Chapter 14: Exposed
Facing Matō Kariya charging at him with overwhelming momentum, Diarmuid immediately assumed a combat stance. Though the wound on his chest ached unbearably, he was, after all, a battle-hardened warrior.
Matō Kariya’s entire body surged with black smoke, his aura extremely intimidating. He rushed up to Diarmuid with chaotic steps and threw a punch straight at Diarmuid’s face.
Diarmuid tilted his head to dodge the punch, disbelief in his eyes. This Berserker was far too weak.
Easily evading Kariya’s punch, Diarmuid used nimble footwork to circle around to Kariya’s side. He stabbed one of his yellow short spears into the ground and gripped the red long spear with both hands.
Diarmuid’s two spears served different purposes. The yellow short spear was the “Must-Kill Yellow Rose,” imbued with the ability to inflict wounds that could not heal. In other words, any injury caused by this spear was permanent.
As for the red long spear he now held with both hands, it was called the “Magic-Defeating Red Rose,” capable of nullifying magical defenses. When fighting a Servant, every thrust would ignore defense, essentially dealing true damage.
Against a Servant opponent, Diarmuid chose to use the Red Rose to break through defenses, then find an opportunity to wound the enemy with the Yellow Rose.
Matō Kariya couldn’t care less about Red Roses or Yellow Roses. His only thought was to kill the enemy before him.
“Roar!”
Kariya let out a wild howl, the black smoke on his surface nearly solidifying.
Diarmuid stared intently at Kariya, the red long spear spinning in his hand, the tip tracing several arcs through the air.
“What is this…”
Diarmuid’s brow furrowed deeply. This Berserker’s “aura” was strong enough, but his actual strength was unimpressive. What surprised him even more was that, compared to this “Servant,” the enemy Master was terrifyingly powerful.
Earlier, when Diarmuid had charged into that civilian house, before he could even see where the enemy was, a long blade had filled his vision. If not for his quick reflexes, he might have already died inside that house.
Though currently facing off against Kariya, Diarmuid’s gaze inadvertently swept toward the civilian house. The interior was pitch black, and the hole he had smashed through looked like a monster’s gaping maw.
Matō Kariya didn’t care where Diarmuid was looking. Tokiomi must die. He roared and charged forward again. This time, instead of using his fists, he reached out with both hands to grab Diarmuid.
Seeing this almost suicidal lunge, Diarmuid instinctively stepped back two paces, suspecting a trap.
But after Kariya took a few more steps forward, Diarmuid confirmed something. This Servant, despite his astonishing “aura,” posed little real threat to him.
Realizing this, Diarmuid held the spear with one hand, stepped forward, and thrust it straight at Kariya.
The spear tip pierced the air with a faint hiss, like a cobra striking its prey.
A normal person would instinctively dodge or retreat, but Matō Kariya was no ordinary man. He was a “Berserker.” If he retreated, what would happen to the dignity of a “Berserker”?
So Kariya resolutely met the red long spear head-on.
Bang!
A shockwave spread outward. The red long spear stabbed into Kariya’s chest, creating a bowl-sized depression.
Blood sprayed from the wound on Diarmuid’s chest. Stabbing Kariya felt less like piercing a human body and more like hitting a piece of hard wood.
Whoosh~
A sharp sound of cutting wind came from behind Diarmuid. A man wielding a long blade had somehow appeared at his back.
Diarmuid’s pupils contracted sharply, and he instinctively ducked his head.
Clang!
The long blade swept over his head. That strike was meant to take his head.
“Roar!”
Matō Kariya grabbed the spear lodged in his chest with his bare hands. Seeing this, Su Xiao’s face showed a smile. He hadn’t expected this guy to actually help him in battle.
But the next moment, Su Xiao’s smile vanished. Kariya used brute force to swing the spear, and Diarmuid used the momentum to put distance between himself and Su Xiao. Sure enough, Kariya was a “useless teammate.”
Mid-air, Diarmuid raised his left hand and struck the spear’s shaft with his palm.
Buzz~
The intense vibration on the spear forced Kariya to let go. Diarmuid was flung away, landing on his feet and sliding backward before steadying himself.
Looking at Diarmuid, who was now over ten meters away, Kariya’s eyes glowed even redder, his chest filled with unquenchable rage.
Just as Kariya was about to charge again, Su Xiao stomped the ground and rushed behind him.
Standing behind Kariya, Su Xiao raised his leg and delivered a side kick.
Bang.
Kariya was sent flying. This left Diarmuid and the watching crowd bewildered. A strange thought crossed everyone’s minds: this Master seemed to find his own Servant a hindrance.
Kariya was kicked over ten meters away. After getting up, he fixed his gaze on Su Xiao.
Azure Steel Shadow energy enveloped Dragon-Slaying Flash. Seeing this energy, Kariya showed some fear and didn’t dare charge again.
Glancing at Kariya, Su Xiao stopped paying him any attention. Kariya was useful for drawing the enemy’s attention, but fighting alongside him was completely unworkable.
This guy couldn’t distinguish friend from foe and had no grasp of tactics. For Kariya, combat meant charging forward, using fists, then grabbing if fists failed, and biting if grabbing failed.
After all, Kariya relied on several types of cells for his current abilities. Su Xiao couldn’t expect too much from him.
After getting rid of this troublesome “Berserker,” Su Xiao turned his gaze to Diarmuid.
The moment Su Xiao’s eyes locked onto him, Diarmuid became alert.
“Kicking away your own Servant and fighting personally… What kind of Master is that?”
Diarmuid let out a long breath as the wound on his chest slowly healed. This was a cooperative ability between Servant and Master. The Master could use healing magecraft from a distance to treat the Servant. Since a Servant’s body was essentially energy, this healing effect was greatly enhanced.
However, Diarmuid’s Master had tried to heal him minutes ago, but it only just took effect. This filled Diarmuid with unease.
Diarmuid looked at the Azure Steel Shadow energy enveloping Dragon-Slaying Flash.
“This is… electricity? Electricity that blocks the effects of magic and even causes annihilation reactions with other energies. This ability…”
As this thought struck him, a flash of insight hit Diarmuid. He couldn’t help but glance at the distant Matō Kariya.
This was a Servant shrouded in darkness, devoid of reason, with no combat experience, only charging recklessly. Even if he had been summoned with a Madness Enhancement, it still didn’t add up.
On the other hand, the enemy Master was skilled in swordsmanship, possessed rich combat experience, and showed a grasp of timing and abilities that no magus could achieve.
“So that’s it… What a… mad Servant!”
Anger surged in Diarmuid’s eyes. He had figured out the strange combination before him.
“Turning your own Master into this state—you don’t deserve to be called a Servant. At least I, Diarmuid, refuse to acknowledge you as one.”
The Magic-Defeating Red Rose spun in Diarmuid’s hand before he pointed the spear at Su Xiao.
“…”
Su Xiao said nothing. He had long anticipated being seen through. His setup could only fool the enemy once. Clearly, his strategy of disguising himself as the Master had worked. Earlier, Diarmuid had charged right up to him almost defenselessly.
Su Xiao stomped the ground. With a bang, gravel flew, and he charged straight at Diarmuid.
Though Su Xiao was fast, Diarmuid’s Agility attribute was also A+.