CA [207] Archer

"Archer is dead."

"What? She'ss gone?" Achilles gaped at Amakusa Shirou inside the church, disbelief etched on his face.

"You're joking, right? We retreated together, me, Archer, Saber, and his knight. Four of us! And you're saying she's out?"

"The facts don't lie. According to my intel, Archer was ambushed by an enemy on her way back. A single strike took her out, no time to react, no clue who did it." Amakusa said gravely.

"Assassin?" Achilles latched onto the most likely culprit: a stealthy killer with Presence Concealment, adept at surprise attacks.

"Likely. We've identified most of the Black Faction's Servants, but their Assassin remains a complete mystery. We don't know their movements or even their identity." Amakusa admitted.

"Damn it! Two losses in one day!" Achilles roared, slamming his fist into the church door, leaving a dent as he gritted his teeth.

Berserker's capture didn't faze him, Spartacus was a meat shield at best, uncontrollable and useless for strategy. But Archer was different. One of the top three classes, Atalanta was a vital support with her long-range capabilities. Her fully charged attacks could hit A-rank, and her Noble Phantasm delivered massive area-of-effect strikes from afar.

In this Holy Grail War, Atalanta was the Red Faction's indispensable rear-line support. Yet, on day two, she was the first eliminated, while Berserker, though captured, still lingered. Absurd.

"Who's that Assassin?!" Achilles demanded, itching to hunt them down. Atalanta was his senior figure from Greek myth. Her senseless death demanded vengeance.

"I don't know yet, but I've tasked Saber with investigating." Amakusa said, frowning as he recalled Kairi's earlier message. The situation baffled him.

To earn Amakusa's trust, Kairi and Altair had agreed to feed him Black Faction intel. For Amakusa, Servant identities were trivial, his Ruler-class True Name Discernment let him see through them instantly. But he couldn't reveal that ability, so Kairi's reports raised questions.

I know because I'm cheating. How's a Saber pulling this off? Amakusa wondered.

By cheating, of course, but that wasn't something to share.

"Saber's investigating?" Achilles asked, puzzled. "Shouldn't our Assassin handle that? Sure, Semiramis isn't great at stealth, but sending a Saber? That guy who crashed down like a meteor doesn't scream 'subtle investigator.'"

"True, but I believe Saber can manage. He already uncovered the Black Faction's other Servants. An Assassin shouldn't be too hard if he focuses." Amakusa said, hoping Altair could pinpoint the elusive killer. Surprises were the last thing he needed.

"Hm? A message." Amakusa noted as a nearby printer whirred to life.

The device, a magus tool for long-distance communication via magecraft, required no internet or power, simple and effective.

Altair had rejoined Kairi and Mordred, and upon regrouping, instructed Kairi to send Amakusa details about the "Assassin."

The printer spat out Kairi's message.

"Anything?" Achilles asked, eyeing the machine eagerly.

"Yes, they found something." Amakusa said, surprised. He'd only been testing Altair, yet the Saber delivered. Impressive.

"Apparently, after eliminating Archer, the Assassin crossed paths with Saber during their retreat. They clashed briefly, and Saber deduced their identity. His Master just relayed the Black Faction Assassin's details." Amakusa explained.

"Who is it?" Achilles pressed.

"Jack the Ripper, the legendary serial killer of London." Amakusa said, scanning the detailed report with mild astonishment.

"A silver-haired girl in a black cloak, petite but with top-tier Presence Concealment. Her stealth is unmatched, her movements swift and brutal. She wields daggers and, due to her legend, possesses a Noble Phantasm with a female-killing specialization, devastating against women Servants."

"That makes sense. A female-targeting Noble Phantasm, paired with that stealth, explains why Archer couldn't react and got one-shot." Amakusa concluded, satisfied with his analysis.

"So, it's Assassin." Achilles said, snatching the printout from Amakusa. After reading, he crushed it in his fist, a feral grin spreading across his face.

"A skulking killer, even a little girl, gets no mercy from me!"

Jack the Ripper joined Achilles' hit list.

Meanwhile, the real Assassin, Jack, the little girl killer, hadn't even reached Tulifas yet, already framed for a crime she didn't commit.

***

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