Either he was a Servant of vast knowledge, possessed the ability to see through others' true names, or... he was someone from the same era as himself.
Irisviel took a few steps back in disgust. She was clearly sickened by Diarmuid's "charm ability." She had a husband! How could she possibly like some other guy?
"This really is..." Diarmuid seemed somewhat helpless. Looking at Mikaela and Irisviel's expressions, he said with a sigh, "I never expected this 'curse' to reveal my true name. What a disaster. Before the battle has even begun, I have already failed my lord's trust."
"A lord, huh? Diarmuid, both my Master and I have appeared. Will your lord not come out and meet us?" Mikaela looked around. Since the other side had arrived here first, Kayneth, the lord from the Clock Tower, had likely arrived as well.
"Unfortunately, my lord has no intention of appearing." Diarmuid brandished his twin spears. Even though his true name had been exposed, his expression did not change at all, as though it would not affect the coming battle.
"Then..."
Mikaela narrowed his eyes. He had bought enough time. Emiya Kiritsugu should be arriving soon.
Whoosh—!!
Diarmuid moved. He had spent all day searching the city for an opponent. Now that he had finally encountered a Servant who did not avoid battle and had even seen through his identity, he could no longer suppress his desire to fight.
So fast.
Mikaela watched Diarmuid charge at him, his pupils shrinking slightly. This was his first direct battle against a Servant. Even the other's probing attack brought him considerable pressure.
Crack!
Mikaela decisively crushed the card bearing a golden cross. Diarmuid noticed the small movement, but he did not stop. Instead, he continued his charge.
Clang—!!
The crimson spear wrapped in sealing talismans struck the golden cross that had appeared out of thin air on the battlefield.
"This is?!" Diarmuid frowned slightly. He had initially thought his opponent was Saber! But this sudden method of summoning a weapon reminded him of
Caster!
"Judas! Deploy."
Facing a Servant, Mikaela did not waste words. He directly drove Oath of Judas into the ground. The golden cross unfolded, and several golden chains shot toward Diarmuid, seemingly intending to restrain his movements.
"A cross?" Hidden in the shadows, Kayneth watched Mikaela battle Diarmuid below, a trace of puzzlement flashing through his eyes.
Clang!! Clang!! Clang!!
Faced with the incoming golden chains, Diarmuid did not panic. With his incredibly agile movements, he evaded the chains. Whenever he could not dodge, he swung his twin spears and effortlessly knocked away the golden chains trying to bind him.
...Mikaela frowned slightly. As expected, Servants were not easy to deal with.
Spears and Chains
In the previous world, My Hero Academia, Oath of Judas had always been a powerful weapon in Mikaela's hands. Whoever encountered it for the first time would find it extremely troublesome!
Even All Might had marveled at the weapon's strength when he first saw it. If he were bound by it, he did not know whether he could break free.
But against a Servant, Oath of Judas, which had always been unstoppable against enemies, was now struggling somewhat. It was not that Oath of Judas had grown weaker, but that its opponent possessed exceptionally rich combat experience.
"You lied. You are not a knight." After resisting the golden chains for a while, Diarmuid seemed to have figured out his opponent's patterns. His expression turned rather unpleasant, as though he had been played.
He had truly never heard of a knight using a cross to attack! Moreover, the traits of this golden cross were far too obvious. Whether it was the ancient patterns engraved upon it or the automatically tracking golden chains, both proved that it was no weak Noble Phantasm.
Yet Diarmuid could not recall any knight from history who had used a cross to attack others!
...Elsewhere, Kayneth had also fallen into thought. Even he, hailed as a prodigy, could not see through the origins of this "Noble Phantasm." However, his attention was fixed entirely on those "ancient patterns," because no matter how he looked at them, they resembled a family crest.
Could it be... a fallen family?
Kayneth carefully examined Oath of Judas. For a moment, he began considering whether this person who had called out Diarmuid's true name might be a member of some family that had declined in a certain era.
But after watching for a while, Kayneth merely memorized the design and did not pursue the matter further. There were simply too many fallen families throughout history. Even a genius like him could not possibly remember them all.
For now, he should observe his opponent carefully and see whether more openings would be revealed.
"Do you really think so?" Mikaela's gaze seemed to rest on Diarmuid, but he was actually watching the surroundings, searching for a suitable place where someone could be hiding.
"Knights do not use the thing in your hands, Caster!" Having seemingly concluded that his opponent was neither Saber nor Berserker, Diarmuid gripped his twin spears tightly. He split another golden chain apart, then said sternly, "If you truly are a knight, then show me your real skill."
"This is a war to offer victory to one's lord, Sir Diarmuid." Mikaela revealed a gentle smile, as though Diarmuid's words had amused him. "I cannot reveal my true strength. If I expose my true name, I may very well be forced out of this war."
The moment he finished speaking, Mikaela's eyes sharpened. He extended both hands to control the golden chains. If he relied solely on Judas's "automatic attacks," he could never catch Diarmuid! He had to control the golden chains manually.
Because when he controlled them with his hands... the golden chains' speed increased by roughly twofold!
Clatter, clatter, clatter—!!!
The sound of interweaving chains rang out. The golden chains suddenly accelerated and shot toward Diarmuid from every direction!
Not good!
Diarmuid's expression changed. He hurriedly retreated, but one of his legs was still caught by a golden chain.
He had already adapted to the golden chains' speed, but his opponent had suddenly accelerated them, catching him off guard and allowing the golden chain to bind his left leg.
"What an opportunity!!" Irisviel cried out in delight when she saw this. She clearly believed that Diarmuid, now bound, had lost his advantage.
"Now!"
Mikaela's eyes lit up as well. He immediately controlled the golden chains, intending to bind Diarmuid completely.
"Hmph~"
However, Diarmuid, who had been bound, merely showed a faintly disdainful smile. Looking at Mikaela, he threw one of the short spears in his hand.
Clang—!!!
Watching the short spear with its yellow spearhead fly toward him, Mikaela frowned slightly. He could only extend another hand to control the golden chains and block the spear.
In the instant Mikaela's attention shifted, Diarmuid gripped the remaining long spear with both hands and directly shattered the golden chain binding his left leg. Then, ignoring the golden chains around him, he stomped the ground and shot toward Mikaela like a bullet leaving the barrel.
With the long spear in hand, Diarmuid's momentum was ferocious. He swung the crimson spear and knocked aside every golden chain that approached, preventing them from binding him again.
Clang, clang, clang, clang.
Spear and chain collided continuously as Diarmuid drew closer and closer to Mikaela.
As expected, I cannot underestimate a Servant. Watching Diarmuid close in, Mikaela's heart sank slightly. Before he had even found Kayneth's position, the other had already reached him.
"Still not going to show your true skill?"
Diarmuid offered the "kind" reminder. Tonight was his first battle. He did not want to defeat a Servant who was deliberately "holding back." That was not a victory he wished to offer his lord.
...Mikaela narrowed his eyes and calmly looked at Diarmuid. "Honestly, to force me this far... I should say, as expected of you, Sir Diarmuid."
The moment Mikaela finished speaking, thirteen spears of light shot out from Judas and charged toward Diarmuid.
"Spears?!"
Diarmuid did not let down his guard. He could clearly sense that the spears of light differed from the chains surrounding him. These were his opponent's true means of attack.
"That is right." Mikaela looked at Diarmuid and said calmly, "Judas is a Divine Key capable of both offense and defense. Those chains are merely a means of binding the enemy. Its true method of attack is this!"
Boom—!!!
The instant Diarmuid's long spear collided with one of the spears of light, the spear of light exploded violently.
Though it did not cause Diarmuid much injury, it did leave him covered in dust and soot, making his expression turn rather ugly.
"If I were struck by these attacks, then even I could very well be seriously injured." Diarmuid watched the spears of light rush toward him one after another. Rather than meeting them head-on, he chose a tactical retreat.
"...First chains, then spears?"
Elsewhere, Kayneth looked at Oath of Judas, a flash of insight passing through his eyes. He felt that this Caster's strength was likely not limited to this.
Releasing a Noble Phantasm
Inside the abandoned factory, Mikaela and Diarmuid were engaged in fierce battle. The two appeared evenly matched, but anyone with sharp eyes could see... the one at a disadvantage was the "young girl" in the maid outfit.
"Quite impressive. Both of them are excellent warriors."
Not far away, a burly man seated atop a tall building watched Mikaela and Diarmuid fighting below with a calm expression. Stroking his chin, he said, "What exactly was that maid-clad girl doing when she went to that church earlier?"
"Maybe she was just going over to say hello." Beside the burly man stood a delicate-looking boy. Rather than watching the battlefield, he occasionally glanced at the man beside him, his face filled with dissatisfaction. "And that was the Holy Church. They are the supervisors of the Holy Grail War, and their church is neutral territory. I have told you all of this countless times already. Why can you never remember it?!"
"Boy, you say it is neutral territory, so why did those two head straight for the Holy Church when they arrived today?" The burly man looked toward the abandoned factory and spoke calmly. "Could they really have gone there merely to say hello?"
"She is probably from some great family. Of course she would go offer greetings..." the boy said indifferently. But then he suddenly seemed to realize something. He abruptly stood up and looked toward the abandoned factory in surprise. "Rider?! Are you saying... she did not go there to greet them, but because she discovered something?! So she intended to negotiate or make contact?!"
"Oh? Not bad, boy." The burly man called Rider showed a hearty smile. He nodded, looking calmly at the battle in the factory. "But that is secondary information. More importantly, do you think that maid-clad one is Saber or Berserker?"
"Huh? Do you not think she is Caster?" The boy standing beside him looked surprised, unable to understand why Rider thought the other could not be Caster.
According to their intelligence, the only Servants who had yet to reveal themselves were Saber, Caster, and Berserker.
"That one does not seem like someone who practices magecraft. She carries the scent of a warrior." Rider crossed his arms and declared with certainty, "This King cannot be wrong. So he is either Saber or Berserker."
"The scent of a warrior???" The boy's mouth twitched. He did not know what to say. Was this gorilla-like fellow really the legendary King of Conquerors?
"Oh?! Things are starting to change."
Bang—!!
After destroying the final spear of light, Diarmuid looked at Mikaela and said calmly, "Caster, is this your limit?"
"Huff..." Mikaela took a deep breath. His face was somewhat pale, and his body had become slightly translucent. This was a symptom of insufficient mana.
"Aila-chan..." Irisviel did not call Mikaela "Saber," because even she knew that Mikaela wanted to conceal his class and did not want others to know.
"Master, it is fine. I have indeed received your mana."
Within a brief breath, Mikaela's body returned to normal, as though he had received a large replenishment of mana from Irisviel.
In truth, Judas had not caused Mikaela much expenditure, because he was fighting with Emiya Kiritsugu's "mana." No matter how recklessly he fought, as long as Emiya Kiritsugu supplied enough mana—
Then let alone one Oath of Judas, even ten Oaths of Judas would not be a problem.
This gesture was merely intended to deceive the people hidden in the shadows, making them believe that his Master's mana was somewhat insufficient.
"Let us end this game here, Lancer. Do not drag out the battle any longer. She may be quite strong, but she is no match for you, correct?" Kayneth's voice came from all directions. He had watched the entire battle from start to finish and naturally knew that Lancer had been suppressing the other from the beginning. He had merely been in the mood to play, which was why the battle had not ended.
"No, my lord. The Caster before me is a formidable opponent. If I do not release my Noble Phantasm, then relying solely on martial skill, I fear even I will find it difficult to defeat her."
Diarmuid stared directly at Mikaela. He could sense that she was clearly hiding something. As a warrior who had survived countless life-and-death battles—
He could clearly feel that this seemingly fragile Caster possessed a trump card capable of threatening his life. That was why he had pressed her step by step, hoping to see the hidden trump card Mikaela possessed.
"Oh? Is that so?" A hint of dissatisfaction seemed to enter Kayneth's voice, as though he was displeased by his Servant showing weakness.
"Then I permit you to reveal your Noble Phantasm. Do not disgrace me, Lancer."
The instant Kayneth gave the order, Diarmuid revealed a confident smile and promised, "Understood, my lord. I shall deliver this victory to you!"
Mikaela frowned, his gaze sweeping the surroundings as he hoped to spot Emiya Kiritsugu. If this continued, then he would have to reveal more of his abilities.
If the other released his Noble Phantasm, then with Oath of Judas in its current state alone, Mikaela likely could not do anything to him. Unless he used Holy Binding and Zero Rated Power to kill the other in one blow.
But if he did that, not only would he expose his ability to solo a Servant, he would also attract the attention of a certain golden-haired man.
That golden fellow was not someone to provoke. He was among the strongest existences in this Holy Grail War. If he got serious, then unless Mikaela's mana supplier was the Greater Holy Grail, he could only sit there and wait for death.
"Then, prepare for the second round... no! I should say, the final round of battle, Caster!" The seals on Diarmuid's demonic spear were released. He spun the spear in his hand and revealed an aggressive smile, ready to kill his opponent.
A Smile~
"Things seem rather unfavorable."
Emiya Kiritsugu and Maiya Hisau were likewise hidden at a position overlooking the entire battlefield.
The two had set up their firearms and were already aiming at Diarmuid's Master, Kirei Kotomine.
"If we fire now, you will be unable to retreat." Maiya Hisau analyzed calmly. "Judging from the battle just now, this Lancer possesses an extremely strong sense of honor. Before leaving, he will use every possible means to kill you."
"A knight?" Emiya Kiritsugu smiled indifferently. He had no sense of attachment to such things.
But Emiya Kiritsugu had indeed witnessed Diarmuid's strength. He silently calculated whether, if he truly shot and killed Kirei Kotomine, he would have any chance of escaping.
Emiya Kiritsugu narrowed his eyes. No matter how he calculated it, there were simply too many unfavorable factors here.
This was an abandoned factory with few passersby. The surrounding areas consisted of vast open ground or dense forest. Running across open ground, Emiya Kiritsugu did not believe he could outrun a Servant.
As for hiding in the forest... aside from delaying the time of his death somewhat, it would not allow him to completely escape Lancer's pursuit.
Before you continue