Chapter 41 : Magic Spear

He deflected the daggers thrown at him from all three directions with the handle of his spear. Taking advantage of the opening, he cut down two assassins who leapt at him from both sides, seemingly at the same time, but with slightly different timing.

"I guess it's not a battle based on pure fighting strength after all."

Kotomine muttered in a gloomy voice.

Of course it was. Twenty was by no means a small number, but the Assassins' army was originally close to 100 strong. In other words, the Assassins were already weakened to one-fifth their former strength. There was no way they could struggle.

However, Lancer, who had lost his Master, was also weakened. He had no intention of letting his guard down. Above all else--

"When these Assassins are summoned as Servants, they are treated as one hundred people. Do you know what this means?"

Kotomine suddenly asked me that question. Are you coming?

"It takes a hundred people to finally find one person."

"That's not wrong, but that's not what I want to say right now."

Kotomine suddenly raised his left hand and began to chant.

"I command you with this Command Spell. Assassin, defeat Lancer."

In an instant, the presence of all twenty Assassins surrounding them swelled, and Tohsaka heard him take a breath.

"One hundred people. In other words, the enhancements given by the Command Spells are applied to all one hundred Assassins. This "Old Man of the Mountain" is the Servant who is most compatible with the Command Spells."

As soon as Kotomine finished speaking, the Assassins jumped on him again. There were four of them this time. And they were much faster than before.

Taking advantage of the difference in reach, I thrust my spear at the one on the far right.

He slashes away the two Assassins beside him, swinging them like a blunt weapon.

He dodged the remaining dagger and delivered a headbutt, then crushed its floating jaw with a palm strike.

He cuts down one of the assassins as it tries to get up, and crushes the throat of the remaining one that attacks from behind with the butt end of his spear.

"You think this is enough to be an opponent?"

Lancer declared fearlessly, defeating the four supposedly strengthened Assassins in an instant. However, even seeing Lancer like that, Kotomine's expression did not change.

"I guess one alone is not enough. In that case, I issue another command with my Command Spell. Assassin, defeat Lancer."

"Huh!?"

"...Tch."

Tohsaka gasped in shock, and Lancer clicked his tongue at Assassin's further swelling magical power.

Including the first wasted shot, this was his third Command Spell. Normally, he would never use his last one, as it would break the link with his Servant. However,

"...Not yet."

"I issue this command with the Command Spell. Assassin, defeat Lancer."

"What?!"

As Lancer said, Kotomine uses the fourth Command Spell. Lancer explains to the speechless Tohsaka.

"That bastard took my Master by surprise, defeated him, and stole his command spell along with the right to control me."

"...So that means Kirei has six Command Spells?"

"Yes. However, right after he stole my Command Spells, he used one to seal my rebellion. This should be the end..."

"I issue this command with the Command Spell. Assassin, defeat Lancer."

"What?!"

"Perhaps it's for the Hero King...?"

While Lancer was shocked, Tohsaka voiced her prediction.

Lancer gritted his teeth.

Lancer had been told by Kotomine himself that there were no Command Spells remaining for Gilgamesh. If that was false, then at worst Kotomine had three more Command Spells.

"Lancer, you're thinking this right now, right? That I might have three Command Spells left."

"...Ah? Then what happened?"

But he realizes that even in the worst case scenario he imagined, there is still hope.

"Well, I was just wondering if you saw three of them."

Kotomine said, tugging on his left sleeve.

The priest's uniform Kotomine was wearing was particularly sturdy, bulletproof and blade-proof, but it had been torn to shreds when he broke through Caster's electromagnetic barrier.

"What... is that...?!"

Seeing Kotomine's exposed left arm, Tohsaka groaned in shock.

What he had there was a swarm of Command Spells covering his entire arm. At worst, there could be as many as twenty.

"My family has been the overseer of the Holy Grail War for generations."

Kotomine calmly explained to the two, who were at a loss for words.

"Naturally, there were many Masters who dropped out before they could use up all their Command Spells. My family has inherited and is managing those unconsumed Command Spells."

As soon as he finished speaking, the sound of the Command Spell shattering rang out once again. The wave of magical power emanating from Assassin already surpassed Lancer's.

Lancer called out to Tohsaka behind him.

"...Young lady, don't go back home."

"But the casters...!"

Tohsaka hesitates. She is worried about Hikigaya, who is dying, and Caster, who is protecting him. However, Lancer's words force her to give up.

"The Golden Archer is on his way to retrieve the Holy Grail."

"...!"

"If you have time, I'll help them out. Go and help Saber and the others."

"……please!"

With that, Tohsaka turned away.

He had no choice. He wasn't ready to fight the King of Heroes, and there was nothing he could do by staying here. If anything, he might just hold Lancer back.

He knocks down the dagger that was thrown at Tohsaka's back, and at the same time takes down one of the assassins who leaps at him with a single slash.

As she leaves, Tohsaka says some words to Lancer.

"When this is over, become my servant."

"Ha! What a brat. Come back when you're a bit older."

"Haaah...! Haaah...!"

"That's impressive. I didn't think it would be this hard."

Kotomine spoke to the injured Lancer with a look of genuine admiration.

The number of Assassins standing nearby had already dwindled to five, but Lancer no longer had the luxury of making light jokes.

Two full days have already passed since the link with Lancer was lost.

The Lancer class is given the ability to act independently. However, compared to Archer and Rider, their rank is lower, and they can only manifest for two days without magical power. In other words, Lancer has already run out of magical power. His body will likely begin to break down in less than half an hour.

Despite this, he was still able to stand against a dozen enemies who were all strengthened to the same extent or even greater than himself, which was quite extraordinary.

Before that, Lancer had managed to ambush an Assassin who excelled at stealth, killing him without even being able to contact his Master. He'd done this nearly eighty times in just two days. It was simply impossible.

"However, it seems that you've reached your limit. The poison-proof runes seem to be losing their effectiveness."

Just as Kotomine had said, Lancer's movements were gradually becoming less precise.

Although his bravery as a warrior is what stands out, Lancer is also a first-rate magician.

Knowing that Assassin would use poison, he had prepared magical defenses in advance, but Assassin's poison was apparently strong enough to break through even those defenses.

The five Assassins surrounded Lancer.

Three of them threw their daggers, again with just a slight difference in timing.

This always happened when they attacked simultaneously. It was extremely difficult to deal with. On top of that, the remaining Assassins jumped on me from behind and to my left.

He deflects one and dodges the other two by twisting his body. At the same time, he falls to the left and thrusts, taking down one of the assassins.

In many cases, the left is a blind spot for spear users, because the spear is usually held on the right side, and the user's own body gets in the way.

Lancer was no exception and lost his balance, unable to avoid the attack from behind and blocking it with his left arm. The remaining three immediately rushed in.

He unleashed a leg sweep on one of the Assassins, sending him crawling along the ground with his whole body. The Assassin had no other options after falling down. He dodged it with a small jump and stabbed his dagger down from the air. Lancer rolled and slipped under the Assassin.

He rolled to the ground, where another assassin was waiting for him. He blocked the dagger that the assassin lowered with his right foot, and kicked, ignoring the blade digging into the sole of his foot.

The outside of his right foot was severed from his middle toe. Ignoring the intense pain, he kicked the assassin's jaw, crushing it, and using the momentum from that kick, he leapt up using only his upper body's spring and swung his spear. One of the assassins collapsed, blood spurting from his throat. The remaining two.

Just before landing, swords were thrown from both sides. I couldn't dodge both. I focused on the right attack and blocked the left one with my arm. My left arm was already useless anyway.

Just as he leaned back to avoid the dagger, another attack came. Three black keys came from the front. It wasn't an attack by Assassin, but by Kotomine himself.

"--!"

A foreign body sensation in my side and shoulder. A dagger is stuck in my body.

Looking back, he saw the sixth Assassin standing behind him, his dagger thrown away.

That wasn't a miscount -- It was likely that only one of them had been hiding, hiding his presence from the beginning, and had been waiting for an opportunity until now.

Lancer's movements stopped due to the damage, and Kotomine's voice rang out.

"I command with my Command Spell. Assassin, stop Lancer's movements."

The three remaining Assassins grabbed Lancer's neck, arms, and legs. In addition to the damage he had already sustained, Lancer no longer had the strength to shake off the Assassins, who had received a boost from their Command Spells.

"You've finally calmed down."

Kotomine approached Lancer, who was pinned down by Assassin and had a dagger pointed at him.

"What do you think? If I beg for my life now, maybe I'll have a freakout too?"

"... Peh!"

Lancer replied by spitting bloody saliva.

Lancer still had the fighting spirit in his eyes, but he was already in tatters and didn't seem to have the strength to fight anymore.

In fact, Lancer was just breathing heavily and without a hint of sarcasm.

Kotomine sighed softly at Lancer.

"...You were foolish until the very end. As your former master, I will at least put an end to you myself."

Saying that, he takes a step forward.

At that moment, Lancer's eyes lit up with ferocity.

Kotomine Kirei had never approached Lancer before, because he knew the power of his spear.

It is said that the spear wielded by Lancer pierces the heart of his enemies with precision.

It was a legend that pointed to his exceptional skill, but it was also a legend of the magical powers of his spear itself.

The power that resides in Lancer's spear is the "Curse of Causality Reversal," a power that produces results before their causes.

His spear first produces the result of "piercing the enemy's heart", and then the process follows accordingly. In other words, the result is determined as soon as the magical power is activated, so it cannot be dodged.

There were two ways to escape the curse: either block the blade with pure defensive power, or stay out of the spear's reach.

Lancer's goal was to defeat Kotomine Kirei, not Assassin. Therefore, he knew that if he stepped within range of the magic spear even for a moment, he would immediately release its power. And if that happened, he would have no choice but to be killed.

To be honest, Lancer didn't understand why Kotomine had come all the way to approach him.

Although this man was a despicable bastard who got pleasure from crushing the hopes of others, he was not the type to put himself in danger for that purpose.

Finishing the enemy with his own hands. Would he go out of his way to approach a Servant just for something like that?

Perhaps he thought he no longer had the strength to fight back. Whatever the reason, Kotomine was indeed approaching Lancer.

And for Lancer, this was nothing but an opportunity.

Therefore, it is inevitable.

The moment Kotomine Kirei stepped within the spear's reach, Lancer poured his remaining magical power into his beloved spear and called out his name.

"『Piercing Death Thorn SpearGae Bolg"!"

As mentioned before, with this spear, the process is created after the result is produced. Therefore, no matter how powerful the force used to hold down Lancer, it doesn't matter. The spear has already pierced his heart.

The curse of the magic spear is properly manifested, and the process is created according to the result that is born.

Lancer raised his spear along with Assassin, who was holding him down with the power of the Command Spell, and pierced Kotomine Kirei's heart.

Gae Bolg had undoubtedly pierced the heart.

Kotomine's - the heart he was holding in his left hand.

"Too bad. You fell just short."

"--What is that...?"

A crimson drop spilled from Lancer's mouth along with a shocked voice.

"Can't you see? It's a heart. Yours."

Kotomine explained with amusement to Lancer, who was frozen in shock.

"『Delusional heart soundsZabaniya"It's a treasure that replaces the enemy's heart with an illusion created by magic. I think if you grab it, you should just crush it. --Like this."

"Goboa?!"

Kotomine did as he said, crushing the heart in his left hand, and at the same time Lancer spat out a large amount of blood.

"...Ah...Haa..."

Just like that, his head drooped and he stopped moving. All light had gone out of his eyes.

"I apologize for mocking your chivalry. Your loyalty is worthy of praise. After all, you obey your master's orders even without a Command Spell. Even to the point of committing suicide."

Kotomine nodded in satisfaction and turned his back to Lancer, who had stopped moving.

"It looks like you still have some time before you disappear. Take this opportunity to rescue those two people you said you would. Watch as they die."

Saying that, he approached Hikigaya Hachiman, who was still lying on the ground and not moving, and Caster, who was on top of him. Then, he stepped on Caster once again.

All Lancer could do was watch what was happening.

There was only one trump card left. But Kotomine knew that too. As proof of this, even though he had his back to Lancer, Kotomine had not let his guard down, and was still holding Lancer captive with Assassin, even though he was already dead.

Even if he used his trump card now, Kotomine would likely use his Command Spell to use Assassin as a shield and escape danger. If that happened, he would really be out of options this time.

However, Lancer has no cards left that can break out of the current situation.

It was hopeless. The only thing they could do was hope for a lucky break.

"nothing……?"

Suddenly, Kotomine spoke up.

At that moment, the lost fire ignites again in Lancer's eyes.

I honestly didn't know what it was or what it meant.

It may simply have been a coincidence, the product of some kind of chemical reaction.

There was no sense of any force whatsoever there, and it was impossible for it to function as a physical obstacle.

Hikigaya Hachiman, who should be unconscious,

The left hand that was supposed to be broken,

He was holding Kotomine Kirei's ankle.

The hand caught Kotomine's attention for just a moment.

(Good job, kid!)

It was an element that would normally not add anything to the situation, a tiny gap in consciousness that could not even be called a gap.

But for those who are truly called heroes, that is enough.

It was by seizing those slim chances of victory that they carved their names into legend.

And this Lancer's real name is Cu Chulainn, Knight of the Red Branch.

The greatest hero in Celtic mythology, he singlehandedly held off an army led by Queen Medb of Connacht in order to protect his homeland, which had lost the ability to fight due to a sleeping curse.

He is a true hero, boasting bravery comparable to that of Hercules.

He pours his magical power, no, his own life into his partner, and releases another name for him.

"『Piercing Spear of DeathGae Bolg"!"

Legends and folklore are not hidden, but they do contain facts that are not well known.

These are things that go unnoticed because they are of little importance when telling the stories of heroes, but if you look closely, you will quickly find out.

Of course, such facts exist in Gae Bolg as well.

For example, this spear was originally a throwing spear. What does this mean?

In other words, the magic spear only shows its true power when it is "thrown" at the enemy.

The spear released from Lancer's hand unleashed its full power, this time piercing Kotomine's back.

The force of the blow was so great that it tore off Kotomine's upper body and sewed him to the wall of the church.

The remaining lower half of his body fell to the ground with a sticky thud.

"Serves you right... Look at that...!"

No matter how you look at it, it was an instant death. Kotomine probably didn't even have time to realize what had happened to him.

Although Lancer had no way of knowing, Kotomine's dying face bore a striking resemblance to the final expression of his master, whom he had killed himself.

Even after Kotomine's death, Assassin did not leave Lancer. It seems the power of the Command Spell has not yet worn off.

Lancer took advantage of the situation and drew a rune in the air with trembling fingers, causing Assassin to scream when he saw it.

It was a rune of explosive flames, intended to blow up the immobilized Assassin and himself.

Assassin thrusts his dagger at Lancer, but he shows no signs of holding back.

That's true. Lancer is already practically a corpse. No matter how much you cut up a dead body, you can't kill it.

The Assassins' resistance was futile as the runes exploded, engulfing them and the church in flames.

The Assassins were unable to leave Lancer and were burned to death.

Witnessing this, Lancer closed his eyes.

The promise was fulfilled.

At the very least, Caster and the others won't be killed by Assassin. It might be the same if they can't escape from here, but I can't take care of them that long.

In the midst of the flames, he remembers the magician who called him.

A terribly clumsy woman who can't really do anything except fight.

When there is a fight, there will inevitably be losers. So it is unreasonable to blame others for losing the fight.

Lancer couldn't let her win.

In that case, he would at least prove that her choice was not a mistake.

Lancer continued to fight for that purpose, because that was what loyalty was to him.

Reaching out in the flames.

It was impossible to see what was reflected in his eyes, which had already lost their sight. Nevertheless, Lancer was clearly speaking to someone.

"So... the Servant you chose... was strong, right...?"