Chapter 4: The Battle on the Moonlit Night
Indiana Jones and Archer had hurried out of the church in order to not let Takina Tohsaka and her Servant Rider escape from the surrounding area. But once they were met by the return of the cold winter winds and the light coming from the moon shining above them…
… They could not find any trace of the children.
"Damn it! Archer! You go left! I'll go right!" Jones shouted as he was already hurrying in the direction that they had come from when traveling to the church. However, Archer was hesitant in obeying this particular order from his Master. That was because in the dead of night and with no people in sight is practically asking for trouble to occur.
"Master! I shall accompany you!" Archer yelled out through Jones though the latter did not hear the former as the archaeologist had already run out of sight in search of the girl in red.
'Step! Step! Step! Step! Step!' With each step, Indiana Jones ran like the wind. It didn't take long for Jones to reach a park that he and Takina had passed by when walking past the Fuyuki bridge. It was there that the archaeologist had found a young woman. However…
… This woman was not the one he was looking for.
'BAM!' Before Indiana Jones could blink a massive piece of ice was hurtling right at him! He had no time to process what was happening but even still the archaeologist used all of his speed to avoid attack!
'Whooosh!' Due to Jones being used to being in life-or-death situations and with enough luck, he narrowly avoided a huge block of ice! The piece of ice then soared throughout the air until it reached what was behind Jones.
'BAM!' That being a tree that was utterly obliterated off the face of the earth. Having avoided the attack, Jones was given enough time to process what was happening before his eyes. Takina and Rider were currently engaging in a battle with two women that seemed oddly familiar to the archaeologist.
"Damn. I missed." A woman with long blonde hair that was tied with a black bow in a dress that matched the color of said bow spoke with an emotionless look on her face.
"No worries. I'll kill him myself." A woman who was beside the woman in black spoke with a sadistic smile on her face. This woman looked exactly like the one who had tried to take the life of Jones. However, her clothing of choice was all white and it made her look like a bride on her wedding day.
However, that was beside the point. It wasn't the clothes that sparked memories for Jones. No. It was their faces. He had seen those two women before; he was sure of it. But where…
"… Ah! I-It couldn't be!" Jones blurted out with a surprised look on his face. He did not want to believe it but there was no room for doubt. Jones had met these two women on a night just like this one but not in Fuyuki, Japan…
… But in Venice, Italy!
"Eh? Luar… are you seeing what I'm seeing?" The woman in white spoke to her sister with a surprised look on her face. The woman in black stared at the man until she recalled him from two years ago.
"That man… there's no mistake. He's Dr. Jones." The woman named Luar spoke as her emotionless stare became a glare filled with daggers.
"Hahaha! Oh, this is priceless! To think that we would come across this wretched man again! This is clearly Fate granting us the opportunity to smite him! Don't you agree, Luar?!" The woman in white yelled out as she looked at the moonlit sky with a gleeful look on her face.
"My thoughts exactly, Lumia." Luar nodded in agreement as she locked hands with her sister.
"Now allow us to reintroduce ourselves. My name is Lumia." The woman in white named Lumia spoke as she bowed toward the archaeologist.
"And my name is Luar." Luar spoke as she did the same action.
"And we are the Edelfelt sisters." Lumia and Luar spoke in sync as they raised their bodies upward. And then…
"Now, die. Gandr." Lumia and Luar spoke in sync once more as they fired the magic known as Gandr simultaneously at the archaeologist!
'Whooosh!' The two shots of Magical Energy flew through the air faster than Jones could react! He had already pushed his luck before with the block of ice! However, this type of Magecraft was even faster! It was simply too fast for Jones to do anything about it!
'Crap!' Jones thought internally as the magical energy was about to come into contact with him! This was bad! Jones knew how powerful Gandr could be when used by the hands of an experienced Magician! Those two women had already shown him that on the night of two years ago! If he were to be hit by that magic, then he would surely be killed!
But what was there to do!? With only milliseconds left, there simply wasn't enough time to dodge the attacks! It was then that Jones recalled his trump cards! Those being the Command Spells on his right hand! However, the time issue remained! Even if Jones were to speak as fast as he could, he wouldn't even be able to utter the word 'by' before he was killed!
'T-There's no time left!' Jones thought internally as his time was about to run out by being pierced by the magic. When that happens, he would surely succumb to his injuries and perish! At this moment, Jones feared that his luck had truly run out. But then…
'BAM! BAM!' At the last possible second, Archer had reached his Master and used his staff to strike the Magical Energy! The mighty swings of Archer's staff caused the attacks to dissipate into thin air as if they were never there to begin with!
"You're going to have to do better than that if you desire to harm my Master." Archer spoke with a serious expression on his face as he stood in front of Jones. Archer's Master could only look at his Servant in awe over that showcase of his speed, strength, and impeccable timing.
'Damn… he really saved my ass.' Jones thought internally as sweat dripped from his forehead and down onto the ground below him as he was sure that he was going to meet his end until his Servant showed up to save him in the nick of time.
"I-Impossible. That novice actually managed to summon a Servant of his own?!" Lumia blurted out in shock as her sister was utterly speechless at this turn of events. The Edelfelt Sisters had thought they cornered their prey but now the tables have turned.
"That's enough. Since you two are women, beautiful ones I might add, I shall spare your lives. Now leave before I change my mind." Archer declared as he stabbed the bottom of his staff into the ground to illustrate his point. But even though time passed by…
… The two sisters did not budge an inch.
"Are you two mad?! Do you really desire to die when you are both so young?!" Archer shouted with a dumbfounded look on his face. However, the woman in white only donned a smug smile in response.
"Do you really think we are just taking a stroll in some backwater park just for the fun of it? You see we are also Masters in this Holy Grail War." Lumia revealed as her smile grew wicked.
"What?!" Archer yelled out in disbelief over this sudden turn of events!
'D-Did you not see that coming?' Jones thought internally as sweat dripped down his face profusely.
"Now it is time for you to get to work and kill that mosshead before he draws another breath, Avenger." Luar spoke as she ordered her Servant who was hidden from sight until suddenly someone emerged into clear view. It was then that Jones and Archer had come into contact with a monster.
Monster was the only way to describe what was right in front of them. The monster's body appeared to be human, a beautiful woman to be exact with long purple hair that would be able to charm almost any man. However, that was just part of it, what was around the beautiful woman were golden wings that made it clear she was part beast. But that wasn't even the worst part…
'Hsss! Hsss! Hsss! Hsss! Hsss!' The worst part being what appeared to be coming from her long purple hair which were menacing looking black snakes. They looked like if you were to even get remotely close to them, they would bite your neck and inject a venomous poison that would surely be the death of any man or possibly even some Servants for that matter.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Jones yelled out of terror as he stumbled to the ground. This caught the attention of his Servant.
"Master! What's wrong?! Are you hurt?!" Archer shouted with a serious look on his face. While David was convinced that his Master had suffered an injury, that wasn't the case. No. The truth of the matter was something that he would not be able to figure out because his Master had never divulged his deepest and darkest secret to him. That being…
"S-S-Snakes! W-W-Why did it have to be snakes?!" Jones blurted out with a petrified look on his face. The archaeologist attempted to stand back up but no matter how many times he tried; his legs wouldn't listen to his brain's commands.
"I see that you are still a coward when it comes to these reptiles. What? Are you scared that you'll get bitten? Oh, you poor little baby. Hahaha!" Lumia laughed in delight as she reveled at seeing the man she despised being utterly freighted by a few snakes.
"What are you waiting for Avenger? Kill them. Kill them now." Luar commanded with a face as cold as ice and a voice that matched it. But Avenger did not move a muscle. Instead, she turned her attention onto her Master in black.
"You dare think you can order me around you foolish mortal?!" Avenger snapped back as she attempted to attack her own Master! But not with her snakes. Instead, it appeared that she tried to use her eyes to kill the woman in black! As if looks could kill, the monster glared daggers at her Master. However, what happened next was unexpected to say the least.
"Blaugh!" Avenger groaned in agony as she coughed up blood and collapsed to the ground. Not even her snakes could bite Luar before she was anticlimactically defeated. Even though Luar didn't have to lay a finger on her, she was utterly speechless.
"Damn it! To think that you would try and disobey the Command Spell?! Well, I guess you got what you deserved, you monster!" Lumia yelled out with a smug smile on her face as she put her foot onto Gorgon's body.
'Hsss! Hsss! Hsss! Hsss! Hsss!' The snakes hissed at her and attempted to bite the woman in white but no matter how many times they got close, they couldn't reach her as if there were an invisible forcefield protruding around Lumia's foot.
"Master. I recommend that we take this chance to escape. In our current predicament, there isn't much we can do against that monster. And if my suspicions are true then the only way to defeat her would be to utilize my Ark, which we don't have on hand right now." Archer whispered into his Master's ear. That's right. The Ark of the Covenant was currently on the bed of the truck which was all the way at the Tohsaka Residence. Even if they desired to retrieve it and continue the fight, such an action would be pointless. Jones realized that.
"I agree. We'll finish this fight another time." Jones replied that fleeing even though it was cowardly was the best course of action to take. Not only that, but Jones wanted to get as far away as possible from the monster with snakes for hair.
"Then we are in agreement. It is time to…" Archer spoke but paused for a few seconds to turn his body to the opposite direction of the snake monster and her Masters. And then…
"… RUN FOR OUR LIVES!" Archer shouted at the top of his lungs as he bolted away from the three women. However, this caught the attention of the Edelfelt Sisters in the process.
"Why did you scream that?!" Jones yelled out with a dumbfounded look on his face as he had no choice but to run away as fast as possible in order to escape the beautiful but deadly women in the distance!
"Like I'd let you escape again." Luar spoke as she caught up to the Archaeologist with ease since she knew that Jones was one to flee from his enemies when he knew he did not have a chance at prevailing against them. After all, that was made clear in their encounter from two years ago.
"Acht!" Luar shouted as she unleashed a jewel from her fingertips! Jones had known of this attack because his late friend had used the same magic frequently on many of their adventures. However, his friend didn't just use Magecraft to protect himself…
A few years ago…
"Jones. I think it would be best that I teach you some basic Magecraft in order to defend yourself against other Mages." The words of Tatsuo resonated in the mind of Jones as he remembered the past for a brief moment in the present when the former and the latter were investigating a forest for lost treasure.
"Thanks for the offer. But I already know how to defend myself." Jones replied with a smirk on his face as he grabbed out his trusty revolver from his leather jacket. And then…
'Bang!' Shot at something in the distance. As the smoke from the pistol dissipated, a dead spider was revealed. Its life had been taken by the bullet that Jones had fired.
"Impressive. But just because you managed to kill an arachnid, doesn't mean you'll be able to fight against a Mage. To prove my point, why don't you fire your gun at me?" Tatsuo asked with a serious look on his face.
"Your serious?" Jones asked with a look of surprise on his face. In response, his friend nodded in affirmation. It had been years that Jones had known the man named Tatsuo Tohsaka. But he had been proven to be a trusty ally who always thought carefully. The archaeologist didn't want to admit it, but his friend's cautious demeanor had saved his life more times than he could count…
… And now he was asking him to shoot him point blank.
"Your funeral." Jones spoke sarcastically as he loaded his gun with a bullet and aimed it at his friend. And then…
'Bang!' Fired it sending a bullet that was all but guaranteed to take his life. However, Jones had trusted in his friend and knew that he was not one to be reckless. Even still, the archaeologist's eyes went wide as he heard the bullet fall unceremoniously to the ground.
"Ah!" Jones gasped as he noticed that the bullet had been disfigured to the point that all that remained was enough lead to make a coin. He was already aware that his friend was a talented magician, but this was…
"That's one hell of a magic trick." Jones blurted out of disbelief at what he had witnessed with his own eyes. In response, Tatsuo bowed forward like a magician who had completed their act on the stage. The mage then tossed something to the ground, a wooden stick, something that anyone can find on the ground in a forest. But then…
'Whooosh!' As the wooden stick came into contact with the ground it crumbled to pieces and scattered away into the wind. Now Jones was more confused than ever, did his friend actually use a piece of wood to defend himself against a piece of metal that would have surely destroyed the wood before piercing his body? It was utterly ridiculous, but it was the only logical explanation.
"I just performed Reinforcement Magecraft by using my own Od to reinforce the wooden stick to the point that it would be able to defend me from your bullet. The results speak for themselves." Tatsuo explained in a way that his friend would be able to understand.
Jones knew that Od was a person's own Magical Energy while Mana was the Magical Energy in the air. Both could be used to defend and attack but, in this case, a person's own Magical Energy was better utilized to reinforce an object. The only thing that had alluded him was how to use his Od to perform the feat that his friend had just performed.
"I see. But how am I supposed to do that?" Jones asked with a confused look on his face. The archaeologist had never performed a feat of Magecraft up to this point after all.
"Simple. First, relax your muscles. Second, let the Od flow throughout your body. Finally, focus all the Od onto any object of your choice. It's even possible to enhance a specific part of your body but that can have devastating consequences if not utilized correctly. So, I would advise you to stick to reinforcing objects." Tatsuo explained as Jones listened and attempted to do what his friend told him to do. Relaxing his muscles was something that was natural for the archaeologist to do on his adventures.
However, he had never used his Od before so trying to find something inside of his body that Jones didn't believe existed proved to be challenging, to say the least. Tatsuo noticed this and tossed something at Jones, the latter of which caught it and opened his hand to notice a gem.
"A… gem?" Jones muttered with a dumbfounded look on his face as he stared at his friend.
"You see, to utilize your dormant Magical Circuits, you must ingest that gem in your hand." Tatsuo instructed with a nervous smile on his face.
"There's no way in hell I'm eating this." Jones replied with a serious expression on his face as his friend knew that he would get this reaction out of him.
"Think of it this way, it's like trying to use your lungs for the first time. You have to engulf air into your lungs so that your body can gain oxygen." Tatsuo spoke. While his explanation made sense since it applied to something that anyone can understand…
… Trying to use his lungs didn't involve having to eat a jewel.
"There's still no way in hell I'm eating this." Jones spoke as he tossed the gem back to his friend, the latter of which caught it with ease. Tatsuo had come to the conclusion that his words wouldn't be able to change his friend's mind. This meant that the only way that his friend was going to eat the gem was against his will!
However, Tatsuo was not going to fight his friend. That would be an utter disservice to everything that Jones had done for him. That's why this current predicament called for a little misdirection.
"I understand… eep! Jones! T-There's a-a-a- Tatsuo yelled out as he put on a little performance for his friend to hear until he was cut off before he could finish.
"Just spit it out already!" Jones shouted with a pissed-off expression on his face. And then…
"… There is a snake on that branch!" Tatsuo yelled out once more as he fell to his knees to complete the act.
"A SNAKE?!" Jones shouted at the top of his lungs as he fell onto his butt and looked at the branch nearby him with fear in his eyes only to see that there was no snake at all, in its place a bird.
"Tatsuo… there's no- Jones spoke but before he could finish his friend had already tossed the gem into his mouth. Before the archaeologist knew it, the jewel had gone down his throat, thus completing the performance courtesy of Tatsuo Tohsaka. It was then that Jones had realized he was tricked into believing that a snake was present on the metaphorical stage as the curtains fell.
"You tricked me!" Jones shouted with a pissed-off expression on his face as his body completely collapsed to the ground.
"Hey, what gives? Why can't I move my body?!" Jones continued as just trying to move a few of his fingers required an immense amount of effort comparable to lifting eighty pounds let alone the rest of his body.
"You see… there's a side effect that comes with your Magical Circuits being opened all at once. That being… your body will remain immobile for a little while." Tatsuo explained with a nervous smile on his face.
"Exactly how long are we talking about?" Jones asked as he feared the worst.
"… Twelve hours." Tatsuo admitted as he turned his head away from Jones out of embarrassment.
"I see. Twelve hours. That's perfectly understandable." Jones sarcastically spoke.
"R-Really?!" Tatsuo replied as he was quite a gullible fellow.
"NO! OF COURSE NOT!" Jones shouted at the top of his lungs as birds in the distance flew away as a result of being spooked by the archaeologist's yell.
Twelve hours later…
What was previously the early morning turned into late at night as Indiana Jones remained motionless on the ground until the curse that had been placed on his body had finally been broken.
"I-I-I can move again!" Jones shouted with a smile on his face as he leaped off the ground only to notice-
"Zzzzzz." That his friend had been peacefully sleeping on the ground.
"ARE YOU SERIOUSLY SLEEPING RIGHT NOW?!" Jones shouted at the top of his lungs. But to his surprise-
"Snore." His friend had begun snoring in response.
'Maybe I should just leave him here. After all, he tricked me with my one and only fear. Even worse, I couldn't move a muscle for half a day due to his scheme. Yeah. I'm just going to get out of here. I'm sure he'll be fine.' Jones thought internally as he was about to leave. But then…
'Bam.' Jones stepped and broke a twig on the ground. This resulted in…
"Gah! H-H-How long have I been asleep?!" Tatsuo yelled out of surprise as he blinked over and over until setting his eyes on his friend. The Mage's eyes then went wide as he stood up from the ground and jumped for joy.
"Jones! My best friend! You are alright!" Tatsuo shouted with a smile on his face as he approached his friend in order to give him a hug. But before he could-
'Bam!' Jones punched Tatsuo in the face, sending the latter hurtling to the ground.
"I was defenseless, and you chose to take a nap?! Some friend you are!" Jones yelled out as he clenched his fist in anger.
"Ok… I deserved that… sorry." Tatsuo muttered an apology as he lay on the ground in shame. A few seconds passed by full of nothing but silence until-
"Haah… whatever. I knew you meant well. Let's just get this over with so I could some shut-eye." Jones spoke as he relaxed his muscles once more in order to follow up on what his friend had instructed him to do over twelve hours ago. The archaeologist then searched for his Od until he felt something that wasn't in his body before. Tatsuo noticed this and got off the ground once more.
"D-Do you feel it?! Your Od?!" Tatsuo asked with a gleeful look on his face. In response, Jones nodded in affirmation. In all of his life, the man named Indiana Jones had never felt like this before. Something other than blood was coursing through his veins. Without a shadow of a doubt, it was his Magical Energy!
'Excellent! Now focus it onto something!' The words of his late friend resonated with Jones once more as he opened his eyes and noticed a jewel much like the one Tatsuo had used in the past in order to defend himself was moving right at him! If Jones did nothing then it would surely hit him, and he would be killed. However…
… Indiana Jones was not going to die here!
'Now repeat after me…' The words of Tatsuo Tohsaka went through his mind as Jones recalled the lesson that the former had taught him all those years ago.
"… TRACE… ON!" Jones yelled out as he sent his Od to the most important piece in his arsenal! The same one that had saved him more times than he could count! And the same one that he has had ever since he first became an Archaeologist! That being his-
'BAM!' Suddenly the jewel shattered to pieces out of thin air! Luar's eyes opened wide out of surprise as one of her precious jewels, one that her family had spent an amount of money that a commoner would never be able to afford! Only a prestigious family with an immense level of wealth such as Edelfelt would be able to afford an almost unlimited number of them! However, that single jewel that would have costed anyone else a fortune to acquire…
… Had just been completely eradicated due to the man in front of her striking it with his whip!
'Impossible.' Luar thought internally as her confidence shattered to pieces just like her jewel had a moment ago! And before she could react-
"TRACE ON!" Jones yelled out the incantation that he previously used to strengthen his whip! But this time he used it on his-
'BAM!' Fist as he punched Luar in the stomach!
"Blaugh!" Luar coughed up blood as she was sent hurtling in the direction she came from until-
'Bam!' Her body came into contact with a nearby tree! Luar then collapsed to the ground and lost consciousness all while her sister Lumia had a dumbfounded look on her face!
'Whooosh.' The cold wind went through the park as the woman in white stared at the archaeologist while the latter's fedora was knocked off his head due to the wind. Lumia was utterly speechless. After all, the man that she had proclaimed as nothing more than a novice had one-shotted her sister like it was nothing. No. There was one thing that could be said in response to such an inexplicable turn of events.
"… Seriously?" Lumia asked with a pissed-off expression on her face as she watched the man in front of her grab his fedora as if it were natural.
"Yep. If you really thought I was the same person from two years ago then you would be solely mistaken, sweetheart." Jones spoke with a cocky smile as he put his fedora back on his head. But in doing so, Lumia noticed something on the archaeologist's hand. Blood. Not from her sister but his own. Jones noticed this as well.
"Oh, that. That's the cost of strengthening something a bit late. It wasn't a perfect reinforcement, so I paid the price." Jones explained as casually as talking about your interests to another person. It was clear that he had done this before and expected such an outcome to occur.
However, that wasn't what surprised Lumia. No. It was a common fact that reinforcement could have major consequences if not done with utter perfection. For example, the piece of wood that Tatsuo had used before to stop the bullet Jones had fired at him wasn't a perfect reinforcement.
A perfect reinforcement would have been as sturdy as an iron bar even after coming into contact with a bullet. In contrast, an imperfect reinforcement wouldn't be able to withstand the bullet and would crumble to dust, exactly as what happened a few years ago. It was practically a normal punch with an added kick to it that had only made Luar lose consciousness instead of ending her life, something that a perfect reinforcement punch would have accomplished. This side effect isn't limited to just real-world objects, because if Jones was just an extra millisecond late…
… Then he wouldn't be able to move his fingers ever again. That's why most Mages wouldn't dare to dream of strengthening their own bodies. A mage advocating for the use of this would be utterly absurd and they would be stripped of their prestige for even uttering such a ridiculous notion…
… That's why Lumia couldn't even fathom just how reckless it was for the man in front of her to pull off such a feat and have little to no consequences besides a few cuts on his knuckles. Such a thing was unheard of in the world of modern Magecraft even by the most skilled practitioners of Reinforcement. Which can only mean…
'This guy seriously has an affinity for Reinforcement?!' Lumia thought internally with a face full of nothing but anger and disgust at the man in front of her. An affinity is what someone can specialize in. For example, a man who has an affinity for swords would be able to project them as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
However, having an affinity for something that is not one of the great five elements of modern Magecraft, those being, fire, water, earth, wind, and sky, are the exceptions of exceptions! Someone who has an affinity for an element besides those five is only born every hundred years or so! But those with an affinity outside those are restricted to that one specific ability. Which means Indiana Jones can never use one of the great five elements…
… As a result, he can reinforce anything he sets his mind to, to the point that he far exceeds any Master of Reinforcement by leaps and bounds!
"Hey, sweetheart. Are you going to keep checking me out or are you going to fight?" Jones spoke with a smug smile on his face as Lumia was brought back to her senses. It was then that this wretched man had become even more of a nuisance then she thought possible!
"To think that I must go all out against the likes of you?!" Lumia shouted with a face that was boiling with rage as she focused on casting a spell that would wipe the man in front of her off the face of the earth!
"Fixierung, Eile Salve!" Lumia yelled out as she used Magecraft that her sister used two years ago! The words meaning Aim Valley Fire allowed its practitioners to-
'BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!' Fire Gandr shots like a machine gun! There wasn't much you could do against it if you weren't talented in Reinforcement Magecraft. However…
… Indiana Jones had an affinity for Reinforcement Magecraft!
"… Haaaaah…" Jones let out a deep breath as he focused on the incoming attacks and nothing else to the point that he was drooling from the mouth!
'What an annoying man!' Lumia thought internally as she cringed at the overwhelming amount of concentration that the man was using. The reason being that Jones was focusing intently on the instant the magic hurtling at him would come into contact with his body! However…
… That only allows him a trillionth of a second to reinforce his body! For anyone to consider doing such a thing is borderline insane! But Jones wasn't thinking logically! Instead, he was focusing solely on the shots of Gandr that were soaring through the air!
'Huh? … What is this?' Jones thought internally as he could see the Gandr shots moving through the air as clear as day! It was almost as if time had stopped for the archaeologist! But that's wrong. No. What was occurring was what many athletes experience when they are using all of their willpower to focus on the ball. The word for it being…
… The zone. The zone allows a person to process information faster than you would normally be able to do. Only people with a tremendous level of concentration would be able to perform such a feat…
… And that's exactly what Indiana Jones was doing right now! By using the brief interval of time given to him by being in the zone, he is able to process and determine the exact trillionth of a second that the Gandr shots come into contact! And just as they did-
"TRACE ON!" Jones shouted at the top of his lungs as he unleashed a devastating blow onto the Gandr shots! Even though he unleashed only a single blow…
… That blow was the equivalent of over thirty punches by a skilled boxer!
"WHAT?!" Lumia shouted at the top of her lungs as all of her Gandr shots vanished from the face of the earth! She sent enough to kill a man ten times over and the man in front of her punched them away as if they were just drops of rain!
"Well look at that… a perfect reinforcement." Jones spoke with a cocky smile on his face as he stood triumphantly.
'H-He's strong!' Lumia thought internally with a dumbstruck expression on her face as she unknowingly admitted the strength that her opponent possessed! But this in turn…
'Step! Step! Step! Step! Step!' Allowed Indiana Jones to close the distance between him and Lumia Edelfelt! The latter of which could only stare at the man who was about to knock her on her butt! But then…
'Hsss! Hsss! Hsss!' Three of the snakes that were part of Avenger's hair attempted to bite Jones!
"SNAKE!" Jones shouted at the top of his lungs while his eyeballs popped out of his eye sockets (metaphorically speaking of course) as he instinctively leaped away and collapsed to his knees.
"Snakes! Why did it have to be snakes?!" Jones blurted out of an overwhelming amount of fear over the black-fanged reptiles. Not only did the archaeologist forget that they were there, but so did the woman in white.
'I-I completely forgot about Avenger! T-To think if it wasn't for her, I would have certainly shared the same Fate as Luar!' Lumia thought internally with a relieved look on her face. Avenger was still knocked out due to her trying to resist the Command Spell. However, it turns out a few of her snakes were still awake and clearly mad that their Master was in such an unfortunate state. The woman in white then focused her attention on Jones who was still cowering in fear over the snakes and a smile formed on her face.
'This… this is my chance!' Lumia thought internally as she focused on transmitting her Od to her feet while using the Mana in the air! Luar Edelfelt's affinity was water which she modified to become ice. In contrast, Lumia's affinity was-
'Snap!' With a snap of her fingers, Lumia made the ground below her rumble ferociously! This caught the attention of Jones but before the archaeologist knew it, his feet were engulfed by the ground!
"What is this?!" Jones blurted out as he noticed that his feet were trapped within the ground! He then looked back at Lumia only to notice-
'BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!' That the ground itself was being manipulated to the point that spikes made of stone were extruding from the earth! Which is precisely the affinity of Lumia Edelfelt!
'Crap! I-I can't focus!' Jones thought internally as he tried to concentrate so that he could enter the zone and break free from the stone around his feet! However, with the venomous reptiles in the distance and his impending doom coming straight at him, it was all but impossible to focus!
"Farewell, you despicable man!" Lumia shouted with a sadistic smile on her face as her prey had been completely cornered to the point that it could not escape her predator! In fact, this would have certainly been the end for Indiana Jones…
… If it weren't for-
'BAM!' Just before the earth itself could claim the life of Indiana Jones, the sharp tip of the spike was broken to pieces! Lumia witnessed this and was utterly speechless. Just how could this have happened she must have thought.
"Who in the hell are you?" Lumia spoke with malice in her voice and glared with daggers in her eyes at the unexpected third party a few meters away from her. Jones was equally dumbfounded at this turn of events. The person who just saved him from certain doom was-
"What the heck are you doing here, brat?!" Jones yelled out with a face that was equal parts confused and angry as he stared at the person who saved him being none other than-
"Saving your ass, geezer!" Takina snapped back as she focused her attention not on Jones but on the woman in white in front of her. With the sudden arrival of Takina Tohsaka, this battle on a moonlit night…
… is not over yet!
Meanwhile in a certain hotel…
'Creak.' The door to the hotel room opened as the German soldiers took Lao Che's unconscious body and went to move him to a secure location. The door closed behind them as Darnic and Lancer were left in the room.
"Come. Sit with me." Darnic spoke as he walked over to the table that still had Lao Che's blood on it while putting the bottle of alcohol on the table along with two glasses. In response, Lancer did what his Master told him to do without saying a word. Darnic then poured some of the wine that was stored in the bottle into each of the glasses and passed one to Lancer.
"Thank you, my Master." Lancer spoke as he lifted up the glass and began partaking in the alcoholic beverage.
"How is it?" Darnic asked with a smile of his own.
"It is very good. Was this made in Germany?" Lancer asked as he had assumed the wine was from his Master's home country.
"No. It was made by the Nipponese in this very country. To think that such unintelligent creatures could make something so delicious. It's surprising, to say the least." Darnic replied as he indulged in the wine once more.
"Do you not like this country's people?" Lancer asked with a curious look on his face.
"Of course, I don't. These people used to be simple barbarians when they played samurai but now, they think that they have the potential to become one of the world's superpowers. What a joke." Darnic replied.
"So, you believe that it's a matter of time before this country falls to ruin?" Lancer asked.
"Oh, I already know it. Once the next great war begins, this country's Fate will be sealed along with the rest of the world as Germany will have complete control over this foreign land. It's only natural since Germany knows that 'Aryans' are superior to all other races." Darnic explained though the last part confused Lancer. Darnic noticed this.
"I understand. The term 'Aryan' is foreign to you. However, you represent the 'Master Race.' All other kinds of people, Negros, Slavs, Romans, Jews, you name it, are inferior and are only suitable for slave labor. Once they have fulfilled their use then all there's left is to exterminate them. This of course includes the despicable Nipponese. Don't you agree, Lancer?" Darnic explained his ideology, one that he certainly shares with Hitler and the Nazis. However, Lancer was not amused by this.
"Forgive me, Master. But as a proud knight of the Fianna if a foreign nation's soldiers were to invade my land, then I would kill them without a second thought. However, taking the lives of another nation's people just because they do not suit what your people believe to be perfect… is utterly absurd." Fionn replied bluntly with a serious look on his face. Even though Darnic had foreseen this response coming from a mile away, he was still surprised that his own Servant had gone as far as to say it.
"Hahaha! I appreciate you sharing your true unfiltered opinions. In fact, I'm inclined to agree with you. Perceiving a specific race as the most superior… I really couldn't put it as well as you just did. But for the time being, let's keep this a secret between us." Darnic replied with a hearty laugh.
"Yes, of course. I'm fortunate that you are of the same opinion, my Master." Lancer spoke with a reassured smile on his face as he sipped on more wine.
"Say, Lancer, I have a request for you." Darnic spoke.
"Anything for you, my Master." Lancer replied.
"Now that's what I like to hear. You see, one of my familiars caught wind of a battle occurring in the park that's not too far from the Overseer's church." Darnic explained.
"Do you wish for me to execute all who are on the battlefield?" Lancer asked.
"No. That will not be necessary. You see, I require a certain individual. One that has interested me greatly." Darnic replied.
"Who is this person?" Lancer asked as Darnic's smile went wide as now that a fight had broken out between his enemies, now presented an opportunity for action. And if he were to play his cards right, Darnic would be in possession of not one but two valuable pieces on the chessboard called the Holy Grail War.
To Be Continued…