Summary:

Joined by a new ally, the Investigation team moves on while Mash struggles with her feelings of inadequacy.
But of course, the Singularity doesn't care about anyone's feelings, and proceeds to promptly cut their discussion short via: "Suddenly appearing group of enemies™"
Things start getting heated as they face threats such as: Zerg Rushing Assassins, an Archer that shockingly uses a bow, Olga Marie nearly dying of asphyxiation [Don't wear heels in apocalyptic hellscapes, kids,] all the while the Chaldeans learn how ridiculously OP runes are.

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Chapter 4: Assassin Fracas

As soon as the light faded, Ritsuka found herself utterly enticed by the woman standing in front of her. This incredibly gorgeous woman, with hair like the night sky, eyes like amethysts that perfectly matched her lance, clad in armor that seemed as mystical as she was, was looking straight at her, making her heart flutter.

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A fairy? An angel? A goddess? These were the inquiries running through her mind as she kept staring. The very possibility that this woman could be a human never crossed her mind. Her beauty was just so... ethereal, something that was beyond the reach of humans. And then she spoke, with a soft, quiet voice.

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"Brynhildr... My Class is... Lancer. I await your orders... I will fight as your spear, Master."

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...Brynhildr? Ah, now her allure made perfect sense. The beautiful Valkyrie from Norse mythology, daughter of Odin, and the one who loved the great hero Sigurd and ultimately kill-

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Ritsuka felt her heart skip a beat, this time not due to Brynhildr's beauty, but because of the pieces that fell into place. She now realized how this woman was the ideal Servant for their needs. As she moved her eyes to Brynhildr's lance, her heart shaped lance, she could immediately tell it was a Noble Phantasm. The fact that she had killed Sigurd, the man she loved the most in the world, and this heart shaped lance of hers, left Ritsuka with a sad, yet obvious conclusion: That lance was a Noble Phantasm specialized at killing heroes...

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This... this was really messed up. Sure, that lance would work wonders against someone like King Arthur, but...

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"Ahem!"

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Snapping back into reality, Ritsuka looked to her left to see Director Olga Marie frowning at her impatiently, motioning towards Brynhildr with her eyes. The Lancer in question was still standing on Mash's shield, still like a statue. Ritsuka felt heat rising to her cheeks, this time out of embarrassment. "Ah, uhh, ahem. Sorry about that," Ritsuka apologized, doing everything in her power to return her face back to its calm, composed state. "Thank you for answering the summon, Brynhildr. I'm Ritsuka Repo, your Master." Taking a step forward, she offered her hand to the newly arrived Servant. "I hope I can be a satisfactory Master to a Servant of your caliber."

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In response to the offered hand, Brynhildr looked at the redhead in surprise, blinking confoundedly. "I... There is no need for you to be so kind to me, Master... I said that I would fight as your spear, so please think of me as a tool."

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"Oh... Alright then." Dejected, Ritsuka retracted her hand while keeping her eyes on the melancholy Lancer. The way Brynhildr had reacted... She had seemed genuinely uncomfortable at the prospect of being treated like a person. Thinking about it, after having lived such a turbulent life, perhaps it was honestly easier for her to just act like a weapon, something that existed simply to follow orders and had no need for emotions. Ritsuka didn't really like the idea, but Brynhildr more than likely had mountains of emotional issues due to everything that had happened to her. And as her Master, there really was nothing she could do to even hope to help her with them, except doing what she had asked. "Then, Lancer, I suppose I should start by explaining our situation here."

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"Yes, that would be helpful..." Brynhildr mumbled, her eyes moving away from Ritsuka for the first time since her summoning as they shifted to Mash for a second before continuing on to Caster, turning the slightest bit more intense. Ah, that was definitely something that had to be addressed. As a Valkyrie, it wouldn't surprise Ritsuka if Brynhildr had some sort of ability to detect heroes, so Caster would absolutely catch her attention. And even more importantly, for a Servant to be summoned when two others were present... It would no doubt be a bit confusing. Mash was already strange enough, so Cú Chulainn, a bigshot hero, would definitely put her on guard.

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"I understand that it must be a bit abnormal to be summoned when two other Servants are already present, but there's no need for concern," Ritsuka assured, hoping to relieve tensions as soon as possible. Given their situation, they couldn't afford any kind of distrust between allies. Something like that could completely jeopardize their mission. "Mash, um, how should I put this? Well, she isn't exactly a normal Servant in the first place. And while Caster is, he's working as our ally in solving this debacle." The last sentence seemed to particularly catch Brynhildr's attention, looking at Ritsuka in obvious confusion. Yeah, this next part would absolutely be confusing to any summoned Servant. "I'm not really sure how much information you received during your summoning, but you weren't summoned to participate in a Holy Grail War. Rather, we summoned you to help us put an end to it."

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The explanation had only taken a few minutes, during which, Ritsuka had managed to convey a surprisingly detailed description of their current mission. Granted, the part about the nature of Chaldea had been abridged to the bare minimum, but since it wasn't that important to their current situation, no one cut in to correct her.

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As her Master was informing the newly summoned Lancer, Mash, wishing to make herself useful, had started packing the supplies they had received, moving them from the Conveyance Container into what was commonly known as a 'Field Satchel,' though she had heard Arista calling it: 'the Backpack of Slightly More Holding' on several occasions. Essentially, it was a Mystic Code in the shape of a small backpack, meant for field usage. What made it so useful was the fact that the insides of the satchel were doubled through the use of magecraft, allowing it to hold more supplies without hindering movement with its bulk.

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Just about finished with her packing, Mash turned her attention back to Brynhildr, her expression having turned the slightest bit more serious. "I understand the situation now, Master, so allow me to alleviate any possible concerns on my part. I have no issues with our contract even if there is no Grail to grant my wish," the Lancer affirmed, her voice as soft and quiet as ever. Both Ritsuka and the Director seemed surprised by this, exchanging a quick look. "I said I would fight as your spear, a simple tool, and that has not changed. I'll be gratified to be of use as long as I am able."

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"I see..." Ritsuka nodded, appearing the slightest bit hesitant over the whole thing. "I appreciate that..."

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"Well, now that that's settled, we should really get a move one," Olga Marie said, looking over to Mash to check her progress. "Good, looks like you're about done, Mash. Before we leave, we still need to send both the catalyst and the other Saint Quartz back to Chaldea with the Conveyance Container."

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"Right. On it, Director." Moving the last of the provisions into the backpack, Mash set it aside and started packing the container. Granted, it was only two items, so it wasn't much of a task. After locking the box with the feather in it and placing it inside the crate, Olga Marie walked to her side, dropping the Saint Quartz in as well. "Caster just gave it to you?"

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"The idiot threw it at me," she grumbled while sending a glare towards Caster, still perched on a roof, keeping watch. "And it's not like he has any use for this thing, since as far as we know, it's only useful for summoning. I just asked and he chucked the damn stone, nearly hitting me in the head..."

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"Putting Caster's lack of tact aside," Ritsuka remarked. "Is sending the crate back as easy as receiving it?"

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"Easier, actually. We're basically just pulling it back to Chaldea, so there's far less calculations involved."

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"Yes, just like Arista said, it's really easy," Roman agreed, smiling at the group from his screen. "Just place the Conveyance Container back on your shield, and we can pull it back whenever."

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"Right, so let's get on with it and get to a safer location already," Olga Marie insisted, and Mash was quick to comply, placing the sealed container on her shield.

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"Move away, please. Recovering Conveyance Container in, 3, 2, 1..." As Roman finished his countdown, another flash of light lit up the area, and just like Arista had said, the crate was gone in, quite literally, a flash. "Recovery confirmed. Good work everyone."

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As Mash went to pick up her shield, its role as catalyst finally finished, she noticed Ritsuka picking up the Field Satchel and lifting it on her back. "Ah, Senpai. I can carry the supplies. There's no need for you to exert yourself."

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In response to her offer, Ritsuka looked at Mash in slight confusion. "Exert myself? Mash, this thing weighs like four kilos at best, and I can carry it on my back. This isn't something that takes any effort." That... was certainly true. It wouldn't take much for the average person to carry it, and considering her Master's excellent physical condition, it could hardly be called a burden. But that just made Mash confused in return. Why hadn't she thought of that? Could her desire to be of at least some assistance really be impeding her rationality that much? Feeling her cheeks heat up, the Demi-Servant really wished she could just erase her last sentence. But thinking about it, wouldn't it still be better for her to carry it, in case they got attacked? Yes, thinking it like that, she could at least- "And it's better for me to carry this in case of a battle. Even a weak attack that wouldn't really hurt a Servant would definitely smush all the food here."

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...Mash was now really glad she hadn't had the time to voice her last thought.

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"Why not just let the fretful, white haired lady here take care of it?" Caster suggested as he finally rejoined the group after keeping watch during the summoning. "Not like she contributes all that much, so having her help at least a little would go a long way."

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And just like that, Caster had managed to awaken the Director's ire once more. Though before she could start berating the Servant, Ritsuka spoke up dryly. "I'm not going to ask my boss to carry our supplies. The hell kind of employee would do something like that? And she did patch me up at the bridge, so it's not like she hasn't done anything."

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"You got me there," Caster laughed as he walked past the now surprised Olga Marie, who appeared the slightest bit relieved as she looked at Ritsuka. But as soon as his laughter ended, Caster's mood seemed to noticeably drop as he turned to Brynhildr. "Well, we got our back-up, so we better head back to the hideout. No point in dawdling around here."

'

As the sole male of their group began heading back the way they had arrived, the rest of them exchanged awkward looks. For some reason Caster seemed bothered with Brynhildr, his disposition souring when he looked at her. As they began walking after him, Ritsuka was the first to speak up. "So... Caster...? Do you have something against Brynhildr? You weren't exactly subtle with the way you looked at her..."

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"Oh, no. I have absolutely no issues with our little troop growing even fairer," Caster grinned, giving Ritsuka a quick wink which earned him an eye roll from the Master. But while his words had seemed genuine, his grin made way to melancholy soon after. "It's nothing against her personally... But, man... First that snake woman, now her, it's like everybody except me gets to be a Lancer..."

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The response caught Mash off guard to say the least. Was that seriously all it was? Yes, Cú Chulainn had complained about being a Caster once before, but for it to bother him this much...

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The others seemed just as surprised as she was. Brynhildr just seemed confused more than anything. As if she didn't know what to say. Ritsuka was holding her hand in front of her mouth, clearly trying to stop herself from laughing, while Olga Marie looked like she was somewhere between tired and irked. "What are you, a child? You've been manifested for several days already, so just get over it."

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"Easy for you to say," Caster grumbled. "You have any idea how tough Holy Grail Wars are for Casters?"

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"Alright, alright. How about we just leave it at that."

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Cutting in, Ritsuka did her best to stop another argument from breaking out. It's not like their group was the most subtle bunch in the first place, so making more noise would just make things worse. "We're all a little frustrated with our current predicament, but it won't do any good to take our aggression out on each other. Now that we've actually summoned Lancer, we could start making at least the basics of a battle strategy. Although..." Turning to her left to look at Brynhildr as they walked, Ritsuka stared at her quite intently, though the Valkyrie didn't seem fazed in the slightest, keeping her usual stoicness. If Mash had to guess, she was most likely analyzing the newly summoned Servant's abilities, though that didn't explain the slightly bothered look on her face. The redhead kept staring for a few more seconds, until she finally spoke out. "Lancer, have any of your abilities been reduced?"

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Looking at her Master in surprise, Brynhildr seemed the slightest bit hesitant at first, but returned to her previous calmness upon noticing how serious Ritsuka seemed. "That is right. While my Skills and Noble Phantasm are unaffected, there has been some slight reduction in my Parameters."

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"I see, I thought so..." Ritsuka nodded, seemingly falling back into deep thought. Listening in on the conversation, Mash noticed that Olga Marie was also looking at the two surreptitiously. Not that this was anything to hide, in fact, it was quite vital information. While it was relieving to know that Brynhildr could still use her Noble Phantasm at full effect, it did leave the issue of her weakening. Which was honestly surprising, to Mash at least. Despite the stoic aura around her, Brynhildr just felt... well, strong to her. In her opinion, the Lancer seemed a far more proper Servant for her Senpai than she was. Even after everything, she was still incapable of using her Noble Phantasm, and the Demi-Servant was doubtful that she could even hold a candle to Brynhildr even if she had unlocked it. But she had to wonder; Why exactly had the Lancer been weakened? Was it something due to the Summoning System? The Singularity? And while she was trying to find the answer, Ritsuka spoke up, providing it. "Yes, that makes sense. It's no doubt due to my inadequacy as a Master."

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Upon hearing her Senpai's reasoning, Mash's walking came to a grinding halt. That... that couldn't be right. There had to be some other explanation. To this point, Ritsuka had been a wonderful Master who had been kind enough to even put herself in danger to help Mash. She had come up with an effective plan to deal with the Lancer on the bridge, so it couldn't possib-

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Wait.

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She was thinking irrationally again. While she did still believe that Ritsuka was a wonderful Master, what she was referring to wasn't as subjective as what Mash had in mind. When it came to a Servant's parameters, what mattered wasn't the Master's skill as a commander, but the quality of their Magic Circuits. And Ritsuka was... well, extremely average.

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"...Yes, that is most likely the case," Brynhildr nodded, seeming the slightest bit troubled as she confirmed Mash's hypothesis. "I apologize for speaking so bluntly, but your Magic Circuits are quite... feeble, Master."

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"No need to apologize. I'm well aware of my shortcomings, so you don't need to hesitate when bringing them up if necessary," Ritsuka responded shockingly objectively. "In the end, it just means that I've got to work harder to mitigate the loss in strength as much as I can."

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"I see... If that is what you wish." Nodding in affirmation, Brynhildr kept on walking, seemingly uninterested in pushing the subject any further. Mash however, felt the exact opposite. She wanted to say something, anything in Ritsuka's favor.

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"Um, Senpai?"

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Calling out to the redhead, Mash sorted out the appropriate words in her head as she waited for her to answer. Slowing down her pace a bit, Ritsuka moved to her side. "Yes? Did you need something Mash?"

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It was now or never. "While it may be true that your Magical Circuits are... weak, I believe that your other qualities as a Master more than make up for it."

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"Huh?"

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In response to her words, Ritsuka stopped on her tracks, staring at the Demi-Servant wide-eyed. Of all the reactions to her reassurance, this was one that Mash hadn't expected. Her Master seemed genuinely surprised. "I- uh... Do you really mean that?" Ritsuka asked, seeming troubled for some reason. "You really have no issues with me being your Master?"

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Now it was Mash's turn to be surprised by a question. After everything Ritsuka had done for her, how could such a question even be asked? Even if her ability as a mage was low, her Senpai was both hard working and kind. "Of course I mean it," Mash smiled, genuinely meaning every word. "I think you might've been the best Master this summer."

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"...Oh." Noticeably blushing at the words, Ritsuka was quick to turn away from Mash, bringing one of her hands to her face to obstruct it. The whole reaction still felt odd to the Demi-Servant. Despite being so astonishingly calm and collected during scary, life threatening moments, her Senpai seemed to react strongly to the oddest things. Well, perhaps she was just one of those people who couldn't really handle compliments.

'

After roughly ten seconds, Ritsuka turned to face Mash again, now back to her usual, calm self. This was another one of her impressive features. She had somehow even managed to remove the blush from her face in such a short time. "...Thank you, Mash," Ritsuka said, a soft smile now growing on her lips.

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The way she answered... It made Mash feel... warm, for some unexplained reason. At first she felt confused why Ritsuka seemed so profound, so genuine as she spoke at the moment, until she realized the cause. The tone, the smile... They were the same she had used in the Command Room.

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"If you really have that much faith in me, then I promise to work as hard as I can to repay that trust. I might be somewhat mediocre, but I'll do my best as your Master."

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Responding with a nod and a smile of her own, Mash was glad she had managed to properly convey her feelings on the matter. The fact that it had seemingly made Ritsuka happy as well was unexpected, but welcome. As for the promise, from the time she had spent with her, Mash was quite sure that even if she hadn't promised it, her Master still would have worked her hardest on solving their predicament. But the last part on the other hand...

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If she was being objective, their situation was actually the complete opposite. It was Mash that served Ritsuka as a lackluster Servant. While she was a tad disheartened over Brynhildr's summoning, her usefulness decreasing even further, she couldn't deny the sense of relief that also came with it. Ritsuka now had a proper, strong Servant to protect her. Someone who would be able to fight any enemy Servants they would encounter on this mission. Someone who wasn't afraid of fighting opponents weaker than her. Someone who could actually use their Noble Phantasm...

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"Mash?"

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Looking up from her downcast mulling, Mash saw Ritsuka looking at her with concern. "You got really quiet again. Are you alright?"

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Again... Was she seriously causing Senpai to worry over her again? First her lack of capability as a Servant, now Mash was also wasting her time with her frivolous personal issues in a situation like this... She couldn't let this continue. And thus, doing her best to hide any anxieties from her face, Mash looked Ritsuka straight in the eye and said: "Yes. I'm doing fine," hoping to dissolve any distracting worries.

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In response to her words, Ritsuka looked at her quite skeptically, making Mash worried she had managed to make the situation worse, but much to her relief, her Master began walking after a few seconds. "Well, that's good. But if you do have any problems, don't hesitate to let me know."

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Mash nodded, though she had no intention to take the offer for now. Maybe after this whole ordeal was over, but not while Ritsuka still had to work as a Master in such a dangerous situation. Distractions like that could prove extremely hazardous.

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And as she quickly walked after her Master, Mash, as well as everyone else present, was completely unaware of the dozens of eyes watching them from shadows all around the area.

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"Here's your coffee, Roman. I even added a sickening amount of sugar in it, just how you like it."

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Accepting the offered drink with a sheepish smile, Romani gave a quick thanks to his assistant and brought the sweet, brown nectar to his lips. Caffeine and sugar. Exactly what he needed in a time like this. "Ahh, that's the good stuff. I really appreciate you going out of your way to fetch me this, Alena."

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"Not really much else to do at the moment," the brunette muttered, clearly frustrated. "Only three staff members were injured, and even they had just minor injuries like a mild concussion or some bruises. The dead on the other hand..."

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Yes, that. Sharing the same profession with the woman, Roman well understood her feelings on the matter. Even ignoring the now cryopreserved 47 Master Candidates, Chaldea had lost approximately 90% of its staff. Nearly 200 people, dead. While it was awful to wish that there were more injured, it was still far preferable to death, since they could at least do something in that case. While he had a role as a temporary leader due to his position, Manesse was far less fortunate, having no real task at hand after taking care of the mildly injured. She couldn't do much in the way of repair work, due to having absolutely no training as a technician. While she was his assistant in practice, the woman was technically a dental surgeon, filling her role as an assistant for the simple reason that normal medical problems were simply more common than dental ones. But at this point, all she could do was deliver supplies around.

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"Well, whining about it won't solve anything," Manesse sighed and started walking towards the exit. "I'm going to go deliver some supplies where they're needed, but if literally anything important comes up, call me immediately."

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"Will do," Roman nodded as his coworker left. Taking another sip of his coffee, he began to check the process on some of the repairs. The fires had all been extinguished and the most vital parts of the Rayshift system had been restored, allowing Chaldea to at least attempt to pull the Investigation team back should the need arise. While the situation was still catastrophic, it had significantly improved over the last few hours, and not just in the facility itself.

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Things were finally starting to look promising with the Singularity crew as well. A strong, new Servant ally, some much needed sustenance, and a nice, quiet spot to work out their plan of attack. If they were lucky, the situation could be solved in a matter of hours.

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Still... Roman couldn't shake this dreadful feeling that had plagued him since the first explosion. All of this... It was without a doubt linked to his last vision, but he just couldn't see the full picture yet. The Singularity, the sabotage, everything that had happened. How were they all linked together? How and why were they accomplished? There was just too much he didn't know at this point and it was driving him crazy.

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"So, working hard or hardly working?"

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Hearing the sudden call from his Multi-Appliance, Romani's thoughts returned solely to the present. Maybe that was for the best. There was far too much to do at the moment, so using precious time to think about what-ifs could very well cause more harm than good. Besides, Arista was far from the worst conversation partner when it came to Chaldea. Doing his best to put on his most convincing cheerful tone, Roman responded. "Can't I even take thinking breaks anymore? You're becoming an even worse slave driver than the Director."

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"Sweet Jesus, seriously!?" Arista asked, sounding legitimately worried... For about three seconds. "Yeah, I'm just screwing with you. I know you like to slack off, Roman, but you take your job seriously when it's something important."

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Honestly, it was really nice for the Doctor that someone actually figured that out once in a while. "So did you have something to report, or is this just for a chat?"

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"Bit of both actually. I'm currently on the other side of the Command Room, checking power lines for any possible damage. Wouldn't want any power failures going down while we're in the middle of the Rayshift."

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Yes, that could potentially be absolutely catastrophic. Just the possibility gave Romani chills. "Well, I'll leave it to you then. So what's this about a chat?"

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"Mostly just wanting to hear your opinion on our three ladies on a mission. A bit on their performance and stuff"

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That was... sudden. But then again, not exactly trivial. Those three were quite literally the only ones who could do anything to Singularity F. Well, the two Servants were there too, but without a Master, they couldn't have done much on their own. But his opinion... Well, it would be best to start with the one he was most familiar with. "Mash has been surprisingly vigorous. A stark contrast to her usual passiveness in most situations. At first I thought it might've been due to the successful Demi-Servant transformation, but after observing the group for a while, I've found the main cause."

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"Her long sought senpai, Ritsuka," Arista said, prompting a nod from the Doctor.

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"Exactly. Despite how they only met today, Mash has shown more emotions when talking with her than any other singular person thus far." Which was something that Romani appreciated without a doubt. It was like a single, bright star shining in the dark sky this day had been. "But while I'm happy that she has clearly shown positive emotions, she is clearly also experiencing some negative ones."

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"Yeah. She's obviously scared of fighting," Arista agreed. "Not really that surprising. She had never been in an actual fight and now she's constantly experiencing life threatening ones. Honestly, she's handling it shockingly well. Some really impressive stuff."

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"Agreed. It really is impressive. Though I believe a lot of it stems from her feelings of inferiority." That was another situation Romani wished he could help with, but was ultimately unable to. After all, the harsh truth was that Mash was genuinely inferior to other Servants due to her inability to use her Noble Phantasm. At best he could provide some words of encouragement, but, well, coming from him, they just wouldn't have that much weight. Her Master on the other hand... "I'm honestly really thankful to Ritsuka. Hearing any amount of encouragement from her senpai is sure to improve Mash's mood. It also helps that she gave her some actually good advice."

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"Ah, yes, the new girl. Frankly, I'm most curious about your opinion on her."

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That much was obvious. After all, Arista had only met her a few hours ago and interacted with her solely through communicators. Not that Romani had that much more experience, but their interaction in his slacking space certainly helped. "In most cases, she's shockingly normal. And by that I mean like an ordinary person. She's not really mage-like." Something the Doctor was thankful for. That had been the reason Mash chose her as her senpai after all. "On the other hand, she has managed to stay shockingly calm despite the situation." With the exception of that 'one' incident on the bridge. Romani really should do his best to forget the whole mess, mostly for her sake. "It's honestly a bit freaky, but I suppose that's how she shows her mage-iness. It also does make her seem extremely reliable in dangerous situations."

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"Oh, that trick? Well, it does give her an air of competency, so there's no real harm in it." Trick? Roman could only wonder what Arista meant by that. To him it had seemed genuine... "Well, no need dwelling on it any longer. What do you think of her as a Master?"

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"As a Master..." Yes, that was another matter entirely. A matter he was hardly an expert of. "Well, she seems extremely aware of her own limits, which is usually a good thing, though I do believe she's a bit too harsh on herself." And on that subject, Romani put himself a little mental note to invite Ritsuka to a counseling session sometime. Being too harsh on oneself could have serious consequences to one's psyche, especially while one was still young. It would be better to make sure she didn't have any dangerous thoughts sooner rather than later. "Now, putting aside her abilities as a mage, she seems to have a solid understanding of the capabilities of her Servants. Especially during the battle against Lancer, where she formed an effective plan and gave instructions quickly and precisely. The only notable error was the part where she herself got injured, but that's something that can be overcome with experience. Overall, I'd say she's quite a promising Master Candidate, able to calmly give orders even in tight situations."

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"Orders?" Arista repeated, sounding surprised for some reason.

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"Yes? Was there something wrong with what I said?" Roman knew from experience that Arista was freakishly perceptive, able to take note of even the most minute, mundane things, but both this and the earlier comment just didn't make sense to him. Had he really noticed something?

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"Nah, not really. Maybe I'm just overthinking things, but time will tell." Well, that was certainly possible, but the Doctor made another mental note to pay more attention to the subjects Arista had mentioned in the future. "But now it's finally time to give our Big Boss a turn. How would you say Olga is faring?"

'

Ah, her. This was going to be a bit rougher than the other two. "You're well aware that she prefers to be called Marie if you're not referring to her as Director," Roman sighed, taking another sip of his coffee before continuing. "She's honestly doing better than expected, considering everything that has happened. I was afraid that she might've suffered a breakdown, but luckily that hasn't happened. She has taken charge of the investigation quite admirably, even if it mostly stems from dread over the association. While she's clearly afraid of the dangers present, the added Servants seem to have made her feel a bit more secure."

'

"Well, they do have Cú Chulainn and Brynhildr on their side. Those two are some top tier allies."

'

"True enough," Roman agreed. But, there was still the issue concerning the man he was speaking with. Gulping down more of his brown nectar, the Doctor moved on to his main concern. "You're still intent on keeping this up? Even while she's in the Singularity, you still keep pushing Marie's buttons to get her riled up?"

'

"Of course," Arista answered as if it was the most obvious thing ever. "Honestly, she needs the stress relief now more than ever, so it would be stupid to just stop."

'

Roman still felt torn about the whole procedure. While the bizarre method worked without a doubt, he couldn't help but to feel a bit bad for the Spaniard. But, he just ultimately lacked a proper argument for Arista to stop what he was doing.

'

Recalling back to when he had first discovered the intentional agitation, the absurdly practical answer Arista had given him still boggled the Doctor's mind. "Well, that girl is essentially a boiling teapot. Except filled with nitroglycerin. If too much pressure builds up, she might just crack, so it's better to relieve as much of that pressure as possible. As for the method, getting to yell at someone you can't stand is a really effective way to let loose. Huh? Why me? Are you serious, Roman? I'm basically the least compatible person with her in Chaldea, so I'm an obvious pick. I really don't care what she thinks of me, which just makes her hate me even more."

'

He had really wanted to argue, but the results spoke for themselves. One day, Roman had even spotted Olga Marie sitting by her desk, looking relaxed after she had bombarded Arista with abuse. And since the man himself was fine with it, there really wasn't a reason to stop. "Well, alright," the Doctor sighed. "Was there anything else you needed?"

'

"Nah, I'm good. We both better get back to work, or Olga just mi-"

'

Silence. Arista stopped so suddenly that Roman had to check if the call had been cut, but it was still operational. Had something happened to his mic? "Hey, are you alright? Did something happen? Hello?"

'

The concerning silence lasted for several more seconds, almost getting Roman to send someone to check on the Spaniard, until he finally spoke up. "I'm going to check on something..." Surprising the Doctor, Arista spoke with a shockingly serious tone. A tone he had rarely heard from the man, aside from a few instances. One of which had been today, in the Reactor Room. "It's got nothing to do with the power lines, so don't worry about that. It's just... Man, I really hope I'm wrong about this. Hopefully this is the exception, instead of the norm."

'

And with that, the transmission cut off, leaving Romani alone with his thoughts. What... just happened? To hear Arista that serious, it honestly frightened him. What could he have discovered? Did it have something to do with what he saw, or...

'

No. He had to calm down. Arista had said that it had nothing to do with the power lines, and he would have informed Roman if there was something wrong with the Rayshift systems. Perhaps it was a fried device of some kind? Something that might be tough and/or annoying to repair. And like Arista had said, it might just be something minor.

'

He really had to think about things more positively for once. While it had been devastated, Chaldea wasn't completely incapacitated. The Master Candidates were all in critical condition, but at least they were still alive. Once the communications were restored, they could request the necessary supplies to treat them and begin rebuilding everything. While things did look bad, they could still be far worse, so there was no need for Roman to worry himself to death.

'

'

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'

'

...Right?

'

"Ugh... Why couldn't I have picked different shoes just for today?"

'

Sitting on a collapsed telephone pole, Ritsuka watched as the grumbling Director rubbed her weary ankles, the cause for said weariness obvious. The redhead wasn't really sure which was more impressive: the fact that the Director had done all the walking in the Singularity in high heels, or that she had managed to run away from the skeletons wearing them. Either way, she couldn't help but to find it admirable. At this point, she herself might've just gone barefoot, despite the rough terrain.

'

Well, despite holding out for so long, Ritsuka had noticed Olga Marie walking a bit awkwardly five minutes ago. It was pretty clear that her feet hurt, but she kept going to not bother the rest of the group. And Ritsuka knew that because... well, it's what she would have done in the same situation. That's why she had suggested a small break, knowing that the Director wouldn't have done so unless the pain was excruciating.

'

As for the others, Caster had jumped to a nearby rooftop to keep watch and Brynhildr stood close to Ritsuka, unmoving like an angelic statue. And then there was Mash... The Demi-Servant sat a few meters away, gently petting Fou laying on her lap, yet her face divulged just how dejected she was. Really, the girl was basically an open book when it came to her face. The reasoning was quite obvious as well; She still couldn't use her Noble Phantasm. But the small bit of advice from earlier was all Ritsuka could currently do to help Mash. Just repeating what she had said wouldn't help at all, and she just couldn't come with anything else at the moment.

'

"Hey, Repo."

'

Gladly putting aside the troublesome subject, Ritsuka turned to Olga Marie, now moving closer to her as she spoke quietly. She was honestly thankful to the Director for giving her something else to think- "It's pretty obvious that Kyrielight's looking depressed. You are her Master, aren't you? Do something to cheer her up."

'

Doing everything to keep herself from groaning, Ritsuka looked at her boss as neutrally as she could. "Yes, I'm aware, Director. It's just... what do I even say at this point?"

'

"That's your job to figure out," Olga Marie retorted, making Ritsuka once again hold back a groan. Even if she was technically right, she could have at least offered an idea or something.

'

But, knowing that doing absolutely nothing was worse than anything she might say, Ritsuka stood up and walked to Mash, sitting down next to her. The Demi-Servant turned to look at her, surprised by the sudden approach. "So, Mash... Is there something you'd like to talk about? You're looking pretty glum again." Even if there wasn't anything more she could do, at least Ritsuka could talk with her a bit.

'

"No! There's nothing wrong," Mash answered shockingly quickly, surprising Ritsuka a bit. "I'm operating perfectly, Master!"

'

Yeah, they both knew that wasn't true. As her Master gave Mash an extremely skeptical look, the Demi-Servant looked rather remorseful. "No... I'm sorry, Senpai. I'm just... I don't know what to say..." As Mash gazed towards Brynhildr, her expression somewhere between guilt and longing, Ritsuka's guess for her bleakness was solidified. "Um, under your command Senpai, l have gained enough experience... Well, at least to the point that fighting feels more natural..." Falling silent again, Mash turned her eyes towards the ground. The forlorn girl was doing her best to speak out the matter they were both aware of. "And yet... I'm still unable to unleash my Noble Phantasm. I don't even know how to unleash it... I just want to be of use to you, but as a Servant, I'm a disappointment..."

'

"Fou..."

'

As the fluffy critter on Mash's lap snuggled against her in an attempt to comfort her, Ritsuka did her absolute best to come up with anything to say. Something she was failing miserably at. What could she even say at this point? She had already given the best bit of advice she had before they got on the bridge. She couldn't just say something half-assed like: 'That's not true,' mostly because it was to a certain extent. While Mash was far from useless, it was true that lacking a usable Noble Phantasm hindered her greatly.

'

"Oh, so that's what was bothering you. You have such a strong sense of responsibility, Mash..." Hearing Roman cutting in, Ritsuka wordlessly thanked the Doctor. For a change, his timing was actually perfect. "But I don't think that can be settled overnight. After all, it's a Noble Phantasm. They're the trump cards of Heroic Spirits. If a Heroic Spirit's secret weapon could be mastered within a day or two, then Servants wouldn't be that special anymore."

'

In response to Roman's words, Mash's mood seemed to rise the slightest bit, making Ritsuka thank him silently once more. It wasn't much, but at least the girl didn't look completely dispirited any more. "No one would expect you to be able to use it in a day or two-"

'

"Huh? Of course you should be able to use it right away."

'

Hearing the sudden, absurd declaration, the three turned to look at Caster, now standing right behind Mash and Ritsuka. As for his words, the Master wasn't sure if they were helpful or harmful in this case. "After all, Heroic Spirits and Noble Phantasms are the same thing," Caster continued, dead serious, his usual attitude nowhere to be seen. "If the young lady here can fight as a Servant that means at that very moment you can use your Noble Phantasm." Finishing his little disclosure, Cú walked closer to Mash, looking at her questioningly. "And yet you can't, which means... hmm..."

'

Well, that was certainly... informative. If what he said was true, then perhaps there was something Ritsuka could do to Mash. And while the possibility roused her, she needed to make sure it was accurate. "Lancer," she called out, getting the statue-like beauty to move for the first time in minutes as she turned her head. "Do you agree with what Caster is saying?"

'

Brynhildr stayed quiet for a few seconds, seemingly going over what Caster had said in her head, until finally speaking out. "Essentially. Though I don't know her exact circumstances, if she is able to fight as a Servant, Noble Phantasm usage shouldn't be beyond her."

'

The confirmation of what she had wanted to hear got Ritsuka hopeful. And looking at the Demi-Servant, she shared her enthusiasm. There had to be some way then. "Caster, do you have any ideas on how to help Mash?"

'

"Tough to say," Cú muttered as he continued looking her over. "You're pretty sturdy, but I have no idea what class you are... Maybe Saber? No, you don't have a sword. Hey Master, what's her class?"

'

That... was a good question. As soon as she heard it, Ritsuka felt like slapping herself. Did she seriously not know what class her Servant was? Due to Magic Resistance and Riding, she had just assumed Mash was either a Saber or a Rider, but thinking about it, neither of those made sense. She had neither a sword or a mount, just a shield. "I, um..."

'

"She's a Shielder."

'

Much to Ritsuka's confusion, the Director provided the answer before she could even come up with anything. An answer that just raised more questions. 'Shielder?' What was that supposed to be? She hadn't heard anything about there being more classes than seven. Was this something that had been mentioned in the orientation?

'

"An Extra class, huh?" Caster muttered as if it was something obvious. "By the name, guessing they're defense oriented."

'

Growing more and more confused, Ritsuka wondered if she should just give up and ask, until she made eye contact with the Director, who seemed to realize her issue. "You have no idea what the Extra classes are, do you Repo?" she asked, prompting the Master to nod, even if she really didn't want to. She really wished to avoid another lecture from the Director. But much to her relief, Olga Marie didn't seem bothered at all. "I'd be more surprised if you did know, since even Candidates who received proper training were not taught about them. This was because only Servants of the seven main classes were meant to be summoned. The non-standard Extra classes are split off from the regular Servant classes in order to take on certain roles. Essentially, they're even more specialized classes that fall outside the main ones."

'

Well, that cleared things up tremendously. "I see. So Shielder is specialized in defense."

'

"Exactly," Olga Marie confirmed. "I'd like to go into more detail, but we don't have time for lectures. Although..." Falling silent, the Director seemed to be formulating something in her mind, as if what she had just said gave her an idea. "Hmm... Since the Fate System can seemingly summon Extra classes, maybe I should hold a small seminar on the subject when we get Chaldea back to working condition..."

'

"Oy! Don't go getting distracted now," Caster cut in, reminding her of the subject at hand. "We're working on getting the young lady to use her Noble Phantasm."

'

"That's right," Ritsuka agreed, looking at the Servant eagerly. "So, do you have any ideas that could help Mash?"

'

"Kinda." Turning to face the earnest Demi-Servant directly, Caster pointed at her with his staff. "A Noble Phantasm is a Heroic Spirit's instinct. It's your own self, little lady. If you can't use it yet, maybe your sense of reason is blocking the circulation of magical energy." As Cú continued his explanation, Mash's earlier eagerness had turned to perplexity, looking like she was completely lost. Not that Ritsuka could blame her, being in the exact same state of mind. Caster's explanation just went over her head. "Let's see, maybe enthusiasm? No, perhaps too reserved? Anyway, I'm sure it's because you just don't yell out when you practice."

'

And so much for that. Ritsuka wasn't really sure what to feel now. Confusion? Disappointment? Caster's advice had been... impractical to say the least. Well, maybe they could try something else, but Mash... looked surprisingly pumped up?

'

While Ritsuka had expected her to feel the same way she did, Mash seemed very eager for some reason. Had she seriously deciphered Caster's bizarre advice and figured out something she hadn't? As the Demi-Servant closed her eyes and took a deep breath, Ritsuka waited, and...

'

"IS THAT SOOOO!?"

'

"Faaaaaaaaaaa?" Fou yelped in shock as Ritsuka and Olga Marie covered their ears while Caster cringed. Even Brynhildr, despite being as stoic as ever, seemed the slightest bit surprised. For the next few seconds, the redhead's ears were still ringing from Mash's yell. Honestly, more surprising than the shout itself was how loud Mash's voice had been.

'

"Hey, don't scream out of nowhere like that!" Olga Marie snapped almost as loudly. "You're going to burst my eardrums, seriously!"

'

"Sorry Director. But Caster said I should shout..." Mash apologized. She... she had seriously taken Caster's advice literally... Ritsuka almost wanted to laugh, but held herself back for Mash's sake.

'

"No, that was a metaphor..." Caster responded, though he seemed amused with the situation more than anything. "Well, at any rate, it's great that you have enthusiasm. But like I said, a Noble Phantasm is part of a Heroic Spirit's instinct. It's hard to use it if you think too much."

'

"If I think too much...?" Mash clearly wasn't getting any closer to understanding Caster's advice. As for Ritsuka, she was slowly starting to get frustrated. She had hoped that Caster could provide them with proper, clear instructions. Not this 'don't think, feel' crap. "I'm sorry, but I just can't seem to grasp what you're trying to say, Caster. Could you please teach me some solid theories?"

'

"You just don't get it, do you? Did I miscalculate?" The fact that Caster seemed genuinely surprised that his cryptic advice went over their heads, was both funny and incredibly frustrating to Ritsuka. The blue haired Servant was scratching his head, most likely trying to find another approach, one that the Master prayed would be sensible. "Hmm... Maybe I coul-"

'

Without any warning, Caster's face turned dead serious, as if his earlier pondering had been an act. Much to the surprise of the others, he gripped his staff and took a battle stance. "Aw hell. The most annoying bastard just showed up."

'

Ritsuka looked around in confusion. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't see or hear anything that could warrant such a reaction. As she continued scanning the area, trying to find the source of Caster's intensity, she suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder, belonging to an equally serious Brynhildr. "Master, please stay behind me. Mash, you watch the north."

'

"Ah, yes!" Manifesting her shield and moving into her assigned position, Mash also started looking around the area. The three Servants had formed a triangle, leaving Ritsuka, Olga Marie and Fou in the middle.

'

"W-what's going on?" The unnerved Director asked, her eyes darting around the area, much like Ritsuka's. In response, Caster pointed towards the south-east with his staff, specifically, towards a tall, half crumbled building. On the roof, there stood a lone figure, nearly indistinguishable from the surrounding darkness with a single exception: a skull mask covering their face. Ritsuka had no need for other details, being uncomfortably familiar with it.

'

"It's Assassin," Mash stated, only looking at the Servant from the corner of her eye, keeping her main focus towards the north like had been asked of her. "Since there are many of them, it's unlikely this one is alone."

'

"Right. They might be weaklings, but the numbers make them annoying." Moving his finger around nimbly, Caster drew a rune in the air, followed closely by Brynhildr who drew an identical one. The twin runes glowed in the air for a few seconds before disappearing, leaving Caster quite irked. "Ugh, how many over there, Lancer?" he sighed.

'

"...34" the valkyrie answered silently. "For you?"

'

"37. Talk about a pain in the ass," the Caster grumbled, seeming more annoyed than concerned. Something that Ritsuka and Olga Marie didn't share.

'

"...7...71 of them?" Ritsuka confirmed in disbelief. This was far worse than she had anticipated. Even if they were weak, if the Assassins decided to zerg rush them, they might actually be able to kill one of the Servants or Olga Marie or herself.

'

"Wait! How are you able to tell their numbers!?" anxious Roman asked over the comms, his frantic typing audible through the communication. "I can see the one on the roof, but I can't find any of the others. How did you-"

'

"Rune of Detection," Caster explained, slowly moving his eyes around. "Really handy when fighting against sneaky bastards. Well, not that they're trying to hide anymore."

'

As if in response to Caster's words, more Assassins appeared on the rooftop, then on the building next to it, then the next, and the next, and the next... And they were now completely surrounded...

'

"...Wait. Did... did they find us because of my... my shouting?" Mash stammered, looking more distraught by the second. She turned her head slightly, looking at Ritsuka with guilt filled eyes. Something that the Master couldn't bear to look at.

'

"Of course not, Mash," Ritsuka assured. She couldn't let Mash think that she had caused them trouble of any kind, especially this. The poor girl was already overly harsh on herself for her shortcomings as a Servant, so adding any more concerns was out of the question. "This was way too fast for it to be your fault."

'

"She's right, young lady," Caster added, something Ritsuka greatly appreciated. "They couldn't have gathered together this quickly. They must have been following us for a while."

'

Thankfully, it seemed that both Ritsuka and Caster's words managed to calm down the Demi-Servant, the guilt vanishing from her eyes almost completely as she turned back to facing the north. "...Your orders, Master?" Mash asked, the slightest hints of trembling still observable on her shoulders.

'

Considering their options, Ritsuka was having trouble choosing a proper solution for their situation. There really wasn't a perfect one, but in a position like this, even the slightest advantage could be tremendous for them. But this was a city, so there really wasn't... Unless...

'

From what she remembered on the map, the southern part of the city was far more sparse when it came to buildings, which was something they could definitely use. On an open field, the Assassins would lose their main advantage, stealth, and would be forced to engage them head on. Yes, that could actually work.

'

"Alright, we'll be heading south," Ritsuka announced, careful to keep her voice low enough that only those in her immediate vicinity could hear. "Caster, I hope that you can blast fire at anyone trying to approach. As for Mash and Lancer, if anyone gets too close, I'd like you two to deal with them. Director, please stay close to me so that we'll be easier to protect. Once we get to a clearer area, we can actually start fighting the Assassins."

'

"Sounds good," Caster nodded, with the other two Servants affirming as well.

'

Good, with the plan set, Ritsuka felt the slightest bit calmer. Things were definitely looking bad, but their situation was far from impossible. Though she had to wonder why the Assassins were just standing there, looking at them. Were they waiting for something? "Roman, can I count on you to keep an eye out for any other surprises?"

'

"Leave it to me," the Doctor confirmed. "Now that they've actually shown themselves, I can keep track of the Assassins' movements."

'

That was honestly really nice to hear. With that out of the way, they could final-

'

"From the west!"

'

Caster's shout was so sudden that Ritsuka had no time to consider any defensive actions. Turning her eyes to the west, she barely managed to spot a bullet of red light heading right towards the group...

'

CLANG

'

Only to be deflected by a sweep from Brynhildr's lance. The crimson missile crashed into a nearby building, causing the already damaged structure to crumble.

'

"W-what is it now!?" Olga Marie screeched as the Servants prepared for any additional attacks. "There's even more enemies!?"

'

"Caster, is this Archer?" Ritsuka inquired while strengthening her eyes. She attempted to look for the attacker from the west, but even with enhanced eyesight she couldn't see anything. "Where are they attacking from?"

'

"Oh, yeah. It's that bastard alright," Caster confirmed, though for some reason, he looked astounded as he gazed towards the west. Even after everything that had happened so far, Ritsuka had never seen the man so surprised. She could only wonder what about the attack had surprised him so. "But even though it's him... Man, I really wasn't expecting this," the man muttered in wonder. "To think he'd be using a bow..."

'

Simultaneously, all four women turned to look at Caster, dumbfounded by the absurd statement. Even the abnormally stoic Brynhildr was taken aback. After a few seconds, Ritsuka managed to steady herself enough to speak. "...Why? He's an Archer, so shouldn't he- Wait! No, this is dumb. There is no time for jokes. Just tell us where he's attacking from, please."

'

"Oh, right. He's there." Pointing with his staff, Cú Chulainn directed the group's attention... towards the west...

'

Once again, Ritsuka, Mash and Olga Marie looked at the druid in confusion. The Master could only wonder if this man was just awful with giving accurate advice. "...And where exactly is 'there'?"

'

"Alllllll the way that way, on top of a building," Caster specified... his direction being just as unhelpful as before. Was... was he doing this on purpose?

'

"Ah, yes. I see him," Brynhildr confirmed, much to Ritsuka's bafflement.

'

"Wait, seriously?"

'

"Yes," the Valkyrie nodded, pointing as well. "He's on top of that tall building with a mostly crumbled left side and roof."

'

Focusing her strengthened eyes to their limit, Ritsuka could... maybe see the building in question? Her only confirmation being that the tiny speck she saw looked the slightest bit more like a triangle than a rectangle. "...Okay. How far is that?"

'

"I'd say about three kilometers, Senpai." Apparently able to see the building as well, Mash gave Ritsuka the most accurate guidance thus far. Something she was extremely thankful for. "This puts us in a difficult position... Your orders, Master?"

'

That was definitely true. If they went along with her original plan, it would leave them vulnerable to Archer, while going for the opposite, taking cover in the buildings, would give the Assassins a massive advantage. The question was: Which of them was the greater, more immediate threat? Arrows or sneak attacks? Damn, this was a really bad time to-

'

"Senpai!"

'

Dashing to her right, Mash deflected a flurry of what Ritsuka assumed were throwing knives with her shield. Simultaneously, two Assassins swiftly approached from the opening left by the Shielder's absence, blades ready to cut down the Master. Unfortunately for them, Brynhildr was far quicker, slicing the assaulters apart with a single sweep of her lance. And as if things weren't chaotic enough, another red missile flew towards the group, trying to take advantage of the Lancer's occupation. However, it never reached its intended target, as one of Caster's runes intercepted the projectile, swallowing it in an explosion.

'

"This is getting way too crazy!" Olga Marie screamed as her eyes darted around for any oncoming attacks. Ritsuka had to agree, the situation was getting completely out of control. She had to make a decision now, or she might not get a chance to. But before she could make one, there was something she had to confirm.

'

"Caster!" she called out to the druid, catching his attention. "With our current fighting force, can we handle anything Archer throws at us?"

'

Smirking at the question like the answer was obvious, Caster fired off another volley of fireballs as he replied. "I could handle just about anything that guy can do on my own, so with the three of us he has no chance of winning."

'

And that was all the confirmation Ritsuka needed. Their plan of action had just been set. "Listen up! We'll be going with the original plan! The only addition is the need to watch out for Archer's arrows! Mash, I'd like you to serve as the vanguard! Can you deal with any attackers coming from our front?"

'

"Yes, Master!" Mash confirmed, moving to her position as soon as she was certain no attacks were immediate. It was times like these that Ritsuka was glad that the girl followed her instructions so eagerly. She had no idea why Mash thought she was so reliable, but at this point, the Master had no choice but to live up to that trust with every fiber of her being.

'

"Thanks. Caster and Lancer, can I trust you two to deal with anything that comes from our sides and rear?"

'

"Understood," Brynhildr confirmed while repelling more attacks from the Assassins. The masked Servants had seemingly realized that any sort of frontal assault against the woman would be suicide, opting for throwing knives as their method of attack. Not that they had any more effect, seeing how the Lancer brushed the blades aside as if they were leaves. "No attack will reach you from my side."

'

"You can count on me as well." Setting three more Assassins ablaze, incinerating them on the spot, Caster too appeared confident in his ability to hold his position. "I'll turn anything coming from this side to ash!"

'

These two as well... To have people putting their faith in her instructions, while it felt alien, Ritsuka couldn't deny that it made her the slightest bit happy. "Thank you both. Roman, I need your help as well. Could you use the map of the city to give us the most optimal path to our goal?"

'

"Of course," the Doctor answered. "I might not be able to do much, but I'll help out in any way I can."

'

"I appreciate that." Now they were finally prepared to make their move. This was going to be rough to say the least, but with the three Servants on their side, they had a real chance at winning. And Ritsuka was going to make sure that all of them lived to see it. With this many people relying on her, there was no way in hell she could afford to fail them. "Alright then! Let's move out!"

'

'

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'

'

Three Servants and two humans, those were his targets. Well, there was also that squirrel-like creature, but it hardly seemed to warrant attention. Of his enemies, the first was Caster. At least he wasn't a Lancer this time around, making him easier to deal with, but Archer couldn't help but to wonder if fate was playing some sort of prank on him. No matter the location, that man seemed to show up every time he was summoned as a Servant. Channeling his frustration at something useful, the bowman unleashed a flurry of arrows, most of them targeting the man in question.

'

Next was the taller woman, presumably a Lancer. She had the necessary skill and strength to deflect one of his Noble Phantasm arrows, and judging from the battle thus far, the Assassins wouldn't be able to defeat her either. She would more than likely be the most troublesome one of the group. The strongest swords in his arsenal would probably be required to bring her down.

'

And lastly, there was the girl with the large shield, whose class was still unclear to him. She hadn't done anything besides using her shield to fight, so it was difficult to judge. Well, only time would tell.

'

As for the humans, Archer had assumed the white haired woman to be the Master earlier, but even if he couldn't hear her, the orange haired one was definitely giving the orders. That, and the fact that the Servants showed the slightest bit of bias when it came to protecting her, made it clear that she was indeed the Master.

'

Now it was just a matter of how to deal with them. The group did seem fairly competent in Archer's eyes, so it might take more than just Assassin backing him up. Well, if things did get to that point, he always had his backup plan to fall to. For now, he should just watch how the battle would unfold.

'

Hmm... The group was currently moving towards a rather intact building. Perhaps he should fix that, and use its collapse for something purposeful. Projecting one of his Noble Phantasms and taking aim, Archer let loose another arrow.

'

'

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'

'

"OH COME ON!"

'

As Olga Marie screamed in a mix of fear and frustration, Mash was busy conceiving a plan for how to deal with the building in front of them. Specifically, how to protect her Master and the Director from its collapse. One of Archer's arrows had destroyed its foundations and now the two humans would be crushed to death if she didn't do something. The problem was: what could she do? She might be able to protect the immediate area behind her if she focused all her attention on the rubble falling from above, but that would create a dangerous hole in their defenses, which would without a doubt be exploited by the Assassins. Why? Why couldn't she come up with anything? She had to do something to protect Senpai, but she just couldn't find a way that wouldn't also put her in more danger. Anything. Anything would do, so please...

'

"This'll hold for a little while, so don't you dare stop!"

'

Hearing Caster shouting behind her, Mash watched as a large number of vines erupted from the earth, binding the collapsing building and keeping it upright. Heeding the druid's advice, she kept running, carefully keeping an eye out for any falling rubble that could endanger Ritsuka. But as she did, Mash couldn't help but to fall back to her previous thoughts. Caster had once again protected her Senpai from harm while she was unable to do anything... Maybe if she could use her Noble Phantasm she might've been able to shield her from the collapsing building. Maybe then she wouldn't-

'

"Mash! From above!"

'

Eyes snapping to the front, Mash noticed the cause for the shout, an Assassin dangerously close to their position. "Haaaa!" With a cry, she thrust her shield forward, striking the jumping assaulter in the abdomen with enough force to destroy its body. As she watched the Assassin dissipate into dust, Mash honestly wanted Ritsuka to scold her. She had once again been so absorbed in grieving over her powerlessness that she had completely ignored everything around her. Had Ritsuka not called out, the Assassin might've gotten past her, resulting in something irreversible... She really was...

'

No! This wasn't the time to wallow in more self pity! She had to focus! Senpai had asked her to keep their front secure! She had entrusted her with this duty! If she couldn't even do something like this, she would truly be a failure as a Servant! Doing her best at blocking out all unnecessary thoughts, Mash focused her attention on the duty she was entrusted with, while putting her own trust in the other two Servants.

'

"Take a left at the next intersection, after that, continue straight through the next, then a right at the next one!"

'

Following Roman's directions, Mash locked her sights on the corner in question. It was a sharp turn, one where they couldn't see what was around it until they moved past the building itself. In other words, since they were moving in such a hurry, it would be a great spot for an ambush. Tightening the grip on her shield, Mash charged the slightest bit ahead to reach the corner before the others, hoping to block a likely ambush as soon as possible.

'

And as expected, there was one. A dozen Assassins attacked as soon as Mash moved around the corner, some rushing straight towards her while others threw daggers. Raising her shield to cover her whole body, Mash charged forward, blocking the daggers while ramming the closest Assassin, its body fading away soon after the impact. With a quick thrust of her shield, another Assassin went down, followed by one more as she turned her thrust into a swing. That was three, but nine more remained, and they weren't giving her time to think. Four advanced from the right, two from the left, one charged straight ahead and two more attacked from the air. This was bad. Given their positions, she would definitely leave openings for the others if she focused on one group of Assassins. Their attack was just too simultaneous, not giving her enough time to deal with them all at once. She would have to choose which of the groups to deal with... The largest one, without question. It might leave her vulnerable to another attack, but if she gave it her all, she would at least keep Senpai and the Director from harm...

'

That was what Mash had thought. It was what she had planned to go through with. But just before the Assassins entered her striking range, she felt an odd, yet familiar sensation running through her body. Before she even had the time to consider what it was, it became apparent as she saw the Assassins' movements slowing down considerably. Ritsuka had used one of her Mystic Code's spells on her.

'

While Mash wanted to turn around and give her thanks, she wasn't going to waste the few seconds of bodily and cognitive acceleration the spell gave her. She knew that the Mystic Code's spells only lasted for a short while and had a considerably longer cool down period. As the duration depended on the ability of the mage using it, it might take Ritsuka a full minute to recharge it, meaning these next few seconds were all Mash would have in this battle. And there was no way she could let her Master's contribution go to waste.

'

Kicking off the ground, Mash rammed the four Assassins on the right at full speed, two of them fading away from the force of the impact alone, and the other two followed after being crushed between her shield and the wall. Not giving the assaulters any chance to retaliate, Mash threw her shield towards the two on the left, bisecting them as the thin side of the armament embedded into a wall. As the Assassin in the middle of the street stared at her shield in bewilderment, the Demi-Servant launched a powerful kick at its abdomen, pulverizing it. And then there were two, the Assassins who had tried an aerial assault. While it may have been a good idea at the time, now that Mash had the Mystic Code's acceleration support, it just left them in the air, where they were unable to dodge. Jumping herself, Mash launched a dropkick at the pair, taking them out simultaneously. And... that was it. She had actually managed to take out the whole group in a matter of seconds. Even if it was only due to the support from her Master, she had still done it.

'

"Woah... Nice job, Mash," Ritsuka mumbled in amazement as she ran to her side. "That was an awesome combo..." Despite the quick pace of their retreat, the Master seemed to be quite fine, though that was something Mash had expected due to her physique. Her breathing perfectly even and only the slightest hints of moisture on her forehead.

'

Same could not be said about Olga Marie, however. Her running form was basically nonexistent and her breathing was frantic, whether out of fear or exhaustion was anyone's guess. "Wh-cough, why are you-ugh, you stopping!?"

'

"Asking the right question there!" Caster yelled as he crossed the corner. Immediately after, he turned around to fire runes at the previous street, causing an explosion that shook the immediate area. "You can gosh over little lady later, Master. Things are gonna get bad if we stay still!"

'

"They're right, Senpai," Mash agreed, though she wished that Ritsuka could've continued just a bit longer. Dashing to pick up her shield, with it at hand, she resumed her spot as the vanguard. "Best we keep moving."

'

"Oh. Yeah, yeah, of course." Picking up her pace again, with the Director struggling behind her, Ritsuka quickly ran after Mash.

'

"Incoming!" Calling out from behind them, Brynhildr sounded oddly cautious, new to the stoic Lancer. Daring to take a quick peek, Mash watched as she inscribed runes on her lance, no doubt preparing for the incoming attack. At first, the red missile seemed the same as all the previous ones, but as soon as it made contact with the lance, the difference became apparent. Even with runes increasing the strength of her deflect, Brynhildr was visibly strained as she parried the arrow, the sound of the impact and shock wave it produced far greater than the previous one, but still succeeded in diverting its course like with the rest. However, as the deflected arrow flew away, it's course suddenly changed, beginning to curve in flight as it attempted to revert back to its original target. Keeping her eyes on it, Brynhildr seemed to contemplate a proper countermeasure. "...Quite a troublesome thing."

'

Looking at the projectile as well, Caster cringed a bit. "Oh, yeah. That one can be a real pain in the ass. Would be annoying to deal with even if I was a Lancer."

'

Now that the two Servants were so focused on the attack, the rest of the group also turned their attention to it. "Holy... That's a..." Ritsuka muttered as she looked at the arrow in surprise, eyes shining with strengthening to properly see it. "That's an A Rank Noble Phantasm..."

'

"Yeah," Caster nodded. "The damn thing will keep on chasing its target until it hits." But as he kept his eyes on the crimson missile, his frustration made way for his usual grin. "Fortunately there's a nice, simple way to deal with it."

'

Hearing the words, Ritsuka turned to him hopefully. "And that would be?"

'

"Easy. We just need to blast it hard enough to destroy it!" Drawing four runes in the air, Caster had a look on his face that basically screamed: 'Danger'. But instead of launching spells, the four runes seemed to just be waiting, forming a square in the air. "Have a taste of this! Ansuz!" Drawing a rune similar to an F in the middle of the square, Caster launched a fireball the size of a car at the arrow. Upon impact with the missile, the sky lit up with a massive explosion, the shock wave shaking the area.

'

"That was your plan?" Ritsuka asked incredulously. "To just: 'hit it harder'?"

'

"Hey, worked didn't it?" Grinning with an extremely contented look on his face, Caster turned his eyes towards the west. "The bastard is starting to show his bigger shots. Guess he realized anything less is useless."

'

"That just makes our situation worse," the Master groaned. "Whatever. Let's just keep going."

'

"Yes, Master." Nodding in confirmation, Mash turned back towards their destination, gripping her shield tightly in anticipation for any more attacks. Though, something did bother her. Aside from the twelve she had dealt with and the unknown number Caster had just burned up, the Assassins hadn't really attacked en masse since they started running. Wouldn't that last arrow have served at least as a minor distraction? ...Well, maybe she was just overthinking it. With both Caster and Lancer here as Ritsuka was supporting them, Mash doubted anything the Assassins did could bring major harm to them.

'

'

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'

'

"Huh... To think she'd even deflect Hrunting charged up to that decree..."

'

As Archer watched his projected sword blow up in the sky, his earlier judgement was certified. He wouldn't be able to defeat them with just the Assassins. Though the wraiths seemed to be planning something, the best they could do by themselves was maybe lightly wound the Servants. And after they were dealt with, the group would come after him, resulting in his defeat.

'

"...Backup it is, then."

'

Turning around, Archer charged his bow and fired a shot towards the southern forest, resulting in a small explosion. While he didn't know his target's exact location, that didn't matter since hitting it was unnecessary. All he needed to do was catch its attention.

'

As he waited for a response, he fired a couple of arrows towards the escaping group, making sure they didn't suspect anything. If he stopped firing completely, they would no doubt realize that something was wrong and become cautious. It was better to keep them slightly on edge for now before finishing them off in one fell swoop. The Assassins would serve as a nice distraction until then.

'

'

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'

'

"How-cough, how much-wheeze further?"

'

Listening to the Director wheezing behind her, Ritsuka almost didn't want to answer. She sounded like she could collapse any second, and the answer wouldn't exactly encourage her. But there was no point in lying, since she would find out sooner or later anyway. "...About seven blocks, Director. Maybe a few more depending on how many turns we have to make."

'

"SEVEN!?" Olga Marie croaked, sounding just about ready to die.

'

Ritsuka genuinely felt bad for her, but they didn't exactly have any other option but to run. The Servants were all needed for defense, so having one of them carry her was out of the question. And while the Master was quite sure that she could run while carrying her boss, she was even more sure that even suggesting it would severely wound the Director's pride.

'

Another explosion rang out on her left, stinging Ritsuka's ears. She might need to consider booking an appointment with Roman, just to check that the constant blasts hadn't caused any damage to her eardrums. "That's another three," the source of said explosion, Caster, called out. "We're making some nice progress thinning their numbers. I'm telling you, there's nothing better than having allies!"

'

Well, at least that was some positive news. While she wasn't sure about the actual number, they had taken out a large chunk of the Assassins. "How many is that exactly?"

'

"...I'd say somewhere between twenty and thirty ," Caster answered after a short silence, the result better than what Ritsuka had guessed. "We've just about taken out a third of their forces."

'

The plan was overall proceeding quite nicely. There hadn't really been any major issues aside from the strong Noble Phantasm Archer had fired. Everything was going well... which made Ritsuka worry even more. Maybe it was pessimism or something, but she just couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. It's just... these were supposed to be legendary Assassins, but aside from a few ambushes and thrown daggers they hadn't really done anything sneaky. And their attacks had noticeably toned down since the beginning. Sure, there were a few of them constantly on their tail, but where were the rest, the majority? If they didn't do something, the Chaldean team would reach their destination without... issue...

'

"Wait a second..." Letting out a quiet mumble, Ritsuka started to think about the route they had taken. There was no way the Assassins wouldn't know what their aim was. They had to be well aware of their own weaknesses and how to deal with them. The reason the Chaldean team had been unable to run straight towards the south was because there was a bunch of rubble blocking their path from time to time, forcing them to take detours. Sure both she and the Director could have climbed or had one of the Servants carry them over the obstacles, but that would just put them in a vulnerable position, so they had decided to run instead. And of course it was natural that a devastated city had piles of rubble lying around. But this many, in so many convenient spots?

'

A sense of dread came over the Master as she realized a dangerous possibility. A possibility she hoped would just be her overthinking things, but she had to make sure. "Doctor! I need you to check something right away!"

'

"Huh? Oh, sure. What do you need?"

'

"Could you compare the map made with Sigma to the map that gets constantly updated by reading our surroundings? Specifically, the roads." The question drew a confused look from Romani as well as the others around her, but Ritsuka couldn't be bothered right now. Even if she hoped her hunch was wrong, this was too important not to check. "Please, do it as quickly as you can!"

'

"Well, alright." Typing on his console, the Doctor began to do as Ritsuka had asked, something she was very grateful for. They couldn't waste any time on arguing right now. Finished with his typing, he started to look the screen over, still as confused as ever. "Hmm... There are some minor differences, but I don't see what..." As Roman grew silent, his expression shifted from confusion to serious, letting Ritsuka know that her hunch had been spot on. "The rubble... There are far more piles of rubble blocking the roads."

'

Brynhildr and Cú exchanged looks, clearly understanding the situation immediately. Ritsuka was glad, that would save time explaining the situation to them. Or at least it would have, if it weren't for the two remaining members of their group. Mash still appeared confused, while it remained unclear if Olga Marie had even heard anything over her wheezing. "Senpai, I'm sorry, but what is so significant about that? Are we in some type of danger?"

'

"It's the Assassins! They've been blocking out the roads!" Ritsuka answered quickly, making sure the Director heard as well. They couldn't stop running, as that would leave them as sitting ducks, but they had to figure out something. "They're trying to lead us somewhere!"

'

Realizing the gravity of the situation, worry made its way to Mash's face. And Olga Marie, while looking like she wanted to say something, was unable to due to her frantic breathing.

'

"But where exactly are they trying to lure you?" Looking over the city map, Romani was searching for a clue of any kind that might ascertain the enemy's objective, but for now, it was fruitless. Ritsuka would've liked to join in, but trying to read a map while running through such hazardous terrain was basically begging to get tripped. But if she couldn't do that, she couldn't plan any proper countermeasures. And if she couldn't do that, then-

'

"(Don't react to what I'm about to say.)"

'

Ritsuka nearly tripped at the sudden voice that spoke directly into her mind, only managing to stay calm due to the familiarity of it. "(Caster? Am I doing this right? Can you hear me?)"

'

"(Good, you catch on quick. I'm using my runes to talk to you like this so that the Assassins don't catch on.)" That... actually made perfect sense. If they started talking aloud, the Assassins in the area would definitely hear them, foiling their plans immediately. Also, was there anything runes couldn't do? Ritsuka kind of wished that she'd studied them, but then again, modern runes were pretty trashy compared to the ones from the Age of Gods. "(I'm pretty sure I know where they're trying to lead us. It's a pretty big building, like a market or something. There's a ton of hiding spots in there for them to use.)"

'

Yes, that also made sense. Giving themselves an advantage via terrain was basically the only option the Assassins had. But how could she hope to turn the situation around, giving the advantage to their group instead... "(Caster, can you link Brynhildr with us?)"

'

"(Easily,)" Caster answered, and Ritsuka swore she could hear him grinning. "(It's done. Welcome to our little strategy meeting, Lancer.)"

'

"(Master?)" Brynhildr sounded a bit surprised at the sudden words, yet still managed to keep her calm physically. Though her tone returned to normal soon enough. "(Ah, a rune of communication. Your skill is quite impressive to activate it this subtly, Caster. You must have had a great teacher.)"

'

"(Well, great is one way to put it...)" Caster replied, sounding rather... tired. If Ritsuka had to guess from experience, 'rough' would be a better way to describe his teacher. "(But we're here to keep the Assassins in the dark while making strategy. Should I add the remaining ladies in as well?)"

'

"(No. At least for now.)" While Ritsuka didn't want to keep them in the dark, it would be better for her potential plan if both Mash and the Director didn't know what would happen. Judging from everything that had happened thus far, it didn't seem like either of them had any acting ability whatsoever. And that would be needed if they wanted to pull this off. "(First off, since we never got to hold a proper strategy meeting, I need to ask you a few things to make sure this works, Caster.)" To make sure this whole thing would go perfectly, Ritsuka had to know Caster's full capabilities.

'

As the Master proceeded to ask her questions, she couldn't help but to be impressed by the two's deluding abilities. From the outside, she would never have been able to guess they were talking, as the Servants continued defending the group like nothing had happened. From firing at the Assassins to deflecting Archer's arrows, everything they did seemed completely natural. Thankfully she only had to focus on running, otherwise she might have seriously screwed something up.

'

"(And that's that. Are you able to do everything that I asked?)"

'

"(No problem,)" Caster answered, sounding far more enthusiastic, more than likely due to his role in the plan. "(I honestly can't think of any summoning where I've had a Master as fun as you.)"

'

That was hopefully a compliment. Given this man, it was really hard to tell. "(And you, Brynhildr?)"

'

"(Yes... There should be no issues...)"

'

Good, that solved that issue. If everything went according to plan, they would be able to get rid of the Assassins in one fell swoop. And just on time too. The building Caster had suspected as being the location for the trap was coming up, only about a block away after they took a left turn on the next corner. Ritsuka still felt a bit bad for keeping both Mash and the Director in the dark, but if they ran into the building while appearing too confident or fearless, the Assassins might suspect something, ruining the whole plan. Though if she was being honest, their chances still looked a bit too good for the plan to work perfectly, but she couldn't really come up with anything that could make them seem more desperate, so they would just have to go with what they-

'
SNAP

'

"Kyaaaaaaa?!"

'

As soon as the group reached the corner, a wail rang out behind the Master. Working purely off of reflex, Ritsuka turned just in time to catch stumbling Olga Marie, nearly falling over herself in the process. "Director!? Are you alright!?"

'

As soon as the group came to a halt, both Archer and the Assassins began to double their efforts in bringing them down. As the Servants did their best to cover the two humans in the middle, the Master was left holding her boss upright. "Gasp that-wheeze hurt, damn it-ugh!" Looking over the nearly suffocating woman, Ritsuka noticed she was avoiding putting pressure on her left foot. Wait, the snap she had heard, it couldn't have been...

'

Just as she was about to expect the worst, the actual cause became apparent. After braving the Singularity for several hours, the time had finally come. The heel on her left foot had snapped in half, causing her to trip. "How bad is it, Director? Are you able to walk?"

'

"Of-gasp, of course I-huff am!" Olga Marie panted angrily. Somehow Ritsuka doubted that was true, considering that the white haired woman looked just about ready to pass out from asphyxiation even if her foot was fine, so she kept holding her up even as she tried to push her away. "He-cough-here, I'll show you-aaagh!"

'

As soon as the foot made contact with the ground, Olga Marie winced and pulled it back immediately, her pain far too obvious. Yeah, this was just about what Ritsuka had expected. The foot at least looked fine, so it was most likely just sprained, which would be simple to heal, except...

'

BOOM

'

Another explosion shook the air, blowing the Director's long white hair on her face, disrupting her frantic breathing even further. They absolutely couldn't stay still in a situation like this. While the injury worked perfectly with the execution of her plan, Ritsuka really wished she wouldn't have to put her boss through this. "...Please excuse me, Director."

'

"Huh? Wha-huff, what are-" As soon as Ritsuka picked her up, Olga Marie fell silent as if someone had muted her. She could only stare in shock as the Master began sprinting again while carrying her.

'

"Listen up, we're going to need a short breather, so we'll be taking shelter in that building over there!" Motioning towards the large building at the end of the block that both she and the Assassins had chosen for their respective plans, Ritsuka kept sprinting just as fast as she had when this debacle began. She was actually pretty surprised by how light the Director was, even wondering if she ate enough for a second. But now really wasn't the time to get distracted.

'

"Wait a second, Ritsuka!" the Doctor called out, sounding rather concerned. "You shouldn't just barge into the building, it could be a trap! Wouldn't it be better to heal the Director's ankle before making any crazy decisions?"

'

"We really don't have time for that! The Servants essentially became like sharks that had smelled blood as soon as she got injured! We're basically sitting ducks if we try to stay here! Who knows what the enemies might try to do! If you have any better suggestions, I'm open to hear them, but if not, we're going in!"

'

"That's..." As Romani quieted down, Ritsuka cheered internally, knowing he had no proper arguments to give. Now they had a perfect excuse for 'retreating' inside the building. "Alright, I'll keep monitoring the building to make sure nothing gets in, but be careful."

'

"We will." Ugh. Now she was lying to Roman as well... She would have to make sure to properly apologize to everyone once this was over. Especially to the Director. Taking a quick peek at the woman in question, her face was mostly red as she looked down. Whether it was out of embarrassment, frustration, anger or all three, Ritsuka wasn't sure, but she could definitely sympathize with how she felt. She was almost certainly feeling like dead weight while being carried. But at this point, there was basically nothing they could do except follow through.

'

As the building drew closer and closer, Ritsuka threw a quick glance at Caster. The whole operation basically depended on him, so if he screwed up, they'd most likely all be dead. Thankfully, the Servant grinned in response to her look, calming her down a bit. Yeah. While this guy could be... was kind of a jackass, he was still reliable when it came to fighting. He wouldn't let them down. She didn't even need to look at Brynhildr. Based on everything Ritsuka had seen, the Valkyrie was extremely competent at every regard, so she wouldn't fail either. And finally, Mash. She looked a bit worried, understandable since she didn't know of the plan, but still stood tall, gripping her shield tightly as she led the group. The Shielder obviously had a part to play in the plan too, even if she didn't know it, but Ritsuka trusted her enough to know that she wouldn't fail. "Mash, be ready for anything as soon as we enter!"

'

"Yes, Senpai!" Answering as earnestly as always, Mash kept her shield raised as she entered through the shattered glass doors. Ritsuka really couldn't put into words just how comforting it was to simply have her around. She would work as hard as she could even if she wasn't asked to, despite her fear of fighting.

'

Entering right behind the Shielder, Ritsuka threw one last glance outside before the walls enclosed the four of them. "(It's up to you now, Caster. Show us just how powerful a hero Cú Chulainn really is.)"

'

'

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'

'

As she entered the building, Mash was relieved to see that there was no ambush waiting for them. The inside was mostly dark, only a few cracks let some light in, but with her enhanced vision she could see without much issue. Right behind her Ritsuka, carrying the Director, Brynhildr and Caster entered, all looking around as well.

'

The building was a store of some kind, but as for what was sold there, she hadn't a clue. The insides were in complete disrepair, making it impossible to discern any types of products. Most of the shelves were scattered around the place without any order, and basically all of them appeared unusable. The ceiling was something she paid particular interest to. It was very high, at least ten meters up with metal grids running all over it. Was this what normal, modern stores looked like? Given her lack of experience, Mash wasn't really sure, but Ritsuka at least didn't seem concerned, so it was probably fine.

'

"Let's at least get a bit further from the doorway, just in case Archer tries blasting us through it." Walking away from the doorway, Ritsuka carefully set the frustrated Director down behind some shelves. Quite uncharacteristically, the white haired woman kept completely quiet with her head hung down, making Mash wonder if the pain from her injury was that great. "All right, this'll give us a bit of a breather. Though we still need to keep an eye out for the Assassins."

'

Mash, staying within one meter of Ritsuka, did as instructed, her eyes carefully scanning the area. In a place like this, it was important to also keep an eye on the ceiling, since it was a prime spot to launch a surprise attack from. Seeing some light out of the corner of her eye, Mash turned to see the still frustrated Director healing her ankle. That was good, while she was still tired, at least she was capable of running at this point.

'

"Master..."

'

Speaking out with her bell-like voice, now tinged with tension, Brynhildr walked to the very opposite side of Ritsuka from Mash, gripping her spear tightly. The Demi-Servant immediately understood the situation, moving into position herself, ready to defend both Senpai and the Director.

'

Ritsuka stood next to still healing Olga Marie, glancing around the room. "They're here then... How many?"

'

"They're using Presence Concealment again, so I'm not sure about the exact number," Romani answered over the comms. "But a lot."

'

"More than likely all of them..." Brynhildr stood completely still, appearing even more like a statue than usually, and then...

'

WHISH

'

CLANG

'

A large number of daggers clattered on the ground as a result of the Valkyrie's parry, which had seemed as effortless as brushing leaves aside. Even more impressively, while the blades had been thrown over a wide area, meant to attack all of them, a single, long swing was all it took to stop them. Despite the attack, Brynhildr continued standing still, unmoving aside from the single swing, something that unnerved her companions, but the Assassins far more. "...Here they come."

'

Out of the darkness, ten Assassins rushed out, all aiming towards the two humans nestled between the Servants. Having learned from their earlier failures, the assaulters came in a wide formation, too wide for Brynhildr's spear to reach them all in one go.

'

...Or so they thought, something that would prove to be fatal.

'

"...Please die."

'

Without warning, the Lancer's spear erupted with bright blue flames, lighting up the area. Before the Assassins had a chance to recover from the shock, it was already too late. With a horizontal swing, Brynhildr sent her flames forwards, consuming all ten of the Assassins in an instant. The wraiths were burned away before they even collapsed on the ground.

'

At the same time, daggers came from Mash's side, prompting the Shielder to action. With her large shield, blocking out the projectiles was easy, none of them capable of even scratching it. They had to know that too, so was this a distraction, or-

'

"From the right!"

'

Hearing Ritsuka call out, Mash turned just in time as three Assassins materialized to attack, having chosen the exact moment she had moved her eyes to the left. Swinging her shield, she hit two of them, but the farthest one managed to jump, leaping over it. As a dagger came slashing down from above, Mash leaned back, dodging the attack and retaliating with a kick. That had been... dangerously close. Compared to the lit up city, the Assassins were in their element here in the darkness, raising her tensions further. Fighting them wouldn't be as easy as earlier. But, with support from Ritsuka, Mash had no doubt that she could prevail, especially with Brynhildr and Cú Chulainn watching their backs.

'

More daggers, this time from the left. Moving her shield to block them, Mash knew at this point that they were a distraction, so she focused her attention on finding the next attackers... From the right! This time, four of them materialized and came right towards her. But it was fine, she would be able to-!

'

On instinct, Mash moved her shield to the left, just in time to block another barrage... mostly.

'

"Mash!"

'

Feeling a sting on her left shin, Mash felt blood slowly trickling down her leg. The wound wasn't deep, but... The Assassins were adapting. While she was starting to become accustomed to their attacks, they were doing the same to her.

'

Despite the feeling of fright slowly rising within her, Mash steeled herself to face the four Assassins, doing her best to ignore the pain as well. The first one dashed right towards her, only to dart to the left right before getting to her striking distance. A distraction for the second one, who came with a strike from the air, but she could deal with it easily enough-

'

Just as she was about to attack the Assassin in the air, the remaining two on the right prepared to throw more daggers towards her! But... how would she do this? She couldn't dodge the daggers, since they would hit her Master and the Director instead, so she had to block them, but how would she deal with the one in the air? And then there was also the one on the left trying to move past her... How?

'

"Pole vault!"

'

A warm, familiar feeling came over Mash's shin, healing the cut on it. And she was thankful for it, but the advice, she wished Ritsuka could have given her more accurate advice, or...

'

Pole vault... Using the momentum... So that was it!

'

As the two Assassins flung their daggers towards her, Mash struck her shield on the ground upright, using it to block them while using the remaining force of her strike to lift herself with her arms. As her hips rose over her head, she extended her legs, kicking the aerial Assassin in the abdomen. Following on her momentum, Mash twisted her body, swinging her shield in a vertical strike, slamming its side on the leftward Assassin.

'

"Nice!" she heard Ritsuka cheering behind her, making her feel more confident as she landed. Now the two Assassins from the right came charging, but she was ready this time, even if more daggers were flung from somewhere, she could- "From the left!"

'

Moving her gaze to the left, Mash came to face something she hadn't expected: A single Assassin. A very large Assassin, one that completely towered over her, rushed straight ahead. Instead of using a weapon, it attacked with its hands, swinging its long arms in a clawing motion. Raising her shield to block it, the impact Mash felt was... weaker than she had expected, given her opponents size. While it was definitely stronger than the rest of the Assassins, she was still stronger in terms of raw strength. This wasn't an opponent she couldn't beat.

'

But if the tall Assassin's goal had been to distract her, it had done its job perfectly. The two Assassins on the right were still charging towards her, giving her far less time to react. But just before they reached her, Mash felt a familiar, strengthening sensation running through her body. Even if she herself got distracted, thankfully Senpai was there to help her. Pushing back the tall Assassin with her enhanced strength, Mash swung her shield towards the other two. The first one tried to block with its dagger, only to get pulverized by the armament. The second one jumped back right before getting hit, then immediately went for the counter, unfortunately, Mash was still faster. With another wide swing, she bisected the wraith, leaving only the tall one-

'

"Mash, on your back!"

'

Who was behind her!

'

Recovering faster than Mash had expected, the tall Assassin attacked with one of its long swings while Mash was still in the middle of her own. No matter what, she wouldn't be able to block it fast enough or get out of its arm's absurd range. The swipe wouldn't be enough to kill her, but it would definitely hurt. Mash grit her teeth in preparation for the attack, she had gotten complacent and was now going to pay for it.

'

CRACK

'

As the Assassin was making its swing, something struck it right between the eyes, forming large cracks on its mask and causing it to stagger backwards. Not missing her chance even if she didn't know what had happened, Mash moved in and swung her shield, striking the tall Assassin in half. Letting out a sigh of relief as her opponent faded away, she turned around, expecting her Master to have saved her, but:

'

"Thank you, Director. You really came through for us."

'

To Mash's surprise, it was Ritsuka who was thanking Olga Marie, who had a finger pointed towards her general direction. "Hmph. As if I'd be mere dead weight," she huffed, though did appear somewhat relieved. "Besides, I refuse to owe debts to anyone, so I pay them back as soon as I'm able."

'

"Still," Ritsuka continued, appearing genuinely impressed. "Your Gandr packs a hell of a punch. It actually managed to cause some damage to a Servant."

'

"Only because these Assassins are total weaklings individually." While the Director's response was as huffy as usual, as she turned her head away from Ritsuka, Mash saw the slightest hints of a smile on her lips. Something this unheard of happening more than once on the same day... Maybe the Director really did like being praised.

'

"Mash, eyes front!"

'

More daggers. Blocking them as all the others, Mash couldn't help but start feeling annoyed over them. But still, this wasn't a duty she couldn't just shirk, so she raised her guard for a following assault.

'

"Seriously, just how many of these guys are there?" Olga Marie whined from behind, something Mash could relate to." Maybe we should get Lancer and Caster to just torch the whole place with runes..."

'

Something about that last sentence... bothered Mash. She felt like she had forgotten something, but just couldn't pinpoint what it could have been. She should probably just focus on the fight at hand.

'

"I know how you feel, Director, but we can't be careless about this for the very reason that we don't know how many there are. For now we just ne-"

'

Huh?

'

Ritsuka had stopped talking so suddenly that Mash couldn't help but to glance behind her out of worry. Thankfully she seemed fine, but for some reason, she looked surprised. What was...

'

"Mash, front!"

'

And even more daggers. Maybe the Assassins were trying to dull her with them and then launch a surprise attack? Well, at least Ritsuka was fine, so she could focus back on the-

'

"Mash. Listen to me very carefully."

'

Nearly jumping from hearing her Senpai whisper directly into her ear so suddenly, Mash came close to failing to block more of the thrown daggers. "M-Master? Please don't sneak up on me so suddenly."

'

"Shh. I'm going to explain your role in the plan." A plan? When was this formed? Were the battles up to this point just to buy time. Though she felt relieved that Ritsuka actually had a plan, Mash couldn't help but to feel a bit... squeamish from hearing her speak so directly into her ear. "Be ready. As soon as I give you the mark, I need you to grab me and run out of the door we first entered as fast as you can. Don't worry about the Director, Brynhildr will take care of her, so you can solely focus on me."

'

Mash felt... confused. All that had done was raise more questions. What was the plan? To run? She did feel relieved that she only had to focus on Ritsuka, while Brynhildr took care of the Director, but what about... Caster?

'

Mash suddenly realized what had bothered her earlier: Where was Caster? Not only had she not seen him since they entered the building, but she hadn't even noticed he was gone until now! How could she just forget? Was this a part of the plan as well-

'

"My magecraft is a coffin of flames, a verdant giant woven of thorns."

'

As the words of the Servant in question rang through the air, everything quieted down. Even the Assassins suddenly stopped attacking. So the plan relied on Caster doing something, apparently a spell from the sound of it, but why was it so secretive?

'

"It's go time, Mash!"

'

It took Mash a second to realize the sudden declaration, only staring at Ritsuka who was standing next to her, looking at her expectantly. "Ah! Y-yes, Senpai!" Quickly picking up her Master with her left hand, keeping her shield on the right, Mash began sprinting towards the door as Ritsuka wrapped her arms around her neck for a steadier hold.

'

"Huh!? W-what's going on!?" Olga Marie screamed as she and Brynhildr shared an identical situation.

'

As Mash moved towards the exit, Lancer moved to her side with speed far out matching her own, she suddenly felt a strange tingling on her back. "This should help a bit."

'

The tingling soon spread throughout her body, filling the Demi-Servant with explosive energy. The sensation was breathtaking to say the least, as if the enhancements Ritsuka had used on her were multiplied several times over. With a single bound, she managed to reach the door right behind Brynhildr, successfully escaping the building before the Assassins could even think about attacking them. This... Was this a speed enhancing rune of some sort?

'

"Retribution is nigh, the forest that cleanses the sins of humanity."

'

As soon as they were outside, Brynhildr turned towards the door they had just ran through and inscribed a rune in the air, creating a bounded field of some kind around it. Some Assassins had just tried to exit, only to be locked inside by the magecraft. As the wraiths pounded at the barrier uselessly, Mash followed Brynhildr to a nearby roof, where they could see the entire area.

'

"Wha... What is this?" Olga Marie mumbled, looking at the building they had just exited. Mash too could only look in awe, letting Ritsuka down as she stared. The bounded field Brynhildr had just put up wasn't the only one of its kind, as evidenced by the identical one on the other side of the building. And judging from the glow, the remaining two sides also had the very same barriers placed. "The Assassins... they're trapped inside...?"

'

"Yup," Ritsuka nodded, pointing towards the southeast. "And here comes the finisher."

'

Following the direction of the pointed finger, Mash spotted Caster on top of one of the buildings, magical energy swirling around him as he grinned cheerfully. "Wait, a reaction of this level? Is he-?"

'

"That's right," Ritsuka smiled as well, not too far behind the druid. "Time to watch some fireworks."

'

Twirling his staff, Caster pointed at the building with it. "Burn up, giant of the trees! Wicker Man! [Cage of Scorching, Consuming Flames]"

'

A ring of fire shaped like a magic circle formed in front of the building Caster stood on, and out of it, an enormous figure rose. A giant composed of countless tree branches stood tall, towering even above the buildings as flames covered its body. Immediately, it walked forward, right to the building the Assassins had been trapped inside of. Once there the giant lifted its fiery arms, bringing them down with an enormous explosion, destroying a large chunk of the building.

'

Watching the carnage unfold, Mash couldn't take her eyes off of the giant. "This is Caster's Noble Phantasm..."

'

"Yeah..." Ritsuka nodded, appearing quite amazed herself. "I mean, he told me he could take down the whole building, but this is way beyond what I expected."

'

"Seriously. I almost feel bad for the Assassins." Even Romani joined in, peeking at the destruction through his screen. "They're dropping like flies in there..."

'

As soon as the Doctor had said that, a group of five Assassins emerged through a hole in the roof, seemingly attempting to escape. Unfortunately for them, the Wicker Man wasn't keen on letting its prey get away. With a swing of its massive arm, it caught the wraiths in its grasp, following by opening up the cage on its torso and chucking them inside. With the desired sacrifices inside it, the giant began to fall forward, crashing down on top of the remains of the building, resulting in a massive explosion of flame. In the end, only what could barely count as ruins remained, becoming like most buildings in the city.

'

"Damn..." Ritsuka mumbled, giving voice to the thoughts of most present. "Whoever said that Casters aren't good for fighting was full of shit."

'

"Yeah. Even if my overall fighting power has gone down, it's still nice to have a strong Noble Phantasm." Landing on the roof with the rest of the group, Caster appeared to be in a particularly good mood as he walked up to Ritsuka. "That was one hell of a plan, and even a perfect execution to boot."

'

"Had to come with something," she shrugged. "The situation was only going to get worse if we didn't do anything but run."

'

Hearing her response, Caster began to laugh merrily, slapping the Master on the back. "I'd call this more than 'something.' You're still a rookie, but you've got the most important thing a pioneer can have. The divine luck to grasp fate, and the ability to make decisions at crucial moments."

'

"...Luck, huh?" While she looked a bit unsure about the wording for a second, Ritsuka offered Caster a smile in return as she rubbed her neck. "We'll, if you say so."

'

"Yeah. And don't forget how to be reckless. People like that are the ones who'll get blessed by the stars."

'

Listening at the conversation, Mash couldn't help but to feel happy over the praise Ritsuka was receiving. She wasn't exactly sure if it was because she was her Master, Senpai, or both, but hearing a famous hero describe her so, it made the Shielder wish that she too could one day see just what Cú Chulainn had described.

'

"As fun as this has been, we've still got a job to do." Cutting in, Olga Marie wore a somewhat conflicted expression, as if she didn't know what to feel. "We've taken down Assassin, but Archer still remains... We did take down Assassin, right Roman?"

'

"Most likely, yes," the Doctor confirmed while looking over his monitors. "At least I can't find any more readings about them."

'

"If we did, wouldn't they have dropped one of those Saint Quartz things too?" Ritsuka questioned, making an excellent point. If Assassin followed the previous pattern, then they would have left behind one of those gems as their Saint Graph crumbled away.

'

"Well, we're not sure if they dropped one or not, but we can try to search for... it..." Everyone in the group turned to simultaneously look at the smoldering ruins, essentially a pile of rocks that was on fire at this point. Romani seemed to regret bringing the whole thing up. "Well, does anyone volunteer to check? I mean, we could try to-"

'

BOOM

'

Raising her shield and moving in front of Ritsuka, Mash began looking around, trying to find the source of the sudden explosion. "Doctor, do you know what that was?"

'

"Don't bother," Caster cut in, looking quite annoyed while pointing towards the northwest. "It's that Archer bastard again. I heard the same thing a few times earlier, but it's definitely getting closer."

'

"Archer?" Olga Marie repeated, looking into the distance with confusion. "But what would he be shooting at? Is there someone else he considers an enemy, someone we might try to recruit?"

'

Without warning, Caster's annoyance shifted to dead seriousness, drawing a rune in front of his eyes as he gazed towards the source of the explosion. "No way! He wouldn't! Sure that bastard can be crafty, but this?"

'

BOOM

'

Another explosion rang out, this time only about a block away, further raising the tensions of the group. The Director in particular began to look extremely nervous. "Roman, can't you use our instruments to figure out what's going on?"

'

"I've been trying, but there hasn't been any-" Falling silent, Romani stared at the screen, completely flabbergasted. As if he was seeing something completely unbelievable. "Wait! What is...?" Beginning to frantically type on his console, the Doctor grew more anxious by the second. "The numbers are rapidly increasing!? What on earth is coming your way!?"

'

Caster sighed, looking towards the northwest with a sour expression. "Aw, hell. That Bastard Bowman really got us good. He used Assassin as bait to buy time."

'

BOOM

'

Another arrow flew towards the group, this time landing right next to their building. Brynhildr noticeably tensed as she turned straight towards the west, her expression dead serious. "Master. Whatever you do, you mustn't leave our side."

'

The tone Brynhildr used wasn't something Mash had heard from the valkyrie before. She had spoken seriously before, but this time, it was tinged with... worry, something that terrified the Shielder. What could possibly be heading their way to get the powerful Lancer to react like this?

'

Ritsuka too appeared nervous as she turned towards the west together with her Servant. "Caster... I'm going to throw a wild guess, hoping that I'm wrong, but is Archer using his arrows as lures to guide the final Servant towards us?"

'

Shaking his head, the druid turned to her with an apologetic smile. "Sorry, Master. You're spot on."

'

Gaining confirmation, the redhead stared towards a suddenly appeared smoke cloud, looking more dismayed than anything. "...Ei Perkele."

'

"▂▂▂▃▃▃▅▅▅!"

'

A roar echoed throughout the city. A horrible voice that sent chills down Mash's spine and caused Olga Marie next to her to shriek. She now also saw what the others were looking at, while a part of her wished she didn't. All of her instincts were screaming for her to run, to just pick up Ritsuka and get as far away from that thing as she could. No matter what, she didn't want to fight that thing! But from the way it moved, Mash knew that she wouldn't be able to escape.

'

A giant man with dark grey skin and pitch black hair was running towards them, not upright like a person, but more like an ape, using all four of his limbs to rush forward as quickly as possible. His eyes were frantic, unfocused, like he couldn't properly see what was in front of him, simply using his other senses for detection. And the power, it was nauseating. Mash hadn't been a Servant for long, but even she could realize how outmatched their entire group was. What could they even do against a monster like this?

'

Ritsuka let out a deep sigh, rubbing the bridge of her nose as she looked at the monster rampaging towards them. "...Caster, I'm going to need every bit of detail you have on this guy. And I mean everything, nothing is too small at this point."

'

"Senpai?" Turning to her Master in surprise, Mash couldn't believe what she had just heard. Sure, she considered Ritsuka to be a very capable person, but this... "You don't mean... that we're going to fight that thing?"

'

"We don't really have any other options," she replied, looking at Mash apologetically. "I'm pretty sure that even if we ran, now that it has found us, this thing would follow us to the ends of the Earth."

'

"Pretty much, yeah," Caster confirmed next to her, a fact that didn't make anyone feel better.

'

"You said that I shouldn't forget how to be reckless, right?" Ritsuka asked with a tired smile, which Caster replied to with a nod. "Against this thing, we might just have to throw every reckless idea and the kitchen sink at it just to stand a chance." Sighing once again, the Master clenched her fist tightly, the Command Spell on the back of her hand shining faintly. "Get ready, everyone. We're gonna beat this Berserker or quite likely die trying."

.

.

Notes:

Whew. Sorry about this being late, but I just couldn't deal with fixing the text to fit the website's format. Yesterday, when I posted the placeholder, I hadn't slept in 23 hours and was only staying awake through the combined forces of spice noodles and strong tea. I was in no condition to do any precision work. Basically, I had to very meticulously go through the story and add any bold or italic text by hand after copying the whole story on the sheet. This whole thing took several hours and was VERY frustrating. If anyone has any advice on how to deal with this, I would be overjoyed to learn it.

'

But yeah, new chapter, yay. Not much to say here but the Roman section ended pretty ominously, something that'll get answered next chapter. Also, the team gets to fight Angery Boi, so please root for them.

'

Next time: [HE'S WHO?!]