-53- The most fierce opponent !

————"Pitch Black."

This was the first impression that Rozen had of Saber after seeing her. Her skin was extremely pale, giving off an unhealthy and ghostly appearance. She wore heavy black armor that was in stark contrast to her pale skin, covering almost her entire body and gleaming with an eerie shine.

Despite her petite and slender figure, she exuded a terrifying and malevolent magical power. The wicked power seemed like a black tidal wave, capable of devouring people's hearts, permeating the entire large cave.

This tremendous malevolence originated from the Servant standing before them — Saber.

Rozen had mentally prepared himself to face the most fearsome enemy, knowing that even Berserker, whom he considered unbeatable, fell before Saber's might. The Saber class required exceptional attributes in all aspects, not just magical power, to be eligible, making it one of the most powerful classes in the Holy Grail War. In fact, in Chaldea's records, the winner of the Holy Grail War in Fuyuki City in 2004 was a Saber-class Servant, attesting to their formidable strength.

However, when facing Saber in reality, Rozen discovered that his mental preparation was still insufficient. Saber was undoubtedly even more formidable than he had imagined.

But what stunned Rozen even more was...

"She's a girl!?"

Indeed, Saber, whom not even Berserker could defeat, this terrifying adversary whose true name shocked everyone, was a young girl with a slender figure.

"She's actually a girl!?"

"The legends can't be trusted at all!"

Even Mash and Olga-Marie cried out in astonishment, expressing their disbelief. Caster, who had encountered Saber before, appeared nonchalant and harbored a grudge, making Rozen feel resentment.

Amidst this situation, Saber stood on a rocky platform that rose like a cliff, looking down on them from a commanding height.

"This is the formidable enemy that forced you to retreat even from the frontlines, right?"

Saber's light and cold voice echoed once again.

However, this statement was not directed at Rozen and his group but at a Servant who appeared behind her.

"That's a formidable group of enemies," Archer stood behind Saber, as if willingly taking a backseat, and said with a deep voice, "Even you might be defeated if you don't pay proper attention."

"Is that so?" Saber didn't show any signs of anger. Instead, she seemed to be evaluating their worth, her gaze stopping on Rozen and his group.

When she saw Caster, Saber showed no signs of surprise and appeared quite indifferent.

Upon seeing Olga-Marie, Saber didn't even spare a glance, as if she didn't consider her a threat at all.

As her eyes fell on Mash, Saber paused for a moment, and a hint of doubt and contemplation flashed in her eyes.

And when Saber looked at Rozen, her eyes narrowed.

"I see."

Saber surprisingly spoke up.

"You're the last Master of Chaldea, aren't you?"

Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions changed drastically.

"She... She knows about Chaldea's existence?"

Mash was astounded.

"What on earth is going on?"

Olga-Marie was even more shocked.

Clearly, the enemy seemed to be well-informed about Rozen and his group.

Just this fact alone was enough to be surprising.

After all, Rozen and his group were not from this era, and the idea that this enemy knew so much about them was hard to believe for most people.

Instead, it was Rozen who had already anticipated this situation.

There were two reasons for this.

Firstly, Archer had mentioned it during their retreat:

"Come and see if you have the ability to save this era, this human order."

Archer's words indicated that he was aware of Rozen and his group's true identity, as the theme of "saving human order" was unique to Chaldea.

If Rozen's guess was correct, Archer must have learned some information from Saber.

As for Saber, she likely obtained this information from the mastermind behind the bestowal of the Holy Grail.

Rozen kept all this knowledge to himself and faced Saber's gaze, giving her a slightly defiant smile.

"To be honest, after learning your true name, I couldn't have imagined you would accept the Holy Grail from the mastermind and commit evil deeds in this era."

After suppressing the fear of Saber's terrifying magical power, Rozen chose to initiate a conversation.

He believed that dialogue was the most favorable way to gather intelligence.

Moreover, through dialogue, one could have effects such as intimidation, relief, confusion, or even deception. When facing an almost unbeatable enemy, as long as they didn't intend to flee, dialogue was the only way to find an opportunity for victory.

Thus, Rozen was content to stall for time at this moment, giving Mash and Olga-Marie time to adjust their mindset and prepare seriously.

And his plan seemed to have worked.

In response to Rozen's question, Saber replied with an expressionless face.

"The judgment of good and evil cannot be decided by one side alone," Saber said coldly, "My purpose is only to maintain this era. So, after knowing that everything was irreparable, I accepted the Holy Grail's gift. Whether it is good or evil, I leave it to the world and history to decide."

This statement contained a wealth of hidden information.

"Maintain this era?"

Mash was slightly taken aback.

"Everything is irreparable?"

Olga-Marie was even more stunned.

"What on earth are you talking about?"

Caster also sensed that something was amiss.

Even Rozen's mind was filled with various thoughts in response to this statement.

After these thoughts collided, converged, and summarized, Rozen gradually obtained a realization.

It seemed that Saber had also noticed this, as her gaze on Rozen became sharper, causing him to feel a sudden chill.

"It appears you are quite clever, Chaldea's Master," Saber said without expression. "But sometimes ignorance is also a luxury. Knowing too much can be unfortunate."

With that, Saber slowly walked towards them.

"Bzzz!"

In that instant, the air began to hum.

It was the phenomenon caused by the surging magical power.

The pitch-black magical power gathered in Saber's hand, eventually forming a sword.

A pitch-black sword with red patterns covering its blade, emanating a terrifying aura - a magic sword.

No, it wasn't a magic sword; it was a transformed Excalibur.

Known to all, even Berserker fell under its brilliance, and Caster was tense, as if facing a formidable foe, all because of this holy sword.

"Chaldea's Master, do you want to save human order?"

Saber raised the pitch-black Excalibur, pointing it at Rozen.

"Then let this sword in my hand determine whether you have the qualifications."

Thus, the ferocious magical power materialized.

Bathed in the storm of that magical power, Rozen understood.

This time, he had no choice but to give it his all.