Fate: Break Dawn

by Gavius

Counter Guardian Emiya is a man of many regrets. Among them, the fact that he wasn't able to save his Saber when he was a boy continues to haunt him to the end of days. Now, however, a chance has mysteriously appeared to change that result. And being the practical man he is, he will not hesitate to seize it. But still... why in Alaya's name is Artoria his new Master in this world?

7. Chapter 7 - Into the Battle

DISCLAIMER: I do not take credit from the Fate universe and its characters. The rights and credits go to the original authors.

Read the notes in the first chapter if you haven't done it already.

English is not my native language, so please bear with me. I'm confident in my grammar, but if there are any mistakes, then let me know and I'll try to figure out how to fix them as soon as I have time.

Hope you enjoy.

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FATE/Break Dawn
-Chapter Seven-

Into the Battle

Planet: Earth
Timeline: [?]
Date: [?]
Location: Fuyuki City (Japan)
Mion River – Riverside Park

(======)

A little over an hour had passed since the previous battle ended. Right now, Heroic Spirit Emiya and his young Master Artoria Pendragon were walking through the quiet and sleeping streets of Fuyuki City, following their new allies with a silent step: Lord El-Melloi II and his Servant Charlemagne. Along with those two, they finally managed to leave the Miyama District and return to the Mion River, reaching the very same park where the four of them had previously met the night before.

"So I guess this makes our situation a little clearer now," Artoria mused to herself, pondering about the words Waver Velvet had said to her during their walk through the park.

The Lord of the Clock Tower nodded. "Indeed. I wasn't expecting Miss Tohsaka to act this soon, but your previous battle against her has provided us with a lot of information," he acknowledged with a sharp nod of the head. "I knew she was bound to be one of the participants in this War, but I must admit that I was surprised when I saw her Servant's identity. His presence will undoubtedly make things harder for us."

Emiya stared in cryptic silence as the Magus and the young girl with golden hair sat down on an isolated bench amid the silent park, both of them exhaling a weary sigh. While the two Masters sat down and talked, their Servants remained close to them in spirit form, observing their surroundings with a careful stare to make sure there were no enemies in sight. Luckily for them, they found none.

Once more, Artoria shot a look to the older man. "So you've met King Arthur before," she said, her emerald eyes narrowed as she stared at Waver Velvet with unnerving intensity.

It was a statement, not a question.

He nodded, once again; his expression betraying nothing as he stared at the world with narrowed eyes. "I have," he admitted without missing a beat. "During the Fourth Holy Grail War, Saber was the Servant summoned by the Einzbern faction. He was one of the strongest opponents of the War, and perhaps one of the few who managed to reach the end of the conflict and see the Grail. Me and my previous Servant even faced him in combat directly back then, and we nearly lost our lives. He was extremely dangerous."

Hmph. Tell me about it, Emiya thought with a sarcastic snort.

In that moment, Charlemagne reappeared in a dust of white, placing himself in front of Waver and Artoria with his arms crossed and a confident grin on his face. "Well, hearing that makes me even more excited!" the King of Franks exclaimed with a cheerful tone, his face shining in trepidation at the thought of their previous encounter with Saber. "As expected of the King of Knights, his strength is top notch… it would have been disappointing otherwise. A battle against him would be extremely cool to witness!"

Honestly, Emiya had no idea if Rider was simply a bit weird or just a complete idiot. Perhaps both. And judging by Artoria and Waver's blank looks, they seemed to be following the same line of thought.

Lord El-Melloi II sighed. "No matter. At this point it's obvious that we'll have to face him eventually, but we'll do so together," he stated with utmost decision, turning his head as he grabbed another cigar from his pocket and stared at Artoria straight into the eyes. "King Arthur is not an enemy we should deal with so soon. The Saber Class is the strongest one among the seven classes, and targeting him right now would be foolish on our part. First, we need to assess the situation and gather more intel about the other participants. That's when we'll make our move."

Archer inwardly nodded at the Magus' words. His planning and reasoning were correct. Rather than plunging headlong into a dangerous situation and targeting a potentially deadly enemy, the better choice was to get information about the other Masters and Servants first, to see if there was a more advantageous option to grasp for them. It was the safest – and the smartest – move right now. Emiya was no longer the foolish boy of his youth. The one who would throw himself into danger without hesitation just to save someone or end the conflict in the shortest amount of time. He was a Counter Guardian now. His countless experiences had thought him a thing or two about the way a conflict unfolded; and Lord El-Melloi II's reasoning was something he could agree with.

In fact, he could already see where he was going with his plan.

But he wasn't the only one. As expected, even Artoria seemed to deduce his planning rather easily. "You wish to learn if we can make an alliance with other Masters?" she questioned him, narrowing her eyes as realization dawned upon her features.

Waver Velvet exhaled a cloud of smoke from the lips. "Correct," he admitted. "As I've already explained to you, Miss Pedragon, our task is not an easy one, and it is going to be extremely difficult to complete. The Dismantlement of the Holy Grail is not something that can be achieved without allies, especially during the conflict. The more allies we're able to gather, the better. Our chances of success would increase significantly."

Artoria pondered those words for a while, and despite her hesitation, she had to admit that the idea was reasonable. The Lord's way of thinking was legit, given the current situation.

"Given by what happened so far, we've learned quite a bit of information already," the black-haired Magus spoke with a serious tone, staring at the empty park with his narrowed eyes filled with a cold, calculating glint. "Miss Tohsaka and Saber are out of the picture, since they've admitted quite clearly to be against our goal. And according to what you've explained to us a while ago, except for Rider and Saber, the only Servant you've met so far is Berserker."

The heir of the Pendragon family nodded. "That's right. She was a troublesome opponent, and a fierce warrior. Her speed is her greatest weapon, undoubtedly, but her maddened state has made her sensitive to provocations and misleading tactics," she explained slowly. Then, she glanced towards her invisible Servant, and a small smile appeared on her lips as she recalled the events of the previous night. "Besides, Archer was able to lure her into using her Noble Phantasm, and he has already recognized her as the Chaste Huntress of the Argonauts: Atalanta," she added with obvious pride in her voice.

Waver hummed while Rider whistled in amazement. Emiya ignored them both. "That means you now hold a great advantage against her," the Lord summarized with a pleased expression. "Assessing a Servant's name and Noble Phantasm is a major advantage during a Holy Grail War. However, it seems that you weren't able to learn her Master's identity despite that… which makes it impossible for us to contact them directly. At least for now."

Artoria lowered her head a bit, nodding with a reluctant movement.

Emiya eyed Lord El-Melloi II warily. He decided to step in the discussion at that moment.

"I seem to recall you saying that you're aware of the identity of two other Masters, Lord El-Melloi II," Archer stated succinctly with a blank tone of voice. Everyone turned to him as he appeared out of thin air in a dust of blue prana, fixing the man with narrowed eyes and arms crossed. "Yesterday, you said you would reveal everything if we decided to ally with you. Well then: now we're allies. What is it that you know?" he asked, going straight to the point as always.

Hearing that, everyone turned to the Lord at the same time. Artoria narrowed her eyes on him along with Emiya, and Charlemagne stared at his Master with an unreadable expression.

Still, much to their surprise, the man remained completely impassive. "You're right, Archer. I did say that," he admitted without a care, taking another puff from his cigar while shooting a glance at him with a veiled smile. "However, you've already met one of them tonight."

Emiya's eyes narrowed imperceptibly. "Saber's Master was one of the two. That… Tohsaka girl," he realized with annoyance. On the inside, he fought hard in order not to say 'Rin' out loud. The urge to address his previous Master in the usual way still lingered inside him even now. He was simply too used to it.

Waver grunted. "That's right. Rin Tohsaka is one of the two Master with whom I am familiar. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to reveal this fact to you due to the previous unfortunate events, but I've always been aware of her involvement in this War. Given that she's the last member of the Tohsaka lineage, her participation was simply inevitable."

Silence fell among the small group for a few seconds. That made sense.

Artoria perked up as she realized something. "What about the other Founding Families, then?" she asked, turning to the Lord once more. "If the Tohsaka family was bound to be chosen as a participant in the War, surely this is true even for the other two as well, right?"

Charlemagne seemed to agree with her. "It makes sense… Master, are you perhaps aware of the Matou's and Einzbern's Masters as well?" he asked, raising an expectant brow at the man.

Unfortunately for them both, he shook his head.

"No, I am not," Waver Velvet sighed. "Unlike Miss Tohsaka who has… 'inherited' the jurisdiction of the city and the role of providing the use of her spiritual land to the ritual due to her lineage and its connection with the Clock Tower, the Matou and Einzbern families are much more secretive and independent from the Mage's Association. The Clock Tower is not aware of their plans, nor of their current heirs' identity. I'm afraid that we'll have to discover if they've been chosen as Masters ourselves."

Rider and Artoria visibly deflated in disappointment after hearing his words, their previous hope disappearing completely. Archer, however, remained silent as usual, pondering the information to himself.

In fact, right now, Heroic Spirit Emiya was already going through several hypothesis and possibilities in his head; his mind running wild with ideas, conjectures, and possible eventualities. It was simply unavoidable for him. His previous experiences during the two Wars he had been through had showed him quite a lot, after all, but even despite that, it was still too early for him to grasp the current situation fully. There were still a lot of things he had to see and understand before he could come up with a concrete plan, and Emiya was not one to make baseless assumptions without seeing proof at least once.

During his previous summonings, just as Artoria and Rider were assuming, both the Einzbern and Matou families had been chosen to participate in the Fifth Holy Grail War. In fact, Illyasviel von Einzbern and Shinji Matou (and Sakura) had both been his enemies during those peculiar and twisted deployments. Following that logic, if this world was meant to follow the same events, he could expect to face them here as well… but he needed to be sure of that. He couldn't just make such a bold assumption without having concrete proof.

Why? Because this word was extremely different from the one he was familiar with and those he had been summoned into before. Yes, some things were similar, of course ― the fact that Rin had been chosen as a Master being one of them. But even despite that, there were some clear differences that he could not – could never – overlook. In this world, in fact, Kirei was dead, and Caren Hortensia had taken his place. Artoria was a simple girl, and King Arthur was a man. Waver Velvet had returned, and Charlemagne was his Servant. All of these differences could not be overlooked easily. Not to mention, moreover, that the Fuyuki fire had never happened here. These differences alone could change the course of the War greatly; and perhaps they had already changed things in a drastic way. The fact that every Servant he had met so far was different from the ones he knew was another proof of that.

Therefore, before he could jump to conclusions and make assumptions about Illya, Shinji, Sakura, and even Souichirou Kuzuki… he had to learn more about this world and gather as much intel as possible. He had to make sure that his grasp of the situation was optimal before deciding what to do.

Emiya's grey eyes narrowed. His gaze fell on Lord El-Melloi II again. "Then who is the other one you know?" he demanded in all seriousness.

The man didn't answer him right away. Instead, he remained silent for a long while, with his head low and his eyes closed in what seemed to be a weary and irritated expression.

Until, after a full minute, he finally opened his lips to speak after exhaling a cloud of smoke. "The person I'm talking about is… a very peculiar subject," he admitted with a sigh. Artoria, Emiya and Charlemagne stared at him in silence. "A Magus from Ireland. More specifically, she is a descendant of an old family of Magi that had detached itself from the Mage's Association and lived in the shadows quietly. Her name is Bazett Fraga McRemitz."

Archer remained perfectly still. He didn't show it on the outside, but he was inwardly beginning to curse a little inside his head. He knew that name. He knew it extremely well, despite the fact that he had never been in contact with its owner in all of his previous experiences. After all, she was…

"Wishing to pursue a different path than that of her ancestors, she chose to join the Association when she was 15," Waver continued to explain, without caring about his inner turmoil. "Unfortunately, despite Bazett's rare lineage, her skills were not judged as being particularly useful and she was dismissed by the Clock Tower. For that reason, she decided to employ her abilities to become a hunter of those that had been given a Sealing Designation, and became a Magus who openly opposed the Association a few years ago."

Yes, there was no mistaking it. Emiya was sure of it. She had to be the one. The one and only person who had willingly chosen to summon that man during every single one of his previous experiences. The woman who summoned the annoying dog out of her own will, and who was consequently killed by Kirei Kotomine even before the War could start.

But Kirei was already dead in this world, and thus the woman remained.

Artoria's eyebrow rose. "So you're saying that she's an enemy of the Association?"

"…yes, that pretty much summarize it," Lord El-Melloi II admitted with a sigh. "After being dismissed by some Lords of the Clock Tower, Bazett held a grudge against the Association, and I believe that grudge is what forced her to act. The Clock Tower was notified of the fact that she's become a Master a week ago, when she stole a certain catalyst from a Lord's vault. It's one of the reasons why they decided to send me here: to deal with her and retrieve the catalyst she has stolen."

But perhaps things were different here. Yes, they had to be. They surely had to be. Emiya had seen it, after all. So far, every single Servant he'd met in this world was different from those he had met and fought in his previous deployments. Consequently, following that logic, there was no way this Bazett woman could have summoned that annoying dog here as well. It was simply logical… right?

Rider blinked in confusion. "What did she steal?" he asked with honest curiosity.

Emiya clenched his fists imperceptibly. No, there was no way. He was just overthinking things. Yes, he was surely overthinking it. That man was not going to haunt him here. It was impo―

"A pair of earrings that belonged to Cu Chulainn, the Child of Light and Hero from the Ulster Cycle," Waver answered.

――――Godsdammit.

Emiya inwardly groaned as he donned a hand over his face.

Artoria widened her eyes as she mulled the news inside her head. "I see." she mused out loud, bringing a hand under her chin as she remained immersed in deep thought, blissfully unaware of her Servant's inner frustration. "Then we can safely assume that she has summoned him."

"I'm certain of it. Bazett has summoned the Hero of Ulster, and as such she is the Master of the Lancer Class Servant," the Lord stated with utmost certainty.

"Hohoho! The Child of Light, huh? I cannot wait to face him!" Rider cheered as well, carefree and excited as always.

Each of their words felt like a blow on Heroic Spirit Emiya's patience.

No luck. Good old Lancer.

Archer swallowed a tired groan while the others mulled over that information in silence, closing his eyes with a weary breath. Good grief, this wasn't fair. He really couldn't escape this, huh? Even in this world, the Hound of Chulainn had found a way to come back and haunt him once more. Even in this different reality, that man was bound to appear and annoy him all over again. That was great. It was simply great. Between him and King Arthur, some things never changed. Emiya was honestly close to swear out loud in annoyance as that realization creeped in.

Of all the Heroes I am familiar with, the one who remained the same just had to be him.

However, jokes aside, this could also be an advantage for him. After all, despite the obvious animosity between the two of them, Archer was extremely familiar with Cu Chulainn. His story, his weapon, his combat style, everything… Emiya knew them all. Therefore: facing him in a duel was nothing new for him – no matter how much he loathed the idea – and he could use that knowledge to his advantage. He could use it to persuade him to join their side or, eventually, defeat him before he could become a bigger threat. Archer still needed to return the favor from last time, after all. It was definitely a better perspective than having to face an unknown enemy of whom he knew nothing.

So… yes, if he played his cards right, this could be a perfect opportunity for him. And Heroic Spirit Emiya would always grasp the best opportunity in order to win.

It was time to take action.

"So now we know the identity of another Master-Servant pair," he spoke out loud, completely ignoring his previous annoyance and steeling his face under a mask of blank impassiveness. The others turned to stare at him, and he was pleased to see that none of them, not even Artoria, had been able to notice his inner thoughts. "Then what do you plan to do knowing this information, Lord El-Melloi II?"

The black-haired Magus held his gaze for a few seconds, narrowing his eyes as he remained still.

In the end, however, he sighed. "From my point of view, we have two options," he began to say, grabbing Artoria's attention immediately. A tense and resolute silence fell among the group. "Miss Tohsaka and Saber are not going to mess with us again, at least for tonight. And if my previous experience in the Fourth War serves me right, I honestly do not believe that Berserker or any other Servant will try to attack us as long as we'll stay together. Hence: this situation will give us time to take action, but we must take a decision quickly before our advantage disappears."

Charlemagne and Artoria nodded at his words, like children listening to an important lesson.

Emiya, on the other hand, had already guessed what his intention was. "So you're saying that we can either go search for the Matou and Einzbern Families to try to discover their role in the War… or search for this Bazett woman's location to persuade her into joining our ranks," he deduced, placing a hand on his hip and glancing at the young Lord of the Clock Tower with one eye closed. "Am I right?"

Waver Velvet merely nodded at his deduction.

"Correct. But if I may, I believe the second option would be the most beneficial one for us in the long run," he stated with a serious tone.

Artoria blinked in confusion. "How so?"

Lord El-Melloi II finished his cigar with one last puff. "Heading towards the Matou and Einzbern territory would be dangerous, even for us. We don't know their strength – nor if they have a Servant at all – and following an uncertain path is rarely a good choice to take during a war," he answered with utmost seriousness, to which Emiya inwardly agreed with. "On the other hand, I know where Bazett is hiding right now, and it would be the safest option for us to head there as soon as possible. I don't claim to be in good terms with her, but I'm fairly familiar with Bazett's Magecraft and working style. With a bit of luck, I sincerely believe that we'll be able to reach an agreement with her, even if a full alliance would be out of the question."

Everyone mulled over his words for a few moments. Seconds passed, followed by minutes.

Finally, Archer was the first to break the silence. "…and if we fail to reach an agreement with her?" he demanded, forcing Artoria and Rider out of their musing and making them turn towards the Lord once more.

Waver Velvet's face was a mask of steeled resolve under the others' inquisitive stare. His cynical expression grew colder as he stared at Emiya's impassive face.

"We are four against two," he answered seriously. "If a fight breaks out, we would still hold the advantage."

Once again, his words made sense.

Emiya hid a veiled smile under a tense frown. He had to give him credit for that. Lord El-Melloi II was a weird man – and also a bit annoying at times – but his reasoning and his way of thinking and strategizing were extremely logical and rational. He knew that their current advantage was not going to last long, and he was perfectly aware that their plan might not work even if they decided to act now. Emiya had to agree with him on that regard. This was a War, and there was no room for optimism and hope during a War. If their goal failed and the alliance was discarded, that man was more than determined to kill Bazett and Lancer by using their numerical superiority.

Just as Emiya would, and not only because he despised Lancer. It was simply the safest move.

During the silence that fell among the group, Artoria turned towards her Servant. "Archer… what do you think?" she asked him, having complete faith in his judgement. "I see the reasoning behind both options, but I want to follow the one you agree with the most."

This time, everyone's gaze fell on him. Heroic Spirit Emiya stared back at the girl's emerald eyes in silence, his face and gaze betraying nothing as he took his Master's question to heart and pondered their options for one, last time.

But there was no need to think too much. So far he had done nothing but mull over every possibility inside his head, and after a careful contemplation, his decision remained unchanged. There was only one option that would be the most favorable one in his opinion, no matter how much he loathed the idea of meeting that annoying dog for the umpteenth time. But for the sake of his Master and her victory, he was more than willing to play along and follow that route.

Archer took a deep breath.

"I believe that following the Lord's suggestion would be wise," he admitted in the end, crossing his arms and sharing a nod with Waver Velvet. "It's the most favorable one. If everything goes smoothly, we'll have gained a new ally – or, at least, a mutual understanding with another Master-Servant pair. And if everything goes wrong… me and Rider together should be able to overwhelm the enemy Lancer. It's the safest move we have right now except for retreating for the night. That is what I believe, Master."

Rider seemed to agree with him with an excited grin. "Archer's right. We should make hay while the sun shines," he declared with boisterous confidence.

The girl with golden hair kept her gaze focused on her Servant alone. "What about your condition?" she pressed.

Emiya shook his head in reassurance. "Worry not. Thanks to you, I have fully recovered from the previous fight. I feel as good as new right now," he assured her; and for once, he was being completely honest with his answer. Her gigantic reserves of mana could do wonders sometimes.

For a few seconds, Artoria said nothing, did nothing; staring straight into Emiya's eyes with a serious face and trying to grasp and feel his decision with their bond. But at the same time, unbeknownst to the others, her Servant could clearly see the emotions and thoughts running across her eyes as well, feeling her thoughts as if they were his own.

That's why he didn't hesitate to spur her into action.

"So far we've always been attacked or approached first," Archer thought with a hint of sarcasm, whispering his thoughts right into her mind. "It is time to turn things around for a change. What do you say?"

Artoria shared his exact same smirk.

She loved the way he was able to read her intentions with a single glance.

"Very well. I shall count on you, then."

Thus, after what seemed to be an eternity, she steeled her face and nodded solemnly.

"The decision is taken," she spoke to Lord El-Melloi II and his Servant, raising from the bench and grasping her sheathed katana in her hand. "Let's go meet this woman."

Emiya and Waver nodded with a determined smile. Charlemagne cheered with an excited grin.

"Good. Then follow me," the Lord of the Clock Tower declared all of a sudden, standing up as well and steeling his resolve with a deep breath. "My Familiars have discovered Bazett's hiding place a few hours ago. It's not that far from here, and I'm familiar with that place thanks to my previous War."

Artoria Pendragon fixed him with a solemn stare. "Where are we going?"

Lord El-Melloi II turned his back to her. He pointed a finger towards the North.

"To the harbor."

---

.

/+/+/+/+/+/+/

.

Rin is kneeling on the school rooftop. Her hand is glowing with red energy while she focuses to dispel the seal of the Magical Barrier erected inside the school. All the while, while she finishes her work, I remain hidden in spirit form, observing her with my arms crossed.

In the end, the seal is undone. Rin sighs as she straightens herself. "This makes seven," she muses to herself. "Anyway, this one seems to be the trigger point. I've never seen, or even heard of, a writing like this."

She exhales a heavy breath in frustration while I remain silent. "Darn it. This is way over my head. Archer you can sense the barrier's nature, can't you? If this barrier is activated, it will cause every human inside it to literally dissolve. This is soul-eating. A fortress of blood that will dissolve any human body within the field, and harvest the souls oozing out," her expression hardens as she narrows her eyes. "And as for who, or what, might want souls… the obvious answer is a Servant."

She shoots a stare in my direction. "Archer, would your kind do such a thing?" she asks me with a serious tone.

I'm impressed by her way of reasoning. Her logic is flawless. "You surmise correctly. Fundamentally, we are non-corporeal beings. Just as your kind partakes of meat as nourishment, Servants partake of minds and souls," I explain with utmost seriousness. "In other words, the more ingested, the greater the mana stores."

"Meaning that they aren't satisfied with the mana their Master is supplying?" she demands, annoyed.

I shook my head. "It's not that they aren't satisfied, but the more is always the better. To absorb energy from nearby humans is a basic stratagem of a Master. In that sense, this barrier is highly effective," I explain to her.

The girl doesn't even try to hide her disgust. "I feel aggravated. Never say such a thing again, Archer," she spits out with a bitter tone.

I nod, even if she can't see me. "I agree. I would never do something like this."

A relieved smile blossoms on her face.

"Let's erase it, then," she declares with decision. "I may not completely undo it, but I can throw a wrench in the works―"

"What, you're going to erase it? What a waste!"

Both me and Rin turn at the exact same time. The direction of the voice is extremely close to us, and I mentally berate myself for my carelessness.

How come I wasn't able to detect this presence before?

A Servant dressed in blue armor stares down at us from the other side of the rooftop.

.

/+/+/+/+/+/+/

.

---

Location: Fuyuki City (Japan)
Fuyuki Port – Harbor

(======)

Once more, Archer and Rider followed their Masters in spirit form, keeping their eyes open and their senses alert in every moment.

According to Lord El-Melloi II's Familiars, the area Bazett and her Servant were dwelling in was the old warehouse district, the cargo port at the mouth of the Mion River, just off the public beach where Archer remembered having seen a lot of people coming and going during the summer season in his youth. As they transitioned from sparse sand grasses to cold concrete, Emiya observed their surrounding with a watchful eye, constantly seeking to calm down his beating heart. He simply couldn't help it. The more he advanced in this War, the more he was starting to realize that, for all his half-remembered instincts from nigh-infinite summonings across time and space as a Counter Guardian, he knew dangerously little about this peculiar Fifth Grail War.

And the more he realized that, the more nervous he became.

"This is the place," Waver Velvet stated with a serious tone, eyeing the surroundings with narrowed eyes. "Don't let your guard down, Miss Pendragon."

Artoria just nodded silently, her hand already grasping the hilt of her sword as she glanced around nervously.

Upon inspecting it closely, the small group realized that the warehouse district was larger than it seemed. As far as their eyes could see, the entire northern part of the harbor was made up of a long series of metal containers, usually used for the transport of supplies, goods and metals brought to Fuyuki City from the outside by ship; and it stretched for at least one mile directly on the sea shore. The air was filled with the smell of the ocean, accompanied by the sea breeze, but also by a stagnant feeling of tension and silence that hovered over the entire port.

Indeed. Archer could not mistake this feeling even if he wanted to. The air was tense, eerily quiet, and filled with a looming sensation of death and danger. A sensation he was extremely familiar with, no matter how much he hated himself for it. It was the feeling of danger that would usually hover around a Magus's Workshop, or the hideout of a particularly dangerous Servant. There was no room for doubt, judging by the unnatural stillness of the air. And that could only mean one thing.

Lord El-Melloi was right. This is definitely the place, Emiya mused to himself as he looked around in his invisible form, his mind calm and focused in spite of the tense feeling hovering around them. Despite their human nature, even Artoria and Waver could feel that there was something wrong with this place. They both wore a tense, wary expression as they walked around the harbor with a careful step. Archer and Rider kept close to them all the while.

Then, they felt it.

Suddenly and without a warning, the resounding echo of footsteps grabbed their full attention. Artoria, Archer and the others turned around towards the direction of the noise, and their eyes narrowed at the sight.

From the shadows between two shipping containers, a lithe figure emerged.

A woman appeared in front of them. She walked into the light of the overhead lamps and stood square to face the intruders with a solemn stare. She wore a black, two-piece business suit with a red-violet necktie, and judging by her face and appearance, she couldn't be older than 24 or 25 at most. She had short, magenta hair and a mole just below her left eye; and she also accompanied her attire with two ovaloid earrings on her ears. The very same earrings that were once worn by a certain Blue Lancer whom Emiya was extremely familiar with.

The two Masters and Servants stared at her carefully in a tense silence. There was no doubt about this woman's identity, in Archer's opinion. Although he had never met her during his previous experiences, the earrings that woman was wearing were unmistakable to him. Even Waver Velvet seemed to recognize them at first glance. His reaction did not leave room for doubts.

She was definitely the one they were looking for.

"Lord El-Melloi II," Bazett Fraga McRemitz broke the silence with a calm, collected voice; addressing the Lord of the Clock Tower with a blank tone and fixing him and Artoria with a serious stare. Her voice was low, resolute; and carried a distinctive note of annoyance as she spoke those words. "I should have known the Clock Tower would have sent you here. I was expecting someone from the Association to approach me sooner or later."

Upon being addressed directly, Waver Velvet stepped forward while Artoria kept still and vigilant. Rider and Archer remained hidden in spirit form.

"Long time no see, Bazett," the black-haired Lord greeted her as well. "I see you haven't changed at all."

The woman eyed him warily for a minute after hearing his neutral tone, taken aback by his unfazed expression. Her magenta eyes seemed to glow a little under the light of the lamp. "Why are you here, Waver?" she demanded solemnly, shooting a silent stare at the girl who remained still behind the Lord's frame. "I have no idea of who that young girl is, but to actually ally yourself with a teenager… I thought you were better than that. One of your students, I presume?"

Artoria stepped forward. "I am not. My name is Artoria Pendragon, second child of the thirty-third Pendragon lineage and future heir of the family," she stated with confidence and resolution, her hand firmly grasped over the hilt of the sword strapped to her back. "I am a Master participating in the Holy Grail War, just as you."

Bazett held her gaze for a moment, before focusing back on the Lord.

"Interesting… so I presume you've managed to persuade her to join your side," she summarized seriously, her face frowning a little. "What is it, then? Have you come to kill me, Lord El-Melloi?"

"The second," he added, his face twitching for a split-second before returning to his usual sour expression. "However, my answer depends on your intentions, Bazett. I have no need to kill you, but the Clock Tower has assigned me the task of retrieving what you stole from them. And unfortunately for us both, I cannot disobey their will." He stared pointedly at the earrings she was wearing, his brows furrowing a bit as he saw her face tense immediately. "Stealing a catalyst from a Lord's vault is a grave crime. If someone else had been tasked with my job, you would have been killed before the Holy Grail War could officially start."

"But you didn't," the woman pointed out, unfazed. "You've purposely waited until now to approach me. Why?"

"Because killing you would have been a waste of time and efforts. And also because I could make use of your talents for my current task," he answered easily, as if it were a foregone conclusion.

Despite herself and the feeling of tense nervousness that lingered on the air, Bazett allowed herself to smirk. "So you can be blunt when you want… as expected of the most famous Lord of the Clock Tower. You're more cunning than I thought," she said with a hint of amusement.

However, her smirk disappeared immediately. "But whatever you've planned to do with me, I'm afraid I'll have to refuse. I have no intention of collaborating with a member of the Association," she stated with a cold expression, ignoring the man's narrowed stare. "I bear no ill will against you, Lord El-Melloi II, but I cannot go back on my decision after coming this far. I'm not going to give up on the War, nor I will return the catalyst. As you know, I belong to the Fraga lineage. Even if we've lost most of our talents and powers, my Family has a history that extends back to the Age of Gods. My ancestors were the ones who found these earrings after the Hound of Culann's death. As such, they belong to me."

"You know it doesn't work like that," Waver replied, unfazed.

Bazett's expression flashed. "Why? Because I'm poor?" she demanded angrily, her impassive mask breaking and finally showing her inner frustration. "Although my family possess neither money nor fame and chose to live secretly, I still am a top-elite Magus from the Magi's standards! My bloodline and abilities should have been seen as high class!"

"That is not the reason and you know it," he cut her off sternly. His eyes narrowed even further as they glared at her. "Trust me, I know extremely well how frustrating it is to be looked down by the Association, Bazett. I was the same as you during my youth. Despite what you may believe, I understand how you feel."

Bazett laughed with a scornful expression. Her arms were trembling in a mixture of rage, sadness and frustration.

"Indeed. You do understand," she mocked him with a rueful smile, shaking her head. "And yet, now you pretend to lecture me? How dare you, Waver? You have no right to tell me what is right or wrong. After all, you did the same thing I did, ten years ago. You stole Iskandar's catalyst from your teacher's vault, and then you used it to participate in the Grail War. You did the same thing I did now!"

Waver clenched a fist after hearing her words. Artoria and the others eyed him in silence. They knew that it was true.

"You have no right to stop me, Lord El-Melloi," Bazett mocked him with an enraged face. "You did the same thing, and it was only thanks to that that you were able to get the Clock Tower's acknowledgment!"

The man stared at her in silence.

Bazett continued to mock him, her words becoming a full-fledged rant at this point. "And yet, now you pretend to lecture me? To stop me? Just because the Clock Tower has tasked you with this?" she spat with contempt, her face morphed into a scowl. "Don't make me laugh. If you could do it back then, then surely I can do it too. I have the right to prove my worth! I refuse to be looked down by the Association any longer! I will show them! I will prove to them and to the world that they were wrong about me!"

Again, more silence. The black-haired Magus remained completely still while the woman continued to rant, throwing all her sorrow and rage at him without a single bit of hesitation. It was so sudden and unexpected that event the others remained stunned for a moment. To hear so much rage and sorrow inside her words and to see all that pain in her elegant face… it was a stark contrast to her previous behavior. Artoria was looking at her in visible tension, and Emiya could clearly feel Rider's silent uneasiness even in spirit form. They clearly hadn't been prepared to face such an unexpected turn of events. And to be honest, even Archer himself couldn't help but be a bit wary right now.

This was not what they were expecting to witness upon confronting the woman.

In the end, however, Bazett stopped her ranting. She took a deep breath while she glared at the other Magus. "Therefore: I have no use for your words, Waver," she hissed with a frown. She spat his name with so much contempt and rage that it was honestly unnerving to watch. "Whatever you want from me, you won't have it. I will not back down from this―"

"You're right."

The woman startled and widened her eyes. Her speech was abruptly cut short upon hearing Waver's statement. "…what?" she hissed.

"I said you're right," the Lord repeated again, unfazed. He stared at her flabbergasted expression with an impassive face. "I have no right to lecture you about this. As you said, I did the same thing when I was younger. I did steal a catalyst from the former El-Melloi Lord, and I used it to summon my Servant and participate in the Fourth Holy Grail War. As such, I have no right to tell you to surrender and hand over the earrings. Your words are absolutely correct in theory," he admitted without batting an eye.

Bazett and the others listened to him in silence.

Lord El-Melloi II fixed the woman with a hard stare. "However, this is not about you, Bazett Fraga McRemitz," he spoke with a serious tone. "The Mage's Association has ordered the Dismantlement of the Greater Grail because this ritual is corrupted. The Grail is not the wish-granting artifact that people believed it to be. On the contrary, there's a high possibility that the Grail has been corrupted during the previous conflicts… and you know that, Bazett. There's no way you can't be aware of such an important news."

The woman remained silent, pursing her lips with a frown.

"Obtaining the Grail will not grant you any glory or fame," the older Lord stated with conviction. "I understand your desire to prove yourself. That is exactly why I chose to approach you now instead of sending someone to kill you before the War could officially begin. Because I know that this conflict won't give you the things that you're looking for. It didn't work for me back then… and it won't work for you now."

Everyone amid the group could hear and feel his certainty during that speech. It oozed off his body like a fog.

"And that is also why I decided to approach you," he continued, undaunted. His narrowed eyes were boring holes in the woman's hesitant face, fixing her with a stare that was both resolute and threatening. "What you seek is recognition. A chance to prove your worth to the Clock Tower and the Association. Then, as a senior who has walked through the same path, I shall offer it to you. A chance to prove your worth."

Bazett stared at him, long and hard.

Lord El-Melloi II returned her stare impassively, his body filled with resolve and sheer determination.

"Join us, Bazett. Help me put an end to this twisted Ritual. If you do, I will allow you to keep those earrings after the Grail will be dismantled, and I will also do my best to make sure that your theft will be overlooked by the Tower and the Lords," he declared with utmost decision, sounding completely honest with his words. "I know you're a skilled woman. I knew it from the beginning. You are a trained professional specializing in anti-magus battles; and you possess technique, experience, and battle power… I acknowledge all of them, and I recognized your talents from the first time I met you three years ago. That is why I want your strength. That is why I want― no, I need your help."

Sheer silence fell amid the harbor after the Lord's loud declaration. Everyone waited with bathed breath, unable to move a muscle or utter a single word.

"Aid me in my quest to end the Grail War, and the Mage's Association will recognize your worth," the man continued, calm and collected even in front of her stunned expression. "That's what you wanted, right? To be acknowledged by the Clock Tower and the other Families. If you help me, I'll do everything I can to help you in turn. I will make sure you reach your goal," he promised.

Seconds passed, followed by minutes.

Lord El-Melloi II stared at her straight into the eyes. "So… what do you say?" he demanded, both his face and gaze as serious as they could be.

Bazett didn't answer for a long, long time. She stared at Waver, and Waver stared at her. The staring contest went on and on for what seemed to be an eternity.

Until, after an indefinite amount of time, the woman with magenta hair and eyes lowered her head and relaxed her shoulders.

"…I see," she whispered with a small voice, nodding to herself with her eyes shadowed. "Very well, then."

Hearing her answer, Artoria and Rider relaxed almost unconsciously. Along with them, Lord El-Melloi II smiled brightly in relief after a moment of tense hesitation. Even the air itself seemed to lose some of the previous tension as well.

But despite all of that, Heroic Spirit Emiya did not relax one bit. On the contrary, his eyes narrowed even further as he observed from the shadows…

…while the woman named Bazett raised her head all of a sudden, fixing the Lord and the young girl in front of her with a solemn stare.

"But I'm not the only one you must convince, Lord El-Melloi II," the woman declared all of a sudden, staring at the world with resolute expression. "I am not the only one who desires to participate in this battle. And if you want my help, then you will need to convince her as well."

Waver Velvet and Artoria stared at her in silent disbelief, confused by her unexpected declaration. At the same time, a sudden feeling of uneasiness began to grow inside their hearts inexplicably, and the two humans jumped slightly in shock as they felt a shiver running down their spines for some reason. Next to them, Rider and Archer tensed immediately, observing their surroundings with watchful eyes. All around them, the temperature dropped several degrees out of the blue.

"…what is happening?" Artoria hissed, unable to understand.

No one was able to answer. Bazett paid no mind to their confused and tense faces. All she did, all she had to do, was raise her right hand towards the sky, fixing the two Mages in front of her with a resolute stare.

"Come, Lancer."

Just like that, the previous relief disappeared completely.

It happened faster than a man could blink. Artoria, Waver, and even their Servants hidden in spirit form had no time to react. Before they could even grasp the full situation, in fact, something happened.

The entire warehouse district of the harbor fell into a cold, frightening silence.

Until, Emiya realized something. The red Archer watched his surroundings in cryptic silence as a shiver ran down his back. He had immediately noticed the shift in the surroundings: the air was growing still, and the smell of the sea began to be replaced by one filled with death. It was a feeling Archer knew well, having experienced it countless times in his accursed life. The looming feeling of death, imminent and overwhelming, such as when a Noble Phantasm was invoked ― and yet at the same time… quiet and peaceful like the night. It was an odd combination, one over which he had grown quite accustomed after his countless deployments.

His eyes found the source of this unpleasant feeling after a single second. A quiet, almost invisible figure had appeared out of nowhere from a metal container hidden behind Bazett's frame while everyone had been distracted, and it was now stepping close to the woman like a protective ghost, hidden by the shadows of the dark night. It was a Servant – Emiya had no doubt about it – but at the same time… it felt different. Extremely so. As if the concept of "Servant" could not describe that figure in its entirety… and that worried him quite a lot.

Slowly, the figure stepped out of the shadows. When it stepped right next to Bazett, Artoria and Lord El-Melloi II finally realized its presence, and both of them widened their eyes in shock and fear, observing the Servant with an incredulous gaze. At the same time, having realized that the newly appeared Servant was extremely different from the norm, Charlemagne stepped in front of them as well, reappearing in a dust of white in order to protect the two humans from that peculiar enemy.

And for the first time in his whole life, Heroic Spirit Emiya was NOT happy to learn that Cu Chulainn was not the Servant he was about to face.

Because instead of the Blue Lancer, a woman of exquisite beauty had appeared amid the harbor.

Sinuous and sensual body, elegant and regal features, and long purple hair cascading behind her back. She was wearing a full-body dark outfit that highlighted her curvaceous body, with metallic shoulder pads and a protective gear underneath the body suit. Crimson red eyes glowed in the dark, while her face was covered by a mask on the lower half, which conferred to her a look that was both elegant and mysterious at the same time. As soon as she appeared, the entire warehouse district seemed to grow silent and tense, and the air became filled with a cold, chilling sensation of death that made the humans shiver for a moment.

Lord El-Melloi II and Artoria observed her with wide, stunned eyes filled with wonder and concern. At the same time, Rider studied her with narrowed eyes, his usual cheerful and carefree aura completely gone in front of the overwhelming feeling of death oozing off from the Servant's body.

All the while, Emiya studied her with an analytical eye while he remained hidden in spirit form. His eyes narrowed in silent concern as the woman – the Servant of the Lancer class, apparently – stopped right next to Bazett with a silent step, scanning each and every one of them with her crimson eyes, including Archer's body clad in spirit form. The more he looked at her elegant and royal frame, the more the feeling of anxiety and concern was growing within his chest. Emiya was sure of it. He could not mistake it for any reason. He was growing scared of her.

Because that woman was powerful. Immensely powerful. Perhaps even more so than King Arthur and Cu Chulainn combined. Emiya's eyes and senses could already tell that much just by throwing a glance in her direction. His trained instinct was literally screaming at him to run and hide… and for once, Archer was almost tempted to follow his gut and do so. He restrained himself only thanks to his steeled mind and his duty to protect Artoria.

It had been a very long time since the last time he had felt fear in front of an enemy. He had almost forgotten the feeling, in all honesty.

While the tense, absolute silence continued to stretch amid the harbor, Bazett turned to her Servant with a predatory smile. "You say that you want to dismantle the Greater Grail, Lord El-Melloi II," she spoke with a solemn tone of voice. "But unfortunately for you, my Servant wishes to fight in this War. Just like me, she has a goal she needs to achieve; one that cannot be reached without the Grail and the War. We cannot back down from this without a fight."

The Lancer class Servant remained silent as she observed Artoria and the others, her crimson gaze focused on Rider the most while her Master kept talking with a confident smile.

"So how about this: let's settle our dispute with a duel," Bazett declared, challenging the Lord with her eyes. "Your Servants, against my Lancer. No killing, no bloodshed. Just an honest clash of skill and will. If you win, then I will indulge in your request and aid you in your task. If you lose, then you get lost and leave me be. What do you say?" she asked him, staring into his wide eyes.

Both the Lord and the young girl seemed taken aback by her words, caught off guard by such a sudden and peculiar offer. They both exchanged frantic glances with each other, and for once, they seemed to hesitate while considering every chance and possible outcome of this battle.

"This is an odd request. Why do you wish for our Servants to duel?" Artoria demanded, trying to remain focused.

The woman merely shrugged. "This is a Holy Grail War. It's only fair for us to settle things with a fight, don't you agree?" she rebutted with a casual tone, both her face and body language oozing confidence from every pore.

Although it seemed impossible, the temperature of the air dropped even further after her words. Artoria was visibly shaking right now as she stared at the resolute, silent expression of the Lancer class Servant; feeling something weird coming from her thanks to her instincts. Something unfathomable. Something that was making her both wary and scared of that woman for some reason she could not understand.

"Archer… I don't like this," she whispered to her Servant through their bond, searching for him with her eyes.

For once, Emiya agreed with her in full. "Me neither. But it appears we have no choice. Lancer won't let us escape from this. I can feel her resolve, and it's even greater than her Master's. Whether we like it or not, if we want to leave this situation, we'll have to fight," he spoke to her with a serious tone, his eyes still focused on the enemy Servant placed next to Bazett.

Finally, Lord El-Melloi II seemed to recover from his stunned silence.

"…two against one? Isn't that unfair to your Servant?" he asked back at the Magus with sarcasm, in attempt to appear strong and confident. It didn't work, for the sweat pouring from his cheeks and chin was clearly obvious to see.

It was inevitable. Everyone could clearly feel the power of the new Servant with just a single glance. Her appearance was elegant and beautiful like the moon, but her aura screamed of death and power and danger altogether. And the bloodlust she was emitting with her glare alone was something that would make any normal human being tremble and cry in fear. It was a rather odd combination to witness, honestly. A view both mesmerizing and appalling to the eyes. No one could remain unaffected by such a peculiar sight.

Bazett merely smirked at his words, completely confident about her Servant's abilities. "I like those odds," she commented with a sly grin. Then, she shared a nod with the female Lancer, and her face returned serious as before. "I don't know what Heroes of old you have summoned, but I'm extremely confident when I say this: your Servants won't be able to land a scratch on my partner. Not even a single one. I'm sure of it."

The Lancer seemed rather annoyed about her Master's words, but she stepped forward all the same, fixing Rider and the others with a blank, silent stare. Her elegant frame seemed to glow under the moonlight, emphasizing her black armor and elegant features and making the woman appear even more deadly and beautiful at the same time.

Artoria and Waver shared a silent glance. Concern and resolve flashed in their eyes.

Charlemagne grinned as he summoned his weapon: a blue and silver longsword with an elegant hilt and a white pommel. "Now, now… aren't you underestimating us a little too much?" he mused with his own share of confidence, his own armor sparkling under the moon while he stared at the enemy Lancer with a smirk. "If that's what you believe, then I'll have to show you a bit of my cool side! Isn't that right, Mast―"

"No. I fully believe in what she said too," was the Lord's immediate reply.

"So harsh?! Shouldn't you have more faith in me, Master?!"

Lord-El Melloi II and Artoria ignored Rider's childish complaints.

Instead, they both glanced at Emiya's invisible frame. "Archer, you should use your class' usual methods," Waver whispered in a hushed tone. "I'm sorry I dragged you two into this, but now we have no choice but to fight. Please support Rider from a distance, and help him during the fight. I don't know why, but that Lancer is making me worried."

"Yeah… that woman definitely doesn't look like Ireland's Child of Light," Artoria mused with sarcasm, shooting an annoyed stare at the black-haired Lord. The poor man had the decency to look ashamed on his part.

Archer bit back the temptation to berate him further as well. He had been a fool to fully believe this man's words about Lancer and his summoning. But now it was not the time for that. It had been his decision to follow Waver's suggestion, and now he had to pay the price of that decision. Therefore, the best thing to do in the current situation was to observe the enemy and try to discern her identity, her abilities, and her power.

And the best way to do that was to follow Waver's suggestion: attacking from afar. He was an Archer, after all. That was the true way he was supposed to fight.

Emiya shot a glance in Lancer's direction. "Hmm. She seems extremely powerful," he admitted as well, speaking in a low tone of voice so that only his allies could hear him. He turned to stare at Artoria while the enemies allowed them to ponder and speak to themselves. "I don't mind offering support, but what about your defense? If the enemy charges directly, I doubt you two will be able to stop her."

The Lord of the Clock Tower narrowed his eyes, but his resolve did not waver. "There are three of us here. At the very least, we should be able to hold her off," he stated.

Artoria nodded. "He's right. Don't worry about us, Archer. We'll find a way," she whispered to him with a resolute tone, nodding in his direction. "Go, and show her what you've got. I trust you."

Emiya nodded at his Master's will. "Understood."

Then, before moving to depart, he shot a stare in Charlemagne's direction, and the King of Franks turned to his invisible frame when he felt his gaze on him. "I leave my Master's safety to you, Rider. If Lancer tries something, make sure nothing happens to her," he ordered with a stern tone, completely uncaring of the fact that he was giving orders to a King (and, consequently, to someone who was supposed to be a higher existence compared to him).

On his part, however, Rider merely grinned in excitement. If he was offended by his words, he sure didn't show it. "You have my word," he swore with a thumbs up and a grin.

Archer wasted no time. Immediately after receiving his reassurance, he turned around and leaped away from the others while still hidden in spirit form, moving at maximum speed in order to reach an elevated point with a good view of the harbor from which he could take aim and attack the target with precision. While he disappeared, Artoria, Rider and the Lord of the Clock Tower focused on Bazett and Lancer once again, turning back to them only to discover that they had waited for them without moving a single inch from their previous position.

"Are you done chatting now?" Bazett asked with sarcasm, moving a strand of magenta hair from her forehead. "Then I suppose we can start."

Waver and Artoria nodded. "Of course. Apologies for making you wait," Lord El-Melloi replied back with a blank tone, narrowing his eyes while he watched the enemy Lancer step forward towards the empty space between them, her expression unreadable and her eyes as cold as death itself.

The two of them shared a nod with Rider, and they all steeled their resolve when the armored King stepped forward as well, raising his sword into a battle stance.

A moment of silence passed. The air grew tense and cold.

Bazett grinned with feral trepidation.

"Let's begin," she ordered.

And thus: chaos erupted.

The air shifted, and the two Servants tensed.

With a solemn and resolute gesture, the Lancer class Servant stepped forward and snapped her fingers. At her silent command, a weapon appeared to life in her right hand with a flash of crimson: a long, red spear with an ominous design and a sharp blade on its tip. A cursed, demonic weapon from ancient times, extremely similar to the spear wielded by another renowned Lancer. Then, next thing they knew, the woman disappeared, her body vanishing from sight completely, leaving Rider and the others stunned for a moment.

But that only lasted for a split-second.

Faster than a man could blink, in fact, she reappeared again; her body now placed behind Rider's body and moving with a speed that no human being should ever be allowed to possess. Charlemagne widened his eyes and gasped in shock at the enemy's incredible display of speed, but his keen reflexes allowed him to react just a moment before the red, demonic spear of his opponent could stab him in the neck and kill him, twisting his body at the last second and raising his sword with a fast movement. It happened so fast that neither Artoria nor Lord El-Melloi II saw it.

In less than a second, Lancer's spear and Rider's sword clashed with a bellowing metallic sound, a spray of sparks and energy enveloping the two weapons entirely. The air hissed and the ground cracked beneath their feet, generating a wave of wind and energy that enveloped the surroundings for several meters. The whole world seemed to scream and moan, the air shaking as if the clash could make it feel pain. In the distance, more than two hundred meters to the south, a flock of birds flew away from the port, frightened by the powerful clash.

Rider and Lancer glared at each other, making pressure with their weapons in a struggle of strength. A young King with white armor against a beautiful woman clad in death and bloodlust. The ground shattered further beneath their feet, and Charlemagne openly gritted his teeth in fatigue as his arms trembled while he struggled to resist under the oppressive strength of the enemy. Despite her slender figure and shorter frame, the woman with purple hair and masked face was strong. Unbelievably strong. The King of Franks had to give his all just to resist and struggle against her oppressive pressure. From their respective sides, Artoria and Waver observed the clash with wide eyes, while Bazett stared at the scene with a smile.

Lancer hummed as she kept pressuring Rider with her spear. "Hoh? It seems you have some skill, Knight," she stated, opening her lips behind her mask and speaking for the first time ever since she had revealed herself. Her voice was soft, elegant; and yet at the same time strong and powerful like the thunder. It carried a royal and commanding tone, despite the graceful and beautiful appearance of its owner. "I guess I should have expected that."

Charlemagne grunted as he batted her spear away, taking a small breath while the woman took her distance and leaped away from him. He raised his silver sword into a battle stance, and then charged at her with a focused expression. "Here we go!" he roared.

Both Servants moved at incredible speed, exchanged blows with each other with lightning-fast movements. Artoria, Waver and Bazett couldn't even see their weapons move as they clashed. All they were able to discern was a confused blur of white and red, their speed too outstanding for their eyes to follow. Charlemagne's sword clashed against Lancer's spear, creating sparks that lit up the darkness of the night with each blow and parry.

Despite Rider's skills and strength, the spear-woman held her ground perfectly, meeting the Rider blow for blow. Charlemagne gritted his teeth and packed even more energy behind his assault, hoping to break his opponent's guard. The King of Franks packed all the mana he could into a mighty swing of his blade, sending his sword crashing against the woman's crimson spear and generating a shockwave of wind. However, much to his shock, it didn't work. Now caught in a deadlock, Charlemagne stood stunned and shocked as Lancer pushed back against his blade, her expression remaining calm and composed.

Quickly, the young King decided to change tactics. He abruptly disengaged from the enemy, twisting his body to avoid a thrust of the spear at the last second, only to subsequently dash forward and spun around with his body, trying to get past the opponent's guard to hit Lancer in the side with a quick swipe, but the enemy didn't move an inch. She didn't even blink.

With one simple step to the right, in fact, the Lancer class Servant simply raised her arm and parried the Rider's blade with a quick movement. Then, she countered with a swift thrust, aiming to hit the young Servant on the shoulder. Charlemagne widened his eyes and yelped, leaping away at the last second and barely avoiding the attack with a stunned expression. Sheer shock and disbelief coated his features as he stared at the enemy woman with wide eyes, while she evaded from a second slash with disarming ease and unbelievable speed.

"Whoa, you dodged that?!" he exclaimed in disbelief, staring at the enemy with shock. "I thought I was going to knock you out!"

Lancer stared at him blankly in response. "You concealed your intentions, and read the distance between us well. But I can only say that you are still young," she stated with a stern tone, her expression hidden behind her mask. However, as she spoke, Rider could clearly discern a small smile beneath that veil of cloth. "I see… so you are the Rider class Servant."

The air grow tense and chilling around the warriors. Artoria and Lord El-Melloi II watched with bathed breath as the enemy Lancer moved to attack, only for her to stop abruptly. The woman's head suddenly snapped to the left with narrowed eyes. Then, not even a second later, a sudden volley of blood-red arrows rained down from the sky out of the blue, moving at an impressive speed and dashing through the air like bullets, aiming towards her body. The young heir of the Pendragon line smirked as she saw Lancer's body tense for a moment. It seemed that Archer had finally decided to offer fire support.

However, her excitement was short lived. In fact, with a calm and elegant movement similar to a dance, the masked woman with purple air twirled her spear with one hand, deflecting all the arrows as if they were nothing, her gaze remaining calm and bored all the while. She didn't even look fazed by the subsequent explosion of mana that enveloped her frame as the arrows exploded, making her frame disappear amid a smoke of dust and prana. All around her, small flames of blue energy began to burn the ground beneath her feet, but the woman didn't seem to care.

Lord El-Melloi II and Artoria paled at the sight, stunned by Lancer's display of strength and skills. On the other side of the harbor, Bazett smirked with a knowing expression.

But there was no time for words. Taking advantage of her momentary distraction, Charlemagne charged against the spear-woman again, leaping forward with a powerful dash. Lancer turned attentively as Rider charged at her with an impressive speed, but she remained unfazed. With disarming ease, she evaded his slash and stepped away with a movement that was both elegant and fast, only for Charlemagne to dash at her again for a follow-up attack. As they observed the fight intently from the sides, the rush of air caused the Masters to shield their eyes, but no matter how long they looked, it was clear for all of them who was holding the advantage in this duel. The difference in skill, speed and power between Rider and Lancer was as clear as day.

Lancer continued to evade Rider's attacks as their inhumanly-fast dance of death continued amid the warehouse district of the harbor. Every swing of Charlemagne's sword released a beam of white energy that slashed the metal containers and created small explosions upon contact, but they still failed to land on the opponent. The woman wasn't even attacking anymore, simply deciding to toy with him as she continued to avoid and evade each and every one of his swings and slashes. It was incredibly frustrating.

While she observed the fight, Artoria steeled herself. "Archer. Fire support!" she ordered through their mental bond.

Her Servant didn't waste time. Another volley of arrows descended from the sky, fired by a distant bridge away from the port. Beams of red and blue darted across the sky, fast as lightning itself, but the spear-woman merely eyed them with a cold gaze. Next thing they knew, her body disappeared out of the blue – again – and Rider stared with wide eyes while Archer's arrows crashed against the ground without being able to hit their target, missing it completely and generating an explosion that destroyed nothing.

However, the King of Franks didn't have time to curse. His instinct screamed at him at that very same moment, and Rider gasped in shock as he felt a cold, chilling sensation growing closer behind him. He spun around as fast as he could, and the young King barely managed to raise his arms and deflect a spear thrust that threatened to impale his heart with disarming speed, blocking it with his blade. Then, Rider followed the attack with a rapid succession of slashes and swings aimed to deflect and parry a flurry of lunges, his swords slashing incessantly in order to block and deflect each of the crimson spear's swings. Lancer appeared calm and collected as ever, keeping her assault with narrowed eyes.

Charlemagne gritted his teeth as he struggled against the enemy's spear. "D-Damn it, that's no good. You're real strong, lady," he hissed as his blade clashed against the enemy's weapon again and again. "You're like the dictionary definition of 'beautiful but deadly.'"

She scoffed, completely unfazed by his attacks and words. "You have much to learn. Putting your swordsmanship aside, you're still a fledgling," she commented with a bored tone. "There's no way you'll be able to scratch me with these useless efforts."

Rider inwardly cursed as the woman suddenly kicked him in the chest. Despite his reflexes, the attack caught him unawares, and the young King of Franks was sent backwards for several meters with a hiss of pain, his feet dragging against the concrete as he struggled to keep his balance. When he finally managed to stop and focus, Charlemagne exhaled a weary breath and winced as pain blossomed on his chest. His chest-plate had been completely bended and ruined on the spot hit by the enemy's kick, and Rider could feel a bit of blood begin to stain his abdomen under the armor.

"Damn it. I thought this was going to be a long, even fight… but now I think she's gonna kick my ass!" he mentally screamed with fear.

Lancer stepped forward slowly, her entire body oozing off bloodlust and death, and her spear twirling around her frame with grace and elegance. There wasn't a single emotion inside her glowing red eyes, her gaze cold as the night and her face hidden behind her mask. Artoria and Waver stared at her with wide eyes, and even Charlemagne couldn't help but feel intimidated by the dark aura surrounding her. Whoever she was, that woman was powerful. Extremely so. It was sad to admit it, but she was stronger than him. Rider had to admit it with no feelings of shame.

"Young… so young," the woman muttered with disappointment, her voice cold and bored and empty. "This is a waste of time. I won't be able to reach my goal at this rate. How disappointing."

Charlemagne visibly flinched as the woman suddenly raised her spear, slamming it with a powerful movement against an incoming arrow aimed at her head, coming out of nowhere from the left. The impact created a small explosion and shockwave, but the Lancer class Servant remained completely unharmed once again, keeping her eyes focused on Rider even as she deflected a second arrow with disarming ease. Artoria, Waver and Charlie all gaped at her with disbelief.

"It's no use," Bazett voice echoed from the other side of the warehouse district. "Your efforts won't be able to match my Servant's strength. You have no chance of winning," the woman with magenta hair declared out loud, staring at their stunned expressions with confidence.

Waver Velvet was visibly paling and widening his eyes. "No way… even Archer's arrows have no effect?" he exclaimed in disbelief.

Bazett grinned at him in mocking amusement. "I told you: it doesn't matter what Heroes you've summoned; they won't be able to scratch my partner. Your struggles are in vain."

Artoria gritted her teeth, clenching her fists so hard that her arms began to tremble.

Charlemagne began to sweat profusely, but he held his ground and readied his stance again even as Lancer continued to advance slowly towards him. "We'll see about that! My blood is boiling more than ever, and you're going to get burned!" he boasted with a loud voice, challenging the enemy directly.

Lancer's eyes flashed after hearing his foolish words, her whole body emitting a dark, oppressing aura of outrage. "…what did you just say?" she hissed, glaring at him with a powerful wrath.

Rider jumped in fear and shame as he immediately stuttered in a frantic voice. "I-I-I'm sorry, forget I said that. I was trying too hard to be cool…" he tried to deflect.

In response, the woman launched herself at him with an impossible speed. Rider widened his eyes and startled, raising his blade just in time as Lancer flew towards him and went on the offensive, attacking with a blurring and confused succession of thrusts and swings with her spear. Charlemagne inwardly cursed when a small cut was opened on his cheek, and he struggled to block and counterattack while the enemy attacked and parried all his swings effortlessly; using her skills and agility from different angles and keeping him on his toes. The young Rider was now becoming increasingly worried, and he started to swing his sword more wildly, throwing caution and form to the wind in a panicked attempt to resist her assault.

But his opponent remained undeterred. Rider swung his sword, but Lancer sidestepped each slash sent her way, not even bothering to raise her spear to block them all. Then, just as the enemy had predicted, the young Servant did a mistake amid his frenzied assault, and failed to recover in time when the opponent's spear parried away his blade with disarming ease. Artoria and Lord El-Melloi II stared with wide eyes while the Lancer class Servant disarmed Charlemagne with a swift and precise movement of the arm, batting his blade away with a brutal movement and throwing it in the air. The young Rider widened his eyes in disbelief.

Immediately after that, a second kick was slammed against Rider's side, and he was sent flying for a few meters while his vision was blinded by the enemy's speed. The impact shattered his chest-plate, but Charlemagne had no time to recover. He felt pain blossoming in his body as the Lancer's spear slashed him in the right arm all of a sudden, and his vision became blurry when the opposed tip of the weapon slammed itself against his cheeks, blinding his world in a flash of white.

The young King of Franks hissed in pain, the attack sending him off his feet. He landed on the ground with a thud, and his enemy calmly walked over to him with a silent step, raising her spear with a solemn movement and pointing its tip towards his heart―

Another arrow flew between them at that moment, darting just a few inches away from Lancer's face.

Once more, the woman tensed and stepped away, turning her body with disarming speed towards the incoming attack and raising her arms to twirl her spear in front of her. The incoming rain of arrows slammed against her rotating weapon with a shockwave of wind and prana, assaulting her relentlessly and with more power than before. For those who were watching the scene, it seemed like Lancer was defending herself against a volley of bullets rather than a rain of arrows, and Charlemagne quickly took advantage of the enemy's distraction to leap away and put some distance from her.

Still, Archer's assault did not stop. Lancer narrowed her eyes and leaped away as another set of red arrows darted towards her with blinding speed, jumping to the right and avoiding the lightning-fast darts while twisting her body in the air, deflecting a few of them with her spear as well. Once more, she managed to evade or parry them all with little to no effort, but something happened this time.

Much to everyone's shock – including Lancer's, apparently – while she was defending herself from the incessant assault, one of the arrows managed to slam itself against the crimson spear from a different angle, changing its trajectory mid-air and creating a powerful recoil on the weapon which consequently knocked the spear out of Lancer's hands despite her strong grip. The red lance was thrown in the air with a dull sound, and then hit by another arrow that made it spun and fly away from its owner, leaving her weaponless.

Artoria watched with amazement while the woman with purple hair widened her eyes slightly, stunned by the sudden change in the enemy's aim, and leaped away in order to avoid a third rain of 'bullets' that threatened to skewer her. The young girl inwardly cheered as her Servant's assault had successfully forced her to momentarily retreat, but her joy was tempered by her following words.

"How annoying."

With but a single mental command, Lancer stretched one hand forward and the spear instantly returned to her in less than a second, darting in the air like a living missile and reappearing in her right hand as if it had never been gone in the first place. However, before the woman could turn around and throw her weapon in Archer's direction, Rider suddenly roared and charged at her from behind, his sword back in his hands and his face morphed in a mask of resolute decision. The masked Servant turned to him in a swift motion, her eyes narrowed in silent frustration as she moved to defend herself.

Once more, Lancer and Rider clashed. When their clash was followed by a resounding shockwave, Artoria felt her Servant speak to her through their mental link.

"Master," Archer's words echoed inside her mind with a serious tone. "Take the Lord and Rider with you and get clear from there."

The girl with golden hair physically startled. "Huh? What do you mean by 'get clear,' Archer?" she hissed in a low tone.

"Run away and take cover behind the metal containers on the far end of the harbor," was her Servant's cryptic reply.

"But why―"

"Do it. Now."

Artoria Pendragon swallowed a curse.

Following Archer's advice, she grabbed Lord El-Melloi II by the arm, catching him by surprise, and then began to run away in the opposite direction, dragging him along thanks to her strength despite his muffled protests and the difference in height and weight. At the same time, she yelled her command towards the armored Rider, while she kept running and dragging his Master towards the far-off end of the harbor.

"Rider, to us! NOW!" she cried with a commanding tone.

Charlemagne's head snapped in their direction as he kept exchanging blows with Lancer, confused, but he didn't ask questions. Attempting a feint aimed at the enemy's legs, he instantly leaped away at the last second and dashed in the opposite direction instead, dissolving his body into spirit form while the enemy Lancer remained stunned and perplexed by his sudden change of direction, staring at their retreating forms with narrowed eyes and a tense stance.

At the same time, Bazett's eyes widened as she realized what their enemies were trying to do. "Cowards! You cannot run from a duel!" she exclaimed with anger, fuming in outraged fury. "Lancer! Stop them at once!"

Her masked Servant moved to obey, but before she could take a single step in the enemies' direction, she widened her eyes and leaped away with a jump. Suddenly and without a warning, in fact, a long, glittering metal object – a weird-looking arrow loaded with a great amount of mana – slammed on the ground above which she had been standing a moment ago, generating a thunderous explosion that shook the ground and shattered the concrete like nothing. As the world shook for a few seconds, Lancer stared at the damage caused by the arrow with narrowed eyes, her mind growing colder and worried as realization dawned upon her features.

"…a Broken Phantasm?" she hissed, widening her eyes as her head snapped towards the Archer's direction. "Master! Take cover right now!" she exclaimed, her mind growing colder and alarmed as she stared at the enemy's location with wide eyes.

In the distance, miles and miles away from her current position, a flash of red and blue gleamed amid the dark of night.

---

Location: Fuyuki City (Japan)
Mion River – Fuyuki Bridge

(======)

The Red Bridge.

The greatest and longest structure located at the center of Fuyuki. A point of connection for the city and an attraction for many people, bridging both Miyama Town and the Shinto District separated by the river. It was an excellent observation point, which offered an optimal view towards the port, the surrounding districts, and all the areas of the city bathed by the river.

And it was right here, above the high, red railings of the bridge, that Heroic Spirit Emiya had taken position with his bow in order to aid Rider in his battle against the female Lancer from a distance. And it was also from here that he had observed, carefully observed, the fight between the two of them with his hawk's eyes. And the more he had observed the fight, the more he had begun to understand their enemy' identity. It was simply unavoidable for him. There were certain things, certain experiences, that could never truly leave his mind even after all this time; allowing him to connect the dots and realize the truth about what he was witnessing long before others could. It was in his nature, unfortunately.

Now, having witnessed Lancer's fighting style and her crimson spear long enough, what had been nothing more than a simple conjecture until a moment ago had finally become an unshakable truth inside his mind. And no matter how much he loathed to admit it… he wasn't thrilled to acknowledge what his mind was telling him to accept. In fact, he wasn't happy about what he had discovered. He wasn't happy at all.

The enemy they were facing right now was not comparable to Cu Chulainn. Because she was even worse than him.

Archer didn't even need to Structurally Analyze the enemy's spear to know its connection to the one wielded by the Hound of Culann. For they were the same, albeit different. There was no mistake about it. Emiya had seen and fought against that spear long enough to be able to tell with just a single glance. The spear wielded by this female Lancer was incredibly similar to the legendary Gáe Bolg. Yet, at the same time, it was different. Although their shapes, sizes and weight were similar, the lance used by the spear-woman was a specialized weapon one-step older, but of the same model as Gáe Bolg. It was older, created by using the branches of Tonelico; and with the same destructive power of the original one wielded by the Blue Lancer. And that wasn't good. It wasn't good at all. Archer almost felt a migraine coming just by looking at that spear.

Even though he had been spared from the Hound of Culann's presence in this world, now he had to deal with the dog's very own mentor instead.

Good grief. What a troublesome situation.

There was no doubt in Emiya's mind. There was no way he could be mistaken on this. After all, he had glimpsed that woman's story and legend countless times in the past, every time his eyes had landed on the accursed spear wielded by Cu Chulainn; and he could also recognize the fighting style she used from time to time. It was extremely similar to the one used by the Blue Lancer as well, even if the woman's style was way more refined, way more effective, and lacking the bestial agility of the dog's peculiar style.

Yes, there was no doubt about it. The woman they were facing right now was none other than the warrior-queen from the famous Ulster Cycle. The queen and gatekeeper of the foreign territory/haunted ground called the "Land of Shadows". A prodigy of spearmanship and Rune Magecraft, who had been said to possess a power immense enough to obtain control over the gate of the Land of Shadows, which was always overflowing with countless ghosts, to ward off the dead.

A warrior powerful enough to put the majority of Heroic Spirits to shame, a reliable Queen and teacher who had trained countless warriors throughout her life, and a member of the ruling class from birth. A Hero who could no longer be considered "human" due to her role and legend, an expert in Magecraft and combat, and slayer of people, wraiths, and gods.

The Witch of Dún Scáith, Scathach.

In other words: an extremely dangerous opponent. Emiya could already tell that much. In fact, he wasn't surprised by the fact that the woman had been able to completely overwhelm Rider in close combat, despite the fact that he was a Knight and a very powerful King. If he had to be honest, he was willing to bet that this Lancer was even more dangerous than King Arthur. Archer could almost bet on it. An opponent of her caliber, possessing such stats and power could be considered the top of her Class. Indeed… she could be considered the Top Servant of the Lancer class. There was no doubt about it.

Heroic Spirit Emiya increased his grip on the black bow. His left hand was almost shaking in frustration as he observed the woman avoid his Broken Phantasm with ease, her crimson red eyes pointed in his direction with a cold, calculating glint that was powerful enough to make even an expert warrior like him shiver. Facing such an opponent directly was an extremely reckless move. Now he could understand why Bazett had been so confident of victory ever since the beginning. He had sensed a lot of things from that woman ever since the group had made contact with her, but fear had never been one of them. And with a Servant like that on her side… he could clearly see the reason behind her confidence. This was way worse than Cu Chulainn. Extremely so.

One thing was certain, though: if they wanted to win this War, they had to bring that woman to their side, no matter what. Archer was painfully aware of the fact that they already had some powerful enemies who were opposing them. Fighting a Holy Grail War against the cunning Rin Tohsaka and the mighty King Arthur was going to be difficult enough. In addition to that, if they were to face Lancer as enemies as well… things could go pretty badly in the future. This woman was surely going to be a huge obstacle to overcome if they failed to make an alliance with her Master. Rider was strong, indeed, but Archer could clearly see that they were outmatched right now. The two of them alone had no chance of victory against Lancer's skills and power.

So, in order to keep Artoria safe and advance in this quest, he had to win the duel. No matter the cost.

And the only way to do that was to unleash one of his most powerful attacks.

"She's less a Hero and more an embodiment of power, huh?" he mused to himself, staring at Lancer from his elevated position. "She may be skilled, but compared to the average Servants, her nature and power are on another level entirely. No wonder she doesn't seem human anymore."

Very well, then. There was no time to lose.

He reached out with his right hand, opening his palm. With an electric hiss and a flash of red energy, a large weapon appeared in his waiting hand: a sword. A long, spiral-shaped sword with an ominous size.

Wasting no time, Emiya moved the sword close to his black bow. As he did so, slowly but surely, the sword began to lengthen, becoming thinner and thinner by the second and assuming the shape of an arrow. He notched it on the bow, taking aim carefully. The blade coiled into a spiral that could penetrate any target by creating a twisting distortion in space when fired, and the Red Archer watched his target with complete focus, aiming with extreme care and precision while the air became dense with mana around him.

Prana coursed through his body. It swirled around him like a gust, billowing his cape and hair. He channeled it inside the blade, taking aim with careful precision while the entire arrow glowed with flaming red energy. More and more Magical energy flowed through his arms, entering inside the arrow. The wind around his body became more powerful and intense. And thus, upon making sure that his Master was distant enough, he prepared himself to release the attack.

He loosed the arrow with a hushed whisper.

"Caladbolg!"

The arrow shot across the sky, enveloped in blue energy.

It flew at supersonic speed, silent as the night, so fast and deadly that no normal human could ever be able to see it. Then, in less than a blink of an eye, it reached the target's position, and generated a gigantic explosion that shook both heaven and earth. After a couple of seconds, a column of energy and smoke rose skyward, obscuring the entire port of Fuyuki from view and enveloping an entire section of the river and seashore with a blinding light.

The explosion lasted for a whole minute, even if it felt like an hour for him. Then, after what seemed to be an eternity, the world quieted and stilled, and the city fell into his usual silence once again.

Emiya's lips parted into a smirk.

---

.

/+/+/+/+/+/+/

.

The Servant grins while Rin and I observe him warily. His presence alone has made the air around us grow quiet and frigid. The temperature has dropped slightly, even if it would be hard to notice for normal humans.

Rin glares at him with a tense expression. "Is this your handiwork?" she demands, pointing at the magic seal at her feet.

The Servant – Lancer, judging by the long, crimson spear resting on his shoulders – shrugs.

"Nope. Stooping to dirty tricks is a Mage's role. My kind simply fights when and where we're told," he answers with a pedantic tone. Then, he closes his eyes, and shoots a stare in my direction with a sly smirk. "Isn't that right, my invisible buddy?"

As expected, my Master begins to panic. "So you can see Archer… You're a Servant!"

"And if you know that, little girl, can I assume you're my enemy?" he replies back with a sarcastic tone, straightening himself from his kneeled position.

Rin doesn't answer to his jab. Instead, she begins to glance around, studying our surroundings with a nervous face. Sweat is openly pouring from her chin as she gulps imperceptibly. I mentally approve her way of thinking. At least she knows the basics and she's trying to assess their surroundings in attempt to grasp the best way to fight before the battle begins. Despite her age, she's smarter than she looks.

Apparently, Lancer has noticed as well. "Hoh? Impressive. You seem ignorant, but you have the gist of things," he compliments her. Then, he closes his eyes, exhaling a breath with an expression filled with sarcasm. "Boy, I really blew it. I shouldn't have let curiosity get the better of me and spoken up."

He swivels his weapon in his hand, and the entire spear begins to glow with a red, flaming energy.

Rin and I tense as we prepare for our first battle.

.

/+/+/+/+/+/+/

.

---

The earthquake lasted for an eternity.

The blast was massive, gigantic, overwhelming; sending everything near its blast radius flying and blinding everything with an oppressive shockwave of wind and mana that engulfed the warehouse district of the harbor for hundreds of meters. The rest was just a confused and blurred succession of wind and blinding lights, while the world trembled ad the air moaned as if in extreme pain.

Finally, everything stopped. When the chaos was over, the Lancer class Servant stepped out of the burned, melted metal container, her shocked and panicked Master held firmly within her arms. The woman with magenta hair was shaking and coughing, staring at the aftermath of the explosion with wide eyes.

"W-What was that?" she wheezed amid the smoke and flames, struggling to keep herself steady once her Servant released her from her grip.

An entire portion of the warehouse district was gone. A gigantic crater of concrete, rubbles and debris now stood in its place, while countless metal containers had been scattered throughout the port and the massive crater that expanded at its center. Some of them were burning, enveloped in blue flames; some were melted and destroyed, and some others were simply gone, returned to nothingness. Flames and smoke and debris surrounded them for as far as the eye could see, and the smell of ozone and smoke impregnated the air like an invisible curse.

Bazett could not believe her eyes. "T-That last attack… its destructive power was comparable to that of an A-Rank Noble Phantasm!" she exclaimed in disbelief.

Lancer nodded wordlessly. "Master, are you injured?" she asked instead.

"I'm fine," she reassured her with a shake of the head. "More importantly, what the hell was that?! That single blast has destroyed the warehouse district like nothing!"

Her Servant did not answer, her eyes scanning the ruined site with unnerving intensity. Her brows were furrowed in what seemed to be contemplative suspicion.

Seeing her silence, Bazett turned to her in confusion. However, as soon as her gaze fell on the masked Servant, the woman's eyes widened in shock and fear. "L-Lancer!" she exclaimed, crying out in alarm. "You're wounded!"

Indeed, the woman was right. A large, lacerated wound had been opened on the Lancer's right shoulder, just below her shoulder pad. Thick, crimson blood was now dripping from the wound, and small cuts and abrasions were also visible on the Servant's uncovered cheeks, unmistakable signs of the damage she had suffered in a frantic attempt to grab her Master and bring her to safety at the last split-second, just before the arrow could impact against them. And now, it seemed that her strong and impassive Servant had paid the price for saving her life.

Bazett clenched her fists and stuttered. "S-Sorry, Lancer. Because of me, you ..."

"It's fine, this is nothing," she cut her off with a dismissive tone, her eyes still focused on the attacker's direction and her face devoid of any emotion. The woman didn't even acknowledge the wound for a moment, the pain in her body completely ignored. Not even two seconds later, in fact, the wound on the shoulder had already disappeared, and the blood and abrasions had vanished from her face as well, as if they'd never existed.

Another silent reminder of her twisted, accursed existence.

But for once, Lancer paid no mind to her current condition. On the contrary, her eyes narrowed in silent wonder and shock as she kept staring in the Archer's direction.

"That arrow, the spiraling blade… Fergus?" she mused to herself, disbelief and suspicion coating her words. In the end, after a moment of pondering, she shook her head with a clenched fist. "No, it can't be," she dismissed her previous thoughts, her face morphed into a scowl and her eyes colder than the sharpest metal.

She did no waste time. Her mind had already taken the decision.

"Master… the duel is over. It appears that we have lost," she stated with a calm, collected tone. Feeling her Master's disbelief, she turned to look at her with a blank stare. "That last attack has managed to scratch me. Consequently, following your previous words, it's our loss. We have been careless."

Bazett's eyes fell to the ground after hearing her stern voice, while feelings of shame and irritation began to form inside her heart.

But no matter how much she wanted to deny it, she knew that her Servant was right.

They had lost the duel. Her overconfidence and carelessness had caused their defeat.

The heir of the Fraga line gritted her teeth in silent frustration.

Completely uncaring of her Master's frustration, Lancer straightened herself, dusting off her armor with a cold expression. "Go now. Rider and the others are not going to hurt you," she stated with a dismissive tone, straightening up on her legs and summoning her demonic spear once again. "I'll leave the rest to you."

Bazett widened her eyes upon hearing her words. It didn't take her long to realize that her Servant was about to leave. "Wait, what? Where are you going?" she demanded, stunned.

Lancer's only response was a powerful leap.

She leaped away from the harbor with a speed that could not be described by mere words. The woman dashed throughout the city like an invisible killer, faster than the wind and silent like the moon itself. Jumping from roof to roof was extremely easy for a warrior such as her, hardly a stroll walk thanks to her nature and powers. The Lancer with purple hair stared at the world with her gleaming red eyes, heading in the south direction and moving with a pace that would be impossible to reach for any human being, leaving her Master behind while she moved at frightening speed towards her next destination. Towards her next target.

It had been a very long time since she had felt like this. Since she had glimpsed something – or someone – who could pique her interest during a battle. It could seem as a trivial and useless thing for most warriors and Heroes, but for an existence such as herself, it was a very important thing. Even if it was foolish, even if it was completely useless, even if it was misguided, it was the one and only string of hope she could latch herself to, due to her peculiar existence. This was her only wish, after all. The one and only reason she had left to keep walking through this accursed path called "life".

Not that it mattered, of course. She hadn't been ordinary in a very long time.

How weird, indeed.

Reaching the target's position turned out to be extremely easy. Apparently, the Archer had been expecting her for a while. He hadn't even considered the option of retreat.

Her lips twitched upwards behind her mask, ever so slightly.

She landed over the rails of the gigantic bridge without a sound, silent as the moon itself. She straightened herself, twirling her spear with one hand as she gazed at her opponent with a mask of ice. The enemy Servant was already staring at her, his grey eyes fixed on her face as well. He held a long, black bow in his right hand, dressed in a dark armor wrapped in an elegant red cloth, and his ageless face was morphed into a calm, collected frown as she stared into her eyes, his lips pursed into a tight line.

Sheer silence greeted their meeting. Seconds passed, followed by minutes.

Until, perhaps guided by her instinct and intrigued by that man's aura, she lowered her mask and revealed her face in front of an enemy for the first time in… a while. A long, long while.

Lancer smiled as the enemy widened his eyes slightly, revealing her beautiful face. "Hm. I like the expression on your face," she mused, breaking the silence with a soft tone and tapping the rails of the bridge beneath her feet with her crimson spear. "Shall we do this?"

From his part, Archer remained completely still after her words, unfazed, his expression betraying nothing but poised and steeled calm. His fingers seemed to twitch slightly, as if he was trying to grasp something he couldn't quite see yet, but his hawk eyes remained fixed on her face with a cold intensity. Lancer had to give him credit for that. Very few warriors had been able to remain unfazed in front of her as he did. At least he wasn't a brash, emotive warrior like Rider had been. Not that the Knight's brave charge from before hadn't been amusing to see… but it felt nice to experience a change, for once.

And more importantly, the more she observed him, the more Lancer felt the compelling urge to dash forward and duel with him in a battle to the death. It was a raging feeling that soared within her bosom no matter how hard she tried to quell it.

Yes, it was definitely weird. That relaxed poise, the calm and detached expression, the cold and unnerving aura around his body… everything about that odd-looking Archer was making her feel excitement for the battle to come. She didn't know why, but that didn't matter to her. This feeling was more than enough. It had been a very long time since she had felt like this. Since she had allowed herself to have some fun against a promising opponent.

Now, at long last, a chance had appeared after an eternity of dull, boring suffering. And she was going to grasp it no matter what.

Lancer pointed her spear at the enemy, fixing his face with a cold, resolute stare.

"Have you nothing to say, Archer?" she spoke with a commanding tone, attempting to at least exchange a formal greeting with him before she decided to attack.

Once again, the only answer she received was silence. However, the man's lips soon curved into a smile that was… rueful? Self-mocking? Lancer could not tell exactly, nor did she care, but she noticed the lack of pride in it all the same.

Finally, the man with white hair opened his mouth to speak. "To survive an A-Rank Noble Phantasm without a scratch… it seems that I'm about to face another monster," he spoke with a sarcastic tone, shaking his head in mirth. He shot her a small stare. "I suppose escaping is not an option, huh?"

Lancer smiled, her expression a mixture of predatory excitement and feral trepidation. Despite his sarcastic remark, she could detect the steeled resolve inside his tone. Her blood was beginning to roar inside her veins. "Don't worry, I won't get serious… that's for sure," she replied with an honest smirk. A predatory one, but honest all the same.

He didn't seem to be offended by her lack of optimism about his strength. On the contrary, his smile widened a bit. "I know. I'm not one to hold back… but I hope you won't get your hopes too high. You fight like an elegant beast, with a fury to match that of Cu Chulainn. I'm not sure I'll be able to keep up with you."

The woman widened her eyes slightly. Archer had masked his reaction well, but the momentary spark in his eyes was all that Lancer needed to confirm that he recognized the name from his own experience. Whoever this Servant was, he knew about the man who had once been her favorite pupil, and not from the legends and stories alone. He knew the man from personal experience, even if she could not fathom how.

Despite her better judgment, she couldn't help but ask. "How?"

His smile disappeared. His bow as well, immediately replaced by a pair of twin blades of black and white color. Lancer felt her interest grow even more.

"Beat me, Witch of Dún Scáith, and maybe I'll tell you," he said with a sly smirk.

Her face twitched. Realization dawned upon her features. He knew her True Name as well…

Soon, even if she failed to understand why, she felt her lips part into a feral grin. She just couldn't help it. The more she stared at him, the more she could begin to hear the excited beating of her heart. For the first time in a long while, she was looking forward to something. She was looking forward to a fight. And that alone spoke volumes about this weird Archer in front of her.

The tip of her spear glowed with flaming red energy. "I've changed my mind about you, Archer. You seem more impressive than I thought," she stated with a solemn voice, readying her stance. "I care little about that Rider, but you have piqued my interest. Now show me what you've got, or your life will be mine."

Archer readied his stance as well, pointing his twin blades at her with a blank face.

The Servant of the Lancer Class raised her spear, fixing the man before her with a predatory grin.

"Show it to me, Archer. Show to me, to this Scathach, your strength!"

---

NOTES

You thought it was me: Lancer (Cu Chulainn), but instead it was me: Lancer (Scathach)!

Jokes aside, I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. It was pretty fun to write.

For those wondering: I did not lower Charlemagne's power and skills in the story. The way his duel against Scathach unfolded is exactly the same of the one that happened in Fate/EXTELLA Link. There, it is clearly stated and showed that Charlie is no match against her… and he is a Saber there. If he couldn't match her there, he is not going to match her here. That's what the canon works say, at least. I even used the same lines from their battle in this chapter. You can check it out for yourselves, if you want.

It should be pretty clear by now, but I think it is time to reveal it officially. The Holy Grail War of this story is a battle of "Impossible Realities". All the Servants who are summoned here are Heroes who shouldn't be summoned by normal means, or who shouldn't be summoned at all. At least in an easy way.

Scathach – who is literally impossible to summon in the world of FSN since she's immortal and the Grail cannot rule over her due to her peculiar existence. Charlemagne – who shouldn't be able to be summoned by normal means, compared to his historical counterpart Karl der Große. Emiya – who, according to the Wiki, should not be easily summoned as well during a Grail War, since his existence is extremely peculiar and several parts (himself included) must accept the summoning first. King Arthur – who, with the exception of the world of Prototype, should be a woman and not a man. Even Atalanta Alter – who is extremely rare compared to her more famous and proper Archer self.

Every single Servant of this story is a character who is difficult to summon by normal means or who shouldn't be summoned at all in the world of FSN. Obviously, there's a reason for their presence here, and it will be revealed in due time. But following that logic, it should be quite easy for you guys to guess who the other Servants are going to be…

Next chapter: "She Rules the Battlefield". The title says it all. Let's just pray Emiya will manage to survive this battle XD

And yes, since a lot of you have been asking me this in private, I'll admit it now: every single title of the story is the name of a particular soundtrack taken from the Fate universe (UBW, HF, Fate, Fate/Zero, and every other series of Fate). It's going to be like this until the very end.

As always, please forgive me for any eventual misspellings and grammar mistakes. If you point them out to me, I will gladly correct them as soon as I can.

See you next time.