There's No Obligation to Face an Enemy You Can't Defeat

The two smiled at each other, feeling fortunate to have met each other.

However, just as Rovey was about to go to his room to prepare some formal attire, Scáthach suddenly grabbed his arm.

"What's wrong, Scáthach? Is there anything else?"

Rovey asked, somewhat surprised.

Then Scáthach handed him the fashion magazine, pointed to the clothes in it, and said with a smile.

"Since we're going to the Banquet of Kings, why not change into a more formal modern suit? I happen to have a few that I like, let's go out and buy them together?"

"... formal dress?"

Upon hearing what Scáthach said, Rovey paused for a moment, his expression showing some surprise.

"I won't..."

He instinctively wanted to refuse, but seeing Scáthach's enthusiastic eyes, he nodded in agreement, replying with a helpless expression, "Alright, then I'll leave it to you."

"No problem, leave it to me, Master."

Scáthach smiled again at that moment.

Chapter Fifty-Seven: There is no obligation to face an enemy that cannot be defeated.

Nighttime.

The territory of the Einzbern Family.

Sensing a powerful magical force approaching, Artoria, who had just rested in the castle for a day and was barely recovering from her injuries, frowned.

"Kiritsugu, the aura of Servant is rapidly approaching this place."

"Ah... I understand."

Upon hearing Artoria's reminder, a weary-looking Emiya Kiritsugu in the castle took a deep drag on his cigarette, then looked up at the sky with his heavily dark-circled eyes, letting out a soft sigh that left everyone wondering what he was thinking.

To be honest, he had actually anticipated the Servant attack, after all, he and Tokiomi Tohsaka had recently teamed up to blow up their base to the ground.

Having committed such an act and incurred such a grudge, he was well aware that the other party would not let him off easily. Therefore, Emiya Kiritsugu was not surprised by the arrival of Servant to attack him; rather, it was a matter of course.

What truly troubled him was the current hopeless situation. His sneak attack had indeed blown the enemy's stronghold to smithereens, even destroying the building itself. Logically, this should have been a great success.

Unfortunately, when he attempted to blow up Kenneth's stronghold, it seemed that someone on the other side had anticipated his plan and added specialized external defense Magecraft to the core layer of the workshop, thus preserving the people and important items inside.

And that's not all. In the workshop they raided, not only was Lancer present, as they had planned, but also two other top Servant, Scáthach and Iskandar, coincidentally. What Emiya Kiritsugu and Tokiomi Tohsaka never expected was that the burly, fierce-looking red-haired man, who seemed to have nothing to do with Magus, actually possessed Reality Marble, a technique that seemed completely out of place with him. This caused the situation to spiral completely out of control.

His Reality Marble not only protected Kenneth's base, but also wiped out the Assassins, who were known for their assassinations and sheer numbers.

This also caused their original plan to send two Servant to ambush Kenneth alone and then quickly finish the battle to be thwarted by the enemy's forced reduction of one of their combat strength at the very beginning, leaving only Saber to struggle on the other side.

As a result, Saber was almost killed by Scáthach's shot, and only managed to escape in a panic when Berserker was confused and caused infighting, barely preserving her fighting strength.

Last night's plan undoubtedly ended in another crushing defeat for them.

Not only did they fail to make any progress, but they also seriously injured Saber and lost a valuable Command Seal, which made Emiya Kiritsugu very worried.

The current situation is that he cannot find Irisviel, the most important person, and has no way to eliminate any opponents. The combat power he has is also completely insufficient to compete with the opponent, and he is almost completely trapped in a dead end.

This inevitably made him feel even more anxious.

From the moment he began preparing to participate in this Holy Grail War, all sorts of unpleasant things kept happening around him.

First, Aozaki Touko launched a surprise attack on the Einzbern Family, not only withstanding the Origin Bullet but also stealing a large amount of data on the Third Holy Grail War. Then came El-Melloi, the Mineralogy Department Lord El-Melloi claimed to be strong but remained extremely cautious, completely overwhelming them. Later, the Origin Bullet was also disarmed, effectively sealing this deadly weapon. And before any of them could react, Irisviel was also stolen from, and to this day, he has found no clue whatsoever.

Moreover, King Arthur of Camelot, the guardian of Human Order whom Ahadon had placed high hopes on, was far from as capable as Ahadon had predicted in this Holy Grail War. He was utterly defeated by all sorts of monsters and demons. He was even nearly killed by Scáthach's spear yesterday. His hard-won collaboration with Tokiomi Tohsaka failed to yield any progress, and instead, they faced the fiercest counterattack. Emiya Kiritsugu's already uneasy heart became even more desperate.

He began to doubt whether he really had a chance of winning this Holy Grail War.

Does it really exist?

"Yes... right? Yeah, right. Right now, he's struggling to even survive."

For a moment, Emiya Kiritsugu began to reflect on why every thing he planned in advance always ended up going in the wrong way.

He could vaguely sense that an invisible hand was manipulating the entire Holy Grail War, making each group act according to its rules. He felt as if he was living in the shadow of the other party, unable to see any hope, and now he was being driven to a dead end step by step.

His empty eyes stared at the night sky, which was covered by dark clouds tonight, obscuring the moon and stars and making the atmosphere particularly oppressive.

Let alone the fact that he doesn't know how to read the stars, even if he did, he couldn't possibly see anything from this kind of night sky.

In the end, he could only turn the thousand words in his heart into a single thought of longing.

"Iri... where are you?"

Emiya Kiritsugu murmured to the night sky, as if he wanted to convey his words to Irisviel, who was being examined by Aozaki Touko deep underground in the Fuyuki City stadium.

However, even though the situation had reached the point where he could have surrendered, Emiya Kiritsugu had not given up in his heart.

He could not fall down until he had fulfilled his wish and achieved the salvation of all mankind.

Even if the road ahead is only endless darkness, he has to try.

He had already carried far too much on his shoulders: his biological father, adoptive mother, wife, assistant, and the expectations of countless others waiting to be saved. He had to respond to them all.

It's just the Holy Grail War, just a battle against those filthy Magus. He's never lost before, and he won't this time either!

Exhaling slowly, Emiya Kiritsugu had already made up his mind. He looked at Saber beside him and said calmly, "Prepare for battle, Saber. The enemy is coming for us. We have no way to avoid it now. We have no choice but to fight."

Although his tone remained calm, Artoria could clearly hear the pain and trembling unique to this man in his voice.

She understood, of course, that her Master was going all out.

"I have already sent a request for help to the Tohsaka Family, but I cannot guarantee whether they will come."

Emiya Kiritsugu put on his jacket and grabbed his gear. As he tidied himself up, he said to the assistant who had just entered, "Maiya, you should leave through the back door quickly. This place will soon become the most brutal battlefield, and it might be my burial ground. You don't need to die with me. Leave here, live well, and start a new life with the wealth we earned together."

Emiya Kiritsugu gave what might be the last smile of his life to Maiya Hisau, the assistant who had followed him for many years and accompanied him through thick and thin.

"Wait, Kiritsugu, if you're going to leave, let's leave together! You know the difference in strength between the two sides is just too great; this is a battle that is impossible to win."

Upon seeing Emiya Kiritsugu, who was fully prepared and ready to die, Maiya Hisau, his assistant, hurriedly shouted.

"Kiritsugu, you've already given it your all, haven't you? No one will blame you for fighting to this point. You have no obligation to face enemies you can't possibly defeat!"

'An invincible enemy...'

Emiya Kiritsugu shook his head, his expression unchanged, and his movements unabated. "I'm sorry, Maiya. Escaping together is impossible. The enemy has highly mobile units like Riders; trying to escape from them is pure wishful thinking."

"Besides, at this point, I don't understand any talk of invincibility. All I know is that it's my turn to sacrifice for justice."

Emiya Kiritsugu said calmly, then looked at Artoria, who was standing in front of the door with a hesitant expression, and nodded to her.

"Then... Saber, let's go together to face our final battle."

"I understand, Kiritsugu."

Looking at Emiya Kiritsugu before her, Artoria nodded solemnly and replied, "Although I cannot agree with many of your actions, Kiritsugu, please remember that as long as the contract remains, I will always be your Servant."

"Now, let's go and fight this final battle together!"

Inspired by Emiya Kiritsugu's will, Artoria was now filled with fighting spirit as well.

At this moment, facing a truly desperate situation, the master and servant, who had previously harbored resentment towards each other, put aside their prejudices and truly achieved a meeting of minds, preparing to complete the final leg of this Holy Grail War together.

"Kiritsugu..."

Watching the two figures disappear, Maiya Hisau reached out her hand from behind, as if to say something more, but the next moment—

The powerful magic that had been predicted in advance had already arrived not far from the main gate of the castle.

"They've arrived." ×2

Emiya Kiritsugu and Artoria exchanged a glance, then walked out together.

The main entrance to the castle.

"... Master, look what's coming from over there?"

Standing calmly at the doorway, Artoria, ready for battle at any moment, stared intently at the approaching magical energy, her eyes gleaming, and powerful magical energy emanating from her body.

"It's a sports car, isn't it..."

Emiya Kiritsugu calmly replied, "It's also a means of transportation, but it's not as practical as a military vehicle."

"Then, Master, should I strike first?"

As the sports car drew closer, Artoria's magic surged, and her original black butler's uniform instantly transformed into her blue and silver battle armor, with the Excalibur tightly gripped in her hand.

Meanwhile, Emiya Kiritsugu had somehow picked up a pre-prepared RPG rocket launcher, ready to give the oncoming sports car a good start.

"Hey, Einzbern Family, is this how you welcome guests?" Just before he was about to pull the trigger, a white horn suddenly popped out of the sports car in front of him, and the person inside started shouting at the two men who were about to take action.

"Guest?"

This sudden telepathic transmission startled both Emiya Kiritsugu and Artoria slightly, and their expressions turned strange. After exchanging a glance, they both stopped what they were doing.

Immediately afterwards, the red sports car sped past them at an extremely high speed on the road in front of their castle, and then veered off course, leaving a taillight trailing behind it, before coming to a steady stop in front of the castle's main gate.

"Oh, we meet again, Saber."

An elegant female voice came from the car, and then a tall, purple-haired beauty in a dress stepped out of the car, accompanied by a black-haired young man whom Saber had never seen before.

After getting out of the car, Rovey greeted Emiya Kiritsugu: "Long time no see, Mr. Emiya Kiritsugu."

Emiya Kiritsugu: "..."

"Lancer?"

Upon seeing the familiar face of the purple-haired beauty beside Rovey, Artoria couldn't help but speak up.

"Yes, it's me. Hmm, you seem to be recovering quite well, Saber. Anyway, I'm relieved to see you so energetic."

As Scáthach stepped out of the car, she narrowed her crimson eyes and examined Artoria's chest. Seeing that her injuries had almost fully healed, she couldn't help but marvel at the incredible resilience of her body.

However, compared to Scáthach, Rovey's expression was rather strange at this moment. He looked at Emiya Kiritsugu, who was on guard, and asked in confusion.

"Don't you remember me, Mr. Emiya Kiritsugu? We met on the other side of the first night."

"Of course I remember you, Lord El-Melloi's student, but I never expected that you would be Scáthach's Master. You really kept it a secret from everyone. I originally thought that Aozaki Touko had cooperated with the Matou Family to summon Scáthach and Berserker, but I never expected that the person hiding in the shadows was you, someone that no one paid attention to or had time to notice."

Emiya Kiritsugu nodded, then couldn't help but sigh, "You're the one who had Aozaki Touko infiltrate the Einzbern Family to obtain information, and then personally participated in this Holy Grail War, right? To be able to control the whole situation from the shadows, to have planned to this extent, that's truly a remarkable tactic..."

Upon meeting Rovey, the numerous fragments of information that had been troubling Emiya Kiritsugu's mind were finally pieced together and gradually became complete and orderly.

All the answers were now readily apparent in his mind.

"Yes, it was indeed me, but I didn't deliberately hide it. It's just that you never expected it from the beginning. Not only that, you also imagined things to be like that."

Rovey shrugged, then smiled and replied, "Besides, in the Holy Grail War, some people specifically target their Master. If you're not careful, you might not even know how you died, right, Mr. Emiya Kiritsugu?"

"..."

Emiya Kiritsugu did not answer, because he knew that Rovey was mocking him.

Rovey looked at the silent Emiya Kiritsugu in front of him, then glanced at Artoria with a strange expression, and asked with a puzzled look, "But what's with you two? Is someone coming to attack the castle? Are you surprised to see us?"

Rovey glanced at the Excalibur in Artoria's hand and the RPG rocket launcher on Emiya Kiritsugu's shoulder. Seeing their murderous expressions and their fearless eyes, he couldn't help but feel a little strange.

"No... this is... never mind, let me ask you first..."

Seeing Rovey's expression, Emiya Kiritsugu was also stunned. He and Saber exchanged glances, and then couldn't help but ask Rovey and Scáthach in front of them.

"Why are you here? Didn't you come to attack me?"

This is because they heard Rovey's shout of "visiting guests" and saw that the two of them were dressed in formal attire and drove over. If they had truly come as Heroic Spirits, the two of them would have already fought to the death.

However, when they saw that the two people in front of them were not only not carrying weapons, but were also wearing formal attire, even Emiya Kiritsugu and Artoria, who had already prepared themselves, were stunned.

They had absolutely no idea what was going on.

"Um?"

Upon hearing this, Scáthach, who had been smiling, showed a very surprised expression.

"Didn't Rider tell you?"

"Say what?"

Saber looked completely bewildered.