Because Justeaze's "Clairvoyance" magecraft was deciphered by Gilgamesh's unidentified Noble Phantasm, Shinji and the others in Ryuudou Temple were unaware that they had encountered Saber before encountering Gilgamesh.
The path from the parking lot to the mountaintop in Ryuudou Temple was just a single approach, and because Gilgamesh and Tohsaka Tokiomi were not moving quickly, Saber naturally caught up to them.
"Archer!"
Upon seeing Gilgamesh, Saber halted her running steps and instinctively grasped her invisible sword, questioning him.
"Was it you who sent the signal?"
"It seems that you, Saber, not only have a stubborn mind but also poor eyesight." Archer snorted displeasingly. "You would know just by looking. This King and Tokiomi are here to subdue the arrogant individual who declared victory without permission."
"So, it wasn't you who kidnapped Irisviel?"
"Of course not. This King wouldn't stoop to do such things as that bastard did."
Upon hearing Archer's words, Saber's mood improved significantly. Archer scanned the King of Knights before him with an aggressively piercing gaze and spoke with a smile.
"But Saber, you truly are an enjoyable person. The things you said earlier and the fact that someone kidnapped your puppet, all of it is making this King more and more interested in you."
"Archer!" Saber's emerald eyes released a chilling aura. "If it weren't for the ceasefire agreement between Irisviel and your Master, I would make you pay right now!"
Surprisingly, the golden Heroic Spirit, the proud king, not only did not get angry at Saber's attitude but also became increasingly delighted.
"Very good, excellent. You, who become irritated and struggle within, are so beautiful. Show me more, and it does not matter if you come at me with your proud Excalibur. As long as you can bring pleasure to this King, this King will help you rescue the puppet. How about it?"
The Invisible Air enveloping the Excalibur was instantly released, and the intense gusts of wind-tousled Archer's hair also disheveled Tokiomi's carefully arranged attire. This was Saber's final warning.
"What's the matter? Still unwilling to make a move?" Archer disregarded Saber's provocation and continued to add fuel to the fire. "Are you concerned about that ceasefire agreement? Well then—"
Amidst his words, a sword was projected from within the Gate of Babylon and swept past Saber's head. The sword tores through the air, creating a gust of wind that nearly brushed against the strand of hair standing on the King of Knights' forehead.
"—That should do it. The ceasefire agreement has been canceled."
"King, this is—" Tokiomi, unable to bear it any longer, interjected. The enemy had not been eliminated; how could they tear apart from the hard-won agreement?
"Shut your mouth, Tokiomi. This King is the embodiment of rules. Only the agreements that the king recognizes are true agreements. If this King does not recognize it, it means nothing!" Archer's crimson pupils narrowed into slits, and his sharp gaze rendered Tokiomi speechless.
On the other hand, Saber was so enraged that she could not find words. "Archer, you dare, you dare insult my honor—"
Indeed, that strand of standing hair was not the "Ahoge" joked about in the streets, but a symbol of honor. Not to mention, cutting off that strand of hair, even touching it, would be the greatest insult to King Arthur.
"Ahahaha, this strand of hair is your honor? That's so hilarious, ahahaha!"
Mt. Enzou was filled with Archer's delighted laughter.
"Saber, the very existence of you as a woman is already a rare 'miracle'—compared to you, the Holy Grail is nothing but insignificant."
Saber no longer wanted to waste time exchanging words with Archer. She raised her sword to strike, but before her first strike could land, it was interrupted, not by Archer's Noble Phantasm but by his following words.
"Saber, lower your sword and be this King's woman."
In this particular scene, this particular situation, Archer's words caught Saber off guard. It was so unexpected that she immediately froze on the spot and was unable to swing her swords.
"...Wh-What did you say... What are your intentions!?"
Equally dumbfounded was Tokiomi Tohsaka, who realized that he could not keep up with his own servant's thought process.
"Even if you can't understand, at the very least, you should feel joy. Because the one who appreciates your worth is none other than this King."
Perhaps Archer himself would consider such a conclusion natural. The golden Servant proudly held his head high, gazing at the woman before him, whom he had come to like for the first time.
"Abandon those boring ideals and vows. These things will only bind you and bring you unhappiness. As long as you desire this King, live under this King's protection. In the name of the King who rules over all, this King will bestow upon you all the joy and pleasure in this world."
"You—you—you've completely lost your mind!" Saber rebuked loudly.
The second round of Noble Phantasms flew from above, exploding before Saber could defend herself with her sword, causing a tremendous shock wave that forced Saber to retreat repeatedly.
"I didn't ask for your consent. This is the decision made by this King."
Archer's expressions were filled with sadistic pleasures. From the beginning, he did not regard his opponent as equal. The enemy was only worthy of being played and humiliated. He enjoyed watching her submit.
"Come, let this King hear your answer. Although the answer has long been decided, there is no need to ask questions at all. However, this King is curious to see what expression you'll have when you say those words."
"I refuse! I absolutely won't—"
Before she could finish her sentence, Archer launched the third round of Noble Phantasms, firing a volley of 16 weapons.
He wanted to use his power to make Saber submit, to make her feel pain, and then bestow pleasure on her.
Will she be able to withstand this onslaught?
Oh? Did she manage to endure it?
Swinging her golden sword, Saber deflected all 16 Noble Phantasms, prompting a satisfied smile from Archer.
"Not bad, my woman should possess such strength and stubbornness. Don't let your guard down, Saber, the next round is coming."
This round doubled in quantity, with a total of thirty-two weapons, such as a dense summer rainstorm.
Faced with such a barrage by Noble Phantasms, Saber could not maintain her composure as before.
Swords coming straight at her, spears from the left flank, chain hammers simultaneously from above and below, three blades launching surprise attacks from behind in an arc, and a towering hammer sweeping towards her—!
Evading, deflecting, dodging, she narrowly avoided them all!
Saber's once steady breathing became erratic due to the extreme dodging, and these thirty-two Noble Phantasms had pushed her to her limits. If she had not retrieved her scabbard, she might have been injured.
Archer, who keenly grasped this opportunity, personally reached his treasury and pulled out a shortsword, throwing it casually.
Unlike other Noble Phantasms, this shortsword did not leave behind any beautiful traces in the air. It simply traversed the distance between the two and appeared to Saber's left at a speed that even her A-rank "Instinct," her precognition ability, could not react to, aiming for her shoulder.
"Oh no, I can't dodge it!" Saber's pupils contracted, already anticipating her fate.
However, the expected pain didn't come. The shortsword, which possessed the ability to traverse space, was knocked aside by a fist-sized stone at the last moment. Immediately thereafter, a familiar figure descended from the sky, standing in front of Saber.
With elegant, flowing purple hair and a gleaming silver armor that complemented Saber herself, it stirred the deepest memories within Saber's heart.
"You, you are—"
PS: Cut off that ridiculous hair and the sparkle, and you will be finished. You have no idea of the terror of being bald. Lalala, triple the darkness; whitewashing turns you into a weakling.
PS2: Tokiomi, of course, cannot keep up with the train of thought of the sparky one. Currently, only Ramses II (Ozymandias), a golden servant, can keep up.
PS3: Sparkly: Yo, Sun (referring to Ramses II as the Sun King).
Rames II: Yo Golden
Sparkly: Did you see it? My radiance.
Ramses II, that is, my radiance, like the Sun.
Other: These are idiots.
PS4: Sparkly says that the dumb hair is the first woman he likes because the first one he liked was the ambiguous Enkidu.
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