Chapter 38: I Will Defeat Them All!

Frustration. 

For Kyoko Sakura, nothing felt worse than being falsely accused. 

She hadn't done anything wrong, yet she was being branded as a "murderer." All because of baseless claims. 

Clang! 

Her spear couldn't pierce through the energy shield of Rider's mecha. Even her magical chains were blocked, leaving her unable to damage her opponent. 

Boom!! 

The sounds of explosions came from behind, mixing with the chaotic noise of the battlefield. 

"Jounouchi!" Kyoko shouted, concerned. 

"Don't worry about me, I'm fine!" came Jounouchi's calm response. 

Hearing his voice gave her a bit of relief. 

"Damn it," Kyoko muttered, twirling her spear as she refocused her attention on Rider's massive machine. 

She couldn't afford any distractions. One mistake and she'd leave herself wide open. Rider's mecha had powerful defenses, but it wasn't invincible. She had to find an opening. 

---

"Tch. Dealing with one of them is hard enough, but both at the same time?" Jounouchi muttered to himself. His *Flame Swordsman* could only take on one opponent at a time, and he had to constantly keep an eye on the other enemies. 

Summoning another monster like *Time Wizard* crossed his mind, but… 

'Should I bring out Time Wizard now?' 

Glancing at the battlefield, Jounouchi assessed the situation. It was clear why everyone was here. They were after Kyoko, who had been wrongfully accused. 

"Kyoko would never kill an innocent person," Jounouchi thought firmly. He trusted her completely, and there was no way she would have done something like that, even in the worst situation. 

"Can you move now, Assassin?" Saber asked, noticing that Kenshin was testing his movements. 

"Yeah. The spell wasn't permanent; it wore off after a while." Kenshin swung his sword, relieved to feel the strange binding magic had lifted. That card-based spell was tricky. Without Saber's help earlier, he might've been in real trouble. 

"So, Caster and the Masterless Lancer have joined forces, huh?" Saber said, her voice filled with irritation. "It would've been better if we had known this earlier." 

In hindsight, this unexpected alliance was the reason for their current struggle. If they wanted to get through this without unnecessary complications, defeating both Caster and Lancer was the only option.

"Let's take them down!" Kenshin declared, his killing intent clear after his earlier brush with danger. Caster and Lancer were an unpredictable team, and he had no intention of letting them cause more trouble. 

---

"Heh, I knew you'd make a move!" Jounouchi grinned, flipping over one of his trap cards. 

"Trap card, activate! Negate Attack!"

Kenshin and Saber were closing in fast, but suddenly, an invisible force took hold of them, freezing their movements. 

"What the…?" Kenshin growled as his body refused to respond. Saber also struggled against the invisible bind. 

"Now, Flame Swordsman, it's your turn!" Jounouchi shouted, taking advantage of their temporary immobility. His warrior swung its burning blade at the two Servants. 

Boom! 

Despite managing to raise their swords in defense, the explosive force of the attack sent both Kenshin and Saber flying backward. 

"That magic of his… it's dangerous," Saber muttered as she got back on her feet. 

"Yeah, it's something else," Kenshin agreed, feeling the burn from the earlier strike. That momentary binding during battle was too dangerous—just a slight delay could mean death. 

"Heh, you thought you could take me down so easily?" Jounouchi taunted, pointing a thumb at himself. 

"You're going to regret underestimating me!" 

---

Meanwhile, perched atop a distant building with his sniper rifle, Kiritsugu Emiya hesitated. His crosshairs were trained on Caster, but something held him back. 

"Three cards still remain on that machine, their effects unknown," he muttered to himself. 

"It's not the right time to make a move yet." 

Caster was likely a Heroic Spirit from the future—there was no other way to explain those strange devices and magical cards. Such advanced techniques, sealing spells into cards, surpassed both ancient and modern magecraft.

"Lancer… and Caster." Kiritsugu narrowed his eyes, contemplating the situation. 

Lancer should've been on the verge of disappearing without a Master, yet here she was, fully powered in the fight. Something was off. His earlier assumption that Lancer would soon be out of the war was clearly wrong. 

With a sigh, Kiritsugu lowered his rifle and retreated further from the battlefield. 

"Maybe it's better to watch from an even greater distance," he muttered.

---

*Crash!!* 

Lelouch quickly ejected from the cockpit, pulling Waver with him just as a magic chain pierced through the mecha's outer shell. 

"What the hell happened, Rider?" Waver gasped as they landed on the ground. 

"It's Caster's magic," Lelouch replied. He had felt the surge of magic right before ejecting. It was unmistakable. He hadn't anticipated that Lancer would be equipped with Caster's spells. Still, Lelouch had reacted in time, avoiding disaster. 

"Looks like Jounouchi's magic is no joke," Kyoko remarked, standing near the gaping hole in the mecha, her spear in hand. She seemed pleased with herself. 

[Dark Ruler No More]—the card Jounouchi had given her—had worked better than she had expected. She hadn't thought it would be this effective against Rider's mecha, but here they were. The machine that had seemed invincible was now in ruins.

"Looks like the fight's over!" Kyoko taunted, standing above Lelouch and Waver with a triumphant smile. 

"Sore wa dou kana? (I wouldn't be so sure)," Lelouch responded with a smirk. 

Kyoko's expression faltered. Something was wrong. She suddenly noticed an odd vibration beneath her feet.

BOOM! 

A massive explosion erupted from within the wrecked mecha, sending smoke and debris into the air. 

"Wha—?!"

Holding onto Lelouch's jacket for dear life, Waver stared wide-eyed at the smoking remains of the mecha. 

"Sorry, but I anticipated someone would try to breach the cockpit. I planted explosives under the floor a long time ago," Lelouch explained casually. "It seems Caster's magic doesn't work on that kind of thing." 

Waver's face turned pale. 

"We've been standing on top of landmines this whole time?!" 

---

Far below, Kyoko lay sprawled out on the ground, having been blown clear by the explosion. 

"Kyoko!" 

Jounouchi rushed to her side, abandoning his fight with Kenshin and Saber. 

Her injuries were severe. Blood oozed from numerous cuts, and she was barely conscious. 

"Hey, wake up!" Jounouchi knelt down, lifting her into his arms. 

"Jounouchi… I didn't… I didn't do it…" she whispered weakly. 

"I know," Jounouchi said, his voice calm but firm. "You don't have to explain. I know you wouldn't." 

He smiled down at her, trusting her completely. 

"I believe you." 

With care, he laid her gently on the ground. Standing up, Jounouchi summoned another monster. A small creature with a staff appeared by his side. 

"Rest now, Kyoko. Leave the rest to me." 

"I'll take them all down!"