"The bounded field is removed... Should we head back now?"
"Then we should get going as well, Miss Tohsaka."
Just as they were leaving the school to head back after dispelling the magical bounded field, two shadows rushed toward Rin and Zod.
"You took the bait!"
"I'll kindly kick you away."
A man with dark, ashen skin wearing a skull mask and a pink-haired woman wearing an eyepatch charged at Zod and Rin. However, it was Archer and Artoria Alter who stopped the two Servants.
"So they were Masters after all... Rider, I will take the man, so you handle the woman."
"I will, Assassin."
At the words of the skull-masked man, Assassin, the eyepatch-wearing woman, Rider, nodded. They rushed toward Archer and Artoria Alter respectively; Assassin attacked with a dagger, and Rider with a kusarigama.
As Rider flew in like a gale to deliver a kick, Artoria Alter easily blocked it by grabbing her ankle, speaking with an unimpressed expression.
"A boring kick. I will acknowledge your speed... but did you become Rider with just that?"
"Hah..."
Absurdly provoked by Artoria Alter, Rider swung her kusarigama and charged at her. Artoria Alter drew out Rhongomyniad, which had been dyed black and swallowed by darkness, to block the swinging kusarigama. She looked at Rider as if she were pitiful.
"Trivial."
"I'm not finished yet, though?!"
Rider dazzled her opponent by swinging the kusarigama like a snake, attacking from all directions so unpredictably that it seemed alive. Despite Rider's one-sided assault, Artoria Alter simply and silently deflected the attacks with Rhongomyniad.
"You are laughable, Rider. Did you intend to face me with just this level of skill?"
"Is that so? Then I suppose it's time to raise the level a bit..."
Saying so, Rider kicked off the ground powerfully, causing a sonic boom as she rushed forward as if flying. She had kicked off so forcefully that the ground was gouged and cracked.
"Hoh..."
Artoria Alter admired Rider as she accelerated and charged at her. Because her Master was a 'proper Master', Rider's Agility rank was A. Rider used this agility to continuously strike and retreat at high speed. Artoria Alter, with an Agility rank of C, was losing in terms of speed. However, her Endurance was A+, and her Spirit Origin was that of a Pseudo-Divine Spirit, so she held out even more powerfully. Rider's attacks didn't even tickle her.
In other words, no matter how fast she struck, retreated, and chained her attacks, it didn't work on her.
"Ugh... What is this... And is this Spirit Origin a Divine Spirit?"
"It seems you have the luxury to mutter."
"Kuh!!"
Artoria Alter swiftly swung Rhongomyniad towards Rider. As she freely wielded the lance-like Holy Spear, extending her spearmanship as if it were part of her body, Rider broke out in a cold sweat, barely dodging with her A-rank Agility. Artoria Alter's Strength was A, while Rider's Endurance was D; a single clean hit would be fatal. Rider was managing to dodge with her high agility, but she couldn't do anything about the wide-ranging effects of the storm erupting from Rhongomyniad.
Artoria Alter's Rhongomyniad pressured Rider, demonstrating god-like speed by unleashing 100 consecutive thrusts in a single second. Rider dodged it with nimble agility and acrobatic gymnastics. Rider tried to somehow break her momentum by deflecting Rhongomyniad with her kusarigama or wrapping it around her arm, but she was bounced off by Artoria Alter's Rhongomyniad; it was not easy.
"Damn it!"
"Hmph! You're somewhat capable... Then how about this!"
Artoria Alter's Rhongomyniad spun, whipping up a powerful gale.
"This is crazy!"
"Take this! Rhongomyniad (The Spear That Shines To The Ends Of The World)!!"
A black, dark gale raged, raising a halo of death. Right before being swept up in it, Rider used Spirit Form at her Master's call and escaped. Assassin then also retreated in Spirit Form.
"They ran away... A one-on-one duel instead of an assassination, despite being an Assassin..."
"You're one to talk, facing them head-on without using a bow even though you're an Archer... Is that okay?"
At Artoria Alter's words, Archer shrugged and spoke.
"It's a difference in personal preference, so try to understand."
".............."
Zod looked at Archer with a pathetic expression, and Archer tried hard to ignore Zod's gaze.
And then...
"Huh? Tohsaka? And is that Mr. Zod next to you? What's going on? Are you filming a movie?"
Shirou Emiya, having just finished cleaning the archery club, witnessed this scene. He was standing there dumbfounded, unable to comprehend what was happening, and Artoria Alter raised her spear at that.
"Are you going to kill him?"
"Do we really need to leave a witness alive?"
"Hmm... What are you going to do?"
"Well..."
Artoria Alter approached Shirou Emiya, exuding a fierce murderous intent, but Rin Tohsaka stepped in to block her.
"What are you doing?"
"You don't need to go as far as killing him! We just need to erase his memories!"
"Hmph..."
At Rin Tohsaka's protest, Artoria Alter obediently withdrew Rhongomyniad and stepped back.
"What will you do? Master."
"Killing him will only make things more complicated... It doesn't matter as long as we erase his memories."
Uncharacteristically, Zod agreed to not kill him and only erase his memories. He thought that even if he didn't step in himself, Archer, who felt a strange hostility towards Shirou Emiya, or Assassin and Rider, who might try to use him as a hostage knowing he was close to Rin Tohsaka, would use him as they pleased. There was no reason to dirty his own hands.
"I'm sorry, Emiya. Please forget what you saw today."
"Eh?! Tohsaka... That's... Wh... a..."
Rin Tohsaka aimed her magecraft at Shirou Emiya's head, distorting his memories. Seeing Shirou Emiya briefly pass out, she finally let out a sigh of relief.
"You seem to care for him quite a bit, Miss Tohsaka."
"Eh? Well... I've known him for a few years, so I care about him... I guess you could say I can't just leave him be... It's something like that."
"Is that so? I'm jealous. To be loved by a cute beauty like you."
"Wh... What are you talking about?! Emiya and I aren't in that kind of relationship?!"
Rin Tohsaka blushed and flusteredly denied Zod's words, but it was obvious from her face that she had feelings for Shirou Emiya. Archer sighed, and Artoria Alter looked at her with a pathetic expression.
Zod looked at Rin Tohsaka and smiled wickedly inward. Right now, Rin Tohsaka and Shirou Emiya were in a relationship of a female friend and a male friend who were unaware of each other's feelings... If things went on like this, they would eventually develop into lovers... He wanted to interfere with that.
He wanted to take it away... from Shirou Emiya... A twisted desire to take the women around him away from him squirmed up and lingered in his mind.
Zod... wanted to steal what belonged to Shirou Emiya.
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