"…Gilgamesh is serious. Not only does he intend to continue unleashing the Gate of Babylon, he has even drawn out his strongest Noble Phantasm for the final clash—Ea, the Sword of Rupture," Kirei Kotomine reported.
Tohsaka Tokiomi's fingers dug tightly into the armrests of his luxurious wooden chair. His expression was dark and still like stagnant water.
"To repeatedly display a decisive Noble Phantasm before everyone… what reckless arrogance."
"Teacher, the enemy's Saber has also begun to release her Noble Phantasm. Its power has already far exceeded the controllable limits of the Holy Grail War!"
"Teacher, please make a decision! We cannot allow them to continue this madness! Fuyuki City, along with the Greater Grail buried deep underground, may be destroyed!"
Kirei's tone sounded anxious, yet hidden beneath it was a faint trembling excitement that seemed to reach straight into his brain.
To witness a battle of this magnitude with his own eyes—even if he died right now, it would be worth it.
But the Assassin experiencing the scene firsthand was nearly terrified out of his wits.
He was only an ordinary Servant with some duplication abilities. A storm of this scale was far beyond what he could endure.
"…."
After a moment of contemplation, Tokiomi finally made his decision.
He raised his right hand and looked at the three crimson Command Seals engraved on the back of it.
"I command you by Command Seal—
King of Heroes, restrain your anger and withdraw immediately."
The moment the words were spoken, the circular Command Seals on the back of Tokiomi's hand erupted with light.
The outermost seal vanished instantly as the command took effect.
Far away—
Gilgamesh, who had been preparing to unleash the divine power of Ea, immediately sensed the compulsion of the Command Seal.
His movement froze.
His face darkened as he shouted in fury:
"Tokiomi! You think your petty admonition alone can make me retreat?"
"What a joke!"
The threat was voiced.
But even Gilgamesh could not resist the absolute authority of a Command Seal.
The charging of Ea halted instantly, and the bombardment of the Gate of Babylon ceased.
He glanced sideways at Matou Kariya, who stood beneath the streetlight nearby. Despite the relentless barrage, Kariya's armor bore only a few shallow scratches.
"You've picked up another life, mad dog."
Then Gilgamesh shifted his gaze toward Leon, arrogance filling his expression.
"All treasures in the world belong to me—the King of Heroes."
"The Holy Sword in your hands is no exception."
"If you think you can take it, then come and try," Leon shot back without hesitation.
"Hmph."
Gilgamesh snorted coldly.
"Until we meet again, mongrels, continue your dull slaughter of one another."
"Only true heroes are worthy of meeting me."
With that, his golden figure dematerialized into Spirit Form, disappearing before everyone's eyes.
"Archer has withdrawn."
Kiritsugu Emiya quietly let out a breath of relief.
If Gilgamesh and Leon had actually clashed with their Noble Phantasms just now…
He didn't know how many people would survive.
But at this distance, he and Maiya Hisau—mere humans—would certainly have been vaporized.
Even leaving behind a corpse would have been unlikely.
"How disappointing…"
With his opponent gone, the conditions for releasing the Thirteen Seals were lost. The Holy Sword's radiance restrained itself once more.
Leon muttered with clear disappointment.
But just as he was about to lower the blade—
The sword suddenly slashed diagonally behind him toward Irisviel and Artoria without warning.
CLANG!
From their flank, a pitch-black shadow had already crept close like a phantom.
"ARTHUR!!!"
Matou Kariya roared madly, completely devoid of reason.
His ebony blade collided with the Sword of the Planet, producing a piercing metallic howl.
"Artoria, watch over Irisviel."
"Yes!"
Leon gave the order calmly.
Then he kicked forward—
Kariya was sent flying backward, crashing violently into a steel cargo container filled with goods.
Dust exploded into the air.
Yet before the dust had even settled, Kariya burst out again like an indestructible cockroach, wildly hacking at Leon with frenzied swings.
No technique.
Only brute stats.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Leon engaged him head-on in close combat.
Seeing this, Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald, who had originally intended to retreat to the Magecraft Workshop he had prepared earlier, suddenly reconsidered.
Counting the two times Saber had already released her Noble Phantasm, plus the charge she had just completed before canceling—
Even with abundant mana reserves, she must have consumed more than half of her energy.
Meanwhile, his own Servant—
Had not used his Noble Phantasm at all.
Thanks to the earlier Command Seal retreat, he remained in perfect condition and specialized in close combat.
If they seized the opportunity now, they could eliminate Saber in a single strike and erase the humiliation of their earlier tactical withdrawal.
And with Berserker acting as a disruptor…
This was the perfect moment.
Excellent.
The advantage is mine.
Kayneth quickly weighed the situation and issued an order to the dematerialized figure beside him.
"Lancer, go support Berserker and eliminate Saber."
"What—?!"
Diarmuid Ua Duibhne materialized in surprise.
"Master, Saber and I already agreed to a fair and honorable duel between knights."
"I, Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, swear upon my honor that I will not repeat the mistake of underestimating her. I will defeat Saber!"
"If you doubt me, I can first dispose of that mad dog to prove it!"
Diarmuid pleaded respectfully, wishing to uphold his chivalric code.
But Kayneth, the epitome of a traditional magus, had no patience for knightly ideals.
In his eyes, during the Holy Grail War, victory was everything.
To reach the Root, any method was acceptable—even despicable ones.
"My lord—"
Diarmuid tried once more.
"Enough!"
Losing patience, Kayneth raised his right hand.
The Command Seal, which had only just lost one charge, began to glow again.
Such a perfect opportunity to destroy Saber could not be wasted.
"I command you by Command Seal—
My Servant Lancer! Support Berserker and kill Saber!"
The instant the command was spoken—
Diarmuid shot forward from the rooftop like a streak of lightning.
Two spear shadows—one red, one yellow—
Gáe Dearg and Gáe Buidhe aimed straight for Leon's throat and heart.
At the same moment—
Kiritsugu Emiya discovered Kayneth's hiding place.
His sniper rifle slowly turned.
Through the scope, he saw Kayneth standing proudly on the rooftop with his hands behind his back—completely unguarded.
Assassin also discovered Kayneth immediately.
But he pretended not to notice, faithfully continuing his work as a battlefield observer.
It wasn't time for him to reveal himself yet.
His Master, Kirei Kotomine, had warned him:
Kayneth El-Melloi, a Lord of the Clock Tower, was not someone easily taken down.
Even Hundred-Faced Hassan wasn't certain he could defeat him in direct combat.
An assassination attempt might succeed thanks to a Servant's superior parameters—
But Kayneth's famous Mystic Code, Volumen Hydrargyrum (Moon Spirit Mercury), possessed automatic defensive capabilities.
Instantly killing him would be extremely difficult.
Kayneth was a genuine prodigy of magecraft.
And among the many Heroic Spirits, Hundred-Faced Hassan was one of the few Servants whose direct combat ability was so poor that even some battle-hardened Masters could defeat him.
On the battlefield—
Leon swept Kariya back with a single strike.
Without slowing, his sword blocked the spear thrust aimed at his heart—Gáe Buidhe.
He tilted his head aside to evade the thrust aimed at his throat—Gáe Dearg.
Twisting his body—
The sword swept horizontally!
Diarmuid pulled back his spears to defend.
The clash between sword and spear lasted only an instant.
Relying on his superior parameters, Leon blasted Diarmuid backward with a single strike—
Sending him flying more than ten meters.
Diarmuid landed beside the newly risen Matou Kariya.
The battlefield instantly formed a three-way standoff.
Except both Kariya—the pseudo-Berserker—and Diarmuid were glaring fiercely at Leon.
"AAAAAAAH!"
Diarmuid's expression twisted with agony.
He resisted with all his heart, yet the Command Seal forced his body to obey.
His usual elegance had vanished entirely.
"What… happened to Lancer?" Artoria asked softly, unable to hide her sympathy.
Irisviel frowned slightly.
"His Master appears to have used a Command Seal to force him into action against his will. That's why he looks so conflicted."
"..."
Artoria fell silent.
But a troubling thought surfaced in her heart.
If Kiritsugu were to command me with a Command Seal to do something I truly did not wish to do…
What would I do?
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