"What the hell?!"
Lancer's voice rang out in shock, but Saber and Irisviel weren't even looking at him.
Their eyes were fixed on Shichen's hands in disbelief.
In his grip were two long spears—one crimson red, the other golden yellow—both of which they recognized imdiately.
Gáe Dearg, the Crimson Rose of Exorcism.
Gáe Buidhe, the Golden Rose of Mortality.
"I really did it…"
Shichen twirled both spears effortlessly. They felt natural in his hands, like they were ant for him. More than that—he could feel a bond forming between him and the weapons.
It felt like he had beco their rightful owner.
"Shichen, you…"
Saber was stunned. Words failed her.
Irisviel covered her mouth in shock.
"How... how did you pull that off?" Lancer asked, disbelief written all over his face.
"I just did."
Shichen shrugged like it was no big deal.
Lancer could feel it—his connection to the spears was gone.
They no longer responded to him.
It was impossible.
He'd never heard of anyone stealing a Servant's Noble Phantasm before—let alone using it like their own.
Who the hell was this guy?
"You can see for yourself."
Shichen casually swung the spears again, then dispersed them into magical energy and stored them inside his body.
Est hadn't been thrilled about him using soone else's weapons.
"My… my spears…"
Lancer opened his mouth but couldn't find the words.
So that's what Shichen ant earlier about "don't bla ."
And honestly, this was sothing worth holding a grudge over.
Lancer dropped to the ground with a wry smile and shook his head.
"You seriously don't mind?" Shichen asked, ignoring Saber's bewildered expression.
"Heh. I'd be lying if I said I didn't. But hey—winner takes all, right? I lost. That's the ga."
"Man, you're pretty chill about this."
Even Shichen was a little surprised at how well Lancer was taking it.
Still, he wasn't about to give the spears back. They were his now.
"I'm not chill, just realistic. Besides—losing to you doesn't feel that bad. Hope you put those spears to good use."
After seeing Shichen's abilities firsthand, Lancer honestly couldn't think of a single Servant who could beat him.
And now, he was kind of looking forward to seeing how others would react when their weapons got stolen too.
It sounded... fun.
"Noted."
Shichen nodded, not promising anything.
He hadn't taken the spears because he needed them—he just wanted to test sothing.
Plus, Est wouldn't let him keep using borrowed weapons anyway.
She was a legendary hero, after all—there were standards.
"Saber, finish it."
"?"
Saber blinked, caught off guard.
"Who else?"
"But… I don't want to take advantage of soone who's already lost..." she murmured.
"Oh, I see. So you don't care about winning? Or maybe your wish isn't important to you after all? This is the Holy Grail War, Saber. If you're not ready to get your hands dirty, maybe you shouldn't be here."
"I—"
"Hey! Don't go that far!"
Irisviel stepped in, clearly upset.
"You're being way too harsh!"
"Whose side are you on?" Shichen frowned at her.
"Yours! Duh. But Saber's still a girl, isn't this kind of brutal?"
"This isn't so kids' ga. And she's not 'just a girl'—she's King Arthur."
"…When you put it like that…"
"I get it."
Saber cut in before Irisviel could say more.
She took a deep breath, raised her sword, and walked toward Lancer.
Shichen was right.
She couldn't afford to be naive. She still had a wish to fulfill—and that ant making hard choices.
Watching her walk away, Irisviel sighed and leaned in close.
"Did you really have to push her that hard?"
Shichen wrapped an arm around her waist.
"This is just the beginning. She's gonna have to make even tougher choices soon."
"Mm..."
Irisviel glanced at the hand on her waist, blushing slightly.
"You like Saber, don't you? Then why not fight in her place?"
"Because so things she has to do herself. Otherwise, she'll never change."
"…If you say so."
"Trust ."
Shichen held her a little tighter.
"Okay…"
Irisviel fell silent.
By now, Saber stood face-to-face with Lancer.
"Killed by Saber, huh? Not a bad way to go," Lancer chuckled.
"I'm sorry, Lancer."
Her expression was conflicted, but she raised her sword anyway.
"Heh. Your Master was right—you are too soft."
"Go on."
Lancer closed his eyes.
Saber didn't hesitate.
She gripped her sword tight—and brought it down.
There was no blood.
Lancer vanished in an instant.
She sheathed her sword and stood still for a mont before returning to the others.
"Not bad."
Shichen gave her a nod of approval.
"So, what now?" she asked, ignoring the complint.
"We're leaving. People were watching your fight with Lancer. If I hadn't set up a barrier, we'd already have company."
"Wait—you can set up barriers?"
"What? Every true mage can."
"...Right."
Saber was still struggling to wrap her head around how many tricks Shichen had.
"Anyway, ti to deal with the last bit of trouble."
"What do you an?"
Shichen didn't answer.
He just grabbed Saber's wrist, and the three of them vanished.
…
Nearby, in a hidden corner of the battlefield, a blond man gritted his teeth.
"Seriously?! Lancer lost that fast?!"
"Co on, Kayneth—Lancer did his best. That guy was just… weird."
The woman beside him tried to defend Lancer.
"Shut up!"
Kayneth snapped, furious.
The woman was his fiancée, and she'd clearly been taken in by Lancer's charm.
He wasn't having it.
"Aw, trouble in paradise already?"
Shichen appeared before them, along with Saber and Irisviel.
"What the—how'd you find us?!"
"Your barrier was so damn obvious. How could I not find you?"
"That's impossible! I'm Kayneth Archibald! Head of the Archibald family! A top-tier mage and professor at the Clock Tower!"
"Cool story." Shichen clearly didn't care.
"Who is this guy?" Saber asked.
"Seriously? Lancer's dead—but his Master's still alive."
Shichen tapped her head.
Saber didn't even react. She really had been off her ga today.
"So that ans... she was the mana source?"
Irisviel looked at the woman beside Kayneth.
"Exactly."
"How do you even know that?"
"Co on, what don't I know?"
Shichen smirked.
"So what are you gonna do now?" Kayneth growled, feeling ignored.
"What do you think?"
Shichen summoned Gáe Dearg into his hand.
Normally, Kayneth would've ordered Lancer to self-destruct by now.
But Shichen wanted him to feel the spear's sting instead.
"You're going to kill ?!"
"What, you think we're gonna be besties?"
"But Lancer's dead! Why kill too?!"
"You still have your Command Seals, dumbass. You could make a new contract. That makes you a threat."
Honestly, Shichen just didn't like him.
"No—wait! I'm the head of the Archibald family! A professor at the Clock Tower! You can't—"
"Too loud."
Shichen drove the spear straight into his heart.
Kayneth died on the spot.
"Let's go."
Shichen pulled the spear free, not even looking back.
"What about her?" Irisviel asked.
"Leave her. Doesn't matter."
With that, the three of them disappeared.
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