Desperate Straits / Die! Diarmuid!

But night had already fallen. Mikaela, like an Assassin, began moving through the darkness. He placed the bombs and other items Emiya Kiritsugu had bought in advance into his cards, intending to give the hotel where Kayneth was staying a little surprise first.

After deliberately developing it over the past few days, Mikaela discovered that his "Quirk" could continue growing. As far as his current card "Quirk" was concerned, he could store some items inside. As long as the objects were relatively small, storing them would not consume much mana.

That was right, it would not consume much mana. The cost of storing something seemed to depend on the size of the "individual."

For objects of ordinary size, such as apples, the mana consumption was not particularly high.

But if he stuffed a road roller into a card, the mana consumed would probably be no less than what using Judas required.

He did not know whether living people could be placed inside, but logically, they probably could not... because Mikaela did not think living people could enter the world inside the cards.

If the cards could continue evolving in the future, perhaps he might be able to store living people inside. But this was not the time to discuss that. Mikaela had already arrived beneath the hotel, and he was considering his options.

Should he bury all the bombs at once, destroy Kayneth's Magic Workshop, and incidentally blow everyone in the hotel to death?

Or should he follow the original story and leave some room for mercy, using a "fire alarm" to lure everyone out? But that would only destroy Kayneth's Magic Workshop, while he himself would lose the initiative.

"Forget it. Even if you survive this disaster, you won't escape the next one. I might as well send you on your way."

After thinking for a moment, Mikaela made his decision. Rather than act like the original story, he would just destroy the entire hotel where Kayneth was staying!!!

When he reached the hotel, Mikaela quietly concealed his presence and prepared to infiltrate the building to start planting bombs.

However... the moment he entered the hotel, Mikaela suddenly sensed that something was wrong.

It was far too quiet. There was not even a receptionist at the front desk. Within Mikaela's range of perception, there were no footsteps, dripping water, or even the sounds of living creatures moving about.

For a hotel, this was simply too abnormal. Mikaela felt a trace of danger. He seemed to understand something, and decisively crushed the card in his hand. Numerous bombs sprang out from it.

Boom—!!!

The explosion rang out. Mikaela immediately shifted into spirit form, which allowed him to ignore most physical damage. Using that, he evaded the blast wave created by the explosion.

The instant the bombs were thrown, Kayneth, in one of the rooms, revealed a mocking smile. What a joke. As the Lord of the El-Melloi Faction, how could he fail to anticipate that his enemy would resort to every possible means to destroy his Magic Workshop?!

After speaking with the King of Conquerors, Kayneth had understood that if things continued this way, not only would his Magic Workshop be destroyed, but ordinary people might also be dragged into it. Though sacrificing those people meant nothing to him—after all, if ordinary lives could bring him value...

Kayneth would not mind using them to bring himself a glorious victory. But now, those ordinary people would only cause him trouble and might even risk exposing Mystery. So Kayneth decisively used the authority at his disposal to buy the entire hotel.

What? They would not sell? Did they think that was their decision to make?!

At the time, Kayneth mobilized his connections and forcibly incorporated the hotel into the Archibald family's assets. Though he had no interest in some shabby countryside hotel, for the sake of victory in the Holy Grail War, Kayneth had to buy it.

Boom—!!!

After the explosion, nothing changed at all. If there was any change, it was probably just a little more dust on the ground.

It seemed that before Mikaela arrived, Kayneth had already perfected the setup of his Magic Workshop. Previously, although Kayneth's Magic Workshop had been powerful, it had been like a castle in the air—impressive to look at, yet extremely fragile.

But now it was different. Kayneth had made the foundation incredibly solid. Unless he personally dismissed the Magic Barrier, Mikaela could only break it through brute force.

"..."

The plan had failed again. To be honest, Mikaela was extremely irritated right now. What was going on?! It felt as though he had schemed for so long, only to reap mostly bitter fruit. If Tohno Shiro and Matou Kariya had not achieved such great success on their side, he would probably be suffocating with frustration by now.

Mikaela canceled his spirit form. Oath of Judas was strapped to his back, ready at any moment to activate Zero Rated Power—Divine Grace Barrier—and trap and kill the invading King of Conquerors and Diarmuid.

However... they had already discovered his presence, yet they had not sent out their Servants to fight him. Were they wary of him?

As Mikaela pondered this, he planted Oath of Judas into the ground. Rather than immediately use Theresa's card, he first fired several golden spears, shattering the Magic Barrier on this floor.

Boom—!!

Unlike the earlier bomb blast, the golden spears clearly inflicted enormous damage on the Magic Barrier. That was obvious from the dimmed "space" around him.

"Still not coming out? You want me to spend the effort climbing up there? How naïve." Mikaela snorted. He seemed to understand Kayneth's intentions. The other side wanted to stall for time to complete something.

But how could Mikaela possibly let him succeed?!

Crack.

Theresa's character card and the weapon card for Heavenly Fire Holy Judgment were crushed at the same time.

Irisviel was frantically Replenishing Magic with Emiya Kiritsugu, so Mikaela currently had more than enough mana. She took a deep breath and said in a low voice, "Heavenly Fire Unsheathed—!!!"

Heavenly Fire Holy Judgment, originally a pair of guns, transformed into a massive sword. The blade was wrapped in towering flames as it fiercely attacked upward.

This attack! It was even more terrifying than the last one.

Desperate Situation

The flames released from the Heavenly Fire Greatsword instantly shattered the surrounding Magic Barrier. Theoretically, the power generated by three mana furnaces was enough to withstand an Anti-Fortress Noble Phantasm, but that was only when protecting "one area."

If the power was spread too thinly, then it would be like Hassan of the Hundred Faces—the more "individuals" she divided into, the weaker they became!

And Heavenly Fire Holy Judgment was the Divine Key ranked first in destructive power. Even though Mikaela could not use most of its strength right now, merely unleashing a small portion was enough to destroy every Magic Barrier Kayneth had set up.

Boom—!!

In an instant! The entire hotel seemed to be swallowed by flames. Under the terrified gazes of ordinary people, the hotel that had stood for who knew how many years was reduced to ruin.

"Damn it! She's a lunatic!!!"

Kayneth cursed furiously. He was currently on the King of Conquerors' ox cart. Diarmuid had already removed the bandages from his body, but his skin was still marked with red scars. It seemed the flames from yesterday had left some lingering effects.

"...As expected, Saber never plays by the rules." Diarmuid gripped his long and short spears, helpless in the face of his Master's furious cursing.

After all, his Master had just been full of confidence, intending to have an evenly matched magical "offense-and-defense battle" with Saber. Yet Saber had such a violent temper that, the moment she realized she had been discovered, she immediately pulled out her second Noble Phantasm and blasted upward.

Although three mana furnaces could withstand the attack of an Anti-Fortress Noble Phantasm, that required the furnaces to operate at full power.

Kayneth had only allowed the mana furnaces to enter their startup phase; he had not actually activated them. He had planned to wait until Saber grew impatient, then fully activate the mana furnaces and show Saber what a true magus was.

Yet before Kayneth could display the strength of his Magic Workshop, Mikaela had directly torn apart every arrangement he had made!!!

"That's why I hate defensive battles." The King of Conquerors looked down at Mikaela and sighed softly. He was not particularly surprised by this outcome, because the defensive side was simply far too passive.

Just like when they dealt with Mikaela last night, Mikaela could only defend passively while they could take the initiative and attack.

But things were different now. Their positions had reversed. The hunters had become prey, while the prey had become hunters.

"Planning to run away just like that? Just as I expected." Flames rose from Mikaela's body. This was the price of using Heavenly Fire Holy Judgment. Although he had not transformed into Theresa, his own body would not die that quickly. He was merely seriously injured.

He had originally thought that, seeing him in a "seriously injured" state, the King of Conquerors and Kayneth would press their advantage. But they were far more cautious than he had expected. The moment their Magic Workshop was destroyed, their first reaction was to flee rather than fight him.

That meant... Diarmuid's injuries were much more severe than he had imagined. Otherwise, they would not have avoided battle.

At the same time... Emiya Kiritsugu seemed to have noticed what was happening here. Through the connection between Master and Servant, he cast healing magecraft from afar and restored some of Mikaela's injuries. But rather than spending time casting healing magecraft on him, Kiritsugu might as well Replenish Magic with Irisviel more.

Compared to mere healing magecraft, mana was what allowed Mikaela to continue fighting. As long as he had enough mana! He could extinguish the flames of Heavenly Fire Holy Judgment on his body himself.

But there was no time to put them out now. Mikaela looked at the departing ox cart and snorted. Without another word, he dismissed Heavenly Fire Holy Judgment and summoned Oath of Judas again.

Countless chains extended from Oath of Judas, spreading through the sky. Mikaela gave a light leap and landed atop the chains.

The golden chains seemed to "awaken" as well, rushing toward the King of Conquerors' ox cart. Mikaela himself did not move. Like a sword-rider flying through the air in a cultivation world, he relied solely on his will to control the chains as they charged at his enemies.

If old Newton had seen this, he would definitely have leaped out of his coffin in fury.

"That's why I hate fighting Saber. Her Noble Phantasms are just far too versatile." The King of Conquerors' mouth twitched. In terms of speed, the other side did not seem able to match him, but anyone with a brain could tell that since she had caught up, she must have a way to slow him down.

The best method... was probably...

Crack!

Theresa's card was crushed once again. Mikaela shrank from a height of 1.6 meters once more. Wearing a nun's outfit, she stared at the King of Conquerors' ox cart with blue eyes, then suddenly clenched her small hand.

Whoosh—!!!

A pale golden spear appeared in Mikaela's hand. Without hesitation, she hurled the golden spear.

"!!!!!"

The King of Conquerors had been watching Mikaela behind them the entire time. The moment he saw the golden spear flying toward him, he immediately changed direction and dodged the attack.

This is troublesome...

That thought surfaced in the minds of all four of them, because they all understood that in the instant they evaded the attack, the ox cart's speed had slowed slightly. It had only been a slight decrease, but everyone knew what consequences it would bring.

"How many more times can you dodge?!" A strange smile curled onto Mikaela's lips. She had meant it as a cold smile, but with Theresa's appearance, it turned into a "smile completely lacking any sense of proportion."

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—!!!

Mikaela was not the only one forming golden spears with her hands. Oath of Judas also fired thirteen golden spears toward the King of Conquerors. Her goal was clear: to slow down his ox cart.

In a contest of speed, the golden chains beneath Mikaela's feet could not extend as quickly as the King of Conquerors' ox cart could run. But she had harassment tactics that could very easily slow the ox cart down bit by bit.

Little by little, it added up. The faster the attacks came, the more the King of Conquerors had to focus on steering the ox cart to evade Mikaela's attacks.

That way, the King of Conquerors' intention of stalling for time was shattered. In Mikaela's eyes, Diarmuid's burn-like wounds were clearly visible. The other man really had suffered serious injuries. Even now, he had not recovered.

Sigh! If he had known Diarmuid was injured so severely, he should have gone over and killed him last night. Why wait until tonight?!

Although he felt some regret, Mikaela still focused all his attention on attacking the Chariot of Godly Might. He knew that tonight, he would definitely gain something!

"...I can't keep this up."

After the King of Conquerors maneuvered the ox cart to evade several more of Mikaela's attacks, its speed slowed once again. Diarmuid took a deep breath. He could feel the faint pain spreading through every muscle in his body. His injuries had not fully healed, but if this continued, both his Master and he himself would certainly die.

Someone had to stay behind and stop Saber.

PS: "I was too exhausted after visiting the convention yesterday and fell asleep right away. I'm really sorry. I'll make up for it with four updates today ()"

Die! Diarmuid!

Someone had to stay behind. Though none of the four said a word, that thought surfaced in all their hearts.

There was no such thing as strength in numbers, because even if they all charged forward together, they would only make Saber unleash that terrifying barrier and die miserably at her hands.

Someone had to stay behind and die!

That was right, not cover the retreat, but truly die.

"Master."

Diarmuid stopped looking at Saber. He dropped to one knee before Kayneth, lowered his head, and said solemnly, "I fear I will not be able to help you obtain the Holy Grail."

"..." Kayneth fell silent. Somewhat angrily, he said, "You are nothing but a mere familiar, a familiar that survives on my mana. I am your Master. Do not make decisions on your own and do something so foolish."

"..." Diarmuid raised his head and looked at Kayneth with unwavering eyes. He knew his Master was a true genius. His knowledge, his background, and his unique charisma had all deeply captivated Diarmuid, who had only recently manifested in this world.

In Kayneth, he saw the appearance of his true Master—Fionn mac Cumhaill—in his younger days.

The two shared many similarities in their youth, and that made Diarmuid respect Kayneth even more. From the depths of his heart, he believed Kayneth was his true Master, the Master he needed to protect even at the cost of his life.

"Please allow me to do the final thing I can do for you in my life."

Diarmuid tightened his grip on his spears and said with utmost seriousness, "Master, with your talent, even without any Servants, you can still win this Holy Grail War. Therefore... I must hold Saber back and let you leave this place."

"You, you stop talking as though you've already decided everything!" Kayneth seemed to have reached his breaking point. He shouted at Diarmuid, "Even if you stall for time, what good will it do? Other than that Archer, no one can defeat Saber."

That was right. After studying the matter for so long, Kayneth had suddenly realized that only that Archer—the King of Heroes, Gilgamesh!—could pose a great threat to Mikaela.

Because most of the power Mikaela had displayed so far was suited for close combat. Whether it was that flaming greatsword or the strange barrier capable of isolating all Mystery, both required getting close to the opponent in order to unleash their overwhelming power.

The close-combat fighters Diarmuid and the King of Conquerors had been completely countered by Mikaela. Neither had any way to fight back.

"Master, I believe in your talent. I believe that you can create miracles. What you need now is only a little time. I... no! I, Diarmuid, am willing to create an opportunity for you, an opportunity to give you enough time to think of how to deal with Saber."

As soon as he finished speaking, Diarmuid leaped from the ox cart. Kayneth closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh. He raised his Command Seal. Only two Command Seals remained on it.

"By my Command Seal, Diarmuid, I permit you to fight to the death."

"By my Command Seal, Diarmuid, you must defeat Saber!"

After the two Command Seals vanished, Kayneth activated healing magecraft, seemingly intending to restore some of Diarmuid's injuries at this moment.

But unfortunately, against the wounds inflicted by Heavenly Fire Holy Judgment, even high-quality healing magecraft could only restore a tiny fraction of the damage.

Still, Kayneth's meaning was clear. I have given you everything I can give. If you still cannot win, then Diarmuid simply had the misfortune of encountering an invincible opponent.

"Sigh." The King of Conquerors let out a long sigh. He had originally intended to stall until Diarmuid recovered, but Saber's relentless pursuit had instead forced Diarmuid to take the initiative and use his own life to delay Saber's advance.

"..."

Waver watched his teacher's back. Though he said nothing, he felt that his teacher... did not seem as cruel and cutting as he had imagined.

"Ah, Master, my wish was fulfilled long ago." Diarmuid felt the abundant mana flowing through his body. For a moment, he could no longer feel the burning pain from his injuries.

His heart was filled with pride. To encounter such a Master, to serve such a Master—this was the very wish for which he had appeared in this world.

Clang—!!

As he leaped down from the ox cart, Diarmuid swung his twin spears and attacked Mikaela.