This Is My Holy Grail War [89]

Assassin’s sword was short—far shorter than Sasaki Kojirō’s long blade. It was only now, in the heat of battle, that she truly understood why Kojirō wielded such an unusually long weapon.

Her counterattack had both failed and succeeded.

Kojirō’s blade had pierced her first, its extended reach ensuring it found her before her sword could reach him. Only after her body was run through did her longsword bury itself in Kojirō’s chest.

Assassin fell first, her body hitting the ground with a lifeless thud. The world around her blurred into a haze of crimson, her vision consumed by blood. She couldn’t see or hear anything.

The ground pressed against her as though to claim her, but death didn’t come immediately. Her body, a spiritual construct formed of mana, clung to life by sheer force of will.

What about him? The question echoed faintly in her fading consciousness. She couldn’t confirm Kojirō’s condition. Had her sword inflicted a fatal wound? She didn’t know. By the time she struck, her senses had already dimmed.

But there were surprises in store, ones Assassin hadn’t anticipated.

Just as Saber could walk on water—a hidden ability absent from any status screen—Assassin’s latent skill revealed itself in her moment of crisis.

[You have slain Assassin Sasaki Kojirō.]

[You have gained one attribute point.]

The notification was succinct, lacking any mention of rewards beyond the attribute point.

Unlike her encounter with Rider, there was no need for another “ticket.”

The Holy Grail War, at least for this phase, was effectively over.

Even now, Assassin felt she had done all she could. She had fought for Tohsaka Rin, an immature Master who, despite her flaws, had been determined to pursue victory. Assassin had never betrayed Rin. She had acted honorably to the very end, even when the role of Master didn’t suit Rin.

Still, Assassin had never fully accepted Rin as her Master.

At first, she’d worked to make Rin burn her Command Spells on trivialities, stripping away the safety net of absolute authority. And she’d succeeded—Rin had never used a Command Spell to force her hand.

Assassin respected Rin’s desire to prove herself, but Rin’s youth and inexperience kept her far from the maturity necessary for war. Rin didn’t fully grasp what a Holy Grail War entailed.

In her final moments, Assassin reflected on how well she understood Rin. She could predict her Master’s personality, but not her thoughts about Assassin herself.

Willing to risk her life for a familiar… That’s something, I suppose, Assassin thought bitterly, even as her body trembled on the brink of collapse.

Suddenly, the glow of a Command Spell radiated through the night.

For the first time, Rin issued an order that no Servant could disobey.

“Didn’t you kill an enemy Servant?! Can’t you raise one of your stats? Boost your endurance!” Rin’s voice, laced with desperation, pierced the air as she raised her arm. “By the power of my Command Spell, Assassin, increase your endurance—live! Live!”

A flash of crimson light surged into Assassin’s body. Rin’s Command Spell activated, forcibly injecting mana into her and compelling her to obey.

[Endurance E → Endurance D.]

The world seemed to echo with Rin’s frantic plea: Live… live…

The sound reverberated in Assassin’s mind, her desire for survival reawakening. In her haze, the voice sounded like Rin’s, though it was muddled and distant.

Even unconscious, she couldn’t allow herself to give in.

Her body began to shift. What had once been the delicate, feminine form of Artoria now hardened, her features becoming sharper, her physique more robust. Her blonde hair shifted to a striking blue as her body morphed into that of a young man.

[You have Acquired A-rank Skill: Battle Continuation]

[You have Acquired C-rank Skill: Recovery]

[You have Acquired B-rank Skill: Rune Magic]

[You have Acquired B-rank Skill: Protection from Arrows]

[You have Acquired B-rank Skill: Divinity]

The influx of skills was overwhelming, each one lighting up Assassin’s fading consciousness. She realized now how potent Lancer had been—and how advantageous it was to emulate him.

But this wasn’t the time for reflection.

The skill [Battle Continuation] allowed her to lift herself off the ground, though every movement sent waves of agony through her battered form.

Kojirō’s strikes had been devastating. All three arcs of [Tsubame Gaeshi] had landed squarely on her body, each one lethal. With Endurance at E during the attack, her survival was nothing short of a miracle. Even now, with her Endurance boosted to D, she felt the deep, gnawing wounds as her body struggled to hold itself together.

Her mana poured from her like a leaking vessel, the sensation akin to having her very soul drained from her body.

Despite everything, Assassin managed to stay conscious long enough to spot Kojirō. The swordsman sat on the temple steps, calmly sipping what seemed to be his final cup of sake.

Assassin could see it now—the gaping wound on Kojirō’s chest, her longsword’s handiwork. His time, too, was running out.

A faint buzzing sound filled her ears. Her sense of hearing faded, leaving her disoriented. Turning toward the source of the noise, she glimpsed a black-haired girl—Rin.

“So, it’s you, Master…” Assassin murmured weakly, her voice barely audible before her legs gave out. Rin’s startled cry was the last thing she heard before she blacked out.

Before losing consciousness completely, Assassin felt something being placed against her chest. It was small and hard—perhaps a stone.

The sensation was fleeting, but it lingered in her mind.

In the hours that followed, Assassin drifted in and out of awareness, her body wracked with pain. Every jolt, every step, felt like her muscles and bones were tearing apart. Even in the depths of unconsciousness, the agony was relentless.

Though she appeared unharmed on the surface, internally, her spiritual core was shattered beyond repair. Her body was falling apart, and no amount of rest would mend it.

Her condition was critical, and time was running out.

—

T/N: RINNN YOURE THE GOAT

This is a fan translation of 这是我的圣杯之战 by 向希望祈祷. All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!