To onlookers, Lancer's intense offense seemed to give him the upper hand in the battle, but Rin could see that this was not the case.
From his first move until now, Lancer had been utterly exhausted defending against Saber's attacks. Though he taunted her, he was equally unable to turn the tide.
Lancer, who could wield a spear with one hand, was now using both a long and a short spear simultaneously, allowing him to attack at both close and long range. From the perspective of equipment superiority, it was impossible for him to be pushed to this point by Saber, who only used a single sword.
But... "What kind of sword is this?"
Lancer secretly groaned in his heart. After all, unlike Jalter, Rin had not told him the dimensions of Saber's sword, and he couldn't discern the sword's high-speed movements.
At this moment, not only Irisviel, who was observing from the side, but even Director Kayneth, who was also a Servant, couldn't perceive the trajectory of the sword in Saber's hand. The only ones present who could clearly see Saber's sword swings were Rin, who knew everything about Saber, and Lancelot.
A large amount of air around the sword was gathered by magic, and the air enveloping the sword created an incredible refraction of light, making it completely invisible. Although this didn't provide much assistance to a noble phantasm, its effect in close combat was very significant.
Saber's opponents were attacked by an invisible sword, and their attacks were blocked by an equally invisible sword. Lancer's anxiety was understandable; even if he could judge Saber's attacks by her movements, he couldn't launch a surprise attack because he couldn't see the blade.
Therefore, Lancer could only operate by estimation, keeping himself outside of Saber's attack range. His flashy continuous attacks could only be effective in this situation. Although he could block every one of Saber's attacks, he had yet to find an opportunity to deliver a fatal blow to his opponent.
Lancer looked at his first opponent squarely, feeling that it was time to fight to the death, and a desolate smile appeared on Lancer's face.
The two Heroic Spirits were fully immersed in the battle, so they had no mind to care about their surroundings.
Seeing this, Rin roughly estimated the time.
"It should be about time," Rin muttered to herself, shifting her gaze from Saber and Lancer, who had captivated all attention, to the crane standing by the rock wall in the distance.
"As expected, he's here."
A figure that absolutely should not have appeared was looking down at the entire battlefield from that excellent vantage point.
The strong winds blowing from the sea billowed his black robe, and a hint of a satisfied smile emerged from beneath his white skull mask.
No one but Rin could have predicted that Assassin, who had been eliminated in front of numerous witnesses last night, was now standing in this night market street. Rin looked at Assassin, who was smugly overlooking the battlefield, thinking he had fooled everyone, and a cold glint flashed in her eyes, a bone-chilling killing intent seemingly piercing through that skull mask to see his Master behind him.
Kirei Kotomine!!!
"I will definitely kill you."
Turning her gaze back again, Rin muttered in a low voice, resuming her appreciation of the battle between Saber and Lancer.
If before they were using minor tricks to test each other's strength, now their battle could be said to have reached a fever pitch.
However, what they called "minor tricks" was only a term among Servants. The road surface, destroyed by the aftermath of these minor tricks, bore horrifying marks. Two warehouses had already collapsed, and the asphalt of the road was torn up like a plowed field.
Looking at such a battlefield, one couldn't help but feel that the area had just experienced a major earthquake.
Yet, in this ruin-like setting, Saber and Lancer confronted each other unscathed, calculating each other's next move. Neither showed any sign of fatigue.
Wielding a long spear filled with killing intent, Lancer spoke to Saber in a relaxed tone.
"In any case, I admire you. You haven't broken a sweat yet. That's quite remarkable for a woman."
"No need for modesty, Lancer."
Saber brandished the sword in her hand, a smile gracing her face.
"Although I don't know your name, I am honored by your praise for my swordsmanship, and I gladly accept it."
Although these two were meeting for the first time, it was certain that a part of their hearts resonated with each other.
Both were full of confidence in their own abilities, so when they met a true opponent, they offered their respect. Both were not only solitary warriors but also Heroic Spirits who appreciated each other.
At this moment—
"The game ends here! Lancer! Don't waste any more time, that Saber is difficult to deal with, so I permit you to use your noble phantasm. Finish this quickly."
A voice full of arrogance, malice, and haughtiness echoed from all directions. This was echo magic, which prevented the listener from discerning the source of the sound. Rin knew that this was Director Kayneth, the Master with the highest magical cultivation in this Holy Grail War besides Rin, but also the most naive and foolish one.
Indeed, Director Kayneth was the most naive one in this Holy Grail War; even Waver, who had secretly stolen his relic to participate in the Holy Grail War, had more resolve than him. He disregarded the reduction in his Heroic Spirit's attributes to preserve his own magic, foolishly hoping to win by relying on his own magical prowess to engage in a straightforward magical duel with the opposing Master. Truly, ridiculously naive.
It was precisely because of this mindset that Kiritsugu Emiya gradually outmaneuvered him to total annihilation, making them arguably the most tragic pair in this Holy Grail War.
Narrow-minded, intolerant, self-righteous, distrustful of his Servant's power and will, and with outdated thinking that couldn't keep up with the times—how could such a fellow hope to win the Holy Grail War? If he wasn't naive and foolish, who was?
Magic is a part of strength, but strength is not solely about magic. The key to whether one is strong or not ultimately depends on their mind.
Rin let out a disdainful chuckle. Such an idiot, his death would not be worthy of any sympathy.
This is a battlefield, and it is war!
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