The invisible voice coldly questioned him, but Lancer wore an exceptionally solemn expression. He lowered his head in humility, yet his body remained upright, standing upon the ground like a spear:
"I, Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, swear upon my honor that I will defeat Saber!"
He shouted toward the empty air:
"If you do not believe me, I can first deal with this mad dog to prove it to you! Grant me permission, my lord!"
The warehouse district fell silent for a moment, as though the entire world were listening to the request of this noble man.
A gentle evening breeze drifted through, carrying the piercing chill of the night.
"By Command Spell, I order you."
The silent atmosphere froze on the spot.
"Cover Berserker and kill Saber..."
The light in the man's eyes went out, while Sakutsuki softly sighed beside him.
"Kill her."
The hidden place was illuminated by red light. When darkness returned, only two Command Spells remained on Kayneth's hand.
Command Spells were absolute command authority over Servants. No matter how great a Heroic Spirit was, they could not defy an order given through a Command Spell.
This also meant—Lancer had lost his free will.
The red spear turned, howling toward Saber. At the critical moment, Saber leaped back, and the tips of the long and short spears tore through the air before her eyes one after another.
Lancer's astonishing spearwork allowed him to strike at the enemy directly behind him with both spears before he had even turned around. Such masterful dual-spear technique was Lancer's true skill. Not a trace of mercy remained upon his sharp spearheads.
"Lancer!" Saber cried out, but the words caught in her throat halfway through. She saw Lancer's handsome face twist with fury and humiliation. That expression of utter grief and indignation conveyed his feelings more clearly than any words of explanation could.
A soul proud of chivalry had been twisted into a killing machine that could only obey orders. The martial skills and abilities Heroic Spirit Diarmuid had cultivated would now ignore his beliefs and be wielded mercilessly for no purpose other than carrying out his Master's commands.
As a fellow Heroic Spirit, Saber could deeply understand that feeling of regret.
"...Saber... I'm sorry..."
Lancer let out pained groans as he gradually closed the distance between himself and Saber. Though his expression was filled with shame and anger, the two demonic spears in his hands radiated murderous magical energy that swirled upward like a mirage.
In silence, Berserker slowly stepped forward and stood shoulder to shoulder with Lancer, who maintained his attacking stance. Dense red veins covered the broken piece of iron pillar, transforming it into a grotesque weapon even more terrifying than a sword.
The two powerful Servants released merciless killing intent, using it to threaten Saber.
There was nowhere to run.
If her left hand had not been injured, she might have been able to find a way out. But Saber was already using all her strength just to deal with Berserker alone. If Lancer became her enemy as well, she had no chance of victory at all.
"Irisviel, I'll hold them here. Take this chance and leave first. Go as far away as you can!"
Irisviel resolutely shook her head and refused Saber's request.
"Irisviel, go!" Artoria urged her, already prepared to die.
"Don't worry, Saber. Trust your Master." Irisviel remained motionless, her fists tightly clenched as she spoke with hidden meaning.
This was a secret known only to them—the Irisviel standing beside Saber was not the one who had summoned her. Saber's true Master was hidden behind the scenes, observing every movement of everyone on the battlefield.
"So—please, my dear."
With no distracting thoughts, Irisviel prayed wholeheartedly for the help of her husband, wherever he might be.
"You can definitely turn this situation into a chance for victory."
Above a building, a trench coat fluttered in the wind.
Having returned to his sniping point, Kiritsugu Emiya, his abdomen still wrapped in bandages, raised the Walther WA2000 once more. The heat-sensing sniper rifle was aimed at Lancer's Master—Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald.
Rider's group had already withdrawn, while Assassin, who had threatened Kiritsugu Emiya's life, had been pierced through the heart and killed by an unknown Caster.
Now, no one could interfere with the Magus Killer's performance.
"Maiya, have you found Berserker's Master?"
"No."
Thus, Kiritsugu Emiya reached a conclusion.
"From here, we kill Lancer's Master. That is the only way to break this deadlock."
He would attack when the count reached zero. This time, he absolutely could not make another mistake.
"—Six."
As Kiritsugu began counting down in a low voice, he aligned the crosshairs of the thermal scope on Lancer's Master.
"—Five."
The scope had been zeroed at five hundred meters. When the target was closer than the zeroing distance, the point of impact would shift upward from the crosshairs. Lancer's Master was roughly three hundred meters away from Kiritsugu, and he carefully adjusted his point of aim.
"—Four."
Lancer had been forced by his Master's Command Spell to act against his will. Though it was impossible to predict how he would react after losing his Master, Kiritsugu believed he would not continue attacking Saber. If the only direct threat returned to Berserker, Saber would be capable of finding a way to take Irisviel away.
"—Three."
Someone tugged at the corner of his coat.
"I won't allow you to do that."
A girl's cool voice rang out, then paused for a moment, as though she were considering how to address him.
"Kiritsugu."
"That is my brother's prey."
One offered himself, the other answered the summons. In the original story, neither group met a good end. It could only be said that fate liked to toy with people.
Who was it?!
With terror so intense that it felt as if his heart had stopped, Kiritsugu Emiya lowered his gun and rolled backward. As he instantly opened the distance, his muzzle was already aimed at the person who had appeared behind him.
It was a familiar girl. Yet she was not wearing that strange Spirit Dress now, but an elegant patterned kimono, standing there prettily with one small hand still holding the hem of his coat.
Looking at the guarded Kiritsugu Emiya, Miyu tilted her head in confusion.
Whether because of the Holy Grail's seal or because the memories were too distant, Miyu's impression of Kiritsugu Emiya was limited to, "Onii-chan said Kiritsugu was his lifesaver and role model." If her brother said so, then he had to be a good person!
(Because Kiritsugu Papa from Miyu's route died early, Miyu had no idea Kiritsugu intended to use her as a tool...)
Kiritsugu also recognized Miyu as the mysterious Caster who had saved his life earlier. He coughed lightly and awkwardly put away his gun.
It was not because he intended to repay kindness, but because ordinary weapons could not penetrate a Servant's defenses.
His hand had already moved toward the necromancy bullet magazine inside his coat, but outwardly, he remained calm as he asked:
"Why won't you let me shoot?"
"Onii-chan said it's his prey." Miyu obediently repeated, "So Kiritsugu doesn't need to shoot. Let my brother handle it."
Brother... Shirou? No, Sakutsuki?
Kiritsugu Emiya realized a certain possibility and quickly walked to the edge of the rooftop, looking down toward the battlefield.
At the same time, Maiya's urgent report reached his ears:
"Master Sakutsuki has engaged Lancer!"
The black iron bow entered Sakutsuki's hand. He held his breath, drew the bow, nocked an arrow, and released the string.
The arrow shot without hesitation toward Lancer and Berserker, who stood side by side.
"Ugh!" Completely unprepared for an ambush from behind, Diarmuid still twisted his body in the critical moment and dodged in time.
But Berserker, whose attention was focused entirely on Saber, did not even have time to turn around.
The arrow screamed past Lancer's nose and viciously struck Berserker, exploding upon impact.
Within the smoke cloud created by the explosion, the black-armored knight was hurled backward like a rag sack. After rolling dozens of meters across the ground, he could not even stand and lay sprawled on his back.
"Have you gone mad, Caster's Master?!"
At this point, the participants in the Holy Grail War had become clear. Kayneth naturally knew what class of Servant Sakutsuki had summoned, and that was precisely why his anger was all the more harsh and incredulous:
"This is the perfect chance to defeat Saber, the strongest class!"
"Yes, you're right." Sakutsuki held up the black iron bow, his tone teasing.
"If we're lucky, we can turn around and take Berserker out too."
"Since you understand, then it isn't too late. As long as you and I—"
"I refuse." Sakutsuki replied with a bright smile, cutting off Kayneth's persuasion.
"My favorite thing to do is say no to people who think they're so great!"
"You... are you insulting me?!" Rejected time and time again, Kayneth was already on the verge of exploding. Even the voice masked by illusion became distorted. "Are you insulting a Lord of the Clock Tower, insulting the leader of the El-Melloi faction?!"
"On the contrary, Kayneth, you're the one insulting us!" Sakutsuki's voice was even clearer and more resounding than Kayneth's. He drew his bow and nocked an arrow, aiming directly at where the magus was hiding.
"We Heroic Spirits may come from eras that could never intersect, and we may be mortal enemies, yet we still bear the radiance of Noble Phantasms—even if we are merely phantoms of those who have passed, these bodies retain dignity and honor that cannot be defiled!"
"You, who have come this far beneath the shade of your predecessors, how dare you tarnish Lancer's dignity!"
"Please do not say such things, Lord Sakutsuki!"
Kayneth did not respond. Instead, Diarmuid held his spear and stepped forward, placing himself in front of Sakutsuki.
"Thank you for your heartfelt words, my lord, but please stop here." The handsome man lowered his eyes and spoke calmly. "If my lord is insulted, then as a knight, I cannot turn a blind eye."
"Loyalty is also a knightly virtue, Lancer."
Sakutsuki smiled. Rather than lowering his iron bow, he shifted his arrow toward Diarmuid. "Then let me put it another way—I will protect Saber. If you want to lay a hand on Saber, defeat me first, warrior of the Knights of Fianna, Diarmuid."
"Gladly." This time, a delighted smile finally appeared on the handsome man's face.
If he fought Sakutsuki...
Then he would not be disobeying his lord's order, nor would he need to suppress his own desire!
However, their battle was fated not to happen. After Berserker, who had been blasted away by the arrow, slowly stopped moving, the outline of his form gradually faded like a mirage and vanished.
He had retreated.
If Kayneth insisted on having Lancer attack, then he would be the one facing a two-against-one disadvantage.
"..." Amid the humiliation of wasting a Command Spell, a teeth-grinding voice sounded from the empty air. "Retreat, Lancer. Tonight... ends here."
Hearing those words, Lancer let out a relieved breath and lowered his spear.
"Thank you very much, Lord Sakutsuki." Hearing Lancer's quiet thanks, Sakutsuki merely curled his lip, seemingly dissatisfied that they had not fought. Then, as if recalling something, he dismissed his Spirit Dress and suddenly shouted:
"Hey—Lord El-Melloi I!"
"Lord Sakutsuki!" Lancer was somewhat surprised by this unrelenting attitude.
"What is it now?!" Kayneth's tone was full of impatience, but Sakutsuki's next words changed his mind.
"Your workshop is at the Hyatt Hotel, right?" The killing intent and hostility around Sakutsuki receded, replaced by an increasingly pervasive aura of magecraft. "Then, as a magus, I will visit there tonight and discuss the mysteries of magecraft with you."
This was a declaration of war, issued as one magus to another.
The disappointment of tonight was swept away. In response to Sakutsuki's challenge, Kayneth laughed with pride and restraint:
"Very well. I do not dislike capable people, much less magi who understand etiquette. Though it is regrettable that you rejected my request earlier—I will neither flee nor hide. Let me see what you are capable of. We're leaving, Lancer."
Lancer once more expressed his gratitude to Sakutsuki with his eyes, then nodded to Saber. The girl-like knight returned the gesture with a nod.
No unnecessary words were needed. Both sides knew the vow they should make.
One day... they would settle this again.
After confirming that, Lancer turned into spirit form and disappeared. A moment later, the bounded field Kayneth had deployed over the area also dissolved.
As though they had been forgotten, the sound of waves crashing against the rock walls and the bustle of the distant city began to softly stir the night air, descending upon the battlefield after the destructive gale had passed.
This suddenly reminded him of Tiamat's line about "Gilgamesh the Second and a Half." Tiamat asking for forgiveness afterward was really adorable. Heh.
Before you continue