Chapter 13: The 'Unarmed' Lancer
Inside a dilapidated building, a spiritualized Servant appeared. This was a handsome Servant with a charm-inducing tear mole beneath his eye, which could be considered an 'EX-rank Noble Phantasm' for most women. The Servant knelt on one knee, head lowered.
To be fair, Diarmuid was an excellent Servant—powerful in combat, shrewd in strategy, and most importantly, obedient to his Master, making him a loyal follower. Unfortunately, his Master, Kayneth, was filled with suspicion toward him, fearing that this Servant might cuckold him.
"Master, the enemy's situation has been scouted. One side is the Saber faction, positioned on the rooftop to the west. The other side, in the residential building, is suspected to be the Berserker faction. The total number of both sides does not exceed ten. However, our terrain is advantageous, allowing us to clearly observe the movements of both parties."
Diarmuid had gathered this intelligence at considerable risk and detailed it to his Master, Kayneth.
"Is that so? The best course is to let them clash first."
Kayneth took a deep breath, suppressing his dissatisfaction with Diarmuid. To be fair, he was somewhat satisfied with this Servant, except for one particular point.
"Indeed. According to my earlier observations, the Berserker was emitting black smoke, which gave me a sense of ferocity and instability."
"Black smoke? Are you certain?"
Kayneth raised an eyebrow.
"Absolutely certain. I swear on my life, I dare not conceal anything from my Master."
Diarmuid sighed inwardly. He wished his Master would trust him. Even though Kayneth's fiancée had repeatedly shown him favor, Diarmuid had firmly rejected her with harsh words. If not for her status, he would have ignored her entirely.
"In that case, we can continue to observe. Diarmuid, keep scouting. Report to me immediately if the situation changes."
"Yes."
Diarmuid performed a knightly salute, turned, and walked out of the dilapidated building.
"Don't expose yourself."
Even though Kayneth harbored suspicions about Diarmuid, the latter was still his Servant.
"Thank you, Master..."
"Enough. Get out!"
"Understood."
Diarmuid's eyes dimmed as he turned and walked away.
Being summoned as a Lancer was somewhat of a waste for Diarmuid. Compared to using spears, his two magic swords were far more famous: the 'Rage of Fury' and the 'Wrath of Fury.' Based on his abilities, becoming a Saber would have been effortless. If summoned as a Saber, his combat power would have increased by at least 40%.
Yet he became a Lancer, and a Lancer with Luck E. From the records of previous Holy Grail Wars, Lancers generally had a tough fate.
At the edge of Fuyuki City, three factions began a distant standoff. Coincidentally, their positions formed a triangle.
Time passed like this—one hour, two hours...
Until 7 PM that evening, as the sky gradually darkened, none of the factions made the first move.
Inside the residential building, Su Xiao used the Apostle's Eye to observe the surroundings. Inadvertently, he spotted a suspicious target: a golden-haired girl.
"Is that... Saber? I almost didn't recognize her in a suit."
After locating one faction, Su Xiao shifted his focus. There should be another faction, one that was hiding deeply. However, based on their surveillance of the church, it was likely one of the three: Archer, Assassin, or Lancer. The possibility of Archer or Assassin was low, leaving only the Lancer faction.
Su Xiao's reasoning was sound. He had already sensed that more than one group was tailing him. The Caster and Rider factions were essentially bystanders, unlikely to surveil the church, as their Masters were relatively useless—one was a 'princess,' the other a teenage murderer.
Excluding his own side and the Saber faction, only three factions remained. Since the Archer and Assassin factions were allied with the old priest, they were unlikely to act proactively.
Using the process of elimination, Su Xiao deduced that only the Lancer faction remained. Another possibility was that contractors were tailing him, but that was unlikely without conflicting interests.
Now, the three factions were deadlocked, none willing to strike first, all waiting for the other two to fight. As for retreating, without a battle, the other two would not withdraw.
As for Su Xiao, he wouldn't retreat either. He needed to ensure no one was tailing him; otherwise, he couldn't safely enter the Ryuudou Temple.
"Roar~"
A low growl came from Su Xiao's feet. It was Matou Kariya, who had been tied up with steel wire for several hours.
Upon sensing a hostile Servant, he immediately tried to charge out, displaying the reckless behavior typical of a Berserker.
"Let's wait. The Servants will only gather more. By then..."
Before Su Xiao could finish, a crisp crack sounded, and Matou Kariya broke free from the steel wire.
Matou Kariya let out a wild roar, his chest burning with unquenchable rage. He glanced at Su Xiao, hesitated for a moment, then turned and crashed through the wall of the residential building.
With a loud crash, Matou Kariya burst through the wall.
Standing by the hole in the wall, Su Xiao noticed a piece of armor stained with black paint tied to his Realm Severing Thread.
"He really has become a Berserker."
Su Xiao retracted the Realm Severing Thread. He didn't charge out with Matou Kariya. The latter now had extremely strong survivability, and it was good to let him draw the enemy's attention. Besides, there was still Matou Sakura as a backup.
"Bubu, find a place to hide. Take her with you."
"Woof."
Bubu Wang barked, then led Matou Sakura out through another window of the residential building. Fighting wasn't its forte, but if it hid, no one could find it.
After charging out of the residential building, 'Berserker' Matou Kariya quickly ran to a nearby open field.
"Roar!!"
A furious roar startled a large flock of birds nearby. Matou Kariya, shrouded in black smoke, exuded an imposing aura.
Seeing this, Kayneth, inside the dilapidated building, felt his heart tighten. This was an opportunity—a perfect chance to kill the Master of the Berserker faction.
"Lancer."
Kayneth growled, and Diarmuid immediately appeared.
"I am here."
"This is an opportunity. Go and eliminate the Master of the Berserker immediately. Be quick! Berserker is in a state of frenzy and hard to control. This is a golden opportunity."
"Master, may I release my Noble Phantasm?"
"Killing an enemy Master shouldn't be difficult for you. Unless absolutely necessary, don't expose your identity. I will permit you to release your Noble Phantasm at the critical moment."
"Yes."
Diarmuid immediately spiritualized, becoming transparent. With a few leaps, he disappeared from the dilapidated building.
Kayneth's goal in participating in the Holy Grail War wasn't solely the Grail; he also wanted to verify his abilities and magical skills. Seeing the opportunity, he acted decisively.
Near the dilapidated building, on the rooftop of a residential building, Saber, dressed in a black suit, slightly widened her eyes.
"Master, the Lancer faction has made a move. I sense a spiritualized Servant nearby. It's likely Lancer!"
Directly attacking an enemy Master wasn't something Saber advocated, as it went against the chivalric code, but she didn't entirely reject it either.
"They've made a move. This is indeed an opportunity."
Through the scope of his sniper rifle, Emiya Kiritsugu searched for Su Xiao's whereabouts. However, Su Xiao was a sniper expert himself and wouldn't expose himself to a sniper's crosshairs.
"Observe the situation first. Where is Lancer?"
Emiya Kiritsugu looked at Saber.
"He has already charged into that residential building."
As Saber finished speaking,
Boom!
A muffled sound came from the distant residential building. Diarmuid crashed through the outer wall, flying out. A deep sword wound ran across his chest and abdomen. Although he held two long spears in his hands, he hadn't released his Noble Phantasm, so the spears' power couldn't be unleashed. He had essentially charged at Su Xiao unarmed, facing someone with attributes ranging from A to A+. The result was predictable.
Clang.
A pale blue blade aura flew out from the residential building. Diarmuid, mid-air, no longer cared about exposing his identity. If he continued to disguise himself, he might die here.
With a jingling sound, Diarmuid used one of his red long spears to shatter the blade aura. Normally, blade auras weren't so easily broken, but this red spear had a significant background—it was called the Gae Dearg, the Rose of Exorcism.
Diarmuid crashed to the ground with a thud, his arms slightly numb.
Seeing Diarmuid land in such a disheveled state, Kayneth, watching from afar, was stunned. Not only him, but Emiya Kiritsugu and Saber were also surprised.
"The one inside isn't..."
Before Diarmuid could shout, a figure shrouded in black smoke charged at him with a roar.
"Tokiomi!!"
Matou Kariya, with his questionable eyesight, had mistaken Diarmuid for Tohsaka Tokiomi.