"What do you want?"
Shirou Emiya's face was taut with anger. The meaning behind the threat was painfully clear.
"My target is that Reincarnator, so I need Artoria," Lucien said calmly, his amethyst eyes reflecting neither haste nor hesitation.
"Shirou Emiya, if you want her to live safely, then order Artoria not to move. Once she becomes my Servant, I will return her to you."
From Lucien's coccyx, a black thorn burst forth and twisted through the air with eerie flexibility. It wrapped tightly around Taiga Fujimura's neck and dragged her forward, holding her directly in front of him like a living shield.
Bang.
Without warning, the ground erupted.
Artoria appeared in a blinding flash, her invisible Holy Sword already raised as she launched a direct strike at Lucien. Even though she owed this man a favor, she did not hesitate for even an instant.
Lucien did not move.
The black thorn tightened.
The unconscious Taiga let out a faint groan as her face turned purple from suffocation.
"Stop."
Shirou roared in agony, his right hand flaring with crimson light as a Command Seal activated. Artoria froze in mid-air instantly, her blade stopping less than a decimeter from Lucien's forehead.
"Shirou…"
Artoria's voice trembled, her body completely unable to obey her will.
"Very good, Medea," Lucien said softly, as though he had already known what Shirou would choose.
Shirou Emiya, compared to those destined heroes like Eren and Tanjiro, was far more fragile in Lucien's eyes. His dream of becoming an Ally of Justice was pure and idealistic. Compared to Lucien, they stood at opposite extremes of conviction.
Lucien did not despise him. He simply found it tragically ironic.
In any case, in Lucien's view, Shirou was already a dead man. The only uncertainty was when that end would arrive.
Medea appeared before the immobilized Artoria and drew her Noble Phantasm, Rule Breaker. Without hesitation, she plunged it straight into Artoria's chest.
A violent magical storm swept across the entire graveyard. Shirou's right hand trembled uncontrollably as the crimson pattern of his Command Seal flickered and vanished.
On the distant high ground, Illya and Heracles watched in silence, making no move to intervene.
Rin would never remain idle in such a moment. She immediately tried to communicate with Archer, who was positioned far away and ready to strike. But Medusa appeared before her in an instant. Rin's expression stiffened, and the magical gems in her hand never had the chance to fly.
With Medusa restraining them, Rin and Archer could do nothing but endure.
As the magical storm dissipated, Lucien glanced at the additional Command Seal now engraved on the back of his hand. A faint smile of satisfaction surfaced.
At the same time, the burden on his body grew heavier.
Becoming the Master of a fourth Servant was an immense strain. The pressure pushed both body and soul to their limits.
Medea, however, was an exception. She could sustain herself by absorbing the life force of ordinary people in Fuyuki City. Lucien did not need to supply her with magical energy. That was the only reason he could afford to command another Servant.
"I now command the King of Knights, Artoria Pendragon, not to harm or resist Master Lucien by any means, whether directly, through schemes, or by using others."
Lucien immediately reinforced his control with a Command Seal, sealing any possibility of resistance.
"Let Fuji San go," Shirou said through clenched teeth, bitterness filling his voice.
Lucien did not answer at once. His gaze lingered on Shirou with unsettling calm.
For a brief moment, he considered killing Shirou on the spot. But after weighing Artoria's condition and the risk of triggering resistance, Lucien chose to spare him for now.
The Reincarnator was the true priority. Once that enemy fell, everything else would become far simpler.
The black thorn loosened and extended, gently placing Taiga Fujimura into Shirou's arms.
"Fuji San!"
Shirou caught her immediately, his breath hitching as he checked her condition. When he confirmed that she was only unconscious, a wave of relief washed over him.
Whoosh.
The sound of tearing air split the night.
Lucien tilted his head at lightning speed. Even so, a sharp pain flashed across his cheek as a wound opened.
In the distance, a Noble Phantasm longsword stood embedded upright in the earth, its hilt still vibrating.
"So you still have some skill."
An arrogant, confident voice echoed as Gilgamesh appeared in a shimmer of golden light. He landed on a tombstone with both hands in his pockets, his expression filled with open disdain that Lucien had been able to partially evade the attack.
"Striking without a word, that hardly suits your pride, Gilgamesh," Lucien said evenly.
The wound on his face healed in the blink of an eye.
"Gate of View, Gate of Shock."
"Open."
A terrifying aura erupted through the graveyard.
Li Chong's eyes turned bloodshot as blue steam surged from his body. In an instant, he appeared before Lucien. His right hand burned with raging flames as he drove his fist forward with a deafening explosion.
Lucien's pupils shrank.
His right hand hardened instantly, lightning coiling around his arm as he answered with a direct punch of his own.
The collision was like a meteor slamming into the earth.
A circular shockwave exploded outward from the point of impact. Artoria and Medea were thrown off balance and sent flying. In the next instant, Lucien transformed into a streak of golden lightning and crashed diagonally into the ground. The entire graveyard fractured as if a natural disaster had struck, massive chunks of earth ripping free and rising into the air.
Whoosh, whoosh.
Behind Gilgamesh, countless golden vortices opened in the sky. Noble Phantasms of countless shapes and forms aimed directly at Medea, Medusa, and Artoria.
"Go, now," Rin shouted.
Rin and Shirou supported Taiga and retreated at full speed.
Even Illya withdrew with Heracles.
With two Masters and four Servants about to clash in full force, the scale of destruction would be beyond control.
Bang, bang.
Artoria, Medea, and Medusa combined their strength. Even with Li Chong enhancing Gilgamesh's magical power and forcing him into peak condition, he was still driven into disadvantage from the very beginning.
From the rolling dust and shattered earth, Lucien emerged with a grim expression.
The last time he had clashed with this man and gained the upper hand, he had been carried by the momentum of battle. Now that surge had faded. Without it, Lucien was no longer confident he could overpower him alone.
"Artoria," Lucien called.
He turned toward Artoria, Medusa, and Medea as they suppressed Gilgamesh and issued a direct command.
Whoosh.
Artoria's expression was cold as the invisible Holy Sword in her hands fully materialized. Lucien's power surged through her, amplifying her presence.
"Instant kill."
Lucien drew his kukri.
The ground beneath his feet shattered as he vanished in a violent flash, chunks of stone and soil exploding outward.
Li Chong tracked Lucien's movement clearly. His right hand burned once more with furious flames as he clashed head-on with the incoming kukri.
The next instant, Lucien crashed into the ground, his feet sinking deep as the surrounding earth buckled and rose into uneven hills.
At the same moment, Artoria appeared in front of Li Chong. Her Holy Sword gathered terrifying energy, compressing it into a spiraling, piercing storm that tore straight toward him.
Li Chong's eyes flared with fury. He clenched his fist and met the attack head-on.
The night erupted in blinding light.
A colossal shockwave swept outward, tearing the surface of the cemetery apart and carving an enormous crater into the ground.
Lucien was sent flying, blood spraying from his lips as cracks spread across his body. Yet the wounds healed almost instantly.
Li Chong was also thrown back, his face pale as blood ran from the corner of his mouth.
Within the raging storm, Artoria tightened her grip on the Holy Sword. Countless particles of light gathered along the blade, condensing into a heaven-piercing pillar that crashed straight down upon Li Chong.
The battle had escalated to its peak from the very first exchange, with neither side showing the slightest intention of holding back.
---