Chapter 213: Battle at the Harbor
"The magical fluctuation is coming from the seaside, Master. Shall we go observe the situation?"
Sensing the surge of mana, Karna instantly summoned his long spear and stood firmly in the center of the room. After carefully identifying the source direction of the violent mana in the air, he turned to Hachiman Hikigaya, who was resting his chin in his hand, deep in thought.
"Observe the situation?"
Hearing Karna's words, Hachiman hesitated.
That surge of magical energy could only occur during a battle between Heroic Spirits. In other words, at least two teams were currently engaged in combat at the seaside.
And besides him, the other four teams, drawn by that same surge, were probably either already moving toward the seaside or considering it.
If they went, there was a chance that a chaotic battle among seven Servants could erupt before the official start of the Holy Grail War.
But if they didn't go…
This was a rare opportunity to gather intelligence on the opponents.
Though Hachiman had no intention of winning the Holy Grail himself, he understood the principle: know your enemy, know yourself, and you'll never lose. Familiar opponents posed far less threat than unknown ones.
"Onii-chan, you should go. Just observe from a distance; you won't get involved in the battle. I'll wait at the inn until you return…"
While Hachiman hesitated, Sakura spoke up to persuade him.
"Sakura…"
Hearing her, Hachiman's expression grew complicated. Ever since the basement incident, she had been afraid of being alone. And now, she was encouraging him to go out and gather enemy intelligence…
"Let's all go together!"
Finally, Hachiman made up his mind. He would never leave Sakura alone in an uncertain situation, especially not with the whereabouts of Zouken Matou unknown.
Besides, although Heroic Spirits were powerful, he wasn't defenseless. With a seventh of the power of the Inari God, while he was still weaker than the Servants, he could last several rounds against Karna in sparring. With Karna by his side, observing from a distance should be safe.
"But if I come along…"
When Hachiman decided to bring her, Sakura felt a fleeting joy, quickly replaced by worry. Without combat ability, she would just be a burden on the battlefield. If anything happened because of her, and Hachiman was hindered…
"Miss Sakura, rest assured! I swear by this spear! Neither you nor the Master will suffer a single scratch before my death!"
Karna knelt on one knee in the room, holding his weapon upright. As he finished his vow, a golden chain extended from the void, tightly linking the three of them together.
"Thank you, Karna…"
Sakura, who had been somewhat irritated by Karna's sudden intrusion in her relationship with Hachiman, now showed a grateful expression.
"It is my duty…"
Karna stood and placed a hand over his heart, bowing elegantly to Sakura.
.
.
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Fuyuki City Harbor
A sudden explosion thundered, and a neatly stacked group of containers collapsed. From the smoke, a figure dashed out, sliding backward for several dozen meters before finally stopping.
"Saber! Are you okay?"
Irisviel rushed over, concern in her eyes, looking at Artoria, whose armor was shattered. At first, Artoria's stats were higher than her opponent's, so why was she being dominated almost the entire fight? And from the opponent's constant shouting, it seemed he harbored immense hatred for her.
"Saber, do you know that guy?"
After using healing magic on Artoria, Irisviel observed the surroundings and curiously asked. Judging from a single glance, the opponent probably hailed from the same era as Artoria.
"Unfortunately, in my era, I do not recall any hero wielding dual guns…"
Artoria shook her head with a wry smile. She couldn't understand why this man, exuding black magic, attacked her like a beast gone mad the moment he saw her, as if the purpose of this Holy Grail War was to die together with her.
"My only wish… trampled… unforgivable… absolutely unforgivable!"
As the smoke cleared, a man wielding long and short red-and-yellow spears, exuding a solidified black magical aura, slowly emerged.
By appearance alone, he was undeniably handsome, particularly the black mole under his eye, as if any woman who saw him would be forever captivated.
Yet this was ruined by two blood streaks running from his eyes. The crimson lines, seemingly eternally flowing, stripped away any elegance, adding cruelty and madness. Just looking at him, Irisviel felt her entire sense of self twisting.
"Don't look!"
Artoria's timely shout brought Irisviel back to her senses. She quickly averted her gaze, unwilling to look at the Servant's face again.
"Impressive, Berserker…"
From his hiding spot in the shadow of a smokestack, Kayneth watched his Servant gradually corner the opponent, a slight smile forming. Originally, he had been annoyed that his prepared relic was stolen by a clumsy apprentice, leaving only a backup Servant.
But the blackened Berserker was an unexpected delight. Even without using his Noble Phantasm, he could suppress Saber, the head of the three knight classes…
Still, Kayneth felt a chill whenever the Servant glanced at him, as if Karna could stab him in the back at any moment.
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