It was only natural for the Black Faction members to be shocked.
Vlad III could never mistake that black-cloaked youth wielding dual pistols—the very mysterious Servant who had once dealt him a fatal blow.
Though it had been through trickery—by stripping Vlad III of his territorial advantages and causing his power to plummet—that the killing strike had landed, the youth had still fought evenly with the Dracula at his peak.
Reputation spoke volumes, and no one would underestimate the strength of this enigmatic Servant.
Yet before everyone's eyes, their own Assassin had repelled that very youth with nothing but a single red spear!
What kind of joke was this? Weren't Assassins supposed to be the weakest class?!
"..."
Vlad III's face twitched as he forcibly averted his gaze, an unprecedented sense of humiliation rising in his heart. Beside him, however, after the initial shock, Darnic's eyes gradually brightened—as if he had stumbled upon a treasure.
From a Master's perspective, this was indeed a disgrace for both him and Vlad III. But from the standpoint of a faction leader, this was nothing short of a tremendous asset!
Well done! He had always known the Osarei family would never let the Yggdmillennia down!
Unable to help himself, Darnic's lips curled into a faint smile. While the others were still stunned by Artoria's heroic display, only Celenike seemed to sense something, glancing at Darnic before her expression abruptly darkened.
***
"S-Saber, this is..." Gordes stammered, still trembling from the terror of his near-death experience.
Sakatsuki's assault had felt drawn-out, but in reality, it had lasted mere moments.
In the blink of an eye, bullets had been fired, intercepted by two weapons, and Reika had issued a command—prompting the Black Faction's Assassin to swing her spear and send that infamous killer crashing into the forest.
The entire ordeal had taken no more than ten seconds.
"..."
Siegfried remained silent, devoted to his vow of silence. Meanwhile, Reika studied the cowering fat man, her eyes glinting before she suddenly let out a delicate gasp, adopting a concerned expression.
"Oh my, Lord Gordes, are you alright?"
The beauty's concern acted like a shot of adrenaline for Gordes. His spirits instantly lifted, his back straightening with newfound vigor.
The goddess spoke to me... She cares about me!
"N-Nothing like this could scare me!" Gordes boasted, slapping his belly as he forced a hearty laugh. Just as he was about to start bragging, Reika had already clasped her hands together, her face filled with admiration.
"I knew someone as amazing as Lord Gordes wouldn't be fazed... Even Ruler would surely be impressed by your valor, wouldn't she?"
Ruler... That's right, Ruler!
At Reika's "unintentional" reminder, Gordes suddenly remembered—their mission target was Ruler!
If the enemy from the Red Faction had already appeared, that meant...
"I-I'll go meet Ruler right away!"
As if sensing the silent scrutiny from the other end of their communication link, Gordes shuddered before hastily calling for his Servant and rushing off toward Ruler's location without another glance back.
Got him... Reika curled her lips into a smile, cupping her hands around her mouth as she called out in a sweet, coquettish voice, "Lord Gordes, do your best~~"
The running Gordes stumbled, feeling half his bones turn to jelly.
"Y-yes! Just watch this great man's heroic display!"
***
Returning to the battlefield where Jeanne d'Arc faced off against Karna, just as the Little Sun prepared to unleash his Noble Phantasm for a decisive strike against the Ruler, distant commotion caught their attention.
At the same moment, a man's voice rang out.
"Go! Saber!"
The unflappable Little Sun turned his head, swinging his arm to meet the flaming golden spear against the demonic sword, sending violent sparks flying.
Yet it didn't stop there! Karna's Noble Phantasm was still charging!
The silver-haired swordsman who had attacked from behind landed, flicking his demonic sword through the air as azure magical energy mixed with wind blades shot toward Karna, still stiff from the recoil.
Clang!
Facing the incoming assault, Karna raised his spear shaft, steadily blocking it. However, the flames burning along his golden spear simultaneously faded, the radiant torrent of magical energy dissipating into fragments.
Golden spear and golden armor, the spearman radiant as the sun; white hair and silver armor, the swordsman with patterns staining his chest.
Behind the Little Sun, the iron pole supporting a signboard was silently severed by the residual sword energy, a wordless testament to the crushing weight of the swordsman's strike.
To think he interrupted my Noble Phantasm's charging... Karna frowned, locking eyes with the abruptly appearing Saber as he spoke in a voice cold as swirling frost:
"—Who are you?"
Beside the silent Saber stood a portly man radiating fear and loathing, glaring hatefully at the Red Lancer—none other than the panting Gordes, who had just arrived.
"Black Saber, I presume. That solemn, razor-sharp sword energy couldn't belong to a Berserker or Assassin."
In contrast, Saber remained silent in agreement.
Lancer glanced at Ruler. Though their target was the same, the other party's goal likely wasn't elimination but recruitment. Bringing the neutral Ruler under their control would undoubtedly tip the scales overwhelmingly in their faction's favor.
As if acting as spokesman, Gordes stepped forward, extending a hand toward the golden-haired girl with her hair tied in a ponytail and wearing a silver forehead protector.
"That was far too close for comfort, Ruler. I've come to receive you."
The addressed Jeanne d'Arc gave a slight nod. "The Black faction's Saber and his Master, I take it?"
"Indeed. I am Gordes Musik Yggdmillennia, Master of the Black Saber in this Holy Grail War. Now—"
Gordes lifted his chin, pointing imperiously at the Red Lancer as he proclaimed:
"Red Lancer! We witnessed with our own eyes your attempt to murder Ruler! To eliminate the spirit presiding over the Holy Grail War is an extreme violation of the rules!"
Faced with Gordes' haughty accusation, Karna's expression remained utterly unchanged. "I don't deny it."
Then, shifting his tone, the hero's killing intent pressed down fully upon Gordes and his Servant Saber.
"Naturally, now that the Black faction has appeared, we'll start with you first."
"Shut up!" Gordolf waved his thick hand dismissively, casting a fleeting glance at Jeanne d'Arc. "You'd better obediently accept the punishment I—as your Saber's Master—and the Ruler have decided!"
His words carried both condemnation and an offer to fight side by side. Even Gordes' eyes couldn't miss the Red Lancer attempting to unleash his Noble Phantasm. At this moment, joining forces with the Ruler who seemed to possess extraordinarily powerful privileges to defeat Lancer was the best strategy.
Lancer's previous strike had clearly been aimed at Ruler. Naturally, Ruler should accept this proposal... Gordes was certain of it.
"No." To his surprise, Ruler shot Gordes a sharp look upon hearing this. "If you wish to fight here, I have no objections. But I absolutely will not intervene—you can rest assured of that."
"...What?!"
Facing the speechless Gordes, Ruler declared coldly, "The Red Lancer coveting my life and the Black Saber fighting the Red Lancer are two entirely separate matters. As Ruler, it is my duty to uphold the discipline of this battle."
This Servant's values were utterly incomprehensible. How could she stand by while someone sought to harm her, waiting until the battle concluded?
Gordes muttered complaints under his breath, his voice too low to be coherent. Meanwhile, the Red Lancer remained perfectly composed, showing no concern even at the prospect of facing two opponents simultaneously. Half-lidded eyes brimming with confidence, he proclaimed:
"So you wish to fight me together? I don't mind."
—Just as he had stated from the beginning, Karna was merely speaking the truth as he saw it. This was neither arrogance nor conceit.
But to Gordes—all flash and no substance—these words likely sounded like unforgivable humiliation.
"Wha..."
Gordes momentarily lost his voice, both shocked at being contemptuously dismissed as underhanded and astonished that Lancer could speak so boldly even when facing the strongest Saber.
His surprise quickly turned to loathing. Burning with rage, Gordes roared: "Saber! Kill him! Crush that Red Lancer!"
Hearing his Master's command, the Black Saber—who had remained silent until now—gave a slight nod. With steps befitting a hero, he took a firm stride forward.
"I see. So it seems we must slaughter each other after all."
As Karna leveled his golden spear, he caught the swordsman's smile—a fleeting expression so subtle none could have noticed. In that moment, the heroic spirit Siegfried's lips indeed softened.
Unintentionally, nostalgia colored Lancer's gaze. What memory had the Black Saber—from an entirely different era and homeland—stirred within him?
"I once knew a man with eyes like yours."
Karna found himself voicing this seemingly irrelevant remark. The Black Saber tilted his head slightly, as if urging him to continue.
"That man was undoubtedly a hero... If you look at me with those eyes, then our battle is no accident—it is inevitable."
Lancer's fighting spirit blazed like azure flames—this was no mere metaphor. Crimson mana surged around Karna, making him appear like a great sun rising from the horizon.
In response, the silent Black Saber allowed his sword aura to quietly swell and churn. The air crackled, carrying the scent of scorched earth—was it their weapons, or the overwhelming battle aura radiating from these Servants? None could say for certain.
But one truth was clear to Lancer.
—Ah, I see. You too... You too are eager to cross blades with me.
The swordsman's visage gradually overlapped with that of the man who had slain him. Karna's lips curled into a faint smile as he reveled in the collision of their auras, his heart alight with joy.
At this point, I will allow no interference. Let us fight freely, unleash everything we have!
We heroic spirits are seekers of the path, fanatics who battled until our very last breath. Even now, granted a second life in this world, that conviction remains unshaken!
No battle cries tore through the air, nor was there any earth-shattering momentum—yet the scorching heat of their clashing auras slowly consumed everything around them.
And then, in an instant—spear and sword clashed!
***
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