There was a reason Saber had said that.
At its core, Excalibur is a sword manifested from the will of the planet itself.
The essence of its power is the light of humanity's hope, functioning primarily as an Anti-Calamity or Anti-Chaos Noble Phantasm.
Its fundamental effect is the eradication of darkness—of threats that deny or reject the future of humankind.
Because of this, Excalibur also possesses an Anti–World Evil attribute: a pure light meant to oppose entities that would bring about the destruction of the world.
Yet now, that light stood opposed to Larva Tiamat—an existence that bore the Authority of the Beast, the authority of the Mother of All Life.
Within that authority, all of Larva's attacks become overwhelmingly effective against beings born from a mother.
Humans, Heroic Spirits, and even Divine Spirits fall unconditionally within its scope.
For to Tiamat, a child cannot raise a sword against their own mother.
In the end, the clash between Excalibur and Larva Tiamat's authority gave rise to a fundamental conflict of concepts.
The light of humanity's hope was still capable of resisting—and even piercing—Larva Tiamat's Authority of the Beast… but only with overwhelming difficulty.
However, everything changed the moment Larva fully unveiled the Eye of Red Star.
As a reminder, the Eye of Red Star is a far more offensive counterpart to the Eye of Blue Star, which functions solely as an observer.
Its power does not merely alter the attributes of Tiamat's attacks and the flow of her mana; it also imposes a powerful curse upon any target that falls within its range.
More astonishing—and terrifying still—is the fact that the Eye of Red Star draws its strength directly from planetary authority.
In other words, the sword manifested from the will of the Planet itself—Excalibur, the very symbol of humanity's hope—now stood facing a Planet that had become an enemy.
As a result, both Excalibur and Saber suffered what was effectively a massive penalty simply by confronting Larva Tiamat head-on.
And with Shirou as her Master, Saber had virtually no chance of victory.
{Author's note: Hehe~ I may have changed some information a little, maybe?}
Rian let out a quiet chuckle, as if amused by Saber's words, then said, "If you're truly willing to offer me your head, I might consider answering."
Saber's and Shirou's eyes widened at once. Before either of them could react, however, Rian turned away with an unhurried step, walking off as Larva followed closely at his side.
"No need to bother talking any further," Rian said casually. He paused for a moment and glanced back over his shoulder, his voice light yet unmistakably cold.
"You're both incredibly boring. Hopefully, the next time we meet… you'll be a bit more entertaining."
Without waiting for a reply, Rian resumed walking, Larva accompanying him in silence.
***
A short while later, when they had gone far enough, Larva reached out and touched Rian's shoulder, bringing him to a stop.
Before Rian could say anything, Larva suddenly wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him into a warm embrace against her chest.
Rian's face flushed slightly—a rare sight. It was only natural. Ever since they began living together, Larva would often hug him without warning.
No matter the situation—whether Rian was fast asleep, only to wake in the morning with his face buried in Larva's warmth…
Or even when Rian was bathing, only for Larva to casually step in, fully intending to bathe him herself.
Strangely enough, his Six Eyes never detected it. Perhaps because she was not perceived as a threat—or perhaps because Larva herself was an Alter-Ego, the Mother of Genesis.
Whenever it happened, Rian would always fall silent. And just like always, this time too, he allowed several minutes to pass in quiet stillness.
"My Master, Rian…" Larva spoke softly, her voice warm with a faintly teasing undertone. "You said that child would enjoy it, didn't you? But… why is it that what I saw instead was his mind… being shaken?"
Rian chuckled softly, his eyes glinting with mischief. He also had the urge to confirm a certain suspicion.
"That Shirou kid is a bit of a tsundere, my sweet Servant," he said with a crooked smile. "Trust me—deep down, he actually enjoys it."
Hearing that, Larva slowly lifted her face from Rian's chest. The blush on her face had faded a little, though it was still clearly visible on her cheeks.
"Tsundere?" she repeated softly, her voice gentle and filled with curiosity. "How—"
But before she could finish her sentence, Rian had already lowered his head slightly. His movement was calm, giving almost no warning.
One hand lifted gently, and then his lips touched Larva's—soft, brief, yet enough to make time itself seem to stop.
Larva froze instantly. Her gaze went blank for a moment, before a vivid crimson rushed back across her cheeks, all the way to her ears.
The kiss lasted only a few seconds, but it was enough to make her heart tremble. When Rian pulled back, a mischievous smile spread across his face, adding even more heat to the air between them.
"That might be true," he said casually, as if nothing had happened, "and it might be so. Consider that kiss just a return favor… for how you often hug me out of the blue."
Larva quickly turned her face away, one hand rising to cover her warm cheeks. A small smile—shy yet sincere—appeared on her flushed face.
Seeing that, Rian chuckled softly. Larva's cross-patterned eyes slowly turned back toward him—an expression mixed with embarrassment, curiosity, and a hint of affection.
"You really are… a naughty child," Larva murmured quietly.
Rian tilted his head slightly, his smile easing into something gentler.
"But you don't hate it, do you?" he asked calmly—his tone suggesting he already knew the answer.
Larva fell silent for a moment. She closed her eyes, took a slow breath, then looked back at Rian with a warm, tender smile.
"No… that naughty child is cute," she said softly, her voice like a whisper drifting through the silence. "But truly, all children are cute. Including you, Master."
Rian raised an eyebrow slightly, a mischievous smile once again spreading across his face.
"Hee… so you like naughty children, huh? In that case…" Rian said, his voice dropping into a more teasing tone, "to keep this naughty child from misbehaving again… shouldn't he be punished?"
"…Punishment, is it?" Larva murmured softly. "Then… may I also return the favor for your favor, Rian?"
"Go right ahead," Rian replied with a half-laugh, his crooked smile adding to his mischievous air. "My beloved Servant…"
A soft laugh escaped Larva's lips, almost like a gentle melody. She raised both hands, one of them reaching behind Rian's head, slowly pulling him closer.
Larva's gaze was filled with intensity—not merely the warmth of a mother, but the resolve of a woman. It was as if she wanted to be certain that Rian would not pull away.
And then, her sweet, tender lips met Rian's.
The kiss lasted longer this time—calm, unhurried, and filled with deep emotion.
Behind his black interface glasses, Rian's pupils widened instantly.
His heartbeat seemed to stop for a brief moment, as if the entire world before his eyes had transformed into patterns of energy—flashing in colors he had never seen before.
A few seconds passed before Larva pulled away. With her face still faintly flushed, she whispered softly—almost like a spell:
"That was my return gift… are you satisfied, my beloved child?"
Rian burst into laughter at once, genuine and clearly amused. At that moment, he had already confirmed his suspicion through the kiss—the true reason he could never evade Larva's sudden movements.
Seeing Rian laugh so freely and then flash a mischievous smile, Larva tilted her head slightly, clear curiosity showing on her face.
Even so, she hesitated to ask further—for her, as long as her Master was happy, that was more than enough.
Yet the intuition in her heart kept pressing, until she finally spoke in a soft voice.
"What is it? Why do you… look so happy?"
Rian gazed at Larva gently from behind his black interface-lens glasses, then leaned in to kiss her lips once more—light, but full of meaning.
"It's nothing," Rian finally replied, a faint smile gracing his face.
"…Liar," Larva said, narrowing her eyes slightly as she looked at him with a probing gaze.
"Hehe… a secret," Rian replied, his tone full of mystery—though Larva knew exactly what he meant.
Larva's face flushed faintly, a shy smile forming on her lips. "Honestly… you really are something."
Rian let out a small chuckle, then tightened his hold in the princess carry. He lowered his stance slightly, power gathering in his legs.
In the next instant, a violent impact cracked the asphalt beneath his feet. Rian's body shot forward like a railgun projectile—fast, sharp, and utterly unstoppable.