Once again, such a gaze...
The excitent of winning the first battle with his master's assistance faded. Lancer closed his eyes, slightly tilting his head back, his handso face filled with sorrow.
What is loyalty? What is love?
After Diarmuid fled with Princess Gráinne, a jealous and furious Finn sent all his forces to hunt down the eloping couple, treating them like wild beasts.
The battle with the giant Searbhán, the fight against the nine Garbs, and the confrontation with Finn's foster mother, the "Mill Witch."
The heroic deeds Diarmuid and Gráinne perford during their escape even surpassed the fa he had gained in the Knights of Fianna. But for Diarmuid, who wished to remain a loyal knight, these heroic tales were bitterly ironic.
As his twin spears cut down his enemies, his chivalric spirit was also torn apart. The conflicting ideals of loyalty and his sacred vows (Geis) tornted him, yet his masterful twin spears pierced his foes before his mind could waver, causing needless death.
One woman and two n—rivers of blood and mountains of corpses, all for the love and determination of these three.
Seeing this needless sacrifice, Finn was the first to yield. The old king finally acknowledged Diarmuid and Gráinne's marriage, granting Diarmuid the status and lands he deserved, once again making him a vassal.
This was the peace Diarmuid had long desired, but Finn never truly forgave him.
Knowing Diarmuid was under a geis to die by a boar (transford from his half-brother), Finn deliberately arranged for Diarmuid to encounter a wild boar.
After Diarmuid was grievously wounded by the boar, Finn, knowing his healing water could save Diarmuid, twice spilled the water from his hands. By the ti he fetched water a third ti, Diarmuid had already stopped breathing.
Now, summoned as a Servant in the modern era, Diarmuid, looking back at his past, still felt no regret and bore no hatred for anyone. He wished to repay his wife's love and understood Finn's anger. It was simply that fate was too unkind.
Diarmuid's life was not solely filled with suffering and sorrow. The joyous monts of drinking with his lord and the intimate tis with his beloved wife were irreplaceable treasures in his heart. Even if his life ended in tragedy, Diarmuid held no resentnt towards fate, for he and those around him had lived passionately.
He did not wish to deny that one, now past, life.
But if possible, if he could live a second life, to once again take up his spear as a knight—
This miraculous possibility beca the wish of the heroic spirit Diarmuid. With the honour lost and the pride unfulfilled in his past life, he fervently hoped for a chance to reclaim them.
A path he could not walk in his previous life, one true to the ideals of chivalry.
His wish was simply this, sothing that should not be an unattainable luxury.
Yet, his master Kayneth also had a fiancée.
As if destined by fate, the woman nad "Sola-Ui" was also a "princess" of the Sophia-Ri family, equally unloving towards her husband, and equally... captivated by the peerless knight with the tear-shaped mark.
Dark clouds lood over Diarmuid's path, the curse of his beauty driving a wedge between him and his new master, Kayneth.
If this battle ended in victory, he would be caught between his master and Sola-Ui. If it ended in defeat... his master would die because of him.
A sense of frustration naturally rose within him, only to be dispelled by a clear voice.
"What's wrong, Lancer?"
Opening his eyes, Diarmuid saw the golden-haired King of Knights, holding an invisible sword, gazing at him calmly.
"The battle is about to begin. If you don't focus, you'll lose quickly."
Saber wasn't joking. Her formidable presence, accompanied by magical energy, ford a radiant armour around her, making her petite fra seem as towering as a mountain.
The Wind King's barrier was lifted, and a dazzling golden sword erged from the whirlwind. Suddenly, Saber seed to realize sothing, her ahoge twitching as she turned to Sakatsuki who had already prepared lon seeds and soda.
"Sakatsuki."
She said nothing, but Sakatsuki already understood.
"Got it, got it... By the way, aren't you still injured? Is it really okay to be so generous?"
"My injuries were suppressed by you, so I hope you can also lift the curse you placed on Lancer."
Saber said with a serious expression.
"I want a continuation of the battle at the warehouse district, not the start of another unfair duel."
"Saber..."
Lancer was deeply moved.
"Only your noble fighting spirit can bring a cool breeze to my heart."
Hearing this, Sakatsuki raised an eyebrow.
What? I went easy on you in the fight and even helped heal you, and you're still throwing shade at !
Changing the subject, Sakatsuki raised three fingers, adding.
"Saber, I'll help Lancer... but it'll cost you this much at the clothing store."
"Ah!"
Realizing what Sakatsuki was hinting at, Artoria's pupils trembled, her ahoge drooping as she fell into a dilemma.
Diarmuid: "..."
Saber, your chivalry is crying out!
After Sakatsuki rcifully lowered two fingers, Saber finally nodded with tragic resolve, turning her sorrow into strength.
"Let's fight, Lancer!"
"Ah, just what I wanted, Saber!"
With the curse of the sea god lifted Lancer's body rapidly recovered under Sola-Ui's magical energy supply. Focused and undisturbed by other matters, he exuded a sharp aura.
In the next mont, both took their first steps forward.
The duel promised long ago finally ca to pass, delayed by two nights, now unfolding once more.
Though the battle resembled their clash at the warehouse district three days prior, the two combatants were vastly different from their first encounter—their moves were more direct and intense, more refined and fierce, a pure contest of strength.
No longer using tactics to deceive or probe each other, Lancer's twin spears danced like the wind, and Saber no longer hid her sword techniques. Neither relied on tricks; both sought to be faster, and stronger, aiming for a decisive blow to overpower the other. They swung and twisted their weapons, engaging in a fierce exchange of blows.
The entangled Holy Sword and magic spears sparked thousands of fiery points, like a blooming flower. The legendary Noble Phantasms, wielded with superhuman strength and speed, clashed at speeds surpassing sound, nearly reaching light. This duel of ultimate martial skill fought on the edge of life and death, made observing the battle almost impossible.
Kayneth had already closed his eyes, avoiding the intense magical clashes, but Sakatsuki stared unblinkingly at the clash of the two knight classes, trying to integrate the newly learned spear techniques with his spearmanship, rapidly absorbing the experience.
Compared to his fight with Diarmuid, Saber and Lancer's clash was purer, as both were knights who had road the battlefield, making their combat even more brutal and perilous.
Whether it was ten rounds or a hundred, after a fierce exchange, the two finally pulled apart, out of each other's weapon range.
***
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