Flames wreathed like robes, golden spear gleaming bright.
Magic bullets scattered, spear-tip tassels flashing.
The surrounding area had long been sealed with a boundary to ward off ordinary people, turning the heavens, earth, and even this stretch of night into an arena for these two warriors to spar. The spectacle was so grand it set hearts trembling.
The golden-armored man with white hair and an expressionless face raised his hand, conjuring a fireball the size of a human head in an instant before hurling it toward the shadowy figure ahead. Magic bullets fired, their shells engraved with mystical patterns colliding with the fireball, erupting into dazzling yet perilous shockwaves.
His black robes fluttering, the white-haired young man grinned fiercely, tossing aside his pistol before drawing twin black-and-white blades. In a flash, he unleashed dozens of slashes, an unbroken stream of cold light parting the fiery waves as he pressed forward with peerless ferocity!
Clang!
The unbreakable spear trembled slightly, lifting just enough to intercept the raging twin blades. This Noble Phantasm, originally a divine bow gifted to Karna by Parashurama, had transformed into a golden spear due to his Lancer class yet retained its A-rank destructive power—enough to pierce even Siegfried's Armor of Fafnir.
Yet despite their battle, it had failed to tear so much as a single thread of the young man's black robes.
"Well then, Ka—no, Lancer." The young man's voice brimmed with vigor.
"Your martial prowess needs no commentary from others. Simply march forward with your head held high." The man with crimson eyeliner smiled faintly, clearly satisfied with this 'warm-up' as well.
Only now did the shockwaves from their clash finally reach them, tousling Jeanne d'Arc's golden hair. The maiden still stood slightly agape, glancing between the two men who were somehow conversing amiably mid-battle, then down at the holy banner in her hands, her expression one of existential doubt.
What's the point of this banner?
The Revelation clearly warned me of impending harm, so why are these two Servants fighting each other instead of paying me any attention?
Is the Lord deceiving me? No, impossible—there must be something wrong with these two... Wait!
Jeanne's amethyst eyes widened in disbelief.
I can only recognize one of them—the Lancer of Red, Karna, son of the sun god Surya... but who is the other?
Why can't I discern the true name of that golden-eyed young man he's fighting?!
The Revelation wasn't wrong—this person is suspicious!
The confident saint felt she'd found the answer, puffing her cheeks before taking a resolute step forward—only to immediately retreat.
No, stay calm, Jeanne, stay calm... What if they really are just sparring?
As the Ruler—the adjudicator of this Holy Grail War—she wasn't supposed to interfere in battles between Servants... in principle, at least.
If I rashly interrupt their fight, I'd be neglecting my duties.
For a moment, the somewhat naive Ruler found herself torn, her lips parting and closing until she finally steeled herself to speak:
"Both of you—"
Her clear voice was cut off mid-sentence.
"Hold on." Sakatsuki, currently engrossed in exchanging martial insights with Karna, waved impatiently without looking back. "We're not done talking yet."
He had noticed the holy maiden long ago—otherwise he wouldn't have suddenly changed how he addressed Karna. After all, if Jeanne d'Arc was here, then the Red Faction couldn't be far behind.
"...Oh."
Jeanne responded blankly, then froze for a moment upon realizing her own reaction.
Wait, why am I obeying him so readily?
Ignoring the Ruler who should have been his target, Sakatsuki continued conversing with Karna.
"Having trained for less than a year, yet you've already mastered martial techniques of different styles and schools to this extent. Even if these were gifts from others, your comprehension is truly remarkable."
"Is that so? I appreciate the praise." Sakatsuki nodded slightly. Though the compliment came from someone at the pinnacle of martial arts, no trace of joy showed on his face. "Unfortunately, I still feel like I'm rowing against the current—not regressing, but my progress remains concerning."
To be so urgently pushing yourself... What exactly are you worried about—no, what are you afraid of, my friend?
Though Karna could see through people's hearts, he wasn't foolish. Recognizing Sakatsuki's reluctance to elaborate, he nodded casually and moved on. "Then let's attend to our main business."
With a sharp pat, Sakatsuki slapped his cheeks to refocus. "Understood."
With a flick of his black cloak, the Presence Concealment of an Assassin activated, and the killer vanished into the shadows. Meanwhile, Karna—clad in golden armor and radiating peak battle readiness—turned, his gaze locking onto the distant Ruler.
They're coming... Alerted by Revelation, Jeanne's body tensed slightly as she pushed aside questions about Sakatsuki, watching Karna's movements with full vigilance.
"You're the Red Lancer, correct?"
"Oh? You discerned my class rather quickly." Karna acknowledged with mild interest. "As Sakatsuki said, it seems the Ruler possesses the ability to see through true names."
As the white-haired man spoke, he noticed the girl before him suddenly fall silent. After a pause, she murmured:
"No, that statement isn't entirely accurate—at least, I didn't know the man fighting alongside you was called Sakatsuki."
Hm?!
Karna frowned, instinctively wanting to glance sideways but stopping himself.
That Sakatsuki harbors deep secrets—he'd sensed this from the beginning.
But so what? Sakatsuki had shown no hostility thus far, and his martial arts spoke for themselves.
As a warrior, Karna dismissed unnecessary thoughts and slowly raised his Brahmastra. The motion snapped Jeanne out of her contemplation, and she looked up sharply:
"I haven't asked yet—Red Lancer Karna, why are you here?"
"Repeating what you already know isn't wise. Consider my presence here a clear declaration of war."
Though she'd already guessed as much, hearing it confirmed again made the Ruler sigh in frustration.
"Your Master is the fool here. What purpose does eliminating me serve at this moment?"
"That's irrelevant to me."
His terse reply firmly rejected further discussion. Karna continued, "My Master ordered me to kill you here. I'm simply fulfilling our contract."
The spear radiated a pale golden brilliance, its length far exceeding that of the towering young man—so massive it seemed unimaginable as a weapon wielded by human hands, its exquisite craftsmanship akin to art. This was an "armament bestowed by the gods," with no other words capable of describing it.
"Lancer...!"
"Here I come, Ruler. Apologies, but I'm not composed enough to hold back for the sake of your privileges. Let's settle this with a single strike as my farewell!"
Those words—and the instantly swelling magical energy—left Ruler wide-eyed. Without even crossing blades, he was already preparing to unleash his Noble Phantasm. No good. At this rate, his Noble Phantasm would activate faster than she could invoke her "privilege"—!
BOOM!!!
Just as Jeanne d'Arc braced herself defensively, an abrupt explosion erupted nearby, drawing both her and Karna's gazes.
Amidst the deafening roar akin to a fighter jet's missile strike, a figure clad in black robes wielding a crimson demonic spear sent another black-robed opponent flying hundreds of meters away.
"This is...!"
***
Returning to Sakatsuki—while Karna attended to the main affair, he followed their prior agreement and patrolled the surroundings, guarding the Little Sun's flank.
Naturally, this was entirely Sakatsuki's orchestration.
In the original narrative, Master Gordes had arrived with the Black Saber, Siegfried, engaging Karna in the first Servant battle of the war to win over Jeanne d'Arc. The two top-tier Servants clashed until dawn without resolution.
Sakatsuki had no intention of overlooking the restless Red Faction. Moreover, both he and Reika were newcomers to their faction—this was the perfect opportunity to demonstrate loyalty and skill.
After all, throughout the entire war, there were few skirmishes where Sakatsuki and Reika could appear together while leisurely putting on an act...
With these thoughts swirling in his mind, Sakatsuki moved like a shadow, swiftly locating Reika—dressed in white-gold robes and walking alongside a portly man—by tracing his Servant's presence.
"Hey, found you..."
Upon spotting his trusted subordinate, Sakatsuki didn't approach. Instead, a vicious grin curled his lips as the paired pistols Kanshou and Byakuya shifted into gun mode, safeties clicking off. One barrel aimed at Gordes, the other squarely at Reika's forehead.
Then, without hesitation, he pulled the trigger.
Bang!
Clang!
The two sounds rang out simultaneously.
***
Hey readers!
Want to read ahead? 📖 Join my Patreon for early access to 30+ advance chapters! Your support helps me write more and bring the story to you faster.
🔹patreon.com/aarvan🔹