Chapter Twenty: All-Out Offensive

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My name is Kenes, and Assassin is striking everywhere.

206:33:12

The Hyatt Hotel in Fuyuki City was chosen by Kenes as his base of operations after arriving in Fuyuki. To prepare for the upcoming battles, he naturally transformed it into his own magical workshop.

Kenes rented the top floor of this thirty-two-story building and expanded his magical barriers downward from the summit, establishing a stronghold. If it weren't for the bottom eight floors being functional halls rather than guest rooms, he might have brought the entire building under his control.

Since there were other ordinary residents in the building, Kenes placed magical nodes in inconspicuous locations such as elevator shafts, ventilation ducts, and sewers. Every eight floors, he installed a magical furnace that supplied mana to the magical barriers, traps, and his familiars on patrol.

These furnaces provided even more mana than ordinary instructors at the Clock Tower. If invaders destroyed many traps or familiars, the furnace would self-destruct, concentrating all mana into one familiar, greatly enhancing its combat power and simultaneously alerting Kenes. Thus, anyone trying to ascend from the bottom floor would have to break through three defenses guarded by top-tier magicians.

The top floor where Kenes and Sora lived was extravagantly equipped with a rare and precious "Otherworldly Barrier," which could create an exclusive "Otherworld" for Kenes. Within it, he received powerful protection and greatly enhanced speed in movement and spellcasting. Of course, Sora also benefited from this boost.

Conversely, enemies stepping inside experienced slowed movements and magical circuits, while their familiars were confused and immobilized. Any ranged attacks were drastically slowed—this was a countermeasure designed after learning that the Einzbern family had hired a "Magician Killer" who favored scientific weapons.

If that person named Kiritsugu Emiya attempted an aerial assault or sniper attack, his flying machines and bullets would fall midair due to lost acceleration.

Finally, if that highly skilled Magician Killer tried to blow up the entire building, the barrier would render the thirty-second floor invisible and suspended for half an hour, allowing Kenes ample time to withdraw or launch a surprise counterattack while the enemy confirmed their result.

"So, aren't we completely on the defensive? We can't take the initiative at all?" Sora, hands on her hips, angrily confronted Kenes. "We summoned one of the three great classes, Lancer! How can we just hide like Assassin and Caster?!"

"Well, once the last Servant is summoned, the Holy Grail War officially begins, but no battles have occurred yet," Kenes said, sitting at a desk, adjusting a mass of living mercury, shrinking his neck as if overwhelmed by his own tension. "We should be more... cautious."

"Cautious? That doesn't sound like the famous Rod El-Melloi of the Clock Tower," Sora gestured toward the new city skyline outside the window. "Who are you being cautious of? Just Tokiomi Tohsaka playing with flashy, impractical jewel magecraft patents in the Clock Tower? Or the Einzbern family's dolls and the shameful magicians they hired? Or that unknown magician whose identity remains a mystery and might just be a filler?"

Sora deliberately made no mention of Waver, because she knew this student's capabilities and personality well as his 'teacher.' Even if he summoned Iskandar, he would likely be overwhelmed by his own lack of presence, probably reversing the master-servant roles.

Moreover, given Iskandar's "conquer whatever looks good" personality, he might even recruit Waver for his earnestness and diligence—an outcome she found unacceptable, as she treasured having such a compliant apprentice to delegate tasks to.

"Then... after the first battle begins, we send Lancer out to scout?" Kenes suggested weakly from behind.

"Just him? You come too. Let Lancer openly release mana to attract enemy Servants for a direct battle," Sora turned around, pointing at the Command Seal on Kenes's hand. "And you just keep that hidden. No one will suspect you're the Master since Lancer’s mana supply and contract are with me."

"Well, that may be so, but once a Command Seal is used—"

"You want to use the Command Seal!?" Sora's anger flared at Kenes's frightened expression. "Why did we transfer the mana supply? So you could be unleashed in combat! You don't even have confidence to subdue the other Masters, and now you want to rely on Command Seals for Lancer to help you?!"

"No, I mean—"

"Shut up!" Sora cut him off. "You've always been so cautious. When will you change this habit? You always expect the worst and plan for the worst. Where's your spirit? Show me the boldness you had when you proposed to me the moment we met!"

"That was because—"

"Hmm?"

"If my world didn't have you, this heart wouldn't even bother beating!"

"......"

This time, it was Sora who was stunned by Kenes's sudden declaration. She wanted to retort as usual but found her mind blank, unable to find the right words. Worse, she felt her cheeks warming.

No, even if I want to... I can't do it in front of him...

"Wh-Whatever," the flustered Ice Queen muttered, hastily leaving Kenes's room.

"Lady Sora? Are you all right?" Lancer, patrolling the corridor, noticed her state and asked.

"What did you call me?! You traitor! And lower your head!" Though covering her face with her hands, Sora's aura remained fierce as she scolded him.

"Y-Yes, Your Majesty," replied Lancer, clad in a tight green outfit, bowing gracefully.

Dilumdo O'Dyna, the chief warrior of Ireland’s Fiona Knights—known as "The Radiant Face"—had appeared as a Lancer class Servant in this Holy Grail War.

Many legends surrounded him, most famously that he abducted his lord Fionn mac Cumhaill’s fiancée, Princess Gráinne of Connacht. Also notable was a magical black mole near his right eye, passively enchanting women and causing them to fall deeply in love upon facing him.

Because of the shared lord and fiancée, and after Sora unwittingly fell under his charm, she initially treated him coldly. After some thought, she demanded he call her "Queen" and Kenes "King," or she would forcibly change their titles with Command Seals. Dilumdo reluctantly complied.

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If you have the guts, try abducting the lord's fiancée yourself.

"Go find Kenes and have him tell you the next strategy," Sora said, covering her face but sneaking a glance at the black mole. Hmph, its charm seems to have been restrained.

"At once..." Lancer called after Sora’s rapidly retreating figure, glanced at the moonlight essence following her, shrugged, and headed toward Kenes's room.

———

"Kenes, you called for me?" Lancer bowed upon entering but got no response. Looking up, he found his Master smiling foolishly. The usually serious, confident, elegant, and noble lord—except somewhat lacking confidence around Lady Sora—was smiling at an empty wall.

"Hehehe, Sora is shy, hehehe," Lancer accidentally overheard and instantly regretted his curiosity.

"Ah, Lancer, was it Sora who sent you?" Kenes noticed his Servant after complaining about the severed shared perception with the moonlight essence.

"Yes, Lady Queen sent me to consult you on the next move," Lancer nodded.

"After the first battle, you deliberately release mana to lure enemy Servants for battle, and I will seize the opportunity to subdue their Masters," Kenes rubbed his chin. "The problem now is whether it’s safe to leave Sora alone here. Will just the moonlight essence be enough? Should we transfer a Command Seal to her?"

"Master, Lady Queen should be safe, as she is considered an outsider in the Holy Grail War," Lancer reassured.

"Hmph, you know, the Assassin class exists specifically to hunt Masters. I plan to wait for him to appear. With Tokiomi Tohsaka's advantage of having three Servants, he will surely dispatch an assassin to uncover enemy secrets," Kenes rattled off his plans. Such details would be interrupted if told to Sora, but his gentle Servant listened earnestly and offered sound advice.

"Since the Einzbern Master holds the Lesser Grail and cannot be killed, the other unknown magicians are mere fillers. That leaves only me, a frontline Clock Tower instructor, and Sora. I set up such strict defenses to counter Assassin’s surprise attacks. She’ll think I’m cowardly, but for safety, I cannot be the first to strike and become the target," Kenes seemed parched, raising a cup to drink.

"Your intentions will surely be understood, Master Kenes," Lancer comforted gently. "If Assassin dares invade, I, Dilumdo, will show him the might of an Irish warrior."

"Let's hope so. Also, I allow you to unleash your Noble Phantasm freely. If you need the Command Seal’s power in a crisis, tell me immediately. Do not try to bear emergencies alone to avoid bothering your Master—you can’t be sure your reaction isn’t part of the enemy’s plan," Kenes set down the cup. "You said you have no particular wish for the Grail, only to loyally serve your lord to the end, right?"

"Yes, I will devote all my strength to your cause, Master Kenes." Upon mentioning lord and knight, Lancer immediately knelt, lowering his head.

"Get up! If you get attacked like that, how will you fight back?" Kenes slammed the table. "In this war, discard all formalities and focus on protecting Sora’s safety. The Grail is not worth even a single hair of hers."

"And your safety?" Dilumdo stood, asking.

"Hmph, as Sora says, I always expect the worst. I have countermeasures for all adverse situations. She, however, is confident and proud but almost powerless to protect herself. So, if we both fall into danger, you must rescue her first, understand?"

"But—"

"No buts! Or do you intend to refuse your lord’s order and make me waste a Command Seal on such trivial matters?" Kenes showed the cross-shaped mark on the back of his hand.

"Yes, I obey your command." Dilumdo bowed his head.

Despite being scolded and ordered, both were excellent lords who cared deeply for each other. In this war, much of his wish had already been fulfilled. Out of Kenes’s sight, the Fiona Knights’ bravest warrior’s lips curved into a slow smile.

———

"Is that so? Then prove it."

It was neither Dilumdo nor Kenes who spoke, but a third voice appearing mysteriously within the room. The voice was hoarse, muffled, and seemed to have been eavesdropping for a long time.

"Assassin!" Lancer immediately manifested his twin guns, standing alert beside his Master.

"Oh... all my alert measures are ineffective?" Kenes appeared calm. "But even this is within expectations. I suppose your master hiding in a mouse hole doesn’t understand ‘Otherworldly Transformation’."

At his words, the room’s colors twisted—red to green, yellow to purple, blue to orange—instantly revealing a figure hiding by the rooftop and wall corner. Lancer’s crimson spear pierced the air at once.

"Tch." Assassin hastily blocked with a dagger, leapt down, and resumed his black clothes and white mask guise. The yellow spear, like it had eyes, targeted his landing spot. Thud! Thud! Assassin blocked twice but was cornered, and judging by Lancer’s murderous expression, he had no intention of letting him leave.

"Hehehe." Cornered, Assassin laughed. "Lancer, guess why I spoke instead of attacking outright?"

Lancer didn’t answer, blocking all escape routes with his twin guns. Unable to withstand the storm of attacks, Assassin was soon pierced through the throat by the Yellow Rose and disappeared.

"Because there’s an ambush!" Before the voice finished, a shorter black-clad figure appeared from the shadows behind Kenes, wielding a pale curved dagger.

"Frontinus Orbis!" Kenes instantly completed two minor incantations. Intense cold radiated from him, freezing both the dagger and its wielder in place.

"Heh." Kenes stepped forward, arrogantly turning around. "If it were another anti-magic Servant, I might be troubled. Lancer, kill him."

"At once." Feeling ashamed for forcing his lord to intervene, Dilumdo swiftly pierced the second Assassin with the Red Rose of Anti-Magic.

"Does he have incarnation or substitute death abilities? If so, he cannot be completely eliminated... No! Sora!" Kenes watched the fading Assassin and dashed out in alarm.

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"Master Kenes, be careful! There may be more ambushes—" Lancer followed closely.

"You really rush out recklessly!" Before Dilumdo finished, Kenes encountered the third Assassin waiting outside, launching a direct frontal attack with twin sleeve blades.

"Ice lanceam! alta Frigidus! conc de Frigido!"

As Lancer prepared to dash forward with A+ agility to protect his Master, he saw Kenes completely ignore Assassin and charge ahead. The black figure with skull mask was instantly encased in ice, shattering into fragments. Lancer recalled his Master had just completed a seven-step grand incantation.

"Sora—" "Boom!!"

Before Kenes reached Sora’s room, a violent explosion blew the door inward. A familiar black-clad, white-masked figure was hurled out, turning into golden dust before hitting the ground.

"[May I ask,]" inside the room, Sora sat surrounded by an earth magic shield, and before her stood a silver-glimmering Dilumdo. "[Are you my Master?]"

204:18:04

How did things come to this...

Waver Velvet was searching for video tapes about modern warfare and weapons inside “Call of Duty,” an audiovisual store in Fuyuki’s new city. His backpack was stuffed with more than a dozen military magazines.

Looking back, ever since the summoned Conqueror King was not a short man but a tall, red-bearded, leopard-faced, imposing warrior, things had gone awry.

First, he was asked to find maps and history books, then he fled in panic after breaking the library’s rolling door. Then he was amazed by Iskandar’s Rider class mount. After reading history, he wanted to understand modern warfare, so he was sent to buy books and videos.

I’m supposed to prepare for the Holy Grail War! Not help Emperor Iskandar conquer the world again! Waver angrily threw those irrelevant tapes and books aside.

“Hello, are these yours?” “Yes... please help me check out...”

Waver finally gave in. Even if he threw these away, his boorish Servant wouldn’t understand his displeasure, only sending him out again. Refusing outright was impossible—not to mention the mysterious “library gate explosion” incident a few blocks away had not yet cooled down.

Since appearing, Rider acted like “the Grail is already in my grasp.” After learning about the vast world, he enthusiastically planned new conquests. Waver had no comment.

Ignoring other mysterious forces, the head of the Clock Tower—a two-thousand-year-old magic organization—had never changed in office. That presence was undoubtedly far superior to these Servants and had no ambitions of world conquest.

Waver gloomily left the store with tapes and magazines, turning into an alley ending in a sparse clearing, likely reserved for new housing. Hidden by concealment magic, Rider and his mount rested there.

“I bought the stuff back... huh?” Waver walked toward Rider’s sensed location, but suddenly Rider rushed at him at speed, probably his chariot. What was he doing?

Trying to kill me for being a useless Master and get a new one? No more magazines or tapes?

Waver’s thoughts scattered. Seeing the bursting blue light break concealment magic and hurtling like a high-speed train, he crouched, covering his head in despair.

“Oh la oh la—!” The red-haired giant clad in ancient Greek armor swept by on roaring thunder. Waver felt his collar grabbed and lifted. The terrifying thunder seemed to collide with something, hesitated, then rose skyward.

“What are you doing, Rider! You’ll be seen by ordinary people!” Waver scrambled to reset concealment magic from the passenger seat.

“Just crushing some rats hiding in the shadows,” Rider circled in the air, glanced at the clearing where some black shadows dissipated. “Don’t stray too far from me, kid.”

“Assassins? Plural?” Waver’s mind cleared. “Isn’t there usually only one per class?”

“Usually, but legends sometimes have two, often due to siblings or confusion in the myths,” Rider turned the chariot back to their temporary base. “Also, some Servants can summon other heroes. I, Iskandar, can do that.”

“If there are multiples, we can’t be sure they’re fully eliminated. We must be cautious in future actions...”

“Oh, you thought of that? Not bad, kid.”

“Let go of my head! I mean, can you stop exposing yourself by randomly buying stuff?”

“Relax, any ants trying to stop the chariot of Conqueror King will be crushed utterly.”

“No way I can relax!”