Irisviel had been trying to use her healing magecraft to treat the wound on Saber's hand, but it had no effect.
While the eyes of all Servants and Masters were fixed on the grand entrance of Gilgamesh, from the shadows a non-existent person drew his longsword and thrust out a strike that was almost impossible to anticipate.
That sword was nearly about to pierce Irisviel's heart in an instant, but then a golden ripple appeared, and a golden buckler blocked the thrust of the longsword.
The resonant clang of sword against shield drew everyone's gaze toward them. They then saw a man in black who had appeared behind Saber at some unknown moment, his longsword blocked by a golden shield.
"Iri!"
Saber roared, her eyes nearly splitting with rage. Her longsword surged with violent winds as she slashed toward Caelus, but Caelus quickly disengaged and retreated, landing on a nearby shipping container as he watched the golden shield vanish back into the ripple.
Caelus looked somewhat puzzled at Gilgamesh standing on the lamppost and asked, "Why did you stop me?"
"Hmph. To choose to assassinate at the very moment of my debut is a grave insult to my dignity."
Gilgamesh glared at Caelus with great dissatisfaction. He did not oppose assassination itself. After all, everyone had different ways of fighting, and one could not expect the frail to face the robust in direct combat. However, he absolutely could not accept his grand entrance being used as a backdrop for a murder. It was simply too damaging to his dignity as the King of Heroes. Furthermore, since the Assassin was his own subordinate, it gave the impression that he was the one ordering the hit. It was far too beneath him.
"I see."
Caelus did not feel any dissatisfaction because Gilgamesh had thwarted this nearly successful assassination. He simply acknowledged his own mistake in this instance.
"How terrifying. Just a hair's breadth away, Saber's Master was just a hair's breadth away from death. With such terrifying Presence Concealment, you must be Assassin."
Rider, atop his chariot, could not help placing a hand on his Master's shoulder. His gaze then turned solemn as he looked at the Assassin whom no one would have noticed if not for the interference of that golden fellow.
"Assassin. As a hero of the past, to use such underhanded methods as assassination against a frail woman, do you feel no shame?"
The Saber who had nearly allowed her Master to be killed glared furiously at Caelus atop the container.
Caelus calmly met those furious emerald eyes and said, "I am an Assassin. If I do not use assassination, am I supposed to fight head on against powerful Sabers and Lancers like you, or against a Rider with a mount? Or do you believe this war is actually a friendly knightly duel where no underhanded tactics are allowed?"
"How strange. This struggle for the Holy Grail is called the Holy Grail War. Since it is a war, if my understanding is correct, any means should be permitted. Moreover, since the Assassin class exists in this war, assassination is naturally a recognized and usable method. You know an Assassin is present, yet you find it infuriating when he uses assassination. I find your anger quite difficult to comprehend."
Caelus's blunt words left the furious Saber momentarily speechless. Indeed, it was too much to ask an Assassin, who is not suited for combat, to fight head on. It was perfectly reasonable to use assassination to complete a task with the minimal cost.
"Furthermore, I am not a hero from history like you all. I am merely a nameless one, without great deeds, who cares nothing for reputation or pride. Completing the mission is enough."
Caelus felt no guilt in assassinating a Servant's Master, nor did he feel shame for bullying the weak. In truth, he did not yet fully understand the emotion of shame.
"There is no need to belittle yourself, Assassin. To be summoned in the Holy Grail War, you must be someone who left a mark on history. You are right, it is only natural for an Assassin to use assassination. Our failure to detect you, nearly leading to our Master's death, is simply the result of our own inadequacy."
Rider spoke at this point.
"Your Presence Concealment is indeed remarkable. Even as an Assassin, you cannot be a nameless nobody. How about it? Will you join my banner? Become the strength of I, Iskandar, the King of Conquerors."
"Rider!"
His Master was shocked and confused by his Servant suddenly revealing his True Name.
"Haha. Assassin has his way of doing things, and I have mine. This King shall seize victory in this Holy Grail War openly and honorably."
"Hmph. Any mongrel can call himself a king now. Besides, this brat is my subordinate. He is also the opponent I have designated to amuse me at the end of this farce. First you covet my treasures, and now you try to recruit my subordinate. You truly seek death."
Several golden ripples appeared, and weapons of all kinds, swords, spears, and halberds, emerged from them.
In a hidden corner, Kariya watched the golden figure on the streetlight. Though the insects implanted in him had been erased by the Power of Void, his body was still weak from the modifications. He knew that was Tokiomi's Servant.
"Berserker, can you win?"
He asked the Lancelot beside him. For some reason, Kariya could not see this Servant's attributes, nor did he feel his mana being drained. Lacking magical training, he did not understand what this meant. He only knew that this hero had saved him and was the savior of the Matou family.
He wanted to win the Grail for this hero.
"Do not worry, Master. I am the Chief of the Knights of the Round Table."
Lancelot's confident smile eased Kariya's anxiety. He nodded firmly and said to the knight, "Go and seize victory for yourself, Berserker."
"Understood."
Lancelot nodded, then drew the longsword at his waist and swept forward like a gale.
Just as Gilgamesh was about to strike down the fool who dared to call himself a king and covet both his treasures and his subordinate, he heard a gust of wind. His weapons quickly turned and fired.
With the sound of clashing metal, the weapons launched by the King of Heroes were all parried or cut down by the intruder.
As the dust cleared, a knight in white heavy armor stood holding a longsword, drawing all eyes.
"Sir Lancelot!"
Seeing the familiar figure, Saber cried out.
Lancelot looked at Saber nearby with a gentle gaze and said, "It has been a long time, my King."
(To be continued.)