Words Count: 4712

A/N: More interactions between Leo and Saber in the next Ep. Have I told you I love Artoria? I mean sure, I love Gil too but she is more my creation than Artoria is. Hopefully you guys will like her too. Also, it's not guaranteed yet but I estimate False Sovereignty will end in thirty Eps? Afterwards is the Multiversal Sequel. Don't know how long it will be but another year or two and Leonis' adventures will officially come to an end… Holy shit, time really does fly.

Guest: He doesn't agree with all the things Andrew Tate said, just some of it like society is over sexualized and stuffs. Plus say what you want the Tates' tactics to make themselves famous is ingenious. It's what Leo was aiming for when he basically declared War on the Tower's Nobility. Did you see him force the girls to make him a sandwich or be kicked out the house? I mean, Illaoi does but she's his maid, it's her job to make sandwiches.

Anyway, here's my usual spiel:

You can start reading up to Episode 50 of the Sequel – Fate: False Sovereignty in advanced. The Tier starts from as low as 1USD! You can support me and read as soon as I released an Episode, check it out:

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In the end, Rin received [Mana Burst]- similar to mine- which wasn't all that cool. But check out what she got next: The [Byakugan]- You know, those creepy white, pupil-less eyes of the Hyuga Clan?- and [Ki Manipulation]. Unlike me, people without the Game to help them just had the knowledge poured straight into their minds like how Servants got memories of the Modern World.

Unfortunately, we hadn't been able to see what the third Skill entailed, seeing as it'd be quite dangerous if the [Ki Manipulation] didn't give her resistance to the… Chemical reaction(?) Ki and Mana had when mixed in any sort of way. Sure, there was certain methods which allowed this to be done safely,

But not while it's still inside of someone. There were these devices invented by a 17th Century Magus that- allegedly- let him extract both Ki and Mana from anyone without maiming them permanently. It's how the researches regarding the matter had advanced so rapidly within the last three Centuries,

And the conclusion everyone who had had the misfortune to dabble in the subject arrived to was: It's simply impossible for a human body to withstand the chaotic flow of the two Energies at once. A Magus' physiology had adapted to Mana specifically, similar to how a Martial Artist had to Ki. If- by some miracles- someone was born adept at using and controlling both, they would be forced to choose one over the other before growing into their puberty.

This wasn't a theory, it's a well-accepted fact in the Clock Tower.

I was hoping with the [Byakugan], Rin would be able to expertly mesh Ki and Mana to create a new type of Energy. All my calculations thus far had proven this to be possible, but something's blocking people from doing it- Gaia's Will to be precise. Besides Rin, Shiro and Taiga both had a bountiful harvest too. The Redhead got [Gem Creation]- its use was as the name suggested,

Letting Shiro create precious gems directly out of her Mana- the more Mana she poured in to fuel the creation of a gem, the better its quality would be. Alternatively, the Heroine could also forgo quality im favor of quantity or sizes. Yep, imagine how angry the tsundere was when she found out… Here's a hint: She's pissed out of her fucking mind. In fact, if I hadn't stopped her she'd have pulled all her hair out in frustration.

The Game sure loved being ironic, didn't it?

Our smol Heroine would have benefited much more with the tsundere's [Ki Manipulation] than Rin would-

Being primarily a close-quarter combatant and all. Unfortunately, those were the cards we had been dealt, and those were the cards we must play with.

Besides, it's not all bad. [Gem Creation] was the first Skill she got, but it wasn't the last. The next two were a lot more fitting for her fighting style: [Blade Steal] from 'Chivalry of a Failed Knight' and the [Blade-Blade Fruit] straight out of One Piece-

Which after careful experimentation in a controlled setting, I could confidently say she did not possess any of the usual weaknesses associated with a Devil Fruit. I needed not explain the sheer boost [Blade-Blade Fruit] gave her, but [Blade Steal] was quite the gain on its own. You must understand each Martial Arts and Techniques were made by their creators and thus were most suitable for them alone.

Even the smallest change in stature, posture such as arm length, height, weight,…etc. could drastically weaken and change the Style, which was no longer an issue for the up and coming Heroine.

By using [Tracing] in tandem with [Blade Steal], she should be able to accurately trace any Style all the way back to its origin and tweak each move to her liking, allowing her to fully utilized the Style almost as though she had a hand in creating them. Just imagining Shiro copying Berserker's [Nine Lives] was giving me the shiver.

Taiga was- arguably- the worst out of us four. Don't get me wrong, she received exactly what she needed: [Adaptive Physiology]- an ability that'd allow her to adapt to the most extreme of conditions, but not in the way you might think… For example, if she's frozen in ice, the Tigress would go in a sort of deep hibernation until she was thawed out. Vacuum? Hibernation. Heat? Hibernation to conserve water and energy. It's undoubtedly the worst combative ability out of her entire skillset,

The only silver-lining was: It's totally up to her whether she wanted to fall into hibernation or not, which meant the Skill shouldn't negatively affect Taiga's prowess in battles.

Her other two Skills were even worse somehow… Her second Skill was [Limit Break] which wasn't bad in and of itself, yet it was the type of double-edged Skill that'd severely harm her vitality for minimum boosts in Stats.

Last, but certainly not least was [Life Fibers Infusion]- if I remembered correctly, it's from an Anime called 'Kill la Kill'. Though I had never seen it before, its effects were rather obvious. A substantial increase in all physical Stats, a transformed state leaving Taiga in a revealing outfit. The Tigress had essentially become a 'magical girl'…

If magical girls happened to wear outfits that kept absolutely nothing to the imagination and exposed parts of their breasts, their stomach, midriff and thighs for the World to see.

The scream which escaped her lips the instance she put the semi-sentient and altered version of Senketsu on was hilarious… And deafening. It'd not be an exaggeration to say she must have scared off every animal in a ten miles radius of my Castle with that one screech alone. It was simultaneously the funniest and most disturbing shit I had had the pleasure to witness,

And that was saying a lot given all the locations I had been to thanks to my profession.

Still, in spite of its frankly sketchy appearance, Senketsu had easily boosted Taiga's Stats to match mine without [Reinforcement] or its more advanced counterpart- [Strengthening] added in.

As she was currently, I reckoned the Tigress could fight on equal grounds with the physically weaker Servants like Assassin, Caster- if they were caught off-guard- and maybe Rider? It all depended on which Rider we're talking about, I knew for a fact Sella/Ishtar would triumph with the Bull of Heaven backing her, but there's still another Rider from the Class Card Faction to concern ourselves with.

Afterwards, everything went back to normal, we kept milling about our days,

Rin had thankfully mellowed out a lot, she still nagged every once in a while, but it was more of a 'love-tap' sort of deal than actual, motherly nagging. Most of our time was spent trying to figure out the limitations of their newly-acquired Skills. Today was Rin's turn. "Rin, are you sure you want to do this? We can still make do with or without [Ki Manipulation]. Shiro can create gems for you to fill with Mana, with those you will be just as deadly and effective as any of us."

I asked, wanting to remind her of the severity of the situation. On the sideline, Sakura quickly chipped in, "Yes, nee-san. Leo-senpai is right, you shouldn't risk yourself for some trivial gains that might not even benefit you in the long run."

That's not what I said, Sakura! Stop putting words in my mouth! "I'm just saying, you should practice caution. The mixing of Mana and Ki has and will always be a forbidden Art to Mage-Kind for a reason."

I might have mentioned once or twice in passing, but the topic of Mana and Ki mixture was explicitly forbidden throughout the Tower- Any, throughout the entire Association- not simply discouraged, but strictly prohibited without permission from the higher-ups.

Of course- as were with all rules-, this one only applied to Nobles and their kin due to the constant degradation of their Lineages, it's not that often enforced for us First-Gens and deteriorating Houses like House Tohsaka and Matou, not that many were suicidal enough to have attempted it without decades-worth of preparations before. "Thanks for your concern but I need to- have to do this. It is as Leo said, I can't stay weak forever… I don't want to."

Her last sentence was said with so conviction, so much determination that I felt goosebumps rise to the surface of my skin.

"Nee-san, but–" Sakura's protest was quickly silenced by a stern look from Rin. "Don't. I have made up my mind, nothing can change it. Not even if our parents rose from their graves and begged me not to."

Then, seeming to realize the hostility in her tone, the tsundere finally allowed a hint of vulnerability to enter her voice. "I'm sorry to subject you to this Sakura again, but I must do it… Not just for my pride, or our deceased parents, or for Leo. It's for me, I won't be able to live with myself if something happened to any of you and I'm just too damned weak to do anything about it."

Gently caressing her sister's face, Rin said- Well, more like asked. "Forgive me?"

Lips trembling, the younger Tohsaka lowered her head as she tapped her feet anxiously. "I- Nee-san… I can never resent you. Just… Be careful? Please? I can't lose anyone else and you said it yourself, this will be very dangerous even with senpai's and Avalon's help."

Pushing her face in the crook of Sakura's neck, Rin muttered a muffled, "Of course. After this, let's go to the theme-park. I heard there is a new Disneyland that just opened nearby. It's just a twenty minutes ride at best. Let's all go check it out? Together?"

At one point, her voice had softened like what a person would use on traumatized children. "Is that okay?"

Sakura still looked hesitant, but she did not make a move to protest the decision, taking a step back to show her… Well, it's not exactly approval, it's far too reluctant to be called that. She merely showed her acknowledgement, letting loose a defeated, "Okay."

With her decision made up, I averted my gaze from Rin to search for Shiro, who's in her own little corner of my Training Facility, practicing the new Sword Styles she had stolen- Ehem, I meant 'learnt' from her older male-counterpart and Taiga. Imagine Archer's face when she did all that and got even better than him at his own Style was quite hilarious to say the least. The murderous glare he sent me was even funnier. "Shiro?"

"Yes?" She replied.

"Can you lend us Avalon please? Rin's going to need it… In fact, can you ask Saber to be present? Her Mana will be necessary for this whole process." Since Avalon was one sassy motherfucker, we needed Artoria here to funnel her Mana into it continuously, without rest. I still had no idea how we're going about it, perhaps by transfusing blood from Artoria to Rin? It's the most effective and least gross options we had.

Alternatively, Artoria could cut a line on her wrist for the tsundere to munch on like a vampire? It didn't sound that bad, right? "I've contacted her, Saber will be here shortly."

Thankfully, 'King Arthur' was apparently very punctuate with time. In less than five minutes, she was ready and there, wearing her iconic white blouse and blue skirt.

"Master." Saber greeted, turning to look at the girls. "Ladies."

Finally, she addressed me. "Lord Magnum."

'At least the usual hostility isn't there anymore.' Angra quipped in as his astralized form floated next to us.

I had explicitly asked him to be present. While the Daemon wasn't a proficient Magus- a fact which hadn't changed at all even after Angra's descent to Demonhood, but he was specifically good at sensing humans' sufferings. Not to jinx Rin's effort, though should things take a wrong turn, he would be able to sense it much quicker than I would. With everything set up, I powered the Runes carved onto the floor- a [Time Stop] Rune which affected only the area where it was put up.

"Ready?" I questioned, not to make light of her conviction, but to confirm once more if she truly wanted to go through with this.

The answer I received was curt and short- a nod that told many tales and emotions, but it ultimately settled on a mixture of resignation, fear and determination. "I'm ready."

I pulled the level, and a barrier made of pure Mana was erected over Rin. Since the resulting explosion could be fucking massive, we had both decided to put this up. If everything went South and I- for some godforsaken reasons- failed to save the tsundere, the damages would not spread to other sections of the Facility or- god-forbid- the entire Castle. "Saber, you may activate Avalon."

Hands touching the Sheath, Artoria channeled her Mana into the Noble Phantasm and the sassy piece of shit slurped it all up ravenously like a starved child. Then, she directed it to overlay with my barrier, the soothing, golden lights of the Everdistant Utopia illuminating the already brightly-lit room. "You can go now! And remember to start from your fingers, it's better to lose one than your entire arm!"

Apparently, that's not the correct thing to say because I saw Sakura's lips thin at the mention of an injury. Well, tough to be her, but this was the life of a Magus- it's wrought with dangers and risks sometimes hidden, sometimes not. We had chosen this path- Shiro, Rin and I, the younger Tohsaka only had herself to blame for refusing to practice Magecraft. And yes, I was aware of her traumatic past, but it never made much sense to me for traumatized people to completely ignore an aspect of themselves.

Plus, if I were in her shoes- which I admittedly wasn't- I'd have jumped at the opportunity to learn Magecraft, if only to defend myself and my loved ones.

Even if Sakura ended up never actually using it, wouldn't it be better to have and not need than to need and not have? "I- I think I can feel something?"

Forget feeling, the glow on her fingers was visible to the naked eyes even inside two barriers. I'd be more surprised if she didn't feel anything. "How's it?!"

"It's–" Rin gasped, face paling by several shades as she doubled over, squeezing her stomach in pain. "Oh-Gods–! It hurts so much worse than I thought!"

'Angra, keep an eye on her vitals, if anything happens- anything at all–'

'I'll tell you, I know. She's fine at the moment, the pain is just a biological reaction. Her body isn't accustomed to revolving Ki around, which is why it's causing her pain.' Breathing a quick sigh of relief, I resumed observing the tsundere writhing on the floor. It's a terrifying sight, even more so knowing a single mistake- a lapse in judgement and that gorgeous face could turn into a bloody paste on the ground…

"Is this supposed to happen?" Sakura asked worryingly on the sideline, hands cupped to her chest.

Right alongside her brain and innards.

Eyes flaring with Mana, Rin activated her [Byakugan], cautiously observing the flows of her Mana and Ki as veins bulged around her pupil-less orbs. There were three theorized steps to the whole process- steps I had researched every chance I got. The first step was to introduce a body to a large amount of Mana and Ki, but still keep the two safely apart, preferable in different body-parts all together.

This step was arguably the hardest since the discomfort the worst and in that pain-induced haze, there were many mistakes to be made. I sat still for two hours straight, carefully keeping an eye out. I was genuinely relieved when her condition appeared to stabilize somewhat, like an immense weight had been dropped off my shoulders.

It's almost as though I was being forced to experience torture parallel to Rin's, and it's not fun. Thankfully, that was over now. The second step after was to slowly- melodiously mix Mana and Ki, allow the two to meet in a… Disposable body-part. It could be your pinky, your toe, just remember to avoid anywhere you'd miss if lost. Rin's index finger, which was originally glowing golden now shone a bright teal- a mixture of gold and blue.

"Careful… Careful." I repeated as calm as I could. Though I doubted she could hear me while her mind was still occupied, I kept the instructions up all the same. "Don't be hasty. Command your Ki- it's yours, not the other way around. Only let a few particles to touch lest it gets out of control too quickly."

The second step was the easiest to mess up, and also the least painful with the assistance of Avalon and she's clearly getting the hang of it even quicker than I did. To be fair, the tsundere did have a lot more advantages in her attempt: Advantages such as the Everdistant Utopia and my insights into the subject aiding her, but Rin would not have been able to do it without her own brilliance.

In fact, I was sure if not for the lack of resources she had put up with- all thanks to a certain dead priest- Rin's growth-rate would have exceeded Shiro's by miles. "Good, you're doing terrific, sweetie. Keep it up!"

"WHAT DO YOU THINK I'M DOING?!"

Saber shot me a disapproving glance. "Lady Tohsaka is doing her best, don't patronize her Lord Magnum."

Oh-Great! Gang up on the guy who wanted only the best for you, why don't you?! Rolling my eyes, I scoffed, faking offense. "Fine, do whatever you want. See if I care?"

I named the mixture of Mana and Ki: Chakra. Having had some experiences with it, I knew in order to keep the two Energies permanently mixed was a fool's endeavor. This feat could not be replicated in battle, not unless there was a binding-agent acting as a bridge, which was why preparations for a new Trial of Grasses had already been prepared and left within Rin's vicinity.

It would act as the binding-agent, and since her Trial wasn't as intense as mine was, Rin could afford to go through it a second time.

Sadly, the same couldn't be said for me. The sheer amount of substances I ingested in my Trial guaranteed this method would not work for me. My Cells had been over-saturated with those chemicals, any more and I might just start crying acidic tears, coughing up burning spits and ejaculating toxins. "Should I- Should I start the injection?!"

"NO!" I screamed. "Chew on that green paste first."

"Leo… If you're pranking me, I swear–!"

"What kind of person do you think I am?! Just chew on it, please!"

Chew she did,

The came the injection, "Four in the base of the spine, three in each limb and two near the your heart, but don't pierce it. I repeat, do not inject the chemicals in your heart! Not even Saber's 3can save you from that."

Rin did as instructed, putting the giant needles in every parts of her body until she resembled a porcupine more than a human, each time she did it, she flinched violently, causing us- and by us I meant Shiro, Sakura and Taiga- to wince right alongside her.

Saber and I were made of sterner materials, having witness far more grisly sight throughout our lives ,and thus had no reaction to the act of self-mutilation. Sure, Saber's Knighthood, plus my own fondness of Rin made it harder for us, but it's not to the point we had to look away like children would watching a movie with sensual scenes besides their parents. With a flick of my hands, the tsundere was swiftly bound by my Will, and before long…

The screaming came.

[Ki Manipulation] merely gave her the option to access a pool of Energy all Magi were denied, it didn't make the process any easier or less painful for Rin. I stared at her unblinkingly, not daring to miss even a moment as her hair follicle started to whiten,

I did not stop looking long after she had begun to puke and vomit and soil herself, crying out naught but incoherent gibberish,

Hands reaching out to us, begging- pleading for someone to save her the pain.

Only when her skin popped with boils, and her flesh began to puff up like a puffer-fish did I start to worry. I had calculated every possibility, every risk and came to the conclusion it was possible for Rin to complete this process, but this wasn't looking good.

These were clear signs she was losing control over her Mana and Ki, "I'm going in there. Saber, please notify Avalon to let me through."

None tried to stop me, which I was sincerely thankful for- for every second was precious when it came to saving Rin's life. Wasting no time, I teleported inside, slapping my hand on her stomach, the other holding her on the back so she didn't hit her head. The tsundere was not cute, nor was she beautiful in this moment. It's almost like an allergic reaction, her skin's dotted with rash and her eyes were bulging out of their sockets as though they're but a breeze away from falling out.

Quickly, I pressed my lips against her wrist, fangs tearing at her flesh to spill blood in my mouth.

The taste hadn't improved at all, but it's the only thing I could do for her now. After all, if the problem stemmed from Rin's Mana, shouldn't draining her dry of it fix the issue? I was proven to be correct moments later when she started to deflate considerably.

By this point, I had already swallowed at least a two to three mouthfuls of the tsundere's blood, and if not for self-hypnotization- thank the Gods- I'd have vomited everything out. "Le-Leo?"

Rin sleepily called out, face still touched with rash as she caressed my chin. "I'm- Am I still alive?"

"Ye-" The words were caught in my throat as the blood I had drunk threatened to erupt. With gritted teeth, I reached to my neck to put a stop to the subconscious reaction. It worked, but I had a feeling I was going to spend the night emptying my belly in a toilet somewhere. "Yes, you're alive Rin. I told you, didn't I? I won't let anything happen to you."

"Yeah…" She sleepily snuggled deeper in my lap, body glowing a beautiful teal. "You did it, Rin. You're the first person to fuse Mana and Ki together!"

I whispered in her lovingly as the barriers dropped.

There was no need for them anymore. "Nee-chan!"

"Here." Carrying the tsundere, I pushed her in Sakura's embrace and… Puked.

I was able to avoid it touching the girls, but I vomited every single drop of blood I had drunk, skin paling even worse than Rin herself. "Good Gods… That was gross."

""Leo!/Leo-senpai!""

"It's alright, I'm fine…"

Still feeling queasy, I fell on my knees and tried to gulp down the largest mouthful of air I could manage. "I think?"

— [Fate: FS] —

After that whole debacle, I had to take a fifty minutes rest while Taiga and Shiro spar.

Obviously, Rin had been taken back to her room to be nourished to perfect health by her sister. Sakura did in fact offer to help before she left, but I refused, stating I was fine… Or so I thought. I wasn't fine, not at all. We started since noon, I was up 'till late night, trying to get the taste out my system to little success. How Apostles could live on this was beyond me, though I reckoned the changes in biology must have altered the taste of foods.

Or maybe they were just freaks who loved gorging on blood? Who knew, the 'vampire-craze' in 2008-2012 had desensitized me to the idea.

Some girls even had a fetish of having their blood sucked. Personally, I wasn't one to kink-shame people but that's too wild for my taste. Back to the topic at hands, since I had thrown up all the sustenance I accumulated, and had not been able to stomach anything afterwards, I was starved and looking for something to fill my belly. Most of my subordinates- even Illaoi had gone to sleep and I couldn't bear to wake them just to make me a sandwich.

I was a monster, but I wasn't heartless.

That's how I came to find Saber.

The path leading from my room to the kitchen was near the Training Facility and with my Supernatural Senses, I was able to hear the rapid, yet steady swings of a bokken. My first guess was Shiro trying to iron out the specifics of her new Styles, and not wanting her to wake up exhausted, I went in for a talk to see Saber practicing the overhead swing. "Lord Magnum, did I disturb your sleep?"

"No, no. I was just hungry and wanted to find something to eat… I know we got off on the wrong foot, but do you want to come? Although I'm not as good a cook as the girls, I can whip up something real quick."

"… Shouldn't that responsibility be delegated to the serving staffs?" Saber asked, confusion filling her face and I couldn't help letting loose a chuckle. She was adorable confused. "It is, usually. But it's late, I don't want to wake them for something so trivial."

Her eyes widened in surprise, and her belly chose that precise moment to rumble like an miniature earthquake. Saber blushed bright red and coughed to hide her embarrassment. "I'd like to accompany you if that's okay."

Kudos to her though, she managed to retain her image flawlessly. "C'mon then."

Knowing how awkward a silent walk would be, I decided to make smalltalk.

It's better than walking alongside each other all grumpy-looking. "Why haven't you gone to sleep anyway? From my understanding, your circumstance is different than a normal Heroic Spirit, proper sleep and foods will benefit you and Shiro more."

While I did not mean it as a criticism, Saber seemed to take it as such, lowering her head apologetically. "My apology, I should've paid attention to the time, I was just lost in thoughts and before I knew it, it's already night."

"I wasn't trying to fault you. I just wanted to ask out of curiosity. What were thinking so deeply about? Want to share?" Her teal-colored eyes glanced at me, glimmering like the Stars up above. "Is it about your Wish?"

"… It was."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Perhaps after our meal."

"Fine by me." I shrugged, continuing forth. The downside of having a huge Castle in the middle of nowhere was going on a stroll at night always felt like the beginning of a horror story, but what did I have to be afraid of? We were a pair of badasses, any ghost who tried to fuck with us would realize that soon enough. "Lord Magnum?"

"Please, just call me Leo like everyone else… And yes? What's it?"

"Le- Leo?" She stuttered, tongue pushing at her teeth like she found the word odd. "I wish to apologize for my antagonistic behaviors in the previous days. You've been nothing but a courteous host and I spat on your kindness."

"Well, given what I know about you and Gil, I can't really blame you. Just try to play nice, she can be a handful at times but when she loves you, she loves you with all her heart." I couldn't contain the smile blooming on my lips. How ironic was it I was talking about my crush to my former waifu? "If you say she has changed, I suppose I can try to get along with her. Sadly, I won't be able to promise you that, I can only promise I'll try."

"That's all I can ask of you…" I paused, offering Saber my hand. "Truce?"

She took it, far more gentle than I expected. "Truce."

"Now let's quicken our pace. I'm starving."