Connected to the eastern side of the seaside park was a warehouse district. It also contained port facilities, separating the new city from the industrial zone farther east. At night, the place was almost deserted. The dim streetlights only made the empty streets seem even more desolate. Unmanned cranes stood in orderly rows along the shore, like enormous dinosaur fossils, creating an unsettling sight.
Yet it was the perfect place for a duel between Servants.
Saber and Irisviel walked down the broad four-lane road like duelists bravely accepting a challenge, upright and dignified. Their enemy stood boldly in the middle of the road. His unusual attire and the powerful Mana radiating from him made it clear that he was no ordinary being.
The two Servants stopped about ten meters apart and faced one another.
This was the first Servant Saber had encountered. A battle with their lives at stake was about to begin. She carefully studied her opponent.
He swept his long hair behind his back, and Saber discovered that he was actually a well-featured man.
His weapon was especially eye-catching: a spear nearly two meters long, taller than a person. Of the seven classes, three belonged to the Knight seat: Saber, Archer, and the spear-wielding Heroic Spirit. The man before her was presumably the Servant known as Lancer.
What was strange, however, was that the spear was not his only weapon.
Besides the long spear in his right hand, which he carried over his shoulder, he also held a short spear in his left, only about one-third the length of the other.
If one made good use of a spear's length, two short spears could be combined and used as a long spear. But leaving aside swords and blades, Saber had never seen anyone wield two spears of different lengths at the same time.
Both spears, from shaft to blade, were wrapped in cloth resembling talismans, concealing their true forms. It was likely a measure to hide the true names of his Noble Phantasms.
"You've finally come. I waited and waited, but no one dared come here... Only you answered me."
Lancer praised her in a low yet clear voice. Rather than taking a fighting stance, he calmly asked Saber,
"Such fierce fighting spirit... I take it you are Saber. Am I right?"
"Yes. You are Lancer, then?"
"Indeed... Ha, I never imagined that before a fight to the death, we could introduce ourselves to each other so normally. But I suppose it can't be helped."
Saber agreed. Her cold expression softened slightly.
"It cannot be helped. We are not fighting for our own honor. You must also have offered the spear in your hand for the sake of your Master."
"Ha... That's right."
He did not look at all like someone about to risk his life in battle. Instead, he wore a relaxed, bitter smile. Looking more closely, Saber realized he was an exceptionally handsome man.
His high nose, stern brows, and sharp facial contours gave him an austere, restrained air. Yet the gentle melancholy hidden in his eyes strongly conveyed his masculine charm. The beauty mark beneath his left eye made his gaze even more bewitching.
Come to think of it, he was indeed the sort of beautiful man who could captivate a woman at first glance... No, was the impression he gave really due to his appearance alone?
Behind Saber, Irisviel lightly furrowed her brows.
"...A charm spell? That is exceedingly rude toward a married woman, Lancer."
Lancer had boldly unleashed spiritual power capable of charming women. Irisviel, whose body had been strengthened as a homunculus, possessed twice the magic resistance of an ordinary person. Otherwise, she would surely have been captivated at first sight like any other woman.
In response to Irisviel's protest, Lancer could only shrug with a bitter smile.
"My apologies. Ever since I was born, I have been cursed like this. But it cannot be helped. If you must hate something, hate my birth—or hate the fact that you are a woman."
This was one of the classic charm curses, the "Mystic Eyes." Yet only Saber had looked directly at him; Irisviel behind her had not met his gaze. Perhaps his ability had taken effect the instant Irisviel saw his face. This might better be called a "Mystic Face."
Saber snorted, looking down on Lancer.
"You do not expect me to show mercy because of that face of yours, do you, Lancer?"
"If that were the case, it would be far too dull. I see—Saber-class magic resistance truly is extraordinary... Good. If that meant I had to kill a weak woman, I would lose face as well. It seems I made the right choice when I decided to wait here for someone with the courage to come."
"Oh? It seems you intend to have a proper fight. It is an honor to encounter a Heroic Spirit like you."
Saber answered with an exaggerated smile. It was a clear and grim smile that only warriors who fought with life and death on the line could understand.
"Then... let us begin."
Lancer lifted the long spear from his shoulder, spun it in a reverse grip, and assumed a combat stance. His left hand slowly raised the short spear as well. With both spears spread and brandished like wings, it was a fighting posture Saber had never seen before.
Saber released her surging fighting spirit as well. Her erupting Mana stirred the air into a whirlwind, wrapping around the girl's petite body. In an instant, silver armor covered her entire body, Mana taking the form of armor and gauntlets. This was the true appearance of the Knight King Heroic Spirit.
"Saber..."
Irisviel nervously swallowed and called her name. Drawn in by the powerful fighting spirit radiating from them both, she had already keenly sensed it. There was no place for her to intervene in this battle.
But she did not want to be merely an observer. At the very least, she was acting as Saber's Master.
"...Be careful. I can use a little healing magic, but beyond that..."
Saber nodded before she could finish.
"Leave Lancer to me. Still, I am concerned about why his Master has not appeared."
Just as Saber had said, Lancer's Master, who had yet to reveal himself, remained an independent threat. Normally, a Master stayed near their Servant, directing the Servant while providing necessary magical support. Unless Lancer's Master completely trusted his Servant, he was surely hiding somewhere nearby right now, observing Lancer's battle.
"Perhaps he has some scheme. Be careful. Irisviel, I leave my back to you."
Her emerald eyes silently conveyed one thing: she had no fear.
Trust the Heroic Spirit of the sword.
Rather than trusting the Heroic Spirit who regarded her as his Master, trust her own decision.
"...Understood. Saber, bring me victory."
"Yes. I will."
Saber nodded resolutely and took a step forward.
Toward Lancer, toward his spear...
"Black Uncle spotted them, Cake spotted them, the sweets-loving third wheel spotted them, the Director spotted them—though typing those two words always feels a little awkward—and Yanye, the loser whose comeback failed, seems to have spotted them too. Though Yanye probably doesn't count as a pathetic loser? Forget it. Anyway, that tragic guy hasn't noticed them yet. The Emperor and the Queen Consort should still be on top of the bridge, the King of Joy might have arrived nearby too, and then there's me. When you count it all up, it really feels like all seven Servants are here!"
After the Yuri duo hurriedly left the seaside park, Jizi calmly shifted into her Heroic Spirit form. After turning into a spirit body, she slowly wandered to Fuyuki Port. Originally, she had intended to spend some time finding a hidden spot to watch the show, wait for an opportunity, and maybe jump in to stir things up. But when she arrived at Fuyuki Port, she happened to spot Kiritsugu Emiya, who had only recently separated from Maiya Hisau. Trusting a professional, Jizi simply followed behind him—this guy's positioning had to be much slicker than Jizi's, who only possessed theoretical knowledge. The bushes he chose... I mean, his sniper position, had to be suitably filthy... I mean, concealed. Perhaps the danger sense Kiritsugu had developed through years of risking his life on battlefields made him feel something, but no matter how often he looked back, he could not see a Servant with no killing intent who had taken spirit form.
Kiritsugu truly was reliable. He set up the Walther between stacks of cargo containers. From this angle, he could ensure that the muzzle remained hidden while still being able to aim at any target—including the lemon-headed Director, who thought an illusion spell made him foolproof. Through the thermal scope, he was as conspicuous as a bald man with lice on his head.
With everything ready, Kiritsugu was about to put a bullet through someone's soul when, fortunately or unfortunately, he spotted the pitch-black figure crouching atop a crane. Sniping from here would expose his position with the gunshot, so for safety's sake, he ultimately abandoned the decapitation plan—or at least, that was how it should have gone, if not for a certain troublemaker.
"Boom!" "Boom!"
The blast wave, mixed with the thunderous sounds of explosions, swept across the entire battlefield. Even Saber and Lancer, who were some distance away, felt the impact. Yet as veteran Heroic Spirits seasoned by countless battles, they quickly regained their balance after the sudden disruption. Saber rushed to Irisviel's side at top speed and shielded her behind herself, while Lancer used the special connection between Master and Servant to communicate with Kayneth. Learning that Kayneth had suffered no harm under the protection of Volumen Hydrargyrum, he breathed a sigh of relief while warily observing his surroundings.
Although most of those present could not determine what had happened because the event had been so sudden, Kiritsugu Emiya, who had already been watching Assassin through his scope, saw everything clearly. A fist-sized red-and-white sphere—apparently with eyes?—had struck the base of the crane where Assassin was hiding, then exploded violently. But that was not the main cause of the tremendous shockwave. After the first explosion came a second, far surpassing the first in both power and range, causing a lingering sensation as though the earth itself were still shaking.
More importantly, that round "bomb" had been fired at Assassin from behind Kiritsugu himself!
Slowly turning around—after all, if whoever it was had wanted to kill him, they would have done so already, and turning quickly now would have meant nothing—Kiritsugu's mind continuously simulated possible situations and responses that would maximize his advantage. What he saw was...
Illya!? Holding a slingshot!?
"I spent so much Mana and rubbed at it for over twenty minutes because I wanted to make a familiar, but it seems it can only be classified as an item—this must be the limitation of the class. What a shame. Disposable Pokémon are way too environmentally unfriendly, aren't they? Even if it is an Electrode!"
Whose brat is this!? ← Kiritsugu's first thought.
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