Chapter 31


As the mission within this garden of sin continues, Doomguy and Scathach go back outside the apartment to investigate an undead resurgence. So far, they haven't found anything unusual about this place but pressed deeper into the surrounding dark woods on the property.

"Hmm…I can sense the hatred here. It's almost palpable…" Scathach commented while Doomguy tried the comms again. He only gets pure static again, so he makes a mental note to upgrade Chaldea's comm systems if he ever manages to get his Fortress into this world.

Then he heard a twig snap and aimed his shotgun at the source. Almost instantly lowering his weapon after seeing a familiar face.

It was Shiki, but she was supposed to be with the Masters and Mashu.

"Hmm?" Scathach comes to investigate and is surprised to see the Mystic eye bearer in the woods with them. The strange thing is that she is wearing a white Yukata, and instead of a dagger as her weapon, it is a katana.

"I see you are vigilant as ever, Slayer, Scathach." Shiki said with a much softer persona compared to the stoic one they knew.

"Who are you? You look like Ryougi Shiki and share her Mystic eyes of death. Yet something is amiss…" Scathach said.

"I am Ryougi Shiki, but just a different personality…Normally we should be a single person, but this world lets me manifest as a Saber-Class servant. To avoid confusion feel free to call me Void Shiki." The sword-wielding woman explains.

Doomguy was suspicious of this woman, but she chose to appear in front of him rather than continue to hide. He wasn't surprised to see an alternate Shiki as he was now used to multiple versions of one person. He can thank Artoria, Jeanne and Tamamo for that, at least.

"Well, I can tell you are not here to fight us. Are you after this saturation of anger looming in the darkness?" Scathach asked, and Void Shiki nodded.

"Yes. It's here right here now." Void Shiki then points her blade towards the pitch-black darkness forming before them. It is shaped into the figure they saw before, but you can see more details. The male figure, whose clothes seemed mid-1800s attire, had a familiar aura of rage that everyone, especially The Slayer, could sense.

"Haha, I see you share the bloodlust of your other half. I for one don't have such bloodlust. All I have is righteous rage." The Shadow said with a dark grin.

"Ah, Avenger, there you are," Scathach said, unfazed.

"And look at that, the queen that cannot die has come out of her prison for once. I am flattered that you have come to this nightmare." The Shadow cackles before being silenced by Doomguy firing a rocket at him.

"Heh…Hahaha! Oh, I can sense it clearly now. You hold a similar rage to mine. A Purpose that is born essence of pure vengeance. How horrible and pathetic it is to see a man like you trapped by madness." Avenger spoke as the smoke dissipated. Revealing he was unharmed and ready for a fight.

"So, you also sense that his form is imperfect?" Void Shiki said. Her words caused Doomguy to look at her with questioning eyes. How did she know of his imprisonment of a false body?

"Yes, Madness enhancement is a curse that he does not need. Oblivion suits him better. Speaking of which, let's have some fun." Avenger snaps his fingers, and three massive phantoms appear from behind him.

"These should keep you two distracted while we…Talk."

"Wait! Slayer-"

With no time to react, Avenger transported himself and Doomguy into a dungeon-like arena. The place smelled of death and misery while chains swung silently above the two.

"Don't worry about them, Those phantoms will fall, it will just take awhile for them to kill." Avenger then slams his palms to the floor.

The ground The Slayer was standing on darkened, and beams of dark blue energy blasted out. He gets hit by a few before boosting away with his suit's thrusters.

"Haha! Good. Good! Come now, Slayer! Show me that rage! That anger that puts fear into the very pits of Hell! Prove to me why you give hope to them! To Ritsuka!" Avenger charges forward while infusing his hand with dark energy.

Doomguy shifts to the right and clotheslines the Avenger with his arm before grabbing him by the shirt collar. He climbs Avenger into the nearest wall to pin him down for the final kill via his blade.

Avenger grins and phases into the wall and out of Doomguy's grasp. Sensing the next move, he jumps backwards to dodge a dark beam barraged from above by three clones of the enemy servant.

Doomguy whips out his chain gun as more clones spawn from the walls. He was trapped in a dome of death as they all fired dark blue beams of darkness at him.

A kill box, with him trapped in the middle of it.

He triggers Overdrive and zooms between each beam while unleashing a steady stream of hot lead at the mirrored copies of Avenger. It became a one vs many battle of attrition as bullet casings littered the cobblestone floor and shadows turned to dust.

"This is disappointing, Slayer. Using the false gifts given to you, Accept your true rage," Avenger yelled as all of the shadows fired at once upon the Doomslayer. The great warrior raised his weapon to block the attack, but the force behind it was immense. His knees buckled, forcing him down as Avenger increased his attack's power.

"Do it! Show me that strength that gives them hope! Gives Ritsuka hope! Or will you let her die!?"

Doomguy's eyes sparked into yellow flames with the thought of Ritsuka dying because of his failures. With those thoughts, something in his body reacted and surged through his system. Every single cell within himself became more efficient in every aspect.

The muscles become more substantial.

Nerves working at quad efficiency.

His perception of the space around him heightened.

This strength and speed felt true to himself, yet more powerful than before.

He pushes himself up against the continuous razing blasts with his indomitable strength. Time slowed as he looked for Avenger among the clones and found the one with brighter glowing red eyes. With his target market, he meathooks Avenger and pulls himself free of the blast.

"Gahh!" Avenger grunted; the flaming hooks barbed his body. He was about to teleport away, but the chain pulled The Slayer to him just in time to grab him.

Having enough, He grabbed Avenger to bring him down to earth with the force of a meteor. A massive golden shockwave of flames engulfed the prison, forcing them back to the wooded area around the Ogawa Heim, where Void Shiki and Scathach stood.

"Slayer?" Both women spoke, seeing Doomguy return from being attacked by Avenger. He stands up from the ground as Avenger appears to have disappeared or at least retreated.

"I see you are unharmed. Have you defeated Avenger?" Void Shiki asked while sheathing her sword.

Doomguy wasn't sure himself; that last he on that servant was one Hell of a Blood Punch. Yet there was no evidence of a defeated servant or a single bloodstain.

"I do sense this anomaly is starting to wain from its roots. If he was the one behind this nightmare then you must've dealt a fatal blow to him." Scathach said, walking up to the Slayer, who was deep in thought.

"Is something wrong?" Scathach asked, but Doomguy shook his head.

"Very well, Let's return to the others then. I sense the final battle is upon us if we take too long." Scathach said.

"I agree, you both should return to the upper levels. I'll remain here to make sure nothing else disrupts your mission." Void Shiki said. Scathach and Doomguy nod and head back to the apartment.

"Slayer…Before you go I must warn you. You don't have long before the Alaya will attempt to claim you as one of her own. Breaking those chains will unleash her wrath against you." The Slayer stopped and stared at Void Shiki.

"Both I and my counterpart can see those chains. We could cut them with the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception…But it's a trap waiting to be set off. That's why neither of us has offered to cut the chance." Void Shiki revealed. The Slayer knew freeing himself from his binds wouldn't be easy, but he'd find a way. He always does.

"Your true power is already manifesting once more. Alaya will act soon. You must be ready to fight and possibly leave Ritsuka and her friends…" Void Shiki Then disappears into the woods with her spirit form.

Doomguy wasn't afraid of fighting the Counterforce. What troubled him the most was leaving Chaldea in a demon-threatened world. But he has to do this as he needs to be complete again; Scathach and the other servants are powerful. Some of the servants he has met have earned his respect and trust along this journey.

He nodded to Scathach as he was ready to regroup with the others and get out of this undead-ridden tower.

"Let's go; I am sure Little Ritsuka will be happy to see us again," Scathach said with a smile.

The small gesture of kindness sparked something in his heart that caused him to momentarily look away from the Celtic woman.

"Fufufu…Shy are we?" She said, and Doomguy rolled his eyes.

On another note, he wondered why Tamamo-no-mae or Nero hadn't shown up yet in Chaldea. Those two would be a boon to have around these days.


Scornful Remnants

"Achoo!" Tamamo sneezed as she wiped off bug ichor from her mirror.

"Are you allergic to-"

"No." Tamamo said, shooting down Nero's question.

It was the aftermath of clearing out a horde of giant bugs attracted to the disturbance that The Wretches drill was generating. It was a huge swarm that took them what felt like ages to clear out. This may be the reason the mine was abandoned and sealed off in the first place. Regardless, the ex-demon was able to extract a large sample of the mysterious glowing blue gemstones.

"*sigh* I hope that stuff was worth it. Seriously, you could've warned us." Jeanne Alter said, a little annoyed after getting swarmed.

"My bad, I guess it would explain this stuff was so rare among the remaining tribes. The local wildlife evolved from the radiation this essence gives off. So of course they would sense people screwing with it." The Wretch apologised as he analysed the sizeable haul he extracted.

"Yep this is the real thing. It's called Wraithstone by the Argenta since it acts as a near perfect substitute for the pure stuff you gals are blessed with." The Wretch then warps the container to his workshop with a snap of his fingers.

"Thanks for helping me out by the way. Again, sorry for the swarm. Next time I'll plan for it." The Wretch said.

"You are welcome, and I'm sure you've had some wondrous plans with those stones. Helping you is also helping Praetor Slayer after all! UMU!" Nero said with a proud pose. With that, the ex-demon and the girls retrace their steps back to the entrance of the mines. They had been down there for a few hours, so it was nightfall when they returned to the surface.

"Phew, I really needed some fresh night air after smelling bug guts for hours. Let's-"

Tamamo was interrupted because the sudden flash of searchlights blinded their vision.

"Hey! You the fuck are you!?" Jeanne Alter shouted after their eyes adjusted, revealing a small Army of Sentinels surrounding them with weapons drawn. They were not bandits, as their armour was well-kept and maintained.

The trio of servants do the same in response, waiting for whoever decides to make the first move.

"Halt. Withdrawal Weapons!" A loud voice shouts, and all the soldiers lower their weapons on command. The trio remained on guard as a figure walked past the line of troops in front of them. They were in heavy sentinel armour and extra plating that acted as a skirt.

"Take it easy, these guys are chill…Mostly." The Wretch said, knowing the faction these warriors belong to.

"You four, state your name and reason for being hear." The knight ordered with a strong female voice of authority. The four look at each other as off-worlders, so they don't know how they would react. Tamamo then winks at the rest of the group as she takes the lead.

"We are envoys of King Novik seeking for his allies." Tamamo said.

"Novik…Why would he send you to a Wraithstone Mine then? He is long dead and only acts as a spirt guide." The leader asked.

"He seeks to assist the Slayer as we are also his allies." Tamamo answered, which caused the lead to clutch her fist.

"The so-called 'King'? He lost his title the moment he spilled sentinel blood on sacred ground! Anybody who follows him is a fool and so is Novik for assisting him!" The woman said with seething anger through her helmet.

"Hey! Listen here, you pompous shit! The priest used your laws to shield a planet under Hell's claws! If there's anybody here is a fool you!" Jeanne Alter snapped back as she knew the story of the three corrupted Priests, adding the Khan Makyr from the start of the civil war to the fall of the Elemental Wraiths.

"It doesn't matter! It's our laws! You outsiders keep causing out people nothing but pain! The Maykr's included as they enslaved our fallen to those beasts of the dark realm!" The leader exclaimed with extreme hatred.

"Surely you cannot put the Praetor Slayer's actions with that the of the treacherous Maykr's! 'He helped save my people!" Nero said, stepping forward.

"AND DOOMED OURS!" The leader unseathers her twin sword, which is pure silver-like metal with a blue crystal pommel at the end of the handle.

"Warriors! Apprehend-"

"Karlya…" another voice echoed the words, freezing her actions.

"Who was that?" Nero asked as the wind started to gust around the servants and Wretch.

Then Spectral ghosts of Sentinel warriors surrounded them, not to capture but to protect. At the front was a woman wearing similar armour to the angered leader.

"You…Why are you here…" The leader quivered at the slight of the woman with flowing silver hair and blue eyes.

"To guide you away from making a mistake, young one." The spirit said.

"...Fine…Everyone stand down. They are free to go." The younger woman, supposedly named Karlya, stated as she turned around and walked away,

"We are taking the mine for our settlement. Do you have any objections?" She asked with a frustrated huff.

"None, we have gotten all we needed Just watch for the bugs, there probably a hive down there." The Wretch answered. They didn't get an answer to that as the spirits faded away.

"Let's get out here before the kid changes her mind. Here, I'll get you girls back to Exultia," The Wretch said, opening a portal behind him. The girls leave without waiting another second to walk through the portal, leaving Karlya alone as her men take the mines.

"Damn it, Mother, I have chosen my path. Just leave me be…" She mutters to herself.

Back in the ruins of Exultia, Jeanne Alter stretches her arms as it is a long day of work.

"Well that lady was a real bitch eh?" She said, sitting on a chair in the semi-restored barracks they have taken up residence.

"She was a bit crass towards us. I guess not all the Sentinels see Doomguy-sama in the same light." Tamamo said while beginning to cook up some dinner for them.

"Umu. I feel it's unfair for her to say those words. Perhaps she is a remnant of the Maykr's faction?" Nero said while pushing her blade.

"That's not the case with her. Her mother was a part of Novik's faction." The Wretch said.

"What?!" All three exclaimed at once.

"Yeah, Her mother was Aela Arcturnius, A Knight Sentinel. She was a legend among the Novik Loyalists as a shield maiden. A real believer in Noviks' cause and was one of the first great warriors to recognise our boy's potential." The Wretch explained.

"What happened to her then? Since we just saw her as a spirit among the others that assisted us." Nero.

"She died during the great battle at Tera's Nabad, Leaving her infant daughter with trusted friends I assume. Now I guess she blames the Slayer for losing her Mother." The ex-demon said while entering some data into his wrist computer.

"Her kid now lives in the city of Sentinel Prime. One of the very few cities still inhabited by the Argenta. Things are…complicated over there politically." The Wretch said, raising an eyebrow among the servants.

"How so?" Nero asked, Being emperor herself.

"The city hosts the Grand Arena, think of it like the Roman Colosseum for the Argenta. But it's considered a holy place so no sentinel blood can be split unless they take part in the Arena. Deag Grav tried to hide behind this law and well…"

"The Slayer put a bullet through his skull. Thus losing his sovereignty." Jeanne Alter finished the sentence for him.

"Bingo. Thankfully, not all of the Argenta are such sticklers to the law. However, restoring his status as a king will take something big in tradition." The Wretch said as Tamamo brought in something to eat. He thanks the girls again for their assistance and promises to do something unique with the Wraithstone they collect before returning to his workshop.


Bitter ends in the Moonlight

Doomguy loaded a shell into his super shotgun after blasting open the elevator door leading to the floor where Ritsuka and the gang were hanging out. He and Scathach climb through the door…The Queen of Shadows can fly thanks to her rune magic, so she carried Doomguy up the elevator shaft.

"They should be around here somewhere…" Scathach said.

"Doomguy! Scathach!" Ritsuka said, peeking around the corner before running up to them and giving her guardian a big hug. Doomguy pats her on the back, feeling relieved seeing all fine and well.

"Fufufu…" Scathach quietly laughed while Doomguy rolled his eyes.

"You guys did it!" The demons all died around us so we could continue to the upper floors." Ritsuka's legs go off Doomguy, then looks at Scathach, who then opens her arms with a smile.

Ritsuka hugs her as Scathach pats her head.

"Thanks…Well, the others are just down the hall. We'll fill you in on the details." Ritsuka said before running off.

"You know…I did have a daughter once. That was a long time ago but…I haven't forgotten how to tend to a young one." Scathach said, causing Doomguy to tilt her head at her.

"What? A warrior like me can't raise a child?" Scathach said with a deadpan look on her face. Doomguy raised his hands, saying that wasn't what he was thinking about, but rather more on what she was like.

"Oh. Sorry. Uathach was a tad timid but grew up to be a proud woman from the Land of Shadows. Sadly, she did not gain my immortality." Scathach said while closing her eyes. Even after all these years, she still remembered her only kin. Doomguy felt sorry for her and mysteriously sympathised with her on a scale that almost frightened him.

"You guys coming or what?" Ritsuka said, getting both of their attention from down the hall.

Both eternal snap their thoughts back to the tasks and follow the redhead to the rest of the group. Everyone congratulated them on their victory in dealing with the nest. Both Gudao and Mashu filled in Doomguy and Scathach on what they were dealing with on their end with the servants they defeated leading up to now.

"Ah, Sounds like it was a difficult task for you young ones, but I am glad you were able to push forward and understand you were helping your friends." Scathach said with a nod.

"You have come a long way since your first steps on this journey…And you two." Scathach then looks to the two mystic eye-bearers eating some strawberry ice cream.

"...You two did very well, I haven't seen mystic eye's users during my time so it's refreshing seeing such techniques used." Scathach chatted briefly with Shiki and Fujino as Gudao leaned towards Mashu.

"How does she know about our battles up here while they were down in the lower levels?" Gudao asked.

"Scathach has a clairvoyance-like ability to see the experiences of warriors. Hence her title as one of the best teachers in history." Mashu explained this to her Master, who was in awe of such a skill and gained more respect for the great teacher. Mephisto was also there but remained silent so as not to bring the wrath of the Doomslayer. At least he behaved while they were away to burn the nest.

"I am detecting no more servant signatures for the rest of the way to the rooftop. As much as I would like to say we have won, you guys should at least check out the remaining floors just to be safe." Dr Romani said while doing the final scans of their location.

"That sounds like a plan, we haven't found the 'evil' Mephisto yet anyways." Ritsuka said.

"Oh yes! There is still that scoundrel creeping around…Actually after everything that happened, I am slightly concerned." Mephisto commented.

"All the more reason to check the remaining rooms. I have the master-key right here so we can fastrack cleaning up this mess." Shiki said while twirling a keyring around her finger.

"You had that the entire time?" Fujino asked.

"I only found it on one of the zombies you twisted into mulch. Thanks by the way." Shiki teased back, causing Fujino to pout.

The crew got to work searching the rooms to find Mephisto's twin to close up this case. There were still a few servants under the effects of the tower, so they had to battle their way through.

"Uh oh! I thought I was able to hide from the old Hag-"

An unwise caster got the beatdown of a lifetime from Scathach.

"-Ah, I picked up some ice cream at the convenience store on the way back. What kind do you want, Nobu?" Okita said while casually entering the aftermath of a Guda-Guda tier threat.

Those were some of the more "Eventful" rooms they cleared as they reached one final room.

"...The Spiritron density is highest on this floor. Looks like we're at the centre of this anomaly. You guys have defeated dozens of ghosts so far, but this response is far bigger than any of them." Romani said.

"The core of the singularity…The soul, or Spirit Origin if you will, of this area. I detect it's in the next room." VEGA confirmed as everyone prepared for the final assault.

"Understood. We're almost at the end of the hallway. That room seems to be the last one…Shiki, are you picking up anything?" Mashu asked.

"Listen, the only thing I'm picking up is cold shivers. I can't detect magical energy like Ritsuka and Gudao. It's more like intuition for me. That, and how much death there is." Shiki explained to Mashu.

"Whether there's death, huh? You haven't talked about it, but what does it feel like to see death?" The Shielder asked with curiosity.

"It's creepy, basically. I told you before, what I see is a thing's lifespan…Everything has a seam." Shiki then explained how she could see the invisible lines connecting the lifespans of all things. Which allows her to use her dagger to cut through the strands, leading to the instant death of whatever the line was connected to.

"If you have the time, you can ask a mage you know for a more detailed theory. In my case, I happened to know this weird image. She told me all kinds of stuff I didn't want to know..Well, I'll probably never see her again. But maybe you have someone who knows her?" Shiki said.

"Hmmm. Probably not, since Chaldea is currently isolated on a mountain. Mind if I asked if you were born with those eyes," Scathach politely asked the noir-haired woman.

"I was born with them, they didn't awaken until I got into an accident. I basically died once. When I woke up, the whole world had changed." Shiki then Shakes her head.

"...Tch. Why are we talking about me, anyway? Oh and please don't press Asagami about her eyes. She went through a very traumatic experience when her eyes activated." Shiki asked while acting protective of the red-eyed girl.

"...Ryougi…" Fujino whispered, appreciating Shiki's kind act.

"I apologise, I didn't mean to distress anyone. Let's focus on our coming battle then." Scathach said, looking towards the door down the hall.

"Hehe! At last we're here! Yes, yes, This is it! I remember this place! I was first summoned here!" Mephisto said with glee. Doomguy used that mood to get ready with his plasma rifle.

"...So there's something here that's creating this fake Singularity, Right?" Mashu questioned as Shiki grabbed her keys.

"Of course! It wouldn't make sense if there wasn't. Who could it be? I'm so excited! I'm so nervous, everyone! Aren't you?"

"Sorta. But Honestly nothing really surprises us these days eh Mashu?" Gudao asked his kouhai.

"Yes, senpai. With the restoration of humanity and pushing back a Hell invasion, we are well experienced at this point." Mashu nods.

"And here I thought I had a strange line of work. Come on scissors, let's get inside." Shiki said while unlocking the door…

*One kicked-in later…*

"Do you have a constant urge to kick doors down?" Ritsuka asked. Doomguy shrugs; he thinks it's just more fun that way. Back to the room, it was a boundless void of darkness. They could not see the room's boundaries, nor could Romani even see the outline from his Directors terminal.

"Eyes up, everyone, this darkness is similar to my Land of Shadows. Stick together, or these shadows will overwhelm you." The Queen of Shadows said while everyone formed a defensive formation around the masters.

But nothing came to attack…

"Uuuhhhh…."

A moan echoed throughout the place.

"W-what was that?" Ritsuka said, looking around for the source of the sounds.

"kill…Kill…Please…"

Shiki started walking towards the source of the voice as the others followed. The voice became louder as they approached the mysterious sound. What they found was…Horrific…

"T-that's…No…How horrible, even for me!" Mephisto said.

What stood before them was an inactive gore nest made out of another Mephisto. It was similar to the state Romulus was when he was corrupted.

The two masters started to feel sick to their stomachs.

Scathach felt pity for the corrupted servant.

Fujino looked angry as her red eyes shimmered.

Doomguy just walked forward to put "This" Mephisto out of his misery. The only explanation was that this was the 'Evil' Mephisto mentioned by the one in their party. It would explain why he fell for Hell's false words again if he didn't remember what happened in the City of Mists.

"Here, Let me do it." Shiki said, walking up to the sad abomination.

Doomguy let her do it; those mystic eyes weren't as vicious as ripping the Spirit Origin out of this demented servant. Shiki's eyes shimmered blue, and her dagger cleanly sliced through the nest.

"Thank…you…" The servant said as the remains faded into golden light and the room reverted to a normal apartment.

"How did he turn into…that?" Fujino asked.

"It's the fate of all who make a deal with Hell, regardless of whether you are loyal to your word or not. This is what always leads in the end to all that couldn't resist the temptations." VEGA said.

"Well, considering he was the 'Evil' me, It was the only other bad end for him. We say we are demons, but that's just our legend. We are nothing compared to what the big fella fights. Right?" Mephisto said, unbothered by seeing his other half die.

Doomguy grunts as he still doesn't enjoy being around this clown of a Caster.

"See? As you can see there are always worse monsters out there compared to little ol' me!" The Caster said before his own body started to fade away.

"Good work everyone! Good work indeed. So I shall say farewell to you all." He said, surprising everyone.

"Good Mephisto. Why are you disappearing?!" Mashu asked.

"Why? That's a strange question. Killing that me means killing this me as well! Listen, if you defeat an evil heart, the good heart isn't going to somehow survive, okay?" Mephisto explained.

"He's two halves of a whole, one cannot survive without the other." Scathach clarified as the Caster said his last words of how he enjoyed tagging along and congratulating the two masters for persevering through this sleep of death.

"Farewell everyone!" The Devil, known as Mephisto, then disappears.

"Heroic Spirit Mephistopheles is gone. It's over, Shiki, Senpai." Mashu said.

"Well, I guess it is; the chill I was getting from this place is long gone from these halls. This place will go back to being abandoned. When that time comes, there'll be nothing left. That's just life in the end. Shiki said, sheathing her dagger.

"Okay, let's head back to this Chaldea place. You want to join Asagami?" Shiki asked.

"Yes! If that's not an issue of course!" Fujino said with suppressed excitement.

"Fou?!" The little guy barked.

"Huh? Are you coming too?" Romani said, surprised.

"What, are we not welcome? I've helped you this far…Not that it was my main goal. We were troubled as well. I thought that both of us would wake up if I found the cause, but it's not happening." Shiki said.

"Instead we are still here." Fujino said, looking a bit worried.

"This place will disappear soon so Chaldea's the only place I can go. If both of you work for you guys then we'd have a place to stay and such." Shiki asked if she and Fujino could join Chaldea.

The two masters look at each other and smile at that idea.

"Welcome to Chaldea!" Both masters said.

With that, Romani got to work Rayshifting the ground team plus the two new servants back to base.

"What about you Scathach?" Ritsuka asked.

"Oh, I have some more preparations before I can truly join you as a servant of Chaldea. With these two joining, Chaldea no doubt will be an interesting place to see." She said with a smile before winking at Doomguy.

"Okay!" Ritsuka said before Rayshifting back to Chaldea with her teammates. Once more, Doomguy is then pulled back to base.

"Hmm…mind if we head to the rooftop, Seeing that your transport is delayed." Scathach asked. Doomguy nods; this place might be ghost and demon-free now, but there was no harm in checking out the very top of the building.

With that decision, They reach the rooftop covered in moonlight that they expected to be empty.

Yet that was no longer the case…

"Avenger…" Scathach said while arming herself.

"Of course… You'd think I'd leave so soon?" Avenger said, just standing before them without a combat stance. Doomguy just stepped forward, sensing the lack of a threat from Avenger.

"Hehehe, you can tell? Our battle left us mortally wounded. It took what mana I had left just to remain here." Avenger said as he started to disappear.

"So why wait for us then?" Scathach asked, lowering her weapons.

"To explain this whole nightmare. The King of Mages summoned me to create a pool of curses for the servants of Chaldea to fall into. However, I refuse to follow his orders right from the start." Avenger said.

So, this place was a trap set by Solomon, meaning the threat matches as a significant singularity. It makes sense since the demons were roaming about here as well.

"He held no grudge against humanity…Yet goes through the effort to incinerate it. A dubious purpose that disinterested me. Unlike you, Slayer…" Avenger then walks forward to be right in front of Doomguy.

"Your strength proves your hatred, your vengeance. All you need is to break the chains that bind you and take control of fate. Haha! A clear insult to the forces that seek to protect humanity!" Avenger's body then fades away into the wind.

"In the meantime, I shall say this: Attendre et esperer…Wait and Hope." his voice echoed into the night. In his place was a familiar golden crystal, A fragment of a Holy Grail. Doomguy picks it up off the ground and puts it into his suit inventory systems.

The two Eternals were now alone on this rooftop bathed in moonlight. Scathach walks towards the edge of the building to see the view of the city below. She takes a deep breath as the wind blows through her long, dark, red-brown hair.

"Slayer," Scathach then turns to face him, her figure outlined by the moon's light.

"With just these few moments with you, I've felt more alive than ever. The aeons I spent watching over those lands of death, it's been so long since I saw warriors fight for a purpose." She said, smiling back at Doomguy.

"It's cathartic. Thank you." Scathach said as her body began to fade along with his own. Doomguy could only bask in the sight of her beauty. That smile…The smiles the people around him were giving him. It felt undeserved, but it warmed up his old heart of stone.

"I will see you again soon; in the meantime, you should tell them about your situation. As much it might frighten her, she deserves to know. Goodbye." Scathach returned to her realm, and Doomguy was Rayshifted back to Chaldea. Now, worrying about telling his Master the truth about his trapped manifestation, he feels more concerned about how Ritsuka would react. The kid already had much on her plate, and he thought that he'd only provide more burden.

When he exited his coffin, Romani and Da-vinci were still scratching their heads on why it took so long to bring him back. Fou runs past Da-vinci and Romani, getting their attention to the awakened Marine.

"Ah good, see? It's just an odd property of him. Nothing to worry too much about, Doctor." Da-Vinci said.

"Still, it's better if we make sure he Rayshifts simultaneously. Anyway, I am Glad to see you Returned Safely. Ritsuka and the others are getting some sleep since this isn't your first time coming back late." Romani said, confirming where the kids were, allowing him time to think. Doomguy then walks past the two staff members without another word.

"H-hey Did you find a Grail frag-!" Romani then caught the Grail Fragment as Doomguy just chucked it behind him. He exits the Mission room, leaving even Fou behind.

"Kyuu…" Fou drooped his ears as he could sense something was bothering Doomguy.

Doomguy was doing his patrols again like usual as he read the mission report. All the servants on a mission, including the two recruits, returned to the base without incident. That was some good news, but he still had problems, so he did more research on the Counterforce. He takes his tablet provided by Chaldea and does some more digging, looking for anything he could use to his advantage. His patrol ends at the cafeteria again, still very late at night, and Emiya is cleaning the kitchen.

Doomguy takes a seat, still deep into his research. He didn't sense the archer class servant walking over and placing a cup of tea at his table. Emiya didn't wish to disturb the man, so he would leave until he saw what Doomguy was researching. Doomguy noticed him looking over his shoulder and turned to face him, wondering what Emiya wanted.

"Why are you researching the counterforce?." Emiya said with a serious look on his face. Doomguy stared back; Emiya seemed to know something related to the Counterforce. With the look of disdain and seeping anger in Emiya's eyes, he could figure out that this servant must've had some experience with this so-called greater mind that guides humanity from extinction.

"Are you seeking to serve it? I must warn you that's its own kind of torment! Anyone that is willing to make a contract with HER is nothing more than a fool!" Emiya said before Doomguy grabbed him by the collar and lifted him to his visor, staring angrily with his glowing yellow eyes.

"No…I seek freedom from it…"

(This Chapter was beta'd by Darklord331.)


AN: Apologies for the shorter chapter; I felt a bit burned out of Knk stuff, but I still wanted to give you guys something. (I also got the usual IRL stuff again, which is boring to talk about. Rest assured, I'm still working on my fics.)

The next main story chapter will be the usual length after we do a much-needed ACG Interlude for our team at Chaldea. I need some silly fun before we jump into the next singularity or the Prison tower event. (I'm considering moving that event to after the American Singularity for story reasons.)

So expect another round of event shenanigans that may or may not involve Doomguy's armour turning...Festive. (If you know, you know.) Once that is over, we are jumping into the Wild West with a fistful of medical treatment with our head nurse, Nightingale! I plan this singularity to be a significant plot point for Doomguy's journey in Chaldea's world, where he will face his greatest challenge. What, you may ask? I'll leave it up to you guys to figure out.