Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Knight of Blood

A handsome young man wearing a hooded jacket was crouched on the ground, covering his eyes.
"Is this enough?" His body kept warning him it could collapse at any moment, yet when he saw the terrified girl huddled in the corner, he forced himself to endure the agony that nearly shattered him.
"This? You useless fool, you truly live up to that name. Do you think this will suffice? Your task is to summon a Heroic Spirit for her." The old man, whose entire body had already been corroded, cast a glance at the girl.
Just then, a voice emerged again from the shadows, "With your talent, who knows what kind of worthless thing you’ll summon. Here, this is a fragment of a weapon I obtained in Britain. Even after all these years, it still retains its murderous aura—should be decent. Also, add a berserk spell. That way, even if you summon another useless fool like yourself, at least it’ll be useful in this battle."
"I understand. Tell me what to do."
"Pathetic. Just read from this book." A black book was tossed out from the shadows.
"I declare:
Your body shall heed my command, my fate is with your blade.
Respond to the call of the Holy Grail—if you accept this will and this justice, then answer.
Here I vow:
I desire to accomplish all good deeds in the world.
Yet you are tempted by blood—descend to this place.
You are the seeker of blood; by blood I make this offering.
I wish to eradicate all evil in the world.
I am the one holding its chains.
You are bound by the three great words for seven days, from the Wheel of Restraint, guardian of the scales..."
A flash of black light erupted, and a black figure appeared in the summoning circle. The newly summoned Berserker suddenly looked at Kariya.

"I am both a Heroic Spirit and an Evil Spirit, the darkness born from radiance, the sin concealed beneath sacred hymns since ancient legend." Red eyes, as if piercing his soul, locked onto Kariya.
"Are you prepared to plunge into darkness for the sake of all you wish to protect?"
Kariya stared dumbly at the Heroic Spirit before him, unable to speak, merely nodding in a daze.
"Then let us forge a contract here. In this battle, I shall guard you, slaying for the sake of protection!"
At that moment, the command seals on Kariya's hand changed, forming the shape of an eagle—the three command spells forming the wings and the body.
"Ah! Such wild power of darkness—this is the Heroic Spirit I’ve dreamed of!" Seeing the blue Lancer shrouded in darkness, Zouken was nearly delirious with excitement. He believed this Heroic Spirit, cloaked in darkness, would surely support his ambitions, for they were kindred spirits in shadow.
"I sense a disgusting stench," Lancer suddenly said, looking at Kariya, who was startled and glanced at Zouken, wondering why Zouken showed no reaction to Lancer’s words.
"No need to look. Our conversation is only audible to the two of us; that bug doesn’t know a thing." Though wearing a mask and motionless, Lancer seemed to look at the black Heroic Spirit with disdain.
"Can I kill him?" Lancer asked in a calm voice, careful not to reveal he already knew everything.
"Can you kill this demon?" Kariya hadn’t expected that his Heroic Spirit’s first act would be to offer to destroy that demon for him.
"Tch. Even if he’s survived for centuries, he’s still just a bug. For a Heroic Spirit, killing him is a trivial matter." It was indeed simple for a Heroic Spirit to destroy Zouken, but things weren’t as optimistic as Lancer suggested. As long as one worm survived, Zouken could revive, and Lancer had spent those experience points precisely to deal with this giant insect.
"Very well, Berserker—I’ll use a command spell to—"
"No need for command spells. They’re useless to me."
Lancer opened a ring and took out a massive silver canister.
The frenzied Zouken, now transformed into a worm, was even more sensitive to danger. He immediately shouted at Kariya, "You useless fool, what are you trying to do?"
"Die!" With a single punch, Lancer shattered the canister lid and poured its contents over Sakura. When Zouken tried to threaten Kariya by manipulating the crest worms inside Sakura, he found he couldn’t contact them at all.
"Impossible!" As an ancient monster, he had been defeated before, but even the church had never directly sealed his magecraft. He never imagined all his crest worms could be destroyed in such a short span.

This alone could not guarantee that every worm was eradicated, so to ensure total annihilation, Lancer had prepared something else.
"Darkness may shroud the world, but light never disappears. Spirit of Light—Aska, I pray for your descent, become the last sanctuary and bless mankind. Manifest—Sanctuary of Light!"
As Lancer tore the scroll, a beam of light enveloped the entire worm chamber.
"Rejoice, scum—you are the first sacrifice upon my arrival as a Heroic Spirit. In the underworld, you may boast to the other phantoms."
Lancer made a gesture as if drawing a weapon, and instantly a blue sword hilt appeared in his hand.
"Drink deep of blood, famished blade—Kaladbolg!"
With Lancer’s shout, a silver longsword was drawn from his back. To end the wretch in a single blow, Lancer unleashed his Noble Phantasm—the flickering sparks of electricity now wrapped the blade completely. The sound of air being split echoed in Zouken’s ears, intensifying his terror.
As a monster, he decided to make one final struggle. He knew even the weakest Assassin would be beyond his power as a human, so he commanded all his worms to attack the barrier. But in the end, every worm was purified by the light of the sanctuary.
"No! I will become immortal—I cannot..."
His dying cries were cut short as his entire body was ionized into the air. In the corner, Sakura’s vacant eyes slowly regained life as Zouken’s screams faded.
Lancer watched the numbers on his ring display; as the digits jumped, they finally settled at eighty percent and stopped. He turned to Kariya, who sat behind him.
"Master, are you prepared?"
Though Lancer wore a mask, Kariya could somehow see the solemnity on his face.
"What do you mean? I am willing to sacrifice everything for my wish. What do I have left to fear? Come—I know that demon’s last hope resides within me. Even if it costs my life, for Sakura’s sake, kill me."
Kariya met Lancer’s gaze with unwavering determination.
"It seems you are ready, but it’s a pity—there is no need for you to sacrifice your life. Drink this."
Lancer handed Kariya the remaining holy water.
Without hesitation, Kariya drank it, and then—
"Ah! Ah!"
He felt as if his entire being were cast into a furnace, especially the left side of his body, which burned fiercely. Though the words were noble, under such torment, he nearly wished to abandon his life.
"Master, have you forgotten the girl standing in the corner?"
Just as Kariya’s consciousness faded, Lancer spoke to him.
"Sakura..."
Like a whisper from the depths of hell, Kariya uttered the name that had sustained him for a year.