Saber Siegfried, Caster Cú Chulainn, Berserker Mordred.
These were the enemy Servants Guinevere's side had already witnessed. If they added Lancer Vlad III and Assassin First Hassan to the list...
...that left only the Archer and Rider classes for the Black Faction yet to be summoned.
-
Inside the Yggdmillennia Family's castle, Patriarch Darnic's expression grew increasingly grim as he watched Kirei Kotomine. Cú Chulainn had suffered his first defeat, Berserker Mordred had retreated, and Saber Siegfried was locked in an increasingly desperate battle.
"Father Kotomine," Darnic began, his voice laced with menace, "I placed my trust in you. I stood by as you secured two of our Master slots. Yet your own Servant has vanished without a trace, and your daughter's Servant is not only weak but even considered surrendering. Don't you have anything to say for yourself?"
The Yggdmillennia Family's grand hall was vast enough to easily host a ball for a hundred people. Seated at a long dining table below the high 'King's' throne, Kirei Kotomine withdrew his consciousness from the sensory link he had established with a familiar he had created near First Hassan.
Before answering, he glanced at the other Yggdmillennia members present in the hall.
Patriarch Darnic had allowed the Holy Grail to select the Masters for the remaining two slots, which had fallen to outsiders. However, he had then forcefully seized those positions for himself. As the head of the Yggdmillennia Family, he was a traditional mage in the truest sense.
The ends justify the means.
So, Kirei wondered, to whom had Patriarch Darnic given the final two sets of Command Spells he had stolen from those outsiders? And what Holy Relics had he prepared?
Fiore Forvedge Yggdmillennia was an exceptionally talented young mage. If her magic circuits hadn't degenerated, costing her the ability to walk, her potential for growth would have surely surpassed even Patriarch Darnic's.
Driven by the wish to heal her legs, she accepted the Command Spells and the Holy Relic that pointed to the "Archer of Sagittarius."
Caules Forvedge Yggdmillennia was an ordinary mage, though competent enough to study in Lord El-Melloi's classroom.
He received his Command Spells only because he had successfully completed a family mission: purchasing a rare Holy Relic from the Clock Tower. This relic pointed to one of the Archer of Sagittarius's disciples, the immensely famous "Achilles of the Heel."
After acquiring this relic and witnessing the sheer power of Guinevere and the King of Knights, the Yggdmillennia Family decisively abandoned the catalyst they had prepared to summon Astolfo.
In terms of fame, power, and every other metric, Astolfo paled in comparison to the Great Hero Achilles.
-
"Say something?"
The moment the battle began and the Red Faction's Mordred resumed her assault, the newly summoned Achilles had already been dispatched. His orders were clear: force the Red Faction's Mordred to retreat.
"Patriarch Darnic, have you misunderstood something? In this Holy Grail War, there can only be one victor—one Master and one Servant. All others are merely sacrificial pawns, stepping stones for that final winner.
"And since they are pawns, they should be used as such. In my view, it didn't matter who Caren's Servant was; her role was always to act as a decoy, just like the enemy Saber.
"In that regard, she performed admirably.
"As for Siegfried... once the dragon-slaying hero was pinned down by a dragon and struggling, he lost his purpose.
"Calm yourself, Patriarch Darnic. As long as we still have your Lancer, Archer Chiron, Rider Achilles, and my disobedient Assassin, we hold an overwhelming advantage."
At the highest point of the grand hall, beside the throne where Vlad III sat, Patriarch Darnic's face was as dark as still water. He couldn't refute Kirei Kotomine's sophistry.
After all, the reality was just as Kirei had stated: the Holy Grail War would have only one victorious pair.
"Then you shouldn't have just watched two pawns be destroyed," Darnic retorted. "You should have made better use of them. Your decoy shouldn't have merely drawn out the three Knight Class Servants we've already confirmed."
"That's precisely why Caster should surrender—or die," Kirei replied coolly. "Otherwise, how is my Caren supposed to infiltrate the enemy's nest?"
"She'll be in contact with you?"
"No. I have already placed an 'eye' within her body!"
As Kirei Kotomine's words fell, Patriarch Darnic fell silent, his complaints ceasing entirely. Instead, it was Lancer Vlad III whose killing intent surged, aimed directly at Kirei Kotomine, who now bore the blood of a True Ancestor.
"No. I have already placed an 'eye' within her body!"
As Kirei Kotomine's words fell, Patriarch Darnic fell silent, his complaints ceasing entirely. Instead, it was Lancer Vlad III whose killing intent surged, aimed directly at Kirei Kotomine, who now bore the blood of a True Ancestor.
As an Innocent Monster, distorted by the legends that cast him as Dracula the Impaler, the ancestor of all vampires, Vlad III despised the Dead Apostle race with every fiber of his being.
However, for the sake of victory—and to overturn the historical perception of him as a vampire progenitor—he would endure it for now.
He would tolerate it, as long as Kirei Kotomine did not display any Dead Apostle abilities in his presence.
-
Back on the battlefield where Guinevere fought, she struck the Armor of Fafnir again and again. Each blow landed on Siegfried, leaving wounds where his armor didn't protect him. But since none of her attacks targeted vital points, the injuries were trivial.
"Siegfried," Guinevere taunted, her face alight with a manic grin, crimson mana swirling around her as her battlelust intensified. "Even with the power of three Command Spells and my transformation into a dragon, you still can't push me to the brink of defeat?"
She needed Siegfried to become stronger—strong enough to force her to unleash more of her own power.
Yes, she had been briefly overwhelmed by him earlier, even sustaining several wounds. But after reinforcing herself with the Rainbow Gem and then again with World Vanity, Siegfried's enhancements were no longer enough.
Only the gap in their swordsmanship had narrowed as Siegfried adapted his style. After all, Guinevere's own swordsmanship had reached its current limit and could not advance further for the time being.
Moreover, unlike the swordsmanship of the Knights of the Round Table, which she knew all too well, Siegfried's style was entirely new to her.
"Hey, Ruler! Ms. Jeanne, are you just going to stand there and watch? Aren't you going to do something?"
"Huh? You're having a normal duel. What am I supposed to do?"
Having just been summoned, her mind remained untainted. The current Jeanne d'Arc was indeed upholding true impartiality.
After receiving Jeanne's reply, Guinevere parried a blow that sent her flying backward. She glanced over at the King of Knights and Cú Chulainn. Cú Chulainn was being suppressed even more severely than when he had fought Mordred.
Being summoned as a Caster in this Great Holy Grail War must have been the work of his abysmal Luck stat.
"Ms. Jeanne, I was wondering if you could help me out. Could you use both of your Command Spells on Siegfried to strengthen him?"
"I refuse. That would be against the rules. I am the Overseer of the Black Faction, not their assistant. Even if the Command Spells granted to me by the Holy Grail are useless, I must not misuse them."
As Overseers, both Jeanne and Amakusa possessed two Command Spells that could be used on any Servant of the faction they supervised.
Seeing Jeanne clasp her hands defensively and eye her with suspicion, Guinevere said no more. If Siegfried couldn't become any stronger, then once she'd had her fill of fun, it was time to send him on his way.
In that instant, as their Holy Swords clashed once more, Guinevere's fighting spirit finally transformed into killing intent.
Not far from the battlefield, First Hassan, who was 'Stealthed' nearby, finally witnessed the end of Siegfried's destiny.
Such is the nature of the Holy Grail War: insufficient strength is simply insufficient strength. When an opportunity arises to eliminate an opponent, one must seize it decisively.