Chapter 63: Bluebeard's Turnaround

[The scene changes to show Sola-ui and Diarmuid on the rooftop of a building.]

["Do you feel it, Lancer?"]

[Sola-ui spoke seriously, looking at the Command Seal on her hand.]

["Yes, it's Caster," Diarmuid replied in a deep voice. "I see him. I don't know what he's doing out there on the river."]

["Now's our chance to kill him."]

["Understood,"] Diarmuid said.

[The video paused.]

[Question: Why does Sola-ui have a Command Seal on her hand?]

"What's with this question?"

Everyone was stunned at first, then started to catch on.

In the video, there is no Q&A group. This implies something from the original timeline. Sola-ui isn't one of the official seven Masters, so why would she have a Command Seal?

The question was puzzling for a moment.

Chihiro: "Simple. It must have been transferred to her by Kayneth."

[Ding! Congratulations to Chihiro for answering this question correctly and obtaining 3 Saint Crystals.]

Waver: "Was it really that simple?"

Tohsaka Rin: "But why would Director Kayneth give her his Command Seal?"

Kayneth: "Ah, I understand now!"

Tohsaka Tokiomi: "I think I see it too."

Tohsaka Rin: "What do you understand?"

Chihiro: "To answer this, you can't just look at this video; you have to consider the context of the previous ones."

Tohsaka Rin: "You mean, from the previous videos?"

Waver: "In the earlier video, we saw that my teacher was hit by Emiya Kiritsugu's Origin Bullet, which destroyed his magic circuits."

Chihiro: "Without functional magic circuits, Kayneth wouldn't be able to sustain Diarmuid's mana supply. His only choice would be to transfer the Command Seals to Sola-ui , who could support Diarmuid instead."

Tohsaka Rin: "Got it."

Kayneth: "You don't need to explain it in that much detail."

Just hearing the words "Origin Bullet" gave him shivers.

[The video continued.]

["If I can defeat Caster, I can restore the honor of my bond with Lancer."]

[Sola-ui murmured, placing a hand on her chest.]

["Allow me to face the enemy at once, Master. Please witness my achievements in battle."]

[Diarmuid bowed to Sola-ui , preparing to depart.]

["Wait!"]

[Sola-ui instinctively grabbed his arm, her face turning a little red. "I'm a Master now, too. I should be there to support you."]

["That's out of the question."]

[Diarmuid firmly refused, saying, "You lack Lord Kayneth's combat abilities. It's far too dangerous for you to be seen by other Masters."]

["But..."]

[Sola-ui lowered her head, looking a bit dejected.]

[Diarmuid gave her a reassuring smile. "Please, trust me."]

[Seeing his confident expression, Sola-ui's heart softened.]

["Alright, Lancer. I'll leave this to you."]

["Thank you, my lady."]

[With that, Diarmuid leapt away, heading toward the river.]

[Watching him leave, Sola-ui whispered, "Once you return victorious, Lancer, please smile for me."]

---

The group suddenly fell into a strange silence.

At this point, it was clear to everyone what was happening.

It was like discovering an unexpected plot twist.

Gilgamesh: "Hahaha, this is entertaining."

Tohsaka Rin: "This feels like something out of a soap opera."

Chihiro: "My condolences, Director Kayneth."

Kayneth: "Lancer, you traitor!"

Diarmuid: "My lord, please let me explain."

Diarmuid: "This must be the effect of my accursed love spot. Ms. Sola-ui's feelings are not her true intentions."

Diarmuid: "You've seen for yourself—I haven't even spent that much time with her."

Kayneth: "Hmph!"

[The scene changes to the riverbank, where Artoria and Irisviel have just arrived by car.]

["This magical energy… Caster is preparing a large-scale spell,"] Artoria said with a serious expression.

["Welcome, Saint! What an honor it is for you to grace us with your presence,"] Bluebeard called out, spotting her and bowing with exaggerated politeness.

[Artoria responded sharply: "You never learn, do you? What exactly are you plotting, fiend?"]

[Bluebeard bowed in a gentlemanly manner and said, "I apologize, Joan of Arc, but tonight's performance is mine to lead. But it is my pleasure that you are here to witness it."]

["Please, enjoy this feast of death and decay I've prepared!"]

[At his words, massive octopus-like tentacles emerged from the water, wrapping around Bluebeard.]

[Moments later, an enormous, monstrous creature rose from the river—its size towering over nearby buildings.]

Waver: "Dear lord, that thing is huge!"

Iskandar: "So, he can summon something of that scale? We definitely underestimated Bluebeard."

Bluebeard: "Hahaha, yes! Mayhem, chaos—let the world plunge into despair!"

Ishtar: "Tch. That ugly creature is hardly worth my attention."

Gilgamesh: "Pathetic. I could destroy it with a single strike."

["Here we go!"]

[Bluebeard, with a crazed grin, allowed himself to be swallowed by the sea monster.]

["Caster's been absorbed!"]

[Irisviel exclaimed in surprise.]

["Our voices of despair, the cries of those abandoned… let them reach God's ears!"]

[Bluebeard's voice echoed from within the creature as it began to lumber towards the city.]

[At the same time, Iskandar arrived with Waver on the "Gordius Wheel" chariot, stopping next to Artoria.]

["Rider!"] Artoria called out.

["Hey, Saber!"] Iskandar responded with a grin. "How about a truce for tonight? That thing's too big to ignore, even if we want to fight each other."]

["I encountered Lancer on the way here, and he's agreed to join us as well. He'll be here soon."]

["Understood. I agree to the truce."]

[Artoria replied firmly, "A temporary alliance."]

[Waver, staring at the lumbering sea monster, urged, "Uh… if you have a plan, could you start it now?"]

["Indeed, we should act quickly,"] Irisviel added with concern. "The creature is only moving because of Caster's mana. If it starts feeding on its own, it'll be unstoppable."

["Got it. We'll need to finish this before it reaches the shore,"] Iskandar agreed, furrowing his brow. "But with Caster hiding inside it, how do we pull him out?"

["Leave that to me,"] Diarmuid said, arriving on the scene. "Once his Noble Phantasm is exposed, my Red Rose can pierce through it."

["Can you throw it from here?"] Artoria asked.

["As long as I can see the target, it's within reach,"] Diarmuid replied confidently.

["Alright, let's do this."]

[Artoria donned her armor and charged toward the sea monster on the river.]

["Prepare yourself, Caster! This ends now!"]

Iskandar: "Yes, in the face of such a beast, fighting together is the only logical choice."

Waver: "But… will it really be that easy?"

Diarmuid: "Trust in my Noble Phantasm. It won't fail."

Chihiro: "He's asking if it'll be that simple to draw Bluebeard out in the first place."

Diarmuid: "..."

[The scene transitions to a priest with a weathered face—Kotomine Risei, the official overseer of this Holy Grail War.]

["This is a catastrophe of unprecedented proportions,"] Kotomine Risei muttered, his expression grave.

[Despite the riverbank being shrouded in fog, news of the enormous sea monster was spreading among the townsfolk.]

[Drawn by curiosity, countless people had gathered on the riverbank and Fuyuki Bridge, oblivious to the danger awaiting them.]

Seeing Kotomine Risei appear made Tokiomi's heart skip a beat.

He silently hoped that his alliance with Kotomine wouldn't be compromised.

Kayneth: "This really has escalated into a disaster."

Chihiro: "It seems that, no matter the situation, there will always be onlookers."

Tohsaka Rin: "Aren't they afraid? Why are they all rushing forward?"

Waver: "There's not much you can do about it. This is just human curiosity."

***

For every 500 PS = 1 extra chapter. Support me on patreon to read 40+ advanced chapters: patreon.com/Blownleaves.