As the strongest knight of the Round Table, before the incident of "stealing" his lord's queen ever occurred, Lancelot had always been King Arthur's right-hand man—her most trusted blade.
And in this Type-Moon–styled world, the marriage between Artoria and Queen Guinevere had always been a purely platonic one.
After all, given how utterly unhinged the setting of this world was—where even Heroic Spirits could be genderbent—the King of Knights here was a woman, and Queen Guinevere was also a woman.
Yuri was wonderful and all…Pity it couldn't produce heirs.
Because of that, Artoria herself had never truly harbored deep resentment toward Lancelot over the matter of "taking her wife away." Rather, it was Lancelot who believed that, as a knight, he had committed an unforgivable sin—one that drove him to place himself on the opposite side of the Round Table.
"Assassin," Saber said calmly,"I have no intention of becoming your enemy. However, regarding Berserker—Sir Lancelot—may I ask that you allow me to personally deliver the final blow?"
This was completely beyond Ren Kuroda's expectations.
Saber had stepped in front of him—not to save Lancelot, but to personally end him?
After thinking it over for a moment, Ren Kuroda no longer found it strange.
For Saber, this was something she had already experienced once, ten years ago.
Now, she understood Lancelot's resolve.
A proud warrior like him—even after falling into madness and being summoned as a Berserker—had only one purpose in participating in the Holy Grail War.
Atonement.
If Lancelot were to die beneath Assassin's blade, that lingering guilt in his heart would never truly dissipate.
And so, as a benevolent king who cherished her companions, Saber wished to fulfill Lancelot's final obsession—by personally granting him release.
"Although we belong to the same faction, it doesn't actually matter who defeats Berserker in the end. The Holy Grail War doesn't award extra points for kill counts, after all," Ren Kuroda replied flatly."But this opponent is someone I defeated with my own hands. Why should I just hand him over?"
He met Saber's gaze, unflinching.
"I already repaid Archer for helping me earlier. You are the world-renowned King of Knights—surely someone who upholds chivalry understands that interfering in another person's duel is deeply disrespectful?"
Hearing Ren Kuroda say this so calmly, Saber visibly wavered.
But when she glanced back at Lancelot—who had been staring at her the entire time—her hesitation vanished, replaced by unwavering resolve. With the Sword of Promised Victory in hand, she stood her ground without taking a single step back.
"W-wait, hold on, hold on!" Rin suddenly blurted out."Why did things escalate like this so fast?! We're all on the blue faction! Berserker is part of the red faction! There's no need to go this far over him—can't we just talk this out?!"
Rin, who had been thinking about how to recruit Ren Kuroda and his Master just moments ago, now found herself scrambling to act as mediator as the tension between Ren Kuroda and Saber reached a breaking point.
In her eyes, clashing over a final Grail slot might have made sense—but throwing everything away over an enemy Berserker simply wasn't worth it.
"Handing Berserker over to you isn't impossible," Ren Kuroda said after a pause."But in exchange, Saber, you'll need to help me with something. How does that sound?"
Seeing Saber's unwavering determination—and after glancing at Archer, Emiya—Ren Kuroda weighed the pros and cons before finally speaking.
Saber plus Archer Emiya.
And if Emiya Shirou were to get involved, then there was a high chance that Rider—Medusa—whose power had skyrocketed due to Sakura's partial corruption, would also join the fight.
After all, from Sakura's perspective, Berserker was practically on her side. The only reason she hadn't acted yet was because she didn't want Shirou and the others to realize she had allied herself with the red faction's Berserker.
Even if Ren Kuroda wasn't afraid of fighting three Servants at once, these three were particularly troublesome.
Saber and Archer were classic heroic protagonists—armed with protagonist plot armor.
Darkened Sakura and Rider were villain-side leads—backed by villain plot armor.
Whether it was protagonist buffs or antagonist cheats, going berserk and pulling off impossible comebacks against powerful enemies was practically guaranteed.
If he really had to fight three Servants alone, Ren Kuroda would much rather face three stronger but more "normal" opponents than these three disasters.
Besides, the faction war hadn't even been decided yet. Even if Ren Kuroda fought Saber and the others here and forced them to withdraw, it would bring no benefit to him or Medea—only weaken their own faction.
Recalling why he had initially chosen to follow Saber's group in the first place, Ren Kuroda finally presented this exchange.
For the sake of releasing Lancelot's lingering obsession, Saber was naturally ready to agree without hesitation.
But Rin, ever cautious, spoke up before Saber could answer.
"Assassin," Rin asked carefully,"what exactly do you want Saber to help you with? You're not going to ask her to help you win the Grail, are you?"
After spending some time together, Rin had gained a fair understanding of Saber.
This King of Knights—Artoria—was far too upright. Once she made a promise, she would see it through no matter what.
With two victory slots in the Holy Grail War, Rin feared both that Saber might walk into a trap—and that her most reliable ally might be poached right out from under her.
"No need to worry," Ren Kuroda replied openly."I just need Saber's help with one thing. She won't even need to fight—trash like that is something I can handle alone."
He shrugged.
"I'll be honest, so you don't keep suspecting me of ulterior motives. I only want Saber's help to draw out the red faction's Caster."
Ren Kuroda was completely straightforward about his intentions—because he truly had no designs on Saber herself.
"That is acceptable," Saber said immediately."I agree to your terms, and I thank you for granting this request. When the time comes to subjugate Caster, I will also offer my strength."
Rin still wanted to ask more questions, but Saber had already agreed.
Though she looked no older than seventeen, that was only because her age had been frozen the moment she drew the Sword in the Stone.
She had once been a king renowned throughout the land—her judgment of character was not so easily flawed. Someone with such skill and such breadth of heart was not the type to exploit others.
And given the power Assassin had already demonstrated, Saber was keenly aware that if he truly wished to act, she wouldn't be able to stop him anyway.
The fact that he hadn't chosen that path meant he had already shown them considerable respect.
"Sir Lancelot," Saber called out."I know the reason you answered the Grail's call this time."
She raised the Sword of Promised Victory.
"Come. If this will allow you to cast aside your lingering obsessions—then take up your blade and face me in our final duel!"
At Saber's voice, the grievously wounded Lancelot forced himself upright using Arondight, roaring as his bloodshot eyes flared once more.
His knightly armor was long since ruined, revealing his true form beneath. A horrifying gash split his chest, blood pouring endlessly from the wound.
And yet, when he gazed upon Saber—standing before him with the Sword of Promised Victory in hand—his presence surged to heights even greater than when he had fought Ren Kuroda.
A battle between king and knight began.
The King of Knights who founded the Round Table—and the strongest knight who had once served beneath her.
No one interfered. All who remained watched in silence.
Although Emiya Shirou, as a Master, lacked the talent to supply Saber with sufficient mana—reducing the once "All-A King" to the infamous "Glutton King"—
Lancelot's condition was hardly better.
As the battle dragged on, the wound in his chest only worsened.
To be blunt, a fully powered Lancelot wielding Arondight could have effortlessly crushed three weakened versions of the ahoge king.
But the problem was that his injuries were already far too severe—and he had no intention of surviving this battle anyway.
The outcome was inevitable.
The Sword of Promised Victory pierced straight through Lancelot's chest.
And in the instant he was struck down by Saber's blade, the crimson madness in the strongest knight of the Round Table finally faded from his eyes.
"My king… thank you for your forgiveness," Lancelot said softly."I hope that one day, you too may lay down those heavy burdens you carry."
He smiled faintly.
"If fate allows it… your knight, Lancelot, would gladly serve you once more…"
Pierced through by the Sword of Promised Victory, Lancelot dissolved into countless motes of light, vanishing into the sky.
In that final moment, the once-corrupted Arondight in his grasp regained the radiance befitting a holy sword.
At the very end, the Knight of the Lake seemed to have truly found redemption.
Lancelot's departure marked the second Servant of the red faction to be eliminated—following Assassin's earlier fall.
The red faction was now down to five Servants, while the blue faction remained completely intact. From a numerical standpoint alone, the blue faction held a decisive advantage.
After Lancelot disappeared, his Master—Kariya Matou—collapsed limply onto the ground.
Lancelot's strength as a Heroic Spirit was beyond question. Though the madness-attribute spells Kariya had used made him difficult to control, Kariya had always regarded Lancelot as his ultimate weapon against Tokiomi Tohsaka.
Yet Lancelot hadn't even laid a finger on Tokiomi before being defeated here.
Ordinarily, in a Holy Grail War, once a Servant was eliminated, their Master would soon follow. No one wanted to leave behind a vengeful enemy—and as long as a Master retained Command Spells, they could still form a new contract with another Servant.
But Rin and the others simply couldn't bring themselves to kill someone.
And given that Kariya had once treated the Tohsaka sisters kindly when they were young, Rin found it even harder to raise her hand against him.
As for Emiya Shirou—it went without saying. Someone who aspired to become a "hero of justice" could never kill a Master who had already lost his Servant.
Even Ren Kuroda, after casting a glance at the utterly broken Kariya, ultimately shook his head and walked away.
There was no other reason—
To become a Master, Kariya had already burned away his own lifespan. Even if no one touched him, he didn't have long left to live.
And in the end…
He was a pitiful man, too.