"Quite the spectacle, Rider."
"The Lancer-Caster battle hasn't even ended, and Saber versus Assassin has already kicked off again."
Observing through his familiars, Waver had more or less acclimated to this kind of daily chaos. These Heroic Spirits were each more restless than the last.
"Rider, should we do something?"
Noticing Lelouch hadn't answered, Waver pressed with a puzzled look. Since learning of Rider's reliability, he'd set aside most of his own ideas and simply followed the Servant's lead.
"Observation alone? Your familiars monitoring them will suffice."
"If you want to intervene, you need to secure your own safety first."
"Reckless action will only put us at a disadvantage."
Lelouch sipped his tea elegantly and offered a glance of reminder.
This Master, while not the sharpest at first impression, was at least not rigid.
"Uh..."
Catching the hint, Waver scratched his head, realizing his Servant had handed the decision back to him.
Trivial as it was to Rider, for a Master, Waver found it gratifying. It meant his Servant trusted and respected him.
He turned the problem over in his mind.
Rider's Knightmare engaged in wide-scale bombardment by nature. Setting aside endurance issues, even the mounted machine guns could shred a city block.
An uncharged Hadron blast could flatten a small district entirely.
The area where Lancer and Caster were clashing, though not central Fuyuki, wasn't remote either. Civilians still lived nearby.
Having his Servant indiscriminately endanger innocents crossed a line Waver, as a magus, was not yet depraved enough to approach. That ruled out that area.
"Let's go, Rider. We're heading for Saber and Assassin."
Having sorted his reasoning, Waver made the call.
"Heh."
Lelouch allowed a faint smile. Whatever Waver chose mattered little to him.
Setting aside the still-unseen Archer and Berserker, he had already devised tentative countermeasures for Saber, Lancer, Caster, and Assassin.
"I need to stir the pot. At minimum, Archer and Berserker have to be drawn out."
The unseen were always the greatest unknowns, just as they themselves were. The current factions were all entangled in existing grudges, which was why they acted so aggressively.
Someone like Lelouch, who held no such ties, could provoke two sides and then simply go dark. With no trail left, no one could track him.
So the only concerns remaining were Archer and Berserker.
Clang!
Bangbangbang!!
Steel sang. Saber and Assassin clashed once more.
"Dragon Nest Flash!"
Swinging his broken blade in a furious barrage, every strike was parried by Saber's guard. Compared to their previous encounter, Saber had clearly seized the upper hand this time.
"For an Assassin, you're undeniably strong!"
Meeting her opponent's gaze head-on, Saber was nothing if not forthright.
Relying purely on supreme swordsmanship and nimble footwork, to face the strongest Class with the weakest container was a feat few Heroic Spirits could accomplish.
'Every one of your strikes is aimed to kill.'
'A single clean hit would deal devastating damage.'
'But with a broken blade, you've lost that lethal edge.'
With full vigilance and Assassin wielding only half a sword, there was virtually no chance of Saber sustaining injury. No matter how skilled the swordsman, a broken blade was no different from a crippled arm.
She didn't know why his katana had snapped, but this was no time for chivalrous mercy.
"Hah!"
The wind-shrouded holy sword swept forward. Kenshin's eyes narrowed as he launched himself airborne, twisting mid-flight.
"Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu: Dragon Coiling Flash!"
Dodging the direct slash, he leveraged his aerial momentum to thrust the broken blade toward Saber's head.
Clang!
Saber caught it by releasing one hand from her sword and deflecting the blade with her gauntlet. The broken katana bounced off harmlessly.
Kenshin landed and immediately created distance.
'As I thought... this broken blade can't compete with her.'
Brow furrowed, Kenshin had never been pressed this hard. In the past, even with a broken sword, he could still dispatch his enemies.
But not this time. These were Heroic Spirits, warriors who matched or exceeded him. A moment's carelessness meant defeat.
And Saber's timing couldn't have been worse. He'd had no chance to have his Master procure a replacement blade, and now, both Master and Servant were pinned down on separate fronts.
Bangbangbang!!!
Clinkclinkclink!!!
Deflecting incoming bullets with Black Keys, Kirei wasn't about to give Emiya Kiritsugu a second chance like before. That near-fatal moment had genuinely sent sweat down his spine.
Thank heaven Assassin had arrived in time.
"Tch."
Watching Kirei surge toward him at close range, Kiritsugu was forced to fall back. From the man's movements, melee combat would put him at a severe disadvantage.
Swish!
Dodging a thrown Black Key, Kiritsugu immediately leveled his gun and fired in rapid succession.
Ratatattat!!
The burst of gunfire froze Kirei's advance.
"Kiritsugu..."
"I've found the Madam."
"The path was clear aside from magical seals. No obstacles at all."
Maiya's voice crackled through his earpiece, and Kiritsugu's expression flickered.
"She's unharmed, but the scabbard has apparently been taken by Kotomine Kirei."
"Understood. Be careful."
The confirmation that Irisviel had been successfully extracted should have brought relief. Instead, a gnawing unease refused to settle.
"So the woman was found?"
As if reading the situation, Kirei lowered his hands and spoke with perfect composure.
"You didn't go yourself, but you at least accounted for that."
"Your assistant and your wife... they must be among the precious few things you still care about?"
"!"
The more Kirei spoke, the fiercer that sense of dread became.
And in the very next second, it was confirmed.
"If you were to lose them... would you grieve?"
BOOM!!
A thunderous explosion erupted. Towering flames flared behind the priest.
"..."
Kiritsugu's pupils dilated for a single frozen instant. And now he understood the source of his dread.
'The path was clear aside from magical seals. No obstacles at all.'
Maiya's words echoed, and they now sounded unbearably damning.
He should have realized sooner. If he had warned her in time, perhaps they could've been saved.
The hand gripping his gun tightened involuntarily.
"Bombs..."
"This unconventional approach to warfare really is quite convenient."
"Under those circumstances, unless it were you there, neither of them could have survived."
Studying Kiritsugu's expression, Kotomine Kirei found a sliver of satisfaction.
So this man could be moved after all.
Understanding this, Kirei felt the entire arrangement had been worthwhile.
From the moment Assassin brought the woman back, the idea of testing Kiritsugu had taken root. How much would Emiya Kiritsugu sacrifice for this woman and the scabbard hidden within her?
Having pieced together cause and effect, Kiritsugu now saw through Kotomine Kirei completely.
Use Irisviel as bait. Lure him into a rescue operation.
But Kirei had predicted his predicament perfectly.
Saber had to be deployed to contain Assassin. He himself had to confront Kirei directly. The only one left to act was Maiya.
Every single move had been calculated by Kotomine Kirei!
Luring Maiya to the same location and eliminating both her and Irisviel, that was Kirei's endgame.
"I simply wanted to know..."
"Whether the man called the 'Magus Killer' would mourn the loss of others."
"From the results, it seems you would."
"Your heart is crying..."
"Emiya Kiritsugu."
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]