Fate/Blackened Sugar

[] "I'd love to explain but your expression tells me that you're ready to throw down. I'll humor you and see how far you can get with me. I won't kill you though, I figured I'd return the favor for your mercy all those times before."

There was no going around it then. Fighting Ophelia had to come sooner or later but you had no choice now. You straightened your back as you raised your hand to the side, your golden shields drifting before you as you faced her. Ophelia was just as wary as you were with her.

Even with her Mystic Eye, she had to see which possibility she had to cull to succeed in her whatever move she'll do. At the most, she'll try to corner you into making one move which she could easily predict and cull.

You had the advantage of being unpredictable and pragmatic. Out of ten moves you can make, she can only cull one.

"I'd love to explain but your expression tells me that you're ready to throw down. I'll humor you and see how far you can get with me," you told her as you met her gaze, "I won't kill you though, I figured I'd return the favor for your mercy all those times before."

"That would be your undoing," Ophelia said as she held out her hand and gathered broken glass to form a javelin.

"And what? Have the fucking Wodime come down on me? I'm a cockroach that refuses to die but even I'll die from that guy!" you barked as you held up your hand and felt your circuits flare up.

Ophelia threw her glass javelin as you watched it tear through the air. You caught it with one of your Aegis shields as Ophelia dashed to the side and began evoking Spirits to aid her. Silvery familiars danced around her as you palmed the ground with your wounded hand, wiping your blood on the pavement.

Black skeletal hands clapped shut upon the silvery familiars but Ophelia used her eye to diminish the effect of your move.

"Ayumi! Get away from here! Find a safe place to hide! I'll handle her!" you ordered as you tried calling forth familiars to do battle with Ophelia. You called forth two wolves of magical energy while Ophelia answered with more silver spirits.

"I can't just run and do nothing! I... I can do something too!" Ayumi argued as you sent the wolves out while detonating the ground between the two sides. Light appeared on the other side and your wolves were culled by Ophelia's Mystic Eye.

"Ansuz!" you snapped and etched a rune upon the gas tank behind Ophelia.

She turned, giving you the chance to conjure up crystal swords behind you. Etching runes upon them, they were reinforced just as the gas tank exploded, forcing Ophelia to dive out of the way. She rolled and weaved a barrier which caught your projectiles, only to summon silver birds to dive towards you.

You answered by forming a wall of fire before you while calling forth black crows laced with magical energy. Ophelia opened the wall up with her Mystic Eye while your familiars all smashed into one another. Black and white feathers littered their before you burned them all away and Ophelia took to the air, creating a makeshift sword from the rubble and debris around her.

Cursing under your breath, you grabbed Ayumi and the two of you dived to evade her attack. You rolled on the ground and used one Aegis shield to catch a projectile headed your way. Aegis shattered as you miscalculated the power behind the projectile, forcing you to whip up your last two remaining shields to weather the blows Ophelia sent your way.

She wasn't a genius for nothing...

You can't use Faux Pandora here, you didn't want to hurt her. Staying on the defensive will only get you cornered however. You had to think fast!

However just as you weathered the storm of projectiles, something came up on your side. Ophelia was riding what seemed to be a horse made out of pure magical energy. She then held her hand towards you and chanted something, smashing open your shields and blasting you off your feet straight into a wall.

Coughing out blood, you grit your teeth as you looked up at her as she rushed towards you.

"Assassin!" you snapped as Ophelia's eyes widened, seeing the ground beneath you split as a black serpent opened its maw around you. You braced yourself and reinforced your body as the jaws shut around you.

You found yourself in the darkness, the stench of the serpent's mouth filling your lungs before you were spat out into the ground. Ophelia used her eye to rollback the existence of the serpent. You got away from her but here she was again! You had to knock her off that goddamned horse somehow!

"Fuck it," you growled as you charged straight for her.

Ophelia blinked but rode her horse regardless, leaning forward as you felt your magic circuits light up.

"AEGIS!" you roared as your shield appeared upon your arm and you slammed it against Ophelia's horse.

"HANS!!!" Ophelia snapped at you.

"What's the matter, do it!" you dared her as you grit your teeth, feeling your wounds open up again.

Ophelia hesitated so you did what she didn't expect. You canceled Aegis upon adjusting your body, letting the horse pass you while you grabbed hold of her arm. You then slammed her into the ground where she crashed hard without managing to reinforce her body. You moved and knelt over her, pinning her left hand with your knee while you kept her right hand secured under your own.

"I win," you growled as you looked down on her as she gave you a pained look.

"Not yet," Ophelia hissed as her right hand shined crimson, "RIDER!"

A masked man burst from a flash of red, his gaze immediately falling upon you. His foot managed to swing fast enough for you to be unable to dodge it, striking you right on your ribs and sending you sliding to the side. You smashed into a light pole, leaving you coughing out blood as you tried getting up.

"That was a close one. That's unlike you, Ophelia," Rider noted as he turned to his Master.

You smiled, "Wow Rider, looks like my adorable Assassin gave you some trouble."

"She won't be here to save you," Rider coldly stated as he turned your way.

"Hans... Do you have a death wish?" Ophelia asked as she held her side. The impact of her fall still made her stand unsteadily.

"Are you okay? I'm close by, just stall them and I can strike from behind," Assassin told you through your connection, "Don't do anything crazy!"

A little bit too late for that now, huh? You leaned against the light post and kept your eyes on Ophelia and her Servant. If she was really trying to kill you, she would have many chances. But even then, she was trying to hold back, going as far to use a Command Seal for you. You couldn't help but wonder just how important were you to her boyfriend's little pet project.

Still, you shouldn't expect less from her.

She was a prodigy after all.

"Death wish? Oh no. Maybe you do," you replied as you met her gaze, "That was a close shave there, you could have ended dead."

"But you said you wouldn't," Ophelia reminded you with a frown.

"Well I lied," you said with a smile.

"Bastard," Rider growled under his breath.

"And Rider here wouldn't even know if I was quick enough. Good thinking on that Command Seal or you would have died like the failure that you are," you continued as you looked straight at Ophelia, watching her wince at her words, "This is a War, Ophelia. I'm doing you a service. Step aside or you'll really get killed next time. This place isn't somewhere a spoiled, noble, honor's student should be at."

"You..." Ophelia breathed as she grit her teeth.

"You're a hypocrite, Ophelia. You're doing this to stop me from making another Grail War? Then why are you here wielding a Servant? Don't make me laugh by telling me that you changed your mind, the only thing you care about is pleasing your betters. That's why you're stuck in the cage you're in, bound to the ties of family and expectation... And as soon as Wodime extended his hand towards you, you came running like a dog-" you ranted as Rider moved towards you.

It was a split second.

The next thing you knew was that you were on the ground.

Rider's sandal was on your chest, pressing on your broken ribs. Come on, Ophelia! Waste a Seal now!

"No more words from you, you snake," Rider coldly declared as he held his scythe.

Ophelia held out her hand and crimson light erupted from the back of her hand, "Rider sto-"

STAB

A spike made out of glass pierced Ophelia's side from the back. You and Rider stared at her wide eyed as you all looked at the culprit. Ayumi stood not too far away behind a corner with her hand held out, her eyes glowing blue with power for a moment. The smile she had on her lips was soon replaced by a look of confusion and shock.

Rider vanished above you and caught Ophelia before she fell. Her wound didn't hit any vital areas but the shock from the pain had nearly made her faint. You got up and looked at Ayumi as she stared back at you, fear filling her expression before she turned and ran away.

"Ophelia! Ophelia hang in there! We'll retreat back to Luvia for now!" Rider yelled as his Master struggled to remain conscious.

"Hans, I don't know what happened but I'm here. I can take Rider's head," Assassin whispered from the shadows.

[] Abort the Assassination. Chase after Ayumi before she vanishes again.
[] Let Assassin strike now while Rider was distracted. He won't see her coming and that'll be one Servant down.
[] Withdraw for now. You had enough information to consider your next strategy. You'll spare Rider and his Master for now.
[] Write in...