In the church, Ruler was currently on the phone. "They damaged part of Shizume!? What were they even thinking?!...Very well, Mr. Prime Minister. We'll cover the cost for repairs."

The holy maiden hung up the phone then plopped down in a pew, sighing and placing her forehead in one hand. "Well, at least the buildings damaged had no people in them at the time. Still, those Kings and Servants need to be careful. They might not be that lucky next time..." While it's normally the Gold Clan cleaning up these messes, for the Grail War it's the Holy Church.

"Well, I guess it's to be expected of a Grail War. I've never seen one before, but I know it can get out of hand unless someone's there to oversee it."

"I know, Laeticia. But this is supposed to be a small-scale war. They came close to involving outsiders last night. Still, until they do, punishment can't be doled out."

The human Ruler's possessing the body of, Laeticia, is a member of the Holy Church. She was transferred to Japan from France to oversee the Holy Grail War. In truth, her transfer was accepted because she allowed Jeanne to inhabit her body since the Holy Grail didn't create a Saint Graph for the blond because she's an Extra Class.

Jeanne and Laeticia are able to switch who's in control of the body, though it's usually the holy maiden who's currently in control. Also, Jeanne covers Laeticia like a spiritual exoskeleton so any damage the Servant suffers is not reflected onto the host.

Ruler sighed. "Now what cover story will we use?"

Assassin materialized in the Chamber of the Slate, the room where the Dresden Slate's held. Inside was his Master. "Here is my report of what I observed of the fightin' last night. The ones fightin' were the Red, Blue, Green, and Grey Kings along with their four Servants. Red and Blue were fightin' together against Green and Grey, who were also allied. All I know about three of the Kings as far as names go are their surnames."

"It's okay. I know who they are."

"Apparently the Grey King Seigo Ootori changed his name to Tenkei Iwafune. Thought ya should know since the Blue King needed to be told."

"Thank you for the information. What about their Servants?"

"All three Knight Classes and one Cavalry Class. Saber is with the Green King, Lancer with the Red, Archer is with the Blue, and Grey has Rider. I only discovered one True Name." That got Daikaku's attention. Assassin snickered before continuing. "Rider shouted it. His name's Iskandar, also known as Alexander the Great."

The Gold King laughed heartily. "Shouting his True Name, what Servant would do that?!" He stopped laughing. "Any casualties?"

"No deaths. The Green and Grey Master-Servant pairs withdrew after the Green King suddenly collapsed and stopped producin' green electricity. I don't know what caused this, though I believe I heard him mention a limit."

"Interesting...That brat must have a weakness that I didn't get to see...Anything else?"

"The Grey King's Sanctum produces dense fog. This makes it difficult for even a Servant to make out details within without having a special skill. I heard Lancer say that even a Servant's sense of smell is useless within. Saber was about to use her Noble Phantasm. That giant column of red mana was hard to miss."

"'About'?"

"She stopped before she finished sayin' its True Name. I assume her Master probably did somethin' to stop her. All she got out was 'Clarent'." The Servant groaned in annoyance. "I just wanna go out there 'n fight, not scout the competition."

"Your parameters are low, even with your Cultural Sphere boost. You must gather information on the Servants in order to stand a chance of fighting them."

Assassin was pissed. "Don't look down on me!"

"You know though that I'm right," Daikaku replied calmly. "That's why you observed the battle last night instead of jumping into the fray."

The swordsman's reply was a simple "tsk!" Then he looked at his Master, gripping the handle on one of his two katanas hard. "So we'll make a move soon?"

"Yes, I'll let you have your fun in due time."

Tatara had been warned time and time again that hanging around Mikoto would only get him killed. He refused to listen. And so he was almost killed.

Over six years ago, Mikoto managed to get in debt with a group of thugs. They cornered him, Izumo, and Tatara in a back alley, intent on giving some punishment to Mikoto, who hadn't paid them back when he should've. So the three decided to make a break for it.

Some of the assholes were attempting to block the escape route out of the alley. Izumo went on ahead to take them out while Mikoto and Tatara were running, using the escape route Izumo opened. Four men were going after the two. There was the bang of a gun going off and Mikoto suddenly felt excruciating pain in his right shoulder, falling forward. Tatara stopped, looked back at the redhead clutching the gunshot wound, and gasped.

"King!"

The man holding the gun smirked as he and the other three walked forward. "Got 'im."

Tatara, body moving on its own, ran out in front of Mikoto to stand between him and the approaching men. His arms were out wide. "I won't let you have him!"

"Totsuka, these guys are only after me! Just forget me and run away with Kusanagi! I'll handle this on my own!" Mikoto said through grit teeth.

"No way. I swore to serve you and that's what I'll do!" was Tatara's firm reply.

"Dammit, Totsuka! That's an order!" Tatara actually winced. That was the first time Mikoto had ever yelled at him. And he actually sounded a little scared. But the boy refused to move.

"Move, kid." All four men had stopped and four guns were pointed at Tatara. "Unless ya wanna be shot dead?"

Tatara visibly trembled but still refused to move. Mikoto's eyes went wide as the triggers were pulled. 'He's gonna die!'

At that thought, heat suddenly exploded from deep in his body, enough to distract from the pain of the wound, and magenta flames sprung out of the ground in front of Tatara to instantly incinerate the fired bullets that came into contact. Surprise caused Tatara to stumble back and fall on his butt.

Izumo came running out to where his two friends were. "I heard a gun go off! Are you al -" He cut himself off with a gasp. "What...the hell...is that thing?!" He was staring up at the sky. There was now a giant red sword over them.

Tatara was staring at Mikoto, who was slowly starting to stand. Flames were blooming all over his body. "King...What happened to your eyes?" Amber irises now glowed white-and-red.

"Totsuka, you really need to get away from me! I can't control it!" At those words, balls of fire from the blaze sprung out, some nearly hitting Tatara. Izumo grabbed Tatara's arm when he deemed it safe, but was nearly incinerated by a sudden wave of flames on the retreat.

"What about King?!" Tatara demanded.

Izumo was pulling Tatara back several steps back. Both were sweating heavily due to the intense heat coming from Mikoto, even with several meter's distance having been put between them and the redhead. The four men had already fled with their tails between their legs. "We can't approach him right now! He'll need to cool down somehow!"

"Why is this happening?!"

"I'd love to know that as well!"

For Mikoto, all this power, it felt amazing! He felt like he could do anything! But...it also scared him. "What's happening with me?!"

He looked forward and saw someone with a yellow rabbit mask before him. The person seemed to have no problem with standing only a meter away from Mikoto. "Red King, you must restrain your power."

"Red...King..?" The redheaded teen murmured. "Do you know how I can control this power?!"

"Calm down first. That will allow you to manage it."

Mikoto took a deep breath as he forced his racing mind to settle down. He had managed to rein in the flames, but it still felt like his body was on fire. In the sky, the giant sword vanished.

"Mikoto, do ya have control over it now?" Izumo tried to put his hand on his friend's shoulder, but ended up snapping it back. The fabric of his school uniform felt as hot as the turned-on burner of a stove! "Fuck!" His palm was already turning red.

"Sorry, it looks like I'm not in total control."

"Either way, we should get you to a hospital," Tatara said. The gunshot wound on Mikoto's shoulder was still there.

The man with the rabbit mask shook his head. "I'm afraid with the current situation he'll need to be taken to a hospital that deals with victims of supernatural events."

Izumo just blinked at the man. "Huh? But his wound was dealt by a gun."

"And how will the reason his body's as hot as an open fire right now be explained?"

Lancer was asleep right now. The demigod was laying horizontal on the couch by the window. One hand was slung over his stomach, the other behind his head, and he was snoring, not loudly but it was noticeable. He really looked like someone without a single care in the world.

"He looks so defenseless," Rikio murmured. "Wait, Yata! What're you doing?!"

Misaki was holding a marker. "He's asleep right now! We have to take advantage of this opportunity!"

"He'll get pissed at you," Tatara warned.

"Will he? The only time I've seen him get pissed was when Dewa called him a dog." He started to lean in to the sleeping wolf's face. He seems to be fearless towards this spirit now.

Lancer's hand suddenly shot out and grabbed Misaki's wrist, the one with the marker. He couldn't free himself from such a strong grip. One crimson eye opened and was fixed on the skateboarder. "I wouldn't do that if I were ya."

Misaki was white as a sheet and was sweating heavily. "You-you've got the wrong idea! I wasn't about to do anything!"

"Don't think I'm so defenseless if I fall asleep. Jeez, Scáthach made damn sure that Ferdiad and I could wake up easily."

"Were ya havin' a nice dream, Lancer?" Eric asked. "Ya certainly looked to be sleepin' soundly enough."

"I was havin' a dream of when Mikoto first became Red King."

"That was just when I awakened as the new Red King," Mikoto put in. "I only accepted the role when Mitsuha Kurayama, who idolized Kagutsu, came after me. He said it would be easy since, even though I'm a King, I had no control over the power and thus I had refused to use it. Killing a King would be proof of his power."

"You aren't having any weird dreams from when you were alive, right Lancer?" Tatara asked, knowing how bad Lancer's first life was. It may have been full of glory, as the Servant would say, but it also had quite a bit of sadness.

"I'm not. Servants lack the function to dream our own dreams. That's why if we do get a dream, we know right away it's from our Master."

"So...you guys don't have a chance to be happy or sad while asleep..."

"Sorry to disappoint, Tatara, but I'll remind ya we're not alive. We're just spirits in Saint Graphs - temporary vessels to reside in."

"Oh...I see..."

"So who's this Scáthach person ya mentioned?" Rikio asked.

"Scáthach was my teacher durin' my time in the Land of Shadows." The demigod rubbed the back of his neck. "She always referred to me by my childhood name, Sétanta, since I was just a pup in her eyes."

Rikio cocked his head in confusion. "Sétanta? It wasn't always Cú Chulainn?"

"My name was changed to Cú Chulainn after I strangled the blacksmith, Culann's, guard dog." He looked embarrassed when he received a lot of deadpan stares and rubbed the back of his neck. "It was the adrenaline, alright! That thing was tryin' to kill me!"

"And how old were you?" Kousuke asked slowly.

Lancer scratched his head. "Pretty young. I think around Anna's age, maybe younger."

"You were around 11?!"

Mikoto took a drink of whiskey. "Ya should've also mentioned that dog had the strength of 10 men and ya took it down easily even at that age."

The other boys were giving Lancer a weird look. Finally, Kousuke spoke up once again. "Like I said...When you were around 11..."

Anna spoke up. "So what was it like in the Land of Shadows?" She was looking forward to hearing a good story.

"It wasn't easy. It was trainin' from hell, but there were some enjoyable times, some involvin' the drill sergeant herself. Turned out, Scáthach has a bit of a clumsy streak. There was one time, durin' a rune demonstration for me and Ferdiad, she was tryin' not to fall asleep since she didn't sleep well the other night. She intended to use Ansuz, but cast water instead of fire and got thoroughly soaked! That definitely woke her up, and she gave us a good beatin' since we were laughin' at her.

And another time, we were sparin' against her outside to teach us how to use the environment to our advantage in a fight, she didn't realize she had gotten too close to a tree. When she sidestepped Ferdiad's attack, she slammed into it. The best part was that a few spiders landed on her. She's a bit arachnophobic, so she screamed at the top of her lungs! Kinda weird since she lives in a castle. Ferdiad and I shared a good laugh at her expense, but we remembered to wait until she stormed off.

There was also that time when Ferdiad and I came back from a hunt and Scáthach tried to prepare the meat. It turns out one of the demonic boars wasn't quite dead and it headbutted her. Ferdiad and I couldn't hold back our laughter at seeing her shocked expression and we both received a fist in the face."

"Sounds like you and Ferdiad were pretty close," Rikio said, not knowing what happened later.

Lancer looked down and smiled softly. "Yeah...We became best friends and even close as brothers in the Land of Shadows..." Then he quickly went outside. The hound's shoulders were hunched and he wasn't showing his face.

Rikio looked confused. "Did I say somethin' wrong? He seemed upset."

Izumo sighed. "You weren't in the bar when Mikoto said Lancer drunk mentioned he killed his best friend and I told him he killed Ferdiad in the war with Connacht."

"Wait, why did it happen?!" Misaki demanded.

"Lancer was Ulster's strongest fighter. No one in Connacht could defeat him. So Medb, the queen of Connacht, eventually got Ferdiad after a lotta bridin' and goadin' to fight the guy in the hopes of trippin' him up...I've already said what the outcome was."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

On the sidewalk, there was a man holding the hand of a happy-looking little boy. Lancer suddenly felt something building in his eyes as he thought of something in his past that could've been. It was the only time other than before he died that his wife pleaded for him not to fight. It would've been best to listen to her.

He continued walking away with a snarl, ripping out a cigarette, stuck it in his mouth, and quickly used Ansuz to light it. "Shit..!" Why did that have to happen? I could've had someone to call me Father.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"He also killed his only son..." Anna said sadly. "I saw that he still feels guilty about it."

"He thought Connla was a random challenger in Ulster...He only found out his name's Connla was after he used Gáe Bolg and the boy was dyin'...It was the name he asked Aife to give to their son..." Izumo murmured. "Poor guy was inconsolable for a few days...Apparently, that was an instance that his wife tried to stop him. She probably had a feelin' of who that boy was."

Neko decided to use her day off from school to take Caster walking around Shizume. Caster was reluctant to use her Shapeshift skill to change her form, so option 2 had to be used. The Servant was wearing modern clothes. Neko's ability as a Strain is sensory interference, so she created an illusion to everyone looking at the pink-haired Servant that she doesn't have fox ears or a fox tail. Though the fox hasn't seen it, it turns out the girl with the silver-pink hair can use it on herself to appear as a cat.

It was time for lunch and both of them were currently at an outside food court. A girl ran up to the table.

"Sorry I'm late, Neko! Wait, who's this?"

"Kukuri! I'd like you to meet Caster, an overseas friend of mine! Caster, this is Kukuri Yukizome!"

The Servant extended one hand for a handshake. "I'm glad to meet you, Ms. Yukizome. Call me Caster."

She took Caster's hand. "It's alright to call me Kukuri. A friend of Neko's is a friend of mine! It's a pleasure to meet you, Caster!"

Another girl walked up to Kukuri. "I have to go now."

"An emergency?"

"Yeah! I'm gonna eat at Homra! One of my friends texted me that there's a smoking hot new waiter there! I've gotta check it out!"

"Ok, Sumika. I'll just stay here. Have fun!"

"You were never as focused on guys as I am," Sumika said as she walked away.

"I take it she puts boys before friends?" Caster asked Kukuri.

"Don't let it bother you too much. She's actually a nice person!"

While the three were eating, a rukus started up that got everyone's attention. It seems a black-haired young man got into an argument with another young man at the food stand. Eventually, the person he was yelling at backed away.

"I wonder who he is?" Neko murmured, referring to the one with the black hair in a ponytail and amber eyes.

Caster stiffened and grabbed the Strain's arm protectively, whispering, "Careful, Neko. I can see an inhuman amount of mana from that guy; he's a Servant! We gotta go!" Then she smiled at Kukuri and spoke at a normal volume. "I'm sorry, Kukuri, but we need to leave now."

Kukuri looked surprised. "Huh? That's sudden. Well, I'll see you at school tomorrow, Neko!"

Neko waved at her. "Yep!"

Caster grit her fangs as she led Neko away from there. It would've been bad news if the Servant spotted -

'Don't brother tryna sneak away. I've already seen ya.'

Amber eyes went wide. Then she snarled. 'So will you try to kill me?'

'I'd love nothin' more, but there are too many witnesses who'd see the bloody remains of your body before they fade. They'd freak the fuck out. In that case, the old man'd get pissed at me.'

'Who says I'd be the one killed?'

'It's the obvious result. Ya shouldn't underestimate me. But scram 'fore I lose my self-control.'

Heels hit the wood tiles of the bar as Anna ran to Lancer. He was sitting in a barstool by his Master, both having a drink. The place was empty except for those two and Izumo. The others were in various places throughout the city to track down some Strains who decided to pull some stunts. "Lancer, are you able to play with me now?"

He smiled at her. "Soon. I will when I'm done with my drink."

"Okay. I'll be up in my room."

As she hurried up the stairs, Mikoto chuckled. "I think you're on the way to becomin' Anna's best friend. She seems to like ya a lot."

"In that case, I won't ever disappoint her if I can help it. Sometimes ya don't really know what ya have 'till ya lose it. That's why ya shouldn't take thing like bonds for granted."

"You're speakin' from experience, aren't ya?'

Lancer shrugged. "Perhaps."

"What about the young ladies who keep lustin' after ya? Aren't those bonds ya should never take for granted?"

"Well, in a way. Wouldn't call 'em friends, but there can be a problem with women I favor. Aside from my wife, I've never had any luck with good women." He chuckled. "It usually ends up in a way where they want to see me dead or somethin' prevents me from seein' 'em ever again."

"What about men?"

"It's different, but the same idea, that I don't have luck with 'em. Whenever I decide I like a guy, I sometimes end up havin' to kill him. Like with Ferdiad."

"Oh..."

"Anyway, enough 'bout me for now. Since we're kinda on the subject, what kinda people are ya into?"

Mikoto rested his hands behind his head. "I don't have a preference for who I choose. Really anyone who doesn't constantly piss me off. What 'bout you?"

"I'm into strong-willed women. Emer really knew how to speak her mind and would occasionally give me a tongue-lashin' strong enough to whip me into my place if I did somethin' to worry or piss her off. Ain't nothin' hotter in my book."

"So basically tsunderes?"

"Not exclusively, though Emer was definitely one. Another who was my type, Scáthach, is more of an iron lady."

"Basically anyone who can beat ya down, physically or verbally," Mikoto summed up.

"Hey, they can also have some soft spots. That's what makes it rewardin'. I'm sure Emer was devastated when she got the news that I was killed. She loved me a lot. But I'm really surprised I lived as long as I did. It might've gotten to the point where she believed it'd be impossible for me to die in battle. Well, that was kinda right. I was killed due to a low-blow plot that also involved killin' my friend since childhood and the horse who was my partner for many years."

"And you're able to keep smilin' despite knowin' that's how it ends for you?" the King asked.

Lancer grinned. "Well, yeah! I killed so many people, I'm pretty sure I was the source of so much grief. That day was my karma."

"I think somethin' may be wrong with ya mentally for ya to just write all that off..." Mikoto muttered. "But at least my partner isn't perpetually mopin'."

The Grey King and his Servant were drinking beer together. Yukari and Sukuna were arm wrestling, with Yukari winning. Saber was with her Master.

"We now know the Gold King's Servant is one of the Four Cavalry Classes," he was saying. "But we don't know which. We shouldn't attack the Tower until we do. It could be disastrous."

"Is stealing the Slate worth possibly dying?" Saber asked. "All I know about it is that it's a stone relic that grants you Kings power."

"It's the key to mankind's evolution. Judging by the Slate's power, it's most likely a relic from the Age of the Gods. During that time, it was common for people to have power akin to that of Kings thanks to the influence of Phantasmal Beasts and gods living alongside humans and mana being much more abundant, though it went down after 700 B.C. In A.D, the Age of Man, where people believe in science more than Mystery, this power is almost nonexistent. The amount of mana in the world has dwindled. The Phantasmal Beasts and other spiritual beings fled to the Reverse Side of the World to seek sanctuary. It's safe to say the Age of the Gods was the highest point of human evolution. I want to bring out something like that from B.C. onto the entire world. So I desire the Slate. I intend to release its power."

"Age of the Gods!" Kotosaka squawked. He was on Nagare's shoulder.

"You drank most of the beers in the fridge!" Tenkei exclaimed to his Servant. The Grey King was holding the refrigerator door open.

"I can't help that they taste good," Rider replied with a burp.

Tenkei ran a hand through his brown hair. "I can't believe you..! Yukari! Sukuna! Go out and buy another pack of beer!"

"What?!" Sukuna exclaimed.

"I'll also come up with a list of groceries to get while you're at it. I didn't realize how little we have in here."

"Are you kidding me?!" the boy shot back. "With the Gold King distracted with the Grail War, you can go out shopping yourself! Dammit!" Yukari just pushed the back of the kid's hand against the table.

"Don't talk back and just do it!" Tenkei said sternly.

Saber sweatdropped then turned her attention back to her Master. "So you don't have a wish for the Grail?"

Nagare smiled gently. "I was getting to that. The War itself is allowing me a chance to steal the Slate from the Gold King, who's restraining its power and preventing mankind's reevolution. If I succeed in getting it, I can bring back the Age of the Gods! However, it won't be sustainable for very long with the planet's current output of mana and we humans would turn the planet into an uninhabitable wasteland in no time. As such, my wish will be for the world to have a larger production of mana." He glanced at his Servant. "Are you okay with this plan?"

Saber grinned and punched into her hand. "Sounds reckless...I like it!"

Lancer peeked into Anna's room after knocking. He saw the little girl sitting on the floor, surrounded by stuffed animals.

"Whatcha doin' Anna?"

She looked up. "Oh, Lancer! I'm playing with my dolls. Please join me."

"Alright." He walked over and noticed her playing with a lion doll. "Who's that?"

She held up the lion. "This is Mikoto. He's the one in charge of all the other stuffed animals in the kingdom. I got this from Izumo during my 10th birthday last year."

"That's so cute! So that's supposed to represent the Red King?"

Anna nodded. "That's why I named him Mikoto."

He smiled and sat down to play with her. After some time, she spoke again.

"You shouldn't hate yourself. Like Mikoto, you're a nice person."

Blood-red eyes flicked to the Strain. "What makes ya think I hate myself?"

"Did you forget I can read emotions and minds? You might act happy, but you have quite a bit of pent-up resentment towards yourself."

Lancer was silent for a bit before speaking. "Ya said my red's pretty, like Mikoto's. What made ya say that?"

"There was an attempt to make me the Blue King, before Reisi awakened. I could 'sense' the Slate, so it was believed that I could connect to it to become King. Each time I tried to connect, the Slate pushed me away. Then I met Mikoto and connected to him. I saw his internal aura, but it's like it embraced me in its warmth instead of throwing me out. Since you have a strong link to Mikoto, I can feel your red as well, though not to the same degree, and it embraces me in warmth too. That's why to me, your red's pretty."

Lancer suddenly sensed someone nearby - he had gotten too wrapped up again with playing with Anna to notice - and looked over his shoulder at the door. "Tatara! When did ya come back?!"

"A little bit ago. I got Yata to take over my search area since he finished with his.

That's when he processed the fact the Clansman also had his camera. "Dude, seriously?" Lancer said as he gave Tatara an uncertain look. "You know how I feel 'bout bein' filmed."

"This is a great memory of you. Just pretend I'm not even here."

"Hard to do that now."

"Anna! Your omurice is ready!" Izumo called up.

"We can keep playin' when you're done," Lancer said to the Strain.

"Okay!" Anna dashed out of her room, going past Tatara who turned off the movie camera.

"By the way, Tatara," Lancer whispered as he passed the Clansman. "Ya might wanna work on concealin' that bruise on the left side of the back of your neck 'fore the others see it."

"Are you serious?! *sigh*...They think I'm dating a girl. I could say I got it from her. But I've told King over and over to be careful where he marks me so he doesn't put me in awkward situations!"

"...Thank you for the information." Izumo put his PDA away and looked at Mikoto, who was lounging on the couch by the bar's window. The other Clansmen had already returned to the bar. "I just found out where those drug-dealin' scumbags we've been tryin' to locate for almost a month are located."

"Good. Let's head out and deal with them."

Everyone in the bar was walking together down a sidewalk of the city. Anna was holding onto the hands of both Mikoto and Lancer, feeling safe between these two beasts. People were making an effort to stay out of their way. Of the group, Mikoto and Lancer definitely felt to be the most imposing with the violent air both of them gave off. The gang was talking about random things amongst themselves.

"Normal humans get knocked out so easily!" Lancer laughed. "Six thugs tried to take me on since I'm with HOMRA, but a simple smack to their faces with the back of my hand was all it took to take their lights out!"

"I've seen Mr. Mikoto knock people out that fast too!" Misaki told him while chuckling. "It was hilarious!"

"Fujishima, didja check out that new pet store that just opened?" Yõ asked Kousuke.

"Wait, there's a new one now?"

"I was lookin' to buy some scented candles, but the store I usually go to to get 'em cheap didn't have any in stock," Izumo said.

"You'd figure they'd order more if they were running low," Eric replied.

"Apparently they did. But they never got it. The weird thing is that they found the destroyed storage container holdin' the ruined remains in a field several dozen kilometers from the Shizume cargo pier. No one knows how it got there." Unnoticed by everyone else, Lancer looked away while blushing.

"I'll never tire of the mapo tofu at Kotomine's," Rikio said while rubbing his belly.

"I don't know how you can stand such spicy shit," Misaki said while sweatdropping.

"Seriously," Masaomi agreed. "That place is the reason I don't eat Chinese food."

They stopped in front of an abandoned warehouse. "We're here," Izumo said.

A large blast of fire from the redheaded King tore the door down. He smirked. "Burn 'em."

The rest of the human Red Clan members minus Izumo, Tatara, and Anna pumped one fist in the air. "No Blood! No Bone! No Ash!" Only Mikoto, Lancer, Tatara, and Anna stayed by the hole that was created while the others raised hell.

Lancer made a face. "Ugh, this place reeks!"

Mikoto glanced at him. "Drugs?"

"That and these losers haven't taken a shower in a few days. You humans are lucky ya don't have such a sharp sense of smell."

Bullets tried to pelt the Master and Servant, but the bullets instantly melted when they were about to hit Mikoto due to his aura and Lancer's Personal skill knocked away the ones going at him. Since Tatara and Anna were behind the two, they remained protected.

Mikoto held out a hand, bullets about to hit his aura freezing in place. He brought that hand in then swung it out, the bullets being launched right back at the shooters.

A bat was suddenly swung at the back of Lancer's head. It failed to budge the spearman's head in the slightest and the object snapped on impact. Lancer casually backfisted the person into the wall and yawned. He was so bored here without other spiritual beings to fight!

Once the fighting left all the drug dealers groaning in pain, Saburouta decided to check one of the crates of the building to see how many drugs were stuffed inside one. Inside the crate, all he saw were random legal things. "The drugs might've been moved."

Lancer came over and materialized his spear. "No. I can smell 'em." He slashed the side of the crate and bags of cocaine came spilling out. "Here they are. Those things were just coverin' 'em."

The rest of the Clansmen and Mikoto began checking as well. "Oh boy, they have a lot here!" Tatara whistled. Then he looked up just in time to see a crossbow bolt fired at him. It sunk into his abdomen and he fell back.

"Mr. Totsuka!" Misaki shouted. He and the others dashed over to where the brunette lay.

"Fuck!" Lancer spat, unable to believe he didn't sense it before it was too late.

The shooter was wearing a black helmet with green lines, what the people who attacked yesterday were wearing. They lowered the crossbow and tried to escape. A whip of fire from Izumo's cigarette lighter snapped on the ground in front of the person, making them halt. "Don't you dare move."

Shouhei was gazing at Tatara with concern. "He'll be all right, won't he?"

"As long as we don't move the bolt, he should make it to the hospital." Izumo took out his PDA, but Lancer put a hand on his arm.

"I'm here, so ya don't need to bother." The spearman went to Tatara's side. "I'll fix ya, Tatara."

"You can close his wound in time?" his Master asked.

"There'll be a lot of blood, but it's a small wound. It won't take too long to heal." He sighed. "Sorry, pal. This is gonna hurt a lot." He held down Tatara's abdomen with one hand and quickly ripped out the bolt with the other. Tatara cried out in pain and blood began pouring out. Lancer activated his healing rune, a gentle green glow coming from the palm placed over the injury.

Lancer wasn't done. As soon as he tore the projectile out, he threw it point-first at the shooter. The bolt was hurled with enough force to impale the person through the left shoulder and pin them to the wall their back was facing, but not so hard that the wall would be destroyed. He narrowed his eyes at the victim and growled like a dog. He looked just as pissed as if he were called one. "You aren't going anywhere, you fucker!"

"I'm so sorry," Mikoto said to Tatara quietly so it would be hard for other Clansmen to hear. "If only I felt that killing intent earlier this wouldn't have happened."

Lancer stood up. "He's all healed now." Izumo was helping Tatara to his feet.

Izumo was staring at where Tatara's wound was. The young man had lifted his shirt up just enough to look at it. "Amazing! No scar or anything!" This must be why Lancer's devoid of scars on his body.

"Thanks, Lancer," Mikoto whispered to his Servant. "I don't know what I'd do if I lost him."

"No problem, though I am surprised to hear thanks comin' from ya," Lancer whispered back with a grin.

The King turned his narrowed gaze elsewhere. "It slipped out is all!"

Lancer walked casually to the person pinned to the wall. "I missed anythin' vital." He grinned and chuckled. "I may not have the sword Fragarach anymore, but this is a good second option for interrogation." Then he recognized the helmet. "You're the same as those shitheads who tried to kill me and Anna!"

"Actually, they were only after you," Izumo corrected.

Lancer glanced at him. "Whaddaya mean?"

"I got a disposable PDA and checked out JUNGLE's site. They have experience points called JUNGLE Points. At a certain amount of Points, your rank goes up. The ranks are each letter in the word 'jungle', with E bein' the lowest and J the highest."

"So what does this hafta do with me?"

"Points can be awarded for completin' missions. But certain people have a bounty on them. Killin' those people awards bonus Points." Izumo projected something on the phone and showed it to Lancer. "Here's yours."

LANCER

HOMRA

500,000 JP

"There's none for Anna. So she would've been collateral damage...is what I'd like to say. But why did they choose then of all times to attempt to kill ya? Anna might've been involved somehow. Did they wanna capture her once she was alone? But maybe I'm overthinkin'. I'm still lookin' into it."

The spearman roughly yanked out the crossbow bolt. The person gave a scream before slumping to the floor in a sitting position. Mikoto was casually smoking a cigarette and smirking. This guy deserved the pain he was getting. "Look, I can heal that wound of yours, but you've gotta tell us what we wanna know first. And ya shouldn't waste time by bullshittin'. I can't help ya if ya bleed to death. I may not have Discernment of the Poor, but there's someone in the Clan who can see if you're spoutin' the truth."

Mikoto exhaled smoke. "You're up, Anna." The little girl ran up and looked at the guy through one of her red marbles. "So what was your goal?"

"A mission from JUNGLE is to kill Tatara Totsuka! That's all!" the man exclaimed.

Mikoto glanced at the Strain. "Is he tellin' the truth?"

She put her marble away. "He's telling the entire truth of what he knows."

"Now will you heal me?!" The man shouted at Lancer. Blood had already drenched much of his shirt.

The demigod placed a hand over the impalement spot. "I haven't forgotten, so quit bitchin'." Once the wound closed, the Servant stood up. "There. Now I'll leave ya to the mercy of the others."

"What?! But you said -"

"I only said I'll heal the wound. I never said what'll happen after." He grinned widely at Misaki punching into his hand and then finished by giving the person the smuggest look ever. "Have fu~n!" He waved at the person and rejoined the Clansmen currently not beating the shit out of the failed assassin.

"There are bounties for the core of HOMRA as well," Izumo said as he projected the screen of the phone again. "Here they are."

MIKOTO SUOH

HOMRA

100,000 JP

IZUMO KUSANAGI

HOMRA

6,000 JP

"In a mission to kill a bounty, the bounty reward is what the mission's worth. Like this one." He projected one more screen.

TATARA TOTSUKA

HOMRA

3,000 JP

"Totsuka may not fight, but he's still HOMRA's No. 3. That must be where the value comes from."

"So Lancer's the one with the most value to those assholes, huh?" Misaki summed up. He and most of the other Clansmen were done dealing punishment.

"Can't say the number surprises me. Most of it probably stems from his own spiritual makeup and power, but the Green King knows his True Name and probably looked at Lancer's legend to know what's bein' dealt with. What I believe is most notable about his first life is that he pretty much single-handedly fought in and won a war. Ulster only came in after most of it was over due to a curse."

"Those details could've been exaggerated."

"Wouldn't matter. How people view a hero is how they get their power. In other words, Lancer is able to be just as dangerous as in the legend."

"There are two complications," the Servant broke in. "First, I'm only a weak copy of the full Heroic Spirit. Second, I would normally be a first-rate Servant, but I'm bein' hindered by my lack of fame here in Japan."

Izumo smirked. "He also went out in a pretty badass fashion. He wanted to die standin' up, so he used his own intestines to tie himself to a rock. And he kept killin' enemies who got too close as well as cuttin' the hand off the guy who fatally wounded him even after kickin' the bucket."

Shouhei looked at Lancer in amazement. "Talk about refusin' to go down easy! Ya went out pretty violently!"

The Child of Light couldn't help but blush at all the attention he's receiving right now. "I'm in a younger form, so I don't have the Battle Continuation skill."

"Either way, I don't think ya know what 'give up' means."

"Well, yeah! What kinda hero would just up 'n quit?! I'd probably be the hardest Servant to kill in that form."

Ichigen and Kuroh were using wooden swords to spar each other, the latter wanting to sharpen his skills for the next time he encounters Yukari.

"I've made tea!" Berserker exclaimed cheerfully as she stepped out of the house. The blue-haired girl held a tray with three cups in her hands. The two men stopped what they were doing

"Ah, thank you," Ichigen said as he grabbed his cup.

Kuroh grabbed his own as Ichigen went to sit under a tree. The teen was staring at the dragon with a deadpan expression. "You didn't slip something in Master Ichigen's tea again, did you?" She had attempted that yesterday, but the Black Dog caught her in the act.

Berserker tried to look innocent at the accusation. "Of course not! Why would I do that?!"

"Don't play dumb! Well, did you?!"

"Of course I didn't!"

"Master Ichigen had better not show any negative reactions. If he does, you've lost all trust!"

Mikoto looked up when there were a few knocks on his bedroom door. "Come in." The person opened the door and walked in, shutting it behind. "Lancer. What is it?

"I'm here to talk to ya again 'bout our inner monsters." He sat down on the couch near the chair Mikoto was sitting in.

Mikoto just looked at him. "Oh...Last time ya said yours is called Riastrad?"

This talk about their inner conflicts started yesterday. Tatara talked him into going along with it, since he initially refused to do something like a therapy session. To tell the truth, he actually felt it to be calming to discuss this with someone in a similar situation. And he wasn't being told "this is what you should do" during it.

"Riastrad is constantly eatin' away at me, tryin' to get out. I gather it's the same with your power?"

"Yeah. Too much tends to come out if I get too emotional."

"Ya said yesterday that ya always feel like burnin' everything to the ground, right?"

"It feels like I'm bein' trapped in a cage and all I wanna do is break out and just run free."

"I know whatcha mean. Unfortunately, breakin' out means fully becomin' a monster. The cage is what's makin' us retain ourselves. It can really mess with ya if ya ain't mentally prepared for the consequences."

"I know."

Lancer's shoulders slumped and he sighed heavily. "In a battle durin' my first life, I came outta the cage a little. It was the second time Riastrad came out. But it wasn't an experience I'd like to have again. Some of my allies saw Riastrad durin' my rampage when I reached a part of our home and, well, their expressions screamed the fact I scared them shitless. They managed to make me return to normal, but that didn't erase from their memories the frightenin' thing they saw. I clearly remember the expressions of pure horror. The news spread throughout the Knights and some that I used to be friends with treated me like a monster. Let's face it, they're right to. Emer heard the news too. Although she didn't stop lovin' me, I could tell she was also somewhat afraid of me. I was lucky that she only cared about who someone is on the inside more than their outward appearance. But the mess happened all because I was furious at Connacht for killin' those kids. I warned 'em all that I'm a monster, but this still shocked even those who witnessed it the first time it happened years prior. It was worse than that time and I actually killed a few that I had fought to protect."

" Demon!"

"Freak!"

"Fomorian!"

"Monsters like you should return to where they belong!"

"Why does someone like you exist?!"

"You killed my brother! I'll never forgive you!"

I won't ask for it. I know that what I've done is unforgivable.

He kept enduring the verbal abuse, fully believing he deserved it. But even he can only put up with so much. Sometimes he wanted to go home and scream. Lancer took a deep breath, and another voice came into his head.

"Don't listen to them. No matter what your form, deep down you're still the kind person I fell in love with."

The Servant closed his eyes, a smile on his lips. Thank you, Emer. Ya kept me from completely snappin'. If you didn't choose to stay with me, I might've fallen with no way back to the surface.

"Ya really believe that?" Mikoto asked, bringing Lancer back to reality. "Ya get along so well with the Clan and I can tell they all trust ya a lot. Would a monster be capable of that?"

"I could say the same for ya."

"It's different. I haven't lost control yet."

"Sounds about the same. You also have important things that ya wanna keep that beast away from. You're willin' to put up with the pain of holdin' it back if it means they stay safe."

Tatara's words echoed in Mikoto's head. "If you have something precious close to you, then it becomes a power to protect."

"I've already accepted Riastrad as a part of me. But I'm not gonna let it define who I am. I'm not a damn Fomorian!"

"Fomorian?"

"Monsters constantly at odds with the Tuatha Dé Danann, that my father's one of the kings of. His mother, Ethniu, is the daughter of Balor, a Fomorian leader. That means I also have a connection to them. That's why I have that 'issue'. But like I said, I won't let my blood take over who I am. I assume that ya aren't gonna let your power define you."

"I'm my own person," The Red King replied firmly.

The Servant grinned. "That's what I like to hear."

Both young men stood up to leave, but Lancer tripped over his own feet when he tried to turn around and ended up falling forward on his Master, knocking him onto his back on the floor. Their faces were only an inch apart.

Once this fact registered in his head, the spearman's heart was thumping hard against his ribcage. He quickly wrote off it happening because the two were almost close enough to kiss.

He quickly got off his Master. "S-sorry!" He extended a hand to help the redhead to his feet. That was too close! Last thing I wanna do is get in between Mikoto and Tatara! He quickly looked back. Good. No one cracked the door open a little to peek into the room

He accepted the hand. But he also sensed that the demigod was trying to resist kissing him in that moment. "Lancer, I'm gonna keep stayin' with Totsuka. We love each other, him apparently enough to be willin' to sacrifice his own life for me, as ya saw."

"He's loved ya since back then?"

"He apparently had since before then. He only confessed after I awakened."

"Where's my favorite bowl?! I eat dinner with it every other day!"

"Don't you remember? You ate a snack out of it this afternoon," Caster reminded the Strain, fox ears flicking as she picked up a shrimp with her chopsticks. "I'm washing that and a bunch of other dishes. It'll be ready for use again tomorrow morning."

Neko was kicking her legs against the pillow. "I don't wanna wait that long! Why couldn't you have thrown it in the dishwasher?!"

"I've heard complaints that it doesn't get some of the dishes all the way clean every now and then, which forces the students to wash them again. This just feels faster."

Caster really reminded Adolf of his older sister, Klaudia Weismann, and how she'd take care of him. If only the Servant also scolded him as badly...

He noticed his Servant staring intently at him. "Is there something on my face?"

"So how is it? I made sure to fill yours with plenty of love."

Neko made a face like she's throwing up. "Love? It probably tastes awful then."

Caster remained smiling but materialized a spell tag. "Why don't you shut up before I use this curse to make roasted cat?"

Some of the Strains from last night had been found in an abandoned house. The must have fled there from Shizume. The Blue Clan had just finished arresting them. And since it was in their territory, no scuffles with another Clan broke out.

"Doumyouji seems to be worked harder than usual," Akira whispered, glancing at the ginger in question.

"Is he trying to impress someone?" Ren replied.

"Maybe, but who?" Then he remembered who Andy seemed to be looking up to a lot. "Wait, maybe Archer?"

Ren chuckled. "Who would've thought it'd take the Grail War to get him to act more seriously. Though he still has his hotheaded tendancies."

The mentioned Servant was helping load a Strain into the van when a voice came into his head. 'Hey, Archer!' That was Lancer. 'We're lookin' to challenge you and your Master. Come alone unless ya both want the other's gettin' involved. I'll let out more mana so ya can find me.'

The centaur's face went a little stiff. He looked to Reisi, who was talking to Saruhiko. "Master. Come over here. I need to tell you something." The King walked over and Archer whispered what Lancer told him.

"Very well," the young man murmured when Archer finished. He looked to the rest of his men. "I need to do something right now. Archer will accompany me since it's night. The rest of you go on back."

"Captain?" Seri said in a questioning tone, watching her King and his Servant disappear into the night.

On the street, in the middle of some run-down houses, stood Lancer, in his Servant attire, and the Red King. Archer switched to his once they were out of sight from the others. Reisi smirked as he adjusted his glasses. "Now who wandered into another Clan's territory, hm?"

Mikoto ignored that jab. "Sorry, Munakata, it's nothin' personal, but I need ya to die so I can win...Before anyone else gets to ya first..." He whispered the last sentence.

"Who said I'll be the one to die?"

Lancer suddenly snarled. "I though I made it clear for both of ya to come alone!"

Reisi was confused. "I did."

"Then why can I sense your men approachin'?!"

Now that the man was made aware, he too could sense his Clansmen running here. "Those fools!" His men appeared and stood at the side of their King, sabers drawn and all glaring at Mikoto and Lancer. "I thought I told you to head back!"

"I know," Seri replied. "But I had a feeling that you were about to do something dangerous and we wanted to assist...Wait, Doumyouji!"

Andy had jumped through the air at the Red Servant, his saber enveloped in a blaze of blue aura. He slashed down at the man, who held up his hand.

"No way..." Andy gasped. This Servant had just caught the blade and stopped it with his bare hand! He wanted to laugh. Do these Clansmen seriously believe they have a sliver of a chance of taking him down?!

"Pathetic third-rate imitation mages!" he shouted. "Don't underestimate a Servant's durability!" His fingers closed around the caught saber and the blade shattered in less than a second. A weapon of a King would last a little longer against a Servant's crushing grasp due to the King using it being able to fill the weapon with their powerful aura, but it would also end up breaking.

Andy looked shocked, not defending himself in time from the smack he received from the shaft of Lancer's spear, which he swung with his left hand - he's actually ambidextrous. He knocked down Ryuuhou, who tried to catch the young man as he went flying back to the others.

Lancer looked at his right hand after he dropped the broken pieces of metal. There was a cut in the palm of his glove and the skin was sliced a little with some bleeding. That shouldn't be. The attack was too weak. Perhaps he had too much fun last night and one day wasn't enough to bring him back to 100%. The wound took only a second to seal itself shut since it was clear of any foreign objects.

At the same time the Servant glanced at his palm, Saruhiko threw several knives at the Red Clan leader. Given Lancer's speed and how close he was to the Master, he could easily deflect them. But he knew how powerful Mikoto's aura is as a defense. Sure enough, a thin wall of his aura caused all the knives to bounce uselessly off.

Lancer did move in front of his Master when Archer fired a few arrows. They would easily penetrate the aura and they came too fast for Mikoto to react and strengthen the shield. His skill knocked them away, the closeness of the attack making it so he couldn't use his spear in time.

"The fuck, Archer?!" the wolf spat. "Why don't ya take on a spirit?! Or are ya just too scared to fight me?"

"That skill...it must be Protection From Arrows," Archer murmured.

Mikoto put a hand on Lancer's shoulder. "While I appreciate ya savin' me just now, mind steppin' to the side? You're only a centimeter shorter than me, so I can't exactly see what's goin' on with you right there."

Lancer took a few steps to his left. "O-oh!"

As he did, Seri slashed her sword twice, launching a large arrow of blue aura at Lancer. It being low-level magecraft, the demigod's Magic Resistance took it out.

He sighed and lazily glanced at the squad. "Look, while I'm not crazy 'bout beatin' on humans who aren't Masters, naturally I'll kill all of ya if ya keep tryna attack - Whoa!"

He was abruptly cut off as a bolt of blue aura from the Blue King was suddenly shot at the wolf while he was talking. He used his spear to block it in time. Magecraft fired from a King is too powerful to nullify, since it's High Thaumaturgy - the power coming directly from the Dresden Slate - and his Magic Resistance is ranked C.

He grinned and chuckled a little. "That was a nice plan. Attemptin' to distract me with a weak attack so ya can nail me with a powerful one." He was genuinely praising Reisi.

Reisi narrowed his violet eyes at the demigod. "I won't let you kill my men, you monster."

"A monster..." Lancer breathed, too quietly to be heard. Then the warrior spoke normally. "So you're concerned 'bout others and not yourself. I respect that." He pointed his spear at the King, crimson eyes narrowed a little. "Unfortunately, not enough to let ya live."

He heard the air being cut. Around a couple dozen arrows, coming down in a rain over the warrior...and his Master! Even if Mikoto's a King, he's still a human. He's most likely unaware of the incoming danger. Those arrows were shot so fast that they had broken the sound barrier. Archer was utilizing the weakness all Servants have, their instinct to protect their Master. He flashed to his Master's side, using his spear to knock away the arrows. This made his back face Reisi, which the Blue King took advantage of.

Reisi shot forward and swung his saber at Lancer's neck, blue aura blazing around it. He could simply kill the Servant then have the Red King in custody until the War's end.

"Not gonna let that happen!" Mikoto had his back pressed against his Servant's, blocking the blade with his forearm enveloped in his red aura. It looked totally normal, as if the sword hit metal instead of flesh. The redhead reacted so fast, it was like he expected the other King to utilize that distraction.

"Archer and I will handle this!" Reisi ground out while looking at his Clansmen out of the corner of one eye. The two Kings broke apart, creating a distance of five meters between them. "The rest of you head back to HQ for real this time!"

"Let me at least assist you!" Seri protested.

"This is not a normal scuffle with the Red Clan but a fight for the Holy Grail! I don't want any of you getting dragged into it!"

Seri was a little shocked. The Captain has never spoken with such insistence. At least, she had never been present before to hear it. With some hesitation, she turned to the other Clansmen. "Return to base!" As she and the others retreated, the blond looked back over her shoulder. "Make sure to come back alive, Captain."

Lancer glanced at Mikoto. 'Just let 'em go?'

'Yeah. Just keep focused on your prey.'

The Celt chuckled. 'Referrin' to Archer as prey?'

'We both know you've marked him as your target.'

'Well, ya've gotta point.'

Archer bow vanished in a flash of golden mana. He held up his fists. "Your skill's troublesome, Lancer. We'll fight using this method instead." Judging by last night, the Servant has a quick temper, but he seems to fight with honor. He should agree to this.

Gáe Bolg dematerialized. "So that's the game ya wanna play, huh? Fine, but it just means your death will be more drawn out! I'll teach ya the hard way it wasn't a smart move to challenge me to hand-to-hand combat. Now, come at me!"

Meanwhile, Mikoto and Reisi hadn't moved. "What Iwafune said to ya last night...ya ain't lettin' that bother ya, right?" Mikoto asked.

"Oh? Are you concerned for my mental well-being?"

The man looked away. "O-of course not! Hearin' your ideals is annoyin', but that guy's cynicism is even more annoyin'! I just wanna know if I'll hafta put up with more of that shit now."

Reisi smiled a little. "Glad to hear that."

Archer was firing enhanced arrows at Lancer, seeing if they would work. The golden mana causing an explosion seemed to bypass the spearman's Protection From Arrows. He was having to block and dodge. It must not be too high in rank.

The two Kings were attacking each other now. Sparks of blue and red showered around the two with each clash.

Mikoto grinned. "Sorry, Munakata, but you won't see the next day."

Reisi smirked as he projected a shield of his aura to defend against a massive blaze the Red King conjured. "I was just about to say the same to you."

Archer was struggling but managing to use his bow to block Lancer's rapid yet powerful spear strikes. However, some were able to get through. This Servant was moving too fast to get a lock on for Antares Snipe. He was casually moving around at several times the speed of sound. In that case, his top speed is most likely much higher. Even the bowman's hawk-like eyes struggled to keep up with the ever-increasing movement speed. Only Archer's Clairvoyance and his Eye of the Mind skills, which combined grant him limited future sight for battle, were saving him. Besides, the centaur doesn't know what rank the demigod's Protection From Arrows is at. It might be too high for the Noble Phantasm, since it's not an AOE projectile.

The clashing between Archer and Lancer continued. A rain of those enhanced arrows poured down on Lancer from the sky. But before they could hit, a beam of his red mana took them out.

Lancer grinned at Archer, who was standing a couple dozen meters away. "Too bad! It was wasted effort!"

Archer met those crimson eyes evenly. "I wonder about that."

The hairs on Lancer stood on end and he looked at his Master. "Shit!" Some arrows were going for the back of Mikoto's head, him too distracted with fighting the Blue King to dodge. Lancer jumped in front of the projectiles, grabbing two and skill blocking the rest. He threw the two he caught back with almost as much force as when they were fired. Archer simply moved his head to the side, the arrows flying past and hitting a building far behind with an explosion of metal and concrete. "Bastard!"

How long had the fighting been going on? An hour? Two? Perhaps longer? The Red Servant lost track. The area surrounding the four closely resembled a multitude of bombs having gone off due to the clashing of the two Master-Servant pairs. In fact, a gas line explosion will most likely be the cover story for all this destruction.

Lancer and Archer were staring the other down. Archer had managed to hit Lancer a few times, though it was amazing given the wolf's far superior speed. There was one injury that looked to be the most serious. It's a large gash on the left side of Celtic Servant's neck, over the metal collar, delivered by a blow from Archer's bow. It was deep enough that his head was almost halfway severed. The hound's blood heavily stained the white fur by the left side of his neck and puddled at his feet. But it didn't look to be affecting him. He actually looked pretty pissed.

He was panting a little while snarling at the bowman. "Okay, you're pretty good. I'll give ya that. Guess ya aren't a Knight Class for nothin'. But I won't go down that easily."

There were several slashes and other wounds scattered all over Archer's body from Lancer's demonic weapon and some of his hand-to-hand blows that got through. The bruises from minor internal injuries that were received cleared up in only a second and some of the wounds not delivered by the spear are already closed. The Greek Servant readied arrows in his bow to attack Lancer again. "That's good to hear. After all, what kind of Servant would just go down without serious damage to the heart or brain or with their head still attached?"

Both Kings were facing each other, panting hard. Mikoto was favoring his left leg for standing on. Reisi's saber impaled his right thigh. The other had several bleeding wounds.

The Blue King suddenly lunged forward and firmly grabbed the front of the redhead's shirt and yanked him forward. Amber eyes went wide when he felt a pair of warm, soft lips crash into his own. Only the sound of the two Servants fighting broke the otherwise silent air.

The one with the dark blue hair pulled his face back and released the other man. "One or both of us will be dead at the end of the Grail War. I wanted to do this before it was too late." He smirked. "This was a perfect chance since you're in a bit of a vulnerable position."

Mikoto scowled at those words. "Same goes for you." He glanced at the blood staining the other King's uniform when he said that. "Sorry, but the attraction's one-sided. Also, I've already got someone." Red aura enveloped him. "Now, you should back away 'fore I burn ya."

Reisi's face fell, disappointed. He took a few steps back. "I see..."

Mikoto came at Reisi, throwing a flaming fist. The other man sidestepped and slammed the blunt side of his blade into the back of the Red King's left knee.

"Shit..!" he spat out, feeling something break. He ended up falling forward.

"I'm sorry, Suoh. But you lose in this game," Reisi said coldly. His sword cut through the air, going for Mikoto's neck.

The sharp edge of the saber collided with the crimson shaft of Lancer's demonic spear. When did he show up?! "Bastard!" The warrior was snarling as he glared daggers at the Blue King with rage burning in his blood-red eyes. "Don't think I'll just let my Master die without doin' somethin'." He grabbed the Blue King's shoulder with his free hand and brought him down so his abdomen slammed into the Servant's knee. The man coughed viciously, globs of blood coming up, and staggered back several steps.

Reisi was doubled over, grimacing. One hand was gripped onto the golden handle of his saber, using it as support with the blade dug into the road. The other was tightly pressed against his abdomen. Blood continued to fill his throat and spill from his mouth. Just how much internal damage did that one blow cause?!

"Master!" Archer shouted, flashing to his side. "I apologize. That Servant's too fast for me to have stopped him in time from that distance." But now that he's right beside the Blue King, he can hopefully prevent any other assault.

The violet-eyed man released his abdomen to weakly grab the bottom of his Servant's shirt. Then he fell towards Archer, who quickly grabbed him. "Ar...cher..."

Though both Kings were still conscious, neither were able to stand anymore. The Servants are still able to fight, but doing so would mean possibly allowing their Master to be killed by the other familiar.

"Lancer, we should put this battle on hold for now to get our Masters medical attention. We'll pick it up another night," the centaur said.

Lancer tsked, but he knew Archer was right. As much as he wanted to keep fighting, his Master's life takes priority. He got Mikoto on his back and rushed to Homra. He had to leap from rooftop to rooftop to avoid detection.

"What happened to the both of you?!" Yõ demanded as soon as they entered the bar.

"It's night, so whaddaya think?" Mikoto replied dryly before grimacing in pain. "Dammit..!"

"It's a good sign if ya can still retort like that when injured..." Izumo muttered.

"You said you had an errand to run and would meet me to view the city at night later and you had Lancer accompany you because, well...it's night!" Tatara exclaimed.

"You're a smart guy, Tatara," Lancer said. "You probably just figured out he had to lie for your protection. This was so you wouldn't be in danger."

"But you two got injured badly!"

"I'm fine. Servants can deal with enough damage to kill a human to a certain extent. A lotta the concern should go to Mikoto. He can't walk too well right now. His left leg's broken and his right thigh's been run through. It'll take me a few hours to fix the break. Bone cells tend to take longer to regenerate, though more time could be spent if the damage is worse than I think it is. Also, I'm unfortunately only able to heal one wound at a time in this Class so he'll need first-aid."

"Still, you need to get patched up as well," Izumo insisted to the warrior. "I'll take care of you and Totsuka can handle Mikoto."

Bandages were wrapped thickly around the knight's neck while only small treatment by comparison was given to his other injuries. Mikoto, meanwhile, was laying on the couch with Tatara treating him.

"Lancer doesn't look so good," Kousuke commented, noticing that the Servant not only appeared exhausted, but his steps were heavy.

"Your red doesn't look as bright," Anna added, staring at the Irish Servant with concern. "Is something wrong?"

"I'm fine!" he insisted. He plopped down on a barstool and ripped out a cigarette.

"Your mana isn't low enough where you're in danger of fadin', but ya can't fight for very long until it's restored," Izumo said, moving an ashtray by the Servant.

"Ya can tell that by lookin' at me?"

"Ya look pretty tired, and that means ya need more mana. Since ya don't appear like you're runnin' a fever, it's probably not dire."

"I got a little worked up durin' the fight is all. I still can't believe that an Archer waged a close-quarters fight with me! Worst part was that we ended up kickin' each other's asses instead of just me kickin' his ass! That fucker really pisses me off!"

"It seems like ya hate the Blue Servant like Mikoto hates the Blue King," Izumo sighed. "You two can be so similar sometimes that it's scary. At least you two seem to get along well."

Mikoto chuckled. "How much would you guys believe me if I said that guy's alignment is Lawful Neutral?"

"You're kiddin' right?" Masaomi asked slowly.

"I'm not. Servants' alignments are on their stats."

"But he acts like he doesn't have a care in the world and he has a pretty short fuse sometimes!"

"You can stop talkin' like I'm not here!" Lancer yelled back. "I have my own personal moral code, y'know. I act like this because it's how I acted when I was alive."

"Lancer, drink my blood to restore mana."

The demigod first appeared shocked then looked uncertain. "I really don't wanna take blood from ya."

"You'll be able to use healin' runes to stop the bleedin', even from an artery." He tilted his head to the side. "Bite my neck. You'll get a lotta blood there."

He sighed. "...Fine. But let me know if I start to accidentally drink too much. I don't want ya to pass out."

He came over, rested his hands on Mikoto's shoulders, and leaned in his face to the side of the King's neck. Those sharp canines gently brushed over the soft skin of his neck before sinking down into the jugular underneath. Mikoto let out a small hiss of pain. Lancer began quietly drinking the crimson liquid that flowed forth.

"This is just his way of restorin' energy, right?" Misaki asked the bartender. "He's not preyin' on the King like a vampire?"

"Yes. The energy known as mana, which can be found in blood, is essential for Servants to remain materialized. He'll fade if he runs out, though luckily there are warnin' signs if the level's low. While Servants are able to restore mana daily, it's slow. This'll keep him from suddenly collapsin' if he fights a Servant before havin' recovered enough of it. Servants low on mana are also weaker, makin' them take more damage than normal from supernatural attacks. The other method for a quick mana restoration is known as a mana transfer. I looked it up, and it's pretty...intimate. Suffice it to say, the details shouldn't be divulged with Anna around."

Misaki blushed and looked away. "O-oh..."

Mikoto pat his Servant's back. "That's all, Lancer. I'm startin' to feel dizzy." Lancer pulled his head back and used his magecraft to close the incision he made. "How ya doin'?"

"I can fight a Servant for awhile. Thanks for this, Mikoto."

The King, a little embarrassed, turned his head away. "I-I only did this 'cause I needja in fightin' form!" Everyone else chuckled.

"That Reisi Munakata is a dangerous defensive enemy. Normally, a human would die from being kneed that hard. But he managed to react to the incomin' danger fast enough to have some of the aura inside his body absorb the impact. It wasn't a lot, but it was enough to prevent a blow of that strength from bein' fatal. Considerin' how exhausted he must've been, being able to draw out that much defense is impressive. Guess he isn't a King for nothin'."

Anna: I had a nightmare so I couldn't sleep.

Kiyohime: Please make me a promise. Promise to at least stay by my side until the War's end.

Reisi: That's how my Servant died.

Seri: Please return to bed.

Okada: Ryouma, you bastard!

Izumo: We can't have a wolf in here!

Reisi: Soon, this world should become more peaceful. You all will become much happier in it.

Mordred: You Archers take pride in your eyes, right?

Chiron: You're coming with me, Saber!

Next chapter: Bloody Night