Michael HQ, Stockholm, December 15th
Michael was sitting on his chair nonchalantly. He was carefully studying the file of each member of his team. Despite his neglected look, the forty-year-old man was doing meticulous and neat work. Never a careless mistake disturbed the smooth running of his tasks. Assassin barged into his office.
"Not one has survived."
Reported the dark servant.
"Good. Have you been able to retrieve important information." Retorted Michael without even an ounce of stupor.
"Kazutaka, Rider's master, shows an immeasurable strength. His magic circuits are particularly dense. Nothing surprising from a Yamashita clan member. Concerning the servant, I couldn't find his identity but he must be a formidable opponent. Though he did nothing but spectate the battle, all his stats are surprisingly high." Said Assassin.
"Has he even attacked?" Answered Michael.
"No Master." Said the skull-masked woman.
The US agent then grabbed his phone and called the US president.
"Michael! what a surprise! How are things going?" Exclaimed the politician.
"100 R.A.G were slaughtered today by only one Master. Our losses are colossal." Said Michael.
Silence reigned in the room for a moment. Suddenly a loud scream escaped from the phone.
"WHAT THE FUCK MICHAEL?! 100 R.A.G? I DIDN'T PUT MY BEST MEN UNDER YOUR COMMANDS FOR YOU TO SEND THEM TO DEATH! WAKE UP DAMN CUNT!"
"Do not be afraid. I put them inside of the soldiers shortly before the offensive." Said Michael with an admirable calm.
The state's head began to laugh loudly, so that Michael had to move the device away from his ears.
"Well done kiddo, may God be with you."
The president hung up.
Kungshatt, Stockholm
Kazutaka came down from Rider's winged horse.
"This mount is useful in a place like that. We can move from island to island without having to cross the bridges."
Rider replied with a smile and sank into the forest. Kazutaka followed him closely. Suddenly, blood escaped from the monk's mouth. The latter began to cough and even more blood came out.
"How is it possible?"
Said Kazutaka with a face face clenched by the bad taste of his own blood tickling his palate. Rider turned then.
"You finally did notice."
Kazutaka placed his hand in front of his mouth which was soon tinged with red.
"That was the real attack of your opponent. Learn to be more suspicious from now on. If your senses were at their maximum you would have noticed from the start"
Kazutaka frowned and coughed again.
"You are lucky that I am your servant."
Rider then approached Kazutaka and stood in front of him. The difference in size appeared clearly. Although Kazutaka is already considered as a tall person, Rider was a head taller. The confident servant then put his head on Kazutaka's bald head. A spark bursted from his hand.
"Finished." he continued calmly.
Indeed, not even a drop of blood was escaping from Kazutaka's mouth anymore.
"The man behind all this is undoubtedly very powerful, but he has a cruel lack of morality. There shouldn't exist such a rotten man. This monster voluntarily condemned his men." Said Kazutaka.
Michael HQ, Stockholm
Michael was going down to the deepest basements of the complex. At the deepest floor can be found cold rooms. He opened one of the drawers in which all kinds of pathogens were developing in a state of rest. He then poured a few drops of glucose into a complex apparatus carrying food to the microscopic beings while retaining them in their environment by a reflux heating system. Then, a man in a long white coat came to speak to Michael.
"They are fascinating animals, aren't they?"
Michael still focused on his task did not answer. A few seconds passed before the seemingly scientific individual pursued.
"I heard that you were able to tame them. The victory is undoubtedly assured with such power. Even the Yamashita monster got fooled."
Michael closed the drawer sheltering his pets and finally deigned to answer the scientist.
"It is too early to say, I assume you're the chief engineer."
The old man in the long lab coat looked deeply at Michael as if to fathom him.
"That's it... Call me Henry instead." He replied.
Michael answered with a salute and withdrew.
Stora Essingen, Stockholm
As soon as these words were spoken Adam's face stiffened. The danger was there. Stora Essingen was a calm island. From time to time one could hear the footsteps of a deer frolicking on the roads. Nature seemed to coexist in symbiosis with the human being. Adam, meanwhile, was less serene than the surrounding landscape. He asked in a calm voice.
"How many are they ?" The great Zoroastrian God answered immediately.
"Two. One girl and a man. Saber and his master visibly." Adam smiled.
Apprehension had suddenly vanished. He had a plan. Saber's Master was unknown to him. However he had the feeling that in front of her he will triumph. This feeling was purely based on his instinct, or perhaps his self-confidence had become such that he allowed himself arrogance. As soon as Adam unveiled his plan, Savior replied with acquiescence.
Saber and Niu were looking for a place to hide. The ubiquitous calm of the island of Stora Essingen was therefore a place of choice. However, until then, they did not suspect that others had already taken up residence in these places. Suddenly the red-haired knight felt a strong discharge of prana in the air. It was a call to the limit of insolence.
"Niu, take refuge, an enemy servant has noticed our presence, he is challenging us and seems to want to end it now." He announced of a calm voice.
"It is out of the question for me to leave you alone! If they allow themselves to make such an appeal it's that both the Master and the Servant feel able to triumph! So, don't take them lightly. I can support you well. " answered the girl.
The streets were lit by the shuddering lights of the street lamps. The provocation seemed to come from a rather unusual place. It was a bus stop. Some shops were noticeable but all were closed. Not a light in the surrounding buildings were lit. It also seemed that a bounded field had been erected carefully. Under the lamplight, only a man stood.
"It's not the servant but the Master." Said Saber softly but not less hostilely.
"Look, he's running away!" Niu exclaimed
Saber touched in his honor leaped at a bewildering speed. A few seconds were enough for the knight's sword to appear above the young man's head. The weapon fell in a violent din on the Master. But the sword had found no other resistance than the ground itself. Saber turned back suddenly. The mysterious individual was above all expectations, far behind and facing the poor Niu. While he wanted to stop him, a lacerating pain grabbed his legs. A bewitching voice rose.
"Here is your opponent wild Knight."
The vigorous Saber's legs was bleeding profusely. Meanwhile, Adam was face to face with his opponent. His plan was a success. He had managed to get Saber away at a distance so far that his Master was no longer able to heal. Adam's power was the heritage of his ancestors. A vast network of Reality Marble in an isolated universe. All these Reality Marbles were held by an overpowered hidden Homunculus lying where no one could find it. This artificial being was one of the most coveted artifacts of the association. People say that this being was conceived by Schweinorg himself. Adam's ancestors seem to have succeeded in making a contract with it.
The girl, at the gates of death saw a distortion forming in the air. From it escaped a sword of unrivaled brilliance. Its neck was adorned with bright angel wings. As the bright blade was about to fall on her, Niu interposed a simple stick between her and her assailant. Yet he did not break. On the contrary, she pushed Adam back. Niu replied with a quick kick that managed to touch the young man's cheek.
" How is it possible." Adam thought.
This simple stick had managed to repel him. Not by the strength of its owner but by an unknown force. The girl's kick had hurt his cheek. The blood continued to flow. She had hidden a blade in her sole. However, the injury was only superficial. Then why his blood flowed without restraint. Niu, breathless, looked at her adversary who seemed to be animated by incommensurable hatred at the insult he suffered. Adam then realized what kind of mage he was dealing with. In this world some assassins can "see" the bonds of death. It was not absurd to him that people could also "see" the bonds of time. The atypical nature of the phenomenon of repulsion which he had earlier experienced with the stick tipped him off. He finally deigned to pronounce a word
"Can you cut the time?"
Adam was starting to run out, his cells were no longer regenerating, he was no longer able to heal. Yet he wore a smile. Suddenly he disappeared. Niu then faced now the confrontation between Saber and Savior. From her point of view it was a magnificent show. A sublime firework. Saber's sword, however, seemed to never touch his opponent. Oddly even at close range, he ended up missing a static opponent. At first she thought that he was perhaps disturbed by the fact of having been duped but Adam did not give her time to think about it any longer. The young man descended from heaven to slaughter his sword on Niu. However, the same phenomenon of repulsion occured with this time the clothes of the girl. She continued then.
"I understand, it's not mere teleportation, your presence is completely erased every time you disappear, so it's not a mere invisibility spell but teleportation."
But how is that possible? She said to herself. Even the greatest alchemists are not capable of it. A silhouette flew at a bewildering speed in a frantic din beside the two Masters. This long fall ended a few meters away. On the ground, Saber. He was bleeding profusely. Savior was levitating the spread wings in the air.
"Saber!" Exclaimed Niu.
He got up immediately. Adam meanwhile began to suffer from his bleeding. He had to put an end to this. The girl's voice rose.
"A deal!"
Adam straightened. His facial expression was enough to understand the extent of his disappointment. Niu continued.
"I offer you an agreement."
Adam began to have more and more difficulty to move. He answered without flinching.
"In what honor?"
The girl explained her ambitions.
"At this rate you will die of bleeding in less than five minutes, but on the other hand, Saber is in critical condition, why not make an alliance?"
Savior came down from heaven to calmly meet them. He kept a sharp look in Saber's direction, as though to warn him that any struggle was futile. Adam spoke to his servant.
"Savior, do you master that kind of mystery?
The divine being answered in an imperturbable voice.
"Yes, however, once under its control you can not get rid of it."
Adam remembered the teachings of his mentor: "There are only two ways to neutralize a mystical eye, the first to never fall under one's control, the second to be large enough to go beyond the field of view." The strength of this eye is such that even with a limited local effect, its abilities can be formidable. He was just experiencing it. Even a divine being master of all concepts could not cancel its effect. Savior continued.
"I'd say you only have thirty seconds to decide. Once you will spend that time you will also meet the point of no return."
Adam thought hard. Joining another Master was not part of his plans. It would be a humiliation for him to accept this agreement. As if he recognized his defeat. Every drop of blood flowing on the floor inspired the effect of an hourglass. At this distance he would be able to slaughter Niu. Moreover, Savior was at his side he said to himself. However, that did not ensure his own survival. His condition was deteriorating. His body was starting to run out of oxygen. He sighed. The young man stared at the full moon sky for a few seconds.
Akanksha's HQ
The sun had already risen for a few hours. The second day of the Grail War began. Despite the hectic night, Akanksha had managed to sleep. After all, she had been educated to give up all feeling of regret or remorse. Rest was vital if she wanted to win. The gloomy weather had conquered the heavens. But also her mind. The handsome young woman had sent her report to Chintamani before going to bed. The latter did not show an ounce of pity for his dear deceased children. Akanksha's first action on awakening was to turn on the television. She needed to know the latest news in town. Her sources of information are now lying underground, she now had to settle for television channels. It did not take her long to find interesting news. All channels spoke of the same event: "The Kärson Forest Massacre". Thirty unidentifiable bodies strewn on the ground. All inert. The cause of their death was unknown. All had the body mutilated. Among the assumptions provided by the police was the possibility of a sectarian rite. Most likely one being an animal attack. These individuals have been targeted by a bear. Indeed, the body of the beast rested on the ground. The damage found on the bodies of the victims cannot result from a human attack, the track of homicide was discarded. To do such damage would require the strength of a bear. According to the authorities, the police informed by a passerby had immediately shot at the animal. Akanksha thought that was fishy. Never her instinct had betrayed her. She felt that this case was not clear. A bear could not have done so much damage on its own. Akanksha felt that the number of victims must be even higher. She was convinced of one thing: there was something fishy. This was all the more worrying. It was obvious to her that this event was not foreign to the Grail War. Normally she would have thought it was the actions of a Berserker but she was well-placed to know that was not the case. Two hypotheses then remained unresolved, one more preferable than the other. The first consisted of a Master unable to control his servant, that is to say, an easy Master to shoot. The government would then try to hide the horror of this butchery. The other would be a Master with enough influence that he would be able to manipulate the media. The very idea that the second hypothesis may be the good made the beautiful woman shudder. She became aware for the first time that events could possibly exceed her. Who would be able to influence the media as much? Either large private companies or the state itself. If ever the state was involved in the war, things would be much worse than expected. What could she do against the resources of a whole country? She surprised herself smiling brightly. This situation was in reality for her only a test to be surpassed. A new challenge presented to her. With all her grace the beauty descended the wooden stairs of the manor. Berserker was still outside. Despite the cold he seemed to like this place.
"What a strange being..." Akanksha mumbled in a cheerful voice.
She took a small blanket and threw it at him.
"Here, cover up," she told him. The monster gasped like a wild animal, took the blanket and wrapped itself in it.
"Tonight we go out, straight to the Kärson Forest to investigate." She turned around and went to prepare a hot chocolate.
Adam's HQ, Stora Essingen, Stockholm
What a pain Adam thought. I lost. What a shame. Now I have to babysit. Niu was showering upstairs. The conditions had been fixed. The alliance would end when the first master killed is declared. Adam looked closely at the cover of the newspaper lying on the table.
"Savior? What do you think about an investigation in the Kärson forest tonight?"