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Chapter 24

There was nothing to her life now but death. She was cold to it all by now. Numb. Not even this massacre could cause the rush that combat once provided.

Once again, she was on a battlefield of the dead, the only one standing.

How long had she been standing here, guarding this gate? How many had been cut down? How many more would she need to slay? How long would this duty of hers be forced upon her?

When did she first lift her spear? Why did she do so? Such knowledge was lost forever-more. Not even the Wisdom of the Haunted Ground could answer a question such as that.

"Ah, how long has it been?" how long since she became more than mortal, her killings taking her beyond the ranks of God-Killing and further into the Divine?

"When oh when can I finally-"

StaTiC.

I was suddenly more aware of myself. Before, I'd been sharing in another's dreams, voyeuristically living through that which wasn't my own life. It was an undeniably the experiences of another.

Now, once more, I was myself.

And I didn't know where I was.

"Oh, a fly wanders into the spiders web? Perhaps a better analogy is the moth flying towards the flame." Before me was a throne. I was in a grand temple of some kind: the exact specifics of its design were unimportant. They were all overshadowed the beautiful being before me.

"A flatter. Adorable. Perhaps I'll take you as a foot stool?"

Please don't, for I am bony and uncomfortable.

"True."

I gaze once more up at the radiance. And it finally clicks concerning who I was looking at. She reminded me of Ereshkigal.

"We are sisters of a sort, are we not?" she spoke rhetorically. "And you are the reckless soul that summoned her. I just had to see you for yourself."

Eh. Didn't exactly try to summon her, but I can't say I'm ungrateful for her aid.

"You really are a foolhardy one, aren't you?"

Maybe it was to do with the dreaminess of this encounter. Or maybe it was because it was a little hard to remember just how dangerous gods are once you've seen one flush in embarrassment.

"Brat. I've seen enough for now." the dream was growing dark. The radiance of Ishtar was now the only light source. "Be aware that I am watching you. Only I am allowed to humiliate that 'sister' of mine. So don't fuck up, boy, or we'll be having words again."

XXXXXXXXXX

"Fucking goddesses..."I muttered, waking to a thumping headache. Dream sequences had affected me before with my other Servants, but I hadn't had one quite so vivid as one where I sat down for a brief chat with the Goddess of Beauty and War.

For a moment, I just took in the atmosphere, enjoying a moment of relative peace before I would need to wake up and start thinking over properly.

Medea was beside me – she was presently acting as a little spoon, and seemed to be blissfully asleep. I made sure to disturb her as little as possible in untangling myself. Caster had been working herself to the bone recently, and I was sure she felt guilty for my almost-death yesterday. She deserved a lie in.

Likewise, Mata Hari and Lily were still asleep too. Assassin wasn't really a surprise – she was a touchy feely person, and I'd worried her dearly when she felt me die. Then there was Lily. They were my steadfast protector. The role they most fulfilled was 'bodyguard' at this point. I couldn't even remember the last time I'd seen them at peace, considering how often I'd spotted them on watch duty.

When I finally did free myself and get a chance of clothes, I greeted Rider and Archer in the quietest corner of the warehouse, where the makeshift kitchen was. The morning tea was just what I needed.

"Is Lancer outside?" I asked respectfully of Archer. Her presence was still a bit of an oddity to me as she kept on reminding me of Rin, and for too long I'd seen her as an enemy. And I remembered her sisters warning too...

"She is. Practising." Archer nodded her head, drinking her own mug of earl grey. "Master, we still have a lot to discuss concerning our contract and where we go from here. But after yesterday, I understand your need to rest."

"I appreciate that." I admitted. "I just want an hour to rest before I dive back into that rabbit hole."

"The war can wait for a few hours." Agreed Boudica, a reassuring smile on her face and a bacon sandwich for me in the other. Truly, she was an angel, delivering me from the worries of an empty stomach.

"I'll need to see Ruler." I said firmly, more to myself than anyone else. "I need to ask her some questions. 'Some things I don't know' indeed. Then we need to sit down and figure things out."

Ereshkigal rose to her feet. "I am willing to wait until then. Simply know that I have found your cause appropriate for the moment, and am willing to aid you."

"Thank you." Once again, I was treated to the red cheeks of Ereshkigal. It seems sincerity is her Achilles Heel. I'll have to remember that one. There is something oddly amusing about making a goddess blush...

"You're going to talk to Lancer, right?"

Rider had hit the nail on the head. "She's being pouty outside. And we know the Grey Team's slogan 'Amusing Antics Make the Dream Team'."

Boudica raised an amuse eyebrow. "Since when was that a case?"

"Since I just made it up right now. But it is kinda fitting though, right?"

Once food was eaten, I left the safety of the warehouse to confront my teacher.

I had no clue where she'd scrounged up a workout outfit or when, but she had, and was clearly putting herslef through a regiment. Off to one side I saw heavy objects that hadn't been here before like shipping containers, which I was all but certain that she had dragged here to be training weights. Right now she was spinning and twirling a Gae Bolg around in her hands, quickly swapping it from one to the next in a beautiful display of dexterity.

After two minutes of that, she planted her spear into the ground and turned to address me. "Student."

"Master." I replied with a tilt of the head, going to join her. She sat down upon an overturned, crumpled metal wheelbarrow and gestured for me to take the other crushed crate, which I did so.

"So what brings you out here so early?"

"Is it wrong to visit my Master?"

"It is when I assumed that you would be trying to avoid me." Admitted Lancer. "After all, nobody likes to seek out criticism."

"But that is specifically the point of a teacher, is it not?" Or at least, that is how I saw it. Any old fool could pick up a book and learn something, but a teacher had the specific responsibility of teaching it to them right, and helping them unlearn things too. "And after my performance yesterday, I probably need to get a bit of a wakeup call."

Without even another word, Scathach reached down to her side, picked up a broken piece of a pole... and promptly lobbed it at my head. "Ouch!"

"Next time, dodge." Instructed the God-Slayer.

"If you can dodge a spanner, than you can dodge a dodgeball?"

A brief smile of amusement. "Something like that." she exhaled audibly. "Student, I cannot give you the critique you seek. You want flaws and failures to reaffirm how terrible you feel you did... but I can't give you them."

"To save my hurt feelings?"

"Because I don't have any." Now, that was a surprise. "I am a harsh instructor. I offer commendation and praise rarely, and am very picky in who I train. In many ways, that is my flaw as a teacher. I expect excellence..."

"And excellence is just what I cannot provide?"

"No." she shook her head. "It's more that I understand now that I cannot train you in the same manner as I did Ferdiad or Cu. Tutoring should be tailored to the student. And you don't need the same things they did. It would be foolish for me to expect the same actions or results as them, when you are a very different sort of pupil. In other words, considering where you began and how you only have a day of teaching... can I truly be critical of your behaviour at the temple?"

"You should be." I countered. "You gave me one job as your pupil. Develop a runic technique and utilise it in battle. I failed to do that. The moment I saw Assassin I froze up, and he gutted me like a fish."

She shook her head. "You made a technique. You made two. A barrier to diffuse heat around yourself, and an offensive set of runes to produce a burst of steam. Both were techniques you presumably made to counter Alba, I presume?"

"Yes." I'd made them just in case the plan to take out Alba failed. If I could even stop a single blast of his dangerous fire, then that would hopefully be enough time to use a Command Seal.

"Well, you never got the chance to use it because you succeeded." here, her tone changed. "With the knowledge you had, your plan was a good one. Hardly perfect, but a good one. And you deployed it successfully, taking down who you considered to be the largest threat without even needing to fight them. If we take the entirety of last night into consideration, then in many ways, your operation was a success."

"I lost Berserker." I stressed. "I literally died. If you didn't bail us out against her, she would've cooked me without so much as a care."

Another thrown pipe. This one I was able to block with an arm, so at least I'd only get a bruise. "Foolish child. Those are your losing conditions. You hope to win without so much as a casualty. It is a lofty ambition that I am happy to aid you in pursuing, but also an unrealistic goal. By any other standards but your own, you succeeded in the goal of your alliance, removing the united Red Team from the temple and replacing them with a far weaker faction, disposed of the 'strongest' Servant and most powerful Master of the Red Team, weakened the Blues position by removing Lancer and have even been able to talk down Gilgamesh himself. Humility is one thing, but take some pride in things you've earned."

"I... I guess things could have gone worse." I admitted to myself.

"They could have. They could have also gone better, perhaps if I had aided you. With my Wisdom I can even read the future or at least make semi accurate predictions. I chose not to, because I was treating this like a test for you. I shouldn't have." Scathach was looking a little poignant now. "After all... you aren't Cu."

"No. I'm not." I agreed. "I don't think I can ever be someone like that."

"I won't expect you to be." The Lancer got back to her feet, stretching her arms and rolling her shoulders. "First and foremost, it would be ludicrous for me to train you as a combatant at this point. There is no possibility of learning enough quickly enough to be valid for this war. With Cu, I taught him combat first and foremost. To him, Runes and strategy were an afterthought, as he cared less for those arts less directly usable to combat."

"And I'm the other?" I assumed.

A nod. "I took you on primarily due to your motivation, but I became committed when I learnt of your Origin." Contradiction – and the wonderful consequences of it upon Runecraft. "You come from opposite ends of the spectrum. One, a natural warrior that needed his blade sharpening, and whom was forced to learn some academics for his own good. And you, a natural academic that needs his mind sharpened in the correct manner, and whom needs to learn combat for his own good."

It was a decent metaphor anyway. "Either way, not enough time in the war."

"We have to prioritise." she agreed. "Proper martial training can wait until you win the war, which under my guidance you will. Until then, I will hone your mind as best I can, and teach as much Runecraft as physically possible. Suffice to say, your real training begins now."

"Excellent!" I clapped my hands together. "When do we start?"

"What did I just say!?" she barked, her calming facade torn away, revealing the exercise demon underneath. "Now, now! You still have a few hours before all the Servants are active and you can begin your activities for the day! And while I don't intend to train you in combat, there are still tonnes of practical reasons for why a workout is good for your brain. So drop and give me 20!"

"I'm not sure if I can even give you 10!" I complained. I'm a nerd, leave me be to my beep-booping!

"I said drop, and you will drop!"

"Yes ma'am!" There was no arguing with that tone of voice. I dropped to the floor and got myself into position for what was going to be a terrible morning.

"What sort of posture is that!? That isn't how you do a push up! Here, this is how you do one..."

XXXXXXXXXX

"I had a feeling I would be seeing you." said the saint neutrally as I entered the church. She said a few quick words to several normal visitors still loitering around, who quickly scattered. Apparently, Ruler hadn't just taken over the role of overseer of the war, but also of the leader of the church itself. I wondered where Kirei was, but it certainly wasn't here.

"Well, after the cluster fuck last night, I figured we should talk." I said pleasantly, gesturing to the two Servants accompanying me: Lancer and Saber. These were the two Servants of mine best suited for close combat within a confined space, and both were also immensely dangerous without needing to use Magecraft. In other words, they were my best counter to the Magic Resistance EX bullshit Jeanne.

"There will be no need for a fight." she said, simply. "If need be I can just utilise Command Seals to make you stop."

"True." I admitted cheerfully. "I might just do it too, just so you have less Command Seals to hand out to anyone due to that pesky little bounty, you just oh so happened to put on my head but didn't tell me about." not that I'm bitter or anything, baka.

"I will admit fault for that." she admitted. "I told you before you had permission to participate in the war, but still acknowledged you as an outlier and a threat to the war. Based upon your own knowledge I assumed it would be obvious: even if you are a participant, you are still a threat. And any threat to a Grail War is almost universally a valid target for a bounty such as this."

"But you didn't tell me." I reminded her. "And because of that, I overvalued the worth of a Command Seal."

If I had known about just how replenishable Command Seals were against me, I likely would have never agreed to a Blue Team alliance (or would have at least tried to plan for it).

"I acknowledge that." she nodded her head. "The fact that in my role as a moderator I have been unfair is the only reason I offer this boon. Step forwards, Master of Grey!"

I looked to my Servants. Lancer inclined her head – this was safe. "What are you offering?"

"Command Seals." she replied. "One to compensate you for failing to inform you. One to compensate the Servant you lost due to this fact. One to compensate you for any Seals you spent due to this fact."

"You think that is fair? That it makes up for everything." it was a laughable idea.

Here she raised a stern eyebrow. "Would you prefer nothing?"

"Well, if it was put that way..." I stepped forwards.

"Where would you like them allocating?"

Three Seals... just where should I spend them? I'd already burned through so many, after all.

"One for Saber." they were down to one Seal, and were an excellent guardian. If I ever needed to summon a Servant quickly for my own protection, they were the best option.

"The second to Rider." For similar reasons, she was only on one and that made me uncomfortable.

But the third one was the tricky one. I could apply it to Assassin, and give myself the option of maybe using her offensively by Commanding her to use her Noble Phantasm for greater effect. Lancer was on 2 Seals, but I was trying to limit how many I used for her (I was just amazed she hadn't brought up me using one at the Temple). Archer had promise too... but I think the correct answer was clear.

"Final one for Caster." an emergency teleport or heal was just too valuable. Not to mention how I was starting to have the beginning of a Scheme in mind with her that would likely require a Command Seal to work.

"Very well then." there was a flare of power and a burning sensation that ran along my arm as spent Seals were replaced with newer, out of place Seals. "I will also give you the option of reassigning any... unconnected Seals."

She meant Berserker's. "No." I had no intention of giving up on her. So I'd need something with which to reform a contract with her.

"In that case, our business here is done."

"Hold yer flippin' horses, Ruler." I stopped her there. "Considering how fucked over I was before due to lacking contextual knowledge, I want to ask a few questions that fall under your role as the 'impartial' moderator."

"Ask them." she eventually said, magnanimously.

"How does the Grail decide who will make a wish? There are multiple potential wishes, so when the Grail is filled each time, how does it decide?"

"Each filling is independent." stated the French Servant. "The results of the first wish would only ever be used by the second in the result of a tie breaker."

Okay. Effectively, each 'Grail' was counted as its own War. "Then amongst a Team, who gets the wish?"

"The Team with the most kills obtains the wish once the Grail is sufficiently filled. Only a member of the winning team may claim the wish. A miracle is performed on a first come, first serve basis, with the additional condition that the chosen Master and Servant must have a confirmed kill."

"So no sitting back and letting your team do all the heavy lifting, before sweeping in for the reward. Got it. And if there are two valid people of the same team there?"

"The tiebreaker would be whoever has the most kills, followed by the conditions of the participants in previous cups, followed by mutual agreement between the two that can be settled however they wish." namely, they either fight for the right, fill the Grail further to change the kill count, or mutually agree who gets the Wish.

"And, most importantly of all... what is the present state of the Grail? Who is winning?" This was the important fact I most needed to know. The Command Seals were important, but the state of the Grail was my main reason for leaving the warehouse. Last night resulted in quite a few Servant and Master deaths – enough that the first wish might actually be close. I needed to know this to actually make some kinda game plan.

"The present state of the Grail..." she closed her eyes, focusing, as if listening to something only she could hear. "Only two souls have been collected."

"Impossible!" I snapped. "Iskander definitely died last night, and so did Cu! And I killed Medusa ages ago! That's only taking into account my own kills too!"

"It is perplexing, true." admitted Ruler. "Only Rider of Red and Berserker of Red have been collected."

"But... but..."

"Unfortunately, this checks out." Lancer said, softly. "The Berserker was presumably killed when that Labyrinth Noble Phantasm ended. However, Cu is undeniably dead. He won't last in the Land of Shadows. Unfortunately, his magical energy is now in a place that the Grail cannot collect."

"So he's out of the equation too. Shit. And for Rider... oh!" she died right beside Sakura. Y'know, the person with fragments of the Grail within her. "Fuck pots." So we had the kill, it's just that its in illegal Grail now.

"You sound like you know something I don't." Ruler noted.

"Long story short, Zouken fucked with Grail fragments from the last war and made his own vessel." I told her, simply because there is no greater joy in life that ruining a monster like Zouken's plans. Also, he killed me. Fuck that worm. "So Rider is in that vessel."

"Still, this is unfortunate. The previously assumed kill count is now wrong. What we assumed was at 4 or 5 is in fact 2." observed Saber.

"No... this is fine. I can work with this." The fact that there was so few spirits in the Grail despite all the casualties sucked, but I could deal.

"In return for the knowledge you provided, allow me to offer some extra insight of my own." Ruler spoke up, and I paid extra attention. I wasn't her biggest fan right now, but she was technically the 'closest' in terms of understanding concerning the Einzbern Grail. "Of the two Servants presently offered to the Grail, neither of them are associated as kills by the Grey Team." Berserker was done in by the Blues, while I was guessing that even though Rider was working for us at the time, the fact that the Reds were the ones to actually kill him was what counted. One blue, one red.

"Okay. So we'll need a lot of the rest of the kills to qualify." At least 1 to personally have the right to vote, and then an overall majority of the kills for my 'Team' to claim the Grail over the others. At least 4 deaths needed to be provided for a Wish to reach a total of six, so the Grey Team needed 3 of those 4 additional kills to win.

"In other words, there is little choice but to be aggressive." Scathach had clearly reached the same judgement I had.

Ruler clearer her throat. "I wasn't strictly done. I was going to follow on say that while before I stated you were an outlier as well as a participant in this war... you still qualify as a participant. So are offered the same privileges as other Masters concerning to ending of 'Outliers'."

Namely, she was talking about the other major rulebreaker for this war: Kotomine Kirei and Gilgamesh. "You crafty bitch!" She was trying to get me to try and bring down the King of Heroes in the hopes of earning Command Seals! And her attempts were somewhat working...

Here, she gave me the most heartfelt and honest grin. "I am glad we have come to an understanding."

"Yeah, and fuck you too. Lancer, Saber, let's get going. We have plans to make."

I didn't like the information I learned today... but it was necessary information, all the same. Because I now had an overall strategy in place for how to win the War. It was just a matter of sharing the news with the others, and actually making the plans. Either way, I would earn my wish within my 1 week deadline, and would happily get the fuck out of dodge after that. The Reds and Blues could squabble for the leftover kills and wish, but I had no intention of letting my Servants die to fuel another's dreams.

XXXXXXXXXX

"So, a productive talk?" Boudica asked as we came in.

"Oh, sure!" I said cheerfully, jumping head first into the stolen sofa as I tossed my coat to one side. "Turns out we're losing the war, but its okay, because while last night did literally fuck all for our actual win condition, at least we got some exercise!"

"Please mind Master, he is under quite a bit of stress." Saber warned.

"Ah, do you require a lap pillow to cheer you up~?" teased Assassin. I looked up at her. Yup. Still too attractive in modern clothes.

"Best not. We have business to discuss." With great reluctance, I got back into a proper seating position. "Archer?"

"Yes?" Archer appeared off to one side. She'd clearly been in spiritual form to save my mana, even though I'd told her I preferred my Servants out in open. Real cinnamon roll, that one. "O-oi! I know the look on your face is that of someone teasing me, even if they aren't saying it aloud!"

"Its your fault for making it too fun." I told her. "It's like bullying a dragon."

"I see. Kiyohime exits stage left, and so a new punching bag must be found." Medea said it with all the wisdom of an elder sage, looking down upon the truth of the world. "Truly, this is simply the elusive nature of the world..."

"I am a refined and majestic goddess! I am due respect!"

"Honestly, I'm mostly doing it to try and liven you up a little bit." I admitted. "While it is nice to have a Servant trying to be dutiful and generally helpful, considering how as my Servant you'll risk your life for me, I prefer to be more casual. So if you want the light teasing to stop, we can do."

"It's mostly just how we interact, however." Saber warned her. "I admit, even I will pounce on weakness wherever I see it. For example, did you know that Medea keeps on making pancakes in the middle of the night while nobody is watching and eats them all herself?"

"H-how did you know!?"

Saber laughed. "I am a spy."

"But you were sleeping!"

"I cheated. Now excuse me while I throw Mata Hari under the bus."

"W-well, I admit that I did see you cooking them, and food always used to go to the most unflattering places while I was alive so I couldn't ever eat such things, so I might have given the information away to spark embarrassment at a later point. And so what if I maybe did gossip a little about it!? What of it!? It is my right as a former housewife, is it not!?"

I gave Ereshkigal the most deadpan look. "I rest my case."

She sighed. "Fine. I admit that this isn't the kind of situation I expected to be in when I answered your call... but it isn't necessarily bad. A lot more... boisterous... than my Nether World, at any rate. So I will excuse such serious breaches in due respect to a goddess... for now."

"In that case then, perhaps I should also throw Archer under the bus then," Mata Hari carried on the cruel cycle in the cutest manner possible - with a teasing tongue stuck out. "since she was awake all last night too, and may have pigged out on said pancakes with Medea as a 'welcome to the team' special."

"T-that! How dare you!" blushed Not!Rin. "I am a proud and dignified goddess! I protest the terminology 'pigged out'!"

"But you can't protest that you did it can you?" Even Lancer seemed to be getting in on the fun.

"I regret everything." Ahh, welcome to my world Ereshkigal. Pull up a chair! Let me share with you my war stories!

Either way, I had no intentions of sticking my head into this metaphorical blender.

I was just content that I wasn't the target of everyone's merciless ribbing this time. And that nobody realised that I was the one who asked Mata Hari a night or two ago to try and spark playful hijinks to keep morale up in the first place, and thus indirectly responsible for all this.

My machinations run deep and terrible.

XXXXXXXXXX

Eventually though, as all things do, the joke ended; we all pulled up seats and got back to actual business.

"All jokes aside, what are your skills as a Servant?" queried Medea. "I doubt your Class container allows you to retain all your skills, so an Archer, what can you do?"

"You are correct. Frankly, I believe Lancer would be the Class that retains the greater essence of 'The Queen of the Great Below'." admitted Ereshkigal. "Unfortunately, many of my blessings as a goddess have been lost, while my authority over the dead is greatly reduced. I don't even possess any of the cages for my spirits."

"That is a shame." Lancer admitted. "I feel that if you had retained such skills, we would have had decent synergy."

"It is how it is." She shrugged. "I should not be underestimated simply because my Blessing of Kur are weaker. What I have lost in area of control and defence, I make up for in terms of offence."

"So you're a heavy hitter then?" I asked.

"Can't you check my 'statsheet' yourself?"

"I am still poor at that. Plus, I think its important to know what role you see for yourself."

Archer considered her words carefully. "Anti-Divine. Yes, that is the niche I feel I fill. While my power as a 'ruler' of the underworld is less, I have instead gained more authority as a 'protector' of it. Are you aware of the legend of Ishtar visiting the underworld?"

"Vaguely. I could do with a refresher."

"According to the Throne of Heroes, didn't she need to pass through seven gates, strip herself of clothes at each one, and then when she got through your judges found her to be guilty of illegal streaking and killed her or something?" innocently narrated Medea.

"W-well, things didn't go quite as they did in that telling, but the story is close enough for the purposes of explanation. Here." before her eyes manifested the bow I'd seen before – this was my first chance to see it up close. It was certainly an oddity, as it was unlike anything I'd seen before. Not wooden or metallic, but stone-like. It was a creation only possible from materials of the deepest portions of the Earth. Different shades span across its surface, which was carved with symbols I couldn't comprehend... it was like several different slabs of material were fused together into a tall, thick bow with the centre chiselled out. "This bow is comprised of rock from each of those seven gates of legend, and carries a strong anti-divinity property. Invocation of my Noble Phantasm reproduces the stripping of Divinity which occurred to Ishtar in the original legend.."

"Honestly, you had me at 'Anti-Divine'." I admitted. "We've got plenty of supportive Servants here, but power was the main factor we as a Team lack. Scathach helps make up for it, but it is nice to have a 'lol nope' card for emergencies."

"I am glad that this reliable Goddess matches your expectations." A proud Ereshkigal is a content Ereshkigal. Pile on the praises!

Still... if before I had an inkling of an idea for a plan, Ereshkigal's capabilities shifted it to a firm plan.

"Everybody... hold your fucking horses, because I have a cunning plan."

"How likely is it to make me want to smack you around the back of the head?" asked Medea.

I gave her a 'so-so' gesture. "It makes more sense the longer you look at it?"

"You might as well explain." suggested Scathach. "There is certainly such a thing as a bad plan... but not bad ideas. As long as refinement is accepted, of course."

"There are two Servants in the Grail at the moment, neither of them killed by our hands. To get a wish we need a majority, and to have 6 or 7 in it dependent upon the Wish. So we need to get some strong kills in. However, I at least have two lose conditions. It doesn't matter if I get the Grail or not if Gilgamesh's poison kills me afterwards."

"You're suggesting we kill two birds with one stone then?"

Saber had the right idea of it. "Gilgamesh is an OP Servant. But in many ways... this is a good thing. Because according to the source material, Gilgamesh is worth his weight in Servants threefold. Literally. If he serves as fuel for the Grail, he is closer to 3 Servants than one."

"So if we did take out Gilgamesh we would bring the vessel up to 'around' 5 Servants... and also get the Command Seal Ruler is offering." Saber calculated.

"Meaning we then only need 1 or 2 kills for a win." I confirmed with a grin. "In any major fight we get into with Red or Blue, we'll be dealing with multiple Servants. So while more will die, there is more complication. Less chance that the kills are attributed to us – and I don't know if we pick a fight with them that we can get all the kills at once, and that they won't just finish the Grail off by picking off a weaker Servant somewhere."

"Thus likely giving them a majority of the kills, and so the rights to the Grail." Medea finished my train of thoughts. "But if we take out Gilgamesh... all three sides will have '1 kill', unless the Grail calculates Gilgamesh as 3 kills."

"And with only one or two additional deaths to provide, it would be far easier for us to guarantee the kill for ourselves – meaning we only need 2 out of 4 kills, or 3 out of 5, depending on what type of Wish you want." This was a rare occasion – Teacher was giving me a 'headpat of approval'. "Not a bad choice."

"That just leaves us with the task of beating him." Groaned Archer. "Let me tell you, it won't be an easy task. Even my 'Sister' failed to beat him with the strongest of Heavenly Bulls, and as much as I hate to admit it, she is stronger in direct combat than me. That King is ridiculous!"

"But we do have some advantages." reminded Rider. "Namely, our two heaviest hitters. Lancer and Archer. Lancer is used to killing immortals, and has the skills to finish a Demigod like Gilgamesh."

"... and I possess my Anti-Divinity." the goddess of the dead sighed. "You aren't wrong. I could likely remove much of his defences if he was pinned down and my Noble Phantasm was able to work to its full potential. But even then... Gates of Babylon... Ea..."

"It would take all of us working together to stand a chance." Concluded Scathach. "Even if we still had Berserker on our side too, the odds of victory without sacrifice is far lower than I'd like."

"So we need allies. It galls me to say it after the results of the last teamup... but if we could even get one or two more Servants on site, we may stand a chance." I didn't like admitting it, and I was hesitant... but maybe the Red Team wasn't too bitter about me trying to wipe them out and Mind Controlling one of their Servant/Master pairs? At the very least, Waver knows how Bullshit Gilgamesh is, so he might actually be one of my few advocates in the Red Team.

Fuck the Blues though.

"My Noble Phantasm might prove instrumental then." Mata Hari wasn't wrong – her using it against Waver was our trump card in the raid against the Red Team. It would be a matter of who...

"On the topic of allies... I'm kinda feeling we need to wait to fight Gilgamesh." I said. "If we fill the Grail to 5ish, then that brings us into the endgame. Super easy for others to sneak a win when we go to try and collect the final kills. If we claim the 'remainder' Servants we need to win first, things look a lot more favourable for the others. We could even spin it so that Gilgamesh is the decisive victory condition! Send out a message: 'Gilgamesh from the last war still lives, and is worth 3 Servants. And there are only 3 slots that still need to be filled for the cup. Wink wink'."

"I see!" Medea exclaimed. "That way, even if we can't get the killshot on him, we would still have a win in the form of dealing with a long term threat!"

"If everyone is fighting him, then it may even lead to the Grail overflowing." noted Lancer. "If it is bloody enough, the second Wish may even be within reach immediately after the first."

"So as long as we play it cautiously and minimise losses..." I mused.

"Then we might actually win!" Rider finished for me, reaching down and drawing me into her bosom. "Oh, I knew we kept him around for more than just his mana and charming personality."

I tried to mumble the word 'thanks', but the chest swallowed all such sarcasm, such was its might.

"I will try and use my Wisdom on the idea... but it gets my temporary seal of approval." and if Scathach approved, that was good enough for me.

"So... we handle Gilgamesh last then?" Assassin still looked a little confused. "That makes sense. But in that case then, who are the one or two Servants we'll be aiming for?"

"The Blue Team." I proposed.

"But we just fought them!" Protested Medea. "And my bitchy older self has that stalker in her grasps!"

"I said the Blue Team, but we both know that the Blue Team isn't a team." After all, never before had all members of the Blue Team worked together at any single point. If they had, perhaps they would have already steam rolled the competition with their powerful lineup. "I suggest the Blue Team... more specifically, the group that has been hiding in the woods and licking their injuries from the last time we clashed."

"We finish things with the Einzbern faction, then." Rider sighed. "It makes sense. We need 2 kills to guarantee that our Teams Wish can be made by the Grail when it fills after the King of Heroes falls, and they only have 2 Servants. A lot easier for us to overwhelm. It would simply be a terrible shame to have to fight my adorable little descendent so early, but they are unfortunately the best target."

"Ironically enough, they are the Blue Teams weak spot." Even though they possessed one of the strongest Masters and had an alliance of Servants all but unbeatable in most normal Grail Wars... right now they were fragile and isolated.

There was no possibility that Ilya has been able to replenish all of Berserker's extra lives in the time she's been left alone: so our last encounter with her did most of the job for that Servant. With Ereshkigal to nullify his Divinity and Scathach possessing enough oomph to finish it, we should be able to put up a large enough fight to put down those last lives.

And Saber... as powerful as she is, has Shirou as a Master. He's an Ace: either the highest card in a set or the lowest. And I don't think circumstances have led him to the Path of Bullshit so far this War. So Saber isn't at her best, and can be overwhelmed.

Furthermore, since they CHOSE to separate from the rest of the Blue Team... the chances of a Big Damn Hero rescue is very slim.

"Does anybody have any problems with the Einzbern manor being out next target then?"

A pause as I searched the faces of my Servants. Rider's was serious but committed. Saber seemed excited, perhaps at the chance to fight King Arthur again? Lancer was stoic, but I saw the beginnings of a smile of approval at the edge of face. Caster and Assassin at least didn't seem to be against the idea, while Ereshkigals was one of confidence.

Several more seconds pass. Nothing. "In that case then, our target is decided. We'll bring down Saber of Blue and Berserker of Blue, or we'll run away trying."

"I recommend we strike soon." suggested Lancer. "If we are relying on the damage Berserker of Blue has already taken, then every day we delay is the chance for another life of God Hand to recover."

"Tomorrow then." I groaned. "Today to recover. Tomorrow daytime to prepare. Tomorrow evening for the attack."

A round of agreements around our metaphorical (and literal plastic) table. I clapped my hands together in satisfaction. "I do so love it when a plan comes together. Now, who wants to accompany me on the next reckless thing I'm planning to do today?"

Naturally, there were many offers.