"Yes you can."
I spoke to Medusa.
"Master, Assassin has created quite a commotion. He seems to be hiding in the Hyatt Hotel." Medea said as magic circles flared around her wounded familiar, healing its injuries.
"Hyatt Hotel? Reverse psychology. He's hiding in plain sight, somewhere a normal Master and Servant pair would seldom search." I reached a preliminary conclusion.
"Not just that, Master. He seems to have called in a bomb threat to the hotel. Everyone has already evacuated. Only his mana signature can be felt from there, and he's not even trying to hide it." Medea spoke while gazing at the Hyatt Hotel through her familiar's eyes.
I paused. An empty building. A lone signature. No attempt at concealment.
"Then it's not a hiding spot. It's an invitation. For us, or anyone else." I said.
"Should we go then, Master? Or wait for a more opportune moment?" Artoria asked, her eyes narrowed.
Medusa leaned closer toward me. Medea looked up from healing her familiar to meet my gaze.
"We go." I said. Not out of urgency or anticipation. I simply had no reason to remain still.
"But, Master... We're weakened right now, and your magic circuits are barely operational. Won't this be playing right into whatever scheme Assassin has cooked up?" Medea asked, her voice low.
"I can still use my... Noble Phantasm." Medusa spoke at that moment, gazing at me.
"I'll take Artoria and Medusa with me. It will be enough to finish Assassin. As for you, Medea—you will ready the compound runic circle I sketched earlier in the meantime." My feet touched the floor as I stood.
"Master, you've just healed from your wounds and you're already ready for another fight?" Medea asked while rubbing her forehead in exasperation.
I ignored her reaction and looked down at my torn clothes.
They needed a change too.
...
..
.
Night.
VROOOM!
R1 roared down the roads of Fuyuki. Artoria sat behind me. Medusa followed in spirit form.
"Master, Caster mentioned that Assassin should be on the top floor of Hyatt Hotel. How do we deal with him?" Artoria asked as winds tore around us.
Normal tactics dictated a cautious approach. Teleportation, or having Rider carry me. But I calculated the psychological impact of a 200mph motorbike tearing through a building.
It was inefficient. Reckless. But the mathematical probability of it confusing an assassin who expects caution was 94.6%.
My hand twisted the throttle.
VROOM!
100mph. 120mph.
"Just don't let his dagger touch your [Invisible Air], or it'll forcibly dispel it." I said while glancing at a speed limit sign mounted on a traffic light ahead.
Speed limit — 50 mph.
I ignored it. R1's speed continued to climb.
130mph. 140mph.
Sirens wailed from behind us. I glanced back.
Three white cars—the Fuyuki traffic police—were now on our tail.
"Stop! It's a restricted area ahead! You are forbidden from trespassing there!" A voice blared from one of the speakers mounted on those cars.
I continued. Hyatt Hotel loomed just ahead.
Countless police cars surrounded the entrance, blocking every path leading inside. Police officers in uniforms stared toward Hyatt's entrance with grave expressions.
VROOM!
A bike's roar made their heads snap back, their eyes widening with shock and hearts skipping a beat.
"Who is this lunatic!? He's going to crash!" A bald officer roared and rolled sideways.
"Fuck!" Another officer looked back at his car—parked straight in our path—and grabbed his hair.
Pandemonium spread among the officers as everyone scrambled out of our way.
160mph. 180mph.
"Master! We're about to crash!" Artoria's hold tightened around my waist.
A cluster of cars sat directly ahead of us. We were about to collide.
200mph.
Medusa materialized at a car's front and hefted it up like a ramp.
"WHAT!?"
"Holy Sh—!"
Exclamations erupted from her surroundings.
I used that car's frame as a ramp and launched R1 over everything else.
Medusa dematerialized a moment later, following behind us.
R1's tires met ground just at Hyatt Hotel's entrance. I did not let the pace drop.
We continued as I jerked the bike into a sharp turn, surging into Hyatt's parking area.
210mph.
I passed empty parking lots and wound R1 toward the upper floors.
1st floor. 2nd floor. 3rd floor.
At a sharp turn ahead, R1's suspension groaned under relentless pressure, causing it to deviate slightly from my intended path.
BOOM!
I kicked the wall to my left at high speed, forcing its tires back on track.
4th floor. 6th floor.
All left in our wake was the smell of burned rubber as I continued taking relentless turns to climb higher.
10th floor.
Artoria had grown slightly lightheaded by now, her chin resting against my back to steady herself.
14th floor.
R1's rear tire had begun to catch fire. It did not deter me. Just before another turn, I drew a tactical knife from my waist and hurled it at a fire extinguisher mounted on the nearby wall.
Fusssh.
A white mixture of dry chemicals, CO2, and nitrogen sprayed out, coating R1's side just as I drifted into another turn, dousing its flaming rear tire.
15th floor.
This was the last parking floor. No more parking levels existed above this. Standard geometry said an R1 couldn't fit up a stairwell. I banked it toward the steps anyway, pivoting its chassis upward, shockers screaming in protest.
Before I could speak, golden light surged through R1's frame.
Artoria's [Mana Burst] poured into the bike without a word from me—reinforcing the chassis, suspension, tires.
I said nothing.
20th floor. 25th floor. 30th floor.
Finally, I saw the stairs coming to an end.
32nd floor.
A door crashed open as I slowed R1 down. We passed through a corridor that expanded into an enormous hall with massive glass windows for walls.
A man wearing a red cloak and black armor stood there with his back toward us.
Assassin.
He slowly turned to face us. His injuries had healed completely since our last encounter. His face remained concealed by bandages.
I looked at him. He looked at us.
Silence fell between us for a moment.
...
..
.
3 kilometers away.
Archer stood at a tower's very peak. A black composite bow was gripped in his hold. His other hand was already drawn back, tensing the bowstring to its absolute limit.
His gaze was locked onto Hyatt Hotel's top floor in the distance—more accurately, on a red-eyed Master and his blonde Servant.
He adjusted his bow. Now it was aimed at Assassin, giving him a clear shot.
Master, I have a clear shot on another Servant... Should I take it? Archer asked Rin through their bond.
What about that red-eyed Master? Rin asked back, her voice tinged with anticipation.
Archer shifted his aim back toward the red-eyed Master. However, residual smoke from the bike's rear tire drifted between them, preventing a perfect shot.
Tsk.
Archer clicked his tongue and aimed back at Assassin.
...
..
.
***
[200 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter]
[5 chapters ahead on P@tr3on = [email protected]/Not_Aaryan]
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Talents used in this chapter -
[Ultimate Biker]. [Ultimate Luck]. [Ultimate Soldier]
[Author's Thoughts]
Alright, I had told that I would release two chapters yesterday. But something came up, preventing me from uploading another chapter, so I'll release one today. Generally, I only upload on Sunday if I'm in the mood, but I'll release this today nonetheless.
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Izuru's [Ultimate Luck] still works passively and effectively. That smoke preventing Archers shot? Luck for sure.
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Have a superb weekend everyone!