Shirou, who returned from the Fairy Kingdom

Of course, these truths couldn't be told to Weber.

Shirou's version of events regarding him changed from "kidnapping" to "rescue"—

"Once we rescue Miss Sora, Kenneth will regain his freedom and will no longer be under Lancer's control," Shirou explained.

"Oh! Shinji, this plan sounds pretty good!"

Weber was very satisfied with Shirow's plan; he seemed not to have grasped the crux of the problem—

"Weber, once you meet Kenneth, he'll attack you without saying a word, won't he?"

Weber was utterly puzzled: "Huh? Why? Weren't we going to help him?"

"Don't forget that Miss Sora is still in Lancer's hands."

As long as he doesn't rescue his fiancée, Kenneth can't fight back against Lancer and can only be manipulated by him.

Even if it's just for Lancer's sake, Kenneth will do everything he can to mock and ridicule you, and then try every possible way to kill you.

Shirou said in a serious tone, "So until I rescue Sora, Waver... you must fight Kenneth with all your might."

"……what?"

Webber was stunned: I'm playing against Kenneth? Really?

……

……

"What is Lord Knight King up to this time?"

At nine o'clock in the evening, when Kenneth and Lancer were about to go out to search, they saw an unexpected sight outside the floor-to-ceiling windows of the presidential suite.

That's the top floor of a high-rise building that's still under construction, located diagonally opposite the Hyatt Regency Fuyuki Hotel.

Saber appeared on the rooftop of the building.

She was clad in azure silver armor, her beautiful golden hair fluttering in the night wind. Her hands rested on an invisible sword embedded in the ground, her imposing figure reminiscent of the phrase "beauty under the moon."

The intense aura emanating from Saber, like a provocation, blew into the top floor of the Hyatt Hotel.

Clearly, Saber is doing the same thing Lancer did before the Battle of Warehouse Street—she is luring the enemy in.

Moreover, the objective this time is very clear: Lancer.

"Let's settle this once and for all, Lancer!"

Saber's figure, standing proudly under the moonlight, seemed to be telling such a story.

"Still as righteous as ever, it makes me want to vomit, Lord Knight King..."

Diarmuid the Demon looked down at the blonde girl in the distance: "What should we do? Should we respond to her?"

Kenneth smiled calmly: "Hmph, since she has named her specifically, why not comply with her?"

"Go, Lancer, this time you must bring me back Saber's head."

For Kenneth, taking on the fight on the rooftop diagonally opposite the Hyatt Hotel was exactly what he wanted.

He can even provide command and support to Lancer in his own magic workshop.

Such favorable conditions for starting a war are extremely rare, as they allow one to both ensure their own safety and have a bird's-eye view of the entire battlefield.

Kenneth mocked the Knight King's pedantic integrity while sending Lancer.

Two minutes later, the warrior wearing the skin of a demonic boar appeared on the rooftop.

When he arrived, he discovered that not only Saber and her Master were waiting for him, but also Rider dressed in modern casual attire.

"Oh~ the handsome man has really turned into a monster's head."

"It's incredible; it reminds me of the sorcery I encountered in India."

The Conqueror King rubbed his chin and began to critique Lancer's new look, while Diarmuid ignored him and glared at Saber.

"What does this mean, King of Knights? Why are there other Servants here?"

Saber said without changing his expression, "Rider said he wanted to witness our duel, that's all."

duel……

Diarmuid the Demon chuckled, and a red demonic spear and a red demonic sword appeared in his hands.

“Saber, I’ll let you leave tonight. I’m getting tired of dealing with you.”

"You'll have to ask my sword first, Lancer!"

The two, who were already fighting for the third time, didn't exchange many words and quickly began to fight. On the open rooftop, a huge flow of magical power burst forth from the clash of their swords and halberds.

Using the rooftop of a building near the Hyatt Hotel as the stage for Saber's battle with Lancer was actually Shirou's idea.

On the one hand, it was certainly to lull Kenneth into a false sense of security, making him feel like he was in a safe zone and lower his guard.

On the other hand, it was also to allow Saber to use her full strength in the duel.

"Does this make it easier for me to use my full strength...?" Saber was a little confused.

Shirou explained, "Saber's mission tonight is to hold off Lancer. She doesn't need to use her full strength; she should conserve her magic as much as possible."

But if my battle with Webber fails, then you'll need to defeat Lancer head-on.

At that point, the rooftop will become a favorable location for you.

"!"

Saber realized what was happening.

So that's how it is. Lancer's "Magic Release" is very special; it focuses more on "mobility" than "strength."

In order to better utilize his strengths, Lancer will leap into the air to launch a suppressive attack on Saber.

That would be Saber's chance to turn the tide—

If it's on the rooftop of a building, Saber doesn't have to worry about causing damage to the surroundings and can freely unleash the Holy Sword into the sky.

Did you even think of that?

"As expected of Shirou, he's so thoughtful," Artoria thought happily.

"What are Saber's thoughts on tonight's battle?"

As they were parting, Shirou suddenly called out to her.

Artoria didn't quite understand what the boy meant: "I think it's an excellent strategy, and it might actually work. Then we can defeat Lancer without bloodshed."

Shirou, I'll try my best to hold Lancer off. You need to be careful on your end too.

That's not what I meant.

Shirou looked into her eyes and asked, "Don't you think this kind of operation is too shameless?"

"And I also deceived Webber. He probably genuinely believed he was going to help his teacher tonight, but I used him as bait."

"...?"

Saber frowned slightly, and after a brief silence, shook her head.

She said firmly, "Shirou did this to protect the city and its people."

Battles between Heroic Spirits inevitably involve destruction, and the current Lancer... makes me feel very uneasy.

Although it is currently maintaining a human form, who knows what it will become if its demonic nature is further awakened—

It might really turn into a monster (the Demon Pig) that has completely lost its rationality and only knows how to destroy.

I agree with Shirou's point of view; there's no need to defeat him head-on.

Although what he did tonight was indeed a bit...unscrupulous, it absolutely cannot be called shameless; it's Shirou's unique gentleness.

"...Thank you, Saber."

Shirou didn't say much and turned to leave.

"----hiss."

Saber took a deep breath.

Even if it's just to meet Shirou's expectations, I must perfectly fulfill my duty tonight!

She swung her invisible sword and slashed at Lancer.

Meanwhile, on the other side.

Kenneth, who was standing by the floor-to-ceiling window watching Saber and Lancer fight, suddenly received a strange message.

A familiar rat entered its barrier and was killed; a letter was found on its corpse.

Kenneth opened the letter and was surprised to find it was from his incompetent student, Weber Wilvet.

"?"

Kenneth glanced at the distant rooftop, puzzled.

Waver's servant, Rider, stood there with his arms crossed, witnessing the battle between Saber and Lancer.

However, in this letter, Weber stated that he was currently on a middle floor of the Hyatt Hotel.

He deliberately abandoned Rider in order to have a final showdown with Kenneth, demanding that Kenneth come down now for a duel between magicians.

"If you lose, you'll have to apologize for tearing up my paper!"

Weber wrote this indignantly in his letter.

"...Mr. Weber, have you also gone insane like Caster?"

Upon discovering that it was actually a challenge to a duel, Kenneth was initially speechless, then let out a cold laugh.

He was one of the twelve monarchs of the Clock Tower and the youngest lecturer in the history of the Spirit Summoning Department, while the other party was a notorious underachiever in the Clock Tower.

If it weren't for the Holy Grail War, someone as insignificant as Waver wouldn't even have the right to talk about magic in front of me.

To talk about a duel... that's hilarious, Mr. Weber.

Kenneth immediately decided to go to the middle floor to meet his stupid student.

But before leaving the room, the thought flashed through his mind for a moment that it might be a trap.

That being said, the thought was quickly dismissed when Weber's idiotic, incompetent, and cowardly face came to mind.

Moreover, Webber's biggest advantage is that Rider is right next to Lancer, so there's no need to worry about him interfering.

There was nothing to worry about, Kenneth convinced himself, and left the presidential suite with his magical artifact "Volumen hydrargyrum".

In Kenneth's subconscious, even though he only built the magic workshop on the top floor, the entire Hyatt Hotel was still his castle, and the whole building was his home turf, extremely advantageous to him.

However, Kenneth was unaware of this.

Three days earlier, a red-haired teenager had spent a huge sum of money to book all floors of the Hyatt Hotel, from the 15th to the 30th.

That place will soon become a nightmare for the genius Kenneth Elmero Archibald.

Volume 1, Chapter 66: Times Have Changed, Kenneth! (7K)

"What...what is this!?"

Webber Wilvet stared in disbelief at the weapon Shirou had provided him—

Several dark, heavy modern firearms.

"Hmm? This is what you'll need when you fight Kenneth. I prepared it especially for you."

"It would be too much to ask you to engage in a magic battle with Kenneth, so please use these."

Weber: "Huh???"

Let's rewind two hours.

Before the operation began, Shirou received an explanation of El-Melloi's Supreme Mystic Code, "Volumen hydrargyrum," from Waver.

He then took Webber to a room on the middle floor of the Hyatt Hotel and took out a briefcase full of guns from under the bed.

"Shinji-kun, why are you able to freely enter and leave these rooms?"

As Shirou put the key card back into his pocket, he replied nonchalantly, "Because I booked the entire building from the fifteenth to the thirtieth floor."