Just then...
Suddenly, a message appeared in Mukuro Hoshimiya's mind.
Contract transfer.
From Master Corles.
" Mukuro, please reply upon receipt. Darnic has new instructions."
"Received it. What's up?"
"Ruler is about to arrive in Trifas. Darnic wants you and Saber to go with her to meet her. Gordes will drive there, and you will be responsible for aerial escort."
"Now?"
"Yes, right now. Gordes is already waiting at the gate of the fortress. Saber is following the car in her Spirit Form. You can just fly over and meet up with her."
Mukuro Hoshimiya straightened up from the wall.
I'm leaving.
"Huh? They're leaving already?" Astolfo blinked.
"I have a mission."
She walked towards the door, but halfway there she turned back and glanced at the unconscious android on the bed.
"Let him sleep well. Don't let him run around when he wakes up."
"Don't worry!" Astolfo patted his chest.
Mukuro Hoshimiya pushed open the door and went out.
The corridor had darkened, and the light from the wall lamps cast flickering shadows on the stone walls.
She walked to the end of the corridor and pushed open a small window.
The night wind blew in, carrying the cool, crisp scent of vegetation unique to the mountainous regions of Romania.
Mukuro Hoshimiya flew into the sky as if defying gravity.
Gordes's car was an old white sedan, bumping along the dirt road outside the city.
The car headlights drew two hazy beams of light in the darkness.
An android driver sat in the driver's seat, expressionless, his hands firmly gripping the steering wheel.
Siegfried, in his Spirit Form form, followed on the left side of the vehicle, invisible, but occasionally one could sense faint magical fluctuations in the air.
Mukuro Hoshimiya was flying about thirty meters above the vehicle.
The night breeze swept over her head, and her long golden hair left a long, shimmering trail behind her.
Gordes rolled down the car window, looked up, and shouted something.
"Archer! Can you hear me?"
"Able."
"The destination is about three kilometers ahead. According to the intelligence we just received, Ruler should have already arrived in that area."
"Knew."
Mukuro Hoshimiya increased her speed and flew to a position about two hundred meters in front of the vehicle.
She looked down at the ground.
Dark woods, rolling hills, and the occasional flash of firefly light.
No abnormalities were found.
It flew for about another minute.
She saw it.
About 500 meters ahead, there is a relatively open grassland.
Two figures.
A figure dressed in white knight's armor and a blue cloak, holding a flag, was staggering backward.
Another figure slowly descended from mid-air.
He was covered in Gilgamesh golden armor and had short, silver-white hair.
He held a golden spear in his hand.
A faint golden glow surrounded him, as if he were wearing the sun on his body.
Karna.
Lancer (Red Faction )
And the white-armored girl who was forced to retreat step by step:
Ruler, Jeanne d'Arc.
Or, to put it more accurately, it was a one-sided attack.
Karna thrusts out his spear every few seconds, each strike accompanied by a scorching golden-red arc of light.
Jeanne d'Arc raised her flag to parry, but each time she blocked, she was forced back several steps.
Several charred burn marks had already appeared on the armor.
"That's Ruler..."
Mukuro Hoshimiya narrowed his eyes.
She landed on the ground, next to Gordes's vehicle.
Gordes had already pushed open the car door and climbed out; his round body looked like a startled hippopotamus in the night.
"Ruler is under attack!"
His voice was filled with panic.
Then he looked at Mukuro Hoshimiya, a calculating glint in his eyes.
"Archer! You said yesterday that you could help strengthen other Servant, right?"
Mukuro Hoshimiya did not answer.
"Please, help me strengthen Saber right now! We need to get to Ruler quickly! This is a huge favor!"
Gordes's face flushed red, but in his eyes, Mukuro Hoshimiya read a subtle intention.
Saving Ruler is indeed important.
But the phrase "a great favor" seems more like Gordes was making a note of his future achievements in advance.
Mukuro Hoshimiya doesn't like Gordes very much.
The reasons for disliking it are complex.
It's probably because he's too noisy.
In short, I just don't like it.
She turned to look in Siegfried's direction.
Siegfried, now freed from his Spirit Form, awaits instructions.
She knew who this Servant was.
Although her specific memories of the Great Holy Grail War were hazy, she still remembered the name "Saber the Dragon Slayer".
The man in the game who constantly bows his head and says "I'm sorry".
I'm sorry about the nickname.
For his sake.
"Prepare."
Mukuro Hoshimiya raised the Michael.
A silvery-white light shone from the tip of the staff.
"Put."
A silvery-white light shot out from the staff and entered Siegfried's body.
The changes were immediate.
A faint silver halo appeared around Siegfried.
The patterns on the armor's surface seemed to have been reignited, gleaming with an even sharper luster.
His body trembled slightly, and then:
Power surged forth.
His physical strength, originally B+, has broken through to A+.
The durability, originally A, has been increased to A++.
The agility rating, originally B, has jumped to A+.
The magic power jumped directly from C to A.
Siegfried looked down at his hands.
He slowly tightened his grip on the hilt of the Phantasmal Greatsword.
The blade flashed a cold, sharp light in the moonlight.
"Thank you."
He nodded slightly to Mukuro Hoshimiya.
Then turn to the battlefield.
"Saber! Charge!"
"Gordes shouted."
Siegfried didn't waste any words.
His figure was like a gray-silver lightning bolt, accelerating from a standstill to full speed in an instant, rushing towards Karna.
Karna, standing on the grass, noticed the newly appeared enemy.
He slowly withdrew the spear that had been thrust at Jeanne d'Arc of Arc, his dark golden eyes turning towards Siegfried, who was charging towards him.
"Saber of the Black Faction."
His voice was as calm as a greeting.
Siegfried did not answer.
Balmung has already swung the ball.
The clash of sword and spear exploded into a spark in the night sky.
The shockwave spread outwards from the two of them, and the grass was neatly leveled in the aftershocks of the magic.
Karna took a half step back.
A flicker of surprise crossed his green eyes.
Siegfried did not press his advantage.
He retreated to his initial distance, gripped his sword with both hands, and assumed a standard stance.
"You are Lancer on the Red Faction."
"Yes."
"You were attacking Ruler just now."
"Yes."
"Why."
Karna was silent for a second.
"This is my Master's order."
Simple, direct, and without any unnecessary explanation.
Siegfried nodded.
"Understood."
Then he raised his sword again.
"Then, fight me."
Karna looked at the silver-haired knight in front of him.
His intuition told him that the Servant before Servant had just undergone some kind of enhancement, and his attributes had surpassed his original state.
But that's not important.
A battle is a battle.
He held his spear horizontally in front of him.
Golden magic emanated from the tip of the gun, enveloping the entire gun like flames.
"Please."
The two figures vanished from the spot simultaneously.
Siegfried's greatsword slashed down from above, Karna's spear tip precisely blocked the side of the blade, deflecting the force aside.
But Siegfried's wrist strength was stronger than Karna had anticipated, and the force dissipation was not fully effective, causing his upper body to sway.
Karna swung his spear backhand, the tip grazing Siegfried's breastplate with a piercing metallic scraping sound.
The Armor of Fafnir activates automatically, rendering attacks below Rank B completely ineffective.
But Karna's attack was clearly more than B-rank.
A faint white scratch appeared on the surface of the armor.
The two people put some distance between them.
Siegfried's breathing quickened slightly.
Karna's spear gleamed with an even more intense golden light.
Jeanne d'Arc stood at a distance, her banner propped up on the ground, her blue eyes darting back and forth between her two Servant.
She did not intervene in the battle.
As Ruler, she has a duty to stop unjust killings, but she has no right to favor either side in a proper battle.
Mukuro Hoshimiya stood on a hillside a few hundred meters away, leaning on his staff, watching the battle in the distance.
Her golden curls fluttered in the night breeze.
Karna's attributes are Strength B, Endurance C, Agility A, and Magic B.
After being enhanced, Siegfried's Strength is A+, Endurance is A++, Agility is A+, and Magic is A.
On paper, Siegfried has a clear advantage.
However, Karna possesses A-level Divinity.
The boost from his Divinity made his actual combat ability far exceed his displayed stats.
In addition, there's Karna's golden armor—an overpowered defense that reduces damage taken by nine-tenths.
We can't win.
You can't win by fighting head-on like this.
Furthermore, Karna has not yet unleashed his Noble Phantasm.