The next morning, Lancer groaned as he woke up. Who the hell's the jerk beating on his skull like a drum?
"So you're up, Lancer."
That was Mikoto. He had slept on the couch last night. Lancer whined a little and pulled the covers over his ears. "Please stop. I know you're talkin' normally but it's too loud right now...Ugh, my head's spinnin' like a top..."
"Do ya remember what happened yesterday?"
Lancer facepalmed with a groan. That sounded more unpleasant than his pounding headache. "Shit...What'd I do?"
"Nothin' much other than ya gettin' wasted enough to sing a line of Danger Zone."
He breathed a sigh of relief. "Good. Thought I might've kissed ya...Wait, did anythin' else happen?"
"Ya told me that ya killed your best friend..."
"Oh..."
"Did it happen recently?" That might be why he won't talk about it while he's sober.
"For this form's age, yes. I killed Ferdiad when I was 21. It's...not that pleasant."
Mikoto hadn't read to the war yet, but he already knows how important the Connacht warrior was to the Ulster one. So he decided not to ask about it. It'd probably upset the Servant more than anticipated. The King changed the subject instead. "Ya never mentioned that you're a prince."
"'Cause I really don't give a shit 'bout havin' that kinda title. I'm perfectly happy with bein' a knight."
Mikoto huffed a laugh. "Not gonna take advantage of the fact Lugh's a king?"
"Not my style."
"Modest royalty?"
"Yeah. I think it'd be a pain to have people trippin' all over themselves to kiss my ass. And about my Dad, I have some shit to say 'bout him."
"What about?"
"While I'm still a little sour 'bout him just knockin' Mom up and not even botherin' to show his face for several years, it's only a mild annoyance compared to this. He fuckin' talks. A lot. When I met him, he asked me how I was doin' in Ulster. Then he began blabbin' so much that I couldn't get a single word in. He didn't even pause to take a breath! I think the headache he gave me is what knocked me out! He doesn't need Fragarach, the people he's questionin' will tell him what he wants just to have him shut up!"
"I...see. So how'dja meet him?"
"It's when I got badly wounded durin' the war with Connacht."
"Oh."
Lancer glanced at him. He could tell by the tone of the King's voice he doesn't know squat about that war to begin with. "Ya didn't know much about me, do ya?"
"No," Mikoto admitted. "I only just started readin' your legend."
"I'm not surprised. Celts aren't well-known in Japan. That's why I don't have much of a Cultural Sphere here. I'm much weaker than if I was in Europe. I'd be much stronger than that if I was in Ireland."
"Speakin' of your legend, Totsuka's worried about ya. When he asked if ya regret your first life, ya said ya don't but seemed to hurry to end the conversation."
Lancer sighed. "I meant it when I said I don't regret my first life. But he never asked me if I have any disappointments, which I have a ton of. Even if some make me sad, I don't regret 'em 'cause they shaped who I am today."
That's right. I don't regret anything. My first life was only one full of wrong turns. That's all.
"Huh."
"That's all ya hafta say? 'Huh'?"
"What were ya expectin' me to say?"
"Well...I...Okay, ya have a point."
Misaki was walking into the arcade. He needed to maintain his high score on Undead Hunter.
"Are ya kiddin' me?!"
The shout came from a man at one of the video game machines. As Misaki went to the game he wants to play, the one right next to the person, he realized something felt a little off about this man. Maybe it's just his imagination.
The man snuck a peek at what Misaki was playing. "That any good?"
"You don't like the one you're at?"
He narrowed his amber eyes at it. "Damn thing made a fool of me. It's takin' all my self-restraint to keep from punchin' it through the wall."
"Ya lost badly at it?"
"It's gonna end up costin' me all the money the old man gave me!"
Misaki couldn't help but smirk. "Ya look like you're in your 20's and ya need an allowance? I'm 19 and I have a part-time job!"
That may have been the wrong thing to say, because Misaki immediately felt an intense level of killing intent. He slowly looked at the man, who was glaring daggers at the skateboarder.
"You just made fun of me, didn't you?"
He took a step forward, but that's when six people showed up around the man and grabbed him. Misaki saw that all of them were wearing yellow masks like...there's no way they're the Usagi! After all, why would they even be here?!
"Let me go!" the man snarled.
"Calm down!" one of them hissed. It looked like they were struggling to hold back the black-haired man, even with six of them.
"It's bad enough that we're having to reveal ourselves!" another added. "Anything further and we'll notify him about this situation! I doubt you will be pleased to face his fury!"
He stopped squirming. "Grr...Fine!"
One of the people looked at Misaki. "I apologize for this." Then he looked back at the man. "Let's go."
"Whatever. I wanna see what else is in the city anyway."
Misaki looked at the group in confusion as they left the arcade. What was that all about?
"What's your wish?"
Reisi looked up from his paperwork to look at his Servant. "Hm?"
"Since you were chosen as a Master, you must have a wish you're willing to risk your life for."
"You know that SCEPTER 4 wishes to bring about order. We work for that end. Yet chaos still persists in this world. This fight is to spread our ideal for the world. It will be a time of peace."
"You are aware that others have attempted the same thing and failed, right?"
"I'm aware. But I have a solid method in mind. The Holy Grail should be able to bring about that method on all lands. It's supposed to realize any desire, no? That's my wish. Now it's your turn. Why do you fight?"
"I'm a little embarrassed since it's so selfish. I wish to regain my immortality."
"What do you mean?"
"I was born from the titan, Chronus, and the nymph, Philyra. Due to this, I would have been classified as a Divine Spirit, a god. They are unable to be summoned by the Grail. But I'm a Heroic Spirit from my giving up my immortality to Prometheus. I am not attached to the idea of being immortal, but it was a gift from my parents that I should never have given up."
"Why did you?"
"One of my students, Heracles, accidentally shot me with an arrow tipped with hydra venom while driving off my brethren, who were drunk due to the fumes from Dionysus' wine. I was in agony, but I couldn't die, so I asked my half brother Zeus to give my immortality to Prometheus."
"I see...So you'll return to being a Divine Spirit if we win?"
"I should. But what will it look like? Will I return to life?"
"I suppose we need to win and see."
Archer smiled. "I look forward to seeing your ideal world. Perhaps we may even cross paths in it."
"I'm sure we'll have plenty to talk about at that time."
"I'll take my leave now if that's all."
"Oh, before I forget," Reisi passed some reports over to Archer, "hand these to Mr. Fushimi in the information room."
"I apologize if this sounds rude, but doesn't Ms. Awashima normally do this?"
"Yes, but she's currently on patrol. And as you can see, I'm very busy at the moment."
Archer didn't bring up the fact he could see some color of a jigsaw puzzle glowing through the two sheets of paper over it. He instead bowed. "Very well, Master."
In the information room, Archer found Saruhiko typing away at a laptop.
"The Blue King asked me to hand these to you," Archer said, holding up the reports.
Saruhiko glanced at the Servant briefly before returning his attention to the screen of the computer. "Just set 'em down here." He pat the top of a pile of papers next to the laptop.
Archer did as instructed. "You seem to have quite a lot to do."
"He insists he can handle it," Himori said. He and Yuujirou were working on two other laptops.
"Before you go, tell that stupid Doumyouji to get his ass in here. Right. Now!" The snarl in Saruhiko's voice could be clearly heard. "He just finished arresting a Strain who decided to stir up trouble. The report he gave me regarding the incident was like something a first-grader would write! I tried calling him on his PDA, but the idiot won't respond!"
"I'm sorry, but I don't know where he is," Archer replied.
"I think he and Kamo are currently in the cafeteria," Yuujirou said without looking up.
Saruhiko glared at him. "Why didn't you say something sooner?!"
Yuujirou looked up this time. "You never asked where he is! And the message you left on his phone didn't ask his location either! It was just full of profanity!"
"It still wouldn't kill you to be helpful for one..."
"Are you serious?!" Himori exclaimed. "Benzai and I are taking off from our lunch break to assist you with these reports! Don't say we aren't helpful!"
"Umm...I'll take a peek in the cafeteria..." Archer awkwardly said. Even a non-Servant would be able to sense the tension quickly growing in this room.
As the centaur left the room, Saruhiko shouted one last thing. "Make sure to call him an idiot when you fetch him!"
In the cafeteria was Ryuuhou and Andy. Ryuuhou was behind the counter while Andy was sitting at it, holding a fork and knife.
"You're such a child..." Ryuuhou groaned.
Those words failed to deter Andy. "I don't care! I WANT CAKE!"
Archer walked over and glanced at Ryuuhou, who was getting out the ingredients. "You're really doing it?"
"Didn't you spoil your students when you were alive?"
"Well, I spoiled Achilles from time to time, but it was as a reward and he was an actual child back then! You're telling Mr. Doumyouji it's okay for him to behave this way!"
"I know, but if I don't do this, Doumyouji will be in a foul mood the rest of the day."
"He does it because he knows it'll get you to do what he wants." Archer sighed before turning his attention to Andy. "Mr. Doumyouji, Mr. Fushimi wants you in the information room. He has an issue with the report you gave him earlier today."
There was sweat on Andy's face. "Oh..." He laughed nervously. "I'll take care of it later!"
"He demanded you get there right away."
Ryuuhou chuckled. "You should just hurry and get it over with, Doumyouji. You know that the longer you hold off, the angrier he'll get."
Andy looked to pout. "I know..." He looked at Archer. "How mad is he?"
"He told me to call you an idiot and Mr. Benzai mentioned that Mr. Fushimi left a message full of profanities on your phone."
"You don't have your PDA on you?" Ryuuhou asked.
"I forgot it in our room..." Then Andy groaned. "It sounds like Mr. Fushimi's really pissed...He might decide to just kill me..."
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Akiria was mentally unable to stay in his own room. Ren, his roommate, had procured a wooden doll from Hawaii that. Won't. Stop. Staring! How is it that only Akira finds his dolls creepy?! He was off duty for now, so he decided what to spend the rest of his day on. In the hall, he encountered Daiki, who was also on standby.
"Fuse, I need your help in this."
"What is it?"
"It's time to solve something about Doumyouji. You know how he acts like a little kid sometimes? Well, I say it's time to find out if he has any 'mature' hobbies."
Daiki stared at Akira with a deadpan expression. "...I think I know where this is going. The answer's 'no'."
"Come on! He's in the cafeteria right now with Kamo, probably pestering the poor guy to whip up a time-consuming desert! This is a perfect opportunity!"
"But why are you dragging me into this?!"
"Gotti's in the city right now with Eno." He was tugging on Daiki's arm. "Please! You're the only one I can trust!"
"Ugh, fine! You won't budge when you get like this."
In Andy and Ryuuhou's room, Akira rubbed his hands together and licked his lips. "Let the search begin!"
"Should we really be doing this?" Daiki asked. "What if we get caught?"
Akira was looking under Andy's mattress. "We can't just turn back on this, Fuse! Now help me look!"
"What if he doesn't even have any?"
"He's a young man like the rest of us in the Special Squad! He's gotta!"
"Does that include you, Hidaka?"
Akira chose to not respond. He was digging around in a sock drawer. His knuckles hit the bottom. He was surprised to hear a hollow thud. "Huh?"
Daiki looked up from checking in the closet. "What is it?"
"A false bottom...Could this be..?!" He managed to get it open. "Found it!"
"Alright, can we leave now?"
"No way! We gotta take a look at Doumyouji's stash!"
"Come on..." Daiki whined. He fumbled to catch a magazine thrown at him. "H-Hey!"
"It's our day off, so we deserve to relax."
"How is this relaxing?" But Daiki was cracking open the magazine while saying that.
Akira was scanning through one. "Huh, didn't know Doumyouji's into blonds. He doesn't seem interested in Lieutenant Awashima at all."
"Maybe he is and conceals it well."
"I dunno. He isn't that good at hiding what he's feeling."
"Yeah, he does comment on her breast size a lot."
"All of us do that behind her back, though."
Both men were so wrapped up in reading that they didn't notice the person who just entered the room.
"Why are you guys looking through Kamo's porn?"
Akira and Daiki almost jumped out of their skin at the sound of Andy's voice.
Akira looked back nervously. "Doumyouji, what are you doing here? I thought you were in the cafeteria."
"I forgot something in here and I needed to grab it."
Daiki processed exactly what Andy said. "Wait, Kamo's porn?"
"He's been using it as a way to get off since his wife divorced him. Were you looking for something else?"
Akira slapped the magazine he held closed in a rush. "Nope! Let's go, Fuse!"
"Hey! Quit yanking my arm!"
Andy smirked and bent down by his bed, lifting a floorboard under it that had been broken for a while. He called this Pandora's Box. Held within were several dirty magazines. Why would he hide them where anyone can find them?
Misaki walked into the bar. "Well, it was eventful for me at the arcade." He plopped down in a booth. "There was this guy that six people lookin' like the Usagi had to stop."
Izumo, who was washing dishes, froze. "The Usagi?!"
Lancer glanced at the bartender. "Who're they?"
"Clansmen of the Gold King, Daikaku Kokujouji. They all wear rabbit masks, as the name implies. He rarely sends them out, so that person must've been crucial."
Lancer suddenly looked serious and directed his attention at Misaki. "Yata, did anything stand out about this person?"
"He talked 'bout punchin' the game unit he was at through the wall and even six Usagi had a hard time restrainin' the guy when he got pissed at me."
"That strength, pretty sure he's a Servant."
"The Gold Clan's Servant?!" Izumo exclaimed.
"Yata's lucky to survive a pissed-off Servant. He must not've been too serious 'bout killin'. If he was, six humans would hardly be enough to stop him."
"Shit..." Izumo growled, nearly crushing his cigarette. "I really hope he doesn't hang out in Shizume. I don't think we'd be able to relax if he does."
"Welcome to the Holy Grail War." Then Lancer looked to have remembered something. "Oh yeah! Izumo, when does the bar open?"
"We're openin' late since it's the weekend, so in about three hours. Why?"
"That's enough time. Anna! Are ya ready to head out?"
The girl ran down the stairs and up to the spearman. "What are we going to play today, Lancer?" She might not hang around him as much as she does Mikoto, but just like the King's red aura, Lancer's red was also violent and chaotic. A vast sea of raging emotions. And that comforted her, making him be very approachable to the doll-like Strain.
Lancer smiled at her. "I was thinkin' that I'll take ya to the park."
"What's this about?" Izumo asked.
"I promised her we'd do somethin' before the bar opens."
Izumo chuckled. "Ya really like playin' with kids, huh Lancer?"
"So I do. Sue me."
"I don't have a problem. I actually think it's good you're choosin' to bond with her. Just to tell ya, bar opens at 5 today, so return by 4:30."
"Alright."
Anna was holding tightly to the Celt's hand as they walked along the sidewalk. Even though it was winter, he made the girl feel so warm. That black-and-white form of the man she saw in the marble, someone this kind couldn't possibly make her feel like she's freezing. She was probably only seeing things. It had to be that. It was terrifying to think about the Servant becoming that. But still, she had to be certain.
"Lancer?"
"Hm?"
"Are you able to undergo a form change?"
"Normally, yes. But as a Grail-summoned Servant, it can only happen if my Class is Berserker. Why ya askin'?"
"No reason." Perhaps what she saw is him as a Berserker. That thought made her feel better.
There were a few kids on the playground equipment. Anna ran over to play with them. Lancer sat down on the bench next to a mom.
"That girl is so cute!" she said to the warrior. "Are you her dad? You look too young to have a child that old, so perhaps her uncle or brother?"
"No. I'm just an acquaintance of hers."
"Lancer." Anna was sitting at the top of a side. She was holding out one hand. "Hold my hand while I go down the slide."
The demigod chuckled as he got up. He went over and took hold of her hand. "Alright."
"Thanks. It helps make me feel not alone."
He was then on one of the swings with her. She insisted that he do it right beside her.
Later, when he was going to play with her some more, Lancer noticed some red coming out of Anna's hand. "Looks like ya caught your palm on somethin'. Gimme your hand and I'll heal it."
"Just wait. I want to show you something cool. I can do this with my blood." A few drops of blood lifted from the cut and combined into an orb. Then the orb solidified into a red marble that Anna grasped in between her index finger and thumb.
"That's awesome!" Lancer said.
Anna didn't mean to pry deeply into Lancer's mind, but she happened to see him through the marble. "You wish you were able to play with your son, don't you? That's why you enjoy playing with me."
The knight's eyes went wide and he looked like he was trying not to cry as he remembered that incident, the feeling of Connla's warm blood on his hands, the strength fully leaving the boy's arms after he embraced his father. "Anna..."
She looked embarrassed. "You know that Strains can have supernatural powers even without being in a Clan. Mine are empathetic. You were thinking about having the chance to know Connla as father and son. But I didn't see that it happened very recently for you until after I said something. I'm sorry."
Lancer tried to give her a smile. "It's okay. You don't need to apologize. It's all in the past." That's when he noticed something's off. "Wait, it got way too empty." Then he sniffed the air and stuck his arm out in front of the little girl, gently pushing her behind him. "Stay back, Anna!"
There were several people who wore black helmets with green lines instead of parents and children. They came out of hiding in front of Lancer, on second story balconies, and in trees. Lancer estimated there were around 100. He bared his fangs in frustration. Was he too absorbed in playing with the Strain to smell or hear them approach?
"Anna, stay right next to me. I'll keep ya protected."
One of them got reward information on Lancer with the visor on his helmet. "500,000 JUNGLE Points for Lancer?! He's worth five Kings! We'll all reach J-rank 'cause of him!" Then they all pulled out what looked like suffed parrots. "Sorry, but for us to get those Points, you'll need to die." The parrots were all thrown at the two. Lancer had already smelled bomb materials from them. He materialized what looked like four red stones in one hand and tossed them at Anna. The dolls blew up, obscuring the two in a large cloud of smoke and dust.
"That was too easy!" another one said. Then the blast started to clear. "There were over 100 of those! How are they still alive?!"
Lancer was standing in front of Anna, who was being protected by a barrier that showed no signs of damage. Both were devoid of even a single scratch. Because Lancer had made his modern clothes spiritual like him, they were undamaged by the conventional weaponry. The Servant looked completely relaxed, like he was somewhere where he isn't surrounded by enemies.
The spirit glanced at Anna and smiled, a way of promising her that everything will be okay. "Just stay in my runic barrier. It'll keep ya safe." It's the only shield he can make while being a Lancer. That bounded field, created by four of his runes, is strong enough to defend against even a really powerful Noble Phantasm. No way some weak-ass attack will crack it.
"Dammit!" Bullets and green electricity went flying at Lancer, who didn't bother budging at all. The bullets were deflected by his Protection From Arrows and the electricity, paltry magecraft, was nullified by his Magic Resistance. "What is he?!"
Lancer sighed. He seemed totally bored. "You weaklings can't even touch me. So unless ya wanna die in the next second..." he suddenly let out a ton of killing intent, his scary expression giving off the feeling that he's in fact a vicious wolf ready to tear these pathetic humans into bloody pieces. Trying to harm someone that a very protective Servant is defending, even if it was useless? Bad move. They should count themselves extremely lucky to still be alive in order to take another breath. Using his spear would be overkill on them. Simple hand-to-hand combat would be more than enough to kill these guys. But he didn't want to have Anna see him murder a bunch of people, "...then get the hell outta here!"
All the opponents suddenly dropped their guns and hightailed it. Even Anna was shaking uncontrollably. But only by reminding herself this is her ally and he promised to protect her did she stay put.
Atop a building overlooking this were Green Clansmen. Sukuna tsked and Yukari sighed, looking at Kotosaka, who was on his shoulder. "Looks like your pawns were completely ineffective."
Kotosaka replied, but with Nagare's voice. "I was afraid of this. And that was a good majority of U-ranks. Well, it was worth a try. I think you two should retreat right now."
Sukuna rested his weapon against his shoulder. "Yeah, it'll be a one-sided slaughter if he senses us."
"He's probably already detected our mana," Yukari pointed out, already backing away slowly, "but I don't think he'll attack unless we do first." Then he glanced at Kotosaka again. "Why'd you make the bounty so high?"
"Aside from his physiology as a Heroic Spirit, from what I've read about his first life so far, it seemed appropriate. He isn't one of Ireland's two greatest heroes for nothing. The man is truly a beast."
Yukari and Sukuna were about to go into a shop when the older person noticed a certain someone head into a back road. "Sukuna, go ahead and buy that air freshener Mr. Iwa requested."
Sukuna looked surprised. "Huh? Is something going on?"
"I just remembered an errand I need to run is all. Just return on your own when you're done." He looked at the green parrot flying between them. "Kotosaka, stay with him."
"Yukari! Come back soon!" he squawked.
Yukari casually sauntered into the alley. He was about ten meters behind the person with the long, black hair pulled up into a ponytail.
"It's been a while, Kuroh!"
The teen looked back, snarled at the man, and tightly gripped the handle of his sword on his waist. "Yukari, why are you here?!"
Yukari feigned shock. "Such a hateful look! Should you really be giving it to your older brother?"
"I stop seeing you as that a long time ago, when you turned your back on the Colorless Clan!"
"And now you're looking to strike down. And here I was gonna ask you what brings you into the city."
"I'm shopping for supplies to make dinner for the King you pointed your sword at!"
Saber suddenly materialized behind Yukari and was grinning. "You did that too? That's awesome!"
Yukari looked at the Servant in surprise. "What are you doing here?"
Saber turned her head away and was blushing. "I was just wandering by. It-it's not like I was worried about you!"
The man smiled. "Thanks. But don't interfere with us. Just watch over this battle."
"I'm serious! I wasn't concerned about you being close to that savage guard dog!"
"Savage?"
"He mercilessly took millions of lives when he was alive. All for his homeland."
"Wouldn't you do the same?"
"At least I don't have the kind of personality quirk he does!"
Kuroh decided to break this up before they forget he's there. He glared at the female swordsman. "What Yukari did was not awesome! It was Master Ichigen!"
"How many fucks do you honestly think I give about someone I don't even know?"
Yukari spoke again. "Kuroh, that happened over eight years ago. Just let it go."
Kuroh pulled out a katana. "I never will even if you plead for forgiveness!"
The man with the purple and blue hair sighed as he unsheathed the katana on his back, Ayamachi. "Perhaps you need your older brother to teach you to let go sometimes. Something like that isn't worth it!"
Sparks showered each time the swords clashed. Pieces of the color their auras took flew up from the blades. Kuroh was trying to match Yukari's speed. But the man was proving too fast.
Kuroh jumped back and jabbed his left hand at Yukari. A spectral hand shot out. The man simply sidestepped out of way and dashed at the black-haired young man. Kuroh quickly held his katana with both hands to block the sword strike. Both blades ground against each other.
Eventually, the sword clashes took their toll on Kuroh's weapon and the blade shattered. Ayamachi stopped right before the teen's face.
"I expect you to show improvement with the sword next time we meet, Kuroh. If there is none, I'll cut you down without mercy." Yukari sheathed his katana and walked away. Saber joined him.
"Yukari, wait!" Kuroh called out.
The man didn't look back. "Don't try to follow us."
"Even if he does, I'll smell him," Saber said. Once they walked far enough away, she spoke up again. "Why did you let him go?"
"I wanted to see how far he had come since last I saw him, and I was fairly pleased. He'll blossom into a beautiful flower one day."
"You want him to surpass you?"
Yukari smirked. "Perhaps."
While making tea in Reisi's office, a siren began blaring. Archer looked up. "What's that?"
"Some Beta Strains have caused trouble," Reisi explained. Beta Strains are more dangerous than normal Strains. "Get ready to head out."
Reisi and Archer got into a large Blue Clan van. Also in it were Seri, Saruhiko, and the Special Squad. Other officers were in three other vans.
"So what's the situation?" Reisi asked.
"I've already told the driver where we're going," Saruhiko replied. "We're dealing with seven Betas and about a dozen common Strains. Possibly more...And an Alpha."
Reisi looked a little surprised and Archer turned his attention to the King. "What's that?"
"Alpha Strains are incredibly rare. The last one encountered was when Jin Habari was still the Blue King. Even Lieutenant Awashima would have a tough time bringing one into custody."
"We should be fine as long as we all work together," Akira said.
"Hopefully..." Himori murmured.
Andy had a giant grin. "This is the first time we'll see Archer fight! Make sure to give us a good show!"
"Archer's far stronger than the Betas and Alphas," Yuujirou pointed out. "He'll probably have to put quite a bit of effort into not killing them."
"Don't worry. I'll be able to manage non-lethal blows. It won't look impressive, Mr. Doumyouji. But I believe it's better to be effective then stylish."
"I know, but I wish you'd show a bit of a Servant's true power."
"That'd be my Noble Phantasm. But Antares Snipe [Heavenly Scorpion Single Shot] can only be used at night and only once a night at that. That and anything else would be too destructive."
"Doumyouji, just let him decide how to fight," Seri sighed.
Some time later, the van stopped. "We're here," the driver said.
Reisi looked at Seri. "Work on creating a perimeter."
She saluted. "Yes sir! Men! Let's move!"
Once everyone else left the van, leaving the King and his Servant, Archer turned to Reisi. "What about us?"
"We'll wait for news of the containment and then capture the Strains."
After awhile, Saruhiko peeked into the van. "Sir? The lieutenant wants you."
Reisi adjusted his glasses. "Very well." Archer followed him out of the van.
Seri ran up to the King and stood at attention. "We have successfully sealed off the area. We can now apprehend the criminals within the building."
Reisi smirked. "We will advance with our swords in our hands. We will triumph because our cause is just."
The woman directed her attention to the rest of the Blue Clan. "Men! Draw your swords!"
"Akiyama, ready!"
"Benzai, ready!"
"Kamo, ready!"
"Doumyouji, ready!"
"Enomoto, ready!"
"Fuse, ready!"
"Gotou, ready!"
"Hidaka, ready!"
"Fushimi, ready!"
"Awashima, ready!"
"Munakata, ready!"
When Reisi pulled out his saber, his undamaged blue Sword of Damocles materialized. His Sanctum would boost the strength of his men.
A golden bow materialized in Archer's left hand. "I'm ready as well."
"Then let's go in."
Seri cut down the door to the building with one slash of her saber. She and the others went into a lobby with numerous Strains on the opposite side of the room.
"We of SCEPTER 4 are here to take you all into custody!" Himori shouted. "The use of powers will be viewed the same as using weapons!"
The Strains snarled. "SCEPTER 4..! You people have powers just like us! So why do you get respect?!"
Reisi narrowed his eyes but smiled. "You're unhappy with your conditions in life. Do you truly think this is the best way to improve the treatment of Strains?"
"We know, but a peaceful protest didn't work. Some of us were gunned down by the police!"
SCEPTER 4 looked shocked. "What?!"
Saruhiko tsked. "I thought these guys looked familiar. They were on surveillance footage from what was reported as a 'superpowered people uprising'."
"Because of that, this is the only other option to get heard!"
"We'll have a talk with Metro PD," Reisi said, "but this situation won't make things any better. It could actually cause the public's hatred of Strains to worsen. If you surrender peacefully, it should make it easier to negotiate new methods for dealing with Strains."
"And why should we trust you people?! You're basically the police! How do we know you guys aren't planning on executing us all?! No, if you want us to be turned in, you'll need to fight us first because we won't go with you without a fight!"
Several bullets were shot at the Blue Clan. Reisi had a barrier of his blue aura shield his people. As soon as the bullets hit the translucent dome, they shattered into nothingness. "I see that violence is the answer you people choose. Ms. Awashima, I leave command of the force to you. Archer and I will provide backup."
Seri saluted. "Yes sir! Everyone else, bring in the criminals!"
"Roger!"
In an instant, the room was filled with the clashing of SCEPTER 4 and the Strains.
Tatsuya fell on his butt while fighting a Beta. The barrel of a gun was pointing right at the young man's head. Before the trigger could be pulled, Archer's arm shot out, grabbing the arm of the Strain. It was like he teleported to this spot. A sickening crunch was heard as the two bones in the forearm were crushed as easily as breaking a potato chip. This prevented the bullet from being fired.
"Are you alright, Mr. Enomoto?" the centaur asked without looking back. He released the Strain so Ren and Akira could take the screaming human away for medical attention. They were staring at the Servant with dumbfounded expressions.
He got to his feet. "Y-Yeah..."
One muscular Strain around two meters tall with large strength tried to punch Archer's head from behind. The punch was powerful enough to easily crush a human skull. But Archer's head barely moved from the impact. He turned around and grabbed the person's arm with one hand, placed his other hand on the man's chest with the other, and slammed him onto the ground on his back. Only enough force to knock them out was used.
Tatsuya was left speechless and Andy exclaimed "Holy shit!" He reacted in time to use his saber to block a slash at his head from the criminal he's currently confronting and tackled the Strain that struck at him to the ground. "You aren't going anywhere!"
He noticed two Strains about to ambush Ryuuhou while he was combating another. Archer materialized two dull arrows in his right hand and fired them at the two Strain, knocking them out. Another Strain tried to strike at the Servant, but Reisi took out the person's lights with a single blow to the back of the head.
"I thought to give a backup some backup," the King said. He had noticed something about the arrows his Servant fired. He went over, picked up an arrow, and looked it over. "No arrowheads?"
"Those Strains still have human bodies. The lack of arrowheads will knock them out instead of possibly killing them when I attempt to make them black out."
There was a sudden shout. Looking over, they saw that one of Saruhiko's knives had sunk into a Strain's shoulder. The young man was grumbling angrily as he walked over to place a pair of power dampening handcuffs on the person. "Man, you're loud."
"It looks like this floor's good now," Reisi commented. "Ms. Awashima, secure the above floors. There will most likely be more."
"Understood. We're going to the second floor everyone!"
After some time had passed, Reisi's PDA chimed. He took it out and looked at the message on it.
"Mr. Fushimi just texted me they located the Alpha on the third floor. But she has telekinesis. While he managed to get out of her line of sight in time, Ms. Awashima and some of the Special Squad have been rendered frozen in place."
While they rushed to the stairway, Archer spoke up. "So the powers are only active if you're in her line of sight?"
"That's what Mr. Fushimi texted me."
"It sound like the power comes from mystic eyes."
"And those are?"
"They basically allow you to cast magecraft by looking at someone. The most famous example would be Medusa from Greek mythology, who has the Mystic Eyes of Petrification."
The two crouched down on the stairs before they could be in anyone's line of sight on the third floor.
"You rescue your men," Archer whispered. "My Magic Resistance is strong enough to ignore weak mystic eyes, so I'll take on the Strain."
"Very well."
Archer burst into the room first. There was some rubble laying around in the Strain's field of vision that she tried to make a shield with, but the Servant was too fast. He backhanded her into the wall with just enough force to knock her out. It was over so fast that it was laughable.
"Get a power dampener on her!" Reisi ordered right after freeing the final Blue Clan member. This was done by channelling his aura into them, briefly amplifying theirs enough in order to undo the spell. Saruhiko shot forward to handcuff her. "Capture any remaining Strains!"
"We'll go back to the second floor," Saruhiko said. "We rushed up here after Fuse said the Alpha ran up here."
"Then get to it."
"Understood," Seri replied. She and the other went down. After a while, she alone came back up and stood at attention. "Captain!"
"What is it?"
"I am deeply sorry, but some of the Strains got past the blockade and fled for Shizume."
"So we'll be going elsewhere in the city now?" Archer asked his Master.
"It's Red Clan territory. Hopefully we'll finish without encountering any of those people."
Izumo and Lancer were preparing for the opening of the bar. Lancer had already told the Red Clan about the incident in the park, and Izumo said he'd try to look into it.
"Good thing there was no attack yesterday. The bar wouldn't still be standin' if a Servant assaulted while I was unconscious," Lancer was saying.
"But you're ready now I hope."
"Of course I am. And Mikoto's close by. The closer the Master, the stronger the Servant." Mikoto was currently in his room upstairs.
"Other than that, ya guys don't seem to have a limit to how much hurt ya can dish out."
"We actually do. It's our mana. The less mana we have, the weaker we get. And ya know we fade if we run out. That's why we tend to hold back when we fight. And just existin' consumes mana. Our magic circuits are able to restore mana naturally, but it takes time. We don't need to eat, but the food we injest can be converted into mana and the mana cost is lessened greatly while sleepin'. In dire situations, we have to resort to blood-suckin' or mana transfers to restore it quickly. There's also the option of us absorbin' mana directly from a ley line, but it can be risky as we'll not only be out in the open, but the process takes time and we can't defend ourselves durin' it."
"What 'bout Command Seals?"
Lancer was silent before replying. "...They can do it as well. But since it consumes a stroke, it should be a last resort."
"I'll remember to tell Mikoto this."
Lancer noticed out of the corner of his eye that Tatara was looking through some kind of object with one eye. It was small enough that he could hold it by the metal post it was attached to with one hand. "December 26, 4:53 p.m."
"What's that?" Lancer pointed at the device.
"An old movie camera," Tatara explained. "This one broke when I accidentally dropped it, but the damage was fixable. My order for repair parts came in today." The view was focused on Lancer.
"I thought ya were into filmin' the city at night," Izumo pointed out.
"I know, but I don't have anything of Lancer yet."
The demigod's cheeks were red and he tried to hide his face behind his hands. "Come on! Quit it! This feels embarrassin'..."
Tatara didn't put the camera down. "I just want to get some footage of your first day on the job here."
"I've never been filmed before. It feels really weird!"
"All of us in the Red Clan need to be filmed at least once! Anna even got me with the camera before!"
Izumo grinned. "Is a certain someone camera-shy?"
"Ugh, just leave me alone."
Tatara chuckled. "Just show your face, Lancer. This'll be over sooner if you do."
"You are evil, y'know?"
Izumo clapped Lancer on the back. "Be a man!"
Lancer peeked out to glare at the bartender. "Shut up! Ya ain't helpin'!"
"I noticed a lot of your Irish accent just came out," Tatara said while continuing to record. "Does that happen when you get really embarrassed?"
His entire face went red. "Shut the fuck up!"
Izumo laughed. "Bar's gonna open, Totsuka. Record the scaredy-cat later."
The Servant slammed his hands down on the counter. "I AM NOT scared! We just didn't have those things in my time! I'm from the end of the Age of the Gods to the start of the Age of Man! Now leave me alone!"
"Ah, that's right." Now Tatara put the camera down. "The Grail lets you know how this works, but you've never actually seen one."
Izumo went to flip the closed sign to open. As both of them got ready to serve customers, Lancer noticed someone was missing.
"Where'd Tatara go?" All the other male Clansmen were milling around the main bar area, probably preparing to charm some people.
Izumo jabbed his thumb at the closed door to the stairway. "He went upstairs with Mikoto."
A few people came into the bar. After an hour, more poured in. And they were all girls.
Izumo chuckled as the Servant told him a food order. "I overheard some of the female customers sayin' they 'can't wait to be served by the hot new waiter'."
Lancer smirked. "Can't say I'm surprised. My looks attracted so many of the ladies durin' my first life that the guys worried I'd end up stealin' their wives. Considerin' the number of women I slept with, it's surprisin' the only one I got pregnant was Aife."
As he went away from the counter, a blushing young lady waved him down. "Sir Lancer, I'm ready to order!"
The blue-haired man smiled. This caused a "kyaa!". "I'll be right there." He seemed to be a natural at serving people. Unknown to him, or perhaps he was pretending not to notice, Yõ, Saburouta, and Misaki were glaring at him with pure hatred.
The girl Yõ was flirting with pressed closer to him. It took him a while to find a woman who isn't all over the Servant. "Is something wrong, Chitose?"
He replied through grit teeth. "No, I'm fine."
By the time Lancer's shift was over, there weren't that many customers. Mikoto emerged out into the bar. Tatara was playing with Anna in her room.
"I'm goin' outside, Lancer. It's night, so ya probably wanna come along."
His Servant grinned. "Of course!" He followed the King out of the bar.
"I can't believe how many girls were here tonight!" Shouhei exclaimed.
Izumo giggled like a little kid as he looked at the totals. "I can't believe the sales...And this was in only four hours...Shoulda had Lancer as a waiter earlier...I only see these numbers when Kamamoto becomes skinny..."
"And just like those times, barely any girls wanted to talk to me!" Yõ growled. "I only got one phone number! We need to get the girls to stop goin' 'kyaa kyaa' over that guy!"
Masaomi sweatdropped at his friend. "You're thinkin' of a way to get Lancer fat, aren't you?"
"If I have to!"
Misaki slammed his hands down on a table. "Why didn't we notice it earlier?!"
Saburouta pinched the bridge of his nose. "Because Lancer was always out or somewhere else in the bar when single young women came in..."
Yõ looked around to make sure Lancer was actually out of the bar. "How is he able to attract so many ladies?! Sure, he's good-lookin', but he smells like a dog!"
"Actually, the scent's so subtle that you'd need to get close to smell it..." Kousuke pointed out. Yõ gave the ginger a scathing glare.
"Maybe ya should instead try to give out advice on how to solve this crisis!"
Kousuke sighed. "Look, maybe it's only seasonal like with Kamamoto."
"I don't think so," Izumo said. "Lancer was really handsome all year in his first life."
"Guys," Shouhei spoke up. "Lancer will fade when the Holy Grail War's over. I'm sure not even you wanna go back to being the bar's chick magnet in that way, Chitose."
"I-I know!" Yõ went back to looking angry. "Looks like Lancer's good at fightin' and gettin' girls!"
"And it's not just that," Misaki grumbled. "I played a handheld video game with him. It was his first time and he still kicked my ass in the high score! What the hell does he suck at?!"
"I'd actually like to find out that as well," Izumo said. "But I dunno how easy it'll be. The god, Lugh, was supposed to be good at everythin'. As his mortal incarnation, Lancer's also multi-talented. But he's also a weakened copy. As such, he's missin' most of his skills. It could take time, but we might find a way to trip him up."
Yõ slammed his hands down on the bar counter. "But the biggest issue is how to get the girls to stop fawnin' all over him! Got any ideas?!"
Izumo took out a cigarette. "Sorry, you're on your own with that. He's makin' me a good amount of money. I'm not 'bouta sabotage that."
"...And they actually had to throw water on me to get me to cool down!" Lancer was saying. He was talking about his first life.
Mikoto chuckled a little. "Kusanagi did the same to me three years ago."
Mikoto and Lancer emerged onto the roof of a building in the business district. The demigod had just used some of the money he earned tonight to buy a pack of cigarettes and now he and his Master were going to view Shizume at night while having a smoke. They didn't expect someone else to be up here.
"Huh? Why're you up here, Munakata?" Mikoto asked.
Reisi adjusted his glasses. "I could ask you the same thing."
"None of your fuckin' business, that's what."
Reisi's violet gaze shifted to the man standing by the Red King. Animal-like crimson eyes were narrowed. "Is that your Servant at your side? He reminds me of a vile, untamed beast. He's a perfect match for you, Suoh."
Mikoto scoffed. "Is yours stuffy and unlikable? 'Cause that'd be the perfect Servant for ya. Anyway, need I remind ya this is Red Clan territory, Munakata? Ya shouldn't just casually wander in here."
"I didn't just saunter in without reason. A group of Strains we were trying to bring in came here."
Mikoto smirked. "Ya seemed relaxed for a Master caught alone by another Master and Servant."
"It's not as if he's totally unguarded. Right, pal?" Lancer was looking at the empty space to Reisi's left, where he could see formless mana, invisible to humans. Reisi looked faintly surprised. "I know you're there. You can come out now."
"I suppose it's useless to try hiding from a Servant this close without Presence Concealment." Archer materialized when he said that. He had already switched to his battle attire and held a golden bow in his left hand. Lancer immediately materialized his armor and weapon. He lazily rested his spear against his right shoulder.
He was looking the Servant up and down. "Judgin' from your appearance, you must be Servant Archer."
"And you must be Lancer." The centaur materialized three arrows in his right hand.
Lightning came down out of nowhere, pausing the fight about to break out. Lancer recognized it and snarled. "You've gotta be shittin' me!"
Rider was in his battle clothes and driving his chariot. At his side was Tenkei. Behind them were the Green Master and Servant. Nagare was being carried by Saber. The Servant was wearing armor and a helmet.
The chariot came to a stop on the edge of the roof. Rider grinned at Archer. "I am Iskandar, King of Conquerors!"
Archer's eyes widened a little in brief surprise. Reisi glanced at the Servant. "Do you know him?"
"...No. I've never met him personally. But I'm shocked he would willingly give out his True Name. He must be devoid of secrets regarding his death to keep."
"I thought you said I'll have a Servant all to myself and Rider'll remain at base," Saber said, a hint of a whine in her voice.
"While I did say you'll have the chance to go one-on-one with a Servant, I never said Rider will stay back. You made that up yourself," Nagare replied. Saber tsked.
"Archer, abandon the Holy Grail and become a part of my army," Rider said. "I'll even let your Master go."
"What?!" Tenkei exclaimed. "You can't just make decisions like that without consulting me first - Ow!" Rider had just flicked him on the forehead, making him fall down on the chariot's floor.
Archer got ready to fire at the large king. "Sorry to say, but I'll decline your offer."
Nagare looked at his Servant. "Pick which Servant to fight. The three of us will stay out of it."
"I'll take on the mutt then. He should make this fun considerin' he made ya fall back." She was looking right at Rider and probably had a shit-eating grin when she said that. Lancer didn't look super pissed. Only calling him a dog specifically is what must rile him up.
"You'll never let me hear the end of that, will you..? I told you I underestimated him is all!"
"Whatever you say." She pointed her sword at Lancer. "I'll show you the right way to kill a Servant!"
The straightjacket over Nagare burst. His hair, skin, and clothes turned bright white. His green left eye was revealed. The right remained blue. Green electricity crackled around his form. Saber set him down and he was standing up. "Let's start this part of the game."
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Misaki was walking along the sidewalk. He had some errands to run. That's when he noticed something. He hid in an alley and called Izumo over his watch.
"What is it, Yata?"
"I just spotted a couple Blues here in Shizume."
"Now why would they be here..?"
"I don't think their reason matters! It's our territory they're strollin' around in!"
"Just calm down. I'll contact Seri and tell her to get the Blue King to make his Clan withdraw."
"And if that doesn't work?"
"Ya know what'll come next. Just wait for me to tell ya what to do."
"Just hurry up. I'm itchin' to kick some ass!"
"Don't do anything stupid right now."
Misaki sputtered. "Stu -" The call ended. "Dammit!" He peeked out at the officers. They seemed to be looking for something. But what? The skateboarder was really wanting to throw down. After what felt like forever, Izumo called.
"Yata, I just got off the phone with Seri. We're gonna fight. I'll send ya the location."
Misaki grinned and came out of hiding. "I'll be right there!" He was about to take off on his skateboard when a voice got his attention.
"How nice to see you, Misaki!"
Misaki's shoulders tensed and he glared at the speaker. "I told you before to stop calling me that, Monkey."
Saruhiko walked over to the sidewalk Misaki was on with a smirk. "I forgot that you hate being called your first name, Misaki."
"I'm warning you: cut it out."
"Didn't we used to be on a first-name basis, Misaki?"
"That was before you betrayed HOMRA by joinin' the Blues."
"What can I say? In the end, I was nothing like you guys."
"You're right about that." Red aura burned around Misaki. "And you'll never by welcomed by HOMRA again, especially not by me you bastard."
Hurt appeared on Saruhiko's face so briefly that Misaki told himself he only imagined it. "And why would I want to return to some ragtag group of thugs? You should've joined SCEPTER 4 with me."
"I'd sooner die. And quit talkin' shit 'bout HOMRA before I flatten you."
Saruhiko grinned. "I'd like to see you try, Misaki." He unsheathed his saber. "Fushimi, ready."
Misaki dropped his skateboard by his feet. "Let's find out just how good the Blue Clan's health insurance is."
"At least we have it -" Saruhiko cut himself off when he looked to the sky. "Wait..."
Misaki followed Saruhiko's gaze and gasped, his aura dissipating. "That's..!"
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Fighting between the Red and Blue Clans was suddenly put on halt when everyone saw those giant objects in the sky.
The cigarette dropped from Izumo's mouth, which was open a little in amazement. "What?!"
"Four Swords?!" Seri exclaimed with a gasp. "But that means...Captain!"
"Lancer...You'd better continue to keep King safe..." Tatara murmured. Anna's grip on his hand grew tighter.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Reisi chuckled. "It seems we're in a tight spot."
"Looks like we'll need to team up," Mikoto said. "This is only temporary, Munakata. We'll go back to bein' enemies tomorrow."
"I hate to admit it, but you're right."
Mikoto looked at the Red and Blue Servants. "And you guys?"
Lancer sighed. "Fine. I'll play nice with you tonight, Archer."
"Your decision is mine, Master."
"There's too little space up here," Nagare murmured.
Tenkei chuckled. "I'll fix that. Rider!"
A few bolts of lighting caused Reisi, Mikoto, and their two Servants to jump from the roof to the hazy street below. The Servants hit the ground first, landing softly. Their Masters, being Kings, landed safely but hit the ground hard.
Archer was looking around at the fog quickly building. "What's going on?!"
Lancer was snarling as he pointed up to the grey Sword of Damocles in the sky. "A cheap trick from the Grey King. A Servant's heightened sense of smell is useless in it. I believe Assassin would be a better partner for him, considerin' how he fights."
The fog from Tenkei's Sanctum was keeping cars off the street due to the reduced visibility. Lancer was about to go to his Master's side, but blocking Saber's attack stopped him. "We're gonna play together." He jumped away with astounding speed in case she was going to attack again.
While the urge to fight by his Master's side was still there, he felt that it's easier to ignore this time. I have faith that you'll make it outta this alive, Mikoto. He held his spear up with both hands to block another sword swing. The shockwave created a trail of broken concrete behind the spearman and ended with the wall of the building behind him being obliterated.
He grinned. "I ain't some shitty third-rate Servant!"
A laugh from Saber was heard under the helmet. "I'm glad. Let's have some fun!"
Reisi and Mikoto jumped to the sides in time to dodge a charge from Rider with his chariot. They had to use their powers to boost their speed; the vehicle came at them quickly. "Archer! I leave Rider to you!"
"Understood, Master!" Archer fired a few arrows cloaked in a blaze of golden mana at the feet of the bulls. They each caused large explosions as soon as they hit the pavement, scaring the animals away from the two humans.
"What is this?! There hasn't been a Grey King since Seigo Ootori, who's dead!" Reisi exclaimed.
"That's because he is Ootori," Mikoto replied. "But he's goin' under the name Tenkei Iwafune. That's why there hasn't been a new one in the 13 years since he supposedly died. In any case, we need to get outta this fog. He has a huge advantage in here."
Reisi laughed a little. "Funny, I was thinking the exact same thing."
Both men took off together to try escaping the fog, auras blazing around them to increase their speed. A green bolt crashed into the auras and made the Kings halt.
"I don't think so!"
Mikoto grit his teeth. "Back the fuck off, Hisui!" He threw a punch roaring with flames at the Green King. He countered with a slash of thick, green aura. A bang was heard and Reisi used his sword to deflect a bullet aimed at the back of Mikoto's head. He tried to conjure up an inferno under Nagare, but the man vanished in the blink of an eye, the fire engulfing empty air.
"Speedy fucker!" the Red King ground out.
"Keep calm," the Blue King told him.
Saber moved her head to the side, the thrown crimson spear of the other knight sailing past it with enough power behind it to drill a large hole through two buildings and to severely damage a wall of a third building while imbedding itself in the stone.
The other knight jumped at him. "Stupid!"
He held out his right hand to his demonic weapon. "Come!"
"Go to hell, bastard!" Saber shouted while swinging her sword at Lancer's neck. "What?!"
The demigod had grabbed her wrist to stop the attack. There was a flash of red as Gáe Bolg returned to the man's right hand. He then swung the spear down on the helmet over Saber's head. Saber's helmet, Secret of Pedigree, collapsed into her armor as she used Mana Burst, the sudden blast of magical energy from her body and sword allowing her to break out of the spearman's grasp and jump back.
Mikoto was beginning to breathe hard from blocking and dodging Nagare's attacks. Reisi noticed this. "Are you alright, Suoh?"
Mikoto scoffed. "Don't ya start worryin' 'bout me, Munakata. I still have plenty of fight left in me." To prove this, he blocked another attack from the Green King.
Reisi was about to say something when he suddenly had to block four bullets. There was a clatter of empty shells hitting the road. "Kid, you shouldn't forget about me. While Nagare's playing with the Red King, why don't we have some fun?"
Crimson lightning exploded from Clarent. Saber brought the sword down. Lancer jumped up in time to avoid the magical energy but immediately had to block the armored knight's attack when she suddenly appeared in front of him. Their feet hit the wall of a building and Saber began running up it after Lancer. They were behaving as if they were running on the ground. Servants aren't as heavily bound to the laws of physics as living things. As such, changing how much the planet's gravitational pull affects them so they can determine how hard they hit the ground or being able to stand on walls or water comes as naturally as breathing.
Tenkei was still hiding in the fog while attacking Reisi. "You and Habari, all you Blue Kings do is preach about bringing world peace. How much do you get paid to be that naïve?"
"I don't see anything wrong with wanting to bring about order," Reisi replied while launching a crest of blue aura with his saber at where he believed the older man to be. It only hit empty road.
"Y'know, I really hate overly idealistic people like you."
"And why's that?" Reisi knocked away another bullet with his saber.
"You people are too wide-eyed, unaware of reality. This world's cruel and unforgiving."
"But it can still be changed for the better!"
A laugh. "And what about human nature? How many lives will end up being lost in this struggle? How much hate will have built up? It's all gonna come out in a way that'll just cause even more suffering. Hatred only breeds more hatred! On the battlefield, there's no such thing as victory. Just sorrow for the defeated and those prospering off that. And the whole thing starts all over again, making it so that the cycle will never end. That's the reason humanity will never change. True peace will never exist! Just accept that fact."
Mikoto chuckled. "Ya must really like to hear yourself talk, Iwafune."
"I'm only saying the truth, Suoh. Besides, don't you agree with me?"
"I admit that while I'm not an idealist, I'm not as cynical as you."
"You both are still too young."
Reisi suddenly unleashed a wave of his aura. "That's enough out of you!" The fog encicling a large area around him dispersed. "Damn, only some of it?" The missing fog started to slowly be replaced.
"Too much for you to eliminate, huh?"
Reisi looked at the Red King. "Suoh! I need your help!"
Mikoto was currently holding out against Nagare. The redhead's right arm was bleeding somewhat. "As much as I'd love to show ya up, I'm a little busy right now!"
There were multiple explosions as Rider's lightning took out several of Archer's arrows. The Servant kept evading the bulls trying to charge him and rapidly firing arrows at the enemy Servant simultaneously. Only a few actually hit. Rider winced each time due to the fact those arrows cause increased pain to whoever they hit. He quickly pulled them out, the wounds starting to close due to his own healing.
Lancer was higher than Saber and facing her. Both were in the air over a tall building. Lancer thrust his spear out at the other knight and the beam of red mana that came forth slammed into her and forced her all the way through the building all the way to the bottom, taking place in a fraction of a second. This just shows, like human bodies, modern structures are much too fragile. Nothing like they were in B.C, the Age of the Gods. Red magical energy from the attack crackled from the hole and the cloud of dust and debris.
A wall of the building burst as Saber busted through it before Lancer could attack that spot again. Her white-and-red armor showed some damage, but her own healing repaired it. The metal from her helmet reformed around her head for added protection.
The Grey and Blue Kings were fighting close-quarters, Reisi's saber meeting the butt of Tenkei's revolver. Sparks of both grey and blue aura flew with each clash.
"Do you believe your moping will change what happened in 1999?!" Reisi demanded.
Tenkei looked taken aback. "What?!"
"The Damocles Down of former Red King Genji Kagutsu wiped out CATHEDRAL, the Grey Clan. Seigo Ootori was also said to have died in the disaster. That incident was what must've changed you, and you now go under a different name to reflect that."
"When I win the Holy Grail, I can bring back those I lost. I won't allow you to get in the way. I'll kill you to make my wish come true!"
The Blue King smirked. "You and the Green King seem close. Will you also kill him for your wish?"
The Grey King's eyes went wide before he returned to glaring. "I see no reason to answer someone who'll die soon!"
Strings of crimson lightning began sparking from the weapons of both Saber and Lancer as more magical energy was put into them for their attacks. Saber jumped away when Lancer slashed at her neck, a crest of blood-red mana slicing all the way through a building that was behind her. This caused the entire structure to collapse.
"Get back here!" Lancer roared as he went after the blond.
There was a shrieking moo. A rain of arrows from Archer came down from the heavens on the two bovines pulling Rider's chariot. The lightning made the projectiles miss the heads of both animals, where their spirit cores are, but caused one to get a back full of arrows and the other somehow got hit in the tendons of its legs. Until the wounds heal, it can't move.
Before Rider could react, Archer landed in the chariot next to him. It only took a few moments, but Archer's high skill in hand-to-hand combat got the centaur to wrestle the king onto the road. The harsh impact would stun the redhead for a second of two. With the lightning gone, Archer could use Antares Snipe to hit the other Servant in the spirit core. He had just started to raise his hand to point at Sagittarius when he suddenly had to use his bow to block Rider's sword strike. It took him less than a second to recover, faster than the centaur predicted. He jumped away to avoid a really powerful swing.
In the fog, a bullet was shot at Reisi's blind spot. The man was sweating from exhaustion. An arrow from Archer took it out. He was able to enhance his vision, something all Archers can do. That's how he was able to see it.
"Thank you, Archer!" the Blue King said quickly before enduring yet another assault. Just how many bullets does the Grey King have?!
Both wild animals were ferociously striking at each other. Their weapons were swung too fast to be followed with the human eye. Really, only what looked like vermilion winds could be seen. Each clash brought up chunks of asphalt, all of which were instantly cut into pieces of dust.
"Just...fucking fade into nothingness!" Saber snarled at the other Servant.
Lancer barked a single laugh. He was actually having a lot of fun. This Servant was making him use more of his power, and he liked it. "Took the words right outta my mouth!" He managed to find a gap in the weapon swings and kicked the Knight of the Round Table in the gut so hard that a trail of the street was torn up where she was skimming over and she crashed through the brick wall of a building hundreds of meters away.
Crimson lightning burst from the hole in the building a second after it was created and a shout was heard. "I'll fucking kill you!" Saber jumped out onto the street and her helmet once again broke apart into her armor with her spitting out a little blood while glaring daggers at Lancer. She held her sword firmly with both hands. A red tower of pure hatred and mana came from the sword, reaching to the heavens.
Lancer grinned. This large amount of mana, she's clearly about to unleash her Noble Phantasm. "Bring it on!"
"Clarent... [Rebellion Against]"
'Saber, stop!'
She tsked. 'What for, Master!? I was just about to kill this guy!'
'Take a second to calm down. Mr. Iwa and I are in your Noble Phantasm's line of fire. Given its range, it could end up hitting us.'
The red tower went away. '...Understood.' Her helmet was rebuilt.
The knight in blue and silver actually looked disappointed. "Wait, so your not gonna use it? That's stupid."
"I'm aware."
Nagare flashed at Tenkei's side. The young man was panting.
"I apologize, Mr. Iwa, but I'm at my limit." The electricity crackling from him vanished.
"Now I got ya bastard!" Mikoto shouted as he rushed at the Green King, who had collapsed, while launching a blazing fist. The attack hit a shield of fog and bounced off. It's the Grey King's ultimate defense.
"I don't think so!" Then Tenkei looked at Nagare, who was struggling to remain conscious. "I'll call Rider and Saber back."
The Treacherous Knight was exchanging blows with the Red Branch Knight when Tenkei's voice broke into her head.
'This took longer than we expected. As a result, you Master needs to recharge on power. My fog's defending him, but I'm now fighting alone against two Kings. It seems fighting separately was a bad choice.'
'If Rider and I fought by you two, we'd need to watch our attacks so we don't accidentally hit you. Wait, are you saying to retreat?!'
'I am.'
'And right when I'm having a lot of fun against this Servant! You really do deserve the name Tenkei!'
'Hardy har har. Just stop whining and fall back.'
'Alright, but only for Master's sake.'
'I don't care why you'll do it, just do it!'
"Sorry, Lancer, but we'll need to play later."
"What?!"
"It was entertaining. Try to make it fun again next time too! Stay alive until then." With that, Saber jumped back and dematerialized.
"Shit..." Then Lancer began talking to his Master telepathically. 'Saber just retreated. What's goin' on?'
'Her Master collapsed and Iwafune fell back with him. Archer reported Rider doin' the same.'
'So what now? Do we chase after 'em?'
'We don't even know where to find 'em. Let's just head back to the bar for now.'
Izumo: What...the hell...is that thing?!
Tamamo: He's a Servant!
Mordred: Is stealing the Slate worth possibly dying?
Nagare: It's safe to say the Age of the Gods was the highest point of human evolution.
Anna: You shouldn't hate yourself.
Cú Chulainn: I'm not a damn Fomorian!
Mikoto: I need ya to die.
Reisi: One or both of us will be dead at the end of this Grail War.
Chiron: That Servant's too fast for me to have stopped him in time.
Next chapter: Red vs. Blue
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My basis for what Tenkei said is from Kiritsugu. I'm sure those who have seen that monologue he gives to Saber at the end of "The End of Honor" in Fate/Zero figured that.