"Saber… I'm sorry!"
Grinding his teeth, Diarmuid Ua Duibhne forced out an apology that came straight from his heart.
Almost as if they had rehearsed it beforehand, he and Matou Kariya moved in perfect coordination, attacking Leon from both sides.
"It's alright."
"You are a true knight, Diarmuid."
"And I won't hold back either."
Leon responded calmly while retreating step by step, parrying the two attackers simultaneously.
"Stop talking to him!"
Kayneth's voice echoed from every direction, amplified through magecraft.
"Don't give him any chance to release the Holy Sword! Let Berserker take the blows while you activate your Noble Phantasm!"
"And whoever you are, Berserker's Master—this is the best chance to eliminate Saber. Strike while he's weakened!"
Believing victory already in hand, Kayneth had essentially switched into openly plotting out loud mode.
"ARTHUR!!!"
Kariya's mad roar seemed to answer his call.
"…Understood."
Though utterly unwilling, Diarmuid still obeyed the Command Seal's compulsion.
He leapt backward, temporarily withdrawing from the frontline while Berserker took his place.
Then—
The rough brown cloth wrapped around his twin spears dissolved into magical energy.
Red and yellow light flickered between the two weapons.
"Though it may be dishonorable, allow me to show you my ultimate technique, Saber!"
"Pierce through!
Gáe Dearg! (Red Rose of Rupture!)
Gáe Buidhe! (Yellow Rose of Certain Victory!)"
At that moment—
Black mist erupted around Matou Kariya.
He clashed with Leon at full force.
The recoil sent both of them flying apart into the air for a brief instant.
"Now! Lancer!" Kayneth shouted excitedly.
"DAMN IT!!!"
Diarmuid roared in frustration.
His twin spears became streaks of lightning—red and yellow dragons tearing through the air toward Leon.
"Leon!"
"Leon!"
Even knowing Leon was intentionally playing along with his own Servant, Irisviel and Artoria could not help but feel alarmed.
Red lightning.
Yellow lightning.
Both attacks rushed toward Leon.
A faint smile curved at Leon's lips.
Then—
A rainbow-colored shield suddenly manifested in midair before him.
CLANG! CLANG!
Diarmuid's twin spears struck the shield head-on.
And to his shock—mixed with a strange sense of relief—the attack was perfectly blocked.
"How… how is this possible?!"
Kayneth's eyes nearly split with rage.
"A second Noble Phantasm?!"
He had been so close.
Where had that thing come from?
He had never heard of King Arthur possessing a shield-type Noble Phantasm.
Unless…
On the battlefield—
The moment Diarmuid's decisive strike failed, the battle—already a violation of knightly honor—had effectively lost its meaning.
"As expected of the undefeated King of Knights. Even with Berserker assisting me, I, Diarmuid, am still no match."
Sensing the Command Seal's compulsion gradually weakening, Diarmuid lowered his spears and voluntarily halted the fight.
His praise for Leon was completely sincere.
But—
Things would not end so simply.
"Not really. I merely relied on external aid."
"Winning like this hardly feels honorable."
Leon shook his head with a humble smile.
Then suddenly—
His pupils shrank dramatically.
"Watch out!" he shouted at Diarmuid.
"PU—!!"
Without warning, Diarmuid coughed up a massive mouthful of blood.
His vision instantly darkened.
Trembling, he raised a hand and grabbed the black blade that had pierced straight through his heart—
A blade that continued carving diagonally upward through his body.
"Ber—ser—ker?!"
"No… Berserker's Master?!"
"PU—!! GAAH—!"
In his weakened state, Diarmuid could no longer stop the blade from moving.
Another mouthful of blood burst from his lips as he roared in fury.
"Berserker's Master… do you desire victory so much that you would trample a knight's pride like this?!"
"Unforgivable!"
"I, Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, curse you!"
"May your wish forever be accompanied by calamity!"
"And when you fall into hell… you will remember my wrath!"
"AAAAAAAHHHHH—!"
In a final, furious scream—
Blood poured from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth.
Behind him, Matou Kariya drove the blade through his heart and slashed upward through his right shoulder.
Then he continued hacking wildly—
Like a butcher chopping meat.
In the stunned gaze of all who watched—
Diarmuid died without even a complete body remaining.
Only the blood splattered across Kariya's armor…
The crimson pulp scattered across the ground…
And the broken halves of his twin spears…
Remained as evidence that he had ever existed.
But even those remnants soon faded.
As a Servant's death finalized, his body dissolved into formless magical energy.
The mana did not return to the earth.
Instead, it rushed directly into Irisviel, the Lesser Grail, where it was temporarily stored.
"Mm—!"
The sensation felt as though her body were being torn apart.
Irisviel groaned softly and nearly collapsed.
Fortunately, Artoria was beside her and caught her in time, allowing her to remain standing.
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