31 Bankai

Clang!* A sword collided with another blade, causing sparks while both attackers kept a set distance from each other.

"This?!" The white-haired girl's eyes widened in surprise.

"Dammit!" Lancer swore angrily, finding himself in the same position as earlier while he was battling Saber.

As he rushed at Masato, who was still in the air after blocking a slash from Saber, his body moved against his will.

He (Lancer) tightens his grip on the red spear in his right hand – he jumped high and swung the spear vertically downward.

"Oh my~,"

Masato, who was in a playful mood, raised his staff and parried the lance.

"Now this is fun," Masato smirked, knowing exactly what was going to happen.

After all, he has already seen and is constantly checking the future.

Nothing was hidden from him, and neither was the outcome of the current fight.

"Did they finally realize that if they want the Grail, they can only get it by killing me? They are, I must say, quite slow."

Masato joked in luxury even as he blocked sword and spear strikes.

Boom!*

Masato was thrown backward as a result of a blast.

As he slid backward with unstoppable momentum, his feet were implanted on the water's surface. Only after his body had covered a distance of 100 meters or so did he come to a halt.

"A nice strike." He said this while standing loosely with Est in his right hand.

Unlike Artoria, he did not have to use both hands to wield Est.

He could, of course, use both hands if he so desired. It's just that he thought he looked better with a single hand.

"I... am... sorry..." Saber clenched her teeth in rage as she tried to stop herself from carrying out Kiritsugu's order.

She was currently in a predicament. On the one hand, she wanted to carry out her Master's orders, but she also didn't want to hurt Masato.

"You're not required to, Artoria. I know you're being commanded," Masato said with a smile.

When he looked up in the sky, he noticed a jet plane heading in his direction. This jet plane, however, was unique in that it was covered in black with red root-like lines.

"Berserker!" When Irisviel noticed him, she yelled.

Waver's mind was a complete mess at the moment.

He also understands Masato's importance in battle and that he was the most important stumbling block in their quest for the Grail.

He was still debating whether or not to order Rider to attack him.

"Slow down, kid! Even if he is someone I can't defeat, I'll never gang up on someone who is exhausted," Rider slapped his back while looking at Masato, Lancer, and Saber.

Iskander was the King of Conquerors! He had his own sense of self-worth and morals. He would never attack someone who was exhausted and do a surprise attack on him.

And he was certain Lancer and Saber were the same as him.

That is why they refused to carry out the command given to them by their Masters. It was an affront to their knightley pride and honor.

"Should we then assist him?" Waver inquired, unsure.

"There is no need! Though it's mortifying, I must say that it's pretty much impossible for us Servants to defeat him right now," Rider exclaimed, laughing.

He turned to Masato and said, "He had previously declared war on every Master. If they are ganging upon him, it is not wrong because it is what he requested."

Indeed.

If it had happened before Masate declared war on every Servant, one might call it an injustice or an immoral act; attempting to kill someone while he is weak.

But what about now?

Rider didn't believe it was wrong. Masato, after all, was the one who demanded it by challenging them all.

"But…" He looked at Saber and Lancer before holding the reins of his war chariot, "Trampling on one's knight pride can never be forgiven!"

"Stop it, King of Conqueror." Just as he was about to intervene, Masato called out to him from a steady stance on the water, "Since it has begun, I shall end it myself. You don't need to get involved in this fight."

'Stop right there, old man! I'm not going to pass up such a great opportunity to kill Lancer! Otherwise, I'd have to give Lancer to Saber because neither she nor he wants their duel to go unresolved, but now? It's a perfect opportunity sent by Root to kill both him and Berserker.'

'After all, I can't have Artoria and Berserker meet.'

Saber had just changed her mind about changing her past, and Masato was unsure what kind of reaction she would have if she met Berserker now.

To be honest, he didn't want her to be sad. Saber, after all, was a very emotional woman despite her Kingly demeanor.

Rider came to a halt and exclaimed, "Hahaha! Yours is the heart of a brave warrior! I want you more than anyone else in my army right now!"

'No thanks. I have no desire to rule the world.'

Raaaar!!*

Berserker roared, finally approaching Masato and opening fire on him.

Masato gave him a look before whispering, "Sokyoku."

Screech!!*

Her ruby-like eyes looked Berserker as she screeched loudly. She flapped her wing and flew away from her spot.

Her speed had already broken through the sound barrier, causing sonic booms.

She appeared in front of the flying jet in a split second and opened her mouth.

Berserker was completely engulfed in a torrent of fire. But it was far from enough to defeat Berserker, one of the Holy Grail War's most powerful Servants.

The jet emerged from the torrent of fire with the sound of air being split open and rushed towards Masato.

Because command seals are absolute, even if Sokyoku was in his path to Masato, Berserker ignored her.

But would she allow him to harm her master, who had given her freedom? Clearly not!

Screech!*

Sokyoku flapped her wings again and rushed towards Masato before he could even reach him.

Her claws rose as she charged the jet, but Berserker's miraculous control allowed him to avoid the sharp claws and take a turn upward.

Sokyoku didn't let him leave her sight as she pursued him, sparking a battle between a phoenix and a jet plane.

"Even though she needs some training, she will undoubtedly become a monster in the future."

Masato praised Sokyoku before looking back at Saber and Lancer, who were standing on the water in front of him.

"Lancer... since your Master has ordered you to kill me, I'm not going to hold back. I hope you don't hold it against me for killing you today."

Even though he appeared hesitant on the outside, he couldn't wait any longer to kill him. Nothing was more important to him as a Gamer than XP – of course, his family came first.

"You don't have to, King of Britain. Because 'I' started this fight, even if you killed me, I would never resent you."

Masato observed Saber's internal conflict and said, "And you don't need to hold back, Artoria. Consider it nothing more than a training session. I don't want to sound arrogant, but even if both of you attacked at the same time, there's no way you'd be able to take me down."

"... Very well then," Artoria said after a brief pause.

Masato nodded and raised Est, saying, "Let's get started then."

The lake beneath Fuyuki Bridge was deafeningly quiet.

Three Servants stood face to face, or more accurately, two facing the other. There was a palpable sense of tension between them.

"Let's get this party started," the silver-black-haired individual said as he gripped the sword with both hands.

'All right, Est., let's go.'

'Yes, Master,'

"Bankai! "

Masato unleashed a torrent of spiritual pressure that engulfed everything within a mile radius.

His hair fluttered in the air as wave after wave formed in the lake, with him at the center.

Est's silver sword remained in his right hand, but another sword appeared in his other hand. It was shaped similarly to Est but in a darker color.

It emitted intense darkness, the polar opposite of Est, which appears to eat even the light from its surroundings.

With its presence, the night became even darker.

<<Terminus Est Zwei>>

Masato called out her name, marking its first appearance in this world.

Cold sweat streamed down the faces of the Masters and Servants who were watching him.

His presence was far too heavy for them. If his mana had previously been hidden and only a few people had discovered it, it was now visible to all.

Not only that but it had been amplified to the point where the space around him was crying and breaking.

"It's her debut," Masato said, raising Restia, "so I'm not going to hold back in the least."

Lancer tightened his grip on his spears, while Saber tensed up as well. Even though she knew Masato would not kill her, the pressure was too great to ignore.

Masato was the one who started the attack. He appeared in front of Lancer and swung Restia upwards, leaving a trail of dark lightning in her wake.

Lancer quickly blocked it with his red spear, which can negate most magecraft, but he was blasted away with a loud sound.

He came to a halt after 50 meters and looked down at his trembling hand.

'What a monstrous power!'

Saber launched an attack at the same time Masato moved. She appeared next to him and slashed her sword horizontally towards his torso, hoping to sever him.

He (Masato) did not look at her, but instead raised Est and blocked her strike. He spun around and kicked her in the stomach, propelling her backward as well.

Her body bounced on the water, somersaulting in the air and striking the waterbefore she regained her balance

Blood dripped from her lips as she gnashed her teeth.

That one kick was enough for her to realize the disparity in pure physical abilities between herself and Masato.

Lancer had already recovered by the time Masato kicked her and took advantage of the opportunity to hit him. But Masato's sword (Restia) was already in front of his face as if everything was predetermined and predestined.

Lancer felt time slow down as he noticed the tip of Restia reaching close to the center of his brow. His body's instinct kicked in at the last second.

He backflips deftly, the toe of his foot reaching for Masato's chin, attempting to kick him.

Masato let go of Resita, his left foot forward as he brought his elbow down and directly hit Lancer's leg bone.

Crack! Everyone on the lake could hear the sound of bone cracking, which was enough to send shivers down their spines.

"Grrr!" Lancer groaned, his body falling into the water and slowly sinking.

Artoria appeared beside him, drew him out, and yanked him towards the shore.

"You made an excellent decision. If you tried to protect him, it could have resulted in your 'death' as well." Masato praised, his face solemnly fixed on her.

'Oh my goodness, my master is so cool. At this rate, I might fall for him~.'

Ignoring his Bankai's obviously teasing voice, Masato turned to Artoria and leaned forward before launching his body towards her.

The water split as he moved in front of Artoria, who raised her sword in the air, covering it in <<Strike Air>> and bringing it down on him. Masato didn't flinch as he saw the coming strike and counter slashed Est at her.

<<Magic Nullification>>

All forms of magic around Excalibur vanished as Est struck it.

The air used to conceal it also burst open, revealing its true form.

He moved forward, forming an arc with Est that caused Excalibur to fall to his side.

Masato's face was only inches away from Artoria's when she felt a heavy impact on her stomach.

"Gah!" Her mouth open wide, and her body was bowed inward.

Masato didn't spare her eye as he spun and kicked her in the neck, eliciting another loud sound and blasting her away.

Everything happened in a matter of minutes or seconds.

Everyone looked at this with bated breath. One thought kept running through their heads: "Too powerful," to the point of suffocating them.

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