The King of the Celts stared impassively at the two Lancers kneeling before him. He remained quiet, lazily gripping his cursed spear as he only partially listened to the words of his self-declared 'queen'.

"Oh, really? And then you came running back," the pink-haired Rider repeated slowly and dryly, clearly unamused by the tale they had both heard. "How pathetic."

"Yes, Queen Medb," the blonde one, Fionn, said. "I am very sorry." His raven-haired subordinate…Diarmuid something or other, right? The more composed Lancer nodded in a silent apology.

The king remained impassive as the aggravating woman known as Medb turned to him, excitedly holding that riding crop of hers.

"Hey, Cu," she tittered, an evil glint in her honey-colored eyes. "What should we do about them?"

"What?" Cu Chulainn blinked slowly, focusing on the conversation now that he was forced to be a part of it. He stared briefly at his two subordinates, neither of whom met his eyes, before replying a moment later. "Yeah, whatever. I don't care. They're not kids. They're allowed two mistakes. This is their first. They're off the hook for now." He paused, hearing the quiet sighs of relief escaping from the lips of Fionn and Diarmuid, before speaking up again, his voice still as cold as ice. "However, there won't be a third. Don't waste my time, got that?"

"Understood," Fionn said curtly, quickly rising and turning to his own subordinate. "Then let's go, Diarmuid." The twin spear-wielding Lancer quickly stood up as well.

"Yes."

The two Servants sitting in the place that Medb had declared to be their throne room remained silent until the giant, gilded doors which were the only way in and out of the room swung shut. Cu Chulainn hated it. It reeked of opulence and excess. What's more, it was one of many things that didn't matter in the end. He would sooner see it burn to a crisp then enjoy it.

Luckily, that shouldn't be much longer before it came to pass.

"How naïve!" Medb finally said, shaking her head slightly in a reproachful manner as she gazed at him. "Cu, you need to be far stricter to people like that! You need to be more like an animal. An animal!"

Cu Chulainn's tail twitched slightly in irritation before he slowly shook his head.

"No. Animals are free until they die. Unfortunately, I am a king." He stared coldly at Medb, his grip tightening around the shaft of Gàe Bolg. "The first time, I forgive their carelessness. The second time, I praise them for their narrow defeat. The third time, I resign myself to the fact that they are weak. That, I don't need."

A grim chuckle filled the air as the door opened softly, and a familiar figure walked in. His massive sword was carried with one hand on the hilt and its drill-shaped blade resting against the Servant's broad shoulders. "That opinion suits you even after falling to darkness. Your ferocity against enemies, on the other hand, does not suit you," the newcomer said blandly, coming to a halt a dozen yards or so from the dais on which Cu Chulainn and Medb's thrones rested upon.

Perhaps in another life, Cu Chulainn would have been eager or aggrieved to see the brawny, purple-haired swordsman, but here and now? His emotions were irrelevant. "So, it's you."

"Surely it is you who called me."

"No, that would be me," Medb said, rather coyly as she winked at her old lover.

"Oh, Medb. What's wrong? No one to warm your bed at night?" A gruff bark of laughter escaped the purple-haired Servant's lips as he returned Medb's wink with one of his own. "I'd be happy to oblige."

"No," Medb said firmly, shaking her tiara-wearing head. "Rest assured that I have no issues in that area. Actually, I have a bit of news from a report we just received from Fionn and Diarmuid, Fergus." Cu Chulainn watched lazily as Medb scowled, tightly gripping that flimsy-looking crop of hers. "Servants trying to 'correct' this world have appeared. Enemies trying to return this nation to how it used to be."

Fergus hummed, rubbing his chin with his left hand. "Interesting. How audacious. I take it those are the ones responsible for causing Fionn mac Cumhaill and Diarmuid Ua Duibhne to arrive so battered-looking?"

"If you're bored, you go. They're strong enough, they shouldn't disappoint you," Cu Chulainn said brusquely and dismissively. He was growing tired of this meeting already.

"Oh, by myself?" Fergus asked, though he sounded more eager than concerned. Medb shook her head, however.

"No. They're trying to meet up with a few other Servants," the queen said, before a sadistic smile crossed her seemingly-delicate lips. "So, you could sneak ahead, take those Servants, and—"

"I see," Fergus said suddenly, grinning softly. "In other words, pick them off one by one before they can all meet up." He mulled the mission over, and then nodded. "Acceptable. That should be simple enough."

"Thank you, Fergus," Medb said in that sweet, deceitful manner of hers. Cu Chulainn watched with mild disgust as the pink-haired queen adjusted her posture to one that was inviting and accentuated her bust and curves. "When you return, maybe I'll keep you company for a night?" She asked in a husky voice.

"Hmmm, oh, no, no," Fergus responded, briefly throwing even Cu Chulainn for a loop with that response, though only briefly. "I'll pass this time. I finally got my second life. It's not bad to be greedy but being celibate every so often can't hurt. I'll dedicate all my vigor to combat. I'll let my surging animal instincts guide me. Don't you feel the same way?" Fergus finished, looking at the King of the Celts.

Cu Chulainn slowly shook his head. "No. I won't get all enthusiastic over a battle that will end once I kill everyone. My task is to flatten this whole nation. Minor skirmishes with foot soldiers are mere drudgery. I'll fulfill my destined role. Before I die, this nation will become an uninhabited wasteland."

"I see…" Fergus said, and Cu Chulainn tilted his head to the side ever so slightly. "In spite of that, you're quite… Never mind. Something about friendships and hedges," he said, before bowing slightly in Medb's direction. "Now, my queen, if you will excuse me!"

"Good luck," Medb said, sly as a fox as always. She leaned in and blew Fergus a kiss. "I love you Fergus," she added in that obnoxiously sensual voice of hers. Fergus nodded and promptly left, once more leaving Cu Chulainn alone with his 'queen'.

"Well, how will they react?" Medb asked rather eagerly. "We're up against Rama and Geronimo, right?"

"And that one group," Cu Chulainn reminded the noisy Rider bluntly. "Do they have a strong sense of purpose? Of duty? Or no reason at all?" He shook his head slightly. "At any rate, what a nuisance."

"Cu, you've changed so much," Medb cooed sickeningly. "You've become regal," she added, her cheeks becoming a faint pink in color.

"I'm still my old self. Everyone has moments when they're not so eager to fight. That's just how I feel at the moment. I wonder if my apparent counterpart in that group feels the same?" Medb shrugged.

"I suppose," she said rather flippantly. "The animalistic side of you lusts for fulfilling battles and love. And the empty, hollow side of you is bored of battle, and just stoically deals with things. When summoned as a Servant, which side manifests is a matter of chance." Cu Chulainn watched in mild irritation as the Queen of Connaught paused and giggled behind a raised hand. "Admittedly, you're basically one of my creations. I'm quite astounded at our compatibility. Far better than that 'old' you. To be sure, I love both sides of you, though, Cu. I love you! Really, truly."

Cu Chulainn growled, feeling a storm of irritation deep inside of him surge to the surface. "Shut up. You're annoying." Unfortunately, his words had the opposite effect on Medb…again.

The Rider rubbed her thighs together, and Cu Chulainn noticed idly that she seemed all flustered and excited as she let out a high-pitch giggle.

"You're so spiteful. Hehehehe," she coughed, quickly regaining her composure before Cu Chulainn could finish weighing whether or not it would be worth cutting off her head with his spear. "That aside, half of Eastern America has already fallen. We've killed George Washington, and exterminated the majority of the nation's leaders." She paused, looking troubled, and Cu Chulainn gestured stiffly at her to continue.

"I thought the battle was won. Who would have known that the West would unite to oppose us?" Medb finally admitted after a moment's hesitation. "'Edison', was it? I didn't expect a mere human to go this far. The worst thing is that they have Karna on their side."

"Fool," Cu Chulainn spat callously, tightly squeezing the shaft of Gàe Bolg. "I told you to mow them down while they were still weak." Medb pouted, crossing her arms and gaining not a lick of sympathy from her 'king'.

"Look, I didn't think that a mere 'King of Inventions' would go this far! I can't shake the feeling that he has some kind of backing. Something besides the Holy Grail. Otherwise, it's impossible to explain how he has opposed us as much as he has thus far."

He scowled at the idea. It certainly got Cu Chulainn's attention, alright. He reached up and rubbed his chin briefly with his empty hand, humming softly. "That's alarming. Well, I'll go and deal with him in time. Make sure our preparations are in order. Let's see who falls first, Edison, or this group of wannabe heroes."

"Yes, of course," Medb said, before suddenly wrapping her arms around his right arm, rubbing her chest against his muscles, and ignoring the warning growl. "Well, Cu, let's dream together. A dream as pleasant as a nightmare! When we awake, I'm sure things will have moved forward. Hopefully, it will be something to celebrate!"

I leaned towards the side slightly, letting the wind whip my hair up a bit as the noon sun slowly began to turn into a beautiful orange. It was getting late in the afternoon, but our day wasn't over just yet, for better or worse.

Once more our rather impressive-looking convoy was on the move. The driver of the truck I was in, Oliver, and Geronimo, was leading the others in the direction that Robin Hood had indicated where the Lancer he had met had gone.

Not for the first time did I mutter a silent thanks that our foes lacked any large-scale aerial forces, at least for the moment. As we lacked any of the machine guns that Edison's army now possessed, any sustained attacks from anything between wyverns to airplanes would have had the ability to wreak havoc upon our mobile column with relative impunity.

I shook my head slightly, leaning back into the truck before Mordred could yank me back like a concerned parent. I flashed her a reassuring smile that had my lover relaxing ever so slightly, then turned to look at Billy the Kid and Robin Hood at the back of the truck.

Of our two new companions, Robin seemed the dourest of the entire group, muttering under his breath in frustration as we continued heading out. Finally, he addressed the rest of us.

"Ugh, I'm so depressed. Completely run-down," he groaned. It seems that the famous folklore hero was a little bit on the lackadaisical side of things. "Why do I have to travel to America's remote regions just to see those guys…"

"Hey, quit your bitching. You could always be traveling on foot, ya know?" Mordred said rather irritably. I reached out and gently gripped her shoulder, and she huffed but remained quiet as Mash cleared her throat.

"What is holding you back, Robin Hood?" Mash inquired, courteous as ever. "Did you meet them when you were alive?" The Green Archer shook his head, however.

"No, of course not," he said firmly, glaring off into the distance. "I never met such an overwhelming group when I was a human. However," he paused, dropping to glare to grimace instead as he looked back at us, "it still feels like we're inextricably linked. Like we're connected, but apart, ya know?'

No, quite frankly, I didn't really understand what he was saying. Turns out that perhaps it wasn't the case for my fellow Master, however.

"Ex-girlfriend?" Rits asked. Before Robin could reply to Ritsuka's question, however, Mash nodded sagely, quickly grabbing onto the hypothetical scenario her boyfriend had just suggested.

"Oh, I see. So that was the reason. Robin, I underestimated you." But the English Archer vehemently shook his head, looking utterly appalled by the insinuation. Looks like Ritsuka swung and missed on that point. Still, it wasn't exactly a far-fetched possibility. Plenty of Servants both in and out of Chaldea who we had met had memories of other Servants and previous Masters, so the idea of dating didn't seem that impossible.

Complicated as all hell, for sure, but not impossible.

"Hey, Ritsuka," Robin began, a haunted look in his green eyes. "Don't pull such scary stuff out of that imagination of yours."

"Oh," Ritsuka said, bowing his head apologetically at our new ally "I'm sorry."

"But that's what Robin sounded like he was talking about," Billy interjected, a mischievous glint in his eyes as the American outlaw not-so-subtly nudged his counterpart. "Don't y'all agree?" He added, looking at the rest of us in the truck.

"Who cares?" Geronimo went first, not even bothering to look at us as he gazed ahead of the path we were traveling on." Rama went next, still strapped to Nightingale's back, but no longer bothering with futile attempts at trying to let the Berserker put him down.

"I am ignorant of such matters," he admitted frankly. "I am dedicated to my wife, Sita."

"What?" Nightingale went next, cocking her head quizzically in a surprisingly adorable manner. "A 'girlfriend'? Is that the name of a new antibiotic?"

I started snickering at that. Oh boy, imagine if someone told her about the fictitious ailment known as 'cooties'.

…Actually, on second thought, maybe not. No matter how annoying they may be, no pre-kindergartener deserved that dose of horror and trauma.

I shrugged and went next. "I'm very happy with my partner Mordred." I could almost see Mordred's cheeks starting to burn red in embarrassment at the sweet but somewhat sappy sentimental statement, and was quickly 'rewarded' with a not-so-gentle nudge to the back. Still, it was totally worth it.

"Same with me and Mash," Ritsuka said, and Mash smiled happily at her boyfriend.

Billy threw his hands up into the air, groaning in frustration. "Oh, this is pointless! Nobody here has a sense of humor!"

"Or maybe you're not as funny as you think," I retorted, having failed to see the humor in Billy's earlier comment. The American Archer huffed and crossed his arms, looking away and behaving rather like a petulant child.

Before we could talk any further, Geronimo turned around in the front seat that he was occupying next to Oliver. "Hey, get ready. We're almost at the place Robin Hood told us to go to."

"I think they settled down around here," Robin Hood said cautiously, his body tensed up like a spring. Mordred helped me dismount after I took another batch of painkillers, and I used my rifle as a walking stick of sorts after turning the safety on.

"Well, it certainly looks better than your place," I said in a half-hearted attempt at humor. Though, I wasn't wrong with my assessment. It was another abandoned town, but one that was still in one piece, having not yet fallen victim to the senseless destruction wrought by the Celts nor aged badly by the forces of nature.

At that moment, my commlink began chiming softly. Having a bad feeling about it, I reluctantly answered it. "Jacob here. What do you have for us, Doc?"

"I'm getting enemy readings, so watch out!"

"What kind?"

"Celtic warriors, no Servants, dragons, wyverns, or gazers."

"Well, that's a relief." Even as I said those words four dozen or so Celtic warriors appeared from the edge of the town in question, all on foot.

"Indeed," Mash said, before turning to Ritsuka. "Master, let's go!"

"Wait a moment," I said suddenly, my eyes narrowed as I focused on the leading warriors. "Somethings not right."

"Huh?" Mash and Mordred asked in unison.

"Yeah, I think you're right, Master," Billy said, unholstering his pistol slowly. "They seem really tired. Can't say I've ever seen this before. Well, whatever. I guess that's good for us. Okay, let's do this!"

Atalante, Drake, Billy, Robin Hood, and I all hung back, readying our missile-throwing weapons. The melee-focused Servants formed up a loose line in front of us, waiting to meet their charge instead or running headlong into it this time.

That meant that I had some time to practice my own shooting, especially since I would be doing it on solid ground. Unlike last time, where most of my shots ended up going wide, every one of my shots this time seemed to have hit their mark. Five times I aimed and then pulled the trigger, and five different Celts fell, along with over a dozen others from the fire of the Servants around me.

"Hey, think I'm getting the hang of this," I said, working the bolt back on my rifle before grabbing a new clip from the bandolier and sliding it into the breech of the firearm. Moving my hands clear of the bolt mechanism, I slide it back into place, chambering a new round.

"Less yapping, more shooting!" Billy chided, and I felt a bit silly as the American Heroic Spirit began unloading all six .45 caliber bullets from his Colt revolver, before ducking down and started to reload his pistol.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Drake scowling slightly at the only other gunslinging Servant in our group. I suppressed a sigh, realizing that Ritsuka's Rider was probably going to challenge Billy to some kind of shooting match in the near-future. While more relaxed about it than Mordred, the buxom Rider had a competitive streak of her own. It was the reason why I also politely declined her repeated offers of joining her and some of the other Servants for any drinking games.

Further away, Ritsuka was fighting a Celt of his own. I raised my rifle and pointed it in his direction, only to hold my fire. To my frustration, my fellow Master was far too close to his opponent for me to risk firing. It was bad enough that I was partially crippled. Like hell did we need to have me in such a state and Ritsuka in one as well, or worse, dead.

However, it quickly turned out that he didn't really need my assistance. While a bit cruder than if I had been the one dueling the Celtic swordsman, Ritsuka was more than holding his ground. What's more, it seemed like he was barely breaking a sweat.

He broke through the Celt's guard, and slammed a knee into the redhead's gut, sending the warrior stumbling backwards. From behind, I saw a flash of silvery steel and then a thin trail of blood erupting from the man's back as Jack the Ripper lived up to her name, carving open the unprotected rear with a single strike. Some blood landed on the child Assassin's face, and she looked rather excited about it before she darted off.

I breathed slowly, looking back to the main battle. It was going rather easy, all things considered.

With a single twist of her hips, Mordred had Clarent slice through the waists of a half-dozen Celts that had formed around her in a half-circle, a thin stream of blood and gore staining the dirt off to her right side as six bodies essentially became twelve.

Jeanne Alter impaled two different Celts with her two weapons, while Chulainn buried the head of Gàe Bolg into the chest of a third Celt. The other Servants were having a relative breeze.

It really was easy. Too easy, in fact. Even if they weren't Servants, I could remember how much difficulty I personally had in fighting off the primitive-looking warriors during our first encounter with them. So why the hell did something seem different about this fight compared to the ones I had been in previously with these foes?

I wasn't the only one to have taken note of this, either.

"They're weak, but there are still many of them. I wonder why they're so weak, though," Robin Hood mused aloud. "Is it, maybe? No, there's no way…there's no way."

"Is something wrong?" Ritsuka asked, and I nodded, holding my fire as Mash, Mordred, and the others finished wiping up the last of the remaining Celts. Robin shook his head, though Billy nodded.

"Green's right. They are weak!"

"But they're the same Celtic soldiers we've been fighting before, right?" Mash asked, getting several nods of agreement. "Seems like they had to deal with something else before us, though…"

"More's the pity. Not much is worse than beating up a weakened enemy like this," Mordred grunted. I flicked the safety on my rifle and leaned it on the ground carefully, turning it back into a crutch once more.

Geronimo suddenly stiffened, looking skyward.

"Geronimo, what's wrong?" Billy asked, his hand resting lightly on the grip of his holstered pistol, ready to draw the six-shot revolver at a moment's notice. The Native American Caster frowned slightly, before slowly shaking his head, clearly troubled by something.

"No. At least, I don't think so. I just thought that I heard a weird sound…"

As if on cue, the relative silence that had fallen upon our group was shattered by the faintest sound of…screaming? Crying?

Well, whatever it was, we all heard it this time. Billy scratched the side of his head, just as befuddled as the rest of us.

"Oh, you're right," he said somewhat numbly, before frowning. "What is that, exactly? Each individual sound is beautiful, but when you put it all together, they feel murky, like mud." Billy's frown became more of a scowl as he continued speaking. "It's like when you use red, blue, yellow, green, and pink paint, and then the canvas goes all black."

"Ugh," Robin groaned, facepalming. "Is she still singing…?"

"She? The Lancer?" Atalante inquired, while her lioness ears were pinned back. Ritsuka's Archer had a slightly pained look on her face, her superb hearing proving to be a detriment in this particular instance. I dreaded to imagine how Amadeus would have handled the noise.

Robin remained silent, pulling his signature hood over his head and pulling it down tight, as if by doing so would somehow manage to save his hearing. I myself frowned, as an old memory resurfaced. A memory of dragons…

Oh. Oh, no…

"Please wait, Master," Mash said, a resigned look on her face. It seems she had reached the same conclusion that I had reached. That this was a Servant we had encountered before. "I feel like we've heard this song somewhere before." Ritsuka had a cheeky look on his face, and he slowly breathed in before opening his mouth.

"It's just an imagination-tion-tion! It's an auditory illusion-sion-sion!" I flinched, cringing heavily at the antics of my fellow Master. I didn't know if I wanted to lightly him atop the head with the butt of my new rifle, or settle for a good old-fashioned slap on the back of his head for it.

"Master, the way you are ending your sentences is very strange!" A rather alarmed Mash said, before Rits broke out laughing.

"Relax, it's just a joke."

"Funny," I deadpanned dryly. "So funny, I forgot how to laugh." Ritsuka laughed sheepishly, looking down as he noticed how he was the only one even remotely amused by his little stunt.

"Sorry. I guess we should head into the town and find the one in question?"

"Might be a good idea," Mordred said with a grunt, shrugging her shoulders at the same time as well.

"Alright. Well, let's get going!" Ritsuka said, walking over to me. "After you?" I smirked at him ferally, as I realized just how I could enact my revenge for his 'singing' earlier.

"Actually, I hope you're ready, Rits. I'm leaving this one to you," I said, reaching around and gently but firmly pushing my fellow Master forward.

Original Endnotes: And done! Who's ready to see Rits stepping up to the plate, other than me?! Also, poor Robin Hood. He really did get the short end of the luck-stick in this Singularity, didn't he? Also, what were your thoughts on the opening with Cu Alter and the other Celtic Servants? I wanted to try my hand at writing his internal thoughts and all, so I hope it was enjoyable! Also, Medb is so fun to write!

Now, for the question(s) of the chapter! First up: on a straight-up one-on-one fight between Cu and Cu Alter, who do you think would win? Second question: Which diva do you like more, Elisabeth or Nero?

As always, thanks for reading another chapter, as well as all the love and support you have given both me and this story! Please let me know what you think of this chapter, and I really hope you enjoyed it! Have a wonderful next few days, and see you in Chapter 117!

Updated Endnotes 03/11/24: If you want to skip the wiat, as always, feel free to view the fully-updated version of my story on Archive of Our Own, with Chapter 295 having been posted earlier today! Otherwise, take care, I hope you enjoyed 116, and I'll see you all next week!