Chapter Fifty-Four: A Peculiar Duel

When he arrived at the church with Toria, Gilgamesh was standing atop the roof, quietly sipping a cup of divine wine as he watched the pair below.

“Hero King!” At this moment, Toria had changed into a blue long dress, gazing up at Gilgamesh on the roof.

“Oh? So you recognize me in my current form, mongrel.” Even though his appearance had changed, Gilgamesh’s manner of speech remained as abrasive as ever.

“That gleaming golden look—only you could pull it off.” Though he wanted to retort, Lancer’s reason warned him that any comment might provoke an E・A attack, so he fabricated an excuse. “The aura of the ancient king can’t simply be altered by appearance.”

Gilgamesh seemed to approve, nodding in affirmation.

“I’m truly becoming more and more captivated by you.” Now transformed into a queen, Gilgamesh fixed Lancer with a gaze possessed of intense, possessive desire.

“Oh no! Isn’t this one supposed to be infatuated with my king? Why is she looking at me now? I’m a loli enthusiast, I’m a loli enthusiast, I’m a loli enthusiast…” Lancer felt utterly confused and lost.

Just as Lancer was about to buckle under that gaze, Gilgamesh turned to the King. “Hey, you with the ahoge, let’s make a deal. If you agree, I’ll give you the Grail this time.”

Though Toria was irked by the nickname, she replied, “What’s your deal?” Having already learned the truth about the Grail from Lancer, Toria no longer sought to use it for wishes; if the goal could be accomplished without battle, she was willing.

Gilgamesh chuckled. “I think you’ll like it.” She gestured at Lancer. “Trade him to me, and as compensation, you may freely pick one treasure from my vault.” The Chains of Heaven were not in the treasury, and E・A, being the key, also did not count.

“You’ve got to be kidding!” Lancer instantly covered his face.

“What are you saying? As my… knight! Yes, knight! I absolutely will not hand him over to anyone else.” Toria’s cheeks flushed faintly.

“Hmph, mongrel, since you refuse, I’ll simply take him by force.” With a wave of her right hand, ripples appeared behind her.

“My queen, wait for me to come claim you. Watch from the sidelines.” Gilgamesh’s once proud expression softened greatly when she turned to Lancer.

“Lancer, by the name of the Knight King, I command you to observe. This is the invasion of a king’s possession—I will show her what the pride of the Knight King means. Come! Duel me as a knight!” Toria’s words were not gentle, but she made her stance clear.

After speaking, both ignored Lancer entirely. Lancer was conflicted; though he had to admit his appearance was rather “pretty,” he never imagined someone would duel over him—two girls, no less. A subtle melancholy lingered in his heart.

Remembering his purpose, Lancer asked Gilgamesh, “Gil, where is your new Master?”

Without hesitation, Gilgamesh replied, “The basement,” and continued her standoff with Toria.

“The basement?” Lancer recalled the final battle between the two close friends. Though Kiritsugu hadn’t lost his partner thanks to Lancer’s intervention, as an honorable Heroic Spirit, he couldn’t let his king’s Master tread a dark path. Striding forward resolutely, he reminded himself, “I’m not here for entertainment, I’m not here for entertainment…”

When Lancer reached the basement, he found two friends fiercely fighting for Tokiomi’s sake: one, in a burst of rage, blocked bullets barehanded; the other, seeking vengeance for his friend, fired his “handgun” desperately.

While Lancer watched, Lotus’s voice suddenly sounded in his ear.

“Loli lover, the black mud is about to erupt. If you want to save that woman, let that man use the gems. Otherwise, once she fully becomes the Grail, even my descent can’t strip it away—a polluted root is not something I, as an outsider, can easily resolve.”

Realizing time was short, Lancer knew this was no time for games.

“Kiritsugu! Switch! Go to Iris immediately. If ‘evil’ spills out, even the gem I gave you won’t be able to remove it!” Lancer swiftly drew his sword, Chichang, and stood beside Kiritsugu.

“What! Why didn’t you say so earlier?” Kiritsugu was alarmed, abandoning his original plan.

“Alright.” He rushed out.

“Let me handle you instead,” Lancer said to Father Kotomine, though he wasn’t eager to fight. Kotomine had killed Tokiomi, leaving Lancer with no one to blame, but he had once promised Kariya to eliminate the man so cruel to his daughter. At least that task wouldn’t fall to him. Truthfully, Kotomine himself was not at fault; he was much like Kiritsugu—equally hollow and lonely.

“Handle me? Don’t underestimate me. The Church’s secret organization is not so easily dealt with.” Kotomine’s expression hardly changed at the shift in opponent, though his subconscious movements betrayed a slight emotional stir.

–––––––––––––Prelude to the End–––––––––––––

In the final outcome, Lancer defeated Kotomine, sparing his life in exchange for trying to live as a human, not a “puppet,” though to be safe, Lancer knocked him out and dragged him away.

“Hurry! Get to the Grail’s location, it’s about to overflow. Quickly! The deal I made with the other party cannot allow that thing to destroy everything as a price.”

Just as Lancer thought to rest, he heard Lotus’s anxious voice. Dutiful as ever, Lancer rushed over.

When he arrived, he was speechless at the scene: a certain doting father watched with his wife from the sidelines, while Gilgamesh—now Queen Gil—stabbed with E・A. At some point, the King had unleashed the Curry Stick. The final result was that the Curry Stick deflected E・A directly into the Grail.

“What is going on!” Though he didn’t understand, Lancer rushed in to stand before the Grail’s barrier, about to burst.

“Crack~ crack~ crack—crash!” The black mud surged out.

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