She paused, then added, “Lord Sebastian’s younger brother, Vali, inherited the bloodline of the original Demon Lord just like him, and he possesses a Longinus.
It wouldn’t be surprising if he has already awakened his Balance Breaker.”
Ingvild listened, falling silent for a moment.
When she looked up again, Grayfia noticed a faint, unreadable smile on her lips.
“He is him, and I am me.
As Sebastian says, the worth of a Devil isn’t measured by comparing yourself to others.”
The last bit of warmth in Grayfia’s eyes turned cold.
Without another word, she grabbed Ingvild by the collar and dragged her toward the training grounds.
“I hope that when the time comes for you to fight, you will use your full power.”
“Eh…”
“If you cannot do that, I will force you to get stronger while we still have time.”
Ingvild instinctively wanted to resist.
However, the moment her eyes met Grayfia’s, a chill ran down her spine, and she shrank back.
“…Alright, I understand.
I will try.”
The Amagiri family is said to be a line of mages that migrated from the West a long time ago.
Their estate is one of the largest in Fuyuki City.
After all, the homes of mage families are never small.
Furthermore, this area is quite secluded.
Sebastian stepped into the courtyard, scanned the surroundings, and muttered, “Even if we tore this place to the ground, I doubt anyone would notice.”
Artoria heard this and her eyebrows twitched, but she didn’t reply.
Instead, Sakura spoke up, “Lord Sebastian, are we going to tear this place down?”
Sebastian shook his head.
“In my opinion, rather than sneaking around to look for clues, it would be safer to just blow up the whole house and see if any Heroic Spirit gets angry enough to jump out.”
He paused and sighed.
“It’s a pity, though.
The owner doesn’t seem keen on letting us do that.”
Sakura didn’t react immediately.
However, Karna had already stepped forward to shield the group.
With a casual swing of his spear, he deflected a thrown weapon wrapped in black energy.
The weapon was dripping with an sinister aura.
Right after, a monstrous roar echoed from inside the house—a sound that could not possibly come from a human.
A black shadow darted out from the darkness, weaving left and right at extreme speed, charging straight toward Karna.
Yet, its target wasn’t Karna.
“Ar—thur—!”
A heavy battle-axe came crashing down with immense force.
Clang—!
Artoria’s invisible sword parried the blow, sending sparks flying.
The figure was finally exposed.
It was a humanoid monster clad in full armor, with intense black flames rising from its body and weapon.
“It’s a Berserker,” Sebastian recognized the opponent.
That figure from his memory became increasingly clear.
He lowered his posture and placed his hand on the hilt of the Yamato at his waist.
No one saw him draw his blade.
With a flash of light, the strike swept past the opponent’s neck.
The monster instinctively recoiled, causing the fatal blow to miss, but its helmet was cleanly sliced off.
This was exactly what Sebastian wanted.
The helmet fell to the ground, revealing disheveled long hair.
Although the face was twisted and corrupted, Artoria recognized him at a glance.
She opened her mouth, lost for words.
Sebastian spoke the name for her.
“It really is you—Lancelot.”
Karna thrust his spear forward, pulling Artoria away before she could be overwhelmed.
Under normal circumstances, she would never appreciate someone interfering in her fight.
But now, she simply lowered her head, her expression dark and troubled.
“Ar—thur!” Lancelot had long since abandoned his knightly code.
Like a rabid beast, he stared fixedly at Artoria, his eyes glowing blood-red.
He threw aside the dark battle-axe and drew a familiar longsword.
It was his old weapon—Arondight!
Once the sword was in his hand, the black energy dissipated, replaced by his original aura, which was now wilder and far more violent.
Lancelot roared like a starving beast.
But this time, Artoria struck first.
Clang!
The blades collided, showering the area in sparks.
Though her expression remained grim, her internal turmoil no longer slowed her down.
“Master…
can you let me handle this fight myself?” she asked while pushing back against Lancelot’s immense strength.
Sebastian looked at her and sighed.
“Fine.
If you want to fight him, go ahead.
But Artoria, in his current state, killing him might actually be a mercy.”
“You know better than anyone that Lancelot was never supposed to be a monster like this.”
With that, Sebastian turned and walked toward the main entrance of the estate.
“Fight to your heart’s content.
No one will disturb you.”
He led Sakura and Karna away.
Artoria heard his voice fade into the distance and let out a long breath.
“Thank you…
I’ll handle things here.
Leave the rest to me—and I’m sorry!”
In the distance, Sebastian smiled slightly.
[Check-in Goal: Grant Lancelot redemption]
—The redemption that guy wants is probably for Arthur to personally put an end to him.
Once Artoria cuts him down, this task will be complete.
“Karna, I really can’t tell whether you have good luck or bad luck today.”
Sebastian had kept his Observation Haki active the entire time.
While it wasn’t a perfect long-range detection skill, it was far better than walking in blind.
Karna frowned, slightly confused.
Sebastian didn’t explain further.
He simply drew Yamato and sliced a square opening into the air.
As the spatial rift opened, an arrow crackling with electricity shot straight into it and vanished.
Karna instantly recognized the arrow.
He understood what Sebastian meant and replied in his usual tone, “…I suppose I’d have to say bad luck.”
Though his voice sounded calm, Sebastian could sense a faint trace of helplessness coming from him.
Moments later, heavy footsteps echoed in the distance.
Three figures emerged from the shadows: Arjuna, Rin Amagiri, and Saint George.
Tokiomi Amagiri was nowhere to be seen.
He, Kotomine Kirei, and Hassan of the Hundred Faces were likely back guarding the Amagiri residence.
Seeing this lineup, Sebastian smirked.
Night had just fallen—the perfect time for Devils to operate.
—I wonder if Tokiomi will even live to see tomorrow’s sun.
Keeping Kotomine Kirei by his side and letting him command a Heroic Spirit…
is he overly confident, or just stupid enough to think his student won’t betray him?
Kirei was precisely the type of person to strike from the shadows.
In Sebastian’s mind, Tokiomi was already a dead man.
The three opponents stopped in front of them.
Arjuna kept his eyes locked on Karna, while Rin stared directly at Sakura.
“Sakura…”
Even after ten years, Rin recognized her sister immediately.
Sebastian glanced at Sakura.
If she couldn’t bring herself to face her past, he wouldn’t force her to fight her own blood.
However, Sakura looked at her sister with terrifying calmness.
It seemed her ties to that family had been completely severed.
Her voice remained soft, but her words were sharp.
“Rin…
it’s been ten years, hasn’t it?”
Before any weapons were drawn, the tension between the two sisters had already reached a boiling point.
After a tense silence, Karna and Arjuna turned and dashed toward the nearby woods, seeking a wider space for their duel.
Sakura followed them without hesitation.
Before stepping into the trees, she cast one last glance back at Rin, who gritted her teeth and chased after her.
Sebastian sighed, leaving him face-to-face with the last remaining servant.
The knight frowned the moment he sensed Sebastian’s presence.
“You’re a hero from the Angel faction, aren’t you?” Sebastian asked, his tone easygoing.
Saint George stared at him.
He truly hadn’t expected to encounter Devils acting as Masters in this war.
His hand rested on his sword hilt, his gaze shifting toward the woods where Rin had gone.
He wanted to strike immediately, but he knew his Master was currently facing a Devil and might be in danger.
Saint George was the type of hero who always prioritized others over himself.
Shing!
A clean blade stroke cut through the ground right in front of his feet.
“The business between those two sisters is none of your concern,” Sebastian said, drawing Yamato as his dark aura surged, fully activating his Devil Trigger.
“If you’re itching for a fight…
why not play with me instead?”
[Check-in Task: Let Arjuna and Karna decide a winner]
[Check-in Task: Resolve Rin Amagiri’s inner conflict]
[Check-in Task: Defeat Saint George]
Three check-in tasks appeared at once.
Clang!
The first task, much like the situation with Lancelot, would take care of itself.
Clang!
Clang!
As for Rin and Sakura, Sebastian decided to monitor them with his Observation Haki, but it was best to let them settle their own feud.
Clang!
Sebastian unleashed a crescent-shaped wave of blue magic power straight at Saint George.
An ordinary warrior would have been sent flying or forced onto the defensive.
But Saint George simply angled his blade, letting the magical energy slide off his sword.
He didn’t slow down for a second, closing the distance and swinging his weapon downward.
Clang!
The collision of metal echoed through the air.
Saint George frowned, holding his ground against Sebastian’s strength.
“What did you mean by that earlier?
Are you saying Rin and that Devil are sisters?”
Sebastian chuckled.
“That’s right.
You probably don’t know this yet, but Devils can turn humans into their own kind using Evil Pieces.
Sakura used to be human—her full name was Sakura Amagiri, and she is your Master’s younger sister.
But now, she belongs to my Peerage.”