Irisviel struggled to get to her feet.
'I have to stop her! This… this is a trap!' A trap her husband's Servant had fallen for, hook, line, and sinker.
Bar the fact that Rider did indeed pose a threat, he'd drawn Saber away far too easily. The young knight must've been thinking too hard on things, and Irisviel hesitates to reveal anything but the truth may as well have pushed the girl into taking things on her own shoulders.
'It's my own fault…' She couldn't do it. She couldn't break the girl's heart by telling Saber her wish wouldn't come to fruition. At the end of the day, Irisviel von Einzbern was like any other magus in this war, tricking their Servants for a chance at false hope. Dangling the incentive of a wish before them despite knowing full well no Servant will ever survive a successful Holy Grail Ritual in the end. 'I'm sorry… Saber. But… I can't let you know of this burden…'
For the sake of her wish, for the sake of the man who gave her a human heart, she couldn't mess this up. Even if her body crumbled to dust and took the form of the accursed chalice many sought after, she couldn't ruin Kiritsugu's chance at salvation.
"Madam!" the only other person who shared her burden of secrecy cried out from the entrance of the shed. Leaving Sola-Ui's side would've been prudent, but that would've been only if the woman had the means to escape on her own. Maiya's priority now lay with her, the Grail vessel that looked like it was about to expire at any moment. "Madam, can you stand?"
"I… can…" Irisviel was hardly able to say it straight, but she did her best to remain composed. "But… more importantly… We must inform Kiritsugu… Saber… Saber's in danger!"
Maiya didn't even waste time responding. With a nod, she pulled out her handheld phone and was about to activate its speed dial. However,
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." BOOM
The device was shot out of Maiya's hand with such precision, the only wounds the woman assassin suffered were from the shards of the shattered plastic cutting the skin of her cheek and fingers.
Both stared at the source of the gunshot as well as the voice. There, standing atop the high wall of the property, clad in her casual clothes, a redhead smiled down upon them with a feral grin.
Irisviel held her breath, knowing now who had set Rider up against them. "Avenger—"
"The one and only! My, here I thought Saber was more the diplomatic think-before-leaping sort, but it seems I'm not the only one who has a bone to pick with that brute. Best not waste the time that Fool Rider bought us." The Servant sighed, looking a little disappointed. "Honestly, that bastard should've just got it over and done with on the spot! Why invite her somewhere else, I guess I'll never understand." Spying them from her vantage point, the exasperated scowl turned menacingly entertained. "Still, here we expected any number of traps or the like, but it seems we worried for nothing."
"We?" Maiya tried to buy time whilst hiding a hand behind her back. Irisviel spotted the gun on her belt and tried to wordlessly warn against putting up a struggle. However, her exhaustion didn't allow for much except leaning against her last guardian helplessly.
"Why, my Master and myself, of course. But you need not worry about it." Avenger leapt up from the wall and swiftly landed not a few meters before them. Her smile remained, deservedly as her aura alone enforced a clear sign of superiority over them at the moment. "Now, milady Einzbern. I need you to come with me. There is something… my Master needs to discuss with you."
"Madam, on my signal, I need you to run."
Irisviel didn't even have time to acknowledge the suggestion when, after being pushed aside, towards the gates of the premises, Maiya tried to distract the Servant.
Pulling out a gun and combat knife could be considered a futile idea against a foe that could appear behind you at a moment's notice. But even now, Irisviel knew how little Hisau Maiya cared for her own life. If it was for the sake of Kiritsugu's victory, she too would throw her life away at the drop of a hat. If she could by time via her death, it would be worth it.
But sadly, such selfless and reckless struggle meant little to a heroic spirit.
"Hm. You have the right instincts, woman. But the wrong body." Avenger didn't even draw a weapon. She didn't bother pulling out her blade or summoning a musket. All she did was suddenly appear before Maiya, catch her by the forearm arm, mid knife-charge, then tossed her to the side with enough force to collapse the shed wall. "Maybe you can try me again, once you're a heroic spirit, that is."
"Maiya!" Irisviel's cries fell on deaf ears. Her husband's longtime assistant lay unmoving as the rubble dropped around her. She still breathed, but the force of the impact must've rattled her skull in more ways than one. "Maiya—GUH!"
"Haaah… all this struggle when you can't even handle me… Guess you should've kept a tighter leash on your attack dog." Irisviel would've screamed out her name again but was immediately silenced when Avenger punched her in the gut. Fallen unconscious, she was tossed over Avenger's shoulders like a sack of potatoes. "Okay, that's one job down—"
"Let… her… go…"
"Hm?" Something caught Avenger's eye as it stirred from the side. Crumbling remnants of the shed's walls shifted as a hand attempted to pull itself out of the pile. "Oh wow. You actually survived that one? I thought a normal human would die with that much strength alone!"
Despite knowing how many of her bones were broken, Maiya was still determined and aiming her gun at her overwhelmingly powerful foe's face.
BANG
"Hahah, nope." Avenger casually tilted her head to avoid a bullet that would do little apart from scratch her makeup. But she'd rather not be scared before meeting her Master, hence her avoiding it. "Not a bad aim, mercenary. Given time, you could've been something… more." Avenger approached her even as the woman emptied the magazine at her head. All shots missed, barely even scratching her hair, but as she struggled to reload her weapon, a thought came to her charge's kidnapper. "Hey, if you care so much about this Einzbern, does it mean he cares for you just as much? Enough to want to protect you as well?"
"Ngah!" Maiya neither understood nor comprehended the words. Even at her lowest, the most she could do was draw the hidden blade in her working wrist and stab it into Avenger's shoe. It didn't do anything to the heeled boot, however. But Avenger was kind enough to crush her wrist underfoot. "GAAAAAAAAAH—!"
"That's a nice scream," Avenger remarked. "I wonder how your scary assassin pet will react seeing his partner and employer both screaming like that."
"You… wouldn't—"
"Oh, but I would. It's my Master's orders, after all."
A flick to her forehead had Hisau Maiya's final thoughts swirling into unconsciousness. The thought of her becoming a hostage alongside the madam, even if she knew full well and accepted that Kiritsugu wouldn't waste time saving a tool like her, the fact that she'd now become a burden was all that accompanied the tears streaking down with the blood from her forehead.
"And now we have two! I hope Lelouch likes the bonus souvenir…" Avenger giggled to herself before pausing to stare into the hole in the shed wall. "Ara, ara… Now, this is surprising!" she commented as she eyed a tied-up Sola-Ui. "You're… the one Kayneth wanted to protect so badly, yes? Er… Sola-something, right?"
Honestly, she sounded like she could care less what the woman's name was. But said a woman in question looked both terrified and excited to see her. "A-A-A-Avenger! Please save me! That bastard the Magus Killer captured me and forced me to tell him everything! I—I can be useful to you and Lamperouge! Please, help—!"
"You… told them everything, you say?" The amused smile on Avenger's face froze. Her eyes sharpened with a small flicker of fire. "How… disappointing. Hm. Well, whatever. Where is this Magus Killer right now?"
"I-I don't know… I swear, I don't!" the look on her face very much said she was clueless. She definitely was, having not noticed Avenger's frown overtaking the amusement. "But, please! Get me out of this! I know I said I'd leave after we ended our alliance, but if you let me go, I can—!"
"Nah."
"Eh?" Sola-Ui just about squeaked as Avenger picked up Hisau Maiya's unconscious and injured form and swung it over her other shoulder. "What… did you… eh?!"
"I said 'nah'. You're a liability now, Solar lady. And my darling has no need of another burden at this stage of the war. Don't you agree?"
"B-but… I helped you! I helped both of you to kill my bastard fiancé—!"
"And you have our eternal gratitude for that!" Avenger turned away with nary a glance to the helpless prisoner. "If it makes you sleep easier, we'll make sure neither yours nor Lancer's deaths will be in vain. Catch you in hell!"
"Eh? What? What do you— WHAT DOES THAT—?!"
The woman's cries hitched when two dozen rifles shimmered into existence above Avenger's head. Without even looking, merely snapping her fingers like she was lighting a cigarette, all weapons opened fire, getting rid of the liability to her darling's scheme.
As screams of terror were crushed under the weight of a crumbling building, Oda Nobunaga left the Emiya residence with two hostages in tow. It was on to the next phase of the plan.