Adjusting his posture, Kenshin kept his eyes locked on his opponent, ready for anything. The girl in front of him looked young, but she was proving to be far more difficult to take down than he had anticipated.
"That strange movement technique... you must be Assassin!" Kyoko called out.
"Heh, I've already lost my Master, and yet you still pester me relentlessly?" Kyoko Sakura was genuinely puzzled. Ordinarily, Servants who lost their Masters weren't immediate priorities for other teams. Unless someone was trying to recruit them... but this Assassin was clearly here to kill. She had to wonder what the underlying motive was.
"It's clear you're not the talkative type," she continued, her grin widening. "I guess I'll just have to beat some answers out of you first!"
Fortunately, her contract with Jonouchi had provided her with a sufficient reservoir of magical energy. She wasn't in any danger of collapsing mid-fight.
Whoosh! Kenshin watched as she closed the distance instead of retreating. 'Strange,' he thought. 'The lack of magical energy should be her primary concern right now. Why isn't she panicking? Why is she so eager to confront Sessha?'
He raised his sword to parry her spear, shifting his weight to avoid her relentless strikes. But the more they fought, the more unsettled Kenshin became. According to the plan, he should have been easily overpowering her, forcing her into a desperate retreat. Instead, her calm demeanor suggested she was perfectly in control.
"Take this! And this! And this!!" Kyoko's spear hissed through the air, its shaft snaking and twisting with unnatural fluidity. Even a veteran of a hundred battles like Kenshin was forced onto the defensive by such an unpredictable weapon.
He had never seen a spear that could deform like this. Despite her unusual attire, it was clear she was a skilled combatant. Every strike was precise, every movement calculated.
"You're pretty good at dodging..." Kyoko admitted. She was finding it impossible to land a solid hit; the man's speed was simply too high. Her spear alone wasn't enough to pin him down.
"In that case, try this on for size!" Whoosh! Thorns and chains erupted from her shadow, forming a square cage that trapped Kenshin within its shrinking walls. "Heh, let's see you dodge when there's nowhere left to go!"
With his mobility restricted, Kyoko was certain she had him. Clang! Clang! Clang!!!
Kenshin's sword became a blur of steel. In an incredible display of swordsmanship, he sliced through the magical chains as if they were nothing. They shattered like glass, scattering across the pavement.
'What kind of weapon is that? It cut through my magic like it was paper...' Kyoko stared in shock. She hadn't expected him to be this powerful.
Whoosh! Before she could recover, Kenshin was upon her. "Tch!" She scrambled backward, sending wave after wave of chains to halt his advance.
Clang!! Clang!! Each chain was systematically neutralized by the Divine Sword. 'That blade... it's terrifyingly sharp,' Kenshin realized. The weapon given to him by the King of Heroes was performant beyond his expectations. If he still had his old sakabatou, this would have been a much grimmer struggle.
Kyoko, realizing she was being cornered again, unleashed another move. Rossa Phantasma! A dozen identical clones materialized around Kenshin, surrounding him completely.
Even as the swarm closed in, Kenshin remained preternaturally calm. "A pity," he murmured.
"What the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu excels at most... is taking on a crowd!"
In a single, explosive burst of motion, Kenshin tore through the clones. He moved with such speed and precision that they seemed to vanish almost the instant they approached.
"No way..." Kyoko's eyes widened. She had only ever seen combat like this in old movies or anime. The man before her was a true master of the blade.
"What era did a swordsman like this come from?" She turned and sprinted away, her mind spinning. Every Servant she encountered seemed to be on a completely different level. Jonouchi was a wildcard, but this Assassin was a force of nature.
Running flat out through the streets, she abandoned any thought of victory. This Assassin was simply too strong. His style reminded her of Sayaka's, but elevated to an impossible degree. He was a true legend.
Whoosh! Kenshin could have easily caught her if he had been serious, but he let her maintain her lead. After all, his mission wasn't to actually kill her.
...
"Even now, I can't place Lancer's identity," Risei Kotomine admitted, watching the scene through his familiars.
"Clones, magical chains, a deforming spear, that crimson hair... it's a bizarre combination," Tokiomi agreed. Her characteristics didn't align with any of the heroes in their recorded history. It was as if she had stepped out of a different reality.
"It doesn't matter," Tokiomi continued. "Assassin has played his part. He's forced her into a corner. Now, we just wait for her to make an 'extreme' move that we can use as evidence."
Kirei Kotomine remained silent, though he harbored his own doubts. He wondered how a 'Masterless' Servant could possess enough magical energy to hold her own against an 'A-rank' Agility Servant like Assassin. There was a missing piece to this puzzle, something they were overlooking.
**[PS: Status Information]**
**Berserker (Warrior of Light):**
Out-of-Combat Recovery (EX): Rapidly recovers mana and heals injuries when not in combat. Can reach peak condition in moments, even after severe trauma.
Class Change (A++): Can shift between multiple classes (Lancer, Saver, Avenger, Ruler) by switching weapons and Noble Phantasms.
Azure Dragon Flame (A): (Lancer only) A lock-on attack that is impossible to dodge.
**Caster (Jonouchi):**
Strong Luck (EX): Near-guaranteed success in games of chance and 'gambling' mechanics.
Familiar Summoning (E-A++): Can summon a wide array of creatures to fight.
Magecraft (E-A++): Utilizes cards to manifest powerful spells and traps.