"Hm?"
Feeling the repulsive force brought about by the collision of the magical spear and the Demonic Sword, the Dragon-Slaying Hero of the Netherlands, Siegfried, looked with great surprise at the young man holding a weapon and directly clashing with him.
He actually blocked my attack?
Although the hard gap in strength between Strength B+ and Strength C- meant that Souya was uncontrollably pushed back a few meters even while blocking Siegfried's attack...
The result seemed to be merely being pushed back.
Instinctively, Siegfried sized Souya up, only to be astonished to discover that both his aura and the six-winged Command Spells on his hand undoubtedly proved the young man's identity.
A Master. Judging by the situation, he should be the Master of that Caster just now.
But why would a Master have the power to contend with me, a Servant?
"Surprised that a Master like me can actually fight a Servant like you, right?"
Seemingly noticing the flash of astonishment and disbelief in Siegfried's eyes, Souya raised his long spear and smiled at him.
On his body, a layer of golden light identical to the one on Morgan just now was flickering. Although he didn't enjoy the bonus of the "Britain" trait because his current identity wasn't Lamorak, the Lance of the End in his hand—crafted by Morgan imitating Rhongomyniad—perfectly matched the empowerment of this golden light.
In other words, Souya currently held a Rank A Noble Phantasm, meaning he had the equipment capability to harm Siegfried.
"Master of Caster... you are very strange."
Realizing the person before him couldn't be dealt with in a short time, and seeing that the other party didn't seem to have any intention of attacking his Master, Gordes, anymore...
The Black Saber, Siegfried, didn't rush to continue attacking Souya. Instead, he forcefully flicked his Demonic Sword, knocking Souya's long spear aside to initiate a standoff, his gaze falling heavily upon him.
His eyes were deep and carried a strange luster. The pupils within his cyan eyes contracted slightly, as if a giant dragon were staring at Souya.
"Strange? Could you tell me why you feel I am strange, Black Saber?"
Noticing the change in Siegfried's eyes, Souya was momentarily curious about what he saw.
If he remembered correctly, both Siegfried and Sigurd obtained a skill called "Wisdom of the Dragon" after slaying dragon kind, right?
The specific result seemed to be possessing the wisdom of a dragon, meaning both their thinking and observation would carry draconic traits.
And the patch that the miraculous Higashide applied to Siegfried's sudden personality change in the original work also seemed to be this.
Thinking this, Souya mirrored Siegfried's standoff posture, wanting to see what he would say.
Not far away, Morgan's graceful figure slowly appeared from the shadows between the trees. She raised her beautiful eyes, completely ignoring the Siegfried confronting Souya, her gaze falling straight onto the latter.
"I don't know how to explain it, but the wisdom of the dragon keeps giving me a feeling that you are very familiar. It's as if... we've met somewhere."
Facing Souya's inquiry, Siegfried—an honest man who never refused the wishes or requests of others—naturally had no intention of hiding anything. He spoke with a slight frown.
"But you are neither a Servant, nor do you look like a European from your appearance. This feeling is truly too bizarre."
Hearing this, Souya instantly froze.
Instinctively, countless thoughts raced through his mind, immediately thinking of Atalante, who inexplicably called him Orpheus and tried to kill him shortly after seeing him.
What the hell, is this another trap laid for me?
Judging by the situation, one Greek isn't enough; my future paths very likely include the Netherlands or Northern Europe?
Having acutely realized this, Souya instantly felt a toothache coming on.
Since the system's inaction after the first simulation ended, things seemed to have gone wrong.
Setting aside the fact that Lamorak's rewards, which should have been given, hadn't materialized and he had to figure things out himself, now people related to his future unsimulated paths were popping out one after another.
What is this!
He reversed the destiny of Britain's destruction, only for his own destiny to come knocking and mess with him after he returned.
What kind of mess is this?!
"It seems you know something?"
Perhaps Souya's facial expression and the look in his eyes were twitching too much after hearing Siegfried's words. Siegfried instantly noticed and made an association.
"No, I don't know anything. I just want to fight you right now and quiet down."
Hearing Siegfried's words, Souya hurriedly reached out his hand to stop him.
There were too many things, and the information to be sorted and considered was too messy. Souya didn't want to waste his energy on this right now.
Anyway, his primary goal now was to finish the Holy Grail War and witness what the Path to Sainthood was. The subsequent path simulations could be dealt with later.
The most urgent task was to quickly draw out the power of "myself" (Lamorak) slumbering within his body for self-protection. Otherwise, boasting as the Queen's Knight but having to rely on his wife for protection would be too embarrassing.
Thinking this, Souya took a deep breath, throwing his chaotic thoughts to the back of his mind. He pointed his long spear at Siegfried and said:
"Come, Black Saber. It's already midnight. While we still have time, hurry up and fight me."
"I understand. Your goal from the very beginning was to draw me over to fight you, wasn't it? That's why you didn't take the opportunity to directly kill my Master."
Hearing this, Siegfried nodded, accepting Souya's request, and raised the Demonic Sword Balmung in his hand.
"Hmm... you could think of it that way, I suppose."
To this, Souya merely shrugged, not explaining to Siegfried that the real reason he didn't kill Gordes was because he thought his son was pretty decent and would be useful in the future.
After all, tsundere traits aside, the fat Director of Chaldea in the future was a true man.
"Then, since your request is to fight me, come, Master of Caster. Additionally, I still owe you an apology for the trouble caused by my unclear words."
As if speaking of something very serious, after Siegfried expressed his apology to Souya word by word, he didn't hesitate anymore. Wielding the Demonic Sword Balmung, he slashed towards Souya with a blue trail.
That's truly your style... Mr. 'I'm Sorry'.
After silently roasting Siegfried's catchphrase, Souya didn't hesitate anymore, bringing his long spear head-on to counter Siegfried's blade.
Clang————!
As the crisp sound of the Lance of the End clashing with Balmung rang out, Souya, in his identity as a Master, instantly engaged in a fierce battle with the top-tier Servant, Siegfried.
In just a few seconds, accompanying several sweeping strikes from the Demonic Sword in Siegfried's hands, Souya wielded the Lance of the End, using skilled spearmanship to counter the disparity in strength.
Facts proved that memories often aren't bound by conventional shackles.
Even though Souya currently wasn't the knight Lamorak, and didn't possess the "Fairy Eyes (Martial Arts)" that carried all the martial arts of Britain at that time, the martial arts and techniques he learned and grew proficient in during his time in Britain were just like his feelings for Morgan and Artoria: things engraved in his memory that wouldn't change.
Relying on these memories, although physical limitations prevented him from fully unleashing the power he had as Lamorak, it was enough for the current Souya.
"Flowing Water Spearmanship!"
This wasn't the Noble Phantasm "Spiritual Currents Take Myriad Forms: Strange Waves Shift Endlessly" endowed with the momentum of flowing water. What Souya was using now was entirely him mimicking how he used the Noble Phantasm back then, supporting the spear techniques he unleashed with his massive magical energy.
Clang! Clang!
Relying on the advantage of the long spear's attack range over the sword, and the empowerment of the method of using the opponent's force against them, the light-shaped Lance of the End in his hands seemed to transform into a ribbon of light continuously accumulating spear momentum, or a shining river, launching strike after strike at Siegfried, who raised his sword to block.
And such attacks, under the empowerment of the Rank A Lance of the End and Souya's ocean-like magical energy, were already comparable to the Anti-Unit Noble Phantasms of ordinary Servants.
"You are very strong, Master of Red Caster. No, being able to fight me, a Servant, to this extent as a Master, I should call you by your name, not 'Master of Caster.' That is the proper respect for a warrior."
"Could you tell me your name, Lord Master?"
Raising his sword again to block Souya's spear momentum and light, which struck like surging flowing water, Siegfried appeared on the surface to be struggling to defend against Souya's offensive. But in reality, no matter how swift and tricky Souya's flowing water spear was, Siegfried could always perfectly catch the strike with Balmung at the right moment.
Balmung wasn't even coated in magical energy. From beginning to end, Siegfried was using the weapon itself to contend with Souya.
But this didn't stop the fighting spirit from igniting in his eyes, revealing his respect for Souya and this battle.
It isn't only the strong and the victors who deserve respect; those who truly respect and love battle cast respect upon all opponents who fight earnestly.
This was also why the "Little Sun" Karna in the original work commented that Siegfried had the same eyes as his friend and nemesis (Arjuna), which led Karna—who originally had no desire for the Holy Grail War—to make his ultimate wish resolving the match with Siegfried.
And right now, Souya, who rivaled a Servant with a mortal body, also earned the respect of this great hero of the Netherlands.
"Although it didn't achieve the effect I wanted, I must say fighting you is truly a pleasure, Black Saber."
Sensing that the power of the Heroic Spirit Lamorak hidden within the path still showed no movement within his body, although helpless, Souya didn't feel particularly discouraged.
After all, even if he didn't awaken the Heroic Spirit's power, being able to fight a powerhouse like Siegfried was in itself an enhancement to his strength.
"Well then, my name is Kotomine Souya. The one who will become a Saint pays his respects to you, Mr. Black Saber."
Harboring such optimistic thoughts, Souya smiled at Siegfried, who was still confronting him.
"Kotomine Souya..."
Siegfried effortlessly blocked a spear light Souya thrust at a tricky angle while chewing on this name, which sounded a bit strange to him as a European.
"I will remember you, Kotomine Souya. Then, as your opponent, it is only right that I also announce my True Name to you."
"A warrior of the Netherlands, a swordsman who luckily killed the evil dragon Fafnir and was thereby engraved on the Throne of Heroes: Siegfried, pays his respects to you."
Ignoring the order forcefully imposed by his Master and the Black Faction leader Darnic not to reveal his True Name to the enemy, Siegfried, who had completely acknowledged Souya and treated him as an opponent, unapologetically told Souya his True Name.
"Then, since we have announced our respective True Names, it is about time this battle came to a conclusion, Lord Kotomine."
"Good. That is exactly my intention."
Hearing Siegfried's words, a smile instantly appeared on Souya's face.
Then, under the former's puzzled gaze, he abruptly halted his Flowing Water Spearmanship, leaping backward entirely to put some distance between himself and Siegfried.
Immediately following, right in front of Siegfried, Souya suddenly let go of the long spear in his hand, letting the golden Lance of the End turn into motes of light and dissipate into the air.
"Since we are going to decide the victor, how about we change the method?"
Meeting Siegfried's questioning gaze, Souya explained with a smile.
His smile was pure, not concealing the meaning and thoughts hidden within it at all.
Souya wasn't an idiot. He naturally knew that being able to fight a top-tier Servant like Siegfried for so long meant the opponent was definitely going easy on him. And since he had earned Siegfried's acknowledgment through his skill and resolve in battle, the other party obviously intended to decide the match with his full power.
And Souya clearly knew his own strength; achieving what he just did was already his limit.
But he didn't want to lose. After all, his wife was watching right there.
Since that was the case, if he wanted to win, or at least lose somewhat decently, the only way was to use cheats.
Hearing Souya's words, Siegfried froze slightly, but he didn't refuse. Imitating Souya, he put away the Demonic Sword Balmung and asked:
"By what method do you wish to decide the victor?"
Hearing this, a smile instantly bloomed on Souya's lips.
"Very simple. Let's exchange a punch."
"Exchange a punch?"
A look of confusion appeared on Siegfried's face.
He naturally knew what exchanging a punch meant: two people throwing their strongest punch at each other, and the one left standing would be the victor. But he didn't understand why Souya would choose this method.
After all, the battle just now had proven that in pure strength and physical parameters, he was inferior to Siegfried, who had descended in the Saber class. No matter how you looked at it, this pure clash of strength was disadvantageous to Souya.
But as the Hero of Wishes, Siegfried would not refuse the proposals and requests of others. So he nodded, stood in place, and assumed a boxing stance toward Souya.
"Come, Lord Kotomine."
"Then I shall not decline."
Receiving Siegfried's response, the smile on Souya's face instantly widened.
And accompanying his smile, a powerful burst of golden light erupted, along with the faint sound of hymns being sung in the surroundings.
[Spiritual Evocation: Holy Spirit Projection]
"I pray to Thee. Like a revelation from heaven, like the gospel of deities. Walking on the holy path, suffering as my Savior did. Hereby, I pray for the mercy of the Saint."
Standing amidst the brilliant golden light, Souya prayed softly yet devoutly.
As his prayer fell, within the light descending from the horizon, a somewhat illusory golden female figure slowly drifted down and finally sank into Souya's body.
Immediately following was a massive surge in the aura within the latter's body, and the golden light wreathing his wrists.
"Thank you, Lady Martha."
Bathed in the holy golden light, Souya looked with a smile at Siegfried, who was watching him with a grave expression.
Without saying anything more, both raised their fists.
If the Souya from a moment ago had absolutely no chance of winning, the current him now possessed sufficient strength to contend with Siegfried.
Because right now, he contained the power of the Heroic Spirit Martha within his body, as well as that skill which truly fell under the category of a Saint's power.
"Jacob's Limbs"—that is, the true "Saint's Punch."
"How is this possible..."
Gazing at this scene, Gordes—who had woken up long ago when Souya and Siegfried were fighting—muttered to himself, his face full of disbelief.
In these short few hours, his worldview had been shaken.
How could there be a magus in this world, a human who can fight a Servant without losing!
Furthermore, this Servant is my proud Saber, the Dragon-Slaying Great Hero Siegfried!
Gordes, who was completely terrified by this fact just now, didn't even notice when Siegfried disobeyed his order and revealed his True Name. Now, seeing Siegfried preparing for a final clash with this kid—who had used some unknown magecraft to make his aura exceptionally bizarre...
Gordes couldn't help but secretly pray that Siegfried absolutely had to win.
If a Master truly defeated and triumphed over his proudest Servant, Siegfried, where would Gordes Musik's pride and face go?
Silently watching all this unfold, Morgan's gaze never left Souya's figure from beginning to end.
Upon seeing him truly achieve rivaling a Servant with a mortal body, and even preparing to execute a final strike against the Black Saber Siegfried, Morgan's eyes were filled with unconcealable pride and tenderness.
See that? This miraculous man is the husband of me, Morgan le Fay!
Not far away, as if sensing the descent of an aura belonging to a fellow Saintess, Jeanne, who had been trapped by Morgan's shadow barrier for hours, finally broke through the darkness and stepped out.
When her gaze instinctively fell upon that figure charging toward Siegfried, her violet eyes instantly filled with astonishment.
"That guy..."