[FDJ]Chapter 3: The Shadow of Hassan

The situation at the Fuyuki City harbor is far more dire than anticipated by Shinji. The place is filled with the corpses of survivors and raging fires as if someone wanted to destroy this "haven."

Lancer, also known as Medusa, has already repelled three consecutive waves of skeletal soldiers, although they were just small fry easily dispatched with a single slash. However, this couldn't ease the anxiety of Yuki and Shinji.

It wasn't until Shinji noticed that some of the corpses had been there for at least three days that he managed to stop his trembling legs. Lancer probably knew that this place was done for.

"Lancer, what's going on? There shouldn't be this many enemies here, right? It seems like the survivors hiding here are all done for. And the whole area ahead is completely covered in flames, we can't even get through!" Shinji's shout temporarily halted Lancer's surveillance of the enemy's movements in the distance.

"Quiet, Master. It's them who are done for, not us."

The cold-blooded snake woman helped her Master calm down with her icy reminder. Survival at this moment relied solely on Lancer, Medusa. The countless corpses around them confirmed this truth – even the weakest monster, the skeletal soldiers, were invincible to humans.

The pungent smell of decay and burning lingered in the smoke. If they were to enter the blazing harbor without protective gear, it would be a suicide mission. However, in theory, there should still be ships in the harbor that could be used to leave Fuyuki City.

Looking around, all they could see were corpses and scattered debris. The neatly stacked containers were now haphazardly strewn about.

"What do you think, human?"

Lancer had made up her mind even before they set out today. Yuki waited a moment before answering her, "There may be other Servants here. Until the situation is clear, we shouldn't rashly enter. It's better to retreat and gather information covertly."

"Human, won't you lose your sanity being in such a brutal hell?" Medusa, also known as Lancer, had initially considered this, but she relied on her strength and didn't want to retreat immediately. She also didn't dare to bring two burdensome individuals into the depths of the harbor. The Rider-class Servant didn't seem like an enemy who would set traps, but there was no guarantee that other Servants skilled in such tactics weren't lying in ambush amidst the desperate flames.

Therefore, Lancer brought her Master, Shinji, and Yuki here purely to lure the enemy out. Even if there were no hostile Servants in the harbor area swallowed by the raging fire, it was still a worthwhile reconnaissance operation.

"You said it, it's them who are done for, not us." Shinji ignored the half-meter-long corpse fragment near him and only trembled out of fear of his demise.

Unlike Yuki, who remained unnervingly calm, even though he understood part of Lancer's intention, Shinji couldn't bear being in such an environment.

"That's enough, Lancer. Since we can't enter the harbor area, let's retreat for now. I don't want to stay here for another moment." Shinji covered his mouth and nose, making the decision. As the Master, Lancer was supposed to obey orders.

"Understood, Master. We..."

Both Yuki and Lancer sensed an unusual sense of danger as if someone was chanting an incantation somewhere. They simultaneously suspected that the Assassin-class Servant, associated with Caster, was lurking nearby.

"Lancer, have you ever encountered an Assassin-class Servant associated with Caster?" Yuki carefully observed the surroundings. They had come all this way without any signs of magical traps. If there was an enemy associated with Caster, they shouldn't have allowed them to approach without leaving any trap mechanisms.

Suddenly, Medusa leaped onto a container, her long hair transforming into two intertwining iron chains that encircled the area, forcing the hidden enemy to move.

"Be careful, it's Assassin!"

Medusa continuously manipulated the iron chains to block the potential paths the enemy might take. The relatively narrow passageway successfully exposed the position of the still lurking Assassin-class Servant.

Yuki and Shinji immediately moved in the opposite direction, especially Shinji, who was so scared that he took out a cocoon and summoned a scouting bee. He thought his mediocre magecraft skills could prevent a surprise attack from the Assassin-class Servant.

"Both of you stay in place and don't move. Assassin could attack from any other direction at any time!" Lancer relied on her snake-like eyes to continue searching, but her iron chains didn't touch Assassin again.

The iron chains completely sealed off the area where the two were located, ensuring that anyone attempting to approach would come into contact with the chains. Lancer's snake-like eyes couldn't penetrate the concealment of the Assassin-class Servant.

Yuki observed the surroundings. Lancer seemed hesitant to make a move. Therefore, the concealment level of the Assassin-class Servant that suddenly appeared must be at least Grade A. Just now, Yuki caught a glimpse of the figure momentarily exposed by the opponent. Although it was covered by a black cloak, the distinctive skull mask confirmed that it was one of the most commonly seen Assassins in the Assassin class, one of the "Hassans of the Past."

As Yuki recalled, information about the approximately 18 Hassans who appeared in the Holy Grail War surfaced in his mind.

".... The appearance of Servants in each Holy Grail War is highly uncertain. Even Masters who have prepared corresponding relics cannot guarantee the summoning of their desired Servants. However, the Assassin class is somewhat special. If they don't rely on special tools, the Assassin class in the Holy Grail War will most likely be the 'Old Man of the Mountain.' This is recorded in hundreds of cases of sub-Holy Grail Wars in Chaldea's database. The current generation of the 'Old Man of the Mountain' is confirmed to have 18 individuals, and information about each of them has been recorded. Not to mention our Chaldea organization, most magi participating in the Holy Grail War would also be aware of the information about the 18 Hassans. Therefore, in recent years, Masters who are determined to summon an Assassin-class Servant would prepare special tools to ensure that they don't summon the representative Assassin, 'Old Man of the Mountain.' Why not choose Hassan as a Servant? After the information about them becomes known in the Holy Grail War, they would be defenseless against the enemy, and the Assassin class is almost limited to winning through surprise attacks. Although there are very few exceptions, even if it's not Hassan, Assassin-class Servants cannot engage in direct combat with other Servants."

Yuki vaguely remembered being in a very clean room where the "teacher" taught him about the Holy Grail War, and he could also recall the lingering image of opening the dossier containing information on the 18 Hassan-class Servants. It wasn't just the information on the 18 Assassin-class Servants, but the "teacher" also gave him time to view more archive data. He couldn't remember all of this part of his memory, but he remembered some information about Servants like "Bloodsucking Countess Carmilla" and "Spy Mata Hari."

"Assassin..."

Smoke intoxication, hundred disguises, vibrating pipes, tranquility... Each of the Hassan-class Servants known as the "Old Man of the Mountain" had their unique abilities. Yuki's first question was why the enemy, who was originally stealthy, didn't immediately use their Noble Phantasm to attack Lancer as they were about to be exposed.

Were they not finding the right opportunity, or did they not intend to launch a surprise attack?

The answer came in the form of a dagger flying from the shadows as the opponent seized a gap in the chains and aimed the dagger straight at Shinji's face.

Lancer swung her scythe, barely blocking the dagger aimed at her Master, but this also caused her to lose the initiative.

As expected, the Assassin-class Servant, who had been discovered twice, launched another attack. None of the three heard any footsteps, but the chains that Lancer used to seal off the area were mysteriously pulled apart, creating a gap that an adult could pass through.

Lancer immediately took several steps forward, swinging her scythe toward the gap, but her swift strike hit nothing.

The daggers flew from outside the circle of chains, hitting the scythe three times in succession, as well as Lancer's left hand gripping the chains and the collar of her clothing. Silently and without warning, the Assassin had been waiting for Lancer to expose a fatal vulnerability.

The sea breeze, mixed with a burnt smell, suddenly changed direction. Both Yuki and Shinji instinctively closed their eyes slightly and turned their heads, avoiding the foul odor blowing directly towards them.

In the wind, not only did the stench mix, but claws materialized before hitting the ground, tearing apart the scouting bee that had a little reconnaissance function. The target was directly aimed at Shinji's chest.

The flames of magical energy exploded on the materialized Assassin, probably realizing that they were being targeted by another Servant. This Hassan immediately stopped and disappeared in an instant, wearing a tattered cloak that had been ignited.

The speed was so fast that Lancer turned back but didn't see the opposing Servant.

Yuki, on the other hand, clearly saw the Assassin's disproportionate giant arm. Undoubtedly, that Assassin Servant was "Cursed Arm" Hassan, whose Noble Phantasm was an assassination technique that indirectly destroyed the target's heart through reflection.

Lancer looked around again and didn't find any trace of the enemy, including the other Servant who was supposed to assist them with magecraft. Medusa's slightly reckless probing almost led to her Master being handed over to the enemy. It was too much to expect a mythical monster to come up with a well-thought-out plan. That seemed to be the case on the surface.

The three of them didn't dare to linger. It was close to noon, and the sun in the sky was still shrouded in thick dust. After discussing with Shinji, Lancer temporarily decided to return to the area they had stayed in the previous night while keeping a certain distance from their previous location.

"That Assassin-class Servant just now was most likely the Servant whose true name is 'Hassan-i Sabbah,' also known as the 'Old Man of the Mountain,'" Yuki shared the knowledge he had recalled with the still-frightened Shinji. The latter didn't care about these details; he just wanted to get back to a safe area as soon as possible.

"There was another Servant just now who helped us in secret. Was it Caster, who used fire to stop the Assassin?" Shinji asked.

"I'm not sure, but it was probably Caster. We just need to eliminate the possibility of other Servants," Yuki replied. He was certain that the Servant who initially alerted them with an incantation and the one who unleashed the explosive flames were the same person, and it was reasonable to assume that it was a Servant of the Caster class.

Lancer was satisfied with Yuki's answer. In comparison, her Master, Shinji, seemed unaware of the situation that almost led to a full-blown melee between the three Servants just now.

With Yuki's sensitivity and his ability to put himself in others' shoes, he didn't mind killing the other Servant who just rescued them after they jointly killed the Assassin.

Yuki was aware of four different Servants, either directly or indirectly. He was eager to learn more information about the remaining Servants of the Saber, Archer, and Berserker classes. Perhaps it would help him recall more relevant knowledge.

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