"Well, we're now down to three Command Spells," Gudako pointed out. "And Saber and Scathach still won't be able to hold together for more than a day like this."
"They will have prepared defenses. It would make sense if Camelot was somehow built on the ruins of something like that, given that good locations and leylines are hard to come by," Artoria pointed out with a growing sense of annoyance at the possibility that Boudica had already done things that the World would find easier to work with than simply roll back. It also boded ill for their chances of resolving the Singularity.
"Here it comes!" Jeanne immediately raised her banner, spreading its protective barrier around the group. However, neither black spear nor exploding arrow came forth.
"That's not good," Gudao remarked, having also sensed the same pulse of magical energy being expended from the direction of the enemy stronghold. "If they're not attacking us with that much energy, it means..."
"Boudica has lost patience, or perhaps has run out of rope, as they say," Georgios realized immediately. "She must be shooting cities."
"That seems like an immense waste," Jeanne wondered out loud. "Large-scale Noble Phantasms are hardly efficient at best, even if it might be possible to use something like (Gae Bolg) at such distances."
"It isn't a Noble Phantasm," Gudako corrected her. "It isn't even a Skill, it's simply magecraft replicating a very simple act."
"Throwing a spear?" Chloe asked. "I know that Caster used to do that."
"I'm still alive," Scathach muttered. "Probably not for long, which is, admittedly, quite an odd experience."
"... She didn't mean you." Gudao shrugged off a creeping unease. "It couldn't be that she's also constructed something like the Grand Aria system, right? There can't have been enough time for that."
Georgios thought about the Singularity's timeline, but wasn't as sure. "We're too far from the anchor point to be able to reach Chaldea, I take it?" The Masters both nodded; it was also true that their Caster was quite unable to perform the ritual spell anyway, even if they had paused to set up relays en route.
"Chaldea managed with a lot of effort, but Boudica's side had heroes like Cu Chulainn and Fionn mac Cumhaill. Not to put down da Vinci, but she came after we did all the work to even summon her. We also don't know how long they may have been preparing," Gudako summed up the situation. "The greater question is: why did they not start shooting earlier if that would accomplish their goals?"
"If the first attacks were the equivalent of range-finding, they either coincidentally passed a threshold of capability, or more likely... they've passed a threshold of desperation." Artoria looked over the group, seeing that their earlier victory had likely greatly improved their chances vis-a-vis their opponents.
"Not to be morbid, but does it matter why they made the decision, given that they have presumably committed to it?" Jeanne inquired with a bad taste in her mouth. The Dragon Witch had been flailing about by comparison; destructive, sure, but without the sort of carefully prepared bloody intention.
"Indeed," Artoria answered her with a flourish, shaking out the deep blue folds of her skirt. "Whatever they have built up clearly didn't survive until my time, so we'd best help keep that bit on track."
"I hope this goes better than the other times you had to use that at full power," Gudao eyed the Saber's weapon in its richly decorated scabbard. "It does seem a bit odd to me that a Holy Sword with such firepower is listed as Anti-Unit. I'd understand if it had two modes, like (Gae Bolg)."
"Hmm, wasn't it in the report's description?" Chloe frowned, remembering the sword as a major failure in her attempts to replicate Noble Phantasms besides the ones she already 'knew'. "It's a Sword of Selection, specifically for selecting a king of course. As a Holy Sword it certainly has firepower, but is not built for that."
Gudako nodded. "That is why you were summoned as a Saber this time around, yeah? By moving closer towards being 'a proper king', the strength of the sword increased enough to beat out the Holy Lance, unlike in the Fourth Grail War."
A curt nod was given. "The King of Knights can have either or both between Excalibur and the Lance, depending on circumstances, but the Princess Knight must have Caliburn; admittedly, the option of the Lance would be good to have, especially since I have the horses to match it. But the sword scales much better for this particular assault." The weapon was drawn, showing a rich bluing of the blade and a series of softly glowing runes laid there by Scathach. "With Chloe scouting the way, we should get as close as possible to the defenses and try to punch through to where they've set up their doomsday system.
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(Robin Hood)
"They're here," he reported shortly after spotting the Chaldeans' Archer. Unlike him, she didn't seem one for stealth. Admittedly, she has plenty of strength to make up for that.
"Mhm. Well, you know best what to do, I don't have to give you orders." Boudica seemed almost uninterested, as though the conclusion that would soon unfold was not of particular consequence. That might be true.
"Your confidence is well placed," the Archer replied in a perfunctory manner. "Granted, they seem to have caught on to-"
The conversation stopped abruptly as a massive blast, looking like a jet of black lava, shot forth from behind a small stand of trees, cutting a shallow rut in the ground before slamming into, and through, the outer section of the oppidium.
"Seems like they decided to take the front door," Robin Hood muttered unhappily as three more Chaldean Servants showed themselves openly, running towards the breech made by their Holy Sword wielder. "That's a bunch of my traps that just disappeared."
"They seem to be in more of a rush than I expected," Boudica shrugged. "You prepared the inner areas as well, I expect."
"Of course," he said. "Will their Archer cause problems if left unchecked? I expect she will be trying to circle around to the other side."
"It's not the worst strategy, but it means she'll be stuck on all the wards. Try to snipe the Masters if you can, there should be plenty of opportunities."
"Right, right," he agreed. "Course that's more Assassin-like, but I agree whole-heartedly with that."
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The Masters kept pace with Jeanne at the rear, while Georgios charged in ahead of them, ready to flush out the enemy with his own body. And survive by means of his Skills and armor, clearly. Smashing his way through a door, he quickly pulled back out.
"Trapped," he said simply, waving Artoria over. The Saber had her beautifully blued armor on as well, but unlike the Ruler, it did not increase vastly in effectiveness by being in the front line. Nodding, she raised her sword, blasting the room beyond with magical energy that swiftly cleared out Robin Hood's poison trap.
"Hmm, there!" Jeanne, who had been watching behind them, called out the saboteur who had clearly been up to no good. "Looks like Archer didn't manage to engage him."
"I'm calling her back," Gudako said right as a new enemy popped up from through the door and began engaging Georgios, somehow driving back the knight until Artoria stepped up to help him. Arrows started flashing, several of them exploding into new clouds of poison right in the middle of combat. Jeanne immediately put her banner to work, picking another door near to her and smashing bodily through it with the Masters in tow.
Artoria and Georgios quickly made chase as Boudica pulled back into the room she had come out of, leaving Robin Hood looking though the cloud filling the hall and evaluating his options.
(Chloe)
"Come back around to the front and follow us in. Robin Hood is here trying to shoot us in the back."
Sitting on the ground after suffering a nasty shock in attempting to get over the outer wall of the fortress, Chloe grumbled and got to her feet. "Any details? Would be nice to catch him by surprise."
"When you get through the outer wall - Artoria blew through it - there will be a busted inner gate leading to a courtyard. He was there shooting into a hall that leads further in, we went in even further and are waiting to see if he closes in. Probably not, though."
Switching from the bow to her favorite twin swords, Chloe quickly made her way around to where the others had made entry into the fort. And almost immediately, in an instant, flicked over to the side as an arrow came out, piercing the air that now occupied her earlier position.
Throwing her swords in the direction that arrow had come from while avoiding a sudden cloud of doubtless-nasty mist, the Chaldean Archer took out her bow but couldn't find her target. Robin Hood, another 'archetype' legend combined with various individuals that fit it, she pondered. One of the problems with his (No Face May King) was that, it likely gave him the advantage in any ranged duel. Unless.
Everyone else was well within, so there was no reason to not cut loose. "(Caladbolg)," came into being for her use. Putting the sword-arrow to string, she drew and simply let it fly when her instinct told her to. She prepared another shot, circling around, and shot it through the gap in the earthworks, running in the same direction as the shot, but using her teleport to both bypass the actual entrance and also turn to face the other way from the shot.
Got you! There was someone there, an identification possible only because it took a while for the effects of his cloak to re-engage and she had an Archer's perception to catch the last traces. Chloe began Projecting and throwing swords around in hopes of trapping her enemy.
"Tsk." Robin Hood reappeared, shooting quickly to try and shake her. However, guessing that he would be at a disadvantage in close combat, Chloe kept on throwing swords to both deflect the incoming arrows but also cut off his potential escape paths.
The two got closer and closer as Robin Hood began to switch gears, preparing to use his bow like a curved, strung, staff to defend himself. Chloe, practically grinning at the chance offered, quickly teleported the last stretch, bringing her within the perfect range to cut off the other Archer's right hand with one smooth chop.
"Heh." The green Archer had time for a faint smirk, pulling his long left-hand knife out of Chloe's stomach before her second sword decapitated him.
She dropped to her knees next to Robin Hood's quickly evaporating body, gripping the wound and accessing the damage. It wasn't too bad; the knife had not gone in all the way due to their difference in height, and the narrow blade had made a very neat wound that would regenerate quickly.
"I've taken out Robin Hood, headed to you now." Gritting her teeth, she got up and began making her way towards where their link suggested the Masters would be. It didn't hurt too bad, more like a sting really. Hopefully they can help speed up the recovery process.
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Boudica kept on pulling back inwards, keeping her two assailants on the hook until Decebalus joined her. The Dacian's arrival definitely put the Chaldeans on edge, because even though to her it was obvious that he held his shield stiffly, the king still filled the room with his towering presence.
"He can't have recovered fully," Artoria quickly guessed. "Ruler, you take him."
"Hah!" Boudica flourished her weapon as it greedily ate the light, so much like that of Chaldea's Saber. "Since you have Rulers on your side, I assume you know this is the (Sword Without Promised Victory). How bold of you to want to fight me blade-to-blade."
"A moment." Stepping forward to the implied challenge, Artoria brought her own sword up. The light seemed to gleam eagerly over the runes and bluing across its length. "Artoria Pendragon. I, too, have gained understanding from the mud of the Holy Grail. This is (Caliburn), the Sword of Assured Victory. It also selects the slain."
Boudica simply shrugged as though it didn't matter to her. Four swords struck forth as their four Servants began their fight.
(Berserker)
"They're fighting not far outside," she commented to the druids around. By her count, they had only fired thirteen Exchanges, and the next, last one, would likely only be half-strength. Ten to fifteen, eh? About right. "You should leave."
"Does it even matter at this point?" one of them asked, the fatigue evident in his voice. "If they defeat the Queen, we're all dead either way."
"Don't be so despondent," she murmured, idly watching within her consciousness as the system began drawing the Grail dry. "If this works, Chaldea will have bigger issues than you. If it doesn't, the World's corrective processes will take over. As long as you are alive, it will find a place for you, probably close to your current one. I can handle this last bit. Go."
"Did the Queen give you this order?" someone asked with sudden realization.
"No. I just happen to not need you to complete the ones I have," the girl replied simply, while preparing for the very last part of said orders. "They do involve some risks, so I suggest you take an honorable leave now."
With that, a number of them, convinced, began making for the Hub's rear exit.
(Gudako)
Gudako kept pace with Jeanne, barely, as the pair headed for the deepest part of the fortress where the Ruler had identified both the source of the immense magical energy spikes which were doubtless leading to any number of impaled Romans, as well as the signature of Boudica's last Servant who had not yet been engaged face-to-face. Gudao and Chloe would try to catch up once the latter was battle-ready, but time was of the essence.
The elegant white banner streamed elegantly behind its owner, providing a brief respite to Artoria and Georgios as they passed by. The two knights were circling around their enemies, who had taken a stand together in a corner.
"We can't be far now," Jeanne said, not trying to hide the urgency in her voice.
"I know!" Gudako gasped. Even with the benefits of a high-level homunculus body, it wasn't easy. However, while Jeanne couldn't both carry her and use her banner, the Master's presence was necessary because of the potential need to use the Ruler's sword... though I hope it doesn't come down to that.
They entered a vaulted room, its atmosphere heavy with magical energy, easily spotting their target thanks to the golden Holy Grail cupped in her hands. Even though she looked quite different from the photos Gudako had seen of her father's Caster, the Master recognized her immediately.
"Sasaku. Why?"
The magic circle that dominated the room was clearly broken and inoperable, falling apart before their eyes. Its controller didn't seem to care that her work was so clearly undone.
"When deterrence fails, is there left only vengeance?
Reaching out from beyond the grave, one drags another in after them.
To exist is to suffer this wretched world, when does suffering end?
Everyone dies sometime."
"I don't understand," Gudako blinked, wondering if it was a riddle.
The stranger Caster looked at her and smiled. "By your own actions, you commend yourself."
Gasping, Jeanne rushed to intercept a single black iron spear that was thrown by hand at her Master, who was herself moving to get behind her Servant.
The sound of metal ringing on stone could be heard moments after that of the metal spear being caught by and entangled in the Ruler's flag. She watched in surprise as the Grail apparently broke apart into a thousand shards which, scattering across the room, began to evaporate away much like their last owner who had simply collapsed to the ground while their attention was taken by the token attack.
"Dead without so much as a scratch?" Gudako asked no one in particular.
"That's our win," Jeanne answered her, leaning on her banner. "Any moment now, the World will correct all of this."
"I don't quite get it, but I'll take it," Chaldea's First Master frowned, looking around as the sounds of battle from behind them seemed to cease abruptly.
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(In Chaldea, Gudako's My Room)
"That reminds me of one question we had then," Gudako recalled suddenly. "If I remember correctly, when you throw a spear that way, it takes a while to actually materialize and won't interact with anything until then, with a few exceptions."
"That's right," Sasaku said simply. "The spears are affected by gravity, since it is just the curvature of space. And they are pulled into existence rather than going though Servants and Noble Phantasms. Maybe wards and so on."
"What would have happened if the Butcher had known that last bit?" Georgios asked casually.
"How good are you at dodging projectiles moving at mach ten?"
"I could have blocked them," Jeanne said after a moment of silence.
"Indeed you could," the apparently youngest Ruler replied disinterestedly. Which in some ways chilled the air more than her earlier question had.
"Ahem." Gudako cleared her throat. "Did her last words mean more to you than it did to us?"
"I doubt they were really intended to give you useful information, if that's what you're hoping," Sasaku shrugged, looking over at Kiyohime. "That last bit about commending yourself is what original-original-original me, the mortal one, said shortly before being shot. That's the only part of the speech which the one child of the lot who made it to the City remembered of the event."
"Was the rest of it the same, an epitaph?" Martha wondered aloud for the rest of them.
"That, and you did ask her why. It was likely in reference to Boudica rather than the mastermind of the Incineration, I'd say. Granted, this is only a guess, but if she was trying to use a code-phase that another of me might recognize, I certainly didn't."