12.1
[Fate Grand Order]
Friendly Fight
"Ready Master?" Altria asked, resting her sword on her shoulder, cracking her neck as Ritsuka stood across from her.
Ritsuka, for her part, was currently in her body of Lotós, easily her strongest as it was currently, being of course, divinity. "I think I'm ready," Ritsuka mused, summoning Stygius, spinning the blade before swapping from it to Aegis.
It was simple. By using a Logos React Generic, they'd had Da Vinci make them a Singularity based on incredibly simple instructions. How that had translated to the current situation, Ritsuka wasn't entirely sure, but they had their battleground, and a Grail to hunt down afterwards.
"We're watching, Mash is already in pursuit of the Singularity's source, so you two are good," Da Vinci remarked from the communicator. "You're good to start whenever."
Altria swapped from her casual stance, gripping her sword with one hand and flexing her other hand as Ritsuka raised Aegis, swapping from its normal Aspect of Lotós to the Aspect of Mash.
Altria smirked, before snapping her fingers, Ritsuka gritting her teeth as she vanished with Farore's Wind, the blue shield around her clashing with the beam of dark energy that came from behind her. Ritsuka spun around, already swinging her shield, and completely missing Altria, the Saber ducking under the swing, sword engulfed in dark flame. Altria swung upwards, sending Ritsuka flying.
Barely a second later, already more than twenty meters in the air, Ritsuka caught herself, raising her shield again and blocking Altria's follow up attack, which had come from her rocketing into the air, leaving a crater behind. The force behind the blow sent Ritsuka further skywards.
She swapped weapons, summoning the Aspect of Achilles into her hand and throwing it towards Altria, who spun midair and spun around, just as Ritsuka was dragged to the spear, already jabbing rapidly with Varatha.
For her part, Altria started blocking with her armor, but said armor quickly started cracking under the assault from the divine weapon, forcing the Saber to use her free hand, forming a magic shield around herself with Nayru's Love. Ritsuka quickly spun in the air, chucking her spear downwards and warping to it, grabbing it and swapping to Coronacht's Aspect of Chiron.
Ritsuka fired three separate barrages of arrows, all of them homing in towards the still falling Altira. The Saber teleported away, all the arrows spinning around and homing in towards Ritsuka. Ritsuka ducked just as Altria swung from behind her, but was quickly kicked in the stomach as she tried to turn around to fire in Altria's face.
Rolling across the ground, she swapped from Coronacht to Exagryph, stopping in a kneeling position and firing on Altria. The Saber threw up another shield with Nayru's Love, divine bullets and arrows plinking off of the shield before it faded. With her magazine empty, Ritsuka reloaded her rifle as Altria rushed forward again.
Ritsuka grit her teeth and started dashing, avoiding Altria's rapid swings, her sword covered by the Hammer of the Vile King, increasing her reach. Altria was certainly relentless… fitting for someone who never gave her opponents a chance to fight back.
As soon as she was materialized again, she swapped from Exagryph to Stygius, clashing sword against sword. The two black blades clashing against each other, sparks flying before the two started swinging.
Altria brought down her sword from above, Ritsuka dodged backwards and blocked, just far enough away that Altria couldn't just kick her exposed stomach. With a quick warp two feet to the right she jabbed towards Altria, who dodged, her armor catching the very edge of Stygius and chipping, leaving Ritsuka over extended.
For her error, she was bat in the face with the flat of Excalibur Morgan, sending her flying, and then sprawled across the ground. "You lasted longer than our previous spar," Altria noted.
Ritsuka gritted her teeth. 'Thirty seconds,' she thought. 'The longest I've managed to last against Altira.'
Of course, being the premier combat specialist among the four Loopers, Altria loved nothing more than to fight, train, and improve. "You need to practice more," Altria pointed out bluntly.
"Yeah well excuse me for normally being a commander, not a fighter," Ritsuka snarked back, laying in the dirt for a moment before flipping back to her feet. "Again."
"Very well," Altria flexed her fingers again, smirking. "Let's see how long you can last this time?"
Ritsuka groaned as she was planted face first in the ground again. Bleeding profusely and covered in bruises as Altria teleported in nearby, drinking a bottle of Chateau Romani, draining it dry before shoving the bottle into her Pocket. "Three minutes. See this is what I mean, if you actually bothered to keep up your training you'd be amazing."
"Altria, I do keep up my training, you're just that far above me," Ritsuka muttered.
"Then get better," Altria ordered as Ritsuka picked herself up, cracking her neck, but before she could speak. "No excuses. You regularly put your life on the line anyway, and while you may not be a direct combatant in Baseline, you are here, and will most certainly be in the future," Altria stated, Ritsuka sighing.
"Seriously," Ritsuka muttered as Altria unsummoned Excalibur Morgan, and reached into her Pocket, pulling out Rhongomyniad, Ritsuka gulping as the black lance covered in spikes was raised. "Uh… Altria."
"It will also not do for you to simply face me over and over again with the same strategy," Altria lowered the lance towards her.
Ritsuka was quick to summon up Stygius again, dodging to the left as Altria charged forward, stabbing rapidly with the Rhongomyniad as Ritsuka warped away twice, trying to put some distance between herself and Altria with her very short ranged teleport.
Said distance wasn't enough as Altria just threw out her free hand, red lightning crackling from it and flashing towards Ritsuka. She slammed Stygius into the ground, kicking up dust with a shockwave to disperse the electricity before swapping to Malphon, rushing under Altria's next attempt at a jab with Rhongomyniad, only for her to use it like a club, smashing Ritsuka into the dirt.
A quick warp to the left before she could stomp on Ritsuka's head got her back on her feet, and well inside of Altria's range. She twisted to the left and socked Altria in the jaw, the blast from the palm of her hand going wide, a dark beam of energy soaring to the sky as Ritsuka started rapidly warping around and through Altria, keeping up the assault.
Altria continued to grit her teeth, spinning around rapidly before breaking the dark crystals off of Rhongomyniad. "Away!" She rammed it into the ground, a tornado of dark energy kicking up around her.
Ritsuka repeatedly warped backwards as stones started being flung around. Dodging around the kicked up dust, she swapped Aspects from Lotós to Demeter, rushing forward, punching a large rock in two as she charged the dark tornado, warping into the center of it… to find no one inside.
Her eyes shot upwards towards Altria, who was grinning, holding a guitar in one hand, and the still spinning Rhongomyniad in the other, the two speaker drones appearing behind her as she threw Rhongomyniad in her pocket, strumming the guitar and blasting downwards with an array of lasers and sound waves combined.
Dashing out of the tornado, Ritsuka started running, swapping off of Malphon and back to Coronacht with the Aspect of Hera as Altria shot out of the black wind as well, the speaker drones behind her continuing the assault of lasers, even as Excalibur Morgan found its way back into the Saber's hands. Ritsuka spun around, drawing back an arrow as lasers rained down around her, locking eyes with one of the drones, aiming at the one on the left.
She fired, and then warped a meter to the right, avoiding a laser and putting an arrow of pure energy, flower petals trailing behind it, straight through the drone's speaker. It sputtered, before crashing to the ground, Altria spinning to avoid the next arrow before landing on the ground, her flight sputtering out from one of her drones being destroyed.
She rushed forward, Ritsuka dashing backwards and firing multiple arrows as Altria dodged left and right, even outright jumping over one of Ritsuka's arrows as Ritsuka put more and more distance between herself and Altira.
Altira teleported again, Ritsuka whipping around to try and put an arrow behind her, only to have to block from above as Altria appeared, spinning downward with her sword, bringing it down on Coronacht, the two weapons clashing before Ritsuka warped a meter backwards, Altria smashing into the ground and cratering it.
Altria shot out of the crater like a rocket, Ritsuka swapping to Malphon and blocking the attack with both fists. The two skidded several dozen feet across the ground before Ritsuka pulled back a fist, going for a haymaker that Altria barely tilted her head to avoid, and started slashing in retaliation.
Divine Fist against Holy Sword, the two clashed, catching each other with each swing, or dodging when they didn't. A blur of punches and haymakers, Ritsuka was constantly on the move to try and catch Altria off guard, the Black King of Knights swapping Excalibur between her hands to block from differing directions.
With her left hand, Altria created a small orb of fire, punching downwards. The crater their clash had created was glassed as Ritsuka was flung backwards by the massive fireball, spinning in the air before landing with a skidding halt. Altria appearing beside her and trying for a slash across the chest.
Ritsuka blocked by catching Excalibur Morgan between her hands, both Saber and Master smiling as Altria spoke. "Finally, you use your best!" she claimed, pulling Excalibur Morgan backwards as she was speaking and swinging for Ritsuka's head.
"Have to!" She blocked with her right fist, her arm visibly struggling to keep the black blade from being forced towards her neck. "I've got to keep up!" she dashed, appearing on the other side of Excalibur Morgan.
Just as she was about to uppercut Altria, the Saber wreathed her sword in black energy, Ritsuka not even flinching from the energy before a beam of black impacted her side, sending her flying. "Eyes on everything Master." Altria pulled back her hand, rushing forward as Ritsuka spread her arms.
Ritsuka fired off her Cast, a bulb of flowers exploding from her fist, followed by a quick dash to the right as Altria batted the flower bulb away on approach, a second being dodged as she shrouded her blade in black energy once more, making a wide swing in a diagonal slash, cleaving the ground as she swung.
Ritsuka ducked under, uppercutting Altria and sending her flying into the air before leaping after her.
Altria righted herself, drawing Rhongomyniad out of her Pocket and wielding the lance alongside her sword, diving towards Ritsuka. "RHONGO-" She decreed, the lance spinning, creating a cordon of black wind as Ritsuka gasped. "MYNIAD!"
Ritsuka swapped from Malphon to Aegis, raising the shield as fast as she could with the Aspect of Mash active, a blue shield surrounding her as she was sent downard.
Ritsuka hit the ground, the wind battering her shield as Altria let go of Rhongomyniad. "EXCALIBUR!" She roared, following up one Noble Phantasm with another. "MORGAN!"
The ground around Ritsuka was cratered, and then rendered molten from the heat and force of Excalibur Morgan being fired at the earth itself, even as it curved to turn towards the sky, a pillar of darkness. Altria landed on a rock, which bobbled in the now molten landscape as Ritsuka leapt out of the crater, landing on a rock herself, magma being sent flying as she caused the rock to bounce up and down.
"We're going even harder now Altira?" Ritsuka asked as Altria grinned.
"We've simply gone from stage one to stage two of training. And believe me, there will be many circles of it, for both of us," Altria Pocketed Rhongomyniad again, before pulling out her rifle to wield alongside Excalibur Morgan.
'It's been two minutes, let's see how long I can keep it up,' Ritsuka mused internally, swapping from Aegis to Varatha again, spinning the spear before settling into her preferred stance, one handed, with the other free to 'Cast' with. 'Especially now since we've taken it to the next level.'
Ritsuka leapt to another rock, Altria teleporting to another amid the molten landscape and firing off multiple shots from her rifle. Ritsuka swept with her spear, sending lava into the air to shield against the bullets before warping straight through her own molten shield.
Running across the lava for a few seconds, relying on her own natural resistance to fire from her 'father', she flipped onto another rock, kicking it into the air and clinging to it for but a moment, throwing the currently Hades-Aspected Varatha towards Altria.
The Saber snapped her fingers, casting Nayru's love once more to block the spear and send it spiralling into the air, then putting a bullet through the rock Ritsuka was on. It shattered, Ritsuka flipping off it and landing atop the lava before warping rapidly onto another rock, throwing out her arm as bullets whizzed by. Varatha suddenly stopped midair before flying back towards her, and she caught the spear in her outstretched hand before raising it towards the sky and sweeping it across the field.
Altria leapt over the wide sweep, lava splashing skyward as she redrew Excalibur Morgan, firing downward with Vortigern to launch herself high enough to avoid being caught by the molten rock.
Now in the air, she spun, throwing Excalibur upwards and rapid shooting downward bullets covered in water magic as Ritsuka was outright running up a plume of lava, ignoring the burn and batting away bullets with her spear before swapping to Exagryph mid run, leaping off the lava plume and firing at Altira.
Bullets whizzed past both girls as they fell down towards the ground, Altira outright tanking shots when they did hit, and Ritsuka warping around bullets and aiming upwards. Just as she did, Excalibur Morgan plunged between both of them.
Altria fired, a bullet pinging off of the sword's hilt followed by a laser fired from the barrel of her gun, launching the sword straight downward at Ritsuka. She yelped in surprise, warping just in time to avoid being impaled through the stomach by the black blade. She spun around, reoridenting herself from her panicked dash-warp, only to find Altira missing.
"EXCALIBUR!" She looked over her shoulder to see Altria on the ground, standing knee deep in the molten ground, even with her armor melting, she once more had raised her sword skyward. "MORGAN!" she swung, the beam of holy darkness lancing towards Ritsuka.
Surprise on her face, she swapped from Exagryph to Aegis, throwing up one more omnidirectional shield. The pillar of black engulfed her, completely obscuring Ritsuka. Altria cut off her attack, waiting and watching.
It was maybe five seconds later she saw the unconscious Ritsuka now plummeting towards the ground from perhaps a thousand feet in the sky. Teleporting with Farore's Wind once more, she appeared several feet below her Master, catching them before teleporting with them towards a nearby cliff.
She laid Ritsuka down, and looked her over. Burns, cuts, and blood, her once immaculate skin from when they'd started the fight was gone. She looked like she had been through hell.
Of course, that was the point of their long sparing. They'd been going for only thirty minutes in total and around them was little more than molten lava and upturned stones, the once peaceful field of grass long gone. "You did well," Altria mused, in far better condition herself than Ritsuka was.
She pulled out her communicator, raising it to her ear. "Da Vinci, we're done."
"About time, Mash found the grail fifteen minutes ago, I told her to wait for you two to finish before grabbing it," Da Vinci chided, Altria rolling her eyes.
"Whatever, have her grab it and Rayshift us out," Altria noted, looking around before catching sight of Ritsuka's shield, quickly teleporting to it and then back to Ritsuka with the weapon in tow, just so that it wouldn't be lost.
"Sheesh, you two tore this place up," Da Vinci muttered, "Just got visual again, hang on."
"We don't have all day," Altria started, and Da Vinci took a deep breath.
"Don't start getting snippy with me," the genius ordered, Altira holding up one hand and mockingly making 'nag nag nag' motions with it. "I can see that you know."
"I know you can, now get us out of here," Altria ordered.
"Alright, Rayshift commencing in five seconds, hang onto your stuff," Da Vinci stated, cutting off communication as Altria looked back down at Ritsuka before picking her up, hefting the unconscious girl over her shoulder with Aegis on her other arm and a smirk on her face.
Hopefully Nightingale wasn't going to attempt to kill her for this. That nurse could terrify even gods with her orders.
12.2
[Fate/Grand Order] [Various]
Looper Summonings
[Persona 5]
Lavenza
"Servant, Ruler," the girl in blue bowed before looping up. "My name is Lavenza, attendant of the Velvet Room. A pleasure to make your acquaintance. Now then, shall we work towards rehabilitation?"
[Jojo's Bizarre Adventure]
DIO
"You were expecting another Servant? Nay! There is only me, DIO!" The man yellow threw his arms out, posing menacingly. "I serve no one, yet this world has been set ablaze. Therefore in my own interest, we shall work together for a time. Now bow before DIO."
[Star Wars]
C-3PO
The golden robot raised an arm in a small salute. "I am C-3PO, and I have been summoned as a Moon Cancer." he tilted his head. "Pardon, Moon Cancer? What sort of Class is this? Oh, my apologies. A pleasure to meet you young Master. I look forward to working with you."
[Sword Art Online]
Kirito
The young man in black smirked as he rested a sword across his shoulder. "Servant, Saber. Kazuto Kirigaya. You can call me Kirito, the Black Swordsman." He blinked. "Eh? Can I shoot beams? What do you mean, what kinda swordsman shoots beams?" His eye twitched. "What do you mean 'most of them!?' Are you telling me I'm a poor swordsman?"
[Gurren Lagann]
Kamina (Saber)
"SERVANT! SABER! I, Kamina have arrived, a member of team Dai-Gurren!" several moments pass before his sighs. "Great, I seem to have been summoned in my weakest class. But that's alright, even with just a sword, we'll make our way forward together. That's how team Dai-Gurren rolls. Welcome to the crew."
Kamina (Rider)
"Yo! My name's Kamina. Servant Rider!" He strikes a pose, arm up, and a flash from his finger from the light behind him. "Me and Gurren are here now! Here to pierce the heavens! Together Master, we're gonna save the world from anyone who thinks they can burn it. They'll get to know… JUST WHO THE HELL DO THEY THINK WE ARE!?"
Kamina (Alter Ego)
"High Servant, Kamina. I have combined into my ultimate form. The greatest aspects of me as a man together. One class cannot contain me. Technically, that makes me an Alter Ego class servant. But enough talk, let's kick logic to the curb Master. Team Dai-Gurren, moving out!"
Kamina (Grand Lancer)
A flash of lighting, a drill falling from the sky. Everyone in the temple shielding their eyes as the man appeared.
No, not just a mere man. A Man in the form of a God. He was blue flame, the power of the spiral incarnate, with only a set of red shades and a glowing cape of red flame giving the blue flame a semblance of human form.
"I AM KAMINA! THE GRAND LANCER! Master… Your hopes, your dreams, and your will have called me here. The power of the Spiral surges within me, and with it, any dream is possible, anything can be done, and anything can be surpassed. Even gods can be beaten. Even beings who claim to be beyond such things! The full might of Olympus… every part of the pantheon, put together, combined into one ultimate being."
There was a grin in the flames, even the lack of a mouth could not hide such exuberance. "You claimed that this great destroyer, this machine made of twelve true Gods, was unmatched. WE SHALL NOT JUST MATCH IT! WE SHALL SURPASS IT!" He raised his hand, a volcano exploding somewhere in the background, made manifest just by his will, and destroyed by it. "Let's show the Gods themselves how team Dai-Gurren rolls! My form is that of the Super Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann! Beside us stands the Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. And here we stand in a pocket universe, made manifest for this battle and this battle alone! Then there shall be nothing holding us back! Come Master! Let us be the drill that pierces the heavens!"
[Yugioh]
Yugi & Atem
"Oh, hi there. I'm Yugi. I seem to have been summoned as a Caster…" he looked a little amused. "It seems my abilities aren't exactly great. I mean, I'm just a good duelist, and King of Games. But I think my partner might be of more help. Here, I'll let him speak."
There is a flash of light, and Atem takes over, the small body of Yugi changing to that of Atem in his form.
"I am Atem, and my Class is Rider. Like Yugi, I share the title of King of Games, and I am a Pharaoh of Egypt. I was once a nameless Pharaoh, lost to time, but with my name found once more, we'll be lending our power to your cause." he smirked. "It's time to duel. Let's go find someone to show the error of their ways."
[Mario Bros]
Bowser
"Bwahaha!" the giant turtle crossed his arms, smirking. "You called for the King of Awesome? Of course you did. I'm Bowser, King of the Koopas. And… A Servant!?" Bowser grit his teeth, before calming down. "Fine. I'll put up with it, but order me to do anything with those things and we're gonna have a problem. My Class is Rider. Bah, why am I not a Ruler! I'm a king!"
Kamek
The blue clad wizard sighs before looking up. "Alright, I get it. Hi, I'm Kamek, Servant Caster, if it wasn't obvious from the hat. Normally I'd be serving King Bowser, but it seems I've been called here to help save the world. Well, can't rule the world if there isn't one, so I guess I'll pave the way for my king's arrival." They adjust their hat. "Now Master, I'll leave the orders to you."
Luigi
The green clad plumber takes off his hat. "Oh hello there. My name's Luigi, Class Assassin. Normally I'd be working alongside my bro, but… well. My bro isn't here. But if he isn't here to help save the world, I'll help save it myself." He smiles, holding out his hand. "Shall we work together then?"
Daisy
The princess clad in orange snaps her fingers, and winks. "Hey there kiddo. I'm Daisy, called to Chaldea as a Caster class Servant. Don't exactly know why, magic's more Peach's thing, but I guess I can substitute." She blinked, "Wait! Did this thing confuse me with Peach!? Is that why I've got her magic? This is her power. Augh… well, probably should put it to good use anyway. Let's go kick some ass."
[Fire Emblem: Three Houses]
Dimitri
"Servant, Lancer. My name is Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd. I'm the leader of the Blue Lions house, and look forward to working with you Master." The young man bowed before shaking his head. "Don't worry, I'll be here to help you through your trials."
Edelgard
"My name is Edelgard von Hresvelg, Emperor of the Adrestian Empire. I've been called here under the Class of Berserker. Hmph, I don't believe this 'Madness Enhancement' to be of any issue, I'm fine with following another's orders if they make sense. So then 'Master', are you capable of leading us to victory, or must I take control?"
Claude
"Hey there," the brown skinned man gives a small salute. "Name's Claude, and I've been summoned as an Archer Class Servant. You're the Master here right? That's good, that means you're the tactical one. Now, I'm not one for fighting all the time, but with you and me working together, I'm sure we'll find a way to save the world without all of the bloodshed. Come on, let's get started."
12.3
[Fate Grand Order]
Demon Heads
"Fujimaru-dono!" Ushiwakamaru cheered as she ran towards Ritsuka, carrying a large crate above her head. "I got the materials you wanted!"
"The demon hearts right?" Ritsuka asked, the male Master humming as Ushi blinked.
"...Hearts…" she said very, very slowly. "Oh."
Ritsuka blinked before facepalming. "Wait, did you?"
"I have retrieved demon-" she lowered the box, allowing Ritsuka to see inside, "heads."
"...I can't be mad at you. If only these weren't useless," Ritsuka put his hand on Ushiwaka's head, "Don't worry, we can fix this."
"But… I spent hours getting these…" she muttered dejectedly, even as Ritsuka rubbed her head.
"Hey, at least it's not the time I sent Teach to get Forbidden Pages and he brought back manga," Ritsuka mused, remembering that incident… which happened every Loop.
What he didn't add was that he allowed such antics from Teach because he stole some of said manga from the pirate regularly. Also because he inevitably brought some back.
"That is true. Very well! Let us hunt once more!" Ushiwakamaru proclaimed happily, throwing the box into the air and rushing out of the tent. Ritsuka deftly caught the box and hummed.
"You know… I think I do have a… small use for these," he admitted with a chuckle.
"Senpai, this was cruel," Mash chided… half-heartedly.
"He deserves it," Ritsuka proclaimed with no shame. "Besides, he'll be fine."
"I approve of this." Blackbeard noted as Ushiwakamaru was laughing at the sight before her.
Christopher Columbus running around with a bunch of Storch Ritters chasing him… carrying demon heads.
"Wasn't this supposed to be a supply mission?" Shirou asked, the visiting Anchor having looped in as Muramasa, crossing his arms as Ritsuka shrugged.
"Hey we got what we came for, why not have a bit of fun," the Master offered, "it doesn't hurt anyone, and it makes use of the stuff we got by accident."
"...You know what, fair. This guy's a scumbag." Shirou admitted. That was something they could both agree on.
They still didn't have as many demon hearts as they needed. Null Loops were particularly hard on resources.
12.4
[Fate/Grand Order]
Dressed to Kill
Shinjuku, 1999. The walled city that drowns in sin, a place where only evil is allowed, and only evil thrives, literally. There was a special bounded field around the city that prevented entry by anyone who wasn't 'Evil'.
Part of Ritsuka wondered if he was allowed entry due to being the intended victim, or was allowed entry because he was in some way Evil? His resume happened to have some pretty heinous acts on it… or perhaps due to the nature of the Loops, would have?
However, the one thing the Demon Pillar Baal, and Moriarty had failed to account for was something quite funny.
Ritsuka was not only perfectly willing to work with 'Evil' Servants, he happened to be friends with quite a lot of them.
"You have a lot of friends, Ritsuka," James mused as the team was walking down the streets of Shinjuku like they owned the place.
"Always looking for more," Ritsuka admitted with a smile, Moriarty laughing as he adjusted his tie, Ritsuka doing much the same for his own suit as the 'team' continued their march towards the Phantom of the Opera's stage.
Li Shuwen and Okada Izo walked side by side, Li Shuwen far better looking in his red suit than Izo did in his disheveled black one, the Lancer and Assassin keeping their weapons out as they walked alongside Ritsuka and Moriarty.
Kotaro Fuuma and Carmilla similarly looked quite nice in their suit and dress respectively. The male Assassin wore a pair of black shades to hide his eyes while Carmilla carried her staff with grace, the mask she normally wore fully off, revealing her golden eyes for all the world.
Semiramis hadn't even bothered to change outfits. The Queen of the Assyrian Empire following along with the rest of the team with her personal 'bodyguard' by her side. Hijikata Toshizō, Vice-Commander of the Shinsengumi, who similarly had neglected to change outfits… of course said commander was also more busy eyeing up Carmila's backside than his current charge.
Edward Teach was every inch cosplaying as a Yakuza. The white suit with red shirt underneath and surprisingly slicked back hair, the infamous pirate had put his otaku-ness to good use coming up with his own outfit with which to tear Shinjuku to shreds in. It rather deeply contrasted to the black suit and trench coat worn by Kiritsugu Emiya, who was smoking a cigar and wearing a pair of shades despite the permanent night sky.
Vlad III however had done little to change his appearance. The Berserker maintaining his fine black suit and holding his spear for all to see. In deep contrast to Elizabeth Bathory, his niece who walked alongside him, who was wearing a pink dress, granted one far more tame than her usual idol outfit. Something her uncle had made just for her debut on the stage that was Shinjuku.
Sasaki Kojiro however had picked quite the outfit. A dark purple suit to go along with his hair, and black dress pants to compliment it. His sword was still sheathed upon his back, but he was ready for action at a moment's notice. His partner, little Jackie, better known as Jack the Ripper, was in a far more modest outfit than her normal attire. The little girl was wearing a suit vest and a white shirt underneath it, with black shorts to go along with it, and dress shoes instead of boots, even if she still had her array of knives strapped across her hips, the little Assassin looked good in her outfit.
And of course, Altria and Jeanne Alter. The Awake Saber had on a stylish black suit, one she'd gotten fitted just for her. The Avenger on the other hand was wearing her blue jacket, and short black dress combo she'd stolen from a run down department store.
The team from Chaldea was dressed to kill. "Alright people," Ritsuka started with a grandiose smirk as they approached the Phantom's stage area, hundreds of Coloratura barring their path and turning towards the team of Servants with malicious intent. "Let's bring down the house!" he ordered with a snap of his fingers, Servants either drawing their weapons, summoning them or just raising them to a fighting stance.
Today, Chaldea's villains had come to play.
12.5
[Fate/Grand Order]
What it cost
It had taken twenty Holy Grails, specifically wired up to create a makeshift leyline inside of the moving vehicle. The only reason it had taken so many was for redundancy purposes.
It had taken assistance from Edison and Tesla, working alongside Babbage to make the wiring in the Shadow Border work properly for this physics violating vehicle.
She'd had to enlist Merlin, Nitocris, and even the early summoned Morgan to actually make the bounded field properly, and then not just them but near every other Caster to reinforce the Shadow Border even further than normal. She was determined to make sure that Surtur couldn't just pop the can open.
She'd had to go over all of Chaldea's records and make meticulous edits, and find Servants willing to be dismissed, however temporarily, to appease the Mage's Association, making them think all of the Servants had been dismissed.
She'd made sure to even strike several Servants off the record, just to have them on hand for the assault on Chaldea, to save all they could.
Leonardo Da Vinci had taken a week, and a lot of help, to make the 'Shadow Border MK VII'. She knew it could be improved, easily, she hadn't even used any Kilironima in its construction, but she was saving that for the Storm Border.
She'd prepared even for Kotomine's impalement, but that was easy enough.
The less said about the actual resource cost, not only in regents but also in raw materials from across time and space, the better. She'd dumped about 60% of the spare resources in her Pocket into this project.
Estimated cost, if she was to convert it into US dollars? Probably around 500 billion, at a lowball estimate. Even if thankfully she hadn't had to pay for any of it.
The look on Ritsuka's face when every Servant from Chaldea was already on board and waiting for their escape? Incredible. A smile as grand, nah, grander than the Mona Lisa. The fact they'd escaped with more than eight survivors besides Gordy was a great bonus, and they'd injured the fake priest in the process.
The look on Mash's face when she'd shown her she'd literally ripped out Roman's old room and installed it on the Shadow Border just because it would make her happy? Glorious.
The look on Kadoc's face when he'd watched over two hundred Servants pour out of the Shadow Border, armed and ready for combat against him and his one Caster.
Priceless.
Leonardo Da Vinci was quite proactive when it came to making things better, or easier.
Now if only she could figure out when and how Holmes had managed to install a completely separate storage room filled with five months worth of cocaine!
12.6
[Fate Grand Order]
Code White (Conceptualist)
This was the worst Code White Da Vinci had ever seen. Six months of preparations and brand new security measures, down the drain. Again. It started four loops ago with a simple question. "How did Holmes manage to get his hands on so many drugs?"
Ritsuka's follow up question, "If we knew that, could we stop him?" was inevitable.
At this point, Da Vinci was absolutely certain the answer was no. Empirically, scientifically, and magically; a big fat nooooo.
They found and shut down his drug lab, where he was synthesizing opium from 'everything bagel seasoning' stolen from the kitchen. The cold medicine had been one of the first to go, and yet they never did figure out where else Holmes was able to source his meth ingredients from. On and on the battle between Da Vinci's ever tightening anti-drug measures and Holmes' limitless knowledge and creativity went.
With each new loophole closed, the twinkle in Holmes' eye grew more dangerous, more frantic. But at this point, if Da Vinci gave up, she'd never let herself live it down. The man wasn't even looping and he was winning!
Da Vinci sighed, and rang up Ritsuka on the communicator. "Rits?"
"Yes?"
"We have a Code White."
"How bad did Holmes go this time?"
Da Vinci stared at the knee-deep white powder covering every inch of Chaldea recreational area. Literal tons of cocaine had flooded through every open room and hallway moments ago. They still haven't found some of the Servants who got buried. Morarty was organizing the rescue effort, but nobody had seen Holmes since this morning.
"Just… Stay in your room."
12.7
[Fate/Grand Order]
Crypter Call
"Fujimaru, I am surprised you would contact us… and that you were even able to." Kirschtaria Wodime said calmly, even as the rest of the Crypters (minus Kadoc, who wasn't present), were staring in surprise.
In fact, Ritsuka was even using Kadoc's chair, or at least the hologram of her was.
"Never underestimate a determined scientist," she said bluntly.
"Very well, I shall endeavor to remember that, now did you have a reason for calling?" the leader of the Crypter asked, taking it in stride.
"Wodime! This is a serious security breach!" Ophelia shouted, finally regaining her barings, Ritsuka just waving as Kirschtaria hummed.
"Oh it is, but no harm can come of it. If anything, it gives us more access to them," he admitted as Ritsuka coughed.
"Well, just wanted to say hi, also Beryl, you have a restraining order," she said, flashing a piece of paper.
"The fuck did I do!" Beryl complained.
"You know what you did," the Chaldean' Master shot back.
"Is this an official restraining order?" Kirschtaria asked nonchalantly.
"Who the hell's going to enforce the damn thing!? Also where did you even get that!" the Crypter off the British Lostbelt pointed out
"I mean if anyone bothers to read it you'll see it's actually an official sentencing by the United Nations," Ritsuka held up the restraining order again.
"...are you serious? Why would the UN, who are all dead mind you, have issued a restraining order!?" Akuta pointed out.
"...Oh god," Beryl finally muttered in shock.
"Oh yes," Ritsuka said, grinning as a hand appeared in the hologram of her. A gloved hand.
"YOU'LL NEVER TAKE ME ALIVE!" Beryl shouted before cutting the call.
"...What the hell was that about?" Akuta complained.
"It seems Beryl's criminal activities have come to light, whatever those were. Why am I not surprised," Peperoncino stated. "Also hi Ritsuka darling, how are you doing?"
"Oh just fine, expect more of me later. Also, tell Beryl the restraining order is technically for Mash. He comes within five miles of her, he will be smited." Ritsuka elaborated.
"...By which god?" Wodime asked, mildly curious.
"Odin," Ritsuka said calmly.
"Oh come on!" Ophelia pouted, crossing her arms.
"I would ask why Odin is enforcing this restraining order, but for the sake of Beryl, I will inform him to oblige," Wodime returned calmly.
"Also we got a new Servant, say hi Xiang Yu!" Ritsuka said with a grin.
"This vehicle is cramped. Also hello."
"WAIT WHAT!?" Akuta's hologram stood up, slamming her hands onto the table. "You summoned Xiang Yu!?"
"Don't ask me how. We'll be visiting later!" She watched, before cutting the call.
"I'm gonna kill her!" Akuta shouted, cutting her own call as Daybit finally spoke up.
"She has sewn chaos in our ranks in mere moments," he pointed out.
"So she has. I suppose it does make things interesting," Wodime responded.
"Well I for one look forward to the future calls! Hopefully we'll have Kadoc back by then," Pepe said with a smile.
"...Shouldn't we be concerned about this?" Ophelia muttered.
"Ophelia, why are you calling?" Wodime asked.
"HOW!? How does she do this!?" Ophelia shouted, holding a pillow and screaming into it as Wodime raised an eyebrow.
"I think I know what's going on…" Kadoc muttered, holding an ice pack to his head from where Kotomine had punched him earlier. "Is it Ritsuka?"
"KADOC! You should have warned me about the Santas! She's invaded my Lostbelt with Christmas!" Ophelia screeched. "There's even this little Jeanne d'Arc running around bringing all sorts of Christmas cheer. And Napoleon, and ARGH!" Ophelia didn't get any farther before shoving her face into her pillow to continue screaming.
"...She's doing what?" Kadoc muttered in disbelief as Wodime hummed.
"She is using the spirit of Christmas against Ophelia. It appears we have further underestimated her. I must make more preparations," Wodime admitted with a completely straight face. "Do not worry, Caenis should be able to assist."
"SHE GOT RUN OVER BY A SLEIGH!" Ophelia shouted.
"Nevermind then. She should be fine, but that is mildly concerning," Wodime continued. "Try to hang on as best you can. If Fujimaru captures you, I will make sure you are recovered."
"Save me…" Ophelia whined before cutting the call.
"...She's gonna get captured." Kadoc muttered.
"Oh yes, which is better than the alternative," Wodime admitted, before standing up to prepare anti-Santa defenses next.
"I think Ritsuka might have gotten to Ophelia." Wodime and Kadoc looked up as the hologram of Peperoncino phased into the room.
"Really now?" Kadoc muttered as Wodime raised an eyebrow.
"How so?" the golden haired magus asked.
"Oh, she contacted me asking for battle music. Saying something about how to counteract the power of Christmas, she must convince the world of her victory. Admittedly, I recommended Ride of the Valkyries, but the point still stands," the hologram admitted as Kadoc groaned.
"And here I thought I had it bad…" Kadoc muttered.
"It seems Ophelia is in the process of either losing her mind, or loosening up," Wodime commented.
"She's gonna be unrecognizable by the next time we see her…" Kadoc sank into his chair, holding his hand to his face. "Goddammit, we've underestimated her influence."
"Come now Kadoc, it's not that bad. To defeat your enemy, you must know your enemy. Now then, I must prepare the mecha."
"The what!?"
"You did say that Fujimaru had a mecha among their Servants, therefore I have asked for Zeus to begin production of the new Talos mecha in order to combat this new threat," he said completely straight-faced.
"Your preparations just keep getting stranger and stranger…"
"It just goes to show how much our fearless leader is willing to do in preparation for should Fujimaru make it to him," Pepe said with a smile, and then frowned. "More concerning is that the possibility of her and the forces of Chaldea making it to us is not some fever dream. If Ophelia doesn't stop them, who knows who their next target is."
"We'll know who emerges victorious from Scandinavia soon," Wodime said, standing up leading Kadoc out of the meeting room for their next bit of preparation.
"BERYL YOU FUCK!" Akuta shouted as Kadoc slammed his head into the table.
"What did I do!?" the black clad Crypter shouted back, the two holograms flickering as Wodime tapped the table.
"Both of you calm down, what happened?" Wodime questioned.
Akuta pointed at Beryl. "He sent that fox bitch to try and assassinate Ritsuka, and now they're coming here!"
"Well I can't very much do it myself can I," Beryl complained.
"Oh boo hoo you're scared of a divine restraining order!" Akuta shot back.
"Have you been able to confirm Ophelia is being held captive at least?" Wodime asked.
"Oh she's there alright, Koyanskya told me, they've apparently got a mock Chaldea up and running already."
"Damn they work fast," Kadoc complained.
"Beryl, why did you attempt an assassination?" Wodime asked calmly as Beryl crossed his arms.
"Why wouldn't I, not like I don't have anything better to do," the dandy mage stated as Kadoc slowly raised his head.
"Why did you assume it would work?" The first Crypter questioned. Beryl shrugging.
"I mean… maybe it would have worked?" he admitted.
"In any case. Akuta, do you think you can handle Chaldea?" Wodime asked and Akuta started looking around.
"Uh… I don't know… not after the Christmas fiasco and…" she started shivering.
"Oh, someone's scared?" Beryl asked mockingly, before realizing something. "Hey, where's Daybit?"
"Something about 'fusion', he said he wouldn't be available for a while," Wodime answered. "Akuta, prepare for a Chaldean incursion. Be ready for anything."
"I don't think I am…"
"Status report?" Wodime asked as Akuta appeared on screen, wearing a… very interesting outfit.
"Akuta, the fuck," Kadoc stated bluntly as she spoke up.
"Shove it. Fujimaru brought an army and they've effectively laid siege to the Lostbelt. That stupid Berserker rammed himself into a meteor and everything's gone to hell from there," Akuta relayed bluntly.
"Come now, what chaos has Chaldea concocted?" Wodime said with a soft smile, Kadoc groaning and shaking his head at that, mumbling under his breath.
"Feeling alliterative today boss?" the grey haired Crypter commented.
"Well it started with them fielding a bunch of rebellious Servants, but after the meteor thing they've jumped the shark and now they're a bunch of Servants in swimsuits running around!"
"So they're attacking with the spirit of summer then?"
"Yes! I mean- NO!" Akuta tried to cover herself. "There is nothing going on here!"
"...Wait is that why you're-" Kadoc started.
"SHOVE! IT!" Akuta shouted, before cutting the call.
"Oh dear, it seems we've lost her as well," Wodime admitted.
"Dude, she was wearing a bikini," Kadoc pointed out.
"Exactly. She has been infected with the spirit of summer. Soon, like the others, she shall join Chaldea. Atlantis will not stop them," Wodime admitted. "I must go, we must weaponize this summer spirit as well."
"What!? Why!?" Kadoc shot up as Wodime started walking away.
"Simple. If we do not prepare ourselves in every way, then Chaldea shall overtake us."
"I can't tell if you're being serious or not." Kadoc stated, following after the leader of the Crypters for his next strange scheme.
Everyone was silent.
At least until someone started sipping from a straw.
"...Uh…" Peperoncino started, being the odd one out at the moment. "Did I miss something?"
"Yes," Kadoc complained. "Fujimaru, how."
Ritsuka didn't respond, since she was the one drinking from a glass full of blue juice.
"I… don't know how we all got involved with this," Akuta admitted, slowly lifting her shades.
"Ah good, so I'm not the only one confused… So can I ask what all of you are doing, together. Like, for real together… in swimsuits and summer wear?" Peperoncino asked, amused.
"This arrangement is only temporary," Wodime admitted, the usually dignified magus wearing a long sleeved Hawaiian shirt and long pants. "Technically I don't know how you connected to us."
"Actually I'm kinda on another planet right now," Pepe admitted. "Had to fight a bunch of robots. Weak ones, but it is concerning."
"Oh joy, you're here too," Ritsuka pulled away from her drink. "Summer in the Servant Universe. Sweet."
"I suppose we'll be meeting earlier than expected, Fujimaru?" Pepe mused, having expected to do so when Ritsuka came calling to his Lostbelt.
"Yep. Once we get Rin to pick us up again. We've still got a bounty on this planet." Ritsuka admitted.
"...Does chaos just follow you, Fujimaru?" Kadoc asked.
"Yes…" Ophelia said softly. "Yes, it follows her like a lost and rabid puppy."
"Okay, rude, but fair," Ritsuka admitted. "So bounty?"
"Yes… bounty hunting. How long are we probably going to be here?" Kadoc complained.
"God if I know. I'm still wondering how we'll get back," Rituska pointed out, before drinking from her cup again.
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," Wodime said, closing his eyes. This… Servant Universe was interesting, strange… and useful for his plans.
"Beryl, Daybit, how long were we gone?" Wodime asked the moment he got both of them on the line, Kadoc passed out literally on the table as both men looked… confused.
"What the hell do you mean?" Beryl questioned. "It hasn't been that long. Wasn't expecting another call for a while," the man in black stated.
"Your time is screwed up, as usual. It's been about a week since your last contact," Daybit provided.
"Ah, good, so time dilation exists. Now, long story short, it's been a few years."
"...Does that have something to do with why Kadoc is wearing a spacesuit?"
"Yes, yes it does," Wodime admitted. "We have been trapped with Fujimaru, Ophelia, Akuta and Pepe in another universe for the past three years, and only now have been returned to our own. It was a strange place."
"Wait back up, Fujimaru!? The others? Pepe!?" Beryl started questioning as Wodime hummed.
"Yes. It was fun, long, and surprisingly revealing. Also dangerous. Very dangerous."
"...What the fuck happened?" Beryl asked, completely lost at this point.
Another hologram activated, revealing Ritsuka Fujimura. "Oh hey, you two made it back alright?"
"We did, Kadoc is just tired," Wodime admitted with a wave of his hand.
"You two are familiar with each other," Daybit noted.
"I mean when you're stuck with someone for a few years, kinda gotta know them?" Ritsuka admitted.
"I managed to avoid such interactions at the Clock Tower," Daybit admitted.
Another hologram popped up. "Hi everyone!"
"Hey Pepe," Ritsuka waved.
"Hey Ritsuka darling~ I'll be seeing you again soon," Pepe noted.
"Seriously, the fuck happened?" Beryl asked.
"It started with Ritsuka getting kidnapped, and Ophelia and Akuta were dragged along for the ride because they were in the same room at the time. Then they broke out of confinement so the Empire went after me next, I was knocked unconscious and Kadoc was taken with me since he was a witness, but when we awoke we managed to break out ourselves, and then after that Pepe got kidnapped by a completely separate section of this same space empire and broke out on his lonesome, and crash landed on another planet where we had to retrieve him. That was just how it started," Wodime elaborated.
"Three years of bounty hunting, adventure, and eventually facing off against the primordial Goddess of the Ancient Universe together with our allies finally allowed us to go home," Ritsuka condensed it down… a lot.
"...Y'all are pulling my leg," Beryl muttered.
"I wish she was," Pepe admitted. "I was there, and I still don't entirely believe it."
"This is my life," Ritsuka admitted.
"I told you it's like a rabid puppy!" Ophelia shouted from outside the vision range of the hologram.
"Backing the fuck up, why didn't you kill her!?"
"Because the only way any of us were getting out of that adventure alive was together. Space is a scary place Beryl," Wodime pointed out. "Especially when everyone else is a Servant, and we aren't.
"I don't wanna…" Kadoc mumbled in his sleep as Daybit spoke up.
"I see. Then everything will continue as normal?"
"It will. Comrades we may have been for a time, but we are still enemies. We shall see who's ideals are stronger in the end," Wodime said calmly, adjusting his shirt.
"I'm not gonna stop calling, you know that right?" Ritsuka mused.
"Oh I wouldn't expect you to, it makes things interesting." Wodime noted with a smirk.
"Well this is just a fine mess isn't it?" Pepe asked sarcastically as Wodime hummed.
Kadoc, Beryl and Pepe were all with him in Olympus now, and Chaldea was coming for his Lostbelt next. "Yes I suppose it would be," Wodime mused. "But should we have expected anything less?"
"At this point, not really," Kadoc admitted, crossing his arms and leaning back in his chair. "So you've got everything ready?"
"Yes. I've prepared anti-Santa defenses, anti-Summer defenses, I've established our forces in key locations. I've sent out the ships in preparation for their most likely entry point. We know that Ophelia and Akuta won't be with her, and above all else-" he started before the holocall started.
"Sup everyone!" Ritsuka called, her hologram waving.
"Hello Fujimaru," Wodime offered.
"You call at the worst of times," Kadoc complained.
"No I'd call her timing pretty good honestly," Pepe pointed out, "So what's the occasion this time Fujimaru."
"Outer gods. Plural," Ritsuka said bluntly. "What's up with you all."
"Nothing much," Beryl lied. "Just chilling."
"Remember the restraining order," Ritsuka sang, spinning her finger.
"I ain't scared of that shit," Beryl said with a smirk now.
"Really? Then why were you all-" Pepe started, recalling Beryl's original outburst when they'd learned of the restraining order.
"Can it Pepe," the pointy eared man said, shoving a finger towards Peperoncino.
"Know that this will be the final, and greatest battle Fujimaru. Do you have enough tricks in store? Or will our preparations be enough to thwart you, and make way for the new human history?" Wodime asked.
"Dunno, but we'll see how that goes," Ritsuka said nonchalantly, or at least she tried to. Her voice had cracked slightly. All the present Crypters watching as she slowly began to sit down pinching her nose and holding her eyes closed.
"What's up with her?" Beryl questioned, as the other three men kept their silence.
"You triggered her again..." Kadoc muttered under his breath as Ritsuka slowly opened her eyes, Wodime frowning as she looked up.
"Yeah, I'm good, see you later," Chaldea's Master declared, her voice cracking still before she shut the call off.
"I'm going to finish making my preparations," Wodime claimed, standing up, turning and flaring his cape as he walked away from the meeting room, leaving Beryl, Kadoc and Pepe alone.
"Well I'm going to find something better to do then," Beryl said, pushing up his glasses with a wicked grin. His eyes hidden by the glint of his specs as he walked away, chuckling to himself.
Kadoc and Peperoncino remained there for a little while, in contemplative silence.
"Well, let's see how this ends up playing out, shall we?" Pepe asked his friend, the grey haired teen taking a deep breath and sighing. The young teen rubbed his hair as he stood up.
"Yeah… yeah… I'll do my part. You do yours," Kadoc muttered, before beginning to walk away, Pepe looking to his hand before clenching his fist with a frown upon his face.
"Ashiya Douman… I will end you for what you did to my peaceful world in my absence," he noted, before beginning to walk away.
"Thank you, Ritsuka Fujimaru." Ritsuka looked to her left as she was leaning against a railing. Before her lay the city of Akiabara in yet another singularity.
"I mean, I keep having to do it all over… why shouldn't I try to save those I can?" Ritsuka asked the one beside her.
Wodime smiled as he rested his hand on the guard rail. "I will say, it's a hard story to believe… but then again I don't think any of us expected the lives we now live?" he mused.
"Not really… but I wouldn't trade it away," Ritsuka said with a grin.
"It's the life you choose to live. We all make our own choices… even when we try to force them upon others." Wodime said, as down below Ophelia, Mash, Pepe and Akuta were wandering the street before them, while Kadoc was off with a few Servants raiding a bookstore of all its manga.
"I mean I'm not the one who tried to make all of humanity gods," she pointed out to him.
"No, no you're not," he said with a smile. "But that's in the past. Let's share in the time we now share, for however long it's going to last."
"Few months I think," she muttered.
"Well then, let's make them a good few months…" Wodime offered cryptically.. And then tapped her on the shoulder. "Wanna go see a movie?"
"Let's grab the others and do that," she responded with a smile, and he nodded.
It was a good movie, and in Ritsuka's opinion, a very good Loop.
AN: Another set of snips for you all! I hope everyone enjoyed. If you want to keep track make sure to follow along.
12.1: Training days, battle on.
12.2: How to Summon your Looper
12.3: We all know the pain
12.4: Evil only, good thing there is a lot of them.
12.5: Worth it!
12.6: Some people have issues... Holmes certainly does.
12.7: Daybit! Fujimaru's life is chaos!