Tales Of The Symphonic Abyss: Dawn Of The Second Descendant

by Anime Journeys

An AU version of Tales Of The Abyss, Crossover between it, F/GO, ToS, ToB, MHA, and JJBA Part 3 (Parts 4 and 6 will be later on done the line.)

18. Chapter 17

Tales of The Symphonic Abyss: Dawn of The Second Descendent

All content belongs to its original creators.

Chapter 17: The Return To The Outer Lands! A Rescue Mission Is Quickly Established!

The Party looked at the scenery around them.

Luke – "So this is Amaris Springs. Gotta admit, the view from anywhere would make a great piece of art."

Tear – "You're not wrong there."

Colette – "So what do we do now?"

Michael – "Easy. The rest of you leave Amaris Springs, while I stay here for a bit."

Legretta – "And we should do that why?"

Michael – "Call it another one of my 'gut instincts'."

Sheena – "If you say so."

As the rest of the Party were walking away, Michael called out to Luke.

Michael – "Wait a second Luke. I need you and Mieu for something important."

Luke – "What is it?"

Michael quickly explained what he wanted them to do, then let them rejoin the others.

Tear – "What did Michael want you and Mieu for?"

Luke – "Michael said that I couldn't tell you guys anything. The one thing that I can say, however, is that just Mieu and I doing it will make the mission go by a lot faster."

None of others could really blame Michael or Luke for keeping quiet. If this special mission really was that secret, then the fewer people that knew about it, the better. The Party was around halfway through Amaris Springs when Legretta, Niko, Tear, and Luke heard a familiar voice.

Guy – "There you guys are!"

Luke – "Guy! Sync!"

Guy and Sync jumped down from the giant rock they were sitting on.

Legretta – "Nice to see that you two are okay."

Sync – "Same here for you all."

Mary was then bursting through the crowd in front of her. She was then a few feet away from Guy.

Mary – "Guy."

Guy was quickly hugged by his older sister. He then shocked the others by returning the hug.

Mary – "I missed you so much Guy."

Guy – "Same here sis. Same here."

Sync – "Where's Michael by the way?"

Luke – "He had to stay behind for a bit. Said that it was something important."

Guy – "Alright then."

Luke smiled, happy that Guy and Sync took the lie that he and Michael came up with in case any of the others asked why he wasn't there. The Party, now with Guy and Sync once again as a part of it, made their way out of Amaris Springs. Once outside, Jade and Dist ran up to them.

Luke – "Whoa!"

Guy – "Jade?!"

Sync – "Dist?!"

Jade – "Oh, good. We were afraid that we might've missed you."

Tear – "Colonel, what are you and Dist doing here…?"

Dist – "We have a favor to ask of Sync and Guy. They said they'd wait for you all here, so we came looking for them."

Guy/Sync – "Us?"

Jade – "Mohs has captured Ion and Natalia."

Luke – "What?!"

Dist – "Ah, Luke. Sorry for not seeing you there. Nice to see you're finally awake too."

Luke – "Thanks. And what about Largo by the way."

Jade – "He gave himself up, but only as long as no harm comes to Natalia and Ion. Anyway, if we don't rescue them, there's going to be trouble."

Dist – "There aren't any Malkuth forces nearby that Jade can ask for help. And we can't truly trust Daath itself with anything. So we thought we'd ask for Sync and Guy's help…"

Mary – "What do you two mean by 'trouble'?"

Jade – "With the disappearance of Akzeriuth, Kimlasca has begun making preparations for war. They probably intend to use Natalia's death as justification."

Niko – "If only you guys knew the whole truth."

Legretta – "That's right… The people of the Outer Lands don't know why Akzeriuth disappeared…"

Marcel – "Wrong sis. Michael's already told them why. Along with who's responsible."

Dist – "Ion was wary of this and returned to the Order to issue a decree. He was captured upon his arrival."

Sylvia – "At least Michael thought ahead and told them to make it seem like they're getting ready for war, when in fact they're truly not."

Guy – "Alright then. We're going to rescue them. There's no way we're letting a war happen. Right?"

Marcel – "…Yeah. Should we head for Daath?"

While the Party headed for Daath, Marcel and his group hung back to talk about the current situation.

Marcel – "What do you guys think? Michael has everything sorted out already?"

Niko – "Pretty much. He's always been one to think that far ahead."

Mary – "If I had to guess, this sounds like something to lure out Mohs."

Sylvia – "I'm with Mary. As long as Mohs thinks that the Score is still being followed completely, everything is just fine."

Gelda – "While the truth of the matter is that Michael has gotten everyone on Aldurant, except those truly loyal to Mohs, to see that we have to stop following the Score. Only in doing so can Aldurant truly be saved."

Kyoshi – "Nice to see that nothing's changed about his morals in the last ten years."

Niko – "You're not the only one thankful for that sis."

The Party then made it to a cliff overlooking Daath. Here they decided on their course of action for the rescue.

Lloyd – "So how do we do this rescue then?"

Luke – "Legretta. Is there a back entrance for the Oracle Knight headquarters?"

Legretta – "Yeah. Why?"

Luke – "You and Marcel take your groups in that way and free Natalia, Ion, and Largo. Meanwhile, the rest of us will cause as much of a distraction as possible."

Legretta – "Speaking of which. Dist. I want you to join Luke's group."

Jade – "I see why. Dist's Kaiser Mechs would do a better job at helping us with the distraction than you guys with stealth."

Legretta – "Exactly."

Dist – "But who takes my spot then?"

Marcel – "Why not Sheena sis? After all, you three are Michael's fiancées, so it's only fair that you three should stick together to watch each other's backs whenever Michael isn't around."

Kyoshi – "Your brother isn't wrong Legretta."

Legretta – "True. As long as it's fine with Sheena herself though."

Sheena – "Not at all."

Once the plan was set, the two groups made their way into the Oracle Knight's headquarters to begin the rescue mission. Along the way, Luke's group informed Arietta what was going on, and she made her way back to Legretta and Marcel's group. They then finally reached the rear entrance of the cathedral. After making sure the coast was clear, they quickly checked the cells for their friends.

Arietta – "Largo! Natalia! Ion!"

Largo – "Hey Arietta. Nice to see that you finally found us."

Arietta then saw Niko out of the corner out of her eye.

Arietta – "Niko! Tell the others I've found them!"

Niko – "Right!"

Niko turned on the spot and went to get the others. After a few minutes, some Oracle Knights rounded the corner and spotted her.

Oracle Knight 1 – "Well, well. So what do we have here?"

Oracle Knight 2 – "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that this is former God-General Arietta the Wild."

Arietta started to slowly back away from her would-be enemies. She was truly disgusted at their behavior towards her. Largo and Natalia were just as disgusted.

Natalia – "Of all the times that Largo and I have to feel so helpless. If we had our weapons, no doubt we could help Arietta knock some sense into these two and send them running."

One of the knights reached out to grab Arietta, who tripped and fell backwards trying to stay out of his grip. Just as the knight's hand was a few inches from reaching Arietta, the knight flinched as he pulled his hand away, which was heavily bleeding due to being hit by an unknown bullet.

? – "Don't you punks even think about laying a hand on her!"

Arietta turned around, seeing that Sylvia was holding a semi-auto pistol, which was what fired the bullet. Legretta and Sheena then ran over to check on Arietta.

Sheena – "You okay Arietta?"

Arietta – "Just fine you two."

Legretta – "You sure. They didn't do anything to you?"

Arietta – "Nope."

Sylvia – "Kyoshi. You two don't mind taking care of these punks, do ya?"

Kyoshi – "Not at all. Tamamo!"

Tamamo – "Right!"

Oracle Knight 1 – "Hold it right there!"

The knight snapped his fingers, then more Oracle Knights appeared till there were a good amount of them.

Kyoshi – "And this is how many?"

Oracle Knight 2 – "Around 100 soldiers. Why do you ask?"

Kyoshi and Tamamo shared a quick glance, then started laughing.

Sync – "They've lost it."

Niko – "Just watch."

Kyoshi then changed her outfit to a light brown one of Tamamo's.

Kyoshi – "Shall we?"

Tamamo – "Let's."

(Insert Music: Fate/Extella OST – Tamamo (White) Theme)

Kyoshi/Tamamo – "The gods reside in Izumo. True and beautiful, they breathe life into the soul. Amaterasu in the mountain, rivers, and watery heavens. My freedom is the proof of purification, called the Weighted Stone of Tamamo, the mirror of the divine treasure of Uka…! Cleanse the eight souls! The great Amaterasu!"

(Music Ends)

The Noble Phantasm knocked all 100 Oracle Knights out of the hallway they were standing in. Those that weren't a part of Marcel's Party were completely stunned, especially Legretta and Sheena.

Niko – "That Was Incredible, You Two!"

Kyoshi – "Aw, stop sis. You're flattering us."

Sylvia – "Now that those clowns are taken care of… Time to bust you guys out of there!"

Sylvia pointed her gun at the cell door.

Sylvia – "Back away, you three!"

Natalia and Ion quickly got behind Largo as they moved a safe distance away from the cell door.

Sylvia – "Soul Enhance!"

Sylvia's gun glowed white.

Sylvia – "Pierce Shot!"

Normally the cell door would've had just a small dent on it from the impact, but Sylvia's Soul Enhance instead caused the bullet to have enough force to knock the door off of its hinges.

Legretta – "I swear. The more I'm around your team Marcel, the more they earn my respect as a unit."

Sheena – "Same here."

Marcel – "Thanks sis."

Niko – "You too Sheena."

They then quickly made their way back to the others.

Legretta – "Tear!"

Tear – "Did you guys find them?"

Natalia – "We're right here!"

Colette – "Alright then! Let's get out of here!"

The Party then started making their escape, with Luke and Mieu finally rejoining them. However, numerous Oracle Knights blocked their way out.

Luke – "Great. Now how do we escape?"

Legretta pulled out one of her guns and looked down at it. Then she finally came to a decision.

Legretta – "If Michael and Kyoshi can do it, so can I!"

She then stepped forward in front of the rest of the Party.

Legretta – "Stand down soldiers! I don't want to hurt any of you."

Oracle Knight 3 – "Sorry 'God-General' Legretta, but you have no right to command us anymore."

Legretta then pointed her gun at the Oracle Knights.

Oracle Knight 4 – "Oh please! Like one bullet's gonna do you any good!"

(Insert Music: Fate/Extella Link OST – Noble Phantasm)

Light energy surrounded Legretta. Then an arrow of pure light appeared inside the barrel of her gun. She pointed her gun skyward.

Niko – "No way!"

Kyoshi – "That's…"

Legretta – "Light of the Eternal Goddess. Let your power rain down on those that oppose you, and leave nothing but mass destruction in your wake. Light Prism Arrow!"

The Party watched as the light arrow soared high towards the ceiling, then split into many smaller arrows at the highest peak of its flight path. This was followed by the arrows raining down on the Oracle Knights, seriously injuring nearly all of them.

(Music Ends)

Despite the initial shock of what just happened, the Party quickly made their way out of Daath and towards the cliff overlooking it.

Niko – "Legretta. I know I don't admit this about you a lot, but that was Completely Amazing!"

Marcel – "I'm with Niko sis. Never thought that you could off a Noble Phantasm."

Kyoshi – "What made you want to fire off one in the first place though?"

Legretta – "Well, I just figured that if you and Michael could use one, then so could I."

Sheena – "I say that you pulled it off pretty well."

Tamamo – "One problem though."

Tamamo floated out of Kyoshi's pendent and appeared next to her.

Kyoshi – "What do you mean Tamamo?"

Tamamo – "Legretta's Light Prism Arrow had the power, speed, and accuracy behind it. However, she didn't even bother trying to control it at all."

Legretta – "What Are You Talking About?! I had total control over it."

Luke – "Sorry Legretta, but even I'm gonna have to agree with Tamamo on this one."

Tear – "And you can say that why?"

Luke – "You guys remember that I passed out in Yulia City, right?"

Guy – "Yeah. Why?"

Luke – "Turns out that it was due to a Mana Barrier closing off my mind caused me to pass out in the first place."

Tamamo – "Seems like that Rensho must have summoned a strong Caster-Class Servant to his side."

Luke – "Anyway. As I was saying, unlike you Legretta, Michael used four, and I repeat FOUR, Noble Phantasms IN A ROW to free me from that Mana Barrier. Then he did it with those same four, plus Tamamo's, on Rensho."

Natalia – "What are you saying Luke?"

Niko – "What he's saying is that while Michael had complete control while using so many Noble Phantasms in rapid succession, Legretta just fired hers, and from there it had a mind of its own. That's why nearly all of those Oracle Knights were seriously injured at best."

Tamamo – "There actually is a way to help Legretta."

Luke – "How?"

Tamamo – "Easy. Kyoshi, Michael, and I teach her."

Legretta – "Can you three actually do that?"

Kyoshi – "Pretty much. I learned everything I known about how to control Eightfold Blessing of Amaterasu from Tamamo, since it's HER Noble Phantasm. And it's pretty safe to say that Michael's self-taught due to how many he can use in rapid succession."

Sheena – "And since we finally have everyone back together, Niko can finally explain to us about some of the things that Sakura said in her letter to Michael."

Arietta – "Who's Sakura?"

Kyoshi – "She's Michael's cousin."

Everyone – "Michael has a cousin?"

Luke – "Trust us. Our reactions were the same when we first found out."

Niko then took out the letter and handed it to Gelda, who read it out loud for the others.

Niko – "So who has the first question?"

Jade – "What is this "Holy Grail" that Sakura speaks of?"

Niko and Kyoshi took a deep breath before speaking.

(Note: All data found on the Type-Moon Wiki)

Niko – "The Holy Grail is the Christian holy relic that received the blood of Christ, considered to be a Noble Phantasm. There have been many claims of its existence, 726 of which were investigated by the Church, and many conflicts for such artifacts have happened around the world throughout history. The name is utilized in the various Holy Grail Wars as the name of an artifact purportedly capable of granting any wish to whomever comes to claim it, rather than the real artifact, though the church often gets involved simply because of that reason. Its advent is the ultimate goal of the various Holy Grail Wars."

Dist – "How many Holy Grail wars have there been?"

Kyoshi – "Up to right now, it's currently in the middle of the fifth one. And both this one and the fourth take place in a town called Fuyuki. The main funny thing is that Fuyuki is part of the same world as where Izuku and Jotaro are, but it's closer to Musutafu's time."

Raine – "So what is it that makes Fuyuki so special?"

Niko – "The Holy Grail used in the wars in Fuyuki appears at the end of the war to grant the final Master and Servant pair a wish on the Greater Grail, the true device that has the power to grant wishes. Because it is only a vessel to summon the Greater Grail, it's known as the Lesser Grail."

Largo – "I'm guessing that you two and Michael know the full extent of the Holy Grail's nature and power then?"

Kyoshi – "Pretty much. What is handed down in the city of Fuyuki is not the one that received the blood of the Christ, but the prototype of an even more ancient 'omnipotent container'; this container is the 726th Grail that sticks to the legend of the name. it is a gate that leads to the Root, Akasha; A hole connected to the nuclear core, the Greater Grail, a wish machine – the key to startup the Great Grail. It's not an omnipotent container, but a replica created to work like a 'wish machine' that can bring forth one's own will."

Niko – "However, it's only a clump of magical energy and thus isn't as omnipotent as people believe it to be, so wishing for something like 'Saving the World' without specifying a working method won't suffice. Even if someone lacks power or wealth, the Grail can possibly carry out such a wish if they knew 'the method of Saving the World.' Knowing only the practice of 'sacrificing few for the benefit of many', Kiritsugu Emiya was shown such a vision of 'what would happen if the World was saved', although due to the Grail being corrupted at the end of the Third Holy Grail War caused him to be shown the most malicious imagery of his 'saved world.' Had he followed through with it, the Grail would've certainty done as it showed him. Ultimately, it can only amplify the scale of realization of wishes within working methodologies and is incapable of granting true miracles."

Colette – "What do you two mean by the Grail being corrupted?"

Kyoshi – "The essence of the Holy Grail's content is a 'colorless force', but after the third Grail War, it has been polluted by Angra Mainyu and became a malignant 'swirling power', a curse, the third element. Hence, it's absolutely impossible to correct inconsistencies by precise calculations or interactions, and it will interpret any wish of the owner with nothing else than destruction, and grant it. Moreover, once it has been opened, it will keep flowing out infinitely and bring disaster."

Niko – "The servant who is known as Angra Mainyu was summoned in the Third Grail War, he is a Heroic Spirit born into existence according to people's wishes. As a result, Angra Mainyu was born into this world in order to grant everybody's desire for an existence like 'All the World's Evil (Angra Mainyu)'."

Kyoshi – "Even though the Holy Grail would happen every 60 years, the 10-year gap between the Fourth and Fifth Holy Grail Wars was shorter because the Lesser Grail was destroyed before the Greater Grail could direct the accumulated mana to establish its pathway, with the unused mana becoming trapped in the Grail. The function of the Greater Grail was also already disrupted when it was impregnated with Angra Mainyu in the Third War."

Niko – "Additionally, since the corruption, the Grail has been able to summon evil-aligned Heroic Spirits; something that was not allowed before. Heroic Spirits are humans whose legends are passed down in the memory of humanity, regardless of their alignment; the Grail originally was allowed to summon only "good" Heroic Spirits, but ever since the corruption, spirits like Gilles de Rais, Medusa and Medea can be summoned despite being anti-heroes rather than heroes in the common understanding of the term."

Kyoshi – "The servant classes are, however, unaffected. The summoning of Angra Mainyu was a mistake done prior to the corruption, and the corruption itself had no known influence on the classes. It seems that it is only a coincidence that the two known Casters have an evil alignment."

Niko – "This power also gives birth to Inverted Moon of the Heavens, Angra Mainyu. While it is weak compared to the maelstrom of magical energy that is the Einzbern Grail, what it can do is grant wishes. In a way, it is a small but 'true' Holy Grail. It is the foundation of the looping world in hollow ataraxia, where it appears as a black moon, hence the name."

Guy – "Who wanted to use the Holy Grail then?"

Kyoshi – "As a spiritual existence, the Kotomine Church manages the replica that will become its vessel, but the vessel of this fifth war is the heart of the homunculus Illyasviel von Einzbern. It is a catalyst that will help the descent of the real thing, and the ceremony to bring forth the cup that grants any wish, the Holy Grail War (or Heaven's Feel) requires seven Magi and Servants. The Holy Grail chooses its Master by selecting magi possessing magic circuits, be of sufficient stature to summon a Heroic Spirits. The Three Houses take priority as Master."

Niko – "Servants that get killed return to being a 'piece of energy' and disappear from the time axis, but the Grail (container) created by the Einzberns is here to temporarily stop that and store them. When the Holy Grail goes into hibernation, it puts its accumulated mana into storage. When 7 Servants are present, their spiritual cores will be released and the Heroic Spirits' bodies will disappear from this world. The cores alone will then return to the Throne of Heroes. Once the vessel is filled with energy, the Great Grail can start the ritual that will open a 'hole' to the Akasha."

Kyoshi – "To open a way to the swirl of the Akasha, the Grail needs to sacrifice all seven Servants to start up the Great Grail, but six Servants are enough if the wish is within the limits of the world."

Niko – "There are four gates in Fuyuki where the Grail can descend, and a miss will have it switch to the next gate. The first time was at the Ryuudou temple on Mount Enzou, the second time was the Tohsaka mansion, the third was the church on the hill, and the fourth was the field that is now burnt."

Natalia – "Who are the Three Houses?"

Kyoshi – "Einzbern, Tohsaka, and Matou. However, there are actually two others houses that have been around for a lot longer."

Sylvia – "And those would be?"

The sisters shared a glance.

Niko – "Ours and Michael's."

Genis – "How so?"

Kyoshi – "While the Einzbern's, Tohsaka's, and Matou's each have exactly 210 years of experience on Mage craft, the Masi's and Bradshaw's each have over 2,000 years worth of experience behind them."

Everyone else, including everyone at Fuyuki in Japan that had been listening since Niko and Kyoshi's explanation began, were completely stunned at the sheer difference in experience between the five families.

Niko – "Anyway. Who else has questions about the Holy Grail?"

Mary – "So what did the Holy Grail look like?"

The two sisters went back and forth explaining as much about the Holy Grail as they knew. They also explained about certain aspects towards Heroic Spirits and why they were called Servants as well.

Marcel – "So what are the servant classes are then?"

Kyoshi – "Heroic Spirits summoned by the Holy Grail are placed into one of various classes. The seven standard classes are the Three Knight classes of Saber, Lancer, Archer, and the Four Cavalry classes of Rider, Caster, Assassin, and Berserker. There are also non-standard Extra Classes that are 'split off from the regular servant classes in order to take on certain roles', such as Ruler which oversees the Holy Grail War."

Niko – "Servants are normally only of the singular class under which they are summoned, but certain circumstances allow for multiple classes at once or class changes. Elizabeth Báthory and Li Shuwen undergo unconventional changes to the Berserker class. Assassin Servant Henry Jekyll and Berserker Servant Hyde can switch between each other at will with their Noble Phantasm Dangerous Game, and Tokugawa Ieyasu can switch between all seven classes based on his retainers with his Noble Phantasm. Double Summon allows for two classes to be utilized simultaneously, limited only to the Cavalry classes and "modern classes" like Gunner. Joan of Arc Alter displays the ability to bestow the "benefits of Berserkers" upon Servants, such as making Saber Servant Le Chevalier d'Eon into "Berserk-Saber." Elizabeth Báthory (Brave) possesses the Skill "Double Class" from being the result of a fusion between her Lancer and Caster counterparts, but the ability has no special characteristics. While not actually changing classes, it is possible to visually alter the class of a Servant in the Moon Cell, such as Jinako Carigiri changing Karna's class from Lancer to Launcher."

Standard Classes

-Saber: Servants placed within this class are agile and powerful melee warriors armed with swords. It is commonly assumed to be the best class overall, with high ratings in all categories. It also possesses the Riding Skill like the Rider class.

-Lancer: Servants placed within this class are very agile and skilled with long-range melee weapons, such as spears, lances, etc..

-Archer: Servants placed within this class are usually proficient with projectiles and can survive longer without a Master nearby, thanks to their special ability Independent Action; the strongest Archers can be difficult to control at times, in fact, due to their near-total independence from their "Masters".

-Rider: Servants placed within this class place emphasis upon speed and powerful Noble Phantasms, which often include their mounts. Their special Skill is riding, which allows them to fully utilize abilities of their mounts (which can range from simple horses to mechanical vehicles to divine or supernatural creatures).

-Caster: Servants placed within this class are adept in mage craft and have a special ability akin to a Reality Marble, called Territory Creation, which alters or creates space around them to enhance their sorcery.

-Assassin: Servants placed within this class are proficient in assassination. Within certain wars, only Hassan-I-Sabbah can be summoned due to the etymology of the word "Assassin" acting as a catalyst. The Assassins' special ability is Presence Concealment, which allows them to remain undetected. Offset by their stealth is their moderate combat skills. Due to this, Assassins often target Masters instead of Servants.

-Berserker: Servants placed within this class are always heroes who have gone berserk in their lifetime. This trait allows them to use the special ability Mad Enhancement, which trades their consciousness (i.e. sanity) for a large power boost. Most Masters are incapable of controlling their Servant once Mad Enhancement has been activated, which eventually results in their death.

Extra Classes

-Ruler: Servants placed within this class govern the Holy Grail Wars, granted rights of an administrator and Command Spells. While typically saints are summoned into it while managing wars related to the Holy Grail, others can be summoned into the class if they are impartial.

-Avenger: Servants placed within this class are driven by revenge.

-Alter Ego: Servants placed within this class are beings split away from the Saint Graph of another.

-MoonCancer: Servants placed in this class are described as irregulars that threaten the world of the moon.

-Foreigner: Servants placed within this class are related to the Outer Gods that exist outside the universe.

-Shielder: Servants placed within this class primarily utilize a shield.

-Saver: Servants placed within this class are "Messiah" type Servants.

-Gunner: Servants placed within this class specialize in firearms.

-Gatekeeper: Details of this class are unknown. Watcher could be summoned within as a Servant.

-Watcher: Servants placed within this class have some function of observing their Master for a greater purpose.

-Ancient Giant: Details of this class are unknown. It is shown to be the class of Surtr.

Tamamo – "Despite how much you two and Michael know, that still leaves one question. Why haven't your families taken part in any of the Grail Wars?"

Kyoshi – "That's the thing though. Our family's Mana Circuits became so renowned due to how far back our linage of being Magi's goes, we don't need to summon a servant at all, along with being able to fight any 10 servants of the same class at the same time."

Niko – "As for trying to be a part of the fourth war and a part of the current fifth war, by the time we were ready to truly act, it was already too late to do anything. We were also too afraid of somehow making things worse than they already were."

Legretta – "Can't really say I blame you. Better to just watch how things play out and make a plan from there instead of rushing head first into an already bad situation."

Sheena – "Agreed."

Luke – "I do have another question for you two. What servant classes do we all fall into?"

The others admitted to also being curious about it.

Niko – "Don't worry. Michael and I already figured it out for you all."

Niko then brought up a screen that had the names of the main seven servant classes, and the names of the entire Party, on it. The names of those in the Party then went to the respective servant class they were a part of.

Saber – Michael, Luke, Guy, Marcel, Mary, Niko, Lloyd, Kratos, Emil, Lancer – Michael, Tamamo, Kyoshi, Gelda, Jade, Archer – Michael, Natalia, Sylvia, Rider – Michael, Arietta, Anise, Dist, Caster – Michael, Tamamo, Legretta, Kyoshi, Gelda, Tear, Colette, Sheena, Raine, Genus, Marta, Assassin – Michael, Sync, Guy, Mary, Berserker – Michael, Largo, Regal, Presea, Velvet, Izuku, Katsuki, Gunner – Michael, Legretta, Kyoshi, Niko, Sylvia, Gelda, and Foreigner - Michael

Legretta – "Surprised that you two decided to include Velvet, Izuku, and Katsuki in this list."

Niko – We thought it was only fair despite how short their time with the rest of us was."

Sheena – "What about the rest of Velvet's group though?"

Niko – "We did want to put them in, but Michael said that it'd be better to get a physical idea of their powers and abilities first before deciding where they go on here."

Tear – "Why is Michael in every class though?"

Luke – "He's just that good. That's why."

Guy – "I don't think that's a good excuse for Michael's talent and power."

Luke – "Then what about all the tests the guards put him through back then?"

Natalia – "Luke's got you there Guy."

Tear – "What tests are you three talking about?"

Luke – "Michael acted as a bodyguard for the three of us when we were younger. But the knights wanted to make sure that he was up to the task, so they had him do a few tests to see how good he was with any weapon."

Anise – "That doesn't sound too bad."

Guy – "Try beating each challenge in under 10 seconds."

Everyone went pale.

Natalia – "Like Luke said. Michael's just that good with any weapon."

The Party then made their way to Daath Bay, where they would meet back up with Michael and plan from there. Niko then saw two people that she was familiar with.

Niko – "Norman! Johanna!"

Johanna – "Hello Niko dear. So nice to see you again."

Niko then pushed Kyoshi in front of her.

Niko – "Norman. Johanna. This is my big sister Kyoshi."

Kyoshi waved hello before giving her sister a look of confusion.

Kyoshi – "Who are these two Niko?"

Niko – "You remember how Michael was nearly killed the week before his eighth birthday right?"

Kyoshi – "Yeah. It turns out that a nice couple saved him when the husband was returning from making a delivery to Daath and came across a near dead Michael on the side of the road. Why do you ask?"

Niko – "Well it just so happens that Norman and Johanna here are that couple."

Legretta – "You're kidding?!"

Niko – "Nope. By the way, do anything interesting happen while Michael was here?"

Norman – "Well…"

Johanna and Norman explained to the Party about how a ton of robots, which the Party 100% believed belonged to Shunato, had kidnapped the entire port town. Michael had arrived just as the last person was being carried away. He then gave chase to the fortress known as Holoska: Sea Port. Once he found the townsfolk, he freed them from their prison cells, then quickly followed after the robots, who still had the only other prisoner in the fortress. Norman and Johanna admitted that they didn't know what happened till after Michael returned with the mysterious person, which it turns out was a girl that looked strangely similar to Michael. This in turn caused Legretta, Sheena, and Kyoshi to angrily ask where Michael was, which Johanna replied with saying that Michael and the girl were sitting on the pier, waiting for the others to show up. Niko facepalmed as her sister and two future sister-in-law's stormed off towards the docks.

Johanna – "Was it something I said?"

Niko – "I'm surprised that you two didn't notice them beforehand, but it just so happens that Legretta, Sheena, and my sister are all engaged to Michael."

Norman – "So?"

Niko – "Please tell me you two didn't think about how they'd react to finding out that Michael somehow had a hidden fling with another women."

Johanna – "He did tell us about Velvet, but that's it."

Niko – "Say what?"

Norman – "According to Michael, the mysterious woman isn't another fiancée of his, but they truly do have a close relationship with each other. In fact, he said that he was gonna reveal it once you all showed up."

Niko now realized that she, her sister, Legretta, and Sheena may have just made a giant miscalculation. She then felt Luke's hand on her shoulder.

Luke – "Let's find those three before they make a bad situation even worse."

Niko – "Right."

The rest of the Party quickly searched the pier for the female trio. They were finally found, but were also quickly advancing on Michael.

Niko – "Oh no…"

Legretta/Sheena/Kyoshi – "Michael!"

Michael, who was just sitting on the edge of the pier as he looked out over the ocean, looked back towards his fiancées.

Michael – "Hello you three. Is something the matter?"

Legretta – "Yeah, there is! Who's this woman and why haven't we ever been told about her?"

Michael slowly stood up before calmly looking at his fiancées.

Michael – "Okay. First off. If I truly had another woman, I would've told you three, and Velvet if she were around, about it right away. Second, you three know very well that I would never cheat on any of you at all."

? – "He's right."

Everyone turned to look at the new face of the Party.

? – "I can assume you three, Michael would never cheat on you three one bit. Besides, my relationship with him is a bit different."

Niko – "How so?"

Michael – "Hey Niko. I'm guessing the rescue mission was a success?"

Niko – "Yes it was. Now if one of you could answer the woman's question."

Michael – "Right. Anyway… Everyone. This is Akira. And, well, as frankly as I can say it, she's my younger twin sister."

Nothing but stunned silence for a few seconds. Then, as if a giant tidal wave was coming right at Michael…

Everyone – "WHAT?!"

Most of the Party were still trying to accept what they just heard from Michael. Legretta then finally voiced everyone's opinion.

Legretta – "Wait A Minute! Wait A Minute! What gives Michael?! First you tell us that you're a Replica, then you say that you have a cousin. And now you're saying that you actually have a sister?! What's Going On Here?!"

Michael – "Three things. First off, not saying anything about me being a Replica is my own fault. I didn't have enough faith and trust in you all for how you would take that kind of news. And it's even more my fault for having that misplaced faith and trust in you all to begin with, and for that I'm truly sorry. Second, you guys not knowing that I had a cousin is your fault. After all, none of you even asked if I had any extended family to begin with."

Sheena went to retort, but quickly decided against.

Michael – "As for me and Akira being siblings, the two of us actually just discovered this fact a few minutes ago."

Kyoshi – "What do you two mean?"

Akira – "Well…"

Akira and Michael explained how after saving Akira, she and Michael had some time to themselves. While they were talking and getting to know each other, Akira suddenly kissed Michael on the mouth.

Legretta/Sheena/Kyoshi – "You kissed your brother on the mouth?!"

Akira – "That was BEFORE we found out that we were siblings! As far as the both of us know, it felt like all the memories we had of each other, which were being locked away due to some kind of advanced spell, were suddenly released at once. And it's due to those memories, that Michael and I found out that we were actually brother and sister instead of would-be lovers."

Raine – "Do you two have any idea who cast the spell at all?"

Michael – "Not really. According to Akira, the caster was most likely a woman, but she couldn't truly see their face. The two of us were very little when she was taken from me and our parents."

Gelda – "How long ago was the kidnapping?"

Akira – "15 years ago."

Everyone was stunned silent at that. Luke then stepped forward.

Luke – "Michael. I know you haven't said anything to Niko about them yet, so you don't mind if I go ahead and do it?"

Michael – "Go ahead then."

Niko – "What are you two talking about?"

Luke used his communicator to send a pic over to Niko.

Niko – "What's this?"

Luke – "Remember how I said that Michael freed me from a Mana Barrier earlier. Those two women in the picture, Artoria and Hilda, helped Michael free me by letting him use their Noble Phantasms. This picture was taken just before they left after I was freed. I don't know why, but something was telling me to take a picture of them before they disappeared."

Akira – "By the way. Is there a process to truly tell if Michael and I are siblings other than word alone? I would love to have some physical proof to back up our claim as being siblings."

Michael – "There is actually. Niko, if you don't mind?"

Niko – "Sure."

Niko asked Michael to roll up his right shirt sleeve. There in broad daylight on his right shoulder was what looked like a tattoo that had a silver sword encircled by two purple dragons.

Arietta – "What's that Michael?"

Michael – "This, my dear Arietta, is my family's crest. The color of the dragons depends on the color of the Soul Dragon's scales. So since Soul's scales are purple, the dragons on my crest are purple as well."

Niko then asked Akira to do the same as Michael with her left shirt sleeve. Akira had the same looking crest, but the dragons were green instead of purple. Niko then waited a few seconds as her tablet compared the images of Michael and Akira's crests to see if they matched. If a ding was heard, then the crests matched, but if a buzzer was heard, then they didn't. After a few seconds, a ding was heard, signaling that Akira was indeed Michael younger twin sister. She was then quickly hugged by Legretta, Sheena, and Kyoshi.

Legretta – "We're so sorry Akira."

Sheena – "Yeah. The three of us had absolutely no right to misjudge you."

Kyoshi – "Can you ever forgive us?"

Akira – "Of course! Besides, I do want to get to know my future sister-in-law's anyway."

While the four women were talking amongst themselves, Niko was checking the picture that Luke sent her, seeing if the crests on Artoria's and Hilda's left arms matched Michael's. Artoria's crest was pure white, while Hilda's was pitch black. What followed was complete silence followed by absolute shock as two quick dings were heard.

Luke – "Then that means…"

Niko – "Michael actually has four sisters."

Everyone besides Michael looked at Niko like she was crazy.

Guy – "Don't you mean three sisters?"

Niko – "No I truly mean four."

Tear – "Who's the fourth then?"

Michael – "Mordred."

Niko – "Exactly."

Natalia – "Who's Mordred?"

Michael – "Well…"

Michael and Niko explained how a bizarre set of circumstances led to Artoria creating a child. This in turn led to the named child, Mordred, being born. Most of the party understood what the circumstances that Michael and Niko were talking about truly were, and said nothing about them. Those that didn't understand were told that it would be explained to them when they were older.

Legretta – "So let me see if I have this right. Under the Pendragon name, Artoria and Mordred are mother and daughter to each other, while under the Masi name, they're both your and Akira's sisters, with the ages being Artoria at 24, Hilda at 20, and you and Mordred at 18, with Mordred being a few months younger than you."

Michael – "Yep. And not only that, but despite the fact that Akira and I are twins, she's around a year younger than me."

Sheena – "Is that true Akira?"

Akira – "Pretty much."

Kyoshi – "And to think that Legretta's still the oldest of the seven of us at 26."

Legretta – "Don't rub it in Kyoshi."

Kyoshi – "Sorry…"

Michael – "Anyway. Niko. Don't mind seeing what Servant classes Akira is a part of?"

Niko – "Not at all."

Niko inserted Akira's name into the Servant database, and what it showed was a big surprise to the others.

Akira's Servant Classes: Saber, Lancer, Archer, Rider, Caster, Assassin, Berserker, Gunner, Foreigner

Tear – "And to think that we said it was crazy that Michael was a member of every servant class. But his sister as well is just too much."

Luke – "I think it fits. After all, they ARE twins."

Guy – "That's true."

Natalia – "What about the rest of their sisters then?"

Niko – "I've been looking throughout the entire servant database I have here on my tablet, and while Artoria and Mordred ARE on here, Hilda ISN'T."

Luke suddenly had an idea.

Luke – "Michael. Any chance you could try bringing out Hilda's sword?"

Michael – "Sure."

Michael brought out Hilda's blade, which was then followed by a scream from Tamamo while she was in Kyoshi's pendent. Tamamo then quickly appeared out of said pendent.

Kyoshi – "What's the matter Tamamo?"

Tamamo – "This sword… It's Nero!"

Niko/Michael – "WHAT?!"

Sylvia – "Who's Nero?"

Michael – "Nero Claudius is another Saber Class Servant. Most of the time she's completely high-energy, although that can also lead to her being a bit too full of herself."

Tamamo – "Not to mention she also has a bit of an over-inflated ego."

Niko – "Agreed. Anyway, the main question is why does Hilda have Nero's sword?"

Realization quickly hit the three like a truck.

Niko/Tamamo/Michael – "NO WAY!"

Kyoshi – "What is it?"

Niko – "As strange as this may sound sis, but the three of us are thinking that Hilda and Nero are in the same situation as you and Tamamo."

Legretta – "So what you three are saying…is that Hilda is a reincarnated Heroic Spirit."

Sheena – "And in this case, that Heroic Spirit is Nero."

Michael – "Yes and yes. Now that we have another mystery solved, why don't you plug in the new data Niko?"

Niko – "Sure thing."

Niko put the new data into her tablet, showing the current Servant Classes for Artoria, Mordred, and Hilda.

Artoria's Servant Classes: Saber, Lancer, Archer, Rider, Assassin, Ruler, Foreigner

Mordred's Servant Classes: Saber, Rider, Berserker

Hilda's Servant Classes: Saber, Caster

Arietta – "Wow. Didn't expect the three of them to each be a part of at least two Servant Classes."

Anise – "Same here."

Michael – "Soul! Can you come out here for a sec?"

Soul appeared next to Michael.

Soul – "What do you need Michael?"

Michael – "First off, this is my twin sister Akira. Akira, this is Soul."

Akira – "Nice to meet you Soul. And thank you for watching over my big brother."

Soul – "Nice to meet you too Akira. And don't mention it. Besides, your big brother's strong enough regardless if I help him or not."

Michael – "Thank you Soul."

Soul – "Not at all. So what else do you need?"

Michael – "Punch Akira."

Soul could only stare at Michael in complete shock due to the command she was just given.

Soul – "Are You Crazy?! You're Sister Hasn't Done Anything Bad To Me!"

Akira – "Just trust Michael, Soul. He knows what he's doing."

Soul then stared at Akira like she was just as crazy as her brother. She then finally gave in.

Soul – "Fine…"

Soul then returned to Michael's pendent.

Michael – "What's the matter Soul?"

Soul – "Don't tell me that you don't think a vocal command is better suited for the current situation."

Michael – "Fair enough. Soul Platinum!"

Soul – "ORA!"

Just as Soul's punch was a few inches from hitting Akira's face, it was stopped by women's arm that seemed to be attached to Akira's left shoulder. Everyone besides the Masi siblings were completely shocked at Soul's punch being stopped.

Michael – "Like I figured. If Akira is truly my sister, then no doubt she already has a Soul Dragon. Pull her out here Soul."

Soul – "Right."

Soul then quickly grabbed the arm in front of Akira's face, followed by pulling the arm towards her. From out of Akira's body came a woman that looked like Soul, but her wings, tail, hair, and eyes were all the same green as Akira's crest. She then shook her head and opened her eyes.

? – "Thank goodness to finally be out of that jumbled mess. Nice to see that you're okay Lady Akira."

Akira – "Same to you Tempest."

Michael – "That's her name?"

Tempest – "And just who are these two?"

Akira – "FYI, Tempest, this is my twin big brother Michael. And the woman next to him is Soul, his Soul Dragon."

Tempest imminently realized her mistake and was apologizing for her brash rudeness.

Tempest – "I'm so sorry for my rudeness. That was completely uncalled for."

Michael – "It's not a problem Tempest. We can't truly blame you for acting that way."

Soul – "By the way Akira, what's Tempest's name when she acts as your Stand?"

Akira – "If the shockwave from when she stopped you earlier was any indication, it's Chaos Tempest."

Akira then looked towards her brother, who seemed lost in thought.

Legretta – "Something up Michael?"

Michael – "Huh? Oh, sorry. Something just came to me when Akira said her Soul Dragon's name."

Luke – "What it is?"

Michael – "Niko. That book of your's that talks about all the legends our families are tied to. Does it mention anything about each of the Fonic Dragons being tied to a certain weapon?"

Niko – "I think we saw an article in the book about that a few years ago, but never bothered to look at it again since then. Why do you ask?"

Michael – "Don't mind if I take a quick check on it?"

Niko – "Sure."

Niko pulled out said book, which stunned everyone else as it was around half the size of Niko's own bag. Michael took the book and quickly scanned it until he came across the article he was looking for. Just as he was about to start reading it, Niko let out a quick shriek.

Kyoshi – "What's wrong sis?"

Niko was looking at her tablet to see how far away Mohs was from Baticul, since that was where she and Michael figured that he would go first.

Niko – "It's Mohs! He's halfway to Baticul already!"

Tear – "Just great. Now how do we catch him?"

Michael – "Simple really. I just run to catch up and pass him. Hopefully I should be able to convince BOTH King Ingobert AND Emperor Peony to not listen to Mohs at all."

Arietta – "How are you gonna convince both of them?"

Michael – "You'll see."

Niko – "And just how are you gonna get to Baticul before Mohs?"

Michael – "Don't tell me you've forgotten that I can do that Niko?"

Niko took a second, then suddenly facepalmed at her honest case of forgetfulness.

Niko – "Sorry Michael. My bad."

Michael – "Don't worry about it. Anyway, just make sure that everything is ready for me."

Niko – "Can do!"

While Niko made some calls, Michael did some stretching. The others were wondering what Michael needed to stretch for.

Niko – "Everything's ready for you Michael."

Michael – "Thanks Niko."

Akira – "So where are you gonna start running from?"

Michael – "Halfway between Daath and here."

Everyone's jaw dropped at Michael's starting point as he ran towards it. Michael then did a few more stretches once he was there. Meanwhile the others were betting on how long it would take Michael to reach Baticul. Most of them said around a couple of hours. Nearly all of Marcel's party said that Michael could do it in under seven minutes, shocking everyone else. Then Niko made the biggest bet yet.

Kyoshi – "What about you then sis?"

Niko – "I say he'll do it in under four minutes."

(Insert Music: Sonic Forces OST – Sunset Heights (SilvaGunner Edition))

Michael started off as a runner normally would. Once he reached a certain speed, his arms were behind him with his fists closed. The rest of the Party also noticed the pod-like object with something inside it.

Sheena – "What's inside the pod Niko?"

Niko – "Wisps."

Marta – "Wisps?"

Sylvia – "Just watch and you'll understand what happens."

However, those in the Party weren't the only ones watching. All of class 1-A at U.A. and Sakura's group in Fuyuki were watching as well. (This was mostly due to Izuku, Katsuki, and Sakura's influence.)

Villager – "Here he comes!"

Everyone watched as Michael ran into the pod, making it open up and causing the wisps to rush into Michael's body. However, the area of space between the wisps' pod and the end of the pier was very short. But, the one thing that most people make a mistake about when it comes to Michael…

Legretta – "He's gonna fall in!"

…is that he always finds a way to shock everyone around him with his unmatched strength and wits.

Michael – "Time to kick things up a notch."

As Michael took his last full step before the end of the pier, he suddenly blasted off of it like a rocket as he ran across the water without any problems.

Kyoshi – "Just how is he doing this?!"

Niko – "Simple really. His mother Tracie and I were able to make a computer chip and insert it into his shoes that lets him speedrun wherever he wants to."

Sheena – "Speedrun? What's that?"

Niko – "Sync! You know what Parkour is right?"

Sync – "Yeah. It's freelance running, using objects like walls and roofs to help you get from Point A to Point B. In fact, I've seen Michael do it so many times before that he actually got me hooked on doing it, so I practice doing it in my free time. So I'm guessing then that speedrunning is a high-speed version of it?"

Niko – "That's right. The computer chip emits a special force field around Michael's body so he doesn't feel the G-Forces while he's speedrunning. Pretty sure he's faster than Sonic."

Regal – "Who's Sonic?"

Niko – "A blue-furred bipedal hedgehog that supposedly 'runs at the speed of sound'. He's a good friend of Michael's and the whole reason that Michael started speedrunning in the first place."

Raine – "How fast is Sonic?"

Niko – "From what Michael and I discovered, he runs normally at around 765 MPH, and around 1,050 MPH while boosting. Which to me is still surprising since Sonic stands at 3'3"."

Akira – "Does my brother run at the same speeds?"

Niko – "No. Compared to Sonic, Michael has way more mass and is taller than Sonic. To be exact, Michael is nearly 5x heavier than Sonic and is almost double Sonic's height. That's why when he does a speedrun, Michael's normal and boosting speeds are 2.5x what Sonic can do."

Everyone was stunned silent at what they heard. However, Niko wasn't done yet.

Niko – "That's also why I lied."

Luke – "What did you lie about?"

Niko – "When I said that Michael could reach Baticul from here by speedrunning in under four minutes, those calculations were done with Sonic's speed metrics. But with his own speed metrics…"

The silence was completely tense.

Niko – "…Michael could easily do it in under 90 seconds."

Niko let that bit of info sink in. Now the others knew that Michael was never someone to truly mess with. Meanwhile, Michael was happily running across the water. He then got a call from Niko.

Michael – "What's up Niko?"

Niko – "I just took a quick look, and the ferry that Mohs is on hasn't started turning towards Baticul yet. If you're quick enough, you can rush past the ferry and give Mohs a bit of a 'surprise present', so to speak."

Michael – "Alright then. Thanks Niko."

Niko – "One more thing. I already went ahead and told Baticul's harbor master about you showing up. Once you're within range, just let out a whistle for them, and they'll take care of the rest from there."

Michael – "Copy that Niko. See you later then."

Niko – "Right. Over and out."

Michael continued smashing his way through the robots on the islands in front of him. Soon, he came upon the ferry that Mohs was on.

Michael – "There you are."

Michael first went towards the starboard (right) side of the ferry, then did a boost drift around the port side, causing a wave which made the ferry to rock. Mohs was on the deck of the ferry when this happened, and everyone watched as the rocking of the ferry caused Mohs to fall on his rear end. This caused everyone watching to laugh hysterically at Mohs' own embarrassment.

Arietta – "Nice one Michael!"

Anise – "Yeah! Let him have it!"

Michael joined in the laughter as well. He then saw the spring bumper that would take him to Baticul's harbor.

Michael – "Here goes nothing then."

Michael was launched off the spring bumper towards the harbor. He then let off a whistle, which the harbor master clearly heard.

Harbor Master – "Here he comes, guys and girls! Let's move, move, move!"

Everyone watching were completely amazed as Baticul's harbor was quickly transformed into a speedrun course section. Once Michael hit the ground near the end of the pier, he blasted off with a boost along the pier, followed by running up a ramp, hitting a spring bumper to fly through three large rings (first two orange and final one rainbow), then hitting another spring bumper after doing a few tricks to refill and expand his boost meter, before finally doing a homing attack on the start of a rail and grinding along it. The rail is also connected to the cable that the air car monorail system uses.

Michael – "Thanks guys!"

Michael then continued along the cable before coming to the end of it. He then used a bunch of boost pads to take a tight right turn and run across the bridge leading out of Baticul.

Natalia – "Why is he leaving Baticul?"

Marcel – "To get a running start."

While Michael was running across the bridge, everyone else watched as the center staircase that led to the lower elevator quickly changed into a ramp. Once he was off the bridge, Michael made a super quick 180 degree drift turn and ran back across the bridge towards the ramp. Everyone thought that Michael was gonna run INTO the ramp and injure himself, but instead he ran UP the ramp and along the side of the elevator shaft.

Genis – "That is so cool!"

Michael continued running along the side of the elevator shaft as he dodged lasers that were fired by enemy robots, which Niko also confirmed would only harm Michael. At the top of the elevator Michael rode a rail in a small loop and let him return to solid ground. He then did a quick s-curve up a small flight of stairs, followed by hitting another spring bumper to run along the front side of the other elevator shaft. Michael then rode a short rail off the elevator before doing a full circle around the fountain outside of the castle and finished in front of the castle's doors.

(Music Ends)

Time: 1:15.483

Rings: 284

Score: 30,385

Rank: S

Michael – "Sweet!"

The video feed ended once Michael entered the castle.

Luke – "So what now?"

Niko – "Let's split up from here. Half of us will go to see Emperor Peony, while the others talk with King Ingobert."

Legretta – "Sounds better than doing nothing."

One half of the Party consisting of Guy, Mary, Niko, Gelda, Jade, Arietta, Anise, Dist, Raine, Genus, Sync, Zelos, and Presea, with Gelda leading and Jade as her second in command, would head towards Grand Chokmah and talk with Emperor Peony, while the other half of the Party, with Legretta leading and Luke as her second in command, would join back up with Michael and try to assist him with King Ingobert. After a few hours, Legretta and Luke's half of the Party made it to Baticul. They quickly made their way up to the throne room. As they burst in, they saw that Mohs was already talking to King Ingobert.

Luke – "We're too late!"

Mohs turned and looked at the Party with a smug look on his face.

Mohs – "Looks like you all finally showed up. Too bad there's nothing any of you can do about it."

Ingobert looked at the scene in front of him, but said nothing.

Mohs – "Now then, King Ingobert. As we were discussing?"

Ingobert – "Yes Mohs. We've thought long and hard about what you said."

Mohs – "And?"

Ingobert – "We've decided…"

Mohs turned to face away from King Ingobert, falsely believing that he had already won.

Ingobert – "…That NEITHER country will go to war at all!"

Realization quickly dawned on Mohs's face.

Mohs – "Wh-What is the meaning of this?! But the Score stated that…"

Ingobert – "Don't you DARE use the Score as an excuse for your own stupidity! As far as Emperor Peony and I are concerned, all three nations of Aldurant should've done what the Masi's and Bradshaw's had already done a long time ago, and that's NOT follow the Score at all! Am I wrong Peony?"

A screen appeared next to Ingobert's head, showing Peony, along with the other half of the party in the room with him.

Peony – "No Ingobert. You hit the nail right on the head. Like you said, if we didn't follow the Score at all, all of Aldurant would be a lot better than it is right now. It's only thanks to the Masi family that things are still truly peaceful."

Ion – "I second that notion."

Mohs – "But still, either Lord John or Lady Tracie would've done the peace talking since their son is dead."

Ingobert – "True. But they found someone else to do it for them."

Mohs – "Who?"

? – "Me."

A male individual with black hair and brown eyes stepped out from behind Ingobert's throne. Everyone already knew who he was. The individual then smirked at Mohs.

Michael – "Hello Mohs."