The fierce wind blowing in reverse. The intricate entanglement of life and death.
In the instant Saber and Lancer passed each other, bright red blood flowers bloomed vividly, then vanished in a flash.
Saber, who had charged past, stopped. At the same time, both of them turned their heads.
Both stood upright, not having lost their will to confront each other. Both remained intact.
The yellow short spear, poised to stab Saber to death, did not pierce Saber's chest but instead struck her left arm.
That's right, the yellow short spear! The short spear Lancer used to wound Saber at this moment was the one he had discarded earlier.
Just an instant before Saber, charging at high speed, delivered a desperate blow to Lancer, Lancer suddenly kicked up the sand beneath his feet. However, what flew into the air was not sand, but the short spear Lancer had just thrown away!
The spearhead was aimed in the direction Saber was flying from. The runes on the short spear had been dispelled, revealing its golden yellow shaft!
In the subsequent life-and-death reversal, Saber displayed her unparalleled reaction and adaptability. In her ultra-high-speed charge, she instantly twisted her body sideways, dodging the vital point targeted by the spear tip. At the same time, Saber's raised holy sword also deviated from Lancer's vital point, its blade striking Lancer's left arm. Strangely, both were wounded in the same area.
This was another mistake Saber made: a rigid thought pattern, and making judgments without adapting to the actual situation.
Lancer had clearly demonstrated his impeccable dual-spear technique from the very beginning, yet after Lancer discarded the yellow spear, she truly believed that only the red spear was Lancer's noble phantasm and was careless about the short spear on the ground. After knowing that the red spear could easily ignore Mana armor, she directly gave up her armor, which proved her disregard for the short spear on the ground.
Even if Saber had paid a little attention to where Lancer discarded the short spear, she wouldn't have fallen so easily into Lancer's trap. To actually believe that Lancer, a warrior Heroic Spirit, would make a novice mistake like accidentally stepping into sand—Saber, how careless were you?
It could be said that, from Rin's perspective at this moment, this spear-and-sword battle was only watchable in its initial stages. From the moment Lancer threw down the short spear, Saber was completely led by the nose. If it weren't for her own formidable strength, she would have definitely been out of the fight by now.
To be honest, Rin was very disappointed. Even knowing such an outcome and the entire process, seeing the situation unfold like this with her own eyes, the feeling of disappointment was infinitely greater than watching it on an anime screen.
At this moment, it seemed like both sides exchanged injuries, with no clear winner, but in reality, being wounded by that short spear, which seemed to be cast from gold, was the biggest miscalculation!
Gae Buidhe, the Yellow Rose of Mortality, a human-cursing noble phantasm. The runic carvings on the yellow demonic spear mean: "Success," "Hail," "Gift," "Birch," "God of War." It is a yellow short spear with the curse of "unhealable wounds." After being injured by this dangerous short spear, it causes irreversible wounds. Even using healing Magus or regeneration abilities cannot remove the curse of injury it inflicts. To remove the curse, one must either destroy the spear or slay Lancer, the wielder of the short spear.
"Berserker, honestly, I'm very disappointed with Saber's performance right now. Did she fight without thinking like this even in her lifetime?"
"That is not the case, Master. My King is merely a bit too eager at this moment. I can see that she urgently needs to establish a victorious military feat to reclaim the shame and dignity lost in previous battles."
An urgent need for victory? Rin cast her gaze back to Saber.
Was she unable to bear the taste of defeat after being easily beaten by Jalter before, so overly eager for victory that her eyes were clouded?
Then it's time to sober up, King Arthur.
"You still won't let me win easily. Good. That unyielding expression of yours."
Lancer's smile was somewhat forced as he stared intently at Saber, seemingly trying hard not to mind the wound on his elbow. Subsequently, Lancer's wound healed as if in a video playback, without anyone touching it. Even a Servant's self-healing ability couldn't recover so quickly; clearly, the invisible Director Kayneth had cast a healing Magus.
The power of Lancer's spear, used in aerial combat, and Saber's sword, gripped with both hands, were certainly different. At least from appearances, the wound on Saber's forearm, pierced by the short spear, seemed only a minor injury compared to Lancer's wound.
"Irisviel, please heal my wound."
"I did! I healed it, but... Saber, you should be fully recovered by now! But..."
Compared to the injured Saber, Irisviel, who was responsible for the rescue, looked even more disheveled.
As a Magus, Irisviel was undoubtedly first-class. The density and intensity of her training since she gained a personality went without saying. She was already an anomaly in the Magus world, possessing a body that was "designed" and "created." It was impossible for her to make mistakes when using low-level Magus like healing Magus.
This was the Eternal Wound curse of Gae Buidhe, the Yellow Rose of Mortality. Once injured by that spear, the resulting wound could not heal in any form.
Saber's wound didn't bleed much and appeared to be minor, but Rin knew that the tendon in Saber's thumb had been severed. With the most important thumb among the five fingers unable to move, Saber's left hand could no longer firmly grip her sword hilt.
Lancer paid no attention to Saber, nor did he launch an attack. Confidently, he bent down and picked up the yellow short spear that had fallen to the ground with his left hand.
"It's good that you understand the uselessness of armor in front of my Red Rose for Exorcising Demons. However, discarding your armor was a rash idea. If you hadn't discarded your armor, you would have been able to defend against the inevitable Yellow Rose of Annihilation."
As Lancer spoke, he raised the red spear in his right hand and the yellow short spear in his left hand high, like spreading wings. This posture was identical to his posture at the start of the battle. This was not a deceptive pose, but a unique killing technique mastered by this warrior after intense training.
"I understand now. This is a cursed spear; once it pierces, the wound will never heal. I should have noticed this earlier. I was negligent and paid the price of my left hand."
With belated realization, Saber finally understood.
"The First Knight of the Knights of Fianna, Diarmuid of the Love Spot. I didn't expect the Holy Grail to bestow the honor of participation upon you."
"This is the wonder of the Holy Grail War. Those invited to the Throne of Heroes across time will not mistake the sword in your hand."
Lancer, whose true name was accidentally revealed, instead narrowed his eyes with excitement.
"To compete with the king of knights, whose legend has been passed down through human history for millennia, and to exact my revenge—hmph, this is something I cannot give up."
The Holy Grail, which invited them, would bestow upon the invited Heroic Spirits knowledge and legends of later generations. Through the legends of that era, they could also understand heroes of later times. Diarmuid also knew the legend of King Arthur, who later brought honor to his homeland.
"Then, since we know each other's names, I challenge you as a knight to decide the outcome of this ordinary battle—even though I've wounded your arm, are you not convinced, Saber?"
"Don't joke. For you to worry about me over such a minor injury, it's more like an insult to me."
Saber declared resolutely.
"It's just a mere wound, nothing significant!"
Saber once again donned her silver-white armor woven from magic. Both sides held their weapons, ready for the next stage of a life-and-death duel.
However, Rin knew they could no longer fight.
Rin couldn't help but cast her gaze towards the sky, "It should be coming now…"
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