---o---
The brief eye contact between Emiya Kiritsugu and Elysia was merely a simple interlude.
[In the video on the screen, the battle between Saber and Lancer continued. However, both sides were still testing each other, neither fighting with their full strength.
And yet, even without going all out, their immense power, far surpassing that of mortals, had laid waste to a fifty-meter radius. Numerous shipping containers were torn to shreds by the attacks of the long spear and the invisible blade.
The intensity of the battle was such that it felt like even standing by as a spectator could get one killed by the aftershocks—when gods fight, mortals suffer.
After another exchange of probing attacks, the two tacitly retreated from each other.
Lancer stood firm, his left short spear hanging naturally while his right long spear rested on his shoulder. With a smile, he praised, "As expected of Saber. Such powerful skill. You must have been a formidable knight in your lifetime."
Saber replied, "A knight? I suppose so. As for you, with your exquisite spearmanship, you must have also been a mighty warrior in your lifetime."
Lancer chuckled at her words. "Such crude skills are still a far cry from yours, Saber. But... even so, I shall offer victory in this Holy Grail War to my lord."
As his voice fell, Lancer's gaze sharpened once more. If the battle dragged on any longer, his new lord would surely grow impatient.
Sure enough, just as the two Servants were exchanging pleasantries, a grating, duck-like voice rang out.
The voice appeared suddenly, seemingly coming from all directions at once, as if broadcast simultaneously from speakers placed everywhere.
"Too slow, Lancer! Stop wasting time! I permit you to use your Noble Phantasm. Finish your enemy at once!"]
Noble Phantasm!!!
The moment Lancer's Master's voice fell, a dense barrage of comments began to scroll across the screen again.
Having learned the meaning of the Holy Grail War and Heroic Spirits, the viewers now also understood the significance of a Noble Phantasm.
A Noble Phantasm, the ultimate armament of a Heroic Spirit, a materialized miracle, is the very proof of a hero held by a Servant.
It is the crystallization of humanity's prayers for miracles, the strongest of weapons, known as a "Noble Phantasm," and is similar to magecraft. It is an armament built upon the framework of human fantasy.
It is the weapon, symbol, or special move possessed by a Servant. While it is, of course, a superior weapon, it can also be a certain type of skill.
When the True Name of a Noble Phantasm is released, it will unleash its greatest power.
However... since a Noble Phantasm is a sublimation of a Heroic Spirit's legend, releasing its True Name can allow others to guess the Servant's identity and thus target them based on their legend. Furthermore, releasing a True Name incurs a massive cost. Therefore, unless absolutely necessary, Servants rarely release the True Names of their Noble Phantasms in battle.
Uchiha Madara: "Are they finally going to use their full strength? Compared to the child's play from before, a battle like this is far more interesting."
Kirigaya Kazuto: "Like an ultimate skill in a game?"
Light Yagami: "Once you know the True Name of the Noble Phantasm, you can also know the Servant's True Name."
Miku Nakano: "Here it comes, here it comes! Will it be a famous hero from history?"
---o---
[On the screen, the plot reached a new climax.
Hearing his lord's command, Lancer gave a knowing smile and respectfully thanked his lord for his trust. Then, he threw himself back into the battle, body and soul. He swore to offer the Holy Grail to his lord.
With great decisiveness, Lancer tossed aside the yellow short spear in his hand. It landed on the ground with a crisp clang. He then gripped the long spear with both hands.
Mana surged forth. The cloth strips used for concealment quickly disintegrated into nothingness under the mana emanating from the spear shaft, revealing the long spear's true form.
It was a crimson long spear, inscribed with intricate patterns. Under the moonlight, the entire spear appeared both sinister and powerful.
Then, with a smile, Lancer spoke to Saber. "Saber, you heard him. Therefore, I shall now take your life!"
"Saber, will you continue to use your condensed wind mana to hide your sword?"
Saber: "..."
Silence was the best answer.
Seeing this, Lancer was unfazed. "I see. So you have a reason for keeping your sword hidden? It seems your True Name can be discerned directly from your weapon."
Saber also revealed a smile and said, "Regrettably, Lancer, you will not see the true form of my sword. I will settle this before it is exposed."
As she spoke, she raised her invisible blade, once again assuming a battle stance.]
---o---
Saber's words made many viewers extremely curious. Why must she hide her sword? Just by seeing the blade's form, one could know her identity.
Could it be that Saber was incredibly famous in her legend, so much so that she was forced to conceal her Noble Phantasm?
[Just as the two were about to clash again, the camera once more panned over, this time to Elysia.
At that moment, Elysia was savoring the scene before her with great relish. A beautiful blonde female knight and a handsome young boy... this world really did have many interesting things.
Oh, right, and this beautiful white-haired young lady right in front of her.
Irisviel was completely unaware that someone was behind her. She was looking anxiously toward the battlefield, where Lancer's Master had just revealed himself.
Kiritsugu was probably hiding somewhere right now. But this was no time to worry about that; the battle between Saber and Lancer had reached a boiling point.
Now that Lancer was beginning to use his Noble Phantasm, Saber, on the battlefield, was in the most danger.
"Don't you worry, now. That young lady hasn't used her true strength yet."
From out of nowhere, a hand suddenly patted Irisviel's shoulder.
The beautiful, white-haired, red-eyed young woman, from every conceivable angle, was endlessly tempting Elysia's restless heart.
So, upon seeing Irisviel's nervous and helpless expression, Elysia decided it was time for her to make an entrance.
No matter the time or place, beautiful girls are generally drawn to each other. Becoming good friends with every pretty girl was one of Elysia's life goals.
And this white-haired lady seemed to have a deep connection with the knight in battle. A magical power was hidden within her, one intimately related to the sword in that knight's hands.
In order to understand this world's power system, and also so the penniless pink fey maiden could find a place to stay for the night, she decided she must become good friends with the white-haired young woman before her, and then do some interesting things together.
But this sort of thing... it absolutely had to be done while the knight was out fighting.]