After receiving the signal sent by Irisviel earlier that evening, Kiritsugu and Maiya raced toward the industrial factories according to her coordinates.
When they arrived at the edge of the district, they were welcomed by a soundless, sprawling stretch of silence.
There was only the howling of the sea wind brushing past their ears and an atmosphere as quiet and heavy.
The night air was biting, carrying a sharp, cold breeze off the Mion River.
However…
"It hasn't begun yet," Kiritsugu spoke, his voice a low murmur that barely carried over the wind. "It seems we have arrived early. No one is actively clashing yet, which means Saber is still on her way."
Just by feeling the traces of mana flaring wildly in the center of the district, Kiritsugu could read the situation. An enemy Servant was brazenly inviting others to a fight, broadcasting their location dead ahead.
Furthermore, someone had already erected a massive bounded field around the entire area. It was the undeniable work of the enemy Servant's Master, the one whose Servant was currently acting as a challenger.
The goal of the barrier was simple and standard for a Magus: to segregate the upcoming battlefield from the outside world.
It was a hypnotic ward designed to unconsciously turn away any ordinary civilians from entering the docks, thereby concealing the battle and preserving the ultimate secrecy of the Holy Grail War.
Kiritsugu began to contemplate their next move as he adjusted his grip on the heavy, ten-kilogram Walther WA2000 sniper rifle resting against his shoulder.
He had estimated that taking the long route would make them late, assuming the fight would have already started by the time they got into position.
But it seemed they were already very close to this location when the signal went out. Arriving early was a massive tactical advantage. They could set up their nests, observe the opening moves of the battle, and if an enemy Master was foolish enough to hide nearby, Kiritsugu could take them out instantly.
He did not intend to join the actual battle at all; that was precisely why he brought the heavy sniper rifle. He wanted to inspect the fight from a secure, distant location, attacking only when an opening presented itself, and only targeting the Masters.
Servants were not human. They were Heroic Spirits. Therefore, only a Servant could truly wound another Servant. No matter how powerful Kiritsugu's custom rifle or Maiya's firearms were, they would be less than useless against a Heroic Spirit.
As long as the enemy Servant devoted themselves entirely to battling another servant or Saber and paid no mind to the well-being of their Master, Kiritsugu could win this fight without his side incurring a single loss.
"Up there," Maiya whispered, pointing straight ahead. "That looks like a good place for observing the fight clearly."
It was a massive derrick crane that towered high into the night sky over the harbor. Judging by sight, the control cabin hovered roughly thirty meters above the ground.
It would undoubtedly be the best observation point possible in this entire area, assuming one could silently climb up there without being detected.
Kiritsugu had no objections to the tactical value of Maiya's suggestion, but because of that very fact, he shook his head.
"Yes, that is the ideal place to survey the battle," Kiritsugu pointed out, his eyes narrowing at the dark silhouette of the crane. "So, it shouldn't be just us who will come up with that idea. If it looks perfect to us, it looks perfect to the enemies too."
Without needing any further explanation, Maiya immediately understood his intention.
"Slip through the eastern bank," Kiritsugu ordered, keeping his voice dead flat. "I'll go through the opposite. Find an observation point that can overlook both the Servant's location and the top of that crane."
Maiya gave a short, firm nod. "Understood."
With that, she melted away into the shadows of the corrugated factories, holding the Steyr AUG assault rifle tightly against her chest.
Kiritsugu checked the input from his transmitter one last time, ensuring Irisviel's approach, before he cautiously moved in the opposite direction to set up his own nest.
…
Back in the center of the wide, four-lane road, Gojo remained completely unbothered by Lancer's expression of utter shock.
Before the spearman could even begin to process the fact that a Servant had just freely given away his True Name, Gojo casually turned his head to look over his shoulder.
"Oh?!" Gojo spoke up, his voice bright and entirely devoid of tension. "Looks like I'm not the only one to accept your invitation, spearboy. Quite the popular guy you are."
From the shadows of the flickering streetlights, two figures emerged into the open road.
One was a young woman with striking, spun-silver hair and brilliant crimson eyes, dressed in an elegant, white winter coat. Walking slightly ahead of her, acting as her shield, was a petite young woman with golden-blonde hair tied neatly into a bun, dressed sharply in a black butler's suit.
Saber and Irisviel officially joined the company.
They stopped about fifteen meters away, their arrival forming a rough, tense triangle on the empty battlefield between Saber, the spearman, and the white-haired man.
Saber immediately recognized the spearman as the source of the mana flare. Her green eyes locked onto him, assessing his stance. But as her gaze shifted slightly to the side to evaluate the third party, her breath hitched audibly.
Standing right there, with his hands still lazily shoved into his pockets and his blindfold fully secured, was the exact same, weird Servant they had encountered just that afternoon.
Irisviel, standing safely behind Saber's back, let out a small gasp of surprise. "Ah... you are..."
Gojo's face instantly lit up with a massive, friendly smile. He pulled his right hand out of his pocket and began to wave at them enthusiastically, mirroring the exact same ridiculous gesture he had made on the sidewalk hours ago.
"Oh, hey tourists!" Gojo called out cheerfully, his voice echoing across the silent, deadly battlefield. "Fancy meeting you gals again! Don't tell me you were missing me so much you began to stalk me? Even though you didn't wave back earlier when you left... I was actually pretty hurt, you know!"
Saber did not relax. In fact, her posture grew even more rigid than before. When she had seen him in the city, she thought he was strange.
"You..." Saber spoke, her voice laced with stern authority. "Are you allied with the spearman?"
Lancer frowned deeply, his golden eyes darting between Saber and Gojo. He could feel the sheer, combat aura rolling off the blonde girl.
"That pure fighting spirit..." Lancer murmured, his own warrior's pride rising. "Am I right to assume you are Saber? And... you know this Caster?"
Saber kept her eyes locked on Lancer. "You are... surely you must be Lancer? If you mean personally, as an ally, no, I do not know this Caster. Though we did encounter each other earlier today by coincidence."
"Now that is a very hurtful thing to say, and right in front of me too!" Gojo complained loudly, throwing a hand over his heart as if he'd been shot. "I thought we became friends and all! I even invited you to get a meal, you know! And now you're acting like we're strangers... sigh, is this what it feels like when someone ignores you? It sure is hurtful."
Lancer stared at him. "..."
Irisviel blinked. "..."
Saber. "..." though she had already gotten her answer. Gojo was clearly not allied with Lancer.
"So!" Gojo suddenly clapped his hands together, the sharp smack echoing loudly around them. "How do you guys wanna do this?! Two versus one? One versus one versus one? A free-for-all? Though honestly, I'm perfectly okay with just sitting back and watching, you know. I could just be the cheerboy here, cheering you two on!"
…
A/N: Two More Coming..