Lancer Bows Out
"I... I understand, I will do that."
Weber wasn't stupid; he knew perfectly well that Gilgamesh had acknowledged him and decided to let him go.
He never had any reason to hate Gilgamesh.
It was they who launched the campaign, and they were eliminated in such an unfair three-on-one battle. Although Iskandar was dead, the King of Heroes respected him and gave him his recognition.
Although he didn't want to admit it, Weber knew he owed Gilgamesh a huge favor, though Gilgamesh probably wouldn't care about a favor from a mere Magus like him.
And this should also be the last time they meet.
Without hesitation, Weber suddenly stood up, turned around, brushed past Gilgamesh, ran to Kenneth's side, grabbed his hand without hesitation, and led him into the deeper night.
"..."
Fionn mac Cumhaill, who witnessed this scene, couldn't help but smile.
Whether it was his Lord or his students, they were all very good people...
Although he couldn't obtain the Holy Grail, he was truly fortunate to have met such an excellent Lord as Kenneth.
Seeing Weber leading Kenneth away, Gilgamesh did not stop them, for this was his reward for the brave.
"So, Lancer, what's next..."
Just as Gilgamesh was preparing to turn his attention to Fionn mac Cumhaill, the last remaining enemy, and getting ready to begin the next battle...
In the next brief moment, his and Fionn mac Cumhaill's expressions suddenly changed, and they looked up at the sky above them. Something was rapidly approaching them.
Gilgamesh and Fionn mac Cumhaill, with their exceptional eyesight, stared intently and saw that more than a dozen missiles, seemingly appearing out of nowhere, were about to reach their area.
In the pitch-black night sky, the missile's exhaust plume resembled a dazzling star, yet it was even more ruthless and merciless than any star.
When Fionn mac Cumhaill and Gilgamesh noticed this, more than a dozen long streaks of fire, like shooting stars, were already close at hand. With their superb vision, the two could see that each of those streaks of fire bore the symbol of a slender intercontinental ballistic missile.
Although neither of them understood military matters or what so many missiles meant, he could vaguely sense that the entire forest would be leveled under such a barrage.
In other words...
"Lord!!"
Fionn mac Cumhaill shouted anxiously, then turned around without hesitation and rushed in the direction where Kenneth and Weber had just left.
"..."
Gilgamesh, however, did not stop them. He stared coldly at the dozen or so missiles hurtling towards him from the sky, his eyes filled with murderous intent.
Obviously, Gilgamesh could guess without even thinking that someone wanted to take advantage of the end of their battle to use missiles to eliminate all the Master present and wipe out all the Setvants in one fell swoop.
While Gilgamesh didn't see anything wrong with using such clever tricks in the Holy Grail War, the fact that they were now plotting against him made him extremely unhappy.
Especially since he had just said he would give Weber a way out as a favor, and then he was killed by a third party in the blink of an eye. What did that make of his dignity, the dignity of the King of Heroes?!
Damn you bastard, you trash hiding in the corner, more vile than a frog's piss, do you really think I have no way to find you?
Gilgamesh looked in the direction Weber had fled, raised his arm as if to help intercept him, but after seeing a red-haired woman who seemed to have been prepared in advance immediately come to meet him, take him into a car, and then speed away, he silently lowered his hand.
"The battle is over. Now... it's time to deal with the rats that ruined my enjoyment..."
He then reached into his treasure vault, retrieved a long spear with a wooden handle, and, without hesitation, hurled it in a certain direction into the night sky.
"Go, Gungnir!!"
--call out!!
A piercing whistling sound rang out.
The next moment, the silver spear in his hand flew into the sky like a shooting star, its destination unknown.
Nighttime, the gymnasium in Fuyuki City.
Emiya Kiritsugu, who had been hiding in the shadows, had already arrived here with his wife, ready to welcome the arrival of the Greater Grail.
Realizing that two more Servant had already left the stage and that his contract with Saber had been broken, he looked at his assistant and the significant influence he had conveyed through his familiar over there, feeling somewhat conflicted.
In this battle, Rider and Berserker have both left the field, and Saber also broke her contract not long ago and will soon be leaving the field due to the loss of her magic power.
Now, all that's needed to achieve the goal is to kill either Lancer or Archer.
Although he knew it was impossible to defeat the two riders head-on, he knew from the information relayed by his familiars that Kirei Kotomine and Kenneth were in the area bombed by missiles.
So he had his assistant press the launch button, sending a big gift to the Masters who had been fighting all night.
Once our missiles land, we can say that we have wiped out the entire enemy force in one fell swoop tonight. This means that we have gathered all the sacrifices needed for the Holy Grail, and victory is just around the corner.
"... Great! We won! We won!"
As he watched the scene unfold as the intercontinental ballistic missile was about to crash into the forest, Emiya Kiritsugu couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.
The outcome was already decided the moment the missile hit its target area.
Under the missile's reach, all living things would die instantly. Even if the opponent were a prodigy in the world of Magecraft, the renowned Lord El-Melloi, trying to use Magecraft to block an intercontinental ballistic missile attack without any prior special preparations would be nothing short of wishful thinking!
In today's era of declining mystery, Magecraft will only grow weaker and weaker until it disappears into the past and becomes a legend. Only technology is the mainstream of history today.
He lost to Kenneth before simply because his technology wasn't advanced enough and his weapons weren't powerful enough, but this time it's different.
While we may not possess the atomic bomb, a weapon of mass destruction in human history, thermobaric weapons and intercontinental ballistic missiles are not something the human body alone can withstand. To think that Magecraft could withstand such a powerful bombing in a panic is as delusional as trying to stop a fire with paper.
He could already foresee the deaths of Kenneth, Kirei Kotomine, and others.
Boom—!!
Finally, the intercontinental ballistic missile landed on that forest battlefield.
With a deafening roar of thunder, the image transmitted by his familiar was cut off, and Emiya Kiritsugu realized that this was because his familiar had died from the bombardment of missiles.
Seeing the screen go black, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief...
It's over...
It's all over now; no one will stop me anymore.
Now he just needs to wait quietly for the result and then fulfill his wish.
Seeing that everything had settled down, Emiya Kiritsugu couldn't help but feel a sense of joy on his face.
"Thank you for your hard work, Maiya."
He looked at his assistant, who had just completed her task and returned to him, and expressed his sincere gratitude for her efforts.
Without Maiya Hisau's support and help, he would never have gotten to where he is today. Therefore, he feels nothing but gratitude towards his assistant, who is like family to him.
She was one of the few remaining people more important than his own life, and seeing her safe and sound Emiya Kiritsugu with immense joy.
"It's alright, Kiritsugu, I..."
Upon hearing Emiya Kiritsugu's gratitude and seeing him so happy, Maiya Hisau smiled as well. For her, Emiya Kiritsugu's smile and happiness surpassed everything else in life.
However, just as she was about to say something, the next moment—
Call out--!!!
Suddenly, a piercing sound of air being torn apart came from above. Then, a dazzling light, as bright as a shooting star, pierced straight through the obstacles and finally struck her heart, freezing the smile on her face in her final moment. She lost her life without even realizing it.
The speed was so fast that no one had time to react.
Only a smiling corpse and Gungnir, radiating silver light, remained in the same spot.
Chapter 81 Lancer's Departure
In the forest on the outskirts of Fuyuki City.
For the people of Fuyuki City, tonight is destined to be an eventful night.
Because without anyone noticing, a Magus Killer sent someone to infiltrate a military base stationed in the Far East, and used Magecraft to take the base hostage, subtly influencing the high-ranking commander and silently controlling him.
Then, in a war dominated by secrecy, in which seven Magus fought each other for the Holy Grail, they used modern high-tech weapons that no one had ever imagined, and did something so audacious that no one in the Holy Grail War had ever dared to even think of, let alone do.
Incredibly, Magus, amidst a clash of Magecraft heroes, openly violated the rules of mystery and concealment, unleashing a devastating missile barrage upon the battlefield of Fuyuki City, directly impacting the entire forest surrounding the Fuyuki City.
That night, the ground throughout Fuyuki City began to shake.
Accompanied by more than a dozen continuous claps of thunder, in the blink of an eye, the once lush forest of Fuyuki City was blasted to the ground in just one night.
The crimson flames that rose continuously, along with the blinding light of the explosion, flickered in the night, like sparks blooming in the darkness. Feeling the slight tremor from the ground, the young man who had been watching the whole thing from not far from the explosion frowned slightly.
"Emiya Kiritsugu, that heartless bastard really dares to do such a thing..."
Looking at the scorched earth before him, which had been leveled by missiles, Rovey, standing high on the edge of the jungle, finally released the protection of the Earth Angel Uriel.
His expression was grim as he looked at the ruins before him, so badly damaged by the bombing.
Especially when he received the blessings of the earth angel Uriel and the earth spirit Gnom, he could now directly feel the silent lament emanating from the earth and forest. Moreover, Rovey could sense the souls of those who perished in the explosion lingering above the jungle.
This tragic scene left him feeling quite uneasy.
'Hero of Justice, what a Hero of Justice...'
"To achieve your goals by any means necessary, even dragging innocent people into it, is this how you practice justice? Emiya Kiritsugu... It seems I've misunderstood you."
'Compared to Tokiomi Tohsaka, Matou Kariya, and Kirei Kotomine, perhaps someone like you is truly hopeless...'
As he silently chanted these words, Rovey's face grew increasingly grim. He then led Scáthach towards a certain direction at the edge of the forest.
For some things, he already had the answer in his heart at that moment.
Buzzing—!!!
At this moment, the air raid sirens of Fuyuki City were also sounded by the dozen or so incoming missiles. Everyone who was still asleep was awakened and looked in horror at the violent explosions that were erupting in the direction of the forest.
It has been almost fifty years since the end of the World War, and the residents of the Far East have been out of the war for too long. Tonight, the sudden bombardment of the area by missiles has undoubtedly ignited the panic in the hearts of every resident.
Some elderly people who had personally experienced that era were so frightened by the scene that their teeth started chattering, and the unpleasant memories of being ravaged by gunfire in the past surged back into their minds.
That night, the police station, fire department, and city government—virtually from Fuyuki City to the Far East —were inundated with phone calls. The mayor of Fuyuki City, an elderly man nearing retirement, nearly fainted from shock after the ordeal. In the end, it was the deputy mayor of Fuyuki City who called the prime minister to inquire about the situation.
Meanwhile, Tokiomi Tohsaka, who was hiding in a corner of Fuyuki City, continuing to look for an opportunity, couldn't help but curse loudly after witnessing this shocking scene.
Those damned bastards, they really blew this out! How could they possibly keep something like this hidden?!
Risei Kotomine, who had just woken up from her coma, fainted again after hearing this shocking news.
In short, whether in the secular world or the mystical world, things have reached a point where they are difficult to contain.
The cover-up can no longer be concealed; any lie seems utterly powerless in the face of this bloody reality.
They can't exactly say that a gas cylinder leaked, shot into the sky, and then landed and exploded one after another, can they?
Not just them, but also on the highway in Fuyuki City at this moment.
A red-haired woman in a trench coat, a cigarette dangling from her lips, pressed her foot hard on the accelerator, pushing the already overpowered SUV to its limits as fast as possible. She wanted to get the two guys she had just rescued from the missile strikes out of Fuyuki City was locked down due to panic.
"Professor Kenneth, were those missiles aimed at us just now?"
In the back seat of the SUV, a disheveled Weber spoke shakily. At this moment, he no longer had the anticipation he had when following the King of Conquerors, nor the composure and determination he had when facing the King of Heroes. His bewildered eyes were filled with lingering fear.
"Isn't that obvious? It's clear... they're after us... ah."
Not only Weber, but Kenneth was also not in a good state at the moment. He had just been rescued from the brink of explosion and the feeling of going through a life-or-death race was not a good one for him.
Although the missile landing was nowhere near as spectacular as Enuma Elish head-on, it was still the closest he had ever come to death. If his reconnaissance familiar hadn't foreseen the danger and if someone hadn't prepared transportation for his rescue, he would be on the verge of death, if not dead. After all, he wasn't arrogant enough to believe that his Moon Spirit Core could withstand that level of explosive damage.
But then again...
Kenneth looked at the red-haired woman driving the SUV, a cigarette dangling from her lips, her eyes filled with confusion.
He certainly couldn't possibly not recognize the red-haired beauty driving in front of him.
After all, the other party was a renowned genius in the Clock Tower and even the entire mystical world, and the age difference between him and his generation was not that great. He had always compared himself to this genius.
So the moment he appeared, Kenneth recognized him.
She was many years ago—
The Clock Tower, the most vicious wanted criminal sealed by the Department of Law, is a genius who revived the original Rune Foundation in the modern era, and at the same time reached the unprecedented level of Grand Magus Aozaki Touko on the path of puppet Magecraft.