Fate: Holy Grail

[3rd POV]

Assassin walked alone through the dark streets, not intending to release his Noble Phantasm. 

This body had a sharp sense of perception, allowing him to feel the faint breeze that swept through the night.

Even though it was cold outside and lonely at night, Assassin was a person who had died before. 

He greedily savored every second of being alive.

"Maybe it would be more suitable for me to become a Lancer?" 

Assassin murmured to himself with his agility being the only attribute he could compare to other Heroic Spirits.

Lancer, apart from agility, wasn't particularly great in other attributes, making him a perfect match for Assassin.

He was already thinking about how to approach Lancer or lure him out.

"Would Lancelot be better?!" 

He suddenly raised her head. 

He wasn't very familiar with his Noble Phantasm yet. This Noble Phantasm could transform him into any heroic spirit with a remarkable achievement. 

In other words, any Heroic Spirit summoned by the Holy Grail could be disguised by him. 

He was well aware of Berserker Lancelot's power, the endless martial prowess... It was a skill, not a Noble Phantasm. 

In other words, he could fully acquire this skill through his Noble Phantasm!

As Assassin was deep in thought, he received a command from Kirei.

"Why slow down? That library is not far from you."

Indeed, Assassin could smell the strong smell of explosion in the air, just as Kirei had said which was why he hesitated.

He scanned his surroundings once more. Even though it was supposed to be a busy place, there were no people to be seen. 

The streets were eerily empty.

"My familiar has already entered the explosion site, but it seems that someone evacuated the civilians here ahead of time."

Kirei transmitted to Assassin with the information he had gathered. 

"It seems that someone orchestrated an attack, and the most likely person behind this is Emiya Kiritsugu. He is the only one who would resort to such shameless tactics to target a magus."

He spoke the name of this man, who had long been the one he found most intriguing in his life. 

Although the reasons behind Kiritsugu's actions were still unclear, they had once again deeply piqued Kirei's interest.

"There is a building to the east of the library. Do you see it?" 

Kirei asked.

"I see it." 

Assassin replied.

It was a white, low-rise building nearly adjacent to the library affected by the explosion. 

The building appeared to be on the verge of collapse, with no single intact window left building due to the blast from the nearby library.

"Go up. Remember to hide and keep your surveillance to the maximum."

The summoned familiar had some reconnaissance abilities, but it was still much worse than seeing it with own eyes.

He could see the images reflected in Assassin's eyes through their contract, even able to see additional information, like the servant's attributes. 

This ability was a gift from the Holy Grail but exclusive to the Master.

Since Assassin had no intention of appearing, he naturally followed Kirei's instructions.

Standing alone on the roof of the building, Assassin saw Iskandar emerging from the ruins. 

He held Waver asleep with one hand like he was carrying a bag. Assassin could clearly see the silent anger on his face. 

Iskandar did not leave immediately. Instead, he gently placed Waver onto a chariot pulled by bulls.

He moved slowly and carefully as if he was scared that Weber might get hurt more. 

It seemed like a long time had passed since the explosion, and scattered pages and burning flames were everywhere.

He pushed aside a piece of rubble and picked up a book from a burning wooden table.

It was the book he had previously left in the library. He placed it carefully onto the chariot, seemingly very focused on these books.

Fortunately, Iskandar had acted in time. Although Weber was covered in blood, there were no fatal injuries. 

The anger boiling inside him finally reached breaking point, and with the dignity of a king, he raised his head and spoke...

"It would be a mistake to say that the only ones spying on this place is Assassin."

The mastermind, Kiritsugu, had been quietly monitoring the situation and had even prepared a sniper rifle to kill Waver.

The assassination attempt was unsuccessful as Iskandar was still alive and well. 

Servants were almost impossible to kill with regular weapons. 

However, Kiritsugu's real target had never been Rider, and it was Weber, the Master.

Killing a Servant was troublesome, but killing a Master was much simpler.

At this moment, Kiritsugu was quietly crouched at a construction site to the west of the library where the view from the crane was wide and clear.

He found a good position, set up his sniper rifle, and sent a command through the earpiece to Maiya:

"Can you see Rider's Master from your direction?" 

Even though the library was now a ruin, it still blocked Kiritsugu's line of sight.

Kiritsugu and Maiya were positioned separately on opposite sides of the library—east and west. 

Since they weren't sure what kind of damage the explosion would cause the library, they decided to split up for safety.

From the west, Kiritsugu could see Iskandar's silhouette through the ruins of the library, but he couldn't spot Waver hiding in the chariot. 

This was why he asked Maiya if she had a clear view of Rider's Master.

"Yes..." 

However, just as Maiya finished speaking, she exclaimed in shock, "I see Assassin here!"

"Location." 

Kiritsugu responded shortly, not wasting time on further conversation.

"Target location, east side, the white low-rise building."

After following Maiya's instructions, Kiritsugu peered through the scope of his sniper rifle and spotted Assassin on top of the low-rise white building.

The short white building wasn't too tall, and no buildings in the center blocked the view.

Kiritsugu easily found Assassin's position on the rooftop.

This servant was identical to his own Saber, and the figure had not turned to spirit. They were clearly trying to relay information to their Master without leaving any gaps.

"That's strong disguise ability, obedient... wouldn't it be better if Assassin were my servant?" 

Kiritsugu muttered to himself as he pulled the rifle's bolt back. He was determined to eliminate one team of participants entirely.

"Maiya, can you take the shot at Rider's Master from your position?" 

Kiritsugu asked.

"No problem." 

Maiya responded, then added, "But if I shoot from here, Assassin will definitely notice me." 

She slightly shifted her body, revealing half of her head from her hidden position, glancing at the Assassin.

"I'll attack Assassin to buy you time to kill Rider's Master." 

Kiritsugu said, "Let's eliminate Rider tonight."

"Understood. There's a sewer nearby, I can escape through there." 

Maiya replied.

"Prepare for action, Maiya." 

Kiritsugu held his breath with his scope's crosshair already locked on Assassin's head...

To be continued...