Indeed, if one had to put it that way, even if she was merely toying with him, the warmth conveyed through Morgan's words and actions toward Xi Jianxi was something utterly absent between Kayneth and Sola-Ui at this moment.
How could this be...? Xi Jianxi felt as though he had suffered some sort of shock.
A Servant and Master who had known each other for merely three days were closer than fiancés bound by vows of marriage?
Xi Jianxi felt his heartbeat suddenly quicken, a faint sense of suffocation flooding his mind. Thinking he had also been affected by the mercury vapor, he hastily circulated magical energy to protect himself.
He had not...
He had already used the second Primordial Rune to protect himself beforehand. This slight deterioration of the environment could not possibly affect him.
"Y-you... what are you doing? Get back to your room, Sola-Ui!" Kayneth wailed in panic. "If you run out like this, you'll die!"
"What are you talking about? You were the one who failed in battle. If you die, do you think I'll be perfectly safe?" Sola-Ui said dismissively.
The fiancé who had been boasting so boldly a moment ago now looked this pathetic. Sola-Ui despised Kayneth more and more.
If Kayneth's death meant Lancer would withdraw on his own, she would never be willing to heal him. At the very least... she had to obtain the Command Spells in Kayneth's hand.
Xi Jianxi watched the two coldly, an indescribable pity inexplicably rising in his heart. He slowly raised his hand, and a red spear appeared in it. "The spear is me, and I am the spear..."
As Kayneth received treatment, he saw the magical energy emanating from the weapon in Xi Jianxi's hand and knew the other man would not simply stand by and watch him recover.
That red spear, which resembled Lancer's Noble Phantasm, was dangerous. Kayneth's instincts as a Magus told him so.
Or rather, it was a Noble Phantasm wielded by a living person...
"Certain Kill, Certain Hit—Gae Bolg Alternative!"
"Danger, Sola-Ui! Vollstandige Verteidigung—Complete Defense!"
It was already too late. Kayneth violently shoved Sola-Ui aside, driving his magical energy to make Moon Cell Essence move once more and transform into a shield to block the incoming red spear.
It was meaningless.
Moon Cell Essence, which should have been as sturdy as a city wall, was pierced as easily as jelly, producing a smooth slicing sound.
The crimson spear flew from Xi Jianxi's hand.
Kayneth was sent flying by the spear. He shot past the still-uncomprehending Sola-Ui and was nailed to the wall behind him.
Its target was the heart. Once fired, it was certain to strike.
"...It, it was..."
Staring in disbelief at the Demon Spear that had pierced his heart, Kayneth finally learned the weapon's true name. But he was already too late to say it aloud, and his breathing slowly ceased.
Xi Jianxi slowly turned around as the Spear of Piercing Death shed its form, and Kayneth's corpse fell from the wall.
Since Kayneth had killed him, there was no need for him to be polite. He could borrow Kayneth's head now.
Whether she could survive would depend on her own abilities.
Behind him, Sola-Ui finally reacted. Facing her fiancé's corpse, she let out a miserable wail, as though she had finally begun to understand reality.
The Price of a Deathmatch
The battle on the top floor of the Hyatt Hotel had surely already been noticed by the Holy Church. So even when the alarms began to sound, Xi Jianxi knew the Church's people would take over as quickly as possible, handling the cover-up and aftermath.
Next, he only needed to leave the hotel with Morgan.
But before leaving, there was one final matter that had to be settled: the Lancer standing in his way.
At this moment, Diarmuid Ua Duibhne was covered in wounds. His light cloth armor was in tatters, and every exposed patch of skin was bleeding. Blood had completely dyed this Celtic hero red, making him look as though he had just crawled out of hell.
He supported himself with the Red Spear in his right hand while barely holding the Yellow Spear in his left. One eye could no longer open, blood ran down from his forehead, more than half his face was smeared with gore, and traces of blood remained at the corner of his mouth.
"You're still alive?" Xi Jianxi said with admiration.
Diarmuid should not have possessed any legend of continuing to fight after sustaining mortal wounds. Therefore, as a summoned Servant, he should not have had the Battle Continuation skill either.
In that case, what had supported Lancer in returning to the top floor was his determination—or perhaps his long-held wish—to fight until his Saint Graph dispersed.
"Let me make this clear first: I did not hold back," Morgan said with an almost inaudible sigh.
The five clones she had left behind should, in theory, have been enough to kill Lancer downstairs. Yet Lancer had endured, destroyed every clone, and dragged his ruined body here to catch up.
"Of course... I merely fought to the death..." Lancer's voice had become faint and ethereal.
In perhaps a few more minutes, he would completely vanish due to the death of his Master, Kayneth, combined with his own Saint Graph reaching its limit.
Although Kayneth had analyzed the summoning ritual of the Fuyuki Holy Grail War and arranged for his fiancée, Sola-Ui, to provide magical energy to the Servant—
The only lord Lancer acknowledged was Kayneth.
"Your Master has already died. There's no need for you to keep fighting." Xi Jianxi lowered his eyes and tried to persuade him helplessly.
"Yes... I know..." Lancer smiled weakly.
Diarmuid, famed for his radiant beauty, now exuded an extraordinary charm unique to a warrior.
He glanced slightly toward the crying Sola-Ui.
Having desperately caught up only to see Kayneth's death, Lancer suddenly felt a measure of ill-timed relief and comfort.
Lady Sola-Ui, who never liked Lord Kayneth, must have realized what was truly precious after seeing Lord Kayneth risk his life to save her, Diarmuid thought.
"...But..." He struggled to straighten his body and, this time, completely discarded the Yellow Spear in his hand. "...Since my lord fought until his final moment... a knight must follow him unto death..."
Dragging his battered body, he swayed as he steadied himself with both hands gripping his spear.
In his current state, he could launch at most one more attack. Whether he could win no longer mattered. Until the final moment, this Celtic hero was merely doing what he wished to do, fulfilling his duty.
"I understand."
After speaking calmly, Xi Jianxi spread his hand again, preparing to summon the Spear of Piercing Death.
It was his graduation gift from his teacher, and also a true Noble Phantasm that existed in the world rather than being wielded by a Servant.
There were two reasons he had not used it as a catalyst.
First, his teacher Scathach could never possibly be summoned.
Second, Xi Jianxi simply had no desire to do so.
To him, this spear was one of his trump cards.
However, the instant he opened his hand, the black Demon Spear fell into it first.
He turned to look at Morgan. She silently offered him the weapon, her eyes holding no excess emotion. Her gaze was firm, allowing no room for refusal.
After silently nodding, Xi Jianxi gripped the Demon Spear one-handedly, turned sideways, and pointed its blade directly at Lancer's brow.
The air flowing through the ruined top floor carried the scent of blood and fire, lingering at the tip of his nose. Xi Jianxi's heart gradually calmed.
Everything fell silent. His palm was completely dry, and the Demon Spear rested steadily against his hand.
Crack—
The sound of damaged wall plaster peeling away became the signal to begin.
Diarmuid's eyes snapped open, a peerlessly sharp light flashing within them. He stepped forward with all his strength, his spear tip tracing a twisting path as its blade reflected a dazzling cold gleam.
He heard the sound of air being torn apart, like the most ferocious snake in the forest sinking its fangs into prey.
But Diarmuid saw Xi Jianxi's body turn into a hazy afterimage. A blade tore through the air from within it, traveling in a straight line with a piercing howl as the two passed each other.
More blood flowed down and fell onto the floor. Diarmuid's Red Spear also slipped from his hand and clattered onto the ground.
The pool of blood beneath him slowly spread, and Lancer collapsed powerlessly to his knees.
"...Beautiful..." he praised with his last voice.
Xi Jianxi gripped the upper portion of the Demon Spear's shaft and gave it a hard flick, throwing all the blood clinging to it onto the floor. "You flatter me."
Morgan, who had watched from the side, slowly followed Xi Jianxi's footsteps, leaving with him in silence.
Lancer felt his consciousness gradually thinning. Xi Jianxi's strike had completely shattered his spiritual core. Even with three Command Spells, he could no longer continue fighting.
The Lancer-class Servant had lost, but his heart was fulfilled at this moment.
In life, he had failed to remain loyal until the end. Yet after death, as a Servant, he had finally fought to the very end beside the lord he served.
It would be impossible to say that he had no regrets at all. In life, he had emerged victorious from every battle, but as a Servant, he had not achieved even a single victory, nor had he been able to offer any triumph to his lord.
He had not even protected his lord, allowing him to die as well.
The battlefield was merciless, and war was ever-changing.
The Holy Grail War had gathered heroes from every age. His skills had fallen short, and that was all there was to it.
He saw Sola-Ui, whose mind could no longer endure the two shocks, collapse unconscious. He wished to do something one last time out of a subordinate's courtesy, but the mere ten or so meters between them had become an impassable gulf, leaving him unable to move even an inch.
The night was torn open by faint light. Diarmuid abruptly opened his eyes and, through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the hotel's top floor, saw this city, so distant from the age in which he had lived, welcoming another dawn.
Suddenly, Diarmuid Ua Duibhne felt that he saw Princess Gráinne, Fionn mac Cumhaill, and all the members of the Fianna.
If possible, he wanted to tell his old companions about his brief two days of battle.
And about enemies beyond imagination.
First... I shall begin with the warrior who appeared before me like the great god Odin, accompanied by a flock of ravens...
After silently beginning in his heart, Diarmuid Ua Duibhne smiled faintly at his own choice of description and disappeared into Fuyuki's pale morning light.
Holy Grail War, second night.
Lancer, defeated.
Leisure After the Battle
Lancer had been defeated, and the first enemy faction had been eliminated.
Though he had fought repeatedly throughout the night, Xi Jianxi was still in high spirits because of this victory and did not feel the slightest bit sleepy.
When he returned home, dawn had only recently broken. Yet as though it had been a long time since he had done so, Xi Jianxi began bustling about, preparing breakfast for the family.
"You're getting busy with daytime matters without even resting." Morgan leaned against the doorway between the kitchen and dining room, watching Xi Jianxi work. "Lancer's defeat may soon be announced by the Holy Church."
The Holy Church possessed a spiritual board for monitoring the Holy Grail War, allowing it to observe the defeat of each Servant.
"I know. But the Holy Grail War must be fought, and life must go on." Xi Jianxi used the home oven to grill mackerel. "Sakura and Karen won't be able to attend school for the next few days either. I need to ask for leave on their behalf, using an urgent family visit as the reason."
Even without him saying it, Morgan understood. Thus, she did not criticize Xi Jianxi's attitude and simply continued discussing the Holy Grail War.
"Besides, there are two other things you probably haven't noticed." Morgan revealed a confident, faint smile.
"What things?" Xi Jianxi listened attentively.
Morgan nodded. "First, the man you saved is Artoria's true Master. That homunculus is merely the Master in name."
"I know that. The Command Spells on Kiritsugu Emiya's hand have already revealed the truth." Xi Jianxi said, "After all, he went to the Einzbern family nine years ago. This arrangement should simply be a tactic to conceal the Master."
"Second, the Einzbern homunculus is this Holy Grail War's Lesser Holy Grail," Morgan said. "So when Lancer was defeated, she would have been the first to react." Morgan told Xi Jianxi.
Xi Jianxi paused. "Giving the Lesser Holy Grail human form..."
None of the previous Holy Grail Wars he had researched contained records of such a thing. The Einzbern family, responsible for providing the Lesser Holy Grail, had likely learned from past lessons and changed their tactics and strategy.
"But the Fuyuki Holy Grail is ultimately a system constructed by the Tohsaka, Matou, and Einzbern families. As founders, it isn't strange for them to possess certain privileges." Xi Jianxi stopped considering the matter any further.
For instance, what fate awaited the homunculus serving as the Lesser Holy Grail as the Holy Grail War progressed.
That was not something within his reach. Besides, she had her own will, so she did not need anyone else's superfluous pity.
"Besides, Caster's subjugation attempt failed last night. That Servant clearly isn't the type to charge in blindly." Xi Jianxi turned the mackerel over and continued grilling it. "We need to hurry, or who knows how many more victims there will be."
"Now, aside from Assassin continuing to operate in secret, only four factions can still take action," Morgan said. "As for the Command Spells obtained after the subjugation, there's no need to care too much about them."
At this point, she looked at Xi Jianxi. "Speaking of which, did the Master of the Assassin you drove off also escape?"
"No, his Servant probably rescued him." Xi Jianxi shook his head.
After seeing Maiya Hisau emerge, he had turned to pursue Kirei. But when he caught up, he found only the marks left by Kirei's impact when he landed.
Xi Jianxi had only crippled one of his hands. With magical treatment, along with the steel-hard conditioning an Executor had undergone, he could probably move again by now and return to the battlefield tomorrow.
Originally, Xi Jianxi had wanted to incapacitate Kirei as much as possible and remove him from the Holy Grail War.
After all, if he truly ended up killing Kirei during the Holy Grail War someday, Xi Jianxi would need time to compose himself before he could continue caring for Karen without any burden in his heart.
It seemed that goal could not be achieved now, so there was nothing to be done.
Last night's gains had been considerable. Not only had he dealt with the Lancer faction, but he had also barely saved a boy from Caster's hands and quietly left him at the police station on the way back.
Before you continue