My Fates Codex in the Nasuverse

Lancer, having grasped the opportunity for victory, smiled sharply and kicked the sand at his feet.

However, it wasn't just sand that flew into the air, but also the short spear Lancer had just thrown.

The spearhead ominously aimed at Saber, and the enchantments on the spear had been released, revealing its bright yellow shaft beneath, exuding a heart-pounding magical power.

Though rare, history has known heroes renowned for dual-wielding spears, such as Dong Ping, the "Dual Spear General" among the 108 heroes of Liangshan Marsh, or Scathach, the Queen of the Shadow Realm, and the one currently clashing with the Knight King, a great hero of Celtic mythology.

More importantly, a Heroic Spirit's Noble Phantasms are by no means limited to just one.

From the very beginning, Lancer had been setting a trap.

He openly revealed his presence, seemingly waiting for a worthy opponent, but in reality, this was a hunter waiting by a tree for a rabbit to stumble into its snare.

The former Fianna Knight had turned his hunting target towards the King of Knights.

Unfortunately, it was too late to realize this now.

Saber couldn't stop, and Lancer's spear wouldn't either.

The two could only await the moment of decisive victory after the next instant, a moment where perhaps not just victory and defeat, but life and death would be decided.

Gales whipped wildly.

Life and death intertwined.

The scarlet spider lily bloomed vibrantly, only to vanish in an instant.

The two, having switched positions, stopped and looked back.

Both stood upright, their will to confront each other unbroken; the two Servants were still alive.

In the instant before the outcome was decided, Saber managed to slightly alter the trajectory of her charge.

As a result, the short spear that was meant to pierce Saber's chest only grazed her left wrist. Similarly, Saber's golden sword veered off from Lancer's vital point, its edge slicing into Lancer's left wrist.

Coincidentally, both sustained injuries in the same area.

But was the price they paid for this wound equal?

Fuyuki Bridge, several minutes prior.

"Let's go, kid."

Webber was intently observing the decisive battle between Saber and Lancer when he was suddenly grabbed by the collar of his fate and lifted into the air.

"Put me down, Rider! I haven't finished watching!" Webber yelled in protest, like a child whose cartoon was turned off halfway through.

"We'll talk about the rest when we get there." Rider, somewhat agitated, refused his Master's request and casually tossed away the empty bottle in his hand. "Lancer's using his trump card; he wants to finish this quickly."

"No, isn't this good..."

"Idiot, what are you talking about?" Rider drew his short sword and glanced at Webber. "I wanted to see the situation before more people arrived. But if this continues, Saber might be eliminated. It'll be too late when that happens."

"Saber? But shouldn't Lancer be at a disadvantage right now?" Webber instinctively said. "Lancer can't block that sword from Saber!"

"You can't make assumptions without evidence; that's just leading yourself astray, my friend." Sakutsuki tidied up the empty wine bottles with his left hand and swapped space with his right, tossing the trash bag in. "Think carefully, what weapon was Lancer using at the beginning?"

"Weapons... wasn't it a spear? And he had two of them, then Lancer threw one away."

"Then, where is the one he threw away?"

"It's..." Webber searched through the footage and soon exclaimed in astonishment. "It's behind Lancer, no, Lancer is moving! He's approaching that spear!"

"There's something wrong with that short spear!"

"Precisely." Sakutsuki nodded, strode towards the motorcycle, put on his helmet, and said in a muffled voice:

"If this spear was a disguise from the start, Lancer should have thrown it much farther, not left it on the battlefield to become a variable."

"Moreover, given Lancer's Master, he wouldn't stoop to such unnecessary deception."

"Don't forget, that guy openly declared his intentions and actively sought out other Masters. Not to mention ordering his Servant to use his Noble Phantasm after Lancer and Saber were locked in a stalemate – how could such a person possibly try to conceal anything?"

With a burst of laughter, Iskandar swung his sword through the air, summoning his thundering chariot:

"Saber and Lancer are right before us now, and they've already made me so passionate. I like them very much; it would be a shame for them to die."

"How can you not let them die!? The Holy Grail War is about mutual slaughter! Uwah!"

Webber hysterically berated Rider, but his voice was cut short by a flick to his forehead.

"To win without perishing; to rule without being disgraced. That is true conquest!"

Rider puffed out his chest and loudly declared his will.

"Idiot, idiot, idiot! Your actions are completely baffling!"

"Oh? If you're unhappy, do you want to stay here and watch?"

"I want to go! You idiot, take me with you!"

"Very well, that's fitting for my Master."

With a hearty laugh, the King of Conquerors' Noble Phantasm roared like thunder in response to Rider's call.

"Now is the time. Gallop forth, Gordias Wheel!"

The sound of the wheels faded into the distance, and on Fuyuki Bridge, a young man remained, smiling wryly.

"You're just going to leave me here all alone without even a goodbye?"

Mounting the seat, the beast beneath him began to roar restlessly.

"That's right, after all, from now on, we've gone from drinking buddies to enemies—there's only ever one Holy Grail."

The youth with golden eyes and white hair whispered, then turned the handlebars and sped towards the warehouse district at a speed no less than that of a war chariot.

And his Servant had already rushed towards that battlefield.

The so-called Fianna Knights, it's a translation issue; calling them Knights of Fianna is about the same.

"You're really persistent, not willing to be defeated cleanly... That tenacity is truly remarkable."

Lancer looked at Saber with a tragic smile, seemingly unconcerned about the wound where a piece of flesh had been cut from his inner arm. As expected, Lancer's injuries healed automatically as if rewinding a film, leaving no trace. For a Servant's inherent healing ability, this recovery speed was truly too fast. It was likely that Lancer's Master, who was still hidden in the shadows observing the battle, had cast healing magic.

In contrast, Saber's composed beauty couldn't hide her pained and anxious expression.

"...Irisviel, please heal me too."

"I already cast the magic! I used it, but why..."

More flustered than Saber herself was Irisviel, who was providing support from the rear.

Irisviel was indeed the most outstanding mage. Setting aside the fact that her body was a "created being designed" for reinforcement magic, performing a simple task like healing magic would not go wrong. Even if it did fail, Irisviel herself would know.

However—

"The healing magic did take effect. Saber, you should be fully recovered by now."

The golden-haired girl, while cautiously observing Lancer's every move, stared at the wound on her left wrist. The injury itself wasn't serious, but the problem was that the wrist tendons had been severed, rendering her thumb, the most crucial of her five fingers, immobile. This meant she couldn't hold her sword with sufficient grip.

Everyone could feel Irisviel's magical fluctuations, and Saber herself knew that Irisviel's handling of the magic was flawless, yet the wound on her wrist refused to heal. Her left thumb was as if it were a congenital disability, completely unable to move.

Seeing that Saber wasn't attacking, Lancer casually bent down and picked up the yellow short spear that had fallen to the ground with his left hand.

"You're clever to realize that your armor couldn't withstand my 'Gae Dearg'."

Lancer casually revealed the true name of his Noble Phantasm. He probably felt there was no need to hide it anymore, having already let Saber know its capabilities.

"However, discarding your armor was your misjudgment. If you hadn't removed your armor, you would have been able to block 'Gae Buidhe'."

As Lancer spoke, he raised his crimson and bright yellow spears high, like spreading wings, in the same posture as when the battle first began. That stance wasn't to deceive the enemy; it was a unique fighting style honed through rigorous training.

"I see, so it's a cursed spear that prevents wounds from healing. I really should have realized it sooner," Saber said with some annoyance. "The spear that breaks magic, the cursed spear, and the tear mole on your right eye that can charm maidens—Diarmuid, the foremost among the Knights of Fianna, the 'Face of Glory.' I never expected to have the honor of facing you."

Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, a significant figure in Celtic mythology and the ancient Irish Gaelic stories of the Fenian Cycle, whose legends are still passed down in the region of Ireland.

"This is the wonder of the Holy Grail War. However, the one who is more honored is me. Anyone who crosses time and sits on the throne of Heroes would not mistake that golden sword."

Instead of being annoyed at revealing his true name, Lancer showed a refreshed expression.

"To be able to exchange blows with the renowned Knight King, and to even have the upper hand; it seems heaven has not yet abandoned me."

The Knight King, the most famous King Arthur in Celtic legends. In legend, his full name was Arthur Pendragon. The name Arthur, when expressed in Roman script, is "Artorius." The feminine form is "Artoria." Considering her gender, it means Artoria Pendragon. The stories of her and the Knights of the Round Table under her command are world-famous.

Of course, she's also the number one "face" of the Fate series, although her status is currently being challenged by a certain red Saber and a certain idol dragon-girl... (muttering).

Knight King Artoria.

Face of Glory Diarmuid.

What astonishing fate and serendipity this is.

The shadowy Heroic Spirit standing on the crane trembled; the ancient King of Heroes, looking down from above, sneered; the charging war chariot thundered with lightning; the beast lurking in the darkness remained silent.

And the youth driving the motorcycle grinned, the golden light in his eyes illuminating the dimness.

Within this small city, past heroes and valiant warriors crossed paths, reuniting in the modern era that spanned countless romantic epics, pursuing their second dreams and lives, and ultimately reuniting in the future to accept the endings brought by fate.

"Well then, now that we know each other's names, we can finally have a proper knightly battle. Or perhaps—you can't accept that after having one hand injured by me, you only realized it now, Saber?"

"Don't joke. To care about such a minor injury would be an insult to me," Saber declared resolutely, once again weaving her magic to don her silver-white armor, preparing for that bright yellow cursed spear.

Simultaneously, the "Wind Barrier" also gathered, and the golden sword once again disappeared from sight.

Despite being at a crushing disadvantage, Saber's face showed no dejection; instead, it became even more spirited.

Lancer's expression was the same; both were delighted to have encountered a worthy opponent.

One first used one of his two Noble Phantasms, skillfully causing the opponent to let down their guard, his battle intelligence astonishing.

The other, at the cost of one left arm, blocked the sneak attack of the ultimate killing blow, Gae Buidhe, his adaptability remarkable.

The fact that both adhered to chivalry further increased their mutual respect.

"Prepare yourself, Saber, this time I will win."

"That's something you can say only after I fail to win, Lancer."

While exchanging bold and provocative words, the two cautiously probed each other, predicting each other's finishing moves.

Divine sword and demonic spear, on the verge of clashing.

Just then, the cold and clear oppressive feeling was shattered by a sudden thunderous roar.

"!? "

Saber and Lancer simultaneously turned their heads and gazed intently at the sky to the southeast. The source of the loud noise was obvious; it was undoubtedly the object that was emitting crisscrossing purple lightning flashes in the night sky and hurtling straight towards the two of them from the sky.

Irisviel, stunned, voiced her surprise.

"A chariot?"

Judging by its appearance alone, it was a classic-style two-horse chariot. Instead of steeds, two muscular, incredibly strong, and well-built bulls were harnessed to the shafts. The bulls' iron hooves struck the empty void, pulling the elaborately decorated chariot straight towards them.

No, they weren't just floating in the air. The chariot wheels rumbled as they turned, and beneath the hooves of the two bulls, it wasn't the ground they trampled, but dazzling lightning.

With every "stomp" of the bulls' hooves and the chariot wheels on the void, purple lightning shot out like a spiderweb of tendrils, shaking the atmosphere with booming thunder.

Such a bizarre phenomenon, such a massive release of magical energy – this was undoubtedly a Servant's Noble Phantasm. Everyone present knew without a doubt that a third Servant had appeared, intending to intervene in the duel between Saber and Lancer.

The chariot, galloping on lightning, circled majestically in the sky above Saber and Lancer before slowing down and landing. It touched down precisely in the center of the two Heroic Spirits who were confronting each other, blocking both their blades. As it landed, the dazzling lightning receded, and a burly man stood imposingly in the driver's seat.

"Both of you, lay down your weapons! You are now in the presence of a King!"

Carrying such potent lightning energy, the figure must be a thunder god or a similar Heroic Spirit. However, when thinking of thunder gods associated with bulls, the first deity that comes to mind is the supreme god of Olympus. Of course, that deity's rank far surpassed that of a Heroic Spirit, so it couldn't be him. But even if this Heroic Spirit was merely his subordinate, they would undoubtedly be an extremely terrifying threat.

This was the assumption of all Masters and Servants monitoring the battlefield.

Assassin and their Master, who had previously scouted the woods and gathered traces of Rider and Sakutsuki's clash, immediately recognized the newcomer's identity.

"...It's him." Kirei Kotomine, wearing his mage's robe and with a pained expression, saw everything through his Servant's shared senses and immediately contacted his teacher, Tokiomi Tohsaka.

"Teacher, it's Rider. The Rider who was fighting an unknown enemy in the woods."