Adam waved the rest of the Chaldea team forward.
"You all head inside first. I'll hold this Archer here."
Olga Marie's eyes widened when she realized Adam meant to stay behind. The girl who had come to rely on him so heavily looked momentarily panicked, but she quickly steadied herself and put the mission first.
"Then… Adam, please catch up with us as soon as you can."
Adam glanced over their strengthened lineup and offered a reassuring smile.
"What are you worried about? Even without me right beside you, you've got plenty of Servants now."
Olga Marie looked at the formidable figures around her—Heracles, Medusa, and Cú Chulainn. Chaldea truly wasn't the fragile group it had been when only Cú Chulainn stood with them. Thanks to Adam, they now had both the mighty Berserker and the Rider as well.
That solid sense of security washed over her, and she gave Adam a grateful look. Every one of these powerful allies was someone he had brought into their fold.
Adam signaled to Illya, preparing to send her back. His current summoning reserves weren't enough to sustain both a five-star and a four-star Servant at the same time.
If only I had a few more affection points…
Before she vanished, Illya gave Heracles one last set of earnest instructions, urging him to protect Chaldea with everything he had. The towering Berserker nodded solemnly in reply.
After their farewell, Adam sent her back to her own world.
EMIYA watched the girl disappear with a faint flicker of relief, though he had no idea how it had happened.
The rest of the Chaldea group immediately dashed into the cave. EMIYA tried to launch a volley of swords to block their path, but Mash deflected every single projectile with her shield in an instant.
That left only Adam, Mash, and Cú Chulainn on the field.
Adam turned to the Lancer in surprise.
"Why aren't you following the team?"
Cú Chulainn grinned, his gaze fixed on the Archer in the distance.
"I've got some personal business to settle with this bowman."
Adam checked his system panel—his own EMIYA (Assassin) was still listed—then looked back at Cú Chulainn's battered state. The Lancer was covered in wounds, his legs still slightly deformed even after healing. He could barely walk without limping and leaning on a makeshift crutch.
And yet here he was, talking about settling a grudge.
Adam patted the Lancer's shoulder.
"You'd better just sit this one out and watch."
Cú Chulainn started to protest.
"Don't underestimate—"
Adam lightly tapped the injured leg. Cú Chulainn instantly shut his mouth, face twisting as he fought back a groan of pain.
"Just stay put like a good boy."
Once he was certain the Lancer wouldn't try anything reckless, Adam turned toward the ridge and shouted the Archer's true name.
"EMIYA!!!"
EMIYA's eyes widened in shock.
What the—? How does he know my true name?
He frantically searched his memories but came up blank. He had never met this silver-haired young man before. Could this enemy possess some kind of identity-revealing ability?
"Does he have high-rank clairvoyance…?"
EMIYA's expression darkened. This opponent might prove far more dangerous than he had first assumed.
Adam flashed a mischievous grin and continued.
"Do you want to see Kiritsugu Emiya again?"
EMIYA visibly froze.
"What the hell are you talking about?"
Knowing his true name was one thing, but how did this stranger also know about his past? Kiritsugu Emiya—his adoptive father.
Did this person possess the highest level of clairvoyance?
Adam didn't wait for an answer. He opened his system interface and tapped the summon button.
A Servant with white hair and dark skin materialized on the field, a vivid red scarf wrapped around his neck. An icy, unapproachable aura radiated from him. Only when he turned toward Adam did his voice soften slightly.
"What is it, Master? Do you need me to take care of something?"
Cú Chulainn was clearly startled by the sudden arrival.
The man's presence felt eerily similar to the Archer above them.
"Hey kid, next time you summon a Servant, could you give me a little warning? Having some creepy-looking guy suddenly appear next to me is terrifying!"
He took a closer look at the newly summoned Servant.
"…Wait, why does this guy feel so similar to that Archer up there?"
Adam simply smiled and offered no explanation.
He pointed toward EMIYA on the ridge and spoke to his Servant.
"Do me a favor and restrain him."
"Understood."
After confirming the target, Kiritsugu Emiya gave a curt nod. He asked for no further details—pure efficiency.
Of course, he hadn't yet recognized EMIYA, who was currently wearing a ragged brown cloak.
The Kiritsugu Emiya Adam had summoned came from a slightly different timeline than the one from the Fourth Holy Grail War. They had walked divergent paths.
But that didn't lessen the impact in the slightest.
The moment EMIYA laid eyes on the man, he was stunned into silence.
"This feeling… it can't be…"
In that single glance, he understood exactly who this person was—even if part of him desperately wanted to deny it.
Even if this wasn't the exact same Kiritsugu from his memories, they were still fundamentally the same man.
And now that man stood on the opposing side.
Kiritsugu Emiya had been the one to instill in him the ideal of saving others. That belief had driven him to form a contract with the Counter Force and brought him here today.
The bitter irony of facing the very person who had given him that ideal as an enemy was almost too much to bear.
The battle began immediately, with Kiritsugu Emiya seizing the initiative.
He drew a handgun—yes, a literal gun.
Even after becoming a Heroic Spirit, Kiritsugu Emiya still preferred to fight with firearms.
A rapid barrage tore toward EMIYA.
The Archer dodged desperately and countered by projecting dozens of swords at once.
Just as Kiritsugu Emiya moved to evade—
Mash stepped forward and blocked the entire attack with her shield.
***
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