Chapter 214: A Battle with a Disappointing Ending
"How is this possible?"
The thought had barely crossed Kayneth's mind before he dismissed it.
Servants were merely tools summoned by their Masters to help them win the Holy Grail. How could tools possibly rebel against their owners?
Moreover…
Kayneth glanced at the Command Seal on the back of his right hand. With those three seals, even if a Servant really had thoughts of defiance, he could instantly force them to self-destruct!
"Berserker, don't waste time. Finish off the Saber in front of you!"
Through the special channel between Master and Servant, Kayneth's order immediately appeared in the mind of the dual-gun-wielding man.
Upon hearing Kayneth's command, a storm of negative emotions swept through the man's mind, yet in reality, he immediately assumed a combat stance and lunged toward Artoria.
"Bang bang bang!"
Because Artoria had already understood the attack range of the invisible sword in her hand before the battle, and because she didn't understand the man's attack method, she quickly fell into a disadvantage once combat began.
The red magical spear, capable of nullifying magical energy, sliced through the armor covering Artoria's body without any obstruction, drawing a thin line of crimson blood.
"Saber!"
Seeing Artoria injured in her waist for the first time, Irisviel immediately tensed up.
"It's okay. Please help me with the healing…"
Shaking her head to reassure Irisviel, Artoria stood firm, raising her invisible sword to guard against the Servant while receiving Irisviel's healing.
"Eh? Have Saber attack first? But…"
At that moment, Irisviel's phone suddenly rang. On the line was Kiritsugu Emiya, instructing Artoria to hold off the man in front of her.
"What's the matter?"
Seeing Irisviel hang up the phone with a hint of disappointment, Artoria, waiting nearby, anxiously asked.
"Kiritsugu ordered you, Saber, to stall the enemy as much as possible. As for the Master, he said he'll handle it…"
Irisviel lowered her head, her expression guilty, unable to meet Artoria's eyes.
"I see. Understood!"
Though she was currently at a disadvantage, Artoria had no choice but to obey her Master's orders. Taking a deep breath, she solemnly analyzed the enemy and then charged forward.
Meanwhile, on a high platform at the harbor, Kiritsugu Emiya raised his sniper rifle, taking aim at Kayneth, who was hiding in the shadows of a chimney.
Suddenly, a warning came from his subordinate, Maiya, reporting a suspected Assassin Servant at six o'clock. Kiritsugu quickly shifted his aim to locate Assassin.
At that moment, a strange sense of being targeted enveloped him, and a rushing sound came from the side.
"Unlimited Speed, Quadruple accel!"
Just as the Gáe Buidhe, destined to strike, was about to hit, Kiritsugu's speed suddenly surged. He leaped off the high platform, evading the long-range attack.
"What?!"
The surrounding forces hiding at the harbor watched the explosion from the high platform, shocked.
"Kiritsugu!"
Noticing the attacked person might be Kiritsugu, Irisviel called out in concern.
"Don't worry, Irisviel. My link with Kiritsugu is intact. He's fine."
Reassuring the worried Irisviel, Artoria once again turned her gaze to the man in front of her, curiosity rising. Why did he know Kiritsugu's location? And why would he risk injury to throw a weapon before she could reach him…?
The mystery swirled in Artoria's mind, and she desperately wanted answers.
.
.
.
"You can tell that Servant really hates sniping, huh?"
On a hill outside the harbor, Hikigaya Hachiman observed the scene with a small smile, speaking to Karna.
"That's natural," Karna nodded in agreement.
Although the Servant shrouded in black mist seemed unusual, he was at least adhering to the knightly code, dueling Artoria one-on-one fairly.
In contrast, trying to kill the opposing Master from the shadows with guns was a lowly tactic. If Hachiman hadn't stopped Karna from intervening, Karna would have already made that despicable man pay!
During their conversation, a new development occurred at the harbor.
A bull cart descended from the sky with thunder, followed by a tall, muscular man claiming to be "Conqueror," who summoned another flashy golden Servant, perched arrogantly on a streetlamp.
With Assassin secretly observing from above, and Hachiman's own team present, six of the seven participants were now at the harbor!
Just as Hachiman thought a massive skirmish was imminent, the Conqueror made a grandiose but utterly unrealistic statement and exited first.
Then Kayneth, feeling it was unsuitable to continue fighting, recalled his Servant.
Finally, "Conqueror" left after Artoria revealed his King status, deeming the fight uninteresting.
In less than a few minutes, the previously tense harbor was reduced to only three groups: Artoria, and the secretly observing Hachiman and Assassin.
"Karna."
Seeing Irisviel and Artoria running toward the fallen sniper, Hachiman called his Servant's name.
"Yes, I'll handle it immediately!"
Acknowledging the order, Karna nodded, vanished from their sight, and reappeared moments later.
"Brother, where did Karna go?"
Just then, a cloaked figure wearing a strange mask fell with a thud behind them. Karna, who had disappeared moments ago, reappeared in front of them.
"Just taking care of a peeping lackey, that's all."
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