Day passed quietly. By evening, the sky had begun to darken.
Shiki was intently preparing his combat tools when he suddenly sensed an unusual ripple in the air.
He instinctively looked up toward Fuyuki Bridge over the Mion River.
A strange scent permeated the air, seeping into his nostrils in wisps and bringing with it a chilling sensation that made his scalp tingle.
"Master."
Lancelot materialized instantly, gripping the Demon Sword in his hand and assuming a stance ready for battle at any moment.
Shiki stopped what he was doing and rose to his feet, heading with Lancelot to the second-floor window. Though the terrain here was relatively high, the view of Fuyuki Bridge several kilometers away was still blocked by the rows of towering buildings along both sides of the river.
But that was no problem for Shiki. If ordinary eyes could not see it, he would switch to his Mystic Eyes.
In an instant, the world before him seemed to be redrawn.
At distant Fuyuki Bridge, dense purple mist churned like a raging tide, enveloping both banks of the river. Even the sky was shrouded in that eerie haze, forming a shocking expanse of violet.
Lancelot noticed the change in his Master's right eye and asked, "Master, what is the situation over there?"
Shiki slowly closed his Mystic Eyes, took a deep breath, and said, "Sir Lancelot, let's go. It's time for us to make our entrance."
At last, they were going into action. Lancelot felt both excitement and complicated emotions stirring within him. He had a vague feeling that this time, he might encounter Saber.
"King Arthur, this time, I will fulfill my wish in my own way."
Before long, Shiki packed his gear and left the Matou Old House alone.
He looked up at a certain treetop and smiled faintly, paying no attention whatsoever to the electronic surveillance device hidden there.
In this Holy Grail War, given the era, only the faction of the "Magus Killer" would use modern equipment to make up for the shortcomings of magecraft.
Shiki had no intention of walking several kilometers on foot. That would be far too slow; by the time he got there, the moment would likely be long gone.
Though it pained him a little to spend the money, a taxi was undoubtedly the best means of transportation right now—fast and free of too many worries.
When Shiki arrived at the bridge, the battle had not officially begun. However, he could already see more and more people being drawn in by the mysterious purple mist, stopping to whisper among themselves.
"These ordinary people really aren't afraid of trouble."
Shiki could not help but sigh. It seemed that enjoying a spectacle was a shared trait of ordinary people everywhere.
Just then, Lancelot's voice sounded in his mind. "Master, to the front left."
"I see it."
The purple mist that ordinary people could not see through held no secrets under his Mystic Eyes.
In the middle of the river, on the side near the estuary, stood a strangely shaped man dressed in bizarre clothing. It was Caster.
Caster was holding his Noble Phantasm and pouring magecraft into it with all his might. Dense magical energy flowed continuously into the river, and that eerie purple mist was emanating from the water saturated with mana.
"Tch, what an enviable amount of magical energy."
Shiki sighed inwardly. Noble Phantasms and magical energy were both powerful things he currently lacked. Still, he had no interest in Caster's so-called book Noble Phantasm.
"Master, someone's coming."
At Lancelot's reminder, Shiki noticed a luxury sedan speeding toward them along the riverbank to the left.
Judging by the emblem, it was a Mercedes-Benz. Shiki had long forgotten the exact model, but he knew it was not cheap.
"A rich person, huh?"
As it neared the bridge, the driver suddenly executed a sharp sideways drift and stopped cleanly. Immediately afterward, a beautiful woman dressed in men's clothing sprang nimbly from the car and quickly climbed onto the embankment.
With a smile on his lips, Shiki teasingly asked Lancelot in his mind, "Oh? Is this the legendary King Arthur? She seems rather different from how Sir Lancelot described her before."
"Master..." Lancelot was somewhat helpless and did not know how to respond.
"Okay, I'll stop. Then we'll split up. Sir Lancelot, go support the King of Knights, while I'll find Caster's Master and settle the score with him."
Shiki quickly made the arrangements.
"Then please be careful, Master. At a critical moment, use a Command Spell to summon me."
"Of course."
After Lancelot turned into spirit form and departed, Shiki slung a small bag over his shoulder and began searching around the bridge. He vaguely remembered that the serial killer was somewhere near this bridge.
Finding his target amid the bustling crowd flowing back and forth was not easy.
Meanwhile, Saber had already met up with Lancer and Rider, and they agreed to join forces to defeat Caster.
After all, the gigantic Sea Monster Caster had summoned through his grand magecraft was far too enormous and difficult to deal with.
Just then, everyone noticed a materialized knight walking toward them.
This time, the knight before them was no longer the Berserker wreathed in black mist, masked, and mad with frenzy. Instead, it was Lancelot, his helmet opened, clad in jet-black armor and wielding the Demon Sword.
Of all the Servants, Saber was the most shocked.
The petite, blonde, blue-eyed Saber widened her eyes. Her lips trembled slightly as she murmured, "Sir Lancelot..."
That familiar face, that familiar sword—there was no way she could mistake him. This was Lancelot, the foremost of the Knights of the Round Table, her right-hand man.
"How could this be..."
She never could have imagined that the mad Berserker who had first clashed with her was actually her dear friend and comrade-in-arms—and that she had failed to recognize him.
"It has been a long time, my King."
What shocked everyone even more was that the knight before them had actually spoken.
A Berserker had regained his sanity and could communicate normally. It was simply too much for everyone to process.
Lancelot walked before them, completely ignoring the strange looks from the others. He dropped to one knee and respectfully gave the petite King of Knights a formal knight's salute.
After rising, Lancelot addressed the stunned crowd. "Today, I offer greetings to you all on behalf of my Master. Please forgive my Master for being unable to come in person. At this moment, my Master is searching for Caster's Master. I believe good news will arrive soon."
"He spoke!!"
Waver staggered back a step in shock. But he quickly recovered, glanced at the others around him, and saw that they were no less stunned than he was. Only then did he relax, thinking there was nothing embarrassing about his reaction.
"Impossible! A Berserker actually regained his sanity!"
Standing beside Saber, Irisviel was equally alarmed as a member of one of the Three Founding Families.
In the records of the first three wars under the Holy Grail System, regardless of what Heroic Spirit they were, there had never been a case of one retaining sanity after manifesting in the Berserker class.
The word Berserker itself was synonymous with a frenzied warrior, a mad warrior. In exchange for losing one's reason through Mad Enhancement, one's parameters were increased.
Faced with everyone's astonishment, Lancelot merely smiled faintly and offered no further explanation.
In truth, even he had been utterly shocked by his Master's methods when he first regained his sanity, much less everyone else.
Rider and Lancer exchanged a glance. Both sensed that matters had gone somewhat beyond expectations. Berserker had regained his sanity, and he was a Heroic Spirit with deep ties to King Arthur.
"Lancelot..."
Anyone familiar with the legends of King Arthur knew who that name belonged to.
He was the most outstanding knight among the Knights of the Round Table, and his martial skill even surpassed King Arthur's.
The petite Saber bit her lip, her emotions tangled to the extreme.
She was delighted to see an old friend again, yet the cruel rules of the Holy Grail War made her realize that they would ultimately have to fight over the sole chance to have their wish granted. That went against the convictions she held dear.
"Sir Lancelot, you..."
She hesitated, truly not knowing how to greet him or how to face such a situation.
Lancelot understood her predicament well. Smiling, he said, "My King, there is no need to think of other matters today. I came here to tell everyone that in this battle, I stand with you."
"Hahaha!" Iskandar suddenly laughed from atop his chariot and snapped the reins. Bucephalus let out a resounding cry toward the heavens.
"With even Lancelot, the First Knight of the Round Table, fighting alongside us, this could not be better! Saber, Lancer, there's no time to waste. I'll go on ahead, ha!"
With a thunderous roar, the chariot shot away like an arrow released from its bow. Amid Waver's scream, Rider was the first to charge toward the enormous Sea Monster.
Lancelot, meanwhile, stood at Saber's side and declared, "My King, do not overthink this. Let us fight side by side once more. Let me serve you once again and clear the path ahead for you."
Saber's heart surged. At this moment, that feeling became the last remaining fire in her heart.
"Sir Lancelot, you are right. There is no need to think too much at a time like this."
Amid flashing silver light, armor formed from magical energy appeared around her. In an instant, Saber transformed from a beautiful woman in men's clothing into the imposing King of Knights.
"My old friend, let us fight side by side."
"As you command, my King."
Lancelot stomped hard upon the ground, making the earth itself tremble. His figure became a streak of black lightning as he instantly charged toward the river.
He ran across the water as if it were level ground, racing toward the enormous Sea Monster.
That agile and valiant figure made King Arthur seem to see the glorious days of old.
"Then, Irisviel, please be careful!"
"Saber, may victory follow you."
Moving at the same speed and likewise running atop the river, the petite King Arthur gripped her invisible holy sword and followed closely behind Lancelot, charging toward the Sea Monster.
Irisviel had no time to care about her silver hair being whipped up by the wind. She stared blankly at the two retreating figures, feeling as though everything before her was a dream.
"King Arthur and her loyal knight, fighting side by side."
The legend was being reenacted here.
Before you continue