Tanuki Rise of the Yokai Clan

Irisviel was startled when she suddenly sunk into the ground and was swallowed by darkness.

When she thought that her life ended, she didn't feel anything.

"....."

She opened her eyes timidly; then, she was welcomed by a comfortable room as if she was in the most luxurious hotel in the world.

"....."

She felt weird, but at the same time, she also confirmed that it seemed Tamazuki was interested in her.

If not, then why should he bring her to this hotel-like room?

Then, would he appear soon and violate her in this room?

However, there was no escape, and she knew to keep the life of Saber and herself while also protecting the dream of Kiritsugu; she didn't mind doing this.

Still, soon, she noticed a water-like screen floating in midair.

There she saw Tamazuki and Saber, who were facing each other.

"Saber! Saber!"

However, her voice couldn't be heard, and she knew that no one could hear her voice.

Even if she could hear their voices, they couldn't hear hers.

She sighed helplessly and knew that there was no escape.

So, at this moment, the only thing that she could do was only once, and that was to pray for Saber's victory.

"Saber... you have to win..."

However, similar to Saber, Irisviel couldn't hide her shock, especially when Tamazuki took out a katana.

"...isn't he a Caster?"

---

"...katana?"

"Yes." Tamazuki nodded. "I am quite confident in my swordsmanship."

"..."

Saber was silent and couldn't hide her doubts since her opponent wasn't Caster.

Why should he take out a katana to fight her?

Should he have used magic?

Yet, at the same time, she also thought about his identity.

From his weapon, she could tell that he should be a hero from the East.

Why?

It was because of his weapon.

If someone wasn't from Japan, then it would be impossible for them to use a katana.

But who was he?

Still, even if she thought about all the possibilities, everything was meaningless since she couldn't think of a famous character who was good with a katana yet could become a Caster.

So, she gave up and focused on this duel.

If she lost, then she would lose everything.

If she wins, then she could have Irisviel back.

While the character of Caster in front of her might be doubtful, she didn't have a choice but to accept this duel.

Still, this also brought her quite a bit of confidence since her opponent was Caster, so due to his class, her parameter and skills should be lowered and weakened since his class wasn't fit.

Yet, at the same time, she wondered whether it was his way of telling her to fight fairly.

As of now, her situation was far from perfect, or rather she was in her worst condition.

She lacked a supply of Prana, and her sinews were severed. Moreover, she just ended the battle. Even if a Servant could stay up as long as they wanted to, it was only the case if they had a supply of Prana.

Her situation was the worst of the worst.

Saber wasn't confident that he would fight her with a sword because of fairness.

Moreover, for him, who could do such a cowardly act, she couldn't imagine he would fight her in a fair way, so there was only one conclusion—he was confident in his swordsmanship.

Then, as expected—

Her body shivered!

The moment he held his sword, she realized what kind of opponent she faced.

This wasn't a matter of the wrong class or any other, but she felt like she was facing the sword itself.

It was as if the word sword was born because of this Servant.

Suddenly, she realized something.

Was her opponent a God or something?

If so, then according to the history and myth of this country, then there could only be one figure.

Takemikazuchi.

It was the famous god of thunder and a sword god in this country.

Yet, it could also be other deities, such as a god of war or other famous figures, since there were so many deities in this land.

It was also because of this it was impossible to tell who Tamazuki was.

Either way, because the Holy Grail was held in Japan, she knew that he would gain a bonus parameter, which boosted his advantage greatly.

Her expression was solemn, and she also held her sword, facing Tamazuki like he was her greatest foe.

Nevertheless, even though her opponent might be a god and a powerful Servant, she needed to defeat him, or else there was no turning point, and everything would end.

Even her wish was impossible to be granted.

Even worse, there might be a chance Irisviel was violated by Tamazuki.

In this duel, she had to win no matter what!

"Oh-ho?"

Frankly, Tamazuki was surprised.

If it was other Servants, they might give up the moment they saw him holding a sword, but it wasn't the case with Saber, yet as Saber was one of the main characters in this story along with her status as the King, he knew that it was impossible for her to give up.

Saber's will was stronger than anyone's.

If she gave up so easily, then anyone would be disappointed.

However, it was also the reason why it would be even better since that way; he couldn't wait to see her feeble and resigned expression when she realized all of her struggles were meaningless.

Tamazuki held his sword by his side, holding the sheath with his left hand and the handle of the sword with his right hand, clearly showing an Iai-stance (sword drawing technique).

Meanwhile, Saber was holding her sword in front of her, tightly grasping the handle with her two hands. Nevertheless, due to her severed sinews, there was no power in her left hand, so even if she held her sword with two hands, it wasn't much different from holding it with one hand.

If she could use her Noble Phantasm, there was a chance, but could she use it?

No, she had to use it!

Otherwise, there wasn't any way for her and Irisviel to escape.

Their fate was already doomed.

Moreover, how could Tamazuki give her a chance to realize her Noble Phantasm?

Lastly, unlike Lancer, whose Noble Phantasm could be active passively, she needed time to release it.

When she was in a dilemma, as expected, Tamazuki was as dirty as ever, and he didn't hesitate to attack her.

He suddenly appeared in front of her like he used teleportation as he drew his sword.

Suddenly, the world lost all color, and everything was focused on his figure.

Inside her mind, a picture of her body was cut in half emerged.

There was no resistance, and she was defeated so easily.

Her instinct told her the location where she was going to be cut down, and she needed to escape as soon as possible.

Move! Move! Move!

In that millisecond, she forced herself to move, trying to escape from his slash, yet a vacuum trapped her body in a place, and she was unable to escape!

'Ah...'

Everything ended in just a moment, and he appeared behind her.

Saber stood in place in shock as she rubbed her chest. "...you are strong." The moment the sound of his sword was sheathed, everything ended, and she fell onto the ground.

In that short moment, Saber, the strongest class in this Holy Grail, fell into the hand of Caster.