"Oooooooh—! Why?! Why would you stop me here?! Even now you come to hinder me?! Cursed god—AAAAAAGH!!!"
Caster—Bluebeard, Gilles de Rais—brandished his Noble Phantasm, Prelati's Spellbook, raving like a madman as he spewed incomprehensible words.
"Witchcraft…"
Sweeping aside the monsters Caster had summoned, Lancer frowned, unwilling to waste breath on him.
"Just like the strategist said. There's no end to his stored prana."
He whirled his spear, clearing another swath of writhing, tentacled abominations, then looked anxiously toward Caster—still chanting as he drifted farther and farther away over the river.
"Why isn't Saber here yet?!"
Saber, who should've linked up with him long ago, was nowhere to be seen. A thread of dread slid through Lancer's chest, but even so, he could only follow the strategist's orders and throw everything he had into stopping Caster.
On the other side, Waver was no less frantic. At his side stood two Artorias and Mash, weapons in hand, faces taut with tension.
And in front of them—
"Even if you look at me like that… I'm helpless too. After saying all that, I'm the one coming to pick a fight with you again—honestly, even I care a little about keeping up appearances."
Hands buried in her coat pockets, Ophis smiled as she spoke—her expression and tone not helpless in the slightest.
Ever since merging with Inori, she seemed to be saying more pointless chatter than before. She no longer had that old decisiveness of if you can move your hands, don't run your mouth.
But it didn't matter. Her goal wasn't to fight.
Both Artorias held their holy swords, yet neither dared advance carelessly.
Normally, keeping your hands in your pockets during a fight was the kind of posturing that looked cool and was actually stupid—because the moment you needed to act, pulling your hands free took time. Very little time, but enough for a skilled warrior to seize as an opening.
That only applied when both sides were remotely comparable.
Ophis's skill in close combat was still a mystery. As melee specialists, the Sabers wouldn't fear her for that alone. But there was another factor anchoring their feet.
Behind Ophis floated countless Noble Phantasms, all aimed straight at them, each blazing with golden light.
"What do you want?"
Waver's brow was knotted tight. This was the critical moment. No matter how troublesome this King of Heroes was, at least right now there was a bigger problem to deal with.
Perhaps not stronger than Ophis—but a monster the world could not tolerate.
"I was asked to stop you here. That's all."
Neither side moved to fight. Ophis only meant to block them, so she had no intention of striking first.
"Asked?"
Waver forced down the agitation clawing at him and made himself focus on the threat in front of him.
"Then I'd very much like to know who could possibly order around the famous King of Heroes… or rather, why the King of Heroes would sink to the point of being ordered around at all."
Tokiomi Tohsaka flashed through his mind, then was dismissed just as quickly. Setting aside whether Tokiomi even had the ability, Waver couldn't imagine what he'd gain from doing this.
Kirei Kotomine… now, that was plausible. Waver still couldn't see what the priest stood to gain, but from what Waver knew of the Kirei Kotomine of later—
That man was a lunatic who didn't need "benefit" to motivate him.
But at this point in time, the priest shouldn't yet have…
The worst possibility flickered through Waver's mind. He decided to take a risk and probe with provocation—if he couldn't get information, he could at least try to create an opening.
If possible, he didn't want to spend too much time here—especially since Artoria's mana for a True Name Release absolutely had to be conserved.
"No need to guess so much…"
But even if someone stood there and screamed in Ophis's face, she'd let it wash past as background noise. Waver's attempt at bait was ignored entirely.
"If you owe a debt, you repay it. I owe that person quite a lot. Letting her make use of me for a time is fine. Besides, I am curious—why does such a weak Caster make you treat him as if you're facing a mortal enemy?"
"Wait, Ophis."
Ritsuka slipped out from behind Mash's guard then, speaking with serious, emphatic gestures.
"That Caster—if what he's trying to do succeeds, this city could fall into disaster! Didn't you say you maintain humanity's balance? If that's true, then you wouldn't want humans to suffer disaster for a reason like this, right?"
"Oh?"
Ophis tilted her head.
"Half a day and your tongue has sharpened, Ritsuka… But you underestimate humanity. What impact does a mere city's disaster have on humanity as a whole? Disasters capable of destroying cities are hardly rare in history. Do you expect me to intervene and stop it every single time?"
"But you don't have to get in the way of people trying to stop it!"
Ritsuka frowned and snapped back. Ophis remained unmoved.
"I told you. I am acting on someone's request. In the end, Ritsuka—do you truly think a sharp tongue alone can force me to withdraw willingly?"
"So talking won't work…?"
The courage Ritsuka had gathered seemed to collapse in an instant. But the very next moment, she slapped her cheeks with both hands, and a fierce resolve surfaced in her eyes.
"Lord El-Melloi II—Artoria is the main force against Caster, right?"
"…If things reach the worst-case scenario, then yes—she's the best way to wrest back control. Why are you asking?"
Waver's frown deepened. He stared at the Master girl, who—over half a day he hadn't witnessed—seemed to have changed more than he could explain.
"Lily, Mash—can you come with me?"
The two girls blinked in surprise, then their expressions hardened with the same determination.
"Of course, Senpai. Didn't we say we'd fight together?"
"I am Master's sword. Please rely on me as much as you need!"
Looking at the two Servants who trusted her without hesitation, Ritsuka smiled—warm, relieved.
"Thank you… Lord El-Melloi II, go. We'll hold Ophis here!"
"Wait, Ritsuka!"
"You—this is far too dangerous."
Only now did Waver and Dr. Romani realize the situation was tipping into something they couldn't control. They both spoke up at once, trying to stop her—yet they couldn't pull Ritsuka back.
Standing between her two Servants, Ritsuka's gaze didn't waver.
"Hold… me?"
Hearing Ritsuka's words, Ophis laughed.
"In the future, I might believe those words, backed by your confidence and glory. But right now… this is nothing more than arrogance."
"Then let's find out if it is!"
All hesitation and doubt drained away. There was even a spark of eagerness in her eyes now. Ritsuka faced Ophis head-on, without a trace of fear, and issued her challenge.
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