[center][img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/442414195468795925/861397715140870144/Saber.png[/img][/center]

[center][i][b]Saber of Red

Red team headquarters[/b][/i][/center]

[@Red Team] [@Phonic]

Saber had anticipated many strategies from Purple in the coming battles, given what he knew of them and their current position.

Expeditionary forces to probe their defenses and gather information? Certainly, that was well within expectations. Perhaps even a more open assault once they each took to their own paths, provided sufficient trust in the strength of their own — not the safest move, but certainly a worthwhile gamble.

This was...none of those. Instead, they had decided to send a rather sizable lot of their forces en masse, and revealed one of their Servant while doing so.

The details of her identity were revealed by the use of the Noble Phantasm promptly. The Fool of Owari, then? Though he didn’t hold an Eastern barbarian of such ilk in much regard and they had been informed of Purple’s circumstances, the idea that someone claiming to have even the slightest amount of pride as a “Heroic Spirit” would aid such creatures was revolting on an instinctive level.

But his personal feelings — and the monologue of the one apparently leading the forces — were hardly of any consequence at the moment. In fact, the most important thing was simply the being that was at the head of the forces, standing silently by the monologuing idiot.

Well. He [i]had[/i] wanted something like this, no doubt.

In an instant, he took stock of the situation and ran a thousand scenarios in his mind, before nodding imperceptibly but resolutely.

Truth be told, chief among his concerns, Saber had merely wanted to avoid giving out his name because “having a few tricks up his sleeve” was good, and that went hand in hand with his identity remaining unknown. 

He was not the kind of hero whose name would reveal a crippling weakness. Perhaps knowing his abilities, and if they had been lucky, they would have summoned an opponent that would be “troublesome” for his skillset, or more wary of his tactics and more certain on how to evaluate him as a “threat”, but that was really it.

Ultimately, the element of surprise was never not “beneficial”. That was the core motivation.

However, when faced with these odds…

A Dead Apostle Ancestor

An enemy Servant that was focused on someone else on his team

A multitude of Mixed Bloods.

All of them grouped up together rather nicely.

He made up his mind in less than a second, drawing his sword without complaint.

Generally, Saber preferred to use the more “efficient” of his Noble Phantasm’s abilities alone out of pragmatism, but in these circumstances...well, it just wouldn’t do, to not try to take advantage of an enemy’s blunder.

It was a gamble, and he would be going back on words he said not a minute ago. But it was the kind of gamble that was worth taking, considering what they stood to gain. For that, he was willing to eat his words, as well.

He placed both hands resolutely on the hilt. There was a thrum of magical energy.

The sword shone. His eyes gleamed. The strength of Rome answered the call of one of its heroes.

[center][color=00aeef]“[b][i]Per Audacia Ad Astra.[/i][/b]”[/color][/center]
Lightning flashed. Thunder roared. The “imitation divine lightning” that Saber proudly bore, his symbol as a Heroic Spirit, violently surged from the blade like the hammer of the skyfathers of old, a torrent of energy unleashed with the singular purpose of obliterating the enemies in front of him and cleansing the world of filth unworthy of it.

It spilled forth, painting the surroundings a pale blue in the eternity between heartbeats.

—Among the tools of heroes, Saber’s Noble Phantasm comfortably sat in the upper levels even among the vaunted Holy and Demonic Swords of legend. At a guess, only the ones touted as “the strongest” would be considered of higher quality.

Moreso, like those two, it had even attained the rare classification of “Anti-Fortress”.

Therefore, his confidence in it — his trust in its strength, was anything but unfounded.