How About You Guys Find a Different Savior

A mournful voice, as if from hell, rang out, causing Waver to shiver.

Lancer's Master suddenly spoke, his voice clearly transmitted to everyone present through the power of magic, even though he was far away on a gantry crane in Warehouse District.

"I was wondering what kind of guts you had to dare steal my catalyst... I didn't expect you were planning to participate in the Holy Grail War yourself. Waver Velvet."

Lancer's Master, Kirei Kotomine, emerged from the shadows.

At this moment, Xi Jianxi remembered that according to the records, Waver was a student at the Clock Tower, a magical academy of the Mage's Association, and Kirei was Waver's teacher.

While Kirei and Waver were "catching up," drawing the attention of others, Xi Jianxi subtly touched the ground with the Demon Spear, using pre-set Runes to capture the surrounding energies.

Magicians, or rather Masters... besides himself, there were three others present.

Servants... there were five... no, six?

I didn't expect that aside from the Assassin who had already retreated, all the remaining Servants would actually show up. It would be troublesome if a free-for-all broke out, so I should prepare to retreat. If I could use the retreat to eliminate one or two Servants, that would be even better.

He secretly communicated with Morgan.

No, the sixth Servant appearing here isn't Caster. Caster is also observing this place using clairvoyance magic. Don't get them confused. Morgan reminded him.

...

Xi Jianxi fell silent.

Once anything exists, it leaves a trace, so even an assassin with Presence Concealment couldn't escape the detection Runes that Xi Jianxi had completed.

But... failing to distinguish between the Servants and making a wrong judgment left Xi Jianxi somewhat disappointed.

Moreover, the Assassin who should have retreated was still here, meaning... the matter of Kirei Kotomine seeking protection from the Church itself was fishy?

After all... the supervisor this time was Rin Tohsaka.

Just as Xi Jianxi was thinking, the Conqueror King's roar interrupted his thoughts.

He originally had no intention of understanding the teacher-student conflict between Kirei and Waver, but it seemed the Conqueror King, who appeared to be uncontrollable, had a new declaration.

"Now! All Servants summoned by the Holy Grail, gather here. If there is any coward who dares not show himself, he shall face the contempt of the Conqueror King Iskandar!"

Chapter 16: King of Heroes Gilgamesh

Rider's declaration wasn't really a significant issue, as most of the participants had already arrived.

Saber, Lancer, and Berserker had already appeared.

Caster was elsewhere, not to mention.

Assassin, due to their previous "retreat," had to remain hidden.

The only one remaining was Archer.

Xi Jianxi already knew that the Servant of the Archer class was nearby.

Meanwhile, Kirei Kotomine at the Holy Church, and Tokiomi, who understood the situation through Kirei, both realized that the situation was further deteriorating.

As Iskandar's roar subsided, a golden light flared into existence from the void.

Everyone observing the scene was already accustomed to it; after all, four Servants had already gathered, so one more wouldn't make much difference.

The golden light finally descended upon the top of a streetlamp over ten meters high, transforming into a tall figure clad in shining armor.

Upon seeing that dazzling figure, everyone couldn't help but feel a jolt.

This was the Servant who had "eliminated" Assassin in front of everyone the day before, Archer.

"I didn't expect two rats who dare to call themselves kings while ignoring me would appear in one night."

As soon as the golden Servant appeared, he sneered with extreme displeasure, looking down upon all the Servants and Magicians present. His arrogant attitude and tone were similar to the Conqueror King's, but with a cold ruthlessness that the Conqueror King lacked.

This aggressive demeanor, however, surprised and confused Iskandar.

But there were even more intense reactions.

In an instant, Morgan disappeared from Artoria's side and appeared, blocking between Xi Jianxi and the golden Archer, shielding her Master.

The usually composed and cool expression she maintained when facing Artoria finally showed other emotions.

She reached out to block Xi Jianxi, signaling him to retreat.

"Give me the Demon Spear, my husband." Morgan's cold voice sounded as if facing a formidable enemy.

Clearly, this golden Servant had reached a level that required Morgan to personally confront him.

Artoria, still in her original spot, was greatly shocked. She hadn't expected her sister to react this way.

—Morgan, what exactly...

"I thought it was someone else, but it turns out to be a fairy from paradise." Archer's crimson eyes lit up. His tone softened slightly, but his words remained cold and cruel. "For the sake of your fear, I shall forgive your disrespect and that of your Master. If you don't want to die under the residual might of my subjugation of kings, retreat quickly. I shall allow you ten seconds to hesitate."

Iskandar then said, half-jokingly, "Since you speak so poorly of others, why don't you announce your name first? If you are also a ruler of a nation, you shouldn't be afraid to speak your renowned name."

"To have the honor of meeting me, yet fail to recognize my visage. Such ignorant beings are not fit to live!"

As Archer suddenly raised his voice in a roar, a mirage-like distortion appeared in the space behind him, and gleaming weapons emerged from the golden distortion.

It was a sword without a scabbard and a spear; the adornments of both weapons were breathtakingly beautiful. Not only that, but they also emitted an undeniable, intense magical power, clearly indicating that these weapons were not ordinary armaments but Noble Phantasms.

Those who had monitored the Tohsaka residence last night all understood that this was the strange situation that had occurred last night—the peculiar attack that had completely suppressed and annihilated Assassin was reappearing.

Waver felt immense fear, Kirei held his breath, and Kiritsugu Emiya, who was monitoring from the shadows, was tense all over.

Even more anxious was Morgan. She extended her hand, but the Demon Spear was not returned to her grasp.

The Archer before them… although he hadn't announced his true name, Morgan already knew.

He was the King of Heroes, Gilgamesh, possessing the Clairvoyance that could see into the future, and qualified to be ranked among the Grand Caster class.

If it were solely about magical talent, Morgan certainly didn't believe she would lose.

But… the King of Heroes possessed more than just magic.

"Tsk—"

A sound from behind made Morgan turn her head slightly. She wanted to confirm Xi Jianxi's reaction, only to see him holding the Demon Spear, clicking his tongue to himself as he reluctantly and slowly stepped out of Morgan's protective wing, facing the Archer alone.

The helplessness on his face gradually faded.

This action shocked not only Morgan but everyone else as well.

Without a word, Xi Jianxi raised his left hand, and mana rapidly condensed.

Gilgamesh naturally noticed Xi Jianxi's movement. He shifted his gaze slightly, his eyes moving from the Servant to this Master.

"Heh— I thought this era was filled with nothing but mongrels," the King of Heroes let out a cruel sneer. The weapons behind him turned and aimed at Xi Jianxi. "To think there's someone who can look at me with such eyes. As a reward for catching my interest… I'll grant you a complete corpse."

As his smile deepened, the weapons behind him fired without warning.

The others began to understand why this golden Servant was of the Archer class, being able to shoot these weapons that appeared from nowhere without even touching them.

His treatment of Noble Phantasms was too rough, like discarding stones, casually throwing them.

However, their destructive power was far beyond that of stones. The road surface was blown up as if by an explosion, the frozen ground shattered, kicking up white ice dust that obscured vision.

Everyone held their breath. Morgan, who had extended her hand to intervene, slowly lowered it.

Xi Jianxi's slender figure faintly emerged from the hazy white ice dust.

A spear and a sword were stuck behind him, digging a large, crater-shaped hole in the ground around Xi Jianxi.

Xi Jianxi hadn't even used the Demon Spear that Morgan gave him. He dodged Gilgamesh's nameless Noble Phantasm attacks as if he were dodging pedestrians on the street.

His expression remained unchanged, and the action of gathering mana in his hands did not stop.

In the blink of an eye, the mana reached its limit.

"You've got some skill, mongrel. Now you're even more worth playing with?" Gilgamesh's smile grew more bloodthirsty. "If you were taken down so easily, I would find it boring."

"Sorry, I'm not the type to just take it lying down and get beaten unilaterally, Archer!"

Xi Jianxi lowered his stance, aiming at the golden Servant on the lamppost.

"Eldritch Blast!"

A beam of magical energy, filled with explosive power, surged from his hand.

At that moment, the King of Heroes also summoned a completely different longsword and shot it out.

An even more intense explosion than before stirred up another gust of wind pressure, scattering the surrounding solid ice.

Waver had to hide behind Iskandar to avoid being caught in the crossfire.

The Servants, however, observed with even greater focus this challenge from a human Magus to a top-tier Servant.

As the smoke gradually dissipated, Xi Jianxi's figure had already disappeared from the large pit, leaving only the three weapons that had been blown away.

"Ha! Not even a speck left—"

"Behind you! Archer!"

Xi Jianxi, who uttered these words, had already swung his weapon, slashing at the weakest point of the golden armor at the waist.

Chapter 17: The Unbreakable Circle

It was unclear whether it was a warning or a death knell.

As the words fell, the blade of the Demon Spear was only a few centimeters away from Gilgamesh, a distance that would be a sure hit for any Servant.

Weapons clashed, and sparks flew.

Xi Jianxi's slash did not hit Gilgamesh but suddenly changed trajectory, drawing a huge circle centered on himself.

This was because another batch of new Noble Phantasms, like a saint's halo, unfolded around him, enveloping Xi Jianxi.

There were six of them.

Not just spears and swords, but also axes, warhammers, and halberds. Among them were even strange weapons of unknown origin and purpose.

All the weapons were polished like mirrors, reflecting human figures, and imbued with powerful mana. Each weapon represented a materialized mystery, not inferior to any other.

They were all Noble Phantasms, without exception.

"Is this… truly a spear technique of this era?" Diarmuid couldn't help but exclaim.

As a Servant, he saw very clearly that the moment Xi Jianxi sensed the surprise attack from behind Archer, he had opened "gates" around himself again.

With even less than half a second of hesitation, Xi Jianxi could have been surrounded and crushed by those Noble Phantasms.

But Xi Jianxi broke free from this crisis with a single strike. Those Noble Phantasms that could not penetrate the circle of the Demon Spear were scattered, forcing the golden Servant standing on the lamppost to leap up to avoid the weapons that were falling towards him out of control.

Even though those Noble Phantasms belonged to him, once launched, they were like bullets leaving a gun barrel, beyond his control.

What made this possible was Xi Jianxi's spear technique.

"King's Pawn."

The golden Servant, who called himself king, landed on the shattered, frozen road. Xi Jianxi flipped in mid-air, landing nimbly on the streetlight where Archer had been moments before.

Gilgamesh, his back to Xi Jianxi, turned coldly. More "Gates" opened around him, revealing more Noble Phantasms.

"Don't get too carried away!"

At the golden Servant's command, a full ten brand-new Noble Phantasms charged at Xi Jianxi simultaneously.

The booming sound shook the air, and the flashes of explosions almost swept away the darkness, comparable to Xi Jianxi's lightning magic from before.

No one could have imagined that simply throwing bladed weapons would have such destructive power. One Noble Phantasm after another flew towards Xi Jianxi, only to be knocked aside by the Demon Spear in his hand.

Morgan, who had been on high alert upon Gilgamesh's appearance, gradually relaxed, realizing she had worried unnecessarily.

Despite his anger, this King of Heroes surely still looked down on Xi Jianxi as a mere human and wasn't using his true abilities.

His Noble Phantasms were launched one after another, his assault unceasing, as if he intended to grind Xi Jianxi down with those weapons until not even his skull remained.

Yet, Xi Jianxi appeared invigorated, his spear technique perfectly fluid.

Everyone watched with bated breath, astonished that a human Master could withstand a Servant's offensive to this extent. They were so engrossed that they almost forgot they were on a battlefield on the verge of eruption, facing a one-against-many situation.

Xi Jianxi leaped from the streetlight, knocking aside the incoming Noble Phantasms as he descended towards the empty shipping containers. The Noble Phantasms that missed him struck the street and containers, triggering a series of explosions and dust clouds.

He intended to break through the hail of spears and arrows formed by the Noble Phantasms and strike directly at Archer, who remained stationary.

He had to not only defend but also attack.