concern for your Master is exquisite.
Thus, you caught my eyes.
That is enough for tonight. You may go.
You're letting us go?
I am indeed. To find a worthy opponent is a rare thing.
If you are not in peak form, it would be a waste to defeat you.
Or would you consider this a debt, Saber?
Of course, Sasaki Kojirou.
Forgive my rudeness.
You were truly an opponent worthy of my full attention.
Rest assured, I shall settle things with you.
Regardless of the outcome of the Holy Grail War. I swear it.
You stand in my way, samurai?
That's my line.
I said they may leave, and you would interfere?
My duty is to guard this gate.
I permitted entry, but exiting is another matter.
Your head lacks elegance, but I shall satisfy myself by claiming it tonight.
You think you can fight me, lackey of Caster?
I could say the same.
I sent you to give the vixen a scare,
so imagine my disappointment to see you flee for your own well-being.
Shirou, while he's distracted...
Hurry!
I understand.
So Archer allowed Caster to escape?
Yeah, he did.
That guy is the worst.
If he's willing to exploit someone like her to win, he's no better than Caster.
Why are you smiling like that?
Well, it is rare to hear you speak ill of someone.
But you aren't angry at Archer for attacking you?
I'm allied with Tohsaka. Not him.
If you look at it that way, he didn't betray me.
You are the most amazing specimen, Shirou.
It's true that Caster is an enemy who must not run free,
but I believe Archer is not cruel.
Hang on a second. What part of what I just said were you listening to?
You saw it, didn't you, Shirou?
His technique was as pure as a clear stream.
His heart must be equally as pure.
He's not that great with a sword.
The guy attacked me from behind, but he didn't manage to kill me.
Yes, you have an aptitude for it, as well.
Given enough time and effort, you should be able to reach his level.
I've made up my mind.
Once I'm healed up, Saber, teach me how to use a sword!
Not just as exercise. How to really fight.
Very well.
If that's what you want, Shirou.
That settles it, then!
I can't screw up again like I did tonight,
and running away at every turn won't change anything.
And most of all, I can't let myself lose to that bastard who said
he would sacrifice the lives of the few to save those of the many.
Ow...
We're going to smash that Bounded Field.
The enemy is planning to settle things here.
I'll make you pay for what you've done, no matter what!
What's the problem?
This is how Servants ought to be!
Next Time Winter Days, Where the Heart Is