Fate Twin Roses Chapter 14: The Ambition of the Artist – Part I

By Bluestar076

Hello everyone! Bluestar here with a new chapter! And as you could see, we are not done yet with struggles before a little rest! In fact, this time something quite big will await us! I don't think it will be as big as the mega battle that occurred in chapter 9, but it will still be something huge! At first it was going to be a battle like the others while still important, but then I've decided to go beyond and make it something really big! Some of you may find some similarities to an event that occurs in another Fate series, but I'll still do my best to make it impactful. And, considering the premises of the previous chapter, you probably know what I'm talking about! And this time, unlike the other ones, I've decided to give it more space and split up the thing in two chapters, in order to give every bit of this event their proper space.

So, without further ado, let's dive in today's chapter! As always, I hope you enjoy!

Note: I do not own Fate. All rights and characters belong to Kinoko Nasu and TYPE-MOON.


Chapter 14: The Ambition of the Artist – Part I

Tokyo – Shibuya - 21st April 2021 – 20.00 P.M

That night the sky on the city of Tokyo would have been devoid of any clouds, and the starts would have been visible. Yet the wind was flowing.

Even if there were thousands of people walking through, someone could have felt like there was a strange atmosphere of silence, as if time itself stopped.

There was no reason to feel in such way. But one person could understand why. Someone who had inspected Tokyo for quite a while now.

On the top of a skyscraper, a young man came closer to see that large street from above, almost like some sort of solitary angel keeper. The wind flew gently and quietly moved his long blue hair and his uniform while he looked at that town with a bittersweet expression on his face.

Kanashimi Kotomine was there, staring at all those people, waiting for something. "Sigh…sometimes, I envy all those common people. It would be nice to have a regular routine to repeat all days and not worry of things like magecraft." He spoke.

"Those carefree expressions on their faces…I…I really-" But he couldn't finish his line that his attention was caught by something.

An imminent noise.

It sounded like an heavy object that was slowly approaching while floating on mid-air, followed by a metal screech. And it was in that moment that the priest saw it. The thing he'd been advised for.

The result of a desire that lasted over centuries, created with pure resolve to get to victory and be finally recognized.

Even after seeing something of notable dimensions, his expression didn't change. He just stood there, waiting for it to pass.

"So…they're moving. I wonder what fight will come out of this. Guess that they are ready to take every type of measures to get their hands on the Holy Grail…" He commented before sighing.

"Let me see how you will react, then…Masters of this war. I'll watch."


[Katekyo Hitman Reborn – Boys and Girls]

*Seven Cards that represent the seven classes of Servants appear one by one before splitting in two different decks, each one having the seven cards*

[Boys and Girls be ambitious, Boys and Girls keep it real, Boys and Girls be ambitious, Boys and Girls keep it real]

*Kazuto and Archer of Red open their eyes, and then Kazuto with flames on his hands and on his head starts to perform various melee attacks while Archer of Red attacks with the katana, the naginata and her bow. After that, the two start to fly in the sky*

[Following the manual, jumping out of everyday, you are a boy…]

*Kazuto wakes up and quickly prepares himself to leave the house with Archer of Red while having a croissant in his mouth. The two of them leave while Hinobu looks at them with a smile from a window.*

[Not able to become an adult, but not able to stay as a child, times like that will come…]

*Kazuto and Archer of Red are reached by the remaining members of the Red Rose Faction. With Gordon give some punch to the air, Saber of Red give his Master a pat on his shoulder with a big smile, Calem walking with a smile and his guitar on his back, Lancer of Red walking with her eyes closed, Alvis looking at the phone while Rider of Red tries to get his attentions by licking her lips, Marcus giving tips to the group, Astrea joining the chat by talking alongside Caster of Red, Cahya who looks at the group with a light smile and Assassin of Red that walks happy with her hands on the back of her head*

[Where everyone is in a hurry, in the world that we live in…]

*Meanwhile from the top of a roof, Seram, Isak, Cynthia, Tygo, Adewale, Oeneus and Maximilian along with their Servant are watching the Red Rose Faction, with Cynthia giving a quite serious stare at Kazuto*

[We stopped upon a shooting star!]

*Suddenly Kazuto and the other members of the Red Rose Faction stop and turn around, noticing the constellation of a rose in the sky. Then, the camera zooms at Kazuto's eyes before the screen becomes white*

[One thing that I cannot give up, with just one, I can become strong!]

*Fergus Mac Ròich and Saber of White clash their swords and make a battle cry, while Medb runs on her carriage to reach Rider of White, who summons her giant to attack her. Meanwhile, Cleopatra and Shuten-Douji both make a fight pose before attacking each other with melee attack. Then Cleopatra releases some golden stardust with a determined face while Shuten-Douji throws plates with a grin on her face.*

[You were scared and I pulled your hand, we keep walking!]

*Lancer of Red gets surrounded in purple flames before creating purple dragons that are cut in half by Vlad III with his lance, who jumps towards her with an excited face.*

[Our breath increasing in the head wind!]

*Caster of White attacks Astrea with magical beams, but the girl is saved by Caster of Red, who cuts the beams with her staff and is ready to fight, while Berserker of White dives with anger to attack Berserker of Red, who is furious as well and he's ready to attack her. *

[Boys and Girls be ambitious!]

*Then, Kanashimi holding the Black Keys with a worried face, Hinobu making a smile with a thumb up and Avenger turning around with a diabolical smirk while surrounded in a dark aura*

[ Boys and Girls keep it real! Boys and Girls be ambitious! Boys and Girls keep it real!]

*Archer of Red is preparing a flaming arrow while Archer of White is ready to shoot with his gun. The two Servants throw their blasts which clash against each other and form an explosion. Then the screen turns white and, in the end, all the Masters and their Servants are seen striking a pose while a rose stands on the center. The opening ends*


Many hours before…

Tokyo – Ebisu – 21st April 2021 – 9.00 A.M

After the first Servant's defeat and Tygo and Oeneus's particular encounter at the airport, the waters settled down in the Rose Grail War for some days. Even if both factions kept on their researches to find their opponents and take them down, there wasn't any major encounter noteworthy to be mentioned.

But even so, both the Red Rose and the White Rose knew why of this sudden calm. The White Rose in particular. Another grand scheme was in the progress. After having an advantage thanks to their first victory, one of the mages took the chance and alongside his Servant, they put effort to an idea that could have turned their conflict in a blitz war.

But first…some measures had to be taken.

Ever since it started, the Mages' Association put severe rules for the Holy Grail War. And considering how powerful this idea of theirs could have become, and after the large struggle that occurred at Kabuki-Cho a few days earlier…they had to see if the higher ups were ok with that. Even though they thought there wasn't any need of.

"Is that so?" Kanashimi asked, as soon as he heard of their ideas directly from Oeneus and Isak.

"Correct, dear father Kanashimi. Simply amazing, right? Sometimes even I am astonished by the ideas a Heroic Spirit can have. Still, I'm sure that you care about following the rules of the war. So we came here to ask for your approval. Though If I have to say my opinion, a Servant cannot be limited, right?" Isak replied.

"There's no need to be worried, father. We've established the plan to make sure that no civilians or innocents will be taken. The only targets will remain those of the Red Rose!" Oeneus added, trying to convince the priest.

Even if a bit surprised, Kanashimi kept his composure and looked at the Animusphere mage right in the eyes. "You seem to have surpassed yourself, mage. But…I don't know, I'm not entirely convinced. How are you going to make me sure that there won't be any collateral damages, considering the move you want to make?" He asked. By saying this, he lied a bit. While he was worried, he mostly was curious to see how far would Oeneus's resolve have came after proposing such a thing. The answer was surprising for him.

Oeneus smirked. "What if I told you that the designated area is at least 100 Km from Tokyo?" He asked.

The Kotomine priest slightly stretched his eyes, not expecting it. "So…that is where you want this to take place…" He simply spoke, understanding what Oeneus meant. He then turned around. "In that case…I don't mind. Still…I'll have to make sure that you'll keep your word. I may be young, but I'm still the supervisor of this conflict. If you'll be the one I'll bestow the Holy Grail on, I need to make sure that you won't do any type of damages. That said…I'll follow you, and observe how this…scenario will evolve."

Oeneus stretched his fists as a sign of enthusiasm. "Victory is assured!" He thought. "Thank you, father Kanashimi. As a representative of the Animusphere family, I'll assure you that nothing will happen. In fact…even my father would have wished for mankind's safety." He then said to the priest.

"Is there anything else you want to tell me?" Kanashimi then asked.

"Something that may interest you. There is a policeman mage that wanders around Tokyo that is trying to mess with out war…and he was seen accompanied by Avenger." Isak told him before making a grin. "We have found him."

That alone was enough to immediately make Kanashimi assume a more serious expression and close his hands to a fist. "I see…I never thought he would have made an apparition so soon. I'll make sure to remedy to this inconvenience. I thank you for this precious information."

By seeing him act in this way, the leader of the White Rose noticed that something was changed in the priest. "Hmm…how strange. Is this sudden change of mood…a thing of his? I've never seen him act like this…maybe he's just angry." He thought. "And we'll make sure that Avenger won't be a problem anymore. Also…if everything goes well…I'll make sure that you'll have a reward for your job. You can be sure of it." He then said. "It was a pleasure to talk with you, father Kanashimi! We'll bid you now farewell. We have a lot of work to do."

"Thank you again for this opportunity…" Oeneus added.

"Good luck." Kanashimi simply concluded.

And with that discussion ended, the two mages of the White Rose exited from the church, while the Kotomine priest looked at the golden crucifix on the church. "In the end, he decided to make his first moves. In that case…I'll give him my answer. I won't let anything change the settings of this war…for no reason at all…" He commented. "I hope you will approve my ways, o Lord…"

Meanwhile, Isak and Oeneus reached their Servants and started their way back to the headquarters. "I must say, Oeneus…that answer of yours surprised me as well." The leader of the faction said, surprising the other mage.

"U-Uh? Really?" Oeneus asked.

"Yes! Maybe Adewale was right. You really have changed. I still remember when I've recruited you to join this struggle and you were still a lot insecure and willing to end this as soon as possible. You didn't even like to stay with your Servant. But it seemed that just staying with her a few days totally changed you. I guess then that you are ready to keep your head high for what comes next." Isak explained, genuinely curious to hear his reaction.

Oeneus thought carefully of what to say and he even gave a quick look at Caster of White, that made a thumb up. But maybe that wasn't necessary. At this point, Oeneus finally had some courage to answer straight on. "It may have been because when I've joined this conflict, I came from a story to which I didn't have a role. I was just an addiction. Due to my insecurities, I wasn't able to be a proper mage, and the least I could do was watch my father and sister to be better than me. But, after seeing how I could have such results…I now know that even an average one, a jack of all trades like me can do something! This time, it will be Oeneus's turn!" He proudly explained.

Caster of White couldn't have been happier for this answer, while Isak was surprised but satisfied to hear him so. Even at the point that his eyes changed color.

"Yes…you have indeed become a true mage. This resolution of yours makes me even more sure that our victory for the Holy Grail is even more imminent." He spoke.

"And in that case, consider us to help you. It has been a while since I've dived in action. My hands are hungry for someone's head!" Lancer of White added.

"Don't worry, everyone! In fact…I was thinking of something…" Caster of White told them with a smug smile.

And while they kept on moving away…something was watching them.

Alvis's water wolf was hidden behind the church, satisfied with what he heard. "I've heard everything that was needed…time to refer it to the others." Alvis then ordered to the wolf to get away from the church and reach the Red Rose Headquarter.

There was a possibility that Oeneus and Caster of White's strategy may had prevailed over the Red Rose. But if he thought that he would have caught them by surprise and that they wouldn't have answered…

He was wrong.


Tokyo – Red Rose Headquarter – 21st April 2021 – 9.30 A.M

The six members of the Red Rose were waiting for news by their emissary. Since they've heard of the White Rose's next idea, they would have made sure to answer properly and had entrusted Alvis to hear more about it through his water wolves.

Alvis's wolf entered through the window and approached the group.

"Oh! He's back!" Astrea advised the others. Gordon already smirked and sat down. "About time!"

"The task had been clear. I gathered more information about it. They are more intense than I thought." Alvis anticipated.

"You know, this thing of yours is really useful! We should use it more in the future!" Assassin of Red suggested. "Eheh…yeah. But maybe it's better that we listen to what he has to say now." Her Master, Cahya told her.

"Absolutely. I'm sure everyone wants to know about it. Let's not waste any more time. What have you seen, Alvis?" Marcus then asked, eager than the others to know everything.

"I've followed Oeneus Animusphere while he was heading towards the church of the supervisor. Alongside him was Isak Svala Von Lud…" Alvis started.

"He was with him? Strange…it may have caught even his attention. Isak is a type of person that prefers to make his subordinates act." Marcus commented.

"Then, they've explained their plan to the supervisor…which was this." And then…Alvis started to explain what the others had been waiting for. Oeneus's ultimate plan.

It turned out to be bigger than they could have thought. Indeed, a solution that, if used properly, could have wiped them all out, as if they weren't already in difficulty.

Naturally, some of them were shocked to hear such proposal from them.

"WHA-WHA-WHA-WHAAAT!? ARE YOU KIDDING ME!? IF THAT'S TRUE WE MIGHT END UP GETTING OBLITERATED WITHOUT-OUCH!" Astrea was going to freak out after hearing the complete discussion, but her Servant stopped her by hitting her neck with her staff.

"Master! Calm down! We can still think of a plan!" Caster of Red told her.

As always, Astrea sighed, resigned. "Yeah…sorry, Master- I mean…Caster."

"To think that he would have come to such measures to win. And maybe we cannot blame him at all…" Calem commented.

"After seeing our condition, they must have overreacted and thought of a way to get more losses. But still…I hope they don't think we are that stupid." Lancer of Red added.

"Still…" Calem said. "It's almost incredible to see him on a completely different mood now. Oeneus…it seems that you have found what you have been longing for, uh?"

"I think that may be the most dangerous issue out there for this plan of his." Kazuto then pointed out, getting all the attentions on him. "So far, the White Rose always had the upper hand on us. And not only because their Servants were strong…but also because their Masters were ready to do anything to tear us apart. I…could see it in some of them, especially in my counterpart. They really want to do anything in order to have their wishes."

"Y-Yeah…we…could see it well. I don't know how much I can say about Oeneus, since during our battle at Kabuki-Cho, I didn't get the chance to know him better. But I could see that he was upset and aimed solely on killing me. Maybe now that he's more resolute than ever, he will be a terrible threat…and…I shouldn't say all those things that could lower our self-esteem…gneh." Astrea added.

"She…figured it out of her own…" Everyone thought.

"Resolute…yeah. I know what you are talking about. Even me and Maximilian was like this that night." Alvis said.

"Still…" Kazuto then resumed. He then raised his hand and generated a small flame from it. "I don't think we should see this as a reason to get frightened. I'm done seeing us on the ground because of them. This time I will answer. You can be sure of it. Right, Archer?" He then said, looking at his Servant.

Archer of Red could see that Kazuto seemed fully healed from the sorrow of a few days earlier. And she couldn't feel more happier for him and see that pointing all things out really worked. All that he needed was a more direct comfort with her and the others. With that in mind, she extracted her two blades and answered with pride. "You can bet on it!" She exclaimed.

Hearing their grit, Gordon immediately stood up and took off his shirt to show his runes. "Is it will fight am I hearing? In that case I hope you won't leave me behind for this! Especially after that humiliation they gave us last time! I'M ON IT!" He shouted out, making his Servant laugh boastfully.

"YOU CAN SAY THAT AGAIN! COUNT ME AS WELL!"

"I-I want too as well! Please count me in too! I can even make a war face!" Astrea felt the urge to feel involved as well. And then, she actually made a war face.

"GNAAAAaaaaaaah!"

An embarrassing silence of a few seconds followed.

"Maybe…we need to work a bit on it…" Caster of Red commented.

"I like it already! And hearing what they are planning to do, my snake can do a bit of help!" Cleopatra commented.

"In any case, they are heading to all of us, hoping to take us down with one shot…STILL!" Marcus then suddenly said before standing up. "This charge of yours is exactly what was needed in a time like this! We may have lost one of our members recently, but if we keep on standing up like this, WE'LL GET ON OUR VICTORY!" He declared. The excitement was so high that even Berserker of Red showed up beside him.

"ARGH!"

"YES!" Everyone shouted. Soon, all the members of the Red Rose were hyped up to get back on their track to victory. Sure, they were scarred, but they still had their own reason to fight…and they still needed to get their wish granted.

Kazuto looked as all the faction was getting excited. And he almost felt surprised to the idea that the incentive for such enthusiasm came from him. But he was glad. If anything, he was able to make someone else happy and more optimistic. "Well…glad to see that you're all acting in this way. Once again, you can count on me!" He told them.

"And speaking of which…I may have an idea on where they intend to bring us." Marcus then pointed out.

"Uh? You do?" Alvis asked. "And where?" Cahya added.

"That Oeneus said that he intends to put us at least 100 km from the city in order to not involve any civilians. Considering that distance and the fact that he wants to bring us to a place where there's no one living, I could think of only one place here in Tokyo." Marcus explained before revealing the name of the place.

"The one and only Mount Fuji!"

Everyone was surprised to hear such name.

"Wait, really? I was thinking of seeing it back when I first came in Tokyo, but I never thought I would go like this…I hope that we won't destroy it too much…" Astrea commented.

"Does it look like it's time for being a tourist!?" Her Servant scolded her.

"UAH! SORRY!"

"Yes…it makes sense. Considering what he had built, a place like a mountain is the most fitting place for them. Well, apart from a city, naturally." Gordon said.

"Still…they intend to take us that far. How are they going to take us there?" Cahya wondered.

"There's no need of. We'll get there first. As soon as the sun will start to come down, we'll head straight to the mountain all by themselves. The sooner we anticipate their movements, the sooner we'll be able to counterattack. Some of us might get there before than others, but what matters is that we get there. I'm sure they are planning to find some way to drag us there." Marcus answered.

And then…even Lancer of Red felt the need to suggest something. An idea.

"Not only that…I may have an idea on how to take down that thing they intend to throw at us." She spoke.

"Really? What is it?" Her Master asked.

"Please tell us. We need as many ideas as possible." Marcus added.

In that moment, the Heroic Spirit made a small smile as she spoke out. "Ironic. Back when I faced her for the first time, I never thought that it would have turned out like this with her. But if Caster of White intends to pull out her ace in the hole, I'm ready to do the same." She spoke.

"How so?" Archer of Red asked.

"My Noble Phantasm." Lancer of Red simply replied. "I think it has enough destructive power to take that thing down. But still, we need to know more about that thing. So, I may need your help if I have to use it."

Everyone thought about it. If anything, Lancer of Red seemed to be the one that showed less throughout the various battles. But just by looking at her, the others could see that she was hiding something big.

"I guess that you are willing to give your everything, uh? In case, as your Master, you can count me watching your back. I'm ready to help you with a Command Spell if needed." Calem assured her.

"So…I suppose that you are asking us to buy you some time?" Astrea then asked to the Servant, who nodded.

"Yes. It may sound a bit too much, if Caster of White's weapon will be that powerful, but I can assure you that it will be worth it." Lancer of Red replied. She then made a small smirk. "I never miss my target. Especially when I'm hungry."

"We also need to take count of the fact that he surely won't do this thing alone. I'm sure he brought up some reinforcements. So…it would be wiser that, at least at the beginning, some of us could stay back and intercept them. I know that, by this, we would have less people to go against their weapon, but if we want to make this assault a success, we need to prevent any type of errors that could ruin it." Marcus then suggested.

Kazuto promptly raised his hand. "If so, I don't have any problem on doing so. I offer myself." He spoke.

Gordon looked at him with his arms crossed. "Are you sure? You saw what happened the other day. It may be extremely risky." He asked. He didn't want to forbid him the action. But he still needed to be sure, considering how much he seemed destroyed.

By hearing that, Kazuto made a small gentle smile. "In that case, it could be better. If it ends up being someone that wants me dead, they might diverge their attentions on me and give you the chance to proceed." He answered before holding his fist. "Don't worry. I'm well aware of what could happen. And it's because of this that I'm offering myself. Plus, I need to take my revenge on them in a way or another, right?"

"You're starting to talk more like a warrior. And I like it." Archer of Red told him.

In that moment, even Astrea raised her hand. "S-Still! Being on your own it could be extremely dangerous! I'll go with you!" She exclaimed.

Everyone was surprised, especially Caster of Red.

"My, my, Astrea! Another initiative of yours? You're surprising me!" The Servant said, making the girl blush.

"Well…it's just that someone must do it. Plus, now that I know I can do some serious stuff, I can't stay behind! I want an active role as well!" She replied.

"In case, it couldn't make me happier! After all, we've got used to work together, am I right?" Kazuto commented. "That is, if Oeneus really brings some reinforcement."

More things were getting settled and the members were getting even more confident. This time it was Marcus that saw the group as a whole. They weren't totally sure, but still determined to put the plan in act. "It's amazing how they had brought more initiatives of their own this time. This could help us on our way to get the Holy Grail. Wishes can be really strong when someone holds them tight, can't they?" He thought.

Berserker of Red looked at him and growled as usual.

"Yes…maybe we're thinking the same, Berserker." His Master told him before looking back at the other Masters. "The plan it's settled then. When the sun goes down, we'll start to move towards Mount Fuji, with Kazuto and Astrea standing a bit back to prevent any type of interferences. And once we'll see their weapon, we'll show how ready we are to face them, by attacking it with all forces! This time, we'll be the one to surprise them!" He proclaimed.

Everyone nodded.

"There's a lot of time before this evening. I suggest to get prepared. This won't be an easy battle. If that Oeneus really comes from the Animusphere lineage, we need to be ready for everything."

With that settled, everyone started to move away from the reunion table. Some of them left the building, while some remained to train themselves. In a way or another, even if for just for a couple of hours, they needed to get ready, especially if what they heard was true.

Kazuto and Archer of Red were planning to search for an open sport camp in order to improve their skills (while also making sure that no one could see them, due to the rules of the Mages' Association). Astrea told them that she was going to improve by herself with Caster, leaving them free.

As they walked through the city, the Servant looked at his Master. "I guess that there's no need of telling you the obvious." She spoke.

"Did I…satisfied you, then?" Kazuto asked, making the Heroic Spirit nod.

"Absolutely. Maybe there's still a bit of anxiety in you, but for the most part, I can see that you seem calm at the moment. That will surely help for this mess."

Kazuto looked at her and then stared at the ground while keeping on walking. "Guess I really made some progresses, then." He spoke. "Maybe you could say that I took you as an inspiration."

At that comment, Archer of Red blushed a little. "Oh now…there's no need to say such thing."

"No! I'm serious! If anything, I should be grateful to you for always being the first one to cheer me up. Even if…sometimes I don't deserve it…" Kazuto said.

By hearing say so, the samurai Servant came closer to him and held him from the hand. "Well…this is because what you asked…right?" She spoke. "You asked if we could look on each other's backs, and I'm doing it. It's simply holding my word, something I've always done. Well…it's not only for that, though."

Kazuto simply remained in silence to listen to her.

"You know…it's something they've always told me back when I was alive, even in battlefield. 'Sometimes you're too kind!', and I know it's not something you should always do but…It's just being me. Even if it doesn't seem like it, I always try to see people from more perspectives and see if I can help them. That's also one of the reasons I've wore an armor even if I was a woman. Live out my life as myself was all that I could have asked. That…and stay with my husband. Some humans are just like that." She continued before making a smile with closed eyes.

The Tohsaka mage was surprised to hear say things like that, even if it wasn't the first time. He still didn't know what her true identity could possibly be, but somehow…with this, he could understand her nature. Yes, she was indeed a strong and loyal samurai, but at the same time…she was incredibly human. Almost as if there was something else apart from her loyalty.

Archer of Red could notice the face that Kazuto was making and scratched the back of her head. "Sorry…did I made you get distracted? Eheh…I know…sometimes I talk too much. Even my husband noticed that."

"No! On the other hand, it was really nice to hear you. If anything, once again, it really helped me. Thanks, Archer." Her Master replied. "And as a reward…if we get out of this alive, I might take you to an arcade room one of these days."

Archer of Red immediately looked at his Master with stars in her eyes and gasped. "YES! I CAN'T WAIT! You're the best Kazuto! Come on! Let's do our best so we can smack the White Rose!"

That reaction couldn't help but make Kazuto laugh. "Man, that really stimulated you, eh, Archer?"

In the end, they arrived at the place they were searching for. And just like the others, that training was to make 101% sure that they would have came out of it alive.

Especially considering what awaited them.


Tokyo – 21st April 2021 – 19.00 P.M

With everyone preparing for the upcoming big event, they didn't take consideration of the time that was passing by, and the hours went away like drops of water coming down from a leaf.

Finally…the sun went down.

Everyone was ready to start.

Naturally, the first one to react and start was none other than Caster of White herself, who first walked in the terrace of his laboratory to witness the sight of the city in the distance while the sun was starting to hide in the mountains.

In that fragment, she was the happiest person in the world. As someone with an high IQ, she never expected much from her life, since she had the possibility to achieve many feats, but never in her life, she would have imagined to actually succeed in one of the greatest dreams of her past life. And adding to this, she got able to share it with a lot of people.

She looked at the city and widened her arm. "Meraviglioso. I've never waited for something to come to me, but here I am. Today…both me…the other participants of this Holy Grail War and this beautiful city will see what it feels…to fly." She spoke.

In that moment, Oeneus came close to her and gave a look from the terrace as well. "You seem pumped up. Well guess what! We're ready to depart at any time! The others down there wait the signal." He told her.

"Absolutely. The time is more than right. But before…just to be extra sure, I need to do another thing." The Servant replied. She then went back to the laboratory and rotated her staff. When she placed the tip on the ground, suddenly, the laboratory showed another large room, where a lot of green robots armed with steam engines were standing.

Oeneus was shocked at this sight and questioned once again how far his Servant's mind could go. "W-What the fuck!? Are these yours!?" He exclaimed.

Caster of White looked at him nodding. "All of them! Though I did take some notes from a certain someone. This army was made in order to disorientate them and drag them right in our surprise. I've made enough of them so that they could stick up with six Servants. It surely took some time, but it will surely worth it!" She explained.

"Right…our plan consists in dragging them towards Mount Fuji and finish them all at once. Even Isak and Adewale will back us up. They may be strong, but the equipment you put in the weapon will be enough to pulverize them!" Oeneus added. He then looked at his Servant with a small smirk. "My new armor is also ready. In case they get the fool idea to get on our surprise, I'll be there taking them off. Shall we go, then, Caster?" He asked.

"With pleasure…Master. Towards the Holy Grail!" With those words, the Heroic Spirit used her staff to activate the automates, which turned off with red glowing eyes and departed, and opened the dome that closed her laboratory. Both her and the Animusphere mage then got inside their machine.

Oeneus looked from the central window of it with crossed arms while Caster of White sat on the steering chair, and with a button that required the palm of her hand…her ultimate creation got activated.

From the entrance of the castle, both Isak and Adewale, alongside their Servants, could see something gigantic coming out from one of the roofs and caused a wind that moved all of the trees in the surrounding environment.

"Oh, might Zeus…" Berserker of White commented with wide open eyes. "They…they activated it! It's really that!?" Adewale added.

At the sight of it, Isak couldn't be more pleased. This really looked like a second trump card alongside their Saber. "As I'd expected from Caster. Though I have to say…you really threw my expectations out of water, Oeneus. I wonder what your family would say." He spoke.

Once it was fully lifted from earth, it raised its large wings and activated its white glowing eyes and then made a loud roar, just to make everyone know…that it was there, and ready to destroy the target.

"SKREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECH!" It was a gigantic mecha-phoenix colored in purple disposed with various weapons, designed for the sole purpose of taking down enemies such as Heroic Spirits. It was completed and ready to fly towards Mount Fuji and end the story. The wings started to slowly move in a beat, making the machine move.

Caster of White couldn't hold herself from the excitement and jumped on the chair like a little baby. "Yes yes YEEEES! AT LONG LAST ONE OF MY GREATEST DREAMS HAD COME TRUE! I'M FLYING! I'M FLYIIING!" She shouted.

"HERE WE COME RED ROSE! THIS WILL BE THE MOVE THAT WILL DEFINE THE END OF THE WAR!" Oeneus proclaimed, as the phoenix continued to move and started to get far from the White Rose Headquarter, alongside the myriad of robots that followed it.

"They started to move. It's our time as well." Lancer of White suggested.

"Then let's do it. I wonder how you'll react at this, Yggdmillenia…I can't wait." Isak commented with red glowing eyes. The two of them started to run, leaving Adewale and her Servant alone for a moment.

"We should go too. Are you ready?" Berserker of White asked.

Adewale stood still for a few seconds, witnessing the incommensurable work made by his companion. "He…really surpassed himself…he really wants to show what he's made of…" He commented. Somehow, seeing the efforts of Oeneus, made him think of the call he made just a few days earlier and the status of his brother Abayomi. These thoughts made him reach one single conclusion.

If he wanted to save him, he would have to show the same determination Oeneus showed. With that goal in mind, he started to walk forward, showing some electric shockwaves in his hands, signs of his alchemy. "Then let's do it. We need to weaken and drag them towards the phoenix, right? Let's earn this victory!" He then said to his Servant with a grin.

Berserker of White looked at him in silence for some seconds but then made a smirk as well. "It seems that you like this idea." She said before opening her wings. "Let's go." She then grabbed Adewale, put him on her back and started to fly in the same direction of the phoenix, planning to serve as baits for the Red Rose.

The remaining members of the White Rose stayed at the castle and witnessed the gigantic bird's departure.

"…Amazing…" Seram simply commented.

"A really surprising invention. True enough, I shouldn't have expected less from such a couple. Well, I guess it's my time as well." Her father, Teufel added while starting to walk away as well.

"Where are you going?" She asked.

"I'll give a closer look. It does interest me as well after all." The man replied before leaving. Seram stood still and saw him leaving while not being convinced at all. She knew him well, and when he was 'interested' it was never a good thing.

Tygo and Rider of White looked in silence at the machine, confident that their friend would have made it.

"Aaaaah! I can't believe I'm going to miss this grand show! Who knew that they were actually going to build such a thing! Can you imagine how much chaos I'm going to lose!?" Archer of White complained to his Master, who was surely amazed.

"I-Indeed. I never thought they were going at this point…" Cynthia said. She then generated her globe projection to see the Masters of the Red Rose. "Surely Kazuto and those others won't see this co-" She interrupted herself when she noticed something unusual. An issue she didn't expect. "W-What!?" She exclaimed.

Archer of White promptly came closer to see as well. "What's wrong?"

"T-The Red Rose…they're moving on the same direction of the phoenix. They're heading on Mount Fuji! What is going on!?" She exclaimed.

Just as she saw, the Red Rose wasn't going to fall for their plans this time, and as soon as the sun started to go down, they've started to move in the designated zone, ready to counter their surprise. They were all split up, since there wasn't any reason to reunite themselves after everything was settled. After all, they would have seen everyone again in Mount Fuji. For the first and probably last time, the war was going to be fought in a zone outside from Tokyo. By moving scattered, they would have also given the impression that no one was moving according to a strategy, but rather, going on their own. Still, in order to have a contact with each other, Alvis left to each pair a water wolf to follow them while staying hidden, so that he could have a general vision of everyone and advise them in case of a danger.

There was who flew and who ran pretty fast. The distance from Tokyo to Mount Fuji was high, but thanks to their magecraft and their Servants, they would have been able to shorten that distance.

Unlike the rest of the faction, Kazuto and Astrea slowed down on purpose to intercept possible assistance from the enemy.

Caster of Red could see that her Master was able to keep up with her and was surprised. "We've been running for a while and you're still behind me! It seems you've made more progresses, Master!" She commented.

"Oh, come now. Just because I don't have that much of courage doesn't mean that I can't have much stamina! I was able to resist a lot in the past, remember? Now that I'm starting to feel the desire to fight, I surely won't do a stupid thing such as feeling tired! That must be the last of my worries, right?" Astrea replied.

"Absolutely! This is the tone I've wanted to hear!" The female Servant replied. Just as they proceeded, they could hear a whistling noise from above them. When they raised their heads, they could see several piles of smokes surpassing them and then suddenly stop. In that same moment, they could see something diving down. In a matter of seconds, they were all around them: several green automates armed with steam engines.

Naturally, Astrea showed a natural reaction. "AAAAAAAAAH! What the hell are these things!? Did we just end up in I, Robot!?" She exclaimed.

Caster of Red immediately rotated her staff and stood in a fighting stance while watching her sudden enemies. "These robots…so we were right! They were planning to use distractions!" Caster of Red noticed.

"That means that it's up to us and Kazuto to take them down, right?" Astrea asked to her Servant, but it was Alvis who answered.

"It seems that they're not only here. Everyone has them!" He warned.

"What!?" Both Astrea and Caster of Red exclaimed.

It was just like this. Suddenly, all of the members of the Red Rose got surrounded by those mysterious robots, even if they were in different directions. It was just as they planned, but slightly different.

"What are these? Can we take them?" Cahya asked to her Servant, who stood close to him.

"I can't see why not."

"They seem to have something off, though…I don't sense such magical energy…" Calem noticed while Lancer of Red was rotating her spear.

"Does that mean that they are easy?" She spoke.

Even Marcus, had the same thinking, giving a closer look to them. "I see…Alvis! Refer the message to the rest of the group!" He then said to the water wolf that was following him.

"What is it?" He asked.

"There's no doubt that these automats were made by Caster of White. But they don't hold much magical energy in their bodies. They're probably made to slow us or to take us down with their numeric superiority. Even if there's a lot of them, it won't be a problem taking them down! I'm of the idea that even we Masters can destroy them! Let's do it as fast as we can, and then let's get back to Mount Fuji! We won't let us get slowed down by these machines!" He exclaimed.

Alvis used his connections of water wolves to pass the message to the rest of the group. Their mood changed completely and looked at the robots with challenge.

Gordon, naturally, was the most hyped for this, as he started to crack his knuckles. "Well, I think you've heard the boss, Saber. LET'S SEE IF MY FISTS CAN BREAK EVEN THE IRON!" He shouted.

"RIGHT AFTER YOU, MASTER!" Fergus shouted back with the same enthusiasm.

"I guess there's nothing to add then…" Cahya commented.

"Are you ready, Astrea? This can also be the chance to show me the fruits of our training during these days!" Caster of Red asked to her Master, who took a deep breath.

"Sure! Let's do it!"

Archer of Red in the meantime held tightly her blades while she was shoulder against shoulder with Kazuto. "You've heard him, Archer. Feel free to attack as you please!" The Tohsaka mage told her.

"For the second time, we'll fight together, uh? I like this idea. Let's do it!" With those words, both the Servant and their Master threw themselves against the robots.

The machine immediately attacked them without mercy with machine guns, but even if they were made by one of them, they still weren't at the same level of a Servant, and as such, Archer of Red could easily defect their bullets and slash some of them in half with her naginata. Three of them tried to attack her from behind with their steam engines, but Archer of Red, who was a high skilled warrior, immediately turned around and blocked them with the naginata. It didn't took long before she could decapitate all of them with the katana. She then started to run around the area (she and Kazuto were at the Kanto Plain) to dodge the robots' bullets and equip the bow.

"WREAH!" Kazuto on the other hand, started to deliver blow after blow to the robots, one after another, breaking their bodies with his firing limbs. Some of them tried to overwhelm him with machine guns, but the boy snapped his fingers to cause an explosion that melted the bullet in no time, and immediately replied with a beam of fire that burst through a lot of them. Five of them surrounded him and tried to smash him down to the ground with their steam engines, but Kazuto promptly chopped their heads off with a fire kick. That didn't stop them, as three of them were already behind him.

"Uh!?" Kazuto turned around to see them. In the moment they got closer, three arrows pierced through their bodies, making them explode. When Kazuto turned around, he could see Archer of Red with her bow.

"Don't worry! I've got your back! Just like we promised!" Archer of Red told him with a smile.

In another part, around Yamanaka Lake, Marcus was charging against the robots, piercing through their bodies with his two stalks. Thanks to his strength and speed, he was able to make a notable series of cuts in a pile of them. They then tried to charge against them, but Marcus simply countered them by throwing himself with the stalks in front of him, piercing through their chests.

"To think that she took some time to do such things. No matter! I've got used to this back when I was a soldier! I could do this all day, but I have my priorities." He commented. A robot tried to smash him from behind, but Marcus simply turned one of his stalks to him and blasted the robot with a beam from the weapon. He then turned around and noticed that Berserker of Red was having a ride with them.

"GRAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Oddly enough for someone like him, he summoned a large machine gun on his hand and started to shoot at every robot he saw, causing several explosions all over the zone, almost like he was a FPS character. After seeing that there were still some of them, he took away the machine gun and released what seemed to be small tentacles from his body. "AAAAAARGH!" He then threw himself among the robots, throwing them against the others while the tentacles went straight from the rest and stabbed them in the chest, making them useless. Two of them tried to attack him from left and right, but he blocked both steam engines and actually used his skill to take control over them. After decapitating the two robot, he used the two steam engines he obtained to throw himself against the remaining automats, destroying them without mercy.

"I still wonder how he's able to steal someone's weapons and make them their own. I just need to make sure he doesn't go on a rampage…" Marcus commented while seeing him.

At lake Shoji, Astrea was doing her best to not get hit by the automats, who used their steam engines without mercy. Even if she was skilled in martial arts and knew that she could take them, a bit of panic made her things slightly harder.

"AH! WOAH! IIH!" She jumped from spot to spot to dodge the robots and to not get killed. Luckily, a quirk of hers was the agility that she disposed, making her sometimes unpredictable, and for an enemy like a robot, that could act only in a logical way, this was surely an advantage. "GRRRAAAH!" Astrea then decided that it was time to turn on offensive and delivered a spinning kick on one of the robots, leaving a hole in his head and making him explode. She was astonished, but she wasn't done there, as she then started to kick the other robots in the same spot, almost as if she was actually jumping from one to another.

She then landed on the ground while another robot was charging against her. "Oh oh…" She commented. Almost as an instinct, as soon as the robot was in front of her, the girl immediately attacked him with a barrage of punches, leaving the robot with no way to defend itself. "WREAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" With one last punch, she sent the robot crashing against a tree. She looked at the scene astonished, just like it happened with the other times, she couldn't believe that she was the one who just did that. "Oh dear lord…I'm…becoming stronger…" She thought. But her reflection was cut off as another robot managed to hit her.

"GAH!" Astrea defended herself at the last moment, resulting only in her getting a wound in her arm and get pushed away. "Gh…OH MY GOD!" When she stood up, she could see that five robots surrounded her and were ready to shoot at her with their machine guns. "Oh no, OH NO! YOU WON'T FILL MY BODY WITH HOLES! NOT TODAY!" She shouted before touching the ground with the hand that was wearing the valkira ring, releasing a shockwave that reached the robots and disabled them.

"Anf…anf…are they off?" She wondered. They were out of combat, but more of them jumped right at her, making her scream out of panic.

Before the robots could reach her, Astrea could see a long staff impaling them. When she turned around, she could see Caster and take a breath of relief.

"Don't let panic get over you! We still need a lot of energies!" The Servant told her.

"Yes, Caster! You're the best coach I've ever had!" Astrea answered back before throwing herself back at the robots.

Caster of Red did the same, as soon as she saw the robots trying to dash towards her. As a natural warrior, she knew exactly how to answer to them and in an instant, the bodies of the mechanic warriors were pierced and slashed from the staff, which stretched out and even took the form of a long spear. Caster of Red then made the staff rotate and dashed on her own to stab a whole line of them with the weapon. "See if you like this!" She then started to rotate the staff making every destroyed robot crash against the remaining robot.

Astrea could see such action and was amazed by such sight. "OH GOSH! THAT WAS SO COOL! Will I be able to do such thing one day?" She asked, excited.

"Maybe if you become a Heroic Spirit once you're dead." The Servant replied, much to Astrea's displeasure.

"AH COME ON! That's not fair!"

At lake Kawaguchi, Calem was playing serene melodies with her lyre while a group of robots were going to ambush him. At first, it seemed an inoffensive move, but as soon as the machines got closer, a pillar of electricity surrounded Calem and destroyed them.

"Since they're machines, I cannot use the flute. But this lyre will still go!" He commented. He then used the lyre to animate some of the strings that wrapped one of the robots. After getting it, the Artel mage used it as a boulder to crash more of them that exploded.

"Strike!" He jokingly commented. The robots immediately started to shoot at him with the machine guns, making him run fast around the area in order to not get shot. By using the magical circuits in his body, he fired several filaments of light that pierced through the robots' bodies and made them explode. One of them was able to reach him and tried to smash him on the ground, but the boy was quick enough to slip under it and dodge it. Once he was behind it, Calem grabbed the robot's head from the back and released the filaments that cut through his head.

At the same time, Lancer of Red was spinning with all of her body to cut more robot at a time in half. When she stopped and stood up she could see more of them approaching her. This sight made her scoff and she started to slowly walk towards them.

The automats shoot at her with the machine gun nonstop, but Lancer of Red simply moved her body to dodge the bullets until she reached one of the robots and destroyed it with one punch. "Caster of White really disappoints me if she throws such minions." She commented before looking at the rest of the robots. "You're not worthy snacks!" She added.

The robots didn't care of her comments and immediately ran towards her. She promptly answered with a burst of purple flames that incinerated them.

"Eheh…you seem annoyed…" Calem told her.

"In a way. Come on. The sooner we get to that mountain, the sooner we destroy their weapon." The Servant answered.

At the small city of Fujinomiya, which stood on the slopes of the mountain, both Gordon and Saber of Red were going full charge at the robots.

The Fragarthach mage lifted a few rocks with his fist and threw them at the robots. "EAT THIS!" Once the pebbles touched the robots, a reaction was triggered and caused an explosion that destroyed them.

Gordon wasn't satisfied yet and threw himself in the middle of a bunch of robots and started to punch them to the point of destroying them. They weren't a Servant, but they could surely serve as nice punchbags in sight of the big battle. The mage continued without stopping not even for a second. Between one moment and another, his punches went to robot from robot, leaving tons of metal corpses on the ground.

"The more I stay in this war, the more I find new ways to unleash myself and pierce my fists through the enemy skull. I wonder what the future still has for me. I can't wait to see…and in meantime, TIME TO LEARN TO CASTER OF WHITE TO STAY ON THE GROUND!" He exclaimed. As his body started to pump more blood from the excitement, the magical circuits reacted and released some electric shockwaves around the arms, which increased the power of his fists. For Gordon in this moment, it was like staying in a party that hadn't been started yet, but he could already feel the music. "How's in there, Saber?" He then asked.

"The same as you!" Fergus replied back while impaling one of the robots with his sword. He then turned around, where more machines were attempting to attack. With one move of his foot, he already threw himself in and started a sequence of sword attacks that left several cuts to the robots' bodies, making them fall.

"Heh. These robots aren't enough to satisfy me. At this point, it's better for me to dive right into their little surprise!" He commented.

"Maybe it's a bit risky if you put It in that way. Who knows what could happen?" Gordon told him. To that phrase, Fergus could only laugh.

"That's the point! The more I get in danger the more I get pumped up! If Caster of White's asset is really that dangerous, I can't wait to see what it looks like!" He answered back.

To hearing this, Gordon smirked. "Exactly what I've wanted to hear. Come on. Let's see it for ourselves!" With that, they've started to run in direction of the mountain.

And then at Kawaguchi Lake, Cahya and Assassin of Red were busy as well with the robots, confident that they would have been able to destroy them easily.

The homunculus threw himself between them, and dashing as a flash of light, he attacked them with the sword, causing several clashes with their steam engines and managing to break through them. One of the robots was able to come closer and bash the steam engine in Cahya's face, making him recoil.

"Gah!" Cahya touched his face and could see that he was losing blood. He stopped himself for a second, but as soon as he saw the robot going after him, he thought that he couldn't falter for a single moment and charged as well. "AAAAAH!" In a few seconds, Cahya was under the robot and stabbed him with the blade he had. After taking off the sword from the body, he looked at the other robots and charged a beam from the weapon.

"Take this!" He exclaimed as he released the attack that penetrated through their bodies, making them explode.

Cleopatra in the meantime was flying around the bodies, knocking them down with several kicks and cuts of the hand. When she saw that more robots were going to shoot at her, she released some golden dust above them that exploded as soon as it touched them.

Once the road was clean, Assassin of Red landed on the ground and gave a look at her Master. "Oh dear!" She exclaimed as soon as she saw the blood on his face. "Are you alright?" She asked.

"Yeah…don't worry. It's not that big of a deal…I can remedy up to that." Cahya replied. He then touched his face with his whole hand and released a small green magecraft. When he took the hand off, the face was clean once again and the Servant could take a breath of relief.

"You made me worried for a bit." She commented.

"I know. But compared to what we've been through until now, this isn't nothing, right?" Cahya asked with a smile.

"Still, I can't let you get harmed too much! Especially if we still haven't faced Caster of White. Come on…the road should be clean now and we shouldn't be too far from Mount Fuji." The Servant replied after turning around in direction of the mountain.

By hearing her, Cahya lowered her head a bit and sighed. "Then…sorry. I'll be careful next time." He spoke out.

By hearing him, Cleopatra turned on him and gently stroked his head. "Now, now. Don't act so depressed! It's normal to get injured. Just be more careful and watch out from every attack. It wasn't a complain, ok?" She asked with a smile with closed eyes.

Cahya looked at her in silence from some seconds and nodded. "…Right. Let's go." And with that settled, Assassin of Red summoned her snake back and they started to fly towards the mountain, which was getting closer and closer. While flying, the queen Servant rolled her eyes to his Master, who looked straight at the mountain.

"Now that he's starting to get more conscious of himself, I need to make sure that he doesn't get in troubles he can't handle. But I'm sure it will be ok. He knows his stuff!" He thought.

As these little matches with automats were erupting, back in Tokyo, the citizens could notice as, even if the city was illuminated by the various lights, it started to get dark for some reason.

"What the…?" One of them wondered before looking up and get astonished at what he was seeing. "Oh my God..." He spoke out. Most of the citizens had the same reaction. Most bizarre events occurred during the last days, but they've never expected to see that thing.

A small four-year-old girl pointed at it. "Big bird!"

At that moment, the mecha-phoenix reached Shibuya and flew with regular pace, with Caster of White being careful to not make it damage the buildings. "Good. We should be able to be there in maybe an hour with this speed." She commented.

"That's great! What about the automats I've seen back in the castle?" Oeneus asked.

"They've been scattered everywhere between here and the areas that surround Mount Fuji. At this point they've probably reached the Masters of the Red Rose." The Servant answered back. "They may not be much, but at least they should keep them busy for a while and force them to use some of their energy for us to finish them off."

"And adding to that, both Isak and Adewale are there. If anything goes correctly, we should be able to end this. We just need to push the right buttons…" Oeneus commented while holding his fists tightly.

Caster of White could notice that, even when in straight advantage, her Master was still showing signs of insecurity. She could still remember the first days when he seemed so detached from her and see that he was able to change his opinion from time to time. She remembered of all the times he said how much he felt behind both his father and sister. But to be fair, now that she was seeing how much he intended to build this creature alongside her…she could think this way.

He didn't seem inferior at all. He seemed a perfect mage for the Holy Grail War. And she needed him to know.

"Oeneus…" She called him, making him turn around. "Don't tremble…and don't fear. Remember that you have a genius at your side! There's nothing we can lose at this point!" She told him with a thumb up.

The Animusphere mage looked at her in silence but then made a smile. "Right. This phoenix is the clear proof." He spoke. "Father…if you could see me right now…I wonder what you would say." He thought.

Meanwhile, on the top of a building, the overseer Kanashimi could see as the mecha-phoenix was coming closer. He gave a quick look at the city and witness as all the citizens were looking up astonished.

"Let me see how you will react, Masters of this War…I'll watch." He commented. His attention then got diverted to something else, or rather, someone else. Thanks to his magecraft, he could see him.

A policeman that had magical energy was running in the same direction of the mecha-phoenix, as if he was trying to follow it. After sensing his aura, the Kotomine priest could realize who he was. After all, he was advised of his presence.

"Ryujin Gomon-sha…so you're planning to interfere this time as well." He commented. In some way, he got two birds with one stone. Not only he was able to witness a major event of the war, but he could also have the chance to settle things with someone who disrupted the system he was supposed to maintain. He never knew if he had to, but for the first time…he was going to directly participate in.

Without thinking twice, Kanashimi jumped from the building and started to run in the same direction of the mechanic bird and Ryujin.

In the meantime, Alvis, who was still at the hospital, could see the positions of all the water wolves he had placed and was relieved to see that even despite that sudden attack, everyone seemed fine. "So far, so good. We need to keep up this rhythm and we can outturn their plan…" He commented. And right in that moment, while he had a general vision…he could spot them. "Uh!?"

In both the Kanto Plains and in the lake Shoji, his wolves started to sense magical energies outside from Kazuto and Astrea.

There was no doubt. Their thoughts back at the headquarter were right.

"Kazuto! Astrea! Magical energies spotted in your areas!" He advised.

"Ah!?" Both mages exclaimed.

"I can't tell who they are, but just like we said, they might try to weaken us for Caster of White's arm!" The wolf added.

"No need to worry, Alvis. That's the reason we're here, right?" Kazuto asked to her Servant, who nodded.

"Absolutely. Let's go." She replied. There wasn't anything else to add. With that warning in mind, the two of them started to run forward, searching for the enemy.

On a different humor was Astrea, who took some deep breath after Alvis delivered the message. Once again, she was going to fight against another Master of the White Rose.

"Are you ready, Astrea?" Caster of Red asked.

Astrea stood in silence for a few seconds. She was indeed frightened, even if more prepared compared to the other times. But still, she couldn't expect what awaited her. On the other hand, she couldn't even complain about it. She decided to go there in case someone else appeared, and this time, to fight. It was time for once to leave out her insecurities and think positive. There always had been a light at the end of the tunnel, right?

Keeping that in mind, she turned around and nodded. "Yes! Let's beat em up!" She exclaimed before following her own Servant.

A few meters away, Isak and Lancer of White were witnessing the lake, ready to strike. Lancer in particular gave a careful look at the area. He wanted to be sure of something, and he was pleased to say that he met all the right requisitions. "Hmm…yes! This place is perfect." He spoke.

"Then I suppose I can leave it to you, then?" Isak asked.

"No need to worry. In no time, all of those pairs will have several injuries all over his body. All I need to do…is to use this attack." Vlad answered back.

"Then do as you please. These attacks, added to what Adewale is planning will surely make them more vulnerable. It's a shame I won't have the honor to finish them off. But I can imagine the expression on their faces." The leader of the White Rose commented.

Lancer of White didn't lose any time and started to concentrate. A black and blue aura was released from his body, and his spear slowly started to become of a crimson color. He was ready to release it once again: his Noble Phantasm. With enough magical energy supported by Isak, he would have unleashed a myriad of spears that would have filled all of the zones that surrounded Mount Fuji, making every member of the Red Rose badly injured…and assuring their victory. But surely enough, Isak didn't know that a different outcome would have awaited them.

"KAZI-"

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

"WHAT!?"

Just as Vlad was about to use his Noble Phantasm, Caster of Red suddenly appeared from above and in a matter of seconds, he was able to push away the enemy Servant with a kick.

"GAH!" Vlad was thrown several meters away and was astonished to see one of the enemies in front of him taking a fight stance.

"What!? A Servant of the Red Rose!?" Isak was confused as well. That wasn't planned at all. Instead of taking them all down, one of them was now there, ready to battle. Just as he watched the scene, Astrea tried to attack him from behind with an electric double punch.

"HAH!"

A small explosion followed, and the girl thought that she got him, but when the smoke came out, she was terrified to see a golden barrier around the enemy. Isak glared at her with an annoyed stare, making her jump away.

"What exactly is going on?" Isak wondered.

Astrea's panic returned for a moment. At this point she knew how the White Rose acted and after hearing the others, she was certain that she would have found someone. But she didn't expect…him.

"H-He's…the leader!" She thought, as sweat started to come down from her head.

At the Kanto Plains, Adewale and Berserker of White were in mid air thanks to the latter's wings, allowing her to have a better view. She could see the volcano in the distance, meaning that this was the perfect chance to attack the Red Rose.

"Judging by what Oeneus said, they should have been dragged around here by the robots. It's the perfect moment. Just like we did at Kabuki-Cho." The mage suggested.

"No need to say it twice." Berserker of White obeyed and took out her bow, ready to throw a purple arrow that would have multiplied in millions of them to attack the enemy mages from above. She already did so two times, but like they say…

The third one is always different.

"Tauro-" Just as she was about to shoot the arrow, a burst of flames appeared in front of them. "What!?" The Servant exclaimed. They surely didn't expect this apparition, but mostly, they didn't expect to see someone familiar coming out from the flames: Archer of Red appeared from that fire, holding her katana. "HM!"

SWISH!

In just one movement, the samurai Servant was able to cut off Berserker's wings and leave a cut on Adewale's arms. The pair of the White Rose was bewildered to see that in an instant, blood was coming from their bodies. "AAAGH!" It didn't take too long for them to fall on the ground.

"Gh…" Adewale took some time to catch his breath and could see the wound that the enemy Servant just caused. "W-What just happened!? Did…did we made some wrong calculations? She shouldn't be here!" He spoke.

"K-Kh…" Even If injured, Berserker of White stood up to face the enemy Servant. A luck for her was that the wings weren't a natural part of her body, so she didn't have a terrible loss. Still, it caused some blood to spill out, which made her mad and grit her teeth at the one that caused the attack.

Archer of Red, on the other hand, made a few steps, cleaned her katana from the blood with one movement and then pointed it at the opponent. "Ironic. We've been spending a lot of days trying to search you, but we end up getting you in a diversion to let the others proceed. But now I'll make sure to know a bit of you, Berserker of White." She spoke.

"What? Diversion? Tch…this is ridiculous…are you saying that you saw through this!?" The other Servant retorted.

"How did you do it?" Adewale, who got up as well, asked.

"Let's just say that…we've got a little help." It was Kazuto who answered to him, while getting closer.

The Nwadike mage slightly stretched his eyes as soon as he saw him. He heard something about him from Cynthia and saw him for a few minutes back at Kabuki-Cho, but never got the chance to have him face to face. Still, after hearing a lot from his comrades, it was his time to see why they looked so much after him. "Kazuto Tohsaka…"

"Guess I've really made a name out of your faction, eh? Not that it's a good thing. But let's get straight to the point." The Tohsaka mage replied while fixing his glows. He then made a finger snap to show some sparkle, implying that he was ready to fight. "We thought of what you could have possibly planned. And we're here to make sure that it won't work." He declared.

Adewale liked the attitude and smirked. "I like that spirit. Even after the attack that my friends had reserved to you somehow made you stronger. I can respect that. In that case, I'll accept your challenge." He talked back before showing some shockwaves on his arms. "This means that Oeneus will have a lighter job with your companions. Don't think you'll dig out of here easily." The two Masters glared at each other, ready to strike at any moment, with both of them having a precise goal on their mind. Kazuto and Archer got the chance to discover more about that Servant that used the arrow, while Adewale and Berserkers needed to make sure that the plan succeeded and that Oeneus would have been able to take out the White Rose.

Either way, they've wanted to get their own way.

"Well said, Adewale." Berserker of White said before turning on Archer of Red. "I have to say, you have some guts. Only a few people dared to directly face me in that way. But tell me…are you sure that you won't regret it later? Because you've made me now angry!" She exclaimed, releasing a purple aura.

Despite this Archer of Red wasn't afraid and got ready in a fight stance with her blade. "A straight up duel is all what I ask. After hearing what you're capable of doing, I won't hide the fact that I've grew some curiosity in you. So please, I ask you to show me what you've got, Berserker of White!" She spoke.

"Do not think you can see through me!" The Servant of the White Rose retorted, ready to charge.


Fujikawaguchiko – Lake Shoji – 21st April 2021 – 20.05 P.M

Astrea and Caster of Red were standing ready in front of the Master from the opposite faction that tried to attack her companion. The young girl still had to elaborate the fact that the enemy she ended up facing was none other than the leader himself. She heard of him from those who have faced him and knew well that he wasn't an easy opponent at all. She just had the proof with the barrier that defended him. The Servant, on the other hand, had her stare locked on Lancer of White, who stood up after the attack.

Isak, on the other hand, was confused. They never knew of their plans, and the only way those of the Red Rose would have arrived here would have been thanks to the automats that Caster of White had left. So why was she there in that moment to block him?

Once more, he saw a miscalculation, and he couldn't stand it. Still, he needed to keep the calm. After all, that girl seemed like a small prey, and he could already sense some anxiety coming out from her.

"I remember you." He started. "You're the girl who gave some difficulties to Tygo a few days ago. I have to say it, I'm surprised. I didn't expect to see you here."

Astrea started to breathe slowly. Even if she was in front of their toughest opponent, she needed to keep composure, or the mission would have failed. "What about it, then?" She asked.

"Nothing in particular. We may have made some errors, but in reality, there's nothing that can't be fixed, even with your presence here. We're still in time." The Von Lud mage replied.

"Really? In case you haven't notice it, I'm right in front of you, intending to fight! What gives you the certainty that you can take on me that easily, uh? I really want to hear it!" Astrea continued, trying to act cool.

"I can clearly see it. You're scared." Isak immediately replied with a small grin. By hearing this, Astrea gulped, even if she stood in a battle pose. "Judging by that expression, I think you're wondering why, of all enemies, you have encountered me. It seems that lady luck played you a little trick. You're the Master of Caster of Red, am I right? I did hear of you from both Tygo and Oeneus and they told me an interesting thing. Judging by how you behave in battle, you seem to be the less experienced among the mages of the Red Rose."

Astrea stunned once again. He even knew this. Caster of Red looked at her and started to worry. She hoped she was going to calm herself down, or the battle would have had a terrible outcome.

"Anf…anf…" The girl started to pant while trying to calm down. Now her fears were starting to get visible.

"I'm sure that you've understood the difference between you and I. You've probably learned your little tricks all on your own, without a proper mentor to control you. I, on the other hand, am one who studied for many years the arts of magecraft and I'm even a teacher in the Clock Tower. Making you suffer isn't really in my intentions, I can understand your situation." Isak continued. He then reached out.

"U-Uh?" Astrea looked at his hand confused.

"How about you go with my side? If you want, I can make you stronger…and you won't have anything else to fear. I'll teach you to overcome that feeling of anxiety, just as I did in the past. So…what shall it be?" Isak proposed.

The young girl remained in silence and didn't move.

"…You should think carefully about it." The leader of the White Rose warned.

Both Servants kept looking at the scene. Their actions would have been settled by whatever choice Astrea would have made it.

The Alaniosta mage looked at Isak's hand still silent. Somehow…after hearing him talk in that way…cleared out her mind. True, she was scared, she didn't have the same strength the others had and it was also true that she ended up in the war for her mistake and because she was too obsessed with a fictional story. But still…even with all that, she made up her mind just a few days earlier.

"…You can take your offer…" She spoke out before spitting on the ground and release some shockwaves from her body. "AND SHOVE IT UP YOUR ASS!" She then shouted.

Both Isak and Lancer of White widened their eyes while Caster of Red was genuinely surprised.

"True! I may not be an effective mage like those who live on the Big Ben or whatever! But haven't you thought why I'm still here!? It's because I've decided to stay! Plus don't think you can act all friendly with me! I've heard from you and the others, and they've never expressed nice words! Who said I can trust you if I decide to join your side? You can insult me, and you can even say that I'm weak, but if there's one thing you can't do is to use me! I won't let others use me like they've tried in the past!" She exclaimed. By hearing the last thing, Caster of Red was confused for a second. What was she talking about?

"Keep it in mind, 'leader' you may cut me to pieces, but I don't intend to join you! I'll continue my own way with the others! I've promised it to Caster! I'LL BECOME STRONGER!" Astrea shouted.

Caster of Red left out a small tear of joy by hearing that. Back when she was summoned, she was terrified. But now, she didn't see anything of that. She really started to act like a true fighter. "I-I'm so proud of you…" She thought. She then moved her head to Lancer of White. Her Master's choice was more than clear, and with that, she was ready to fight.

Vlad, on the other hand, already made her spear rotate and released the dark aura again, implying that he would have fought as well.

Isak stood there in silence after hearing her opinion. He didn't understand why she would have decided to stick with the Red Rose even if she knew that she wasn't exactly the strongest. Still…this didn't bother him.

"…AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!"

"Uh?" Astrea was confused by such reaction and the Master of the White Rose put a hand on his face.

"You mages of the Red Rose keep surprising me day after day! The Holy Grail really selected some funny people here." He then took off the end and stared at Astrea. "Very well then. If you made this choice, I won't oppose it." His eyes then turned glowing red. "Because it means that I won't regret killing you before your comrades."

"We'll see about that!" With that, Astrea was more then ready, and used her body augmentation magecraft to increase her physical strength and directly dashed at the enemy, who immediately activated his golden barrier to defend himself.

Astrea didn't stop and immediately tried to attack Isak with a barrage of punches, trying to break through the shield. "DORARARARARARARARARARA!"

As soon as the shield felt enough attacks, it started to shine and release a golden beam to push Astrea away, fully hitting her. "GAAAAAAH!"

"It's always the same scene: everyone tries to attack me and they can't even touch me. I'm sure you know it's too late to reconsider the offer." Isak told her.

"You really think I would even reconsider it!?" Astrea immediately countered before running again towards Isak while activating the ring she had on her finger. Once she was close to him, she tried to cover the area with lightnings, but even these couldn't break through the barrier and once again, the girl of the Red Rose ended up getting pushed away once again. "AGH!"

Astrea stood up and glared at the enemy that didn't move during the whole time. "Dammit, dammit! What the hell am I supposed to do!? A shield that blocks every attack is the worst thing I could ever face! How should I hit him!?" She thought.

Isak closed his eyes, thinking that it would have been just a matter of seconds before Astrea would have fallen down. So, he made the shield turn in a group of golden tentacles that immediately attacked the girl, making her panic.

"WHAT!?" She shouted before jumping up in order to avoid them. The tentacles didn't stop and continued to go after her. But against every expectation, Astrea was able to dodge each tentacle. By moving, jumping and defecting the tentacles with electric fists, she was starting to get faster and more unpredictable, almost as if she was moving without any logical movement.

Even Isak was confused to see her act in that way. "W-What is this!?" He thought.

Astrea was breathing heavily while dodging the tentacles, but it was in this occasion that she could notice something: the tentacles were behind him, but by using them, he exposed himself. "That's it! I'm a fricking genius sometimes!" She thought. By keeping the same pace, Astrea continued to dodge the attacks while starting to move towards the enemy.

In the end, she was able to reach him. Isak noticed it and tried to turn the tentacles back in to the barrier, but before she could do it, Astrea already delivered a powerful electric punch in his face, making him bleed. "GAH!"

"I-I did it! I've hit him! Now I must continue just like THIS!" The girl thought, starting to get excited. She then tried to hit him with a cut of her hand, but Isak quickly lowered her head and attacked her belly with his elbow. "BLARGH!"

Isak immediately proceeded to push her away with his cane stick, but the girl tried to stand still and attack him repeatedly with several physical attacks. The leader of the White Rose kept up with her speed and moved his body to dodge the attacks. As soon as he saw an opening, he grabbed the girl's head and threw her away.

"AAAH!" The girl rotated several times on the ground before standing up and noticing that the opponent already activated back the barrier.

"That was a nice attack, I'll admit it. But remember that the gap still exists." He told her.

"We'll see about that! Don't think that things cannot change, Svidrigajlov!" She shouted back.

Meanwhile, both Caster of Red and Lancer of White were unleashing their weapons against each other. The female Servant turned her staff into a spear and clashed it violently against the enemy, but even this wasn't enough to surpass Vlad, who answered with the same violence.

"You fight well, monk. But how are you going to answer THIS!?" He exclaimed before releasing five spears from his chest.

"AH! Caster of Red put her hands in front of herself as defense, but even so, the spear slashed her limbs and pierced her hat, forcing her to jump backwards.

"I represent t the sole justice in this world! Even if you throw me a million of attack I cannot falter!" Lancer of White exclaimed.

"Justice? Interesting. So, you think that your actions represent what's right?" Caster of Red asked before making her spear rotate. "Sometimes I wonder how it feels to be a warrior serving for a country. But in reality, all I need is for Buddha to show me the way."

"That's rich coming from someone who only follows some lectures. But if you're interested, I will gladly show how it feels like!" Vlad shouted back before running towards Caster of Red. To her surprise, instead of using the lance, the Servant of the White Rose used his hands to pierce through her body, as if they were claws. She got a scar on her belly which started to bleed, but she needed to stay still and answer.

"AHAHAHAH!" Vlad continued to relentlessly attack while Caster of Red defended herself by using her staff. While at first, it seemed that he could have prevailed over her, the female Servant placed her staff on the ground, and a golden ring appeared around Vlad.

"What!?" Before he could do anything, the ring wrapped the Heroic Spirit and exploded, harming him. Caster of Red took the chance and made the staff stretch to throw him away. Vlad ended up falling on the lake, but a few seconds later, a purple energy came out of it and he already jumped back on the ground.

"Ahahah…I was starting to worry for your class. But it appears that you can still do something magic. Is it perhaps thanks to the powers those lectures of yours gave you?" He asked as he activated one of his skills, Innocent Monster.

"What you call lectures, for some, like me, are important teachings of a life well-lived. I usually stay neutral to others' opinions, but if you keep insulting them…" Caster of Red replying before assuming an oriental pose. In that moment, a fuchsia aura surrounded her. She activated one of her skills as well, Bewitching Rosy Cheeks, allowing her to stand up against evil entities. "…You force me to get serious in order to defend them!" She exclaimed.

To that reaction, Vlad could only smile with eyes wide open and reach her with the spear. "COME AT ME THEN!"

Caster of Red immediately stretched her staff to attack Lancer of White from afar, who answered by jumping several times in order to avoid it. "WREAAAH!" Once he came closer, he tried to dive attack her with the spear, but to his surprise, the monk Servant, blocked him with a palm attack on his face. Vlad then gritted his teeth and answered back with a punch aimed at the belly that made her spit saliva. He then took the spear and threw her away with a horizontal slash.

Caster of Red crashed several times on the ground but regained balance thanks to her staff and immediately threw herself back against him. She attacked repeatedly Lancer of White with the staff, making it rotate fast while her opponent countered with his spear.

"Amazing, monk! I never expected you could have resisted this far! Did I perhaps touch a nerve of yours?" Lancer of White asked while continuing to attack. But then in that moment, Caster of Red's speed started to increase and slowly overcome Vlad's attacks. "Gh!" Isak's Servant still tried to stay at her pace, but soon enough he ended up getting attacked more and more by Caster of Red's staff, to the point that he got a critical hit on the belly by the weapon that turned into a lance and got pushed away.

"You can bet on it!" The Servant of the Red Rose simply answered.

"Heh…" Lancer of White cleaned his mouth from the blood and stood up. "This clearly shows that you let your feelings get over your mind. In a battle, one must be immediate and only focus on taking down the enemy for the sake of their group. Something that you and your Master don't tend to understand!" He exclaimed before releasing more spears from his belly.

This time, though, Caster of Red saw through it and made herself a road while dodging the spears, reaching him in a matter of seconds. She tried to attack his head with the staff, but Vlad defended himself at the last moment with the lance.

"I wouldn't say so, son of the dragon." The female Heroic Servant told him with a smirk. "Astrea is getting stronger as time flows on, making me stronger as well. Perhaps one day she will be able to impress you, maybe even today. Maybe you don't understand how big the heart of one can become."

"Don't get me wrong. I do, actually. But not in the way you think!" Lancer of White retorted.

Meanwhile, Astrea was starting to become faster and faster, as she tried to break through Isak's shield. But even with all her efforts, that fortress didn't seem to fall, and pushed her away with its counterattack nature.

"GAAAAH!" Once again, Astrea fell. But even if her body was soaked in blood, she continued to stand up and try for another way.

Isak didn't seem to be pleased anymore and glared at her annoyed. "She keeps rising up, even when she knows that she cannot harm me. It's not the first time I encounter someone like her in this war. But every time I wonder the same…why are they doing this?" He thought.

"What's the matter, dude!? Did I perhaps tilt you?" Astrea sarcastically asked.

"Don't think you can act cocky now. I wouldn't do it if I were in your conditions." Isak coldly told her.

"That's rich coming from you! How about you cease to always have those smug smirks sometime?!" Astrea said before placing one of the tarot cards on the ground, the wheel one.

At first, Isak didn't understand what that meant, but to his shock, a giant wheel actually appeared from the spot she placed the card and headed towards him. "Grr!" He immediately used the shield to defend himself, and as natural, the shield was able to resist to the sudden attack, destroying it with the counterattack mechanic. But as soon as he deactivated it, he could see that Astrea was already under him, ready to charge another electrical fist. "What!?"

"Guess that clairvoyance can be useful apart from predictions, right!?" The girl exclaimed before punching him on the chest. She didn't hesitate and threw him away with another fist headed at the head. She immediately started to run while he was still in mid-air and then jumped in an attempt to attack him with a double kick. "GRAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

"MH!" Isak regained balance and was able to land on his feet. Just in time to block Astrea's attack with his hands.

"What!?" The girl exclaimed.

Isak didn't lose anytime and threw her away. After that, he summoned the golden tentacles to grab her and make her hit the ground repeatedly.

"GAH! AGH! BLARGH!" Astrea tried to free herself, but to no avail, and she was forced to get all the damages before she got violently thrown at the ground. "A-A-Agh…"

Isak came closer and was ready to stab her with the tentacles. "I may have underestimated you a bit, but as you can see, the result didn't change." He spoke. "Sometimes you need to face the truth and accept that some things cannot change, even if you put all your will into it."

"Kh…that might be true…but at the same time, you need to accept that as long as you don't see your opponent down, you can't say that you've won! You talk too much!" Astrea countered before showing another tarot card, the sun one, which released a blinding flash at the other mage's eyes.

"AGH!" To that, even Isak had to cover his eyes and recoil, giving the Alaniosta mage the perfect chance to strike. She immediately stood up and grabbed his face. The Valkira's ring started to shine and released an electric shockwave in all the enemy's body, giving him some burns.

"MFFFFMPH!"

"AAAAH!" Astrea then kicked Isak away and immediately ran towards him.

Isak regained consciousness and got aware of the enemy. At this point, he could understand one thing of her. Even if she seems to attack in a blind way, she ends up doing several random schemes to foil the enemy, making her unpredictable. And if she continued, she would have found a way to surpass his barrier's capacities. But even so…Isak knew how to counter this.

"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Still covered by lightnings, Astrea tried to dive against Isak. But little she knew, that by doing so, she found herself open to her opponent.

"You're mine." Isak simply said, as he released what seemed to be a worm from his finger that jumped right into Astrea's mind, going inside of it.

"W-What!?" She exclaimed.

"Fall." Isak said, sounding like he was giving a command. And just as he said, Astrea fell down, like she got pushed by the gravity increased 100 times.

"GAH! W-What!?" She tried to stand up, but Isak wasn't going to let her do so.

"Stay still." Isak then said.

Astrea's limbs froze out, and she found herself completely immobilized. "W-What the hell is going on!? Why can't I move!?" She exclaimed.

"It's useless to struggle. The little worm that entered inside your head is like a parasite that has dug right inside your brain. By controlling your nerves, it will make you do whatever you like. You have fought well; I can say it. But it's time for you to join your fallen friend." With those words, he summoned the tentacles and attacked Astrea, making her fly away.

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

"HAAA!" In the meantime, Caster of Red was moving from left to right to avoid the spears that were coming out from Lancer of White's chest. She was able to reach out for him and tried to aim at the neck with her staff, but the armored Servant blocked the weapon with his hands and started to claw her again. The female Servant got another scar but pushed the enemy in time with a kick. She then turned the staff into the lance and tried to smash his head with it by making it stretch.

Lancer of White blocked the weapon and used his strength to resist. "GRRRRRRRRRRR!"

"T-This is no good…he's starting to get more resistant…if he keeps increasing his stamina, it will be a tremendous trouble, he already proved to be a powerful Servant…" She thought while trying to push further. But then…she moved her head and saw it. "AH!?"

Astrea was near there…lying on the ground surrounded by a puddle of blood.

"M-Master…?" She wondered with an extremely worried face.

Vlad smirked, as he saw the perfect chance. Thanks to her sudden distraction, he was able to lift the staff and dash right in front of Caster of Red. "HEAAAAAH!"

"A-AH!" Out of panic, the female Servant tried to defend herself at the last moment. But the damage was still heavy. Lancer of White's spear pierced through her right shoulder, making her lose a lot of blood. "A-AGH!" With that damage, she tried to resist as best as she could. She wanted to go rescue her Master, but she knew that she couldn't do that as long as Vlad was in front of her.

The only thing she could do…was to hope. Hope that Astrea wasn't going to die.

Lancer of White, on the other hand, was more than ready to win, now that Caster of Red seemed fragile. "Just as I thought, your attachments and feelings blinded you for battle. I hope you're ready to pay the price for it!" He exclaimed.

"Grr…I-I don't think so." The other Servant said while trying to keep calm, even if the situation was critical.

Astrea, on the other hand, couldn't had the strength nor the freedom to do anything. The last attack almost reduced her to a corpse. It was already enough that she could still breathe.

"I-I…I..." She still wanted to stand up. But this time…she couldn't know how. With that parasite in her brain, there was nothing much to do.

Isak made a few steps towards her and watched as she was laying down defenseless. His eyes were still glowing red, but somehow, he felt some pity for her.

"Such a young age…and inexperienced one. Even to this day, magecraft still does such cruel things. That's the reason I've got to really despise it: it can cause such errors like this…and what happened to me." He spoke, remembering something from the past. "But no matter." He added before pointing the tentacles at her. "Luckily for you, I am a kind person, and I'm intending to end your sufferings. You should have thought twice before trying to attack me. With you, we're down to two. And the Holy Grail is only closer." He spoke out.

Astrea couldn't listen clearly to what he was saying, as her senses were starting to become blurred and fading. She made deep breaths, as she witnessed her opponent going for the coup de grace. This, for her, felt so annoying. The first times she was starting to get courage from herself…and she was going to die.

"This is the end, isn't it? I'm…I'm going to die. I'll be the second one. Gee…and to think that Caster told me that I could have quitted immediately. I just…needed to use all the Command Seals, and I would have been saved, right?" Thinking about this, Astrea asked herself a question.

"Why…haven't I quit yet? It was certain that I would have been among the first ones to die. And yet…I continued to fight alongside the others. I told myself that I would have started to get courage and fight. But why? The light at the end of the tunnel…now I really wonder why I've always thought such thing."

She started to think about everything that happened in her life that made her decide why she would have fought.

This was a tough question, since her life was far from being happy.

She remembered the time she was in the orphanage, where she was excluded from the other kids or getting treated like crazy by the nuns. She could still remember their words.

"How can you say she's ok!? She says that everything is magic! She's clearly possessed by a demon! She should need an exorcism!"

"Like I said, she's completely normal, I've made her pray with the rosary a lot of times. She just seems to have…some quirks."

The only person that seemed to care for her was Father James, one of the priests that worked at the orphanage. He seemed to be the only one that wanted to dig more in her persona. He was there for her, he played with her, he listened her. For many years, he was the only one that Astrea would have called a friend. She remembered that even when she discovered the truth about herself…he was close to her.

She remembered it well. That one night when she snug in Father James's office…and saw those papers about her. She was bewildered. Never in her life she would have expected to see such thing. She turned around and saw the priest with a saddened look.

"Is…is this true?"

"I…I wish I could have told you earlier, Astrea. Yes. This is the truth."

"I don't understand…"

"You see…you were born as a sacrifice in a religious cult. Their plan consisted in offering up a newborn infant to their deity in order to get more power. Before they could do the sacrifice, the police spotted them and caught them all. Your mother, who refused to do such act, was able to escape, but was brutally wounded by the members of the clan. With her last energies…she came into this orphanage, told me about the story, and entrusted you in my care. I was shocked indeed, but I've still decided to take good care of you. Because in the end, you were innocent. Just a child that was dragged away by her mom."

As soon as she heard this, Astrea's face started to get covered in tears. Everything started to make sense.

"T-That explains…the reason of my magic. T-That's why! They've done something to me! That means that the nuns and the other children were right about me! C-Can't you see? I…I really am a demon. I'm a monster…"

She started to feel worst second by second. She just couldn't bear what she had heard. She never had a high reputation, but now, she felt like her whole existence was a mistake.

Then, suddenly, Father James came closer to hug her.

"Uh-?"

"You don't need to say that. It's true that you have a sad and dark origin, and that because of that, you've ended up with these powers. But that shouldn't matter. You were saved and were given a second chance to choose a different road from the one they've prescribed for you. Your mother wanted you to live…and that is my wish, too. Don't think too much of the past, because it doesn't matter. You'll be the one that will choose what to do of your own life. Whatever choice you'll make, I'll be happy. Because you'll be the one that took that road."

Once again, Father James showed affection towards her. Even if she still didn't understand what he was saying…she hugged him as well. Somehow, this gave her some hope. She thought that…maybe even in the dark, there was a tunnel for the light.

"T-Thank you…"

Father James then gave her a little bag. The girl checked inside of it, and could see a little ring.

"What is it?"

"It was of your mother. I think you should have it."

Astrea didn't know what that ring meant, but…maybe it could have helped her. At least she had something affiliated to her origin.

At the age of 15, Astrea decided to leave the orphanage and live on her own. She was able to make a life out of her magecraft as a wandering clairvoyant. Life went on for a while a bit…until she found the book that would have made her change her life, somehow.

When she was 18, she thought that through a summoning, she would have been able to have a personal pet of her own to play and read books with. Excited, she pronounced the chant, using a classic novel but instead of a phoenix, she ended up summoning what seemed to be a person.

"Caster-Class Servant. I have come to follow you."

"A-Ah…AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! WHO THE HELL ARE Y-" With the shout, Astrea got a karate chop in the head from her Servant, who tried to reason with her. The first chop of many.

The Servant, which was Caster of Red, explained her what she had done. Once again, Astrea was bewildered.

"WHAT!? No, no, no, there had been a mistake. I just wanted to summon out a phoenix! I don't want to participate in a bloody Royal Rumble! You've picked up the wrong person!"

"Hmmm…I wouldn't say so. It is you who decided to do the summoning and get me as a Servant. The circle of summoning is still there."

"But it was a mistake!"

"Even if it was by accident, you still did it, which means that you have to be the one that will decide what use you will make of me. You can even abandon the role by using all those marks you have on your hand and forget everything about this. What's it gonna be?"

Astrea looked at the mark. She thought that maybe it would have been the right choice. But, hearing her talk, made her think about Father James's words. She would have been the one to choose if to hold that role or not.

And for some reason…she waited.

Caster of Red could clearly see her confusion right there. "You don't know what to do, right?"

Astrea remained silent.

"Hmmm…you know…I may help you with that. Luckily, my guide spirit always has the answer about everything."

"Your…guide spirit?"

"Yes! The one and only Buddha! How about it? Would you like to tell you the way he had left for humanity?"

Astrea was a lot superstitious, and her past brought her to pay a lot of attention about religion. But she never looked that much for Buddhism. Everything was still so confused for her, while it was true that she learned about thaumaturgy and the Holy Grail War from that book, she didn't study that deeply. So maybe…sticking up with her for a bit might have been helpful.

"I'm listening…"

Thinking back to all of this, to her past…didn't give her an answer yet. Why was she there? Why she decided to participate in the Holy Grail War? Why was she going to die?

She couldn't tell.

But maybe…that was the thing.

"You'll be the one that will choose what to do of your own life."

"Even if it was by accident, you still did it, which means that you have to be the one that will decide what use you will make of me."

It was just as both Father James and Caster of Red told her. She was the one who should have decided, and she was the one that was going to take her own reason to stand in the war. And partly…she already done that, thanks to Kazuto and the others.

She wanted to stay with someone.

Knowing all of this…was enough.

"…Gh…" She put her hand on the ground and tried to stand up.

"Hm?" Isak looked as she tried.

"T-That's right. Maybe…I've been the one who made all these paranoias. Even if I ended up here by mistake…and I still haven't found a thing to ask to the Holy Grail…I still want to fight. Because…I want to search my own road. I want to carve it…I want to…finally decide who I really am." She spoke quietly.

The leader of the White Rose could notice as more shockwaves started to appear around Astrea's body. "Don't you think you can stand up again!"

"It's what you think." Astrea countered. "The others are making sure that this so-called ultimate weapon can be stopped. And for that reason, I won't let you stay here any longer. I won't let you interfere with my search for a road!" Suddenly, her eyes glowed of white and looked at Isak. The shockwaves became more intense, at the point that the worm inside his brain got incinerated.

"Valkira…DASH!" She said, sounding as if she was going to attack.

"Don't you dare take one-" Isak was going to command her to stay still, unaware of the fact that the worm was destroyed. Still, he didn't need to know it, as he didn't even have the time to react.

He could only see it for an instant, Astrea became a lightning trail that surpassed him in an instant…harming him.

"GAAAAH!" He could see as a large slash suddenly appeared in his left hip, which started to lose blood. "W-What the hell happened!? I…I didn't get to see it!"

Astrea was still in mid-air, surrounded by electricity and glaring at her opponent. "AND HERE COMES THE BIS!" She shouted before dashing again against him.

"Haven't I told you to not get cocky!?" Isak exclaimed, starting to get angry, as he generated his shield once again. He thought that he was safe now, but he forgot one thing.

One of the barrier's weaknesses was high magic concentrated blows such as that, and with this, as soon as Astrea crashed on him…the defense got destroyed.

"W-WHAT!?" He shouted.

"T-This can't be!" Lancer of White exclaimed, astonished. On a completely different reaction was Caster of Red.

"This is…her real potential…her true magecraft!"

"GRAAAAAAH!" Astrea didn't hesitate and started to attack him repeatedly, becoming faster and faster and starting to look like a true lightning that was striking one person.

This time, and for the real first time in the Rose Grail War, it was Isak that couldn't do anything against the enemy. Sure, he got attacked before, but not with this rate.

"GAH! AGH! BLARGH! GRAAAAAAH!" More cuts started to appear in his body, as he found himself unable to do anything.

This time, it was Vlad that started to panic and grit his teeth. "This is absurd! Where did that fragile mage found her strength!?" He exclaimed. It was incredible how things turned upside down in such little time, but he needed to escape. He tried to run towards his Master, but a long staff attacked him and pushed him down.

Caster of Red got her chance to stand in front of him, ready to start the counterattack. She looked at him with a smile and gave him the answer. "You may wonder why, but you may guess where she took her fighting style from."

Vlad quickly stood up and started to attack the enemy with his claws. "OUT OF MY WAY!"

Now that her Master was safe, Caster of Red took back her confidence and could fight back again. With agility, she blocks the opponent's hands with her staff and pushed him back with a kick, before running at high speed against him. The two of them started to clash their weapons, but Lancer of White could notice that the monk Servant was starting to get faster and faster, perhaps because of her skills. Therefore, he couldn't let her surpass him.

"What you said it's true, sometimes emotions can be a weakness, but you forget to see it from the other side. They can also be the greatest strength!" Caster of Red exclaimed before delivering a strong palm attack at Vlad's face.

The Servant spit blood from his face but stood still and answered with a heavy punch. "No matter! Even if you got this new strength, you still can't stop what is righteous! Remember it well! Not even your God can save you!" He retorted. The two Servants started to deliver attack after attack consequentially, releasing even some shockwaves in the surrounding environment. The Servant of the White Rose could see that Caster of Red wasn't stopping and that her attacks were getting faster and faster. He needed to end her now, If he wanted to make sure that Isak wasn't going to die.

"GRAAAH!" He released some lances from the chest that attacked Caster and made her recoil. "Get ready now!" Vlad immediately released a red aura to finish her opponent but was stunned when he witnessed her opponent. "Uh!?"

Caster of Red was standing in a particular position, with her right leg raised, her right hand close to her chest and her left hand raised. Her body was starting to release a golden aura, and the Servant of the White Rose could swear to the golden silhouette of someone behind her for a moment.

"Like we said, we wouldn't have let you reach the rest of the Red Rose, and this attack will make that sure! Now, let me show you how wrong you were, and that faith can reach a power beyond our world!" Caster of Red exclaimed, as her golden aura exploded with her starting to unleash her strongest attack.

"FIVE ELEMENTS MOUNTAIN – BUDDHA PALM!"

In the blink of an eye, Vlad got himself getting attacked repeatedly by what seemed to be a barrage of golden hands. Even a fierce warrior like him couldn't resist to such strength that didn't seem human nor spiritual at all.

"AGH! GAH! GRAAAH! H-How is it be!? This Noble Phantasm almost seems like it doesn't come from her…it's like…some sort of God-like power!" Vlad shouted.

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Caster of Red didn't stop and unleashed more attacks that quickly overwhelmed Lancer of White, to the point of making his armor crack.

Lancer of White got pushed a way by a supernatural force and crashed several times to the ground. The impact was strong enough to leave a trail of destroyed earth.

"AGH…GAH!" Isak's Servant had the whole-body trembling and could feel like the strengths were starting to abandon him. Caster of Red, on the other hand, was still blooming with energy and she was already running to him to use the staff.

"GRRR!" As much as he hated it, in order to get safe, Lancer of White needed to use the skill Battle Continuation. By activating it, His speed became outstanding and was able to escape from the enemy's grasp. He was quickly able to take Isak and run as fast as he could.

"D-DAMMIT…" Isak said while he got carried away from his Servant.

"Try to understand Isak, we don't know how to answer…for now." Vlad told him with a tone of grudge.

"I-It's alright…I can understand." He said to his Servant before looking at the enemy pair that was starting to get far from them. "D-Don't think it ends here…before this war ends, I'll chop off your head! You'll regret making fun of me, remember that!" He swore. For the first time, he got surpassed, and by someone who seemed weak. This was the ultimate insult both for him and his ambitions. And he wasn't going to let it unpassed.

Astrea and Caster of Red could see as they started to disappear. It would have been better if they could finish them off, but they didn't have enough energies for that (at least not, Astrea), and besides, their goal was accomplished.

"Anf, anf…serves you right, asshole." The girl said before falling down due to tiredness. Her Servant grabbed her before she could touch the ground.

Astrea was completely devoid of any energy, but at least she wasn't going to faint again. She rolled her eyes at the Heroic Spirit, who seemed calm and satisfied as always. It came naturally to her ask a question.

"How did I go?"

"Are you kidding me? That was awesome! The training really brought you a big result. For the first time I could see your true potential. Though I think you still need to fully control it." Caster of Red replied.

"Really? Eheh…that's cool…though I would say that it mostly helped me to not get killed. He still overwhelmed me." The girl then said, reflecting.

"That's true as well. But we couldn't predict that he would have showed up. He was, indeed, an opponent out of our range, but you still give him all the damages back!" The Servant told her before sitting down and leaning Astrea's head to her legs. "Also…I've head you saying something particular. About choices, right? Does it mean that you've got a wish to ask to the Holy Grail?" She then asked.

"Not really. But it's a start. I still remember what you told me back when I summoned you by accident. About how I would have been the one to decide what me and you should have done in this war. I think…I want to stick with that. Plus, like we told last time, I really don't want to leave the others, especially after everything we've seen. Maybe what I really want now…it's just a goal." Astrea explained while looking up at the stars.

Caster of Red smiled. "Now that you've survived, we could say that there's still time for that. One can take a while to decide what role do they want in their life. But to me, what you did today is more than enough. You know, for the first time, you've started to look like a true Master of the Holy Grail War!"

Naturally, Astrea didn't like that answer.

"H-Hey! What do you mean by that, come on!" She shouted. But then she let it slip and sighed. "So…what do we do now?" She asked.

"It's better if we head back to the headquarter for now. There's not much that we can do at this state." The Servant suggested.

"Yeah, I guess so. I really wanted to help the others against Caster of White." The master commented.

"I know. I really wanted to see what my counterpart of the White Rose prepared for us, but it's better if we rest. Here…I'll help you up." With those words, Caster of Red stood up, grabbed Astrea and started to walk away. "The best we can do is pray for their victory. On the bright side, we got rid of an adding danger and Kazuto is taking care of the other. This should make their job easier a little bit."

"Eheh, absolutely. At least I was able to help this time. I wonder how Kazuto's doing…" Astrea said. Then…another question bugged her mind. "Now that I think of it…where's Alvis's wolf?"

By hearing that, the water wolf that followed them came out from a tree. "I stood hidden during the whole time. If Isak saw me he would have known that I'm still alive." He spoke.

"Oh…well, I guess that there's nothing much to add. Just…good luck guys." Astrea concluded, as he looked up.

Part of the road was cleaned, but the battle was still going, and the Red Rose was doing its best to survive.


Kanto Plain – 21st April 2021 – 20.10 P.M

The biggest plain in all of Japan was covered by fire and electricity, as soon as the two mages and their Servants started their mortal clash.

Kazuto did his best to use as much fire as he could in order to limit the movements of Adewale. But the Master of the White Rose turned out to be smarter than expected, as he was able to find several ways to defend himself thanks to his alchemy.

After he jumped away from some of the flames, Adewale ran towards the master of the Red Rose with his hands starting to get electrified. Kazuto understood what he was trying to do and started to run as well with hands covered in flames.

"HAAAAAAAAAH!" The two clashed their arms and reached the same magical energy, leading them to struggle to prevail over the other.

"This is unexpected, I never knew that you were an alchemist as well…" Adewale commented while staring at his opponent.

"It's not that at all. I did practice with the alchemy, but I used it as a starting point to master my magecraft." Kazuto replied.

"And you were able to reach such levels. You surely keep high the expectations from a mage of your lineage, but unfortunately for you…" The Nwadike mage retorted, implying something. He then left out the grip to confuse Kazuto and then grab his face, releasing the power of the circle of destruction on his whole body.

"MMMMMMMMMMMF!" Kazuto could feel as his whole body was filled with high voltage before getting thrown to the ground.

"In the Holy Grail War this isn't enough!" Adewale exclaimed. He was ready to use the circle of destruction again, but to his surprise, Kazuto raised his head and snapped his fingers, causing an explosion that pushed Adewale away. "Agh!"

Kazuto promptly stood up with the fire and immediately delivered a flaming kick right to Adewale's belly, making him crash several times on the ground.

The mage of the White Rose felt a heavy pain in the spot and was forced to spit before looking at the other Master, who had the flames still activated.

"You thought I didn't need it? I've got proves of that, especially after that infamous attack the other day!" Kazuto told him.

"And what? You're going to complain about it? Don't forget what we are doing here, Tohsaka. Everything is valid!" Adewale retorted.

"Then, even something like this?" Kazuto asked before placing his hand on the ground. Right from that spot, an eruption of fire started to move, quickly reaching Adewale.

"What!?" Berserker of White's Master was confused as he could see what seemed to be a circle of flame enveloping him. "I see…a clever move…" He thought to himself.

Kazuto took advantage of this distraction to fly around him and attack him from behind with a fist covered in flames. Still, Adewale knew of these types of strategies. His trainings with his family served especially for moves like this. Therefore, he was ready. As soon as he heard something behind him, he snapped to the right and grabbed Kazuto's arm, much to his shock.

"Uh!?"

"HEAAAAAH!" Adewale threw him down violently.

Kazuto yelled out of pain and was eye to eye with his opponent.

"I appreciate the effort, but maybe you should have thought of all the possible outcomes." Adewale told him before clapping his hands.

"Tch!" The Tohsaka mage quickly rolled away from him, but this was exactly what the mage of the White Rose wanted. Adewale's hands touched the ground, generating a pile of cement pillars that aimed directly at Kazuto.

"Fuck!" Kazuto had no time to think and needed to act immediately. He stood steady with his feet and started to attack the pillars with his fists covering in flames. "HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" He continued chopping them non-stop. Since he was busy, he couldn't notice it, but his speed greatly increased compared to the other days.

Once he had finished, Kazuto was breathing heavily while being surrounded by the debris of the pillars. His front was sweating, but he still needed energies if he wanted to accomplish the plan.

Adewale on the other hand didn't seem to show tiredness and his arms were still releasing electric shockwaves.

"This isn't good…my father told me about those two circles of alchemy. Seeing him having the capacity of both generate and disintegrate makes him a terrible opponent. No wonder why Cynthia usually paired up with him. But…" He thought. He then looked at his Servant, that was still fighting. He remembered his mission and held his fist tightly. "If he thinks I'll go down easily even this time, he's wrong!"

"I admire your abilities and I can see that you're still trying to continue. But unfortunately, I have my priorities as well and I cannot let you go. Though it would be a shame to get rid of you." Adewale told him.

"I'm sure you know that negotiations aren't a possible choice." Kazuto promptly answered before assuming a fighting stance. "This time we'll get our chances for what you of the White Rose have done to me and the others. You've played enough!"

As soon as he heard this, Adeweale widened his eyes and shuddered for a moment. Mostly because this all recollected something he had heard a lot of times from someone.

"You play too much with the things you possess. One day you'll end up regretting this…"

"Gh" Remembering this, especially when it came from the mouth of someone important, made him flinch. Not only that, but he could only notice something else. "His…his stare…is almost like his." He thought. It was pretty ironic. One of his opponents resembled the main reason why he was there in the first place. Still, he couldn't let this particular oppress his mind. He needed to take down the Red Rose as soon as possible, especially of he wanted to help that person.

Even the two Servants were not going easy on each other, especially Berserker of White for obvious reasons. The semi-beast Servant constantly attacked Archer of Red with her claws, aiming mostly at the chest. But to her surprise, the Oni Servant knew well how to defend herself, as she answered with her two blades, even to the point to push the other Servant away.

"GRRR!" Seeing this, Berserker of White started to run to the left while taking out her bow. Archer of Red started to quickly follow her with the bow equipped as well.

What followed was a clash of red and purple arrows that clashed against each other, leaving several explosions all around the plain. As she kept on attacking, Archer of Red could notice that, just as she thought, Berserker of White seemed to hide something. But surely, she didn't expect to suddenly see her coming out from the smoke, aiming to dive against her.

"What!?"

"AAAAAARGH!" Berserker of White used her claws to violently push away the enemy, who was able to stand still, but had to recoil a few meters away.

"Gh…" Archer of Red could see the blood coming out from her armor and then glared directly at the enemy, who was standing ready. "So, it's true. You seem to differ from a regular Berserker-Class Servant." She told her.

"What does it matter? Finding out facts about me is the last thing you should get worried about." Berserker of White retorted.

"Really? I wouldn't be so sure." Archer of Red answered back before grabbing back her two blades. " As someone who stood up In the battlefield, if you want to surpass your opponent in a one-on-one battle, you need to gather as much information as possible."

Hearing that confidence and those lectures made Berserker of White tremble with anger. "Don't get cocky now. Even if it doesn't seem like, I went down in first line through various battlefields alongside some companions. So don't presume it will be that easy to outsmart me, samurai!"

"I don't doubt that. But still…outsmarting you is exactly what I want. So, you, on the other hand, shouldn't thing that I'll be your average pray." The other Servant answered with a smirk. Immediately after saying that, Berserker of White could see that the enemy was surrounded by an orange aura.

"One of her skills? Very well!" She thought before releasing a purple aura of her own. On one side, Oni-Kind Demon. On the other, Beast Enhancement.

The two Servants clashed against each other, looking like two incandescent meteors, and started to deliver heavy blows one after another, releasing even some sparkles between the clashes. Even if Berserker of White's powers were increased due to her signature ability, she could see that somehow, Archer of Red was keeping up with her, unleashing the two blades with perfect strength and speed. "She's able to fight at my level even when I'm in this state? I can't stand it; I won't let you get in my way!" She thought, starting to get angrier, mostly because of the skill.

"Kazuto said that during the last battle, he could see how I was able to use the sword in this way. It was clever to use the day to train this feature! With this, I can keep up with everyone!" Archer of Red thought. The beast Servant tried to aim at her head, but Kazuto's Servant lowered it in time and answered with an horizontal slash of her katana, managing to wound her belly.

"GH!" Berserker of White widened her eyes once she witnessed what her enemy was able to do and the blood that was coming out from the injury. This led the ability to take more influence and make her unleash more anger. After a shout of anger, she quickly turned into a wild boar and charged at Archer of Red.

"A boar!?" Not expecting it, the Oni Servant ended up getting attacked and pushed away once again. Knowing that she couldn't let herself be open for not even a second, she quickly grabbed the ground to stand still and grabbed the bow to shoot several arrows of fire at the enemy.

Berserker of White, still in her boar form, started to run towards the enemy, jumping from one spot to another to avoid the arrows and aim straight at the target.

"She's becoming faster!" Archer of Red thought. Berserker of White then jumped and tried to crash down the samurai, who widened her eyes and in panic, used her naginata to block the boar. "NGHHHHH!" A small clash was created, with Archer of Red using the best of her energies to not get overwhelmed and crushed down. It all ended with a tie, with Archer of Red managing to stand up and Berserker of White that jumped back and reversed to her normal form.

"What about it? Did I gave you a clear idea of what I'm capable of?" Berserker of White asked.

"Anf…anf…I didn't expect her to turn into an animal. It's almost like she's a huntress that became one with nature. I'm more confident on the idea that she has another identity…" She commented to herself.

"I'll be honest, you have caught me out of surprise for a moment, but don't think I'll play along with your tricks. I still need to accomplish my mission of both saving both my Master and the children of this world. Therefore, I cannot let myself get stopped by someone like you!" Berserker of White exclaimed, as the purple aura that surrounded her started to get bigger.

"Children? She has a…sense of protection?" Archer of Red thought. What she just heard felt strange to her. It felt…familiar. But she couldn't have the time to think about it, as the enemy already charged against her.

"GRRAAAAAAAAAH!"

"NGH!" Archer of Red quickly grabbed the naginata and answered, leading to a small impact.

Back on their two Masters, Adewale started to use the circle of creation more frequently in order to increase the possibilities of hitting Kazuto, who turned out to be more agile than expected.

The Tohsaka mage, as well, understood that he needed to think of more ways of reaching him, thus starting to use the fire to fly around and avoid the alchemic cement that his opponent was using.

At one point, Kazuto was able to reach Adewale and tried to punch him right in the face, but the Nwadike mage thought quickly and used the circle of creation to erect a mountain in order to not get caught. He then placed the circle of destruction on the cement he was standing in to take off some rubble and direct them against the other Master. "HM!"

Kazuto widened his eyes and carefully moved to dodge or destroy the rubbles while flying towards him with fire.

"He's more determined than ever! I need to continue on this pace if I want to-" Adewale thought, before suddenly having Kazuto in front of his eyes. "What!?"

The mage of the Red Rose was able to give one last sprint to reach Adewale and use the flame to surround him and leave zero chances to escape. "TAKE THIS!" Before Adewale could come up with anything, Kazuto gave him an heavy punch on his face, making him fall down from the cement mountain. Kazuto immediately dashed towards him to deliver a second attack. Now that he was aware of his opponent's intelligence, he couldn't let him give time to think if he wanted to prevent him from harming the rest of the faction.

"Gh…Uh!?" As soon as he stood up, Adewale could see the opponent mage heading straight for him, so he quickly stood still and reached out. Just when Kazuto was about to attack him, Adewale was able to grab his head and stop him with the shockwaves caused by the circle of destruction. Then, with all his strength, He threw him away.

The Master of the Red Rose didn't want to let him do as he pleased anymore, so he quickly regained balance and snapped his fingers to release a sparkle that reached Adewale and merged into an explosion.

"AGH!" Adewale got fully hit and was forced to recoil. He could see that his body was starting to get covered with burns. This made him start to get seriously worried, especially once he saw that Kazuto was still standing and full of energies. "Shit, he's still willing to face me off. I've heard from Cynthia that he was stubborn…but not at this point! And his fire keeps on growing to become a deadly serious trouble. If he keeps on this way, not even the cement I generate will be able to resist…" He thought.

"You seem displeased and troubled, right?" Kazuto asked. "Isn't this what I've told you? I've promised to myself that I would have continued down this road to pass through all of this, therefore I wouldn't have let you make fun of me again! I have something important to accomplish, so you can't forget that I'll let myself lose!" He then shouted.

His words pricked something on Adewale's mind, to the point of making him annoyed. "…Something important to accomplish, you say? Now, AIN'T THAT STRAIGHT UP ARROGANCE I'M SENSING!?" He shouted, surprising his opponent. "Is it really what you think? That just because there's something you need to take, you can make your way out of everyone? WRONG! Everyone here has their motivation to get their hands on the Holy Grail, but don't think you are the only one that has something left unclean! I do have to take care of my mistake, and I'll do it!" He exclaimed before starting to run towards him.

To prevent his arrival, Kazuto started to snap his fingers several times and generate several explosions in order to make him fly away. But moved by a newfound determination, Adewale was able to quickly move from one way to another and coming up for him. "He's fast!"

As soon as he was in front of him, Adewale clapped his hands and put one on Kazuto belly, generating a pillar of cement that sent him several meters away.

"AGH!" Kazuto spit blood from his mouth as he got pushed away. In this fragment, Kazuto thought for a moment about what Adewale thought, wondering what did he meant by that. Still, this couldn't make him stop from fighting and tried to stand still while the pillar kept on growing. By holding some of his strength, he delivered a firing punch to the pillar, triggering a burning crack that passed through all of it and made it crumble down.

"What!?" Adewale exclaimed.

"This won't surely stop me!" Kazuto shouted back before dashing again at Adewale.

The mage of the White Rose thought that he was going to use a similar strategy to before, so he was ready to grab him with the circle of destruction again at the right time. But this time, it was him that got surprised.

Kazuto stopped a few centimeters away from him in mid-air and formed a rectangle with his hands, from which released a powerful beam of fire that fully hit Adewale. "BRENNEN!"

Adewale couldn't do much to defend himself from this and got fully knocked away. "GAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

While she was still fighting with Archer of Red, Berserker of White could see for a moment his Master getting blown away, leading her to panic. "MASTER!"

Archer of Red got this chance to take the bow and throw an arrow of fire straight at her. But to her dismay, Berserker of White quickly turned around, took the arrow and threw it away, leaving an explosion behind her, while she was breathing heavily. "Even while distracted she got to defend herself!?" She asked.

"Didn't I make myself clear? I said that I would have done everything to protect my Master! Now that I'm seeing him in this state, I NEED TO TAKE YOU DOWN AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!" Berserker of White shouted out before charging against Archer of Red at full speed.

Archer of Red triggered the Oni Kind Demon skill again to keep up with her and answer with her two blades. The two Servants ended up running all around the plain while attacking ruthlessly.

"This is the sole reason I'm fighting! It's to redeem myself from all the errors I did back when I was alive! To start a new! To finally give the children of all world and myself a better place where to live! Even if I'm a monster, my heart is still bonded to others!" Berserker of White said while continuing to fight before managing to break Archer of Red's defense and punch her at the chest.

"BLARGH!" Archer of Red spit blood from her mouth, and when she raised her head, she could already see the beast Servant loading an arrow from her bow. In that small fragment of time there was nothing she could do, so she ended up getting hit and pushed several meters away.

Berserker of White could see a giant explosion followed by a pile of smoke. But to her surprise, she could see an arrow of fire coming from it, attacking her at the shoulder. "AGH! S-She's still there!?"

When the smoke disappeared, Archer of Red could be seen with her bow in her hands. She was breathing heavily, and her body was covered in bruises and burns, but she still maintained her fighting stance.

"Even after a blow like that…you're still there?" Berserker of White asked.

"Yes. Eheh…and for a similar reason as you do…Atalanta." Archer of Red answered.

The Servant of the White Rose stunned for a little bit, after hearing that. "What did you say!?"

"The way you fight, the fact that you use an arrow, and the way you show affection to the others could have led only to this plausible answer. The mythical huntress of Greece that joined the Argonauts." Archer of Red continued, before swinging her swords back. "And hearing that made me actually be proud to be summoned here after all. Who knew that I could have been able to compete against someone like you. But…even with this respect…I can't afford you to continue." She continued. "Here in the Holy Grail War, Heroic Spirits tend to confront each other to prevail. And besides me there's someone that needs to make peace with himself, just like you. I still cannot die here, until I'll be able to help him feel better! Just like I did to another person a long time ago…" She then exclaimed, showing that she's still ready to fight.

Berserker of White seemed caught by the words she used. Even if she was making her mad, there was something in her that was…respectable.

"I did hear of the tales of the samurai…of their troubled fight, their senses of duty, and all the crisis they had been during the Sengoku era. But I can say it for sure that seeing one of them in front of me, it's a completely different experience. You said that you want to make sure your Master makes it through, right? Unfortunately, this is the same for me. You are a notable warrior, Archer of Red, but even if I acknowledge this, I still have my priorities! And I cannot let you stay unpassed! WE'RE STILL GETTING THAT VICTORY!" She exclaimed.

Even with this threat, Archer of Red kept her smile. "I couldn't ask for better. Then, get ready to feel the flames at their highest potential." She simply spoke.

Both glared at each other. A glare of respect and dread at the same time, for they couldn't let the other win.

Adewale, in the meantime, despite feeling the heat and the pain from Kazuto's last attack, started to stand up and breath heavily. Even through all of that, he wanted to show his opponent that he was still standing.

"He's starting to feel tired. The attack worked. I just need to continue. Even if…I'm starting to feel the same…" Kazuto reflected.

"Anf…anf…heh. Even after showing all of my grit, you've unleashed something like that burst of flames." Adewale said before raising his head up and looking directly at the Tohsaka mage. "Guess you really are serious about accomplishing your goal here, huh? Just like I told you…I can rely on that. Especially when you fight for someone you care."

That last sentence made Kazuto confused. "What?"

Adewale kept on taking heavy breaths before lowering his head. "Because of my mistakes and my poor attentions, I couldn't see what was coming for someone dear to me. Even if he tried to advise me and my family. I just…can't afford to lose him. He's been part of me for all my life. Not only that, even my comrades have their own things to accomplish. This is the sole reason why you're still seeing me standing. My friend back at Mount Fuji did his best to get where he is now. Letting you go unharmed means stepping over his ambitions! And I surely won't allow that! I'll make sure to let him defeat all of you! For both him and a person who tried to guide me!" He then proclaimed.

Kazuto looked at him in silence. He was genuinely surprised to hear him talk about this. Somehow, it was almost as if he was talking with some of the members of the Red Rose. This made him remember that…even if they were all mages…they were still human, just like him.

"You…fight for someone's sake?" He asked. He then took the pendant he had attached on his neck and looked at the picture inside of it. "Is it weird if I told you that…I'm here for the same?" He asked.

Adewale remained silent.

"Fighting for saving someone important…and remedy to an error of the past. Sometimes life can be cruel. Out of all the Masters of the White Rose, I've never expected to meet someone similar to me. It's…sad." Kazuto commented, thinking of what he had been through. He didn't know in the details what happened to Adewale to make him participate, but even by knowing almost nothing, he could feel that there were still some pieces that made them similar.

His eyes seemed…sincere.

"I believe you. And it may surprise you, but it's because for the same reason you have…that I still intend to move on. I think I've made myself clear: this time I'll be the one to attack!" Kazuto then exclaimed.

Adewale kept on listening, and just like Kazuto, he could see that he seemed just like him. Even his eyes seemed to send an air of sadness around him. "We're both sinners that are trying to remedy, then?" He asked. He then smirked and stood ready to face him. "That's just fine."

Both wanted the same thing: to win and to prevail over their sorrow.

Once again, they dashed against each other.

Kazuto enveloped his whole body in flames while Adewale was surrounded by electric shockwaves. When the two clashed, they released a shockwave made of both elements that dried out the surrounding plants.

"GRRRAAAAH!" Kazuto immediately started to attack Adewale with a fast sequence of flaming fists and kicks, but the Nwadike mage got quickly used to the type of movements his opponent was using and moved his body in the right way to dodge them. After lowering his head to avoid a punch, he used the circle of creation to generate a small pillar of cement that could hit Kazuto.

"GAH!" Kazuto was attacked, but this time, he kept his composure and surprised the opponent by placing his palm in front of Adewale and make him fly away with a beam of fire.

Adewale shouted out as he was pushed away and crashed several times on the ground. But this didn't stop him, and he quickly stood up. "I praise your efforts, Tohsaka! I can see that you don't act out of arrogance and I can apologize for how I've expressed myself early! But…have you ever heard of the survival of the fittest?" He asked.

"I sure did." Kazuto simply replied before suddenly disappearing.

"Huh!?" The mage of the White Rose didn't expect to see such speed and was horrified to see the mage of the other faction appear in front of him, with already a hand on his chest.

"It's the thing that applies better for this war, don't you think? I've started to use it as well." Kazuto said with a cold stare before releasing more flames at Adewale.

"AAAAGH!" Once again, He was pushed away. Maybe that talk gave him more motivation to continue, and he was the exact contrary of what he wanted. A more motivated enemy would have brought several troubles to Oeneus and the accomplishment of their mission and possibly, the whole war. Now more than ever, he needed to finish it.

So, he gritted his teeth and regained balance to clap his hand and generate pillars of iron to crush down Kazuto.

The other mage flew high to dodge them and started to snap his fingers in a rapid sequence to unleash as many explosions as possible, to the point that Adewale couldn't be seen anymore. Kazuto landed but stayed on guard.

A few seconds later, Adewale came out from the smoke, running fast towards Kazuto and managing to grab him and electrify him with the circle of destruction.

"Thought that you took me down, there, UH!?" Adewale exclaimed while using as much magical energy as possible to amplify the circle of destruction.

Kazuto was suffering through the attack, but somehow found the force to resist. Even if he was bringing forth a heavy attack, Adewale brought up a weakness at the same time: he was close, and thus, more open.

Even if he couldn't see, Kazuto delivered a incandescent punch to the enemy, making him stop. He then proceeded to throw him away with a kick.

Adewale slammed again on the ground, but this time, he was bewildered to see that Kazuto wasn't going to let him answer this time. The Tohsaka mage was already flying towards him, preparing another attack.

"With this, stay certain that YOU WILL LET ME PASS!" Kazuto exclaimed before snapping his fingers one last time and unleash a larger explosion that engulfed Adewale, who could only look with wide eyes, as the flames surrounded him.

Meanwhile, Archer of Red was unleashing the best of her swordsmanship against Berserker of White, who answered with the same strength and twice the rage.

"I need to keep the pace! I cannot allow to falter down, right now!" Kazuto's Servant thought while keeping on attacking.

"TAKE THIS!" Berserker of White then quickly kicked Archer of Red's abdomen, pushing her several meters away.

"GAH!" Archer of Red lost a small portion of blood as she was sent away, but she couldn't let herself go if she wanted to win, so she used the naginata to remain attached to the ground and not fall completely. But just as she stopped herself, she could see Berserker of White appear in front of her, surrounded by a dark mist. "A-Already!?"

"STAY DOWN!" The beast Servant said before starting to leave the enemy with no way out, attacking repeatedly with her claws.

"GHHHHH!" Archer of Red started to lose pieces of her armor, as the other Servant continued to attack. The blows were becoming more fast and more violent. The Oni Servant started to feel blurry, maybe even close to faint. But she knew well that she couldn't let her do so.

"Dammit…I feel my senses leave me. At this point, she'll overwhelm me and I might lose! No, I can't…me and Kazuto have been victim too many times…I can't disappoint him now that he started to have confidence…I need. To. REACT!" She thought before opening her eyes.

"GRRRRRRAH!" Berserker of Right was about to stab her in the heart, but just as her hand was about to reach her, Archer of Red gave an immediate reaction and used both blades to defend herself, making the other Servant recoil. "Did she!?"

Archer of Red quickly took off the two blades and equipped her bow, to unleash one last arrow. The Servant of the White Rose could see that this arrow seemed to charge more fire than the others. She needed to act quickly, and as such she flew as high as she could. Nonetheless, Archer of Red needed to unleash this attack, if she wanted to win.

"THIS IS IT! THE ARROW OF MY OVERFLOWING FEELINGS!" In an instant, Archer of Red released a large arrow surrounded by pure fire and heat, that forced Berserker of White to move on the right to dodge it.

"AH…" She moved away just a fragment before the arrow could reach her. As she saw the arrow graze her check, making a little cut, she thought that she was extremely lucky. That blow, which she recognized as a Noble Phantasm, could have been fatal. She looked the arrow fly high and disappear in the sky. But just as she turned around, she could see that her opponent wasn't done yet.

Somehow, Archer of Red's blades were igniting with a crimson fire, as she was jumping towards Berserker of White. The Oni Servant was glaring at her opponent with fierce determination, as she was spreading her mouth in a cry of war.

"Absurd! W-Where did she find the time to-" Berserker didn't have the time to elaborate that in an instant…

SWISH!

She could just observe as several cuts appeared in her body, followed by large tongues of fire. Archer of Red was already behind her.

"I-In just an instant…she's not…a regular samurai." She thought. This was extremely bad for them. The enemy clearly surpassed her, and maybe she could have defeated her. There was no time to waste. She quickly expanded her wings and reached out for Adewale. "NOW!" Once she grabbed him, surprising Kazuto, she dashed away, disappearing in the sky.

"Ah! WAIT!" Archer of Red exclaimed. She tried to get them with another arrow, but she couldn't spot them anymore. The Servant of the White Rose turned out to be faster than expected. "Dammit…they've managed to escape."

"It doesn't matter. We prevented them to attacking the others, which was what we needed to do." Kazuto told him.

Archer of Red turned to him and nodded. "Yes…after all, we'll have a second chance, right?" She asked.

Kazuto nodded. "You know…maybe I'm looking forward for that." He then said, making his Heroic Spirit curious.

"Uh? Really?"

"Yes. I just found out…we have a lot in common. And it's inevitable that we'll see him again. We're both fighting for the Holy Grail, after all. I just hope I get to know more about him next time." The Tohsaka mage replied.

"I see…in that case, no wonder she got Atalanta as a Servant." Archer of Red commented. This time, it was her that surprised the Master.

"Atalanta? That's Berserker of White's identity?"

"Hm-Hm! We even got what was our original purpose, after all. We're making progresses." The Servant confirmed.

"I see…" Kazuto spoke before turning around and looking at the direction of Mount Fuji. While their purpose was over, the Tohsaka mage came up with a crazy idea. Even if they were going to face it intact, the others of the Red Rose couldn't know what would have waited for them at the mountain. Maybe…they could have needed an adding support. "Archer…you think you can still fight?" He asked.

"I've had to use a portion of my magical energy to use the Noble Phantasm and she did a number on me, so I may need some time…but I'm still in one piece." The Servant replied.

"I see…" Kazuto simply said.

Archer didn't take too long to figure out what his Master was planning. "You sure we can do it?" She asked.

"We need to try. They may need all support as possible." Kazuto insisted.

Even if it seemed like a madness after having that battle, Archer of Red seemed to trust him. "Then We'll do it. Just give me time to recover." She spoke.

In that moment, the water wolf that followed Kazuto came out. "I'll go ahead and keep an eye for you." Alvis said through them before commanding the wolf to proceed.

"Sure…" Kazuto kept on looking at the mountain. He hoped that they would have made it in time. Two troubles were out, but they still needed to face the main battle.


Mount Fuji – 21st April 2021 – 20.40 P.M

It took some time, but they were finally there, at the base of the mountain.

The four pairs of the Red Rose were gathering around the gigantic Fuji from different directions, ready to climb it if they needed to.

"So far, so good…apart from those robots, we didn't face any type of trouble. Maybe the strategy worked." Marcus thought.

"Do you see anything, Assassin?" Cahya asked to her Servant.

"No, but I'm starting to sense magical energy nearby. Be careful." Cleopatra told him.

Those words made Cahya use his magecraft to sense the surrounding magical energy that was approaching. He could spot six familiar energies…and a big one coming closer. It was there.

"Hm! It's here!" He exclaimed, making Assassin of Red turn around.

Just as he said it, a loud noise could be heard throughout the mountain. "SKREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECH!"

"Uh!?" Calem exclaimed.

"What was that!?" Gordon added.

"I think we're closer. Are you ready, Master?" Lancer of Red asked to his Master, who nodded.

"Ready as ever."

The four pairs started to climb up the mountain and reunited with each other. And just as they were that high…they could see it.

"Oh…dear…lord…" Cahya commented.

"Is that?" Calem asked. Marcus was already sweating, but he remained composed.

"Yes. That must be it!"

The mechanic phoenix had arrived and was approaching the mountain step by step, ready to destroy the remaining Servants.

"We've finally arrived! But…there's something strange…" Caster of White noticed.

"What is it?" Oeneus asked.

"I've spotted only four signals. There should be eight if we consider the others who backed us up!" The Servant explained.

"What? You mean that Adewale and Isak aren't here!?" The Animusphere mage exclaimed.

"Maybe there had been an interference, but we cannot let us get distracted by this. We still have most of them at our hand. We can do it!" Caster of White insisted, remaining still on her victory.

"Right…" Oeneus concluded before turning back. He came closer to see them from high. The four pairs of the Red Rose were standing at the top of the mountain, ready to face them. He could notice that even Calem was there. Maybe after all of this, he could see how much he had improved. Not only that. He could show that he could stay in that Holy Grail War, and not be a burden anymore.

"There they are. Are you ready, Caster?" He then asked.

"Ma certo!" Caster of White answered back with a smile.

"THEN LET'S-" Oeneus was about to start, but right in that moment…

BAAAM!

The phoenix got attacked by something, making at waver for some seconds.

"WOAAAAAAAH!" Caster of White shouted, trying to keep control on the machine.

"W-WHAT JUST HAPPENED!?" Oeneus asked back.

"Something attacked the structure from below, harming one of the paws!" Caster of White explaining, seeing the screens that were showing a danger screen.

"T-This can't be! They're right in front of us and they didn't move, I saw them!"

"I don't know either unless…" Caster of White stopped as soon as she thought of the only possible reason.

Even Oeneus could understand what she was thinking. But he just couldn't accept it. His frustration was at its limit, and he couldn't afford to lose other seconds. He needed to act. He wanted to win. "No, NO! I refuse to believe that they've predicted this! We're going now! Prepare the weapons! WE'LL TAKE THEM DOWN!"

"You can count on that…" Caster of White replied, while preparing the phoenix. Even in this moment of panic, the one thing they couldn't lose was hope. The hope that their efforts would have brought them somewhere. The hope…that they could win.

"SKREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECH!" From outside, the Red Rose could see the phoenix roar after getting hit from what seemed to be a straight fire attack that pierced through the mechanical body.

"Where did that attack come from?" Cleopatra asked.

"Wait…could it be?" Lancer of Red spoke, thinking of a possible answer.

"What is it?" Gordon asked.

Calem's Servant made a small smile. After all, it could have been only that. "I don't know if that was on purpose or not…but I think I'll thank you later, Archer." She spoke.

The arrow. The one that Archer of Red used against Berserker of White. Her Noble Phantasm. Even if it didn't attack the main target, it could have helped against a bigger threat.

"AAAAAAAAAARGH!" Berserker of Red was already growling at the phoenix, which made Marcus focus back on the enemy.

"Either way, now that we had come here, it's time to head on! We won't let us get blown up so easily! Time to answer!" He exclaimed.

"YES!" Everyone shouted. Gordon was already preparing his fists.

"Not gonna lie, after seeing this, I'm wondering what the pilot is capable to do." He spoke.

"Me as well. How about it? Shall we climb up that thing?" Saber of Red asked.

"Absolutely. Let's dance." His Master answered back with a smirk.

A few meters away from it, Teufel reached the base of the mountain and witnessed as the battle was about to start. A grin started to form out from his face, as Avenger appeared beside him.

"It seems we have arrived at the right time. Very well…let me see how you fight, Masters of the Rose Grail War…" He spoke out.

"It's incredible how these Heroic Spirits manage to amaze me every time. It makes my blood boil with excitement…" Avenger commented.

Ryujin was still heading for the place, unaware that Kanashimi was following him.

Berserker of White was still flying back to the headquarter, as much as she hated to do so. "I'm sorry, Master…there was no other way." She said to Adewale, who was on her back.

"Gh…it's…it's ok. I understand." Adewale replied with low voice. "Oeneus can still do it…He has the strength." Even in defeat, he didn't lose hope in his comrade. After seeing him grow as the war continued, he was certain that Oeneus could face them, now that he had a weapon like that. Right now…he was a Master of the Holy Grail War.

And he wasn't going to let the chalice to the others.

"I can still do it. Father, Olga. Watch me as I bring forth the will of our family. GET READY RED ROSE! THIS IS ALL OF ME! MY ANGER, MY SORROW AND MY RESOLVE! I'LL BE THE ONE TO WIN!"


And we're done for now! Phew, even if it was just the first part, it turned out to be quite intense due to the two battles in it! Usually, when a part of the story is long, I split it parts in order to not let anything rushed or incomplete, and since I usually write a lot, I usually get to complete it in two of them. And it surprised me on how this turned out! As you could see, the two battles here were supposed to be just diversions for what should have been the focus of the event, so when I first imagined, I've imagined them to be quick, but then I've took my time to develop more the ones that were facing, as we got to see more of their backstories. Especially for Astrea! I'm really happy to have been able to expose her origins and make her have her own epic moment. Ever since I've started this story, I've ended up loving this character, so I really thank Lady of Heaven/Lighningpanda for submitting it. Then as you could see, I've decided to focus mainly first on one battle and then to another. Back in chapter 10, one of the reviews noticed how the battle with Avenger seemed more fluid compared to those in chapter 9, so I've decided to give them their own screentime in order to make them more enjoyable, and frankly, maybe it was what it needed! And well, now all we need to do is to wait until I manage to complete the second part, and trust me, it will be big. This is the first time I make a battle with something gigantic, so it will be funny to see how it will turn out.

One last thing is that, yes, we saw Caster of Red's Noble Phantasm for the first time, and I'm sure you all guessed out her identity (But please, don't say it in the reviews. Try to avoid spoilers.) and probably wonder about one thing. "Why didn't she died after using the Noble Phantasm?" Well, there are mostly two reasons for this. One: I didn't want her to die now, so I've decided to change a bit this rule. Even if It's based on Fate, it doesn't need to be strictly faithful to the original work, so I've took the freedom of changing the effect a bit (after all, there's the second NP for that XD). And second, I did my research and found out that the suicidal element of the attack is a actually a function named "Final Palm", so you can guess out that she didn't used it (Plus, to me, having two NPs that can kill you is unfair. It basically makes you unable to unleash your true power). So please, try to understand. I know what its effect would normally be, don't worry.

And this time I've took less months compared to the previous chapters, a record! But overall, Things are going fine to me. Apart from fanfictions I made, I've started something very special: the drafting of my first original novel! Yes, I've decided to act and write an original fictional story! I really hope things will turn out ok, since it's something important to me. But this won't hopefully take some time off from these stories, in fact, I have started to plan other things for these stories: when summer comes, I was thinking of finally getting back on Digimon Adventure 04. I've felt the desire to get back on that story, but wasn't concentrated enough to make it so, and it saddens me, considering that it was my most special project. Other than that, in just a few days, a new special project might arrive! So, stay tuned to see what I'm creating! It's something that somehow makes me excited, so I can't wait to start it and see if it gets well received.

With this said, as always, I leave the last opinion to you. Did you like the chapter? How did the battles go for you? Were the characters charismatic enough today? But most importantly, what do you think it will happen in part II with the giant chicken? Let me know in your reviews, your opinion is important!

I really hope I'll be able to be as productive as ever this year in order to surprise you. As always, I thank you for reading the chapter and I'll see you next time with part II and maybe my new project! From Bluestar here, Arrivederci!