章 8: An Unequal War
The so-called Holy Grail War is a battle between Heroic Spirits, legends who once made their names known on the battlefield.
The myths inherited by Heroic Spirits often contain their tactical strengths and weaknesses. Therefore, in Servant battles, it's crucial to keep a Servant's true identity a secret.
But this girl, who seemed to be Saber, effortlessly called out Diarmuid's true name, leaving Lancer's Master, Kayneth, hesitant. Kayneth was one of the Twelve Lords of the Clock Tower, a brilliant magus with numerous accomplishments. Although arrogant, he was not reckless.
Kayneth began to entertain thoughts of retreat.
Saber and Lancer faced off in the seaside park with their overwhelming auras fully unleashed, while every faction in the war kept a close eye on the scene.
"I shall offer my spear and honor to my Master," Lancer declared, pointing his spear at Saber, undeterred by his true name being revealed.
"You are indeed a peerless warrior," Saber praised him. She felt some regret for this unfair fight, but she had to win.
Because a knight must protect the princess.
She began to walk toward Lancer and his magic spears.
"Lancer, Diarmuid Ua Duibhne," the words of Emiya Kiritsugu's advice seemed to echo in her mind. "He wields two magic spears: the long spear is 'Gáe Dearg, the Crimson Rose of Exorcism,' and the short spear is 'Gáe Buidhe, the Yellow Rose of Mortality.'"
"The long spear has the ability to cut off magical energy, but you must be cautious of the short spear when fighting him. In the last war, he pretended that the long spear was his Noble Phantasm, then used the short spear to injure Rider."
"That short spear inflicts wounds that cannot be healed."
From the very beginning, this battle was never fair.
The ground seemed to crack beneath Saber's feet as she advanced, wrapped in a powerful magic aura and winds that seemed capable of destroying everything in her path, cutting toward Lancer.
Clang—
Swords and spears clashed, the two warriors both unmatched in their skills, fiercely fighting amidst the flashes of blades.
Unlike Saber, who seemed to have full knowledge of Lancer's abilities, Lancer appeared to be at a disadvantage.
The girl before him was a skilled swordswoman, he acknowledged. The sword in her hand was wrapped in an unknown barrier, making it impossible for him to discern its length, width, or nature.
In Saber's hands, it was as if she wielded the wind itself.
But thanks to his skills [Eye of the Mind (True)] and [Knight's Tactics], he was still able to keep up the fight.
The sword wind generated by their weapons alone was enough to tear the earth apart, trampling and destroying everything in its path.
This was the battle between Heroic Spirits.
Irisviel could only clasp her hands in front of her chest, praying for Saber.
Meanwhile, Emiya Kiritsugu and Maiya Hisau had also arrived at the warehouse district.
Sensing the deathly stillness of the magical energy around them, he judged that someone had already set up a barrier to prevent ordinary people from being caught in this magus duel.
To preserve the secrecy of magecraft, it was an iron rule among magi not to expose their actions.
"Kayneth," he surmised. Kayneth was not someone to be trifled with—a genius magus, the youngest lecturer in the history of the Clock Tower's Department of Spiritual Evocation.
Holding the heavy sniper rifle in his hands, Kiritsugu and Maiya split up, each seeking a vantage point from which to monitor the battle.
Among the mountains of shipping containers, Kiritsugu searched for a target through the electronic scope.
Using the thermal imaging sensor, the entire battlefield was laid bare before his eyes. He saw the two red-hot combatants locked in battle and Irisviel, standing slightly to the side with a dimmer heat signature.
Kiritsugu spotted the enemy Lancer's Master, hiding on the distant rooftop of a warehouse. But his tense heart did not relax, for there was still one more dangerous individual.
Finally, he found it—perched on a crane with the best view, a black-clad Servant with a ghastly skull mask, silently observing everything.
It was Assassin.
"Found them," he said through the communicator.
The forces he could command did not include just Maiya—he had another trump card.
Evil! Resentment! Hatred!
As the black and red seductive Spirit Dress once again covered her body, the girl named Kurumi Tokisaki took on the guise of an Avenger.
A near-maniacal smile spread across her bewitching face as she greeted the noble magus before her.
"Hello there~"
"Mister Kayneth."
Kayneth scrutinized the girl before him.
Without a doubt, this was a Servant. Judging by the long and short guns in her hands, she was most likely an Archer.
But her stats were pitifully low.
Strength: E
Endurance: E
Agility: D
Mana: C
So pathetically weak it was laughable. Kayneth could boast that in his magecraft workshop, he could take on ten such worthless Servants at once.
"Don't worry, Lancer," he commanded with confidence. "This is just a nobody. Go and claim victory for me. I permit you to use your Noble Phantasm."
"As you wish, my Master." The dark runes dissolved, and Diarmuid pointed his spear at Saber, a confident smile on his face.
Kayneth was indeed a genius among magi. In a short time, he had set up three layers of barriers and summoned several wraiths. Combined with his living Mystic Code, the "Volumen Hydrargyrum," it was challenging for Kurumi to defeat him with just her manifestations.
Emiya Kiritsugu did not rush to assist. He couldn't afford to expose himself so easily. Besides, more and more spectators were being drawn by the sound of clashing blades.
He realized that this war was beginning to unfold along a different path, but he had to win. He had to destroy that black sun when the Grail descended. He had considered blowing up the Greater Grail buried under Mount Enzō ahead of time, but he feared that the black mud would pour out uncontrollably.
Tightening his grip on his rifle, he continued to observe both battlefields.
Kurumi unleashed a barrage of attacks on Kayneth's defenses. Although her long and short antique rifles should have been single-shot, they fired with the rapidity of a revolver. This was another of her cheats—the guns in her hands were just for show.
What she was truly wielding was a weapon named "Dark Blood Destruction."
The endless barrage of gunfire and Kurumi's mad laughter echoed through the night sky as Kayneth was completely suppressed.
"Hehehehehe."
The summoned wraiths were riddled with holes, and sparks flew from the "Volumen Hydrargyrum," which was struggling to hold its ground. Kayneth was desperately defending, but his attacks were completely ignored by the girl.
"Can a Servant with such low stats really be this powerful?" Kayneth was dumbfounded. "Is this the difference between humans and Heroic Spirits?"
He was experiencing a deep sense of defeat.
What Kayneth didn't understand was that it was only Kurumi who was strong.
Thunder roared in the sky, and faintly, the sound of a cow's moo could be heard.
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