Fate: Hero of Justice Takeover

"Lancer, what's wrong?"

Saber noticed the change in Lancer's demeanour and naturally asked.

"My Master is in danger... It seems he left me here while he attacked your stronghold."

Lancer said slowly, his voice strained.

For the Lancer to show such concern, his Master's situation must be far more dire than he let on.

"In the end... everything is still under Kiritsugu's control, isn't it?"

Saber felt helpless. While she didn't deny the necessity of strategy and cunning, the traps Kiritsugu set were completely at odds with the ideals of the King of Knights.

But this was the Holy Grail War.

Moreover, Lancer's Master had initiated the conflict, so it was only natural that he would face the consequences of defeat.

Saber's green eyes flickered as she stared at Lancer, who had now calmed down.

If she wanted to win the Holy Grail War, the most logical strategy would be to keep Lancer here, buying time until his Master perished.

Thus, her choice was already decided...

"It must be my Master's doing. Lancer, go and aid your Master."

Hearing Saber's prompt urging, Lancer first looked surprised, then deeply bowed his head in gratitude. For Saber, this decision was tantamount to betraying her own Master.

"King of Knights, thank you."

The handsome spearman nodded, then vanished into spirit form. He transformed into a gust of wind, racing toward the castle deep in the forest.

The golden-haired girl was left alone in the forest. Her green eyes showed no hesitation as she ran toward a certain part of the forest, guided by her senses.

Yes, this was the Holy Grail War. She had sworn to obtain the Holy Grail at any cost.

As a Servant, it was her duty to eliminate other competitors alongside her Master and claim the Grail.

As a king, she had descended to save her nation, and she could not afford to be merciful.

But...

Under the moonlight, the beautiful maiden continued forward, her noble demeanour unchanged for centuries.

Before all else, she was a knight.

As if recalling something, the King of Knights paused, a self-deprecating smile crossing her lips.

Even so, by letting Lancer leave and not rushing to the Einzbern Castle, how much of her hidden resentment was at play?

Just how much did she despise Kiritsugu Emiya?

No, rather than saying she despised Kiritsugu, it was more accurate to say she was resisting the shadows she saw in him...

Shaking her head, Saber took another step, continuing to move further away from her Master.

***

What... happened?

Before he could even process the thought, excruciating pain overwhelmed Kayneth's mind.

His throat couldn't even produce a scream before he vomited a mouthful of blood. His nerves went haywire, causing his entire body to convulse, making his once-elegant figure twist into a grotesque dance.

The high-density magical energy circulating through his Magic Circuits, which had been under immense pressure, suddenly went out of control, ravaging his own body. When the Mercury Defense blocked Contender's shot, Kayneth suffered far greater damage than if he had been directly hit by the bullet.

Zzzzt!

The bullet casing flowed through the uncontained mercury solution, reflecting the cold, pale moonlight.

Amid his unnatural, guttural cries of pain, the once-arrogant Lord of the Clock Tower collapsed into the pool of mercury, his body twitching instinctively, a sign that he still clung to life.

A single bullet had ended the glory of a genius's lifetime and the honour of a family that had lasted nearly a thousand years.

The man who caused this nightmare, Kiritsugu Emiya, pressed the trigger with his finger, flicking the long barrel downward as if shaking off blood.

The empty casing ejected from the folding magazine, falling into the void. It landed on the marble floor with a faint trace of gunpowder residue.

The fortieth Origin Bullet had successfully destroyed its target.

He felt no sense of triumph. This was just another calculated victory, no different from the ones before.

The destructive power of the Origin Bullet depended on how much magical energy the target was channelling at the moment of impact, as it was the target's own energy that destroyed their body—a fatal flaw for a genius like Kayneth. Kiritsugu had repeatedly provoked Kayneth, leading the enraged bull to the edge of the cliff before pushing him over.

Leaving Kayneth here would eventually lead to his death, but Kiritsugu had always understood the importance of finishing the job. He switched his Calico submachine gun to single-shot mode and approached the barely alive Kayneth.

A single shot to the head at point-blank range would eliminate one of the seven teams vying for the Holy Grail.

But at that moment, Kiritsugu sensed a massive surge of magical energy approaching. Without hesitation, he raised the submachine gun and fired several shots at Kayneth's head.

Amid the red and yellow sparks, the bullets were deflected mid-air as the handsome Lancer appeared before Kiritsugu, lifting the fallen Kayneth.

Kiritsugu could only click his tongue in frustration. Even he couldn't have predicted that the enemy Servant would interfere at such a critical moment.

Kiritsugu had assumed that Kayneth had ventured into the castle alone because Saber was holding off Lancer. So how had Lancer broken through the King of Knights' defence?

If Saber had been defeated, Kiritsugu should have felt the loss of his Servant's magical energy supply. But Saber was still drawing energy from him, meaning she was still alive.

This led to only one conclusion—Saber had deliberately let Lancer pass.

Lancer, holding Kayneth with one arm, glared coldly at the stunned Kiritsugu. Though he appeared unguarded, Kiritsugu knew better than to make a move.

The necromantic cursed bullets were in his coat, but if he so much as twitched, Lancer's spear would pierce his heart in an instant.

"...You should know how easy it would be for me to kill you right now, Saber's Master."

Had it not been for Saber's own words, even Lancer would have struggled to believe that this man, who looked nothing like a magus, was her Master. But he knew his Master's capabilities, and the fact that this man had defeated El-Melloi's magic left no room for doubt.

However, or perhaps precisely because he was Saber's Master, Lancer could not point his spear at him.

"I won't let you kill my Master, but I won't harm Saber's Master either. Neither she nor I wish to settle things this way."

"Remember, you're only alive because of the King of Knights' noble spirit."

With those cold words, Lancer leapt through the broken window, carrying Kayneth as he fled into the night.

***

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