Chapter 68: Betrayal
Soon enough Saber and Maya came face to face with their opponents with Saber and Lancer immediately running off together into the forest in a showing of tacit understanding.
"Where is Emiya Kiritsugu?" Kayneth questioned.
"A dead man has no business knowing," Maya replied.
"Very well them. I'll use my necromancy to pry it of your corpse! Fervor mei sanguis!" Kayneth activated the mass of mercury that composed his Volumen Hydragyrum and momanded it to attack.
Maya pulled out a specially made Azoth Sword that Jun made for her and swiftly charged in, reinforcing her already superhuman body with her Runic Skin.
Skilfully dodging the slashes of Volumen Hydragyrum, Maya move in and delivered and enhanced slash on the mystic code's automatic defence which protected Kayneth.
However, her Azoth Sword which had Jun's magical energy running through it slashed through the defense and gravely wounded him.
Kayneth forced back with a barrage of fierce attacks and stabilized his injuries with healing magecraft before becoming fully serious.
"Although you method of fighting is barbaric I'll admit you are not an opponent to be underestimated." Kayneth spotted before activating Volumen Hydragyrum at full power for both attack and defense.
By covering himself in a thick sphere of mercury, Kayneth prevented Maya from reaching him while attacking with with Volumen Hydragyrum's heat sensing capabilities as a guide.
'He's better than I thought. Kiritsugu was just a bad matchup for him.' Jun observed.
'Maya won't win without using one of her two trump cards or suffering injuries in return for a powerful attack but she'll instantly win if she commits to any of these three paths. Except maybe if she goes for a battle of attrition I guess.' He considered.
While Maya kept probing Kayneth and not going for a finish blow, Saber and Lancer was locking in a fierce fight. The thing was, Lancer was at a disadvantage.
His superior agility kept him in the fight but while he had revealed all of his abilities, Saber had yet to use the true power of her holy sword.
But after countless clashes, Saber's Instinct led her to the path of victory, a small opening that had yet to appear but she sensed ahead of time.
Dodging Gae Dearg that could go through her armor and letting Gae Buidhe that could not, glance off of it, Saber moving in and delivered a killing blow to her opponent.
With his superior Agility, Lancer shifted his body to avoid a fatal strike but his defeat was now only a matter of time.
For an honorable knight like him though, he would fight until the end, and so he did. Clashing again and again with Artoria and reveling in such a honorable duel and such a good death for this second life he gained.
When Lancer finally fell, this disturbed Kayneth enough to to weaken his defences as he sensed the death of his Servant. Maya, not letting this chance go by her, went it and, at the cost of smoe small cuts defeated Kayneth and killed him, collecting his body and mystic code for Jun as commanded.
Artoria returned victorious and commented to Jun with a raised eyebrow.
"I thought you were going to fight?"
"If I did, Lancer's master would have been dead long ago and you would not get to have the honorable duel you both seeked." Jun replied which shamed Artoria.
"No need to be ashamed though, I very much get." Jun comforted but Artoria only felt more shame.
"Yet now you're alone in the castle against two Magi and one Servant." Kiritsugu suddenly said.
"Master!" Saber immediately accused.
"Kiritsugu!" Irisviel pleaded.
"I order you by my command spell. Saber, kill Haikami Jun!" Kiritsugu coldly commanded.
But Jun disappear into nothingness before Saber could even attack.
"You've made a terrible mistake Magus Killer. Now, You're life is mine." Jun's voice resounded as he disappeared and with Saber not being able to sense him, the binding of the command spell disappeared.
Needless to say, a big problem was left behind, Saber silently walked away, holding back the urge to cut down her master for his actions even if it meant her fading way while Irisviel stayed back to talk to him.
"Why Kiritsugu!? If what he said is the truth then he's our only hope to save Illya!" Irisviel raised her voice.
"I don't know how he obtained all that information but he probably just spouting nonsense, he has to be." Kiritsugu argued.
He was not a man who would make that decision but he was close to breaking point, not even having Maya to support him, Kiritsugu did not even entertain the possibility that Jun's words might be true because his mind would not be able to handle that possibility.
However, this resulted in a rift being born between Irisviel and him. Irisviel loved Kiritsugu but her awakened maternal instincts would always take priority after birthing Illya and that was the main cause of the rift. Irisviel cared about her daughter more than anything and Jun was a lifeline.
She didn't know why but Irisviel could tell Jun cared and Saber's instinct vouched for his character so it made her believe him more, his explanation had no holes as well so there was also that.
To her, Jun was her daughter's salvation in case she and Kiritsugu failed and turning him into an enemy was grave error in her mind, one she had to fix.
Originally, Irisviel had given birth to her daughter to leave something behind for Kiritsugu to care for after she was gone but Illya became so much more for her and that compelled her to action, to do things she never would have done otherwise.
Kiritsugu thought the matter was finished after Irisviel gave in and stopped talking but the very next day, she was on a trip to Ryuudou Temple to see Jun. Hopefully, they didn't attack her on sight there but that was a risk she was willing to take for her beloved daughter.
Back in Ryuudou, Jun had sealed Kayneth's body and kept it to hand over to his family later in return for some favors perhaps. Volumen Hydragyrum was kept for study but he figured he would give it back eventually as well.
Jun was planning on interfering with the events of the El Melloi II Case Files so it would present a good opportunity for him to give such things back and earn some clout in the Clock Tower.
While he was planning such things, he noticed, much to his surprise, Irisviel approaching RYuudou temple with Saber in tow.
'Now that's unexpected . . . I wonder what made her take this route . . . Motherly instincts perhaps.' Jun thought to himself.
'Whatever the case, I'll find out when she gets here.' He concluded and called for Maya, sending her to receive the "guests" that would be coming shortly while telling the others to descend to the workshop to avoid detection with the exception of Mordred who he asked to say behind.
Much to Irisviel's surprise, when she arrived, Maya was there to receive her at the foot of the hill but glaring at her with hostility.
'I guess that much is deserved . . .' Irisviel thought.
Meanwhile, Saber was mortified over the entire ordeal.
After they reached the top, the shrine had become a japanese style castle although it did not look like it from the outside and Maya led them to a room where Jun and and Mordred were waiting.
"You can go talk it out with Artoria Mordred, no fighting this time." Jun said.
"I get it! I wouldn't start a fight in our home!" Mordred argued which made Jun give a look of "yeah right" before she left with Artoria to another room.
"I must say . . . You have some guts to come here after yesterday but I'll hear you out since I know the decision was not yours nor Saber's." Jun opened.
"First, I'd like to apolo-" Irisviel started but Jun stopped her with his hand.
"You did nothing wrong so I don't need an apology. I don't mind hearing you out but Kiritsugu's death is set in stone so don't even try." Jun said.
*sigh* Irisviel sighed.
"I don't plan on getting between you two anymore but I am here to say that if your previous offer still stands, I will take it." Irisviel declared with a look of resolve.
Meanwhile, Mordred and Artoria were also talking. With the events with Berserker who turned out to be Lancelot becoming the trigger, Artoria wanted to ask Mordred questions, questions she never thought she would hear from her "father's" mouth.
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