Half an hour later, under a moonlit sky.
A ripple of magic power erupted from the Fuyuki port, spreading across the entire city in a split second, sending an “invitation” to all participants of the Holy Grail War.
What a joke…
Kenneth and Waver really are a pair of miserable souls.
Standing on the arm of a harbor crane, Byakuya looked down at the figure standing proudly below, holding twin spears under the dim glow of the roadside streetlights.
Existing in a state of Unity of Heaven and Man, Byakuya was one with nature; even if someone were looking through binoculars, they wouldn’t find anything out of place.
He couldn’t help but feel a sense of irony.
“The Servant before you, if I’m not mistaken, should be the first knight of the Knights of Fianna from Celtic Mythology, ‘The Graceful’ Diarmuid Ua Duibhne.”
“If so, those two spears—one red and one yellow, one long and one short, wrapped in incantation cloths—should be ‘Zarich’ and ‘Gae Buidhe,’ gifted by Angus, the god of love and youth, and Manannán mac Lir, the god of the sea, respectively.”
“The former can nullify things composed of magic power, while the latter carries a curse that inflicts wounds that cannot be healed.”
“Since he arrived with both Noble Phantasms, he is likely the Lancer of this Holy Grail War.”
From the Matou Residence, Morgan relayed the intelligence she had gathered through observation and deduction to Byakuya.
“As for his Master, they are currently located on the Fuyuki Bridge.”
“Aside from Diarmuid’s Master, there is another pair of participants currently present.
It seems they’ve already formed an alliance…”
“That makes sense.
After all, they are teacher and student.”
“…”
‘You might be fundamentally mistaken about the nature of their “student-teacher” relationship.’
Byakuya withdrew his gaze from the bridge that spanned the Mion River, connecting Miyama-cho on the west side of Fuyuki to Shinto.
“It’s been a while since Diarmuid sent out his invitation.
Any reaction from the remaining three pairs?”
“The Einzbern pair has accepted.
You should be seeing them shortly,” Morgan replied.
“As for the others…
there’s been no movement from the Church, though it’s confirmed that Kirei Kotomine is indeed at the cathedral.
As for the Tohsaka family, they’ve only sent out a single familiar; it seems they have no intention of showing their faces for now.”
“Fair enough.
Let me know the moment anything unusual happens.”
Byakuya shifted his gaze down toward the battlefield below.
Just as Morgan had said, only a few minutes after their communication ended, two figures appeared on the battlefield Diarmuid had selected.
One wore a white fur coat made of high-grade pelt.
She had silver hair that shimmered like snow, crimson eyes, and a face so beautiful and symmetrical it could be described as a work of art…
This was the Master of the Einzbern family, Irisviel von Einzbern.
As for her Servant…
“?”
Byakuya tilted his head as he looked at the Servant riding a white horse, shielding Irisviel like a knight protecting a princess.
The Servant was clad in brilliant silver armor with a pure white cloak draped over the shoulders.
The helmet was white, featuring a silver-white lion mask, and they held a lance whose shaft was wrapped in white cloth…
‘Is that…
right?’
He glanced at Scathach, who was masking her presence with Rune Magecraft, and simultaneously asked her and Morgan, who was far away at the Matou Residence, “What do you think of the newcomer?”
“A worthy opponent.”
Scathach gave the crimson spear in her hand a slight shake.
“My spear is already growing excited.”
“Though they look a bit different from what I remember, it is indeed Artoria,” Morgan answered more directly, identifying the newcomer.
“And that horse is the ‘King’s Horse,’ Dongh Stallion, who accompanied her through her many conquests.”
Byakuya: “…”
***
The Harbor.
“Finally, someone has arrived.”
Seeing someone show their face, Diarmuid used the yellow short spear in his hand to brush back the bangs on his forehead.
“I’ve spent the entire day strolling boldly through this city, yet not a single person was willing to reveal themselves.
Out of desperation, I had to send a general invitation to everyone…
It seems those responding to the Holy Grail’s summons aren’t all cowards, after all.”
“Lancer?” the Servant behind the silver-white lion mask asked in a flat tone.
“For now, you may call me that,” Diarmuid sighed.
“It is truly disappointing to be bound by constraints that prevent opponents from exchanging names even when they are about to fight to the death…
However, I didn’t expect to encounter another spear-wielding Servant despite having manifested as Lancer myself.
May I ask how I should address you?”
“If you can withstand three strikes, you shall earn the right to know my name.”
“…I see.
I’m being looked down upon.”
Diarmuid was momentarily stunned, but after a few seconds, he chuckled.
“Then be quick about setting your Master aside, and let me see if your skill matches your confidence.”
“That is unnecessary,” the masked Servant replied.
“…”
Diarmuid’s eyelid twitched.
Did this mean that even while using one hand to protect their Master, they were confident they could defeat him with the remaining hand?
From his days as a youth in Bruna Born to becoming the chief knight of the Knights of Fianna, Diarmuid had never been treated with such indifference.
His twin spears danced in his hands as he settled into a stance that was balanced for both offense and defense.
Seeing that he was ready, the masked Servant raised the lance.
The white horse, clad in silver-white armor just like its rider, scraped its hooves against the concrete of the harbor.
In the next instant, it charged forward, carrying the knight straight toward Diarmuid.
Then, the lance descended with the full momentum of the charge, swinging heavily toward Diarmuid.
CLANG—!!!
The thunderous roar of metal colliding echoed in all directions.
Diarmuid, who had only managed to cross his twin spears to block the lance the moment the opponent reached his face, felt his expression shift violently.
CRACK!
Beneath his feet, the ground for dozens of meters erupted in a web of spider-like cracks.
‘This terrifying strength…
how is this possible?’
Even with the added momentum of a charging mount, Diarmuid was certain the moment they collided: this opponent possessed strength several times—perhaps even dozens of times—greater than his own.
While his own physical strength wasn’t as high as his A+ rank Agility, it was still a B-rank value.
To be left completely unable to resist meant that the opponent’s strength was at least A—and there were definitely more than one “+” following that A!
Combined with the speed that had just been displayed, a velocity that nearly left even his Agility A+ reactions useless…
Just how exceptional did a Master’s aptitude have to be to allow a Servant to manifest with Strength and Agility values both exceeding A+?
Diarmuid looked in disbelief at the silver-haired Master.
The young man was being shielded by the Servant in the silver-white lion mask; despite having just experienced a high-speed charge covering dozens of meters in an instant, there wasn’t a hint of panic on his face.
Instead, he looked somewhat excited.