Lancer's Master had already withdrawn.
This was confirmed after Tenkei Shiomi unleashed his Grand Magecraft, wiping out all of Caster's summoned sea monsters and severely injuring the summoner in the process, forcing Caster to retreat.
After informing Lancer of this, Shiomi returned to the Einzbern Castle with Artoria, carrying the only boy who had survived.
The great hall was a mess—so much so that even Shiomi was at a loss for words.
Morgan had shown no mercy when she went after Kayneth. Though Kayneth had relied on Volumen Hydrargyrum to escape from Morgan's relentless barrage—despite her holding back—he had fled in disgrace, a far cry from the confident declaration of victory he'd made upon arrival.
Seeing the extent of the damage, Shiomi regretted choosing the hall as their landing point during the return.
Thankfully, Artoria didn't comment on it. She just looked mildly troubled by the wreckage.
Still, Tenkei Shiomi had no intention of footing the bill. Sure, he had made plenty of money—enough to provide his two adopted daughters with a comfortable life—but that didn't mean he was willing to pay for the damage caused by other factions during the Holy Grail War.
If the Einzberns tried to pin it on him, it would be a serious headache.
Which was why his next move was to head to the next battlefield and assist Irisviel's husband, Kiritsugu Emiya.
It was a favor he could leverage—to shut the Einzbern family up before they even thought of asking for compensation.
"Shiomi... Tenkei..." Kirei's recovering vision allowed him to clearly recognize the familiar figure now standing before him.
Shiomi made no move to attack. "Sorry, but Saber's Master asked me to save this guy. Let's end it here, all right?"
"I see. So it wasn't just a ceasefire—you've actually formed an alliance." Kirei nodded in realization.
That wasn't his concern. Tokiomi had believed Shiomi only needed a truce to focus on the Lancer faction, and Kirei had simply gone along with it.
"That's war for you. One moment allies, the next, enemies." Shiomi smiled faintly. "It's been four years since we last met. After your wife passed, you left your child in my care."
Kirei's face remained emotionless. "Now that it's come to this, are you going to use that child to threaten me?"
"Even if you were the one to suggest it, I'd never use Caren as a hostage," Shiomi scoffed. Though he'd adopted Caren out of loyalty to an old friend...
That girl had become precious to him. He had no regrets about becoming her father.
"And you've been in Fuyuki for quite a while now. Now that we've finally met, don't you think it's time you paid your daughter a visit?" Shiomi kept the tone light.
Kirei lowered his gaze. "That won't be necessary."
Having entrusted Caren to Shiomi, Kirei no longer believed it was his place to intervene—even if they were related by blood.
As for Shiomi's decision to enter the Holy Grail War, Kirei saw no reason to blame him.
"You're as cold-blooded as ever," Shiomi narrowed his eyes. "You really won't back down?"
Kirei silently assumed a combat stance, staring at Shiomi.
"I have business with that man. Don't get in my way. Even between old friends, there's nothing to discuss."
"Oh, really?" Shiomi shifted slightly and slowly raised his right hand, placing it between them.
"Go ahead," Kirei said flatly, his voice devoid of emotion.
"Then let's see what you've got!"
The moment Shiomi finished speaking, Kirei lunged.
They were more than five steps apart, but the tall, powerful Executor closed the gap in a single movement.
His footwork, which made it seem like he was gliding effortlessly across the ground, was known as "Moving Stance"—a secret technique of Bajiquan.
Clad in his priest's robes, Kirei slipped into Shiomi's guard like a reaper, fists crashing forward with full force, aiming for Shiomi's shoulders to disable his arms.
"...No... this can't be..." Kiritsugu, still conscious, whispered to himself in a voice only he could hear.
He had seen the force behind Kirei's strike—it was strong enough to kill any Magus.
But Shiomi had blocked it.
With just his right hand.
Not only that, but at the moment of contact, he shifted his body, pulling Kirei's arm to the side, dispersing the force and redirecting Kirei's momentum away from him.
"Clench your teeth!"
Like swinging a flail, Shiomi twisted Kirei's arm, spun on the spot, and hurled him into the air.
Kirei flipped midair and hit the ground, skidding back across the dirt before slamming into a tree and coming to a stop.
A second later, Shiomi closed in with the same speed, rushing right up to him.
His punch tore through the air with explosive speed and power, colliding head-on with Kirei's fist. The resulting shockwave shook the surrounding branches violently.
Kirei still had one usable arm. He took the opening to throw a left punch, trying to seize the initiative.
As an Executor who had honed his body to its limits, Kirei had a clear sense of his own capabilities.
Yet even so, he felt that Shiomi's body had gone beyond anything steel could compare to.
Shiomi didn't block the hit. Kirei's punch landed squarely on his unguarded arm—but it felt like striking solid stone. Shiomi didn't budge an inch.
Did he reinforce his body with Runes?
Kirei wondered silently.
His punches were like cannon blasts, yet Shiomi intercepted every single one with even greater speed.
Then, in a fleeting gap, Shiomi grabbed Kirei's fist and, leaping forward, caught the other incoming punch with his knee.
This was exactly the close-quarters exchange Kirei had hoped for.
But just as he tried to break free using a burst of internal force, pain shot through his clenched hand—accompanied by the unmistakable sound of bones cracking.
The hardest part of his fist had been crushed. The pain was so sharp and unexpected that even after gritting his teeth, a low growl slipped out from Kirei's throat.
Tenkei Shiomi had crushed the bones in Kirei's clenched fist.
Repeating the same motion, Shiomi yanked Kirei up again, swinging him into the air. As Kirei came down, Shiomi's side kick smashed into his abdomen.
Blood spewed from Kirei's mouth as his body curled midair and was launched deep into the forest. A moment later, the sound of a heavy impact echoed through the trees.
"...I might've overdone it. Am I getting jealous or something?" Shiomi muttered to himself with a twinge of guilt.
He knew Kirei wouldn't die—but maybe he'd struck too hard without meaning to... Was it because of Caren?
Was it anger at Kirei for refusing to see his own child? Or maybe... as Caren's current father, did he feel the need to prove he was stronger than Kirei to feel justified in raising her?
Shiomi shook the thought from his mind, feeling it was unfair to Caren. He turned and walked over to check on Kiritsugu.
Seeing Maiya supporting the unconscious Kiritsugu to his feet, Shiomi couldn't help but mutter.
"You had backup? And you didn't say anything... Whatever."