The next day, at noon.
"What did you say?"
Tokiomi Tohsaka set down the quill he was using to record magical fluctuations, his brow furrowing slightly.
He looked at Kirei Kotomine standing in the shadows, his tone filled with disbelief.
"Are you telling me that the Saber summoned by the Einzbern family... is currently building sandcastles at the beach?"
"Yes, my teacher."
Kirei Kotomine replied expressionlessly, "According to the shared vision transmitted by the Hassan lurking near the seaside park, the silver-haired woman named Irisviel is playing on the beach with a blonde, green-eyed young girl."
"Although the girl is wearing casual clothes and the magical energy fluctuations radiating from her body have been deliberately suppressed, there is no doubt that she is the Saber-class Servant."
Kirei paused for a moment, seemingly organizing his words.
"They... are having a lot of fun."
"The silver-haired woman even used magical energy to reinforce the structure of the sand, building an exquisite Gothic castle that has attracted quite a few children to watch."
Tokiomi Tohsaka fell into a long silence.
The corners of his mouth turned up slightly, revealing a sneer that blended bewilderment with elegance.
"...Truly lamentable."
"As the former kin of the Maiden of Winter, the Einzberns have lost themselves in their pursuit of the Holy Grail. Have they now forgotten even the most basic dignity of a magus?"
"Or is it because they are artificial lifeforms that they lack the most fundamental reverence for life, acting with such reckless abandon..."
In his eyes, such behavior was as vulgar as a barbarian eating meat with their bare hands at a royal banquet.
Furthermore, they were currently in the middle of a war.
To swagger about and expose themselves to everyone's sight like this was practically offering their necks to the enemy's blade.
He stroked the ruby-tipped cane at his side, pondering the possibilities.
"Father Risei, it seems the participants this time are somewhat lacking in common sense. We cannot allow this sacred ritual to devolve into a street farce."
Beside him, Risei Kotomine swirled the wine glass in his hand. "Rest assured, Tokiomi."
"Tonight, the Church will lock down the warehouse district by the sea under the guise of a police manhunt for a fugitive and a gas leak inspection."
"We will set up a repelling Bounded Field to drive away ordinary people and burn incense that affects cognition to ensure absolute secrecy."
"Excellent. Thank you very much."
Tokiomi picked up his quill again and elegantly wrote a rune on the parchment.
"Regardless of their intentions, since they have arrived, let us see if the Saber of the strongest class is a myth worthy of the name, or merely an empty shell."
Meanwhile, on the top floor of the Fuyuki Hyatt Hotel.
Standing before the massive floor-to-ceiling windows, Kiritsugu Emiya used high-powered binoculars to observe the sunlit beach in the distance.
Through the lenses, Irisviel was smiling as she brushed sand off Artoria. Their interaction was incredibly intimate, like a pair of sisters out on vacation.
"...Thank you for your hard work, Iri."
Kiritsugu lowered the binoculars, turned around, and walked toward the table in the center of the room.
A detailed map of Fuyuki City was spread out across it.
"Maiya, what is the situation?"
His assistant, Maiya, was crouching on the floor, expertly inspecting the military equipment crates one by one.
Hearing his question, she replied without looking up, "The equipment is fully prepared."
"Also, there was movement at the Tohsaka estate last night."
She casually turned on the television, playing a somewhat blurry recording.
It was footage captured by a hidden camera planted at the Tohsaka estate, showing the exact moment Assassin was instantly killed by the Archer-class Servant.
Kiritsugu lit a cigarette. Amidst the swirling smoke, his expression appeared exceptionally gloomy.
"What do you think?" he asked.
"It was a bit too deliberate," Maiya analyzed calmly. "The interval between Assassin's appearance and his execution by Archer was far too short."
"Assassin possesses the [Presence Concealment] skill. I do not believe they have the means to detect him instantly."
"Furthermore, Assassin's Master is Kirei Kotomine, the son of the Church's overseer, Father Risei Kotomine."
"He went to the Church last night to request sanctuary in neutral territory."
Hearing this, Kiritsugu repeatedly watched the scene in the footage, pondering for a long time. "The Tohsaka family making such a grand display of revealing their Servant's identity and status... perhaps they share the same objective as us..."
According to their predetermined plan, Kiritsugu was using Irisviel as bait, disguising her as Artoria's Master to appear publicly and draw the fire of all their enemies.
Meanwhile, as the true Master, he would become a venomous snake lurking in the gutters, waiting for an opportunity to find the flaws in the other Masters and deliver a fatal strike...
"Maiya, deploy familiars to the Fuyuki Church."
"Is that wise? Masters are not supposed to interfere with the Church's neutral territory."
"Just keep them at a distance where they won't be discovered."
He picked up an antique-looking pistol from the table and expertly loaded a specialized bullet into it.
"For justice..."
Night fell, and the city lights began to glow.
The originally bustling port district had become unusually deserted due to the Holy Church's interference.
The streetlamps emitted a dim yellow halo, stretching the shadows of the shipping containers long across the ground.
"Irisviel, please stay close to me."
"The enemy has been waiting for quite some time."
Artoria's emerald eyes vigilantly scanned the surrounding darkness.
While on the beach, she had sensed a powerful aura radiating from a hundred meters away. It was undoubtedly a Heroic Spirit.
Was it an unconscious act? Or an active invitation or provocation?
Now, Irisviel was heading to this area with her Servant, intending to see exactly who this Servant was.
The two passed through an alley of shipping containers and arrived at an open clearing.
She stopped in her tracks.
Standing ahead was a handsome man dressed in a dark green, tight-fitting combat suit, wielding two spears—one long and one short—wrapped in talismans.
Below his right eye was a teardrop mole, exuding an eerie, magical charm in the night.
Lancer, the Spear Servant.
"I have been waiting here for quite some time."
"I openly released my aura all day today, yet no one was willing to show themselves."
"It seems the only mighty warrior to accept my invitation is you, the Saber with such a pure fighting spirit."
The spearman bowed slightly, the teardrop mole by his eye radiating a certain magical charm under the moonlight.
Despite bearing his Master's orders, his innate knightly demeanor still compelled him to offer his opponent a standard dueling salute.
Artoria shielded Irisviel behind her, her emerald eyes locked onto the newcomer.
She gripped the empty air with her right hand, and the Invisible Air concealed the blade within the air currents, forming an unseen sword.
"I am glad my first opponent is someone decent." The spearman smiled faintly, shifting the two spears in his hands into an offensive stance.
"I am also deeply honored to meet a Heroic Spirit with a sense of honor," Artoria called out clearly, her casual clothes transforming into armor constructed from magical energy.
The two spoke simultaneously, "Now then, let us settle this!"
*Swish—!*
The spearman said no more, his spear tip piercing through the air straight toward Artoria's chest.
Artoria sidestepped to evade, meeting the strike with her invisible sword.
*Clang!!*
The blade and the spear tip collided, sending sparks flying.
The two engaged in close-quarters combat, the shadows of the spear and the flashes of the sword intertwining as crushed stones continuously scattered across the ground.
At the same time, on the edge of the seaside pier district, a light truck was slowly driving over.
"Alright, alright, this is the last delivery. Let's finish the handover and hurry home."