"Then, Saber, be careful!" As he spoke, Lancer's spear pierced through the air, launching a fierce attack at Saber.
Saber, not to be outdone, brandished her holy sword, deflecting all of Lancer's spear thrusts and countering with equally fierce strikes!
Neither side held back or probed. Their experiences over the past few days had given them a sufficient understanding of each other's strength and martial arts, making any preliminary testing completely unnecessary. From the outset, both sides plunged into a white-hot battle!
The holy sword and demonic spear clashed, their movements far exceeding the visual limits of ordinary humans. The atmosphere was torn apart, and even the slowly rising morning sun was overshadowed by their collision.
After an unknown number of exchanges, they retreated following a powerful clash.
Both bore more or less some wounds, none fatal, and none affecting the battle.
"Saber, you?" Lancer frowned.
During the battle, he had felt that Saber's strength was much weaker than during their first fight. In this battle, Saber relied more on her skills, no longer possessing the overwhelming power that could crush all techniques with brute force as she had at the very beginning.
It wasn't that Saber lacked stamina from the previous battle; rather, during the fight, she only used her right hand with full force, while her left hand merely assisted, and her left wrist was not used at all.
Lancer immediately understood why she intentionally used only her right hand and abandoned her left... It was because Saber's left hand had been cursed by his spear, and in the recent battle, to defeat Caster, he had destroyed his own Noble Phantasm, freeing Saber's left hand. However, Saber was unwilling to take advantage of this in the current battle, deliberately refraining from using her left hand to ensure the battle's fairness and impartiality. This was true chivalry!
But this was not what Lancer wanted. He wanted a true, all-out decisive battle from his opponent! Only by defeating such an enemy could he gain greater glory, and only by overcoming such an opponent could his Master be more honored!
"You've misunderstood, Lancer!" Saber instantly saw through Lancer's thoughts.
"If I were to use my left hand, the guilt would further dull my sword, and I would be even less able to unleash my full power! How could I face your strength and honor without giving my all?"
"..." Lancer said nothing, but the dissatisfaction and bitterness in his heart had vanished.
"So, Diarmuid! This is what I must do to defeat you—I must fight with all my might!" Saber declared resolutely, holding her sword in one hand, ready for battle once more.
Lancer laughed heartily. "Then, Saber, come on! Let's see if you're all talk! You are also an opponent I must defeat!"
'It's truly wonderful to encounter such an opponent and such a Master!'
Both sides quickly focused their minds, casting aside all thoughts except for the battle. Only then could they defeat the person opposite them; this was a shared belief between the two.
They both had a do-or-die determination. Both hoped to seize victory with all their might, right here, right now!
Ryougi Raku watched quietly, not commenting on Saber's voluntary abandonment of her left hand. He wouldn't do such a thing, but Saber understood him so well, knowing that if she used her left hand, she would become confused. To cut off her hesitation, she didn't use her left hand. This adherence to herself, to her true self, to her genuine inner heart, was so dazzling!
This sacred nobility—that was the true King of Knights!
"Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, chief knight of the Knights of Fianna, let's fight!"
"Hmph, well met, Artoria Pendragon, King Arthur of Britain!"
Sword and spear clashed once more. Their premonition told them that the end of this battle was not far off!
... "Shouldn't we do something, Kiritsugu-san?" Hisau Maiya asked Kiritsugu Emiya beside her, dragging her recently recovered body.
They were not far from the battlefield, gazing at it.
"There's nothing we can do. All we can hope for now is King Arthur's victory..." Kiritsugu Emiya said in a deep voice. This feeling of being completely out of control and relying entirely on others made him very uncomfortable.
The opponent's Master was truly an anomaly; his usual methods against Masters simply wouldn't work, as had been proven at Einzbern Castle earlier. If Lancer defeated Saber, then all would be lost, and his wish would never be fulfilled. But if Saber defeated Lancer, then... Kiritsugu Emiya looked down at the Command Spells in his hand. There were still two left... But that guy was too dangerous!
... "Pfft!" That was the sound of a sword and spear piercing flesh... Saber's longsword pierced through Lancer's body, and Lancer's long spear did the same. Crimson blood flowed from the wounds... "Ha... ha... at the last moment... I actually... lost..." Blood slowly trickled from the corner of his mouth, Lancer's face filled with bitterness.
"...As expected... of King Arthur... of Great Britain!" With a calm smile, Lancer quickly accepted the outcome.
"Lancer..." Saber began. Her injury, though not fatal, was not light either... Lancer raised his still-movable hand to stop Saber from speaking, retracting the long spear in his hand. This made Saber wince in pain, and then Lancer voluntarily stepped back, allowing the longsword that had pierced him to leave his body... "Don't say anything more... whether it's praise or comfort, to me now... these are not important... But, I have not fulfilled my promise... Noble as you are, you would not insult your opponent, would you?" This speech pulled at his wounds, making the blood flow even faster... Saber did not answer after hearing this, but her gaze clearly expressed her respect for Lancer!
At the final moment, both sides should have perished together, each piercing the other's heart, but their luck was simply not on the same level. Lancer, who had never shown his low luck until this final moment, finally became the straw that broke the camel's back in deciding the victor. Coupled with Saber's intuition, in this desperate blow, Lancer ultimately lost to Saber.
Lancer felt his strength gradually fading, a sign that he was about to return to the Throne of Heroes... He used his last ounce of strength, turned his head, faced his lord, and knelt down heavily... The instant he turned, Saber clearly saw the tears streaming from the eyes of that dignified man... They were not tears of defeat to her, nor tears of inferiority, nor tears of regret for failure. They were merely tears of guilt and self-reproach for facing his lord, making a promise, yet failing to complete it, failing to fulfill his duty...
"Lord Ryougi, your knight, Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, has betrayed your expectations, failed to complete the task you entrusted, and here, requests your punishment!" As if in a final burst of energy, Lancer spoke these words smoothly. In this last moment of his life, all he wanted to do was face his lord and accept the final punishment for failing his mission...
Ryougi Raku watched Lancer kneeling on the ground. Blood had already pooled around him, but he stubbornly maintained his posture, just waiting for his final words... He bowed his head deeply, not letting anyone see his tears. Perhaps, that was Lancer's last honor...
"...I forgive you, my knight, Diarmuid Ua Duibhne. Your loyalty I have truly received, and your loyalty has been demonstrated in this war. Hold your loyalty firmly in your heart and return to your rightful place. Engrave your loyalty to me beyond the timeline!" Ryougi Raku said sternly, his head slightly raised.
"Thank you! I shall engrave all of this in my memory, and I wish that you may fulfill your wish, surpassing all things!" Lancer smiled faintly upon hearing Ryougi Raku's words, and with all his piety, he sincerely blessed Ryougi Raku and the ideal he had spoken of at the Banquet of Kings...
"...Then, finally, Saber, I have one request for you!" Maintaining his unchanging posture, Lancer made his final request.
"Please speak!" Saber said with a serious expression, responding to her respected opponent.
"...I only hope that you can protect my Master until the end of all this!" He was still worried at the end, but all of this was his own doing. Since he had lost this battle, he would not regret it. So, he would use his last strength...
"I promise you! Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, I will protect Raku until the end of all this, in the name of me, the King of Knights!" Saber gripped her sword with both hands, solemnly swearing in the name of a king!
A smile finally appeared on Lancer's face, and the first ray of sunlight finally spilled onto the earth. He raised his head slightly, feeling the sunlight. Diarmuid Ua Duibhne seemed to see that young girl waving and smiling in the distance. He was about to disappear, wasn't he... 'Even if I return to the Throne of Heroes, all of this will forever be etched in my memory. I have finally fulfilled my wish...' He raised his head, and with one last deep gaze at his lord in this world, Lancer's body dissolved with the sunlight onto this land...
Irisviel covered her mouth with her hand, turning her head slightly. Lancer was the first opponent she and Saber had encountered, and he was a truly acknowledged opponent. Now, this respectable opponent had vanished just like that...
Ryougi Raku and Saber watched the spot where Lancer disappeared, saying nothing...
But then, a cold voice came from afar: "Saber! Kill Ryougi Raku!!"
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(˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶) ‹ (TL : More Chapters @patreon.com/c/Gooberilla)