Hansen turned his head to look at Saber and pointed at the somewhat tragic-looking spearman below.
"Go, Saber."
"Since someone has come looking for death, let's grant him his wish."
Saber nodded. Although she was puzzled by Lancer's near-suicidal behavior, as a knight, it was her duty to respond to a challenge.
"To continue the battle that was interrupted before? Just as I wished!"
Golden armor instantly covered her body as the King of Knights leaped down, transforming into a silver-blue meteor rushing toward Lancer in the courtyard.
Hansen did not move.
He simply leaned against the railing, his gaze passing over the courtyard where battle was about to erupt, looking toward the dark forest in the distance.
That was the true hunting ground.
"Lancer charging into battle leaves his rear unguarded..."
Hansen narrowed his eyes. Within his sensory net, a man in a trench coat with a cigarette in his mouth was moving rapidly through the darkness.
"With such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, how could our partner of justice, Papa Emiya, possibly pass it up?"
"Lancer, oh Lancer, Rank E Luck truly lives up to its reputation."
...The afternoon sunlight filtered through the forest on the outskirts of Fuyuki, mottled light and shadow falling upon the leaf-strewn clearing.
What should have been a serene temple of nature was now filled with the explosive clanging of metal against metal.
Clang—!!
The invisible Invisible Air and the red "Gáe Dearg" collided violently, the resulting shockwave sweeping away withered leaves within a ten-meter radius.
Saber Artoria was in peak condition at this moment.
Her black suit had long since been replaced by her blue and silver battle armor; a few strands of golden hair had come loose during the fierce struggle, clinging to her heroic face.
The frustration from the previous battle being forcibly interrupted had now completely transformed into a soaring fighting spirit.
"Hah!"
Saber let out a sharp cry, pushing off the ground as her form lunged forward like silver lightning.
The invisible blade traced a lethal arc through the air, aiming straight for Lancer's throat.
"Well met!"
Lancer Diarmuid's eyes flashed with sharp light as the yellow short spear in his hand, "Gáe Buidhe," flicked up strangely, accurately parrying the side of the sword's edge!
The red long spear followed immediately, piercing the air silently and lunging toward Saber's heart like a viper emerging from its hole!
The two figures crossed, collided, and separated within the woods.
This was a fair and honorable duel between knights.
No schemes, no sneak attacks, only the collision of skill and conviction.
On a nearby branch, Hansen leaned against the trunk, holding a freshly opened bottle of oolong tea, his posture as relaxed as if he were watching an outdoor movie.
Irisviel stood beneath the tree, wrapped tightly in a snow-white winter coat, revealing only a small face as delicate as a doll's.
She nervously gripped the hem of her coat, her ruby-like eyes closely following Saber's figure.
"Mr. Han Sen, Lancer's offensive is so fierce..." Irisviel said worriedly. "Will Saber be alright?"
"Don't worry, Ma'am." Hansen took a sip of tea, his gaze sweeping over the battlefield. "Saber is currently at full mana. While that handsome guy with the twin spears has good technique, against absolute power, it's just a matter of holding on for a few more rounds."
His vision passed over the battlefield and cast into the shadows deep within the forest.
There, his keen Divine Sense captured a cold aura filled with the scent of gunpowder.
"And... the outcome of this duel likely won't depend on the two of them."
Hansen's voice lowered slightly, a playful yet cruel arc curling at the corner of his mouth.
On the battlefield, Saber forced Lancer back with a heavy slash. The moment they pulled apart, Saber's face was flushed, her breathing slightly hurried, and her chest was heaving.
Sweat slid down their cheeks, but the eyes of both burned with admiration for one another.
"Saber, it is the honor of my life, Diarmuid, to cross blades with a knight as noble as you." Lancer twirled his spears, a sincere smile appearing on his face. "With the next move, let us decide the victor!"
"Just as I wished, Lancer!" Saber gripped her sword with both hands, magical energy beginning to converge frantically. "In the name of a knight, take this strike!"
Just as the duel between the Knight of the Sword and the Knight of the Spear was about to reach its peak, within the shadows of the forest...
Sola-Ui's hands were bound behind her back, and a tall man in black was pressing the dark muzzle of a gun against her temple.
At the man's feet, a wheelchair lay overturned on the ground. Kayneth was sprawled in the mud like a dead fish, his former arrogance completely gone.
"Ugh... Kiritsugu Emiya, let Sola-Ui go! If you have something against me, come at me instead!!"
Kiritsugu Emiya paid no attention to Director Kayneth's agonizing roars.
There was no trace of emotion in his dead-fish eyes; he was like a precise killing machine.
The next second, Kiritsugu Emiya pulled a roll of parchment from his coat and tossed it onto the muddy ground in front of Kayneth.
"'Self-Geas Scroll'." Kiritsugu's voice was raspy, carrying a heavy scent of tobacco. "Sign it, and this war will be over."
Kayneth tremblingly picked up the parchment; complex incantations and formulas were inscribed upon it, sufficient to prove its authenticity.
The content was lengthy, but the core essence was simple and clear—
I will not kill you; in exchange, use a command spell to make Lancer commit suicide.
"I'll sign! I'll sign!!"
With his beloved fiancée in the other's hands, Kayneth had almost no hesitation.
Moreover, signing the contract meant his own safety was guaranteed; the only cost was the life of a Servant.
Director Kayneth, who had only intended to use a rural magecraft ritual like the Holy Grail War to bolster his prestige, had no reason to refuse.
With a trembling hand, he pressed his thumbprint onto the parchment using his own blood.
As Kayneth's side fulfilled the agreement, the red light of a command spell on the back of Sola-Ui's hand suddenly flared to life.
It was an absolute force of compulsion... In the forest clearing, amidst the battlefield.
At the exact moment the momentum of both combatants reached its peak, Saber's gaze suddenly froze.
Puchi—!
The sound of a blade piercing flesh was exceptionally jarring in the deathly silent battlefield.
The Gáe Dearg in Lancer's hand abruptly turned its tip at the moment of the thrust, violently piercing his own heart!
As he coughed up a mouthful of blood, it gushed out like a fountain, staining the fallen leaves beneath his feet and the last shred of his dignity as a knight.
"Lancer..." Saber stared blankly at the scene, her mind a complete void.
"Cough... Pfft..."
Lancer collapsed to his knees, blood surging wildly from his mouth. His once handsome face was now twisted into the likeness of a vengeful spirit.
Even with his heart pierced, his vitality as a Heroic Spirit prevented him from dying instantly.
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