AN- It's time to get back into the war, me thinks.

Chapter 12

Circumstances had changed yet again with the arrival of the Red Team, though I couldn't say I was necessarily ill prepared for them. I had known for a-while now that seven new Masters, all unknown and each accompanied by an equally unknown Servant, would be taking part in this Apocrypha.

And now they were here. And the knowledge that I had known in advance that they would be arriving didn't make me any less anxious.

"I think that we will need a bit more reconnaissance now, huh?" Boudica had commented, and we had all agreed. We knew all about the Blue Team now- the identity of the Masters, of the Servants, and all the likely places they would be. Plus, there was my foreknowledge we could fall back on. I'd told my Servants some of the more important details of our enemies, which was just one more edge we could use.

But for the Red Team… we were going into this blind. Like, I could make guesses for the Masters based on side characters I knew about- but functionally, this could only be an exercise in futility as such predictions gave no guidance on how to deal with them even if I DID manage to miraculously guess one (Though if Aoko Aozaki or Loreli Barthomeloi showed up like I feared, then at least I would get to skip the pants-wetting phase and move straight onto running the fuck away).

We were going to need to fill in the blanks quickly- before the unknowns piled up and kicked us in the ass when we weren't paying attention.

This led to our present patrol, looking for any signs of any new enemies. I'd brought all Servants along with me on Boudica's chariot save for one, despite the risks. Saber was obviously with me to fight any Servants and Caster to support and heal if necessary. Assassin had decided to drop out on account of how her Espionage Skill only worked for as long as the enemy was unsuspecting of her identity. Rider was there to give us a quick get-away if we needed it (Since her Chariot had become usable about four hours ago- thank you, Medea's Hospital boosting all manner of recovery), while Berserker had somehow managed to persuade me to accept her presence.

I didn't know how much Kiyohime could help, but if it kept her Yandere tendencies in check to allow her to tag along and get used as a body shield or something, then I could accept it. If she just stuck with Boudica and myself on the Chariot, then I was sure that she'd be fine.

["Guys, I can sense a large amount of Prana and my scrying shows that there is fire coming from Ryudou Temple!"]

Now that was a surprise. ["We'll check it out then, I think."] I projected back. There was no doubt that we would find a battlefield upon arriving there- it was just a matter of how massive a cluster fuck it would be by the time we got there.

XXXXXXXXXX

When we arrived at the temple, there were only flames and the sounds of battle. Even from a distance, the damage was clear. Smoke billowed from the temple itself, the outer boundary walls were missing huge chunks of stone, flashes of light shot through the night, and half of the forest area had been torn down. Even the steps we rode up to arrive at the temple were chipped and scarred by blades, while no guardian met us at the gate.

Ahead of me, at the top of the gate, the way lay open. Assassin of Blue, Sasaki Kojiro, was likely already dead, and the fighting had long since surged inside.

I looked to my Servants, and I could see the hesitation in their gaze. A fight was happening- the largest this War had seen. Between a defending force in the Temple and an invading party, the number of Servants involved was likely ridiculous.

The problem was whether we got involved or not. The only stakes we had in this fight was over the winner of it. It was surprising we already weren't involved in the fighting, but if we entered we'd definitely end up in a battle… one I wasn't sure we could survive considering my only combatants were Lily, Medea and Boudica.

Last time I sent those three into a battle they weren't ready for, two thirds of them almost died. And that was up against one Servant, and this time Boudica would be largely out of action due to all of us hiding within her protection upon the chariot.

If we fought, I would likely get to see the vast majority of the enemies I'd face in this Holy Grail War, but I was liable to take losses. If we left now, we'd retain our safety, but gain minimal information- plus, we'd have no control over whoever would settle upon the ruined yet still potent Temple.

["Medea, can you scry from outside?"] I questioned.

She shook her head sadly. ["The natural defences here are ridiculous enough, but remnants of a Territory still exist up here too. No, I can't."]

"Well shit." I bit my lip. We were at the base of the steps, only a good run away from the enclosed circle of battle within the Bounded Field at the top. This was the only natural entrance or exit that didn't require crossing the massively potent barrier of the mountain- until we crossed the gate we would be safe.

Finally, I made a decision. A compromise, really.

["We retreat, for now."]I mentally ordered. ["Away from the gate, we'll watch the outcome of the fight from a distance. If anybody retreats, it will have to be through the gate."]

This was the best idea I had. I couldn't risk entering, not yet, but nor could I completely leave behind this battle, due to that ridiculous need for knowledge. This battle was going to have consequences I could never even predict, and unless I personally watched its outcome, could not even begin predicting. We'd watch from afar, and see what happened.

At Saber's recommendation, we chose the top of a nearby skyscraper. It wasn't the best skyscraper, nor the closest (because I expected that if Rin was here, she was likely there), but it still offered a good view. I could barely see anything, but Medea could, and she had promised to relay everything she saw.

Finally, it seemed that a turning point was happening within the Temple. More accurately, someone had chosen to retreat through the gate.

"It's this priest guy and a man in blue spandex and a spear." My Caster identified.

"That's Kotomine Kirei and his Lancer, Cu Chulainn." I replied. "He also has Gilgamesh in his pocket, though he clearly hasn't been called out for this." If he had, it would have already ended with a thousand air bound blades and half a dozen deaths.

Still, Kirei fleeing suggested the Reds had an advantage. The depraved priest had chosen to stay with Caster, but who else had?

EMIYA, apparently. Or at the very least, he had come to the Temple of his own accord before we arrived here, because he left through the gate alone- without Tohsaka Rin.

At least I honestly hoped that it was the case that she was back at her home with Sakura, and not that she'd been abandoned inside the temple when Archer of Blue left her behind.

With EMIYA's departure, it seemed the battle ended, as the noise and lightshow ended.

"But… what happened?" Nobody else had left, so did this mean that any other Blue Team members there had died? Was Elder!Medea dead? No- I doubted that. She could do that sneaky teleport of hers, so we may just have missed her jumping ship when she saw the battle lost.

Likewise, I didn't know how many enemies they'd fought, or if anyone had been killed. Hell, I hadn't seen anything of either Shirou or Ilya, so who knows if they'd even been involved in this?

Damn it- I sure didn't know much.

"Looks like the Reds won." Saber noted.

"It's a shame that they did." Berserker said demurely, covering her face with her sleeve. "It is a terrible shame to see a temple wounded so fiercely. This Red Team must be comprised of true savages were they to be happy in doing this."

I scoffed at that. "Not like the Blue Team is any better."

"What do we do now?" Medea asked. "Like, we've managed to stay out of the battle, but what's the next stage?"

"We do what we always do. Turn tail and run." At her sceptical look, I pressed on. "Well, it's not like we'd do any better invading the Temple as it is. Maybe we'd gain some advantage in attacking now, since they've likely weakened themselves, but it doesn't change that we aren't really ready to attack a full Team yet. We can't guarantee that they've lost any Servants."

"In other words, we could still be outnumbered if we attack, and considering our specialities, they likely outpower us too." Lily was almost clinical in their summation. "Oh my, truly we are in a rather weak position, aren't we?"

"We'll get stronger." I said, definitively. "We can still summon two Servants, and the two remaining Classes are very combat heavy. Although, if I were to summon two more Servants like you lot, we might as well toss in the towel."

"Hey!" Medea pouted. "I'm actually a competent healer and a majestic Magecraft heavy power! Don't lump me in with the likes of her." She said scathingly, gesturing to the curiously sane Berserker (Were one to discount Yandere tendencies).

The Yamato Nadeshiko pouted at the slight, but couldn't exactly argue with the summation. Both Assassin and Berserker had been rather useless in a direct fight- Mata Hari had her uses, and I guessed that Berserker's madness could be set upon an enemy, but it didn't change the fact there were many stronger and more useful Servants I could have gotten my hands on.

"Hmmmm…" Boudica frowned, deep in thought. "So, the plan is to return home? Are we certain that is fine? If we leave now, then the enemy will entrench itself. Victory is sometimes a matter of picking the right battle, but we can't win any gains if we refuse to fight."

"Tomorrow." I told her, firmly. "When we Summon another Servant, I'll feel confident enough for us to enter the fray."

Yes- perhaps then I'd feel a bit better sending my Servants into the conflict, having secured another fighter to aid us. We'd see what we felt like, but we would have the option of either picking off the shaken Blue Team (Perhaps removing that oh so troublesome Older!Medea), or trying to make a move against the still unknown Reds.

Either way- tomorrow was a new day. But tonight, we were finished.

… or at least we would have been if I hadn't found Ilya and Shirou holding the sole bridge in Fuyuki crossing the migoa river… of which our hotel was on the other side.

["We have a flying Chariot. We should just… y'know, fly around them."] I decided with a solemn nod. Rider was one step ahead of me, already readying to turn.

However, Berserker clearly had a problem with us daring to not charge them, and also had the ridiculous jumping power necessary and leap into the sky and smash his axesword right into the underside of the vehicle before we could so much as swerve, almost sending us all flying if it wasn't for the magic of the Noble Phantasm keeping us rooted to the device. The physical capabilities and swiftness of Hercules would be almost applaudable, were we not on the receiving end.

"Damn it!" Boudica cried, already muttering about how she'd only just got her chariot shiny again. For a giant muscular monstrosity, Berserker of Blue sure could pass for a Spanish hero, what with how he could appear out of fucking nowhere and smack us on our ass even when we could see him coming. His attack had knocked us off course, and it took a very sharp rise to prevent us striking the bricked wall of the opposite bank. We'd cleared the river, anyway. We could have likely continued flying…

Had a massive gale of compressive wind not smacked the side of our ride- forcing us to plummet and crash.

It was as I feared. As we stumbled from the crash site (Though thankfully not the wreckage- the Noble Phantasm still seemed in one piece this time), I saw Saber of Blue awaiting us, the golden blade of Excalibur visible for all to see due to her releasing her Invisible Air to bring us to the ground.

"Oh great, I'd completely forgotten the two of you were allied." I mused.

"Indeed. Our alliance has been finalised." Saber told me sternly, her blade already starting to revert to its state of invisibility.

"Did you have to try and wreck my Chariot though, Arthur dear?" Boudica said as she pushed her upturned chariot over. "I mean really, considering your legend I'm surprised you were willing to attack so suddenly like that."

The blonde Kings eyes narrowed. "How did you learn my identity?"

My redheaded King shrugged happily. "Well, when we first met you seemed familiar, but I couldn't quite figure it out. Then my Master wisely stopped hiding things and told us about the major threats he knew of, including you, and it all made sense! You have the feel of true a Britton. A certain… spirit."

"And who are you?" She replied.

"Well, while I'd love to tell you my name and go treat my something-something-descendant to galette, I would be a poor Servant to do so." She shook her head sadly. "Sorry, but it seems that we must fight."

"Well this is a war, is it not?" Ilya let loose a little giggle, having finally arrived along with Shirou and the form of her Berserker, hulking over behind them- like an overprotective wall. "It's a pleasure to meet you again, Aberration."

At her identification of me, I couldn't stop the snort of irritation I had. "I guess you've been speaking to Ruler. I swear that if she's got everyone calling me that, I'll be annoyed."

"Give up your Command Seals." Shirou ordered, cutting to the chase without even bothering with letting our dialogue continue. His eyes were like steel- hard. He was resolved to fight, and had a large bow made from a strong branch in his hands. "If you do that, we won't have to fight."

"No." I replied, bluntly.

"Then we'll beat you." He said with determination.

"Why are you even here anyway!? Weren't you meant to be at the Temple having your ass kicked there?" I ranted at them. "Seriously, what the fuck are you doing here considering your base of operation has just been hijacked?"

The whitehaired girl gave me a little laugh. "It's funny that you think I'd work with them. My Hercules is the strongest. The only ally I want is my little brother."

"So what, you just said 'fuck you Blue Team, I don't need to play nice with nobody' and left them?" I asked her, almost incredulously. "No- that's totally in character. Geez, no wonder the Temple was lost so quickly considering how they were already without a Rider and missing two of their heaviest hitters."

"Something like that." Ilya said with a carefree smile. "So, with this out the way, are you ready to die yet, Aberration?"

"There is only one thing we say to death: Not Today." I retorted. "I don't intend to die any time soon. So, I'd much rather not fight. Are you certain you wouldn't prefer showing off how tough your Berserker is to those damned cocky Reds?"

"Nice try, but no." Alas, Ilya wasn't anywhere near as young as she looked, nor as dumb.

"Okay, time to change tracks." I mused, already having found another avenue of attack. In other words, the weak link.

"Shirou," I began, calling out the archer. "I know you entered the war to guarantee nobody misused the Grail's Wish. I can confidently say that I have no wish that will harm others, nor that will actually change anything. I won't rewrite history, or break reality in any way. In other words, on an idealistic level, I am one of the closest you could get to a wish that would be deemed 'acceptable' by your standards. In addition, with multiple wishes on the table, wouldn't it make sense to prioritise those who are actually a threat to your ideals first?"

However, the Faker seemed just as adamant as before. "No. I can't accept that."

Alas, I failed my Diplomacy roll. "Why not? Surely coexistence is possible?"

"Ordinarily, yes." He agreed. "However, this time, I can't take the chance. Because I too have a wish I need answered, so all that matters to me is claiming enough Servant deaths to obtain the Grail."

Blink, blink, blink… I stare vacantly for a second- the mind crashes and my thoughts cease to work as the manual override is pulled my vocal cords. "Urgh… wat?"

"I have a wish." Shirou repeated. "I can't accept failure. I won't give up my victory to another. I'll win the Grail, no matter the cost."

Again- my brain almost shut down on itself at the fundamental wrongness which was Emiya Shirou actively wanting the Holy Grail for something. "Since when the fuck did you have a wish!?" I accused.

"Since I found a reason to hope for, to Wish for."

"Well shit." ["Okay guys, I'm out of ideas."]

"It seems we shall fight after all." Lily said pleasantly, stepping forwards and bowing slightly. "I am Saber of Grey, and I challenge you to a duel, King of Knights."

Arthuria looked to Shirou (Who gave a hesitant nod), and came to a decision. "I accept your offer, Saber of Grey. We shall honourably engage in the field of battle."

"Saber." I hissed at her.

She paid no heed, and shook her head sadly. "Master, we cannot fight the two of them together. Allow me to keep Saber occupied."

"Which just leaves me with FREAKING HERCULES to contend with!" I didn't exactly feel any better with Saber largely prevented from fighting anyone but Lily. Hercules was a monster after all. It took an A Rank attack at a minimum just to break his flesh, and you needed to kill him 13 times with attacks of that level, at that.

I'd checked with my Servants. I think the only one of them I knew to possess a Noble Phantasm of that Rank was Assassin, and in her words, someone without sanity was largely immune to her Noble Phantasm due to that absence of reason.

My only real weapon here was Medea, and her A Rank spells would only work for so long before Hercules would become immune to them!

"Kill them all, Berserker!" Ilya commanded, ripping away the leash holding back the mad demigod. With a roar, the son of Zeus rampaged towards us.

"I fucking hate that guy." I said, as Rider hopped atop her Chariot and attempt to stop him, and Caster levitated above the field and prepared to do what she could. "I really fucking hate that guy."