Why Don't You Find Another Savior?

For the time being, their conditions were about evenly matched. Even if Kayneth had been in perfect condition, Xi Jianxi was confident he could win.

Those academy-style Magi were simply too easy for Xi Jianxi to deal with.

Besides, if he let Kayneth keep watching him, he would feel uncomfortable. He hated being stared at for too long.

"Then I can only oblige," Morgan said knowingly.

"But before that, we need to send Sakura and Karen home to sleep," Xi Jianxi said. "Afterward, we should pay a visit to the Hyatt Hotel in the city."

That was where Lancer's Master, Kayneth, was hiding.

The Attack

Fuyuki City was split in two by the Miyuen River. To the west lay the older, more historic Miyama Town, while to the east stood the rapidly developing New City that supported the city's economy.

The Hyatt Hotel was currently the tallest building in the New City, reaching thirty-two stories.

Its top floor had been extravagantly booked out by a guest. That guest was Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald.

At that moment, Kayneth sat in the room, dragging his battered body as he gasped for breath. His Servant, Lancer, waited beside him on one knee, just as portrayed in films and television dramas.

Diarmuid, who had also served a lord in life, knew that Kayneth was in an extremely foul mood after suffering a crushing defeat.

This was the second time.

The long-awaited Holy Grail War had begun, yet the fully prepared Kayneth had suffered setback after setback. It had dealt a severe blow to his confidence.

Whether within his family or the Mage's Association, Kayneth had always been so outstanding that he far surpassed his peers. He had never encountered any setbacks.

No matter the problem, he could solve it more brilliantly than anyone else.

He was not driven by an obsessive desire to improve, nor did he pursue any grand ambition. It was simply that whatever he accomplished was always more exceptional than what others achieved.

Kayneth had realized early on that he was what people called a genius. Yet he had never considered himself arrogant or taken pride in it. He merely continued displaying his talent as a matter of course.

He had never faced hardship, nor worried that his talents might someday run dry. The young Kayneth had complete control over his world, and he had never doubted that fact. He was an exceptional Magus and the legitimate heir of the prestigious Archibald family. Not only had he inherited the family's Magic Crest and received the accumulated magecraft achievements of generations past, but he himself possessed rare and extraordinary talent. All these "facts" gave his glory legitimate justification. It was no wonder he had always believed that nothing in this world lay beyond his control. This was not merely Kayneth's personal conceit; it was also the shared view of everyone around him.

Whether producing remarkable research at the Clock Tower or advancing through the ranks at unprecedented speed, everyone naturally accepted it because he was "the renowned Lord El-Melloi."

Kayneth had grown accustomed to being called a prodigy. Even though his position drew both envy and jealousy, he felt neither satisfaction nor accomplishment. In his life, all of it had merely been "the natural result."

The past had been like this, and naturally Kayneth's future success was equally beyond doubt. It was "life's promise to him," sacred and inviolable, as well as an unquestionable premise.

Because the order of the world was so simple and obvious to him, whenever—though such things rarely happened—a series of exceedingly rare and unpredictable inconveniences and coincidences accumulated to produce an "unexpected" situation, he regarded it as intolerable chaos, a desecration of divine order.

For example, right now.

Kayneth had suffered losses at Xi Jianxi's hands twice in a row.

The first time, Lancer had been unable to defeat Xi Jianxi in a one-on-one fight. The second time, Kayneth had misjudged the situation and intended to challenge Xi Jianxi personally with his prized Mystic Code, only to encounter Berserker.

Kayneth had always looked down on Xi Jianxi.

He knew that such a person existed in the Mage's Association. Xi Jianxi was currently favored by the democratic faction's Barue Reita and, after stepping down as a Sealing Designation Enforcer, would work as an independent Magus taking on assignments from the Mage's Association.

Though he was supposedly the disciple of that Grand puppeteer and had learned the Age of Gods Runes restored by Touko Aozaki, Kayneth considered Rune Magic, already an unpopular branch of magecraft, beneath his contempt.

After all, the Mage's Association had been founded by the disciples of Solomon, the Magus King. Rune Magic, which belonged to an entirely different system from the magecraft passed down by Solomon and had declined with the passage of time, naturally received such treatment.

He had never directly interacted with Xi Jianxi, nor had he paid attention to Xi Jianxi's mission record. Even as a Lord of the Clock Tower, he had the means to access it, but he had never bothered.

So it was unbelievable, and unacceptable.

A Magus could actually contend with Servants, even challenge that mysterious golden Servant.

And although he had summoned Berserker, that Servant not only retained her sanity under B-rank Madness Enhancement but could even use magecraft on the level of the Age of Gods.

One thing after another, combined with nearly dying on the spot that night and returning in defeat, had driven Kayneth's agitation to its peak.

"Lancer, what are your thoughts on the battles ahead?" Kayneth asked.

"Forgive my bluntness, but if we are to obtain the Holy Grail and offer it to my lord, we must temporarily choose to hold our ground, wait for the other factions to fight and kill one another, and only then consider making our move," Diarmuid advised calmly, abandoning his usual hot-bloodedness for once.

This was clearly no longer the time to seek challenges and uphold the spirit of chivalry.

This was a battlefield through and through. One careless move could cost them their lives.

Lancer knew very well that in the Einzbern forest tonight, even if he had not intervened, that Sea Monster would not have been able to do anything to Xi Jianxi.

He had acted only because he felt apologetic about being forced to launch a sneak attack the previous night.

"So even you think this is our only option?" Kayneth said, a headache coming on.

It could not be helped. Lancer had only been Kayneth's backup plan. He had originally intended to summon the King of Conquerors, but Waver had stolen the Holy Relic, leaving him with no choice but to summon Lancer. His chances of victory had declined considerably as a result.

"Since the situation is unfavorable, admit it honestly instead of trying to show off."

A woman emerged from the bedroom and sternly reminded Kayneth. She was his fiancée, Sola-Ui Nuada-Rei Sophia-li.

"The opponent is that independent Magus. If you want to blame someone, blame yourself for looking down on him and failing to conduct even the most basic investigation beforehand." Sola-Ui mercilessly pointed out Kayneth's mistake.

"Sola-Ui..." Rather than flying into a rage at her words, Kayneth hesitated.

"I investigated Xi Jianxi through my connections in the Mage's Association. That man is far more than someone who merely takes on commissioned work." Sola-Ui frowned, making no effort to hide her dissatisfaction with Kayneth. "He has participated in Sealing Designation operations and missions alongside Executors from the Holy Church. He is a true combat specialist."

Of course, Sola-Ui would not tell Kayneth that she had investigated Xi Jianxi out of curiosity toward the handsome Magus who was close to her in age.

That vague curiosity had completely vanished with Lancer's arrival, leaving behind only solid intelligence.

"A Sealing Designation Enforcer..."

Kayneth frowned more deeply. Before he could say anything further, an alarm sounded from the bounded field he had transformed into a magecraft workshop.

Lancer and Sola-Ui both sensed the approaching magical energy as well.

The Broken Twin Spears

To Kayneth, the alarm from his bounded field warning of an enemy intrusion did not cause panic. He even had time to remove the clothes dirtied during the earlier battle and change into a clean set.

Above the thirtieth floor, the hotel was completely empty except for Kayneth's group. There was no doubt that magecraft suggestions such as Repel the Uninvited had caused everyone else to leave the area on their own.

Kayneth appreciated this standard Magus style. Through the surveillance of his bounded field and familiars, he clearly saw the person who had appeared: Xi Jianxi, who had been in the Einzbern forest only moments ago.

Accompanying him was his fully armed Berserker Servant.

Though escaping the castle hall while defending against Berserker's assault had consumed a great deal of Kayneth's magical energy, once he had returned to his own workshop, he remained confident that he could face the enemy even if they came at him in waves.

Kayneth had spent a great deal of money to reserve the Hyatt Hotel's top floor and transform it into a large magecraft workshop.

Naturally, this transformation was not physical, but an enhancement on the level of magecraft.

Kayneth had set up twenty-four layers of bounded fields across the thirty-second floor. Their defenses were so rigorous that they could even be described as magical ramparts.

There were also three Mana Reactors specially made for his use, providing and replenishing magical energy.

As countermeasures, he had summoned dozens of Malevolent Spirits and Ghouls to serve in place of hunting hounds.

This was a home-field battle in every sense. Kayneth sat in his chair, sipping champagne as he waited for Xi Jianxi, who would surely be exhausted after being worn down by the workshop, to reach him so he could crush him.

Kayneth craved blood, and Xi Jianxi coming to his doorstep to die suited his current needs perfectly.

"Do not think that only that Sealing Designation Enforcer is a combat specialist. When it comes to actual combat, I will not lose to any other Magus," Kayneth told his fiancée.

Normally difficult to approach, Sola-Ui smiled sweetly at him now. "Of course. I am looking forward to your performance."

Her attitude made Kayneth's fighting spirit rise even higher. He had even calculated when to go out and meet the enemy.

If Xi Jianxi collapsed halfway there, Kayneth would feel no sense of accomplishment even if he killed him. His fiancée might even look down on him for it.

First, he would check on Lancer's situation.

Thinking this, Kayneth connected to his Servant's sight and hearing to observe the battlefield.

Lancer had not engaged in any substantive fighting that night and remained in perfect condition. Meeting Xi Jianxi under such circumstances made him feel somewhat guilty.

But it could not be helped. Avoiding battle at a time like this would be the greatest betrayal of his lord.

When he saw Xi Jianxi emerge from the elevator on the thirty-first floor, Lancer stood in the spacious hall and gave Xi Jianxi a slight shake of his head.

Berserker followed behind Xi Jianxi, but Lancer did not find that regrettable either.

Servant against Servant, Master against Master. That was only natural.

Seeing Lancer's intention to let him pass, Xi Jianxi did not stand on ceremony. He merely told Morgan, "I'll leave this place to you," then walked past Lancer and headed upstairs.

The elevator's access to the top floor had been disabled, so Xi Jianxi could only take the stairs—even though they were filled with traps.

Only after seeing Xi Jianxi's figure disappear into the fire escape from the corner of his eye did Lancer once again examine the Berserker before him.

Her facial features were identical to Saber's, differing only in hair and eye color. Without a doubt, she was a Servant connected to Saber by blood.

If so, their battle at sea last night might not have been hostility, but mutual probing.

Both a Berserker and a Magus, Lancer tightened his grip on his twin spears and stared at the Demon Spear Xi Jianxi had used.

There was no declaration, no warning. The battle began.

Lancer shot forward like an arrow, closing in on Berserker and thrusting the longer-ranged Red Spear.

Clang!

The weapons were knocked aside, then clashed again at close range.

Berserker was capable of close-quarters combat. Lancer had fully expected that answer.

As a Lancer-class Servant, being able to fight another Servant skilled with a spear was enough to make Diarmuid deeply gratified.

There was no longer any need for tactical deception, because the true names of their Noble Phantasms had surely been exposed.

There was no longer any need to test each other, because the enemy had reached their doorstep and they had to fight to the death.

Lancer's twin spears moved like the wind. Morgan held nothing back either. Both continually swung and spun their weapons, engaging in fierce exchanges of attack and defense.

Their techniques could not be distinguished by the naked eye. In less than a minute, they had exchanged dozens of rounds before pulling apart again.

"That spear technique..." Lancer's expression turned grave.

"Oh? As expected of a Lancer-class Servant. You could see through my spear technique after only one exchange." Morgan held her spear in one hand.

"So that is how it is." Lancer was utterly shocked.

The answer was simple. Morgan's spear technique was exactly the same as Xi Jianxi's.

Had the Servant taught the Master spearwork, or had the Master instructed the Servant in the art of the spear?

Neither explanation made sense.

The reason was simple.

Whether Xi Jianxi or Morgan, the identical spear technique of this Master and Servant pair was not something that could have been trained to such a level overnight before the Holy Grail War began.

And beyond that, Morgan seemed to know exactly how to deal with an opponent like Diarmuid, who wielded twin spears.

Whenever Diarmuid intended to stab Morgan with the Red Spear, Morgan would thrust the Demon Spear at Diarmuid with even greater abandon.

This was not an attempt at mutual destruction. Lancer understood that. Because as a wielder of twin spears, he had to grip both weapons around their middles to ensure that each remained firmly controlled in one hand.

The result was that even his longer spear had its attack range reduced.

Morgan, however, was different. She wielded that strange Demon Spear with both hands. It already exceeded the standard length, and when they thrust at one another, she only needed to grip the butt of the spear for its blade to reach Lancer before Diarmuid could land a hit.

No matter how many times he tried, Diarmuid always reached the same conclusion.

"I never expected to encounter an opponent with such a clear strategy for fighting twin spears..." Diarmuid felt a trace of pressure. "I had believed you were not a warrior skilled in close combat. It seems that, somewhere in my heart, I underestimated you."

He had no intention of investigating what sort of connection existed between Berserker and her Master. It was not important to him.

Diarmuid put away his short spear and spun several flourishes with the Red Spear alone.

"Since the secret of my twin spears has already been seen through, I will no longer cling to any wishful thinking."

Losing one Noble Phantasm would put him at a disadvantage, but that was still better than having his spear technique countered and dismantled at every turn, leaving him vulnerable to death at any moment.

"Lancer, Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, enters the field with a single spear!"

Morgan merely smiled faintly, the blade of her Demon Spear pointing from afar at Diarmuid's head.

A Small Test of Skill

After pushing open the iron fire-exit door on the thirty-second floor and entering the corridor, Xi Jianxi clearly sensed the traces of alteration throughout the entire level.

It had completely become a Magus's territory.