Fate/Zero:Act 2 Part 4

172:38:15

The saying about the hour when even trees sleep doesn't apply to magi and Servants.

The heroic spirit of the shadows, Assassin, has a better grasp than anyone on the complexity of being prepared in the darkness of the night.

Moreso since the magi gathered in the city of Fuyuki have a double interest. Standing on the hill of the Miyama town, neither of the western-styled houses of Matō and Tōsaka are left behind in term of splendor.

Masters aiming for the Grail, the two landlords are using, lately, some low-grade familiars to patrol left and right, day and night around their visible castles. Naturally, the master of the mansion must be ready, and stretch around a multitude of bounded fields for detection and defense even inside the mansion; it must be a stronghold in the magical sense of the term.

Stepping unauthorized into the bounded fields is all but safe, all the more for the large mass of prana that is a Servant. Essentially, regardless if it is a spiritual body, it should be just about impossible to slip through the bounded fields of the fortress undetected.

However, the impossible can always be made possible. That is the presence concealment skill of the Assassin class. While he does not excel in battle power, Assassin can suppress his prana emission until it reaches zero to creep in the shadow and reach his target.

Additionally, for the Assassin of this time, Kotomine Kirei's Servant, this night's infiltration operation was especially easy. The garden he is now sneaking in isn't the one of the Matō mansion that has been considered enemy territory for a some time. It is the mansion of Tōsaka Tokiomi, who was his Master Kirei's ally until just yesterday. Of course, Assassin too has agreed with Kirei and Tokiomi to deceive the other Masters and remain undercover. Obeying that secret agreement, he has undertaken the guarding of the Tōsaka mansion on countless occasions. Knowing all about the disposition of the bounded fields, he is naturally aware of the blind spot.

In his spiritual form, Assassin progressed through the many alarm fields without a problem, laughing at the ironic fate of Tōsaka Tokiomi. That arrogant magus has placed a considerable faith in his protégé Kirei, but can't imagine he might be bitten by his dog.

Kirei's order to murder Tokiomi has reached Assassin not an hour ago. He is unsure of what urged Kirei to change his mind, but Tokiomi's summoning of a Servant a few days ago must be when it began. Tokiomi seems to have summoned the Servant Archer, but apparently, that heroic spirit must be weaker than Kirei expected. And as the merit of the cooperation with Tokiomi fades away, he agrees with the decision Kirei took this night.

"Vain prudence is unnecessary. Have no fear of facing Archer. You need to obliterate Tōsaka Tokiomi quickly."

That was the order of his Master Kirei. Against the despised, weakest fighter Assassin, he won't be afraid and won't hurry― it should be easy to betray the miscalculations of the heroic spirit Archer summoned by Tōsaka Tokiomi.

Halfway through the garden, the blind spot of the bounded field you could just pass through vanished. From there on, the barrier has to be destroyed by physical mean, and you need to progress while removing it. It is impossible to proceed while invisible in spirit form.

Leaning over the shadow of the vegetation, Assassin came back from spirit form to physical form, exposing his bony mask and tall, lean figure. He can feel many "eyes" all over him from afar, different from the bounded field of the Tōsaka residence. The familiars of other Masters must be observing the Tōsaka residence from outside the barriers. As long as he remains unnoticed from Tokiomi himself, there is no need to worry about any Peeping Toms. Tokiomi's rivals disputing the Grail would never warn him of Assassin's infiltration. If one competitor drops, the others should remain unconcerned spectators.

Snickering without a sound, Assassin extends his hand at the first keystone that binds the barri―

The next instant, that hand was pierced through by a spear flying from above, shining like a flash of lightning.

"... h!?"

An intense pain, terror, and above all, shock. The simple spear strike was completely unexpected, and Assassin swung his head upward, looking for the pitcher.

No, there is no need to search.

On top of the roof of the Tōsaka residence, a golden shadow stood magnificently. That divine radiance even steals the dignity of the starlit sky and puts the moon to shame.

The rage of being wounded made Assassin forgot the pain, but he could only fear the overwhelming coercion.

"You worm crawling on the ground, who's pardon are you looking for?"

The golden man asks indifferently to the Assassin hidden on the ground, looking down at him with a pair of disdainful, burning crimson eyes.

"You can't look at me. Worms can only look at the ground when they die, like the worms they are."

Around the golden shadow, even more glows appeared up to a countless number. Suddenly coming out in mid-air were swords, halberds, not twice the same, all of them treasured weapons with dazzling ornaments. And all of them were turned at Assassin.

I can't win. Without even thinking, Assassin realized it instinctively.

Winning against him is impossible. It's stupid to even think about facing him.

If he is able to hit the Servant Assassin, it means that golden shadow is definitely a Servant. And if he is stopping an invasion into the Tōsaka mansion, then the Master is Tokiomi― in other words, he must be the heroic spirit Archer.

There's no need to fear *that*?

In his pledge to his Master, Assassin knew there was no contradiction in Kirei's words.

In front of such an overwhelming enemy, fear is― yes, there is no place for fear―

There can only be despair and abandon.

Slashing through the air in a howl, an infinity of shining blades started raining down on Assassin.

Assassin felt the eyes. The familiars observing from outside the place. The first Servant to fall in the fourth War of the Holy Grail meets an unsightly end without even a retort, witnessed by the other Masters.

And at the last moment, Assassin understood. The true intention of his Master, Kotomine Kirei, and... of the leader, Tōsaka Tokiomi.

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