But Berserker closed much of the distance with a single charge. Were they really going to die here this time?
No!
Absolutely not!
Hadn't he come here to save Miyu, obtain the Holy Grail, and make his wish come true?
He had to send Miyu and Sakura to another world, find more people, and save this world. How could he fall here like this?
"Don't worry. Stop pushing yourself." Spinning his spear a few times, Lancer faced Berserker as he spoke to Shirou and Sakura behind him. "I'll hold Berserker back. You two hurry and find somewhere to rest and recover your mana!"
Shirou froze when he heard Lancer's words.
The Hound of Ulster really was great. If he could summon a Heroic Spirit as a familiar, Cú Chulainn might be a good choice.
"Doggy..." Shirou said, unable to keep the emotion from his voice.
"Hey, who are you calling Doggy?!" Holding back his temper, Lancer covered his face. "At a time like this, you're still fooling around. I'll settle this score with you properly later! Get yourself rested up. Don't get knocked flat by just a few thrusts when the two of us duel."
"We still haven't settled Doggy's food expenses. Inflation has been pretty serious lately."
"Ahem, then let's cancel them out, all right?" Lancer gave him a sidelong glance.
"And the lodging fees."
"Shut up! Shirou Emiya, how about we discuss this and make it free?"
"Fine. After all, Doggy is a good guy."
Lancer assumed a fighting stance. "Forget it, it's fine. Call me whatever you want. Come on, Berserker. Let's have a good fight!"
The Axe Sword collided with the Spear of Thorns with a crisp clang, but the Spear of Thorns was knocked aside, exposing Lancer's first opening.
Berserker viciously hacked at Lancer with his Axe Sword, leaving him no room whatsoever to escape.
Yet Lancer's spear inexplicably appeared along the Axe Sword's path, barely blocking Berserker's strike.
Seeing Lancer reset his stance and return to his original fighting posture, Shirou finally relaxed.
No wonder he was the man who had held Berserker off for two hours before being made into a Noble Phantasm.
Taking this chance, he would quietly carry Sakura away and find somewhere to rest. If he had an hour to recover his mana and gather enough to project a B-rank Noble Phantasm and unleash Imaginary Numbers, this battle could end!
After running for nearly a kilometer, they finally reached the other side of the bridge.
He remembered this place being covered in lush green grass, but now it was all buried beneath white snow. What a pitiful, tragic world.
After setting Sakura down, Shirou was finally too exhausted to get back up.
"You've really worked hard, Senpai." Sakura forced a smile. "If it weren't for you, I probably would have been finished a long time ago, wouldn't I?"
"Don't say such stupid things." Shirou sounded faintly reproachful. "It's only natural for me to stand in front of you and block Berserker's attacks."
"That's not what I meant. I meant other things." Sakura smiled and shook her head.
Shirou frowned, displeased. "If you had abandoned me and left back then, couldn't you have escaped Fuyuki too? If that had happened, I wouldn't even have been qualified to participate in the Holy Grail War. And there would have been no chance of saving Miyu."
"That isn't what I mean. That was when I was at my most desperate. Four years ago, when my brother and grandfather had just died, that was when I had completely lost heart. Senpai, do you remember what happened on the playground?"
Before you continue