As night fell, Fuyuki City was shrouded in a heavy layer of dark clouds.
The clouds obscured the moonlight, and the forest outside Einzbern Castle fell into a dead silence; even the birds startled during the day had returned to their nests.
But this was merely the calm before the storm.
The cold wind howled through the primeval forest surrounding Einzbern Castle, and among the swaying shadows of the trees, there seemed to be countless pairs of prying eyes hidden.
In the darkness, dozens of pitch-black shadows shuttled through the treetops like specters.
Inside the castle, Saber Artoria stood quietly on the second-floor balcony.
She wasn't wearing her cold blue-and-silver armor; at this moment, the girl-king wore only a dark blue casual dress suitable for movement, yet her petite figure still radiated immense majesty.
After the previous face-reddening Mana Replenishment, her current state was incredibly good.
Her originally parched saint graph was now filled with someone's domineering and scorching magical energy.
This power not only filled the void but also constantly strengthened her various functions—Strength, Endurance, Agility—and even her most mana-consuming Class Skill, 'Mana Burst,' could now be used as a basic attack without any issue.
"This kind of off-the-charts power..."
Involuntarily recalling that man's hateful smile that always left her helpless, Saber's pretty face flushed, and she subconsciously clenched her fist to force herself to divert her attention.
The next moment, platinum-colored electric arcs faintly flickered between her fair knuckles: "I really want to find a suitable opponent to test my blade..."
Just then, a very subtle fluctuation came from the air.
It wasn't the sound of the wind, nor the scurrying of small animals.
It was an aura carrying malice, like a drop of water falling into a frying pan of oil, instantly triggering the King of Knights' keen sensory nerves.
Saber's expression turned solemn, and her emerald eyes instantly went cold.
"The rats have entered."
In the shadows of the castle corridors, several ghostly black figures were stealthily moving without a sound.
They wore pale skull masks and had gaunt, thin bodies, appearing like shadows melted into the darkness, their presence perfectly blending with the night.
Class: Assassin. True Name: Hassan-i-Sabbah.
After a whole day of lying in wait, the legion of Assassins known as 'The Hundred-Faced' were like greedy hyenas, following the scent of magical energy emanating from the castle.
"Defensive barrier not triggered."
"Guardian golems unresponsive."
"Infiltration successful... Target confirmed: eliminate the master and the proxy."
The daggers in the shadows' hands glinted with the cold light of poison as they exchanged tactical information through their mental network.
Like a black tide, they silently landed on various corners of the castle balcony, infiltrating through windows, chimneys, and crevices.
In their view, the castle's defenses were riddled with holes.
Slightly deviating from their teacher's orders, this was a tactic Kirei Kotomine had devised on his own—
Use quantity to overwhelm quality, and while the Servant was fatigued, take the master's head directly.
"Intelligence shows that Einzbern's Saber suffered heavy mana loss from the battle with Berserker, and her master is not by her side..."
The leading Assassin clone sneered inwardly, the poisoned dagger in his hand gleaming coldly.
"This is the perfect opportunity. Even if we can't kill the proxy master, as long as we can cause chaos..."
"Prepare... strike!"
At the very moment the first black shadow prepared to shatter the balcony's floor-to-ceiling window—
BOOM—!!!
A torrent of silver-blue magical energy erupted from the room without warning, instantly vaporizing the thick bulletproof glass along with the window frame!
"Wha—?!"
The Assassin didn't even have time to dodge before his vision was filled with a brilliant silver-blue radiance.
The violent air current, mixed with a gale strong enough to tear through steel, ground the mid-air Assassin into a bloody mist on the spot!
"What...?!"
The other Assassin clones were horrified and instinctively retreated.
The smoke cleared.
Saber appeared as if teleporting, her invisible sword wrapped in tyrannical wind pressure, the overflowing violent magical energy causing visible ripples in the atmosphere.
Her emerald eyes coldly scanned the surrounding darkness, like a lion king patrolling its territory.
"A pack of rats hiding their heads and showing their tails."
Saber's voice was cold and clear, carrying unconcealed contempt.
If it were before, facing this many Assassins, she might have chosen to maneuver cautiously, considering she had to worry about mana consumption and protecting Irisviel behind her.
But now?
Feeling the massive magical energy gushing continuously from within her like a nuclear reactor, the corner of Saber's mouth curled into a confident arc.
With the gift that man left her, there was no need to be reasonable.
"'Mana Burst'... Full Release!"
Thump—!
The total enhancement of her body and weapon by magical energy was completed almost instantly, and the marble floor beneath Saber's feet shattered into an explosive spiderweb pattern in a second!
She turned into a silver meteor, appearing before an Assassin lurking in the tree canopy with terrifying speed that struck after the enemy moved but arrived first!
"This speed... how is it possible?!"
That Assassin only had time for that thought to flash through his mind.
Swish—!
Like the sound of a sharp blade cutting through butter, the sword pressure alone, carrying ultra-high concentration magical energy, sliced both him and the massive tree beneath him in two!
Without even letting out a scream, the scattered remains turned into spirit particles and dissipated into the dust kicked up in the air.
One strike, an instant kill!
"This... this level of magical energy reaction?!"
"Retreat! The intelligence was wrong! This isn't a weakened Saber at all!"
"Mana depletion my ass! This is practically a dragon in human skin!"
The other Assassin clones lurking in the shadows behind were scared out of their wits, and the lead clone issued the retreat command in terror.
Every strike carried mana output comparable to a noble phantasm release; who could withstand that?
"Trying to leave?"
Saber turned her head, her emerald eyes burning with high battle intent as she locked onto the remaining presences in the darkness.
Holding her sword with one hand, a massive amount of magical energy compressed instantly, condensing into a physical storm vortex around her.
"Since you've come, then stay for good."
Invisible Air completed its acceleration, and Saber charged into the enemy ranks like a silver cyclone.
For a Saber whose mana was filled to the point of overflowing, there was nothing a single sword strike couldn't solve; and if there was, she would follow up with a flying kick infused with a magical Blast.
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM—!!!
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