AN: Here's Chapter 2. Thanks for waiting!
A bit of an action-filled chapter, but nothing too grand.
Chapter 2 - Ashen Sky
The thing about being a ninja of the highest caliber in his past life, is that barely anything surprises him anymore. He'd seen it all, despite dying at such young age. He'd fought zombies, ghosts and a combination of both. He'd fought immortals and physical gods. He'd fought titans, and he'd faced armies. He'd battled with and against legends of old, he'd battled with absolute monstrosities and forces of nature on a planetary scale. He'd met and conversed with an actual mythical character in a ghastly form, and his closest friend was an actual freak of nature with a nuclear source inside his stomach. Because of that, whatever's happening currently, he took it all in stride with a straight face. Incineration of Humanity notwithstanding, everything he'd experienced while in Chaldea wasn't too crazy compared to what he'd experienced in his past life.
He'd realized a long time ago after being reborn anew just how ridiculous the life he led. The difference in the lifestyles he'd led versus the life he's living now was immediately apparent to him. People lead happy and fulfilling lives without worrying about constant death. Children go to school instead of military academies built to brainwash them to be child soldiers. And adults go to mostly non-dangerous jobs rather than risk having your brain stabbed by a kunai from an enemy ninja every other day. It was a wonderful and beautiful thing. Quite frankly, it was a far better world for humanity to flourish than the Ninja World ever was. Despite that, he'd found it necessary to hang on to his former life. His original identity. His family, his friends, companions. Even his deeds and wrongdoings. His battles, his victories and losses. His bonds and connections, his encounters and goodbyes. He wished to keep them forever, until the end of his existence. If only to learn from them, or to have some form of inner connection with his past. His memories were the only anchor to the past life that he lived. Memories, to him, was precious and something he didn't want to lose at all cost.
But the thing about living another life, is that it often changes you in mind and body. Your memories get replaced and feelings erode over time. He's still got most of his memories, to be sure. Especially memories about certain people and events. But even those get blurrier as time passed. He was afraid. So afraid that one day, he may lose what was precious to him.
"What is wrong, Master?" Sasuke looked up to the mounted Knight Servant, who was in turn looking down at him. "You seem down. Are you perhaps tired? If so, my steed still has some room. Dun Stallion is your steed just as much as he is mine. So do not hesitate if you want a ride." The gallant knight offered helpfully, patting at the space behind her.
"Don't worry, I'm fine. I was just thinking about some things." Sasuke replied. Although it does look like it'd be better to ride on horseback rather than to waste his energy on walking by foot, especially if they have to traverse an entire city.
The female knight nodded, "Very well. If you say so, Master."
Mash looked at him eagerly. Almost too eager. "I-I can also carry you, Senpai. You can ride on my shoulders, if you're tired!" The shield-bearer offered, quite animated for some reason.
"…That's okay, Mash. I'm not tired." The Uchiha reassured, just a bit weirded out.
It had been exactly 2 hours since he'd summoned his new Servant. And one and a half hour of walking north-west towards their new destination.
In that time, he'd learned that the Servant he'd summoned was King Arthur. Yes, the King Arthur.
Well, that surfaced a number of questions in his mind. First and foremost, King Arthur was supposed to be a legend, a work of fiction. Second, instead of the Holy Sword King Arthur used, Excalibur, she wields a lance instead. Admittedly, Sasuke was ill-informed about Arthurian legends, so he wouldn't really know if King Arthur had a lance. Thirdly, King Arthur… was a woman, apparently. Mash had said to him that it's because history in general is a bit male-centric, and so some Servants do get mistaken or intentionally written or recorded to be male in much of their legends. But he failed to understand the logic behind that as far as King Arthur was concerned. King Arthur wasn't a historical figure, but a fictional character. Unless, the FATE system can literally bend the laws of reality and fiction to make the lines between them blurry, allowing the system to summon works of fiction. Or perhaps, King Arthur's legend was actually real all this time, but written off as being merely a legend? That could explain things. She also prefers to be called Artoria, or Lancer Artoria when out of battle, and only Lancer when in battle. Which makes sense, remembering what Olga told him about Servants and their classes.
They'd also told the King about the situation. About the Incineration of Humanity, and this Singularity's likely linkages to that event. The King seemed only slightly surprised at the world she was being summoned in, but otherwise took in the information coolly and without any hesitation.
Eventually, they could see the large bridge at the distance. The city was still a pit of destruction. It seemed that no matter where they go, everything's just gone to hell. For the full length of their journey, he didn't see any other human either. Not even animals, rodents, insects. All gone. It's as if whatever phenomenon happened here just made every life form combust to nothing. Replaced only by monsters and skeleton warriors.
'Just what happened here?' Sasuke asked internally.
"Ah, I almost forgot. I was supposed to explain to you what Noble Phantasms are. Do you mind if I do, Senpai?" Mash asked expectantly.
Sasuke nodded at her, pushing up his glasses. "Go on." The more he knows, the better things will be.
Mash nodded in turn, "Okay! So, each Servant have Noble Phantasms. It is a secret weapon worthy of a Servant's legend. It is the crystallization of a Heroic Spirits miracle and existence. Noble Phantasms are also one reason to hide a Servant behind their summoned classes. As Noble Phantasms are one way the enemies may determine who a Heroic Spirit truly is. They come in many different forms. They could be defensive types, like my shield. They could take on the form of an attack, or an ultimate move, if you will. They could also be offensive types, such as the Holy Sword Excalibur. King Arthur's signature weapon." Mash looked towards the large green lance that the knight in silver was casually wielding without issue. "I did read that King Arthur also had a Sacred Lance, does that mean…"
Lancer Artoria's helmeted head turned to face them, "Yes, this is that Sacred Lance. I am the King of Knights, or rather, an "if" version that instead holds the Sacred Lance Rhongomyniad instead of the Holy Sword that you're so familiar with. But make no mistake, the Sacred Lance is not inferior to the Holy Sword in strength." Artoria held her Sacred Lance up high, allowing them to look at the weapon with clarity. "This lance's power is being held back by thirteen seals, because it is much too powerful. When these thirteen seals are unleashed, that's when this lance's true power will manifest." Artoria's helmet faced him. He could almost see the proud smile from underneath the silver, "Look forward to seeing its full magnificence sometime in the future, Master."
Mash gazed at her shield, "Well, as for me, I've yet to know the True Name of the Servant I'm fused with. So I still don't know the name of my Noble Phantasm." The girl looked at him, her eyes resolute and motivated, "But with you as my Master, I'm sure I can get stronger! One day, I'll definitely grow worthy enough to find the answers to these questions!"
Sasuke allowed the barest of smiles to grace his lips.
The mounted king looked at the shield. "I see… So it's like that. How unexpected. It seems that man has determined your worth to wield his power. Be proud."
Mash widened her eyes at the King, "You mean… you know whose Noble Phantasm this is, and whose Heroic Spirit I'm fused with?" She asked excitedly.
The King nodded, "Indeed. Although if you want to unleash your true potential, you will have to figure it out on your own. It is not my place to tell you."
Mash nodded understandingly, "I see."
"Groaahhh Giiiii!"
"Contact!" Mash exclaimed, as dozens of skeleton warriors beset them. "Preparing for combat, Master. Awaiting your order!" The Shielder said, hoisting her large shield up.
Artoria scanned the surroundings. She looked calm, confident despite the numerical odds stacked against them, "There are at least three dozen enemies. Make sure you stay back, Master."
"Mash, you go left. Lancer, go right. I imagine both of you can handle this. Dispatch of them quickly." Sasuke ordered, and the two women nodded dutifully.
"Yes, Master!" Both Servants replied in unison as they leapt into the fray without delay.
With a mighty, high-pitched neigh, Dun Stallion charged into combat. The stallion leapt into the air, as Artoria prepped her lance for a mighty horizontal swing. The mere landing of the steed was enough to cause a strong shockwave that immediately shattered nearby skeleton warriors, and creating a webbing of cracks on the pavement. Not even a moment later, the King of Knights swung her lance. The force of it was such that it would have totally dismantled entire automobiles completely. The swing was so strong that it kicked up a wave of wind that destroyed and peeled off parts of the ground. What's interesting is that he could tell clearly that she was holding back her strength. Skeleton parts rained down from the battle in droves as Artoria demolished the enemies with ease the likes of which he'd never seen before.
Towards the left, Mash had amassed her own fair share of kills as she zipped around the battlefield with speed that seemed inappropriate for someone who's carrying a gigantic shield. Mash employed her shield creatively, employing the butt end of the cross on her shield as a makeshift blade to slice enemies in droves. Her shield instantaneously demolished skeletal warriors as soon as it landed on them. She exuded strength and speed that would've normally been impossible for a timid girl her age. She was doing great as well, though not in the level of ease that Artoria had shown.
Sasuke observed them, as they dispatched the skeleton warriors much effectively than he expected. Then again, a human like him could beat a few of them, so it stands to reason that Servants should be able to handle them in large numbers. The Uchiha smirked as he watched them fight, impressed at the exhibition of strength and power, even though they were clearly not in their most powerful. Servants were no doubt at least stronger than your everyday shinobi. Though he'd need to see more before he could compare them to the absolute strongest in the ninja world.
"Senpai/Master!" Both women shouted out to him. Before he even realized it, a skeleton warrior had popped out from underneath him. Sasuke reacted, though the first thing in his mind, before even the thought of defending himself, was that these skeletons can somehow use Kakashi's "Hiding like a Mole" technique. The thought amused him so. The skeleton swung its sword directly at his neck, aiming to separate the head from the body.
Both Servants hurriedly rushed in to protect him, but were pleasantly surprised when their Master simply caught the skeleton by its wrist before the blade could get any closer to its intended target. Activating his Rinnegan, Sasuke opted to augment his head with the Asura Path. Transforming the whole construct of his head from flesh and blood to metal and machinery. His brain restructured itself, changing from gray matter to metallic engine in moments. The Rinnegan briefly glowed a bright purple as he willed it to transform the nerves, the muscles, and the skull. The former ninja's head promptly opened right down the middle, from head to chin. Both halves separating from each other, revealing intricate futuristic machinery inside the head where the brain and skull should be. Then out from it, a small blaster emerged, glowing with energy. It fired, utterly decimating the skeleton as the beam of pure chakra disintegrated the entirety of its upper half at point blank range. The beam also carved a deep trench at the pavement directly behind the skeleton. Sasuke's head then promptly put itself back to normal, as the defeated foe collapsed lifelessly. Haphazardly dropping the skeletal hand down to the ground, then casually dusted his hands off.
Sasuke turned to look towards where his Servants were, only to see them looking at him like he'd grown a second head. He could tell that Artoria was looking at him bemusedly even from beneath the helmet.
Sasuke released a sigh. He might have to explain his Asura Path abilities to them just to avoid needless and troublesome confusion.
He spared a moment to observe their respective battles, seeing that they're just about done. "Good job, you two. Looks like there are no more hostiles left." He walked up to them, and they continued to walk towards the bridge. Although he could very much tell that they were itching to ask him about what he'd just shown them earlier. He could just feel their stares piercing at the back of his head.
As they walked, he'd thought idly of what he'd gotten himself to. Not everything was new to him, especially the fighting. But everything else was a dozen stacked layers of mystery to him. For one, what is Chaldea? Why didn't he know of this organization's existence? Why is its existence not a widespread, public knowledge like the UN? Also, the fact that magic, or as they refer to it, "Magecraft" exist, and that Chaldea employs these Mage practitioners… There's just too much he knows nothing about with this organization that he found himself embroiled in. He needed more information, more so to ascertain what they are, and what they stand for in actuality. On the surface, they seem to be an ally of Humanity. Staunch defenders of the future of humankind, bearing the fruits of mankind's ingenuity to protect it in turn. Though he didn't really know anything beyond that.
"Say, Mash…" Sasuke spared a look at her from the side, "Can you tell me more about Chaldea?" He asked.
"I know very little about Chaldea too, Senpai. It's been two years since I started, and I still don't get much of anything." Mash's expression contained a small amount of regret as she responded, "But I've read all I can in the Database, and I'll share it with you." Mash coughed slightly to clear her throat, "Chaldea Security Organization. Or more accurately, the Security Organization for the Preservation of Humankind, Fenis Chaldea. A research observatory with the purpose of continuing and strengthening human history, employing the help of researchers, scholars, and mages alike from all around the world." The three of them continued to walk at a brisk pace as Mash explained. He listened on, not even looking at the Shielder. "They watch a world that magecraft couldn't observe, and science couldn't measure. We're a special organization with international support, created for the sole purpose of preventing humankind from arriving at a "bad end", so to say."
"Hm. That's fascinating." Sasuke muttered, face remaining stoic. "When you say it's an international organization, do you mean it's funded by organizations and corporations from around the world?"
"That too. It does receive financial support from across the globe, but majority of that comes from the Mage's Association in London. From the Animusphere family. Director Olga Marie's family. Chaldea is a research organization, but due to its importance, it mainly operates on a military level. There are extremely strict rules and punishments that come along with it should those rules are not imposed. So that's why the Director is grumpy most of the time. She's got a lot of pressure on her shoulders, and a lot to worry about everytime. Anyway, that's about the extent of what I know, Senpai."
Sasuke nodded, satisfied. "I see. Thanks for the information, Mash."
The Demi-Servant's face lit up a bit, glad to be of help. "It's no problem, Senpai. You can ask me anything, so long as it's within my scope of knowledge."
After hearing what Mash had to say about the organization, much of it makes sense now. Why it's pretty much a global secret beyond the name of the actual organization, and why no one was ever heard publicly promoting it. Why there's absolutely no word of the organizations dealings and deeds being televised on TV, despite being recognized as one of the, if not the most important organization in current times. It deals with more than just science and technology, but also sorcery, and things that the general public ought to not know to prevent mass hysteria. And from what he could tell, as well as heard from the Director, the world at large had no knowledge of the existence of Servants, Masters, and even something as 'basic' as magecraft. It's like Area 51, but more concerned about humanity than aliens. They hid it remarkably well, too. That's quite an absurd feat. To prevent any whistleblowers and suppress any stray rumors, data and leaks would be quite a monumental task, indeed. They definitely know what they're doing.
When the three of them arrived at the bridge, there was nothing but more skeleton warriors, which were dealt with easily by the Servants. No notable sights, activities or anomalies worthy of note. The connection to Chaldea had been established enough that they could rayshift rations to their destination. The fact that they essentially transferred objects through space and time, and through a time separated from the mainstream timeflow of the universe, such feat never ceased to amaze him. The fact that magic and science could do this, he could only imagine what chakra is capable of when paired with science.
It was yet another 30-minute walk when they arrived at a burning city, north of the bridge. At this point, he was seriously considering riding on horseback. Sasuke lamented the lack of his old vitality and endurance.
The watch on the Uchiha's wrist rang, projecting the blue communication screen. Immediately, they saw Olga Marie, and Romani at her side. "Hello? Looks like we're online… And whoa, the city looks worse than I thought." Romani commented breathlessly.
"Indeed…" Was all the Director could say at the sight.
Indeed, it was as if a massive tornado of fire had struck and sufficiently ran rampant at this side of the city for a good whole week, thoroughly destroying everything in its path.
"Well, leaving that for now… What's this enormous magical power I'm sensing!" Romani turned to look at Artoria, who remained idle on her mount. "Don't tell me that's…" Artoria uncaringly turned to look at the screen, unmindful of Chaldea's Director and Mage.
"How could… a third-rate Master…" Olga Marie mouthed out, gobsmacked at what the screen was showing her. The sheer magical power their machines had picked up tells them this wasn't an ordinary Servant in the least. No, this was…
Mash perked up, noticing that Artoria was getting the attention. "That's right, Dr. Roman, Director. Senpai had managed to summon the King of Knights! The one who holds the sacred lance that holds the two sides of the planet together!" Mash proudly proclaimed, as if to show the Director that her Senpai was not such a third-rate Master after all. The smile she held was almost shit-eating.
The knight remained calm, even as the entirety of the remaining Chaldean staff gawked at her glory.
"How did- How… Just how did you… A civilian like you…" Olga Marie muttered, not even hiding her confusion and shock. Sasuke glanced at the troublesome Director. She seemed positively upset. He guessed summoning the likes of King Arthur would rouse such reactions, even more so when the one who summoned the Once and Future King is a common man with no aptitude for magecraft of any kind.
"Sasuke-kun, you're quite amazing, you know that?" Romani said to him from the other side of the screen, still unable to escape the surprise stemming from the former ninja's unexpected summoning. "Anyway, this is GREAT!" The Chaldea doctor exclaimed, popping up from his seat beside the young Director. "This makes this Singularity easier to handle now!"
Sasuke wasn't so sure about that. They know barely of anything regarding the mysteries surrounding this Singularity, let alone what challenges are they to face to resolve it. King Arthur of the lance may be powerful as they say, but it's far too early to make early predictions. He didn't believe in jinxes, but he'd experienced his fair share of them in the ninja world to know what the Doctor had said just then was a bad call.
The Animusphere heiress seemed to have snapped out of it, "Y-yes, precisely! T-that's a good thing, of course! You've summoned a powerful Servant. More than you should have been realistically able to… but that's besides the point. You now have a powerful weapon by your side. If opportunity rears its head, I want you resolve the Singularity." She commanded, although he could still detect some reluctance in her voice. Like she didn't want to admit or believe that he'd summoned King Arthur.
"Um, Director?" Mash voiced up, "Weren't we supposed to just identify the cause of the Singularity, not solve it?" She asked.
Olga Marie nodded her head, her mannerisms remaining as stern as ever. "That's before that Master there summoned the King of Knights. Now that he did just that, much as I refuse to believe it, you may actually now possess the firepower to completely dispose of the Singularity, and whatever hurdles you may face in the process of doing so." Self-assured and confident, the Director replied.
Again with that. Sasuke turned towards his Lancer, "Do you agree with them, Artoria?"
The Servant gave no indication of acknowledging the question, but she answered in kind, "We shall see, Master." She replied emotionlessly. The Servant was inactive and aloof when out of battle. Sasuke hasn't seen her do anything on her own but follow his lead this whole time, when not engaged in battle.
Mash gave attention towards the burning city once again, its flames reflecting on the girl's violet eyes. "That aside, Director. The Fuyuki in our data and this Fuyuki are just too different. What do you think happened to this city. How did it become… like this?" Voice distraught and rightfully confused, the girl asked.
The young Director adopted a thinking pose, face just as disturbed as the Shielder's, "Let's see… History must've been slightly disrupted. That's all I can think of…" She trailed of, "Mash, Sasuke, I'm only going to say it once, so you better listen. Chaldea observes the future through an Earth model called Chaldeas. At the same time, a familiar called Laplace compiles past records. You can say it is Laplace's job to gather data on history that wasn't made public and information that has been buried in the darkness that no one knows."
That's interesting tech, to say the least. Does that mean Laplace had recorded much of the data that was burned down by Rome's great fire of 64 AD? Or the data from the 99 percent of Egyptian Papyri that's been lost to time? If so, that's highly valuable tech.
The Director continued, "According to Laplace's observations, an unusual Holy Grail war was confirmed to have happened in this city in year 2004."
Before she could continue, Mash voiced her thoughts first, "The Holy Grail war? You mean the Holy Grail from the legend that's said to grant its wielder any wish?"
The Director nodded in affirmation, "Yes, that's the one. Mages in Fuyuki city competed for this Holy Grail, and in order to activate it, they needed to summon 7 Heroic Spirits. That was the beginning of the Holy Grail war. Unknown to anyone, Servants were summoned to this town. The Fuyuki Holy Grail System is simple. Seven Servants fight each other, the last one standing gets the Grail. Chaldea learned about this in 2010, when my father-" Sasuke observed a pained expression very briefly cross the Director's face, "I mean the previous director used this data to build the summoning system. That's what makes up Chaldea Heroic Spirit summoning system, Fate. Our third invention, after Laplace and Chaldeas."
Sasuke rose an eyebrow at the information he was given, 'A wish granting device? I wonder if I could…' His thought were cut off when Mash spoke again.
"Third? Isn't that Sheba?"
The Director shook her head slightly, "Sheba was created by professor Lev. Well, I guess you can say we both worked on it." A tired sigh escaped her lips, "Anyway, this is where Servants come from. Seven Servants fought here, and in the end, Saber emerged victorious. The town wasn't destroyed, and the Servants shouldn't have been noticed by anyone, but… Now this is happening. We should assume that the outcome changed due to this Singularity." Olga Marie visibly leaned back on her chair, "The anomaly in 2004 brought about an alteration in human history. As a result, we're no longer able to see 100 years into humanity's future. That's why it's our job to repair this anomaly. Somewhere here is the reason history has been disturbed. Once we analyze and eliminate it, that will complete our mission. And we'll return to Chaldea, to the present."
"Well, anyway… at least the mission is simple." Mash muttered encouragingly.
"GROOOAAH GRAAA!"
Skeleton warriors, at least about eighty to a hundred of them. Quite an unusually large horde. He was beginning to feel sick just by looking at them. This place is pretty much infested with these things.
The mostly silent and aloof King was the first to voice out her willingness to fight," Contact. Your orders, Master." She looked at him expectantly, with Dun Stallion basically raring to go for some action.
Mash took on a combative stance, casually hoisting up her large shield as if it were made of cardboard, "Yes, your order, Master."
"Same as before. Artoria, to the right. Mash, to the left." Sasuke commanded, and they leap into battle without another word. Although this time, they were noticeably closer to his position. Likely to protect him should a skeleton warrior were to sneak up on him again. Not likely to happen again, however. He was prepared, and sufficiently informed of their ability to dig through solid pavement, apparently.
This time around, though, he felt compelled to help reduce the enemies' numbers. Staying in the backline while somebody else fought his battles for him wasn't his style at all. He can be a commander, if necessary, but he preferred to be a warrior on the front lines.
The ninja charged, intent on racking up his own body count. Of course, not without any objection from the Chaldeans.
"W-what are you doing!?" Olga Marie cried out as she saw the sole Chaldean Master dive into the fray, "H-hey, somebody stop him! He's going to get himself killed!" The Director was panicking, although understandably so. He could understand. He was the sole Master of Chaldea, the only one who could summon and fight alongside Servants to restore humanity. But he wasn't just some helpless kid with no fighting ability whatsoever. He was once an elite ninja, and one of the strongest fighters the ninja world had ever produced. He wasn't about to besmirch his identity and legacy.
"Oh boy…" Was Roman's short reaction, wide-eyed and nervous.
"Master!" The Shielder shouted at him as she saw him leap into battle, right arm now a glowing, pulsing blade of pure energy. Her attention was taken from him when a saber skeleton warrior snuck up a sweeping blow of its blade that almost got her by the midsection, "Ugh!" The girl winced at the blow as it barely nicked her, even as she retreated back to regain some breathing room. Even still, she ignored the small injury and continued on, piling up her fair share of body count. Smashing, slicing and even, at more than rare instances, used nothing more than her strength to dispatch her enemies. Occasionally turning her head to look at her Master, to see if he's in any kind of danger.
It almost felt weird to the young Chaldean girl. She was barely a Servant. Without knowledge to her True Name nor her Noble Phantasm. She was, in her opinion, a sad, pathetic existence whose sole objective and purpose now is to protect her Master, even at the cost of her life. And yet, being his Servant, she was unnaturally stronger than she'd expected. Like there's an inexplicable link between Master and Servant, that empowered her to her very core. It's as if her Master was brimming with an unknown power, and that power seeped into her being. It wasn't mana or magical power, that much she was certain. She wasn't sure about any of this, but she was sure she shouldn't be this powerful. Not this early into her Servanthood, at least.
The silent, but powerful knight had been much the same since the battle started. Like a strong whirlwind, every action she took blew away the enemies, every blow from her lance shattered multiple skeletons like collapsed towers. She had been doing her duty with equal amounts of strength and grace. In between every swing of her lance, she observed her Master as he fought. And curiously, he fought with equal ferocity as her and Galahad. Humans would not be able to do so… No, she had reminded herself that her Master, despite being clearly human, was far from being ordinary. That power he showcased earlier even made her doubt his humanity. But despite that, he was clearly human, and their connection as Master and Servant solidified that notion. However, her Master seemed to be… of exceptional quality. Artoria had felt that her current incarnation was more powerful than she was used to. And she could only assume that her Master had something to do with it. But such thoughts were for later.
She slashed just as a skeleton drove its spear at Dun Stallion, the steed merely jumped up as Artoria's divine lance eradicated the lancer skeleton from where it stood. She easily swung her lance as if it's a mere twig to deflect multiple arrows from an archer. Aiming the tip of her lance towards the archers, she fired a beam of light from it, creating sizable explosions of light that quite literally erased her targets, reducing them to atoms.
At the center of the battlefield, the Master faced his foes. With Sharingan in one eye and the Rinnegan in the other, Sasuke had no problem dealing with the skeleton warriors despite being human. He ducked, weaved and avoided any and all fatal attacks that the enemies threw at him, and then responded in kind with his own. His chakra blade went through any opposition like hot knife through butter. His pulsing chakra blade was a combination of two chakra nature transformations, that being lightning and fire. Imitating the power of lightning and the heat of fire packed in a compact blade. The result was a blade that quite literally melts the bones of his attackers like they were cheese. Sasuke hacked and swung his pulse blade arm, slicing skeleton warriors left and right with no resistance. The Uchiha then conjured rapid firing artillery turrets at each shoulder, shooting out blue bullets of compressed chakra at rapid intervals. This was for dealing with archers, and any enemies at long range. And when he found himself beset from all sides, he would easily outmaneuver them with his speed and athleticism.
It wasn't until another 10 minutes of fighting when the three of them successfully defeated the last of the skeleton warriors. Sasuke calmly assessed the immediate vicinity, seeing that no undead was standing. Both Servants were looking at him with curiosity and interest as his weaponized arm mechanically transformed itself back to normal, and the turrets on his shoulders sank themselves back into his body. Victorious, both Servants came to him and reported their respective battles.
Mash let out a weary smile, even as she bounced towards her Master with her shield in tow, "Phew, Battle finished, Master. It was difficult, but we pulled through in the end."
"Good job, you two." Sasuke said, sparing a grateful nod towards the King, and giving the lilac-haired Shielder a soft pat on the head.
"T-thank you, Master… I'm happy that I can be useful!" She said, a blush creeping on her cheeks.
"…" Artoria merely watched the interaction.
Sasuke's watch rang again, 'Oh boy…' The ninja thought wearily, smothering the urge to cover his ears.
"WHAT IN THE BLAZES ARE YOU DOING!?" The Director practically shouted at him, her loud voice reverberating throughout their surroundings. The ninja could swear he could see some veins popping there. She's quite angry, it seems. The Director bared her teeth at him as if preparing to pounce on him and bite his face off through the screen, and her eyes looked absolutely furious, even more so than usual. The image of the angry Director made for an amusing sight to the former ninja. "Are you not aware of what will happen should you die!? Or are you just too stupid, too thickheaded to comprehend the consequences of your damn actions!? Or maybe you simply do not care!?" The Director scolded.
"C-calm down, Director… You're gonna pop a vein at this rate."
"Shut up, Romani!" The Director barked.
"Eek! I'm sorry!" The Doctor retreated out of view.
"Relax, will you. I know what I'm doing." Sasuke calmly replied, his face displaying not a single shred of regret or remorse for his actions. "I'm not as helpless as you think."
"Not as helpless, he says… The nerve of you to disregard Humanity's future!" The operation desk rattled violently as Olga Marie slammed her palms on it in anger. "All it takes is a single, a single arrow to your head, or a sword to your neck, a spear through your back… and Humanity is done for, finished, gone. Can't you understand that!? Do remember that you are Humanity's sole Master, Humanity's sole hope… You cannot afford to risk your life or you'll take the whole of Humanity with you!"
Sasuke looked at the girl dismissively and scoffed, "Hn. You really are annoying."
A palpable and uncomfortable silence pervaded their vicinity for a moment. Even the Chaldeans were silent at the other side of the screen.
Mash was looking at her Senpai with equal amounts of awe, astonishment and worry. Her violet eyes were wide open as her jaw hung ajar. Her eyes darted back and forth between him and the Director on the screen. Romani's expression was much the same, eyes bulging out to comical proportions. Every other staff in Chaldea also shared their reaction. The King of Knights remained silent, but one could tell there were traces of amusement seeping out from beneath the lion helmet.
"Annoying… I'm annoying… you say…?" The Director murmured darkly, her voice was low, but shaking with barely suppressed fury. Her eyes were shadowed by her disheveled white bangs, creating quite an ominous image. "You have the gall… The audacity…" The director was now visibly shaking with rage, like a volcano that's about to erupt. Only that this volcano won't kill you, just annoy you incessantly. "You… You… YOU!"
"L-listen, looks like the Director's not particularly in the mood right now, so I'll be contacting you later!" A panicked Roman interrupted suddenly, taking up the screen.
"Wha- Romani you-" Was all that they'd heard from the Director before the connection was forcibly cut off from the other side.
…
Mash gazed at him with amazement, her eyes practically sparkled. "Y-you truly are amazing, Senpai. No one has ever talked back to the Director like that."
Sasuke smirked, "Well, someone has to knock her off her pedestal." He simply stated, semi-jokingly. "Let's go."
With their new location in mind, they continued on. Walking through the destroyed and burning city, bereft of life and color, only flames and destruction. Fire and ash still soaked the sky wherever they go, like an infinite canvass of red, black and orange. They walked south, intent on investigating the Singularity further.
"May I speak my mind, Master?" The King of Knights said beside him, her form still unmoving atop her mount.
That's unexpected. But since the silent King wants it said, it must be something important. "You may." He told her, pushing up his glasses as he did so.
The knight's helmet clattered lightly as she nodded, facing down towards him. "I admire your willingness to fight on the frontlines, Master. Battles are the ultimate challenge for warriors and commanders alike to test their mettle. That is why I am fine with you fighting with us. But do choose your battles wisely." The King of Knights faced forward towards their path, "I can see that you possess an aptitude in battle far greater than any mere human in your era. But I also agree with the Chaldean Director. There will be enemies that you cannot handle. In such cases, I want you to let us, your Servants, deal with them. We may not be able to protect you as efficiently, otherwise."
The Uchiha digested her words. It's true, of course. The only reason he fought against the skeleton warriors confidently so, was because he assessed them to be incapable of posing a threat to his wellbeing. He knows well how to choose his battles. He knows how to discern fights he could win from those that he could not. He'd learned his lesson after fighting the Jinchuuriki of the Eight-tailed Bijuu, and nearly endangering his whole squad. He'd evolved since then. He'd planned to fight against enemies he knows he could handle. He couldn't afford to test his limits, anyhow. Especially when everything he's experienced so far after coming to Chaldea and likely going forward were all unknown to him. It's like sailing through a pitch-black ocean under a pitch-black sky, with no knowledge on what monstrosities lurk underneath.
Mash nodded her head agreeably, "That's right, Senpai. I know you're really strong, but it's better for us if you don't get caught in dangerous situations as much as possible. I-I mean, I don't mean you're weak, it's just that I-"
A pat to the head calmed the girl down, "Relax, Mash. I understand. I won't be reckless."
"A-ah… Y-yes, thank you, Senpai!" The Shielder stuttered,
"…"
The former ninja noticed his first Servant still looking at him nervously, likely wanting to ask him a question, "Anything on your mind, Mash?" He inquired, which surprised the girl.
"W-well, I just wanted to ask you about the way you fought earlier. I don't think that was magecraft, at least I haven't seen magecraft like that. So then, Senpai… Are you a robot?" The girl asked. He noticed the King also leaned in ever so slightly to listen in.
Sasuke weighed in his options, which to tell them and which to keep secret. Obviously, he'll be keeping the fact that he was a former ninja from some other world a secret. There's definitely a merit in telling his Servants his abilities. That way, they'd know how to adjust to his style when in combat. Well that, and he hated being called a robot. It's like people immediately doubt that he was human.
It would have been easier if he still had his chokuto. He missed fighting with a sword.
He was silent for moment, "It's better if the Director and the Doctor knows as well. So, I'll tell you all when we get back to Chaldea." Sasuke answered, not wanting to have to explain the Asura Path and the Rinnegan a second time. His answer earned an approving nod from Mash, and the King simply remained silent.
Suddenly, faster than he could react, Mash was right in front of him. Mash's back was faced towards him, and her shield was hoisted up, like she was trying to protect him from something. Not even a second later, something heavy collided with the shield, creating the loud shrill sound of metal colliding against metal at speeds surpassing supersonic speeds. The Shielder was promptly sent flying towards a building at the side.
Even faster, the King of Knights was onto the attacker. Dun Stallion let himself be in front of the Master as the sacred lance sailed down towards the assailant, with full intent of severing both sides of the attacker's body. Much to the surprise of the King, her lance was impeded by another weapon, a scythe. Although the attacker was flung outwards, propelled by the sheer strength in which the lance was swung.
"!" Sasuke could only watch in surprise as faster than he could perceive, Mash had protected him, got sent away for her troubles, then Artoria had fended off the enemy with one swing of her lance in the span of what seemed to be a second at most.
'Shit, they're fast…" Sasuke thought derisively, cursing his inability to keep up as he assumed a defensive stance.
His attacker gracefully landed a good distance away from them, her chained scythe in tow. Her eyes were obstructed by the hood she wore, but her purple hair flowed freely.
"Tcheh…" The assailant grunted in annoyance. Her sight was firmly locked on the Master, even as she recovered from the knight's mighty blow. "You're lucky, boy. You've got excellent Servants." She huffed, straightening herself as she menacingly brandished her scythe.
"Keep your eyes on me, snake." The King of Knights told the Shadow Servant. Her voice left no room for objections. Such was the majesty of the King of Knights. "This lance shall be the last thing you'll see in this lifetime. I will be so graceful as to let you behold its sight before it shreds your flesh and bone to mere atoms." The King declared.
The rogue Servant rolled her eyes and scoffed at her, "Arrogant one, you are." The woman ran her long tongue on the blade of her scythe. "It would please me so to permanently shut that haughty mouth of yours!" Her eyes slithered unto him once again. And immediately, he could feel the bloodlust and hunger. Hunger for death and blood. "And once I'm done with you, I'll flay your Master's skin, rip his limbs apart, and keep his head as trophy!"
"…" The Master was extraordinarily calm, to his credit, as the rogue Servant described what she'll do to him in morbid detail.
The knight was unaffected by her threats, "Very well. Up yours, rogue one." Artoria issued the challenge, it was promptly accepted.
The shadow Servant charged the knight, raising her scythe up high to strike down the royalty before her. Jumping into the air, she made use of the laws of gravity to enhance her attack, allowing more velocity and momentum. There was a brief clanging sound of metal meeting metal, but not of weapon. The purple-haired woman widened her eyes when she caught sight of the knight casually catching her scythe mid-air, just by raising her hand and awaiting for it to land on the gauntleted palm. Immediately, the hooded Servant had to pivot her body out of the path where the sacred lance had just passed through, barely escaping a grisly end via a destroyed torso. The royal knight, however, was still holding her weapon hostage and seemingly had no plans to release it. The rogue Servant sucked in a sharp intake of air as Artoria very quickly and forcefully pulled on the weapon, in which connects to the chain that she was still holding. The Servant must have held such deep attachment to the weapon, because she didn't let go, even as Artoria landed a vicious headbutt right on her face. Seeing as the mounted lancer was wearing her royal helmet, it made for a rather painful blow. The shadow Servant, clutched at her face with her free hand, her nose crushed and bleeding. But was not allowed reprieve, as she beheld the sight of the lance, now glowing a bright golden glow.
"I told you, that this lance shall be the last thing you'll see."
"Geh!" Finally, the Servant realized the very real danger she was in, and decided to let go of the weapon at the last second. Desperation to escape at the forefront of her mind.
But the King was brutal, unmerciful and ruthless. She had set her sights at the rogue Servant, marked her as the King's prey. The Knight aimed her lance at the desperate Servant, and with but a single push of her lance, entered the shadow's body. The lance stabbed right through her chest and out of her back.
"Agh!" The Servant cried out, blood came rushing out of the wound in rivers. But the King wasn't done. The glow on the sacred lance intensified, the holy light that gleamed out of the long weapon quite literally erased the rogue woman's flesh. Erasing her body from the chest part where the lance was stabbed through, then rapidly consumed the rest of her body as though paper consumed by flames. The assailant didn't even scream in pain nor tremble in fear as death encroached on her very being.
"…Ah, how regrettable." She muttered in finality, as her body was completely incinerated. Not a single shred of flesh or drop of blood, not even so much as ash was left.
Sasuke watched the battle from where Mash had been sent away. The fight had lasted a whopping 6 and a half seconds. The King showed no signs of weariness, nor any struggle. Her armor remained as immaculate as ever, the silver no worse for wear and still gleaming. The King's mannerisms were casual and resolute. It was as if, the King of Knights was simply disposing off a rather pitiable insect. She didn't even consider that fight a warm-up, it seems.
"You okay, Mash?" Sasuke asked. The Demi-Servant was on her knees, but otherwise healthy.
"Yes. Thank you for looking out for me, Senpai." She smiled at him.
She received a pat on the head again, which she received with pleasure. "No, I should be thanking you. I'd be dead if it wasn't for you. Thanks for protecting me. I mean it, Mash."
With a blush and a funny feeling in her stomach, she got back up on her two feet. Her Senpai's hand still atop her head. "A-ah, y-you don't have to thank me for that. I was just doing my duty as your Servant, Senpai. And as your partner, too."
Sasuke nodded, "Then I'll continue relying on you from here on."
"Yes, Senpai!"
They walked out of the collapsed building where Mash was sent flying in, just as the King of Knights greeted them, "The enemy has been neutralized, Master."
"Good work, Artoria." The former ninja gave her a small nod in appreciation. "Do you want a headpat as well?" Sasuke offered, albeit jokingly.
"…" The knight was silent for a moment.
With an amused smile, Sasuke waved her off. "It was a joke, Artoria. Don't worry about it."
"Oh… a j-joke. Of course, I knew that." She said, though he swore he could detect traces of disappointment there.
The Uchiha's communication watch rang again, projecting the blue screen. "Hello? Can you hear me? Ah, there we go. It seems we're online!"
Mash nodded to the screen, "Yes, Doctor. We can hear you loud and clear. But umm, what's up with that bruise on your cheek, Doctor?" She asked, pointing at the red bump on Romani's cheek
The Doctor sighed weakly, "This was your fault, Sasuke-kun, you know that?" He said as he caressedthe bruise. "That said, can you recount to me what happened after we cut off the communications?"
"Well, nothing much really happened. Other than the fact that we got attacked by an enemy Servant." Mash replied.
"What!?" Romani exclaimed, understandably alarmed.
Mash nodded, although weakly. "Yes, we got attacked. Although Artoria dealt with the Servant all by herself. I on the other hand, did nothing."
The former ninja put a hand on her shoulder comfortingly, "You protected me. That's plenty enough, Mash. Don't be hard on yourself."
The Demi-Servant's face lit up, "Thank you, Senpai."
Romani smiled at the scene, "Looks like you're getting along well. That's good. A Master and Servant can benefit from each other by fostering a positive relationship." The Chaldean Doctor's smile turned teasing, "Although, it's important for a Master to give equal attention between your Servants. So Sasuke-kun, you should give the King there some love too."
"!" The Knight noticeably twitched at that.
"…" The Master remained silent.
The Shielder noticed the air of discomfort around them due to Roman's shenanigans, "Doctor, we were just getting along well. Please don't make this unnecessarily awkward between us…" Mash rebuked, which only made the Doctor's sly smile to lengthen.
"Sorry, sorry…" He said, rather unapologetically. "That said, I'm glad all of you are alright. So… a Servant, huh? Even though it's far too early for both of you to fight a Servant. It's a good thing, that the King was there." The Doctor's countenance shifted from lighthearted to serious.
Mash nodded, "Yes, it was definitely a Servant. She seemed stronger than any life-form we've encountered here so far." Mash said, adopting questioning expression, "Although… that Servant felt weird, Doctor. Her presence seemed… muddled, somehow. Like she's been corrupted."
Roman rose and eyebrow, "Is that so? That's strange. What would cause such a thing to happen? And whatever it is, it most likely have something to do with this Singularity."
"That Servant was corrupted by a holy artifact…" The usually quite Lancer spoke, "The corrupted Holy Grail."
"A Holy Grail? Does that mean... Eep!" Romani was once again forcibly pushed out of view, replaced by the less moody, but still perpetually irate Director.
"A Holy Grail war. It means a Holy Grail war had occurred there prior to everything going down in flames." She said in matter-of-factly tone. "Normally, it's a battle royal between seven Servants and their Masters, but something must have gone wrong in the process. Something terribly wrong." The Director commented.
"Glad you've calmed down, Princess." Sasuke told her, a smirk on his lips.
The Director's eyes locked on him, immediately souring her mood further, "You… I'll make sure you'll get an earful when you get back here!"
Sasuke shrugged dismissively, "Can't wait…"
Olga Marie's nostrils flared, "You bast-"
"Save that for later, Director! I'm picking up multiple Servant readings rapidly heading your way! Get ready!" Roman shouted from across the screen.
"Wha-!? You said Servants? How many are there?" Olga Marie inquired worriedly.
"Three! I'm picking three Servant readings!"
The King of Knights moved, her helmeted head facing towards north, "I sense them too, Master. Get ready." She told him, her tone not betraying her show of confidence and power.
Mash hoisted her shield up, assuming a combat stance, "Getting ready for combat, Master."
Not even a moment later, a figure struck the King of Knights. Their weapons on intense bladelock. The Servant appeared to be a man who possesses multiple weapons, and who primarily used a glaive. Most likely a weapons master.
Mash was preoccupied in facing a cloaked figure with a skull mask, likely an assassin. The Servant employed knives, trickery and speed to outmaneuver his opponent. The Shielder did her best to defend herself against the barrage of throwing knives and the occasional sneak attacks using clone illusion techniques for distractions.
The Master observed his Servants as they faced their adversaries, 'That's two of them, where's the-' Suddenly, he felt a presence right above him. Rapidly speeding towards where he's standing. 'Shit!' He cursed internally when a chariot just rammed violently at his position, utterly obliterating the ground where he was just standing a mere few moments ago. He'd barely avoided getting ran over to death by activating his Sharingan and jumping away before the mysterious chariot could land, or more accurately, crash onto him.
A figure jumped out of the chariot. It was a woman. Red hair, somewhere in her thirties, perhaps. She looked deranged, and ready to kill. The chariot would suggest that she was a Rider, but based on the manic presence she gave off, like that of a vengeful wild animal, made him think she was a Berserker instead. She bared her teeth at him, her eyes red and bloodshot. Her armor was black, and soaked in the blood of her victims.
"DIE!" She charged at the sole human.
The Shielder worriedly turned her head towards her Master, seeing that a Servant was onto him, "Master!" Mash shouted out. She made to run towards her Master to help him, but was forced to stop on her tracks when a set of throwing knives lodged themselves at the ground in front of her. The assassin seemed to materialize right in front of her and swung his knife at the Shielder. Mash was fast enough to react to the attack, blocking the attack with her shield and sending her several steps backwards.
"Oh no, you don't." The assassin Servant said, his voice deep, guttural and condescending. "Worry about yourself, girl. Lest you die a horrible and gruesome death!"
"Kh!" Utterly distraught, Mash could do nothing but hope to defeat the enemy Servant before the other one could seriously hurt her Master. The Shielder glared at the ominous white mask. Which was a first. She'd never glared at anyone, much less with violent intent.
"That's it! I feel your determination, girl. Now make this fun for me!"
Then the enemy charged at her.
Sasuke couldn't clearly remember the last time he was genuinely fighting for his life. Even his final battle with Naruto didn't rouse feelings that his life was ever in danger. Not because Naruto was incapable, no. Simply because Naruto refused to kill him, despite his chastisement. The fight with Madara and Kaguya, perhaps? Even then, he didn't really feel like he would die the whole time while fighting them, since Naruto was fighting with him. The last time he was genuinely fighting for his life, as far as he remembered, was when he fought Bee. The Jinchuuriki of the Eight Tails. Yes, he remembered quite vividly how Bee trounced him so soundly, and from that moment on, he was just fighting desperately to survive. The feeling was back, much the same. Different circumstances, different enemies, but awfully the same feeling. And much like the battle he had with Bee, a gap in power was also present here. It wasn't fear. He wasn't afraid, that much was certain. But desperation still fueled every move he took. Desperation to survive.
"Die! Die! Die! Romans!" The red-haired Servant snarled harshly, her fury and bloodlust seeped out of every move. Every swing of her weapon was fundamentally meant to kill him.
Perhaps, the only thing that kept Sasuke from actually getting killed was the fact that she was predictable. By virtue of being a Servant, she was fast. And every swing of her short sword could have carved a swathe of flesh off of him. But she was predictable. She swung with ferocity and malice, but without much precision and timing. And that made all the difference.
He ducked under a horizontal slash, landing a chakra-empowered punch flush on her cheek. It didn't do any more than make her flinch a little, not even a stagger in her steps. Rinnegan awakening, Sasuke willed the eye to augment his right arm into the buzz saw, attempting to fight fire with fire. She was faster and stronger still, but he was getting used to her rhythm. His Sharingan spun wildly as it attempted to perceive the Servant's movements. Another duck to avoid a slash, a dodge from a swipe to the left, a pivot to the right to avoid the claws, and then…
'There!'
The buzz saw spun at its maximum output as it streaked towards the Servant. Carving through the air as it sailed through the rogue Servant's guard. The saw landed squarely at the woman's neck, eliciting a cry of pain from her
"Arrgh!" Blood poured out from the wound, but evidently did not do much to the Servant
The Servant was durable enough to completely impede the saw from going further than 3 inches into the flesh of her neck. Sasuke glared at his right hand when the blades of the saw stopped spinning, as if stuck on a muscle in her neck. The idea was utterly ludicrous. Just how durable were these Servants?
Sasuke was forced to transform his arm back to normal and retreat a few steps back when the woman attempted to separate his torso into two halves with a vertical slash. Despite bleeding from the neck profusely, the injury didn't seem to affect her that much. The Rogue Servant charged yet again, still as feral and as wild as before. The Servant jumped, performing a mighty downwards slash that would most assuredly split him clean in half. Still, she was predictable. He jumped up, avoiding a vicious, grisly death by the rogue Servant's sword. Rinnegan glowing, he willed the eye to transform his entire right arm into a rocket artillery. The many compartments on the robotic arm opened, revealing an array of miniature ballistic missiles of pure chakra. Still in mid-air, he fired a set dozen of missiles straight towards the Servant, immediately engulfing her form with continuous chakra-based explosions. She jumped out of the resulting smoke, slightly damaged and armor broken but otherwise still fine. He landed on the pavement, only to jump back again as the Servant landed on his location in a giant stomp that destroyed that section of the battlefield they were on.
"Tsk. She's tough." Sasuke offhandedly commented, as he inspected the Servant in front of him. Neck still bleeding, various wounds and gashes littered her body, and her armor was reduced to nothing more than a glorified bikini. But her injuries didn't seem to diminish her killer instinct, or her energy at all.
She charged yet again. But this time, she was faster, way faster. She was in front of him in less than a second. His Sharingan allowed him to predict her already predictable movement. Her speed meant that he couldn't just avoid her attack, so he opted to catch her blow by the wrist. Even with chakra empowering his arm, the swing of her arm still caused a painful pressure in his right arm as it landed. Her other hand saw opportunity and attempted to claw his eyes out. Sasuke conjured an extra robotic arm, just above his left arm. The mechanical arm successfully caught the Servant's arm by the wrist mid-swing, locking it in place. Normally, someone as strong as a Servant would just be able to destroy his Asura Path appendages and escape from his hold, but he'd poured more chakra into them, so they were reliably strong.
To Sasuke's relief, their armlock was promptly broken when a lance was suddenly stabbed through the Servant's chest, ending the battle right then and there. The lance went from the back and through her chest, destroying her spine, heart and parts of her sternum. The Servant collapsed, lifeless, just before she disappeared in a dispersion of golden particles.
"Forgive me, Master. My opponent had been more formidable than I expected." The Knight told him apologetically, her helmeted head turning to look down towards him. "Are you hurt anywhere?"
Sasuke dusted himself off before answering, "Don't worry. I'm fine." He said, "How about Mash?"
"Well…" They both turned to look at the Shielder's direction, just in time to see the Assassin shadow Servant burst into flames.
'Kh! I need… to protect… Master!' Mash thought through her struggle, deflecting some throwing knives before performing a spinning move that would've sliced the Assassin with the sharp end of the shield. The skull-masked assassin simply vanished from view, then reappeared directly behind her. A slash meant to sever her spine was blocked by the shield. Despite her enemy being inherently faster and quite slippery, she was fast enough to react to his movements, but not move as fast. This allowed her to block most of his attacks. At least ones that would've been fatal. Though she couldn't deny that she was struggling. This was beyond what she should be doing at this stage of her Servanthood. Still, she needed to come out of this, for Senpai.
"I thought you were just some girl, but I see now that you've got some fight in you. Very impressive." She heard a voice behind her. It was the voice of a man she didn't recognize. "Well, now that I've seen your determination, I just can't leave you like this."
The shielder turned behind her to look at the source of the voice, coming upon the sight of a man in a long blue robe. Sporting blue hair, and carrying a wizard staff. He looked like a quintessential example of what a Caster looked like in her mind. The man waved his staff, conjuring a number of Celtic runes that circled his form. The runes were transported to the Assassin Servant.
"Ansuz!"
"Gwaaah! Caster you…!" The Assassin gritted out even as he burst into flames, consuming his being and eating away at his flesh.
The Caster merely smiled, amused. "Yep, it's me. Now do me a favor and just die there peacefully, will you? I've barely got any patience for this farce after this Holy Grail War went to shit." His voice was disturbingly carefree.
'Holy Grail War? So there really was a Holy Grail War here?' The Shielder mused.
Soon, the screaming had ceased, and the body had stopped thrashing in agony. It had been a good five seconds of intense burning until the flames finally fizzled out, revealing nothing of the Assassin Servant in its wake. Not even ash, was left. Such was the strength of a Celtic Runic fire spell.
"W-wow…" Mash muttered under her breath as she beheld the fire spell. Such strong magic. "Ah, Master!" She turned to look at the sound of clattering hooves and saw her Master and Artoria. More importantly, her Master seemed fine and healthy. Artoria must have gone and helped him, which was a relief. Though she wished she would have done it herself.
The Master eyed the stranger through his Sharingan. He seemed like a magician, or a mage, as they call it. A Caster Servant, certainly. It wasn't much effort to assume that he was the one who burned that shadow Servant to death. The Caster turned to look at them as they came closer, a confident smile spread across his face. His eyes lingered briefly towards the Lancer, then locking unto the Master.
"Interesting eyes there, young man…" The Caster commented, which reminded the Uchiha to deactivate his Sharingan. "Interesting…"
"Battle finished, Master… Although I didn't actually do anything." Mash said.
The Caster waved her off, "Nonsense. You've done more than enough, girlie. Besides, you showed me something good there. Enough to make me want to help you."
"Oh, uhh… Thank you. U-umm, if you don't mind me asking, who are you?" The Shielder asked, although hesitant and uncertain whether to interact on friendly terms with the man. But he did help her against the Assassin. So maybe he wasn't a hostile.
"I guess it should be fine…" The blue-haired Caster pointed a thumb at his chest, "Me? I'm Cu Chullain, the Hound of Ireland. Summoned here as a Caster. Nice to meet you, folks!" The man introduced enthusiastically. It was like greeting a new acquaintance on a regular Friday night at a bar. The man was friendly and affable, or really good at pretending to be such.
Sasuke's watch rang again, "You mean the Cu Chullain? Ireland's most famous hero? Commonly referred to as Ireland's Hercules? That Cu Chullain?" Romani blabbered through the screen, his eyes wide open in surprise at the unexpected helper.
"Yup, that's me. Although I would've liked to be summoned in my Lancer Saint Graph, but this is fine too." The man shrugged.
Mash was just as surprised, "Cu Chullain? This is… unexpected. But it makes sense why that fire spell easily defeated that Assassin Servant. Cu Chullain was also known as a fantastic runes master just as much as his mastery over the spear."
The Caster hummed in affirmation, "Looks like you've done your homework, girlie. I'm liking you more and more!"
"O-oh, thank you…"
The Master on the other hand, retained a neutral expression. He hadn't had the chance to read up on Celtic mythology at all, so he was ill-informed about things related to it.
The man walked closer, smile (or smirk) ever present. "How about you? What are your names?"
Mash was the most sociable of them, so Sasuke let her answer, "My name is Mash Kyrielight, a Demi-Servant," She gestured towards the both of them, "This is Sasuke-senpai, Chaldea's Master, and that there is-"
"That is enough, Mash…" All of sudden, the King voiced out, interrupting the Shielder's introduction. By Artoria's will, Dun Stallion put himself and his rider in between the Master/Servant duo and the Caster, to protect the King's charge from the potential dangers the Caster might be capable of. This Caster was an unknown factor, whose motivations are largely unknown beyond helping out on a whim. There was a big possibility still that he harbored the same bloodlust as those shadow Servants they faced earlier.
"Halt, Child of Light. Continue at your own peril." The Knight commanded, the authority in her voice was absolute. She hoisted her sacred lance, as a show of potential violence.
The Caster got her message, and stopped on his tracks. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, there, bigger King of Knights. I come in peace." He said as he put his hands in the air as a sign of submission. The smile still in place.
Artoria was incredibly calm, even as the Hound of Ireland casually identified her True Name. "So you know my True Name? How? What gave it away? Depending on your answer, I might spare you from my sacred lance's wrath." The lance emitted light, an ominous show of power.
"Because I've fought with the Saber version of you. In this very same Holy Grail War, in fact." He answered. The former ninja judged that he was likely telling the truth. There was no physical indication of him lying there.
"What…?" Artoria said, perplexed.
Cu Chullain nodded, "You heard me right. There's a Saber version of you here. One that's corrupted by the Grail, and has been transformed into some sort of evil tyrant." The man put his hands down, leaning on his staff, "Those Servants you fought earlier are Servants she's already defeated, the Grail transformed them into… well, essentially evil versions of themselves. Shadow Servants, if you will" The Caster explained. "Still, it's surprising to see another iteration of the King of Knights in the same place. It's just way too much of a coincidence!"
The Knight remained quiet.
"A Holy Grail war, and another Artoria, huh. And one that's summoned as a Saber, but is corrupted. This is all so much information to swallow." Mash muttered tiringly.
"Another King Arthur? And the Holy Grail? Perhaps that's the cause of this Singularity's appearance…" The young Director looked at them, "Mash, Sasuke, I want you to investigate this Holy Grail War's King Arthur, and possibly retrieve the Holy Grail. This might be our lead to resolving this Singularity."
With some hesitation, the Shielder replied, "Yes, Director."
"Well, I'll tell you my part of the story from before everything went to shit. But for now, how about we form a temporary contract? You'll need all the strength you can get, you know?" The Caster locked eyes with the Master, "You there, boy. What will it be?"
Sasuke pondered for a moment. His eyes going through both of his Servants, as if silently asking for their opinions. Mash merely nodded to him.
"Whatever your decision, I will follow, Master." Artoria said.
"I also recommend you join forces, Sasuke-kun. Another Servant at your disposal would make resolving this Singularity much easier. And besides, if he attempts something funny, the King there would deal with him."
"That much is for certain." The King said.
Cu Chullain sighed, "Relax, will you? I'm not here to fight. In fact, I've lost all motivations to fight for the Grail. I've nothing to gain from fighting the lot of you. And besides, I want to fight alongside you in honor of that lady over there, who fought with all her might to protect her precious person."
The Shielder's cheeks were tinged with pink, but did not deny his words.
It's true though, that the better manpower and firepower you have, the better your chances at winning any battles. Employing this Caster should improve their chances of fixing the Singularity. And besides, there's merit in keeping him with them if he knows what happened in this Singularity prior to them arriving here.
"Alright, then…" Sasuke walked over to the Caster, extending a hand, "We'll be in your care."
The smiling Caster accepted the hand, shaking it firmly. "Likewise, kid. I guess I should call you 'Master' now huh."
When everything was settled and done, the Caster pointed towards the western part of the city, "For now, we should go there. There's a cave towards that part of the town. Archer and Saber are stationed there. I'll tell you everything I know while on the way there."
Sasuke nodded, "Mash, Artoria, let's move out. Lead the way, Caster."
"Ayyup, let's go. We should be there in three to four hours or so. So let's get a move on."
With that, they journeyed towards their new destination.
Unbeknownst to the group, a man in black had been observing them, even from such a distance. His white hair fluttered against the wind, or what little breeze left in the burning city. His dark bow in hand, and perched atop a tower, he eyed them. Like that of a falcon to a rodent.
"Looks like the Caster got himself some friends..." He jumped down, awaiting their arrival at his station. "Won't matter though. I'll destroy them. And If I can't she'll destroy them."
He spared one last glanced towards their direction.
"Pity."
AN: Singularity F should end in a chapter or two.
Sorry for the sluggish pace.
But yeah, I'd planned for Sasuke to slowly awaken his powers the more singularities he clears.
Anyway, thanks for reading!
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