Chapter 450: [450] The Gathering Storm in Sighișoara: The Sage’s Fist
Black Archer, Chiron.
The foremost sage among the centaurs, he once studied medicine and music under the sun god Apollo and learned hunting from the goddess Artemis—educated by the gods themselves. Thus, many young heroes gathered around him, absorbing his vast knowledge of both scholarship and martial arts.
His legend, his wisdom, and his identity as the "Teacher of Heroes" ultimately coalesced into an extraordinarily fearsome skill—
[Wisdom of Divine Gift: A+]
The wisdom bestowed upon him as a sage by the gods of Greek mythology. With the exception of skills unique to individual heroes, he can demonstrate proficiency at B~A rank in nearly all skills (limited to the scope of ancient Greece). Moreover, with his Master’s permission, he can also impart these skills to other Servants.
Were it not for the extreme danger posed by the Red Faction—and Sakatsuki’s own pride as an Assassin—he would never have passed up Chiron’s teachings, which rivaled even the educational prowess of the Queen of the Land of Shadows, Scáthach.
Blades, spears, swords, halberds, axes, hooks, and forks—beyond these, Chiron had naturally also mastered the art of unarmed combat, a fusion of boxing and wrestling.
It was called Pankration (All Powers), the world’s oldest mixed martial art, originating from ancient Greece.
Perhaps due to the overwhelming threat of Red Saber’s Noble Phantasm, Chiron saw no reason to hold back. As the Wisdom of Divine Gift unfolded, strength and resilience rivaling Heracles’ surged into the sage’s body in an instant. His broad hands, like those of a titan, firmly intercepted Mordred’s descent from the sky.
Extending his arms, he entangled her wrists before her sword could descend. Rather than resisting the force of her charge, Chiron deftly shifted his center of gravity, redirecting that immense power—along with Red Saber’s petite frame—straight into the ground with brutal force!
A throw...!?
By the time Red Saber realized it, she was already airborne. Though somewhat reminiscent of judo’s ippon seoi nage, Chiron showed no mercy, locking her joints with crushing force. In the next instant, Red Saber felt agony as if her organs had been violently displaced!
BOOM!
The crimson meteor finally crashed down. The earth trembled with a thunderous roar, like the pained sigh of Gaia. Black fissures radiated outward for hundreds of meters, only to be filled with shattered crimson lightning. The crisscrossing light dyed the world in twilight hues.
Slammed onto the merciless weapon known as the earth, Red Saber’s eyes widened from the shock reverberating through her organs, blood spraying from between her clenched teeth. Even her draconic physique was momentarily paralyzed, as if bound by chains, leaving her completely immobilized.
This situation was utterly lethal—yet even as Mordred lay on the ground, Chiron did not deliver the finishing blow. Instead, he turned his head slightly, his expression grave, toward the cold glint of steel emerging in the distance.
It was the pitch-black barrel of a gun—and the deadly magic bullet had long since been loaded.
Without a doubt, there is only one character who could dominate the Holy Grail War with a pair of pistols.
"Red Assassin—Sakatsuki." Enduring the needle-like sense of danger on his forehead, Chiron struggled to keep his voice calm and steady even as he stiffened from the recoil. "As expected, the Red Faction wouldn’t leave their Saber wandering alone outside—"
Bang!
The muzzle flashed, and Chiron’s face paled in shock. Ignoring the damage from forcibly twisting his body, he drew upon his Wisdom of Divine Gift to mimic a Mana Burst skill, rolling clumsily on the ground like a donkey to narrowly evade Sakatsuki’s shot.
Springing back to his feet with his longbow in hand, Chiron endured the pain in his joints, both shocked and furious. "What are you doing?!"
"Killing you, of course," Sakatsuki replied matter-of-factly. "Though my allegiance is debatable, didn’t you just call me an Assassin? If I can take down a great sage like you, it would undoubtedly be one of my greatest achievements in this Holy Grail War."
As he spoke, the young man had already moved beside Mordred, extending a helping hand—only for her to slap it away. Mordred glared at this man she’d met once before and wobbled to her feet.
"Don’t expect me to thank you."
"Heh." Sakatsuki chuckled. "No matter. You were never my goal in the first place."
With that, he raised his gaze toward another figure clad in black robes at the street corner. The small lion mask on the king’s face revealed a smiling expression under the moonlight.
————
A few minutes earlier...
Artoria stood frozen for a long moment before finally processing the fact that Mordred had actively sent her away. She attempted to unleash her Noble Phantasm once more, only to be stopped this time by Sakatsuki, who had anticipated her move.
"My King, there’s no need. Mordred will calm down. Besides, Jeanne d’Arc’s defenses are more than enough to withstand her attacks." Pausing briefly, Sakatsuki added a reminder, "Mind your identity."
If they were exposed now, Mordred would undoubtedly tear Sighișoara apart.
"...I understand." Artoria dispersed her mana, though her expression remained displeased. "Still, you seem quite familiar with Jeanne d’Arc."
Hearing this, Sakatsuki laughed openly, his eyes gleaming with unmistakable mischief.
"Look at you, getting like this just because I said a few extra words."
She’s in a good mood... The ahoge twitched slightly as Artoria soon witnessed Mordred unleashing her Noble Phantasm, only for it to be completely blocked by Jeanne d’Arc. Then came Chiron’s sniper shot—when the arrow struck Mordred, Sakatsuki clearly noticed her petite frame tremble slightly. He knew the timing was right.
Despite the many unexpected events tonight, Sakatsuki’s goal had never changed.
"What’s wrong, my King? Are you worried about Mordred?"
Artoria had long regained her composure. Removing her mask, she cast a sidelong glance at Sakatsuki with her saintly blue eyes, a hint of charming indignation in her demeanor.
"As the King of Knights, shouldn’t I be concerned for my subordinate?"
A classic case of saying one thing while meaning another.
Naturally, Sakatsuki wouldn’t let Artoria’s concealment slide. His eyes had long seen through all falsehoods.
"Then, my King, if it were Gawain fighting Black Archer right now, what would you do?"
"What should I do?" Without even needing to think, Artoria answered as a matter of course, "I would trust him and wait for him to bring me victory... Ah."
The moment the words left her lips, Artoria realized the subtle difference.
If she treated all the Knights of the Round Table equally, trusting them as she trusted herself, then why would she worry about Mordred?
If a king does not place trust in their own knights, then they are undoubtedly unworthy of the title.
But if that’s the case, then why...
Artoria fell silent, but the Knight of the Round Table by her side wouldn’t allow her to evade the issue. Sakatsuki watched as Mordred, with another arrow piercing her shoulder, pursued the descending Chiron, and murmured as if to himself:
"If this continues, Sir Mordred is going to lose."
In the original scenario, Mordred was hit by Pankration, but her sword also managed to wound Chiron’s arm, rendering him unable to fight. Strictly speaking, it was Chiron’s conscious decision to hold back that led to this defeat.
But this time, Mordred, due to a misunderstanding, unleashed her Noble Phantasm prematurely, alerting Chiron—our esteemed teacher Chiron is no ordinary man. Once aware of his opponent’s strength, he naturally wouldn’t make any mistakes.
Thus, Mordred lost by a narrow margin.
Such is the nature of battles between heroes—a single small misstep can lead to vastly different outcomes.
Sakatsuki sighed to himself, while Artoria shot a glance at her tactless subordinate and pursed her lips.
"Enough. Must I really ask you, Sir Sakatsuki? Please help me and go support Sir Mordred."
The white-haired assassin smiled, his eyes swirling with iridescent blue. As his black cloak billowed, he vanished from Artoria’s sight.
"Your will be done."
And so, time returned to the present. Chiron was repelled by Sakatsuki’s magical bullets, and Mordred, barely managing to prop herself up, was astonished to find the black-cloaked oddball she’d sent away standing before her as if nothing had happened.
"What are you doing here? It’s dangerous—"
"I have a question."
Under the hazy moonlight, the small lion mask gleamed silver. Despite its comical expression, it somehow appeared sacred.
"Why attack a Ruler you’ve never met? Why raise your blade against an innocent child?"
Unconsciously, his tone had turned accusatory, yet neither Artoria nor Mordred seemed to notice. Chiron frowned in surprise at the mask on his own Assassin’s face, while Sakatsuki toyed with his pistol, smirking.
As if sensing the young man’s gaze, Artoria took a deep breath and finally asked the question that truly weighed on her:
"You... why did you save me?"