Karna, the son of the Hindu sun god Surya, the Hero of Charity.
He is a top-tier Servant on par with the King of Heroes, Gilgamesh, even sharing the title of the "Golden Trio" alongside Gilgamesh and Ozymandias—his prestige speaks for itself.
Setting aside Karna's two Noble Phantasms—the golden armor impervious to divine weapons and the god-slaying spear capable of annihilating anything in a single strike—there was only one reason Sakatsuki was so wary of this Red Lancer: his seemingly ordinary yet inherently anti-schemer personal skill.
[Discernment of the Poor, Rank A.]
Having lived a life of solitude, Karna was blessed with the insight to question the lives and values of the weak. This skill grants him the ability to grasp the essence of others.
In daily interactions, it manifests as an eye that sees through personalities and attributes, immune to verbal excuses or deception—in other words, Karna is essentially a walking lie detector.
For the Blue Faction, which relied on deception and disguise to secure victory, Karna's ability was nothing short of a natural predator.
Ah, by the way, Discernment of the Poor is so thorough in its understanding of human nature, combined with Karna's brutally direct way of speaking—ignoring all attempts at concealment or deceit—that it often provokes revulsion, even outright hostility.
The problem is, Karna is far from weak enough to be casually attacked, so he interprets such hostility as, "Ah, so you wish to fight me," and immediately engages without hesitation. As a result, he is often mistaken for a villain—completely unaware of it himself.
Ahem, I digress.
In any case, vigilance, wariness, and keeping one's distance… For a master manipulator like Sakatsuki, maintaining such a relationship with Karna seemed only natural.
Yet, in reality, Sakatsuki had already grown familiar with Karna on their way to ambush Ruler Jeanne d'Arc.
The reason for their connection was simple.
Karna was a pure "warrior," while Sakatsuki was a "martial fanatic" fascinated by all forms of supernatural power. Though Karna knew nothing of magecraft, in the realm of martial arts, his Uncrowned Martial Arts gave him undeniable authority.
"I see… So your frustration stems from feeling that your martial progress lags behind your magecraft."
The golden-armored youth, a radiant crimson gem embedded in his chest, nodded calmly. "If I may ask, what martial disciplines have you trained in?"
This was clearly prying into personal secrets, but Sakatsuki trusted Karna's discretion and answered straightforwardly:
"Spearmanship verging on the divine, A++-rank Chinese martial arts—Bajiquan, first-rate archery, second-rate dual blades, third-rate swordsmanship… That's about it."
Strictly speaking, Sakatsuki also had his skill in throwing Black Keys and his self-created, cobbled-together "Combat Method: Death's Call," but the former was a Church-exclusive technique—hardly mainstream—while the latter he considered too crude to mention.
"Hmm..." Karna, the great hero recorded in the Mahabharata and master of archery, spearmanship, horsemanship, and fist techniques, pondered before voicing another question.
"Sakatsuki-dono, may I ask how long you've been practicing these martial arts?"
The skills I possess today are all thanks to my extraordinary talent... Deep Blue, add points!
Sakatsuki amused himself internally, but when he truly considered the question, he couldn't help but pause.
The bow, blades, and swords from Emiya; the spear from Diarmuid; the Bajiquan derived from Kirei...
All these martial techniques originated from the Fourth Holy Grail War in Fuyuki City.
Though it felt like a long time had passed, the truth was...
"I think... less than a year."
Less than a year?!
Karna's pupils contracted slightly, remaining silent for a long moment before speaking.
"If that's truly the case, your talent far exceeds my imagination."
"I merely stand on the shoulders of giants." Sakatsuki could only offer a wry smile in response to Karna's praise.
Their conversation came to a natural pause as they arrived at their destination—the place Sakatsuki had previously retreated from due to insufficient magical energy.
"Now, we wait."
Landing effortlessly on a signboard, Karna watched the sparse traffic before suddenly turning to Sakatsuki.
"The target won't arrive for some time yet. Perhaps we could spar a few rounds before then."
A chance to cross blades with the Sun Hero?
Sakatsuki blinked, then readily agreed.
"Very well."
***
"Jeanne d'Arc transformed her kindness, humility, integrity, and purity into the convictions she upheld. That was her essence." —So said a certain theologian.
The torch ignited the pyre beneath her. Flames slowly licked at her feet. Before the searing pain could fully register, the golden-haired girl opened her eyes, startled awake from her fleeting dream.
The truck jostled along. In the darkness, the girl's amethyst eyes gleamed.
"Oh, awake now, little miss?"
"Yes, grandfather. How much longer until Trifas?"
"Hmm—soon now. Just past this highway."
"I see. Thank you, sir."
After her polite thanks, the girl—also the Ruler of this Holy Grail War, Jeanne d'Arc—sat upright in her seat, still immersed in the lingering emotions of her dream.
Nearly everyone knew how the Maiden of Orleans met her end, knew of her struggles and battles.
And no one understood this better than Jeanne herself.
She was the one who raised the sword, donned the armor, bore the banner representing her nation's glory, and commanded armies at the forefront of battle.
Had she ignored the voices of fear, had she turned away from the dying lamentations of soldiers, she might have lived an ordinary woman's happy life—married, become a wife and mother.
Yet she cast aside that happiness.
Thus, she had always known, always been prepared. Her efforts merely meant she would eventually meet this fate. Though many cursed her as a fool and mocked her stupidity.
But this could save more lives! The path I chose was right!
Whether in the past or present, the Saint continued to proclaim this truth.
Yet, just as depicted in the dream—her visions of the past and future faded with the arrival of unbearably cruel reality. The raging flames surrounding her consumed her, turning her to ashes amidst prayer.
This was her final prayer, her sacrifice. Even if every person in the world accused and betrayed her, in her last moments, she remained certain she had not betrayed herself.
No regrets, no hopes for the future. In the end, she would find peace.
Lord, I commend this body unto Thee...
Her final consciousness slipped away, and in the last moment of her life, she was finally freed from suffering. Her dreamless sleep ended, leaving only reality behind. But it was far from over. Where the maiden's dreams turned to foam, the legend of Jeanne d'Arc began to spread.
Yet for Jeanne herself, this could hardly be called a legend—at most, it was the somewhat tumultuous story of a frail young woman.
Even like the math books scattered around her, it was something that troubled Jeanne somewhat.
But why had the memories of the past resurfaced in her dreams once more?
"Are you reading my past, my life?" murmured the girl curled up in the corner of the truck. "Laeticia..."
Laeticia—that was the name of the girl upon whom the Servant Jeanne d'Arc had manifested.
Due to the extreme abnormality of this Holy Grail War, known as the Great Holy Grail War, the fifteenth Servant, Ruler, who served as a neutral mediator, required a vessel to manifest in the present world. Laeticia's own consciousness remained, but when Jeanne descended, it retreated inward, allowing Jeanne to use her body.
Of course, Laeticia was protected by the rules—even if Ruler perished, she herself would be transported to safety.
Because this was a possession, Jeanne could not dematerialize and required food and sleep.
The sleeping Laeticia naturally did not respond to Jeanne's murmurs, and Jeanne was merely talking to herself. She sighed with a hint of melancholy, her amethyst eyes gazing toward the ever-nearing Romania.
To manifest in such an unusual manner—the anomalies of this Great Holy Grail War were far too severe.
What troubled her even more was that, from earlier, her A-rank Innate Skill, [Revelation], had been sounding alarms incessantly. This ability, which applied to all phenomena related to achieving her objectives, trembled with unease at what was to come.
Closer.
Closer still.
—It's here!
In the distant horizon, accompanied by the faint glow of car headlights, the alarm in Jeanne's heart abruptly spiked to its limit, ringing shrilly.
With Ruler's exceptional enemy detection ability, Jeanne d'Arc sensed the presence of a Servant several kilometers away.
"Please pull the car over to the side of the road!"
"Huh? What's going on..."
"Please wait until dawn before driving again. I'll walk from here—it's fine."
Using Ruler's authority to compel the old man to understand, Jeanne bid him farewell with a quick word before grabbing her bag and sprinting at full speed. Likely due to a bounded field set up to repel outsiders, several kilometers away, not only were there no vehicles, but even the presence of animals had vanished entirely.
Putting down her bag, she immediately changed into her original battle attire. Her entire body was clad in armor woven from magical energy.
The Revelation was still screaming, suggesting the situation was even more urgent than she had imagined.
The summoned Ruler gradually ignited with fighting spirit.
As a Servant summoned by the very nature of the Holy Grail War, Jeanne d'Arc was confident in her unrivaled strength.
Transforming into a brilliant shooting star, the Maiden of Orleans raced through the night sky, breaking through barriers as she advanced.
For the battle-hardened saint, any enemy attack would be met with equal force—like blocking soldiers with shields or stemming floods with earth... Huh?
When her Servant senses relayed the scene ahead, the imposing saint suddenly halted mid-stride. She blinked, her battle-ready gaze cooling into confusion and bewilderment... even looking somewhat adorably dumbfounded.
Gripping her banner, she stared blankly at the two figures locked in fierce combat ahead. After a long pause, she finally tilted her head slightly in surprise.
"Did I... come too early?"
As for Karna's fist technique, refer to his Noble Phantasm 'Saintly Fist Barrage' from Christmas Karna—said to surpass the speed of light.
***
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