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Phantom Thief of Hearts- I will not be including Humarise, or really any of the movie characters and plotlines in this story. I've planned this story without their inclusion, and it would be awkward to restructure my entire story plan to include them now.

grantwalker581- I think you'll get to see hints about that in this very chapter :)

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Disclaimer: I do not own My Hero Academia or any Fate works, and they are the properties of their respective creators.

False Prologue II: The Fatal First Night

Zelretch's Archive, The Clock Tower
Present Day

The Archive of the Wizard Marshal, Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg.

For most Magi, the chance to visit such a fascinating location sounded like a dream come true. But currently, that archive was Luviagelita Edelfelt's biggest adversary.

Thanks to his mastery of the Second Magic, the Wizard Marshal had collected a large assortment of "souvenirs" from other universes. A majority of said objects eventually found themselves stored here in his archive.

While some of the items he had collected over the centuries were indeed priceless artifacts of untold power, the vast majority of the items were both unremarkable and useless.

As she inventoried the next row of items, Luvia sighed in frustration as she opened up yet another box of bobbleheads.

"Not another crate of these strange dolls… oh, if only my beloved Shero was here…"

Normally, the inventorying would not be this troublesome. Ordinarily, Rin Tohsaka and Shiro Emiya would be there to assist her in the task, and Luvia would be able to pass the time trying to once again convince Shiro to contract with the Edelfelts.

Unfortunately for Luvia, an urgent matter involving the Matou Estate's wards had pulled both Rin and Shiro back to Fuyuki to investigate what was going on.

As she counted through the bobbleheads (which were immune to any sort of counting magecrafts, for some reason), Luvia sighed again. This was not what she imagined would be part of this apprenticeship.

Luvia, like the rest of the Clock Tower when the news came out, had been shocked when she and Rin Tohsaka had been offered to study under Zelretch himself. It had been a once-in-a-century opportunity: an apprenticeship with a genuine True Magic user.

The announcement had caused so much buzz within the Clock Tower that even Barthomeloi Lorelei had caught interest. In the weeks that followed, Luvia and Rin were questioned by peers and teachers alike, and even Shiro had been interrogated by a few people.

There had been numerous theories on the vampire's motives, but most focused on the Tohsaka family's connection to Zelretch through Rin's ancestor, Nagato Tohsaka. Perhaps the Wizard Marshal saw the same qualities of his former apprentice in her. As for Luvia, the answer was less certain. While the Edelfelts did not learn their Jewel Magecraft directly under Zelretch, they had plenty of history with the Tohsaka. Although Luvia loathed to acknowledge it, one of her ancestors had actually married into the Tohsaka clan. So perhaps her talents had interested the Old Man of the Jewels in the same ways that Rin's had.

But pondering rumors did little to help Luvia distract herself from the monotony of her current task. Thus, her eyes began to wander in her boredom, ultimately falling upon a glass case in the center of the archive.

Some point after acquiring the Second Magic, Zelretch had experimented to see if the True Magic could be channeled in a method other than his signature Jeweled Sword. The result of that experiment was two Mystic Codes called the Kaleidosticks, which could transform their wielder into one of their alternate selves and draw on nigh-limitless quantities of magical energy.

At the start of Rin and Luvia's apprenticeship, Zelretch had placed the Kaleidosticks in the glass case "as a motivator". Once the two finished their primary studies under the tutelage of Lord El-Melloi II, the Mystic Codes would be theirs to wield. At least, that had been the plan.

Instead, Luvia rushed over to see that the case was empty; the glass previously separating the Kaleidosticks from the rest of the archive was strewn across the floor.

The clipboard in Luvia's hand clattered to the floor as she rushed out of the room. The dullness of inventorying had been replaced by growing dread. She had to report this to Zelretch immediately. The Kaleidosticks had been stolen.

This was very, very bad.

U.A. High School, Mustafu
Day 1, Afternoon

'Well, that's certainly an impressive door.'

Standing outside a classroom door built to accommodate the largest of U.A.'s admittees, Itsuka Kendo prepared to enter her new classroom.

Kendo was a girl with eye-catching orange hair and teal eyes, clad in the standard gray U.A. uniform. Her colorful appearance had caused her to be mistaken for a foreigner, even in this era of fantastical appearances.

Filled with hopeful anticipation, Itsuka grabbed the door handle and pushed open the classroom door, eager to meet all of her wonderful new classmates.

"Remove your foot from that desk! Such actions are insulting to those who came to U.A. before us– not to mention the craftsman of such a fine desk!"

"Like I care about your opinion, four-eyes! What middle school made you think you're better than me, huh?"

Itsuka's daydream of a friendly classroom environment was instantly shattered by two students arguing near the front row.

The first boy who had spoken had dark blue hair and a pair of rectangular glasses.

"I am from Somei Private Academy! My name is Tenya Iida!"

'Iida? I feel like I've heard that name somewhere before. Well, he seems a bit intense… maybe it's just first-day stress? As for the other one…'

"Somei? A stuck-up elitist then? Just you wait till I blow you to bits!"

Itsuka suppressed a grumble as her eyes fell upon the second boy, which she unfortunately recognized.

The boy's name was Katsuki Bakugo. He was a boy with sandy hair and bright red eyes, and what seemed like a perpetual glare. Unlike Iida's perfectly creased uniform, Bakugo's attire was far more sloppy, giving him a delinquent-like look. Combined with his explosive attitude, he reminded Itsuka of an unruly dog.

Kendo had met Bakugo roughly 11 months ago, during what was now called "The Sludge Villain Incident".

At the time, Kendo had been an ordinary middle school girl with dreams of heroism. It was by pure chance that she happened to be in Shizuoka that day on her way home from a martial arts tournament. Seeing the heroes do nothing to save a struggling boy, Kendo chose to risk her record to try and help him. While she hadn't succeeded, she did buy enough time for All Might to show up and save the day. She had been sent home with a pat on the back, a warning, and an angry tirade from Bakugo about how he didn't need saving. But the real surprise came afterward.

"Itsuka Kendo. I believe you are the one who should inherit my power."

Confronting Itsuka on her way to the train station, All Might revealed the nature of his Quirk and asked her to inherit it. For 10 months, she had trained under the No.1 Hero, building up her body and learning to mesh One For All and Big Fist. After getting second place in the entrance exam, Itsuka became part of one of U.A.'s heroic classes, Class 1-A. As did Bakugo, so it would seem.

Having said his piece to Bakugo, the disgruntled Iida made his way over to Kendo and bowed, "Apologies for that display. I am Tenya Iida, and it is a pleasure to meet another one of my future classmates."

Kendo rapidly waved her arms, "No, no. It's alright. I'm Itsuka Kendo, it's nice to meet you, Iida."

Bakugo snorted, "So you're here too, Fat Hands? You might have shown me up 11 months ago, but know this: I'll crush you if you get in my way!"

Not falling for his provocations, Itsuka walked away even as Bakugo yelled at her for ignoring him. Instead, she began looking for an open seat, settling on a spot behind a girl with dark purple hair and what looked like headphone jacks extending from her ears.

With a small wave, Itsuka caught the attention of the girl, "Nice to meet you. I'm Itsuka Kendo."

Looking up from her phone, the girl looked a bit surprised at getting talked to.

"Kyoka Jiro. Thanks for stopping their argument."

Kendo tilted her head, "Do you know them?"

Kyoka shook her head, "Nah. It's just my Quirk. Loud sounds give me a headache."

No longer paying attention to Kendo, Kyoka grumbled to herself, "Ugh… I hope not everyone at U.A. is this loud. I'm already gonna have to deal with Present Mic's classes…"

Leaving Kyoka be, Kendo pondered who their teacher might be; U.A. always left the teaching of its heroics course to Pro Heroes. Even many of the non-heroics courses were taught by Heroes, with only the general studies and business courses having classes with non-hero teachers.

'I don't think All Might will be our homeroom teacher though. No offense to him, but he's not exactly gifted at instructional matters.'

However, Itsuka didn't have to wait long to get her ponderings answered. A few minutes later, a grouchy voice rang out from the front areas of the classroom, startling a brown-haired girl standing near the door.

"You're all quite lax for Heroics students. Especially you, Uraraka. Heroes aren't in the business of being late, and class is no exception. Time is a precious resource, you're all going to need to be more rational with how you spend it."

Looking closer toward the front of the room, Kendo still couldn't find the source of the voice. Then, like a caterpillar wiggling on a leaf, a man in a bright yellow sleeping bag shimmied into view.

A few moments later, a messy-faced man with equally unkempt black hair crawled out of the sleeping bag. His lanky body was clad almost entirely in black, aside from some yellow clips at the waist and the large gray cloth wrapped like a scarf around his neck.

After a brief pause, the man continued. "I'm your homeroom teacher, Shota Aizawa. Pleased to meet you."

Their teacher's commanding presence made the silence in the room much more eerie. Like her fellow students, Kendo watched curiously as the scruffy man reached back into his sleeping bag. Pulling out a blue tracksuit emblazoned with white letters, Aizawa spoke to the whole class.

"Alright, we're doing this quickly. Take a gym uniform and head to the locker rooms to change. Then meet me outside at the General Athletic Grounds. It's time for your first exam."

Without giving them a chance to complain, the man turned and headed off, leaving the uniforms sitting on the front podium. One by one, Kendo and her new classmates each grabbed a gym uniform and headed to the locker rooms.

Inside the locker room, Kendo got changed into her new (and rather comfortable) gym clothes. Having a moment to spare, she decided to scope out her new classmates.

There was Jiro, whom she had met earlier, and Uraraka, the brunette Aizawa had called out, but there were also four she knew nothing about. The most ordinary of them was a girl with a large black ponytail, but the remaining three were each quite unique. First, there was a girl with green hair and frog-like features. The second girl seemed almost alien with her black sclera, pink skin, and horns. The final girl didn't even have an appearance to comment on, being entirely invisible.

'So, these are the girls I'll be getting to know this year? Well, at least they look friendly.'

Putting her standard uniform into one of the lockers, Kendo and the others made their way to the grounds outside U.A.'s General Athletics Center.

Seeing that everyone was there, Aizawa took out a softball and some sort of tablet, "Could have changed faster, but not bad. Now, listen up. We're going to be conducting a test of our Quirks."

Uraraka raised her hand, "But Mr. Aizawa? What about the entrance ceremony? Or the guidance sessions?"

"Useless. There's no point wasting time on such formalities if you want to become heroes."

Aizawa tossed the softball once before continuing, "U.A. is known for its 'Freestyle' Educational System, and I use that freedom to its fullest. This is heroics, if you wanted an ordinary high school experience, you shouldn't be here."

Aizawa pointed at Bakugo, "Bakugo. You scored highest on the Entrance Exam, so you'll be our example".

As the blonde-haired boy walked up, Aizawa explained what was happening further. "This exam will just be like those athletic tests in middle school. But there's a catch. Unlike traditional education, you'll be allowed to use your Quirks in these tests. Give it all you got."

Pausing briefly, the scruffy-looking teacher continued, "Bakugo. How far could you throw a softball in middle school?"

The boy grunted, "Sixty-seven meters."

Satisfied with Bakugo's response, Aizawa tossed him the softball, "Admittedly, not bad. But this time, try it with your Quirk. Just don't leave the circle, or I'll void your score."

Bakugo grinned and he wound up his arm, pitching the ball into the air. As he did so, he simultaneously ignited a massive explosion from his hand, "DIE!"

Kendo heard a black-haired boy with strange elbows mutter to her right, "Did he say 'die?'"

Aizawa ignored the chatter, "It's important for us to know our limits. It's the first rational step to figuring out if you're hero material."

Turning around his tablet, Aizawa showed the result to the class: 705.2m.

The number caused Class 1-A to erupt into chatter. The pink-skinned girl and a yellow-haired boy looked the most excited.

"705 meters? That's wild!"

"We can use our Quirks! The Hero Course is so great!"

"This is gonna be super fun!"

Hearing the last statement, Aizawa turned, giving the class a chilling glare, "So, you think this will be… fun? You're hoping to become heroes in a mere three years… you think there's time for fun and games?"

Although Aizawa's voice was calm, his underlying anger was palpable, "Very well, let's make this a game then, just like you think it is. I hereby declare that the student who scores the lowest across the eight tests in today's exercise… will be expelled."

Several students paled as Aizawa continued, "In case you think I'm bluffing, I'll have you know… I've expelled a total of 54 students in my tenure here at U.A. Today we're going to make that 55."

Aizawa's gaze fell on Kendo as she gave her teacher a defiant stare, "Welcome to the Hero Course. Let's see what you're all made of."

Nomu Factory, Kamino
Day 1, Evening

In the industrial region of Kamino, there was a certain building.

To the locals, this building was nothing more than a dilapidated warehouse; but beneath its rusty exterior, it held a terrible secret. The interior of the warehouse was filled with bubbling vats, each containing modified humans, Nomus, which silently awaited activation. Deeper in the warehouse, in a secluded underground chamber, sat a man.

The man's name was something few knew, but it was not as though he had answered to it anymore. Instead, he went by a moniker that he had carried for over a century: All For One.

The Symbol of Evil, the creator of the League of Villains, and now… a Master. Although he no longer had eyes with which to see, he could still feel the world around him through various stolen Quirks. The ancient villain gestured his arm, upon which was a set of crown-shaped Command Spells, at a nearby device. Activating a machine manipulation Quirk he had stolen over two decades ago, the device briefly glowed with harmless purple sparks. Lowering his arm, All For One could hear the distinct crackle of an audio connection filling the room.

On the other side of the connection, the faint sound of clinking glass could be heard. Following the sound of a door slamming, a somewhat distorted voice began to come through.

"Ah, Master! I see you are awake."

"Indeed, Kurogiri. Now tell me, how are things in your bar?"

"Lancer is sleeping. Young Tomura just went upstairs." Kurogiri muttered faintly, "And he didn't disintegrate the door this time, thankfully…"

All For One chuckled, "Yes, I do believe enough doors have been lost this year. But on to business. What news does our little spy have for us?"

The sounds of running water and clinking dishes echoed in the background as Kurogiri continued, "As you anticipated, Class-1-B was assigned to Vlad King and Class 1-A was assigned to Eraserhead. It also seems that he has already expelled a student— a girl named Toru Hagakure. Our spy says she has some sort of invisibility Quirk."

All For One mused for a moment, "Invisibility… while we could capitalize on a potential grudge against U.A., her ability would make it far too easy to betray us. I believe it best to not recruit her, especially not so soon. Eraserhead has been known to rescind his expulsions. Now, onto our primary discussion."

"The Holy Grail War."

"Indeed, Kurogiri. The first night of the war is nearly upon us. However, it is critical we do not take any actions just yet."

Ever since his defeat at the hands of All Might, All For One had opted to remain in the shadows, building up his strength. Normally, he would not have participated in such a potentially noticeable conflict, even with the plan to have Kurogiri masquerade as Lancer's Master. But he was greedy, and the possibility of granting a wish was too enticing to refuse.

His plans with U.A. and young Tomura would no doubt experience delays, but All For One saw this as something of little concern. There were many opportunities for Tomura to grow, and perhaps, his apprentice could learn something from this seven-day war.

After speaking with his lieutenant a while longer, All For One deactivated the Quirk. As the speaker shut off with a mechanical whine, the room became quiet once again. Strumming his hand against the chair, the Symbol of Evil's scarred face contorted into a malicious grin. Japan was approaching a state of upheaval. Soon enough, Japan— no, the entire world, would be within his grasp.

Okazaki, Aichi Prefecture
Day 1, Night

The air was still and silent, except for a faint singing that echoed through the night.

As the residents of Okazaki's wealthy suburbs retired for the night, a man continued to hum his quiet melody from the rooftops.

Assassin: Heroic Spirit of Stealth and Murder.

If someone were to describe this particular Assassin, unnerving would be a fitting term. He was a well-kept man with combed black hair, clad in the attire of a nineteenth-century Frenchman. It would be wrong to call him unattractive, but he was not a comfortable sight, with skin as pale as bone. The mask that covered half his face, depicting a sort of demonic clown, only made him more unsettling.

As he looked upon the Yaoyorozu Estate, Assassin's tattered cloak flowed gently in the night's breeze. Pushing himself on the roof of a neighboring home, Assassin vaulted high into the air with an acrobat's grace. Easily clearing the walls around the estate with silent precision, he landed soundlessly in the gardens outside the main building. But before he could move beyond the gardens, a voice called out to him from the darkness.

"Already skulking around on the first night?"

Assassin calmly turned to his right and watched as a Servant with violet hair and Grecian armor materialized on the other side of a small pond. Striding forward, the Servant paid no mind to the obstacle in his path as he approached Assassin. In complete defiance of physical law, Saber walked upon the water's surface as if it was merely ordinary ground.

'The ability to walk on water…' Assassin mused, 'How interesting…'

Peering at the golden sword in the Servant's hand, Assassin put a hand by his nose as if fixing a pair of invisible glasses, "Saber, I presume?"

"It seems my Master was right to have me investigate the Yaoyorozu family estate. Have you come to kill them, Assassin?" Saber said, ignoring the inquiry.

Assassin chuckled. "Such lack of decorum. I shall take your lack of response as confirmation of your class. But your accusation is not quite right, Saber. As the Yaoyorozu family still has no Servant, my Master simply wished for me to… speed up the process. Killing is not my goal on this first night."

Choosing not to reply, Saber narrowed his eyes as he readied his blade. Then, pushing off the water of the pond, he shot forward. Swinging his sword with incredible speed, Saber's blade headed towards Assassin's chest. Any normal human would have been cut down instantly, but not a swift Servant like Assassin. Dodging with inhuman speed, Assassin pulled off his gloves. The moment they were removed, Assassin's hands began to bubble violently, giving Saber pause. The violet-haired warrior watched in morbid fascination as Assassin's hands erupted in a whirl of blood and viscera. In place of human hands, Assassin was now armed with his own weapon, a set of monstrous claws. Despite the bloody transformation, Assassin seemed unperturbed. Instead, he bowed mockingly to his fellow Servant.

"Very well, Saber. Let us see what violence we can bring to the first act."

Yaoyorozu Estate, Aichi Prefecture
Day 1, Night

Dressed in her nightgown, Momo Yaoyorozu wandered the halls of the vast mansion she called home. Despite the serenity of the night, Momo had found herself unable to sleep, and so had decided to pass the time till morning reading in the family library.

Momo was a quiet girl, having always found solace in the worlds written within books. Through books, she was able to escape her dysfunctional family life and the scorn of her peers. Sometimes, she wished she had the courage to tell them the truth. She did not want to be the lonely heiress. She wanted a family to love and friends to laugh alongside.

As Momo passed her father's study, a strange odor made her stop. It was the smell of cigarette smoke, but there was also a strong tang of metal.

In retrospect, her next action had been quite foolish; whatever scene lay on the other side of those doors was not good. But instead, she had opened the doors to her father's study. The sight she saw was one she would never forget for the rest of her life.

On the floor lay the bodies of her mother and father, both having small pools of blood forming around their heads. Lounging atop her father's desk was a man Momo had never seen before. For a man who had been caught in a room with two corpses, he was remarkably calm. The man had spiky bronze hair and was smoking a cigarette. In one of his hands was a small handgun, which he was absentmindedly twirling around.

The man's name was Kashiko Kashi, a hitman operating under the alias "Kilter". Wanted across Japan for numerous political assassinations, he was a rising star in the world of professional killing. He had been at the cusp of being captured and shipped off to Tartarus, but it seemed fortune was on Kashi's side. As a result of this very job, he had managed to evade a police raid on his hideout in Nagano Prefecture.

Seeing Momo enter the room, Kashi sighed, "Well that's unfortunate. The prodigal daughter shows up after all. Real shame, that."

With a puff of his cigarette, the assassin stared Momo dead in the eyes. "To be honest, I was only hired to eliminate your parents. My employer didn't have any requests regarding you."

He paused, "However, I don't like witnesses. So, time to die, princess."

As Kashi raised his gun, Momo's mind kicked back into gear. Almost entirely on instinct, she activated her Quirk, generating a metal riot shield. The creation of the large object caused her nightgown to tear. Blocking the incoming bullets with her freshly made shield, Momo quickly grabbed a coat from her father's coat rack and fled. Slamming the doors shut behind her, she ran down the hall, holding the coat close to cover her ruined nightgown. In her panicked rush, she didn't notice the slight burning feeling coming from her hand. If she'd had the luxury to check, she would have seen a set of Command Spells forming on the back of her hand. But Momo didn't have that sort of time to spare, her mind focused solely on survival.

Moments later, the doors to Kenzo's office were blasted straight off their hinges. Glancing back for only a second, Momo could see Kashi's legs glowing with some sort of orange energy. Seeing the energy around the mercenary's legs bolstering, Momo's instincts screamed at her to dodge. With only inches to spare, she managed to avoid the steel-soled boot of Kashi, who barreled towards her like a cannonball. Luckily for her, Kashi had never been good at reigning in his Quirk, Blast Greaves. Having missed his target, the propulsive burst caused the man to instead hit an antique chair.

Seeing an opportunity to delay her pursuer, Momo crafted a large net. Pulling it from her skin, she threw it at the unprepared Kashi. As the assassin cursed and groped for his combat knife, she rushed towards a door in the middle of the hallway, slamming it closed behind her.

Cutting himself free, Kashi took another puff of his cigarette before dropping it to the floor. Stamping the embers out, he grumbled to himself.

"I'll admit she got me on that one. All my recent jobs had no real action… I've been getting sloppy."

Reorienting himself, Kashi surveyed the hallway, his eyes falling on the door Momo had gone through. Opening it, he found himself in a vast library that connected to the floor below. However, he knew enough about the mansion's layout to be aware that there was no first-floor exit from the library.

'So, she intends to ambush me, does she? Well, unfortunately for her…'

Jumping down, Kashi activated Blast Greaves at full power, sending bookshelves flying as a wave of kinetic energy emanated out from his landing. Hearing a cry of pain, he looked over to see Momo pinned under several bookshelves.

"Well, princess, I'm afraid the chase ends here."

Redrawing his gun, Kashi pointed it at the pinned Momo.

Before he could fire, one of Momo's hands began to glow with red light. Like a flashbang going off, the space in front of him was filled with white light and smoke.

'What the hell was that? She was practically unconscious, she couldn't have made anything! Did she set a trap for me?'

As the light dimmed and smoke began to clear, Momo weakly looked ahead. What she saw made her eyes widen in surprise.

Between her and Kashi was the strangest person she had ever seen. They were an androgynous-looking youth with pink hair and a long ponytail, both decorated with black bows. Their attire was both regal and functional, consisting primarily of a black doublet dotted with pieces of white and gold armor. At their waist was a sheathed sword, and around their body was a large white cloak.

Facing Momo, the newcomer introduced themself with a small bow and a smile, unconcerned with the armed man behind them.

"Hello, Master! As per your summons I, the Servant Rider, have come forth!"

Upon noticing Momo's current state, Rider paused his speech, "Ahh well, we can do introductions in a bit! Let's get you out of that book pile, Master!"

Bounding forward, Rider grabbed the bookshelf, and with surprising ease, threw it over to the side of the library.

Cringing at the loud crash as it landed, Rider looked slightly sheepish, "Ah… maybe I shouldn't have thrown that?"

Before Rider could continue their antics, a large bang resounded through the library. Narrowly avoiding the bullet from Kashi's gun, Astolfo turned to see the mercenary looking at him with a slightly crazed expression.

"I don't know who the hell you are, but I'm not gonna play around anymore— I'll kill you both right now!"

Firing his gun several times, Kashi's bullets raced through the air towards Rider. But to the hitman's shock, Rider weaved around the bullets with superhuman speed, moving into close range. Before he could react, Rider struck him with a single armored fist. Spiraling through the air, Kashi landed on another pile of broken bookshelves. With an impactful crash, the mercenary was knocked unconscious, his gun clattering to the floor.

"I'll tie him up later, but that ought to handle him for a while! Now it's time for my introduction!."

Turning to face Momo, who had begun to slowly pick herself up from the ground, Rider bowed.

"I am Rider, Astolfo the Paladin, summoned to aid you in gaining victory in the Holy Grail War!"

Astolfo stopped and smacked his head. "Wait, I forgot! Do I need to explain things from the beginning? But, then again, what would the beginning be exactly?"

Before Rider could get any clarification, Momo's exhaustion caught up with her. With her awareness slipping away, the black-haired girl slumped to the floor unconscious.

Rider sheepishly glanced at his now-prone Master. "Welp, guess I'll tell her later. Now, I should probably go find a bed or something. Then I'll need to find something to tie that guy up with."

Picking up the slumbering girl, Rider carried Momo out of the ruined library, feeling her slow breaths on the back of his neck.

The last two participants in this False War had been decided; the heiress who had lost her parents and the foolish paladin who followed his heart.

Seven Master, Seven Servants. The False Holy Grail War truly had begun.

FALSE RIDER: ASTOLFO

Unaware of the events unfolding inside the mansion, the two spirits in the garden continued their battle.

Ordinarily, a match between the Saber and Assassin class would have been a one-sided affair.

However, both of these particular Heroic Spirits possessed A-Rank Agility and B-Rank Strength. That, combined with their somewhat similar fighting styles, meant their battle up to now was largely even.

But Assassin knew it wouldn't last.

Ultimately, the decider came down to Endurance. By Assassin's rough estimation, Saber's Endurance was at least an entire rank above his own. Their Strength and Agility might be even, but eventually, the match would turn in Saber's favor. Furthermore, Saber's golden sword, likely a Noble Phantasm, seemed to be infused with some sort of curse or poison. The cuts Saber had landed were steadily making their mark, and he could feel his exhaustion growing.

Raising his claws to again block Saber's blade, Assassin's mind raced to determine his next action.

'My Master sent me here to ensure Rider's summoning, but, at this point, there is little chance I even make it to the mansion itself. Even if I was able to defeat Saber, some other servant could arrive and finish me off. There is no benefit in continuing this battle, but I need a better opening to escape.'

While dematerialization was a useful skill, it was something a servant could not have interrupted. If he were to try and exit the battle, with Saber so close, he likely would be cut down while astralizing. If Assassin wanted to escape, he needed distance. It was far from the best stratagem to showcase so early on, but he was out of options.

Sensing a change in Assassin's plan, Saber paused as his fellow Heroic Spirit brought his talons together as if in prayer. With an eerie euphony in his voice, the spirit of murder began to chant.

"Let us sing together…"

Realizing what was happening, Saber readied his blade, as the garden was drowned in Assassin's melancholic voice.

"Sing… Sing, my angel."

With a flourish, Assassin spread out his hands, his cloak swaying like black leaves.

Then, like a sweeping crescendo of evil, the Phantom of the Opera unleashed his cursed melody upon the battlefield.

"Noble Phantasm: Christine, Christine!"

FALSE ASSASSIN: PHANTOM OF THE OPERA

Fulmo Mountains, Aichi Prefecture
Day 1, Night

On the edges of Deika City lay a vast forested mountain region known as the Fulmo Mountains. Designated as a protected nature site, this area had long remained undisturbed from human contact.

That would not change tonight.

Beneath the surface of the mountains lay an extensive cave system, not unlike the ones found below Fuyuki's Ryuudou Temple.

It was a place that hadn't seen humans for centuries, with only the occasional wildlife journeying inside.

That would not change tonight.

Instead, as the energy of space was bent and the nascent ley lines of the world screamed, something truly sinister emerged from a vast pillar of kaleidoscopic light.

For a monster, he was dressed rather humanly. Over his lower body, he wore a pair of light gray dress pants. On his upper body, he wore a black dress shirt and a crisp light gray suit vest.

Despite his humanistic attire, it would be wrong to call this individual a human. But to call him a corpse would be too general.

He was far above such mortal designations. He was a being that had transcended his humanity to become something more.

The Dead Apostle Jester Karture.

With a grin framed by two fanged teeth and glowing blood-red eyes, the well-dressed monster walked through the isolated cavern. In his hand, he twirled a childish-looking wand.

In another timeline, seeking to awaken the Ultimate One of the Oort Cloud, Jester summoned the zealotic False Assassin within Snowfield. This was not that timeline.

Jester would not miss this tantalizing opportunity; the chance to see not one, but two worlds get turned on their heads. Stealing the Kaleidosticks, the Karture had crossed between the worlds, risking the ire of Zelretch himself. It mattered not that all seven servants had been summoned, Jester would find a way to insert himself into its flow.

Blowing a strand of his messy light gray hair out of his face, the Dead Apostle smirked with anticipation.

He couldn't wait to get started.

To be continued in Chapter 3: Six-Hearted Revolver

Servant Profiles: False Assassin
Bio:
Class: Assassin
Master: ::::::::::::::::::
True Name: Phantom of the Opera
Gender: Male
Alignment: Chaotic Evil

Stats:
Strength: B
Endurance: C
Agility: A
Mana: D
Luck: D
Noble Phantasm: B

Class Skills:
Presence Concealment: A

Personal Skills:
Innocent Monster: D
Alluring Euphony: B
Call from the Garnier: B+
Mental Pollution: A

Noble Phantasms:
Christine, Christine
Surely My Love Song Shall Resound Even Through Hell
Rank: B - B+
Type: Anti-Army