AN: Sorry for the wait guys, here's Chapter 30! Hope you all and enjoy, and please review :D


Chapter 30:

Phantom War I


"▂▂▃▃▄▄▅▅!"

With a mighty roar, Heracles began his charge against Amakusa and the others, raising his axe as he prepared to strike...

...!

Karna went in and blocked it, aided by both Perseus and Richard as all three struggled against the son of Zeus.

"A pleasure to meet you Heracles, I'm your great-grandfather...!"

Perseus greeted his great-grandson, though he wasn't really expecting a reply.

"He's quite strong! As expected of the greatest hero of Ancient Greece!"

The Crusader King commented, sweating somewhat nervously at being in such close proximity to the black giant before him. It wasn't that he was afraid, but rather he was astounded by how intimidating Heracles looked. Even if he was a Berserker it was a little ridiculous how scary looking he was.

...!

An arrow flew by and struck Heracles in the face, sending the black giant reeling back a small distance.

"Don't get distracted, you can't afford to lose focus when up against him of all people!"

The source of the attack was Atalanta, the latter of whom simply clicked her tongue in frustration as she noticed that her attack had failed to penetrate Heracles' head. It didn't even leave so much as a scratch mark!

"I guess I'll just have to hit harder then." The Chaste Huntress muttered to herself, turning to the white-haired demigod as she continued. "Karna!"

"Leave it to me!"

Karna replied, charging in with his spear at the ready. Though it wounded her pride somewhat to admit it, among the lot of them he had the best chance at keeping up with the son of Zeus in a fight.

However, it was precisely because of that...

...!

...That an interloper arrived.

"...!? You-!"

"Apologies, but I shall be your opponent Hero of Charity!"

Brynhild stated with a smile, flanking Karna from the side before the latter had the time to properly react. The two blew past a wall, several walls to be exact, as the two children of flame blazed through the floating fortress.

"Damn that woman!" Atalanta cursed.

"▂▂▃▃▄▄▅▅!"

Roaring once more, Heracles resumed his attack against the group.

With Karna having left and their strength insufficient, both Perseus and Richard got out of the way as the golden battle axe nearly struck them both. Not done yet, the black giant quickly followed up with another attack as his focus was drawn towards the two.

Seeing that he was distracted, Atalanta released a volley of arrows, each aimed at the black giant's vital points.

...!

Before any of them even reached their target, all were shot down.

"Don't forget that I'm here!"

Arash called out, smirking somewhat in satisfaction as Atalanta gritted her teeth in response.

...!

"Whoa!"

Reacting just in time, the former quickly dodged an incoming slash directed at his head. Turning his gaze, he saw a certain samurai taking a stance against him.

"So it's you huh? To be honest, I still can't believe that you're still around after all this time."

"Well I'm a man of many surprises." Amakusa replied with a smirk of his own, turning his head slightly as he called out to Atalanta. "I'll handle him. Focus on supporting the others against Berserker! Julian's Assassins will take care of the other Assassin."

Turning his attention towards Cu Chulainn, he spoke to the blue-haired Lancer.

"Take Julian and Beatrice somewhere safe. After that, go help Karna."

"Will do!"

Cu Chulainn nodded in agreement, picking his unconscious Master up in one arm and slinging Julian over his shoulder much to the latter's annoyance and embarrassment. He then quickly left the area.

Once he did, Atalanta took the chance to speak as well.

"Are you sure about this? Servant or not, you're our Master. If you die here then everything we've worked for will be for nothing."

"Have a little faith, even I have some pride as a hero." Amakusa replied. "Just focus on taking care of Berserker for now."

Saying that, the young leader of the Shimabara Rebellion leaped into action as he brought his sword down on the Iranian Hero.

...!

Atalanta hesitated, wondering on whether or not she should obey or follow her Master. Before she could decide however, a hand clapping her should interrupted her thoughts as she turned to see Semiramis as the source.

"Go." She simply stated. "If you want to help our Master then don't waste time and do as he says. I shall handle that boorish man attacking us outside."

"Very well then."

The Chaste Huntress simply nodded, leaving as she chased after Berserker. Once she was gone, Semiramis turned to the path where Amakusa and Arash had gone down, having already left the scene themselves and left a trail of destruction in their wake.

"Do take care not to die Master. I'll be highly disappointed in you if you perished here."

She muttered with a brief smirk. With that, the Assyrian Queen teleported away.

Appearing within the throne room, Semiramis proceeded to sit down as she used her magic to survey the one responsible for attacking her gardens.

"You all have some nerve to attack this place..."

She muttered under her breath, this was the first time anyone had openly assaulted her fortress and in a surprise attack no less. To say that she was upset at having been taken off guard was an understatement.

Someone was going to pay for this!

"Very well, you wish for death? Then I shall give it to you!"


Somewhere, within another section of the Hanging Gardens...

...!

Several white-kunai shaped daggers flew, each aimed in different directions seemingly aimed at nothing...

...!

Sparks flew as each were struck down by black dirks, each coming from different directions within the room.

These would not be the last, as more where thrown from the shadows, once again to be struck down by another set coming from multiple directions. It was a game of repeat that would last for several moments before finally a voice spoke.

"Is that all you have? I would have thought that you of all people could do more than this!"

"Don't look down on us you damn traitor!"

"Is that you Zayd?"

Serenity asked, recognizing the familiar speaking tone only older and more gruff thanks to age.

"Indeed!"

Landing on the floor, several Assassins materialized while grouped together. Among them was Zayd himself, arms crossed as he stood his ground.

Together with several others, Zayd was one of the central pillars that helped keep the foundation that was the Hundred-Faced Hassan steady. Back when they were alive, when the latter was still confined to a single body, he was one of the more dominant personalities.

Serenity knew what he was planning, he wanted to have a talk with her. She saw no harm in it. He was her junior after all, she might as well entertain him.

Still, all things considered...

"It's poor form for an assassin to stand out in the open like that."

She pointed out. If there was one problem with Zayd, it was that he had something of a dramatic flair to him whenever became personally invested in something. From the looks of it, he never got over it.

"I don't want to be lectured by someone like you!"

"Calm yourself Zayd, getting worked up won't earn you any favors."

"Stay out of this Asako!"

Another voice called out, this time Asako appeared, trying to calm her fellow persona down as she placed a hand on his shoulder. Once again through the way she spoke, Serenity recognized her foe but was surprised by what Zayd called her. Back then, she never had a true name.

"You call yourself Asako now?"

"My Master's decision." Asako simply replied. "With that said, I do have one question for you Lady Serenity."

"What is it?"

"What is your aim in deciding to aid Sajyou Manaka?"

Serenity sighed, having expected the question for some time.

"I am her Servant. Whatever she asks of me, it's my duty to follow through with it."

"Even if that means going against the path of the Hassan!?" Zayd exclaimed, having to be held back by his fellow personas.

Ah yes, the path of the Hassan. The single road laid before them by the Old Man of the Mountain and founder of the Hashashin.

"It doesn't matter..." Serenity replied, readying her daggers as she spoke. "To begin with, what does it mean to walk down that path when the one doing it has already strayed? Even before joining my Master, you all should know how I died."

The others merely kept silent at this. They knew what she was referring to. They were no different, for it was a fate shared by all those who bore the name of Hassan-I-Sabbah.

Still, even so...

"Does it not bother you that your Master is working towards the end of the world!?" Zayd demanded, taking out a spear as he pointed it at his predecessor. "Even if you did stray from the path, you should be able to see the madness of that girl's plan! Open your eyes Lady Serenity!"

"What of you? What of the madness of Ruler's plan?" Serenity countered, her tone becoming more serious as she spoke. "As dangerous as my Master is, Ruler is no different. Have you not already strayed from the path yourselves by choosing to follow him as well?"

"We follow Master Julian, not Amakusa!" Asako countered.

"Who in turn works together with Ruler." She once again countered. "Don't attempt to hide behind such foolish logic."

"As if you're one to talk with this nonsense of loyalty! Even loyalty should have its limits!"

"Maybe." The Hassan of Serenity simply nodded her head in agreement. "Still, it does not matter. If my Master wishes for me to help her raise the Beast, then so be it. If she wishes for me to help her take Saber, then I will do it. If she wishes for me kill you all, then I shall!"

...!

Leaping out of cover, the violet-haired assassin threw her daggers at the group. Several of them missed, the others deflected by members of the group.

"Did you really think it would be that easy?" Zayd asked, somewhat smug as he spoke. "Though you are undoubtedly skilled, you are outnumbered here. We have eyes everywhere, bodies to spare... we won't be taken down so easily by the likes of you!"

"Perhaps, but consider what my Zabaniya is..."

...!

Zayd and Asako quickly behind them to see several of their fellow personas dropping to the ground like puppets whose strings were cut. Soon enough, they realized that they were dead as their bodies began to dissipate into the air.

"But how!? We haven't even gone anywhere near her yet!"

They looked closely at their predecessor. To their surprise, small cuts could be seen on her forearms. Each bleeding slightly...

"...! You doused your daggers in your own blood!?"

"I'm sorry, I wish it didn't have to be this way. You've grown up so much since I last saw you. I truly wish we could talk more, but I suppose that's the fate of us Servants. To do battle with each other even despite our wants..."

Serenity simply stated, drawing out more daggers each held between her fingers on both hands.

"Now, it's time to die..."


"Hah!"

"Ehehehe~!"

...!

Two spears clashed against one another, flames emanating from the warriors that wielded them.

...!

A contest of speed began between both Karna and Brynhild, both trying to outdo the other, parrying each other's thrusts and strikes.

The former spun around, swinging his golden spear in a wide arc. The Valkyrie dodged, flipping over the attack as she swung her spear down upon the white-haired demigod. Karna parried her attack, the floor beneath him cracking under the pressure of the strike. Whatever her weapon was, it was heavier than it looked.

"Amazing, never before have I met a hero as fast you, son of Surya!"

"And the same to you, daughter of Odin. It seems that what my Master said about you is true."

"Oh? Just what is it that Ruler had told you about me?"

"You should already know, so to talk about it would be pointless...!"

...!

With that, Karna quickly broke the stalemate as he pushed Brynhild back with a burst of flames. The latter countered with her own, both flames eating away at each other as the two continuously traded blows with one another.

'Indeed, this woman truly is getting stronger with every moment she and I fight.'

The Hero of Charity felt pity for the teal-haired Valkyrie. Hers was a wretched existence, forever destined to chase after the shadow of heroes because of her feelings for her beloved. Yet it was because of those same feelings that allowed her to reach her current strength as well. It could neither be called a blessing nor a curse.

Still, it did not matter what he thought of her. The only thing that did was defeating her.

...!

A beam emanated from the demigod's left eye, blasting away at the Valkyrie who proceeded to dodge the rain of fire upon her.

He was impressed, Brynhild was evading the attack in such a way that made it look like she was dancing amongst the flames. Doing so with graceful movements befitting a peerless warrior and beauty like herself.

Without a doubt, the daughter of Odin was going to be a challenging foe.

"Hah!"

Using a quick burst, the distance between the two closed as the Valkyrie swung her spear at Karna as the latter prepared to parry it.

...!

His eyes widened at their weapons made contact, the spear had become even heavier just now!

Staggering from the strike, the son of Surya pushed his foe back as he leaped away and took a moment to gather his bearings. As he did, he saw the teal-haired Valkyrie smiling at him.

...!

No sooner than she did, Brynhild had closed the distance between them once more.

Several quick yet heavy swings, a persistent attack from the Valkyrie as the son of Surya parried every strike. The force of which started to erode their surroundings, the sound of clashing metal echoing throughout the fortress as they traded blows.

Calling forth his flames, a blast of fire shot out from Karna's spear and sent her flying through several pillars. Picking herself up, Brynhild landed on another pillar before engulfing her body in flames once more and shot herself forward.

Seeing this, Karna did the same. His spear poised to strike...

...!

An explosion occurred, sending both warriors flying opposite of each other before both landed on the ground relatively unharmed by the clash. The area where the two fought now covered in flames as both stared each other down.

"Is something the matter?"

Karna asked, taking note of how the teal-haired Valkyrie had suddenly become somewhat docile as she gazed at him.

"It's nothing." Brynhild stated, smiling at Karna as she spoke. "It's just that I was simply reminded of something, you and he have similar eyes..."

"I see, you speak of the one called Sigurd."

"Yes, both your demeanor and the way you fought just now... Sigurd was like that as well."

"Imposing the image of your beloved upon others as you fight them. The closer they resemble him, the more powerful you yourself become." Karna began, closing his eyes for a moment before gazing directly at Brynhild. "You are a troublesome woman to deal with, daughter of Odin."

"Ehehe, how honest you are." The teal-haired Valkyrie giggled slightly in amusement. "You yourself are no stranger to trouble aren't you? Yet despite that, you've managed to retain your honor and kindness. How simply wonderful, and so very troubling for me as well~"

...!

She closed the distance between them once more, her spear pushing against Karna's as she continued.

"You, Siegfried, and Saber... apologies, but I must kill you all~"

"I do not mind. However, if that is your wish, then prepare yourself!"

...!


"Gah!"

Richard cried out, gasping in pain as he was thrown against a wall and fell to the ground.

Shaken, he tried gathering his bearings. But before he could even try, a large hand had quickly wrapped itself around the entirety of the blonde-haired king's torso, picking him up and slamming him against said wall.

"▂▂▃▃▄▄▅▅!"

The son of Zeus roared, glaring fiercely at the Crusader King, before tightening his grip and slamming the king against the wall once again only harder.

"Argh! Haha... quite ferocious!"

Richard smirked in amusement, unfazed as he raised his blade towards the black giant's head.

...!

A beam of light came forth and struck Heracles dead center on his forehead. Though it wasn't enough to penetrate the skull, it did cause him to stumble back, his grip loosening as a result which Richard took the opportunity to escape the giant's grasp.

"He's yours!"

"Very well!"

Aiming an arrow straight at the black giant's chest, Atalanta poured everything she could muster into it as it was released. Perseus, with Harpe in tow, joined in as both heroes struck the dazed Heracles with all their might.

...!

No effect. The black giant's armored skin wasn't even dented!

"Damn it all, just what is he made of!?"

Atalanta cursed before quickly leaping of out of the way as Heracles came in swinging his axe.

Perseus on the other hand simply stood his ground, raising his shield as he readied himself.

...!

The latter was quickly blown back by the force of the strike, but thanks to the sandals of Hermes he was quickly able to recover before hitting a wall.

"Are you alright!?" Richard asked.

"I am!" Perseus replied. "We need to keep on the offensive, overwhelm him with our numbers!"

"Then you two cover me while I prepare another arrow! This time for sure I'll penetrate that thick skin of his!"

Atalanta stated as both men nodded in agreement and headed back into the fray.

Raising their weapons, the two once again both aimed to strike at the same time.

"▂▂▃▃▄▄▅▅!"

Unfazed by this, Heracles once again swung his axe, this time with one axe, and parried the blows.

...!

"Gah!"

With one hand free, he punched Perseus away. Dropping his axe, the black giant quickly charged Richard and rammed him with his shoulder. Sending the knight flying straight through a wall.

Gritting her teeth at this, Atalanta simply glared at Heracles as she saw him turn his attention towards her.

Even with the danger he presented, she simply refused to show fear in front of him!

"▂▂▃▃▄▄▅▅!"

Three seconds. With the short distance between the two of them, that was all the time in the world needed for the son of Zeus to reach her. Had it been any other, they likely wouldn't have seen it coming. Such speed was simply uncommon even amongst the greatest of heroes.

However, she was the one known to be the Swiftest of Foot!

'Come at me, Heracles!'

Her mind simply cried out, releasing her arrow as the black giant was only a foot away from the Chaste Huntress.

...!

The arrow managed to piercing the armored skin, burying itself deeply into Heracles' skin as the black giant was blown away quite a distance away from her.

"Now!"

Atalanta cried out as both her Perseus and Richard returned to the fray.

Both men turned to the other and nodded. With all his strength, the plum-haired hero grabbed the knight by the arm and threw him at the still airborne Heracles, Richard thrusting his sword into the black giant's wound as he cried out one simple word.

"EXCALIBUR!"

...!

An explosion of light erupted from the wound, taking out part of Heracles' upper torso and arm as the black giant was blown back further through several walls. Enough that the trio had to chase after the son of Zeus so as to not lose sight of him.

"Do you think that did it?" Richard commented.

"Perhaps," Atalanta began. "We don't exactly-"

"▂▂▃▃▄▄▅▅!"

A familiar roar interrupted their conversation. From the shadows of the hole in front of them, Heracles appeared in all his glory uninjured.

"He's already recovered...!?"

Richard grimaced. Just how fast was his regeneration? This was far faster than what their Master had described!

"Look out!" Perseus cried out.

...!

All three barely dodged as Heracles came in charging at the group, plowing straight into another wall as the Black Giant quickly turned around to continue his attack.

Seeing this, Atalanta called out to both.

"We're getting out of here! We need to get to an open space!"

With that, Atalanta quickly ran off with both men chasing after her.

Unwilling to let his prey escape, Heracles in-turn chased after them.

As the trio moved past various hallways, Richard took the moment to turn his attention towards Perseus.

"This is getting us nowhere, do you have any ideas? He's your great-grandson after all!"

Perseus merely turned his head around to gaze at the black giant chasing after them.

God Hand, a Noble Phantasm that Heracles had received upon completion of the trials known as the Twelve Labors. A limited form of immortality that granted Heracles the ability to resurrect himself multiple times in accordance to the number of labors.

"Heracles has twelve lives, and I believe all that last attack did was just take out one to maybe two or three at best."

"Could we try throwing him out of a window?" The blonde suggested, pointing to the large screens beside them that had a view of the ocean outside. "But then again that means maybe lifting him which I doubt we could pull off, and I suppose that there's nothing stopping him from coming back up either somehow. I suppose we'll just have to whittle him down."

"True, but remember what the other effect of God Hand is."

"Ah!"

God Hand truly was a most troublesome ability. Not only did it meant that Heracles coming back to life over twelve times, he'd also become stronger against anything what killed him before which included even Noble Phantasms.

"In other words, my Noble Phantasm is no longer as effective as it can be against him."

Richard cursed slightly at this. If Excalibur truly was weaker, then the fight just became tougher for both him and his comrades.

...!

An arrow flew past the two, interrupting their conversation. It struck Heracles, the black giant flinching somewhat thanks to the force behind it.

Looking ahead of them, they saw Atalanta with her bow at the ready.

"You two fools should save the chatter for later!" The Chaste Huntress cried out as she released a barrage of arrows to stall their foe. "Right now we focus on getting above, we can figure out on how to deal with him then. Perseus, make a shortcut!"

"Very well!"

...!

Summoning Pegasus to his side, both Perseus and Richard leaped atop the horse as it flew upwards. Crashing through several floors in the process, they made their way towards the central gardens with Atalanta quickly following suit.

"▂▂▃▃▄▄▅▅!"

Unwilling to let his pray escape, Heracles roared as his pursuit of the trio continued.


In the skies surrounding the Hanging Gardens...

...!

An explosion rang out...

"Hahaha! Is that all you've got!?"

Ramesses demanded as he continued his assault the Hanging Garden with his sphinx army. Each blasting away at the floating fortress as its defenses were whittled down little by little. In response to this, a horde of snake like beasts and dragon tooth warriors came out all aiming intercept the sphinxes.

Unfazed by this, the Sun King simply motioned for his beasts to continue their attack. Their foes were nuisances at best, he was confident that his pets would mow down the opposition. Thoughts that were proven true as the legion dominated the opposition. No matter the quality of their build, such artificial existences were nothing compared to a sphinx.

...!

Explosions all around, the sounds of bone crunching and flesh torn apart accompanying it as his legion took out the opposition.

Still, what their enemy lacked in strength was made up in number. As no matter how many the sphinxes took down, the horde kept on coming regardless. Ramesses was actually impressed, as it would have taken a mage of immense power and skill to produce such numbers in droves.

...!

No sooner than he thought that however, various beams of light intercepted the sphinxes and took out a majority of them.

"Hoh?"

Ramesses smirk widened at this, impressed by how quickly said attack came about and managed to take down so many of pets at the same time. Even if they were weaker than Wehem-Mesut, it was no easy feat to simply take one out. Semiramis deserved praise for that.

"Very well then, I shall return the favor!"

...!

With several portals of light opening around him, the Sun King unleashed his own barrage against the Assyrian Queen's assault. Explosions erupted in the air as they made contact, the sky filled with light as the Pharaoh simply grinned in delight at the scene.

The attack had wiped out more of his sphinxes, but it was no trouble to the Sun King.

As his own assault continued, Wehem-Mesut continued to produce more and more sphinxes from its body. Each about the size of the average human growing bigger by the minute as he supplied them with his mana. Roaring as they flew off from their progenitor in order to join the battle.

"What's the matter Queen of Assyria? Is that all the might that you can muster!?"

Ramesses demanded, knowing that this wasn't the full extent that she and her fortress were capable of.

...!

He quickly received his answer as he felt a surge of mana in the air.

Looking towards the source, the Sun King saw a large magical circle appeared in front of the fortress, mana quickly gathering at its center. Ramesses' smirk simply widened at this as he knew what was about to come, watching as the volatile energy shook the air.

"How splendid!"

Ramesses simply stated as he leaped down Wehem-Mesut, landing upon a floating ship as he slammed the bottom of his staff upon it, a surge of prana gathering at the ship's bow together with several portals of light appearing around it.

"Feast your eyes upon the Pharaoh's divine majesty, for my radiance shall burn you to ashes!"

He declared, releasing the attack the same time as the fortress did its own.

...!

An explosion occurred as the two mighty blasts of energy collided with one another. Bestial cries filled the air as numerous numbers of sphinxes and flying snakes were erased from existence at having been caught in the blasts radius.

"Heh!"

As soon as the smoke began clearing, Ramesses could only find himself smirking at the scene before him.

Gone were the sphinxes he held command over, gone were the flying beasts and dragon-tooth warriors sent out by Assyrian Queen as well. All were obliterated by the explosion, the sky now empty except for himself and the fortress itself.

"To withstand a direct attack from Mesektet is most impressive. You have my praised O' Queen of Assyria."

"Hmph, it's an insult that you would think that such an attack would be able to compromise my fortress, Sun King."

A voice called out, and no sooner than when it did an image of Semiramis appeared before Ramesses who wasn't surprised by it. Instead, merely smiling at the sight of the raven-haired beauty before him as she continued speaking.

"While I would like nothing more than to kill you right now, I'm afraid this battle is getting us nowhere." She began, pointing out the stalemate that was their battle up until that point. "Shall we bargain for now? Perhaps a way to settle this without the two of us wasting our time against each other. After all, you only sought to take that troublesome writer for yourselves didn't you?"

"That would depend on my Master." Ramesses began, disdain in his voice as he spoke. "That girl's whimsical nature makes it hard to determine what she might do next. If it were up to me, I'd kill her and be done with it."

"Oh my, it seems that you're much more self-aware than what my Master had anticipated."

"Do not insult me, you would think that a Pharaoh of Egypt, much less I, the King of Kings, would allow himself to be completely subdued?"

"If that's the case, then shall we lend you our aid?" Semiramis offered, intrigued by the new turn of events. "My Master and his companions have methods on how to separate a Servant from their Master completely. If you promise to fight for us, then I myself shall promise that we will help you attain that which you seek the most from the grail."

"Hmph, your attempts to sway me to your side are pathetic." Ramesses smirked in reply. "For now, I side with that girl for my own reasons. One of which is to settle the score with the one you call Master, Kotomine Shirou. No, Ruler! It was thanks to his interference that Sajyou Manaka's presence is still felt in this world!"

"Is that so...?"

Semiramis muttered under her breath. That was the first time she's ever heard of it. Perhaps she should ask her Master more about it later if only to satisfy her newfound curiosity about the matter. Just what happened back then?

"Speaking of which, I feel a need to say this Queen of Assyria. Truly, you must be the daughter of a goddess to have such lovely countenance."

The raven-haired queen merely blinked at this.

"Oh my, complimenting me are you? I'm afraid I'm not some maiden so easily swayed by such simple words."

"Fret not, for I was simply giving praise as required when one encounters such beauty." Ramesses replied before smirking as he crossed arms. "Besides, there's only one woman in the world who could hope to truly sway me with her charms. Compared to her, yours is of no contest you succubus."

"Hoh?"

Semiramis began, a frightening smile on her face as her eyes turned cold at the former's words.

Just now, he basically called her looks plain didn't he? It wasn't enough that he and his companions had the gall to attack the fortress but now he had the gall to insult her beauty as well? She who had once been compared to the goddess Ishtar more times than she could care to remember?

How childish it was, it was clear that he was trying to goad her.

Well, if that was what he wanted, then...

"Truly you must be wish for death Sun King. Shall I grant it to you~?"

...!

Not even waiting for a reply, the image of Semiramis vanished. The fortress once more began its assault against the Pharaoh, releasing several blasts of energy towards his direction. Bemused by the attempt on his life, Ramesses simply countered the attack with Mesektet.

Their battle had resumed in earnest.


"Hah... I really did it this time."

Jeanne said, speaking to no one in particular as she sat by herself at a table while sighing. Currently the young saint had opted to spend some time alone in the dining room, hoping for some solitude after Astolfo's constant teasing had gotten the better of her earlier.

A part of her felt guilty at having slapped the pink-haired paladin in the face, but to begin with he shouldn't have whispered that into her ear either!

Even if he did have the fair looks of a maiden, a fact that she couldn't help but be a little disturbed by even now, there were some things that a man shouldn't say to a woman unless they wanted to get slapped. So it wasn't her fault that it happened... right?

"Did something happen?"

A familiar voice called out, snapping the young saint out from her thoughts.

Knowing who it was, Jeanne simply sighed as she replied.

"No, it's nothing."

She said, smiling slightly at Arthur as the young man had taken a seat beside her before she had time to even realize it. Though he wasn't an Assassin-Class Servant, Arthur really did have a knack for appearing when she least expected it.

"Are you sure? You look like you've got something on your mind."

"I am, it's nothing to be really concerned about to begin with." Jeanne replied once more. "It's just that I... had something of a tiff earlier with Astolfo."

"A tiff? That seems out of character for you. What happened?"

"I-It was nothing! We were just talking and he happened to say something that was rather... inappropriate." She replied, emphasizing the last part. "Before I knew it I overreacted by slapping him."

"Ah, so that explains it."

"Don't worry about it though, the two of us have already apologized to each other about it."

Jeanne replied, leaving out the fact that she had spent an hour lecturing the pink-haired paladin over what had happened and having him swear an oath not to say anything about the matter to anyone especially Arthur himself. Being a known blabbermouth, such precautions were necessary.

"I see then." Arthur nodded in understanding before a smile grew on his face. "Still, it must have been something quite improper indeed to invoke such an action from you of all people. Actually, that would have been quite a sight to see."

"Trying to tease me again are you?" Jeanne asked, pouting at the former.

"Hehe, my apologies."

"You're impossible..."

Jeanne simply murmured under her breath, though she smiling somewhat in amusement as she had already gotten used to such behavior from the young man. It was something of a route now between the two of them. One that somehow managed to lighten her mood whenever they did even if it did annoy her to a degree.

"So then, how did you and Gray get along? She went along with you and Aya didn't she?" She asked, changing the subject.

"She did." Arthur stated with an amused smile. "There hasn't really been a chance for the two of us to truly talk ever since she revealed herself to me, but I can tell that she's a good child if somewhat quiet. If there's time, I'd like to know more about her."

"I'm sure you'll have it. And earlier before she left with her Master and Lord El-Melloi, I saw Mordred looking at Gray with curious eyes. Perhaps she might join in too."

"Heh, maybe. I only hope that Mordred doesn't become too rough with her if she does."

Both chuckled at the idea of the rowdy Mordred trying to get along with the somewhat quiet Gray.

As they both continued to simply talk, small feelings of joy came over the young saint. A feeling that only grew as the two simply chatted away, a searing warmth in her chest accompanying it as it spread itself over her body. It was a delightful feeling she had to admit, but one that she couldn't help but frown at as well.

'What am I doing? I need to distract myself with something!'

"So then Arthur, I'm curious about something..."

"About what?"

"Did you have many admirers when you were alive?"

'WHAT AM I ASKING!?'

Jeanne mentally screamed. Of all things that could have come out of her mouth, why did that have to be the one!?

"That's a rather personal question..." Arthur replied, clearly taken aback by the person asking rather than the question itself. "To be honest I don't quite know myself, I've never had much luck when it comes to women, so I doubt I had many if not none at all..."

"I somehow doubt that..."

Jeanne commented to herself, sighing at how dense the young man was. With his personality she could already tell how popular he was with women. Even during their stay at the church in Trifas, several of the nuns there couldn't help but direct some not-so-innocent gazes at him.

"Ahahaha..." Arthur could only laugh awkwardly in response at said fact. "Did they now? I don't know whether to feel flattered or if I should be feel guilty for tempting women of the cloth. I suppose that makes me a sinner wouldn't it?"

"Hehe, only if you decided to take advantage of it."

Jeanne replied with an amused smile, glad that she succeeded in her aim but at the same time felt slightly defeated.

If she had to be honest with herself, she would have preferred it if she could have been honest. Perhaps get it over with it so she could move on from what she was feeling. She already knew the outcome, so why delay the inevitable?

However, as it were, she still didn't have the courage for that. She smiled wryly, feeling shameful at how pathetic she was acting. She had faced down worse before hadn't she? It was simple, just three simple words from her and then he'd turn her down. After that, it was done and she needn't fret over such distractions anymore.

So she believed anyway.

'But... what if there's a chance that he-'

Jeanne shook her head, there's no way that could be true. There just no way... right?

"Fou!"

"Huh?"

Once more, the young saint was snapped away from her thoughts as she heard a strange cry coming from beside her.

Turning her attention to the source, Jeanne found her eyes settling on a strange white-squirrel like creature sitting on the floor.

"Wait, I know you."

She stated, picking the small creature up in her arms. It was about the size of a squirrel, yet at the same time looked like a cross between one, a rabbit, and a dog. It was actually quite adorable, especially with its fluffy white cloud like appearance. It even had a blue capelet and red ribbon...

Wait, blue capelet and red ribbon...?

"You're that same creature I met before!" Jeanne said in realization, unable to contain her surprise at seeing it here of all places.

"So you've met this little one before?" Arthur asked, scratching said small creature under its chin much to its joy.

"Yes. Back before I summoned you, it led me to that church where we first met." She replied, playing with the small animal's tail a bit with a small smile on her face as she did so. "I wonder what it's doing here? Japan is long distance away from Trifas."

"Perhaps its just looks the same as the one you met before? Though with that said I don't think I've ever seen an animal like this."

Arthur stated, though there was a part of him that felt nostalgic upon seeing said animal before him. There was something about it that seemed incredibly familiar.

Ah, perhaps that's it. From its general appearance, it reminded him somewhat of-

"Ah, there you are Fou!"

His thoughts interrupted, Arthur turned to see Aya standing at the entrance to the dining room.

"Oh, so this small creature's name is Fou?"

Jeanne asked, standing over as she handed Fou towards the former. The small animal happily leaping over to the other blonde as it nestled itself on her shoulder.

"Yes. He belongs to my grandmother." The glasses-wearing teen replied, raising her finger towards Fou, the latter nuzzling his head against it. "Isn't he adorable~?"

"Indeed he is." Arthur spoke up with a smile. "I'm curious, where did your grandmother-"

"What's this about me?"

Before the blonde could even finish his question, Ayaka herself appeared while walking into the room. Upon seeing her, Fou immediately leaped over from granddaughter to grandmother in an instant. Nuzzling its head against the elderly woman's neck as a sign of affection.

"I can see that he's quite taken with you."

Jeanne commented with a smile on her face, as well as trying to restrain herself from cooing over the adorable animal. Just why did it have to be so cute?

"That he is." Ayaka replied, gently petting Fou as she did. "So then, what was it you were talking about earlier?"

"Ah yes," Arthur spoke up once more. "I was curious about where you found him. I've never seen such an animal before."

"That is the question isn't it?" The former simply smiled in response. "Truth be told, even I don't know where he came from. He's been with me for over sixty years now, and to this day I still haven't the slightest clue about what he is."

"Wait, sixty years!?" Jeanne commented, somewhat incredulous at the fact that something so cute could be so old already.

"Oh my, from the looks of it age isn't a problem for him isn't it?" Arthur added.

"It isn't, at least not in the same way for humans that is." Ayaka replied once more while sighing. "Fou has, without a doubt, supernatural origins. I just haven't figured out what exactly. I've checked every book I could get my hands on, looked through every scroll the Association had to offer and nothing ever really came up."

"You've never tried asking anyone else in the Association about it?" Aya asked.

"Heavens no! Do you know what most of them would do to Fou if they found out he was a unique creature?"

"Ah, good point..."


"Hah!"

...!

Taking care to not allow himself to be hit, Amakusa continued to make precision strikes and dodges as Arash pelted arrows in his direction.

"Oh! That's it Ruler! This just like that one time we fought before!"

"Indeed, and just like last time this shall end in my victory!"

The apocryphal saint declared, cutting his way through the hail of arrows as he got up close and slashed his sword at Arash. The latter simply jumped back when he saw this, quickly aiming another arrow at the former and releasing it.

...!

"...!?"

Arash was impressed. At the range he shot it, the arrow would have landed a blow on the white-haired youth. Yet despite that, the latter actually managed to strike the arrow down rather quickly. As expected of a samurai warrior. In a small space like this, he was clearly at a disadvantage.

While he wasn't exactly bad at hand-to-hand, his class was Archer after all. He fought best at range, so he needed to make that happen if he wanted to win.

"Answer me Archer! Is this truly what you wish?" Amakusa demanded. "Do you truly seek to help Sajyou Manaka attain her wish?"

"Yeah, she's my Master after all, so I have to follow her right?"

Arash simply replied, aiming another arrow at the former before loosing it.

"You truly are under her spell..."

Amakusa muttered to himself in disappointment, adjusting his form and head slightly as the arrow whizzed past him grazing his face somewhat.

He had already come to the conclusion that such was the case. How sad it was that a fine hero like Arash had been reduced to being nothing more than a mere thrall to another and didn't even realize it himself. It was truly disturbing that Sajyou Manaka had this much control over her Servants.

After a brief moment, Amakusa smiled at the Iranian hero while taking a stance once more.

"Very well then, I shall take it upon myself to release you from her curse by putting an end to your life."

"Good luck with that, already killed myself once and Master brought me back like it was nothing." Arash replied with a smirk.

"Indeed, that would be most troublesome." The former replied with a smirk of his own. "However, I have a theory on how to circumvent that!"

...!


"We're through!"

Atalanta yelled, finally reaching the upper gardens together with Perseus and Richard.

No sooner than when they did, the group was surprised to see that the entire area had been set ablaze with red and blue flames.

"Is this Karna and that woman's doing?"

Atalanta muttered to herself in wonder. Among the current combatants she knew of, they were the only ones capable of using the power of fire to their advantage. Well, aside from maybe Assassin and her ability to use magic that is.

...!

Explosions resounded through the air as her attention shifted to the side. From where she and the others stood, they could see dozens upon dozens of strange beasts flying in the air doing battle with their forces, blasts of light being traded back and forth between their Fortress' defenses and a man standing atop a flying boat.

"Is that Pharaoh Rider? So it was true what our Master said about him."

Richard stated, his eyes glowing with childlike glee at the amazing scene before him. Never in his life had he seen such a battle take place before.

"Hey, don't get distracted." Atalanta chastised. "Heracles is coming up soon and we need to-"

...!

"Ah!?

"▂▂▃▃▄▄▅▅!"

With a mighty roar, Heracles appeared by bursting through the flooring behind the Chaste Huntress. The son of Zeus aimed to grab Atalanta with his hand, looking to crush her with it. She had seen how strong her fellow Argonaut was, it would have been more than possible for him to do so with ease.

She panicked. Even with her speed, she wouldn't be able to dodge in time at this distance!

"Atalanta!" Richard cried out.

"Hah!"

...!

Before anyone could notice it, Karna appeared and struck Heracles dead center in the chest. Blasting the black giant with flames so great that he was pushed away a fair distance from the former and crashed into a wall.

Taking this chance, the son of Surya turned his gaze towards his comrade.

"It's not wise to get distracted, Atalanta."

"Karna...!"

The Chaste Huntress simply blurted out, somewhat embarrassed at having needed to be rescued. And just when she had told Saber to not let his guard down too, she wasn't going to live this one down anytime soon.

It was at that moment that something occurred to the golden-haired huntress. A certain Valkyrie wasn't around...

"Where is-?"

"Being kept busy, our new friend appeared and offered to take over the fight."

"New friend? Ah!"


...!

"Ahahaha~!"

"Man you're one crazy lady!"

Cu Chulainn exclaimed, grinning all the way as he fought with the daughter of Odin. Both warriors blitzing their way through the fortress with their spears clashing against each other as sparks flew in the air.

It was his first day as a Servant and already he was fighting right in the thick of things. As a warrior, there wasn't anything more that he could ask for.

...!

"Crap!"

The blue-haired warrior cried out, dodging as his head was nearly taken off.

"That's no good, you mustn't move around so much Lord Cu Chulainn~!"

Well, if he had to be honest then he would have asked for someone a little less crazier to fight against.


"Are you sure it was wise to leave him?"

Atalanta asked. Having heard of how powerful the Valkyrie was from their Master, even she didn't know how well their new ally would fare against the daughter of Odin even knowing how strong he was himself.

"No, and it's for that reason that I ask that one of you to go and support him." Karna simply stated, turning his back on the trio as he began walking towards where Heracles was. "The other two may choose to stay here if they wish, or they may choose to support our Master or any of the others for that matter."

"Leave supporting our Master to me." The Chaste Huntress volunteered. "His enemy is of the Archer-Class after all, so who better to help deal with him than me?"

"If that's the case, then leave supporting Lord Cu Chulainn to myself." Richard added with a smile on his face. "I've always wanted to fight a Valkyrie, and it gives me a chance to get to know our new friend."

"Very well then. And what of you, Rider?" Karna asked, turning his gaze towards the Gorgon-Slayer. "Do you wish to aid the others or are you staying?"

"That is the question isn't it?" Perseus replied while shrugging his shoulders. "Heracles is my great-grandson and half brother after all, so part of me feels like I should aid you in this fight. However, knowing your abilities my friend I have a feeling that I might only get in the way. Do you believe you can handle him yourself?"

"▂▂▃▃▄▄▅▅!"

Before Karna could reply, a familiar roar interrupted the conversation as both men turned to see that the black giant was now once again ready to resume combat. The wounds on his body slowly healing themselves up. This must've been the Noble Phantasm that their Master had talked about.

Still, twelve lives or not, it didn't matter. He had a duty to fulfill.

"I believe I can manage, try not to interfere."

"Very well then."

Perseus complied, and as soon as he did, a bestial cry could be heard coming from the sky. Gazing upwards, he noted several flying beasts towards them. All of which were the same ones that Sun King held command over.

"It looks like some have broken through our line of defense. Shall I leave them up to you?" Karna asked.

"Indeed. Compared to the Gorgon, dealing with such beasts is a simple task. Try not to interfere."

Perseus replied, smirking as he echoed Karna's own words back at him something that the white-haired demigod did not miss as he smiled back.

With that, the Perseus took to the skies with Pegasus. Not long afterwards, Richard also left as he wished Karna good luck.

"Karna..."

Atalanta began, pausing for a moment before leaving as she spoke to the demigod.

"What is it?"

"Don't do anything reckless." She simply stated.

"You needn't worry about me. Focus on our Master instead."

"I will."

The Chaste Huntress replied, turning her back on the former as she left in a rush to aid their Master.

"▂▂▃▃▄▄▅▅!"

No sooner than when she did, the wounds on Heracles' body finished healing up as he roared once more and quickly charged. Chasing after the fleeing hero.

"Your opponent is me!"

...!

Karna quickly parried the incoming strike from the God of Strength's golden axe, a shockwave of force emitting from their blows as debris flew around their surroundings. Their weapons were caught in a deadlock as both tried to push the other back.

"Such strength...!"

Karna was amazed, his arms were actually straining under the pressure. It was rare to see someone with such raw physical power at their disposal. It reminded him somewhat of his brother Bhima, who had been one of the physically strongest heroes he had known.

Still, though the black giant was without a doubt physically stronger than him, the son of Surya wasn't going to let himself be outdone.

"▂▂▃▃▄▄▅▅!"

"Hah!"

...!


"Hehe, I see. So that's what your Noble Phantasm can do..."

Already back within the cave, Manaka smiled as Shakespeare had just finished up explaining the full extent of his capabilities to the young blonde.

"Yes, though I'm afraid that without the support of the Assyrian Queen, the things which I could do as I am now are quite limited." The playwright stated, struggling somewhat to speak as he was still currently bound and unable to move. "B-But fear not! Even as I am now, should you wish it I'll do my utmost best to-"

...!

"Yes yes, I know." Manaka replied, snapping her fingers together as another black tentacle appeared and bounded Shakespeare's mouth shut. "Don't worry, I don't plan on killing you. At least, maybe not right now anyway~"

It was the way she said it together with the sickeningly sweet smile of hers that Shakespeare found himself sweating nervously. For the first time since the war started he was in danger. This was definitely bad, he hadn't even had the time to come up with a remark for his current situation.

'The writer was now an actor? No, no, too simple.'

Just what was she planning on doing with him? For the past hour since his kidnapping the girl had done nothing but ask questions about his Noble Phantasm. Did she want him to use it on someone? He could tell as much as First Folio didn't really have much use otherwise. The real question was who would he be using it on? Someone from among his comrades that served under his Master? Or perhaps someone from among the members of the alliance?

Truth be told he wouldn't have minded using it on either, so long as he managed to live that is. He wasn't planning on dying anytime soon, at least not until the grail war concluded itself. There needed to be an observer for such a grand conflict. One who would record the events, to help spread the tales of the heroes who fought in an epic battle for the ultimate prize, one that could doom humanity or save it.

He just needed to find a way to get on the girl's good side. Aside from offering his services to her, maybe offer to write a story in her name as well? The girl was clearly enamored with the King of Knights, so perhaps writing a story where the two of them are together would suit her whimsy?

"Caster."

...!

"Yes my little princess~?" Tamamo asked with a smile, materializing before the young blonde as she spoke.

"You heard him. What do you think?"

"Not to brag or anything, but we should easily be capable of substituting for the elf woman and her palace." The fox-eared woman replied before quickly narrowing her gaze at the playwright. "However, I don't believe that this man would be capable of staying loyal even with his life on the line. I'd suggest we make a few adjustments so to speak..."

"Hmm? A-Adjustments...?" Shakespeare muttered, somewhat nervous at what such a thing could possibly entail.

"I thought so too."

Manaka nodded in agreement, raising her hand towards the English playwright, several black tentacles rose up from the ground encircling the young blonde.

"This is going to sting a little alright~?"

"Wait, what are you-"

...!

"AAAAAAAAARGH!"

Shakespeare's screams echoed throughout the cave.

Off to the side, Angelica stirred slightly. Opening her eyes slowly, they widened up on shock as she came to realize that she had been bound by some form of strange black appendages. These weren't ropes as she could sense magical energy coming from them.

As she gathered her bearings, she also heard screaming coming from one direction and turned her attention towards it. She was shocked to see that it was none other than Caster, who from the looks of it was being tortured immensely as some dark form of magecraft. The same kind that was restricting her.

Standing in front of Caster as a young girl dressed in a light blue dress. She recognized that girl...

'That's right, I was taken by that girl... Sajyou Manaka.'

Was this their base? Just where exactly was she?

"Ah, so you're awake now~" Tamamo stated, going over to greet the blonde. "As you could probably tell, I am Caster. For now I'll be the one dealing with you seeing as how my lovely little Master is busy at the moment."

Bending down slightly, she then placed a hand on Angelica's face.

"Hmm... for a doll, you're not half bad." The fox-eared woman spoke with a smile on her face. "You must be quite the temptress given that chest of yours. I have to ask, is it real or is it just part of your synthetic makeup?"

"What do you want?"

Angelica simply demanded with a glare, unfazed by the fact that she was at the mercy of the two.

"Oh nothing, we just needed something from you is all~"

Tamamo stated, snapping her fingers as a figure covered in armor appeared beside her.

"...! Berserker!?"

The blonde exclaimed, unable to believe that Lancelot was standing right there. Gazing at her hand, she noticed that it no longer had the Command Spells that held authority over the black knight. Damn it, they stole it while she was unconscious!

"We'll be borrowing this one from you. Hope you don't mind~"

Angelica merely gritted her teeth at this. Gazing at her hand, she noticed that it no longer had the Command Spells that held authority over the black knight. She cursed herself at her negligence, letting her own Servant be stolen from right under her by another.

'This must have been how that girl felt the other day...'

She thought, noting the irony of her current situation considering that she basically did the same to that Tohsaka girl. Was this karma at work?

"Not even a word? I expected you to complain or something at least~"

"Just what exactly are you people planning? Why keep me alive?"

"Oh nothing much really, my Master just happens to be going through the process of a woman's romance. You should know how it is~"

"Huh?"

"That ignorant look on your face says it all, perhaps I should have expected it from a doll." Tamamo sighed in annoyance as she pressed a finger against the blonde's forehead. "Look, long story short, she's going through a jealousy phase and as her Servants we're helping her get through it. You understand?"

"Then this is about Saber isn't it?" Angelica asked, knowing of the strange and unhealthy obsession that the girl had with the King of Knights as explained by Kotomine. "Still, that doesn't explain why I'm still here. What do you want?"

"Well..." The fox-eared woman began as she paused for a moment and smiled. "It's nothing really, we just needed ourselves a maid~"

"What!?"

...!

Before Angelica could say anything else, Tamamo placed a finger over the blonde's forehead and put her to sleep once more.

"Now then, onto other matters..."

She said, pulling out a certain card from her kimono as she began casting a spell on it.

Oh how lucky she was that this blonde bimbo had it on her~


"Fou..."

"Huh? What's the matter Fou?"

Aya asked as the small creature that rested itself upon her lap suddenly perked up in alert. She had been simply chatting together with Jeanne with Fou in her lap when suddenly the latter began growling.

"What is it?"

Jeanne asked, wondering what the commotion was about as she saw Fou leaping out of the teen's lap and onto the table. Arthur was curious as well, it looked as though Fou was sensing something troubling. Animals tended to react similarly whenever trouble was afoot and it looks like he was no exception.

Before anything else could be said however, Fou suddenly leaped into the arms of the former...

...!

"Ah-!?"

"Jeanne!?"

...before quickly disappearing into thin air together with the young saint much to the shock of Arthur and Aya.


"What!? Are you serious!?"

"Something of this scale..."

Both Kairi and Waver muttered their breaths respectively as they gazed at the paperwork in their hands given to them by Kiritsugu.

"Don't believe it if you want, but I promise that it's real." The black-haired man replied as he leaned into his chair. "For years now, the people who hired me have been keeping tabs on the various Holy Grail Wars all over the world. Hoping that there would be at least one where there's a properly functional grail."

"So what... you people want to steal the grail for yourselves too?" Mordred asked.

"To be frank, yes."

Kiritsugu replied as Mordred faltered somewhat at the former's blunt response. That confirmed it for the young blonde. From the way he dressed and the way he spoke, this guy would have definitely gotten along well with Agravain.

"So if we promise to get you the one from Trifas, you guys are willing to offer us some support right?" Kairi asked.

"That's right." The former replied once more. "I promise that it'll be more than what the Mages' Association can offer at the moment."

"That's a pretty ballsy claim right there."

Even with most of higher ups in the association were stuck in their traditions, there was no question about the fact that they had a lot of resources under their command. Perhaps not enough to move mountains but certainly enough that they could afford covering up numerous incidents around the world that could have exposed the world of the supernatural to modern society.

Yet here the former was saying that his group, whoever they were, had even greater resources. Now he was curious to find out more.

"Tell me something Emiya, what exactly do you all need a grail for?" Waver decided to ask the obvious question. "It's no secret that the grail has the ability to grant wishes depending on their scale. Is that why you all seek it?"

"No, the thing my employers want isn't something that could be easily granted with a wish." Kiritsugu replied before standing up and looking at his watch. "But that's it for now, it's not really my job to explain something like that. All I want to know right now is can I count on your support from here on? Or should I continue to look elsewhere?"

Both Waver and Kairi paused at this, unsure of how to respond. Asking for a minute to talk alone, both Kiritsugu and Mordred left the room together.

"Well, what do you think?" The latter asked.

"I don't know, there are still things he hasn't explained all that well." The former replied. "That man once tried to kill me in the past so I'm doubtful about trusting him. What about you? Do you still trust him to play fair?"

"Like I said before, I'd trust him to stab me in the back if it came down to it but never without good reason." Kairi stated as he crossed his arms. "Right now though, if I had to be honest, I think I do trust him. If only because he doesn't seem like the type to lie about stuff like this. It just seems a bit grand don't you think?"

"Agreed." Waver stated before sighing. "If that's case, then I suppose our decision has been made."


Outside, both Mordred and Kiritsugu stood in the hallway as they waited for the other two to finish.

"You're..."

"Hmm? What?"

Mordred asked as she leaned against the wall, her hands behind her head as she gazed at the man beside her with one eye.

"No, it's nothing." Kiritsugu replied with a slight smile. "It's just that it's been a while since I've seen a Servant. Maybe I felt a little nostalgic..."

"You fought in a Holy Grail War before did you?"

Mordred asked as the former nodded in response. Well that was something, here before her stood a former participant of another Holy Grail War. Right now she was curious about whether or not he won it, but decided to ask another question that popped in her mind first.

"Who was your Servant?"

With the fact that she encountered both her father and that bastard Lancelot in the same war, there was a chance that other members of the Round Table had been summoned before in another war. If so, maybe there was a chance this scruffy looking man could reveal something.

"No one in particular, just a strange knight with a habit of running around naked."

"Wait, what...?"

A knight who ran around naked? Just what kind of knight did that? Even the perverts on the Round Table never did something like that!

Well, at least to her knowledge that is. And she prayed that she'd never have to find out either.

Thankfully, before her imagination decided to answer for her, the door to the room opened and out came her Master and Waver.

"Alright then, we'll hear what you have to say." The latter stated.

"Good."

Kiritsugu began before the former raised his hand to stop him.

"But first, we'll need some proof that your support is reliable."

"Ah, I was hoping that you might say that."

The magus killer said as he walked back into the room and pulled out a laptop from his bag and opened it. Mordred was curious about the contraption she saw, but before she could ask anything an image showed up on its screen.

"A map?" Waver asked.

"Notice these two spots around Mount Fuji and offshore?"

"Yeah, and we kinda knew that Manaka girl is hiding out at Fuji. One of our own found out about it last night." Kairi stated as he took of his sunglasses as he inspected the map himself. "So if this is supposed to be her, then I take it that the one offshore is..."

"You're right, it's the location of Shirou Kotomine and his group."

The former replied once more as Kairi placed a hand over his face in annoyed realization. No wonder Ruler couldn't find out their location at all, the bastards were at least over twenty kilometers out to sea. It was so obvious dammit!

"I can assure you that this information is real, I even have surveillance photos and footage."

"Photos and footage? You've been tracking them for sometime now haven't you?" Waver asked.

"With some help of course." Kiritsugu admitted without pause. "And if it had been up to me, I would have appeared to you all sooner regarding this information but I and my employers don't exactly have the best relationship with the association. In fact they don't even know that I'm in the country right now. Better that way."

"Classic red tape, this is why I mostly do jobs that have no strings attached." Kairi commented.

"I don't really get what you three are talking about," Mordred began, scratching the back of her head as her armor materialized itself over her body. "But I'm guessing that we just found out about that Kotomine guy's location. This means that we can finally mount an assault on him and his goons right?"

"We can, but not just yet." Waver replied. "We still need to find a way to reach their fortress first, and I have may have something to help with that."

"Alright then, I'll go ahead and tell father and Ruler about this. They'll-"

...!

"Huh? Saber!?"

Before anyone even realized it, Mordred had completely disappeared from the room.


END


Author's Note:

And that's it for Chapter 30. Man did it take me long to finish this chapter. Already about 2/3 of it done by late January but had to wait until now to actually finish it. Busy with stuff in real life as you all can understand of course.

Anyway, onto the matters relating to the chapter itself. I'll be the first to admit that I'm not really satisfied with this chapter myself, feel like it's missing a lot of things for me personally which is not helped by the fact that I suck at writing fight scenes (Damn it that never changes for me XP) and also not helped by the fact that I haven't really focused on FMB for around three months by this point. Need to get back in the zone so to speak.

As such, it's a messy fight. Which basically describes FMB in a nutshell I guess but then again that's kinda the point I guess. A pure mess that I love writing regardless XD

Speaking of which, I keep my current writing pace up and the next Anniversary Chapter in August is likely to be not be posted. Mostly because I don't wanna write another Bonus Act without at least six to seven more chapters in between it and the one. As a result, I'll likely post it on a later date. Maybe around the holidays or something. Take note of that anyone who was looking forward to it.

Lastly, about Kiritsugu. Again, as a reminder, he's basically just a glorified cameo. I needed a character to help lay the foundation for something later and he just happened to be the lucky pick. Don't worry for those who don't really like him, he'll be gone soon enough once I'm done with him which I'm mostly am. Sorry to those who like Kiritsugu but his part is more or less at it's end XP


Guest Reviewer Section:

Garrick: You can thank the power of Photoshop for the new cover pic. I'm too lazy to make my own XD

kitesa: Thanks. I don't really wanna abandon FMB if I can help it. Which at the moment I still have no plans of doing~ ;D

Mavericks: Not really offended or anything, I was just confused by the question myself.

Logan: Don't really plan on having the two cameo at all. And just read the story if you want an answer to second thing. And the hot-springs joke does get old when the people in question aren't goddamn virgins. It'd actually be sad if they did that but that's just me XP

Oran: Glad you like the interactions between the characters :)

Castiel: Referring to Yagyu Jubei as apparently the sword that Amakusa uses belonged to the former. Second, this is the Nasuverse. EVERY myth is basically real, even the outer gods too. That should speak for itself.

Saru: No real answer at the moment. Still trying to figure out the matter myself.

Vishnu: Noted as you can see in the chapter itself. Good eye sir~


That's it for now, please review :D