Fate: How About a New Savior?

At the same time, deep in the forest...

Assassin let out a twisted cry of pain, his palm nailed to a tree trunk by a crimson magic spear.

His right arm, his Noble Phantasm, had been forcibly cut off the moment he tried to activate it. The reason was simple—the weapon that interrupted him was also a Noble Phantasm.

Assassin glanced at the young man in modern clothes. He couldn't tell if the man was a Servant, but the aura radiating from him was anything but ordinary. No mere Magus gave off that kind of presence.

The spear was embedded deep into the tree, so firmly lodged that even Assassin couldn't yank it out with his hand still stuck. So, he opted for spirit form.

Without a physical body, Assassin slipped free with ease. He reappeared moments later, and though his right arm was still cursed by the spear, it was visibly regenerating at an impressive speed.

"So that's Shaytan's arm. Looks like the curse on my magic spear really can't nullify it." Shiomi stood on the other side of the pit, holding Sakura in his arms, eyes locked on the poised Assassin. "Still want to fight? Then I'll oblige."

Assassin raised the black dagger in his hand. "I'm no knight. If you bring a burden like that into battle, don't come crying when it goes wrong."

"Yeah, Dad, put me down," Sakura said, understanding full well the gulf between herself and the Servants.

Even the weakest Assassin was still an overwhelming threat to her right now—so she felt the same worry about her father.

"There's no need." Shiomi held her tighter by the shoulders and knees. "If I can't protect my daughter and fight at the same time, how could I call myself a good father?"

"Is that so." Assassin's tone didn't waver. He vanished on the spot.

The next instant, he reappeared behind Shiomi, hurling his dagger at the exposed nape of his neck—but just before it landed, Shiomi vanished without a trace.

There wasn't even time for surprise before an overwhelming force came crashing down on Assassin's back, slamming him into the earth and gouging a pit in the ground.

"Impressive speed. You're definitely no slouch as an Assassin." Shiomi ground his foot into Assassin's head, shoving it into the dirt.

As Assassin raised his cursed arm again to strike, Shiomi leapt away smoothly, landing atop the very crimson spear that had pinned Assassin moments before—standing on it as light as air.

Hassan-i-Sabbah struggled to his feet, staring at Shiomi. His years of experience told him one thing—this enemy was completely out of his league. He had to retreat.

But if he turned his back recklessly, that suspicious red spear would surely take him down.

Fighting while holding someone like that didn't seem to hinder this guy at all.

—Though the girl in his arms did make him look a bit disoriented.

Just then, a violent tremor shook the forest. The ground rumbled underfoot.

Shiomi glanced to the sky—bolts of crimson lightning surged into the clouds. Saber had likely just unleashed her Noble Phantasm's True Name.

"I'll take care of Assassin. That okay with you, Sakura?"

"...Mm." Sakura blinked herself out of the haze and nodded softly.

Shiomi hopped down from the spear, tapping the ground lightly with his toe. The spear dislodged from the tree with a snap, slowly spinning through the air.

"Spears aren't just for close combat or throwing..."

He kicked upward with pinpoint accuracy.

The red magic spear spun wildly as it shot into the sky.

"You can kick them, too. Hold on tight, Sakura!"

With that, Shiomi launched into the air after it.

Danger alarms flared in Assassin's instincts. He hastily threw a flurry of knives to distract and turned to flee into the forest.

"This is my master's secret technique! 'Soaring Spear That Strikes with Death (GaeBolg Alternative)'!"

The same spear could be used in many ways.

Back during his grueling training, this technique—launching the Soaring Spear of Piercing Death with a kick—was one Shiomi had admired deeply. He memorized it, secretly practiced it, but never told his master.

The moment the spear was kicked, it accelerated like a meteor, splitting into hundreds of duplicates that poured down like a torrential storm. They smashed through layer upon layer of throwing knives, crashing directly onto Assassin's escape route.

A deafening explosion erupted. Trees toppled with thunderous crashes, startling flocks of wild birds into flight.

Landing back on the ground, Shiomi looked at the aftermath of the spear's assault, silently reflecting—Assassin still fell short compared to the Demon Gods of the King of Magecraft.

"Was Assassin defeated?" Sakura asked.

"Most likely. Even if he survived, he won't last much longer." Shiomi nodded, gently setting Sakura down. "Are you feeling dizzy?"

Even though the fight had only lasted a few exchanges, Shiomi couldn't help worrying about Sakura's condition.

"A little..." Sakura wobbled but managed to stand, taking the hand he offered for support.

As the dizziness began to fade, another thought surfaced.

"Why did you come here, Dad?" she asked quickly. "You returned to Fuyuki a few days ago, didn't you?"

"Yeah." Shiomi looked toward the direction of Einzbern Castle. "I just happened to receive accurate intel and rushed over as fast as I could. I'm glad I made it in time."

"Intel?" Sakura was even more curious.

"I'll explain the details later. Let's regroup with the others first," Shiomi replied.

Sakura understood the battle wasn't over yet. She nodded quietly and followed after her father.

...

Half an hour earlier.

An empty base in Shinto.

They were still a step too late. By the time Shiomi and Morgan located Marisbury's hideout, it was already abandoned—only residual traces of Magecraft lingered in the air.

But someone had been waiting there, ready to deliver a message.

"What? You're saying Sakura walked into a trap?" Shiomi looked at Gilgamesh and Hakuno Kishinami, his eyes narrowing in suspicion at the former.

Gilgamesh gave a slight smirk. "This is a message left for you by the King of Magecraft. I'm merely the messenger."

"Since when did the King of Heroes act as an errand boy?" Shiomi asked, skeptical.

"It was that guy's request." Gilgamesh didn't seem bothered. "The King of Magecraft bowed his head to me—naturally, I decided to do him a favor."

His explanation was full of holes. Shiomi suspected deeper motives, but there was no time to press for answers.

The King of Magecraft's clairvoyance was the real deal. Whatever he saw must have prompted him to inform Shiomi, leading to this moment.

"The location is the Einzbern Forest on the outskirts of Miyama Town," Hakuno Kishinami explained. "Looks like Rider and Assassin's Masters teamed up to trap Berserker's Master."

Upon hearing of a three-way alliance, Shiomi couldn't sit still. He exchanged a glance with Morgan, then bolted toward the Einzbern Forest.

...

(100 Chapters Ahead)

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