Who are you calling a stable boy?!

"..."

Kenneth's forehead veins throbbed, but he remained silent.

Seeing this, Kiritsugu looked at Irisviel and nodded to her.

Diarmuid's Noble Phantasm, the cursed yellow rose, is said to require either breaking it or killing its master, Diarmuid, to break the curse.

If his only goal was to remove the curse from his own servant, he could have retreated now and waited for Diarmuid to be beaten to death by Zheng Jing.

However, Kiritsugu estimated that Diarmuid was unlikely to leave the field here.

Given its high agility level, although it would be difficult for it to escape alone when facing Zheng Jingshi, its master still has Command Seals, which can be used to ensure that master and servant can escape together by consuming one Command Seal.

In that case, no matter if she encounters Lancer again or runs into Zheng Jing, Saber, with her left hand injured, will not be able to fight in good condition.

After learning that Lancer's Master, Kenneth El-Melloi Archibald, had gathered a great deal of information about this noble monarch after learning that he would be participating in the Holy Grail War.

To be honest, if conditions allowed, he would not hesitate to stab Diarmuid in the back here.

Unfortunately, his servant, the noble King of Knights, would never agree to carry out such a tactic, so rather than waste a Command Seal here, Kiritsugu finally decided to choose a more roundabout solution.

The "go for it" approach failed to fool Kenneth, but that's alright. Kiritsugu Emiya's ultimate goal here was to lay the foundation for a future alliance between the two sides.

“Saber…”

Facing Irisviel's earnest gaze, the Knight King turned his face away, gripping the hilt of his sword tightly with his right hand.

"If you want to obtain the Holy Grail, you can't get around him."

Kiritsugu stared at the King of Knights with a blank expression.

"You can choose."

-

"call!"

Having narrowly dodged another blow, Dirumdo dared not linger and turned again.

Only when you truly face it can you understand what it means to die from a fall or a collision. When that Ruyi Jingu Bang is swung, the gale sweeps through, and when you barely manage to avoid it, your skin will be stung by the strong wind from the staff.

Furthermore, he dared not approach with his two pistols, and whenever Zheng Jing made a move, Diarmuid could only dodge left and right, finding it difficult to defend himself.

But what truly alarmed Diarmuid, more than the Ruyi Jingu Bang (the magic staff), was the martial arts skill Zheng Jing displayed.

To onlookers, he seemed to be able to dodge with his agility, but Diarmuid himself knew that being able to fight like this for nearly twenty rounds wasn't because of his superior skill.

It's this person right in front of me, who's having a great time.

Diarmuid couldn't quite recall when he last felt this powerless in a one-on-one duel.

Just as Diarmuid was at his wit's end, Zheng Jing suddenly swayed and abruptly distanced himself from him.

What is this for?

While he was wondering what was going on, Dilumu saw Zheng Jing grin at him and then, from several meters away, thrust his Ruyi Jingu Bang (a magical staff) at him.

not good!

—As a sudden thought struck him, Diarmuid saw the golden-banded staff already pressed against his face.

"Clang!!"

A sharp, startling sound suddenly rang out.

Two figures rolled aside, moving to either side of the Ruyi Jingu Bang (the magic staff).

“Saber?!”

Diarmuid got up and looked at the Knight King with surprise.

Just now, if the Knight King hadn't deflected the staff a few inches with his sword, Diarmuid's head would probably have exploded.

But more than gratitude, Diarmuid couldn't understand why the Knight King would suddenly intervene in this...

The challenge belongs to Diarmuid.

[Lancer, team up with Saber to take down that Servant!]

The Master's voice that suddenly rang in Diarmuid's mind answered his question.

"Sorry, Lancer..."

The knight king, who had drawn his sword, offered a deep apology.

Looking at her expression, Diarmuid pursed his lips and sighed softly.

"Don't worry about it, Saber. This was our lord's intention. Besides..."

He looked at Zheng Jing, who had put the stick back.

"If anyone should apologize, it should be to that one person together."

"Apologize? Hahahaha! What's there to apologize for!"

Upon seeing the Knight King and Diarmuid join forces, Zheng Jing burst into laughter.

"The one with a sword, the one with a gun, and the one driving an oxcart—why don't the three of you come at me all at once!"

"What do I, Zheng Jing, have to fear!"

With a laugh, Zheng Jing made the first move this time!

Upon seeing Zheng Jing arrive, Diarmuid and the Knight King dared not be negligent. They thrust their swords and spears forward and attacked Zheng Jing from both sides. The three figures fought like spinning lanterns.

In an instant, it seemed as if three hurricanes of different colors were rolling up at the mouth of the Weiyuan River!

This battle was truly:

The crimson rose yearns to drink blood, while a yellow snake flicks its tongue.

A broken steel sword displays its sharpness; a weapon forged a hundred times among the stars is always victorious.

But Zheng Jing smiled as if he were angry, and pulled open the Ruyi Jingu Bang (a magical staff).

The might of Heaven descends upon the mortal realm, and ghosts and gods emerge from the earth to howl among humankind.

The shouts shook the heavens and earth, and the murderous aura filled the air with a chilling intensity.

Is victory or defeat, life or death, certain?

From a desperate battle—

The Lord fled first!

"Ok?"

In the heat of battle, the two heroes suddenly vanished in a surge of magic. Zheng Jing paused, his brows furrowing.

Looking around, it was clear that Kiritsugu Emiya, Irisviel, and Kenneth had all fled the riverbank.

On the chaotic warehouse street, besides Zheng Jing, there was only Iskandar, who hadn't yet driven away, and his Master Waver, whose face clearly showed "Go home" and "Hurry up".

Scratching his head and cheeks, Zheng Jing exhaled a scorching breath and pointed his Ruyi Jingu Bang at Iskandar.

"Just the two of us? That works too!"

Chapter 100: Great Sage, hold your hand!

Upon hearing this, Iskandar smiled confidently and slowly raised his hands.

Seeing his reaction, Zheng Jing was prepared to take on the formidable army that Alexander the Great had ravaged much of Europe.

"Great Sage, hold your hand!"

Suddenly, a loud shout rang out, and Iskandar clasped his hands together and bowed to Zheng Jing.

At this moment, Weber, who was hiding behind Iskandar, was completely bewildered.

He only knew that Iskandar liked watching TV and spent the whole day glued to the TV in the local family where he was staying. Little did he know that, apart from the content of the military channels, this giant had even memorized every word and action of the actors in those TV dramas!

"Ok?"

—However, to Weber's surprise, Zheng Jing, whom he thought was always hitting the head and could even be hit by a passing stray dog, was actually stopped by Iskandar's words.

Frowning, Zheng Jing looked at Iskandar.

"Speak quickly if you have something to say!"

"Great Sage—"

"I, Old Zheng, have already given my name. If you want to call me that, just call me Brother Zheng!"

Upon hearing this, Iskandar laughed even harder.

As if to show that he had no intention of fighting, he opened his empty hands toward Zheng Jing.

"Hehe, Brother Zheng, if you're going to take action, you should at least let me understand what's going on, right?"

Zheng Jing blinked and pointed at Iskandar.

"Oh? So, Iskandar, you were forced into this tragic free-for-all?"

"What I mean is, Zheng-ge, do you perhaps have some wish that you want to fulfill with this Holy Grail?"

"A wish? If it's seven Dragon Coins, I, Old Zheng, might actually be interested. The Holy Grail? Hmph!"

With a sneer, Zheng Jing waved his hand.

"I wouldn't even consider using this Fuyuki cup as a chamber pot; it's too dirty!"

Iskandar's smile vanished.

He looked at Zheng Jing, frowned slightly, and raised his hand to touch his chin with its thick red beard.

"...Brother Zheng, from what you're saying, could it be that there's something wrong with the Holy Grail?"

"Heh heh, Iskandar, do you know how many editions this Fuyuki Grand Melee is now?"

Iskandar glanced at Weber behind him.

Realizing what was happening, Webber tugged at his cloak and shakily made a "four" gesture with his hand.

"This is the fourth edition. It sounds quite popular."

Iskandar sighed.

"Let's leave aside whether this Fuyuki cup is omnipotent or not. In any case, it's not as good as my Super Blue Cat at granting wishes. But to say that it's completely useless is a bit harsh, after all, it's just an amateur wish-granting machine."

Zheng Jing curled his lip.

"However, that's all old news. Ever since the third Fuyuki City Free Fighting Tournament, this cup, which used to have some merit, has been ruined by Angela Manneau and has become nothing more than a slop bucket that can only dump mud."

“Angela Mainyu…”

Iskandar frowned deeply.

He glanced at Weber again.

Weber shook his head vigorously.

He knew of Angra Mainyu's name.

But how could a magus from out of town, not even twenty years old, possibly know the history of this Far East region about the Third Holy Grail War?

"So, Zheng Ge'er, you came down here to deal with this corrupted Holy Grail?"

"That works too, it's just a convenient thing anyway."

With the Ruyi Jingu Bang (magic staff) slung over his shoulder, Zheng Jing straightened up.

"Have you finished your idle chatter? Your Majesty, are you going to fight or not?"

Iskandar chuckled as he looked at Zheng Jing.

“Brother Zheng, you’ve put it this way. I’m not willing to fight a battle without knowing what’s going on with the Holy Grail.”

"Alright, since you're so sincere, I'll stop here for today."

Zheng Jing leaped up and did a somersault.

"Old Zheng is off!"

Clutching Iskandar's cloak, Weber peered around cautiously.

"Rider, is he... is he really gone?"

After a moment, Weber asked Iskandar in a low voice.