Lancer Alter stood on the earth, brows drawn tight.
Normally, when Artoria manifested as a Lancer, she always fought mounted. Llamrei was the name of that horse.
The reason she now stood on the ground was simple. Llamrei was gone. The Servant before her had blown it straight back to the Throne of Heroes with one strike.
A girl floated in front of Lancer Alter. She was less than five feet tall, with two enormous double-ended lances in her hands. A pair of black wings with a metallic sheen spread from her back. Her hair faded from white to black, and with that beautiful smiling face, she looked like a perfect character stepped out of a fairy tale.
"What a fine horse. Without it, you might already be dead." The girl's voice was clear and gentle, yet the words she spoke chilled the blood.
Lancer Alter did not deny it. If Llamrei had not taken most of that blow for her, the one returning to the Throne would not have been the horse alone.
Of course, because Llamrei was tied to her Saint Graph, its disappearance had also harmed her. The damage was not enough to send her back at once, but part of her strength had fallen away. That missing part would likely hasten her death.
Yes. Lancer Alter already knew how this would end.
She knew the Servant before her too well. She and Saber Alter had once challenged this girl together, yet the result had only been a draw. Now Lancer Alter's Saint Graph was damaged, and Saber Alter could no longer come to help her.
At that moment, the last trace of Saber Alter's magical energy faded away. Lancer Alter paused, then let out a faint sigh.
"My luck today is terrible."
Then she raised her lance and entered a battle stance.
Lancer Alter was used to fighting from horseback, but that did not mean she was weak on the ground. The opposite was true. Her close quarters skill on foot was not inferior to her mounted combat. In some ways, it was even stronger. Otherwise, she should have been a Rider, not a Lancer.
The girl floating in the air did not rush. She also looked toward the direction where Saber Alter had disappeared and quietly sensed the fading of that Saint Graph.
"It seems someone strong came this time. To think they destroyed that black swordswoman. I wanted to finish both of you myself." She turned her gaze back to Lancer Alter. "Still, you remain."
"I am surprised as well. You usually move only at dusk or night, yet you appeared in daylight and happened to cross paths with me."
As Lancer Alter spoke, she forced the two Holy Grails inside her body to produce magical energy beyond their normal limit.
Before the girl could answer, Lancer Alter's attack was already complete.
"Rhongomyniad!"
A vast black beam blasted toward the Servant.
Lancer Alter's face changed. She had poured in even more magical energy to accelerate the release of the Noble Phantasm, and she had attacked without warning. Even so, she had missed.
The girl's voice sounded from behind her.
"That Noble Phantasm does have impressive power. But did you really think an attack with nothing but force and no speed could hit me, when I can break the sound barrier in 0.3 seconds?"
Lancer Alter's expression tightened. She knew this Servant was fast, but not this fast. When she and Saber Alter had challenged her before, one had defended while the other attacked. Even then, the girl's speed had not reached this level.
The problem was that Lancer Alter had already released half of her Noble Phantasm. A beam-type Noble Phantasm was like a floodgate once opened. If only a small amount of magical energy was involved, it might be stopped at will. But this time she had gathered a brutal reserve of energy first. That surge was a flood. It could still be shut off, but doing so required time, and time was exactly what she lacked.
Lancer Alter steeled herself. She swung the knight's lance sideways, using a weapon meant for thrusting as if it were a sweeping blade. The pouring beam followed the arc of her strike and carved a deep trench across the earth.
The attack missed again.
The Servant's voice rang out behind her once more, now carrying a hint of eager delight.
"Do you wish to challenge a dragon? That fighting spirit is admirable. Then I will grant your wish and play with you."
Intuition screamed danger inside Lancer Alter's mind. Guided by that warning, she successfully cut off the Noble Phantasm, turned, and blocked the girl's attack with her lance.
"Not bad. But you should stop struggling. I will give you a clean end."
After Wu Ling obtained the two Holy Grails inside Saber Alter, he gave them to Siegfried and Sigurd.
He already possessed the Throne of Heroic Spirits, a power superior to the Holy Grail for his own purposes. The Grails were not useless to him, but they were close to it. For Siegfried and Sigurd, however, the improvement was real. Even if the boost did not raise their raw strength much, as long as they could endure a few more blows, the Grails were worth it.
After that, Wu Ling brought Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mash over. This Singularity Belt was unusual, and the two of them did not have many chances to contribute directly, so Wu Ling suggested they remain in a safer location after he retrieved them.
Fujimaru Ritsuka objected every time. Mash stood with her and said she also wanted to help however she could.
Wu Ling had no choice. He allowed them to follow from some distance behind, while he, Siegfried, and Sigurd rushed toward Lancer Alter's position.
The sight before them froze everyone in place.
Lancer Alter was already dead.
The cause was the hole punched through her chest.
"So this is victory. Not bad. It almost makes this hollow core feel excited."
That beautiful voice rang beside Lancer Alter as her body turned into spirit particles. As Lancer Alter returned to the Throne, the Servant's figure fully appeared before everyone.
"Then you are the ones who killed that black swordswoman? You are good. Continue, then. Let me feel victory again."
The Servant shook both arms. The two double-ended lances, each nearly as large as her body, gave off a low vibrating hum.
Unlike the guarded Siegfried and Sigurd, Wu Ling's first reaction when he saw that Servant was joy and excitement. He pressed both feelings down a moment later.
"I did not expect this. But yes, when people speak of the strongest dragon, it would have to be you. I simply did not expect to meet you here, Melusine."