Chapter 8 - Trifas Section 5

After we all entered the Hanging Gardens, the path split so we all went separate ways to find the right path. I used my Mystic Eyes to see the best paths for each of us, but I could only see a few minutes in as there was interference, assumedly caused by the Gardens themselves.

Alice peeks around a corner. "All clear, follow me, Serena." She begins to move, so I follow.

Alice being a Sealing Designation Enforcer is trained for situations similar to this. She can't just rush around all corners she comes across, especially in enemy territory like this.

She doesn't expect me to use my Mystic Eyes more than needed, so she doesn't ask me to.

"There's a room up ahead, let's go.", she quietly says and we both sneak over to the normal-looking door.

She opens it, then immediately holds up a pistol and inspects the room for threats, but there is only a man sitting at a desk writing something down.

The room is just like an office at the Clock Tower. Bookshelves on both walls and a window that looks out into the sky in front of his desk.

She seems momentarily confused. The man takes no immediate offensive action, but him being here means he's a Servant. Even so, her gun never leaves his torso.

The man quietly closes the book he was writing in and stands up. "You must be Chaldea."

Alice gives no response, so I don't either.

"I assure you, I can physically do nothing to you. I am a very weak Servant after all. A normal human could beat me."

"William Shakespeare. That's who you are, right? Jeanne D'Arc told us."

The man chuckles to himself. "Yes, that is indeed my identity. May I know your names?"

Alice continues to stare back at the man. Seeing as how my Mystic Eyes don't go off, my life isn't in danger for the next 30 minutes at least.

Caster begins to walk around the office, Alice following him with the pistol with each step. "You know, girls. I was not directly tasked with guarding the Gardens, but I was told if I should encounter anyone from Chaldea, I should stall them as best as I can."

My head hurts…

"I may not be able to fight…but I can do other things."

Alice goes to pull the trigger, but the sound of a body falling to the ground draws her attention. My body falls fast asleep, and Alice grows drowsy as well.

"What…did you…?", she says as her eyes grow heavy and her aim falters.

"First Folio. The spectacle of your lifetime begins now!", that is all the man says as Alice also drops to the ground.

"You're so unbelievably selfish, Serena-chan!", Hana yelled at me. We both stood on the roof where we usually ate lunch, it was a cloudy day that looked as if it would rain any second.

"Hana, you know I—"

"Yeah yeah, you have such a great power and refuse to share it with others!"

"I can only see 30 minutes into the future. It's limited and overusing it hurts my head."

Hana began to turn away. "I'm not asking for you to hurt yourself. All I asked was for you to occasionally use them for me."

"But you ask me multiple times a day. I can't keep doing it for you, it draws too much attention to me."

Hana's head fell to the ground in sadness and anger. "Serena, I'm sorry, but I just can't do this anymore. I'm breaking up with you."

My heart rate skyrocketed and tears began to fall down my face. "Hana, wait!" But it was too late, she had already disappeared through the door back into the school building.

"So, a typical high school breakup is your trauma?" The playwright suddenly appears as I snap into control of my past self.

"You…no, this is a Noble Phantasm, right?"

"Correct. The ability to have people relive the past with slight alterations if I want."

I nod my head slightly, then look back at him. "The breakup itself isn't traumatizing, it hurts sure, but what happens after is."

He smiles. "Well, let us see, shall we?"

The world goes dark, and my eyes open back up to me standing outside of the school gates a few weeks later.

What a crap day, time to go home. Maybe Mom will make something good tonight?

"Excuse me, Mirai!", a masculine voice said from behind me. He must have been exiting the gate too when he saw me.

"No, I'm not using my power for you, get lost.", I harshly replied, not giving him a chance to even ask what he was going to ask.

"No no no, that's not what I was going to ask at all!" That reply was unexpected for me as everyone asked for me to use my power, so I spun around and saw him. He looked the same age as me, 16, and had black, short hair. The black and white school uniform we all wore matched his hair. His eyes were a dark green color.

"I wanted to ask if you wanted to walk home together. I think we have similar routes anyway for most of it. I've seen how they treat you, but if I'm there, maybe they'll lay off?"

"…"

This was probably a trap. On the walk home, he would do something…

I used my power quickly to verify that nothing bad happened in the next 30 minutes, though I didn't check much of the details, all I knew was that I didn't feel bad during the next 30 minutes. Turning my power off, I looked up. "Fine, you can walk me home. What's your name?"

The man smiles a genuine smile. "Haru, my name is Haru Nakamura!"

"Haru, huh? Nice to meet you, I'm Serena Mirai."

"No honorifics? Isn't that quite bold of you?", he asked.

"I don't like using them, so I go by first names. If you have a problem I'll switch to Nakamura."

He shook his head. "No problem at all."

The two of us began to walk home after that. It was pleasant. Because it was the beginning of January, the weather was not terrible, though a coat was still needed. This became a normal thing for the two of us. He never asked me to use my power and treated me like a friend.

"This does not seem bad either. I was convinced you had something wrong, but is it just a normal hormonal youth?", the Caster asks.

"I'm 18, I'm still hormonal and youthful. Caster, if you want to get to the mind-breaking stuff like you seem to want to, why not just get on with it? I don't want to relive this memory if I don't have to.", I harshly reply.

He smiles and wags his finger. "A story cannot be good if you skip any buildup to the tragedy. Would Romeo and Juliet be good if all it was was a couple dying?"

I stay silent and have no choice but to continue his game.

Haru and I sat in a WcDonalds eating after school. "Jeez, you can really eat a lot. I'm glad this place is cheap.", he said.

I finished chewing a chicken nugget. "I offered to pay but you insisted on it. Besides, You've seen my lunches. I'm able to eat a lot and my Mom packs me too much food. It's a miracle I'm not fat."

Haru's gaze fell to my chest and it was as if a light bulb turned on in his head. "Yeah, I wonder where all the fat goes,", he says sarcastically. But, I failed to pick up on his sarcasm and continued eating as normal.

"I jog and swing around shinai often, so I work enough to burn the calories. I used to take classes on swordsmanship not long ago."

"Swordsmanship? Which kind?"

"Kendo and Nito. I prefer Nito though, it's more fun."

Haru thought for a moment. "Nito is the dual-wielding one, right?"

I nodded my head. "Yep, based on Miyamoto Musashi's Niten Ichiryu. A friend there gave me the Book of Five Rings as a gift and I've been obsessed with him ever since."

Haru smiled at me as I gave a brief explanation of my obsession.

*Ring ring*

"Ah, hang on, my phone's going off.", he said as he cut me off and looked at his phone. I took a glance at his screen and Hana's name was there.

He picked up the phone and answered. "Hello? Oh, hi, Inoue…"

Huh? Why is he talking to Hana? Do they know each other?

They briefly talked about something, and then he hung up. "Ah, sorry. Inoue is in my class and we study together sometimes since we're both smart. She was just asking about one of the homework assignments."

I looked down at my lap. "Ah, I see. That makes sense, she was always pretty smart."

"Yeah, I— oh, wait. You two dated for a while, right?"

I nodded my head, my head beginning to feel a bit hotter. "Yeah…we broke up though a few weeks ago. Last month. This stupid power is the reason…"

"Your power, eh?", he said inaudibly to no one. "Sorry to hear that, Mirai."

I didn't give a response. "Hey, Mirai? Would you like to go to the arcade after this? For something to do? It just opened up and I figured you might like it?"

I lifted my head and smiled at him. "I'd love to."

Two weeks passed since then and a certain day arrived, February 14th, Valentine's Day…

I opened my locker to put my outdoor shoes away and saw a letter neatly placed inside. I curiously picked it up and looked around to see other students getting ready as well. As no one was watching, I opened the envelope and pulled out a piece of paper.

Dear Serena Mirai

Meet me on the roof right after school ends for the day.

-Haru Nakamura

That was all it read.

Eh? Haru wants me to see him on the roof? Today is Valentine's Day, so… My entire body must've turned pink at that moment and I quickly shoved the note into my bag and put on my indoor shoes, walking to class as fast as I could.

Throughout the day, I could only think about what he wanted. Valentine's Day required girls to give gifts to boys, so I didn't receive any chocolate as expected, I didn't even bring any for anyone, so I couldn't give any to Haru. But if he was going to confess…

Even with class going on, I still couldn't focus throughout the entire day. And the next thing I knew, the time had come. People were leaving the building to go home, some had dates in hand and others walked alone.

As I walked up the stairs to get to the roof, I thought.

Being with Haru wouldn't be bad. He seems to be a good guy and I certainly don't hate him at all. I smiled to myself. No, today is the day I get a boyfriend! Well, it's not like I haven't dated anyone since Hana and I were together, but this'll be my first boyfriend in my life so it still counts!

I stopped at the door to the roof, grasping the handle but reluctant to turn it. What if this isn't about dating? What if it's something else and I just embarrass myself? No no, I'll be fine. Expect nothing, Serena!

But as I went to turn the handle, my head began to hurt. What's this? This vision? Is it my power? No, something like this could never happen, I'm just nervous.

My head stopped hurting and I pushed away the dread. I was just worried, that's all. Nothing would happen to me.

I threw open the door and rushed through, throwing my worries to the wind, and was confronted by Haru standing there by the edge where a fence was.

"Mirai, you made it.", he turned around and said, a look of joy on his face.

"Yeah, I got your letter. What was it you wanted to say?" I nervously grabbed my arm and swayed my body a bit.

"Ah, well. We've been hanging out for a while now and I've been having fun with you."

I began to sweat a bit. I'd say yes to him, but I couldn't help but be nervous.

"So, if you're fine with me…"

I gulped. It was coming, the sentence I was looking forward to.

But, unexpectedly he shook his head and looked disgusted. Not what I thought would happen at all. "Yeah, I can't do this anymore. Hurry on out, all of you." And with that, I heard several footsteps from behind me. I looked behind me and saw Hana, along with a few other guys I didn't know.

"What's going on, Haru!?" I asked him confused and panicked.

Haru walked over to Hana's side. "A while ago, after we broke up, I asked my classmate, Nakamura, to keep an eye on you. To make you fall for him for this very moment.", Hana said with a voice that didn't sound like the girl I knew at all.

"W-what?"

"You wouldn't share your power. With me, or with anyone. So, I'm-we're going to correct that."

"Hana!? What are you saying!?", I began to back up, but I quickly backed into the fence, unable to go any further.

"I always get what I want. Serena-chan. You know that."

Hana smiled. "Well, boys. You can rough her up now. Oh, but don't go that far if you know what I mean. She doesn't deserve that."

She backed away while the four total boys walked forward including Haru. Tears began to well up in my eyes. I knew rich people could be selfish and uncaring, but this? I could see hints, but I never would've guessed Hana would go so far all because of the stupid power I have.

I know, I can call someone for help! I pulled out my phone and attempted to dial 110, but one of the boys grabbed the phone out of my hand and threw it to the side. It slid on the ground and stopped next to a pipe near the door.

Another grabbed my wrist and threw me to the ground. He lifted his foot and slammed it down on my torso, causing me to throw up the contents of my stomach onto the roof.

The four of them began to kick me as I curled up into a ball, or at least tried to. Even while doing that, they still landed kicks on my chest, stomach, face, and all over my body.

"…top. Please stop it!", I tried to say, but I just couldn't get it out.

There's no way I could fight back against them. Every kick made my vision go white.

"Hey, hold her down for a second,", Hana said. They listen and hold me down as instructed. I opened my eyes to see a pocket knife in her hand.

My blood ran cold. There was no way she would, right? Then again, she was rich, she could probably get away with it…

"Hey, Inoue. What are you doing? Killing her would be too far!"

"I'm not going to kill her. Just…mark her up a little bit; that's all." She brandished the knife and began to move it closer to my face.

I began to relentlessly struggle. "NOOOOOOOOOOO PLEASE DON'T! I'LL DO ANYTHING!" I screamed, hoping someone could hear me from below.

One of the boys grabbed my head and slammed my face into the ground to shut me up, and it all went dark.

…

"She passed out? Why did you do that, you idiot!?", Hana said to the man.

"I…hm?", he paused, looking down at my body. Something didn't feel right to him.

My body twitched, then began to rise from the ground. It stood up and they all noticed that my eyes were still shut.

"What the—", but he was cut off by a punch. My body took a step forward and one of the others tried to hit me again, but that attack was dodged and I ran over to the door. But instead of leaving, my body picked up the pipe laying there and turned around.

"Come on, it's five against one. Just beat her so she doesn't hurt us.", Hana said. I sprung into action and ran toward the group. One approached and went to hit me in the head, but I swung the pipe down as hard as I could and hit him over the head. He fell to the ground unmoving, but alive.

Another, after seeing that, ran up in anger. But my body evaded the punch as if it knew exactly how it was going to go, and smacked him across the head with the metal pipe, sending him to the ground screaming in pain.

"H-hey, wait…", Hana said quietly, unable to believe what was happening.

The third boy was downed fast, and my body walked toward Haru, still asleep.

Haru raised his fists, ready to fight. But his resolve faded once the fact sunk in that the others were beaten so easily.

"W-WAIT!"

The first hit collided with his arms as he blocked, immediately leaving them unusable. The next swing hit him upside the chin and for the next, I spun and struck him in the side. He fell to the ground, gripping his side.

Without a word, I raised the pipe and brought it down on his head. He began to scream, but each hit after that made the screams fade more and more as he blacked out.

And all that was left was Hana.

"Wait, I'm sorry. They made me do this! It's not my fault!"

But once again, no reply was given. Hana attempted to run, but I grabbed her long purple hair and pulled her back onto the ground.

My body was only acting in self-preservation, so to not get hurt anymore, she had to be put out.

I brought down the pipe and it broke her nose on impact. I hit her again and again, I couldn't hear her screams. Over and over until her screams died out, and then I kept going until she—

The roof door was flung open and another student grabbed my arm, stopping the pipe from killing Hana. With the danger gone, my body went limp and fell to the ground.

"Hm, now I see.", Caster says.

I stood there stunned. I don't remember any of this, the specifics at least. All I remembered was that I sent them all to the hospital. But seeing what I had done makes me want to throw up.

I did all that…? I think. Caster walks up to my side and places his hand on my shoulder.

"You did, girl. This was all your doing."

Please stop.

"If you had not shared your power, or been so selfish, you would not have ██████ them."

You're lying. I didn't ████ anyone.

"Oh really? You seemed to hit them pretty hard with that metal. Are you sure they lived? Perhaps everyone is in on the lie to protect you, but in reality you ██████ all five of them."

No.

"You lived as an outcast. People were afraid of you, and if not, they harassed you every day. You could not even go outside in peace."

Stop it.

"Truth is, as long as you live, you do not care what happens to others. To protect yourself; you will ████ others, abandon friends and family, run away, and leave them all behind."

STOP IT!

"Serena Mirai. Your story is not a happy one, and will not be a happy one. Your Mystic Eyes will drag you down until you have nothing. You will be alone with no one to help you. You blame your eyes for your life being tragic, but is it their fault? Is it the gun's fault when a person uses it to kill another? No! It is no one but your fault you are like this!"

My Mystic Eyes are evil. I'm innocent.

"On this roof, you did not even try to hold back. You slaughtered all of them when you could have just crippled them. But you went for the head instead. That was you! Not your Mystic Eyes, YOU! Your true nature is that of a monster, not a human!"

My mind breaks and I am left nothing more than a crumbled-up body on the ground. First Folio has been completed and the show is over, but the feelings remain even after I have returned to reality.

"Serena, Serena! What did he show you!", a familiar woman calls out. My eyes adjust and I see the same office room, but no Caster in sight. Alice crouches over me and has her hands on my shoulders.

"Alice…? Where's…."

"Caster seems to have already left. He showed me a memory of my past that I'm not fond of. You?"

"Yes, same here…", I nod, still mentally worn out. "Alice, I…!"

She pulls me into a hug and strokes my hair. "You're okay now… Nothing can harm you anymore. I'm sorry I couldn't protect you, but that won't happen again…"

Serena…why is your katana bloody? Did Caster walk off? Or did you, unknowingly… Alice shakes away that thought and continues to hold me close to her chest. My outfit and katanas vanish which leaves me back in my normal Chaldea uniform. Alice remains in her combat outfit and continues to comfort me.

"Alice, should we get going?"

"Take all the time you need. We can leave the rest to them for now."

"Say, Ruler. How did you get here anyway?", Sieg asked Jeanne as the two of them had a picnic in the sea of endless blue flowers.

Ruler looked down and started to play with a flower in her fingers. "I am not sure actually. It was nothing I did. One moment I was there, and the next I was here. I still had to search for you for so long, but I found you."

"You don't remember, huh?"

"Yes. I would like to believe that it was the Lord who placed me here. He allowed me to do what should not be possible and see you again."

Sieg placed his hand on the back of his light brown hair. "Well then. Please give my thanks to Him, I owe him one…does God even take favors? I am not familiar with Christianity."

Jeanne chuckled a little bit. "I am already sure he knows how you feel and your thanks have been received. The Lord knows everything after all."

Sieg smiled to himself. "So, anyway. So far all we've done is walk around and make a few stops. Is there anything else you would like to do, Ruler?"

Jeanne shook her head and brought her hand to her lap. "No, just being here with you is more than enough for my happiness. I never thought I would see you again, yet here we are."

Sieg began to feel a bit weird. I guess it is possible that she truly was happy with just that. But it still didn't sit right with him. She lived all her life caring about others and not herself, even dying for the sake of others. He felt as if she should say what she wants to say, rather than hold herself back.

"Ruler, what do you truly want? Anything at all. I want to make you happy, so please just say what you wish for.", Sieg asked. There was no way he would force her to do anything, so this was the most he could do.

Ruler blushed a little bit, contemplating if she really should spill her feelings. Building up confidence, she asked him the question. "Then, could I perhaps ask you to place your head into my lap?"

"Pardon?", Sieg believed he had misheard her at first, but there was no mistake in her words. Jeanne wanted to give Sieg a lap pillow.

Jeanne gestured toward her thighs, lifting her dress just enough where Sieg would be able to lay on her bare thighs.

Sieg swallowed, but he did just as she asked. He laid down on her lap using her squishy thighs as pillows for his head. He faced upward and Jeanne looked down at him and smiled in both amusement and genuine happiness. "Is it comfortable?"

Sieg nodded his head and closed his eyes, soaking in the light breeze in the air. "Yeah…I haven't rested my head over a pillow in so long."

Jeanne gently cupped Sieg's cheek with her hand, rubbing it. Her selfishness was showing, but it was not like this was unbecoming of her.

"You can stay like this for as long as you want, Sieg-kun. I love the look on your face.", Jeanne said to the boy, peacefully resting.

"Jeez, this place is a maze! Where is he!?"

Rider runs through the halls in search of his former Master. The upside-down architecture confuses his mind as he searches from room to room.

He continues running and running and he comes across a sharp fork in the hall. As he turns right, he runs straight into Jeanne d'Arc and both fall to the ground surprised at the others' presence.

"Rider!?"

"Ruler!?"

But there is no time to stay shocked. Jeanne gets up and so does Astolfo. "Have you found him?", Jeanne asks, obviously worried about where her lover is.

Astolfo shakes his head. "No, this place is so complicated. Since we are no longer Master and Servant, I can't track him."

"And he is no Servant, so I cannot locate him with the power of the Ruler Class. This is quite the pain in the— wait."

Astolfo tilts his head at her sudden pause. Her hand goes up to her chin and cups it as she thinks. "I have an idea. We need a water source though. Sorry to say this, Rider, but we need to go back outside."

"Ah, geez! Can you at least get back there quickly?"

Jeanne smiles with an air of competitiveness. "I will race you there!"

Astolfo grins and they both take off toward the outside.

Siegfried walks alone down the hallway, greatsword in hand ready for any fight. As he walks, he feels a current of wind and follows it outside and onto a portion of the Gardens which is outside in open air.

He notices a small bench with a white, stone-like cover over it to protect it from rain. He closes his eyes and can sense his own Spirit Origin nearby, which only means one thing: Sieg is near.

His gaze trails to the highest point of the structure. From where he stands, it is still much longer to go, but as a Servant, he could make it up there easily.

If it is the Grail they are after, and the boy has it, then he must be up there. Whether they have the Grail yet or not is yet to be known. All I can tell is that he is still alive.

"Saber of Black. You have arrived."

Siegfried looks over to where the voice came from, and floating there is none other than Karna, the Lancer of Red Faction.

"Lancer of Red, have you come to get in my way?", Siegfried, even in the face of an enemy couldn't help but smile slightly at this one in particular.

"But of course. You draw near to my Master, so I must stand guard. However, I am not so worried about holding you back. I would like you to go all out, like we once wanted to.", Karna lands on the ground and manifests his golden spear. "Saber of Black, I once again challenge you to a duel. We never did finish our battle, so I would like to settle things here and now. If you beat me, you're free to pass and rescue that boy."

Siegfried readies his sword. "Hmph. Then I will do battle with you. Come meet your end, Lancer of Red!"

Lancer smiles and readies his spear, it points forward and his body arches like he is about to rush forward and waits as Saber takes a stance of his own with his greatsword held in his hands.

Both Karna and Siegfried vanish and reappear at each other's throats, their bodies moving faster than eyes can see as they clash. Someone looking from a distance would only be able to see orange and blue lights moving at light speed in the dark.

"There is no need to conceal your Noble Phantasm, Siegfried. I know what it is." Karna parries an overhead swing and repostes his spear toward Siegfried's chest.

He dodges the blow and continues to attack. "Unfortunately, it is very mana heavy. I am not like the "me" you fought before as the boy has multiple Servants to power him. I cannot use my Balmung like he can." A swing of the greatsword toward Lancer's neck ends the talk and Lancer jumps back to avoid.

Karna smiles as if pleased with his response. "Then we are on equal footing!"

The spear lights up in flame and the area around the two is incinerated by the god's fire. Siegfried begins to run across the Hanging Gardens to avoid the incoming blast.

A flash of light followed by an arch of flame impacts Siegfried and sends him flying through the Hanging Garden wall and in an instant, Karna is right at his throat. Siegfried blocks with his gauntlet and thrusts his Balmung toward Karna's chest. Though he is armored, Karna cannot take such an attack lightly, so Karna briefly backs up which gives Siegfried time to stand.

The two begin to exchange a flurry of attacks of orange and blue. The Hanging Gardens is being reduced to no more than ash and rubble by the second faster than it can repair itself. Due to the Armor of Fafnir, Karna cannot land many meaningful blows, but Siegfried is having trouble bypassing the golden armor on Karna as well.

Shockwaves blow through the structure like bomb eruptions. The Gardens shake like an earthquake is hitting it. The walls once made of fine stone are reduced to ash in moments.

Pouring mana into the blade, Siegfried unleashes a burst of magical energy into a beam and fires it toward Karna in an arch. In return, Karna does the same to his spear and fires it at the arch, destroying both in between them.

Karna rushes forward, intent on defeating Siegfried. Having seen the look in his eyes many times before, the swordsman knows that Karna will be aiming for the weak spot on his back with his next strikes, so Siegfried must put his all into defense for the time being.

Like he's moving at the speed of sound, Karna appears behind Siegfried, and Siegfried twists his body to fire back a slash that cuts the wall behind Karna and throws the Lancer off balance. Siegfried channels mana in his fist and punches Karna square in the chest pushing him back.

Siegfried without a moment of hesitation leaps forward and performs an overhead slash that would've cut anyone in half, but he is facing an invulnerable hero, the son of the sun god.

The spear stops the downward strike, and Karna parries Siegfried, already aiming to strike his heart a few more times, and with a flurry of attacks, Siegfried is hit one hundred times. Although mostly nullified by the Armor of Fafnir, they still pushed Siegfried back outside, hunched over in pain.

"Slowing down, Saber? It seems as if it is my victory.", Karna walks forward, giving Siegfried a moment to recover.

"Not at all. Your strength is far too great for a hero like me to simply walk off. But, I still intend to win our fight. Karna, prepare yourself!", he raises his sword ahead of himself and a smile forms on his face.

Karna smiles as well and raises his spear. The two then begin to circle each other at their top speeds, blasting off like a rocket and the ground is destroyed where they take off.

Their weapons clash as they travel around the Hanging Garden's edges, only appearing as blurs in the night. The sounds of metal hitting each other sound like gunshots. Any normal person involved in this fight would be torn to shreds instantly with no chance to get away.

A wave of fire explodes onto Siegfried, and Siegfried creates harsh wind to combat the flames with the mere swing of his blade. With the momentary chance of attack, Karna slashes through Siegfried, ten lasers follow his lead as they blow holes through the swordsman, but the dragon slayer cannot fall so easily.

Karna thrusts his spear toward the small weak point on his back and gets within a hair of the point, a hair length away from Siegfried's death.

The handle is twisted and the blue gem shines bright.

"BALMUNG!"

Karna is blown away with the Noble Phantasm and along with him is a fourth of the Hanging Gardens, now plummeting toward the ground below. The mass destruction showed no signs of having any allies in it per Siegfried's quick scan of mana traces, so none of Chaldea was hurt in the blast, but Karna certainly felt the blow.

The two fall toward the ground, Siegfried finds footing on a large mass of stone, while Karna does the same, even with the ability to fly.

"You can handle hitting the ground, correct?", Karna calls out, but he knows the answer already.

"But can you?", Siegfried leaps toward Lancer. Soaring algae above him, a burst of mana fills his sword similarly to his Noble Phantasm. Bringing the greatsword down, Karna has no choice but to guard, and that is what the swordsman wants. Karna rockets toward the ground and the impact is like a missile striking the land. He raises his sword one more time to both break his fall and attack Karna once more, digging Lancer even deeper into the now-building-sized hole.

Dust fills the air, and Siegfried stands there keeping his guard up for another potential attack. He breathes heavily as his mana is running out. Even with the help of Chladea's generator, he is a Servant who uses mana in very large amounts. The Saber Class is known as the strongest class, and that usually follows high outputs of magic-related attacks, and Siegfried is no exception to that.

But just being the Saber Class doesn't mean anything when faced with a Servant who is nearly a god. The dark land lights up in orange and red as fire surrounds Karna's body. The aura is different now as Lancer flies up into the air surrounded by flame, spear pointed high.

In return, Siegfried twists the handle of his blade and readies Balmung to face off against the mighty Noble Phantasm!

Karna's armor begins to melt off and— He stops, his attention focused elsewhere now. Siegfried senses it too and faces the new contender.

"It seems fate does not want us to finish our battle. How cruel…", Karna says to Siegfried, obvious disappointment in his voice.

Balmung is switched off and Siegfried faces the same way. "I suppose so. Now then, who might you be? Why must you interrupt our battle? Are you a friend? Or foe?"

Ritsuka Fujimaru and Mash Kyrielight reach a massive golden door, one that could only lead to one room.

"This must be the throne room. Mash, are you ready to fight?", Ritsuka does final checks on his Mystic Code and fiddles with the armor on his right arm.

Mash nods her head and materializes her shield, holding it out in front of her just in case they are attacked the moment they enter. "I'm going to ram the door open, stand behind me, Senpai!"

Ritsuka does just that and gets ready to summon a Servant immediately if need be. Mash crouches down and lets some magical energy into her legs to boost her dash, and like a battering ram, she bursts right through the door with little issue. Whether it was locked or not doesn't matter, they are through the doorway and into a large chamber, the throne room.

Immediately, the two feel the gaze of a Servant. Assassin Class Semiramis to be specific, who sits on the throne only looking down at them. The door behind them shuts closed with a loud thud and the two keep their guards up.

"I am surprised you've gotten so far, Chaldea. Welcome to my throne room, your end will be in here.", she speaks, completely disregarding the two as threats.

"Assassin. So, there's no chance you'll let us through?", Ritsuka attempts to reason with her, but of course, she doesn't entertain the thought at all.

"I won't fail my Master by letting you through. I thought I had been very clear when I said this room will be your burial ground."

"Master…her magical energy is too great…", Mash backs up and keeps to herself but most of all, Ritsuka, is covered in the event of an attack.

Suddenly, a thick, green smoke begins to fill the chamber. It sticks on the ground rather than rising, and there's no way to avoid it.

"What's this—!?", Ritsuka says but covers his mouth, cutting off his phrase. Mash too covers her mouth and nose. Smoke can be toxic if breathed in, but if this is more than just smoke, then they cannot afford to inhale.

Those two should perish any second now. Not even covering their mouths and noses like that will be of any use. They would need a helmet or a mask like that of Saber's to avoid it.

Semiramis waits for them to cough up their lungs, literally in this case as the poison melts their insides, but as she waits and waits, she realizes nothing at all is happening to either of them, and they realize that too as they remove their hands and look around with confused looks.

"What is this?", she says to herself.

"Maybe it wasn't poison as I thought? But what other purpose would it have?", Mash talks to Ritsuka.

"How unlucky. I face a pair with high resistance to poison. It must be a trait from that Servant of yours passed to the Master; a common thing with contracts in the Holy Grail Wars. Oh well, I will still dispatch you both, you will just perish more painfully.", Semiramis stays still as she simply waves her hand and from up above forms a basilisk falling from the ceiling. Its green and massive body is as big as a train. It roars at the two it sees as prey.

Mash raises her shield and prepares to fight. No, it's too big for her to fight on her own! She'll just be swallowed up! I have six summons left, so what am I waiting for!? Ritsuka holds out his right arm and presses one of the buttons, the Servant summoning system begins its output.

I've already prepared for this. They said that Semiramis is near invincible while in the Hanging Gardens, so what if we took her out of the Garden? That would deal with the poison too. Then there's only one person who can do this…

Bathed in blue light, the Archer known as Emiya is summoned to the battle and immediately begins to chant:

"I am the bone of my sword. So, as I pray…"

"Unlimited Blade Works!"