Chapter 20: Everyone Look at Me, I Have an Announcement
Hearing Irisviel's concerned inquiry, Saber gently shook her head.
"I'm fine, Irisviel."
Saber, having recovered her stance, looked at Lancer with a sharp gaze. After that last exchange, she no longer felt proud of the small advantage created by 'Invisible Air'.
Saber focused with extreme vigilance, watching Lancer's every movement without daring to relax in the slightest.
She now understood that if she remained as complacent as before, the outcome might be decided in the very next attack.
Saber felt a mix of awe and concern that she could barely manage a draw against her opponent only by relying on the fact that he was unfamiliar with the blade hidden by 'Invisible Air'. She dreaded imagining how the situation would change once her sword was exposed.
Even if she could unleash her Noble Phantasm, using it when other Servants had yet to appear was incredibly unwise. Not only would her identity be revealed, but the information about her Noble Phantasm would also be completely exposed to everyone's attention.
Ultimately, with such uneven information, the other Servants could easily target her.
Thinking this, Saber gripped her sword tighter.
But at that moment, something unexpected happened.
The boy standing behind Lancer suddenly spoke, a smile on his face that gave Saber a bad feeling.
"Lancer, Saber's True Name is Artoria Pendragon, the King Arthur of Britain! The True Name of the Noble Phantasm in her hand is 'Excalibur'!"
Shirou's words were, for the already disadvantaged Saber, like adding insult to injury.
"You, how could you...!?"
Irisviel, standing not far behind Saber, couldn't help but look dumbfounded when she heard Shirou so easily reveal all of Saber's crucial information, including the True Name of her Noble Phantasm.
This was simply too bizarre!
They had only met twice, yet the red-haired boy spoke all her information, word for word, as if he had seen Saber during the age of King Arthur.
"This is bad..." Irisviel grew worried.
Now that he had heard Shirou's words and seen the expressions on Irisviel and Saber, Karna immediately recognized the truthfulness of the information and smiled.
"Now that I know this, do you think you can still withstand my attack, Saber?"
Saber bit her lip, clutching her sword with some difficulty, and her eyes, filled with shock, shifted to Shirou behind Lancer.
"How do you know this information about me..."
The fact that he saw through the Holy Sword hidden by 'Invisible Air' could be explained, but how did he manage to figure out her identity?
Saber knew from the time she was summoned that in the eyes of later generations, the legendary King Arthur was a man. While she was slightly annoyed by this, in her current female form, no one should have been able to discern her true identity.
Was it a spell that saw through disguises, or did he somehow know her information beforehand?
Regardless, the fact that Shirou had now revealed all of Saber's information caused everyone—Saber herself, Irisviel, and even Kiritsugu Emiya and Maiya Hisauki, who were watching the battle from a distance on a tall building with a sniper rifle aimed at the scene—to break out in a cold sweat.
"Why... how do you know this..."
"You must be wondering if I obtained your information through some means, right?"
Shirou's words carried a confidence that suggested he had anticipated everything, reminding Saber of the court Magus, Merlin.
"Stop wasting time, Lancer, finish her off!"
"I will certainly bring you a victorious result, Master!" Karna smiled and nodded.
Then, he swung the two-meter-high golden spear in his hand, his figure becoming an afterimage, and he instantly closed the distance to Saber.
Whoosh—!
As a Lancer, Karna was arguably the most excellent of all the Servants in terms of speed.
The speed he displayed now almost made Saber feel flustered.
"So fast—"
Saber found it virtually impossible to react to this strike from Lancer.
Although her Class made her attributes well-rounded, giving her virtually no weakness, it also prevented her from being overly outstanding in any one area.
If there was one area where she was highly excellent, it would probably be the 'Excalibur' in her hand.
Of course, if Saber knew that the Lancer facing her possessed an EX-rank Anti-God spear Noble Phantasm, one wonders what her reaction would be.
The golden spear rushed toward Saber at a dizzying speed. She could already anticipate that it would be impossible for her to raise her sword to block it in that instant.
If she simply waited passively for death, she would certainly be impaled by that spear and forced to retreat.
For Saber, being defeated so easily on the first night of battle was an unacceptable disgrace.
Suddenly, Saber realized something. She quickly tightened her grip on the hilt of her sword and released the power of 'Invisible Air' toward the charging Lancer.
Whoosh—!
A strong gust of wind swept out instantly. Caught off guard by this blow, Lancer's figure was repelled.
Saber thus gained a moment to catch her breath.
However, because she released 'Invisible Air', the sword in her hand could no longer be concealed.
The dazzling golden blade was exposed to everyone's view.
It was, without a doubt, King Arthur's most iconic symbol. Anyone who saw that sword would immediately recognize Saber's identity.
"I see... I can understand why you kept it hidden." Lancer wore an expression of understanding.
"However, anyone would probably be surprised by your gender."
Hearing Lancer's words, Saber gave a wry smile.
"I understand. After all, the legends of me in the modern world depict me as a man. It's difficult for people to accept the truth right away.
Regardless, there must be a winner between us." Saber's eyes were filled with clear fighting spirit, locked tightly onto Lancer ahead of her.
"Mhm, you are right." Karna gave a hearty laugh. The golden spear in his hand spun, the blade slicing through the air, all its sharpness now fully exposed.