Fate: The Holy Grail

[3rd POV]

"Hold on a little longer... just a little longer!"

During this time, Assassin didn't feel tired at all. In fact, he was gradually becoming more familiar with this body.

Kirei's magic flowed through his body, and while the recovery speed wasn't fast... his consumption was even slower!

Assassin's left hand had lost all sensation...

It happened during a mistake when he collided head-on with Berserker.

The sound of his bones breaking still echoed in his mind... It hurt so much, but he had to endure it, or he would die.

He was covered in blood... and one more mistake and Berserker would knock him down.

"There's no need to push yourself this hard... Assassin?" 

Rider looked at Assassin, and for a moment, the image of Saber appeared in his mind.

Yes... they looked almost the same, but their spirits were very different.

Last night, Rider had compared the expressions on their faces.

One was proud and heroic, the other noble and straightforward.

After this battle, Rider found himself seeing traces of Saber in Assassin...

"What happened... Rider?!" 

Waver woke from his unconscious state, clutching his head in pain.

"Nothing, I just witnessed a noble knight fighting a crazy beast." 

Rider's words left him confused.

He crawled out of the chariot and saw two Servants dancing under the moonlight.

"What is going on here?! Rider?!" 

Weber froze. 

Even though he was just watching the fight, the killing intent coming from both knights made his spine tingle with fear.

"I'm not sure either. They just started fighting suddenly."

Rider said, then pointed ahead. "Can you see the attributes of that dark figure?"

"The dark figure?!" 

Waver frowned and looked over but couldn't see anything about his attribute with completely hidden.

"I can't see anything..."

"Huh? I thought you were my Master! You should be able to see a servant's attributes, right?" 

Rider said as he patted Weber on the head, "Look more carefully."

"I can't... it's completely impossible!" 

Waver said, his face full of disbelief, "The person is definitely a Servant, as he's able to fight with Assassin, and... I can see Assassin's abilities but can't read the other dark one!"

"It should be Berserker, right?" 

He guessed when seeing Lancelot's wild behavior.

"Alright, since you can't see it, I won't force it," 

Rider said, then asked, "My little Master, are you feeling better now?"

"I'm alright, I guess." 

Waver replied with confusion.

"Great!" 

Rider shouted boldly, "Hold on tight, kid. I'm driving now!"

The next moment, Rider slammed the chariot straight into Berserker with a loud crash, accompanied by Waver's scream!

The chariot, pulled by a powerful bull, charged toward the battlefield with lightning and thunder roaring around it.

Assassin saw it coming and easily dodged it.

The chariot's momentum was strong, and it plowed through the wreckage along its path.

However, it didn't obliterate Berserker's obsession. He didn't dodge but continued to stare intently at Assassin.

The next moment, the bull's hooves kicked Berserker with a forceful strike... with a loud "crash," the chariot's wheel rolled heavily over Berserker's body.

Berserker shakily got back up, then turned into a spirit and vanished.

When Berserker was struck heavily, Kariya regained control of Berserker's body. He ordered Berserker to retreat immediately.

"I am the Conqueror King, Iskander. I have entered this Holy Grail War as Rider."

Rider extended his hand, "Assassin, join my army."

"You shouldn't help me, Rider,"

Assassin said stubbornly, "I can win!"

"You don't need to force yourself..." 

Rider began, but Assassin interrupted.

"Berserker's pace has slowed, and his strength is gradually fading..." 

Assassin said, "I can feel it, his magical energy is running out!" 

He showed a hint of madness.

Assassin knew he had no chance of winning this Holy Grail War, but as long as he could kill a Servant, he could survive to participate in the next Holy Grail War.

The opportunity slipped past him, causing him to lose his composure for a brief moment, but he quickly regained his senses.

"Sorry... the recent battle made me lose control." 

Assassin apologized to Rider, "Thank you for your help. Honestly, I was actually at a disadvantage the whole time." 

The pain still burned through his nerves, and his reasoning was slowly taking over.

"It's alright," 

Rider said, "From your tone just now, it seems like you have a way to defeat... Berserker?"

"Yes." 

Assassin nodded, "As long as I can hold on a little longer, I'll be able to defeat him."

"Can you hold on?" 

Rider asked, "The battle with Archer must have drained a lot of your energy." 

It wasn't just a lot, Assassin almost got killed by Archer.

"Archer is strong." 

Assassin nodded, acknowledging his exhaustion.

"You've used too much energy tonight. If you were in perfect condition, I'm sure your plan to beat Berserker would work." 

Rider said, pointing to the blood streaking across Assassin's cheek to indicate his current exhausted state.

"I don't know," 

Assassin replied honestly. 

He wasn't sure how much longer he could keep fighting, but he knew that as long as he kept stalling, he was sure he would win.

"Goodbye, Rider. Perhaps one day we can be friends." 

Assassin said while preparing to leave, but Rider called him back.

"Don't be in such a hurry, Assassin." 

Rider said and pulled out a barrel of red wine from his chariot.

Assassin couldn't help but wonder how he managed to stash it in the bumpy ride. 

"With the way you look right now, you'll become a target for others. Why not take a rest for a moment?"

Then, he smashed the top off the wine barrel, and the smell of red wine filled the air. 

"How about joining me for a victory feast? We can also talk about your wish! I'm really curious about why you answered the Holy Grail's summon."

"Wish, huh... My wish are very small..." 

Assassin gestured vaguely with his hand. 

"If I had to say, my wish is nothing compared to the deep desires of other heroic spirits. It's as insignificant as a light as a feather."

To be continued...