Chapter 22

Rider felt the power coursing through his body as he activated the Winged Sandals of Hermes. His speed increased dramatically, allowing him to move with agility comparable to his opponent's. He was confident that now he could keep up with Saber, who watched him with the same unwavering determination as always.

"No matter how much you try to turn the tide of this fight, Rider,"

Saber declared with conviction, gripping her invisible sword firmly in both hands. "Even if you increase your speed, the advantage is still mine."

Rider observed her confidence. The way her voice didn't waver, the way her stance remained steady.

But the key was there: her confidence stemmed from the fact that her identity was still a mystery. It was her trump card.

Perseus tilted his head with a sly smile.

"Arthur... Knight of the Round Table," he said softly, but loud enough for her to hear.

Saber froze for a moment. Her eyes widened in surprise as she heard her true name spoken by her opponent.

"How...?" she murmured, feeling her heart beat faster.

Rider maintained his confident smile.

"It's not that big of a deal," he replied. "I knew who you were even before our first battle. I have a good Master."

Saber's mind clouded for a second. How was this possible? Since when had they known her identity?

That brief moment of doubt was all Rider needed. He took advantage of her distraction to move with impossible speed. His foot touched the ground, and he vanished in a blink, reappearing right in front of Saber. With a powerful strike, his fist slammed into the knight's chest.

The impact was brutal, but Saber's armor mitigated the damage. Still, it was strong enough to make her stagger backward. Rider knew he couldn't defeat her with brute strength, so he needed another method.

Without losing momentum, he switched Noble Phantasms again. In his hand appeared an ancient leather sack: Kibisis, the sacred container that once held Medusa's head.

Saber, still recovering from the blow, eyed the sack in his hands and frowned, bracing herself for what was coming next. However, she wasn't prepared for what happened.

Rider opened the sack with a swift motion, and in an instant, Saber was sucked inside.

The Knight of the Round Table vanished in an instant, sealed inside Kibisis. Her own strength wasn't enough to counter the power of the object that once held Medusa's head. The seal might not last long, but it would be enough time to eliminate her Master and end the fight once and for all.

Rider let out a heavy sigh.

"It won't last long, but it's enough."

He turned his gaze toward the cabin, where his Master was in danger.

...

Kiritsugu had acted with the precision of a hunter. Upon spotting the cabin, he didn't hesitate to use his grenade launcher to set it ablaze. The flames began devouring the wooden structure within seconds, lighting up the night with an orange glow.

From inside the cabin, Waver felt the heat and smoke invade the space. Without a second thought, he grabbed his suitcase and whatever else he could carry before rushing out. His legs trembled, his heart pounded with desperation as he ran as fast as he could from the fire.

In the distance, Kiritsugu saw him. Rider's Master.

He was just a kid.

The sniper held his position. There was no room for hesitation. With his usual coldness, he raised his rifle, aligned the sights, and aimed directly at Waver's head.

"One shot. Quick and clean."

He fired.

But just at that moment, Waver tripped over a root and fell to the ground. The bullet grazed his head, hitting a tree in the distance. The sound of the shot echoed through the forest.

Waver, frozen in fear, felt a cold chill run down his spine. He knew exactly what had just happened.

Someone had just tried to kill him.

And they had almost succeeded.

Waver's body was still trembling. The cold night air wasn't the cause—it was the certainty that he had felt death pass mere inches from his head. A moment of bad luck, and he would have been lying on the ground, his life draining away. Still shaking, he forced himself to move. He knew that staying still was the same as digging his own grave.

With clumsy, desperate hands, he pulled a small object from his coat and threw it to the ground. A runic sphere he had created himself, designed for emergencies. The magic inside it exploded into a thick blanket of illusory fog that obscured his figure, hiding him from Kiritsugu's sight.

Without wasting a second, he turned on his heels and ran with all his might in the opposite direction, plunging into the dense forest. He knew exactly who he was running from.

"Magus Killer…" he murmured, his throat dry.

Kiritsugu was a hunter, someone who wouldn't hesitate to burn down the entire forest if it meant ensuring his death. With this thought etched in his mind, Waver didn't stop until he found his hiding spot.

Days ago, he had explored the forest with Rider to scout the terrain and prepare escape routes. One of those hiding spots was a hollow log, wide enough for him to crawl inside. Without wasting any time, he pushed aside the branches and underbrush covering the entrance and slipped inside the tree.

But just at that moment, Waver tripped over a root and fell to the ground. The bullet grazed his head, hitting a tree in the distance. The sound of the shot echoed through the forest.

Waver, frozen in fear, felt a cold chill run down his spine. He knew exactly what had just happened.

Someone had just tried to kill him.

And they had almost succeeded.

Waver's body was still trembling. The cold night air wasn't the cause—it was the certainty that he had felt death pass mere inches from his head. A moment of bad luck, and he would have been lying on the ground, his life draining away. Still shaking, he forced himself to move. He knew that staying still was the same as digging his own grave.

With clumsy, desperate hands, he pulled a small object from his coat and threw it to the ground. A runic sphere he had created himself, designed for emergencies. The magic inside it exploded into a thick blanket of illusory fog that obscured his figure, hiding him from Kiritsugu's sight.

Without wasting a second, he turned on his heels and ran with all his might in the opposite direction, plunging into the dense forest. He knew exactly who he was running from.

"Magus Killer…" he murmured, his throat dry.

Kiritsugu was a hunter, someone who wouldn't hesitate to burn down the entire forest if it meant ensuring his death. With this thought etched in his mind, Waver didn't stop until he found his hiding spot.

Days ago, he had explored the forest with Rider to scout the terrain and prepare escape routes. One of those hiding spots was a hollow log, wide enough for him to crawl inside. Without wasting any time, he pushed aside the branches and underbrush covering the entrance and slipped inside the tree.

Perseus emerged from the trees with a regal bearing, Kibisis in one hand and, in the other, Irisviel, whom he carried like a sack of potatoes. She struggled with all her might but was unable to break free from his grip.

Kiritsugu's eyes sharpened. He saw no trace of Saber.

"Did he defeat her?" he thought. He didn't believe it. He could still sense her presence, but her exact location was a mystery.

Rider looked at him with a crooked smile.

"Get ready, Kiritsugu," he said in a grave voice. "Your time has come."

Kiritsugu, seeing no way out, tried to retreat. But in the blink of an eye, Rider vanished and reappeared right beside him.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asked, grabbing the collar of Kiritsugu's coat.

"There's no escape."

Rider raised his other hand to snap his neck… but then, he felt an unknown presence.

With a quick reaction, he turned on his heels and saw the intruder.

A few meters away, a man dressed in a dark robe watched them with a deranged expression. His eyes reflected madness, and in his trembling hands, he clutched a grimoire.

For a few seconds, the intruder remained silent. Then, his voice came out as a shaky whisper.

"My... my Holy Maiden..."

Rider frowned. He didn't understand what the man was referring to.

But the man suddenly let out a deafening scream.

"Where is my Holy Maiden?!"

The forest trembled with his fury.

Rider felt a chill as he saw the expression on his opponent's face. Even without knowing his identity, he knew he was facing another Servant.

Caster, Gilles de Rais, trembled with rage. His deranged mind had mistaken Saber for Jeanne d'Arc, and upon not seeing her, his paranoia completely spiraled out of control.

"You… you hid her," he whispered before raising his voice. "You hid her from me! But you won't fool me!"

Rider's expression turned serious. He knew he had to finish him quickly.

But before he could move, Caster opened his grimoire. In the blink of an eye, grotesque creatures began to emerge from the darkness. Amorphous abominations with twisted forms rose from between the trees, filling the forest with their repugnant presence.

Rider clicked his tongue.

"This just got complicated."

The entire forest was consumed by Caster's madness, and the battle was about to begin.

....

simply... this is a fanfic... there isn't much data about Perseus and his noble phantasms, but with what I found on the internet and more intuition, this is what I think kibisis does, well, plus it houses the head of Medusa.

I had already resigned myself to being in the rankings, if I wanted to be there I had to upload the chapters daily, or upload a large number of chapters in a week to be there, but since I didn't do it and I uploaded a chapter every time I had time... well, it's my fault for being impulsive and doing it without having at least 10 advanced chapters. It will be for the next story, hehehe... so I will simply limit myself to continuing uploading chapters until at least I have a word count of 40 thousand, and I'm already close. When I reach that number, I will upload the other fanfic I was writing.