FATE/CATBOX FICTION

Chapter 19: The Right Thing

Cuchulainn and Spartacus continued their demonic dervish of chaos and violence, nearly ignorant of what had been happening with the other battle. Both men were covered in deep cuts and thoroughly soaked in blood, yet neither showed signs of ceasing their advance. They just kept going and going, unable to think about anything but taking their enemy down. Their weapons clashed with a massive clang, then they leapt apart several feet and glared at each other while panting heavily.

That was the moment when Connla killed Atalante. Cuchulainn and Spartacus heard the child Servant fall to her knees and gasp in horror over what she had done. Izo managed to console her, but then her final question to him triggered a reaction in both warriors. Cuchulainn quietly frowned, appearing somewhat melancholic as he saw the dispirited look in her eyes. However, Spartacus responded in a far more dramatic fashion.

"Ah… ah ha ha…"

Cuchulainn snapped to attention and focused on the gladiator as he began chuckling peculiarly. It wasn't a laugh of joy – it was a laugh of repressed despair finally boiling over like a rupturing volcano. His head and neck twitched spastically. Soon, the rest of his body thrashed about as his laughing became mixed with roars of anguish. Cuchulainn had no idea what was going on, so he thought Spartacus was having a seizure.

"AH HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA! AAAA~AAAA~AAAA~AAAAHHHH!"

Connla covered her mouth in fright and screamed, "Spartacus! What's the matter!?"

Cuchulainn cautiously stepped back, still in his fighting stance as he grumbled, "Something's not right."

Izo shouted, "What're ya standin' 'round fer!? He's wide open! Just kill him already!"

"You think I haven't been trying!? He's regenerating faster than I can damage him!"

The ronin attempted to rush at the flailing Spartacus, but some kind of invisible force repelled him. He wasn't sure if it was raw instinct telling him to stay back, or if it was actually some sort of Anti-Servant barrier pushing him back, but he screamed, "Shit! What the hell's going on!? It's like something's pulling me away from him!"

"You feel it too?" Cuchulainn snarled as he fell to one knee.

Connla watched as Spartacus' body gradually mutated until he grew to twice his usual size. Veins burst through his skin and poured blood everywhere as his muscles rapidly expanded to dangerous levels. Even his head and neck twisted out of proportion as his bones turned and cracked. She sensed a terrifying amount of magical energy building inside him, then realized what was going on:

"He's lost control of his Noble Phantasm!"

"Oy! Mind fillin' me in on what his Noble Phantasm does!?" Izo demanded.

"As a Berserker, he'll take so much damage that the pain he accumulates turns him into a living bomb. I don't know how it functions when he's an Avenger, but he's obviously taking in more mana than his body can handle."

"Holy shit… So if he reaches critical mass…"

"Manoa will be blown clean out of the ground."

Cuchulainn grit his teeth. He had to think of something, and fast. Even if he used Gae Bolg to pierce Spartacus' heart, he doubted it would do anything to stop the Noble Phantasm from detonating. The only option he could really think of was to hold back Spartacus long enough for Connla and Izo to escape Manoa. For that plan to work, he needed to rely on his Alter-exclusive Noble Phantasm – to wear the bones of the sea monster Curruid and use it to contain the explosion as best as he could.

Without hesitation, Cuchulainn commanded for the dark aura to surround him until he was encased in the black armor and talons. He rushed at Spartacus and dug his claws into the mutating man's abdomen, then screamed at the others, "Now! Get the hell out of here!"

"Father!?" Connla yelped.

"I'll hold him back! You two run for it!"

"But-!"

"DON'T ARGUE WITH ME! GO!"

Her terror intensified so much that she couldn't think coherently. She certainly didn't want to die in the explosion, but she didn't want to abandon Cuchulainn so easily. Izo grabbed her wrist and implored her to run. His words didn't register in her mind though, so she remained rooted to the spot in fear. Spartacus' crying reached a deafening crescendo, and his brightly-glowing body no longer resembled a human form, but rather just an indescribable lump of meat and bones. Everyone's panic reached a mind-numbing critical stage…

"Spartacus."

A young girl's soothing voice echoed through the shrine. Time practically stopped around the four Servants.

"It's okay. You don't need to cry anymore."

Spartacus' jaw dropped so much that saliva drooled out of the corner of his lip. Although he couldn't speak properly due to his throat being contorted, he managed to utter, "Co… nn… la?"

Connla looked around, then noticed that the eye on the Tezcatlipoca mural was glowing a soft shade of lavender. She wondered, "Cliste? Is that you?"

"I'm right here, Spartacus. I always have been," Cliste's voice continued murmuring softly. "Just as you've been watching over me, I've been doing the same for you. I know how much you've been suffering ever since I was executed. I was always afraid it would come to this point eventually."

"No… I… I couldn't… do… anything… for you. I… I… I'm… useless…" Spartacus gurgled.

"You were commanded not to help me that day. That also goes for Leonidas and Mr. Sanson. Even to this day, that command still binds you to do nothing but be my Caretakers. The immense pain you three have felt is the reason why your Spirit Origins changed so drastically. I always wished I could set you guys free from this morbid duty."

"I… I can't… ab… andon… you… like this…"

"I know. Among you three, you were the one most afraid of leaving me alone. But now is the opportunity we've all been waiting for."

"… Eh?"

"If you Caretakers aren't allowed to kill me, then you can at least help these Servants from Chaldea do the deed in your stead. There's no stipulation for that, right?"

"Ah… I-I… see…" Spartacus realized what Cliste's plan was. His fury turned to tranquility as he pondered about how much she worried about him losing control. She must have concocted this strategy in order to spare him from undergoing such a painful and grisly end to his miserable life. Slowly but surely, his body twisted and turned back into normal proportions, and his form ceased emanating that dangerous glow. Cuchulainn extracted his talons out of Spartacus' gut and stepped back to observe the transformation.

It took a few minutes of excruciating bone popping and spiraling muscles, but the Avenger was soon back to his normal self. He soon collapsed to the ground unconscious and bleeding. Connla ran up to him to inspect his injuries, then remained by his side as she asked Cliste, "Is everything okay in the Preservatorium?"

"Yes, everything's fine," her counterpart replied. "I don't know how much longer I can hold out though. I might lose my sanity at any point."

"I wanted to ask you about that. I actually stopped by your place a few hours ago."

"Really?"

"What do you mean 'really'!? We saw each other, didn't we!?"

"I don't know. I can't seem to recall seeing you that clearly."

"You responded to me though. You looked me straight in the eye and asked me, 'Who are you?'. Don't you remember?"

"I'm sorry, but I don't know what you're talking about."

Connla became pensive, unsure of what to make of this development. She decided to hold off on thinking about it for now as a different question piqued her interest. She said to Cliste, "Don't worry about it. There's something else I want to ask you, specifically about the Caretakers."

"Yes?"

"I encountered Rider of Akakor, and he claimed that he arranged for Mr. Sanson to execute you. Does this imply that he specifically had our allies from the Nevada Singularity summoned to be present for that day?"

Cliste became silent for a moment. Soon, she replied in a low voice, "After I became the Grail Terminal, I gained access to every computer that was connected to this network. Bit by bit, I managed to piece together that Rider did indeed have three allied Mages summon those Servants, all with their memories intact of that incident, for the express purpose of making them suffer during my execution."

"That's horrible…"

"Afterwards, Rider planned to have them captured and trapped inside some sort of dungeon to continue abusing them, probably by taunting them about their inability to save me. I prevented that by creating the Enforcers and having them convince the Mages to repurpose them as the Caretakers, as well as forbidding all access to the Shrines and the Preservatorium."

"Enforcers?"

"You haven't met any of them yet? They're inferior clones of my Spirit Origin. They look nearly identical to me, but they all have white hair and grey eyes. They're my eyes and ears that I dispatch all over the world."

"Oh! Now that ya mention it," Izo blurted, "there were these weird kids who showed up just as the big guy an' I were fleein' from Rider's workshop."

Cuchulainn narrowed his eyes. The strange feeling he had when he spoke with 15-M finally made sense; in a bizarre way, he had been talking to another Connla without realizing it.

"I see," Connla murmured. "So you've been taking measures to make sure Rider doesn't get everything he wants. But then, that raises another problem – how did Rider even know to have those three Servants summoned with their memories of the Nevada Singularity intact? He was never present in any capacity, yet he knew to summon them like that? How could he have possibly found out that we were once allies in a completely different world?"

A much longer pause loomed between her and Cliste. The Lancer thought that the connection between them had been severed, so she asked, "Cliste? Are you still there?"

"Yes, I am," was the somber reply. "I… I just find it hard to answer that question…"

"Hard? In what way?"

"I don't know how much longer I can stay awake like this. There's just so much I wish I could tell you, but deep down, I can tell… My mind is as fragile as glass. It could break apart at any moment, and I might possibly do something dangerous. You need to hurry to the Preservatorium. You need to kill me before it comes to that."

Connla bit her lip, but said, "It's okay. If you're not able to answer, then I'll find out for myself."

"Look to Rider and Caster of Akakor. If anyone knows the truth, it's them."

"Rider and Caster… We know who Rider is, but we know absolutely nothing about Caster."

Cliste's voice became almost inaudible as she moaned, "I'm sorry. I'm getting… sleepy…"

"All right, get some rest. I can ask Spartacus once he's recovered."

Soon, the transmission was cut. Cliste's voice could no longer be heard throughout the shrine. Connla exhaled a disappointed sigh and muttered, "This mystery just keeps getting deeper, doesn't it?"

Cuchulainn dematerialized Curruid Coinchenn so that he was back to normal, then approached his daughter and asked, "Was that supposed to be your counterpart?"

"Yes, that's Cliste, the one who's been helping me control my Imbas Forosnai. It because of her that Chaldea has a much better understanding of how it works."

He wasn't sure what to say. Cliste seemed so similar to Connla that they could've been mistaken for twins just based on their personalities. Izo appeared equally as upset as Cuchulainn, albeit for different reasons. He realized that Cliste was the actual girl he spoke to during the first moments of his summoning, based on how melancholic and worn-out her voice sounded. Now that he had a better understanding of what her situation was, his stomach practically churned on itself, and he stared away from the others in disgust.

How could Izo possibly forget the events of May 11, 1865? That was the day he had been executed for the assassination of Yoshida Touyou, the regent of Tosa. Izo himself had been beheaded, and only after undergoing severe torture to extract a confession out of him. Not only that, his head had been put on public display. To further sully his reputation, his former ally Takechi Hanpeita even wrote scathing letters about Izo to his family back in his hometown, calling him a disgraceful fool who was better off dying.

Imagine if he had been forced to stay alive as just a head on a pole, knowing that everyone around him called him a useless wretch. Of course he would beg for death. No one deserved to live like that. Yet, here was Cliste trapped in such a pathetic existence, unable to do anything but talk and sleep. Izo couldn't fathom how anyone could put such a young girl through a horrifying experience like that. Although he didn't understand everything that was happening in Akakor, he no longer cared about the details. He just wanted to save her – a merciful gesture from one Servant to another.

"Aaahh…"

Izo was distracted from his thoughts when he heard Spartacus moan in pain. The gladiator's body had returned to normal proportions by now, although steam rose from his seared flesh due to how violent the transformation had been. He remained hunched over on the ground in a pitiful heap.

"Please, try not to move," Connla urged him. She helped him crawl over to the nearest wall so he could sit upright and recover.

"Ungh… Little miss…"

"Are you all right now?"

"Yes, I am. Lancer stopped me at the last second."

"Why did you lose control of yourself like that? You know that Cliste would have been devastated if she found out you died so suddenly."

"It was… what you said…"

"What I said?"

"About doing the right thing… and how it is always so difficult…"

She closed her eyes and sighed despondently. "I see. You must've wanted to do the right thing yourself, but you were not allowed to because of the Command Spell. That must be the main difference between you being an Avenger versus a Berserker; it wasn't physical pain you built up, but frustration over your inability to help her. All of that came to a head just now, didn't it?"

"Indeed," Spartacus admitted sorrowfully.

"Well, those days are over. I'm from an organization called Chaldea, and it's our job to resolve conflicts that can potentially affect human history. Cliste told me that she will be the cause of a Singularity, and since it's our credo to correct such incidents, it means we have to do something about her. Cliste was right about one thing; if you're not able to save her yourself, then you can leave it to us. Your Command Spell doesn't have a stipulation saying you can't help someone else reach the Grail Terminal, right?"

The Thracian paused for a moment. As he pondered Connla's suggestion, an emotion he thought had been lost forever welled within him. His dour expression quickly turned gleeful, and he let out a mighty laugh.

"Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Of course! Why had I not thought of that until now!? There is nothing preventing me from being an accomplice in a rebellion! I feel so foolish that I cannot help but laugh at my own stupidity!" Spartacus howled.

"Don't say that," Connla murmured.

"Worry not! My eyes have been opened! No longer do I need to lament in solitude over the friend I lost to those oppressors! Now is the time for us to save her! Consider Manoa's anchor to the Tradition Protection as good as vanquished!"

The child Lancer sighed in relief. Although it was unfortunate that Atalante had to die during this battle, at least she still managed to get Spartacus on Chaldea's side. Since he was in charge of the shrine, she could leave the lowering of the barrier to him. For now, all they could do was wait until the other two shrines were captured.


Brussels, PW #00162B

Thousands upon thousands of arrows sailed through the air, arching at the apex of their flight before plummeting upon the army of skeletal soldiers. While most of the undead warriors were skewered by sharpened quivers, they were unable to feel pain, so all the assault did was either incapacitate them or simply slow them down. The rear guard raised their shields to block the downpour of arrows, then charged forth to meet the opposing army of human soldiers. The grey ash on the Persian territory of Ionioi Hetaroi swirled like a typhoon as thousands of ghastly soldiers breached the golden sands of the Macedonian territory.

Once both armies met, what followed what indescribable chaos. Swords clashed, spears thrust, shields bashed, blood spilled, and men yelled everywhere. Perhaps even the environment itself was waging war, as the ash mixed in with the sand in a tumultuous spiral and made visibility poor for all of the soldiers engulfed in the storm. Even if the Persian warriors were beings that did not belong in the realm of the living, the Macedonians barely faltered at the sight. Satan himself could come barging in with a horde of terrifying demons at his beck and call, and the Macedonians would still not falter.

Despite the bedlam contained in this Reality Marble, the real battle was happening in the center. Both armies left a wide berth around their kings so that they could duel each other in their own arena.

"AH LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LAAA~AAA~AAAHHH!"

Iskandar unleashed a terrific battle yodel as he rode atop Bucephalus, galloping toward the snarling Darius as he remained seated atop his mammoth mount. The Persian king raised one of his axes and roared in response. The ground surrounding him churned and bubbled before a disgusting tidal wave of bones, muscles and body parts blasted through. It rippled toward Iskandar like a tsunami, threatening to swallow him whole.

"TAH!" the Macedonian king shouted as Bucephalus leapt high over the torrent, then landed on a particularly large spine that rose from the flood and used it to bounce further towards Darius. Iskandar brandished a long spear that crackled with bright lightning, then heaved it at his opponent. Unperturbed, Darius countered by surrounding his twin axes in viridian fire and slashing forth in an X pattern, disrupting the spear's trajectory and throwing it off course. Darius' elephant saw Bucephalus coming and howled before attempting to barge into the much smaller horse like an oncoming train.

Iskandar quickly got off the saddle while Bucephalus was still jumping towards Darius, and he fell upon the surprised Persian king wielding his broadsword. The steed continued onward to avoid being rammed by the mammoth, circling around the behemoth while leaping over waves of bones and organs. Both kings found themselves fighting a brutal duel atop the stampeding elephant, which made it difficult for them to maintain their footing in such a limited space. Darius had more experience with riding such a gargantuan animal though, so he fared better with maintaining his balance while driving Iskandar back with violent axe slashes. He even managed to cut through the Macedonian's tunic and carve a deep gash into his chest.

"Oohf! Not bad!" Iskandar complimented his foe while pressing his hand against his wound.

"DIII~IIIE!" Darius shouted and raised his weapons high, intent on crushing his mortal enemy's skull into pieces.

"Too slow!"

Iskandar bravely got in close to Darius, pointing his sword at the larger man's chest. Instead of attempting to evade the attack, he chose to remain where he was and land a fatal blow despite knowing how much danger he was in. After all, if he tried dodging to either side, he would fall off the elephant and be devoured by the waves of body parts. Thanks to Iskandar's quick thinking, he was able to stab his blade through Darius' heart while the Persian's arms were still raised.

"Gu… Guooogh…"

That was the last thing Darius could practically utter. The life in his eyes dimmed until he collapsed backwards, unintentionally sitting back down on the throne atop the elephant's back. Iskandar extracted his sword from the dead king, then stared at him for a short while.

He then flashed a hearty grin and declared, "You have my admiration, Darius III. Until our next encounter, rest your weary bones."

It wouldn't be long before Darius' body shone gold and disappeared in a swath of shining particles. Once he was dead, the onslaught of limbs and organs subsided. The elephant suddenly lost all of its energy and fell to the ground. Iskandar jumped off before the giant beast slammed upon the sand. Bucephalus returned to his side, and he eagerly observed the rest of the battle as the undead Persian army's numbers rapidly dwindled, allowing for his men to overcome them with ease. Once he was satisfied with this miniature war's conclusion, he canceled the effects of Ionioi Hetaroi, allowing reality to return to normal until he was back in the front gardens of Baert's manor.


During the battle between the two Servants, Magistrate Baert was busy preparing to leave his home behind so he could retreat to the Netherlands for protection. He had two of his manservants plus the coachman ready the carriage, while he packed up some of his personal belongings. Once he was finished, he hurried to the stables.

Darius will not be enough to stop Iskandar, but at least he'll serve as an effective distraction. The only thing I'll have to worry about is choosing the appropriate scapegoat to shoulder the blame for this failure, Baert thought as he opened the door to the carriage.

Before he could get inside though, he noticed an armored figure kneeling inside. He wielded a short sword that was pointed directly at the startled magistrate. Baert was unable to do anything as the soldier burst through the door and stabbed through his heart, killing him instantly. Both men collapsed to the ground, but only the soldier got back up again. Without saying anything, the man disappeared in a haze. It would only be several minutes later before the coachman returned to discover the magistrate's corpse, with the Command Spells that were on his right hand now absent.


Antwerp

Waver looked absolutely exhausted. Even though he had slept through the entire night, he woke up still feeling worn out. Lexy prepared an early breakfast for him while checking his vitals to make sure he didn't catch any unusual diseases native to this parallel world.

"Hmm," she murmured while checking his temperature. "Nothing appears to be out of the ordinary, other than your prana stores being depleted."

"What the heck is Rider doing? I thought this was going to be a simple takeover," Waver moaned.

"Word must have reached the magistrate about the battle here, and he came prepared to fight."

"Well I sure hope he hurries it up. I don't know how much more of this I can take."

"Just take it easy. There's no need to rush."

Waver sighed, then ate some food to regain at least a little bit of his energy. Lexy remained seated next to him, remaining on constant guard in case he fainted from exhaustion. After a short while, he faced her, then asked, "I'm kind of curious, but where will we be going once we leave this world behind?"

"Naturally, we'll be going to Akakor. I've set the coordinates so that we will emerge in the Shrine of Salazere."

"One of the anchor points for the Tradition Protection?"

"Yes. I want to have a word with the Caretaker there regarding Mother."

"Why that one?"

"He's Ruler of Akakor, who has been allowed to manage the Grail Terminal directly. He is absolutely pivotal to maintaining Mother's sanity, so making my case known to him will be best if we want to make any progress with capturing the Preservatorium."

"What do you mean by Lancer of Akakor's 'sanity'? I thought she was dead."

Lexy grew uncomfortable with Waver's question. "Well, um… It's kind of hard to explain, but… Well… Let's just say that Lancer's execution was faked, and she's still alive inside the Grail Terminal."

His eyes widened in surprise. "You mean her Spirit Origin is being used to power it?"

"In a way… Sort of…"

The Mage grew concerned when he noticed his friend's distress. He really wished he could ask her for more details, but he didn't want to force her to talk if it was bothering her this much. She really had done a lot for him, and he believed it would be boorish of him to repay her kindness by putting unnecessary pressure on her.

"All right," he said. "I'll find out everything once we get to Salazere."

"I'm sorry for being so evasive. It's just so difficult for me to talk about."

"It's not your fault. I know what real Mages are like. I might not know what's going on, but they must have done something unfathomable to Lancer. After all, most Mages treat their Servants as just disposable pawns. I bet this isn't any different."

"…"

As the pair sat there in an uneasy silence, they heard someone knocking on the door from the outside. Both teenagers snapped out of their reverie and instantly turned toward the door. They weren't sure if this was a trap of some kind, since neither of them were expecting visitors. However, a man's voice called out, "Is anyone there? I'm looking for Mr. Waver Velvet."

Waver and Lexy glanced at each other nervously. He quietly nodded to her, indicating that she could open the door for him. She got up and wrapped one hand around the doorknob, while keeping the other hand hidden behind her back with an Ansuz Rune ready. She opened the door, revealing Leclerq standing in the hallway.

"Can I help you, sir?" Lexy asked him.

"That depends. My name's Luca Leclerq, mayor of Antwerp. I was told that Mr. Velvet has made temporary lodgings here."

"So you're the Leclerq that Rider spoke to?" Waver asked, then nodded to Lexy again so that she could let the gentleman in without incident. "What might you be doing here, sir? Isn't it dangerous for you to be wandering about when there's a civil war going on?"

"That's precisely why I'm here, young man. Iskandar told me that his associate Lexy would provide me with protection if needed. Still…"

Leclerq suspiciously eyed the white-haired young woman. "I never expected him to be affiliated with one of those accursed Enforcers."

"It's all right, Mr. Leclerq," Waver assured him. "Lexy has been branded a traitor among the Enforcers. She is no longer in servitude to the Mages from my world."

"I see. I suppose it takes an Enforcer to know how an Enforcer fights."

Lexy went over to the stove and asked, "Would you like some tea?"

"Please. I am quite exhausted after having to ride the carriage here from my residence in the dead of night."

She prepared a cup for him, and the trio sat around the table. After he took a few sips of his beverage, Leclerq said, "You'll have to excuse me if I'm sounding uncouth, but I want to know why a Master from the Akakor world is here liberating us from the Mages he is supposed to be studying under."

"Huh? Why would you want to know that?" Waver wondered.

"Simply put, I don't believe in coincidences. It can't be mere happenstance that such good fortune has come our way when there are 127 other worlds out there that need salvation just as much as we do. I'll overlook the fact that you appear to be wet behind the ears, but there has to be a good reason you've left your world behind and are rebelling against this system."

The student visibly pouted when Leclerq mentioned how inexperienced he was. Despite this, he and Lexy spent some time explaining everything that had happened to them until now. Leclerq closed his eyes, folded his arms, and allowed his brain to soak in all of the information they were giving him. He felt it would be important to know what the situation was in the Akakor world when the provisional government got around to negotiations with King Charles. What they were telling him though turned out to be far more outrageous than he could have anticipated.

"So this whole system exists because the Akakor world's time is growing short…" he murmured darkly. He then faced Waver and said, "I hope you understand what this means, young man. While I do appreciate that you have taken the time to save this world from Akakor, you are simultaneously cutting off a crucial source of energy for your world to sustain itself. Are you sure you can handle the weight of such an immense betrayal against your own world? Not to mention that if you somehow find a way to destroy the Terminal, you may very well be destroyed along with your world."

"Well… That is…" Waver moaned.

Lexy's eyes narrowed as she declared, "I'll think of something."

"Lexy?"

"I'll make sure it doesn't come to that for Mr. Velvet. He just wants to do the right thing, and I'm helping him see it through. It couldn't be any simpler than that."

"The 'right thing', hm?" Leclerq muttered to himself. "That's quite the conviction, young Enforcer. Usually that kind of naïve determination winds up ringing hollow in the end."

"If it comes to it, I'll send Mr. Velvet to a parallel world where he'll be safe from Akakor's destruction."

Waver became mildly surprised. Leclerq remarked, "Oh ho. Quite the bold plan there. Well, if it's necessary, I can always let him lodge in my manor as a researcher. In fact, why don't you two forget about this whole parallel world nonsense and stay here for good?"

Waver shook his head. "I'm not doing that. I still want to find out the truth regarding Lancer of Akakor. She's the very reason I'm on the run anyway."

Leclerq raised an eyebrow. "Is this Lancer person really that important to you? I doubt she'd ever expect someone she's never met before to save her from whatever peril she's in. If I were in your shoes, I'd be wondering how much it'd be worth it to go out of my way for a complete stranger."

"She's not as much of a stranger as you think. Lexy here is a clone of Lancer. In fact, all of the Enforcers are the same as her."

"Oh?" the mayor became surprised when he heard this, and stared at Lexy for a moment. "How unusual. You both speak of Lancer as a good person, yet the Enforcers tyrannized us for so long."

"I'm just one aspect of the original Lancer," Lexy said. "The others represent different facets of her personality, some of which are not pleasant. It's those unpleasant ones you must have encountered in the past."

"Hmm… Well, they do say that humans have multiple sides to them."

"That's right. Even if my sisters oppose Mr. Velvet, he still wants to meet Lancer of Akakor and see if he can vindicate her. He doesn't believe that Servants are evil, but rather that their Masters have ill intentions for them. If such fallacies can be pointed out, then perhaps it may lead to better relationships between Masters and their Servants."

Leclerq sat there and pondered Lexy's argument. He was finding out a lot more than he was really comfortable with. Even so, at least he had longtime allies and retainers to confide in. He wasn't sure if Waver would have the same kind of support should he discover something devastating about Lancer's past. He doubted that Lexy and Iskandar would be enough to help Waver overcome such delicate emotions. Still, what could he do about it? They were serious about continuing onward despite the risks. All he could do was wish them well and pray for their success.

Just then, a strange human-shaped haze fizzled into existence. Lexy immediately got in front of Waver and Leclerq to defend them from any potential threat. The Servant who stood before them was a black-haired fellow clad in light black armor and a dark cape that wrapped around his left shoulder and entire lower body.

"It's okay," Waver told her. "Rider told me that one of his men would come to report to me."

"Ah. My apologies," Lexy said to the man and relaxed her guard.

"You are just performing your duty as a Servant. There is nothing to apologize for," the newcomer said. "I am Eumenes, one of Lord Iskandar's retainers. I am here to report of my liege's successful takeover of Brussels."

"Well that was expedient," Leclerq remarked, then rubbed his creased forehead. "I suppose I'll be having a lot of sleepless nights in the days to come."

Zhuge Liang's voice spoke through the Runes on Waver, "The lad's prana stores have been depleted again. I assume that Iskandar used his Noble Phantasm, and since he wouldn't waste it on a lowly worm like Magistrate Baert, he had to have faced off against a Servant."

"That's correct," Eumenes said. "Baert had summoned Darius III specifically to match wits against Lord Iskandar. Of course, that gamble did not pay off, and my compatriot Mithrenes slew Baert before he could flee the city."

"What a lummox. Why would he summon a king who lost against Iskandar while they were alive?"

"I am not privy to the mindset of a defeated enemy."

"Fair enough. Well then, Mr. Leclerq, I'd say you're in the clear to overtake Brussels and make Belgium's stance clear to King Charles – that you will no longer tolerate having your people sold off to Mages from a parallel universe."

Leclerq grumbled, "I'm sure the king would want to cover up any and all knowledge of the Parallel World Gates from the public. It seems like a detriment to the provisional government on the surface, since he may want anyone who knows about them silenced, but I have a few tricks to turn the tide in our favor. Of course, none of this will work unless this world's connection is severed from Akakor. If that connection remains, the Mages will want to reclaim the farms and slaves once more."

"Don't worry about that," Lexy said. "I've made proper arrangements with destroying the Gate. Once Mr. Velvet, Lord Iskandar and I depart, the link between our worlds will be permanently cut off."

"Good. That Akakor world is nothing more than a parasitic existence at this point."

She glanced away from him and frowned slightly. For him to call her world a parasite was a little insulting, but she knew he was right. After all, parasites could only live by feeding off of their hosts, and it was already predicted that the Akakor world was living on borrowed time. In her mind, even though the 'parasite' was already attached to so many parallel worlds as hosts, it couldn't sate its exponentially growing appetite for magical energy, and would soon self-destruct.

But then, in her mind, that created a paradox. If the Atlas Institute had predicted that the world would end in 1976, then the Mages concocted the Grail Terminal to stave off the apocalypse by having the Akakor world live off of parallel worlds' resources. However, it was that very system which doomed the world anyway due to the planet's exponentially increasing hunger for magical energy, much like how an obese person became addicted to food despite knowing how dangerous it was for them to overeat.

So then, did that mean the prediction was an attempt to save the world? Or was it the unwitting source of the world's end in the first place?