She fled, and Guinevere didn't pursue. She needed some time as well.
Taking a deep breath, Guinevere watched the car driven by the King of Knights speed away, forcing her trembling wrist to still.
If the King of Knights hadn't intervened, and she had fought Lancelot for much longer, she would have surely been defeated—or forced to use her Second Noble Phantasm.
As a Caster, her base stats were weaker than when she was alive. In contrast, Lancelot, as a Berserker possessing the body of a Faerie Girl, was stronger than his living self.
This reversal of their past duels meant she was being pushed toward defeat by Lancelot's superior base stats.
But she was a Caster, after all. If she didn't limit herself to close combat...
"Hey, have you all watched enough? Not coming out to say hello? A bunch of cowardly turtles? Or did I scare your balls off?"
On the verge of defeat and still irritated by the King of Knights' newfound wish, Guinevere was itching for more fights—even another duel with Lancelot.
Her words had hit their mark. The King of Conquerors, who had been about to leave, immediately halted. In the basement, the King of Heroes, sipping red wine, let out a cold sneer...
Far down the road, the King of Knights, her thoughts still in turmoil, slammed on the brakes. Her car spun in place before roaring back with a ferocity that surpassed even Irisviel's driving.
There were no streetlights by the sea, but the King of Heroes materialized atop a lamppost along the shore promenade.
The sky thundered with the bellowing of oxen, punctuated by the desperate cries of a delicate-looking young man.
The car that screeched to a halt arrived almost as quickly as the others.
"Well, well," Guinevere sneered. "Looks like there are others without balls."
Before the words had even left her mouth, a jet-black steel pipe shot down from the sky.
Guinevere's taunts were most effective against Lancelot. But this time, after they clashed a few more times, his body suddenly froze. An irresistible force seemed to compel him to look up at the King of Heroes perched on the lamppost.
It was the Chains of Heaven, but they couldn't match Lancelot's speed. Just as the two were face-to-face, with Lancelot's sword about to strike the King of Heroes down, the silent king abruptly dissolved into spiritual particles, forcibly recalled to Tokiomi Tohsaka's side.
It all happened in a flash. Kariya Matou and Tokiomi Tohsaka had each used a Command Spell.
From a nearby shadow, Kariya, who had finally arrived, witnessed the King of Heroes' humiliation. His twisted face under the hood contorted into a wild laugh, drawing dangerous attention to himself.
"Master, I've found Berserker's Master."
"Send Assassin to eliminate him!"
The King of Heroes stood beside Tokiomi, his face ashen and silent since his recall. The recent scene had been a deep humiliation, yet Tokiomi's decisive action had undeniably saved his life, preventing him from becoming the first clown to be eliminated from this Holy Grail War.
Just as Tokiomi was about to order Assassin to stand down, Kirei Kotomine spoke again.
"Master, the Assassin we just dispatched has been killed. Lancer was the one who did it. Should I still..."
Tokiomi gritted his teeth, but quickly regained his elegant composure. "That will be all for now," he said.
He already felt he had suffered a significant loss. The opportunity to eliminate Berserker had vanished, and now the information that Assassin had not been eliminated would spread. With Lancer protecting Kariya Matou, sending more Assassins would be pointless.
For now, his gaze remained fixed on the beach, his mind racing to find a way to soothe the King of Heroes' likely fury.
In Tokiomi's eyes, the King of Heroes was perfect in every way—except for his overwhelming pride and carelessness.
"Tohsaka, your actions just now were commendable. I will take the rest of this war a little more seriously."
The King of Heroes, with his golden hair and crimson eyes, should have been seething with rage. Instead, his expression grew cold and stern, his tone unnaturally calm.
As the King's suppressed anger dissipated, Tokiomi, back in his study, stared blankly for several seconds. Then, unable to contain himself, he doubled over with laughter, his usual elegance completely forgotten.
To make the King of Heroes take the war seriously... what was the cost of a single Command Spell, a single Assassin, compared to that?
Meanwhile, back on the beach, Lancelot had just forced the King of Heroes to retreat and was turning his attention to Guinevere when he, too, was forced to disappear.
Not long after, Lancer—who had just saved Kariya Matou's life only to be forced by Kenneth to kill him—had nearly been struck down on the spot by Lancelot.
Kariya Matou had used his second Command Spell.
Lancer only survived because Kenneth, seeing the dire situation and recognizing Lancer's continued usefulness, used a Command Spell of his own to recall him.
But when Diarmuid returned, his strength clearly insufficient, Kenneth offered no kindness. He spat out a single sentence:
"It seems your only talent is seducing your lord's wife."
It was the ultimate humiliation, yet Diarmuid stood silent, unable to refute it. He had been suppressed by Lancelot in just a few moves and nearly decapitated.
Neither he nor Kenneth knew that his swift defeat and subsequent recall had saved Kenneth's life. A sniper rifle, aimed directly at Kenneth's head, had been prevented from firing.
Kiritsugu Emiya had been in constant communication with Irisviel von Einzbern, overhearing the entire conflict between the King of Knights and Guinevere.
Concluding that their feud was irreconcilable and had a ninety percent chance of ending in drawn swords, Kiritsugu added Guinevere's Master to his kill list.
This was precisely the role the Einzberns had entrusted him with.
Back on the beach, only the King of Conquerors remained, watched by both Guinevere and the King of Knights.
Hidden beneath the King of Conquerors' heavy cloak, his petite Master tugged at the fabric, muttering pessimistic remarks.
"Hey, Rider, this is bad, isn't it? We're being stared down by this... husband and wife? Wife and wife? No... this couple. Can you really win against both of them together?"
"Relax, my little Master," the King of Conquerors rumbled, his tone impossibly fond as he ruffled the boy's hair with a hand larger than his head. "Even if it were the King of Knights, her Queen, Lancelot, and the entire Round Table Knights combined, I'm confident I could crush them all in one go! Besides, I believe the King of Knights and Queen Guinevere possess enough knightly honor not to resort to ganging up on a single opponent."
He had soothed his Master and playfully teased his adversaries. His chariot rolled from the sea onto the sand. He straightened up, arms spread wide, and boomed in a wild, unrestrained voice:
"I am the Conqueror King, Iskandar, Rider of this Holy Grail War! By the etiquette of knights, declare your True Names to me, you two beautiful ladies!"
The King of Conquerors was brimming with confidence. Aside from Guinevere, who already expected as much, everyone—both present and observing from afar—was astonished.
In the Holy Grail War, concealing one's True Name had always been a sound strategy. Once a True Name was known, one could almost deduce the Servant's strengths and likely Noble Phantasms. It was akin to revealing one's entire hand.
The King of Conquerors' brazen honesty earned Guinevere's admiration once more, just as her past self had admired him.
"Guinevere Pendragon, Caster of this Holy Grail War, and the King of Knights' one and only partner."
Many had doubted Guinevere's Class, but her direct confirmation now led them to wonder: if she had been summoned as a Saber, could she have displayed even greater swordsmanship?
Following her, the King of Knights spoke:
"Artoria Pendragon, Saber of this Holy Grail War, and Guinevere's one and only King."
The onlookers were force-fed a mouthful of public affection. Waver Velvet, who had been worried about the two teaming up, clung even tighter to his King of Conquerors.