FATE/LÚNASA FÓMHAR

"August Harvest"

Chapter 20: Souls of Nations

"RRRAAAAGH!" Ashwatthama let out his fiercest battle cry as he ran toward Beowulf. The Scandinavian warrior gleefully curled his hand into a tight fist and threw a punch at his incoming foe. The red-haired man used his chakram as an impromptu shield, then dodged another punch and slammed the huge weapon against Beowulf's back, throwing him several meters away. He tumbled along the ground, then immediately launched himself back at Ashwatthama.

The Indian warrior planted his weapon on the ground and used his foot to propel it at Beowulf like a gigantic spinning wheel. Beowulf crossed his arms to block the chakram, but suddenly had to resist unexpected forces as Ashwatthama rushed in to kick the huge ring again. Beowulf struggled to save himself from being crushed, eventually managing to overcome the Archer's assault by grabbing the chakram, whirling it around like a top while Ashwatthama was still holding on, and tossing it away like a large sack of sand. Everyone present to witness this battle heard a distinct thud in the distance as Ashwatthama and the chakram smashed into a wall.

"Serves you right, chump," Beowulf snarled and cracked his knuckles.

A moment later though, the Indian hero emerged from the wreckage sporting a wide smile. Despite being covered in blood and bruises, as well as being angry beyond belief, he was clearly having a good time. His bloodshot eyes widened as he let out another scream and ran back to fight Beowulf again.

"Hey, hey, are you seriously supposed to be an Archer?" the Berserker uttered in disbelief.

Ashwatthama ignored his quip and used his chakram as a platform to hurl his leg at Beowulf's chest. The kick threw him back-first against a wall, but he focused past the pain to keep himself on his feet as he landed. Ashwatthama raised his weapon and smashed it into the ground where Beowulf was, but the Grendel Slayer rolled aside in time and whipped his ankle against his opponent's. The Indian lost his balance and tumbled onto his knee, allowing Beowulf to get on his hands, raise his leg, then chop it down upon the back of Ashwatthama's neck.

"AAAAGH! YOU BASTARD!" the red-haired hero raged.

Beowulf rolled backwards onto his feet, then brandished his swords Hrunting and Naegling while taunting, "Not exactly fair if only one of us is gonna fight with a weapon. How 'bout I even the stakes a little and show you what a real monster slayer is capable of."

"Bring it on! You'll come to regret messing with a hero of the Mahabharata!"

Both men fiercely glared at each other. Murderous intent literally oozed out of every pore of their bodies, which made the onlookers so terrified that they started running away.

"KYAAA~AAA~AAAHHH!"

Before either of them could even twitch a muscle, they heard a woman's unusually desperate scream. Soon, a young retainer who worked at the palace came rushing through the vicinity with absolute panic in her expression. The Servants knew that she couldn't have been afraid of them, so something else had to be going on to make her run for her very life.

"Lord Ashwatthama! Please help me!" she shrieked and collapsed onto her side.

"What the hell-?" he uttered, but soon saw a large shadow looming over the woman. A horrendously disfigured humanoid lumbered over to her and raised its blunt club, seeking to smash her to death. The other citizens cried out in hysteria and escaped, leaving the lady to meet her fate alone. The moment the club came plummeting upon her though, Ashwatthama got in between them and blocked it with his chakram.

"You okay!?" he called out to her.

"I-I-I'm fine!"

"What the hell is this thing!?" he wondered as he glared into the creature's unevenly proportioned eyes.

"I don't know! I… I was just cleaning Lady Parvati's chamber… and then… and then that thing…"

"Ugh, never mind! Just hide yourself for now!"

Beowulf put down his swords and quickly ushered the girl into the tavern where she could take shelter. He returned outside and noticed that more monsters were heading their way. He took up his blades again and leapt over Ashwatthama to butcher the incoming beasts before they could harm any of the nearby civilians.

"Holy shit! Just many of these are there!?" he scowled while finding at least ten more monsters sauntering toward him.

Ashwatthama deflected his foe's club, then pounded his chakram over its head. He bashed it so hard that skull fragments and brain matter came flying out of the ground. Satisfied with his latest kill, he joined Beowulf in the battle while exclaiming to the townsfolk, "Stay inside your homes! Don't come out, no matter what happens!"

"Lord Ashwatthama!" a man yelped from a window two stories above them. He pointed to a particular direction and exclaimed, "I saw them! They're flooding from over there!"

"Over there!?" the Archer paled in horror. "But that's…!"

Beowulf asked, "What's wrong?"

"That's where the palace is!"

"TYAH!"

"GWOOOOH!"

Heroine X and the black-armored Shadow Servant crossed blades numerous times in a frenzied dervish. X quickly ran along the wall and leapt off just before her opponent carved a long line through the gilded brickwork. She landed and glared at the knight, then murmured, "This cadence… You are quite familiar, yet I cannot put a name to this ominous sensation."

At the same time, Medusa flipped backwards to avoid being skewered by a heavy lance being wielded by a girl in an armored dress. She got back-to-back with X and explained, "That is Sir Lancelot. Of the Albion Faction, he was the only one willing to be sacrificed for Uma's sake. And the one I am fighting-"

The Rider turned her attention to her glaring foe.

"Is Sir Gareth. She fought for the Albion Faction to the bitter end, but I was the one who defeated her and condemned her to be an early sacrifice for Uma."

"Lancelot and Gareth… Yes, those names seem to resonate within me for some reason," X admitted. "Even so, no matter if they were once friend or enemy in some other world, I must strike them down here and now."

"If it were just these two, such a battle would be a trifle. However, we have more company than we can possibly handle on our own."

Medusa looked over at two more Shadow Servants who had emerged from the corrupting mud. One was a woman with long twin pigtails wielding a spear of her own, while the second was a knightly fellow with messy hair who brandished a sword.

"Who are those two?" X wondered.

"The woman is Bradamante, and the man is Roland. Both are members of the Twelve Paladins of Charlemagne."

"They're supposed to be French. What are they doing allying with former Albion Servants?"

"They were part of a French faction that had been overthrown by Albion well before Parvati founded Uma. It would seem that the guardian deities will corrupt any and all Servants regardless of their previous allegiances. In other words, we're dealing with the leftovers of two fallen nations."

"I see. So, got any good ideas?"

"You are asking the wrong person for strategical advice. My only concern is destroying those who would sully Uma's honor," Medusa said as she summoned her dagger and chains into her hands, then hunched down low into her combat stance at the same time Gareth raised her lance and prepared herself for combat.

"Arrrthuuu~uuurrr…" Lancelot growled, not once looking away from Heroine X. He seemed a little confused about this casually-dressed, futuristic version of his king Arthur, yet his anger would not subside regardless. A waft of dark smoke swirled around his hand and materialized into a black version of his sword Arondight.

"Hmph," X scoffed and raised Secretcalibur. "Although madness has claimed you, you are still a Saber at heart. Since I have made it my life's mission to exterminate any and all Sabers in this universe, you will not be exempt from my judgment! Have at you, Dark Knight!"

"BWAAAAHH!"

Both warriors rushed at each other and flailed their swords about, initiating another mad dance of blades and flying sparks. When he swiped high, she ducked low, tumble aside, then swung her sword at his unguarded midsection. She cut into his armor and caused blood to seep out. The Berserker obviously didn't seem fazed as the indignation of fighting his king once more spurned him to whirl around and slice downward upon X's head. She jumped back in time, but her long black scarf was torn into pieces during her retreat. She landed in a crouching position and snarled at him.

Meanwhile, Gareth made her own advance toward Medusa. Despite her clumsy-looking gait, her lance's aim was true and most certainly deadly. Medusa kept calm and remained still, waiting for the moment to blindside her opponent. When the lance bore down upon her, she expertly flipped aside and extended her slender leg out to perform a roundhouse kick against the knight's back. Gareth collapsed forward, but quickly got back up and jumped over Medusa. She spun her heavy spear like helicopter blades over her head, then smashed the weapon upon the Rider's crossed daggers.

"Gh!" she grunted. The weight and force behind the attack threatened to break her arms, but she held fast and pushed Gareth off her. The moment the knight landed, she used the momentum to propel back forward, then slammed her armored knee against Medusa's face. The violet-haired woman yelped in surprise as she was violently thrown onto her back. Gareth hopped up again and pierced her spear into the ground where Medusa's head was, but she rolled aside in time.

As she swiftly recovered, Medusa glanced over at Bradamante and Roland, who were standing there and watching the entire time. Suddenly, their shadowy figures jumped high above the dual battles. Medusa snarled as she realized they were heading for the exit, and she cried out, "No, you don't!"

She hurled her chains at the pair's feet, hoping to ensnare them before they could escape. Roland noticed this and pushed Bradamante out of the way before slashing his sword Durandal at the chains. He cleaved through them with ease, leaving them to clatter on the stone floor as useless scraps of metal. Medusa and X watched in dismay as the French Servants vanished into the palace's hallways.

"This is bad! If left alone, they will cause untold chaos upon the city!" X barked.

Medusa sighed, then admitted, "We have no choice but to leave them to Ashwatthama. Our job is to ensure these two do not get to step outside this altar."

"Hm… If it is numbers you are worried about, then put those fears to rest."

"Meaning?"

"To tell you the truth, I had Beowulf accompany me on this mission. He should be keeping Ashwatthama preoccupied as we speak."

"Beowulf, as in the Grendel Slayer? I did not make you out as someone who allies herself with such uncouth fellows. Still, that would explain why that useless Archer has not come running to assist me this entire time."

"That was the original plan, but now the tides of battle have turned in a most unusual direction. Though we are not allies in the strictest sense, let us stand strong and keep the people of Uma safe from these corrupted knights!"

"No choice then. I am not fond of protecting humans, but I also refuse to disappoint Parvati," Medusa relented and stood tall, then raised her dagger before her as she stared at Gareth. Heroine X likewise returned her gaze to Lancelot, who was grabbing a block of fallen masonry and using his Knight of Owner ability to warp it into a pitch-black rock with jagged red lines running along it.

Back in Zhou, a tremendous bolt of lightning crackled throughout the city's upper regions, followed by countless more streaks of raging hot electricity that wrecked havoc on the buildings and ground. Numerous Fomorians were blasted away from the sudden explosions of voltage raining down upon them, while some were crushed beneath toppling structures. The Servants inside the city were totally baffled as to what was going on. Connla and Jack looked around in astonishment, causing them to not notice an uninjured monster that was charging for them.

"GET BACK!" a familiar young girl's voice squeaked.

The pair instinctively tumbled out of the way, leaving the creature wide open to receive the full brunt of a peculiar Noble Phantasm. Toys, candy and glitter bombarded the Fomorian, battering it so relentlessly that it died and disappeared in a rush of acrid smoke.

"Jaaa~aaack! Connlaaa~aaa!" they heard the girl shouting again.

Their eyes lit up with joy as they saw Nursery Rhyme running toward them as fast as she could. They too hurried in her direction, and they immediately hugged each other in absolute relief.

"Nursery! I'm so glad you're okay!" Jack wept.

"Me too! I thought I'd never get to see you guys again!" the overjoyed Caster bawled.

Connla whimpered, "If only I was stronger, then we wouldn't have been separated like that…"

She buried her face against Nursery's shoulder and cried, "Uuh… I was so scared… I thought the factions would force us to fight each other."

"What are you saying!? This isn't your fault at all! After such a hard journey, I love happy endings like this! And we don't have to fight each other now that we all have a common enemy to take down!"

"Oh, that's right!" the Saber stopped crying and wiped her eyes. "We need to save this for later! Zhou's being overrun by monsters!"

The trio looked back and saw the other three Servants butchering the Fomorians as best as they could, but the panic in their eyes was evidence that they were feeling rather overwhelmed. Even if the lightning strike cleared the area, it wasn't enough to actually eliminate the creatures. Not only that, more reinforcements were being molded out of the ominous mud pouring out of where the statue stood.

"Where did that lightning come from anyway?" Jack wondered. "Did you do that, Nursery?"

"No way! It was Lady Parvati!"

"Parvati's here!?" Connla yelped.

"It's a long story, but she's brought backup!"

As Nursery said this, the violet-haired goddess ran through Zhou's entrance and leapt high over a Fomorian's swinging axe. She pointed her spear at its eyes and thrust the double prongs through the sockets, violently rendering the monster blind. She then extracted her weapon, elegantly leapt off, then conjured more lightning to electrocute it to death.

"WAAAAH! Put me down, you disgusting oaf!" she heard Elizabeth screaming. She was being carried away by a giant-sized Fomorian, who seemed intent on throwing her into the corroding mud. No one was sure what effect it would have on her, and they certainly didn't want to find out. Parvati rushed in and sliced through the creature's leg, cutting it clean off and causing it to tumble onto its side. Elizabeth broke free of its grasp, then stabbed her spear through its neck multiple times to ensure it was dead.

"Ugh! Rotten son of a whore! I'm so filthy, not even a lifetime of showers will wash me clean of this stench!" the dragon girl complained.

"Are you all right?" Parvati asked.

"Could be better, but I can't complain… Say, aren't you Uma's queen? What are you doing here?"

"Well…" the goddess looked back and watched her troops rush into the city to fight against the Fomorians. She shrugged and smiled, "There you go."

Meanwhile, Lucius and Li Shuwen were engaged in heavy combat with the spawning creatures. Both men breathed heavily from the strain of fighting so many consecutive battles without rest. While they were both strong warriors in their own right, they only had so much magical energy to spare for combat when they also needed to sustain their own existences. The Fomorians knew this, which was why they kept swarming the Servants in the hope that their energy would be completely exhausted.

"Damn it. I've seen ugly situations before, but this is about as charming as getting a look at Zeus' wrinkly old ass," Lucius grumbled.

"So they intend to test our endurance, huh?" Li narrowed his eyes. "Perhaps victory is not a condition we can hope for. The best we can offer is the opportunity for our comrades to escape."

"Don't you go spitting that kind of tripe bullshit at me! The only conditions I will ever accept are victory or death!"

"Your bravado is an inspiration, but with no way of knowing what that victory condition is, your words ring hollow to me."

"Tch. We defeated a statue before and didn't have to deal with such an infestation afterward. What the hell makes this so different?"

As they pondered what to do next, that was when they heard the battering of numerous footsteps rushing at them from behind. They looked back and saw Uma's army charging in to fight the monsters. They were confused as to why such backup had arrived, but they soon saw the general head their way and exclaim, "Are you both Servants defending this city?"

"This is much less about defending anything and more about wiping out the enemies before they can attack the other nations. As far as we are concerned, Zhou has been destroyed," Li told him.

"I see. So it is safe to use as much lethal force as we desire on these abominations. Leave this to us and recover, good Servants."

"Thank you, sir. I can't speak for my stubborn ally, but one should understand when they need to rest their weary bones."

Lucius scoffed, "Hmph. I probably have enough for one more use of Florent. However, I will not use it when you lot will just wind up being decimated by it. Best to leave such menial work to the serfs and retreat."

With that, the Servants escaped from the battlefield and met up with Parvati and the others at Zhou's entrance. They arrived in time for Connla to ask the goddess, "What are we going to do? Even if your forces are fresh on the battlefield, it will only be a matter of time before they are all killed."

"I won't let that happen. Perhaps due to my Divinity, I have always sensed a particular weakness that the stone idols have."

"A weakness?"

Parvati closed her eyes and concentrated for a moment. She then opened them and said, "Yes, I see it. Even in ruins, the guardian deity's heart still beats within that mess of tainted mud."

"The Fomorian idols have hearts?"

"Not in the literal sense. Think of it as the 'core' that the real culprit uses to control the statue. Get rid of the core, and the monsters should stop spawning."

Connla paused, wondering why she never noticed such a thing with the effigy she destroyed back in Aspidochelone's stomach. Then she realized, It must be because I caused so much destruction with Lugh's Halo that the core was probably eliminated without me knowing it.

"Well, now that we know what to do, just stand back and leave this to me," Parvati said, then disappeared in a flash of lightning. Soon, the image of a cherry blossom tree came into view, and some petals fluttered off the branches before sparking into a trio of Parvatis. They all raised their two-pronged spears, and dark clouds formed over the spot where she sensed the core.

"Feel it… This is my wave of love that reaches the heavens! Trishula Shakti!"

Vibrant sparks of light clashed inside the cloud, rapidly intensifying in strength until they could no longer be held back. Upon shouting her Noble Phantasm's name, Parvati commanded a massive lightning storm to decimate the ground, mud, and core all at once. A tremendous boom deafened everyone else's ears, and they had to take cover. This was the true power and terror of the Hindu goddess of fertility and divine strength; like a caring mother, she could be both nurturing and strict with her children.

Once the cacophony returned to silence, two of the Parvatis disappeared in a flurry of cherry blossoms. The last one stood there and sighed, feeling a bit worn from using her strongest attack. Lucius raised his hand over his bangs and remarked, "Whew! Now that was some high-class destruction! No wonder you call the shots in Uma!"

"Why, thank you," she chuckled, then frowned. "I'm afraid I might have went a little overboard though."

They stared around at the huge black char mark left behind in the ground. He grinned and scoffed, "Bah! Be not concerned about razing enemy territory with extreme prejudice! So long as the main threat is dispelled, the ends will be justified!"

"Stop talking like that. As of this moment, there is no notion of 'friend' or 'foe' amongst us factions. Once this indiscriminate threat is dispelled will we have the luxury of labeling each other as such."

"I suppose so."

"Now that the monsters will not be produced infinitely, we can safely leave the rest to my men and recuperate outside. We must have a word with Wu Zetian as well."

The Servants returned to Zhou's outskirts where Wu and her people were resting. Many women and children were crying in panic, and the men were doing their best to calm their loved ones down. Wu likewise froze up – she had never seen such a devastating scene before, so she had no idea how to console her citizens.

"Lady Wu!" Connla exclaimed and ran up to her.

"It's you again," the dejected empress moaned. "Tell us what is happening in our city. Are the fiends gone?"

"For the most part, yes. Lady Parvati made sure that no more monsters will spawn, and her soldiers are eliminating the remainder."

"Oh… To see our beloved home, which we worked so hard to build from the ground, be destroyed so utterly in only a few hours' time…"

Connla became irritated as she snapped, "You need to straighten up. If your people see you like this, they too will fall into despair."

"But our city is gone. How can we hope to recover from this? If Roma were to hear word of this, those verbally flatulent Triumvirate will stop at nothing to take advantage of us."

"Listen to me. A nation is not defined by cities, villages, or land. It is preserved and maintained through its people across countless generations. Homes and buildings will crumble to dust eventually, and territories will be claimed by countries over and over again. However, beliefs and cultures are not so easy to eliminate. Even if the Zhou Faction has to move elsewhere, it will still live on as long as you're willing to work hard for it."

Wu became silent as she listened to Connla's advice. Her eyes grew wistful, then she murmured, "Cu… Lily…"

Both girls uttered, "Huh?"

The empress shuddered and exclaimed, "W-W-We do not know why, but we felt compelled to address you as Cuchulainn Lily!"

"Is that so?" Connla muttered and tilted her head curiously.

"Pay it no mind! In any case, we shall keep those words to heart and figure out how to recuperate from this loss! So long as our people are willing to try again, then it is our job to keep our chin high and lead them to a better future! That is our prerogative as Empress Regnant!"

"Of course. I'm sure you can do it."

"Indeed," Wu's confident smile returned. "For now, let us discern the best course of action from here."

As they were talking, a man's voice screamed in a strained voice, "L-Lady Parvati!"

"Hm?" the goddess looked around until she discovered someone familiar rushing toward her from the cavern leading to Uma. She yelped in surprise, "Is that you, Ling!?"

The spy hurried to his liege and fell on one knee while uttering, "I-I have urgent news!"

"Ling?" Wu wondered as she recognized the Chinese fellow. "Wait just a moment! Are you not supposed to be one of our retainers!? Why do you address Parvati so formally!?"

"Well, that is…"

"Don't tell us! Were you actually a double agent working for Uma!? Were all of our secrets leaked because of you!?"

"Ah… L-Lady Wu…"

Connla interjected, "Is this really the time for that!?"

The empress became irate as she yelped, "But-!"

"Look, I know you're frustrated over this discovery, but we have bigger things to deal with! If you really want to pass judgment on him, shouldn't you save it for when everyone is not in danger!?"

"Ungh… Very well. We shall save this discussion for another time, Ling. Make haste with your message to Parvati."

"Of course," the spy replied, then announced, "Lord Ashwatthama wanted me to relay something most unbelievable – our guardian deity has been smashed to pieces, and a horde of Shadow Servants and unknown monsters are flowing out of it!"

Parvati's heart sunk in dismay. "Are you kidding me!? The same has happened to Uma's guardian!?"

"What do you mean, Your Ladyship?"

"Zhou's statue is in ruins, and all the Servants here had to put down the Shadow Servants and creatures that emerged. My intent was to allow these refugees into Uma, but if what you say is true, then…"

Wu clenched her teeth in anger and snarled, "Nnnngh! To think we have all been at the mercy of one who would discard everyone so callously! Even we possess enough mercy to show the enemy a modicum of restraint, even if it is only for interrogation purposes! 'Tis almost as if our mastermind wants to wipe the slate clean by bleaching us out of existence!"

"I strongly believe so too," Li Shuwen said, but didn't seem as disturbed as the others. "Heh heh, this is getting exciting. Now that my next battlefield has been decided, I will make my advance to meet these Shadow Servants! If you would excuse me!"

The elated martial artist hurried down the tunnels by himself, leaving the others to sigh incredulously at his fervor for battle. Connla then said to Parvati, "I believe Sir Beowulf and Miss X should be there as well. If Lord Ashwatthama and Lady Medusa are still in Uma, then there should be enough Servants to hold the fort until our reinforcements arrive."

"What do you mean Beowulf and Heroine X are in my city?" Parvati wondered.

Lucius smirked, then declared, "Hear me well, Queens of Uma and Zhou! I, Lucius Tiberius, am sovereign of the newly founded Lugh Faction!"

"Lugh Faction!? How in the world were there enough Servants to found a new nation!?" Wu snapped.

"The God of Light saw it fitting to send me his own granddaughter to serve as one of my representatives," Lucius said as he placed a hand on Connla's shoulder. "Additionally, I was fortunate enough to add those two Rogue Servants to my roster!"

Parvati asked, "What was your purpose in forming your own faction after Roma exiled you? Do you seek to take advantage of this chaos to further your own schemes as a new ruler?"

"Fwa hah hah hah! Unlike you, I am above such nonsense! As you no doubt know by now, this entire societal structure is a sham, perpetuated by one who finds pleasure and meaning in our endless warring and sacrificing! In response, I had Beowulf and Heroine X venture into Uma to destroy that stone idol, while Connla and I sought to do the same to Zhou's."

Wu squealed, "Preposterous!"

"I will have to second that," Parvati added, then became forlorn. "Yet, I cannot help but believe you after seeing those ghastly fiends…"

"Of course you should!" Lucius barked. "According to Connla, those are Fomorians, the evil deities of Celtic lore. The reason there has never been a Celtic faction in this world is because our dear mastermind is a Celtic god himself. I'm not exactly certain of which one, but I strongly believe he is capable of generating bountiful harvests in exchange for human sacrifice."

"I see. Now that you mention it, I always did sense a divine aura radiating from the statues. I often wondered where it came from, yet did not wish to question it out of fear of denying my people the food and resources they needed. But now he wishes to do away with all of us, and the precepts he has long since established are being so easily abandoned, as if he is sacrificing all of us at once."

"What kind of sicko would do such a thing?" Jack growled. "Everything goes wrong, so he just throws it all in the garbage?"

Elizabeth raged, "'Everything goes wrong', my ass! He's the one who caused all of this in the first place! What the hell would make him do something so crazy when he never once caused any trouble in the past!?"

Nursery retorted, "Weren't you listening to what Mr. Lucius was saying? The only thing a Celtic god would be afraid of is a Celtic Servant! He's trying to get rid of the Servant along with all of us!"

"So you're saying there's a Celt among us that he's scared of?"

Jack and Nursery angrily pointed their fingers at Connla, turning everyone's attention to her. Both Elizabeth and Wu's eyes practically fell out of their sockets as they boggled in astonishment at the bewildered little girl. The latter's jaw practically hit the floor as she forced her face just inches in front of Connla's and shouted, "You're a Celt!?"

"Uh… Yes, I am," the Saber replied meekly.

"Unbelievable! A Celt, the nation seen only in myth, stands within our midst! How did we not notice this before!? If we knew you were a Celt back when we first met, why, think of the bounty that would have brought Zhou! Perhaps it would have been even greater than what Vlad's death procured us! Ooooh, how foolish we were! Such a glaring oversight shall haunt us for the rest of our life!"

"Oh come on! You're still saying stuff like that even after knowing the truth!?" Jack snapped.

"Why not!? When we regret something, we happily make it known to all involved!"

"Anyway!" Parvati shouted over them. "There is clearly much we must discuss, but I cannot remain here while my country is under invasion from within! I must not delay in assisting Ashwatthama and Medusa with the city's defense! If any of you are willing to offer your assistance, I shall gladly accept!"

Wu glanced around at her citizens, who were hobbled together trying to keep each other calm. She frowned and said, "Our people are still in a state of panic and confusion. We must assuage their fears and rally them to find a safe haven."

"I understand. Sadly, bringing them to Uma does not appear to be an option. I likewise believe my own people will need a new place to stay until this crisis is resolved. Oh, what a dilemma…"

"Hah hah! Not to worry!" Lucius boldly laughed. "The Lugh Faction has already established the finest base one could ask for! We even took the liberty of destroying the guardian deity that already sunk its roots there. There are only two conditions that I impose upon you in exchange."

"I should have guessed. What are they?"

"One, to merge your nations into mine."

"Tch. We saw that one coming," Wu snarled. "Nonetheless, we must swallow our pride and accept the loss. Zhou's reign in this world has come to an end, so it is fitting that we should be absorbed into this so-called Lugh Faction of yours until we are able to recover from our losses. So, what is the other condition?"

"To absolutely, positively, never EVER touch anything you see in there!"

"Hm? Why do you sound so emphatic all of a sudden?"

Parvati, Jack, Nursery and Elizabeth were as equally puzzled as Wu. Connla restrained a light chuckle. Nevertheless, Parvati said, "I can't speak for Wu Zetian, but I will accept those terms, so long as your desire to abolish this system is true. If I find out that you are lying and sacrifice my people behind my back, there will be… consequences."

Lucius grinned. "Hmph. I fear of no consequences if there is no reason for me to commit such pointless atrocities any further. My ambitions are loftier than playing jester to a demonic god."

"Very well. Once I secure Uma's safety, I shall bring my citizens to this base of yours."

"Beowulf and X will know the way."

Parvati nodded and headed back through the caverns to Uma. Wu then asked, "Who shall show us and our people the way to this mystery location? Furthermore, how should we divide the remaining Servants?"

"Well," Connla murmured, "I would like to go with Lady Parvati and make sure everyone is safe there. Is that okay, Lord Lucius?"

He narrowed his eyes, then muttered, "I hesitate to send Lugh's granddaughter into the heat of another intense battle alone. That would leave me as the only one to guide the remnants of Zhou to the vault. I am preferential to reversing those roles."

"Jack and Nursery know where it is. Let's send them with Lady Wu."

The girls blinked and uttered simultaneously, "We do?"

"Remember the huge sandy room with all the treasure we found earlier? We've made it the Lugh Faction's base now."

"Wow, really? That's pretty clever!" Nursery giggled. "Sure, we'll show everyone the way! If any bad guys come out, we'll beat them real good too!"

"Thanks. I know we just met up, so to have to split up like this again is…"

"Don't worry about it. Now that we know we're all safe, we can focus on getting out of here and back to everyone in Okeanos."

"You're right."

Meanwhile, Wu and Elizabeth's eyes immediately lit up with anticipation when they heard the word 'treasure'. The dragon girl's moody attitude perked up as she exclaimed, "That settles it! Leave the rallying to me, Wu! Depression doesn't exist as long as I'm around!"

"Indeed!" the empress likewise exclaimed merrily. "Your moving song and our charismatic words will make for the most eloquent combination! Let us hurry and get everyone moving posthaste!"

"Right behind you!"

The excited pair ran off to talk to the exhausted citizens and soldiers. Connla blinked and mumbled, "They sure cheered up all of a sudden."

Like a vicious dog, Lucius growled, "Even in such a situation, greed always finds a way to rear its ugly head. I can only trust that Wu Zetian makes good with her part of the treaty. If I find even a smidgen of her fingerprints on my treasure, she will quickly come to regret it!"

"Oh, come now. Worry about that after we meet up with Sir Beowulf and Miss X."