Calling it an assassination might be an understatement—a targeted killing operation would be more fitting.
After all, Master Chiron was no ordinary man to be felled by a sneak attack. Even if one employed every means to lower his guard before delivering a fatal blow, the planning alone would drain immense mental energy. The impending decisive battle left Sakatsuki no room to waste his intellect so frivolously.
Thus, he opted for the simplest, most direct, and brutal method: releasing his presence to lure Chiron to a deserted location, activating a soundproof barrier, and then employing every means to ambush and eliminate him.
Though this approach clashed with the image of meticulous strategizing Sakatsuki had shown others, he understood that sometimes, a straightforward slash was far more efficient than convoluted schemes.
And as it turned out, this course of action had indeed plunged Chiron into dire straits.
The twilight flowed like thick honey over branches and fallen leaves, refracting the world into distorted shapes. Pursued relentlessly by a storm of weapons, even the centaur's once-agile form had grown sluggish. His breath came in ragged, bellows-like heaves, and though he struggled to maintain a composed expression, a trace of desperation flickered in his eyes.
He couldn't find his enemy...
Even with his Clairvoyance scouring the surroundings, he couldn't catch so much as a glimpse of his foe. His warrior's instincts screamed that the enemy lurked nearby, yet his bow couldn't lock onto that elusive "presence."
The assassin's complete concealment stripped the Archer of any chance to counterattack. This was no fair duel—what made it deadlier was that the enemy wasn't acting as a hero, but as a killer, an assassin, solely focused on erasing his target's life.
—Eliminating the enemy's strategist before the decisive battle.
An assassin with such an objective would never engage in a frontal confrontation, let alone expose openings to a master archer.
The moment Chiron realized this, a warning of imminent danger flashed at his brow. He arched his back sharply, bending backward just as a silver needle crackling with electricity grazed his nose, the searing pain scorching his skin.
It was a weapon too small to easily detect, propelled by an electromagnetic field to pierce with force surpassing bullets. But it wasn't just such insidious tools—when a siege ram thicker than a human body adjusted its trajectory with crisscrossing currents of electricity and aimed straight at him, Chiron knew he stood no chance of withstanding it like the walls of Constantinople.
Merely expending magical energy had forced him to dance on the edge of death... What a cost-effective trade, Chiron mused bitterly.
He knew all too well that continuing like this would be fatal, yet he couldn't devise a way to turn the tables.
After enduring for several more agonizing minutes, a mere misstep in his landing was all it took. Twin swords, forged as a pair, crisscrossed through the air, slicing open the sage's arm. Then, a golden spear, swift as lightning, pierced Chiron's abdomen, pinning him mercilessly to the ground.
"The curse of the sea god... To think that among all these magecraft-forged weapons, a genuine Noble Phantasm was hidden." Blood flowed uncontrollably as Chiron dared not pull out the spear, instead pressing a hand desperately to the wound. With a weakened gaze, he looked up at the figure who had finally revealed himself.
The dusk had burned out unnoticed, leaving only embers smoldering along the mountain ridges. The full moon rose, casting its first crystalline light that fell upon the young man's profile. His cold, rainbow-blue eyes were shadowed beneath his brow, while the moonlight traced the contours of his sharp jawline and severe silhouette along the form-fitting black robe.
Gazing at the immobilized Chiron, Sakatsuki showed no trace of a smile. He simply raised his hand and snapped his fingers.
Thud!
Vermilion thorns burst forth from the ground, piercing through flesh with brutal precision. As the sound of shattering echoed from within, Chiron's eyes widened. Blood surged up his throat before he uncontrollably vomited it forth, drenching the thorned demonic spear that now reflected the crimson-tinged moonlight.
His spiritual core had been destroyed.
"What exactly were you plotting?" The black-robed assassin finally spoke after thoroughly severing any possibility of Chiron's resurrection. His voice held no triumph—only the matter-of-fact tone of someone who'd cleared an obstacle, now puzzled by its surprising simplicity. "You wouldn't walk into a trap without precautions. Before throwing yourself into the snare, what countermeasures did you—did your side prepare?"
The demonic spear restraining Chiron dissipated, and the robust body collapsed to the ground. Even so, the sage stubbornly tried to draw his bowstring in retaliation. But both his arms had already been severed by Kanshou and Bakuya, and even his Noble Phantasm had been exhausted during the battle against the giant Adam. Recovery would have to wait for a tomorrow that would never come.
—Before Black Archer's complete demise, Sakatsuki of Blue Assassin had already blocked every possible path to survival.
"Cough... I lost... fairly."
Like Achilles hours before him, Chiron the teacher gradually lost the light in his eyes. Gazing at the sky, his mind kept replaying the silhouette of the young man he'd just witnessed.
If tactical failure resulted from his own misjudgment, then recognizing the young man's suspicious behavior from the start only proved how thoroughly Sakatsuki had understood him.
No... perhaps this young man had already deciphered every Master and Servant in his heart. That would explain why his schemes were so unpredictable, why his actions appeared bold yet flawless.
Meanwhile, he himself had foolishly mistaken the Sakatsuki who killed Achilles as the man's true nature. He'd believed this youth would uphold heroic principles even while stirring chaos, which was why he'd confidently—like a clown puffing out his chest—marched straight into the trap.
The sage's eyes couldn't be wrong—the flames of a warrior burned within this young man, a heat that could never be extinguished. Yet he'd forgotten that while raging flames might scorch people, certain things could erect walls to suppress them. Things like undying ideals, or lifelong aspirations.
Such formidable willpower, Chiron thought. This was far beyond what any ordinary Servant should possess. In his dying haze, he saw the young man's tranquil figure under moonlight once more, and couldn't help but wonder: What anguish, contemplation, and pursuit had he endured to gather the dust of confusion and fragments of pain, slowly building them into his current unshakable form?
Suddenly, Chiron found peace with Achilles' defeat, for the young man who had slain them bore no trace of heroic arrogance from the very beginning. What he took pride in was no divine weapon, but the sole reason humanity had risen above all creatures as the lords of creation.
That was the mind—a mind of infinite wisdom and indomitable spirit.
Just as he had once admonished his disciples: "Mighty arms and invincible strength do not make one a true hero. For the answer to any problem lies not in external objects, but within the brains that every ordinary person possesses."
When had even he forgotten such a simple truth?
"I'm asking you, Chiron—what exactly are you hiding?" Sakatsuki's voice pulled Chiron back to reality. "Or have you grown so ashamed that you refuse to answer?"
"Heh... No need for provocation, Sakatsuki. Why not grant a dying man some peace?" Chiron attempted to smile, but his facial muscles refused to obey, forcing him to abandon the effort. "I admit, Achilles' death did stir my emotions. But even if I exit the stage prematurely, it won't affect what comes next."
"What comes next...?!" Sakatsuki seemed to grasp something, but before he could ponder further, Chiron suddenly spoke:
"In return for divulging information, I wish for you to grant me one request."
This exchange was truly pushing one's luck... Sakatsuki sighed inwardly, yet seeing the gradually fading sage, he nodded. "Speak."
I wasn't wrong about you—you truly are a kind soul. With great effort, Chiron managed a slight twitch of his lips as he voiced his wish. The young man's expression immediately filled with astonishment—a reaction that brought Chiron some satisfaction.
"Very well. Now that my wish has been heard, my role is completely fulfilled. It's too late to run now, Sakatsuki."
"...!!" Sakatsuki's pupils constricted sharply. The instant Chiron's words fell, information about the breached magical barrier flooded his mind. Without hesitation, he swept his black robe aside and vanished once more into the dark forest, leaving Chiron lying on the earth as dizziness from blood loss enveloped him.
There was nothing left for him to do now. In these final moments, he had at least fulfilled his duty as a Servant.
He could no longer feel his lower body. Before his mind faded and consciousness ceased, what surfaced in Chiron's thoughts was neither Sakatsuki nor Achilles, but rather the girl in the wheelchair—her smile being the most precious memory since his summoning.
A miraculous encounter, and now a parting like this.
Fiore Forvedge Yggdmillennia possessed no heroic talent. Though she was a first-rate magus, hers was by no means an extraordinary gift—one might even call her the most ordinary and commonplace of magi.
Yet she strove desperately. Even when Lord Darnic departed without a word, she staked her dignity and faced the situation before her with unwavering effort.
Within the realm of possibility, she strove to do all that she could.
Only Chiron knew that in the depths of midnight, the girl too had feared loss, cradled terror, and shed tears. Even so, she stepped forward, staking her life in this gamble of life or death... It was something anyone could do, yet not something everyone could accomplish.
Good.
Ordinary was good. Precisely because ordinary beings poured their utmost effort—that was how people became dazzling stars.
May his final students shine with radiant brilliance.
With one last exhale, the Black Archer, Chiron the Great Sage of Greece, vanished.
Golden spirit particles ascended into the sky, passing through the forest, where the starry brilliance above the night sky welcomed the sage's soul back to its promised land, igniting the constellation Sagittarius. The gentle starlight, like a gaze, fell upon the earth, watching as several figures emerged around the forest, encircling the spot where Chiron had faded from all directions.
A youth in black robes darted through the trees, the rustling leaves and mournful wind carrying the scent of enemies to him. Even in the pitch-black depths of the forest, the young man nimbly leaped between branches and thickets, his eyes gleaming faintly, leaving trails of azure light in the cool night air.
The sight was like a dark star flickering amidst the forest.