Vol. 2 Chapter 53: Arash, Your NP Is Full

Kiritsugu crept into the building where Arash was stationed. Instead of heading straight to the rooftop to meet his Servant, he pulled out a high-powered scope and quietly observed the situation down by the river.

From his vantage point, he could see the rooftop duel between Kariya Matou and Tokiomi Tohsaka.

"Tch. What a waste…" he muttered, clicking his tongue.

Tokiomi might've been his designated opponent, but the guy was clearly third-rate. Unfortunately, his Servants were anything but—Arash and that red Saber had proven frustratingly competent, each clearly holding something in reserve.

Kiritsugu couldn't shake the feeling that this red Saber was… too much like himself.

He turned back to the scope. As expected, Tokiomi was already getting stomped. Matou Kariya, fully buffed, was pinning him down and unleashing a brutal beatdown. The Sea Demon had apparently been dragged into a Reality Marble by the King of Conquerors. Saber, Lancer, and Rider's Master were all by the river, seemingly strategizing.

Kiritsugu weighed his options. He could command Saber to eliminate Rider's Master directly using a Command Seal.

But then again—Saber's rigid morality, paired with her absurdly high Magic Resistance, made that unlikely to succeed. And with Lancer—another stubborn knight—standing right beside her, that plan was a wash.

Too bad. He'd even removed Avalon from his wife's body just for this.

If Irisviel were still nearby, he could've manipulated Lancer into revealing his Noble Phantasm with just a phone call.

He checked the time. Just as he was about to order Arash to unleash his Noble Phantasm—

The plan collapsed.

Rider's Master had said something to Saber and Lancer—and Lancer willingly snapped his own Yellow Rose of Demise.

"...That Master… is no amateur," Kiritsugu muttered, extinguishing his cigarette beneath his heel. He raised his scope and studied the man's every movement with surgical precision.

Sure enough, as Saber and Lancer exchanged words, the man quietly called over a messenger and whispered a few discreet instructions.

Then, just as Saber began to gather energy—

Rider released the Sea Demon.

And then, grabbing his own Master, he retreated at full speed.

"This guy…" Kiritsugu narrowed his eyes. "He knew I was going to act…"

Fine. Let them go—for now.

He raised his scope again. Berserker had just been brought down by Lancer, crashing into the river below. Saber, meanwhile, had been interrupted by several unregistered Servants. One of them had eliminated the Sea Demon in her place.

Kiritsugu glanced at Gilgamesh, who hovered above in Vimana, clearly just watching the show. He calculated the angle, the range.

Then he made his decision.

This was the moment to strike.

If he used Arash's area-wide Noble Phantasm, he could guarantee Lancer's elimination. There was even a chance—however slim—that he could take down the golden Archer as well. At the very least, it would test the strength of these new interlopers.

Best of all? He could potentially remove both that red idiot getting beaten into the dirt and the white idiot doing the beating.

No hesitation.

He took a long drag from his cigarette and used a Command Seal.

"Arash, your NP is full."

---

"Arash, your NP is full."

He'd heard that line in his dreams more times than he could count. Once, it had thrilled him. Now—it was a nightmare.

Seriously?! I'm a great hero of the East—not a suicide bomber!

He was the origin of the Archer class. An archer—not a human bomb!

But habits were habits. In the beginning, he'd protested. Now, he simply accepted it.

He had never expected to win this war. Even if his side claimed victory, it would probably be thanks to him dragging everyone into the grave.

What he regretted most?

The arrows.

"So many good arrows… what a waste," Arash murmured, brushing a hand across his quiver, still brimming with untouched shafts.

"…Heh. What am I even thinking?" He chuckled bitterly, drawing a single arrow. "This is the fate I always knew. So if I'm going out…"

"…I'm going out with a bang."

He drew the bowstring, sighting down toward the river—five kilometers away.

"Well… at least I'll get to rest on the Throne of Heroes for a while after this."

A crimson torrent of magical power surged through Arash's body, coalescing at the tip of his arrow. A cold smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"This time... how many will fall with me?"

He shouted with a roar:

"Stella!!"

The arrow tore through the air like a blazing meteor—a fiery streak cutting across the night sky, carrying the righteous fury of a hero. It was a death sentence aimed directly at his foes!

At the very instant the arrow flew forth, Arash felt his body begin to tear apart from within—he knew his time had come; soon, he would shatter into pieces and return to the Throne of Heroes.

Watching the fiery meteor streak across the sky, Kiritsugu acted without hesitation. Raising his other arm—the one bearing the Saber Command Seal—he ordered:

"Saber, come to me!"

At the same moment, Saber's figure on the riverbank dissolved into a beam of light, crossing the distance instantly to appear by Kiritsugu's side.

"Kiritsugu!!" Saber exclaimed, both worried and angry, ready to question her Master.

But Kiritsugu cut her off.

"There's no time. Come with me! Arash is on the brink. You must save him!"

---

"What was that?"

Mordred hadn't fully processed what had happened yet. But seeing her father vanish instantly, she realized the true nature of the crimson meteor.

"Bah!" She spat at the spot where her father had disappeared, disdain dripping from her voice. "That's just like the Knight King—so despicable!"

"No, that's probably Saber's Master acting on his own…" a handsome man with a tear-shaped mole behind Mordred spoke up. "I trust the Knight King's character!"

"Oh?" Mordred shot a sideways glance at Diarmuid, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "No wonder the Knight King's got a new fangirl so quickly… Are you her new lackey?"

"No," Lancer gave a bitter smile. "I just empathize…"

From behind, Kirie glanced at Nero and the others who overheard the whole conversation. Mordred's sharp tongue was likely learned from them.

Sure enough, Kiyohime and Elizabeth both shrank their necks awkwardly under Kirie's gaze. These two were known for their verbal sparring, so Mordred's poison was clearly picked up from their influence.

"Enough talk!" Jeanne raised her flag, commanding authority.

"The attack is nearly here—everyone, take shelter behind me!"

With everyone—including Lancer—huddled behind Jeanne, the saintly maiden lifted her banner high and cried out:

"My flag, protect my comrades! Luminosité Éternelle!"

A white light blossomed into a protective barrier, enveloping all behind Jeanne. The crimson meteor crashed down, engulfing the entire river surface of Mion.