While Shiki and the Black Knight searched for Lancer with all their might, Kiritsugu Emiya was methodically organizing his weapons and equipment in a hidden base within Miyamachi.
Recalling his fierce gunfight with Shiki, Kiritsugu silently warned himself that, in this Holy Grail War, he no longer held the exclusive advantage when it came to modern firearms.
Berserker's Master, that unfathomable boy, was far more troublesome than anticipated.
Attacking him rashly without thorough preparation had undoubtedly been a wrong move.
Now that the other side was on guard, finding such a perfect opportunity again would likely be as difficult as reaching the heavens.
"Kiritsugu." Irisviel's gentle call came from behind him.
Hearing her, Kiritsugu stopped what he was doing and turned around. Irisviel and Saber stood side by side at the doorway. Saber was dressed in men's clothing, standing tall and straight, her eyes carrying an unyielding resolve that could not be underestimated.
"What is it, Irisviel?" Kiritsugu's voice was cold as ice, utterly devoid of the warmth one ought to show a lover.
Irisviel had long grown accustomed to this. Calmly, she said, "Saber wants to talk to you."
Talk? Kiritsugu felt a flicker of resistance.
In his eyes, a Servant was merely a tool for fulfilling wishes. Besides, he and Saber had never been compatible in the first place. What could talking possibly change?
It would be better to maintain the status quo until they secured final victory.
Irisviel keenly caught the fleeting expression on Kiritsugu's face and immediately added, "Kiritsugu, the situation in the Holy Grail War is becoming increasingly dire. We must communicate properly. If this continues, our chances of victory will be extremely slim."
Without communication and understanding between a Master and Servant, they could hardly coordinate seamlessly, and that lack of coordination would become a massive obstacle to improving their combat strength.
The Holy Grail War had now entered its most intense stage. Every Servant had appeared and engaged in fierce clashes. The probing phase was over; what came next would be a genuine life-and-death struggle.
Having recognized this situation, Saber, the awakened King of Knights, had resolved to have a thorough conversation with Kiritsugu.
However, when Saber stood before Kiritsugu, he was genuinely taken aback.
The Saber before him was completely different from before. A powerful presence burst from her petite frame, and the invisible pressure forced Kiritsugu to take an involuntary step back.
"!"
What had happened to this Saber?
Saber's gaze was resolute, and her tone left no room for doubt. "Master, we must speak frankly. Whether for your sake, mine, or Irisviel's, this is necessary. If you refuse to communicate and leave this place, I would not mind replacing you with a Master who can truly fight beside me."
Kiritsugu heard the threat in her words.
The formidable aura radiating from Saber made him keenly aware that if he stubbornly refused, Saber might very well strike him down.
The killing intent rushing toward him was no illusion.
"Saber!? You..."
Kiritsugu was filled with confusion. What had transformed the Saber who had once seemed as pitiful and delicate as a little girl into such an imposing king?
This sudden change had clearly exceeded his expectations.
What he saw through binoculars and what he felt in person were entirely different.
At last, Kiritsugu realized that he could no longer look down on this Servant.
"Fine. Then we'll talk."
He yielded helplessly and took out his phone to call his assistant.
"Maiya, cancel tonight's operation. There's no need to keep following Lancer's Master. Come back."
Although Maiya had failed to reach the harbor in time earlier, she had unexpectedly discovered Sola, the fiancée of Lancer's former Master, Kaineth.
Sharp-eyed Maiya had noticed the Command Spells on Sola's hand and immediately concluded that Sola had become Lancer's new Master.
After learning this, Kiritsugu swiftly devised a plan. He intended to have Maiya follow Sola and locate Lancer's hiding place. Saber would then confront Lancer head-on while he waited for an opportunity to launch a surprise attack and eliminate Lancer in one stroke.
However, before the plan could be put into action, Saber forcibly interrupted it.
"Then where should we begin?" Kiritsugu asked.
Without looking back, Saber walked out of the room and called out, "To the living room. There, we will speak openly about each other's ideals and wishes."
Kiritsugu clenched his fists tightly, a powerful sense of loss rising within him. It felt as though control had slipped from his grasp without him even noticing.
Though the Command Spells remained on his hand, and he theoretically possessed absolute control over Saber, he had no choice but to make a careful decision for the survival of their entire group.
"This is the first time I've felt this way since Natalia."
Kiritsugu felt awful.
Thus began Saber's first serious exchange with him. This crucial step, which should have been completed immediately after summoning the Heroic Spirit into the world, had only arrived now.
Meanwhile, the other factions were also quietly adjusting their strategies.
After the battle to subjugate Caster ended, the first climax of this Holy Grail War had come to a close. Assassin and Caster had exited one after another, while the remaining five Heroic Spirits were all formidable opponents not to be underestimated.
The battles had been enormously draining. Whether it was the consumption of magical energy or mental exhaustion, time was needed to recover.
After the terrifying incident of the monster's descent, everyone desperately needed time to adjust themselves and face the coming challenges in their best condition.
But Shiki and the Black Knight were an exception.
After obtaining the old priest's Command Spells and gaining an enormous source of magical energy, Shiki immediately found his confidence. At last, he could spend magical energy without restraint and no longer had to worry about running dry.
Using the miraculous power of the Mystic Eyes of Heaven Path, Shiki streaked across the night sky like a meteor, flying toward the rooftop of the Central Building—the tallest point in Shinto.
The sea wind howled past him, carrying a biting chill. Shiki could not help complaining, "Just my luck. How did I forget to put on another layer before heading out? Sigh, this brain of mine. I can never break that habit of always thinking I'm still in the Ninja World, still a ninja."
Changing one's way of thinking and habits was not something that could be done overnight. It required a long time to adjust.
The Black Knight slowly materialized from his spiritual form and silently stood behind his Master.
Looking down at the brightly lit city beneath them, he frowned slightly and asked, "Master, Lancer's former base has been reduced to rubble. Where should we begin our search?"
The two had rushed to the Hyatt Hotel earlier, only to discover that the old monster's information was already outdated. The hotel had long since become ruins, and Kaineth had vanished without a trace.
Gazing at the wreckage, Shiki suddenly remembered that it was apparently because his base had been bombed that Kaineth went to the eastern outskirts to cause trouble for Kiritsugu, though the outcome had not been pleasant.
"Since Lancer isn't there, we'll start with the people connected to him. I refuse to believe someone that large can simply vanish into thin air in this city."
Maguses were still ordinary people. They needed food, drink, shelter, and transportation like anyone else. Magecraft was not omnipotent; as long as someone moved through the world, they would inevitably leave traces behind. Those traces were Shiki's leads.
Shiki quickly identified his target—the firefighters still working amid the ruins.
He had already made inquiries and learned that on the day after the building collapsed, only one captain had left the scene alone carrying a strange package.
Now, standing atop the skyscraper, Shiki's sharp gaze had already found that captain's home.
The higher one stood, the farther one could see.
"Let's go find that captain."
The Black Knight gave a slight nod, and his figure vanished from the spot.
Shiki, meanwhile, shot into the sky and sped toward the target.
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