Chapter 62: The Knight's End, Departure for the Clock Tower!
"Come, Lancelot!"
Saber raised the holy sword in her hand. The blade of gold seemed to sense her resolve at this moment, erupting with an incomparably dazzling radiance. Magical energy transformed into a gale, swirling incessantly around her body.
Whoosh!
A blue-and-white silhouette flashed past, exploding with speed far exceeding Lancelot's, and swung the sword!
Clang!
The brilliant golden holy sword clashed with the pitch-black blade, and fierce sparks bloomed from the impact.
Shirou, who had intended to continue watching the battle, suddenly sensed something. He looked up toward the upper mountain path; in the shadows beneath the trees, a small figure was secretly peering at the battlefield.
"Berserker's Master, huh... Let me see your true face."
Shirou no longer bothered to guess who was pulling Berserker's strings.
With a flash of movement, he leaped onto the mountain path.
Whoever the opponent was, he would know once he saw them with his own eyes.
As Shirou reached the cliffside of the mountain path, he immediately heard a dense buzzing sound. It was the sound of a large number of insects vibrating their wings. As a swarm of Blade-Winged Insects surrounded Shirou, the small figure finally revealed its face.
"To dare face this old man alone, you truly are an arrogant junior."
Matou Zouken looked at Shirou with a cold sneer.
The old man's words gave Shirou a momentary sense of bewilderment.
At first, Shirou thought this old man—whom he hadn't seen in days—might truly have obtained some means to face him without fear. But as Shirou cautiously projected dozens of "swords" to hover in mid-air, the look of shock that appeared on Matou Zouken's face caused Shirou to furrow his brow in thought.
It seemed that because Matou Zouken hadn't seen Shirou's true power even when his home was destroyed that day, he had always assumed Shirou was merely a six or seven-year-old child hiding behind Lancer.
Until this moment, when Shirou left Saber to face him alone, did the opponent act so recklessly.
But now, seeing the shock on Zouken's face, Shirou revealed a mocking smile.
"What's wrong? Weren't you just acting like victory was in your grasp?"
Shirou was certain that he had let Karna kill Zouken's brain worm back then, but it seemed his intelligence was still insufficient, and Zouken had managed to find a way to survive. But no matter—he would just kill him again.
"Since you ran here yourself, I won't give you another chance this time."
Matou Zouken was a man who feared death excessively.
To stay alive, he had even turned himself into non-human insects. He appeared to be a skeletal old man, but in reality, his body was a mass of gathered insects, a mere mimicry of a human form. His human functions were operated by worms; once this body decayed, Zouken could consume another's body to "resurrect" as a substitute. As long as his soul, acting as the core, was not destroyed, he could continue to survive.
But such magecraft had limits.
While theoretically he only needed a human vessel to "resurrect," he was actually bound by the records of his soul. Thus, Zouken could not take any form other than that of his own soul, remaining forever in this hideous, slug-like appearance.
This method of immortality had shown fundamental flaws two hundred years ago. The long passage of time had eroded his soul, so even if he obtained a fresh body, it would begin to rot the moment he took it, necessitating regular replacements.
Over time, the duration a body could be maintained grew shorter—where one replacement used to last over fifty years, now it required a change every few months.
"Bastard! What grudge do I have with you!?"
Matou Zouken looked fearfully at the "swords" pointed at him in mid-air, shouting his question at Shirou in rage.
"The grudge is massive!"
Shirou snorted coldly and swung his right hand forward. The "swords" hovering in the air, guided by Shirou's will, fell rapidly, piercing through Matou Zouken's body.
"Aghhhhhh!!!"
Zouken's small body twisted and struggled beneath the messy, intersecting blades. Just as he intended to turn into insects to escape, Shirou suddenly spoke.
"Look at yourself now, Matou Zouken. Where is there any trace of the great magus who once held grand aspirations, Makiri Zolgen?"
Zouken, who had been like a stagnant pool of water, began to struggle frantically upon hearing that name suddenly emerge from Shirou's mouth.
"No! Do not mention that name!! No!!!"
Once, a great wish was with him, but the passing time had turned everything about him—his form, his soul, and even that wish—into something monstrous. Now, desperate concealment and resistance made up the entirety of the life known as Matou Zouken.
No matter how brilliant the goal had been, he had clearly become a demonic heretic centered on malice.
Watching the agitated Zouken, Shirou raised his voice mockingly and shouted again.
"Makiri Zolgen!!"
With Shirou's second shout, Zouken was completely enraged. His body began to transform into a dense swarm of black insects. Seeing this, Shirou immediately clenched his raised right hand.
"Let me send you on your way—Broken Phantasm!"
Instantly, several "swords" shattered and exploded. The azure light of magical energy bloomed to its limit, engulfing the insects within.
Boom!!!
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With Matou Zouken's death, Lancelot, having lost his source of magical energy, suddenly lost his momentum.
Clang—!
Sparks flew from the clash of weapons, and Saber noticed the fact that the knight's strength was weakening. A Servant who has lost their Master cannot release a Noble Phantasm, as the massive drain of mana at the moment of release would be enough to make them vanish.
After another exchange, Saber—who was maintaining her usual offensive—suddenly found the knight in front of her had stopped moving. The reserve mana that usually allows a Servant to manifest for several hours without a Master had been exhausted in a short time due to Lancelot's earlier rampage.
In this instant, the magical energy driving this killing machine suddenly dried up, and Lancelot stopped like a malfunctioning machine. Saber seized the opportunity and stepped forward. With her A-rank speed, her form left a blue afterimage, and she reached Lancelot in an instant.
Clang!
With a heavy strike, the demonic sword Arondight was knocked from Lancelot's hand. Seizing the opening, Saber thrust forward without hesitation!
Schwing—
Under this decisive strike, Lancelot was pierced through the body. His long black hair fell loose, obscuring his eyes. In the sudden silence, Saber's hand clearly felt the other's heartbeat.
The result was far too unexpected. Even though she had won the duel, Saber could not feel happy at all. She looked at the knight whose blood was flowing and spoke in a trembling voice.
"I'm sorry, Lancelot... I must obtain the Holy Grail!"
The next moment, the knight with the pierced chest suddenly raised his head. He gazed at Saber—whose face bore a look of resolve mixed with guilt—with his usual steady gaze, like a calm lake.
Once the contract with the Master was broken, during the interval before vanishing, the "Knight of the Lake" was liberated from the incantation of madness.
"If I could be judged by you... if you could find it in your heart to condemn me... perhaps I could feel salvation at the end of my life... Surely the Queen must have felt the same... You were right, King. I am truly sorry to have troubled you even now..."
The "Knight of the Lake" gazed with gratitude at the golden holy sword piercing his body, then continued with a bitter smile.
"Actually... at that time, I truly hoped you would hold me accountable out of your own anger... How I wished you would have punished me sooner..."
The knight who bore the name of "traitor" spoke sorrowfully to his friend, who had never blamed him until the very end. Lancelot's body began to turn translucent, accelerating toward the stage of disappearance. The knight closed his eyes, murmuring as if having a beautiful dream.
"To die before the King's eyes, under the King's gaze... Haha, a man like me is... is just like a loyal knight..."
After these words, the knight's body became transparent and, under Saber's complex gaze, turned into points of starlight.
With Lancelot's departure, only Saber stood alone beneath the hazy night sky.
Looking at that lonely silhouette, Shirou let out a soft breath and did not step forward to disturb her. Though he knew the truth of the Holy Grail, Shirou felt that even if he told Saber directly now, she wouldn't believe him.
Trust hadn't been sufficiently established; even if Shirou spoke the truth, Saber would surely want to witness it for herself to be satisfied.
Thus, under conditions of insufficient trust, confession would only bring negative effects.
However, Shirou did not intend to wait until the girl reached true despair to speak out; that would only add to the sorrow. He would tell her after enough trust had been accumulated; even if Saber didn't believe him immediately, it would at least allow her to be mentally prepared.
"It's almost dawn. Let's go."
Sorting out his thoughts, Shirou made the suggestion to Saber.
"Mm... I understand." Saber took a deep breath, nodded, and got into the car.
Upon arriving at the airport, Saber purchased the tickets, and the two boarded the plane together. Sitting in his seat, Shirou looked out the small window and noticed two people monitoring them from the shadows of a nearby building.
"People from the Magecraft world..."
The commotion caused by Caster's summoning of the Sea Demon had certainly shaken the local magecraft community in Fuyuki, so it was only natural for magi to observe him secretly. However, hindered by Saber's power as a Servant, these people didn't dare get too close, only standing far off.
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