Saber shuddered as she saw the face of her opponent. The joyful eyes, the roughly combed hair, and the tear-drop shaped beauty mark—this man is undoubtedly Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, First Knight of Fianna and the Lancer servant summoned during the Fourth Heaven's Feel.

At that time, Lancer had been one of the few opponents who Saber truly respected and considered as a rival—in another time, they might've even become the best of friends. In fact, the pair had sworn to die by each other's hands.

But even that simple wish was rejected. Lancer's heart was pierced in the middle of their duel—but the spear that struck him down was his own. On threat of death, Lancer's master had used a command mantra and ordered him to end his own life.


Flooded with memories of their previous encounters, it took all of Saber's remaining concentration to raise her invisible blade and block Lancer's first attack.

Face held in a tight grimace, Lancer backed away from the dazed girl and landed in front of Shiro once again. Their positions had returned to the way they were, but Lancer had lost all of his former enthusiasm.

"The battleground is not a place for those with a wavering resolve. Slaying an opponent with a dull blade, do you truly want to dishonour me so?"

Saber hanged her head down at his words. Indeed, isn't a fair and honest fight the best recompense Saber can give? As if she finally made up her mind, Saber raised her head and gave Lancer a small smile. She opened her mouth as if to speak, but was interrupted.

"He's right you know. For the reputed "strongest servant", you are disappointing me."

A little girl's sulky voice could be heard from inside the luxury vehicle. Opening the door, Illya stepped onto the road, and began walking angrily towards her servant. Once there, her attitude changed completely as she turned to face Lancer and Shiro and gave a polite curtsy.

"Hello Lancer, Shiro. My name is Illyasviel von Einzbern, and to put it plainly, I'm here to kill you."

Hearing these dire words from the young girl in front of him surprised Shiro. He had never expected that a child would be participating in the Heaven's Feel…but that name…von Einzbern…

"Ah yes, my old man did mention that family name. If I recall correctly, they were one of the three founding families of the Grail Wars."

Right then, Shiro heard Lancer quietly whisper.

"Master, don't let down your guard. That little girl…she must be an incredibly adept magus for her to be able to summon and control Saber that well."

"Thanks Lancer. I'll keep that in mind."

With that said, Shiro grabbed a branch from off the ground and stepped forward to stand beside his servant. Narrowing his eyes, Lancer observed his master as Shiro reinforced the hardness of the branch. Wielding it like a sword, Shiro brought the branch in front of him.

"Lancer, I need you to hold Saber off for a bit. I'll try to take down the opposing master."

Giving his lord a trusting nod, Lancer rushed towards Saber again.

The sound of violent wind gusts interrupted Lancer's graceful gallop. Holding her invisible sword high above her head, Saber's serene face held a small smile.

Squinting his eyes, Lancer could make out the faint outline of a golden sword amidst the violent gale.

"That blade must be her noble phantasm…but why would she reveal her identity to me?"

As the thought flashed through Lancer's mind, the gale vanished as quickly as it appeared. Saber's blade was once again hidden by the compressed currents of Invisible Air. But her blade had been exposed for an instant, and that instant had been enough for Lancer to memorize the length, shape and make of the golden sword. With that in mind, he continued his attack.


Illya was really caught off guard when Saber released the seal on her Noble Phantasm—not only did the wind buffet her frail body, but had also awarded Lancer a quick glance of the true nature of her weapon. Illya would have to reprimand her for this later.

However, this still does not change the difference of strength between the two. If need be, a single burst from Excalibur would be enough to kill Shiro's second rate servant. At least, that was the way Illya considered things. Her servant had been carefully picked out by the Head of the Einzbern family, and so, she must be the strongest of the strong. It never occurred to her that Saber might lose; not even after she lost the advantage of her invisible blade.

Not only does Illya have full confidence in her servant, but, unlike most Einzbern homunculi, her skills as a combat magus are also top-rate. It is no surprise then, that she didn't back away in the slightest when she saw Shiro run at her, sword in hand. Instead, she distanced herself from the fighting between Saber and Lancer and proceeded to remove a glass vial from her flowing coat.

Tipping the vial ever so slightly, a sliver of liquid dripped out. Filled with Illya's prana, the contents of the vial immediately dissipated and concealed Illya in a silvery mist.

Though a servant would have no problem discerning Illya's location, Shiro could only stop in his tracks as the mist clouded his vision.

"Dammit. Where did she go?"

From within the mist, Illya snickered at Shiro's obvious frustration. Eyes flashing dangerously, Illya walked towards her trapped prey.

Hearing the sounds of Illya's footsteps, Shiro frantically turned to face her general direction. Suddenly, two murderously red flashes stabbed through the mist. Faced with the light, Shiro could do nothing as he felt the strength in his body ebb away. Cursing his carelessness, Shiro's fading consciousness was filled with a single thought.

"Is this really how it will all end?"


Author's Note: Tadaaaa~

Yup, I know Shiro's extremely useless right now, but hey, that should be expected, no?

Needless to say, the battle will continue in the next chapter. I'm aware that I'm fairly bad at writing these fight scenes, so any input/constructive criticism is welcomed. =D

Finally, PM, review, comment….as usual.