The sudden appearance of a third party completely changed the battle situation at the port.
But it was very clear—
This tall man was biased towards Artoria's side.
And judging by the surprisingly large axe-halberd in his hand, he should also be a Servant.
"Golden Eater!"
Another roar came.
The giant axe-halberd was slammed into the ground once again.
Surging lightning, like wild bulls, charged forward, leaving dark brown tracks on the ground as they advanced.
Here it comes again!
Scathach watched the rapidly moving lightning, her expression becoming increasingly serious.
It wasn't that she couldn't avoid such an attack; rather, she was puzzled by why the other party possessed such powerful strength.
This was lightning with a power comparable to that of Demons or Gods; did a regular Servant truly have the power to do something like this?
But—
Regardless, the first thing to do, naturally, was to avoid this attack.
With the previous experience, Scathach, who was prepared, found it much easier to dodge.
With a swift step and a leap, she directly avoided the lightning on the ground.
At the same time, Gae Bolg Alternative, which was restraining Artoria, was also released.
The girl swordsman, realizing what had happened, immediately gripped her Sword of Assured Victory (Caliburn) and charged forward again.
Bang!
Boom!
The two weapons clashed, producing intense sparks.
Artoria once again changed her battle strategy.
Realizing that she couldn't afford to create distance with Scathach, she adopted a method of continuous close-quarters pressure.
This was also a method taught to her by Ian.
Facts proved that it was indeed effective.
Scathach, who was somewhat distracted by the suddenly appearing Servant, showed extremely obvious flaws in her defense.
But even so, Artoria still couldn't inflict actual damage on her—this Lancer was simply too agile!
Bang!
The Sword of Assured Victory and Gae Bolg Alternative clashed fiercely again.
Overflowing magical energy caused significant destruction in the immediate area.
And after this, Scathach heard Kayneth's "command" in her ear.
This excellent magus from the Clock Tower had actually been observing Scathach's battle from nearby.
Feeling that the situation was not right, he decisively used magecraft to issue her a command to retreat.
"Lancer! Retreat now!" He ordered urgently.
Although, if she were to get serious, Scathach felt it wouldn't be a problem to fight two opponents.
But because she genuinely wanted to obtain that destined death from Kayneth, the Queen of the Land of Shadows ultimately chose to compromise and performed a retreat that seemed like following orders.
She leaped backward, landing on a cargo container at the port, and used it as a path to move away from the battlefield.
And for the sake of maximizing their chances of victory, Artoria originally wanted to pursue, but then she heard Irisviel's anxious shout from behind her.
"Saber, stop! You're injured!" Irisviel cried out, concerned.
"..."
Although she really didn't want to let Lancer escape just like that, the wound on Artoria's body was indeed reminding her not to pursue rashly.
Furthermore—
Artoria looked at the tall man standing beside her, holding the axe-halberd, her eyes showing increased vigilance.
Why was this guy... helping her? She wondered cautiously.
However, completely contrary to the girl swordsman's cautious demeanor, the tall man, after temporarily repelling Scathach, not only did not display any hostility, but instead showed his friendliness with extremely exaggerated gestures.
"Golden—!"
"Brilliantly defeated the enemy!" He declared loudly.
"Father's friend, please rest assured!" He continued with enthusiasm.
"With me here, no one will ever be able to harm you!" He vowed protectively.
"This is the Golden spirit!" He added proudly.
"..."
"..."
Artoria and Irisviel exchanged glances, both looking a little bewildered.
"Um, Saber... do you know him?" Irisviel asked tentatively.
"No," Artoria shook her head, looking confused. "I... I've never seen him before," she admitted.
"And I thought that by 'Father's friend' he was referring to you, Master," she added.
"But—"
Irisviel looked at the man who kept shouting "Golden," her eyes filled with confusion.
"Looking at it now, it really seems like he was talking to you, doesn't it?" She observed.
"That does seem to be the case..." Artoria replied, unable to deny it.
After all, from beginning to end, the man before her had only spoken to her.
As for Irisviel beside her, he hadn't even glanced at her.
There was no other way.
Although it might invite unnecessary danger, Artoria finally voiced the question that was bothering her.
"Um—!"
"Do you know me?" She asked directly.
With hardly any hesitation, the man before her immediately slammed the axe-halberd in his hand into the ground.
"Don't know you!" He replied loudly.
"But you're Father's friend, Golden will definitely protect you!" He declared resolutely.
"..."
Father?
Hearing this word, Artoria felt a flood of emotions.
Because for her, the word "father" was actually somewhat vague and contradictory.
Sir Ector, who raised her, wasn't her real father.
And as for her true father, King Uther, she had barely met him.
So—
To understand the word "father," Artoria more often thought about it from Mordred's perspective.
Then only one man could fit that description.
That was Ian.
Only he was worthy of the title of "Father" in her heart.
Her intuition was telling Artoria that this Servant before her should also be related to this.
But if that was the case, new problems immediately arose.
Artoria looked at the man before her, holding the axe-halberd.
Why... would he call Ian "Father"? She wondered, bewildered.
Could it be that he was a child he had with some woman outside?
No.
That sort of thing shouldn't be possible.
He had been by her side constantly until he left this world.
If he had truly been with other women outside, she would definitely have been able to sense it through his actions during their private moments.
Then—
Was her intuition wrong?
The "Dad" this man before her was talking about didn't actually mean what she understood, but had some other unknown meaning?
The more Artoria thought about it, the more confused she became.
She couldn't figure out the reason why the other party had helped her—especially when he showed no intention of asking for anything in return.
Seeing this scene, Irisviel on the side also vaguely understood Artoria's predicament.
She really wanted to do something to help her, but she was powerless.
After all... she wasn't the real Master.
Fortunately, this deadlock didn't last too long.
Because soon, a car drove up to the port.
Its driver was Matou Kariya—a new Master in this Holy Grail War.
As soon as he got out of the car, he immediately questioned the tall Servant holding the axe-halberd before him, extremely angrily.
"Berserker! What is the meaning of this?! Why did you come running to a place like this for no reason!" He demanded furiously.
"Didn't you hear my command?" He questioned.
Facing Matou Kariya's accusation, the one called Berserker, Sakata Kintoki, did not get angry.
He extended his hand, pointed at Artoria before him, and in an extremely serious tone, replied to his Master.
"Boss!" He shouted.
"Father's friend—!" He declared.
"Golden must protect her!" He insisted.
Berserker?
Hearing this title, Artoria suddenly realized something.
Berserker was a class that gained strength by losing their sanity.
Because they had essentially lost their ability to think logically, they naturally couldn't impose many restrictions on their own actions.
In this situation, no matter what they did, it was actually "consistent" with their logic.
Of course, to outsiders, it definitely wasn't like that.
So, it turned out she was mistaken after all?
Artoria breathed a sigh of relief.
Thankfully, he wasn't Ian's son.
If he really were his son, that would have been...
In contrast to Artoria's relief, Matou Kariya, participating in the Holy Grail War for the first time, looked very nervous.
Because he hadn't received systematic training, he actually still didn't quite know how to control his Berserker up to this point.
Fortunately, this Berserker, who called himself Sakata Kintoki, was quite loyal.
No matter what he ordered, he would shout, "Yes, Boss!" and then do it.
Except for... that last action.
Not long ago, Sakata Kintoki, who had clearly been following his orders and getting familiar with combat methods, suddenly acted as if he sensed something and began to rush outwards.
As a Berserker, he possessed physical abilities unmatched by ordinary people.
Even with Kariya driving a car, he couldn't keep up with him.
And so—
There was then the strange sight of Sakata Kintoki running ahead, and Matou Kariya chasing after him in a car.
And then came the battle at the port.
Of course, as the only person in the Matou family with even a relative amount of magecraft talent, Matou Kariya wasn't so clueless as to not understand what was happening now.
The horrific scene of destruction before his eyes made him realize that the two people there were also participants in the Holy Grail War.
And his Berserker even held a very friendly attitude towards them.
Then—
In order to win this Holy Grail War, and to kill Tohsaka Tokiomi, he indeed had to do something to gain an advantage.
Under the influence of this thought, Matou Kariya, meeting Artoria and Irisviel for the first time, spoke directly.
"Hey," He called out.
"You two... do you want to form an alliance with me?" He proposed.
In the shadows, a black figure flickered, then disappeared.
[Occasional events can often become inevitable catalysts.]
[And some people hope to hold even such randomness in their own hands.]
Inside the church.
The black figure who had retreated from the port reported what he had seen and heard to Kirei Kotomine.
The latter then turned and told his teacher Tohsaka Tokiomi and his Servant, Gilgamesh.
"What?!" Tohsaka Tokiomi showed a shocked expression. "Kariya allied with others?" He asked in disbelief.
"Yes, Master," Kirei Kotomine answered respectfully.
"According to Assassin, it seems this alliance was born because Lancer was too powerful," he explained the situation.
"..."
Tohsaka Tokiomi was silent.
Honestly, his impression of Matou Kariya wasn't too bad.
After all, as his wife's friend, this person who often stayed away from home would frequently visit his daughters Tohsaka Sakura and Tohsaka Rin and bring them small gifts.
Not to say he liked him much.
But at least he didn't dislike him.
Of course, to be more objective, the two's relationship was actually closer to that of strangers, merely limited to the extent of exchanging greetings when they met.
But Tohsaka Tokiomi hadn't expected Matou Kariya to participate in the Holy Grail War at this time.
Did he also have some wish that absolutely had to be fulfilled? He wondered.
"Teacher," Kirei Kotomine's voice pulled Tohsaka Tokiomi back to reality.
"What should we do about this?" He inquired.
"I remember he is your wife's good friend, isn't he?" Kirei added.
"..."
Tohsaka Tokiomi was silent for a moment, then replied to his disciple Kirei Kotomine.
"Don't concern yourself with it," he instructed.
"If you see him again next time, treat him as an enemy. There's no need to show mercy." He stated his decision coldly.
"Understood," Kirei Kotomine maintained his respectful attitude.
And what the two did not know was that Gilgamesh showed a hint of displeasure after hearing Tohsaka Tokiomi's words.
He seemed to feel very dissatisfied with the man's actions.
[The direction of fate's flow is not singular.]
[In the Holy Grail War, each person's purpose and choices are also different.]
[Some are to fulfill the wishes in their hearts.]
[Some are to kill people they have hated for a long time.]
[But some people are just looking for the pleasure they need.]
On a certain street in Fuyuki City.
Ryuunosuke Uryuu was eagerly beckoning his Servant, Mephistopheles.
In a sense, they should be the most perfectly compatible combination in this Holy Grail War.
A living devil and a deceased devil becoming partners—nothing could be more in sync.
"Mephisto, hurry and show me your work!" Ryuunosuke urged excitedly.
"I can't wait!" He added gleefully.
"Understood, Master," Mephistopheles replied.
Mephistopheles took off his hat.
"Please enjoy... the performance I have prepared for you!" He said with a flourish.
As soon as he finished speaking, the apartment building before them, housing who knows how many people, burst into flames.
But what was even more terrifying was not the fire.
When the people inside the apartment fled downstairs in a panic, they would find that they could not leave this apartment no matter what.
It was a cursed ritual prepared by Mephistopheles, despairing and cruel.
Listening to the wailing from within the fire, witnessing the bodies twisting in agony from being burned by the fierce flames, Ryuunosuke Uryuu felt like he was already reaching a state of ecstasy.
"Perfect, simply too perfect!" He shouted with delight.
"Mephisto!" He called out.
"Let's turn Fuyuki into a human paradise together!" He proposed maniacally.