Let Me Clear It with the Wind

At night, atop the bell tower of Trifas.

Spotting the green silhouette landing beside him, Naoki sitting on the edge, greeted her. "Yo, you made it, Miss Atalanta."

"You're too familiar." Atalanta said, frowning.

"You mentioned we met in another Holy Grail War before, and we were quite close?"

"More or less. But for you Servants, each Holy Grail War is like a fresh start, and you don't retain memories from previous ones. Besides, that was in a parallel world, not this one. It's only natural you don't remember me. Just think of me as someone who gets friendly fast."

"Fine, I'll take it as that."

Looking down at the city cloaked in the night, Atalanta asked, "About Black Assassin, Jack the Ripper… have you planned how to deal with her?"

"If it's a direct fight, it'd be easy. She's just an Assassin. Except for a few outliers, their direct combat strength is generally low. Jack the Ripper's stats only excel in Agility."

"The trouble is her Noble Phantasm, especially for women like you."

Maria the Ripper.

Under normal conditions, it's just four small D-rank knives with little killing power. In a Servant battle, they're only useful at most for surprise attacks.

But if three conditions are met—nighttime, the target is a woman/female, and there's fog—this Noble Phantasm reveals its true effect, ripping out all the target's internal organs, leaving an autopsied corpse.

It's also worth noting that this Noble Phantasm's nature isn't physical damage but more like a curse, making it effective even from a distance, and physical defenses are largely useless against it.

"On top of that, Jack the Ripper has her own battlefield Noble Phantasm, which can unconditionally enveloping the surroundings in a sulfuric acid fog formed from Mana, conceptually replicating the 19th-century London smog that caused many deaths."

"Because of this Noble Phantasm, and the Holy Grail War's rule of operating at night, two of the three conditions needed for Maria the Ripper's full activation are automatically met. As for the third—"

Naoki glanced at Atalanta. "Well, you're an Archer. Just attack from a safe distance. For close combat, Little Mo has Avalon, so she'll be fine."

"You really know a lot about Jack the Ripper. Could it be that in that Holy Grail War you experienced, you were close with her too?"

"Nope, never met her."

After all, Naoki had never managed to summon her!

"The reason I know is because I have knowledge from the Root, and it just so happens to include info on Jack the Ripper."

"I see. So, about me—do you know everything too?" Atalanta's eyes sharpened slightly. "Knowing your enemy inside out—as an ally, you're reliable, but as a rival later, shooting you here might not be a bad idea."

She drew her bowstring, a mana-formed arrow aimed at Naoki's head.

Facing the killing intent from such close range, Naoki only smiled. "True, but that's if you can kill me—"

*WHOOSH!*

The moment the words left his mouth, Naoki swiftly reached out, grabbing the arrow and crushing its tip.

"You okay wasting your hand like that?"

"My body's in great shape. A small wound like this heals on its own." Naoki flicked the blood off his hand. "As you saw, in close combat, your arrows can't even be fired. And in long-range, you saw last night how Chiron never landed a shot on me, right?"

Of course, she saw. Though Atalanta was confident in her archery, she had to admit Chiron's skill was exceptional. Yet, even his shots missed the man before her, always blocked as if he could see the future.

*DING!*

The midnight bell tolled from the tower behind them.

Naoki stood. "Alright, enough chit-chat. Let's deal with Jack the Ripper first. Afterward, if you're interested, I can tell you one more thing related to you."

"Hey!"

Before Atalanta could ask, Naoki leaped from the bell tower into the thick fog below, which had spread unnoticed.

'Something related to me?'

"What do you know, Red Saber's Master?"

Curiosity surged, furrowing Atalanta's brow, but as a warrior, she knew to control her thoughts on the battlefield and focus on eliminating the enemy.

Jack the Ripper…

◆━⊰✧⊱━◆

On the streets of Trifas.

Gliding on the wind and landing on the ground, Naoki glanced around, then pulled a gem from his sleeve. "Hear me, Little Mo?"

[Loud and clear, Master.]

Mordred's voice came through the gem.

As a direct disciple of the Lord of Mineralogy, though not a specialist, Naoki mastered some Gem Magecraft. One was splitting a gem for communication.

A phone would've been more practical, but Jack the Ripper's fog seemed to block signals, and even Magecraft was harder to use. Of course, just harder—not impossible.

"You're in position, right? I'm about to clear this fog."

[Ready!]

Pocketing the gem, Naoki lifted his foot and tapped the ground with his toes. With him as the center, a roaring gust erupted, instantly forming a towering tornado pillar. The thick fog enveloping him was swept away by the fierce wind.

'To counter a Noble Phantasm like this, that's not enough. Let's crank it up.'

Drawing more on the wind fairy's power, Naoki spread his arms. The gale, previously swirling within a hundred-meter radius, expanded to cover nearly all of Trifas. Its intensity surged to hurricane levels.

The dense fog blanketing every corner of Trifas was completely dispelled by the ferocious wind.

Gazing at the clear night sky and the brightly shining moon, Naoki let out a long breath. "There, that should do it. Little Mo, Atalanta, the rest is up to you."