Fate: Holy Grail

[3rd POV]

"Assassin, this is the battlefield. Please put away your childish behavior!" 

Saber reminded him, "Our duel is still ongoing!"

"I understand!" 

Assassin seemed to have lost a bit of confusion, and his voice had become clearer.

How could she not be excited? He now had his own body and could firmly feel the world beneath her feet!

Saber saw that him released some magic. She wasn't sure if Assassin was mimicking her own skill or if she naturally possessed it.

In the beginning, the Assassin wielded an ordinary sword that could not withstand an attack from a heroic spirit.

Therefore, Saber couldn't make up her mind.

After raising her sword to continue the battle, Saber once again charged at him.

This time, there was a vivid image of a sword clashing against a sword. 

The cross-shaped sword in his hand, coated with a layer of released magic, and Saber's invisible holy sword.

Assassin saw sparks fly, but his sword did not break.

The release of magic couldn't allow her to form armor like Saber's.

He couldn't enhance his strength to the extent Saber could either, but simply enchanting a layer onto a long sword was more than sufficient.

After raising his sword to block, Assassin immediately regretted it the moment the swords collided. 

Saber's strength directly pressed Assassin to half kneel on the ground. It was as if she were carrying a massive boulder, and Assassin felt Saber's power would crush her!

The intense pain in his wrist sent sharp signals to his brain. He was still too young and inexperienced in battle to risk going to Saber's sword head-on like that.

"Ha~"

After taking a long breath of air, Assasin's wrist was still trembling.

He couldn't afford to fight head-on and had to find a way to dodge Saber's attacks.

Taking advantage of his agility, Assassin quickly retreated and tried to flee into the dark forest where he could use her speed to maneuver Saber.

However, Saber was not slow in terms of speed either, but she lagged slightly behind Assassin's A+ agility. 

She pressed the attack, determined not to give Assassin any breathing room, charging forward while swinging her blade.

Saber's swordsmanship was clear and wide open. In the blink of an eye, six strikes had already been unleashed!

Swish, swish, swish! 

Luckily, Assassin easily avoided all the sword swings that went through the air and left a trail of crescent-shaped light.

Even Assassin may not have realized it, but his movements as he dodged Saber's swords were like a butterfly dancing in the air.

Saber's swordsmanship was elegant and yet deadly. This is what she fought through countless battles on the battlefield, making a technique that was entirely her own.

However, she wasn't particularly skilled in one-on-one duels, but she was more proficient in leading her people and charging into battle at the front of her forces.

At this moment, Assassin managed to slip free from Saber's pursuit, lightly stepping on the tree trunk and leaping onto a branch, taking the opportunity to run deeper into the forest.

Saber followed closely behind, raising her sword in a swift motion. In an instant, the trees blocking her path were all sliced in half, and fixed her sharp eyes on Assassin, who was running quickly through the bush. 

Saber glanced briefly at Illyasviel and stopped because she needed to ensure Illyasvie's safety.

However, at that moment, she received an order from Kiritsugu Emiya.

"Go chase him, and I'll protect Illyasviel."

"Kiritsugu has arrived here too!"

Saber no longer hesitated and charged into the dense forest where Assassin had disappeared.

The chase was on!

Assassin's strength was much lower than Saber had imagined, which meant her attributes were nothing more than deceptive numbers.

If Saber could catch up, she was certain she could deliver a fatal blow to Assassin.

"The reason Assassin revealed herself so boldly must be to activate her Noble Phantasm!"

After a short while, Assassin finally stopped, pausing in the dense woods. 

He was getting tired, and his body started to feel stiff. The energy he used in the fight had been far less than the energy he used running quickly through the forest.

He shouldn't get tired as a servant as long as there was magic, but his magic was very low and not enough to store a lot of energy.

"Have you stopped?" 

Saber surveyed the surroundings. 

The dense trees formed a thick barrier, their leaves nearly blocking out all light.

"You're quite hidden..." 

Saber analyzed, "Since this is the case, you might as well unleash your trump card. No one here will pry into your secrets."

She thought the initiative in the battle was now in the Assassin's hands due to her superior agility. She couldn't catch up with him and could only keep pursuing, waiting for him to make a mistake and stop.

After lightly stepping on the branches, Assassin leaped down from the treetop and unsheathed his sword.

There was no direct fight, and every time Assassin tried to attack, he withdrew just as quickly. 

Saber felt that no matter how she swung her sword, Assassin always found a way to counter it.

Assassin's strikes were as lethal as the last, and instinct had already saved Saber multiple times. 

It was as if the Assassin had seen through all of her vulnerabilities like a venomous snake sinking its fangs into its prey.

A bead of sweat ran down Saber's heroic face as she maintained her tense focus. 

Assassin was far more troublesome than she had anticipated. Despite being proficient in close combat, Saber was outplayed at every turn.

The combination of Intuition and Mind's Eye(Fake) was indeed terrifying!

As Saber swung her sword, Assassin could see the trajectory of the blade and predict possible follow-up moves. 

Then, with Mind's Eye, Assassin would know exactly how to respond and counterattack.

Moreover, Saber's invisible sword could not deceive him.

This combination and Assassin's extraordinary agility made his analysis execution nearly perfect. He could always turn the tables as long as there was a possibility of success. 

Thanks to his intuition, Assassin could predict not just sword strikes but also trajectory. 

Mind's Eye also allowed him to analyze evasive movements and dodge incoming arrows or other ranged attacks. 

It was nearly impossible to land a successful long-range strike on Assassin unless there was no chance for him to avoid it.

The moment Saber raised her sword, no matter what she intended to do—whether it was a feint or an actual strike, Assassin had already predicted it and simultaneously figured out a countermeasure.

Saber couldn't tell any real swordsmanship from her opponent because Assassin had never tried an offensive move. 

He was only doing a defense followed by a counterattack.

"This may be his style of swordsmanship?"

Saber wasn't sure, but she was certain that she would lose if the fight continued like this.

The dark clouds began to slowly disperse, much like the gloom that had weighed on Assassin's heart, now starting to fade. 

The thin clouds in the sky could no longer conceal the soft moonlight, and Assassin no longer felt the fear of battle.

Saber relentlessly pressed her attacks on Assassin in the silent forest, but he gradually became more familiar with the battle. 

Assassin has gotten used to Saber's attacks, and at the same time, his use of his Intuition and Mind's Eye has become more and more refined...

It was as if two ethereal butterflies were dancing under the hazy moonlight, two breathtakingly beautiful girls wielding their swords, performing a celestial dance to the melody played by the blades.

To be continued...