Credits: Joseph Sepulveda
"Tokiyomi, how dare you order this king to do something?" The King of Heroes, Gilgamesh, dressed stylishly and holding a glass of red wine in his hand, looked at Tokiomi Tohsaka, who was kneeling before him, with a slightly impatient expression.
"Your servant wouldn't dare!" Tokiomi said humbly. "I merely acted out of strategic consideration for the current Holy Grail War and privately decided to form an alliance with the Einzbern family's Master to counter the other two Master-Servant pairs. This was undoubtedly an act of overstepping my bounds in the eyes of Your Majesty. Please punish me."
"Hmph, forget it," Gilgamesh waved his hand dismissively. "I understand your reasoning. That puppet of a god is indeed strong, and if you add that woman into the mix, even I would have to exert some effort to deal with them. I'll spare you from punishment this time."
"Thank you for Your Majesty's mercy!" Tokiomi bowed even lower. This decision to form an alliance was undoubtedly a risky move.
From his recent observations, Tokiomi had concluded that Gilgamesh was an extremely proud king. The fact that he forgave Tokiomi was likely because the opponents were truly formidable, making him less inclined to reject the notion of the alliance.
"Prepare yourself, Tokiomi," Gilgamesh said, standing up from the sofa and draining his wine in one gulp. His body began to gleam with golden light, and his modern, well-tailored attire transformed in an instant into the golden armor of the King of Heroes. "I hope the ally you've chosen isn't so useless that they'll be killed before we even arrive."
...
Upon receiving a distress signal from Irisviel, Kiritsugu Emiya immediately sent a request for assistance to Tokiomi Tohsaka, urging him to fulfill his obligations as an ally and provide immediate support to the Einzbern family.
However, this did not mean Kiritsugu could relax. He hadn't anticipated the Clock Tower Lord's retaliation to come so quickly; it seemed that the Lord himself hadn't been injured after all.
Kiritsugu had assumed that after destroying the opponent's mana furnace, even the most vengeful individual would need some time to prepare before seeking revenge. But it now appeared that Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald was not a rational person. While this counterattack disrupted Kiritsugu's plans, he believed that if he acted cautiously, he still had a good chance to eliminate Kayneth and his student.
With that thought, Kiritsugu retrieved the hydra venom he had stored away, positioning it for easy access.
After preparing his sniper rifle, he rushed toward the Einzbern castle as fast as he could, calculating how long Semiramis could hold out against the two Servants.
...
Meanwhile, the battle between Semiramis and Kayneth's group Servant pair was growing increasingly intense. Yet, for some reason, Semiramis was still managing to hold her ground against both Karna and Iskandar, which was highly unusual for an Assassin-class Servant.
"Something feels off..." Waver Velvet, seated on the Gordius Wheel, bit his nails as he observed and pondered.
"Professor, why does that Assassin remain within the vicinity of the Einzbern castle?" Waver asked Kayneth. "Is there something important inside the castle?"
"Hm?" Prompted by his student's remark, Kayneth began to notice the pattern. He realized that the peculiar, magic-wielding Assassin seemed unwilling to leave a specific area during the fight.
"A territory bonus, perhaps?" Kayneth mused aloud. "That would make sense. Without the advantage of her territory, even if she's the Empress of Assyria, she likely wouldn't be able to face two Servants at once!"
"Karna!" Kayneth shouted. Karna simply turned his head and nodded at Kayneth, fully understanding his intention. He adjusted his attack strategy, aiming to force Semiramis out of her territory.
On Waver's side, he explained Semiramis's territorial advantage to the King of Conquerors. Iskandar grinned knowingly.
"Driving a ruler out of her stronghold, is it?" Iskandar said, his spirits high. "Cruel, perhaps, but war is often like this—unforgiving!"
With that, he immediately turned the Gordius Wheel around, coordinating with Karna to push the Assyrian Empress out of her territory.
"Tch!" Semiramis clicked her tongue in frustration. Seeing her opponents had discerned the source of her strength and were now exploiting it, she was forced to retreat while fighting.
She needed to buy more time—enough for her unreliable Master to come to her rescue.
However, holding out against two well-coordinated, powerful top-tier Servants was proving to be an increasingly difficult task.
Not long after her weakness was exposed, Karna and Iskandar launched a series of ferocious attacks, forcing Semiramis to retreat step by step.
Suddenly, Karna covered his right eye, and brilliant crimson light erupted from his left eye, shooting straight toward Semiramis.
"Equipment is inadequate. A true hero kills with a stare! Brahmastra!!"
As he finished speaking, Karna's attack struck Semiramis's Black Coffin, creating a massive explosion that blasted her out of her territory.
Seizing the opportunity, Iskandar charged forward with the Gordius Wheel, wielding his sword with the intent to end the Empress's life in one decisive blow before she could activate her Noble Phantasm.
Just as Iskandar was about to deal a critical hit to the Assyrian Empress, a rain of Noble Phantasms suddenly shot down from the side, targeting everyone present—including Semiramis herself.
Iskandar's pupils contracted as he swung his sword to deflect several of the projectiles, then shifted the Gordius Wheel with all his might to evade the unexpected assault.
But even the Rider-class Servant, renowned for his speed, had his limits. The sheer scale of the attack made it nearly impossible to dodge completely.
"Rider! You're hurt!" Waver exclaimed in shock, seeing the towering man had been pierced through his left arm by one of the weapons. Forced to switch the Gordius Wheel's reins to his right hand, Iskandar remained calm.
"Don't panic. It's a minor injury," Iskandar said nonchalantly, pulling the sword out of his arm without so much as a flinch. "Heal me. You can manage that, right?"
"I-I'll do my best!" Waver stammered, clumsily casting healing magic to treat his Servant's wound.
Kayneth, noticing his student's incompetence with healing magecraft, was about to scold him and demonstrate how it was done when the unexpected happened.
A faint gunshot echoed from afar, barely audible amidst the chaos. A single bullet, unnoticed by everyone amidst the confusion, struck Waver in the shoulder.