Something Lost, Something Found

by Avenger013

This is a story of a new beginning and a growing bond...and it all started with a chin scratch. Advance Warning: There will be spoilers for Fairy Round Table Realm: Avalon Le Fae in this story. If you'd rather not be spoilt then refrain from reading.

3. The Queen, The Witch And The Tyrant

Chapter 3: The Queen, The Witch and The Tyrant

"Perish."

With a contemptuous flick of her wrist, the dozen soldiers before her were wreathed in dark energy, spasmed for a moment and then crumpled to the ground, her life-stealing curse draining them dry in seconds.

Despite the screams of their comrades as Morgan's dark magic did its work, another group of pike and sword wielding warriors bravely attempted to charge the Fairy Queen...only to be immolated rather casually in a wave of black fire the moment their assailant's cold blue gaze focused on them.

Waving her free hand this way and that, Morgan's weather manipulation spells bent the elements to the queen's will, raining lightning bolts, jets of fire and sharpened ice shards onto what remained of the attack force. The panicking soldiers scattered, screaming, frantic and scrambling to escape even as they were impaled and frozen by the ice shards, immolated by flames and scorched by lightning.

All the while, Morgan stood motionless in the centre of the carnage, expression impassive as she crushed whatever meagre resistance was left. Her biggest exertion was moving her free hand back and forth to manipulate and alter the runes she'd manifested to direct and warp the weather.

In the middle of this massacre, even as their comrades were fleeing or slaughtered in front of them, at least two brave soldiers still pressed on, one drawing his dagger while the other clutched at his longsword. Though their legs shook and their teeth chattered with terror, they still moved forward, slowly approaching the Fairy Queen from behind and raising their weapons…

"Hmph."

In a flash of dark fire, Morgan's spear morphed into a sword as she swung the weapon back, intercepting both longsword and dagger with casual contempt and forcing the duo back with a lazy flick of her wrist.

"How foolish of you to think that you could ever surprise me." Morgan snapped, blue eyes narrowing and glaring at the survivors.

The longsword wielder, in spite of the crushing helplessness he felt at being directly addressed with such scorn, still tried to press the attack…

Only to be cut down in seconds, the queen's mystically charged blade cleaving through his clothes, chainmail, muscle and bone as if the protection were barely present. The neatly cleaved body flopped to the ground, already beginning to crumble into ash as Morgan daintily stepped over the remains as she pursued the final surviving soldier...

Who proceeded to drop his dagger and run for the hills.

Or rather, he started to, but once Morgan dismissed him as unimportant, turning away and starting a scan for other enemies, the remaining warrior reached for the discarded bow and arrows of one of his fallen comrades, all in one last desperate attempt to reverse this disaster of an assault.

Hands shaking, fumbling to nock the arrow, the soldier levelled the bow shakily in Morgan's direction and drew the bowstring…

"Hi ho!"

Only to be pelted by a barrage of mystically charged linen balls, of all things, smashing through his chainmail and leaving gaping holes in his chest.

With one last gasp of shock, the survivor pitched backwards and flopped to the ground dead.

Looking up in the direction the linen had been fired from, Morgan allowed a small smile to creep onto her face as she caught sight of her saviour.

"Thank you, Habetrot."

"No problem, nya!" The Rider said, floating down towards Morgan on her small zeppelin contraption. "I picked off all the stragglers to the east and south! They didn't get far and won't be getting word to whatever reinforcements they might have!"

"As reliable as ever, aren't you?" Morgan raised her hand, debated for a moment, but eventually gave in and reached over to pet Habetrot's head. "Good work."

"Nya, just happy to help, your Maj-...um, Miss Morgan." Habetrot replied, trying and not quite succeeding at the informal form of address that Morgan wanted to encourage.

"There was no need for the 'miss', you know...but that is progress, I suppose." Morgan shrugged. "Now, what of our...colleague?"

"Hoooh, that's a pretty scary tone you've got there, y'know?" Habetrot chirped, shooting a raised eyebrow at Morgan. "But as for that dark knight, she said she was gonna take care of the enemies to the north and west. I'm not sure how well she's fairing, but with the strength she's displayed, I'm sure she'll be-"

The linen-spinner's assurance was cut off by a large explosion of dark energy, coming from the right of Morgan and Habetrot's current position. As both turned to look, another blast wracked the forest, sending a wave of shadowy power crashing forth that reached as far as their clearing and passed over their heads, all accompanied by a cold, contemptuous snarl.

"I'll annihilate you."

"...she seems to be doing just fine." Morgan observed, drily. "What a pity, I was hoping she'd be overwhelmed and would need our aid, it would give me something to hold over that woman as payback for interrupting my fun earlier."

"I think we should just be happy that we've not lost anyone yet!" Habetrot insisted. "Especially not a Servant as powerful as Miss Alter. After all, it'd be a pain if Master needed to spend time and energy re-summoning any losses back at Chaldea, right?"

"Yes, I suppose you are right." Morgan admitted.

"And it'd be a real shame to lose such a promising bride!"

"Ye-...wait, what? You...you honestly believe that twisted Artoria would make a good spouse to anyone?" Morgan asked, incredulous.

"Yep! I know it might not seem like it to you, but old' Habenyan has an eye for this kinda thing, so trust me when I say that she's got some bridal power!" Habetrot explained, jumping up on her zeppelin and raising a finger to the sky. "She acts cold, but she's always willing to do anything that Master asks of her! No matter what it is, she'll gladly go along if it's him asking!"

"I... I see…"

Blasted dark Artoria. If you're as willing to serve as Habetrot believes you are, then surely you'll steal away his praise. That is wholly unacceptable.

"Plus, I heard from her that she joined a summer race in a swimsuit for his sake, and that she danced with him in a Singularity she helped resolve!" Habetrot gushed, her eyes sparkling with happiness. "That just confirms to me that there's a beautiful bride inside her just struggling to get out, and that's exactly what old' Habenyan wants to help happen!"

That certainly is the Totorot I remem...wait, she WHAT?

"She...danced with him, you say? Even wore a….'swimsuit' for his sake?" Morgan asked, managing to keep her voice even despite that unpleasant pressure welling up in her chest again.

"Yep! It's so cute, isn't it? Master wormed his way into her heart with that sincerity and kindness of his to awaken her inner bride! Aaahh, I really should thank him again for summoning me to this place, there's so many opportunities to make such lovely dresses, especially with that crane seamstress willing to help out!"

Despite the unpleasantness in her chest growing stronger at Habetrot's praise for Artoria Alter's 'bridal' qualities...and especially her description of how devoted she seemed to be to Ritsuka, Morgan forced a light smile as she patted Habetrot on the shoulder.

Best not to take her own issues out on her dear friend, that wouldn't be fair to her.

"I'm...I'm certainly happy that you can weave so many dresses for so many brides. I'm sure your handiwork will leave them looking very radiant indeed."

"Aaaww, that's sweet of you to say, Miss Morgan! Thanks!"

"There you are." A familiar cold voice cut in.

Turning, Morgan and Habetrot spied Saber Alter emerging from the trees to the north, face set in her characteristic scowl and blackened holy sword firmly clasped in her right hand. There were some minor scratches on her breastplate and arm greaves, not to mention she was practically splattered with blood from all the enemy soldiers she'd cut down, but aside from that she was unharmed.

"I take it there were no problems dispatching the other fools here?"

"No. No trouble at all. Their little toys are nothing next to my magic." Morgan answered.

"I picked off all the stragglers, so nobody will know where the materials stash is!" Habetrot cheered.

"Fine work. Speaking of...where IS the materials stash?" The tainted king asked, finding no trace of it on glancing around the clearing.

Allowing a soft smirk to slip onto her face as the opportunity to show off a little presented itself, Morgan turned her left arm over and tapped on the glowing rune located just below her wrist.

As the rune's glow vanished, the air in the middle of the clearing shimmered and warped, the cloaking spell deactivating to reveal a large, tightly sealed chest.

"It is right here, hidden in plain sight by my power. There is no need to worry, the materials we've gathered are quite safe, I assure you."

"Mere invisibility, is that all?" Saber Alter looked rather unimpressed.

Turning away to suppress a scowl at her abilities being so casually insulted, she forced a look of calm before turning back and continuing.

"Of course not, tainted Artoria. Habetrot, if you would be so kind as to demonstrate the protection I put in place?"

"Leave it to me, nya!"

Climbing back onto her zeppelin, Habetrot thumbed the trigger on her contraption, pointed the firing port at the materials chest, and opened fire.

The barrage of linen balls sailed forth and beelined for the chest, only to be incinerated on impact with a bright blue-white barrier that formed around the stash. Morgan held up her other arm, indicating the shield rune just above her elbow that was maintaining the barrier.

"You see? Perfectly safe. As long as there is a direct danger to the chest, this barrier will protect it from any and all harm."

"I was unaware of that second layer of protection."

"Well, you were off on one of your 'perimeter checks' when I cast the spell." Morgan said.

"Mmmm. Speaking of which…" Saber Alter swept her gaze over the clearing, turned away from the duo and began marching off towards the nearest gap in the trees.

"Hey, where are you going, nya? We've beaten everyone!" Habetrot called out.

"One last perimeter check...just to be sure the materials will be secure. After that, we can join the others in their fight." Alter assured them, before vanishing into the dense foliage, blade drawn and ready in front of her.

"Hmph, if she wants to do that, then let her. If anyone else should try to come for the materials, my protection spells will repel them." Morgan said, lifting up her left hand to the sky. A blue-block orb flared in her palm, then sprouted faint wispy tendrils that began snaking and coiling their way into the sky, heading to the southeast.

"What's that?"

"A tracking spell, to locate our Master…...there, I have him." Morphing the magic orb into a rune, which she then placed into her right hand, Morgan began striding off in the direction of the wispy tendrils.

"Wait! What about Miss Alter?! We can't just leave her!" Habetrot called after her.

"As if she's needed to deal with rabble like this." Morgan waved her hand dismissively. "My magecraft is surely a match for any number of these fools. Let her find her own way back, if she is so insistent on going off alone all the time."

"Nya-kay...but Master won't like it, you know?" Habetrot said, a sly smirk sneaking onto her face as she spoke.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, it's just that Master seems to like it best when his Servants can all get along. He's a really kind soul like that." Habetrot explained. "I don't think he'd like it very much if he learns from Miss Alter that we left her behind in the forest all on her own."

"..." Morgan took a deep breath in, face curling in unpleasant realisation.

"Well, you reeaaally wanna risk upsetting Master, Miss Morgan?"

"I-I...I...very well, I suppose we can stay here until that twisted Artoria returns." Morgan sighed, before slinking back and taking a seat next to Habetrot on the ground near the materials chest. The Rider herself was perched on her landed zeppelin, to try and keep somewhat level with Morgan as they sat together.

For a while neither of them spoke, they simply enjoyed the soft breeze and chirping of what birds remained in the forest after the cacophony of combat had scared most of them away. After almost an hour of non-stop fighting, itself preceded by six hours of material gathering from the various monsters they'd found lurking around the landscape, it was nice to relax for a bit.

"Haaahh, that's what I needed!" Habetrot flopped back onto her zeppelin, stretching out lazily. "My legs hurt a bit from riding around on my zeppelin so much! How about you, Miss Morgan?"

"I am perfectly fine." The Fairy Queen replied, lazily gazing up at the sky. "This is nothing compared to the strain of running Fairy Britain or the exertion of patrolling my territory personally, crushing rebellions against my rule. Despite my...rather disappointing endurance parameter in this Servant container, I have more than enough stamina for this trip. Even if fatigue sets in, I have plenty of restoration spells and charms at my disposal to remedy that."

"Really? Think you could spare one for this linen-spinner, nya?"

"Certainly." In a moment, Morgan channelled a bit of mana into a healing charm, which she directed into Habetrot.

The Rider sighed happily as the restorative energy seeped into and through her body, numbing the pain of her achy legs and chasing away her sluggishness and lethargy...and a few moments later, she exploded with excitement.

"Wooooaaahh! Ah, this is great stuff! I feel like I could take on the world right now!" Habetrot cried out, pushing off of her zeppelin and proceeding to roll around in the grass, practically vibrating with vigour and energy.

Ah, perhaps I overdid the energy supply a little… Morgan sighed, though she was smiling nonetheless.

After all, what could be a better relaxing pastime than watching her dear friend having some fun and jumping around like a hyperactive child. Especially with her baby-like physique.

Fu fu... yes, this is quite an enjoyable moment indeed. Almost reminds me of-

Her soft smile was replaced with a wide-eyed, hollow stare as an old memory rushed into her mind.

"Ah common Tonelico, where's the harm in enjoying this moment for a bit? We've got this glade all to ourselves with all these beautiful flowers, so why not come over here and help me brainstorm some ideas for a flower-based dress for you?"

"Totorot, what would I need a dress for?"

"For your eventual marriage, of course! I've seen the faces you and Uther have been making at each other lately, and your bridal power's gone up too, so don't you try to get out of this missy! Come on!"

"Aaahh! Totorot, please wait! I-I've not been making faces at Uther! What are you saying!?"

Once more, her breathing deepened as her blue eyes cast around blindly, trying to calm herself down and distract herself from the memory.

After all, memories of much happier times were easy to get side-tracked by...to start drowning in, if she so chose. And now was not the time to be so completely distracted or...or be as emotionally compromised as she could get from those memories.

Just...just focus on the present. Habetrot is here now. That...that past of failure is behind you now. Just focus o-

"Hey! Hey! Miss Morgan, I have a question for you! Can you answer it for me? Can you can you canyoucanyo-" Habetrot came to her rescue, her high-pitched voice cutting through her thoughts and forcing the Fairy Queen to focus on her friend.

It seemed that a few minutes of energetic running and playful jumping had been enough to drain at least some of the excess energy Morgan had accidentally given to her with her spell, since Habetrot was no longer vibrating with hyperactivity and was moving with a slowed gait.

Of course, it seemed that the remaining energy had all gone to her mouth instead, since this was the fastest Morgan had ever heard her speak before.

"I can, but can you please try to calm yourself a little first, Habetrot?" Morgan asked her friend.

"I'm calm! I'm perfectly cnyalm, okay?! Come nyan! Don't you wanna help out old' Habenyan with this teensy weensy litt- nyaaaaa….." Habetrot's rapid-fire insistences were interrupted by Morgan surreptitiously channelling a weak draining spell to siphon off some of her excess energy, prompting a soft groan from the Rider.

"Do you feel a little calmer now?"

"Ah, nngg...yeah. Wooaaah, that was quite the rush." Habetrot mumbled, rubbing at her head and eyes as she swayed about, the sudden onset of sluggishness proving a slight obstacle to keeping her balance. Luckily, she stayed up and tottered her way over to her zeppelin.

However, she had a few problems actually hopping up onto the contraption, at least until Morgan gently wrapped her hands around Habetrot's waist and lifted her onto it.

"Nya...thanks."

"It's no problem at all. Now, what was it you wanted to ask me?" Morgan asked, retaking her seat and fixing her gaze on her companion.

"Oh, yeah! Just one thing...why'd you volunteer to go on this mission?" Habetrot asked.

"Hmmm?" Morgan curled an eyebrow in confusion. "Is that strange enough to be an issue for you?"

"Nah, it's no issue at all. In fact, I'm happy that you're getting out there and being willing to help other people out! But, well...it's not something I've seen you do before. Breaking out of your shell is a good thing, I'm just curious as to why you're doing it, is all." Habetrot explained.

Ah, now I see...I suppose that's quite the deviation from her perspective.

"I simply want to make myself useful, is all."

Habetrot raised an eyebrow, unconvinced.

"Is that not the duty of a Servant, to serve their Master?"

Habetrot tilted her head, a teasing smirk appearing.

"...that is all I have to say on the matter." Morgan insisted.

Habetrot held her gaze for a few moments….before beginning to frown, tenting her eyebrows to make a saddened expression.

"Stop that."

Her lower lip started wobbling.

"Habetrot, you're being juvenile. That sort of manipulation won't work on me."

A soft sniffle came from the Rider as she crawled forward on her zeppelin, her frown turning into a pout.

Morgan's own stiff expression began to crumble at that sight. She looked so sad, and it was just one little titbit of information…

No. NO. She is simply trying to pry the truth out of you. Stay strong...no matter how sad she looks, it's simply a….a trick….

"S-Stop that please."

Oh no.

Emboldened by her target's stutter, by that chink in her armour, Habetrot decided to bring out one of her best 'weapons'.

Hopping off her zeppelin, the pouting fairy made her way over to Morgan, maintaining eye contact all the while, and placed a hand on her leg.

"Did something happen to make you change your mind, Miss Morgan? I'm just a bit worried about you, is all." Habetrot said in a soft voice.

"I-I can assure you...nothing forced me to change my mind. There's no...no need to be worried about me." The emotionally beleaguered Fairy Queen couldn't keep the tremor out of her voice anymore, not when faced with the purehearted sympathy of her best friend.

"I think there is. After all, it's my job to look after not just brides, but my friends too...aren't we friends?"

"Y-Yes, of course we are."

Damn your sincerity…. curse that kind heart of yours! You KNOW I dislike seeing you sad!

"Well, there we are. So why not tell old' Habenyan why you're deciding to help out here? If there's no coercion behind this decision, then I can rest easy knowing that you're willingly opening up and showing everyone your nicer side. It'd make me really happy to know that."

Morgan's free hand began digging into her leg, trying to stop herself from blurting out the truth.

She knew that Habetrot was likely overplaying her reaction just to convince her to let out the secret...but she also knew that it was, at the core, a genuine one, driven by the selfless fairy's boundless affection and concern for those she considered friends.

How many times had she thrown herself in the path of an incoming attack, just to stop Morgan, Ector or Uther from getting hurt?

How many times had she forced one of them to sit down and take a break when they started overworking themselves?

How many times had she been willing to sit down and listen to Morgan rant on and on about the latest setback or challenge in front of them, offering kind, encouraging words of support and her undivided attention?

"H-Hey...it's okay Tonelico, don't...don't cry. Cough, cough. I-It's not that bad an injury. Besides, I'm your...your knight. It's s-supposed to be...be me getting hit like this. Y-You can go on without a knight, but Britain...Britain needs its saviour."

Even with her clothes torn and with deep, bloody gashes marring her flesh...she still managed to smile. The only time she ever lost that smile was when...when her friends were the ones hurting.

"Don't worry! Ol'...Ol' Totorot's gonna fix you right up, okay?! I d-don't know much about healing magic, b-but I promise I'll do my best, so you better not die on me! Y-You're not allowed to die until after...after I've walked you down the aisle t-to your wedding in th-the best dress I can make! You hear me, Tonelico!? If you were ever going to give your Fairy Knight any reward for her service, th-then give me that promise!"

She'd been crying all through the field surgery she'd had to perform, thanks to her lack of skill in healing magic at that point in their lives, and had refused to leave Morgan's side until she was fully healed. Her fairy physiology had been a godsend for that guardianship. Had Totorot been human, Morgan had no doubt that Ector would've needed to force her to rest, wash and eat properly, as she was so used to doing for all of her friends.

Even after Morgan had healed and was up and about, Totorot had been upset at her for days afterwards for being so reckless and rushing in the way she had. To have the usually kind, playful and supportive fairy be so sad and morose around her…

It had been heart-breaking. It was one of the few times in her long, long existence that Morgan could remember getting down on her knees and crying out apologies the way she had.

The other, most significant time had been...after the coronation of her Round Table. After everything had gone wrong.

She didn't want either of those moments to ever happen again.

"So...not gonna tell me, huh?" Habetrot asked, softly, noticing the conflicted look on Morgan's face and feeling a pang of guilt. "Okay...okay. If you don't want to tell me, then you don't have to tell me. I'll wait until you're ready. That's what a good friend does."

Even now, you're still trying to help me….damn it all, I...I can't...

"Sorry about trying to force it out of you like this, but I really was a little bit worried about why you'd changed your mind so suddenly. If something was wrong with you, then the way I see it, it's my job to set it right. Because that's what friends d-gyaaahh!"

Habetrot was cut off as Morgan dropped her staff, scooped her up with both hands and snatched her up in a hug, cuddling her against her upper chest with her head over Morgan's shoulder.

"Wah, Miss Morgan, what's this for? I mean, I like it, but…"

Morgan didn't reply, staying silent and holding Habetrot close to her left shoulder.

"Hey, I'm sorry about earlier. Are you okay?"

Another soft squeeze was the Fairy Queen's response.

"I'm...did I stir up some bad memories with how I acted? I'm really sorry." The Rider said, patting Morgan on the shoulder as best she could, trying to reassure her.

"..."

"Damn it, Habenyan, you've screwed up this time."

Pof, pof, pof.

"Nya?" Habetrot chirped, feeling one of Morgan's hands reaching up to pet her head.

"No. Don't blame yourself for being concerned, dear Habetrot." Morgan whispered. "The blame lies with me."

"Eh? W-Well...that's a relief, I suppose. Wah!"

Gently lifting Habetrot off of her shoulder, Morgan set her down on her zeppelin once more, wiped her eyes a few times, taking a few deep breaths as she prepared to speak again.

Habetrot waiting patiently all the while.

"As for what you wanted to know...I was not entirely honest earlier.

"I….I did want to be of service to our Master, but that was not the whole reason for my volunteering. This may sound like an odd question, but have you been praised by Master for good work before?"

Habetrot nodded.

"Yes, I've heard the same thing from other Servants, and it happened to me after my first expedition. I...simply want to confirm that he is...I suppose you could say 'equal' with his praise, especially to one who volunteers their services without being asked.

"So, there is my reason for volunteering for th-" Morgan was about to finish, before noticing her friend's expression.

Habetrot's previously concerned, then attentive, expression had now morphed back into that sly little smirk of hers. And her eyes had a particular twinkle in them.

It was the sort of twinkle Morgan had only ever seen when listening to her talk about….her latest bride candidate.

"Is there something wrong, Habetrot?"

"Oh, nyathing's wrong. Nope, everything's just fine, actually. I get it now, no worries." That smirk was still there...in fact it had gotten just a bit wider.

"And what do you mean by-" Morgan started.

"The perimeter is clear." Saber Alter's harsh bark cut across the Fairy Queen's attempted question, the corrupted warrior striding back into the clearing from the exact same location she'd previously left it. "The Celt rabble have run for the hills and the materials we've gathered are secure."

"That's a relief...so those were Celts, huh? I know a bit about them from a few of the Servants I've run into, but I didn't think they'd look like this." Habetrot pondered.

"Yes, they were and yes they do….weren't you paying attention to what happened before we separated from the others? Do you not know where we are?" Alter asked, somewhat incredulous.

"Um….I was mostly trying to not die." The Rider admitted, having the decency to look sheepish. "And I've never been to this place before, plus no one told me anything about the Rayshift location in advance! Mashu just asked if I could come along to serve as support and I said okay!"

"Well, now you know. This IS Connacht, after all, it's only natural that Celts would be here."

"If you knew they would be here in advance, then why were we not better prepared for them to attack?" Morgan questioned. "From Master's reaction when we were first ambushed an hour ago, he was not expecting to be attacked by these Celts. Neither were any of you."

"We expected resistance from them, just not in these numbers." Alter replied. "What we anticipated was a few small scout groups, not whole armies' worth of resistance...perhaps we might have known in advance, and been able to plan accordingly, had the mages among our number seen fit to cast a bounded field of some sort to pick up any Celts in the area."

Morgan scowled at the snide remark, while inwardly cursing herself at the point the corrupted Artoria raised.

Why didn't she cast a bounded field? It would have been an excellent showing of her power and it would've helped prove her usefulness to Ritsuka.

Morgan cursed herself for her moment of incompetence. Then cursed Merlin and her successor for not thinking of it themselves.

"Well why d'you think there's so many of them?" Habetrot asked.

"I have some idea as to why, but for now, we should move to link up with the others now that our gathered materials are secure." Saber Alter insisted. "Fairy Queen, you surely have scanning spells in your arsenal, can you direct us to Master's location?"

"I can" Morgan reactivated her tracking spell, while making sure the concealment and shielding wards were still active. "Follow me."

As she began striding off in the direction of the wispy tendrils produced by her spell, Habetrot and Saber Alter fell into step on either side of her.

"I sure hope Master's okay, it's been a while since we saw them." Habetrot muttered.

"Worry not, linen-spinner." Saber Alter said. "For all of their pathetic infighting and dysfunctions, my other self's knights are competent at warfare. Master should be just fine."

---

"How are there so many of them still!?"

Ritsuka yelped as he narrowly dodged an arrow, practically feeling the metal tip rip through the outlying strands of his hair as it whizzed past his forehead. Before the Celtic archer could try again, Chaldea's last Master fired a gandr at him, paralysing the man long enough for Mash to send him flying with a shield-backed uppercut.

As Mash was surrounded by a new group of Celt pikemen and swordsmen, fresh off of defeating the last three that had previously tried to dogpile the Shielder, two Celt short sword wielders took the opportunity to rush the teen all over again.

Cursing under his breath, Ritsuka yanked Secace out of the belt of his uniform and cast reinforcement on his arms and legs, just to give himself that extra boost in agility and strength.

He'd been reluctant to take the short sword when Artoria had offered it to him, as the King of Knights had insisted he should have a backup means of protecting himself, especially since an increasing number of threats had gone out of their way to try and target the Master personally, should he not have time to cast any of the few spells he knew in combat.

Ritsuka tried to assure her that he was taking precautions of his own for that, like remaining a fair distance away from the action at all times, and would be in little danger, especially with Mash at his side to protect him at a moment's notice.

Now, though, he was quite glad he'd accepted it, especially with how quickly all the Servants in his party had been practically dogpiled by the utterly massive Celtic army that they had been attacked by.

They'd been fighting for about an hour already, and not only were there still Celts left to spare, but according to the bounded field Artoria Avalon had constructed for a while, this was only their vanguard force. The primary army was fast approaching.

They needed to finish this up fast.

As the first Celt came charging at Ritsuka, swinging his left sword and yelling a war cry, Ritsuka brought up Secace to block the sword, while kicking the Celt in the shin to knock him off balance, before shoving the short sword back and going for a stab directly to the soldier's heart.

Unfortunately, the Celt recovered quickly enough to block Ritsuka's stab with his other short sword, while slashing towards his face with the left blade. Ritsuka leapt back to dodge the strike, only for the second Celt warrior to rush at him and stab towards his chest, yelling a war cry.

Deflecting both blades with a swipe from Secace, and with the first Celt bearing down on him once more, Ritsuka fired a point-blank gandr into the second man. Though it being a hastily prepared spell meant it only forced a few moments of immobility onto the target, it was more than enough time for Ritsuka to plunge Secace right into his heart once, then twice, before following up by stabbing the blade up through the Celt's head, just to be sure.

The dead man was already crumbling into ash and dust as his fellow rushed Ritsuka, slashing wildly with his blades, a feral snarl on his lips as he attempted to avenge his comrade.

With the reinforcement magecraft boosting his capabilities, Ritsuka managed to counter the flurry of slashes without much more than a shallow cut across his primary sword hand, holding his enemy back and forcing a brief stalemate…

Until he was forced to once more duck out of the way of three incoming arrows.

"Gah, damn it!" The young man cried, catching sight of the trio of Celtic archers who had him in sight. They were already reloading, and the remaining Celt warrior was coming at him again. He wouldn't have time to evade the arrows AND block the shorts words if all four of them lined up their attacks properly…

"DROP DEAD!" The loud cry tore through Ritsuka's train of thought, prompting him to refocus...just in time for the charging Celt soldier to be speared through the head by a thrown sword.

Said sword, which Ritsuka recognised as Clarent, was followed shortly afterward by its owner, her armoured suit littered with grooves and scrapes, leaping in to kick the body to the ground. Ripping Clarent out of the soldier's corpse, Mordred charged the blade with prana before unleashing a wave of lightning that both flash-fried and flayed the trio of archers.

"And stay dead, bastard Celts!" The Saber snarled, before turning to Ritsuka. "You doin' alright Master?"

"I'm...I'm surviving well enough." Ritsuka sucked in a breath, his lungs having started hurting a little from all the exertion he'd put himself through for the past hour. "How about yo- look out!"

As Ritsuka shouted his warning, an approaching duo of Celt pikemen attempted to rush Mordred from behind, only for her to knock their weapons aside with a backhand and behead them both with a swipe of Clarent, displaying an almost casual contempt for their efforts in the process.

"Hah, these idiots just don't know when to stop no matter how many of them we cut down, huh?" Mordred sneered, picking the disintegrating body of one of the pikemen.

"Well, they appear to be losing their nerve right about now. After all, we've beaten most of them by this point." Artoria Avalon observed, as the Caster manifested out of a shadowy portal directly behind Ritsuka.

Looking over the battlefield, the Master could see that she was right.

Thanks to the sheer carnage wrought by the Knights of the Round, along with the fact that none of their opponents had actually died despite the Celts' overwhelming numerical superiority, dozens of their attackers were now flat out running away, their weapons abandoned on the ground as they scrambled away into the thick foliage.

What few groups of Celtic soldiers actually tried to stand their ground were quickly being swept aside by the might of the Round Table.

The last column of enemy archers barely got half of their final volley off before evaporating in a blast of holy light as the charging Percival brought Longinus' might to bear on them. What arrows they did launch were sliced apart mid-flight by the sonic waves of Failnaught, as Tristan had finished decimating one of the last remaining groups of swordsmen by that point and was free to assist.

The final remaining battalion of pikemen were quickly decimated as well, courtesy of Lancelot's unparalleled swordsmanship expertly slicing them and their weapons apart, while Gawain's sun fire seared the flesh from their bones with every swing of Excalibur Galatine. The Knight of the Lake even pulled out a stick halfway through the massacre, with Knight of Owner bolstering it to the level of a proper weapon in an instant, just to cut down the remaining Celts more efficiently.

What few survived tried to run...but found themselves chased down and shot through by both bright balls of magic, courtesy of Merlin, and the mystical crystal daggers of Carnwennan. Artoria Avalon was even rather casual about it, barely looking at the fleeing warriors and sending more daggers after them with a lazy wave of her hand. Merlin, meanwhile, still looked to be putting more effort into fighting the urge to sleep than the Celts, audibly yawning and barely keeping his eyes open to aim properly.

Within about a minute or two, the surviving Celts were in full retreat, while their crippled and abandoned fellows were being finished off by Mordred, while the rest of the Round Table took the opportunity to regroup.

"Now that we are out of danger, are you unharmed, Master?"

"Yeah, I think so." Ritsuka gave himself a quick look over. Aside from a few cuts and scratches to his uniform, plus minor knicks across his wrists and hands thanks to being forced to block and deflect weapons with his reinforced fists, he was mostly fine.

Despite that, Artoria Avalon still gave him the once over herself. First with a scanning spell to locate the worst of the damage, superficial as it was, and then with a bevy of restoration, repair and healing charms to fix up his clothes and his body.

"There we are all better now."

"Thanks."

"You're quite welcome."

"Well done, everyone." Saber said, hanging Excalibur off her belt for the moment. "Did anyone sustain any serious injuries in battle?"

"Nope. My armour is a bit banged up, but I feel just fine!" Gareth chirped, hoisting up her slightly dented shield to prove her point.

"Don't worry father, I'm still good to go!" Mordred insisted.

"A few cuts and bruises on my right side, but I can still fight well enough." Lancelot said.

"Hah, I might have taken a few bad hits, I'm afraid." Gawain admitted, the Knight of the Sun cradling the left side of his chest and wincing a little.

"Worry not, Sir Gawain!" Percival assured him, brandishing the Longinus in his fellow's direction while closing his eyes.

"O' light of salvation, give this one your blessing!" He chanted.

Within moments, the thick cloud cover parted as bright beams of light shone from the heavens, illuminating Gawain where he stood. The holy light washed over him, repairing Gawain's damaged armour and healing his injuries.

As the light dissipated, Gawain gave his chest a few experimental jabs and shook his limbs a bit. Satisfied that all of his previous aches and pains were gone, he gave Percival a grin and thumbs up...before going for a fist bump.

The result was a miniature shockwave that had Ritsuka stumble back a step or two, while everyone else rolled their eyes and grinned at the duo's antics, Lancelot and Gareth especially. Even Saber couldn't help a small smile.

"Hahah! Well, big brother Merlin's not going to be outdone so easily!" Merlin proclaimed, planting his staff into the ground and beginning his own chant.

"From the stars of the inner sea, from the tower of insight…"

A blindingly bright blue-white light surrounded the Caster and when it faded, his tower had manifested behind him.

"From the four corners of paradise, let them know; their story is filled with blessings."

A bright wave of energy swept from the tower, flowers blooming en masse in its wake.

"Only those free of sin may pass...Garden of Avalon!"

All of the Servants present breathed a sigh of relief as the energy wave swept over the area, reinvigorating them and healing their wounds.

"There, see? All better! For that kind gesture, perhaps you have some words of praise and thanks for me, hmmm?"

"Thank you, Merlin!" Mash and Ritsuka said.

"Well done for putting in the effort this time, Merlin." Saber patted the mage on the shoulder.

"Tch, guess you CAN be useful from time to time." Mordred admitted.

"Why are you so desperate for attention?" Artoria Avalon asked. "You did a good job and we're all appreciative, no need to fish for compliments."

"Desperate! Insecure Merlin! Fou!"

"Aaahh, so many feelings of all different stripes. It's very delicious!" The incubus gushed.

"Well, now that we're all better, perhaps we should discuss the approaching threat?" Saber suggested. "Caster me, how large is their army and how far away are they?"

Artoria Avalon cocked her head, closing her eyes and focusing on her bounded field. As she did so, the entire barrier briefly shimmered and flashed in the sky, providing quite the spectacle for the Servants on the ground.

After a few moments, the barrier faded from view as the Caster opened her eyes.

"The Celts' main army isn't actually too much larger than their vanguard at present. It seems like a few of the outlying groups have actually peeled off from the main force and dispersed."

"Why is that?"

"It seems as though some of the survivors got word back to their main force about what happened here. I imagine hearing about their comrades being defeated by us so easily had quite the impact on their morale."

"Heh, 'course they don't wanna fight us! I wouldn't wanna fight me either if I was a lowly grunt like them!" Mordred grinned, brandishing Clarent.

"As for distance, they should reach here in...15 minutes."

"I see." Saber noted, placing a hand on her chin as she thought. "Is there anything else?"

"Yes. My bounded field detected the presence of two Spirit Origins among the Celt formation. It seems they have Servants of their own."

---

After what felt like an eternity of waiting, the Celtic army finally arrived.

In hindsight, given that they were in Celtic territory, specifically Connacht, he really shouldn't be surprised that this army was being led by-

"Hmph! That creepy old man was right after all, these are the invaders he'd described!" Dismounting from her chariot, Queen Medb strode to the front of her army, placed her hands on her hips and turned up her nose.

"Disgusting, how dare you outsiders come here, stealing from MY kingdom! You think you can just get away with that?!"

Seeing as the Celts weren't immediately attacking, the Servant group decided to go with the diplomacy plan they'd discussed first.

Stepping forward, as their agreed upon representative, Saber planted Excalibur before her and spoke up.

"We have not stolen anything from you, Queen Medb of Connacht. We are simply here to gather resources from the various monstrous creatures that infest this land. We have not pillaged any of your people's farmsteads or raided any settlements. I'm not sure who told you that we've been stealing from you, but they are mistaken."

"Hmph, it's YOU who is mistaken, little girl!" Medb snorted imperiously. "This land is mine! Everything in it is mine, including the beasts! If anyone will hunt them, it will be ME! And since you've just admitted to hunting them, then you HAVE been stealing from me after all!"

At her signal, the Celt warriors raised their weapons, training them on the Round Table.

Sighing, Saber tried one last time at a peaceful resolution.

"We mean you no harm, but if you do wish to fight...it will not end well for you. I assume you've already heard about what happened to your vanguard."

"You think the loss of a few scouts matters to me?! I am Medb, the mother of Soldiers! All of them live and die to serve me! Kill hundreds, even thousands, there can always be more!"

As if to demonstrate, Medb snatched a short sword from the nearest Celt and nicked her palm with it, turning her hand palm down and squeezing it tight, so that a few drops of blood emerged and dripped onto the ground in front of her.

Almost immediately, it began to bubble and foam. In moments, this foam rose up sharply and took on the shape of a person. A few moments more, and it had solidified entirely into a whole new Celtic warrior, complete with weaponry, who walked over to the nearest battle line and slipped into formation.

"Cheating bitch." Mordred muttered under her breath.

"But I don't need an army to finish you foolish invaders off! All I need is my darling!" Medb said, expression twisted into a smug grin and eyes alight with malice. Turning back to face her army, the Queen of Connacht cupped her hands to her mouth and yelled.

"Daaaarliiiing! Come out heeeeere!"

The army began to part almost immediately, revealing two figures making their way forward to stand beside Medb.

One of them was a very nervous Celt soldier. It took him a moment or two to place his face, but eventually Ritsuka dimly recognised him as the leader of the Celt force that had attacked them an hour or so ago. He must've fled when the battle turned against him.

The OTHER man, however, was someone all of them knew very well. Mash and Ritsuka, especially, recognised him on sight.

After all, they'd spent an entire Singularity fighting against him.

Stomping up to the head of the Celt force, a firm frown etched onto his face, Cu Chulainn Alter swept his gaze over his enemies for a moment, taking them all in. Then, he turned his head back to the Celt commander.

"You said you'd managed to injure them in the engagement. None of them are injured."

"Th-They were injured when I last saw them! Believe me, they were!" The Celt protested; his face beaded with sweat as he panicked.

"This isn't the first time you've lied to me or failed me." Cu Alter continued, his frown turning into a contemptuous sneer.

"I've forgiven your carelessness."

"P-Please my liege, please! Just one more chance-!"

"I've praised your narrow defeat."

"Please, no-!"

"But now...now I must resign myself to the fact that you're weak." Cu Alter sighed, placing his armoured hand on the Celt's shoulder, a look of disappointment firmly on his face.

Gáe Bolg was in motion before anyone could react. A split second later, the Celt's head rolled from his body and dropped to the ground.

"That, I don't need."

"Oh, Cu darling, it's so romantic how dedicated you are to keeping my army strong!" Medb gushed, prancing up to the Berserker, even leaning in for a kiss…

Only for Cu Alter to completely ignore her and walk forward to stand in front of the Celt army.

"So, these are the guys you want dead?" He asked, surveying the Round Table again.

"Yes! All of these invaders! These thieves! I want them ALL gone for stealing from me! I want their heads brought to me and mounted on pikes, so that EVERYONE can see them and know that NOBODY crosses Medb and lives!" Medb commanded, even stomping her foot a little bit near the end of her rant, like a tantrum-throwing child.

"Alright then."

A moment later, Cu broke into a sprint, charging full pelt towards Ritsuka and his Servants. As he ran, his skeletal armour, the skeleton of Curruid, began to dematerialise, leaving only his cloth garments.

"What's he doing, removing his protection like that?" Gawain questioned, as all of the knights began to prepare for battle. "He's one Berserker against all of us, shouldn't he want all the armour he can get?"

"Tch, bastard's getting overconfident already. I'll show him what a mistake that is!" Mordred growled.

"Don't underestimate him like that, Mordred! He could be preparing an ace of his!" Gareth said, shield and lance raised as she prepared to engage the oncoming enemy.

Artoria Avalon, meanwhile, narrowed her eyes. As her peers stepped forward to prepare to face Cu Alter, the Caster began retreating from the group. Unnoticed by her fellows, she closed her eyes, planted Marmyadose in front of her, and began a quiet magical chant.

Mid-charge, Cu Alter dug in his heel, stopping himself short...then backflipped high into the air.

At the height of his arc, he began his own chant, drawing back his arm and aiming Gáe Bolg directly at the party.

"Your heart is mine."

The cursed spear ignited with purple-red flames, glowing bright.

"Gáe Bolg."

Cu Alter's arm tore and snapped as he let the Noble Phantasm loose, with the spear going so fast it turned into a bright red beam that left a trail of flames and energy behind it…

And it was headed right for Ritsuka himself.

"MASTER!" The Round Table was already in motion, turning and running right for him with weapons raised.

"SENPAI!" Mash flat-out tried leaping in front of him and raising her shield, desperate to block the shot.

They wouldn't make it in time. With how fast Gáe Bolg was approaching…

Ritsuka cast all of the reinforcement and augmentation spells he knew, even though, deep down, he knew it was probably nowhere near enough.

This is how I'm dying, huh? On a regular, everyday mission?

The teen squeezed his eyes tight shut, bracing himself for the moment of searing pain that would precede oblivion.

...it never came.

For it was at that point that Artoria Avalon reached the end of her own chant.

"Gather, guardians of the Round Table...Round of Avalon!"

Bright, blue-white light, accompanied by dozens of runes and symbols, washed over Ritsuka, Mash and the Knights of the Round. A splendid barrier of light sprung up around them all...just as Gáe Bolg struck home.

The cursed spear's malevolent flames were doused near-instantly by the calming radiance of the Caster's protective shield. Its previously unstoppable flight was blunted within moments, and Gáe Bolg dropped harmlessly to the ground shortly thereafter.

As Cu Alter landed and summoned the spear back to his hand, his runes already healing the damage the throw had done to his arm, he let loose an irritated sigh.

"Damn, I'd hoped to get this over with quickly."

"Clan Calatin! Bring me their heads!" Medb called.

As one, a group of hulking Celts, all of whom were quite a bit more heavily armed and armoured than the rank-and-file soldiers, broke off from the main formation and charged down the hill.

As they caught up with Cu Alter, the Berserker joined their charge and re-manifested Curruid Coinchenn, practically bounding forward like a predatory animal as he moved to engage the Round Table Knights.

"Sir Lancelot, with me! Mashu, protect our Master! The rest of you, take care of those Celts!" Saber ordered, before charging directly at the oncoming Servant.

"Merlin and Artoria Caster, support Lancelot and Saber!" Ritsuka ordered as he and Mash retreated a safe distance from the actual combat, the Master knowing all too well exactly how dangerous Cu Alter could be.

"Yes, Master." Artoria Avalon acknowledged. Preparing her spells and runes, the Caster pointed Marmyadose at Lancelot.

"Strengthen him, Marmyadose!" She called, as the blade itself shone with light.

Surges of magical energy and soft light burst forth from the Divine Construct's tip and swirled around Lancelot as Artoria Avalon's runes activated, working to bolster both the knight and his sword with extra power. The enhancements quickly took effect, allowing Lancelot to outpace Saber and lock weapons with Cu Alter first.

"Yield." Lancelot insisted, matching the Berserker's strength with his own.

"Tch." Undaunted, Cu Alter launched a kick into Lancelot's left kneecap, aiming to break the stalemate. Lancelot managed to block it with his own foot, but the moment of distraction allowed Cu Alter to force him back a step, before engaging with Gáe Bolg properly.

"Fufu, you're not the only one who can adjust things, you know?" Merlin chuckled, manifesting his own runes as he aimed his staff at Saber.

With expert precision, his own blessings took effect as Saber interfered in melee between Lancelot and Cu Alter, the King of Knights' sword swipes aimed squarely at the Berserker's arms. Cu Alter grimaced at the sudden onslaught, but nonetheless took the attack head on. He brought up his left arm, using the armour of Curruid Coinchenn to take the brunt of the charged blow.

Excalibur bit into the armour, the blade's sacred light slowly burning through the remaining protection and searing the flesh beneath.

Meanwhile, Lancelot took advantage of the opening his liege had provided by diverting one of Cu Alter's arms, taking a step forward and forcing Arondight closer and closer to the Berserker.

Despite the disadvantage, Cu Alter smirked, realising there was a way to turn this to his advantage.

Quickly he yanked his left arm close to him, counting on the fact that Excalibur was buried deep into the armour of Curruid Coinchenn, bringing Saber stumbling a step closer thanks to keeping her grip firmly on the holy sword. In her split second of distraction, the Berserker lashed out with a vicious headbutt, sending Saber reeling...while Excalibur was still stuck in her target's arm.

Quickly re-focusing, Cu Alter maintained the blade lock with his right hand while tearing at Lancelot with his free left hand. Despite the bolstering he received from Artoria Avalon's spells, Curruid Coinchenn's demonic claws dug into his armour and ripped at his flesh, forcing the Knight of the Lake to give ground and break the blade lock.

Cu Alter was relentless in pressing his advantage, alternating between slashing and thrusting with Gáe Bolg while also kicking and punching with his free limbs. While Lancelot had recovered enough to be able to fend off most of his spear attacks with Arondight, he still found himself steadily forced back. He found himself slowly but steadily accumulating damage from the few hand-to-hand strikes that Cu Alter was able to slip through his defenses, his enhanced agility and strength letting him match Lancelot's supreme swordsmanship with one hand while sneaking in strikes with his other hand.

Grimly, despite the pain he was in from the numerous cuts in his skin, the Knight of the Lake grit his teeth and kept up his defence.

After all, his Master's life was on the line. He couldn't afford to falter.

"You're outmatched. Give up or die." Cu Alter practically whispered, all while keeping up his ferocious onslaught.

"A Knight of the Round Table...will never yield to someone like you." Lancelot spat at him.

"Hmph, suit yourself." Cu Alter lunged, grabbing Arondight with his free hand and, heedless of the biting pain as the holy blade cut through his armour and into his flesh, tore it free from a stunned Lancelot's grip and threw it away. Igniting Gáe Bolg once again and fuelling it with his mana, the Berserker moved for the coup de grace.

Only for Lancelot to put out a stick, of all things, from his belt and knock Gáe Bolg aside with it.

Cu Alter sneered in frustration, moving to continue the melee...until a familiar voice interrupted him.

"You should never forget about an opponent in the middle of a fight."

Turning his head just enough to see the source of the voice, Cu Alter spied Artoria, having recovered from his earlier assault, closing on him at lightning speed and preparing to kick him head on.

Unfortunately, with Curruid Coinchenn's demonic blessings, the Berserker was faster.

Sending Lancelot stumbling with a kick to the chest, Cu Alter spun around, channelled mana into his weapon and thrust Gáe Bolg forward...catching the King of Knights squarely in the chest as she lunged for him.

"Hrrkk!"

"My LIEGE!" A horrified Lancelot cried.

"FATHER!" Mordred screeched from the middle of the nearby melee, having just decapitated one of the Clan Calatin with a mana-charged swipe. "YOU BASTARD BERSERKER! I'LL KILL YOU!"

"Too slow." Cu Alter muttered, preparing to throw the Saber off his spear and turn back to re-engage Lancelot…

That is, till her body began to disintegrate right before his eyes, falling apart into...flower petals?

"What?"

"Fufufu."

Whipping his head around, the Berserker found Merlin chuckling to himself, the Caster's staff lit up brightly.

"Looks like this old mage's still got it when it comes to tricks! Tee hee!"

"Please take this a little more seriously, Merlin." Artoria Avalon grumbled, firing a wave of Carnwennan's crystal daggers against the remaining Clan Calatin warriors, even as the Round Table steadily overwhelmed them.

Cu Alter registered what that meant...about half a second before a mana-wreathed fist smashed into his face, while Excalibur was yanked out of the chink it had been buried in.

By the time he recovered, both Artoria and Lancelot were standing ready, prepared to engage once more.

Nonetheless, the Berserker persevered, bounding forward while starting his chant.

"Your heart is mine."

Both Sabers tensed at those words and brought up their blades properly, knowing he was preparing to use Gáe Bolg at close range and that they'd need to parry it.

"Gáe Bol-grrkk!"

Mid-leap, Cu Alter found himself immobilised… by sonic waves.

"The sound of pain, the melody of lament."

Looking around, Lancelot and Artoria spied Tristan, having dispatched the Calatin warriors that had been attacking him, aiming his bow at their attacker.

"Know that which slices your flesh is my sadness."

The air around Failnaught shimmered and warped, bright blue and purple energy coalescing around the tip of the harp as the Knight of Lamentation prepared his Noble Phantasm.

"Failnaught."

The large sonic arrow struck home just as Cu Alter managed to free himself.

"Grrrrhhhh..." The Demigod's face contorted in pain as the sonic wave tore into him, smashing armour, tearing apart skin and obliterating muscle.

Though Curruid Coinchenn managed to blunt the worst of the damage and his healing runes repaired the most severe damage, there was still a sizable scar left in the Berserker's chest when then sonic energy finally dissipated.

Unfortunately, though he may not have been dead and was still able to fight, Tristan's assault had left him rather distracted and unable to respond to the threats directly in front of him. It had only been a moment or two's distraction...but those moments were all the duo needed.

By the time Cu Alter properly recovered, Saber Artoria and Lancelot had already reached him.

Between Lancelot's peerless swordsmanship; Excalibur's power; Artoria's Mana Burst-enhanced parameters; Merlin and Artoria Avalon's enhancement spells and his own injuries, Cu Alter found himself being pushed back, slowly but surely.

A little nick here, a slash or barely deflected stab there, each relatively minor on their own, but together they began to add up to increasingly debilitating injuries. Gáe Bolg felt heavier and heavier in his claw-tipped hands. His entire body felt increasingly sluggish, as if he was being forced to wade through deep water.

By the time the King of Knights wreathed Excalibur with razor-sharp wind and swung it right at his unprotected torso, Cu Alter tried to respond, tried to bring up both Gáe Bolg and Curruid Coinchenn's armour to block it...but was too slow.

"STRIKE AIR!" Was all he heard before his whole body erupted in pain, his ribcage was smashed apart and most of his internal organs were ripped apart by the sheer force of the air Excalibur had launched at him.

The Berserker was flung at least fifty feet away, landing in a bloody heap near the entrance to a particularly large thicket. He tried to get up...but couldn't.

At least...not the first time he tried.

It was lucky that he'd managed to activate his Battle Continuation when he had, or he really would have been out for the count. Now, even with the damage he'd taken, he had one more chance to turn the fight around.

And fortunately for him, Tristan, Artoria and Lancelot were no longer focusing on him anymore. In fact, they'd all rushed over to assist the rest of the Round Table with the remnants of Clan Calatin.

They were no match for the team of Servants, but they could buy Cu Alter enough time to finish this fight in one fell swoop.

Slowly, oh so slowly, Cu Alter shuffled around the periphery of the battlefield, using the trees to cloak his approach.

As another stroke of good fortune, his targets, Ritsuka and Mash, had retreated to the very same edge of the battlefield.

There they stood, huddled close, Mash watching the battlefield like a hawk for any sign of an approaching threat...watching so intently, in fact, that she was oblivious to the approach of the Berserker not twenty feet away.

First, he'd kill her while she was distracted, then kill the Master. Best to eliminate the greater threat first. She was still a Servant, after a-

Crack.

Cu Alter froze in place.

Glancing down, he realized he'd just stepped on, and snapped in half, a particularly large log.

And unfortunately for him, the noise was enough to alert Ritsuka, whose gaze found him just as Cu Alter's rose to find him.

Mash was still laser-focused on the battle in front of them, but she wouldn't be for long if her Master called for her.

It was too late for subtlety. He needed to finish this as soon as possible.

In the short gap between Ritsuka catching sight of the Berserker and actually registering that he was there, Cu had already sprung forwards.

"Slaughter. Without exception."

"MASH! BEHIND YOU!"

"Liberate all curses. Without moderation."

As Mash heard her Master's warning and began to turn, Cu Alter was already bearing down on her, his exoskeletal armour covering his entire body now.

"Be prepared to challenge despair…Curruid Coinchenn!"

With that, Cu Alter extended his armour's claws, brimming with demonic energy and ready to unleash a flurry of spears from directly inside his opponent, and prepared to impale his target.

Mash was raising her shield, trying to block the incoming attack...but like before, she was too slow.

A sickening crunching and tearing sound rang out as the Noble Phantasm found a target at last.

However, like before, someone else saw fit to intervene. This time, in a flash of petals as they teleported between Cu and Mash.

Mash stood gaping, transfixed at the sight before her, even as blood splattered against her shield, her armour and her skin.

The blood was not her own, but rather...that of Merlin.

The Caster's trademark smile was still in place, even if it was rather strained thanks to the dozens of demonic spears protruding from his ruined and mutilated torso, all barely concealed behind the torn remnants of his wizard's robe. His rib cage had been completely destroyed, courtesy of Cu Alter driving Curruid Coinchenn's claws right through it, with bits of ruined bone, bloody muscle and sinew and pieces of internal organs free to slip out and drop to the ground in front of him. All accompanied by a river of fresh blood.

"Haaahh...see? Big brother Merlin…. can be reliable…..after all….eh?" It was a miracle that Merlin could even speak with the damage he'd taken, but still he managed it, barely managing to not gag on the blood spilling from his mouth.

"Hmph." In one fluid motion, Cu Alter pulled one claw out of him and tossed Merlin aside with the other. He landed close by, limp and unmoving.

Though Mash and Ritsuka both prepared to fight, Cu Alter did not move to engage again. Instead, he just sighed, a familiar golden light beginning to consume his form as his Battle Continuation Skill's effect wore off.

"Tch. Shoulda seen him coming." Cu Alter groused, before giving Mash and Ritsuka a short nod. "Well done."

"E-Eh?"

"What?"

That was quite the change, given that he'd just been trying to kill them.

"Why wouldn't I give you my respect? It's only natural for the conquered to bow to their conqueror, after all."

Then, the golden light consumed him completely as his body vanished.

With that, Cu Alter was gone.

"Master! Mashu! Are you alright!?" Artoria Avalon was there in a flash, looking over Ritsuka and Mash to check for any injuries.

"I…. I'm fine." Ritsuka replied. "But Merlin is-"

"DAAAAAARLIIIIING!" A shrill, enraged cry cut him off.

Everyone glanced around at the source of the voice, a thoroughly enraged Medb. The queen's face was twisted in frothing-at-the-mouth fury, bending her riding crop so hard that, were it any less malleable, it would've broken by now.

"How DARE you! English SCUM! Soldiers, KILL THEM ALL!" She screamed.

The hundreds-strong Celtic army came charging down the hill as one, weapons raised and roaring battle cries.

Unfortunately for them, the Round Table was more than ready for them. Despite all of the combat they'd been involved in, they still had enough energy to deploy their Noble Phantasms.

Saber Artoria had ordered almost all of them to preserve their energy for just this occasion, since they'd first learnt about the main Celt force and how large it was.

"Sir Gawain! Sir Percival! With your Noble Phantasms, break their frontline!" She commanded.

"Yes, my liege!"

Immediately, Gawain threw Excalibur Galatine high into the air, while Percival whistled for Kundry.

At its peak, the holy blade shone bright, with a miniature sun manifesting around it for a brief moment.

"This sword is a replica of the sun."

Catching it as Galatine returned to the ground, Gawain drew it back behind him as bright orange circles began to manifest around him, the air growing thick with heat as Galatine's sun fire started leaking out.

"It's flame shall cleanse all the impurity of this world."

With a mighty slash, Gawain sent a vast wave of sun fire towards the left side of the oncoming army, while Percival was charging towards the right side.

The front lines of Celts were near-instantly scorched and incinerated by the flame wave, while the back lines were badly burnt and severely debilitated thanks to the rapidly building heat, generated by the glowing lines the blade's power had burnt into the ground beneath them

"Excalibur...Galatine!"

Pillars of flame erupted from the ground at Gawain's cry, burning almost the entire right side of the army to a crisp.

Horrified at the carnage, the Celts' charge stopped cold...just as Percival was approaching.

"Sacred spear, releasing the two-layered restraints."

As the Knight of the Dove held his spear high, the Longinus began to glow with golden light.

"Countdown-"

The golden aura turned into a furious swirl of red and black coloured energy as Percival levelled Longinus at the Celt frontline, growing larger and more powerful the closer he drew to his targets.

"Longinus Count Zero!"

The golden aura returned, Longinus wreathing itself in a ferociously twisting swirl of energy large enough to completely envelop Percival and Kundry, not unlike the power released by Rhongomyniad.

The Celts tried to scatter, tried to escape...but only a scant few were able to completely avoid the wrath of the sacred spear, with their less lucky fellows disintegrating as Longinus' holy power tore through them.

"Bring a sacred miracle here." Percival said as he halted his charge.

As if hearing his prayer, Lancelot was bathed in holy light, sighing in relief as it healed his wounds. Unfortunately, the critically injured Merlin was a little too far away for the sacred spear to restore him in a similar way.

"GAAAHH! DAMN YOU!" Medb snarled, frantically cutting her left hand and flinging the blood all over the floor in front of her, desperately summoning as many new soldiers as she could.

By now, the remnants of the Celts' frontline, as well as a large portion of their oncoming reserves, were practically frozen with terror at the massacre of their fellows. How could they hope to beat foes that could muster such power?

Nevertheless, there were some Celts who were still determined to press forward...at least until they heard Artoria began to speak.

"All right, let's finish this."

Holding Excalibur in front of her, the King of Knights began her chant.

"Sheathed in the breath of the planet."

As if on cue, the strongest holy sword began to radiate bright, shining light, covering the entire blade.

"A torrent of shining life."

Excalibur's light exploded upwards, spilling into the sky and forming a far larger blade out of the congealed holy power as Artoria raised the blade behind her shoulder, focused resolutely on the remaining Celts.

"Feel its wrath!"

The King of Knights delivered a vertical slash, sending the torrent of light and energy hurtling towards the hapless soldiers.

"Ex...caaalibur!"

What remained of the original Celt army vanished entirely, consumed in the shining, twisting pillar of light and power from the strongest holy sword. They barely had time to scream.

Medb and her hastily summoned cadre of defenders was all that remained now.

"No….no no NO NO NO!" The Mother of Soldiers screamed, tearing at her hair in frustration and fear, knowing that her last chance for victory had just gone up in smoke.

"Sir Gareth and Sir Lancelot, end this!" Saber called.

"Yes, my king!"

The leftover Celts struggled to form even a half-decent pike and sword wall, but watching the violent deaths of their fellows had left them all but paralysed with terror. Shivering where they stood, the Celts could barely muster the will to move as Gareth came charging towards them.

"Off I go!"

Shield held firmly in front of her, Gareth crashed headlong into the Celts, her focused expression twisting into a feral snarl as she lashed out with her lance.

"Arrrrgh! Aaahhhhhh!"

With the front half of the Celt remnants already cut down, Gareth leapt headlong for the remainder, releasing the rest of the mana container currently contained within.

"The finishing blow! Ira Lupus!"

As her lance struck home on the Celt in the centre of the group, it released a burst of energy that vaporized him on the spot and sent the rest of them flying. When they finally did hit the ground, none of them got up again.

By this point, Medb was fleeing in a blind panic, all the queen's former arrogant and sense of superiority chased away watching her army being taken apart piece by piece by the Round Table.

Unfortunately for her, Lancelot was hot on her heels. Raising his blade, the Knight of the Lake began his own chat.

"Reach the edge of the world and go beyond its limit."

A bright light shone from Arondight as the holy blade gathered power.

"O distant king, witness this light!"

Lancelot leapt forward, aiming directly for Medb. As he landed in front of the startled queen, Lancelot brought his charged blade to bear and delivered a ferocious vertical slash right down her midsection.

"Arondight...Overload!"

A second later, the glowing slash down Medb's torso erupted in a blinding flash of light, accompanied by a bloodcurdling scream.

A few moments later, the light from the Noble Phantasm faded, revealing a limp, critically injured Medb twitching faintly on the ground.

Sighing, Lancelot turned back to face the other knights.

"It's over. Their leader is no threat anymore."

As one, the group breathed a sigh of relief. Then they began cheering.

"All right! Another victory for the Round Table!" Mordred cheered.

"You were amazing fighting that Berserker, Sir Lancelot! You too with breaking that formation, Sir Percival!" Gareth gushed as she hopped around Percival and Lancelot.

"Everyone did well in this battle, you included." Lancelot said, patting his ex-squire on the head.

Gareth beamed at the attention, especially when Percival joined in…. only to switch to embarrassment when Gawain piled on, enthusiastically petting his younger sibling.

"Well done, Gareth!"

"Aaaahh, big brother, you don't need to join in! Stoooop! It's embarrassing when you praise me like this!" Despite Gareth's protest, Gawain did not relent, finding her reaction adorable.

"Another battle plan masterfully executed. Well done for devising it, Master." Artoria Avalon said.

"Thanks, I'm just glad that everyone's in one piece." Ritsuka admitted.

"How sad that we were unable to resolve this conflict without violence." Tristan said, looking rather crestfallen. "We meant no harm to the Celtic population, but still wound up fighting them."

"How did Queen Medb get here in the first place?" Mash wondered.

"Perhaps the land itself summoned her, seeing us as a threat to it; she is deeply associated with the land of Connacht, after all." Saber Artoria pondered. "Well, no matter where she came from, the important point is that we overcame her anyway. Well done to all of you, that was a fine display."

All the knights blushed a little at their monarch's praise, to the amusement of Ritsuka, Mash and Artoria Avalon.

"Even me, father!?" Mordred couldn't help but fish for the extra little compliment.

"... yes, Sir Mordred, even you." Though she felt uneasy doing something so strange, Artoria pushed herself to reach out and pat the Knight of Treachery on the shoulder, offering what she hoped was a supportive smile.

Mordred's beaming grin and subsequent jumping up and down, punching the air and whooping in triumph all the while, reassured the king that she'd made the right decision.

"I'm glad that everyone is all right, but where is Merlin?" Artoria asked, confused at the mage's lack of presence. After all, he was always the first to fish for praise and compliments after even the most minor participation in any battle on his part.

"Merl- oh, oh no…." Ritsuka muttered, before tearing off towards his and Mash's former position. "He's over here! He took a really bad hit! He probably needs hel-"

The Master's words died in his throat as he finally stumbled upon Merlin. However, what we found was not the mass of shredded flesh and pulped, ruined organs that Merlin had resembled when the duo had left him, but a very-much intact Mage of Flowers lying on his back...though he and the tattered remains of his wizard robes were still covered in blood.

"Oh….hello there Master-Kun." Merlin called out, his voice quite weak and faint.

"Merlin? But w-we saw you get eviscerated." Ritsuka muttered.

"He he he…. nothing a little immortality won't fix, or did you forget?"

"A-Ah, right." Now he felt like a bit of an idiot for worrying so much.

"Merlin? What are you doing down there? And what happened to your robes?" Artoria Saber asked, as the knights gathered around Merlin's prone form.

"Ah...I saw Mashu in trouble from an attack by that Mad King you and Lancelot didn't quite finish off, so I figured I could afford to get hit more than she could."

"That's...remarkably noble of you, Merlin." Artoria Avalon admitted.

"I guess even a shitty mage like you can do something right once in a while." Mordred snarked.

"Perhaps this bit of nobility is why the king is willing to stick up for him?" Gawain whispered to Lancelot.

"Fou up! Lazy Merlin, Fou!" Fou squeaked, poking at and lightly slapping the prone mage, who whined and weakly tried fighting him off.

"You...you rotten beast! Can't you see that I'm still weak here?! Getting that badly injured took a lot out of me, you know?" Merlin protested. "Of course, I'd get up if I could!"

"Now, now, Cath Palug. Be a little gentle with him, okay?" Artoria leaned down to pet Fou, who leaned into it with a happy trill.

"So... what do we do with him?" Mordred asked.

"I suppose the only option would be to carry him until his strength returns, wouldn't it?" Gawain pointed out.

"Sir Percival, can I count on you if the need arises?" Artoria asked, turning to the Lancer.

"Leave it to me, my king! I'll get Lord Merlin wherever he needs to go!" Percival assured them, giving a thumbs up.

"Well, it's not like we're going anyw-" Ritsuka started, only to stop as he remembered why exactly they'd come here in the first place.

"Wait, the materials! We need to check on them! What if the Celts have found them!"

"Didn't Alter-san, Habetrot and Morgan-san volunteer to guard them from any Celts in the area?" Mash pointed out. "Maybe we should wait for them to come back and report on the status of the materials."

"Yeah, probably better to do that than exhaust ourselves more by hoofing it through the forest at random." Mordred said, yawning and stretching to pop some of the kinks in her back. "Dark father's plenty strong, and you guys told me that not-mother's pretty powerful too. They've probably got it in hand."

"What if they get lost, though?" Gareth asked. "I mean...this is a pretty big forest, and WE got lost a few times when we were all hunting monsters a few hours ago."

"We needn't worry about that." Artoria Avalon said. "Morgan is a master of Magecraft, maintaining a tracking spell is nothing to someone like her. As long as she is with them, the others will surely find us eventually."

"Well then, as Mashu suggested, perhaps we should settle down, take stock and wait for our comrades to return, then?" Lancelot suggested.

"As good an idea as any." Artoria agreed.

As the knight party moved to the centre of the clearing, now free of any bodies and even weapons thanks to Medb's spawned Celts having vanished, Ritsuka found himself squinting. Despite the Mystic Code he wore, the teen also found himself shivering at how cold the air had gotten.

"Haaahhh...was it always this cold? And when did it get so dark?"

Now that he'd pointed it out, the Round Table themselves also noticed the rather rapid change in the environment. It was bitingly cold, and the shadows seemed to actively press inwards towards the group.

"Hmm...quite odd indeed." Saber commented. "But never fear, Master, we have all the light we need right here."

Manifesting Excalibur once more, the King of Knights held it high as it began to shine bright, the blade's golden light casting a bright sphere of illumination around the clearing.

Percival, having set down Merlin gently on a close patch of grass, followed suit, igniting the Longinus and holding it up. Lancelot and Gawain quickly followed his own example, with Galatine's sun fire providing a healthy dose of heat to warm the group and chase away the chill in the air.

"Aaahh, much better. Thanks, Gawain!" Ritsuka said.

"Thank you, big brother! Thank you, Sir Percival!" Gareth cheered.

"... thanks Gawain, I guess." Mordred threw in her own grudging thanks.

"You're quite welcome."

"You see? The Knights of the Round are more than adaptable." The King of Knights assured her Master, a confident smile on her face. "No matter what we face here, I assure you that we are prepared."

The group beamed and shared some laughs among themselves. For a few moments, Artoria's infectious confidence bolstered their spirits.

...and then Excalibur began to flicker.

---

"Nyaaaa...are we getting any closer? It feels like we've been walking for ages!" Habetrot sighed, rubbing at her eyes as fatigue began to set in all over again.

"I'm afraid it might be a while longer, dear Habetrot." Morgan admitted. "Unfortunately, Master decided to sequester the materials quite far away to ensure their safety, so it will take time to reach his current location."

"Haah, fine. Ol' Habenyan's just getting a bit tired is all. I'll need to have a nice rest when we get ba- aaahh!"

The Rider was cut off as her Zeppelin bumped right into Morgan, the Berserker having stopped suddenly mid-step.

"Eh? What's going on, Miss Morgan? Why'd you stop? Are you o..?" Habetrot started to ask, only to trail off as she caught sight of Morgan's face.

Her eyes were wide, searching this way and that. Her grip on her spear had tightened to the point that her knuckles had turned white, while her breathing was quick and shallow.

"...Miss Morgan? What's going on?" Habetrot whispered, a shiver running up her spine at seeing the Fairy Queen looking so...unnerved.

"Twisted Artoria, do you sense that?" Morgan asked in a low voice.

"I do." Saber Alter replied, her left hand gripping the hilt of Excalibur Morgan within its improvised sheathe very tightly. "Dark magic...very potent dark magic. It was not there a few minutes ago, I would have sensed it before...how could I have missed it?"

"...because it was being concealed via magecraft." Morgan said, slamming the tip of her spear into the ground. "We must get to Master, NOW."

"Wait, where'd this dark magic come from?! Why do we need to get to Master so fast?" Habetrot asked, confused and scared at her fellows' sudden change in demeanour.

Morgan didn't answer, too busy setting up the necessary runes for her Water Mirror spell, so Saber Alter answered for her.

"We don't know, but it's very close to Master's current position. We need to reach him and warn him to prepare, before this new threat catches him and the others off guard."

Runes prepared; Morgan began her chant. Though channelling the full spell was out of the question at her current power level, the Fairy Queen was confident that the weakened version, one that would merely move them through space instead of through time as well, was within her ability.

"Sacred Mirror, come forth."

The runes within the circle began to light up, one by one.

"Show me the world reflected within that renders distance meaningless."

The rune circle's glow intensified as it received more and more magical power.

"Now, part the air before you and open the gate!"

"Woah…" Habetrot's jaw was on the floor, awed at seeing this demonstration of her friend's power.

"Water Mirror!"

The air within the circle shimmered and cracked apart. A bright line formed in mid-air that slowly began to expand into a portal. For a few moments, a picture of a peaceful, calm field was reflected within.

...until the portal abruptly collapsed in on itself, while the rune circle sputtered out.

"... huh?" Habetrot was confused, and a little let down, all over again. Was that...was that it?

"Well, that was a most disappointing performance." Saber Alter observed.

"Sh…. shut up." Morgan rasped out, leaning heavily on her staff as the strain of channelling so much energy all at once caused a wave of fatigue to hit her. Her whole body felt heavy and sluggish. "Damn this...this pathetic Servant container, damn this Saint Graph's negligible mana reserves. This spell would have been no trouble for me back in my kingdom."

"Well then, since we have no swifter method of travel available, I suggest we make haste." Saber Alter said, striding off in the direction the trio had been heading in.

However, after a few moments, she realised that neither of her companions were keeping pace with her. Turning back, Saber Alter saw that Morgan was walking with quite a subdued gait, while Habetrot was hovering nearby, looking concerned.

"Are you really quite so exhausted from one spell?"

"Shut up, twisted Artoria. I am too drained to move any faster, and your complaining and whining will not change that."

"Very well."

Striding back over, Saber Alter promptly swept the Berserker off her feet and held her bridal style, taking a moment to make sure her hold was firm and her charge secure before she set off at a run.

Habetrot, shocked as she was by the sudden development, quickly matched their pace with her zeppelin, pushing the contraption to its very limit.

Morgan, however…

"What do you think you're doing!? Unhand me, immediately!" The startled Fairy Queen insisted, actually raising her voice for perhaps the first time since Saber Alter had met her.

"No, we must rendezvous with Master as soon as possible, and your current pace is pathetic. I will take us there quickly, and rest assured that I do not do this out of some twisted desire to see you suffer. I do this because it is efficient."

"This is beyond insulting to me. You do understand that don't you?"

"Your pride and image are of no concern to me. Now, you can either keep complaining and waste your time and energy or keep silent and focus on recovering your strength. We will likely need to face the source of the dark magic soon enough, and you will want to be as strong as possible when we do. What say you?"

"..."

"Precisely."

"...I despise you."

---

Mordred was the first to notice that something was wrong.

"Uh, hey father...what's up with your sword?"

"What do you m-" Artoria began, only to stop as she caught sight of her holy sword. As she saw its light flickering and sputtering.

"What…?" She whispered, eyes widening in disbelief.

"My king…" Gawain muttered, quietly bringing Galatine forward for all to see.

It was starting to flicker too, the warmth it exuded steadily fading and the air around the group turning cold once more.

Then Arondight followed suit, much to Lancelot's alarm.

"Oh dear…" Merlin muttered, as his Caliburn Replica began to dim too.

"What the hell's going on!?" Mordred demanded.

"Even my sacred spear…" Percival muttered, gaping as his Longinus' holy light was slowly choked and smothered by the same invisible force that was assaulting the knights' weapons.

"What's happening!?" Ritsuka glanced around, turning this way and that, searching desperately for a possible source for this phenomenon.

"I... I have no idea." Artoria admitted, the Knight of Knights looking truly confused and lost for the first time since entering Servanthood.

"No idea? You wound me, King of Britain, you truly do." A new, deep and echoing male voice called out.

"W-Who's there?!" Gareth called out, trying and failing to keep the tremors of fear from her voice. "Come out and show yourself!"

"Are you the one doing this, bastard!?" Mordred snarled.

"Am I truly quite so...forgettable?" Despite themselves, the sheer malice the voice injected into the last word sent shivers up the group's spines.

"A pity. A pity indeed...after all, I've never forgotten you."

"If you're so pissed about being forgotten, come out here and show yourself, huh?!" Mordred called out. "I'm sure I'll remember you after I smash your face in!"

"So belligerent and combative, and so LOUD too...I'm sure I'd remember someone like you among these fools. Tell me, who are you?"

"Mordred Pendragon! Son of King Arthur and heir to the throne of Camelot!" She declared.

For a few moments there was nothing but silence. And then…

The sound of laughter reached the group's ears. Of mocking, cruel laughter reverberating from the shadows.

"Truly? Why, I never thought she was capable of reproducing. After all, that usually requires entering a carnal relationship of some sort...and that itself requires experiencing feelings and emotions towards others. As opposed to being some broken, empty little thing playing at being a monarch, trying desperately to understand the human heart."

Saber flinched at the voice's accusation. It sounded eerily similar to Tristan's parting words, all those centuries ago…

"We will not accept you trying to smear our king's character like this." Tristan said, raising Failnaught. "I suggest you stop, for your own sake."

"We won't stand for you insulting the king like this, coward! Show yourself!" Lancelot ordered, brandishing Arondight.

"Yeah, come out and fight!" Gareth called.

"...as you wish."

From the northern corner of the clearing, a figure emerged.

He was shrouded in an all-encompassing mantle, face hidden beneath a hood. The garment itself seemed to twist and coil around the wearer, as if it were formed from living shadow. He walked slowly but did not approach the group. Instead, he made his way over to still-crippled Medb.

The Queen of Connacht gaped as she caught sight of the newcomer. Though he was concealed from the Chaldea group, he loomed over Medb well enough to give her a clear look at his face.

"Y…. You…." She croaked out, eyes wide.

"You had such an impressive army at your beck and call when I found you, and yet the Round Table still lives. Disappointing. Truly disappointing."

Before Medb could speak, the shadowy figure manifested a large, menacing sword in his right hand and drove it through her chest, shattering her Spirit Origin and killing her on the spot.

"I suppose that is the price to be paid for sending Celtic scum to do the work of an Englishman."

"Englishman…" Artoria muttered. So, this man hailed from England?

As the newcomer approached, the shadows pressed ever closer, the air grew colder and colder, and the knights' holy weapons began to sputter and flicker more and more frequently, their light growing dimmer.

"Even Marmyadose…?" Artoria Avalon muttered, watching as her own Divine Construct's light was sapped away.

"Ah, this is truly troublesome, isn't it?" Merlin commented, his replica of Caliburn nearly completely drained by now.

"So…. you still live, incubus? As if I needed any more proof of the injustice in this world." The man spat, venom lacing his every word.

"Such an imposing presence…" Tristan observed, actually opening his eyes to get a proper look at the newcomer.

"Who the hell is this guy?" Mordred muttered, Clarent starting to shake in her grip.

"C'mon sis, we need to be strong!" Gareth encouraged her. "Strong like big broth…"

Her words died in her throat as she turned her head to look at Gawain.

The Knight of the Sun was shaking. His eyes shrunk to pinpricks as he stood transfixed at the sight of the newcomer. Try as he might, he could barely hold Galatine straight. Adrenaline was surging through his veins, every survival instinct he had was screaming at him…

Telling him to run.

To turn and run and not look back.

But he couldn't. Not when his legs had turned to jelly, his stomach felt weighted down by the size of the pit that had dropped into it, and his spine was scourged by tremors of fear.

For perhaps the first time since he had become a Servant, Gawain found himself completely terrified of the threat before him.

"B... Big brother…?" Gareth whispered, giving the Saber a few shakes and prods, fear steadily gnawing at her own mind. "Come on...y-you're a knight of King Arthur, y-y-you're not scared of this guy…"

"Come on Gawain, s-stop being a scaredy cat! Y-You really gonna pussy out of fighting this guy?!" There was more than a hint of desperation in Mordred's voice, like she NEEDED him to step up just so she wouldn't lose her own nerve.

"Well done, Knight of the Sun. You remember me...don't you?"

"... who are you?" Saber's voice was practically a whisper, but the newcomer heard it loud and clear.

"You still don't recognise me? Even now? After seeing what I'm capable of?"

Another chuckle. Another shiver from the Chaldea group.

"I see...I see. Well then, I'll extend this single kindness and jog your memory.

"After all, it wouldn't do to let you die without knowing who it was that killed you. I could never allow that."

Before anyone could respond to that very explicit threat, the shadowed figure reached up and pulled back his hood.

Artoria could not hold back her gasp of surprise.

It was not the grey, scraggly beard and full head of similarly coloured hair that gave him away. Nor was it the strong chin or scarred face.

It was his eyes. His green eyes, filled with malice and hatred as they met the King of Knights' own.

As if a switch had been flipped, the requisite memories came flooding back.

She did know this man. She knew him quite well indeed.

"What about now? Do you recognise me NOW?"

"Hello again...Vortigern."