"Bang!"
His hand slammed heavily on the table; Kiritsugu, uncharacteristically, lost his composure for a moment.
He had still underestimated the Holy Grail War too much.
He had specifically brought Irisviel, not only because of her own wishes, but also because Kiritsugu felt it would be helpful, which was why he chose to do so.
But he didn't expect that, right from the start, they would fall into such a miserable situation.
According to Saber's description, it was highly likely she had been abducted by Assassin.
In an extreme case, the Scabbard might also be discovered by the opponent.
In that scenario, Saber's true name would be immediately noticed.
The sudden aerial bombardment was the biggest variable.
Otherwise, the mere appearance of Assassin would not have made them so passive.
"The best way now is to quickly find Assassin's location and rescue Irisviel."
Whether it was her own nature or the Scabbard, both were indispensable factors.
"I will help."
Although her relationship with Kiritsugu was not very good, Saber would not tolerate such humiliation.
The person she was supposed to protect was not only injured but also abducted.
How could the Knight King remain indifferent?
She would get her back no matter what.
"Assassin won't be unscathed either. Ideally, we should complete the raid today."
Considering the new operation, Kiritsugu could only choose to act with Saber at this point.
After witnessing last night's battle, he did not believe he could confidently face an unknown battle situation.
"The first thing to do is to find Assassin and his Master's location."
..."Rider, even if you've changed into modern clothes, aren't you a bit too flashy?"
"Indeed, my appearance doesn't look like a neon person no matter how you look at it."
"You're quite conspicuous even among foreigners."
Watching Lelouch wander around the streets, Waver was still somewhat worried.
Nothing else, Rider's appearance was simply too easy to attract attention.
His extraordinary demeanor, elegant actions, and handsome appearance.
He was practically like a prince from a fairy tale.
To say he wouldn't be noticed would be strange.
"Don't worry, nothing will happen in this kind of marketplace."
In such a crowded plaza, if a Servant were to attack under these circumstances, perhaps they wouldn't be the ones to worry about, but rather the so-called Church.
"Hmm?"
"There's a flow of magical energy."
But just then, Waver noticed an anomaly in a certain place. He turned his head to look.
"A Servant is fighting somewhere else."
"What a pity."
Lelouch took a sip of his black tea, glanced at the ground, and spoke with regret.
He had originally wanted to see if there was any Servant with the reckless courage of a Suzaku who would attack, and he had specially prepared a grand gift.
But it seemed it wouldn't be needed now.
"Let's go."
"Oh!"
..."This guy? Is he a Servant?"
Wielding the spear in her hand, her attire unchanged, Sakura Kyoko looked at the figure in black armor with an axe strapped to his right arm.
She had just passed through this alley when she was ambushed.
"Bang!!"
"Clang!"
The force of the opponent's swing was within her tolerable range, an extent she could easily block.
But his combat awareness was quite agile.
"That is not a Servant."
"It should be a familiar, but to be able to control such a familiar, perhaps only a Caster proficient in Magician could do it."
From a distance, Kenneth, who was observing the scene, confirmed the opponent's identity.
"Although his combat power is not as good as Lancer's, he is quite troublesome."
Even without Kenneth's explanation, Sola, as a Master, could perceive the problem.
"Hey, after-dinner exercise, that's acceptable."
Making such a comment, Sakura Kyoko didn't want to appear too embarrassed in front of those two.
Waving the spear in her hand, she thrust it towards the figure in front. The opponent twisted his waist to avoid a direct hit.
"What a pity."
"Just dodging won't work."
The spear that had pierced through twisted from its tip, like a nunchaku, and then struck the opponent's side.
"Bang!"
"Crack!"
Like shattering glass, the familiar in front of her shattered and disappeared.
"Eh, is the defense so fragile?"
"It was gone after just one hit."
Sakura Kyoko looked at this scene in surprise, a puzzled expression on her face.
The opponent's equipment looked strong, but this phenomenon seemed a bit inconsistent with its performance.
"I see, is this how battles are fought here?"
A voice came from an empty corner. Sakura Kyoko then turned her head to look, only to see a blond young man emerge from there.
"You are the owner of that familiar?"
"He is not a Master."
"He should be the so-called Caster?"
Holding the spear in one hand and pointing it at the opponent, Sakura Kyoko didn't know why the other party was confident enough to show his face, but it suited her perfectly.
"Hmm, I don't really understand the rules here."
"The identity assigned to me is indeed something like Cas."
"That's not important, isn't your goal and mine for this?"
Pulling out the dragon ball, Jonouchi grinned and said.
"Hey, just hand it over obediently."
"That's not going to happen."
..."Something's not right."
"Hmm? Why do you say that?"
Kenneth's words puzzled Sola, as the two conversed in the car.
"That dragon ball should normally be kept by the Master."
"In terms of existence, it should be the same as a Command Seal, as you told me before."
"That's right."
"But it's one thing for Caster to hold the dragon ball, but how dare he, a Magician, directly confront Lancer, one of the three great knight classes?"
From the observed data, Caster's stats, except for luck, were all far lower than Lancer's.
Even in terms of magical energy, which should be Caster's strongest area, Lancer was still higher than him?
Under these circumstances, for the opponent to dare to show his face was truly abnormal.
(Lancer, quickly deal with him, it might be a trap!)
Realizing this, Sola immediately urged him.
"We should also keep our distance."
To avoid being affected by last night's bombardment, Kenneth also dared not be overconfident.
"If you're going to come out so brazenly, don't blame me!"
Looking at the Caster in front of her, Sakura Kyoko had no intention of being polite.
Her spear instantly swung, ready to thrust forward.
"Oh, oh."
"Just now. You declared an attack, didn't you?"
Jonouchi did not panic; he simply put his hands on his hips and laughed triumphantly.
"!"
It was at this moment that Sakura Kyoko suddenly found herself unable to move.
"What?"
Looking down, strange magic circles appeared on her forearms.
"Hexagram Curse!"
Circles of light surrounded her, restricting her tightly like chains.
Except for her feet, which could move slightly, her arm movements were completely sealed.
"This is your magic?"
Having been instilled with the relevant knowledge, Sakura Kyoko had never encountered such an opponent before.
She clearly hadn't seen the opponent make any moves, yet she had already been affected.
To this, Jonouchi responded confidently.
"The moment you intended to attack me, the trap had already been activated."
PS: By the way, some notes that need to be marked are placed here at the end.
[Hexagram Curse]: Activate by targeting 1 monster on your opponent's field. The targeted monster cannot attack and cannot change its battle position. When the targeted monster is destroyed, this card is destroyed.
The actual performance is to block the opponent's normal attacks, which can be seen as "disarming" them.
For opponents skilled in close combat and fighting, this should be the biggest trouble.