Chapter 20: Standoff!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Looking at the fallen Sola, Kiritsugu Emiya fired several more shots. Once he realized that magic had been used to trap him, he began searching for the person responsible for setting it up. This was both a crisis and an opportunity. If handled well, he could turn the situation around. In the end, Lancer's Master was too careless. With such a reckless opponent, Kiritsugu had many ways to kill her. By bringing his body to the brink of near-death, the enemy predictably made a mistake. By accelerating his own time, he appeared to Sola as if he had "teleported," which is why she only noticed Kiritsugu after being shot.

Kiritsugu could manipulate his own time—this was the power of Innate Time Control Accel. Although this put a heavy strain on his body, he was already used to it. This time, he used the negative effects of this magic to make himself seem almost dead, successfully deceiving Sola.

"I need to get out of here quickly."

After confirming that Sola was fatally injured, Kiritsugu didn't linger. Lancer would likely sense something and rush over soon. He couldn't afford to waste a Command Spell to summon Saber.

Boom! Boom!

The magic field collapsed, and he quickly drove away from the scene.

---

"!?"

"How could this happen?"

Kyoko Sakura, who had been chasing down Jonouchi, suddenly stopped in her tracks. The contract was breaking, and she could sense something was wrong.

"Why did she die?! What was that man protecting?"

Kyoko couldn't understand what had happened. She had only been pursuing Caster for a short time, and yet, her Master was now dead? Thinking of Kenneth's arrogant face made her furious. Always acting high and mighty, yet he couldn't even protect his fiancée? And Sola's death had been so sudden, Kyoko didn't even know what had transpired. If Sola had been in danger, she could have summoned Kyoko using a Command Spell, so how had she been killed?

"Hmm?"

Jonouchi noticed that Lancer had stopped moving and saw a change in her expression. Although he didn't possess traditional magic, he was given unique abilities.

'LP is decreasing.'

Just like himself, Jonouchi noticed that Kyoko Sakura's "life points" were dropping—just like his own. When it reaches zero, that would mean defeat.

"Your partner... also died?"

Jonouchi spoke seriously, his tone heavy.

"Tch. This time..."

Regaining her composure, Kyoko glanced at him, ready to throw out a harsh remark, but then she realized the binding spell restricting her had disappeared.

"Go on."

"And... you shouldn't be thinking about killing people at such a young age."

Caster's comment was irritating, but Kyoko didn't linger. With the perpetual trap now gone, her hands were finally freed. In an instant, she vanished into the night sky, heading toward where Sola had died to assess the situation.

---

"Alright, one problem solved."

"Now for this side."

Jonouchi turned to face the rest of the battlefield.

"Insolent fool! Disrespecting the King must be paid for with death!"

The golden-armored king bellowed at the white-clad emperor.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Swords and spears shot forth, slamming into the energy barrier projected by the massive machine, causing explosions.

"Rider! This guy is way too much! We won't last long like this!" Waver yelled as warnings filled the cockpit of the mech.

"Hmm."

Unfazed, Lelouch remained silent. His intention had been to test Archer's combat abilities, but the results exceeded his expectations. Realizing that Archer likely had even greater tricks up his sleeve, it was unwise to escalate things further. He might need to team up with other Servants to take down this golden king. Of course, that was the straightforward solution. After all, Servants might be "invincible," but Masters, as their weak point, were not.

"Saber, I'll wait for news from you and that man. Hopefully, it'll be a satisfactory answer."

Lelouch retreated into the cockpit of the mech, which then disappeared into the sky.

"Tch, insolent fool."

Watching his opponent escape behind the protective barrier, Gilgamesh made a mental note. He had decided—he would personally kill this so-called false king in the coming war.

Swish!

"Hmm?"

The sudden sound of something cutting through the air caused him to tilt his head slightly. A glowing arrow passed by, leaving a crimson line across his handsome face. Looking toward the source, he saw Berserker in the distance, holding a golden longbow, preparing to fire another arrow. The brute looked more like an "Archer" than he did.

"Assassin... Tch."

"Has he been summoned away?"

Realizing what had happened, Gilgamesh glanced at the vanishing form of Kenshin. The sudden retreat meant that something had likely gone wrong for Kotomine Kirei. With Lancer, Rider, and Assassin all having left, only Saber, Berserker, Archer, and Caster remained on the battlefield. Berserker had seized the opportunity of Assassin's departure to launch a surprise attack on Gilgamesh. Clearly, using a bow was a direct challenge to the golden king.

"That weapon... forged from the bones, blood, and flesh of a dragon, correct? Did you slay a dragon imbued with divine attributes?"

Gilgamesh's voice was cold as he scrutinized the longbow Berserker wielded.

"A dragon... with divine attributes?"

Recalling the strange sword she had seen earlier, Saber also turned to look. Compared to the previous cursed dragon sword, this golden longbow carried a much more divine and powerful aura. If she concentrated, she could sense the essence of a dragon within it.

'A hero who specializes in slaying dragons?'

Such heroes existed in history, but whether this was one of them was still unclear. The concept of "divinity" added complexity to the equation. Many legends featured dragons, but divine dragons were much rarer.

---

Without answering, Berserker simply drew his bow again. The weapon in his hands had been forged from the remains of a monster he had once slain. Naturally, it carried the might and essence of a dragon—specifically the Primal Bahamut, a dragon that had once brought catastrophic destruction to the world. Berserker had a habit of turning defeated monsters into weapons.

"Then let me, the King, be your opponent."

"I'm quite curious to see the face beneath that helm of yours."

Gilgamesh's interest was piqued, and he felt an urge to stretch his muscles a bit. He had no intention of leaving now—he wanted to unearth the truth behind Berserker's origins.