How long would it take for a Heroic Spirit to recover to full strength?
That depended on the Master's caliber, the quality of their magical energy, and how long the Greater Grail's support would last.
However, the Black Knight's recovery speed far exceeded everyone's expectations.
In less than two hours, the Black Knight felt himself return to his peak condition. His entire body brimmed with strength, and fighting spirit blazed in his eyes.
"Master, King of Knights, I am ready."
His firm, powerful voice echoed through the air.
Shiki looked at the Black Knight, who was brimming with energy and battle intent, and silently nodded. His heart was full of emotion as he said, "Sir Lancelot, at this final parting, I only wish to express my gratitude. Thank you for everything you have given and worked for along the way. May your dreams shine into reality. May you gain enlightenment when you achieve your ideals, and may the road ahead no longer leave you lost."
As he spoke, Shiki used all three Command Spells, bestowing those three wishes upon the Black Knight.
Feeling the restraints of his contract lift, the Black Knight dropped to one knee, equally overcome with emotion.
"Master, I am also deeply grateful for everything you have given and done. May your ideals be realized, and may your path through life be smooth. And..."
He remembered Shiki's slightly embarrassed expression when he had draped a cloak over Irisviel in the Great Hollow. He could not help but chuckle before continuing, "Master, lastly, may you marry several wives in this life and be blessed with many children."
Shiki had been filled with gratitude upon hearing the earlier wishes, but the latter words left him stunned.
Marry several wives?
In modern society, that was against both the law and morality.
Besides, with his merely decent, somewhat pleasant-looking face, he would already be perfectly satisfied if he could marry one beautiful wife with a curvaceous figure.
How could he possibly keep up with several women's feelings? And who would even be willing?
Still, Shiki was quite pleased by the Black Knight's wish that he be blessed with many children. He said sincerely, "Thank you for your kindness, Sir Lancelot."
Saber, standing nearby, smiled warmly at the sight.
It was truly fortunate that her dear friend had met a Master like Shiki. By comparison, her own circumstances were far more complicated.
Her proxy Master, Irisviel, was a wonderful person, and the two got along well. But her true Master, Kiritsugu Emiya, was a man who acted with madness.
At that moment, the mad Kiritsugu Emiya and Kirei Kotomine stepped out of the house together, just in time to witness Shiki using his Command Spells.
Kiritsugu looked at the Command Spells on the back of his hand, which he had never used before. After a moment of silence, he raised his hand and activated their power.
"Holy Grail, in my name, grant all the power of these Command Spells to my puppet."
As his words fell, the three Command Spells gradually faded, transforming into a powerful surge of magical energy that flowed into Saber's body.
For this final battle, Kiritsugu knew that the Command Spells would no longer be of much use to him. He might as well use them to strengthen Saber and have her defeat Berserker. That way, he would still have a sliver of hope of obtaining the Holy Grail.
The power of all three Command Spells surged into Saber's petite body, yet she skillfully contained the immense magical energy without letting even a trace leak out.
This exceptional control over magical energy astonished Shiki. Saber's magical energy level far surpassed that of the Black Knight.
Strengthened by the Command Spells, Saber felt the surging magical energy within her. With its support, every aspect of her physical abilities instantly rose to an extremely high level.
Even someone as composed as Saber could not help feeling a fleeting surge of excitement.
But she soon remembered Irisviel, and her emotions gradually calmed. Looking at Kiritsugu, she said flatly, "Kiritsugu Emiya, even if you do this, I will not forgive you. I am not fighting this battle for you."
From Kiritsugu's words alone when he used the Command Spells, Saber could clearly sense his attitude toward Heroic Spirits.
He regarded Heroic Spirits as "puppets" to be commanded as he pleased, which disgusted Saber. Compared to the way Shiki had used the Command Spells earlier, the difference was like heaven and earth.
Kiritsugu merely nodded at that and replied calmly, "I understand."
He knew full well that the relationship between himself and Saber had long since cracked because of Irisviel.
Now that Irisviel had vanished, he had no idea where she was. But the Holy Grail War had already entered its final stage, with only two Heroic Spirits remaining. Even if he found Irisviel, what could he do?
Everything was already too late.
Although Irisviel had formed a proxy Master contract with Saber, allowing Avalon and the holy sword to establish a connection and protect Irisviel as much as possible, five Heroic Spirits had already died in the war. Archer's Heroic Spirit soul had been incredibly powerful. No matter how miraculous Avalon was, it could not guarantee Irisviel's safety completely.
By now, Irisviel had likely become the Holy Grail.
Kiritsugu forcibly suppressed the faint pain deep in his heart and looked at Shiki. "Servants have the battlefield of Servants. Masters should have the battlefield of Masters as well. Do you dare fight me, boy?"
He was certain that Shiki would accept the challenge.
This was neither a psychological contest nor a provocation. From Shiki's words and actions, he had determined that this boy was no coward. Faced with a challenge, he would surely answer it bravely.
Sure enough, Shiki agreed without hesitation. "Sure. Where are we fighting? You pick the place. Better choose somewhere advantageous for you."
Kiritsugu quickly named the location. "Then the civic hall in Shinto, boy."
"Fine. You go set things up first. I'll give you time to prepare."
Shiki's manner was remarkably generous.
Kiritsugu gave the confident Shiki a deep look before turning and leaving.
He was not worried in the slightest that Shiki would break the appointment. A person like Shiki would definitely show up.
Kirei Kotomine silently followed behind Kiritsugu. From beginning to end, he did not say a single word to Shiki.
Watching the two leave, Saber shook her head helplessly.
In her view, these two allied Masters had no chance of winning.
At times, Saber even found Kiritsugu somewhat pitiful. His long-cherished wish and ideals had driven him to madness. Perhaps that was also a lingering consequence of his pursuit of magecraft and Origin Awakening.
Just like his name, "Kiritsugu," which carried the meanings of severance and union, perhaps some nerve in his mind had gone awry the instant his Origin awakened.
Of course, she had heard all this while chatting with Irisviel.
Saber stopped paying attention to Kiritsugu's actions and turned to the Black Knight. "Kiritsugu chose the terrain first. Though I do not agree with his ideals, he is still the Master who sustains my existence. In a sense, we are one. Now it is your turn, Lancelot, to choose the battlefield."
This was also an embodiment of the spirit of chivalry, upholding the principle of fairness.
The Black Knight understood her meaning and did not decline. "King of Knights, how about the abandoned industrial park northeast of Shinto? If necessary, we can also proceed to the Einzbern Forest."
That was the very place where he had previously fought Lancer.
Saber approved. The more remote the battlefield, the better. That way, it would neither draw attention nor risk harming innocent people.
If necessary, as the Black Knight had said, going deep into the Einzbern Forest would be the ideal choice.
"Lancelot, let us depart."
The moment Saber finished speaking, the two Heroic Spirits vanished from the residence.
A light breeze ruffled the boy's hair.
Shiki blinked and sighed. "Those two are really fast. Heroic Spirits truly are powerful beings born of the world. They are terrifying. I still have a long road ahead if I want to reach the realm of Heroic Spirits, or even surpass them." However, he was not in a hurry. He knew that such things could not be rushed.
"One step at a time. What matters most right now is dealing with Kiritsugu and that 'Joyful Monster,' Kirei Kotomine. Since they took part in the Holy Grail War, they cannot blame me for showing no mercy. After all, neither Kiritsugu nor Kirei Kotomine can be considered a good person."
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