A Warrior's Farewell

At the critical moment, a hand blocked the incomparably sharp shot. Bai Mo grabbed the tip of the gun with one hand, and then, like casting a fishing rod, threw Diarmuid away, creating a crater.

"Artoria, protect the people behind you. This guy's energy is about to spiral out of control. Even if you win, it won't be any better." Bai Mo's voice remained calm and reassuring. Fran reappeared from the Black Mud at some point and said, "Are you the kind of person who sits in the audience and boos at any performance you don't like? Can't you just sit on the sidelines and watch? Sigh, I was so close to collecting Artoria- chan's head."

Artoria angrily retorted, "You wicked fiend, who are you? I don't remember anyone like you!" Seeing Artoria's anger, Fran was even more pleased. "Want to know? Well then, I'll tell you... just kidding! Maintaining mystery is maintaining a girl's charm, you know. If Artoria- chan really wants to know... after I get rid of that barren body of yours, I'll slowly tell you. Ah, don't worry, even if you only have a brain, I can make it function properly."

Unable to tolerate this guy's nonsense any longer, Artoria's holy sword shone brightly, and a beam of light swung out, striking the Black Mud. But a strange scene unfolded: the enormous energy unleashed by the holy sword seemed to be sucked into the Black Mud like smoke from a range hood, disappearing without a trace.

How could this be? Artoria was deeply shocked. Even Kiritsugu Emiya, who knew about Artoria's Noble Phantasm, was astonished. He knew very well what the holy sword in Saber's hand was—something that could even devour the power of the Sword in the Lake. What on earth was it?

"Sigh, how irritating. Although I really want to wipe you all out in one fell swoop, forget it, that's too boring. I've prepared a grand show for you, so please be sure to attend! It's tomorrow at noon at Ryuudou Temple. Don't be late, everyone. As for that one over there, consider it a little gift for you." Fran's voice surged into the ground along with the Black Mud.

Only Lancer was left, thrown to one side.

Kiritsugu asked Kayneth, "This guy has completely lost control. Where are the Command Spell? Make him commit suicide." Just moments ago, they were locked in a life-or-death struggle, but now they were on the same side. Kayneth angrily raised his left hand; the Command Spell on it had completely vanished. "If I still had a single Command Spell left, I would have Lancer chop off your head, you damned rat."

After confirming Kayneth's departure, Kiritsugu Emiya felt a sense of relief and said, "In that case, let's leave it to him. Saber, let's go." Artoria shook her head and said, "Master, no, Kiritsugu, we have something to say about the Holy Grail." Kiritsugu looked at the serious Artoria, nodded, and prepared to head to a safe place, away from this dangerous battlefield.

Diarmuid stood up, letting out a beastly growl. Looking at the Bai Mo before him, his biological instincts told him that this was an invincible enemy, but the bloodlust in his mind overwhelmed his rationality.

Bai Mo didn't say much, but simply extended his left hand, and a gun appeared under his power— the Gáe Buidhe of Mortality. "That gun has the power to dispel magic; it should be able to take down Lancer in one hit," Kayneth reported, but Bai Mo's actions exceeded his expectations.

Bai Mo threw the Gáe Buidhe directly at Diarmuid's feet, an action that stunned Diarmuid, who had been insulted by Black Mud.

"What are you doing?" Kayneth yelled in frustration. "Lancer is already very strong, why are you doing this?" Bai Mo looked at Diarmuid had picked up the gun but still didn't move, and smiled. "I can't help it. We made a promise before that we would put aside all external forces and settle the matter purely through martial arts."

Bai Mo stretched out his hands, and a powerful force gathered, causing almost everyone present to tremble with fear. Strangely, those who had evacuated from the Hyatt Hotel did not panic and flee; instead, they watched everything from a distance, like enthusiastic fans watching an open-air performance.

With the power of 250,000 horsepower, Bai Mo unleashed his strongest Orca Tyrant Fist simultaneously, striking not his enemy, but Bai Mo. The protective power that would normally take a long time to recover dissipated under this attack. At the same time, Bai Mo withdrew his power, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. Now, all he had left was his martial arts. Although his former opponent was no longer there, the respect in his heart remained. Strangely, Diarmuid did not launch a sneak attack, but simply bent down to pick up the gun.

Then, he nodded to Bai Mo. In the moonlight, they looked like two old friends who had been separated for a long time. The next moment, their twin guns moved like dragons, their momentum fierce and incomparable.

Almost only two afterimages, one yellow and one red, could be seen. In an instant, Bai Mo regained control of his twin guns and was pushed sideways. It seemed that thing had enhanced his strength to an unimaginable level. In that case, Bai Mo leaned back, using the force against him, and Diarmuid flew straight out with his explosive power.

The two guns swept across the ground, leaving two deep gashes. Bai Mo felt his internal organs bleeding and broken. His body was now no different from that of an adult who had been tempered to the limit of human strength. This inhuman and brute power was indeed a problem at this moment.

He needed to close the distance to carefully observe his opponent's every move and judge his attack methods. It was truly exhilarating; this thrill of pushing his brain to its limits was almost giving Bai Mo a physical reaction.

Diarmuid strode forward, sweeping his twin pistols horizontally with powerful, sweeping movements. Utilizing the length advantage of his pistols, he prevented Bai Mo from simultaneously controlling both guns with superior skill. The yellow and red trajectories intersected before Bai Mo's eyes. Controlling the red pistol with one hand, Bai Mo spun like a dancer, rapidly closing in along the shaft. His fist aimed for Diarmuid's face, but with a bang, Bai Mo was thrown back. He then retracted his grip on both pistols, raising it to wield them like dual daggers, maximizing his strength advantage.

Even more dangerously, the twin pistols were now brimming with powerful magic, and given Bai Mo's current physical condition, touching them would be extremely dangerous. However, facing the incoming pistols, Bai Mo still managed to control them with his own hands, the powerful magic scorching his severely injured hands, which had lost their protective strength.

"That won't do. This is practically slow suicide. Lancer's magical energy is currently oversaturated, and its attributes far surpass Saber's. An ordinary person would undoubtedly lose if they came into contact with it. It's better to continue this stalemate until Lancer's body can no longer withstand the magical energy and he self-destructs."

Kayneth immediately saw the problem, but Artoria shook her head and said, "This duel is a promise between Bai Mo and Lancer, so they must kill each other. If Lancer were to self-destruct, it would be a great regret for him."

Sigh, those ancient people were really hard to understand. Chivalry and all that, that's why they were destroyed.

The burning sensation of magic emanated from his hands, like placing them in boiling water. At the same time, Bai Mo also sensed the change and direction of the water flow. He closed his eyes and quietly felt the flow of magic.

The red spear unleashes a torrent of magic, like a flood bursting its banks, while the yellow spear feels like Bai Mo leaves—seemingly safe, but in reality, one wrong move and you could cut your finger.

Diarmuid withdrew his grip, returning to a normal hold. In his eyes, Bai Mo was now a defeated man with no escape. He crossed his pistols, expecting this strike to be enough to decapitate him, but the next moment, his eyes widened. In the instant the pistols crossed, Bai Mo's hands interlaced, two streams of magic, one red and one yellow, held in his hands. Magic that would be deadly to an ordinary person was held in his hands like two walnuts.

The two pistols collided at an extremely twisted angle, causing Diarmuid excruciating pain in his hands and the pistols to groan. Unfortunately, his master no longer cared about his weapons. Diarmuid attacked Bai Mo frantically, releasing more and more magic, but no matter how much, it was all controlled by his hands. The brute force collided with each other every time. If Diarmuid still had any sense, he might have angrily thrown one of the pistols away.

The two wielded twin pistols, clanging and clashing. Each attack was deflected, each force collided under the opponent's control, and the two dancers moved under the moonlight. Finally, as the magic reached a terrifying level, with a crack, the twin pistols met their final collision and shattered.

In the fragments, Bai Mo's fists flew out instantly, striking Diarmuid's chest. The magic power controlled by his fists flowed into Dirumd's body, constantly using the magic power in his body to strengthen itself. Then, like yin and yang fish, they collided, and the power exploded within him. His bones shattered, and his heart was broken by this blow.

Diarmuid lay on the ground, spitting blood. He opened his eyes, and the violent blood red in them had vanished.

"I see... I lost." Diarmuid said, without a trace of regret, only the exhilaration of a great battle. He looked at Bai Mo and asked, "My Master, is he alright?"

"He's doing well. You gave up your chance to live, but in return, you did save your Master." Bai Mo looked into Diarmuid's eyes, like someone seeing off a close friend.

"Unnecessary, Lancer. With my abilities, a single bullet is nothing. You always worry about things that don't concern you," Kayneth said in a low voice, turning his head away from Lancer.

"I see... I'm sorry, but I saw that bullet pierce your Magecraft, and my body acted involuntarily. It seems I'm still an unqualified servant." Kayneth snorted coldly, and Kiritsugu, seeing this, threw a bullet at Kayneth.

"What does this mean, Saber's Master?"

"This is my unique Mystic Code, the Origin Bullet. You felt it too, didn't you? If Lancer hadn't stopped you, your Magic Circuits would be destroyed. If you don't believe me, you can go back and test it. As for this bullet..."

Kiritsugu a cigarette and calmly said, "You are no longer my Master, so you are no longer my enemy. Judging from the current situation, the Holy Grail War may have already spiraled out of control. Let's join forces before dealing with that Francesca. Consider this my apology."

Kayneth gently stroked the Origin Bullet with his fingers, cold sweat breaking out on his back. If Lancer hadn't intervened... he couldn't believe what would have happened. Turning back to look at Lancer, the blame in his eyes had vanished.

"Why are you doing this? You accepted the summons for the Holy Grail, didn't you? If that's the case, even if my Magic Circuits are destroyed, you can still continue, right? In fact, this is more advantageous for you. Answer me, Lancer!"

Diarmuid looked at the Lord he served, his gaze unchanged, as if he were receiving a summons for the first time. He wanted to speak, but his throat seemed to be blocked. Bai Mo placed his hand on his back, and a warm feeling surged up, causing him to spit out the blood clot stuck in his throat.

"My wish... is to serve my Lord, Master." As if using up his last strength, Diarmuid finished speaking these words. Kayneth's expression changed from disbelief to shameful resentment. Not resentment towards Lancer, but resentment towards himself.

He raised his hand, which no longer bore Command Spell, looked at Lancer, and slowly said, "Thank you, Lancer. Although this experience wasn't pleasant for me, I'm so glad that you were the Servant I summoned in this Holy Grail War. Thank you for your efforts."

Upon hearing this, Diarmuid slowly closed his eyes, and then, he vanished into golden light beside Bai Mo.

"No need to worry about me, my Lord, my opponent. It's wonderful to have met you both in this Holy Grail War... May your future be bright forever." A voice that only Bai Mo and Kayneth could hear rang in their ears. When they came to their senses, it was Lancer transformed into a rain of light that drifted past them, brushed against Kayneth's body, and then disappeared into the moonlight.

Lancer Diarmuid, having fulfilled his wish, died.