And here we are again. I'll be taking a break from writing after this chapter, as I have a bunch of stuff going on at the moment and I need to take a breather in order to catch up on rest and other stuff. Just a bit tuckered out, I'll be back soon! Patience my lovely omelets, you will all be remembered.

What he said and add in a bit of extra "You haven't taken a break when you should have, which was a couple weeks ago, you said you would you didn't you dimwit!" to it and we are to what's gonna happen, an extended break from all stories until you reload your brain ammo and come back with rapid fire, because you do that. Well yeah here's hoping he doesn't go back on this break and actually rests for a bit, don't worry I'll be sure that he rests his brain for at least a couple days. -CrowSkull.


Beta: CrowSkull

Beta Number Two: Cam


The Seventh War

Chapter 3


Francis felt his eyelids grow heavier and heavier the longer he walked through the night. The sun still wasn't rising anytime soon, and from his guess, it had to be around midnight at the very least. Beside him, Susano kept on the watch. His eyes straying to every possible vantage point around them and constantly scanning for any enemy Servants or Masters. The storm clouds that Susano created during his short battle against the Lancer Servant were still overhead, although much thinner than before, they still caused a gentle drizzle of rain as the two of them walked on the side of the road. Sticking close to each other just in case another surprise was on the way.

The church was just down the block - Francis could see it from where he was now. The moon was high above it, casting a gentle nightly glow over the church and creating a large shadow that stretched out all the way to him. The air grew cool enough that Francis saw his breath as he exhaled. It didn't last long as he closed the distance between himself and the church that his grandfather and Piotyr told him about before. Thankfully, he had already sent a warning text to his parents saying that he was staying at the college overnight. They did provide temporary dorms, after all. So it wouldn't be too unbelievable.

"Wait," his Servant called to him before he could touch the gates.

"What is it?" Francis nearly thought that they were being attacked, but took a deep breath when he saw that Susano wasn't at all tense and actually had his sword sheathed behind his back.

"This is as far as I can go," Susano said as he tapped the invisible shield that Francis couldn't even sense with his finger. The entire field rippled and Francis suddenly realized what the Assassin meant. "No Servants are allowed on Church grounds, it seems."

"I didn't realize that was there…" Francis said as he tried to reach out and touch the field. However, his hand passed through it harmlessly. It didn't even react to him, in fact. It must have been because he wasn't a Servant. "I suppose this makes sense, however. I remember reading up about the fifth war and how a Servant was able to break the rules and attack the mediator directly for their own selfish desires. It was one of the first times a Servant dared to break that sacred law, but it makes sense that they wouldn't want to chance it being broken a second time." He hummed as he stuck his hand back into his pocket. "Dematerialize, for now, Assassin," He had to start getting used to calling his Servant by his class and not his name. He already made that mistake with the Lancer Servant, he wasn't keen on making it again. "There's little point in expending mana when there is no reason to."

"Right," Susano sparkled away into blue and purple particles before disappearing completely. Francis felt the Servant enter his mind again, assuring him that the deed was done. With a nod, he turned back around and stepped through the gates to the Cathedral Church and walked up the steps that lead to a massive pair of doors that were barely cracked open.

It was massive. He looked up and it looked like its spires were scraping the skies itself. It wasn't even as big as some of the other buildings that he's seen across the entire city during his childhood, but it was still a majestic sight, even at night like this. It made him remember in that moment that he had never actually stepped into the church before. He saw it from a distance. He wasn't officially a part of any religion, so he just never had a reason too. When he stepped into the church, however, it was just as big on the inside as it was on the outside.

The heavy wooden doors required some effort to push open and it leads to a long red carpet that leads all the way to the shrine of Jesus Christ crucified on a cross. Looking up, the ceiling was just as high as the roof itself. Looking all over the walls as Francis stepped deeper into the religious building revealed to him glass murals and several massive pillars that kept the building stable and standing. Each mural depicted a story - a religious one, he assumed. He never read the bible as it never really appealed to him whatsoever, so he only had what he had heard from others throughout his life. It was rather simple to him. There was a single almighty God, Jesus, Angels, Demons, Heaven, and Hell. There was a clear good side and a bad side. Not really that interesting, in his opinion. But the knowledge was good to have.

He stopped himself from marveling at the inside of the church and set his eyes on the man that was kneeling in front of the shrine of Jesus. His hands were clasped together and Francis could imagine the man quietly whispering his prayers. The chairs and benches were all pushed to the side and against the wall, though carefully placed in a way that it wouldn't get in front of the organs that played holy songs during the mass. Besides, the priest, which Francis assumed was Father Paul, and himself there was no one else present within the church. It didn't surprise him. There were too many things going on for people to worry about their supposed God. Especially during a time like this where an outbreak was just beginning to plague the city. Everyone wanted to stay away from everyone, and churches were just seen as Petri dishes for illness in the public eye.

As Francis stepped closer to Father Paul, he started to notice some missing tiles and a strange odor. It smelled like some kind of wet rotting fruit. Something crunched underneath his foot and he looked down to see what it was, he had accidentally squashed a bug under his foot. He dragged the bottom of that shoe on the ground to get the disgusting carcass off of him, maybe the church wasn't being perfectly tended too after all. Shaking his head, he was finished with the distractions.

"Are you Father Paul?" Francis asked loudly as he got within ten paces of the priest. "The mediator of the Seventh Holy Grail War?"

The priest set his hands down on his lap and inclined his head toward him. "I am," He confirmed as he slowly pushed himself up to his feet. "You are fortunate that faith in God is so little these days, or else we may not be able to speak so freely as we are now. I presume that you are one of the Masters?"

"I am," Francis confirmed with a nod. Holding up his hand to back up his claim. The priest saw his seals, nodded, and smiled ever so slightly.

"Then tell me, what are you here for?" Paul turned around and stepped closer to him. Seeing his face, his eyes were very dark green, and what looked like once blonde hair was now completely greyed and looked like it was falling off. He was an older man, as was evident by the way his skin was wrinkled and was being pulled down by gravity. He wore the traditional Christian priest robes, this time of year they were green. Fitting, as they were no major holiday to celebrate as of now. "The war had just begun, don't tell me that your Servant has already been defeated?"

"He hasn't," It annoyed him how the priest so easily accused him of that as if he expected such disappointment from him. "I am here for information and information alone. I want to know about the past Holy Grail Wars. I want to know as much as I can about the past Masters, Servants, and key events that lead up to today."

"Very well, that is well within my power to provide. Do you have a particular war in mind?" Paul asked. "I will do what I can to assist you."

"The Sixth Holy Grail War," Francis said, slowly crossing his arms and resisting the urge to gag at the disgusting smell. "What do you know about it?"

"Oh, dear…" The priest actually looked embarrassed for a moment. "That… is a difficult question for me to answer and not because of what you may be thinking. The Sixth War is a mystery even among the Mage's Association, I'm afraid. I don't blame them for it either. The war only lasted for a single day and night, after all."

"A single night!?" Francis remarked, shocked. "How is that possible? One day has already passed and as far as I know, there has only been a single battle. How could something like a Holy Grail war only last twenty-four hours!?"

"If I knew the answer I would tell you," Paul replied. "But alas, I cannot answer that question as I don't know what happened. However, I can retell to you the events of the Fifth war all the way back to the Fourth and part of the Third. Those are my limitations."

"Tch," Francis crossed his arms and shook his head. Not even the mediator of the Seventh Holy Grail war knew what happened? That couldn't be true. There had to be some kind of records - books, scrolls, something that perhaps a past Master or Mediator had written down! There was just no way that the Mages Association wouldn't want all the information they could get about every war that had occurred throughout the past two centuries. So how could there be nothing? It didn't make any sense. "Tell me what you can about the Fifth," If there was something that Francis didn't know, he would have it told to him there. At least that war was more popularly known. This priest had to have something to share.

"Ah, the Fifth," Paul chuckled. "That was an interesting one. It took place in the same city as the Fourth war. And it was won by a child, no less. Even younger than you are now, as a matter of fact. It took place about five years ago and ended in a very similar manner to the Fourth war. Although there was a technical winner, there was no wish that was answered."

"Hm," Francis nodded along. That much he knew. "Who was the one who won at that time?"

"You should know of him. He is now the assistant of Rin Tohsaka. He goes by the name 'Emiya' these days."

"Emiya…" Francis noted that name. It was the same name as the winner of the Fourth Holy Grail war. Or at least the same surname. They were related then? Either way, he would make sure he never forgot it. "I see… are Rin and Emiya still in London?"

"Their whereabouts are actually unknown as of now," Paul pointed out. "Something apparently came up on their end and they departed the clocktower with Lord El Melloi II. What they are up to now, nobody knows."

"I see," Francis let that go for now. "And what of the Fourth war? You said that it ended similarly to the Fifth, does that mean that the Grail was attacked by a Servant at that time as well?"

"Indeed," Paul confirmed. "Though I can see it in your eyes. It would be pointless to explain to you every little gritty detail about what happened in that war. Even useless third-rate mages know about that particular turn of events. I suspect that you do as well."

"You'd be right," Francis allowed. Although Paul was only half right. Francis only knew about as much as Aza told him when they were in their late teens. What he didn't know was that the Grail was attacked by a Servant at the end, just as the Fifth war ended. That was important to keep noted in his mind. He really was ill-informed, or perhaps he thought he knew more than he really did. Piotyr was right to suggest this to him… "Is there any source of information that I can search for to learn more about the most recent wars?"

"Mm, perhaps." Paul shrugged his shoulders. "You'd have to search for it, as none of it would be here."

That had to be a lie. "So be it," Francis replied "Then if that is really all you can tell me, I have no further questions other than one; May I spend the night here? I need somewhere safe to truly put my mind at ease, and my Servant wasn't even able to step through the shield outside. I presume that no blood may be spilled on these grounds."

"Correct, such is against the rules of the war." Paul gestured to the seats at the side. "Make yourself comfortable. You can stay as long as you like, in actuality. Though when the sun comes out, I do hope you don't decide to get too comfortable."

"As soon as the sun is out, I'm gone," Francis said as he sat down, notably a good distance away from the priest and that strange smell.

"Very well," The priest went back to his kneeling position in front of the shrine. Without another word, he went back to his praying. Francis wondered if the prayer granted him some kind of magical power, but stunted such thoughts quickly with a shake of his head. He leaned back in his seat and let his body rest, feeling the fatigue wash over his body as his muscles finally released pent up tension.

"He's hiding something," He told Assassin from within his mind.

"He is," Susano agreed. "We can only do so much, however. He is the mediator of the war, we can't force anything out of him."

"I wasn't suggesting anything like that," Francis assured. "But he proved to be much less helpful than I thought he'd be. We'll have to find out what happened some other way…"

"Perhaps the truth is being kept away from you for a reason," Susano suggested. "Some knowledge is meant to be forgotten. If the Sixth war truly ended in a single day, then all the Servants and six Masters died in a matter of hours. Whoever won that war, it was won in a bloodbath and a pile of bodies."

"Clearly," Francis sighed both physically and internally. "I want to know what happened anyway. I won't pry for now, but one day, whether it be during this war or after, I will get that information."

"If that is what you want," Susano muttered. "Now sleep, Master. We don't know what tomorrow will bring, and the sun is already beginning to rise…"

Francis was already on that. Closing his eyes and letting out a soft sigh, he felt his body give way to rest. Tomorrow was another day. But it was also another night…


Azael sat down on a bench with one leg draped over the other. Amy sat beside her with a much more calm demeanor about her. The sun was out again, and the night had once again been uneventful on her side of things. Even when she went out and literally looked for trouble, all she had managed to find was the aftermath of a battle. Blood was spilled all over the sidewalk from what she was able to see. But that was just it, and it could easily be because of a different means. It didn't have to mean a Master battling another Master or the same with Servants. Anyhow, she wasn't able to investigate further as the police were scouring through the entire area searching for answers as well, along with a body. By the time she realized that time was running short the sun had already been rising, so she returned home and went to bed, and immediately went out again after Masuru tried to offer her some food - She'd eat later, right now her mind was set on other things.

She sat near the entrance of the college that she knew that Francis went to. He'd have no excuse of getting away from her this time. Since they were apparently allies now, then they should work together, right? It made the most sense since the two of them working together would spell disaster for any of the other Masters and perhaps even a Servant as well. Now that she thought about it, she didn't even know what kind of Servant he had, or even who he had as well. She had the strongest class of Servants so she doubted that his Servant would be as strong as hers unless it was a Berserker, but a Servant was a Servant. They were called Heroic Spirits for a reason.

"You seem troubled, Master." Amy caught on to her sour mood. Of course, she did… "Is something the matter? I've noticed that you've kept thinking about that boy since yesterday."

Azael's face snapped to hers in an instant. "Don't do that, that's an invasion of my privacy!"

"Considering that you have looked up every possible source of information about myself, I can only deduce that it is only fair for me to do the same about you," Amy said with a chuckle. "What else was there for me to do while you slept through the night? Masuru and Adrielle were happy to assist when I asked them about you."

"Bitch," Azael commented as she turned away from her. "He's someone I want coming out of this alive, and that's all you need to know."

"Perhaps," Dropping her teasing stare, the Saber Servant took on a much more serious tone as she said, "But the fact that the two of you are involved does spell a recipe for potential disaster or conflict of interest."

Azael scowled. "We aren't… involved. Don't say it like that."

"You can't lie to me, Master. I saw the way you looked at him the moment he showed himself yesterday afternoon. It is the same look I gave my husband before he betrayed me."

Azael knew what she meant by her husband. It was hard not to learn about the Kami of the Moon whenever one searched for information about Amaterasu and what she has done in that pantheon. "He is not going to betray me," She replied, stating it as a matter of fact. "I know him. He's strong, at least as strong as me and gifted. But he lacks the will to actually go against me."

"We will see." Amy allowed. "I do not know him, so forgive me for being skeptical."

"It's fine," She understood why, considering what happened when she was still alive. She waited for another half hour before deciding that Francis being this late was something to be concerned about. She drew out her phone and swiped down her contact list in hopes of finding his name. However, before she could do that a call was sent to her instead. It was a number that she faintly recognized, which told her that she never actually put Francis' number in her phone. She answered it quickly. "Where the hell are you?" She asked the moment her thumb swiped the answer call function.

"That's a good morning if I ever heard one…" Francis said with a tired yawn. He was asleep just now? He must have been up late… "I am at the Cathedral Church, I spoke with the mediator of the war to learn about some things."

"Why?" Azael asked. "What reason did you have that made you feel that you needed to go there so soon?"

"I… uh, met one of the other Masters last night, and ran into two servants."

Azael felt her eyes widened and her hand grip tighter around the bench that she was sat on. Instantly, she was angry. Then she was relieved that Francis was okay. Then she was angry again as she went to the other side of the city and away from all the action right as it began. "What happened!?" She snapped.

"I only fought one of them, a Servant, but before that, I was talking with another Master. Piotyr Vezenov and his Servant is Rider. I still have no clue who he is. But the Servant that attacked us was without his Master. My Servant fought him off, and we were able to piece together that the Servant was the Lancer-class, and his true name was Ne Zha."

"That's… a lot." Azael said. Hiding the fact that she was impressed. "This other Master, Piotyr, you didn't fight him?"

"No, he said he just wanted to talk. I listened." Francis told her.

Azael felt a spark of disappointment. "You should have killed him before he could pose a threat in the future."

"I wasn't going to kill an old man who had his hands up in surrender and pleading with me to talk to him," Francis snapped back. "And besides, he is probably a lot more powerful than he leads on. He was able to create a Reality Marble, Aza," Suddenly, Aza understood another reason why Francis didn't attack him right away. Anyone who could create a Reality Marble with their magecraft was someone who was a force to be reckoned with.

"Fine then," She allowed, not admitting defeat. "What did you two talk about?"

"He uh… wanted to put a cease-fire between me and him." Francis slowly admitted. "First he wanted an alliance, but I said no since I was already allied with you." Azael felt her glare die down as he said that. Good. She was the only ally that she'd allow him to have. "Right after we shook hands was when Lancer attacked. I acted on instinct, and I saved Piotyr's life. I'm pretty sure he thinks he owes me now, so we shouldn't have to worry about the Rider Servant becoming a threat anytime soon."

"Good," Azael approved, nodding her head along as they continued. "And what were you able to learn about Rider? What does he look like?"

"Like an overly tall old man with stag horns, a long beard, and rags for clothes," Francis explained. "I have no idea who he is. But he did say that if I attacked first, he would bring forth the Wrath of Terra. Do you know anything about that?"

"No,"

"Well, at least it seems that he is a pacifist. Which is probably the worst kind of Servant someone can ask for in a war like this. Even if there wasn't a cease-fire between me and Piotyr, we'd only have to worry about Rider if we attack first."

"We'll save him for last," Azael said as a cruel grin grew across her face. "When it's just the three of us left, he won't stand a chance. His choices would be to surrender or die."

"Sounds like a plan," Francis said with a soft chuckle. "I need to go now, I just needed to call you so you wouldn't be angry with me," Aza barked out a laugh at how blatantly honest he was being. "I'll let you know what happens. Let's stick closer together throughout this night, I have a feeling that things are about to start getting a lot more hectic soon… Oh, and before I leave, I want to ask you something; What do you know about the Sixth Holy Grail War?"

"The sixth…?" Azael physically shrugged her shoulders. "I only know that it's the one war that the Mages Association doesn't know much about. Why?"

"I was just wondering… Paul told me some interesting things last night and now I am starting to ask myself some questions, I'll explain it to you later."

"Sure," Azael nodded her head in understanding. The call ended moments later, with Azael feeling much less tense than she had before. When she noticed Amy staring at her, that tension returned to her. "Now we go eat," She said as she stood up from her seat.

"Servants don't need to eat, Master." Amy pointed out.

"Well Amy, you're going to eat anyway. Because I say so, and I'm hungry enough to not care what you think."

"Very well. That's fair."


"What did you think you were doing!?" Katherine shouted as Ne Zha sat bored on his floating spear. "Look at what you've done!" She said as she held up her hand, showing that she was now down one Command Spell out of the three that she had in the beginning. "It was the first night, the first night of the Holy Grail War and now I am already down to two Command Spells, why didn't you inform Greg about what was happening? Why did you feel the unbearable need to go out there and fight with no plan!?"

"I did tell Greg about what I saw," Ne Zha said as he puffed air out of his nose, blowing away a piece of his hair as it fell over his face. "He just didn't tell you, I guess."

"That's because you knocked him out!" Katherine exclaimed as she gestured to the poor man as he lied down groaning and in pain. It wasn't an extreme amount of pain, but there was a clear bruise above his left eye indicating that he was on the receiving end of a powerful strike. Thankfully, one of his co-workers came in and saw what happened just as it did, and notified her as soon as possible.

"It's not my fault he tried to stop me!" Ne Zha exclaimed.

"Don't lie to me child, I saw the footage," To emphasize her point, Katherine pointed to the monitor. On it was a fullscreen clip of Ne Zha punching Greg the moment he stepped closer to him after he spotted two of the Masters on the cameras. Then he proceeded to jump through the window, breaking it, and go off in pursuit of the two Masters. At the very least, Katherine now knew what they both looked like and was able to learn their names, but it didn't change the fact that Ne Zha revealed himself so pathetically early on in the war to almost a third of the opposition. "You attacked Greg the moment you saw what was happening. I told you to inform me if you spotted anything suspicious, be it, Masters or Servants. But you did not listen!"

"C'mon Master! Cut me some slack here. I'm a heroic spirit and I lust for battle every day! It's been so long since anyone has truly been able to stand up to me, and Susano started to make my blood rush at the end there!"

"At the cost of you revealing all of your weapons and the fact that you have a transformation," Katherine said, unbending. "It doesn't matter that you found two of the other Masters and the identity of a Servant if it means that you revealed yourself and made me waste a Command Spell. Remember that we are in the heart of New York City. If there was a battle between two Servants, the city would not simply ignore it. If I had let you fight at your full strength, we would have broken the rules, and if that happened? Trust me, you don't want to know what it feels like to be hunted by all six other Masters and Servants."

"And you do?" Ne Zha challenged.

"I do not," Katherine admitted. "But tell me truthfully. This… Susano, by himself, was able to put up a good fight. Assuming that you can indeed defeat him without fighting at your full strength, do you really think that you can beat them all at once?"

"Well… I'd have to be perfect and make no mistakes," Ne Zha said, seriously thinking about potential scenarios where it was six against one.

"Exactly, and make one mistake and you're dead," Katherine said, jabbing a finger into his chest. "I can see now that I was too lenient on the conditions of your staying here. Clearly, you cannot control yourself when certain urges get to your brain. I will now be watching you personally, and when Greg wakes up, you will apologize for attacking him. Am I understood?"

"Ugh…" Ne Zha let his head fall into one of his hands. "I guess…"

"Good," Katherine huffed and dismissed the child Servant. At least he had the sense to know that he couldn't go out in the day time, but it seemed that as night fell, he would become much harder to control. One Command Spell was wasted already, she couldn't afford to lose another unless she absolutely needed too.

Seriously though, Ne Zha proved to be as much of a child mentally as he was physical. It reminded her of her own son that she had long ago. Playing the role of a mother hadn't been something she'd been able to do ever since Aaron - her son - left to join the military as soon as he was eighteen years old. It made her sad thinking that the last time she saw her son was when he was being brought to maximum-security prison after committing atrocious war crimes. She wasn't allowed even to talk to him. Had she really failed as a mother that much?

If the Grail thought that it was giving her a second chance it was sorely mistaken. Ne Zha was not just a young boy, he was the Demon Pearl and possessed Demonic power. He may appear as a child, but he was anything but. She knew the story, and she knew what he was capable of if pushed.

At least now Ne Zha should remain in the penthouse until night falls at the very least. Then if anything happened, she would be the first to know. Her business could run itself for a few weeks, and if anyone asked the official news was that she was on vacation. Completely normal around this time of year. She was a busy woman as well, after all. When the news did come that a Master and-or Servant appeared within the city once again, she'd leave with Ne Zha to reel him in just in case something happened. And that was only if she approved them leaving first. She wasn't going to take any chances anytime soon, not when there was so much on the line.


"I'm leaving," Azael said as she slipped on her leather jacket. Adrielle flanked behind her just as she was about to leave the house. The Sun was low enough that it was almost completely over the horizon, casting long darkness all over the entire city. She thought it was a pretty sight once, now it was just a warning that things were about to get much more serious.

"Be careful," Adrielle said as he ran a hand through his daughter's red hair. Which earned him a scowl as she swiped that hand away. The familiar action had Adrielle chuckling to himself. She was always like that, too embarrassed to accept affection from her father. "And win."

"Hmph, I'm going to be the best Master in this whole war," Azael proclaimed as a competitive grin stretched across her lips. "And one to be remembered, mark my words on that old man."

"I'll believe it when I see it," Adrielle snapped back. "Now go, the moon won't be casting a nightly glow forever."

Azael nodded and slipped out the mansion, closing the doors behind her and hearing it lock tightly the moment the locks clicked closed. She took a deep breath of the cool night air and descended down a dozen steps it took to actually get up to her home. A short walk later, and she was on the block that her home resided in. The moment that she walked long enough to be sure that no one from the mansion would be able to hear or sense her, Azael slipped off her jacket again and stared at the sash that was snugly fit around her right arm.

Her suppression bracelet. She could see how it literally did its magic in making sure that her magic circuits wouldn't load more power in them than entirely necessary. After many failed attempts at controlling her magecraft at its full strength, her father deemed it necessary that she kept the thing on, even though it gave her a constant very subtle stinging pain in that arm. It wasn't enough to be agonizing, but it was enough to annoy her and put her in a sour mood. Maybe that was the reason why she was always so relieved when she took it off. It was like a massive weight being lifted off of her shoulders as she felt her power finally get released. It was borderline orgasmic, especially when she didn't bother holding back.

The very thought of it had her placing her hand on the sash and began to slip it down. But before she could get it past her elbow where the effects truly began to fade, her Servant snapped a hand onto her wrist.

"I don't suggest that you do that just yet," Amy said as she slowly yet firmly made her Master slip the sash back up her arm. "I've been told what happens when that suppressing sash is taken off of you. Your magecraft becomes too powerful for you to control, and it could become more of a problem rather than a benefit."

"Ugh," Azael snatched her arm away and shoved it back into her jacket. "I don't need to hear it from you too, Amy. I hear it enough from Masuru, my father, and Francis."

"Perhaps there is some truth to their warnings then," Amy replied calmly. "Tell me, has there been any sign that you were ever able to control that magecraft of yours entirely? I'm sure you weren't born with this sash on your arm. Something must have happened to warrant it in the first place, yes?"

"I-I..." Azael widened her eyes and turned away from the Saber Servant. It was the first time that Amy ever saw her so vulnerable, so reserved, and so fallible. "Don't worry about it," She eventually said as she brought one arm to clutch the one with the sash on.

"There's a reason, yeah, but I don't want to talk about it."

"I see…" Amy knew it was better not to pry. "Then let us continue our second patrol of the war. Shall I remain materialized or not?"

"Stay, just in case," Azael said as she turned back and started walking, her hands stuffed into her pockets. "We don't know what could happen, our backs could be turned for one second and there'd be a knife stuck in it. Francis said that the Lancer Servant arrived so quickly that he was only able to sense it just when it was about to attack. I'd rather not be ambushed as he was so easy."

"I understand," Amy said with a nod. At her hip, a sword's sheath was summoned, along with a second much smaller sword - almost the length of a dagger, but not quite - was materialized just beneath it in a golden glow. The rest of her combat outfit was still hidden, but her weapon was all that she needed to do battle. "And Master, one more thing,"

"What is it?" Azael replied without turning.

"I believe that in a dire emergency and with no other option, removing that suppressant may be acceptable in order to save your life. Your magecraft's affinity is solely fire, correct? One of my passive abilities makes me immune to fire, as I am the Kami of the Sun."

"Hm," Azael actually didn't know that it was good to know it now. That Lancer Servant was said to use fire as well, according to what Francis explained to her earlier. Especially if it was really Ne Zha. "I will keep that in mind, Amy."

The Master and Servant began their patrol officially a minute later. Amy always kept a hand on the hilt of her sword, and Azael kept a tight grip on her magecraft mentally and had it ready at a moment's notice. First, she wanted to go back to where she went the other night, where there was a puddle and trail of blood that led out and onto the sidewalk from an alleyway. It was either dried up or gone now since the police came to investigate the scene of a potential murder. She saw the news earlier that morning that the police guess someone was murdered and the body was dragged away through the adjacent alleyway. While that may have been true, Azael doubted that it was a Master. She was open to the possibility, don't get her wrong, but it was hard to believe that a Master would allow themselves to be so vulnerable when Servants and Masters alike were hunting them down with the intent to kill.

The walk that night was quiet, even for Manhattan. It only started getting louder again when she passed through Koreatown. That district truly never slept, and there was always someone doing something, whether that something was legal or illegal, Azael didn't care as long as it didn't affect her own personal life. It was quiet again when she left that district and got closer to the area where she saw that blood and sensed a Servant minutes before they darted away. It may have been foolish to return to an area where a battle took place since it wasn't common that either combatants would actually return to the same spot, but she just had a feeling that she needed to take care of.

Thankfully the police were as useful as they always were. Azael was able to sneak right onto that very block without so much of a worry. They most likely had other things to worry about, and it wasn't like they could close it down forever. This was a residential district. People lived there.

The bloody spot was dried up now, as she suspected. Given the fact that it takes blood over an hour to dry, she didn't know why she expected some of it to come back when she scraped a finger into the concrete stained red.

The Saber Servant knelt down beside her to feel it as well. Though it seemed as though she had a much better understanding of what it was as she inspected the spot and looked down the trail that led into an alleyway. Azael didn't know what was going through her servant's mind, but she trusted her to know how to piece all these missing puzzles together.

"Nobody died here," Amy declared as she stood up, and stepped into the alley. Azael followed her and let her explain. "It looks like there is enough blood out here to kill a person, but this blood has too many types within it. It didn't all come from the same person. If I were to guess, I'd say it came from at least a dozen people.

"So, what does that mean?" Azael asked.

"It means that I believe that this was a trap," Amy told her. "I believe that one of the Masters is not working alone either, or has been planning this for a very long time. They led the other Master in, likely by an accomplice or with this very bloodstain, and attacked whoever gave off a magical pulse. It may also mean that there may be a trap waiting for us as well."

"You were able to figure all that out just by looking at some blood?" Azael asked, genuinely impressed.

"Call it a hunch," Amy replied. "But I've always had this innate ability to piece things together. I had to figure out that I was betrayed somehow, after all."

"Hm," Azael nodded her head in understanding. Trouble amongst Gods wasn't something she thought that she'd ever fully understood. If Amy was able to figure out that she was being betrayed by other Gods, who were meant to be just as cunning and powerful as she, then it would be easy for her to deduce information from the antics of mere humans. "We'll be ready for it then. Stay on guard, but I want you to dematerialize."

Amy raised an eyebrow. "You want to walk right into their trap?"

"I intend to," Azael admitted. "If they think that I am alone, then it would be easy to spring a trap on them right back. I won't be as vulnerable as they believe, trust me, I'll put up a big fight if I need to hold them off."

"Very well," Amy trusted her Master's ability and dematerialized into golden particles.

Azael took a deep breath now that she was alone - Well, not truly alone, but alone in the physical sense. She would let herself look vulnerable if it meant drawing out one of the other Masters. It was a necessary sacrifice even if it was a blow to her pride. She made sure that her right hand was visible, as was her Command Spells as to scream "Look, I'm here! Another Master!" To whoever was waiting for the perfect opportunity to attack.

It made her more anxious than she was ever going to admit. It was very silent around these parts. It was hard to believe that anyone really lived here considering the fact that not even the light posts were on. A few of them blinked and flickered, but others were broken and shattered. Suspicious, so this Master relied on the cover of darkness, stealth, and sneak attacks in order to do his fighting. Azael would call it cowardly, but it was really a smart way to fight when your opponent could literally snap their fingers and bring forth a torrent of fire right where you were standing and burn you to death.

She gulped nervously when she finally spotted someone walking along the sidewalk as well, toward her, she noted. It was a young boy, and his hands were plain as day with no kinds of marks or spells etched into them. Azael wondered why what looked like a ten year old boy was outside all on his own without anyone watching him or chaperoning with him. It was beyond suspicious. Her guard immediately went up, was this another trap or something? It could and it could not, but she wasn't going to take that chance.

She raised a hand and a small burst of fire began to form in her palm. Narrowing her eyes, she gauged the boy's reaction.

Nothing, he was completely emotionless.

One of the lamp posts flickered back on suddenly, three of them, all across the side of the road that they were on. The boy looked at her with cold blue eyes and then turned away. Stepping into a nearby alley. Azael didn't fall for it, she looked around as she made her way into the center of the street, her small ball of fire ready to be launched at a moment's notice. She strafed until she came up to the alley itself, where the boy was slumped down with his face up against the pavement. Azael narrowed her eyes even further, and cast that small fireball she was holding and manipulated it so it was merely a lamp that cast a bright light over the alleyway.

Again, there was just nothing. It was just like any other alley. Two buildings, a dumpster, a few garbage cans, and a wall, and the end of it. Strange. Azael didn't even sense a Servant nearby aside from her own. That didn't stop her from keeping her guard up, however. It simply gave her the confidence to step back onto the sidewalk and slowly make her way into the alley. Keeping her light bright above her head, she shimmied forward, being careful to avoid any runes that may bind or damage her if stepped on. There were none, but only none that she could see with the naked eye.

As she got closer she saw that the boy was bleeding in his back. It made her tense up, was the boy hurt? Clearly, he was since he was bleeding. There were also scuff marks and tears in his clothes as if he was attacked. It made her hesitate, it made her believe that the boy needed help. She was still cautious because even though there was a chance that this boy was uninvolved in the war, he could still be used as bait for a trap.

"Hey," Azael called out to the boy as she got within ten feet of him. "Kid, are you alright?"

No response, Azael took another step. She was eight feet from him now. "I'm warning you right now, make a sound if you're hurt." Still nothing, she took another step, and then another. She was three feet away now. The boy let out a soft whimper, and it had her closing the distance.

She knelt down beside the boy but was careful not to touch him. If the boy was bait then she fell right for it, but right now she didn't care. The boy was hurt and needed treatment. She just needed to see what kind of injury the boy had.

"I'm guessing it's your back…" Azael said as she slowly reached down to the boy's sweatshirt. It didn't feel like any unique material, it was just a sweatshirt. Similar to what Francis always wore when he was a kid as well. Imagining Francis as a child and in this position made her more sympathetic to the child. She had to help him.

She pulled up the sweatshirt and the beginnings of his injury began to show. It was round, almost as if he was shot, but it was also way too big and almost like it was carved into his skin rather than sliced by some kind of weapon.

Her heart skipped a beat when she raised it all the way up. It was a rune. A magical rune was carved into this boy's back.

Her senses came too late. The boy's body exploded in a mirage of red magic and blood and organs. Azael was launched back several feet, but it wasn't the physical damage that got to her, it was the mental shock that made her freeze as she looked down at herself, covered in the blood of a young boy that she was about to save. She stammered and hyperventilated so much that it distracted her from the field of red that covered the entrance and all escape routes from the alley.

Her green eyes trembled as they met two glowing violet ones at the end of the alley, materializing out of dark purple misty particles, a Servant appeared. He was unlike anything she expected. But it was clear in the way he looked that he had a monster hidden inside him.

"Even though you knew it was a trap, you still walked right into it." The Servant laughed in a deep, terrifying voice. "Stupid girl. Now you're trapped and that shield is one-way. You'll become my next meal… yes… I never had a powerful magus before!"

The Servant lunged for her and was halfway down the alley in less than half of a second, Azael reacted by instinct and unleashed everything she had in a blast of flame with both of her hands. There was screaming, and for a moment she dared to hope that she landed a direct hit, but as the flames dissipated, she saw Amaterasu holding back the monster Servant, her sword was stabbed all the way to the hilt into his stomach, but that didn't seem to budge the man in the slightest. He just kept pushing, and he grabbed Amaterasu by her shoulders and opened his mouth wide, revealing a pair of long fangs that would tear even a Servant apart.

Amaterasu was quick to disengage and wrench her sword back out. Slipping out of his grip and kicking her foot out into his stomach and tossing him away. Instead of attacking further, she lunged backward and held a hand across her chest, protecting her Master.

"Master, are you alright!?" Amy asked as she kept her eyes focused on the other Servant. "We are in a battle, I need you to snap out of it!"

"I-I-" Azael shook her head violently and slapped herself. "I'm fine! Shit, that really caught me off guard."

"We need to stay vigilant," Amy said as she slowly rose back up to her feet in defense of her Master. "That Servant is correct, this shield is only one-way and we cannot leave it. We are trapped, so I presume the only way out of this is to fight our way out."

"It's two against one," Azael said as she pushed herself up to her feet, ignoring the way the blood and guts that were strewn over her body slipped and sloshed onto the ground. "You're the Saber Servant, so you are bound to have an advantage already. And though he didn't even show it, I know my flames hurt him."

"No more planning!" The enemy Servant screamed as the entire alleyway lit up with a violet dark light that all resonated from the Servants eyes. "Such a waste of time, so much planning, so much strategizing. Plans mean nothing when you are up against a God."

"Another God…?" Azael murmured. If that were true, then Amaterasu might actually need more help than she thought.

"I presume that you are Berserker-"

"SILENCE!" What Azael now assumed to be Berserker closed the distance between himself and Amy in a fraction of a second. His clawed hands sparked against Amaterasu's sword, which proved to be much more durable and sharper than he had evidently expected, as his claws were completely cut off. They grew back quickly however, and he fought like a monster. Amaterasu began to sweat quickly as she resorted to a one-handed stance in order to keep up with Berserker's immense speed. Knowing that Amy was immune to fire, Azael didn't need to worry about hurting her own Servant as she used her magecraft at her current full strength. This was bad for Berserker, she quickly realized as her flames engulfed a large portion of the narrow corridor that they were all trapped in. It was impossible to dodge it. Berserker screamed in agony as the flames lit his entire body on fire, and Azael wondered if the Servant was actually going to die. But that quickly changed as the screaming transitioned into maniacal laughter. The flames were absorbed into Berserker, causing him to have light trails of flame coming out of his eyes as he stared her down.

"Thank you for the power, it was delicious," Berserker said as he licked his lips. "May I have some more?"

"D-die!" Azael screamed as she blasted her flames out a second time, engulfing both her own and the enemy Servant as they continued their battle. "Die already!" She kept screaming as she threw her fists into the air in front of her, unleashing ball after ball of flame. "Crimson Eruption!" She exclaimed as she maneuvered her fingers and pointed them up to the sky. From underneath Berserker's feet, a tower of flame erupted from the ground. Engulfing him.

The flames were blown away before it was absorbed into the Servants body. His grin only turned more viscous as his eyes shone even brighter. Amaterasu, who was still holding him back at the moment, began to strain under his strength.

"Master!" She cried as Berserker began to overpower her. "Stop attacking! You're only making him stronger!"

"What!?" Azael stopped and thought for a moment. All of the damage that she thought she dealt with the enemy Servant was actually not damage at all. They looked more like bruises rather than burn scars, and the flames that were still on his feet grew dimmer and dimmer as it was pulled into his body. Strengthening him even further. "Shit…" She said as she lowered her hands and realized her mistake.

Amaterasu let out a roar as her sword caught fire, slicing into Berserker's side as she dashed past him. Berserker turned around and caught her sword before it could slice into him a second time. The wound that Amaterasu had just dealt with was covered by shadows, and when they left the entire injury was gone. Healing him, With narrowed eyes, Amaterasu's golden glow returned as she unleashed more of her divine power. Her flaming sword grew longer in length and she took on a different stance. Holding it with both hands as she drew the weapon back, and slowly hovered off the ground.

Berserker's smile only grew as he realized that the woman he was fighting was also divine in nature. He lunged forward again, challenging the Saber Servant with a feral roar as he dove into the light. In the first engagement, Amaterasu clearly overpowered him as she parried his clawed hand and spun underneath his second and kicked him in the chest hard enough to create a shockwave. Berserk skid back across the ground, slowing himself down by stabbing his fingers into the floor. He lunged right back into battle.

"Tch," Amaterasu thought, the man unable to feel pain with the number of times she countered him. Nor did he appear to tire at all as the battle continued. He just kept coming, over and over again, trying different things, but ultimately never landing any clean hit on her body. She wondered if the enemy thought that he could outlast her until morning, which in that case he would be sorely mistaken as she has trained in ways not purely magical or spiritual.

As their battle went on, Amaterasu noticed a drastic change in combat style. Berserker went from fighting like an animal to a true warrior. His clawed attacks turned into punches, his grabs turned into grapples, his eyes narrowed and his form came forth. She was actually beginning to push back and needed to defend herself as he kept ruthlessly attacking her. It was just a sudden change of pace that it surprised her. She didn't know that he could or even would fight like that after earlier displays. The bright purple shine in his eyes told her that he was far from done as well.

Hits started to trickle in next. Amy winced as she felt a strike pierce through her guard and into her liver, and then another as it grazed against her cheek. She started landing less hits, and Berserker only kept getting stronger and faster as he grew more aggressive.

The change came again right as Amy started to get used to it. Once more he was like an animal, slicing and tearing holes into her clothing as he fought. Then again it changed right as she changed her fighting style to account for his own. It was a cycle, and before she knew it she was pinned against the wall with her sword trapped between Berserker's teeth and her other arm keeping away one of his clawed hands from gouging out her eyes.

Azael didn't know what she could do to help. She knew a few enhancement spells, but none of them were strong enough to actually make a difference here. Her flames only made the enemy stronger, somehow. And her Servant was losing. Losing. Was this it? Were they going to be defeated so early and quickly?

A shadow moved in the corner of her eye and those thoughts died quickly as it transitioned into a fight for survival. Her bare hands came up to grab the blade that was pushed against her throat and she pulled it away. It cut her palms and drew blood, but it was better than having her throat slashed open.

Her other arm stiffened up as she felt the person behind her try to wrap it around her neck. She didn't let them, and it turned into a short battle of strength before Azael realized that she was at a far disadvantage. Pulling forward and below, she dragged the attacking man with her and set her own body on fire. "Immolate!" She screamed as the spell was cast.

That was enough to force the man off her and light him on fire at the same time. He even abandoned the knife that he used to try and kill her. Azael let the spell down quickly and as the flames died down, she saw what she was up against. A dark-skinned man with just as dark eyes, covered in shadows. But when she noticed second were his command seals. That was him, that was the Master of Berserker.

This meant that if she killed him, Berserker wouldn't have a source of mana to survive off of.

She wasted no time to try and murder him.

"Burst Javelin!" Azael screamed as she threw forward a flaming spear. The man dodged it, though just barely. It scraped against his side and made a gash through his shadow armour.

Shadow magecraft. It was rare and she'd never seen it in person. Powerful, deceptive, and dangerous. But it had a weakness. In a straight battle, especially against someone with heat and light involved in their magecraft, those casted shadows would be very easily warded away and cut through.

"Well, this is problematic…" The Master of Berserker remarked. "I meant to kill you before you could attack me."

"Well too fucking bad!" Azael screamed as she held both hands above her head, preparing a spell that would be impossible to dodge. "Salamanders Breath- AGH!" Her incantation was cut off as she felt an agonizing pain in her left thigh. She fell to the ground as she felt the strength in that leg completely fade away. Looking down through one cracked open eye, she saw the knife that was stabbed into her leg, and the small girl that had done it to her.

"Hah!" The other Master barked in laughter. "Great work, Destiny. You did your part to the letter." The girl simply blinked at him as she pointed to the girl she had just stabbed.

"M-Master!" Amaterasu screamed as she desperately pushed back against Berserker.

The enemy Master ignored her. "I'll take care of her, do not worry." He said as he cast a knife made of shadows. Azael was too focused on the pain to be proficient enough to cast her own magecraft. "Tell me, do you prefer a slashed throat or a stab to the heart? I'll give you that much respect since you lasted this long, much longer than I expected."

"Fuck you!" Azael screamed as she tore off one of the sleeves on her arm. "I am not finished yet!" She added as she gripped the suppressing sash on her shoulder.

"Yes, you are." The man said as he darted forward and slammed Azael's free arm against the wall, stopping her from slipping off the sash. "I don't know what that is but since you want to take it off so badly, I don't know what would happen if I let you do that. So no, your life ends here. No, take-backs."

"RARGH!" Azael roared as she struggled.

The Master of Berserker scoffed as he brought the shadowed blade up to Azael's neck, preparing to slice it open.

"MASTER!" Amaterasu screamed as she dug her heel into Berserker's chest, trying to push him away. But he was too strong.

A blue glow shined through the shield that was put up the moment the attack was sprung. The enemy Master jumped away before a wave of sharp ice could cut him into ribbons. Next, a bolt of lightning collided into Berserker's back, making him stagger forward and giving Amaterasu the opportunity to free herself as she kicked away the Berserker. She lunged toward her new ally, Francis, as he stepped through the shield with hands resonating a frosty crackling aura.

"Not another step closer," Francis said as his eyes glowed angrily as his magic circuits lit up. This was the most serious that Azael had ever seen him as she looked up at her savior. "I sensed this battle from across the damn city, the second I realized it was you I came running." He explained before Azael could ask the obvious question. "Looks like I came just in time.

"Another Master enters the fray," The Master of Berserker said with a soft laugh as he stepped back toward Berserker, who scowled down at the third magus. "And another Servant. Well, this is certainly getting interesting."

Assassin appeared beside Francis as he materialized, his thick long katana with ten notches rested on his shoulder as he glared down at the other two Servants. Upon seeing him, Amaterasu glared right back at him with angry, narrowed eyes. Francis noticed the clear animosity between the two Servants, but at that moment, he really couldn't give a shit.

The man in front of him just tried to kill Azael. Would have if he hadn't shown up in time.

That meant that this man deserved to die.


And there we go. Another chapter in the history books of this story. Now I go on break. I am tired. But hey, at least for once I actually stuck to a damn plan!

Says Mister Master Plan, lol. -CrowSkull

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