Hopping to the left and right, Assassin dodged the charging horse nimbly while scoring shallow slashes on the horse's flanks. Within the cramped space in the school around the storage shed, the horse was unable to reach top speed, and this suited Assassin with her high rank of agility. She was able to leap out of the way of her charges and maneuver around her easily, her legs rapidly moving as she sidestepped and jumped behind her as Lancer slowed down her horse to turn around.
Kirei had expressly forbidden Lancer to cause property destruction in public areas unless absolutely necessary. Hence, she was forced to swerve and slow down to avoid crashing through the buildings, unlike in the Einzbern forest where she could charge with wild abandon, giving no thought to any consequences.
*Shink!*
The tip of Assassin's blade scraped across the back of Lancer's armor, drawing a long scratch across the back as Lancer leaned forward and spurred Llamrei to run forward, avoiding a lethal injury. Seeing the disadvantage they were at, she spun around to the gap of the buildings and prepared to move the battlefield elsewhere.
"Gallop!"
*HaSHISSS*
Red arrows split the air as they rained down in front of her, blocking her path, drawing a line on the ground as they headed towards her.
She raised her lance at the hail of arrows flying towards her, the body of the lance spinning and creating a vortex of dark miasma that rotated around her weapon. The mana core in her body hummed to life, the heart of a dragon stoking the flames of magic to suit her whims.
Like leaves in a hurricane, the arrows were swept aside by the great lance, red streaks of light chewed into splinters by the roaring spear. Yet Archer continued to fire at he, the red arrows pelting her in vain.
"Useless."
But just as she was about to break through towards the open center of the school grounds, the air rippled in front of her, blue portals with neon blue lines along the edge ripping open space to create a path for the supporting fire from the Dun Stallion II to reach the enemy. Blue bolts of plasma fire with an average width of a fridge burst out of the holes and raced forward, three of them from the front while two other shots came from the right and left.
Without breaking a sweat under the combined fire of both Assassin's and Archer's firepower, she made Llamrei jump backwards, the horse bending its knees and prancing backwards while the lance and the energy stored in it acted as a propellant, Lancer further activating mana burst through it to send them flying backwards. The unexpected movement, normally achievable with horses, let her escape from Archer as he was unable to adjust his aim in time to compensate for their sudden dash backwards, while the bolts of plasma converged on one spot and exploded, leaving a molten crater in the ground.
Llamrei's hooves dug four long furrows on the gravelly pavement, his tail brushing against the cool metal of the school gate as they stopped right at the secondary entrance.
"Archer, prepare to strike!"
Assassin yelled at him, her blue scarf trailing behind her as she ran towards Lancer, one hand swiping on the controller for the Dun Stallion II, while the other hand held Secretcalibur in a reverse grip, her ahoge rock steady despite the speed she was moving at.
Several portals opened up, particle beams blazing through the air straight at Lancer, her back pressed to the school gate. On the roof of the school building, Archer lowered his bow and stretched out one hand.
"Trace on."
Lancer channeled the energy of her mana core into her steed, the skill Mana Burst channeled through her riding skill and granting strength to Llamrei.
"Heavenward!"
The ground melted and buckled as crimson streams of mana burst from the four hooves, then in a flash both rider and horse were flying into the sky, a brilliant trail of red particles left behind in their path.
The energy beams below them destroyed the school gate and punched massive holes clean through it, creating several new potholes in the road.
"I am the bone of my sword."
The cone shaped sword twisted into a spiral as it spun into a slimmer form, the body and handle stretching until it could barely be called an arrow.
"Caladbolg."
*krk*
Lines of black ran across its length, the sword becoming Broken. Without saying more, Archer placed the arrow on his black bow and nocked the arrow, drawing it past his cheek until the metallic fletch of the arrow was just behind his ear. Drawing on the breathing techniques he learned while living, he drew in a deep breath.
Inhale.
Exhale.
*shwish*
The arrow flew with a whisper, yet the power behind it was undeniable. The posture of a man who had mastered kyuudou, the perfect arrow that would always pierce the target as the entire being became focused on one goal. This alone was enough for Archer to qualify for the class container he currently inhabited.
But while the arrow's flight through the air was mostly silent, the arrow itself was not. The arrow started generating a spin, a trail left behind it as the front of the arrow started distorting, the space continually twisted until it became a spiral that could penetrate through even Noble Phantasms, the rainbow sword of destruction once used by the famed Irish hero Fergus Mac Róich.
Lancer spotted the arrow heading towards her like a rocket, but it was coming too fast for her to dodge, so there was only one choice. To meet it head on.
A cone of swirling darkness and purple miasma plummeted from the sky, her Mana Burst redirected to face the sky as propulsion downwards. Red torrents of scarlet licked the inky sky as mana flew from her back like flames, her eyes set with determination as her spear spun with ever-greater speed, the arrow dead set on meeting the black and red comet descending towards it.
The black cracks along the arrow started glowing, red light leaking through the hairline fractures. The spinning went faster and faster until it became a high-pitched scream piercing through the night, the arrow shaking as it struggled to stay cohesive.
Archer gazed upwards as his arrow met the spear of the end.
Further below him, Assassin prepared her controller as she too watched the confrontation in the skies.
What felt like minutes for both Grey and Rin was instead mere seconds as they shielded their eyes from the bright light that lit up the sky like a second sun as the arrow finally exploded.
*WHOOOM*
The very air itself was consumed as the pure energy from the A rank Broken Phantasm turned into plasma, before that too faded away in the air. A massive white corona lit up the sky.
Both Masters shielded their eyes from the brightness, while the two servants ignored it with their superhuman vision, focused on finding their target.
"A good try, but still not enough."
Floating in the air, with nary a scratch upon her and her horse, was Lancer, her steed spraying jets of mana to stay aloft.
"Steel yourselves, Archer and Assassin!"