Tanuki Rise of the Yokai Clan

Saber's armor should have blocked Lancer's spear. Nevertheless, the tip of the spear had Saber's blood on it.

However, right now, Saber's armor is the same as ever, without a scratch.

To make a practical guess, just with the spear coming in contact, the blade passed through the armor as if it had vanished.

Saber couldn't dematerialize, but she could materialize her battle outfit and then cancel it. In other words, Saber's armor was a knit out of Prana, and it wasn't just material in the present reality like the clothes Irisviel bought.

Furthermore, it was incomprehensible that Invisible Air could be racked... the contact with Lancer's spear had created a fissure in the bounded field that generated the wind.

With all of those clues, it was clear that Lancer's red spear could cut off a Prana.

"Nevertheless, it isn't so powerful that it could break or cancel the source of the Magecraft. Saber's armor is still fine, and Invisible Air is still functioning correctly. The spear is effective only the instant it hits the battle."

Tamazuki didn't even glance at Scheherazade as he continued to explain. "His red spear ability is just that." However, he wanted that ability, and he couldn't wait to devour Lancer.

"So what about the short spear that he has dropped? Also, what's the point of dropping it to the ground?"

If Lancer had two Noble Phantasms, to begin with, wouldn't it be more efficient to use them together when he fought Saber?

"Calm down. The battle is still far from over, but still, if this continues, Saber might lose."

"That's great!"

Hearing that, Scheherazade was happy since she knew that Saber possessed a power that could threaten Tamazuki, so if Saber could end this battle so early, then everything was good.

As for Lancer?

In the worst case, Scheherazade was going to use her Noble Phantasm and used the fiction in this word to take down her opponent, bringing safety and peace of mind to her and her Master.

Still, according to her Master, if Saber didn't show her Noble Phantasm, then the victory would be on the hand of Lancer.

With that thought in mind, she became curious about how this battle would end since whatever the result was; everything would lead to her plan to take down all the Servants and Masters.

---

Naturally, while Tamazuki understood the ability behind Lancer's red spear, Saber, who faced Lancer, also understood it, and she also prepared a countermeasure against it.

"It's a bother to see you trump over just peeling off my armor."

Nevertheless, she recognized the threat of Lancer's spear, but she had no fear in her heart.

The situation hadn't been decided.

At that moment, the silver armor covering Saber's entire body scattered in every direction in a splash.

Irisiviel gulped in surprise.

Lancer continued to observe without moving a single muscle.

The chest plate, the gauntlets, the long assets shaped like a skirt that protected the legs, nothing was left. Saber had removed her armor by herself. The fragments of armor scattered in metallic dust immediately disappeared like mist as Saber cut off her Prana.

"If I cannot defend against your spear, I only have to strike instead. Prepare yourself, Lancer."

Wearing a light blue dress, Saber resumed her stance. Lower, with her sword behind, she confronted Lancer, one leg forward and the other behind. Without consideration for defense, this stance was made for a lethal strike that would slice from one shoulder to the other.

It was clearly visible to anyone that Saber intended to end the battle with the next strike at the risk of her life.

"That's brave. Is it all or nothing?"

Lancer somehow seemed satisfied by finding again what he missed, but the tension was clearly noticeable in the tone of his voice.

Having taken off her armor, Saber didn't gain just agility. Prana needed to form and maintain that her armor was now available for use in her offensive. This meant a lot to the skill of "Prana Burst" that Saber possessed.

"Prana Burst" is the accumulation of Prana in her weapon and her entire body, momentarily injecting an arbitrary exceptional boost to her abilities. So to speak, it is a jet blast of Prana for her movements. She only had the thin body of a small girl, but this was the secret that allowed her to brandish her big sword with the combat style of a power fighter.

Prana's surplus could be converted into mobility power for close-range combat, but when Saber used up the Prana needed for the armor in a "Prana Burst," it could grant her six times that bonus in power and speed—this was perfect for the destructive power of a one-hit-kill attack.

The handicap of losing the armor was overturned by the advantage of throwing away her armor. This was Saber's conclusion to deal with the "spear of exorcism" of Lancer.

"That heroism. This is a brave decision. I definitely don't hate that..."

Like a matador facing a mad bull, he kept provoking her by lightly shifting from side to side in a low position.

The asphalt torn up into gravel created many obstacles for a good foothold; Lancer's movement stagnated a little when he put strength into his legs.

Saber didn't miss it.

A loud bang roared in the atmosphere. The golden sword that was invisible until then turned over the darkness of the night with its brilliance.

The Invisible Air that compressed the air and refracted the light in an illusion could be used in another way. The instant the bounded field was released, it could blow the opponent with a single long-distance strike with a gale made out of the super high pressure of the condensed air.

This was the application of Saber's plan. The point of holding the sword backward in a wide stance was for that—to accelerate the air strike even more.

Released from the golden sword, a jet of air came out from behind Saber. By releasing her armor to increase her Prana burst further, her body changed into a supersonic bullet.

At this point, Saber's speed was three times higher than normal. It was already too late for an ambush or evasion the instant she stepped forward. Even if Lancer's spear could deal a serious wound to Saber, he would receive a lethal strike in the same instant. This was certainly a strike made to risk one's life for a certain victory, ready to even have her flesh cut or her bones severed. Breaking through the wall of air at several times the speed of sound, the shockwave of the rush blew the surrounding rubble like dust.

Lancer didn't move. Having already given up on an ambush attack, the tip of the red spear didn't flinch.

What moved instead was—his legs.

With an extremely focused mind, the flow of time, even shorter than an instant, stretched and grew slower.

At that moment, Saber knew. The opening Lancer was a bluff. It wasn't a coincidence that Lancer missed a step. He had placed himself in the right position to stop.

In other words, the position Lancer was chosen for his victory—was the spot where he had switched from two spears to one, dropping the short spear in his left hand.

Lancer's words were resurrected in her mind "That was my plan."

Saber saw it at the time, Lacner's threatening smile when he was sure of his victory. The glint in his eyes had spoken more than his words. "I will strike through your imprudence."

Instead of picking the spear with his arm, Lancer kicked the gravel at his feet. It wasn't just gravel that was flying in the air. A short spear that Lancer dropped earlier, its tip, was accurately springing up through the air in Saber's direction. The amulet wrapped around the whole spear, just like the long one, was already unfastened, revealing the yellow metal under it.

Saber's sixth sense could theoretically be surpassed thought for a natural talent for battle decisions, but it didn't predict her blunder.

One normally wielded one spear with both hands—that was the trap of the misconception. She could only be regarded as bluffing the capacity to have a spear in each arm.

If that was Lancer's way with the spear.

If that Servant was the Heroic Spirit known as the bearer of "the two demonic spears."

Yes, a Noble Phantasm—is definitely not limited to one.

The short spear that Lancer had kicked up, its tip, was swirling with a Prana just as sinister as the long red one, glaring at Saber. It was already predicting the instant it would pierce Saber's throat, as she could only charge forward, too late to break...

---

While Scheherazade was surprised by Tamazuki's prediction, Tamazuki knew that everything wouldn't end so easily.

'After all, Saber has the protagonist's halo.'

With that thought, the conclusion of the collision between Lancer and Saber was revealed.