But who could take down Li Zihan at a time like this? Ordinary magi definitely could not. Whether they attacked together or one at a time, the result would be the same—feeding themselves to him. The only difference would be how they died.
That meant the choice could only fall on the Servants. Archer and Berserker were out of the question; Caster and Assassin were already dead; Rider needed to buy time. That left only Lancer and Saber.
Sabers Master was a bloodless, heartless war dog who had no concept of keeping his word. If the sniping succeeded, he would very likely have Saber unleash his Noble Phantasm and finish off the greatly weakened Rider.
Pass.
That left Kaineth and Lancer as their only possible allies.
Although he hated Kaineth's utterly arrogant attitude and noble airs, Waver unquestionably regarded Kaineth as someone worthy of respect and trust. Otherwise, he would never have handed him the thesis he had poured his heart into.
Waver's eyes began to shine. Yes, if they joined forces with Professor Kaineth, they might be able to defeat Li Zihan and Berserker. Besides, their wishes did not conflict with Lancer's side.
Rider merely needed to make contact with the Holy Grail itself. Waver had no wish of his own, and their side had no need for the Holy Grail whatsoever. If they proposed an alliance on those terms, even arrogant Kaineth could not simply ignore it.
Then they could gather Lancer and Rider's strength to challenge Archer. In that case, even that ancient king would be a foe they could fight.
"Rider, let's go form an alliance with Lancer and the others!" Waver felt his heart roaring like an engine, his hot blood burning. Perhaps this was what Rider had been doing all along—overcoming crises, surmounting hardships,