Inside the unfinished building, a materialised Heroic Spirit appeared. This was a handsome Heroic Spirit with a charming love spot, which could be considered an 'EX-level Noble Phantasm' for most women.
The Heroic Spirit half-knelt on the ground, with his head bowed.
Without a doubt, Diarmuid was an outstanding Heroic Spirit. He possessed great strength in both combat and tactics and most importantly, he followed his Master's orders and was extremely loyal.
Unfortunately, his Master, Kenneth, was full of suspicion towards him. Kenneth was afraid that this Heroic Spirit would disgrace him.
"Master, I have gathered information about the enemy. One side is the Saber camp, positioned on the western rooftop. In the residential building, the other side appears to be the Berserker camp. The combined number of both sides is not more than ten people. However, our terrain is advantageous, allowing us to observe their movements clearly."
Diarmuid risked much to gather this information and detailed it to his Master, Kenneth.
"Is that so? The best possibility is to let them clash first."
Kenneth took a deep breath, suppressing his dissatisfaction with Diarmuid. He was quite satisfied with this Heroic Spirit, except for one aspect.
"Indeed, based on our previous observations, the Berserker emits black smoke, which gives me a sense of violence and instability."
"Black smoke? Are you certain?"
Kenneth raised an eyebrow.
"Absolutely, I stake my life on it. I wouldn't dare hide anything from Master."
Diarmuid sighed inwardly. He really hoped that his Master would trust him. Even though Kenneth's fiancée had shown interest in him multiple times, he had firmly rejected her advances. If not for considering the woman's identity, Diarmuid would have ignored her completely.
"In that case, let's continue to observe. Diarmuid, keep investigating, and report to me immediately if the situation changes."
"Understood."
Diarmuid performed a knightly salute and turned to leave the unfinished building.
"Don't reveal yourself."
Although Kenneth had suspicions about Diarmuid, he was still his Servant.
"Thank you, Master..."
"Don't say anything more, go!"
"I understand."
With a slightly dimmed gaze, Diarmuid turned and walked away.
Summoned as Lancer, Diarmuid felt underutilised. He was more famous for his two enchanted swords, "Gae Dearg" and "Gae Buidhe," rather than his spearmanship.
Considering Diarmuid's abilities, even if he were to be summoned as Saber, it wouldn't be challenging. If he were summoned as Saber, his strength would increase by at least 40%. However, he ended up as a Lancer, and not just any Lancer, but a Lancer with the "E" rank in luck. Judging from past Holy Grail Wars records, Lancers generally had a tough time.
At the outskirts of Fuyuki City, the three factions faced off from a distance, forming a triangle. Coincidentally, their positions formed a triangle.
Time passed by— an hour, two hours...
Until 7 o'clock in the evening, when the sky gradually darkened, none of the factions had made a move.
Su Xiao used his Apostle's Eye to observe the surroundings inside the residential building. Inadvertently, he found a suspicious target, a golden-haired girl.
"This is... Saber? She's wearing a suit; I almost didn't recognise her."
After identifying one faction's location, Su Xiao shifted his attention to the other faction. The other faction was well hidden, but judging from their church surveillance, they were likely allies with Archer or Assassin, leaving Lancer as the remaining possibility.
Su Xiao's deduction was logical. He had already sensed that more than one group was tracking him. Caster and Rider were more like spectators in this war, so they were unlikely to be the ones monitoring the church. This left Archer or Assassin as the remaining possibilities. Since they collaborated with the old priest, it was less likely for Archer or Assassin to take the initiative.
Using the process of elimination, Su Xiao concluded that the remaining faction was likely the Lancer camp. There was also the possibility that his pursuers were contractees, but that was less likely since there were no conflicting interests, and contractees didn't tend to engage in open conflict.
At present, the three factions are deadlocked. None of them were willing to make the first move; they were all waiting for the other two factions to clash. As for retreating, no one would withdraw without a fight between the other two factions.
As for Su Xiao, he wouldn't retreat either. He needed to ensure that no one was tracking him, or else he couldn't enter Ryuudou Temple with peace of mind.
"Roar~"
A low roar came from near Su Xiao's feet— Matou Zouken had been tied up with steel wire for a few hours. As soon as he sensed enemy Heroic Spirits, he immediately wanted to charge out. His behaviour was quite similar to that of a Berserker.
"Hold on. Heroic Spirits will only gather more if you provoke them. By then..."
Su Xiao's words were interrupted by a crisp sound. Matou Zouken had managed to break free from the steel wire.
Matou Zouken let out a furious roar, seemingly harbouring an uncontrollable rage within his chest. He glanced at Su Xiao and hesitated momentarily before turning and charging towards the wall of the building.
With a loud crash, Matou Zouken burst through the wall and out of the building.
Su Xiao stood next to the hole in the building, and Boundary Breaker threads bound a suit of armour stained with black paint.
"It truly became a Berserker."
Su Xiao retracted the Boundary Breaker thread. He didn't rush out with Matou Zouken. With his current endurance, Matou Zouken was incredibly resilient. His strategies were letting him draw attention away and having Matou Sakura as backup.
"Bu Bu, find a hidden place and take her with you."
"Woof."
Bu Bu barked and took Matou Sakura, jumping out of a window on the other side of the building. Bu Bu wasn't good at fighting but was excellent at hiding. No one would be able to find it.
'Berserker' Matou Zouken, after rushing out of the building, quickly made his way to a nearby open space.
"Roar!!"
A furious roar startled a flock of birds in the vicinity. Matou Zouken, surrounded by black smoke, exuded an extraordinarily imposing aura.
Seeing this scene, Kenneth's heart contracted. This was an opportunity— a perfect chance to kill the Berserker faction's Master.
"Lancer."
Kenneth growled softly, and Diarmuid immediately materialised.
"At your service."
"This is an opportunity. Go and eliminate the Berserker faction's Master immediately. Be quick! Berserker is in a state of madness, difficult to control. This is a rare opportunity."
"Master, may I release my Noble Phantasm?"
"Killing an enemy Master shouldn't be difficult for you. If it's not a critical moment, avoid revealing your identity. I'll allow you to use your Noble Phantasm during crucial moments."
"Understood."
Diarmuid immediately turned transparent and disappeared within the unfinished building.
Kenneth's participation in the Holy Grail War wasn't solely for the Holy Grail; he also wanted to test his abilities and magical skills. So, upon seeing an opportunity, he acted decisively.
Near the unfinished building, on the rooftop of a residential building, Saber, in a black suit, widened her eyes.
"Master, the Lancer faction has taken action. I sense a materialised Heroic Spirit nearby, very likely Lancer!"
Saber didn't entirely advocate for directly attacking enemy Masters. It wasn't in line with a knight's character but wasn't wholly forbidden either.
"Have they started? This is an opportunity.
Emiya Kiritsugu, looking through the scope of his sniper rifle, searched for Su Xiao's location. However, Su Xiao was an expert sniper himself; he wouldn't expose himself to the crosshairs of another sniper.
"Observe the situation first. Where is Lancer?"
Kiritsugu looked to Saber.
"He's entered that residential building."
Saber's words had just ended.
Boom!
A muffled sound echoed from the distance. Diarmuid had burst out of the residential building's outer wall and crashed onto the ground. He had a deep sword wound across his chest and abdomen. Although he held a spear in each hand, he hadn't used his Noble Phantasms. The power of these two spears couldn't be fully exerted without releasing their Noble Phantasms. He had practically charged at Su Xiao barehanded, facing Su Xiao's attributes of either A or A+, and the outcome was predictable.
Ching.
A pale blue blade radiance flew out from the residential building. In midair, Diarmuid had no time to worry about exposing his identity. Pseudo-corporeal and almost invisible, he would likely have been killed in battle anyway.
A chime echoed as Diarmuid used one of his red spears to shatter the blade's radiance. Usually, the blade radiance wouldn't be so easily broken, but this red spear was quite unique; it was named "Gae Buidhe," the Crimson Rose of Exorcism.
Diarmuid landed with a thud, his arms feeling a bit numb.
Seeing Diarmuid's sorry state, Kenneth, who had been observing from a distance, was somewhat astonished. He wasn't alone; Emiya Kiritsugu, Saber, and others were equally surprised.
"The person inside isn't..."
Diarmuid was about to shout, but a figure shrouded in black smoke roared furiously as it charged towards him.
"Tokisada!"
For some unknown reason, Matou Zouken mistook Diarmuid for Tohsaka Tokiomi.
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