Chapter 702

The situation on the battlefield was somewhat strange; it was originally a three-way standoff, but after the two sides clashed, the Lancer camp actually showed signs of being defeated.

Ding~

The sound of metal clashing carried far, and sparks were particularly conspicuous in the night. Su Xiao and Diarmuid were locked in a struggle; Diarmuid, having already lost an arm, was retreating steadily and would be defeated before long.

The Counter Shield blocked Diarmuid's thrust again, and Su Xiao slashed out with super speed, leaving a deep, bone-reaching wound on Diarmuid's right arm.

Diarmuid's Master, Kayneth, was watching the battle from a nearby unfinished building, his expression extremely ugly; if Diarmuid were to die in battle, he would also lose his qualification to continue participating in the Holy Grail War.

"Why... why is the strength difference so great? Diarmuid, you trash, sigh~ there's no other way, I can only retreat for now."

Kayneth raised his arm, preparing to use the Command Spell on his hand to save Diarmuid; if he used the Command Spell now to order Diarmuid to appear by his side, even if Diarmuid had no spatial abilities, under the effect of the Holy Grail + Command Spell, Diarmuid would appear by his side.

This type of forced order had many limitations; for example, if he ordered Diarmuid to become stronger, it would be ineffective and would also waste a Command Spell. Each Master only had three Command Spells, which was the only means to control a Heroic Spirit.

"Diarmuid, I order you by Command Spell, appear at..."

The Command Spell on the back of Kayneth's hand flashed with red light, and just as he was about to give the order, footsteps came from downstairs.

Kayneth's expression changed drastically; his location had been exposed, and other Heroic Spirits or Masters were attacking.

"I order you by Command Spell, appear by my side immediately."

One of the Command Spells on Kayneth's hand shattered, and Diarmuid appeared out of thin air by his side.

With a thud, Diarmuid fell to the ground, his body covered in over a dozen knife wounds, and slash marks were faintly visible on the shaft of the Gae Dearg, showing just how sharp Zhan Long Shan was now.

As soon as Diarmuid appeared, he spat out a large mouthful of blood with a "wah" sound. Kayneth immediately used healing magic to help treat Diarmuid, but a violent energy was rampaging within Diarmuid's body, and the effect of the healing magic was minimal.

"Retreat."

Kayneth was now desperate to leave this place; with Diarmuid severely injured and two other Heroic Spirits present, staying here was courting death.

But the current situation was not up to Kayneth; even if he wanted to leave, he had to ask Emiya Kiritsugu downstairs if he agreed. This Mage Killer had already quietly infiltrated this unfinished building.

Diarmuid stood up from the ground and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. Just as he stood up, a figure had already rushed up the unfinished building and blocked the stairwell.

"Emiya Kiritsugu."

Kayneth had long since investigated Emiya Kiritsugu's background, so as soon as Emiya Kiritsugu appeared, he recognized the other's identity.

"How are your injuries?"

Kayneth looked at Diarmuid.

"I'm fine, at least protecting Master during the retreat is no problem."

Diarmuid's movement to stand up aggravated the knife wounds on his body, and he began coughing up blood again.

"You..."

Kayneth was momentarily speechless; he understood Diarmuid's meaning—he was going to cover his retreat, which meant Diarmuid would very likely die here.

"Master, your subordinate cannot hold on for long. The Heroic Spirit and Master of the Berserker camp have swapped identities; the one with the Command Spells is the true Berserker. Perhaps due to the enhancement of the Mad Enhancement effect, that guy is simply a monster, and a certain ability of his counters my Noble Phantasm. I am no match for him, please leave quickly, Master."

Diarmuid stood in front of Kayneth, his eyes fixed on Emiya Kiritsugu at the stairwell.

"A mere Servant, don't think you can order me."

Kayneth raised his arm.

"I command by the power of the Command Spell, Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, restore the injuries you have sustained."

Blood-red light flashed, and another Command Spell on Kayneth's hand disappeared, while a large amount of magic power within him was consumed; this was the Command Spell forcibly healing Diarmuid's injuries using his magic power.

The knife wounds on Diarmuid's body healed rapidly, but the severed arm could not be restored; the power of the Command Spell seemed to be suppressed by some rule.

"I command by the power of the Command Spell, Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, restore your lost arm."

Kayneth used the last Command Spell on his hand, and the muscles at Diarmuid's severed arm wound surged, the arm regrowing at an extremely slow speed.

Just as Diarmuid's arm grew halfway, golden light emerged from the original wound of his severed arm, as if putting a golden arm ring on him.

With a "psst" sound, Diarmuid's newly grown arm shattered; that arm ring acted like a seal, suppressing the regeneration and recovery of this arm.

Although Diarmuid could not restore his severed arm, the injuries on his body had healed, and Emiya Kiritsugu, who had been blocking the stairwell, was nowhere to be found; it seemed he was not prepared to fight to the death with Diarmuid, who had recovered most of his injuries.

"Retreat."

Kayneth's face was covered in sweat, and his internal magic power was somewhat overdrawn.

"I apologize, Master, I still cannot retreat with you."

Diarmuid knelt on one knee and bowed his head to Kayneth in a knight's salute.

"Don't think that just because I don't have Command Spells..."

"That 'monster' is chasing us."

Diarmuid took a deep breath and turned his head to look at the stairwell of the unfinished building; that was where Emiya Kiritsugu had stood before, and now, Su Xiao was standing there.

"Damn it."

Kayneth stared at Diarmuid for a while, then finally sighed.

"Diarmuid, you are a fine knight."

After saying this, Kayneth turned and walked into the depths of the unfinished building; he was retreating and was not prepared to live or die with Diarmuid.

"To be recognized by Master, I, Diarmuid, have no regrets even in death."

Diarmuid stood up and wielded the Gae Dearg with his single arm.

"Come at me, even if countered by your ability, you won't be walking out of here in one piece today."

Facing the high-spirited Diarmuid, Su Xiao's emotions did not fluctuate much; first of all, Diarmuid was not summoned at his "full strength," and the Lancer identity significantly limited his strength.

In this Holy Grail War, there were indeed a few Heroic Spirits who were difficult to deal with and even had the ability to kill Su Xiao, but Diarmuid was definitely not among them.

Diarmuid's Master was not a top-tier mage, and combined with the Heroic Spirit's relatively weak attributes and limited skills and Noble Phantasm abilities, Diarmuid's actual combat power was not very high.

Moreover, Diarmuid's Gae Dearg was countered by the Counter Shield, so it was normal that he was no match for Su Xiao.

If Su Xiao were to fight Gilgamesh, Iskandar (Conqueror King), or others, the outcome would be unknown.

As for the Knight King Saber, if it came to close combat, Saber, with several A-rank attributes, could drag Su Xiao down, and Saber had an A-rank Noble Phantasm; if she unleashed her ultimate move and slashed down with one sword, Su Xiao could only temporarily avoid the brunt of it.

A Heroic Spirit's strength was not fixed; it also depended on whether the Master was powerful, as a powerful Master could enhance the Heroic Spirit's attributes.

Now that Emiya Kiritsugu was serving as Saber's Master, Saber's endurance, agility, and magic power were all A, and her Noble Phantasm was also A.

Inside the unfinished building, Su Xiao and Diarmuid both stepped on the ground and charged at each other, but there were bloodstains on the footprint Su Xiao left behind; he had been stabbed by Diarmuid's spear earlier, though it hadn't hit a vital spot.

Five minutes later, Diarmuid was leaning against a concrete pillar, while Su Xiao, with pale blue smoke drifting from his hand, slowly approached Diarmuid.

"Gae Dearg... why can't it pierce that kind of shield?"

Blood dripped from the corner of Diarmuid's mouth; his arms had been severed, and there were over a dozen knife wounds of varying depths on his body. If he hadn't been leaning against the concrete pillar, he would have already collapsed.

"Who knows."

Su Xiao's hand, drifting with pale blue smoke, reached toward Diarmuid's face.

"Devouring Heroic Spirit energy, as expected, you guy are a monster..."

The pale blue smoke gradually wrapped around Diarmuid, but a smile appeared on Diarmuid's lips; he had successfully covered his Master's retreat and had a satisfying fight with a strong enemy. Although he did not agree with Su Xiao's style of conduct, he identified with Su Xiao's upright, head-on fighting style.

"At least let me know who defeated me."

As the pale blue smoke completely wrapped around Diarmuid, he said these words.

【You have killed Diarmuid Ua Duibhne (Heroic Spirit)】

【Diarmuid Ua Duibhne was one of the seven Heroic Spirits participating in this Holy Grail War. Obtained 10.5% of the World's Source, currently obtained a total of 15.7% of the World's Source.】

【Your talent "Spirit Eater" has been activated, permanently increasing Mana by 15 points. Current Mana is 2148 points.】

【You have obtained Heroic Spirit Box · Dark Purple (Heroic Spirit Box: Can randomly draw any one skill or Noble Phantasm of this Heroic Spirit).】