Serenity lodged her foot onto a windowsill, and using the strength of her back, she launched herself a few feet into the air. She caught onto a ledge, twisting her waist as she placed her left foot on the stone wall, pushing lightly as she backflipped onto the roof.

The sounds of the Entertainment district below prickled her ears, instinct pulling her under the shadows that fell between the red highlights painted by the lanterns all around her. She drew a short breath, eyes scanning past the waves of adventurers who had come to spend their hard earnings on a softer night of debauchery in the home of one of the stronger familias in the city.

Ishtar, from what D'Eon had told her, held mostly prostitutes in her familia. Though from what she had gathered, most of these dainty looking ladies were in fact high-ranking adventurers. 'A rather unique familia," the assassin thought to herself, lilac eyes picking out a few of the tougher looking Amazon's among the crowd, each scantily clad as they eyed the various men that strutted across the streets.

She turned towards the central tower, the home of Ishtar, and for today, her target of infiltration. It was as massive as it was gaudy, no doubt a symbol of the pride of the goddess who inhabited it. If this world's Ishtar was anything like the one back in Chaldea, there was no doubt that insides would be plated in gold and jewels.

Either way, the mission was not going to be easy. Serenity didn't doubt her capabilities; however, she wasn't arrogant enough to ignore the fact that her specialties didn't align with this particular mission.

She was first and foremost an Assassin. She was overspecialised, in the sense that there were almost none who existed who could counteract her poisonous essence. Her modus opperendi was to blend in with the crowd, taking down her target with a single kiss. However, today, she had no target.

As a result, the assassin was forced to instead slink in the shadows, much like how Cursed Arm would, as she crept through the empty alleyways and rooftops. Her presence detection was very useful, but Serenity still stayed wound up, her shoulder's tense, ready to spot any bud of conflict.

D'Eon needed information, but he had specifically warned her to remain hidden. Chaldea was too new a player in this world. They could not afford any blunders. Playing with deities, even if they were pretending to be human, was always a dangerous game and one with high stakes.

She skipped onto a nearby roof, briefly letting the wind blow past her hair, before breaking out into another sprint, crossing a few more blocks as she neared Ishtar's tower. The goddess had displayed an interest in the Hestia Familia, and by extension, an interest in Chaldea.

It wasn't something they needed now, especially not when the Contractor had brought up disturbing news from the dungeon. The fusing of Servant and Monster was a terrifying thought, especially when no grail before had done anything of the sort.

Serenity shuddered at the thought, and strangely, she felt a bit outraged by it. Jack the Ripper had been a strange sight to her. A wraith created from the aborted souls. A monster with an innocent wish. A truly evil spirit who had still fought for humanity while it was being incinerated.

The poison wielder wasn't any better. Serenity had killed hundreds in her life. It was what had brought her to the throne. In essence, she was but a spectre, a copy. One that could easily be moulded into a different form. She considered herself a tool, to be used and discarded. Yet, she couldn't help but feel a chill run up her spine when she heard of the serial killer's fate.

In previous singularities, each grail was being wielded by someone. Serenity doubted that this singularity, or rather, alternate dimension was any different. It was these thoughts that brought up the question: Who was in control of the Grail? Who was responsible for the mixing of servant and monster?

That was not the only difference between the previous singularities and the grail in this new dimension. Usually, Chaldea had always met a group of friendly servants, each willing to fight in order to fix the human order. It had been four days and they hadn't heard of, much less met another servant.

Serenity knew that she wasn't the only one who was beginning to notice these strange occurrences. However, there were too many things that were plaguing the other servants, and no one had deigned to bring it up yet, so she remained silent.

It was only a matter of time before a serpent would raise its head, ready to bite into them with its venom dripped fangs. She had volunteered for this mission in the hopes that she could cut of its head before those poisonous teeth neared the contractor. It was her duty as much as it was her desire.

The assassin picked out a stray leaf from her hair as she neared the tower. She perched herself on a ledge, her pointed eyes scanning for any weakness within the tower's exterior. It took a minute, but she spotted an open window.

As she neared the opening, she fell into crouch, hopping across through the window and landing with a roll. Her feet dug into soft carpet, and she clawed at wood, stopping in front of a doorway. Her eyes twitched as sweet sounds of debauchery entered her ear. A haze of incense filled the room, attempting to whisper the assassin into a sweet trance.

A quick glance showed her a pair of sweaty backs. Moments later, she sprang across the room, a pair of lockpicks slipping out of her dress as she unlocked the front door. The lock clicked and Serenity slunk past candle lit corridor, ignoring the smell of aphrodisiac and sex.

As she neared a staircase, she froze, pulling herself under a display case. The shadows around her to grow darker, cloaking her as the heavy footsteps of chocolate legs passed by her, disappearing into one of the nearby rooms.

Serenity stepped out; her eyes narrowed. She slunk towards the stairwell, clambering up several floors, carefully avoiding the few people who were descending the tower. As she reached the last floor, Serenity clicked her tongue, quickly glancing at the corridor before her.

Bright white light slipped through a doorway, contrasting the darker candle lit corridors. Serenity edged closer, eyes scanning the floor for any approaching shadows. As she stepped into the light, she was greeted in the enormous room. She slowly clasped a golden railing, peering across the edge.

A huge red carpet led from one end to another ending in front of a large throne that sat a few steps above. A woman, dark skinned with dark bluish-purple hair sat on it sideways, a long pipe in her hands.

Serenity blinked a few times, her jaw lightly hanging as she took in the goddess's appearance. "That's Ishtar?" The image of the twin-tailed annoyance from Chaldea appeared in front of her eyes, causing the assassin to rub her eyes. Then, she lightly smacked the side of her head.

She needed to focus on the mission.

Turning her gaze, Serenity searched the room below for the goddess's quarters, her eyes stopping at the most lavish looking doorway she could see. It seemed that Ishtar wouldn't change here ways, no matter which world she was in. Her lips turned slightly upwards. Slowly, she moved away from the edge, and returned to the dark corridor from earlier.

She turned to a nearby door, and resting her ear to the wood, she checked to see if anyone was inside. Softly opening the door, she slithered to the nearest window. As she opened the glass, a strong gust blew past her. She gazed down, allowing the slight vertigo to pass.

Below, she could see the lavish gardens and dazzling fountains, a sight that made the assassin's nose wrinkle. "Too garish," she thought to herself, before focussing back on her task. She was about seven floors up and nearly halfway through the tower. It seemed that Ishtar had forgone the tradition of having their lair on the topmost floor. "That," Serenity thought, "Or she is hiding something more interesting up there."

The Assassin instead turned her gaze sidewards where an open window sat innocently, nearly thirty metres across. Serenity look at the wall, observing its texture as she calculated her next move. A few moments later, she jumped on the wall, using her momentum to run sideways. She then leaped, grasping the edge of the windowsill with her hands, before flipping backwards into the building.

Scanning her surroundings, she noted how big the room she was in was. Chandeliers chimed above her, a mixture of glass and gems creating the radiance that lit up the room. The furniture was polished and fancy. The bedsheets looked as soft as the clouds. The frame of the bed was gilded in gold.

The Assassin glided towards the study, carefully checking the drawers for traps before she opened them. Gently, she browsed through the pieces of parchment, scanning through the messy texts, rummaging for anything useful.

The missions in which she did not have any specific directives were always the hardest, but Serenity was a Hassan. She would not fail.

"It seems Ishtar has a pretty solid information network," Serenity thought to herself, reading through the goddesses fourth love letter. D'Eon had displayed his knowledge when he had warned her to be careful with messages regarding romances. Apparently, the French court had used them to hide secret messages. It seemed that all forms of nobility always had a flair for the dramatic, no matter what era or world they lived in.

Serenity, glanced through a couple of papers, gently rolling a strand of hair among her fingers. Her lilac eyes bounced around, trying to decipher the message. A few minutes later, she gave out a sigh, instead rolling them and stuffing them into the pouch hanging from her belt. She would have to rely on the resident spy.

She scanned the room for anything else of note, only to momentarily freeze as she heard footsteps. In a single leap, she crossed the room, diving under the bed. The door opened with a bang and the two pair of feet came stepping in.

"My dear," came to sultry voice of Ishtar, blowing across the room like a summer wind. "I suppose you have something important to tell me- I don't like being interrupted when I'm talking to my girls."

"Our latest expedition as a failure my lady. We were stopped at the 8th floor by waves of monsters. The dungeon has gotten stronger- "

"Demigo," the goddess cut off. "Are you telling me that a party of twenty Level 3 and Level 4 adventurers were stopped at the eight floors?" She strutted up to her study, leaning against the wood. "I should send you to Phyrne. She will set you straight."

There was momentary silence in the room, only for Demigo to step backwards. "No, my lady. Not Phryne. It was not my fault. The dungeon- its much stronger. The monster- they are much smarter. We lost six and two of them are in need of high-level potions."

"Every party leader blames the dungeon for their incompetence, Demigo," Ishtar cooed as she neared the adventurer. "I cannot believe you asked for a private audience to have me hear about this garbage."

Demigo fell on his knees. "No please, I- I"

"Enough," Ishtar growled out. She smacked open her front door open, allowing the wood to bang against the wall. "Phyrne! This one is yours." The door shut, and Serenity gave out a soft breath.

Softly, she rolled out from under the bed, still crouched low and tense. She closed her eyes momentarily, focussing on the dimming sounds of footsteps before she stood up. No one was coming back.

Serenity briefly pondered over the conversation she had just overheard, before letting out a soft breath. "D'Eon will have to do with this," she thought to herself as she walked towards the open window, staring at the ground far below.

She gave one last glance at the office behind her before jumping onto the streets below.

Astolfo yawned loudly, only for cold current to slam into his throat causing him to break out in a cough. He glared at the creature he was riding, a hippogriff that looked simply spread its wings and glided against the wind.

"I'm bored," he complained to his Hippogriff, falling flat on the beast's back as he drew his arms around its neck. "We've been flying for half a day! I want to do something else. Meet someone. See something." He rubbed his nose against the beast. "Anything but this."

The creature seemed to raise its non-existent eyebrows, before opening its beak to shriek loudly. Flapping its wings, it broke out into a narrow dive, levelling itself moments later as it glided just above the canopy.

Astolfo broke out into a grin, and gently patting the sides of the beast, he stood up. "Thanks Hippogriff," he told it, as he hopped of, breaking a few branches as he landed in the middle of a thick forest.

Wiping the dust of his clothes, he looked around. "Now then, what should I do?"

"Astolfo! Did you spot something?"

Astolfo suddenly turned, his eyes widening as he caught the sight of green hair. "Enkidu!" He broke out into a frown. "Ah, you scared me for a moment there. Did you get bored as well?"

The green haired humanoid raised an eyebrow. "Not particularly. I was enjoying the scenery when I noticed you land. I was curious."

"We've been flying for hours now," the paladin whined, flailing his arms comically. "I want to go on an adventure. I want to explore this world. I want to meet new people."

Enkidu raised an eyebrow. "You would defy master's orders?"

Astolfo turned his head to the side, arms crossed together in defiance. "I'm not defying her orders. I mean… Master never told us that we couldn't scout on the ground…" Leaves rustled to the blowing wind as the paladin screwed his eyes shut, a finger on his forehead. "And… uh..."

"Well," the green servant hummed as he sauntered towards a nearby tree. He gently raised a hand to touch the bark, only for a squirrel hop onto it. It curiously sniffed his fingers. "I suppose it's a good thing that Master told me that you would do something like this. She told me to make sure you didn't hurt yourself."

"Hurt myself? Even like this, I'm still one of the twelve paladins of Charlemagne you know?" servant stamped his feet, his cheeks round as pouted. "But as expected of Master. She knows me too well."

Enkidu nodded, still watching the squirrel that was crawling his shoulder. "Master Gudako is definitely not like her brother. Is she always like this?"

The paladin could only shrug. "Mostly, though she does have her serious moments." He broke out into smile. "Anyway, I spotted a village that way. Off we go!" He said, puffing out his chest as hopped forwards.

His partner gently grasped the animal that had climbed up onto his head, slowly placing the squirrel back onto the tree. It to refused to let go, its tiny paws continuing to grasp at his finger. Enkidu tilted his head as he placed the animal back on his palm.

"Do you wish to stay with me, little one?"

Instead of answering, the squirrel snuck under the servant's robes, only to pop out of from underneath his hair. The animal nibbled at his ear, causing Enkidu to giggle. "I'll take that as a yes," he said, rubbing under the animal's neck. "Shall we go?"

The squirrel gave out a chirp, causing his shoulders to tremble as he chucked to himself. The servant ambled forward, following the impressions Astolfo had created on the wild grass below his feet. A few moments later, he could see the paladin's back.

The pair continued to meander forward, both enjoying the song of the birds and the dance of the leaves. Astolfo inhaled deeply. The forest smelt like flowers and leaves. A breeze blew sideways, lifting his long braid into the air.

As they continued forwards, the trees slowly began to widen, their thick rooted barks swapping out for thinner taller trees that bundled up their leaves. The canopy grew smaller, and slowly, the sun reappeared, showering the two servants with its radiant light.

The paladin spread his arms, stretching them as he stood on his toes. Suddenly, there was a flash of yellow in the corner of his eyes. He twisted, pupils widening as he spotted a huge monster. Before he could react, a chain flew at the monster, piercing through its stomach.

The beast collapsed onto the floor, and Enkidu pulled his arm back, causing the chain to loop around the tiger, before slamming it into a nearby tree. "Are you alright?"

"Jeez, slow down Enkidu," Astolfo said, running up to the monster, his cheeks puffed as he looked at its crushed body. "Now, I feel bad for the poor thing."

Enkidu tilted his head. "That was a monster was it not? I believe that was the appropriate response when dealing with one of those." He the turned forward, towards one of the thicker trees. "I know you're here," he announced. "Please come out. The monster is gone."

Astolfo raised an eyebrow as he followed his partner's gaze, eyes widening as he spotted strands of yellow peeking out from behind the trunk. "Oh, I didn't even notice. Good work buddy!" He hopped towards the hidden figure, circling the tree, before grabbing at it.

"Look Enkidu," he exclaimed. "I found a child!"

In Astolfo's arm sat young child, her big blue eyes watering up as she trembled at the sight of the paladin. She sniffed and rubbed her eyes. "I- I'm not scared of you," she declared shakily. "My mommy will come and beat you all!"

The paladin froze at that, his eyes widening as he began shaking his head fervently. "Wait a second! I am not a suspicious person or anything! Look we protected you from the monster!" Astolfo pointed at the bloody corpse of the tiger, only to blink owlishly, before putting his hands in front of the girl. "On second thought, please don't look at that. It's scary."

"You're still scaring her, Astolfo," Enkidu whispered, approaching the girl. He lowered his head reaching eye-level with her. He gave a gentle smile. "Hello there. My name is Enkidu. Who are you?"

The girl put her hands around her mouth, shaking her head. Enkidu didn't relent, moving even closer towards the girl until their faces were inches apart. The girl panicked slightly but settled down as she lost herself in lilac eyes. "Elena," she finally said. "My name is Elena."

"Elena, huh? That's a nice name," said Astolfo as he gently dropped the girl back onto the ground. "Nice to meetcha' Elena. I'm Astolfo." He greeted, pointing at himself. "Were you being chased by that mean monster?"

Elena nodded as she stared at the dirt, allowing her bangs to cover her eyes. "That Lygerfang attacked the village and... and…" She began to sniff, a slow puddle of tears beginning to form on her cheeks.

"Can you take us there?" Her head whipped towards Enkidu; her eyes were wide with surprise. His partner nodded, giving the girl a thumbs up.

"Yeah, we'll do what we did to that monster over there! We'll help the people of your village Elena." The paladin turned away and pointed at the sky. "C'mon, we can't waste a second!"

The girl gave them a smile, only for it to crumble as she shook her head. "I can't," she softly replied. "I am not supposed to let outsiders come into the village."

"Ah…" A lonely breeze softly whistled against the trees. "Well, this is a pickle," Astolfo remarked, his deflating like a balloon. "Can't you make an exception for us? We just want to help."

"I-"The girl wavered, her frown softening. "Will you really help? You won't cheat us, will you?"

Astolfo shook his head, instead bending down on a single knee. He wore a rare stony expression on his face, but his words were as warm as the sun. "I swear on my name, Astolfo of Charlemagne's twelve paladins, that I will help your village. I won't break my word."

The girl froze, and upon hearing the declaration broke out into a deep blush. "Aah… no… Alright I'll take you," she stammered out. "No need to be so dramatic," she added with a whisper.

Astolfo stood up again, a toothy smile dominating his face. He turned towards Enkidu, who hadn't said a word. "You're coming right?"

"I was told to take care of you," the Lancer said with an amused smile. "Come, we shouldn't tarry any longer."

Tamamo curled her tail, her lips flattened into a deadpan. "Is this why you brought me here Nobunaga? To frolic about underneath the sun. I admit that it is wonderful, but if I were going for a walk then I would rather it be with someone else." She narrowed her eyes at the brunette who strolled past her, gobbling down a stick of dango. "Oi! Are you ignoring me?"

"Sort of," the avenger answered. "Stop making a fuss after I went through all the trouble of buying you a crepe. If you don't want it then give it to me." She made a grab for the food but Tamamo swiped back, blocking Nobu.

"Absolutely not," the vixen responded. "Besides, it wasn't your money you bought it with in the first place. It was the familia's budget."

"Well then, it's a good thing I'm managing it. You should be honoured. The Demon King herself is managing you finances." Nobunaga gave the Miko a cheeky grin as she finished her last stick of dango. "But that's enough amusement. I asked to you come with for an extremely specific reason."

"Well, I suppose I should be relieved that you didn't drag me to middle of the city for no reason," Tamamo replied, her eyebrow twitching rapidly. "So, do you mind sharing that reason, or am I to be left in the dark until you end up inevitably failing in your endeavours?"

A single eyebrow rose on the avenger's face. "Oho? How perceptive of you, Caster? It is true that I am going fail without your help, however, I won't leave any stone unturned." She sighed at the blank look on the vixen's face. "Well, you'll come to know in due time. However, we are still ways off our destination. Instead, I'll ask you about something else I've been curious off."

"Indeed," Tamamo whispered under her breath. "Is it some sort of requirement for rulers and warlords to sound utterly incomprehensible?" Sighing, she took a bite of her crepe, savouring the exploding sweetness in her mouth. "Well," she stated. "What was it you wanted to ask?"

Nobunaga pulled of her hat, dusting the top as she took a turn into a darker alleyway. "This world is interesting isn't it? It reminds me of one of those light novels the people of this age indulge in."

"I'm afraid that I haven't read any of them myself," the vixen said. "There aren't many servants I'm aware of who spend time catching up with the era."

"True," Avenger admitted. "However, what interests me about this world are the gods, or rather, the difference between our gods and theirs."

Eyes narrowed; Caster gave her fellow servant a suspicious look. "What exactly are getting at, Avenger? Enough of this vague dialogue."

"Man, you don't have a flair for the dramatic, do you?" Nobunaga picked up a rock on the ground, taking a moment to chip it against the wall. "You already know why the Age of God's ended back in our world, don't you?"

"I am aware Nobunaga. As humans began relying less on the divine, their influence grew less and less, until they were forced out. This world, however, still appears to be in the Age of Gods still, if perhaps a strange variation of it."

"Well," the Avenger said, her eyes staring straight at Tamamo. "That was what I was wondering about. Have you read anything about the pallum race?"

Tamamo looked at the sky, her ears twitching ever so slightly. "I believe that they are the race of shorter humans. Though I admit that I didn't really understand difference between them and dwarves until I actually saw one of each race."

"True, however, something interesting I found out was that the pallum had a god they believed in. And this is said to have happened before the Gods we have seen, descended to the lower realms." Nobunaga took another sudden turn, slipping past into another alleyway. Her voice lowered. "You see, the deity worshipped by the Pallum, Fiona never existed."

"I see," the vixen said, her eyes narrowing. "I still do no see what you are building up to Avenger. What is your point?"

"In our world, divine spirits are born of human worship- from human thought. Yet, if that were the case here, then wouldn't the Goddess Fiona exist?" Nobunaga lifted another pebble, bringing it against the earlier one. "And that beings me to another question. Were the other deities worshipped before their descent?"

Tamamo gave the warlord an appraising look, before nodding. "I see. You are proposing that the deities here are fundamentally different from those in our world." She put a finger to her lips, yellow eyes deep in thought. "It is certainly an interesting question, but I have a point to counter you. Why does Hestia's blessing work on Master? If our two worlds were so fundamentally different, then wouldn't Master be dead right now?"

Nobunaga grinned, her red eyes glowing under the shade of the tall building next to her. "That is a good question vixen, but it seems that now is not the time to answer it." She turned, looking back at the path they had come through. "We know that you are following us," the warlord declared, pulling out her katana. "You better come out or I'll burn you till you're nothing but ashes."

The Miko pulled out one of her curses, her lips turning downward. "How brutish," she remarked. "To follow someone so loudly. You could have at least had the courtesy to remain quiet."

Three cloaked figures dropped down from the roof top; their faces covered by the shadow of their hoods. "Drop your weapons," they ordered. "You will be coming with us."

"Well, this is certainly disappointing," Nobunaga muttered. "Then again, I suppose that is to be expected from fools who are drunk on power." She turned to the cloaked figure in the centre, red eyes narrowed. "So, who is the one who sent you?"

Tamamo gave her companion a grimace but pulled out a curse. "Well, we don't want to draw attention so we should do this quickly. Nobunaga, could you please keep your flames snuffed?"

The Avenger scoffed. "Well, I suppose the smell of burning flesh will gather quite a crowd. Perhaps I should let you crawl back to your god with a few missing limbs? That would quite the message wouldn't it?"

"Hm, you're too cocky," the central figure said, drawing a sword from their back. They charged, dodging underneath the warlord's musket. Nobunaga blocked their strike with her katana, her face stretched into a grin.

"Oh, not bad," she muttered. Tamamo only sighed, before tossing a curse at the other two, who had been trying to flank them. The paper sparked into lightning as it began to follow her opponents. They tried to dodge it, but the lightning caught up striking their backs.. Writhing they collapsed into the ground.

The leader yelped as he saw his partners fall, before cursing. "Support," he yelled. Tamamo turned her head towards the roof where the last enemy had stayed hidden, her ears twitching as she heard a chant.

The vixen looked towards her partner's battle. Nobunaga seemed to be enjoying herself and Tamamo wasn't going to be the one ruining the Avenger's parade. Nobunaga would be insufferable if she did. Instead, she sent a few familiars to scout the area around them.

"Uhahaha," Nobunaga roared out," her strike nearly taking of her adversary's neck. "Is that all you got? You should give up already." The Avenger went in for a killing strike but was countered. "Better," she said, her eyes burning crimson. "Show me what you are worth."

The fourth enemy's casting ended, and the leader slowly began to glow, golden spirits gathering around his frame. Nobunaga's eyebrow rose a bit, her grin growing even wider. "Well, well, let's see what you have ready for me," she taunted, raising her sword in a defensive stance.

"Carpe Diem," he yelled, closing the distance with a single step, before the cloaked figure swung their blade at the Avenger. Nobunaga moved her own forward to counter, when suddenly, she froze. "What-"The two blades clashed mid-air and Nobunaga's flew out of her hand. Her opponent twisted his slash into a jab, aiming it straight toward her eye.

Time stopped for a moment, and then there was fire. A loud explosion caused the cloaked figure to go flying backwards. Flames hugged his body, forcing him to toss his robes aside, revealing a young man with dark brown hair. He coughed, only to freeze as his face was caught by a set of strong hands.

"So, this is what you people call a skill, hum?" Tamamo could only sigh at the tall red-haired woman- Nobunaga's least controllable form- spoke. "Not too shabby I suppose- "Suddenly, the vixen felt something from her familiars.

"Nobunaga," she called out. "That explosion of yours has brought us an audience. We- "

"Silence fox," the demon lord commanded. "These rats were foolish enough to follow us and were even more foolish to be caught. No simple punishment is enough for them." She turned up to the roof, her voice deep. "You, the rat hiding up there. Come down or I will burn you bone by bone."

Tamamo pretended to not hear the soft squeak, instead choosing the bury her head behind her palm. Things never went well with servants with large ego's and the one in front of her could give Nero a run for her money. How she wished she had stayed back with Jeanne.

A tiny, hooded figure slipped out the building, peeking out of the door before they revealed themselves. "Good," the demon lord applauded. "Now collect those two friends of yours. Vixen, the stage is yours."

The Miko could only sigh as she casted the spell she had been preparing, forming a weak illusion around them. Loud footsteps closed in as she finished, just about suppressing all traces of her magic as blonde hair turned the corner.

Tamamo recognised the girl who had just arrived. It was the one she had met in the dungeon after Jeanne had saved Bell from the Minotaur. Her hand rested on the hilt of her weapon; yellow eyes narrowed.

"Ais, have you found the cause of the explosion," a voice called the girl, causing her to turn. It was an Amazon, scantily clad with short brown hair. Her arms were crossed behind her head and she whistled as she saw the illusion.

"Well, well," The girl said tilting her head. "This isn't particularly good. I suppose we will have to warn the Ganesha familia, won't we?" She then turned to Ais, waving a hand in her face. "Ais?"

"Something's wrong," the expressionless said, eyes still wary. "I can't figure it out."

The Amazon tilted her head. "Huh, what do you mean? I don't see anything particularly off." She walked into the illusion, strutting past Tamamo as she observed the point at which the road was cracked. "The explosion clearly originated here…"

Tamamo willed on of her familiars to explode, a loud noise coming from two blocks away. Ais and the Amazon froze, and after giving each other a quick look, they ran in the opposite direction, leaving Tamamo completely.

"Was that really necessary," Tamamo asked the demon lord. "We could do without accusations of terrorism being thrown at us."

"Perhaps," the Avenger said. "But that doesn't matter now. We have some nosy cockroaches to deal with after all."

The fourth and smallest figure trembled, clutching their cloak closer. The two Tamamo had downed tried to get back on their feet but their nerves were still frazzled. The vixen wondered if she had perhaps used a bit too much electricity. She may have overestimated their capability.

Removing their cloaks revealed two Amazon's, both glaring at the Miko. Well, if they had the energy to be angry then Tamamo had probably not hurt them too badly. It wouldn't do if she was the first one to cause a stir in the city. That was the job of the more brutish servants such as the Avenger in front of her.

Said Avenger only drew closer to their attackers, observing them closely. "Well," she said. "I'll give you five seconds to tell us which familia you belong to. If not, I'll began to burn your flesh." She followed her statement with a deep and ominous laugh. "I'll warn you. These flames will burn much more that flesh though."

They remained silent, still adamantly glaring at the two of them, almost completely unaware of their situation. Sighing, Tamamo could only watch as Nobunaga pressed her fingers onto the leader's cheek. Steam poured out and flesh seared, causing the man to grit his teeth.

"To think you would be this foolish," the Avenger remarked, baring her teeth. "Well, I suppose that you aren't a completely spineless wimp, however…." She turned towards the two Amazons. "I wonder how your compatriots will fare."

The man's eyes widened, and his downed companions shivered, still numb from the shock. "Oh, I can smell your fear. I suppose I will get better results from you then, or maybe it is the final one who will give me what I want?"

The still cloaked figure let out a soft shriek. She took a step back, only to fall, smacking her head onto a wall. "Aah," they cried again as her hood fell off revealing a young girl with straight yellow hair. Two fox ears twitched atop her head,

Nobunaga's eyebrow rose. "Oh, isn't that great vixen. You meet a fellow -what was it again- ah right a Renard." She lowered her back for a better look. "Hm oh, she's even a greater damsel in distress that you are. In fact… you seem out of place here."

"Don't touch her," the man shouted out, clutching at the wall as he tried to get up.

"Oh, you've finally decided to speak huh." The man bristled at her comment, causing Nobunaga's fangs to bare as her grin grew wider. "How heroic." She kicked him backwards, slamming his back onto the wall as her heels dug into his stomach. "So, are you willing to answer my questions now?"

"Nobunaga," Tamamo said softly, her voice sounding like the unsheathing of a blade. "We should leave them."

"Hoh?" The Avenger gave the Caster a deep look, before bursting into laughter. "Uhahaha, this is certainly amusing. Truly. Are you going to give up information for the sake of a passing familiarity? I thought you were unwavering in your devotion?"

"This has nothing to do with my devotion," the vixen said, her voice hard as rock. "We aren't going to kill them and torturing them will leave a grudge." She glanced at the renard, before pulling her gaze towards the man grovelling in front of Nobunaga. "We will let you free with a warning. Whoever you god is, tell them to not interfere with us or the Hestia familia."

"Oho, bold of you to make such decisions in the presence of the Demon King, Caster. It appears that our brief camaraderie has given you a misplaced impression." Nobunaga's eyes narrowed. "Perhaps you need to be remined of your place."

"I am afraid I won't be budging here Avenger," Tamamo responded, bringing out her divine mirror. It floated around her defensively. "This is an honest request. I will owe you one if you fulfil it."

Nobunaga snorted, bursting into laughter. "You hold a dagger as you plead for favours." She then turned towards the man below her. "Thank your renard friend over there. She has saved your life."

The two Amazons shakily climbed onto their feet, struggling but still determined as they made their way out of the alley. The man followed them, grabbing his stomach as he let his bangs cover his eyes. The renard simply bowed, still shivering, before following her team.

"Was that worth it vixen?" Nobunaga slowly reverted to her original form, flames burning her skin as her proportions reduced. "Whoever our enemy is, they suspected us. Now, they are probably going to grow bolder."

Tamamo's ears drooped, a single tired breath leaving her throat. "I won't apologise but I can offer consolation. I have a familiar following them." She allowed her mirror to disappear. "Though it appears you aren't surprised." She frowned. "Am I that predictable?"

The avenger simply guffawed. "You have served in a court have you not? We may have fought in different battlefields but that does not mean I am unaware of the hidden daggers you have dealt in." She then grew serious. "Did seeing a renard shake you up that much? Did you forget that she attacked us? Or is this some sort of misplaced guilt you feel?"

"I am afraid you aren't privy to all my secrets Nobunaga," the vixen replied coldly. "You may be a fellow servant, but I don't trust you."

"You're being rather upfront vixen," the warlord grinned. "Is this because I am an Avenger, or perhaps because…" She closed the distance, red eyes staring into gold. "You can sense the threat to your divinity?" Tamamo didn't budge, her furry tail straightening as she responded to the challenge.

"You have a spine, that is for sure," Nobunaga said with a laugh. "But I suppose that is enough drama for today. We need to report to master after all."

"Indeed," the Miko said after a few moments, her tail briefly drooping. She took a deep breath, straightening her obi, before she put on a cheery voice. "I might be able to sneakily prepare some lunch before that prudish Archer returns."