[What could you do in five seconds?]
[Share a good-morning kiss with your lover? Or kill someone? Plenty of things within your abilities could be done in five seconds.]
[But when faced with something beyond your understanding, even a single instant could leave you utterly at a loss.]
Saber stood in front of Irisviel, who was looking at him with a wary, questioning gaze, while Waver stood pressed close to Rider, completely panicked...
Wang Xiaoming glanced at Medea beside him. Seeing her innocent expression, he could only give a helpless grin. Clearly, Medea had guessed what he was thinking.
He had only meant to sever the connection between Archer and Tohsaka Tokiomi, but now...
The effect of this hastily made one-use Mystic Code was a little too good, wasn't it?
With their connection to their Masters temporarily severed, the Heroic Spirits could only rely on the magical energy stored in their bodies to act.
Rider felt a sticky sensation clinging to him, which he found deeply unpleasant. He turned toward Medea, who looked perfectly composed, and lowered his normally booming voice.
"Hey, Caster. You did this, didn't you?"
Facing Rider's imposing presence, Wang Xiaoming found it a little hard to breathe, but still managed a strained smile.
"Just a little after-dinner entertainment."
Judging by their expressions, the people present weren't taking what Wang Xiaoming called "entertainment" very well.
"Again and again, you test a king's patience..."
Golden ripples appeared behind Archer, and his cruel, furious voice reached Wang Xiaoming's ears.
"You mongrel, you've got some nerve!"
"Nerve? No, no. Once you hear what I'm planning next..."
Facing the dozens of Noble Phantasms emerging from the golden ripples, Wang Xiaoming showed no fear. As the number he had been counting down in his mind approached zero, however, his mood grew heavier.
"Then you can call me brave."
The next second—
The golden light—and its master—vanished from the bridge in Fuyuki City. While the others were still trying to figure out what had happened, Wang Xiaoming could only look toward Tohsaka Mansion in the distance and think:
[Kariya, I'll leave the rest to you.]
Rumble, rumble—
The muffled booms coming from far away brought everyone back to their senses.
The Heroic Spirits who had seen Archer fight in the warehouse district would never mistake those sounds. They were the noise of Noble Phantasms being fired from the treasury behind him.
Archer seemed to be fighting. But who was his opponent?
Rider and Saber finally began to realize what was going on.
"Caster's Master, I've been caught up in your plan ever since we first met, haven't I?"
Rider looked at Wang Xiaoming and slowly drew the sword at his right hip—Sword of Cyprus—pointing its tip at Wang Xiaoming's neck.
A king could be criticized. A king could be teased. But a king would never allow himself to be used!
The polished sword gleamed coldly in the moonlight, though it was nothing compared to its owner.
"Boy, if you don't have a reasonable explanation, you and Caster can leave the stage right now!"
Rider was so furious that a single glare from him could make a child stop crying.
"An explanation?"
Wang Xiaoming laughed at Rider's words.
"King of Conquerors, you're famous for warfare. You can't possibly have failed to grasp the situation. This is the Holy Grail War, not a battle decided solely by the skill of the Servants. I made plans to win, so what exactly do I need to explain? Besides..."
Apparently curious about what Wang Xiaoming was going to say, Rider kept his sword raised and asked:
"Besides what?"
"Using words to shake Saber's convictions and make her doubt herself—isn't that your tactic too, Rider?"
Wang Xiaoming's words surprised Saber, who had been listening nearby. King of Conquerors slowly returned his sword to his waist and said:
"It's not the same. In my eyes, that little girl's ideal is as heavy as a mountain, yet has no merit. If she can't free herself from this 'curse,' sooner or later she'll become a 'wandering spirit,' and lose the right to be a 'king.'"
"..."
Saber clenched her teeth and fists. She wanted to argue with Rider, but couldn't find the words. The helplessness of it left her deeply troubled.
"But that doesn't give you the right to meddle in Saber's ideals."
Wang Xiaoming disagreed with Rider.
"A king is simply someone who rules over a considerable number of people. Once separated from those people, a king is just one person, standing alone. So... as an individual, what ideals someone holds are nobody else's business. If I win the Holy Grail, even if I want to use it as a drinking cup, that's my business."
"Hmm. That's a rather novel way of looking at it."
Rider murmured, stroking his short beard. Saber listened intently beside him.
"Rider, do you think those words you said earlier were enough to make Saber give up on pursuing the Holy Grail?"
Wang Xiaoming suddenly asked. Rider and Saber both shook their heads without thinking.
"Exactly. Everyone here is a Heroic Spirit, strong-willed and impossible to sway with mere words."
Wang Xiaoming spread his hands. "Whether it's Rider, Saber, our side, or any other participant, only the one who ultimately claims the Holy Grail has the right to speak—and the right to pass judgment on the others."
"So, Saber..."
Wang Xiaoming looked at the golden-haired, blue-eyed girl beside him, gazing into her eyes, which were a different shade of blue from Medea's.
"Other people have already passed judgment on your past. Even if you take the Holy Grail and return to the past to change what happened, a thousand years later, it'll still be other people judging that time. Rather than agonizing over the so-called way of the king, you'd be better off thinking about how to claim the Holy Grail."
"Thank you, Caster's Master."
Saber thanked Wang Xiaoming sincerely. Just as he had said, weakness and doubt wouldn't help her win the Holy Grail. Why should she let others dictate the merits and faults of her reign?
"Looks like I'm the only villain here now."
Seeing what had happened, Rider scratched his head helplessly. His anger had already vanished. He watched Saber's eyes grow clear and calm, just as they had when they first met, shining with confidence, and nodded slightly.
"Saber, although I don't agree with your ideals, I hope we can test each other on the battlefield in the name of the king's way."
"Then you'd better be ready when the time comes. You know King Arthur's sword isn't easy to parry!"
Saber answered Rider's challenge with an air of unassailable dignity!
"King Arthur's sword isn't easy to parry, you know!"
Saber's emphatic reply drew everyone's attention.
"Then I'm looking forward to it!"
Rider drew Sword of Cyprus and swung it through the air. The Divine Bull Chariot appeared amid a thunderous boom. It was nowhere near as imposing as "Ionioi Hetairoi," but it still captured everyone's attention.
"Come on, kid. Get on."
"..."
"Hey, kid?"
"—Huh? Oh, right..."
Ever since seeing Assassin so easily defeated with his own eyes, Waver had been haunted by a strange shadow. It was the first time he had ever seen a Noble Phantasm so far beyond reason, and he was still lost in the shock left by "Ionioi Hetairoi." Although Rider was the Servant he had formed a contract with, he had never seen Rider's true strength before.
After Waver unsteadily climbed onto the chariot, Iskandar gave Wang Xiaoming, who had already gotten to his feet, one last glance and said, "Caster's Master, if we meet again on the battlefield, I'll make sure to defeat you with all my strength!"
"I'm looking forward to it too."
Wang Xiaoming smiled in reply.
"Haha! Hold on tight, kid!"
With a rumble, and a terrified scream from Waver, the chariot flashed with lightning and sped into the sky, gradually disappearing into the eastern horizon.
After Rider left with his Master, Saber rose and came over to Wang Xiaoming and Medea, sincerely thanking them.
"Caster, and Caster's Master, thank you both for speaking up for me tonight."
"Heh—don't get the wrong idea, Saber."
After hearing Saber's thanks, Medea gave a cold laugh.
"I just couldn't stand watching two people covered in filth spout nonsense. You don't actually think you're in the right, do you?"
Medea's words brought the atmosphere between them back to freezing point. Irisviel looked troubled, and even Wang Xiaoming was worried for Medea, ready to step in and smooth things over.
But Saber, the one being addressed, kept her expression unchanged. Instead, she looked at Medea and asked in a deep voice, "Caster, what have I done wrong? Please, enlighten me."
"..."
Wang Xiaoming raised his brows in surprise as he looked at Saber. Although her expression had shifted slightly, she showed no sign of losing her composure.
It seemed that what he had said earlier had helped after all.
Medea, however, didn't care what Wang Xiaoming was thinking. She continued with her question.
"Even if you obtain the Holy Grail, what will you wish for?"
"...I wish to change Britain's fate, to spare it the ravages of war and division. Even if it meant a Britain without me."
After thinking it over, Saber stated her wish.
"So you want Caliburn to choose another king?"
"Saber?"
Hearing Medea's question, Irisviel looked at Saber with worry.
Saber gave Irisviel a reassuring look, then turned to Medea, her gaze firm.
"If there truly is someone wiser who can take my place, then I'm willing to give up the throne."
Yes. If there truly were someone who could lead war-torn Britain into a new life and prevent it from repeating her mistakes, why shouldn't she give up the throne?
"Is that your answer after careful consideration?"
After hearing Saber's reply, a trace of pity appeared at the corner of Medea's mouth.
"Caster, what do you mean? Are you mocking me too?"
Saber's expression darkened. Though she had come to understand that her ideals had nothing to do with others, as a king, she wouldn't let just anyone mock her.
"No. I pity... No, of course I don't mean you."
Seeing that Saber seemed about to speak, Medea continued unhurriedly:
"I only pity the Knights of the Round Table who fought alongside you."
"..."
Ignoring Saber's stunned expression, Medea continued:
"Your idea of choosing a new king means that you're rejecting the path you walked, all your efforts, and every one of the Knights of the Round Table who followed you and fought for Great Britain."
"They fought for Britain alongside you, shedding blood and risking their lives. Now the king they loved and followed wants to deny everything they did, to deny all of Britain—to deny the people who rallied beneath your banner and fought for you and for Britain."
"Saber, how is that any different from betrayal?"
"I... I..."
Saber's heart was bitter. She didn't care what happened to her, but those comrades who had fought alongside her, to whom she could entrust her life—those irreplaceable companions...
How could she ever want to deny them?
Looking at Saber's pale face, Medea felt no pleasure at all. A trace of sadness even flickered in her half-lidded eyes.
It was precisely because she had experienced betrayal that she understood how much it weighed.
As for why Medea brought this up...
Perhaps the Witch had shown a moment of kindness.
Before you continue