Chapter 143 Temporary Truce

"Scum? It seems that fellow isn't very popular among your group either. However, I only care about whether I can take him down, and who it was that stopped me last time." Lancer first let out a sigh of exclamation before offering his reply.

"May I take this as you probing us for intelligence?" Du Tian adjusted his glasses.

"You may, but it appears that not all seven of you are allied together. If I can help you eliminate them, I assume you wouldn't mind?" Having assisted King Arthur in managing the darkness, he was no fool; he quickly found a breakthrough and sought to secure greater benefits for himself.

"Indeed." Choosing not to conceal it this time, Du Tian answered Lancer's question directly.

"However, I expect an equal exchange of information. If you wish to acquire news about the others, you must first produce intelligence of equivalent value." Du Tian stated his faction's demand to Lancer without hesitation.

"Equivalent value? Are you joking?" Although holding an entirely invisible weapon, from that previous clash alone, the other party knew for certain that Lancer was armed.

"An invisible weapon? And you follow closely by Saber's side—could it be the Invisible Air?" Du Tian asked.

"Invisible Air? Who knows?" Lancer remained completely unconcerned. After all, gathering intelligence only required a single living captive, and extracting information from the other one would obviously be much simpler.

"Summon!" Without a moment's hesitation, as a mage, being closed in upon by a Heroic Spirit bearing the title of Assassin was no laughing matter; Du Tian summoned his Berserker without delay.

"Ah! Ah!" A hoarse roar reached the ears of Lancer, the newly arrived party, and the Matou family members stepping out from the house.

"Are you the ones? The enemy!" Although he still retained basic speech capabilities, he had clearly lost his capacity for thought. Summoned forth by Command Spells, he launched an unhesitating attack upon Lancer.

"Betrayal of Thorn!"

A dagger wreathed in countless strands of black miasma suddenly materialized in the opponent's hand, piercing toward Lancer's chest with unbelievable speed.

"Not a bad speed." Although the opponent's speed was formidable, since Lancer was classed as an Assassin, his agility attribute could not possibly be lower than that of a Berserker.

"Not bad at all, looks like there are successors to take the mantle—" Berserker suddenly felt as though he had heard something.

"Ah!" Without any warning, he abruptly clutched his head, crouched to the ground, and began violently pounding the earth with his fists. The ground shattered into pieces under his assault. "Im... pos... sible..." Muttering these words, he suddenly snatched up the dagger that had fallen to the ground during his previous outburst of madness.

"Are all true Berserkers like this?" Lancer decisively retreated. Why would an Assassin go out of his way to fight a Berserker head-on? Even if someone was crippled beforehand, once driven mad by Berserker enhancement, they were not someone ordinary people could casually contend with face-to-face, let on being a seemingly formidable Heroic Spirit. What Lancer found strange, however, was that the original Knight of the Lake had also transformed into this state upon seeing his King, yet within his memory...

"Could he really be that scum?" A figure flashed through Lancer's mind—none other than someone he had encountered during the previous Holy Grail War. By all accounts, however, those few along with the members of the Round Table should be inside Avalon; how could they have become the lackeys of the Counter Force?

"Could you be Bors?" After dodging, Lancer questioned his opponent.

"Bor... s... my lord?" Upon hearing Lancer's words, the opponent froze for a moment before repeating the name in a bewildered tone. Yet Lancer distinctly noticed something amiss, because the opponent had appended the title "my lord" after the name Bors. However, Bors had only joined the Knights of the Round Table after Lancer's "death," meaning Lancer had no idea what specific duties he was assigned, let alone a way to guess the true identity of the Berserker before him.

"Could he be yet another subordinate of King Arthur?" This was the simultaneous question flashing through the minds of Waver and Du Tian. If that were the case, things were about to get truly chaotic; there were already three individuals originating from King Arthur's faction alone.

"Führer, how is your recovery?" Du Tian had retreated to the side of the Führer, who was resting due to excessive energy consumption. "Can you move more or less? How about it? Want to make a big move?"

"Make a big move? Are you an idiot? If the other party is willing, they can summon the conqueror instantly. Add to that the Caster from the Matou family, and you're certain the two of us can handle them? Berserker can at best stall Assassin right now, and I have no desire to waste a Command Spell at this juncture."

"So it's a retreat? Understood!" He suddenly rested his greatsword on the ground and stepped onto it.

"Prepare to run! 'War'!" The Führer commanded his beloved sword—or rather, his baton.

"Heil, mein Führer!" The baton replied to its master in a mechanical voice.

"Farewell, everyone!" Accompanied by a visible current of air erupting from the base, the two vanished from the battlefield. As for Berserker, after watching Lancer for a short while following his Master's disappearance, he too departed in the wake of his Master.

"I look forward to our next meeting. Naturally, I hope you will bring intelligence of equivalent value." After the two vanished, a tape recorder suddenly popped up from the ground, automatically self-destructing after uttering those words.

The intruder duo had departed, leaving behind only familiar faces. Upon seeing the man before him, Kariya wore a hint of a smile. "Long time no see, Lancer."

"Indeed, it has been a long time, Kariya." Lancer replied with a smile as well.

"Would you like me to borrow you a change of clothes?" Kariya wore a teasing expression. "Though your muscles are certainly impressive, it's still best not to casually bare them in front of another man's wife and daughter~"

"Ah well~~"

Five minutes later...

"Thank you, Sakura." Looking at Sakura, who was blushing as she handed him a kimono, Lancer could not help but wear a trace of a smile. Although he had guessed it long ago, actually seeing Sakura in person still stirred a trace of astonishment within him, making him feel immensely grateful that he had once been able to manifest as a Berserker.

"It's nothing, Onii...-san." Sakura said with a reddened face.

"Onii-san? It seems Sakura still remembers me. I am very glad." Overcome with happiness, Lancer's bad habit resurfaced, and he could not help but gently pat Sakura's head. Sakura, in turn, wore an expression of pure, feline-like bliss.

Sitting off to the side, Kariya and Waver exchanged a knowing smile; they were well aware of the other party's unwavering efforts over the past decade or more.

"Very well, Lancer, I believe we ought to discuss the matters concerning this Holy Grail War." Though reluctant to interrupt them, Kariya broke the tender atmosphere; this Holy Grail War was simply reeking of an uncanny strangeness.