Unlucky Servants

by xMikaelx

Servants are beings of heroic nature summoned to fight the Holy Grail War. But, what would happen once the rules change and cause the Masters to summon people who lived in the City of Science? Academy City had always been filled with weird residents and supernatural phenomenon. But once the Grail War comes to the city, how will they respond? Magic and Science will clash even more!

4. Destroyers Part 2

Please enjoy the finale of this arc! See You guys on the A/N!

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Disclaimer: TAMNI And F/SN aren't mine, okay? They belong to Kamachi Kazuma and Type-Moon, respectively.

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Chapter 4: Destroyers Part 2

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Frozen Wilderness, Germany/Russia; End of November...

6: 53 AM

"What a bloody mess! Were the two of you behind this?" The reaction came from the old man, who saw the aftermath of a massacre. He came out of the blue, completely taking the two culprits by surprise.

They could only stare at him.

Accelerator and Illya could only stare at the old man standing in front of them, also doing the same thing while smiling.

The old man in front of them is the current Wizard Marshall of the Mage's Association in the Clock tower of London.

He is also one of the few wielders of True Magic, Kaleidoscope.

He is also one of the Twenty-Seven Dead Apostles.

He is-

"...Who are you again? You seem familiar and at the same time you aren't." Illya doesn't know this person, for some reason.

To think that the most known Magician was not recognized by a single girl, an Einzbern no less!

"Hahaha! Wow, young lady. For you to not know me hurts my feelings. Your ancestors must be really angry at me. Has Acht never told you about the Great Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg? We were acquainted, you see." The old man, now identified as Zelretch, could only laugh at the ignorance of the little girl.

"Grandpa is not much of a talker. Also, thanks to the isolated lifestyle of the Einzberns, it never occurred to me he would have an..."Acquaintance" such as yourself."

"Is that so?...That man will never change..." Zelretch brushed his beard with his hand, much like how a person thinks of what to do next. And then he looked at the direction of the boy blocking the whole view of Illya. "I take it this is Berserker? Don't you think it's too early for you to summon a Servant, little girl? The grail hasn't fully manifested in Fuyuki City."Illya's eyes widened from hearing what Zelretch said.

"Eh? How did you-"

"Didn't I say it already? Me and your grandfather were acquainted, so the least I could do is know what is happening around me for the past 200 years. As the Wizard Marshall of the Mage's Association, I should know of the supernatural phenomena around the world. One of the happen to be the Holy Grail War."

As much as Accelerator wants to join in the conversation, he is having no damn clue about what they're talking about, again. Noticing the confusion in the boy's face, Zelretch faced his direction and slowly walked, lifting his cane for each step and leaving a hollow shoe marks and dots on the snowy ground.

"For 200 years, Berserkers have always been known to be the most obedient Servant class of this war. But for some reason, you can almost defy every command given to you by your Master of your own free will. You tried to escape, played snowball with the little girl, and protected her without her asking you do so. Do you know why?" And then the old man stops centimeters in front of the Servant.

Tension fills the air as Accelerator returns Zelretch's stares with deadly glares, ready to pounce on his enemy. They just stood there in silence, waiting for the old man to finish his statement about the Servant's lack of obedience to the Master.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"...Of course I don't know!"

"...Eh?"/'What?' That simple, straight forward answer just took their breathes away. That long silence brought the dramatic mood, only to be trampled upon by that ignorant response of the person that brought about the topic in the first place.

'This f******old coot just wasted a minutes silence, only to answer like that? ...And to think I was expecting something useful out of him.' Accelerator could only do a facepalm for the nth time, groaning as if feeling tired all of a sudden.

"Then why did you say those things in the first place, old geezer?!" Illya also feels the same irritation her Servant has for the man known as Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg.

"Sorry for misleading you kids like that. True, I may not really know why your Servant is disobedient. I'm not well-versed with the inner workings of the Holy Grail War. But, there is one thing I do know." The duo thought that this is just a waste time of time and that they should go back to locating the castle. for the first time, they were in sync.

But the next few words uttered by the old man seems to have piqued the interest of someone it was referring to. In a very, VERY bad way.

"Accelerator, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you go back to Academy City and finish your errands? The people back home are getting hungry, you know?"

"...iygWHAT? uclnuWHATajueDID jslruhYOUiopoiJUSThjvljrSAY,kjhufOLDhbresMAN! #$?" Clear as the cloudless sky, Accelerator's voice was clearly heard, even if it was still inaudible to the human ears. With his palm that still covered on his face, Accelerator looked through the spaces of his fingers, his eyes unmoving as he only stared straight at the old man's red eyes, who knew of his endeavors before being summoned.

"Hm? Was I wrong? Or were you the one who successfully killed Imagine Breaker and finished the experiments by killing all of the Sisters?Or are you the one who successfully became a Level 6 and completely obliterated the entire world? Maybe the Female Version, Yuriko Suzushina? Or maybe the one who didn't become an Esper, but instead turned into a powerful Ghoul?...A version that I haven't observed yet? This is rather troubling... I must be getting really old..." Zelretch just stood there wearing a thinking pose, mumbling words that the boy knew very well, except for the female one. This old man really mistook him for a girl? Hearing this entirely made Accelerator tremble. Just who is this old geezer?

"Wha-Wait, you knew Berserker's identity?! Berserker, what did he mean and what did you just say?!" Illya was surprised at this sudden revelation. Just how much does he know? Was he just fooling around earlier?

"Oh right! Tell me, little girl. You have heard of one of the True Magic, Kaleidoscope, am I right? I mean, you were arguing about this a few minutes ago."

"! You were stalking us?!" Illya hid behind Accelerator even more, scared of what the old man would do next.

"Oh no no no! That is rather rude, calling me a stalker. I'm just an observer, you see." Zelretch reassured the little princess of his intentions. "As the owner of the True Magic, Kaleidoscope, I have the ability to see through different parallel worlds and travel through them." Explaining his ability, he then returned his gaze on Accelerator. "The things I mentioned just now were examples of the few worlds that I have observed and went through. In all of them were different versions of people that exist in almost every alternate world."

'That's not the problem here, you f****** geezer. If you really were observing parallel worlds, how could you specifically know about my life in each world?! ' It was rather strange for Zelretch to have full knowledge of Accelerator's activities in the other world, albeit his. He even knew about his errand back in Academy. Was the old man observing him?

"The worlds I mentioned earlier were the ones in which your Servant was the cause of its destruction." The two gaped in surprise to what they heard. "I'm trying to confirm which world this boy is from. That also goes for you, little lady. There are also different versions of Illyasviel von Einzbern and I want to confirm the details of the world you're from." Zelretch's expression turned serious when he looked at Accelerator again. "If this boy is from the world where he was saved by the Imagine Breaker, then I could let him go."

'So he really knew about my life, specifically 'my' past...Wait, this could be my chance to get back to Academy City!' Accelerator wore a smile in his face as he was about to pull out his phone to type out his answer to Zelretch.

Illya was confused about one thing and asked, "Wait, why are you also confirming the world I'm from? I am from 'this' world, right? It's like you're saying that-"

"On the contrary, little girl, this world is not your world." Zelretch quickly responded to Illya, cutting of her whole statement.

'...What?' Accelerator's fingers stopped typing in the keypad when he heard the old man's response to Illya.

"...What?" Illya got even more confused until she finally realized what Zelretch said. "Wait, if this is not the world I belonged in, then how did we get here in the first place?! Grandfather only transported us out of the castle, so how did we travel to another world?!" Grabbing her head, Illya started panicking, unsure of what exactly is going on.

"...Oh right, speaking of which, did your grandfather give you a piece of paper with an Insignia drawn on it?"

"You mean this?" Illya pulled out a letter from before they got to this place full of frozen trees and snow. Accelerator also pulled out his letter.

"Ah...So he really used that paper I gave him...For him to forget the use of this is...Hahaha! How funny!"

"W-wait, what exactly does it do?!"

"By applying a small amount of Mana and inciting the trigger words, this paper will transport the user to where I am located. The Insignia was drawn with my blood for this feat to be made possible." Explaining the mechanics of the paper, Zelretch laughed afterwards. "The reason I gave him this was so he could meet to me and have a fun chat! For him to use these for 'training' was really absurd!"

'I'm really getting sick of his laughter...' Irritated, Accelerator just looked away, trying not to meet his gaze. 'Now that I thought about it...'

"..." Illya also looked away silently.

"Why are you looking away? Did you not understand my explanation?"

'This has been going on for too long... Bring us back to our respective worlds already, you f****** geezer!' Accelerator could only complain in his mind, creating an escape plan at the same time.

'Mr. Magician, I think it would be best to return us to our world already...I feel tired all of a sudden...Please?"

"Hm...I already told you kids that I should know which world you're from first. We can't just go world hopping without a set destination in mind." Zelretch explained again, turning around a walked a few feet away from the duo. "Little girl, I take it you have no idea about world events in your place?"

"W-well..."

Zelretch could only sigh. Why do most Illyas he saw in other worlds are poor recluse and forced to fight the war? "If that is the case, we could only rely on this young man here to give us our destination, right? Then again, this young man might be the evil one and his place is already ruined."

Accelerator quickly typed in his cellphone, showing the screen to the old man. Zelretch extended his unoccupied hand and Accelerator felt a force pulling his phone away. Feeling that the old man doesn't want to get close and take a peek, he just let go and sees his phone floating away slowly to old man Zelretch. The screen shows the following:

[Old man, if there is one thing I'm sure of, It's that I am done being a villain and am trying to live a peaceful life. That night when I meet that idiot bastard and punched me in the face, I really wanted to kill him. But because he stopped me from being a villain and saved those clones, I felt the chains tying me from that disaster disappear. I will never be able to take back those lives I took, so I promised myself I will protect the remaining ones, starting with her. That is the world where I'm from, you s***** old coot.]

"...You really are dramatic, boy, but you could have just said that you're the good one." Zelretch gave back Accelerator's phone, floating to his direction in a faster pace and grabbed it back. "Now then, if you could move away a little, I will make some preparations for your portal back home, young boy." The Grand Magician, Zelretch, then started doing his magic trick. A white light shaped like a door appeared in front of the three. "Nope...Nope...Not this one..." He mumbled as he swipes the tip of his cane on the air as if swiping a finger on a tablet screen.

'Finally...' Accelerator can't hide his satisfied face. Now he cou-

"Wait, aren't the Servants summoned from the Throne of Heroes? Why did you create a portal to that place, as if you don't have a single care in the world?!" Illya exclaimed as she realized the real problem here.

"...I... Really am getting a poor memory...I may have neglected to say this, little girl, but your Servant here didn't come from the Throne of Heroes. He came from the same world as yours, but not as part of the history books. He is a modern hero living in a city called Academy City, a city where technology is 30 years advanced from the world. But for some reason, he got summoned as Berserker. As part of my investigation, I tried to confirm if the Accelerator standing here right now is the same Accelerator that went missing while I was observing his actions." Zelretch really knows his stuff, but still really suspicious.

"...Wait, you're alive?!" Illya then looked at Accelerator and asked that question.

He showed the message he typed on his phone.

[I take it Servants are spirits of dead heroes, huh? I'm pretty much alive and well, brat.]

"...You're calling me brat again..." She turned again to Zelretch. "Why are you observing him, anyway? You really are a dirty stalker, aren't you Mr. Great Magician."

"I'm not a pervert, little girl. This young man's existence is quite interesting once you see him in action. Also, another reason I knew which world you're from was thanks to your summoning ritual." Zelretch looked at Accelerator, looking rather excited on what he has to say. "When you disappeared, boy, some kind of being stood from the same spot you disappeared to. My hunch is that when you were summoned, the Heroic Spirit the little girl tried to summon took your place. That may have been the intended Servant, Berserker."

"So I was successful? But I can only feel my connection with the Berserker here. Wouldn't that mea-" Illya stopped when she saw the old man stop swinging his cane. "What's wrong? Did you find the right world?"

"..."

'What's with the silence, dammit?!" Accelerator walked to where the white light is and took a peek, seeing what it was showing.

Indeed, it is Academy City alright. The windmills that help in generating electricity were continuously spinning. The balloon that showed the news was floating above the skies. It might have been the same thing he saw when he went out that morning to do an errand. So what exactly is the problem?

"No matter how many times I see this view, the skyscrapers of Academy City will always look beautiful...and weird. His science has done a lot for this place to advance like this..." Zelretch muttered those words.

Sometimes, you really don't know what this old man would do next. A true eccentric, most people would describe those who have met him. And for the first time, Illya and Accelerator's thoughts were in sync. Complete silence.

"..."

"..."

"Well then, shall we?"

Before they stepped into the light, Accelerator stopped the old man and pulled out his phone. He typed and showed his message to Zelretch.

[What was your true reason for observing me?]

After reading the message, Zelretch asks for the phone and Accelerator gave it to him. Zelretch doesn't want to answer his message out loud so he chose to type it in too. Once done, he handed it back to the owner and smiled as he stepped inside the light. Accelerator wondered and read the reply in his phone.

"Hm? What's wrong? What did he say?" Before Illya could take a peek, the boy closed his phone. It would be best to keep this for him alone.

'...You damn old geezer...' Accelerator also went in, with his thoughts on how to explain his tardiness back at home.

"Hey, don't leave me like that!" Illya jumped into the light angrily as she chases the boy who ditched her.

"[You are the only Accelerator that was saved and saved people in return to that kindness that was shown to you. That is of enough interest to me to try finding out of your real motivations.]"

And so they stepped into the portal to Academy City, unaware of the events that are currently transpiring.

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School District 7, Academy City; in front of Joseph's Coffee and Restaurant, End of November...

11:55 PM

On the streets of Academy City, in front of the diner commonly known as Joseph, a clash between two monsters continued.

Deflecting each blow given by the wings made of Dark Matter, Heracles stood his ground, defending himself using the axe-sword he had equipped in his right hand. Both agile and strong, the Greek hero known for slaying the Hydra reminded him of that battle with the nine headed serpent, whose regenerative abilities pushed him to the limits.

Heracles accompanied the Misaka sisters and Kikyou Yoshikawa for lunch. Out of nowhere, they were attacked by the being who then introduced himself as "Teitoku Kakine". Quickly sensing the attack, Heracles materialized his weapon, Nine Lives, and defended the people around him from "Kakine's" attack. The supposed servant used the axe-sword form of his favored weapon to deflect the Dark Matter Spears. Chaos ensued as the people around them ran for their lives, panic infecting everyone who saw the white form of the monstrosity that threatened their lives.

"Kakine" threatened to attack everyone around him if the "stranger" doesn't come with him, as he was referring to Heracles. The Heroic Spirit refused as he needs to protect his "Masters", although it was unconfirmed which is which. "Kakine" then revealed that he will still attack them anyway, specifically Last Order as to fulfill his grudge against her caretaker. Heracles then took a battle stance and shouted to his companions to run away so as to hold him off.

The fight took place all around the district, its destruction following on its wake. The battle was then brought on to the front of the famed diner, shocking its customers as they realized that they were in danger.

The battle continued.

'I would really prefer using my bow, but this is best for now.' To use his long range weapon, he would have to create distance between him and his opponent. Due to the aggressive attacks coming from "Kakine"'s Dark matter wings, Heracles couldn't get the chance to fully utilize the power of his Noble Phantasm, Nine Lives.

"This is Judgement! Do not panic and please evacuate the premises immediately! Please follow the guidance of the other officers!"

Some of the people around them were all being evacuated by members of Judgment. Kuroko Shirai was using her ability to teleport the civilians away from the destruction caused by the fight. Supporting her were other Espers that are willing to help even though they are not members of the Disciplinary Organization.

'It's a good thing those kids are decreasing the possible number of unnecessary deaths. But I need to finish this once and for all." Heracles thought when he saw the efforts of the people supporting him by reducing the casualties. Indeed, ending this would help in stopping the chaos.

To put it in simple terms, he needed a distraction. He needs time to prepare his trump card.

And that distraction came in the form of an electrified beam of light.

A big, gaping hole appeared on "Kakine"'s chest as the light of the railgun passed through his back. It wasn't enough to faze him and continued attacking.

"Tch! Still not enough firepower!" Albeit weaker, Misaka Worst can use the same technique as that of the original Mikoto Misaka by using hardware nails she carries around. Misaka Worst chased after the giant. It's not in Worst's nature to help people, but she doesn't want to get left behind from the battle, as she sees this as fun.

"Allow me." Another beam of light, this time colored green, shot through "Kakine's" body. Using Shizuri Mugino's Meltdowner ability, four shots were fired this time, hitting the left leg, right shoulder wing, chest, and the head.

"Super Uppercut!" Saiai Kinuhata delivered a strong punch, enhanced by her Offense Armor, to "Kakine's" stomach, making his body fly up into the air and quickly jumped back Mugino's side.

"Take This!" Before he could show off his regeneration, it was followed up by another railgun that came from above. This time he was shot by Mikoto Misaka and she was able to do this feat thanks to Kuroko Shirai. Finished with evacuating the civilians, she assisted her best friend by teleporting them high above "Kakine" and did the deed, big puffs of smoke rose up from the deep crater.

Shirai caught Misaka and teleported beside Mugino after firing her railgun. They are currently standing in front of the diner they were having lunch until the fight broke out. Making a temporary truce, Misaka and Mugino fought alongside each other for the first time and promised to each other that they will never EVER do this kind of team-up again.

"Nyah! W-why are you attacking Beetle-san?!" Fremea ran up to Mugino and pulled on her clothes as she tried to stop her friend, not knowing what exactly was going on.

Hamazura came out of the hiding spot he was in with Takitsubo and Fremea as they have no way to defend themselves (Takitsubo's bat won't be effective, after all!). "Fremea, come back here! That wasn't Beetle-san! That was-"

"Teitoku Kakine, the one and only!" The voice came out from the boy made of Dark Matter who slowly walked out of the big wall of smoke and dust. Not a single scratch was present. "This is how Dark Matter should be: Infinite and Forever! Remember that, fools!"

He then charged at the group of Espers that attacked him using spears made of Dark Matter, flew up the air and quickly descending down on them. His wings extended and its tips turned into sharp weapons as they were about to be stabbed with its sheer numbers.

""""!""""

But what blocked those projectiles was a tall wall made of the same material: Dark Matter.

"Did I miss anything?" Teitoku Kakine turned to them while blocking the other "Kakine" to make sure that everyone was accounted for.

"Nyah! Beetle-san?!" Fremea poked her head out from behind Mugino and Hamazura as the two tried to protect the little girl.

Kakine then built a big dome around them as to fortify their defenses even further, leaving Heracles outside of it. Inside were Hamazura, Mugino, Fremea, Kinuhata, Misaka, Shirai, and Worst.

"What the hell is going on here, Kakine-san?! Did you accidentally make an evil clone or something?" Hamazura was really confused about their situation right now. "There is no way, right?!" Grabbing the white kid, he demanded an answer.

Kakine gently removed his friend's hand with is free hand from his shoulder as he was about to explain the situation. "It's far worse than that. It seems that the Original Personality has returned to take revenge from us. The very first Teitoku Kakine, to clear my point."

Everyone who knew about the incident behind Beetle 05's existence could only look at him in disbelief, until they realized the possibility. But how did he come back, if he was supposed to have lost control and authority over the Dark Matter? It is possible to revive the Original Personality, as this was done before. These people didn't know about his recent revival, except for a select few.

To explain, the Original Teitoku Kakine is someone who has great pride over his ability, as he was able to make autonomous beings out of his Dark Matter. In his first attempt to test this, he made giant Rhinoceros Beetles for the sole purpose of capturing the unknown being, Fraulein Kretune, and at the same time exacting his revenge on the #1 Strongest Esper of Academy City, Accelerator. To keep his connection with the beetles for relaying commands, he created the Dark Matter Network. But as he created more beetles for his army, the connection became more isolated for one of them and the isolated beetle was able to make his own network. The said beetle finally disconnected as one of the beetles came into contact with Rikou Takitsubo, whose ability, AIM Stalker, manipulated its Personal reality and became its own person. Having the free will to control his own Dark Matter, Beetle 05 took over Kakine's Network and Authority, to become Teitoku Kakine himself.

"So that was the bastard Teitoku, huh? I kind of hated you because you look the same, but the Original was someone I never liked the most." Mugino commented, crunching her fists as if ready to punch someone.

"Nyah! You mean you have a dark side? That was so cool, until he attacked us!" Fremea looked cheerful...weird kid...

"That would mean he made a new network of his own and is super trying to take over yours? He has been really prideful about his ability that he doesn't want anyone else using Dark Matter." Kinuhata made a guess to Kakine's motives as she folded her arms.

"..." Misaka is more concerned about the older-looking clone beside her.

"What is it, Onee-sama?" Worst returned the glare coming from her look-alike.

"Wait, what's going on? Onee-sama, why does she look like you, although older? And she also called you Onee-sama? Wh-what's is this feeling that I feel from the older-looking one? Jealousy? Betrayal? Yet, you look the same...GAAAH! What's happening to me?!" Kuroko Shirai looked back and forth between the two Misakas, confused and unaware of the circumstances between the "Sisters". Not known to her right now, drool was coming out of her mouth.

"..." Everyone else was quietly looking at the three, since they weren't listening to what Beetle 05 just said, specifically at the girl convulsing from either shock or excitement that there are two Onee-samas that stood in front of her.

"...So, that was Teitoku Kakine outside, but you're also Teitoku Kakine? So which one was the one who hurt Uiharu?" For those who didn't know what was going on but just went with the flow, Misaka could only ask this question, ignoring her friend who was twitching on the floor. To prevent Shirai from finding out about the Sisters, Misaka stunned her to pass out. It may be too much but she knew that her friend became resistant to her electric shocks at this point in time.

"A little extreme there, I would say Onee-tama." Worst commented on Misaka's behavior.

"That would be the one outside right now...Gah!" As he said this, Beetle 05 felt a sharp pain in his head as he tried to put more layers to the dome. "He's trying to take over my Dark Matter! Zura-san!"

"Just call me Hamazura!" Dang, even Beetle 05 called him with that nickname he never liked! He was reminded of that one character in a very popular shounen manga.

"Fremea mentioned that you turned into someone that resembled a Sentai character on TV? Was it some sort of powered suit?"

"You told him?!" Hamazura turned to Fremea, a small blush present in his face as he was reminded of that time when he wore the powered suit, Dragon Rider. He did look like someone from the Kamen Rider Series.

"Nyah! Essentially, I had to tell him since you really looked cool!" Fremea told him with a cute smile on her face.

"So you really are into cosplay, Hamazura. How childish and disgusting." Mugino could only look at him in disgust as she never knew about the reason he did that.

"Playing superhero? Wow, so you save kitties stuck on the tree or something?" Kinuhata teased him as she also didn't knew about him wearing a powered suit.

"Anyway, I was just curious...Now, I will have to ask all of you for assistance." Beetle 05 said as he thought of a plan.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~0~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

11:57 PM

Outside the dome, Kakine was trying different ways to break through the Dark Matter Barrier. Seeing that his earlier attack wasn't effective, he redirected the sunlight exposing his wings and continuously shot beams at it.

Heracles, seeing as he finally got the distraction he needed, tried to change the form of his Noble Phantasm into its original form, a bow whose arrows used on it were worth a hundred shots. That was the true form of Heracles' Greatest Noble Phantasm, Nine Lives.

But it did not came. Nothing happened. The weapon did not changed it shape as willed by its owner

"...Huh? How? Wait, let me try again." Heracles whispered as he tried to transform his weapon, to no luck and failed again. 'Now that I thought about it, what servant class am I supposed to be?'

While Heracles was trying to figure out the problem, he didn't notice Kakine went near the dome. He can't destroy it so he'll have to take over and control it from the inside out, since it is made of the same Dark Matter he uses, only generated by his other self. Kakine held out his hand and it only took one touch for cracks to appear on the surface of the supposed barrier. He smirked that he can finally reclaim what is only his.

'He's starting to get through that dome! There's no time to think about this!'

Snapping himself back and focus returned to him, he had no choice but to charge in and attack the Dark Matter boy from behind, losing his advantage on a stealth attack with his bow.

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

That was a big mistake as he never expected the boy to have reinforcements.

As Heracles charged at Kakine, he was hit by something on his right side and exploded on contact. The sudden explosion threw him off course and crashed really far to the boy's left, although unscathed.

'He had company?! I must-'

When the giant stood his ground, another volley of exploding projectiles came and hit him dead on, leaving no space for a counter attack. The attacks came from giant, white, mechanical beetles made of Dark Matter, under Kakine's control. The explosions continued as the beetles aimed their horns and shot their explosive mortar to the giant Servant.

Then the attacks stopped, leaving a big pile of smoke from the place the beetles attacked on.

"Heh! Now where were we...Hmm?" Kakine was about to fully take control over the makeshift dome when it suddenly crumbled on its own.

As the barrier's debris fell down, Kakine felt pain on the left side of his face. He staggered from the sudden attack that came from the other user of Dark Matter, the Esper who was known as Beetle 05.

"That was for attacking my friends." He punched the boy in the face again, taking advantage of the boy's stunned state. "And this is for threatening the peace of this city!"

The attack didn't end there as Beetle 05 released his six wings and redirected the sunlight, creating lasers that hit Kakine all over his body, pushing him to the other side of the road.

"Let's do this!"

"Right at ya, Original!"

As Beetle 05 finished his attack, it was followed up by the Original and her clone as they both manipulated and held in their hands swords made of iron sand. Misaka and Worst quickly pulled themselves towards the enemy using electromagnetism and did a cross-slash at Kakine's stunned body. Then the two Electromasters made the iron sand swirl around them and grind the Dark Matter boy in between the tornado to turn him into mush.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA! Nice! This is nice! Now you're starting to put up a fight!"

Even though he was supposed to scream in pain, Kakine could only laugh as he found their efforts pathetic. Their attacks were still useless. He regenerated Dark Matter as fast as the tornado spun on his sides

"Beetles? Lame. This is why you will always lose, #2. Picking bugs as your bodyguards? This just shows how low you've become."

"Mugino, even bug bites are super irritating for a girls delicate skin, you know?"

While the three aforementioned Espers were keeping the instigator of chaos busy, Mugino and Kinuhata confronted the mechanical beetles. One by one, the tanks of beetles exploded as they met the powers of the Meltdowner and Offense Armor.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~0~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

11:59 PM

While the others were busy fighting, Hamazura took care of the passed out Teleporter and Fremea, taking them to where he and Takitsubo hid themselves from all of this. She hid in one on the alleyways as to prevent herself from being in danger. Since it was too narrow, only two people could fit when entered at the same time.

"Are you okay, Takitsubo?! Are you hurt somewhere?!" Hamazura questioned once they reached her hiding place. She placed Shirai beside his girlfirend so that her back would rest on the wall. He then checked on her physically to see if she had any injuries while he was away.

"I'm fine. But our big friend from before..." Takitsubo pointed her fingers to where the person she was referring to.

Hamazura looked at the direction she pointed at to see a really big cloud of smoke. It hadn't dissipated since Heracles took on the full brunt of the beetle's explosive attacks. She witnessed everything that had happened while the others were inside the dome.

"Nyah! Mister Giant?! Hamazura, we have to help him!" Fremea shouted as she saw the aftermath of Heracles' fight.

"He'll be fine. I have to get you girls away from here first. I don't want you to get hurt." Hamazura extended his hand to help his girlfriend stand up and he supported her.

Takitsubo still held onto the "disciplinary tool" Kinuhata gave her as she stood up. Hamazura was about to carry Shirai when the girl winced in pain and woke up from her slumber.

"Ngngh!...O-onee-sama? Eh? Where's Onee-sama?!" Shirai then looked at her current companions and questioned them about the current procession of things.

"They are holding back Kakine to give us time to retreat. That includes you. We have to go. Can you stand?" Hamazura also held out a hand his hand to Shirai, only to be rejected by the girl who stood up on her own.

"I-I can manage on my own. I have to go and support her!" Shirai was about to ster out of the alleyway, only to be stopped by the delinquent by grabbing her wrist. "Let go! I have to be there for her!"

"Misaka-san entrusted your safety to me! She doesn't want you to get hurt! Besides, as a member of Judgment, shouldn't you be prioritizing the safety of the civilians?!" Shirai can't argue with that logic. True, her current companions are also civilians who don't have the ability to fight. There was even a kid among them.

She sighed in defeat as she complied with the current circumstance. "Fine. I'll have to assist you people first. I can only teleport two people at a time."

"Then take Takitsubo and the kid first. I'll wait here. Take them as far away from here as possible." Hamazura declared to the Judgement girl as he wants to prioritize the safety of the two girls.

"...Hamazura!"

"Oh, and Takitsibo? Can I borrow that first?" He was referring to the "tool" his girlfriend held in her hands.

"But..."

"I'll be fine. You two have to get out of here first. I can handle myself." Even though hesitant, Takitsubo gave the nailed bat to her boyfriend. The boy gladly accepted it and carried it on his shoulders.

"I won't permit civilians joining Academy City's chaos." Shirai boldly stated to Hamazura.

"This is for self defense. There's no way I'm joining those monsters in the fight. Now get going before they reach this place."

"...Let's go! Hold onto me." Shirai finally went and did her job as an officer guiding civilians out of harm's way.

"Hamazura, break a leg!"

"...Be careful..."

"...I will."

The two girls attached themselves to Shirai and they disappeared instantly from Hamazura's sight.

"...I hope Fremea didn't mean what she said..."

The boy then went to where Heracles was, the smoke cleared when the wind blew. In the middle of the crater was the giant, knelt down as if passed out. But that wasn't what made Hamazura's eyes glued to him.

Heracles was bleeding badly, a pool of his blood started to gather beneath him. There were wounds all over his body and, unlike Kakine, he wasn't regenerating. Even after all of this, he still gripped his weapon and would never let go anytime soon.

"A-are you okay?! Damn it! Please don't die!" Hamazura tried to reach out to the giant, trying to see if they weren't too late from coming out of the barrier earlier. He went to Heracles' side, stepping on the pool of red, to examine him up close.

"..." The giant's golden eyes were still open, staring at the battle happening right in front of him.

"Damn it! Please be alright! Aren't you Heracles the Almighty Hero of Greece?! Don't give up on us like this!" The boy pleaded but nothing happened.

His words never reached Him. Heracles died,his lifeless body stood there like he was being painted by an artist.

"Well, are we done with the dramatics, Shiage Hamazura?"

"!" Hamazura quickly turned to the voice as he stared at the alleyway he was in before. There came the form of Teitoku Kakine walking towards him and the dead Servant. "Why are you doing this?!" He held onto the weapon he borrowed from Takitsubo as he stood in between the two monsters.

"I was just here to pick up your friend there. But since he didn't cooperate, I used force. But that's not the only reason. You see, I had three reasons for cooperating with Academy City. And as long as those three reasons exist, I will come back to kill you all." Kakine placed his hands in his pockets, his deep, cold smile filled with darkness curled. He then looked down, his eyes hidden under his hair. "Want to know those three reasons? You're going to die anyway so I won't mind."

"Kch!" Hamazura froze once he heard those words.

"First is Accelerator, just for him being there. I will always loathe his existence." Kakine released his first set of wings. Two wings appeared.

"Second is the fake me, my very own creation that dared betray me and stole what is rightfully mine." He then released his second set of wings. Four wings were present.

"And lastly," When Kakine lifted his head, Hamazura met the boy's sharp gaze as if the next reason was related to him.

"Rikou Takitsubo, who was the main cause of all my misfortune."

"Y-you..." The Level 0 could only look at him, his body shaking in anger as the boy threatened to hurt his girlfriend.

"Once I exact my revenge on all these three reasons...Hmm... It would be best if I stop here. Whether you step aside or not, I'll still kill you anyway." Kakine released hi final set of wings, now six in totality.

"No way will I die here and let you lay a hand on Takitsubo, you dirty creep!" Hamazura charged at him with both hands on the nailed-bat, knowing full well that it was dangerous to do so.

"Speak for yourself, stupid Level 0."

Kakine used one of his wings and quickly stabbed Hamazura to the chest. Before it connects, the boy rolled swung the bat and deflected it, only for it to redirect to his left leg. The spear-like wing dug itself to the ground, as Kakine used another wing to stab the boy running to his direction. Hamazura tried to deflect the wing with the bat again but let go of his weapon when it hit his hand itself, causing him to lose his grip. A small gash appeared at the back of his right hand and bled. But it didn't matter as he ran to his opponent, clenched the bleeding hand to a fist.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh!"

"Pathetic. You wanna die that badly? Here you go." Kakine was just playing around with Hamazura, as he could have killed him already by stabbing him with his wings altogether. He didn't think that the boy was this stupid. But that stupidity will end now.

Kakine then used the remaining four wings to stab Hamazura in the chest. He should have done this earlier and not waste his time.

The wings didn't pierce through his body as it only scratched off Hamazura's orange jacket, completely unharmed.

"W-what?! How d- Buh!" Face meets fist after fist as Hamazura threw a volley of punches at Kakine. The boy then grabbed the head of Kakine and pushed it to his right knee, stunning him and a big strong right jab to the face that completely staggered his body, lost his balance and trip with his legs, his back on the floor. "H-how did you survive that?!"

"Did you think I would charge in like that without thinking things through? You're the real idiot here." Underneath the holes of his jacket was the familiar white color of Dark Matter.

The Irregular Level 0 then stripped off his torn jacket and revealed the white armor underneath his clothing. The armor's shape resembled the Dragon Rider powered suit and it slowly coated his whole body.

Before Hamazura left the dome, Beetle 05 covered his body with the unknown element to protect him from Kakine's attacks. Since the Dark Matter has the capability to read off the history of everything it touches by analyzing its surface. The material read the history of Hamazura's body and shaped itself for the body still remembered the sensation when he wore the suit.

"I still can't believe Dark Matter can do this. But this is better than not wearing it at all." Hamazura proceeded to crunch his fists, now with his head covered with Dark Matter and shaped like a helmet. The helmet shaped itself like the Dragon Rider's. "Now then, did you say something about hurting my Takitsubo?"

"Wait 'till I take that fake armor and crush you to pieces, you m*****f*****!" Kakine stood up and had his wings move to his only target at a really quick pace.

With the Dark Matter Suit in tow, Hamazura was able to initiate moves faster and swerved his body in opposition to fully evade each wing. When a wing was close to hit him, he used his arms covered in Dark Matter to block it. blow after blow, Kakine's attack never stopped until he pulled up all his wings to crash down on the Level 0. It connected to the ground but the boy wasn't underneath it as Hamazura fully charged at Kakine and did a high jump.

"You can't be serious...!"

Screaming at the top of his lungs, Hamazura declared the name of his "ultimate move" as he was crashing down on the Dark Matter entity.

"HAMAZURA DRILL KICK!"

"That's not a kiiiiiiiiiick!"

Using his right leg for the kick, it shaped itself into a fast, spinning drill as it went through Kakine's body. Even the wings weren't of use when he tried to block his attack. As he landed behind the pierced-through Kakine, Hamazura stood up and motioned his arms, his left arm extending upwards to the right and his right doing a fist pump. As he did the pose, his background exploded, as from any other sentai shows did when the villain got done in.

"...I always wanted to try that, but I never expected the explosion..." Hamazura could only look at the bizarre sight of flames in his back. "Was that too much?"

"Not really since that's just one of eight clones I made for myself."

"!" Hamazura turned to the voice and saw another Teitoku Kakine. Behind him was Heracles, who was still in that state. On his grip was-

"Last Order! But how?!" The girl in question was being held like a hostage, one arm wrapped around her waist. She was unconscious and must have been knocked out by the boy in front of him. "Take your hands off the kid!"

"No can do since I need her to drag out #1. I saw her hiding nearby this place alone, so I won't let the chance slip by me again. That researcher must have been separated from her from that mass panic."

Even though he was kind of relieved that Kakine did not do anything to Yoshikawa, he can't let his guard down at the current situation. "...So which one are you? You said there were seven clones." As he stood his ground, Hamazura tried to observe the entity's next move.

"Why would I tell you that, idiot?" Kakine looked at him in sheer disgust as he examined the suit. "I never expected you using my Dark Matter in such manner, but I won't hold back this time. But first, I have to attract #1's attention by threatening the source of his powers." He then shaped his free hand into a blade and pointed its tip at Last Order's temple.

"Dammit! Don't you dare-"

"Or what, you gonna stop me with that low-grade fake Dark Matter?"

"jhgebNO%$%*,ygfawIygeWILLoygeKILLlgawYOU$%#."

""!""

Before anything else could happen, Accelerator quickly ripped his hand through Kakine's head from behind, completely crushing it as the body went limp and fell on the pavement. The albino pulled Last Order's unconscious frame from the body's grip and saw to the clone's welfare.

The little girl woke up afterwards, her eyes winced as light entered and saw Accelerator's worried face as he turned off his choker.

"..."

"..."

"...WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG, YOU BIG DUMMY?!"

'Yep. She's alright. Energetic as ever.' Accelerator thought once he saw Last Order's pouting but cute, cheerful face when she saw him.

But that was short lived as Last Order saw Heracles's wounded and unmoving frame. Shaking, she was released by Accelerator and went to check the giant. Just like how Hamazura first saw him, nothing changed.

"He-He-Hera-chan...Hey...Please be alright...Please! Don't Leave Misaka like this! Misaka pleads as Misaka tries to wake you up! Waaaaaaaaaah!" The little girl could only weep, saddened from the lost of a new friend.

"..." Accelerator could only watch the dreaded scene of a person that he wasn't able to save on time.

"...Last Order..." Hamazura lamented on his powerlessness.

They were with him earlier, happily conversing with Heracles. Even though they only knew each other for a while. But Hamazura knew the feelings of the little girl, as she was the one who was with him the most.

"Eeeeh...So this giant was supposed to be my Servant, huh?..."

"..."

"Huh? A little girl?"

Everyone present, except Last Order whose sobs drowned out the voice, focused their eyes on the silver-haired girl, Illya. She came back to this world with Accelerator with the help of an old man who left them after crossing the portal back to Academy City.

"Good afternoon, my name is Illyasviel von Einzbern. This may be sudden, but may I ask what had transpired?" The girl did a bow as a part of her introduction as she gently pulled the sides of her skirt.

"..A-ah yeah...Shiage Hamazura here...Wait, What's a girl like you doing here?! This place is dangerous!" Hamazura questioned the intentions of the girl, as much as she came out of nowhere, like Accelerator.

Speaking of which...

"Also, where the hell have you been?! All the chaos and you show up like this?!"

"..." Accelerator took out his phone, as he figured that coming back here didn't even fix his speech problem. He showed his reply to the boy who questioned his sense of urgency.

[A lot happened. The girl's a magician. Got involved in something big. What the f*** is going on?]

"You know, you coulda just said that like a normal person. Why pull out yo-"

"ayfvWANTygeMEygeTOokugtPUNCHiugeYOU#$&?"

"I'm really sorry about what happened to Last Order. And did you say Magician?"

"Mage."

"otegvWHATEVERygerbBRATuwhj."

"Why are you talking like that?"

Hamazura had no idea whatever it was that Accelerator said. He got the message that Accelerator is incapable of proper speech at the moment he heard him spoke incoherent words. He went and gave the latecomers the current situation. They were attacked by the Original Teitoku Kakine, did a number on Heracles, and now they were trying to take him down.

"Heracles is not dead. Not yet anyway."

Whatever Illya had said incited curiosity and hope from Last Order's wet eyes as she looked at her with tears still flowing from her eyes.

"E-eh? R-really? Misaka asks as Misaka was curious at what the other little girl had said...Also, who are you? Asks Misaka as Misaka questioningly looked at the girl with suspicion." She missed the whole conversation and then noticed the other little girl who came with her original guardian.

"..." Accelerator stayed silent.

"You mean there's a way to bring him back?! How are you so sure of this?!" Hamazura can't believe that there was a way to bring the giant back to life.

"He is currently consuming Mana from his own reserve to use some sort of ability. Maybe it's his Noble Phantasm. But for some reason, he can't finish the process. Is it because he ran out in the middle of healing?" Illya then turned to Last Order. "Tell me, kid. Did he say anything to you about his circumstances?"

Hamazura, especially Last Order, had no clue as to what the silver-haired girl said earlier. Hamazura had slight knowledge about Magic but never took it seriously. Last Order had no idea about Magic at all. She was only informed early this morning when Heracles came to their door and told them about the Holy Grail War, That he was a Servant, and that Yoshikawa, Worst, and her were possibly his Master.

"E-eh? You mean the Holy Grail War? Misaka confusingly replied as Misaka had no idea what Illya explained earlier?"

"...You didn't understand...?" Illya caught onto what Last Order said at the end of her statement. She then realized that it must be her verbal tick. "Anyway, If you knew about the Holy Grail War, that would mean you are Heracles' Master?"

"W-wait wait wait! What do you mean war?! Is what's happening right now part of this war?!" Hamazura commented as he heard the word.

"N-no...There were three of us at that time and Misaka does not know which one is his real Master. Misaka replied as Misaka got even more confused..."

"So that's it." Illya thought of a possible reason about Heracles' slow regeneration. "Since Heracles does not have a Master, he relied on his own Mana to use his abilities. The problem being is that without a Master, he can't access his full potential as a Servant, for he doesn't have a stable power source! That would also mean I can-"

"So right now, all Heracles needed right now is a Master and he will go back to the way he was?! Misaka Inquires as Misaka finally understood even a little bit of what Illya explained." Last Order cut off Illya as she held the girl's hand.

"I still don't know what's going on, but Mana will hurt us Espers, right?" At least Hamazura listened to the conversation and understood a concept he was taught a while ago.

[Everyone has Mana. Espers using Mana for Magic hurts them from the inside out.] Accelerator quickly typed in his clarification to Hamazura.

True. Espers can't use Magic. Since their bodies were already altered by scientific means, they lost access to using Magic. Once Mana is used to perform Magic, Espers will be badly wounded as they have no resistance to it and has the possibility to die, even if the weakest spell was used for invocation.

If that was the case, then there was only one person who can create a contract with Heracles to truly unlock his potential and wake him up from his slumber.

And that person was...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~0~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

12:04 PM

A lot also happened at Beetle 05's side.

Mugino and Kinuhata were able to annihilate all of the Beetle tanks that served as Teitoku Kakine's artillery. All 100 beetles in total were disintegrated, smashed, crushed, full of holes, and were completely out of commission. Unlike the first production, these beetles don't have the capability to regenerate like the main controller. Still, dealing with them made them lose a lot of stamina.

But the beetles were just the beginning.

"So you even made clones of yourself? What difference does that make? As long as I can shoot my Meltdowner through that stupid face of yours, It's pretty much the same like those bugs over there!"

Mugino was really pissed. First, this guy interrupted her lunch and was hungry. Second, She had a temporary team with that brat, in her list was the second person she hated the most (First is Kakine).Third is that...

"So how could you overwhelm me like this?! Gah!"

Teitoku Kakine's formless Dark Matter body swallowed Mugino's body, her whole figure bound and sealed while lying on the cold, cracked pavement. The material tightened for every move she made, hurting her in the process. She could use her ability to shoot the Dark Matter off her body, at the risk of her own safety. She already lost an eye and an arm, so it won't be pleasant to lose another also prevented her from using Meltdowner the most was that her eyes were also covered. She can't shot indiscriminately as she might hit Kinuhata or any other person she could care for. That doesn't include the #2 and #3. The only thing that wasn't coated with the unknown substance was her nose and mouth, to keep her from breathing.

"#4, we've known each other for so long that we are almost like siblings. You knew how my powers work. So do I. I will know a way or two to bypass on your defenses. And, let's face it; you're #4 for a reason."

Kakine's voice resounded in Mugino's ears, as if they were inside a cave. The voice echoes in an endless pit of darkness. That what Mugino felt for her current dilemma.

"Touching your body this close, I never realized you had such a great figure. Your boyfriend must be a really lucky man!"

"Damn you! Get off me, Pervert! Gaaah!"

The same can be said to Kinuhata. She was already knocked out by the other Dark Matter Clone as her unconscious body was being kicked, much like how a person vents out their stress.

"If you're curious about your friend here, she's done for." The other clone said before giving Kinuhata one strong kick that made her limp body roll a few meters away from him. He then walked to the direction of the bound Mugino. "You're pretty much alone now, Meltdowner. No one's going to save you. By now, the others should have taken down your other companions." the Kakine clone went and met the girl face to face to emphasize his point. "And there's nothing you can do to stop me."

"Freeze, Esper!"

A voice enhanced through the megaphone was heard, its command directed to to the clone of Kakine. A few meters away from him, there was a barricade comprised of lined-up Security Bots. Behind it were Anti-Skill officers that had the muzzle of their firearms pointed at the white being while raising their riot shields. Aiho Yomikawa held the megaphone as she directed her squad on standby until further instructions.

"This is Anti-Skill! Surrender and let go of the hostage! You are under arrest for destruction of public property, unlawful use of abilities, and using it to hurt the civilians!"

"Anti-Skill, huh? It would have been better if you people didn't interfere with my work!"

Anti-Skill is Academy City's police enforcement group, as well as the city's personal military force. As the peacekeepers of the city, they are tasked not only to protect its citizens from harmful threats, but to also deal with it.

"It would be easier if you follow us right now! You are resisting arrest!"

"Or what, you gonna shoot? That's so violent of you, Miss Officer! You do know I have a hostage here, right? You might accidentally shoot her, you know?"

"...Tch!"

Both were at a standstill. With a hostage being threatened to be killed, Anti-Skill had to think up of a plan to separate the hostage from their target. Yomikawa can't risk both his squad and the hostage with a stupid move, like charging at the Esper head-on.

"Hahahahaha! You said something about me being not a villain, Accelerator?! You still think this is not evil enough?! Why don't you show- Hm?" The Kakine clone looked at the other end of the road, where the other's were still fighting for their lives. "You sensed that?" He conversed with the formless version of the clone currently binding its hostage.

"...We lost two in a matter of minutes. So he finally showed up..."

Mugino clearly heard what the clones said, but that didn't get her hopes up. Whoever they referred to must be the one they wanted to meet all this time. There is only one person that comes to mind.

But never in her life did she experienced being the damsel in distress. She was strong, tactical, and has a powerful ability. There was no way she would ever ask for help from somebody. If ever that happens, it would prove how weak she was. And she was weak. She was caught by this monster, which she considered a rival for a very long time.

Her group, ITEM, and his group, SCHOOL. They had clashed a lot of times in the past, but a winner was never decided. It had always been personal between the two of them. Proving who was the strongest between them. Numbers mattered to them at that time. But, unlike the monster, she moved on from believing in ranks as she was defeated for the first time. Not by the person she considered as her rival, but by the man whom she only considered as a grunt, a Level Zero.

Being defeated by a person lower than her rank tarnished her reputation as the strongest. She has the ability to kill the person, but that person was able to beat her three times. At the third time, she was far closer to Death's Door, but that person saved her from her own ego, by being accepted for her true self. That very moment changed her life for the better. She may have lost track of the important things, but she tried to make up for it by first asking for forgiveness.

Was it all worthless? For being merciful, did she become weak?

She can't accept it. She can't die like this. Even if she doesn't want to, she had to say it. Acknowledging her weakness was one thing, but asking for help? This is truly out of her character. But...

"...H...lp..m.."

"Hm? Is #4 crying? Wait, seriously? Hahahaha! You, Shizuri Mugino, crying for help? HAHAHAHAHA!" A mocking laughter escaped from the mouth of the clone as she saw his hostage's tears trickling down her cheeks.

"..e...p...e.."

"Hey, shut her up. I don't want to hear her cries. It's gonna get irritating."

"Yeah yeah..."

"SOMEBODY! PLEASE! SAV-Mmph" Dark Matter covered her mouth beofre she could say anything else.

"Seriously, you really have become weaker than the last time I saw you. You do know crying for help won't save you, right?" Her consciousness started to fade as she slowly ran out of air to breathe.

True, crying for help was just a way to instill false hope on one's self. But that didn't stop her from believing.

Believing in a "Savior" that would come to their rescue once they hear a cry for help.

Darkness loomed over Shizuri Mugino. Her body felt cold from the lack of oxygen. Is this the end? Will she die like this, not even seeing the light of day?

As she invited thoughts like these in her mind...

...

...

...CRACK

The Dark Matter coated on her whole body cracked and broke into pieces, as each fragment quickly turned into dust.

"What the-Who are you?! Where did you come from?!" She heard the voice of the Kakine clone, panicked as he confronted the newcomer.

Sunlight finally entered her uncovered eyes. She felt someone grabbing her in the waist as she almost fell. Her back rested on the stranger's arms as her pleas were finally answered. Before she passed out completely, Mugino took in the appearance of the person who saved her. She can't see very well but if there is one thing she can confirm about her "Savior's" appearance...

It's that the person had a very spiky hair.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~0~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

12:11 PM

The skies of Academy City had never been filled with intensity since World War III.

Flying through the air with wings spread like eagles were the two Dark Matter Espers, swords at their hands as they parried each other's slashes. Not one of them wants to back down as they battle for supremacy. To whom shall they submit their ability? This battle with decide it all.

"Give it up already, fake! You might as well give the authority to me, the Original!"

"There's no way I'm giving it up that easily! And leave my friends out of this! This is our problem, not theirs!"

Below them were the sisters Misaka and Worst, both are at the defensive as they also fought with Teitoku Kakine. There was two of him, to be more precise. With both of the Electromasters using Iron Sand to protect themselves, they manipulate the black dust to fend off the beings made of Dark Matter. They've been holding out for too long, fatigue started to show from their movements and expressions.

""Hey hey #3/Clone, you're seriously helping the fake "me"? Is this a joke or what? I don't find it funny at all!"" Both spoke at the same time as they tried to initiate a conversation with the sisters.

"I'm here to get back at you for what you did to my friend! Remember Kazari Uiharu?" Misaka was seriously pissed off as she remembered what Shirai told her about the headband-wearing friend of her.

She first fought for the intention of saving the civilians, only for that to change once she found out about the attackers identity.

"Huh? Who was that supposed to be? Sorry, but I don't remember people who are not worth remembering, especially those that I had killed already. Is she one of the dead ones?" A smug smile was present on his face as this Kakine looked at the Ace of Tokiwadai with pity.

"She's not dead!" That response just pissed Misaka off even more, generated electricity off her body which then hit the boy who responded to her.

"That won't work, missy!" Just like an insulator, Dark Matter didn't absorb the lightning spear that was shot at him.

"Nyaaaaaah! Seriously, die already, creep! Misaka still needs to watch that telenovela! Misaka wanna knows what happened to that girl who rejected the guy because she caught him cheating!" With a rather bored look, Worst yawned as she intended to end the fight between her and her opponent. She continuously slashed the boy with multiple Iron Sand Whips manipulated through electromagnetism.

"Take me seriously, b****! You think you're better than me?!" the other Kakine fended off the whips, with his wings acting as a shield.

Then the battle was decided when someone fell from the sky. He crashed badly on the concrete road as Mikoto Misaka and Misaka Worst looked at the one who fell. Which one was it? Was it the good one or the bad one?

The answer came when the other landed straight at the fallen one, choked him, and threw the person at Mikoto Misaka.

Beetle 05 and Misaka's body collided, as intended by the Kakine that fought the former. Both of them crashed on the pavement, with the girl on top of the white boy.

"A-are you o-okay, M-misaka-s-san?" His body was badly damage. Even if there was no blood, it was evident that Kakine dealt a heavy blow on him. That didn't stop him from looking after the girl he crashed with.

"J-just got scratched...Gah!" When Misaka tried to stand, she cried in pain as she felt a broken rib. "T-this is bad isn't it, Beetle-san?"

"Misaka needs a little help here! Whoops!" Worst was in a lot more trouble as she faced off with the two Kakines, doing a hit and run tactic for both opponents.

The third Kakine who Beetle 05 fought walked to their direction, his wings at the ready as the tips were like spears. "I was being easy with you, you know that? If you don't want to give the Authority to me, then I'll force my way through! I'll make you a part of me by absorbing you!"

"Stay away from Beetle-san, you monster!" Despite her injury, Misaka stood up and extended her right arm, an arcade coin present on her thumb. Threatening to use her railgun on Kakine, she defended the current #2 from being absorbed.

"Mi-Misaka-san, don't! He''ll-Gah"

"GAAAAAAAAAAH!"

His words didn't reach the girl as a Dark Matter spear was lodged onto his left shoulder. The same can also be said to Misaka as the coin fell from her hand as she screamed in pain. The spear came out of the back of her shoulder, its tip covered in blood. She tried pulling it out but it hurts even more. Take note that the said spear was not separate from Kakine's wings, so this made pulling out the weapon even harder.

"Well, this is it Railgun. Let's end this quickly so that I can absorb that pest behind you." Kakine went closer to the two Level 5's that were badly hurt.

"AAAAAAAH" The spear-like wing that was stabbed to Beetle 05's shoulder melted and slowly spread on his body. He can feel his body lose control as Kakine hacked into his network.

"KAKINEEEEEEEE!"

He reshaped the sword he used in his fight earlier with his left hand and pointed it at Misaka's face. "Any last words?"

Anger was present in Misaka's eyes as her gaze met with Kakine's yellow scleroses of his eyes. She only said three words as she at her opponent.

"Go to hell." As she said those words, she pulled back her hands, manipulated the Iron Sand and stabbed Kakine all over his body. Even so, the boy was unfazed from all that and pulled back the sword, ready to cut off the girls head. The girl closed her eyes.

"MISAKA-SAAAAAAAAAAAAN!"

Fear of dying.

Just like any other person out there, people are afraid of death. That much is true and can be applied to everyone who is currently alive. The same can be said to Mikoto Misaka. She knew what will happen next. Her head will be cut off and she will die. She will fail in protecting a person she met for the first time, even though she thought of him as a monster. Beetle got worried for her and she will die without giving back the favor. She had always hated favors. The person will feel sorry for her once she dies, blaming himself for dragging her into his problems. But she moved on her own. She had other motives for fighting this monster in front of her. This was the result of that action.

Death.

A few seconds from now, that blade will touch the skin on her neck. The motion will continue as the blade reaches the other end of her neck. That is all it will take.

Poor girl, she wasn't even able to tell her feelings to that idiot.

'Ah...why does it have to be his face that I think about before dying like this? Stupid...Stupid...The stupid one was me...Why didn't I told him sooner? If only...Eh? Wait a minute. I don't feel anything. Is this how death is supposed to feel like?'

If only she opened her eyes, she would have known that she had already been saved.

If only she opened her eyes, she would see the blade being held by the person who saved her.

If only she opened her eyes, she would know that the person who saved her was...

The person she hated the most.

"..." He held back the sword with his right hand, his expression motionless as his eyes didn't look at anyone present.

"Yo-you're...!" The absorption process got interrupted when Beetle's predator saw the face of-

"So you finally came...What took you so long, Accelerator?"

'Accelerator?!' When Misaka heard the name, she opened her eyes in shock and and saw the face of the albino. "You idiot!"

Let me be clear that the person who saved her wasn't the idiot she had in mind.

And with that the batle had been decided.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~At the Same Time~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Haaaah...Thanks for the breather, Hamazura! Just let Misaka rest for a while...ZZzzz..." Misaka Worst was also saved as she was carried like a princess by Hamazura as she dozed off.

Accelerator wasn't the only one that came to save their other companions. Hamazura came in the nick of time, before Worst could get stabbed in the back by one of the two Kakine clones. The Level Zero was able to hold them off...

"HEY! DON'T SLEEP AT A TIME LIKE THIS! WE'RE NOT YET OFF THE HOOK! WHOA!"

...And when I said hold the two off, I meant running away from them!

The two Kakines were in pursuit of the two escapees, brandishing their wings to fly and throwing sharp blades at the duo's wake. Hamazura ran to where he was earlier with the others. Waiting (Not really) for them was the silver-haired girl by the name of Illya.

"You useless piece of- Why did you bring them here?! It's not yet ready!" What a foul mouth you got there, little kid. Then again...

"Watch your mouth, lady! You're not the one being chased her- Whoa!" The boy in the power suit dodged another hail of attacks from the clones as he continued to run.

Hamazura stopped then did a quick back jump so that the clones would zoomed straight ahead from them. Clueless to why he did such a maneuver, they then found out why in a matter of seconds.

Thin threads were spread out like a spider web in front of them. Much like how a spider catches it prey, one of the clones didn't notice and got caught. But unlike any regular spider web, it didn't have the purpose of sticking itself to the unfortunate bug.

Maneuvering himself away from the deadly trap, Kakine landed meters away from the web. He watched his companion get sliced into pieces as his body went through the said trap.

"Another Esper...?! Wait...this feeling...Just like that witch!" Kakine was reminded of his first encounter with a Magician. His encounter with a Magic God gave him that similar feeling he felt when he saw the little girl in front of him.

"...Ever since this day started, I found out things I have never known before. One of them involved name-calling." The spider web collapsed and the threads shaped itself like pigeons. The said constructs then flew around Kakine's body, binding him with the Mana-infused strings.

"Graaah! Why can't I move?! Wait, is this hair?!" True, the hair's color was much like the girl's that manilpulated it.

"I found out I don't want to be called a "Magician". Second was "brat". Now..." The girl lifted her hands and had it flowed under her hair, producing four more constructs, now shaped like giant swords. "You just added "witch" to my list."

The sword constructs crashed down on Kakine, sliced and diced much like his friend who met the same fate.

"I'm a Mage. Remember that or I'll kill you, Zura-san~" Illya looked at the boy behind the now defeated clone and said that with a cute voice and smile.

"THAT WAS DIRECTED TO ME ALL ALONG?! AND MY NAME IS HAMAZURID- I mean- HAMAZURA!" The boy screamed at the top of his lungs, correcting the girl of about his name.

"...You just tried calling yourself Hamazurider, didn't you?"

"N-no...Why would I say that anyway? That would be really embarrassing if I did...Hahaha..." He laughed weakly as he denied a cool name for himself. He cried inside that another girl was after his life. When will his threats to his life end?

"*Yawn*...So, what did Misaka miss?"

"..."

"..."

"...What?"

"You actually slept through all that?! Bring back the hard work I did to save your ass there, dammit!"

"You people are so carefree...That's nice...I might like this city of science."

And the fight has ended. Now, there is only one more business to be attended with:

The location of the Original Teitoku Kakine.

---

District 7, Academy City; Windowless Building Rooftop, End of November...

12:20 PM

The home of the General Superintendent could be said to be the highest building among the other building in Academy City. With its tower-like height, someone who would gaze from the top could see the entirety of Academy City.

A hooded figure was present on the very same rooftop, gazing at a particular spot in District 7. In this person's eyes, a view of the situation outside a very popular restaurant could be seen.

The figure saw three people being carried on a stretcher to ride the ambulance. The figure recognized them as Shizuri Mugino, Saiai Kinuhata and Mikoto Misaka, the latter was badly wounded. Another figure was present, Kuroko Shirai, who never left her best friend ever since she came.

The figure also saw three more figures, apprehended by the Anti-Skill for whatever Offense they did. He recognized the two as Shiage Hamazura, who was naked and might have been caught for exhibitionism, and Accelerator, who seemed out of energy as two officers carried him over their shoulders and might be bringing him for questioning. The figure also recognized one of the officers, who it attacked in the past to provoke the #1.

The third person was someone the figure did not recognize at all. He was screaming in pain as the officers also apprehended him while gripping the boy's right hand, the words, "What rotten luck!" was heard throughout the district. It must be because he intervened in official police business. Taking a closer look suggested that the boy escaped the hospital as he was wearing a green gown, now tattered here and there. The said boy piqued the figure's interest as he charged like an idiot to the two clones who held the #4 as their hostage. The more interesting part was that it only took one touch for the clones to be fully destroyed. At least he put up a good fight after he freed the Meltdowner.

As for one of the figure's targets, Beetle 05 took off to nowhere, hiding from the authorities, after he stripped off and absorbed the Dark Matter Powered Suit he lent to the poor delinquent. The figure also saw the silver-haired girl who was like that witch back in Sargasso. He found out another world: Another supernatural phenomenon beyond Academy City's understanding the day the figure was revived. The said girl was accompanied by a girl in a track suit and another little girl with a red beret.

The figure failed again. The Original Teitoku Kakine failed at the task given by Aleister Crowley.

As the coat hiding the wearer's figure fluttered in the wind, A visitor came. Kakine turned around and found the other target tasked to be captured by the General Superintendent.

The Servant Heracles, along with the Administrator of the Misaka Network, 20,001 Codename: Last Order.

"Misaka finally found you, Kakine-san. Misaka said as Misaka politely greets the #2 Esper." The girl was carried down by her giant companion as her small feet toughed the rooftop floor.

"..."

The two left after reviving the giant Servant and searched for the main body: The one who can only create the Dark Matter.

None of the clones inherited the regeneration ability. They could only reshape their bodies and use the unknown element to their liking. As observed by Hamazura and Accelerator, the bodies of the clones they defeated never went back to life. This must be because the Original doesn't want to make another mistake like last time, as he might make another Beetle 05 error. The presence of Rikou Takitsubo fortified his decision of making the ability inaccessible to the clones. "Please give yourself up to Anti-Skill. You need help, Kakine-san. Misaka said as Misaka continues the conversation." Last Order continued to look at the hooded figure, as if pleading.

"Please give yourself up to Anti-Skill. You need help, Kakine-san. Misaka said as Misaka continues the conversation." Last Order continued to look at the hooded figure, as if pleading.

"Mistress, is this really the best course of action? He tried to kill you and the others. What he did cannot be forgiven that easily." Heracles told to his Master.

Last Order became the Master of Heracles, but not by contract, but by the choice of the two parties.

"Out of all of us, only one person can become Heracles' Master..."

They were discussing who will become Heracles' Master so that his wounds get healed faster. When Illya was about to declare her candidacy, the giant that didn't move groaned in pain. Heracles regained consciousness as his wounds started to close. One of his Noble Phantasms that activate when he experiences death, God Hand. But unlike the way it really worked, there was an obvious delay time.

As Mana is needed in Healing Spells and Magecraft, so does revival spells. In RPGs, when a character uses as revive spell, it will take a heavy amount of MP to use it. It could be said that God Hand also ran in the same Video Game principles. So what Heracles did was that he collected the needed amount of Mana in his slumber and used it to fully revive himself. But as a fighter, he doesn't have enough Mana, as opposed to magicians, for he has a small pool of Mana swirling in his body. The more reason it took longer than expected to revive himself.

Last Order was the most ecstatic when she saw Heracles brought back to life. They didn't have to discuss the contract anymore as they only need to heal his wounds. But someone wants to take in Heracles as her second Servant.

Illyasviel may have been in a different place now, but that doesn't change the reason she joined the war in the first place. With a chance to take back Heracles as her own Servant, she introduced herself to the bronze-skinned giant and asked him to be her Servant. When he heard Illya's suggestion, Accelerator thought that with the giant becoming his replacement, he could finally go back to the way he lived: lazily sleeping on the sofa as he wastes the day in perfect slumber.

Although conflicted, since the original guardian of Last Order finally came back, Heracles accepted the contract, sadness present in his voice.

But fate was more cruel that expected.

For some reason, Even if Illyasviel tried and tried again, she can't forge a pact with her supposed Servant. Espers can't give enough Mana since they didn't nurture their Magic Circuits.

With that, Heracles remained a Masterless Servant, but chose to serve the Yomikawa Household of his own volition.

With that, Accelerator remained as Illyasviel's Servant and was forced to serve her for the entirety of the war.

Now things got more complicated. Just what the hell is going on with the Holy Grail War?!

"..." Kakine stayed silent as the person only looked at the duo, Either unsure of what to reply or he chose not to.

And then Kakine spoke for the first time since he got on top of this building. What came next was something the two never expected.

"...I...I can't go back..." A rather timid yet sweet voice was heard. Far sweeter than Last Order's voice and far calmer than what his character was supposed to be.

Kakine removed the hood covering his-no...HER face...

"...To being a man!"

A beautiful girl stood in front of the two of them as they were frozen in shock from this apparent revelation...

Teitoku Kakine...Was a girl all along?

Back in Sargasso, when the members of Gremlin took his Dark Matter for materials in creating some sort of weapon, the production came to a halt as an explosion interrupted the process. When he came to his senses, Kakine was all alone, in the form of a teenage girl. With his Dark Matter, he attempted to change back to his male form.

Sadly it didn't work. He-...She could create clones of herself in their male form. And the clones could shift genders. But why is she the only one that can't do what her creations can do? Is there some sort of Mental Trauma that prevents the Original self to return back to being male? Did they do something to her while they were extracting Dark Matter out of her?

But that fact didn't change what she did earlier. She used her clones and beetles to threaten the citizens of Academy City. She tried to kill the people protecting her target. All of that was because she wanted to win the favor of Aleister Crowley.

"Aside from that fact, I'm also a monster. And a monster's job is to threaten the peace of this city that denied me of my own existence! Petty, I know. But, this is the only path left for me in this rotten and unfair world that took everything that was...that was..."

"Important to me" was what Kakine wanted to say, but she couldn't. Saying that would make her appear like of a tragic heroine who was forced to do evil deeds to survive in this city and find favor from someone.

But that wasn't it. She really did crave for power. She's a selfish bastard who wants everyone to bow down to her. When she got her ability for the first time, she thought that she was the most powerful Esper in Academy City, only to find out she's the Second Strongest. She loathe the person who took her chance. All those experiments she endured, all the pain she suffered, and what she gets was #2? Unforgivable.

Even so, that didn't matter. She built the underground organization that take in shady business from the Dark Side of Academy City, SCHOOL. She might call it her second family but they were never that close. They were just a bunch of people gathered to work together for the purpose of completing tasks, much like the other factions on the Dark Side of the City. That, too, was taken away from her.

October 9 was a very unforgettable date. That day, SCHOOL was annihilated, Her negotiations to meet with Aleister failed. She lost her body due to its destruction by Accelerator. She hated the world even more with that experience.

When she was revived a few weeks later, her powers were taken away from her by her own creation and she was then used to extract her Dark Matter, helpless.

All alone. She's not lonely but she had to do things alone.

"You're not the only one suffering. Misaka said as Misaka continues."

"...W-what...?"

"You're not the only one who had to continue suffering for the sake of achieving their goals. Heroes and Villains alike both suffered to get to where they are now. Misaka said as Misaka takes a step towards the person in pain." Last Order's steps seemed louder in Kakine's ears.

"...What are you talking about? Me, Teitoku Kakine, in pain? You-"

"You did things alone. You took in the pain alone. You suffered alone. You had no one to share the pain with. You had always been selfish, even to your own feelings. You lie to yourself so that you would feel." Last Order got closer and closer, uttering those words that she wanted to say the girl in front of her.

Each word sounded painful, hitting him somewhere in the chest.

It hurts. It hurts Kakine that she knelt down and covered her ears.

"SHUT UP! You don't know what you're talking about! Stop talking like you know me, twerp! AAAAAAAAAAH!"

"You remind Misaka of the child who saved Misaka but couldn't save himself. Misaka said as Misaka stops in front of the girl who had suffered for a long time." Last Order and Kakine were really close to each other that the little girl reached out her small hand and touched the wet cheeks of the girl who can't return to being a man.

"Misaka will save you. Just like how Misaka saved the child back then. Misaka will save you, even if you turn Misaka away. Misaka will save you, no matter what."

Kakine released her wings and flew off. She didn't want to hear more of the clone's nonsense and left her on the roof top, along with her giant. Somehow, she became more sensitive ever since turning to a girl. Whatever the little girl said didn't matter.

But still, why did it hurt so much?

---

District 7, Academy City; Windowless Building, End of November...

12:02 PM

"..."

"...We need to talk, Aleister."

"...Well, what brings you to this world, 2nd True Magician?"

"...I am from this world. Let's make this quick since I have business to attend to."

"With pleasure. I take it you're going to ask for identification papers for the Servants that will appear in this city, as well as their respective Masters?"

"...So you caught onto my intentions already? This conversation really did end quick."

"You did say you have somewhere else to go, so I just made my customer satisfied with their requests."

"What are you planning Aleister? Will you intervene in the war?"

"...That is of no concern to me, Zelretch. As long as the plan stays in it's course, The war is of none of my concern."

"And if it did?"

"Then I will make it a part of plan, then. Now, aren't you in a hurry?"

"...Tch. Goodbye, Aleister Crowley."

"You're always welcome, Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg."

---

People who were gifted with unusual abilities have the choice of how they will use it...

Destruction...Corruption...Revenge...This is a few of many paths they can take...

But they will never realize the true purpose of their existence...

Until the final decision has been made...

To Be Continued...

Time Remaining: -64D 9H 08M 54S...

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---

Fuyuki City, Japan; January 31...

7:33 PM

The star-filled night sky gave Shirou Emiya peace of mind. On his way home, he thought of different dishes that he could cook for the following days for his guardian and his underclassman. There were so many dishes he could choose, from Beef & Potato Stew to Hot Pot. Since it was really cold this time of the year, he could go cook soup-based dishes for the rest of the week. As was the dilemma of most housewives, they should provide a variety of food they could give to their family. Cooking only one type would cause them to get sick of the same thing. As someone akin to a housewife, Emiya thought that he should also do the same and not focus much on soup dishes, and maybe mix in some fried meat, stir-fried vegetables, and some seafood on it.

That is, if the budget can fit his desired menu.

As he walked on the concrete-paved street, Emiya looked up to the sky and wondered if the peaceful life he experienced for the past 10 years will continue.

Everything changed on that day 10 years ago.

He found out about the existence of Magic when he was still a kid. To be more precise, when he was saved and adopted by a Mage, Kiritsugu Emiya. Shirou Emiya was one of the few survivors of the Fuyuki Fire Incident 10 years ago.

He lost everything that day. His family, his humanity, his everyday life and anything else all turned to ashes. Nobody knew what caused the fire, as it appeared like a thief in the night. He saw people trying to save other people, only to die themselves. As young Shirou ignored their cry for help, he felt fear and broken. HE can't save all those people who cried for help. Those who tried failed.

As he was about to give up on living and let himself burn in the flames of despair, a hand reached out to his collapsed form. He felt cold tears drop on his warm cheeks that made him slowly open his blank eyes to see the face of a middle-aged man. He was crying and smiling at the same time, grabbing his hands as if they were precious. Before he passed out, Shirou listened to the words of the man who saved his life.

"You're alive...! You're alive! You're alive! Thank you...Thank you! I'm so glad I found someone. By saving even one person, I've saved myself."

A couple of days later, when Shirou fully recovered, a middle-aged man came to visit him in hospital ward he was staying in. He remembered this man as the one who saved his life, his savior, The man asked him if he wants to go to the orphanage or get adopted and stay with him. Of course the kid chose to come with the man. As his savior was about to pack his things, he turned to look at him and said,

"Oh, I forgot to tell you something important. It's important that you know this, all right?" He coughed as to clear his throat and said the exact same words that made Shirou change his perspective of the man known as Kiritsugu Emiya.

"Well, I'm a Mage"

Since then, he lived with his new family and admired him as they stayed together. Later on, he would insist the old man to teach him Magic. He was able to make him agree and practiced the art of Magecraft. That was-

"Haah...Enough of these flashbacks. Better get home and cook dinner for those two...Although, Sakura may have beaten me to it." Shirou mumbled in his whispers as he continued to walk home.

When he looked up the road, he saw a girl who stood a short distance away above the small incline. With her long silver hair, Shirou identified her as a foreigner.

'What's that girl doing this late at night? Is she lost?' When he took a closer look, the girl was wearing a peculiar outfit that reinforced the idea that she really was foreign.

As the boy was about to get near the girl, the strange foreigner walked to his direction. The look in her eyes showed as if she finally found someone she could ask directions from.

'Hmm? Might as well help her then. Better try what Fuji-nee taught me in her class.' Shirou then paused to let the other party get near him. He really hasn't been doing well with his English lessons. But since his guardian, Taiga Fujimura, tutored him a little at home, he's a little confident with his English conversation skills.

"H-hallo! Mae aye helpu iyu?" Confidence doesn't mean perfection.

But even before the girl could hear Shirou's super failed attempt at speaking another language, she collapsed a few centimeters in front of him.

"..."

"...E-eh? W-wait, A-are you alright?! I-I mean...Arr yu olrait?!" Shirou quickly knelt down, panicking a little as he had little experience in helping people that fell down flat with their face on the cold, hard concrete.

"...I..."

"I?" Shirou responded as if he was trying to find out more to the meaning of her words.

"...I...I'm...hungry..."

"...What?" Shirou doesn't know what to be surprised with. The fact that the foreigner girl clearly spoke Japanese or that she was hungry. Either way, as a gentleman, he must assist the lady in need...of provisions.

And thus, that very meeting signified the end of Shirou Emiya's normal everyday life.

---

As the day of the war draws near...

A new relationship will be born...

A boy whose Origin composed of Swords...

A girl whose Origin composed of Books...

What will be the new fate of these two people...

Once their worlds finally collide...?

To Be Continued...?

New Time Remaining: -2D 7H 27M 01S

---

Welcome, Readers who waited for 48 hours to see this update,

...Okay this is awkward. I promised to deliver a chapter after 48 hours, only to show this to you guys after 49 or more...I'm so ashamed of myself right now...

Anyway, this chapter really pushed me to the limits with the fight scenes. It's really easy to imagine it but once you try typing it into words, the awesomeness dies along with it. That's when I realized I'm not good with epic fight scenes, as shown above. Still, I really enjoyed writing them since it challenged me to do something I haven't done before. And I would really appreciate it if you could give me some tips on writing these types of scenes, being amateur and all.

And then there's the angst-like thoughts...I have nothing more to say. Even I can't believe I wrote that myself. With that, I apologize.

I'm pretty sure I messed up Zelretch's personality and his Magic, since I have no exact idea about this character, except for the information provided in the Type-Moon Wikia.

Hoped everyone was in character when I wrote this. Sometimes I mess it up and think to myself, "Was this person like this or did I misread that person's personality?" I really hope everyone was to your liking.

As for the explanations given about the "unlocking the full potential of the Servant with having a Master" theory and other things discussed in this fic, I'm pretty sure I'm gonna get bashed for that, especially those who have a deeper knowledge in the inner workings of the HGW Mechanics. Please understand that this is just a fan theory of mine and not canon.

Also the bit about Hamazura being badass, with his Dark Matter Dragon Rider Suit: It's just for fun. But as TAMNI fans, we all know we want to see the guy doing badass things again. It's really been so long since his last proper appearance. Let's just say that this chapter is a tribute to that.

A lot of rules had been broken in this chapter..I think. And, again, I apologize for those...

And I apologize for whatever mistake I did while writing this chapter. Please tell me things that need correcting, editing, or complaints either through Review or Private Messaging.

See you guys on the next update (Which will obviously take time)!