The Triumvirate Chapter 15:
The First of the Triumvirate
Day 32
The sun started to rise. It was finally time to end the war against the United Empire once and for all. As soon as everyone got up, they had to move quickly to prepare for their assault, but not before having a decently sized breakfast for extra energy. After that, the groups split up and made their final preparations for the final assault, and returned to the throne room.
"Is everyone ready?" Nero asked.
"The troops are all in position outside the capital." Burrus said. "Once those portals open, we will aid in the assault."
"Excellent." Nero said. The blonde emperor turned to the Chaldeans with a small smile. "Are you all prepared?"
"We have everything ready to go!" Tatsuko said.
"Hold on, I still need something to do." Boudicca said. The Rider walked up to the Masters with a warm smile. "Let's make a contract."
The two Masters nodded and held out their hands. In a flash of light, the contract was made, and Boudicca stood alongside the Chaldean Servants.
"Welcome aboard!" Nobunaga said.
"Okay, is everyone ready now?" Malgus asked. "This is the point of no return, so if any of you have something you wish to do, it has to be now."
No one moved an inch, giving the mage the answer he needed. "Okay, I'll conjure the portal!"
Malgus performed a small chant, before the portal appeared before them. "Okay, time to get going!"
The infiltration team nodded and the team walked into it. The moment the portal closed behind Malgus, the Chaldean Trio looked around in awe as they saw the landscape before them.
"It's so peaceful here." Ritsuka said.
"Yes, it is so warm and vibrant." Mashu replied. "I wish I could take a picture of this, but we are on a mission….."
"Okay, it seems that you're all in Spain now." Roman said from the communicator.
"Actually they're in Hispania, Roman." Johan said from behind the doctor.
"Oh, right. Sorry."
"How far are we from the base?" Jing Ke asked.
"It should be about thirty minutes." Roman answered. "Just keep going west and you'll find it."
The group nodded and headed westward towards the main base of the United Empire. After half an hour, they finally found the base. The moment they saw the army, the Chaldean's eyes widened in surprise. It was large, but thankfully not large enough to overwhelm Rome. But their eyes were transfixed upon one person in particular standing with the army of undead soldiers.
It was none other than Darius.
"Do they know we're here?" Jeanne asked.
"No, they do not." Romulus answered. "If they knew we were here, they'd have attacked us by now."
"Then we should begin the plan while their guards are down." Jing Ke said.
Malgus nodded and began his chant. Not a moment later, the first soldiers of Rome started marching behind the Chaldeans. The Roman archers readied their bows and arrows, and let them lose on the undead soldiers. The undead soldiers saw the arrows coming and tried to raise a shield wall. They managed to stop the majority of the volley from destroying their forces at the expense of some undead soldiers falling to the arrows, but the volley was stopped nonetheless.
Darius let out a roar, and summoned forth his own army with his Noble Phantasm. Caesar remained calm and drew his sword. "It would seem it's my turn."
The Rider pointed his sword at the United Empire, and gave a salute. "Legions of Rome!"
Soon, Caesar's army of familiars appeared to bolster the Roman forces. Leonidas then took his fighting stance and grinned. "Thermopylae Enomotia!"
Suddenly three hundred Spartans took the field, readying their phalanx formation. The armies slowly approached each other before finally clashing. Malgus continued to keep the portals open as more soldiers came through, and looked at the others. "Emperor Nero, you have to win this!"
Nero nodded. "We will avenge your father."
"Oh, Jeanne, have this!" Mashu said. The Shielder took out her communicator, and handed it to the Ruler. "This way we can communicate properly in case we are unable to connect via a telepathic link."
"Thanks Mashu." Jeanne said. "Good luck everyone!"
And with that the infiltration team started their long run towards the fortress. Jeanne looked at the remaining Servants and surveyed the battlefield.
"Lady Cleopatra and Jing Ke, you two will have to handle Darius." She said. "Leonidas, you're going to have to lead the armies here while Nero and Caesar are dealing with the United Empire's leadership."
The three of them nodded and immediately took to their roles. Cleopatra and Jing Ke rushed towards the battle to attack Darius as best they could while Leonidas shouted orders to the human Roman troops to strengthen their resolve. Jeanne looked to Malgus with a curious gaze, only for him to give her a small nod as a group of Roman soldiers formed a perimeter to guard him. The Ruler nodded back and decided to join the fray herself.
Meanwhile, the infiltration team was managing to sneak through the battlefield without any of the enemy undead noticing them. They looked back and saw Cleopatra and Jing Ke reaching Darius from behind, and were about to attack when the Berserker turned around and attacked the two. By blind luck for Darius, the assassination attempt on him failed.
"Do you think they will be okay on their own?" Mashu asked.
No sooner did she ask that did a familiar shriek of a hippogriff ring in their ears. Coming from out of one of the portals was none other than Astolfo, his hippogriff carrying Vlad with its talons.
"Deploying awesome Noble Phantasm! Berserker Bomb!"
The hippogriff released Vlad from its talons, and the Berserker summoned his lance before hitting the ground, and large spikes began to impale the undead soldiers.
"I am never getting on that thing…." Ritsuka muttered.
"Okay, let's find an opening we can use to sneak in." Nobunaga said. The group looked around quietly so as to not draw attention to themselves. Their biggest hurdle was trying not to be noticed by the enemy undead, which proved difficult. Liz and Sanson turned to look at Cleopatra and Jing Ke fighting Darius. The Berserker was putting up a decent challenge for them, but the two Assassins were managing to hold their own.
"Guys, I found a crack we can squeeze through." Tatsuko said. Everyone looked at the crack, and walked closer. It was certainly big enough for one person at a time, but they would have to be quick. Nobunaga went in first, followed by Liz, Romulus, Boudicca, Siegfried, Spartacus, Sanson and Tatsuko. Mashu slipped in afterwards, only for a roar to cause Ritsuka and Caesar to turn around in horror.
Darius saw them, and was now making a mad dash towards them, with Jing Ke and Cleopatra trying to slow him down to no avail. The Berserker was on top of them in no time, raising his axes to strike when Caesar summoned his shield and blocked it, struggling to keep steady.
"Get going, Ritsuka!" Caesar said. "You'll have to go on without me!"
"I can't let you just-"
"You're going to have to." Caesar said. "They'll need you far more than I do right now."
Ritsuka clenched his fists and took a deep breath. "I hope we see each other when this is all done."
"I'll definitely live." Caesar said. "I promise."
Ritsuka nodded and slipped through the crack. Caesar then turned to Jing Ke as he pushed Darius back a bit. "Jing Ke, go with the infiltration team in my stead! Cleopatra and I will keep Darius busy!"
"Understood!"
Jing Ke ran as fast as she could towards the crack. The Assassin jumped over the hulking Berserker, and slipped through the crack. As that was happening, Cleopatra kicked Darius in the head, knocking him back. Cleopatra landed near her lover and flashed a flirtatious smile, one that Caesar reciprocated.
"You seem to have taken a liking to Ritsuka." She said. "Are you looking for another son?"
Caesar chuckled. "The only sons I could ever want are ones born between us."
Cleopatra purred at the comment. "Maybe if we're lucky, we can get a Grail to incarnate ourselves, and make good on that."
Darius roared at the two lovers, causing them to snap back to reality.
"To think I would be facing off against Alexander the Great's rival." Cleopatra said. "It pains me to see that we're enemies, but I cannot let you pass!"
Darius roared at the two, but Caesar simply entered a battle stance and raised his shield. "I am not Alexander the Great. I do not think I will ever be considered to be his equal. Regardless, I hope that I will be a worthy substitute in his absence!"
Darius roared once more and raised his axes. Caesar could not help but grin. "It's strange. For some reason, I cannot help but feel excited!"
The Berserker lunged at the two lovers, and Caesar and Cleopatra responded in kind as they charged at the hulking Servant together.
Jing Ke slowly crawled out of the crack and saw the infiltration team staring at her.
"Where is Caesar?" Mashu asked.
"Darius spotted us and Caesar had to keep him off me." Ritsuka answered. "He told me to go on without him, and he'd buy time."
"Don't worry, Cleopatra's got his back." Jing Ke said. "He asked me to replace him for this part of the operation."
"Okay, it's only a slight deviation from our original plan. Nothing to worry about so far." Tatsuko said.
"Then let us proceed." Nero said. The entire group nodded and slowly made their way through the fortress. The infiltrators did not run, and instead used stealth in the case they silently walked through the first floor of the fortress. As they slowly made their way, Jing Ke raised an eyebrow as she watched Ritsuka. The male Master's footsteps were almost completely silent, and he walked with a cat-like tread.
"Hey Ritsuka," Jing Ke whispered. "Did you learn how to make your footsteps this quiet from your time at home?"
"No." Ritsuka whispered back. "I've always been able to be this quiet if I wanted."
"Well with this you would make an excellent acrobat….or thief." Tatsuko whispered back.
"Senpai would never steal." Mashu whispered.
"I agree." Romulus said. "He does not seem the type who would do such things."
"I never considered stealing from others." Ritsuka said. "Doc and the prostitutes would have killed me if I ever did."
"Guys, focus!" Liz said.
The group nodded and proceeded to walk around the fortress silently. Each time they found a corner, they would have someone peak around to see if there were any enemies around. Thankfully, each time they did so, they found the halls empty.
It was then when they found a beautiful flower garden, filled to the brim with white flowers.
"She's here." Siegfried whispered.
"You mean Kriemhild?" Sanson asked.
Siegfried nodded. The Saber stepped into the garden, and looked to his right side. "I know you're there, Kriemhild."
Not a second later, Kriemhild materialized and stepped forth, Balmung in hand. Siegfried responded in kind, and summoned his Balmung in his hands. "Leave this to me."
"Good luck." Liz said. The Lancer and the rest of the group ran towards the next corridor, with Kriemhild curiously letting them go without much thought. Instead, she continued to stare at Siegfried.
"I had a feeling you'd volunteer to fight me." She said.
"It hurts me to do so." Siegfried replied. "But I need to-"
Kriemhild lunged at him with her blade, forcing the Saber to block the strike, and get knocked back, but unfazed. Kriemhild went for a second strike, only for her attack to be blocked and then pushed away by Siegfried.
"You're strong, but that strength is meaningless if there's no skill to back it up."
"Don't you start lecturing me." Kriemhild said. The Berserker launched a flurry of strikes at the Saber, but Siegfried managed to block all of them with some struggle. Kriemhild swung low, forcing the Saber to jump to avoid the attack. Kriemhild was not far behind, and went to attack his arms. Siegfried had to block the strike midair, causing the Berserker to fall back a bit as they landed. As soon as their feet touched the ground, Kriemhild renewed her assault on Siegfried, swinging at him on all sides.
The Saber dodged every strike, side stepping one strike and spun around before it landed, getting him behind Kriemhild. The Berserker spun around, and swung at the Saber, only for him to side step and try to grab her sword arm.
Kriemhild responded by kicking him. It did not even do anything, but the Berserker continued to kick him repeatedly anyway out of irritation. Siegfried looked at his wife's efforts, and decided to step away from her.
Kriemhild took notice of the action, and growled in anger. The Berserker gripped her blade tightly and swung at Siegfried. The Saber blocked the attack, but felt himself being pushed to the ground.
The power behind her attacks increased quite a bit.
Siegfried had no choice but to push her back a bit. The Berserker had to plant her blade into the ground to stop herself from being pushed back too far, and stopped at the center of the garden. Kriemhild recovered her bearings and made another assault on Siegfried. The Saber simply blocked and dodged all of her strikes. Kriemhild did not betray any emotion, and instead focused on trying to find an opening to exploit.
It was only a moment, but Kriemhild noticed an opening in his movements. The Berserker raised her sword up, and swung down to attack.
Siegfried had no choice but to jump out of the way to avoid the hit. The Saber looked down in shock as he saw the tile completely crack open.
"How are you continuing to get this strong?" Siegfried asked.
"I'm a Berserker being empowered by a Master, isn't it obvious?" Kriemhild asked in annoyance.
"Sumanai. That was indeed a foolish question….."
Kriemhild sighed. "There you go again apologizing. You never change, do you….?"
"It's just who I am." Siegfried answered.
"Unfortunately for you, it also makes you predictable!"
Siegfried quickly blocked an incoming strike from Kriemhild, their blades locked together.
"How much did Hagen tell you?" Siegfried asked.
"He told me everything." Kriemhild answered.
"I see…." Siegfried muttered. The two of them broke their deadlock and jumped back from each other. The Saber looked around and exhaled sharply. "Do you know what flowers are here in this garden?"
Kriemhild nodded. "The exact same flowers were in the garden where we first met."
"I suspect this place wasn't your first choice to fight in…." Siegfried muttered.
"No, it wasn't." Kriemhild said. "Finding you all was just dumb luck on my end."
"Then why did you not take the opportunity to attack my friends?" Siegfried asked.
"I suspect they're going to win anyway." Kriemhild said. "I'm not going to get in the way of them fixing this mess. They're already going to have a tough fight ahead regardless of my presence."
Siegfried raised an eyebrow. "I was expecting you to say you were wanting to fight me specifically."
"And why would you think that?" Kriemhild asked.
"I'm the Servant team leader for Chaldea here. And you're leading the United Empire's forces." Siegfried answered.
Kriemhild smiled. "Oh I see…. I think I know what's going on here."
"You are the First of the Triumvirate, are you not?" Siegfried asked.
"And what made you think that?" Kriemhild asked.
Siegfried's eyes widened. "Wait…you're not….."
Kriemhild shook her head. "I was just summoned here recently. I did tell you that your friends would have a tough fight ahead, didn't I?"
A chill ran down Siegfried's spine as the horror of the situation set in for him. They made a huge mistake, and it was going to cost them valuable time. Kriemhild was nothing more than a decoy.
The First of the Triumvirate is still out there, waiting for them!
"Is it really okay for Siegfried to fight her?" Nobunaga asked. "She is his wife after all."
"He'll pull through." Boudicca said.
"Regardless, Kriemhild let us pass without any resistance." Mashu countered.
"Yeah, that was too easy." Jing Ke said.
"I'm getting the feeling that Lev has something planned then." Sanson replied.
"I agree." Liz said. "But the real question is what it is."
"I'm betting it's going to be him attacking from behind." Tatsuko said.
The group snuck around a series of corners trying to figure out where Lev and the Whore of Babylon could be located. As they did so, they felt a sense of unease from the fortress itself.
They know that Lev and The Whore of Babylon we're here somewhere, but they could not shake the feeling that they could come out and attack from anywhere. It was then the group found a large chunk of the fortress completely destroyed. They looked down and saw that they were decently high up now. Ritsuka could not help but feel lightheaded.
"I really wish I could go back and support Siegfried right about now…"
"I shall carry you to the other side then." Spartacus said.
Ritsuka gulped. "T-t-that won't be necessary. I'm sure we can just-"
Spartacus did not heed Ritsuka's words. The Berserker picked him up, and leapt to the other side of the collapsed building, Spartacus chuckled to himself proudly. "How do you…Are you okay?"
Ritsuka shivered and whimpered in Spartacus's arms. "Please don't do that again…"
Spartacus awkwardly, but gently put him down. As soon as he did so, Mashu leapt over the rubble and rushed to Ritsuka's side. Boudicca and Jing Ke leapt over to them next, followed by Romulus, Nero and Nobunaga, and finally by Sanson and Liz. Everyone looked back and were surprised to see Tatsuko standing there, before she started to turn and walk back towards where they came from.
"Where are you going?" Nero asked.
Tatsuko did not respond. Instead she simply turned around, and lowered her body slightly, her fingers touching the floor. Everyone raised an eyebrow in confusion as to why, until they realized what was happening.
Tatsuko was wanting a running start.
The orange haired master suddenly sprinted towards them as fast as possible, until she leapt into the air, performing a somersault midair, before landing on her feet with a calm like trance.
"Okay, I was not expecting that." Ritsuka said.
"You may have a cat's stealth, but I have the agility of one." Tatsuko said.
Roman once again appeared on the communicator with his eyes focused on the computer in front of him.
"Okay, I managed to get a layout of this fortress, and you're heading in the right direction." Roman said. "Keep going straight until you see the next intersection. After that, take a left."
Everyone nodded and immediately made their way silently as possible until they found the intersection Roman mentioned. After taking the left, the group felt their uneasiness grow. Lev showed some variety of abilities, so they had suspicions on how to deal with him. His "Empress", on the other hand, was a complete unknown….
"Great Founder, what can we expect from this Whore of Babylon?" Nero asked.
"I have not met her yet, so I cannot gauge her strength." Romulus answered. "I would have to see her first in order to give my thoughts."
"Regardless, she gave me goosebumps when we first encountered her." Sanson said. "And then there was that feeling….."
"What feeling?" Nobunaga asked.
"Something was…..off." Sanson said. "She's definitely a Servant, but her very being felt something different."
"Yeah, I felt something was off about her too." Ritsuka said. "She felt alien in personality…..or maybe something more akin to a demon?"
"I'm thinking she's an extra Class, like Jeanne." Nobunaga said.
"Why do you think that?" Spartacus asked.
"I asked Jeanne a couple of days ago what Class this girl was, and she could not get a read on her." Nobunaga answered. "She said that whatever was happening was preventing her from using her skills to figure it out."
"Okay, something about this woman is very wrong." Liz said.
"Okay, you're getting closer." Roman said. "However, our scanners are going haywire, so you all need to be careful. This could be a trap."
The group turned another corner and stepped outside into a large courtyard. A large fountain was seen right in the center with a pathway encircling it, which led to the only other exit from the courtyard in front of them. Countless shrubberies surrounded the grassy areas, and were looking overgrown. The group then realized that there was something else here.
A Servant was in this courtyard.
The group walked out into the courtyard, keeping watch of their surroundings trying to pinpoint where this person could be hiding. Normally something like this shouldn't be happening, but something was clouding their perception. It wasn't until Spartacus stepped farther away from the group did they finally get a response.
"How curious." A feminine voice rang out throughout the courtyard. "There are so many that have made it this far into the fortress."
Romulus's eyes widened. He then looked to his left and pointed. "The Servant is over there!"
"Unfortunately, it is too late for you….." The voice said.
Everyone looked on in uncertainty as a multi-colored light appeared in the dark corner where Romulus pointed.
"Guys, get out of there!" Roman shouted.
"There is no time for that!" Spartacus shouted. The Berserker looked back for a moment before staring at the light and braced himself, he knew he would not reach them in time. Boudicca and Mashu immediately got in front of everyone else prepared to defend them as the light fired upon them,
"Chariot of Boudicca!"
"Lord Chaldeas!"
Spartacus simply raised his arms to halt the blast for as long as possible. Everyone looked on in shock as the Berserker started to vanish from taking the brunt of the blast's impact. The infiltration group watched on as the blast completely swallowed up Spartacus, and came straight for them. The light hit the double barriered defense roughly, causing everyone to brace themselves from the impact alone. Romulus stared at the light hitting the two barriers with widened eyes. This could not be what he thought it was. There was no way….
"I have a report and it's not good…" Roman said. "Whoever this is has a high Divinity."
"I also would like to make my own report." Mashu said. "I can sense this Servant's Magic Energy, and it rivals that of a dragon!"
"You are truly observant." The voice said. The Servant finally stepped out of the shadows, taking almost everyone off guard.
A woman with slim features. She had white hair and tanned skin. She wore all white with a large veil over her hair. Her eyes were red, and white tattoos were seen all across her body. The strangest thing about her was the multi-colored weapon in her hands. It looked like a sword, yet also more advanced than one.
"Just who are you?!" Tatsuko asked.
"Who I am does not matter." The woman said.
Nobunaga stared calmly at Roman. "You said that this girl has a high amount of Divinity?"
Roman nodded. "Yes, I can't say for certain, but she's a cut above most Heroic Spirits if our scans are accurate."
"That's all I needed to hear." Nobunaga said. The black haired Servant stepped up in front of everyone, and summoned her muskets. "Get going, I'll handle her."
"Oh hell no!" Tatsuko shouted. "She's too powerful!"
"This is suicide!" Sanson said.
"We can take her all together." Ritsuka replied.
"No, if we do that, then we will all be too drained." Nobunaga said. "The best thing to do is for everyone else to save their strength for Lev and the Whore of Babylon."
"But-"
"Ritsuka, I'll be fine." Nobunaga said. "You need to help everyone coordinate on beating Lev. We can't have you risking your life here."
"But we're going to need you too." Ritsuka countered.
"Don't worry, you can do this." Nobunaga said. "You managed to predict Lev's line of attack during that second night in Gaul, remember? He came up behind you, and you blasted him in the face. I know you can do it again."
Ritsuka stared at her with slight hesitation for a moment. The male Master took a deep breath and stared at the black haired Servant with a hint of sadness. "Please survive."
Nobunaga grinned. "Don't worry, I'll see you guys soon!"
The group nodded reluctantly before running towards the other entrance of the courtyard. The white haired Servant saw them, and raised her blade. She lunged at them swiftly, but had to dodge as Nobunaga started shooting at her. The white haired Servant had to block some of the projectiles as the infiltration team escaped her clutches.
"Keep your eyes on me." Nobunaga said. "I'll be your opponent."
The white haired woman sighed as she readied her sword, and lunged at Nobunaga. The black haired Servant was ready for her, and fired numerous muskets upon her. The enemy Servant had to switch tactics, having to deflect and block all the projectiles coming at her. The white haired woman leapt into the air, her blade now somewhat fluid and swung at Nobunaga like a whip. The black haired Servant widened her eyes in surprise before dodging the strike. Nobunaga had almost no time before the enemy Servant was upon her, and was kicked in the gut.
Nobunaga hit the wall with a loud thud, but managed to get up in time to dodge another whip attack from the enemy's blade. The black haired Servant responded in kind by firing two musket rounds at the white haired woman, who blocked the attacks with ease.
That ended up being a mistake.
Nobunaga smirked for a moment, and the enemy Servant realized what was happening. Multiple muskets were now trained on her, ready to fire at a moment's notice. The enemy Servant loosened her blade once more as multiple musket rounds rained down upon her in an instant. She managed to deflect most of the rounds, but a few slipped through her defenses and hit her leg. Nobunaga watched as the blood flowed from the open wound, but then raised an eyebrow at what happened next.
The woman was starting to get up, and the wound on her leg was starting to heal.
"I had a feeling that you wouldn't be that easy." Nobunaga said.
"Oh? And what makes you say that?" The woman asked.
"I really can't explain it." Nobunaga said. "But what I can tell you is that you and I are quite alike."
The enemy Servant shook her head. "We are nothing alike. For starters, I prefer to battle up close and personal….like this!"
The white haired woman charged at Nobunaga, her blade poised to strike down the Chaldean. Nobunaga grinned, and drew her katana from her scabbard just as the enemy Servant's slash was about to connect.
Clang!
The white haired woman's eyes widened in shock as Nobunaga easily blocked her incoming strike, and swung her blade in one masterful stroke. The enemy Servant blocked the attack, but was caught off guard slightly by the masterful strokes of her opponent.
"Never judge a book by its cover!" Nobunaga shouted. The two Servants proceeded to swing their blades in order to find an opening or overwhelm the other with frightening speed. The white haired woman swung her blade low to try and bisect Nobunaga, but the black haired Servant deflected the blow, and blocked another strike from above. Nobunaga swung at the white haired Servant, who broke away from the engagement by backing away a few feet.
"You're stronger than you look." The woman said.
"And you're holding yourself back." Nobunaga countered.
"That is because I do not wish to fight you." The woman replied. "Nor do I truly want to hurt your friends."
Nobunaga raised an eyebrow before the realization hit. "You're the Servant Lev used his first Command Spell on….."
The woman nodded. "I was ordered to obey his every command until he dies, or I do. And I cannot go against it."
"You have my sympathies." Nobunaga said. "I already figured that your Master was a shithead, but to hear you say it just makes me dislike him more."
"It is wasted upon me." The woman said.
"May I ask your name?" Nobunaga asked. "I'd like to know who I'm fighting against."
"You should know who I am by now." The woman said.
"I know what you are, but not your name." Nobunaga said.
"Very well, I'll tell you." The woman said. The enemy Servant pointed her blade at Nobunaga and exhaled sharply.
"I am Altera. The First of the Triumvirate."
CV: And it reveals itself! Altera is here!
OC: Yup! The First of the Triumvirate is none other than Altera! DUN DUN DUN! Though I'm pretty sure some people saw this one coming….
CV: Yeah she was the only option left, and she's also the original big bad of Septem.
OC: Technically she wasn't, she was just more like a post final boss, but she definitely made an impression.
CV: True. Well, now she's here, and she faces off against Nobu i fight.
OC: And it was certainly the perfect way to end our FIFTIETH CHAPTER! WE MADE IT TO THE BIG FIVE-O!
CV: We finally did it! Half a hundred chapters!
OC: And since we're celebrating this milestone, Vlad and I have two things special lined up for you all. First off, starting next week, we will be making the scenes of the next couple of chapters shorter, BUT we will now be making more than just three scenes a chapter. The reason for this is because there is so much going on in the Septem arc now, yet we also need to wrap it up soon, or else this will end up being like the Lostbelt Saga.
CV: Right, right. I mean chapter 50 and we've only done 2 Singularities and 1 event. Unless we move things a bit quicker we'll be stuck here when FGO part 4 releases.
OC: Part 4? Try part 5 or 6. But now onto the next special treat. Ladies and gentlemen, to celebrate the fiftieth chapter of Chronicles, we have brought in some….special guests. Three special people that made this all possible, and have been the most discussed between us. You all know them, you all love them, ladies and gentlemen, give it up for the Chaldean Trio!
Mashu: Oh! We're back here again?
CV: Guess who's back. Back again.
Tatsuko: Huh, you know I wasn't expecting to be back here for some time.
OC: Hey, no one said that you had to take a long break before coming back.
Ritsuka: Well when you put it that way, I guess you're not wrong.
CV: Besides, for a moment like this, we had to bring you guys back.
Ritsuka: Well I for one am glad to be back.
Mashu: I am as well.
Tatsuko: Same, the last session was really fun.
OC: Glad you guys feel that way. Now, we have some questions for you, but this one is for all three of you; How do you feel about everything you have witnessed so far?
Ritsuka: You mean Rome? Or in general?
OC: In general.
Ritsuka: I'd have to say it's been….hectic, but it's well worth it since we get to meet so many wonderful people along the way.
CV: I will say, I'm pleasantly surprised. For this to be the second Singularity that you three are going to, you're already getting into the Master role quite nicely..
Mashu: Yes. Senpai and Tatsuko are both wonderful Masters.
CV: We agree on that then. And, speaking of your duties as Masters, I wanted to ask something to all of you, and it relates to a certain top-hatted guy. How do you feel about facing him again?
Tatsuko: He's getting what's coming to him.
Ritsuka: I mean I fired a Gandr right in his face, but on the other end, I need to know just WHAT he is before I can decide how to handle him properly.
Mashu: I have known Professor Lev for some time, but I never thought he would betray us…I want to ask him why he did this.
CV: Ask him? I would personally (Bleep) and also (Bleep) (Bleep) but not before I (Bleep), and boy would I (Bleep) (Bleep) his goddamn (Bleep).
Mashu (Blushing): O-oh goodness!
Ritsuka: Huh, I didn't know that you guys could use sound effects like that.
Tatsuko (Laughing her ass off): Oh my god that was classic! Oh my sides are hurting!
OC: I mean if he wasn't going to say it, I was. But onto the next question, and this one is for Tatsuko; How was it dancing with Nero?
Tatsuko: It was really fun. She's a really patient teacher, and I managed to forget what had me so stressed.
CV: Now I wanna invite Nero and have her teach me how to dance next… Wait, I might anger her… Nevermind then.
OC: Oooookay, I was not expecting that from you, but now I'm wondering what could get her angry….
CV: Not Nero, I meant HER. Well, to distract myself from that thought, Ritsuka. There's something I've been meaning to ask. Which of the two lions do you like best?
Ritsuka: That is actually a tough question because I like both. But if I had to choose….I'd have to say Mr. Mittens.
OC: It's because of the name, isn't it?
Ritsuka: No, it's because he's the one who approaches me the most, so I bonded with him a little more.
CV: Fair enough, I would probably run if I saw a lion come towards me.
Tatsuko: Dude, that's the most normal and rational response!
OC: She's got you there Vlad.
CV: What's the problem? I have a liking for being alive and a lion coming towards me is a threat to that.
OC: That is fair. Now for my next question, it will be for Mashu; What do you think of Doctor Roman, and Davinci?
Mashu: I love spending time with them. Whenever we do, it makes me feel like I am part of a family.
CV: That's so sweet. Those two do give their air of a married couple, I wonder why…
OC: Probably because they bicker at each other playfully.
CV: That they do. A bit too much probably. Oh, we're running out of time here, so we'll have to continue at another time. Thanks for being here guys!
Mashu: Thank you for having us.
Ritsuka: I hope you can have us again sometime!
Tatsuko: Have a good night!
(The Trio leave through the exit)
OC: Wow, we actually managed to NOT make things awkward for any of them this time.
CV: Good for us!
OC: And now for some plot points for this chapter. I know some of our readers and audience members will be wondering why Siegfried or Liz just use their Noble Phantasms to just destroy Darius and his army, and there is a good reason for that. If they did, then they'd be exhausting themselves before they even infiltrate the fortress. They need to conserve their strength.
CV: It would've made for an easier start, but a rougher ending for sure.
OC: Exactly. Also I love how Astolfo just appears out of a portal, makes up an attack name and calls it a Noble Phantasm, and Vlad just rolls with it!
CV: And it somehow worked out for them.
OC: It definitely did. Unfortunately for the infiltration team, things aren't going so well for them. Sure Siegfried found his opponent….only to find out that Kriemhild wasn't the First of the Triumvirate. Then we have Altera show up, kill Spartacus, and now Nobunaga has to keep her busy for the others to get to Lev.
CV: Altera literally said "Tactical nuke right fucking now" and just rolled with it. Worst part is she got to actually kill someone, which is sad… But also very much planned.
OC: Yeah, definitely. Also fun fact; In our original plan for this arc, Caesar was ALSO supposed to die with Spartacus right at this moment against Altera. However, a week or so ago, I realized that killing off Caesar right after his near death experience wasn't really the best move….so Vlad decided to switch him with Jing Ke in facing off against Darius, while Jing Ke would substitute for him in the infiltration team.
CV: He's seeing this through the bitter end, or at least, close to the bitter end, depending on what we decide his fate will be.
OC: Point taken. Though at the very least he's fighting TOGETHER with Cleopatra, so now we get our very first battle couple!
CV: Meanwhile Siegfried and Kriemhild having a couple battle.
OC: Yeah…..they're gonna need some marriage counseling after this….
CV: I'll tell boss later, maybe she'll let us hire someone for them.
OC: That may be a good idea. And considering Kriemhild's other spouse is here, things will get awkward. Though speaking of Altera, I cannot express how hyped I am for her fight with Nobunaga. For our readers, when Vlad came to me with his idea for Septem, he said he wanted Nobunaga there after pointing out what she's good against, and I was on board. So for those of you who were wondering why we did the first Guda event early, THIS is why, and it was his plan all along.
CV: I think it's fitting that if they had a Servant that was stronger against Divine enemies, we should have it hav duel against the first Divine Servant they've faced.
OC: And considering what they have done in life, it is truly a fitting match.
CV: Now the question for all of you readers is: Will Nobu be able to overpower and defeat the Scourge of God? Or will Altera emerge victorious over the Demon King of the Sixth Heaven?
OC: Place your bets people! Place your bets!
CV: We shall use the money to buy our Mini Nobus new costumes, 'cause they want to put up a show.
Mini Nobus: Nobu Nobu!
OC: Oh yeah, and also fix the lighting here. Our bulbs have been dimming lately.
CV: How come we have direct control and watch over hundreds of universes, a multiverse in the palm of our hands, but we still have to wait a month for boss to send us a new lightbulb?
OC: Hey, don't look at me! It took me that long for me to get my health insurance back!
CV: Well, let's hope she'll actually remember it this week. I fear she's letting that small bunny play get to her head and is forgetting about everything else.
OC: Hey, you know how she is. She's just whimsical that way. You just never know what she'll do next.
CV: What a boss we ended up with didn't we?
OC: I mean we DO owe her quite a bit. This is our way of showing our appreciation. Oh, would you look at the time! Thank you all for reading the fiftieth chapter of Chronicles! Please stay tuned next week, and good night. Cosmic Vlad and Owen Chaser, signing off!