The Trickster and the Grand Order

by Kenjichan251

People of power taken down. A false god shot. A fake paradise eradicated. One would think that for Ren Amamiya, leader of the Phantom Thieves, his adventures were over. However, a blood donation would turn his life upside down as he takes an offer from the Chaldea Security Organization - and once more fight for the fate of humanity.

112. Ch 111 - Chimera

Ch. 111 - Chimera

The Shaped Isle off the coast of Italy wasn't the largest island. Palm trees lined the sandy beaches as the Mediterranean Sea, gleaming like diamonds in the afternoon sun, gently lapped up against the white, smooth sands of the shoreline. Beyond was a lush forest, teeming with flora and fauna. There was no sign of any humanity or civilization. The only sounds were the distant cries of seagulls, the waves gently washing over the beach, and the chirping of insects within the forest. It was the perfect spot for a tropical vacation.

At least, it would be if it wasn't for the fact that a Chimera at minimum was prowling around.

Ritsuka huffed slightly in bemusement as she stared out over the beautiful sea. "I wonder if I can convince Chaldea to let us have some vacation time," she mused. "This place is way too nice to pass up."

"I think vacation time was explained in the employee handbook," Mash mused, thinking back to their orientation. "Have you perhaps asked Da Vinci or Roman about it? It's a bit early to use any of it, I think, but they might be able to do something."

The redhead sighed. "Nah, they have enough on their plate," she replied glumly, turning away from the sea and rolling her shoulders. "We should probably get this hunt underway."

"Well said," Leonidas responded. In the gleaming sunlight, his bronze helmet and cuirass gleamed brilliantly while he waited patiently with shield and spear in hand. "It is best not to idle about with useless thoughts. They should be focused on the task at hand."

"Yeah, like a summer debut," Elizabeth called over, her hand over her eyes as she scanned the horizon. "There's not much of an audience at this venue, but this would be a great place to show off summer Eli-chan! I'll have to talk to Raven about this – he's sure to have good ideas for it! What about you, Squirrel? Do you think this would be a good location for the debut?"

Ritsuka blinked in surprise at the nickname. "Er," she stammered, looking down at the beach. "Well, you could, uh, maybe…"

The Lancer scowled and waved her hand dismissively. "Forget it, I need ideas yesterday, not stammering," she snapped. "I'll just consult with Raven later."

Mash frowned slightly. "Maybe we should focus on the hunt first, Elizabeth, before we talk about a new concert?" she suggested with a slight tone of disapproval.

Elizabeth scowled back. "Watch it, Mash," she growled. "There's no reason that an idol like me can't multitask! I can hunt and brainstorm a concert at the same time, you know!" The Shielder's frown deepened at being addressed in such a rude manner but made no comment about it.

"Alright, alright," the Master interjected. "Sorry for doubting you. But the sooner we deal with the hunt, the faster we can scope out the place for a concert. So with that in mind, we should at least discuss the chimera."

The upcoming idol stared in surprise at Ritsuka, then grinned. "Now that's more like it, Squirrel!" she agreed happily. "Alright, let's get this hunt over with!"

Ritsuka nodded, inwardly sighing with relief. Cu Chulainn and Leonidas had become fast friends and Mash was cordial with both warriors with the Spartan king acting as her mentor. Elizabeth had been the one point of concern among the team, but she was at least proving cooperative. In the meantime, the Irish Lancer had chosen to scout ahead and get a lay of the land, traces of the beast, and anything that might prove useful. The others would be on standby at the beach until he returned.

The Master's communicator lit up. She tapped it – and her eyes widened in surprise to see the beaming face of the goddess of the hunt. "Oh, hey, Artemis," she greeted. "Taking the place of Roman and Da Vinci?"

"As the goddess of the hunt, it is my responsibility and duty to oversee all of them to the end," she announced with a bright smile. "What's your plan?"

"Cu Chulainn has gone on to scout ahead," Mash informed her. "And we are about to go over the Chimera ourselves. Would you like to join the discussion, Artemis?"

Artemis's eyes widened, then she beamed. "Such a respectful one!" she crooned. "If that is the case then yes, allow me to bless you with my providence for the hunt!"

Ritsuka barely restrained herself from rolling her eyes as Leonidas bowed. "It is an honor to have you guiding us, Lady Artemis," he intoned. "We shall ensure this hunt shall be a successful one." The goddess's grin grew even more at the praise and worship.

With that, the Master launched into the information she had received from Morgana. According to him, it was a fairly standard chimera, with the front of a lion, back of a goat, and a snake for a tail. It was a strong and fast creature, necessitating the aerial advantage of Pegasus to bring it down in myth and even holding off three Servants for a while. It also had a good amount of cunning – it was able to make use of the cave's structure to rain poison down on them, creating space for itself to retreat.

"If I remember correctly, Chimeras could also breathe fire as well," Artemis added. "Bellarophon was able to slay one by shoving a spear lined with lead down its throat, though it was a rather young and inexperienced Chimera he fought. I'm not sure if that will be quite as effective here."

The redhead blinked, then she turned to the other Servants. Mash looked over and shook her head. "I don't think we have a block of lead in our supplies, Master," she answered sadly.

Ritsuka sighed. "Well, didn't think it would be that easy anyway," she muttered. Before they could continue, the sound of light, fast footsteps caught her attention. Looking up, she could see Cu Chulainn running towards them. As he skidded to a halt, spraying sand everywhere, she approached. "Find anything, Cu?"

The Irish Lancer bore a slightly bemused expression. "I think the kitty's info may be a bit outdated," he replied bluntly.

That sent a chill down Ritsuka's spine as Mash asked, "What do you mean?"

"I checked the cave where he and his group fought the Chimera," he explained, jerking his thumb behind him. "It's deserted and has been for a while now. Wherever it set its lair up, it ain't there anymore. I also did a quick check around the area and found a few droppings – dried, so it's nowhere close to here, but they were damn big logs."

The Master and Elizabeth both wrinkled their noses in disgust at the information while Artemis smiled enigmatically. "Now Mash, my student," Leonidas called over. "What do you think such a finding suggests?"

The Shielder blinked at being called so suddenly before she began thinking. "Well…" she murmured slowly. "If its waste products were of considerable sizing, then that would mean it would have taken in much food for nutrients. And if we account its resulting biology and anatomy…" Her eyes slowly widened in realization and horror.

Ritsuka quickly put the pieces together at the same time. "How big are we talking," she asked, her tone dropping all energy and into a strict monotone.

Cu shook his head. "I wasn't able to find prints," he replied "But my guess? Big enough to be a problem."

"And this is where it begins, my hunters," Artemis chirped with a bright smile. "I look forward to your victory. Good hunting~!" With that, the communication flickered out.

The redhead could only click her tongue in annoyance. Leave it to a goddess to be this annoying. "So, any suggestions?" she asked, looking over at Leonidas and Cu. "Hunts are new to me, and I'd rather not charge into a figurative lion's den without knowing what we can or can't do."

Cu frowned slightly before looking into the forest. "Right now? We go in and find it first," he replied. "A beast of that size will be leaving traces everywhere. Then we observe its paths, habits, and the Chimera itself and go from there."

Ritsuka nodded. "Sounds like a plan," she agreed. "Mind taking the lead, Cu?"

The Irish Lancer grinned confidently. "Gladly," he replied happily.

The Master nodded. "Leonidas, I'll leave the rear guard to you," she ordered. "Elizabeth, take the left flank."

"It will be done, Master," Leonidas accepted.

"Hmph, you better know what you're doing," Elizabeth snorted.

'So do I,' Ritsuka thought nervously to herself. She turned to Mash. "And that leaves you to watch my back," she finished. "Sound good to you, Mash?"

Mash nodded confidently, summoning her shield in hand. "Of course, senpai," she replied confidently. "Please leave your safety and the right to me."

The redhead grinned. "God, you guys are so freaking awesome," she remarked. "Alright, let's move out."

They plunged into the forest, leaving the beach behind. As they walked, the sound of waves and seagulls became muffled and distant as the foliage became thicker, the brush and trees obscuring their vision. Walking at a steady but careful pace, Cu Chulainn looked around for any traces of the Chimera while the other Servants kept careful watch.

Ritsuka had to admit, despite the seriousness of the situation, she felt oddly calm. The forest was home to at least one dangerous creature, and it was their home territory. However, they were also dangerous in turn and could coordinate to amplify each other's strengths. Her heart was pounding hard within her chest, yet her mind was clear regardless. Was this what it felt like being on the hunt? She could see why certain warriors and heroes loved it.

"Oi, Master, over here."

At Cu's voice, the redhead turned around to look. The Lancer was kneeling beside what appeared to be a destroyed tree, surveying it closely. As she approached, he pointed over to the trunk. "The marks and breakage are fresh," he stated. "We're definitely in its territory now."

The Master gulped nervously. She could see the claw marks clearly on the trunk, the width of each one only slightly smaller than her own forearm. It certainly reminded her of cats when they scratched up certain things – only this was much, much bigger. "I see," she muttered, staving off her uneasiness. "We should probably pick up our pace before it gets away then."

The Irish Lancer nodded. "Yep," he agreed as he stood back up after picking up a pebble. "Thankfully this makes things a lot easier." Drawing a pattern on it, a rune lit up on the stone as it began floating in the air. It then raced off in a direction, stopping within viewing distance of the others. "We'll just need to follow that little guy and it'll lead us right to the Chimera," he explained.

Ritsuka stared at the pebble. "How come you didn't start with that?" she asked as they began following it.

"Fresher traces make for better tracking and easier paths," Cu replied, his eyes trained on the impromptu tracker as they marched, keeping their formation. "Using it by itself would probably have us wandering in circles for a bit, and its crap earlier would've taken us through some of its old paths first. Nah, those claw marks are the best thing here for tracking it down."

Mash, who had been quietly listening, quietly asked, "So how close are we to the Chimera, then?"

Cu grinned, his eagerness almost bestial compared to his usual smiles. "At most? A few minutes' walk," he answered. "This is gonna be fun."

The redhead took a deep breath, nodded, and glanced at the others. "On your toes, everyone," she ordered quietly. "And keep quiet – we don't want to give our position away."

Elizabeth snorted. "I don't see what we have to be afraid of from some overgrown abomination of a cat, goat, and snake," she grumbled, nevertheless keeping her voice low.

"Even during my time, Chimeras were regarded with much dread," Leonidas retorted, gripping his spear more tightly as he kept an eye on their surroundings. "It is best not to underestimate it."

Mash looked pensive. "Didn't Artemis say that this Chimera survived fighting against Servants and gained dominance by fighting and killing other beasts?" she asked. "Shouldn't we account for that?"

Ritsuka nodded. "We should," she agreed. "But like Cu said earlier, we observe first, then we go from there. Lead on."

They continued marching through the forest. The sound of the beach was long gone, replaced by the distant cries of fauna and the chirping of insects. Ritsuka's ears strained to catch any sign of the Chimera – be it a lion's roar, a goat's bleat, or a snake's hiss – but heard nothing. Even through mental communication, none of the Servants said anything as they continued to monitor their surroundings while Cu continued to follow the tracker, making sure they weren't wandering into an ambush.

Gradually, as they marched, the soft soil turned into moist, rank mud as the trees thinned out. The Master's boots sank in the muck up to her ankle, forcing her to start wading through. Each time she lifted her foot, the marsh sloshed with alarming loudness as she fought the vacuum formed from stepping into it each time. 'The hell is this bog?!' she cried out mentally in frustration.

'It's where the tracker's leading us,' Cu responded in kind. He didn't seem to have any trouble walking on top of the mud, his footsteps barely sinking into the mud without any effort on his part. 'I've never heard of a bog being the hunting or nesting grounds of a Chimera, but every animal's got their own proclivities, I suppose.'

'It could've chosen a better location,' Elizabeth snarled, looking down at her heels. 'This place is utterly filthy and disgusting. I'll have to wash my clothes and bathe thoroughly to get the stench and muck off here! Ugh, this is a terrible place for an idol!"

'And I will need extra time to polish my own armor,' Leonidas lamented in turn. 'But more importantly, this is poor ground to hunt or fight on. We would likely be at a remarkable disadvantage if we were to engage it here.'

Ritsuka nodded. 'Agreed,' she replied. 'After we find the Chimera, we'll look for a good spot to lure it and fight it there instead. We're not fighting here if we can help it at all.'

Then Mash noticed something. 'I… do not recall bogs or marshes often having a purple coloration in the water,' she commented.

At the observation, Ritsuka looked up and noticed that many of the pools, including the ones near them, had either spots or were tinted with bruise-like purple. 'I don't either,' she murmured. 'Either they're some sort of weird algae that has come from the sea, or they're… or they're…" Her eyes widened. 'Chimera venom. Elizabeth, can you go ahead and scout out a good area we can lure the beast to? Fighting here is gonna be borderline suicidal at this rate.'

Elizabeth nodded. Turning away, she vanished into a shower of golden dust as she left to scout a good location. Meanwhile, she looked over to Leonidas. 'Can you secure us an exfiltration route, in case things go south?' she asked.

'Is something the matter, senpai?' Mash asked in concern as Leonidas nodded and similarly vanished to fulfill his order.

The redhead frowned as Cu looked back at her out of curiosity. 'Just a very bad feeling here,' she quietly replied. 'I'm hoping the most I've done is just waste all our time, but…'

'Trust me, Master, a waste of time is probably the best bit of news a lot of the time for warriors,' the Irish Lancer replied. 'I'll go on ahead a bit – you might wanna hang back. Things might get ugly, push comes to shove.'

Ritsuka nodded in agreement. As Cu began marching on, Mash handed her a pair of binoculars. She grinned at the Shielder. 'Prepped as always, Mashumallow,' she remarked as she accepted the tool.

'I have been reflecting and learning from past missions and singularities,' Mash replied with a soft smile. 'But I'm glad I could be helpful. Though I hope this will be useful for Ren-senpai as well.'

'He'll definitely appreciate it,' she replied confidently as she raised the binoculars to her eyes. It was easy to make out Cu Chulainn's distinct blue outfit compared to the drab browns and greens of the swamp. Now that she was observing from a distance, she swore she could see purple fumes leaking from certain pools and holes. Was the air around here poisoned as well?

She recalled the debriefing after the siege of Massalia back in the Roman singularity and what happened to Ren – and the subsequent immunity to poison granted by Mash. A cold chill ran down her spine. Without that poison immunity, how quickly would she have succumbed here without even knowing? She needed to be more careful. For now, it was just them here and possibly Chimera, the only sound being the sloshing of mud around her boots-

Wait, the sounds.

'Quick check with everyone,' Ritsuka called out. 'Are swamps supposed to be this quiet?'

Mash blinked in surprise before turning around, trying to listen. '… It is rather quiet around here,' she agreed apprehensively. 'Cu Chulainn?'

'No way in hell,' he growled. 'There'd at least be a lotta bugs around here buzzing – oh shit-!'

At the curse, Ritsuka whirled back around, trying to see what was going on. All she could see was a mass of movement. Then she heard a sound like thunder, distant yet rapidly becoming deafening-

And everything went white.

As her vision cleared up, she tried to get her bearings. She was sprawled in the mud, staining her white Master uniform and gloves. Her ears were ringing, with all other sounds incomprehensibly muffled. The air was incredibly hot and stifling, leaving her choking and gasping for air. Each rasping breath sent a fresh wave of pain through her temples, feeling like something had been using her head as a drum.

"….ster! Master!"

Mash's concerned voice seemed close yet distant at the same time. Blinking mud and stars out of her eyes, she felt herself being hoisted up, with her arm thrown around Mash's neck as she carried her. "M-Mash…?" she rasped. She tried taking another breath and suddenly choked and coughed again. The scalding air around her felt like magma to her senses and her chest felt like it was cooking within.

Something pressed against her face, and suddenly she began breathing much more clearly. She opened her eyes and suddenly found herself looking through lenses. She could feel Mash apparently securing the apparatus around her face. A quick touch informed her of what Mash had just put on her: A gas mask. "Thanks, Mash," she murmured, her voice muffled by the tool as she took a few deep breaths, her lungs and throat easing up a bit from the fresh oxygen. "W-What just… happened?"

The Shielder looked around them with a concerned scowl. "Everything exploded, Master," she replied. "It seemed there was some sort of incendiary component throughout the swamp. Leonidas has secured an exfiltration route and is currently leading us out of the area."

Ritsuka nodded weakly, some semblance of coherent thinking returning to her addled brain. Now that she was properly looking, she could see that the entire swamp was on fire – the vegetation both alive and dead within, the mud, and even the water itself was burning. It was like someone had poured oil all over the place and then lit everything up with a match. "And what about Cu and Elizabeth?" she gasped, forcing herself to walk a bit more so Mash didn't have to drag her quite so much.

"Cu Chulainn is currently combating the Chimera," Mash replied as she continued to haul her Master, her eyes watching out for any other dangers. "We've haven't heard anything from Elizabeth yet."

The redhead scowled underneath her mask, then reached out to everyone via mental link. 'Guys, check in,' she ordered. 'Where are you and what the hell's going on?'

'Master.' Leonidas was the first to respond. 'I'm directly in front of you and guiding you and Mash out. Your precautions were warranted as it turns out. Are you injured?'

'Just my pride,' Ritsuka grumbled. Her mind was steadily clearing up, allowing her to see the hellscape around her. She could feel the heat of the conflagration around her through her clothes, but surprisingly it was cooler than she expected – no worse than being in an active kitchen. She faintly recalled that apparently the Master uniform had an entire suite of security measures to protect their wearers, and Da Vinci was still improving them based on field data. She'd have to thank her later. 'Cu? Elizabeth?'

'On my way back!' Elizabeth called out. 'I swear, I leave you all alone for three seconds and everything goes to hell! Ugh, I'm not sure whether you're all cursed or incompetent!'

'Oi oi, don't blame me for incompetence,' Cu growled out. 'This thing is damn tricky!'

'Cu, what the hell are you doing?' Ritsuka barked.

'Buying all of you time to get the hell out of here!' he growled. 'At least, I'm trying to – I can't even get close to this thing! This piece of crap is breathing out flames and poison like mad! It's like I'm fighting in a minefield!'

Ritsuka scowled as she calculated her options. 'Do you need backup?' she quickly asked.

'Nah, I'll join up once you get the hell out,' he replied, his tone forcibly light. 'We're gonna need another approach to this guy – he's a tough one.'

The redhead breathed out a sigh. 'Got it,' she acknowledged. 'Elizabeth, meet us outside this hell and keep an eye out for anything else.'

'Fine. Though thinking about it, these flames would make for an awesome pyrotechnic show-'

'Elizabeth, I love you but please focus.'

The upcoming idol spluttered in sheer surprise over their mental connection. 'Wha- this is no time to be flirting, Squirrel!' she screeched.

Ritsuka raised an eyebrow despite everything going on. Before she could respond, however, another explosion rang out some distance to her left. Mash moved quickly, her shield already summoned and blocked a branch that had been flying at them. Gritting her teeth, the Master marched on with the others. Although she was sore, it didn't feel like she had broken any bones. Bruising was practically guaranteed as well as some cuts and scrapes, but given the scope of what just happened, she was thankful it wasn't worse.

Before long, the ground turned more solid underneath her feet, turning from mud and bog to soil again. They were once more surrounded by foliage and trees, with the burning swamp in the distance. "We should be safe here, senpai," Mash murmured before gently depositing the Master on a fallen down tree.

Ritsuka nodded wearily, reaching up and pulling off her gas mask – and wincing slightly as she could feel the distant heat of the flames through the forest. Both Leonidas and Elizabeth were nearby, the former staring motionlessly in the direction of the swamp ready to engage if anything followed them and the latter standing nearby, her arms crossed and looking bemused.

'Cu,' she called out. 'We managed to get to safety – well, relatively. You can retreat from the Chimera.'

'You got it, Master,' he called back, panting through their connection. 'Give me a bit – gonna give it the runaround so it doesn't just track us down.'

Ritsuka nodded, silently acknowledging the Irish Lancer before breaking the connection. She looked up blearily as Mash handed her a bottle of water and grinned. "Thanks, Mashumallow," she said gratefully, taking the bottle and immediately chugging down half of it. The cool liquid felt heavenly against her parched, almost burning throat.

Once she finished, she took a breath to collect her thoughts, thinking back to their briefing. "Were there any indications of natural gas or oil on this island?" she asked.

Mash's eyes widened a bit in surprise at the question, then shook her head. "Geographical scans and preliminary reconnaissance didn't indicate anything of the sort, senpai," she answered. "Though admittedly the scans weren't set for any natural gas or oil, there weren't any indicators out of the ordinary. Perhaps we should contact Chaldea and make sure?"

The redhead shook her head. "No, no need," she declined. "If Chaldea didn't tell us anything of the sort – especially when we're fighting a fire-breathing creature – then it's likely there wasn't one in the first place." She blew out a long breath as she stared up at the sky and ruled out the possibilities. If it wasn't gas or oil, there had to be something else that was incendiary. With the sheer amount of water from the marshlands, there was no way everything could catch on fire like that. The only thing that was out of the ordinary was…

"… is Chimera venom flammable?" she pondered out loud.

"Damn right it is."

Ritsuka and Mash jumped in surprise as Cu Chulainn landed beside them. He bore an annoyed expression, which contrasted sharply with the numerous burns all across his body. "Damnit," the Master cursed, readying the preprogrammed healing mystery embedded within the Master uniform.

Cu raised a hand to stop her. "Don't worry about me," he stated. "A bit of paint and runes and I'll be back to normal. We got bigger problems."

The Master frowned but otherwise reluctantly nodded, her circuits powering down. "So, what did you find out about the Chimera?"

The Irish Lancer scowled and crossed his arms. "It's a big boy, for one," he growled. "Bigger than a lot of Chimeras I've seen. And it's smart too – it learned how to light up its own poison with its fire to create traps and explosions. Bastard kept breathing out mists of poison then lighting it up whenever I tried to move in."

"It's a wild beast," Elizabeth snorted. "How smart can it be?"

"Do not underestimate wild creatures, Elizabeth," Leonidas admonished. "Just like humans, they want to live just as much as we do. To that end, they will be just as cunning and determined as we are to survive." The idol snorted again but made no argument otherwise.

"Alright," Ritsuka muttered, running a hand through her hair. "It's smart enough to trap its own territory too - not surprising considering we were told it took out the other apex predators here." She racked her brain for ideas before looking up to Cu Chulainn. "You got an idea on how to go through a hunt like this?" she asked.

Cu Chulainn shrugged. There was a quick flash as his body restored itself; there were some shallower wounds here and there, but most of the burns had healed up. "A few ways," he suggested. "Hit and run until it gets exhausted, leave out some bait after poisoning or drugging it, wait until it goes to sleep and ambush it there. Not the most fun, but it works."

The redhead nodded. "Alright," she acknowledged. "In that case, we'll-"

Before she could lay out a plan, the sound of foliage and trees being ripped apart echoed through the forest. The Master scrambled up as Mash quickly positioned herself in front of her senpai, her shield held at the ready. Cu Chulainn scowled as his red spear appeared in his hands while Leonidas raised his own shield and spear as well.

"An encore already?" Elizabeth hissed in disbelief, summoning her own weapon regardless. "This thing's persistent!"

The clamor echoed all around them, persistent and terrifying yet never getting closer or approaching them. Ritsuka looked at their surroundings nervously, her heartbeat thumping hard in her ears. She checked on the Servants, who were similarly scanning around looking for the Chimera. Despite Cu's report of the beast's size, there was no sign of it at all save for the noise.

Then suddenly, there was a loud, pig-like squeal that was abruptly silenced. A moment later, the noise dwindled down. Ritsuka frowned slightly in surprise. Was it just hunting? They could've caught a lucky break-

"Above!"

At Leonidas's shout, the Master quickly looked up to see a large mass flying towards them. Mash raised her shield and blocked it, knocking it aside. Looking over, Ritsuka's eyes looked at the mass – and her eyes widened in horror.

It was a boar. It was completely drenched in the same purple liquid that she had seen in the swamp, mixing with the dark blood that oozed from large puncture wounds in its body. The prey's eyes had rolled up into its head, with flecks of foam at the mouth and the occasional twitch of its legs.

The Spartan king marched up to it and jabbed at it with his spear. The boat twitched again but otherwise made no movement. "It's dead," he declared grimly. "Or it might as well be."

Elizabeth looked at it over with disgust. "Ugh, and what the hell is this supposed to be? You only do stuff like this if you wanna send a message! But what kind of message is it sending?"

Ritsuka frowned before looking at Cu. "Your opinion?" she asked.

Cu Chulainn frowned as he looked over the body. "Killing and making it suffer without even bothering to eat it," he mused. "And it threw the damn thing at us. I say it's either a taunt or a warning to get the hell outta here. Tch."

Mash had been observing what had been happening when she suddenly noticed a change in the air: purple vapor drifting through the trees and surrounding them. Then her eyes widened. She immediately charged forward, holding up her shield. "True name, Pseudo Register!' she cried as she quickly gathered magical power.

Ritsuka's eyes widened but there was no time to question Mash. "Everyone, behind Mash!" she roared. Everyone up behind her without hesitation, though Leonidas was right behind the Shielder, his own shield at the ready should she need it.

"Releasing all limiters! Unleashing Noble Phantasm!" Mash declared. As she spoke, a glowing barrier of energy projected from her shield, glowing resolutely and powerfully as it always did.

"Lord Chaldeas!"

The Noble Phantasm activated not a moment too soon – a moment later, the entire area lit around them in a fiery explosion as an all-consuming roar assaulted their ears. Mash gritted her teeth as she held firm, blocking out the explosion as the flames howled and wrapped all around them, burning tree and ground alike. The boar corpse was vaporized by the blaze and became nothing more than soot.

Finally, the explosion settled down, revealing a different landscape: The forest around them burning, flames hungrily licking up tree trunks as the nearby brush was consumed. With a scowl, Ritsuka slid her gas mask back on as the smoke became thicker. The uniform didn't exactly filter out breathable air from the smoke or replace the oxygen the fire was consuming. "Good job, Mash," she complimented. "Now where the hell is-"

"On our flank!"

Whirling around, the only thing the Master could see through the mask was the forest parted way as a creature smashed through the burning forest with a roar. Leonidas roared back in challenge, his shield and spear braced and ready as the creature charged at him. Lunging forward, its jaws wrapped around the Spartan king's shield. Before the man could counter, it flung him hard to the side, sending the Lancer crashing through multiple burning trees and disappearing into the distance.

Meanwhile, Cu Chulainn had dashed with inhuman speed to one of its flanks while Elizabeth sprang into the air with a scowl and dived toward the creature. Something rose up from its midsection and breathed out a spray of poison at the Irish Lancer, who dodged it by pole vaulting over it and raised his spear to throw.

Before either of their blows landed, however, the main head began glowing as flames gathered in its throat, and suddenly everything lit up again in another explosion, blasting Cu and Elizabeth away as Mash barely intercepted it in time, straining against the sheer concussive force. As the Shielder lowered her shield, panting for breath, Ritsuka could finally see the creature for herself in its entirety – and was faced with a monstrosity she had severely underestimated.

The Chimera easily stood at over double her height, its white fur glowing in a hellish light from the burning forest. Its paws, tipped with great claws, stepped silently on the dirt, maintaining its balance despite missing several toes. The lion head, noble yet savage, stared down at them with piercing red eyes, filled with hatred and rage. Its hind section was covered in black fur, dark as the night, ending in goat's legs that sank into the soft soil. Rising above was the great head of a goat, its horns gleaming as its unsettling horizontal eyes observed its surroundings.

And yet despite its already peculiar appearances, there were more aspects to the creature that caught her eye. It seemed overly bulky, as if its muscles were outgrowing the constraints of its body and hide. Its flesh bulged, throwing its numerous scars into even greater relief against the flames. And while the Master at first thought that it was from the light of the fire, it was clear that its eyes – from both the lion and goat head – were glowing.

No, not just from the lion and goat head. Were her eyes playing tricks on her, or were there even more eyes lining around their heads…?

Something flashed towards them and Mash darted forward, barely deflecting it in time. It was a giant serpent, its green scales glinting ominously, as it hissed threateningly before its forked tongue flickered out, tasting the air. The mismatched beast was something Ritsuka thought she knew, thought she had studied before. But no, this creature was something - became something - different entirely.

She could feel her throat tighten as her hands became freezing cold. This wasn't just some creature she read in a book, nor was it anything like what she saw back during their campaign. Creatures like this one were something only heroes would stand the slightest hope of defeating. Not someone like her - she was nothing more than fodder here. What was she even doing here? This was no place for her, and the glare from the lion's head only further affirmed that thought.

A second later, the redhead smacked herself on the cheeks to Mash's surprise and glared up at the beast. As terrifying as this might be, this wasn't the time to panic or the training she did would've been for nothing. She needed to figure out a way out of this.

"Mash, keep it busy while I confirm the status of the others!" she barked. "Don't take any unnecessary risks – keep yourself safe first and foremost until further orders!"

The Shielder nodded. "Right!" she confirmed. "Mash Kyrielight, engaging!" Shield in hand, she charged at the Chimera who roared in defiance. Meanwhile, the Master took off in the other direction to get out of the way, keeping her head low as she kept careful measure of her location. 'Guys, report in!' she ordered. 'Where the hell are you all?'

'On my way back to engage with the Chimera,' Leonidas reported. 'The ferocity of the beast caught me unawares, I will admit. It shall not happen again.'

'Just caught back up to Mash and backing her up!' Cu Chulainn responded. 'I told you, this thing's one damn tough customer!'

Looking over her shoulder, she could see the faint flashes of blue and red of the Irish hero fighting alongside the Shielder. She could only breathe a sigh of relief through her mask. That's one major load off her mind at least. 'Elizabeth, what about you?' she called out. There was a brief silence. 'Elizabeth?' she called again, this time slightly worried.

Instead of the usual bluster and attitude of the idol, there was a choked gagging instead. 'Making my way back,' she panted out laboriously. 'B-but… got p-poisoned…!'

Ritsuka's eyes widened before biting back a curse. Of course, this had to happen when she couldn't rely on Ren's or Morgana's personas to cleanse poisons. 'Leonidas, secure Elizabeth, bring her over to me, then back up Mash and Cu!' she ordered. 'Cu, look for an opportunity to disengage once Leonidas has joined in so you can help me treat her!'

'Don't!' Elizabeth sharply interjected before the Spartan king could respond. 'I'll m-make it back on my o-own, Master! An idol doesn't f-fall to things like this so easily!'

The redhead scowled. As much as she admired Elizabeth's stubbornness, it could also be singularly frustrating. Then again, it was a trait that she was getting used to overall. 'At least make your way over to me so I can heal you up,' she pleaded. 'I don't think Chimera venom is one of those things you just 'tough out', even for someone as awesome as you, Elizabeth.'

'… Fine,' the idol finally relented. 'You better n-not disappoint me, squirrel.'

Ritsuka sighed and nodded in relief. Meanwhile, she had ducked down behind a fallen tree, panting through her uncomfortable gas mask. Peeking over the top of the tree, she observed the fight while shoving down the terror screaming from within her heart and soul, all the while tapping the communicator. The device glowed as the connection established, and Artemis's glowing image turned once more. "Artemis, we're engaged with the creature," she reported. "But what the hell is up with that Chimera?! It's nothing like what Morgana told me!"

"As I said before, this Chimera has fought through many powerful beings, gaining much experience and power," the goddess of the hunt explained happily as the redhead peered anxiously over the tree trunk. "You are quite correct in that it's now far more powerful than before. But it wouldn't be a hunt without some danger and romance to it, don't you think?"

Ritsuka barely bit back a curse as her temper flared. "Well, we could use any tips or hints from the ever-knowledgeable goddess of the hunt," she replied, doing her best to keep any sarcasm, hostility, or biting tones out of her voice. "Because whatever it has gone through or done, I don't think that's a normal Chimera anymore!"

"How bad is it?" Orion asked, his ears perking up in curiosity. "Mind showing me, kid?"

With a nod, the Master turned the image to the Servants fighting the Chimera past the trees. It was getting hard for her to see, with the ashes of the burning forest covering the lens of the mask, but she could make out a few traces of the action. Meanwhile, the teddy bear let out a low whistle of astonishment. "Yeesh, he's an ugly one," he observed.

"Yes, he is," Ritsuka agreed impatiently, turning their view back to her. "Anything you can tell us?"

The teddy bear crossed his arms, looking unusually serious. "I don't come across beasts like that often, but when they're misshapen like that, that's bad news," he elaborated. "The Chimera here is burgeoning to the sheer amount of power and mystery it had gained from its victories and age. It's a really unstable time for it – or any creature, really."

The Master's eyes widened. Before she could ask further, Elizabeth suddenly appeared next to her. "Well, squirrel?" she gasped. "You better not leave an idol waiting."

Ritsuka's eyes widened as she immediately stood up to check on her. Despite the idol's bravado, just her appearance alone sent a cold chill down the Master's spine. Darkened veins showed clearly through her pale, sweating skin. She was also noticeably grimacing in pain no matter how much she tried to hide it, and the redhead could swear she could see flecks of purple foam leak from the sides of her lips.

"Goddamnit-!" Without any hesitation, the girl warmed her circuits and, channeling her magical energy through her circuits, used the uniform's mystic code capability to actuate its healing magecraft. A green light emanated from her palm as it began. The blackened veins subsided a bit and Elizabeth's breathing eased slightly, but otherwise it wasn't having much effect. In the meantime, she cast out a mental thought. 'Cu, can you make your way over here?' she called out. 'We need your runes again!'

As Ritsuka poured more magical energy into the healing magecraft, she glanced back down at Orion who was impassively watching through the screen. "Keep going," she panted out. "What's this about it being unstable? I-is that a Chimera thing? And if you know how precisely to treat Chimera venom, that'd also be really good right about now-!"

As she talked, Cu Chulainn landed gently beside them. Also not wasting time with words, he looked over Elizabeth before pressing his fingers to her neck. "Is putting your fingers on an idol necessary?" she snapped, but otherwise didn't withdraw, seemingly conserving her strength.

Meanwhile, the teddy bear looked over at the idol seriously. "Chimera venom isn't nearly as bad as hydra venom," he murmured. "But it's still pretty bad. It can be cured traditionally but that'll take too long. Hey, Cu Chulainn, can you do any magical cleanses? That should do the trick."

The Irish Lancer grinned. Instead of directly answering, he traced out some runes on Elizabeth's chest. They shone momentarily and vanished – and so did the blackened veins as the idol gasped for breath, coughing and wheezing. "M-must you touch me there?" she snapped, glaring at Cu while wiping the poison foam from her mouth.

"You're welcome," the Irish Lancer replied, unimpressed. With a whirl of his red spear, he dashed back towards the Chimera, who had been contending with both Mash and Leonidas simultaneously, with Elizabeth quickly following suit.

As Ritsuka ducked back down, she looked back at Orion. "Right, and what's this about instability?" she inquired.

"Creatures like that chimera who've been around a bit and have fought – and won - against a lot of strong creatures build up a lot of mystery," he elaborated, his arms crossed. It would be an almost comical sight were it not for the dangerous situation they were in. "It takes time for the creature's body to adapt properly, after which it's no longer some mere creature – though where it'll stop is beyond my knowledge."

The teddy bear's eyes flashed dangerously. "In a sense there's no better or worse time for you to take it out," he stated. "If you can disrupt the mystery within, then it's gonna basically pop like a balloon – but how that will end up is also a guess. It could damn well make things way, way worse for you."

He leaned back as he relaxed a bit on Artemis's shoulder. "Or you could try going about it like a normal hunt," he finished with a shrug. "You still got that option, though who knows how that'll go. Judging by its weird appearance, it may have a lot of new things even I can't predict. You never know – maybe this hunt is all it needs to really solidify everything. Lotta unknowns, but that's every hunt. Your call on how you wanna handle it."

The Master breathed a heavy, exasperated sigh through her mask. "Damned if you do, damned if you don't, huh?" she summed up through a forced smile. "Thanks. I'll see if I can figure something out from here."

Orion nodded and waved. "Alrighty," he accepted. "Best of luck on this hunt! Both Artemis and I are rooting for you!"

"Oh, darling!" the goddess cried, immediately snuggling up to the teddy bear. "So merciful and kind of you to help them!"

Ritsuka cut off the communication as the two began getting affectionate once more, her mind racing a million miles a second. Poking her head up above the trunk, she observed the fight. Mash and Leonidas were at the front, shields raised and doing what they could to draw the beast's attention, moving in and bashing the lion's head whenever it got distracted. However, despite the creature's large sizing, its sheer agility made even that simple task tiresome.

In the meantime, Cu Chulainn dashed about at its flanks and moved in whenever there seemed to be an opening. Unfortunately, he could only manage a few dozen shallow wounds before he was warded off either by a spray of poison from the goat head or the snake head darting forward. None of them were close to anything decisive, and every attack only made the monster angrier.

Despite it all, she could see the Irish Lancer grinning like a madman and couldn't help but roll her eyes with a small smile. Of course Cu would have fun with this. Maybe she needed to take a page or two from him.

Elizabeth had jumped up with a shout, ready to bring her lance down on the goat head, only to squeak and barely dodge aside a spray of poison from said head. With a scowl, she tried to match Cu Chulainn's movements and attack its unprotected flanks with some limited success. Despite the fight, the Chimera hadn't used more flames yet, nor had their side used any of their trump cards.

She ground her teeth. They were at an impasse, though she couldn't tell how long that would last.

'Elizabeth,' she called out when the idol wasn't occupied or in immediate danger. 'You were scouting around for a good place where we can fight this thing, right? Did you manage to find anything?'

The draconic Lancer flashed an irritated glare her way. 'There was some sort of pit nearby the swamp,' she quickly replied, keeping an eye on the Chimera and trying to find an opening as all the other Servants danced around the ferocious beast. 'Some sort of quarry? I don't know. Might be better than fighting here.'

A quarry… then the Master remembered all those poison pits back in the swamp and felt another chill run down her spine. 'Did you see any traps or poison in there?' she asked.

'How would I know?!' Elizabeth snapped. 'I had to rush over here to bail you guys out before I could properly look around!' Finally noticing an opening, she sped in, pole-vaulted over the snake tail lunging for her, and brought her spear down on the main body. The spearhead sunk in about a few inches before the goat head roared in response. The idol kicked off the body to fling herself away, barely escaping its gnashing blunt teeth.

Ritsuka thought furiously as she weighed her options. The forest around here was still burning, catching surrounding trees on fire. Who knows how long they had before the entire place would be engulfed in the conflagration. And she wasn't sure how long the oxygen in the mask lasted either. The resultant dancing shadows also made pools and vapors of poison harder to see too, yet the Chimera never had enough trouble lighting them on fire.

As for maneuverability, the Servants were making good use of the burning and dead trees, weaving around them to try and lose the Chimera's sight and disorient it. The beast in turn was far too large to sneak through the forest easily himself now that it was on the offensive, though that mattered little given how it could just flatten the trees and foliage via brute force alone. It didn't seem particularly hindered by lack of oxygen, the heat, or the flames hindering its vision either.

It was a risk, but any move was probably better than no move at all right now. Not unless they wanted to lose by attrition.

'Listen up, everyone!' she called out to the Servants. 'Fighting in the forest isn't gonna work. Elizabeth has found a quarry nearby so we're gonna take the fighting there! I got an idea for what to do from there! In the meantime, Elizabeth, lead the way! We'll bait the Chimera into the pit where we can commence the operation!'

'Er, what operation, senpai?' Mash asked as she blocked off a stream of venom aimed at her direction.

Ritsuka grinned underneath her mask. 'Operation Sonic Oven,' she declared.

'S-senpai, I don't think those exist-'

'Let me have this, Mashumallow.'

Cu Chulainn could only laugh while Leonidas chuckled and Elizabeth rolled their eyes.

---

Mash panted as she ran through the flaming forest. A tree cracked and started collapsing in front of her, the trunk blazing as it did so. Gritting her teeth and placing her shield in front, she smashed right through the tree and broke it into splinters. Then suddenly, she heard rapidly approaching heavy yet soft footsteps. Spinning on the spot, she raised her shield and was knocked into the air by the barreling charge of the Chimera.

In a flash, Leonidas was beside the Chimera. Wielding his bronze spear, he threw it with unerring accuracy at the goat's head. The polearm sank into one of the extraneous eyes of the creature, causing it to snarl in surprise and anger. There was a blur of motion as the snake head reared around and spat a stream of venom at the Spartan king, who barely raised his shield in time to block it. The purple liquid hissed and smoked as it impacted the metal, trying to eat through the king's shield.

The Shielder in the meantime took off her own shield. Bracing her legs on it, she sprang down with inhuman speed before summoning it back into her own hand and slamming down on the lion's head. It was the same technique she had used to save Ren-senpai from the wall that one time in the United Roman Empire capital, now repurposed with some brainstorming and practice with Leonidas.

Its effectiveness was astounding, enough to cause the lion's head to bow from the sheer force. And yet, she couldn't feel any of its bones yielding from the impact. Instead, the beast snarled and roared in a blazing wrath, throwing Mash back. As she skidded to a halt on the ground, the goat head snarled and breathed a stream of poison mist in her direction as flames built up in the lion's maw.

Her eyes widened as realization struck, then she jumped out of the way - just as a blindingly fast stream of fire blazed through where she had been a split second ago. Glancing up, she noted that the lion and goat heads were glaring balefully down at her, the former's head a visage of pure, otherworldly wrath and hatred. With the confirmation she needed, she turned on her heel and took off once again. The Chimera followed in hot pursuit, its roars of rage echoing through the smoke-filled air.

'Master, the Chimera is still pursuing us as planned,' Mash reported.

'Good,' Ritsuka responded. 'Cu and Elizabeth are getting their preparations set. Are either of you hurt?'

'A few scratches, nothing worth considering,' Leonidas responded. Although the Shielder couldn't see him, she knew the Spartan king was only some distance away, easily keeping pace with both her and the Chimera. 'If Elizabeth's directions and distancing are accurate, we shall be there within two minutes.'

'Roger that,' the Master acknowledged. 'I'll let the others know. Keep it up, guys, but your safety is still top priority. Don't get injured or poisoned any more than you have to!'

'Understood, Master,' Mash replied before breaking off communications. Acting as both a decoy and a lure wasn't something she was especially used to, which made her all the more thankful for Leonidas's lessons and that she was working with him. The lessons were already bearing fruit.

'A battle is not just about matching skills, but also matching minds,' he had lectured. 'For someone of your caliber, Mash Kyrielight, it is imperative you make sure your opponents' eyes are on you. It narrows their perspective and movements, as well as rendering them predictable. And a predictable opponent, no matter how strong, is far easier to deal with than one you cannot fathom.' Whether it was an army or a beast, it seemed that lesson still applied.

Her thoughts flitted for a moment to when Ren had rushed to intercept Leonidas back in the Roman singularity. He had known that lesson a while ago, and used it to great effect – albeit, with also great risk to himself in the process. Her senpai was a Phantom Thief, wasn't he? If she drew the enemy's attention and allowed him to maneuver behind them all with ease, would she be on his level then? Would that be enough?

She shoved the thought from her mind. No, this wasn't the time to think of this. Not when she had a mission on hand. 'Approaching the pit,' she called out, faintly seeing the edge of it past the trees ahead. 'ETA: Thirty seconds!'

'Got it!' Ritsuka replied, cutting contact once so she could make the last few preparations with the others.

Once again, she heard the footsteps of the Chimera speeding up. Spinning around, she instead dashed toward the creature, to its surprise as the lion's maw began glowing with fire once again. Instead of raising her shield, this time she sped up and slid underneath the beast instead, catching it by surprise. Right before she emerged behind the Chimera, she raised her shield – and almost on cue deflected the serpent head that had lunged at her as soon as she had appeared.

As the Chimera began turning around, Leonidas charged in from the forest, ramming shield-first into the creature's side. With a roar of anger, the goat head breathed out a thick fog of poison while the lion head quickly breathed out flames, causing a small explosion that caused the Spartan king to fly back, smashing into several trees.

Meanwhile, Mash jumped up onto the Chimera's back after warding off the snake head and charged down the spine. The goat head turned to face her as she charged and roared in defiance – which was quickly silenced as she rammed her shield into it. The goat head bleated – a monstrous, horrific noise – and rammed forward. The Shielder braced herself for the attack, only for its head to slip underneath her and launch her high into the air.

Mash gritted her teeth in surprise as she flipped over and got her bearings midair, only to see the lion and goat heads looking up at her. They spat a condensed stream of poison followed by fire, creating a withering blast of hellfire in her direction. The Shielder considered blocking, but that would simply blast her further back – something she couldn't afford. Instead, once again she took her shield off and using it as a foothold, launched herself away from the flames. With that, she pounced down in the same move again, this time aiming to smash the Chimera's body.

Except this time, her shield sank deep into soft soil instead. Looking up in surprise, her eyes widened as she saw the creature's eyes glaring hatefully down at her as its great paw swiped in, its claws gleaming in the flame. She didn't have the time to react. There was nowhere she could move to. She could only steel herself for the impact and prepare for the worst-case scenario-

A spear blasted through the forest at incredible speeds, once more sinking into one of the unnatural eyes that lined around the lion's neck. As the startled creature roared, Mash immediately took the opportunity to regain her footing and back away from the beast's wrath. Meanwhile, Leonidas shot out of the woods and slammed his shield against the side of the lion's jaw before jumping off, his spear once again appearing in his hand.

"Be sure to vary your techniques, Mash Kyrielight," the Spartan king admonished. "Complacency breeds openings!"

Mash blinked, then nodded. "Understood, Leonidas!" she responded. There was much she still had to learn and improve on, not just to match up to Ren-senpai, but also to ensure she was capable of succeeding for the trials ahead. This Chimera and the lessons she received, both direct and indirect, were simply more steps for her progress, no more and certainly no less.

'We saw that gout of flame from here,' Ritsuka called out in concern. 'What's your status, you two?'

'Minor setback,' Leonidas grunted. 'We have been delayed slightly but are otherwise unharmed and on track.'

'… alright,' the Master reluctantly accepted. 'In that case, no change in the plan. Get that thing's ass over here.'

'Roger that, Master,' Mash panted out again. Taking a breath, she turned and began running once more. This time, instead of pursuing her, the enraged Chimera was loping after Leonidas, who had also taken off. The foliage around them was rapidly thinning, giving way to solid rock and dirt. The forest broke ahead of them, revealing a sheer cliff on the other side.

The Shielder peeled off, glancing behind her as she did so. The Chimera saw the cliff and was rapidly slowing down despite its rage. They had accounted for that as well. There was another flash of bronze and suddenly Leonidas was in front of it, his shield up as he jabbed rapidly at the lion head. Each jab drew blood, and though the wounds were superficial, it was enough to rekindle the creature's rage and focus its attention on the Spartan king once more.

Meanwhile, Mash circled around. Sneaking up on the creature was impossible – she could already see the snake head training its eyes on her, hissing malevolently while both the lion and the goat head were focused on the Spartan king. But that wasn't the objective. She simply needed to get into position.

As the snake reared up, Mash tensed her legs, held her shield up – then shot forward with as much speed and strength as she could muster. She could feel the stream of venom impacting her shield and tilted it, allowing it to flow to the side without disrupting her momentum. A split second later, she collided hard against the main body of the Chimera. The creature let out a startled roar as it stumbled forward from the impact, almost collapsing on its front paws.

The Chimera growled as it started getting back up, only to notice a moment too late that Leonidas had retreated to gain some space, then similarly launched himself at it. Once again, the impact forced it to stumble back. Both the Spartan king and the Shielder threw themselves at the creature's side, their combined strength pushing it closer and closer to the edge. The beast in turn snarled, its claws leaving deep furrows in the rock below as it pushed back.

Mash gritted her teeth as she threw her weight against the shield, her heels digging hard into the ground. Noticing a shift in her peripheral vision, she could see the goat head and the snake tail looming above and around them, respectively. The snake tail hissed and reared in preparation while flames started emanating from the goat head's maw – and at the current range, they wouldn't miss.

Her eyes widened as she redoubled her efforts. If they backed off now, the Chimera would regain its momentum and escape their trap. No, she could only keep pushing. And it seemed Leonidas was of the same mind as he pushed as well, jabbing at the forelegs to try and destabilize it as he pushed. Even if they were bathed in poison and fire, they couldn't relent. Not now. They had to keep pushing, bit by bit, until it finally fell. Then before the Chimera could blast them, two things happened at once.

'Both of you back off, NOW!'

"LAAAAAA~!"

At Ritsuka's mental shout, both Mash and Leonidas immediately jumped back just as a magic-filled sonic wave crashed the cliff underneath the Chimera. The rock crumbled to gravel instantly from the force, giving the creature literally no ground to stand on. With a startled snarl, it did its best to clamber on with its forepaws, only for the rocks to give way to strain and its weight, sending it falling with a loud roar.

'We don't have much time – how are you guys holding up?'

Mash and Leonidas looked up and quickly spotted the Master a distance away, watching everything through a pair of binoculars. 'We're both fine, Master!' the Shielder reported confidently. 'We're in good condition!'

The redhead nodded. 'Alright,' she acknowledged. 'In that case, next phase will go as planned! Meet with Elizabeth. Box the Chimera in and give her a concert hall of her dreams!'

'It will be done,' Leonidas stated. With a quick look and nod to Mash, they both jumped off the cliff and down into the pit.

The pit was a large, rocky area. It was roughly oval in shape, like a hand of a titan had scooped out the entire patch of land. White, almost luminescent stone lined the sheer cliff faces of the pit, their beauty proving why this place had been a quarry once upon a time. Rain, wind, and weather had long since worn down any presence of humanity, rendering it an odd yet fascinating blend of both natural and artificial beauty.

Now, it was nothing more than yet another habitat of the Chimera. Pools of poison dotted the rocky quarry grounds, both from past conquests and from the beast marking its territory. The creature was struggling up from one as Elizabeth stood nearby, perched on top of a miniature castle, its towers and keep replaced with gigantic speakers instead. She briefly glanced up at Leonidas and Mash as she caught sight of them dropping down and scowled but otherwise made no comment.

Mash and Leonidas landed, catching the attention of the Chimera who roared at rage at the two. Ignoring the beast, they quickly maneuvered to either side of Elizabeth, gathering up magical power as they did so. "True Name, Pseudo Register!" Mash cried. "Releasing all limiters! Deploying Noble Phantasm!"

"Molon Labe!" Leonidas roared. "My friends, bring your souls hither!"

"Lord Chaldeas!"

"Thermopylae Enomotia!"

Mash's shield flashed as a glowing barrier of light formed once more, radiating power and protective energy. On the other side, ghostly figures of Spartan soldiers rushed forward beside Leonidas and quickly piled into a defensive formation, their great round shields lining up while spears defensively poked out. There was a blaze of flame and all that stood was a great row of glowing shields, standing as firm and unyielding as the Shielder's barrier in turn. With the two of them, their barriers wrapped from the cliff around the Chimera, leaving only an opening in front for it to immediately escape.

The creature looked about its new surroundings confusedly before turning its glare at the last figure: Elizabeth, who stood at the sole opening between the Noble Phantasms with her own. "This is no place for a concert," she grumbled as she planted her lance in the ground. "But at least I have an audience, boorish though it may be!"

She drifted down to perch on her lance as the Chimera roared in defiance and rage. "Now here's my last number, coming from my Bathory Erzebet!" She took a deep breath, then sang a single note.

"LAAAAAAAAA~!"

The speakers blasted at full volume, magnifying the idol's voice and sending a wave of sonic destruction in the Chimera's direction. The beast roared, the goat head spraying a cloud of condensed poison fog at her while flames began building from the lion head. However, the sonic wave blasted back the poison back towards the Chimera, not just the fog but the puddles on the ground as well. Just too late the beast noticed as flames started emanating from its maw.

A moment later, its roars were drowned out by great explosions as the poison vapor all ignited, their force trapped by Mash's and Leonidas's barriers as well as Elizabeth's amplified voice with nowhere to go but up. Ritsuka shielded her face, having long since taken off her depleted gas mask, and watched through squinted eyes at the operation.

'Oi,' Cu called over, keeping an eye on the entire plan some distance away. 'Orion told us lots of stress and danger without outright killing it might cause it to go nuts, and that's exactly what we're doing right now. You know that, right?'

Ritsuka didn't bother looking up, still looking through her binoculars to see what was happening. 'You got a better plan?' she snapped. 'We're on the clock here and we've already taken too long as is. If you have one, I'm all ears.'

The Lancer blinked in minor surprise, then chuckled in amusement. 'Fair enough,' he admitted. 'At least I'm in position here to clean up. Just need to keep an eye out here.' Ritsuka nodded in response. She hadn't meant to lash out like that, but at this point she was exhausted and tired of this thing. It needed to die yesterday.

They watched the explosions for a bit, hemmed in by both Mash and Leonidas while Elizabeth kept singing to her heart's content. However, Cu's frown deepened as it continued. 'Nope, this ain't gonna be enough,' he growled as he stood up, his red spear appearing in his hand as he expertly spun it in a blur of red. 'I'm going in.'

Ritsuka glanced over as the man dove into the mess. The explosions had mostly died down, leaving only Elizabeth's singing left to contend with. Immediately, she connected to the idol. 'Elizabeth, stop singing for now,' she ordered. 'Cu's heading in to finish it off.'

'Ugh, and I was just getting warmed up too,' Elizabeth complained. Nevertheless, she stopped singing, the destructive sound waves dying out. 'You owe for this one too, squirrel!'

'Yep, got it,' the Master answered before bringing the binoculars to her eyes again. It was difficult to see anything through the clouds of dust and rubble the explosions and Elizabeth's singing had kicked up but she had to nevertheless. Despite the mess, however, she could still see the flicker of red from Cu's spear and soon saw it glowing with magical energy. His voice rang through the air as the name of his Noble Phantasm rang out.

'Gae Bolg!'

Even from her distance, Ritsuka could hear the spear being jabbed into flesh, echoing with the sound of magical power. It was impressive but she still flinched at hearing it. It still wasn't something she was used to. She was about to contact Cu and check on his and the Chimera's status when a low growl caught her ear. Was the beast still alive?

No. The growl seemed to be coming from around her. Was… was the ground quaking? 'Guys, what the hell is happening down there?!' she demanded as she held on to a tree to stabilize herself.

Before anyone could answer, a red glow began rapidly brightening within the cloud of dust. That was all the warning they had before it erupted in a sudden explosion of hellfire. Both Cu and Elizabeth were flung back from the sheer force while Mash and Leonidas held firm, their Noble Phantasms still active. The flames caught on the other pools of poison within the quarry and set them off as well, consuming the entire pit in a conflagration.

Outside the pit, Ritsuka was forced to shield her face from the light and heat. With a cry of surprise, she fell backward on her rear from the shockwave before covering her ears and shutting her eyes from the thunderous clamor. The ground quaked underneath her harder than ever, to the point where she believed it would open up and swallow her whole. But there wasn't much she could do for now except wait for it to end, one way or another. She just hoped the others were safe.

After moments that felt like an eternity passed, it was over. The Master weakly opened her eyes, coughing a bit to get the dust out of her throat and mouth. She staggered weakly up, taking deep breaths. Her bones felt like water and her limbs felt incredibly heavy and sore. Come to think of it, she had sustained multiple Noble Phantasms used at once. The fatigue apparently hadn't sunk in until now. Well, weakness or not, she needed to check on the situation. Shambling over to the edge, she surveyed the environment as the dust settled – and her eyes widened in shock.

The entire quarry had been cleaned out. Or more accurately, blasted out: the rubble and poison had all been blown away, leaving only newly exposed white stone lining the cliff sides and ground, almost beautifully bright in the sun. What few remnants of humanity that had been left there – from rotten wooden scaffolding to forgotten mining tools – had disintegrated from the explosions. New rubble had fallen, broken and crumbling from the shockwaves, but their sharp edges and unweathered faces matched their new locale.

However, that all paled in comparison to the creature the Master saw now.

Where the Chimera once been was now a new being entirely: A great white lion, its fur shimmering brightly in the afternoon light. Its misshapen sizing was gone – although it still looked somewhat bulky, it looked far more like well-maintained musculature and groomed fur. Two large goat horns, pure black in color, curved elegantly from the top of its head and reached around its mane, almost resembling a crown of sorts. On its back were a pair of grand wings, lined with white feathers. And instead of a tail or even a snake, there were now two great serpents, their forked tongues calmly flickering out as they tasted the air.

If Ritsuka could only use one word to describe it, she would have to say it was 'beautiful'. It looked more like a sculpture or a work of art come to life. Was this how all legendary beings felt like? This kind of beauty felt like it would be immortalized by anyone that might come across it. That was, assuming anyone would survive the beast long enough to tell of it.

'Status check,' she mentally barked at the others as she slapped the communicator, bringing up Artemis and Orion once more. Without prompting, she turned their images so they could see the new creature. "The Chimera transformed into that. What the hell happened."

The teddy bear squinted as he looked closely at the creature, then breathed out a heavy sigh. "Oh, you guys are in for it now," he muttered, putting a paw to his face. "You should've gone the whole way in killing it, not just leaving any half measures. Nothing you can do now – looks like it's consolidating all the mystery it has developed and evolved. Most likely the hunt and near-death experience was all that was needed."

'We're alright, Master,' Mash panted meanwhile through their mental link. 'Leonidas and I managed to hold our ground thanks to our Noble Phantasms. However, I don't have a visual on either Elizabeth or Cu Chulainn.'

Ritsuka nodded in acknowledgement of Mash's report, feeling some relief she and Leonidas were fine. "Well, that sounds absolutely great for us," she hissed to Orion, unable to keep the sarcasm out of her voice this time. "Any tips or advice on how to take it down at this point?!"

"Just do what hunters of old did," Artemis spoke up. "Kill or be killed~ But do be more careful – your vital signs took a rather sharp downturn. You must have exhausted yourself greatly."

The Master sighed. "Yep, aware of that," she muttered. Now that she thought about it, she felt rather light-headed and was alarmingly close to the edge of the pit. She stumbled backward, or more accurately threw herself backward, to sit down and not tip over.

Roman's head suddenly popped into view, his eyebrows furrowed in concern as he looked over her readings. Artemis raised an eyebrow at his sudden presence but didn't make a comment. "Ritsuka, how many Noble Phantasms have been used so far?" he asked seriously.

The redhead's temples pounded as she recounted. "Mash, once to protect us from an ambush and once for the plan," she muttered. "Then Leonidas and Elizabeth once each for the plan, and once for Cu to try and finish off the Chimera. So, five total?"

Speaking of Elizabeth and Cu, where were they? 'Cu, Elizabeth, talk to me,' she ordered, a murderous headache pounding away with each word.

The doctor's eyes widened. "Five-!" he spouted. "No wonder why! You're at serious risk of running out of magical energy, Ritsuka! For your own good, unless you're using your command seals, your Servants are forbidden from using any more Noble Phantasms!"

Ritsuka breathed out a pained sigh. "Right, got it," she grumbled. Roman had a point – she stretched herself and the others far too much. Still, no Noble Phantasms unless she used a command seal, and she had three of those. That limited her options a lot. At the very least, something like her earlier plan wasn't feasible anymore for a multitude of reasons.

Artemis smiled brightly. "And now it seems the true hunt begins!" she chirped with a bright grin. "Your quarry is rather formidable, so I wish you the best of luck! May it be worthy of my grace and might!" Before anyone could say anything further, the communication shut off, leaving Ritsuka staring at the deactivated communicator.

The Master breathed an irritated sigh – and punched the ground in frustration. All that energy spent, all that planning, and all they got out of it was an even stronger opponent. At least when Ren or Morgana exhausted themselves to this point, they got results. That was why they were so awesome. Whereas she…

No. Not the time. Beating herself up could wait until after they were done here, if they survived this whole mess. She was about to contact the two one last time before sending the others to find them – and retreat in the process – when a shrill voice burst into her head.

'Ugh, how dare that creature make a flashier entrance than me!'

Ritsuka sighed in relief. 'Elizabeth, good to hear from you,' she breathed. 'Are you alright? Need any healing?'

The idol scoffed over their connection. 'What I need right now is for this thing to be dead already!' she screeched. 'It's supposed to be dead after all that! No one asked for an encore performance from this stupid beast!'

Despite the situation and her exhaustion, Ritsuka had to chuckle a bit. 'Maybe it has talent as an idol too,' she joked, much to Elizabeth's annoyance. 'Rendezvous with Leonidas and Mash. Have you seen Cu?' As she spoke, she noticed the air growing noticeably hotter, emanating from the pit. Sidling closer to the edge, she took out her binoculars to observe.

Both Leonidas and Mash seemed to be in stable condition as they had reported, though on guard against the newly transformed Chimera. While the Shielder had dispelled her Noble Phantasm, the wall of shields behind Leonidas had turned back into spectral Spartan soldiers surrounding their king in formation. The air around the creature was hazy from the sheer heat it seemed to be giving off despite not currently breathing any fire. As she adjusted her binoculars, she noticed that mixed among the Chimera's fur were white scales lining its body. For now, the Chimera stepped forth with surprising calmness, surveying its prey.

Then it growled as it looked downward, lifting a forepaw to look underneath itself. Ritsuka frowned, shifting a bit to get a better angle – and her eyes widened again. In the middle of its chest was a thin yet deep wound that wept blood with every movement the Chimera made. The growls from the creature grew louder, and it was clear to Ritsuka that it was a considerable irritation and possible weakness for it.

'Ugh, you'd think a damn stab to the heart would kill the thing!' came a familiar voice, filled with annoyance. 'I've met boars less stubborn than this!'

Ritsuka breathed a small sigh of relief and smiled despite herself. 'Good to hear from you too, Cu,' she replied earnestly. 'Meet back at the quarry if you can, and we can figure out-'

Before she could finish her sentence, the Chimera spread its wings. As it did so, the air around it began glimmering with white sparkles and feathers. It was an entrancing sight, almost angelic. Then it flapped the wings, sending the sparkles and feathers speeding toward and past both Mash, Leonidas, and his Spartans. Dark red flames emitted from the creature's maw – and suddenly the air was scorched into an infernal explosion around them.

'Mash! Leonidas!' Ritsuka cried out.

The two Servants landed some distance away, separated from each other and smoking, while the soldiers were scattered all over the place. 'Minor injuries, Master,' the Shielder panted. 'I managed to block the worst of it.'

'Despite the chest wound, it would seem our quarry has gotten far stronger,' Leonidas mused. 'A few of my soldiers have been destroyed as well. That said, it seems to be moving rather conservatively thanks to its wound.'

"Well, that's good to hear!"

That was the only sound they heard before a blur of blue rushed in. The Chimera growled at the approaching intruder and sent more of white sparkles – its scales, Ritsuka could now see – and exploded them around its vicinity. Cu Chulainn simply pole-vaulted over the explosions, bearing an excited grin, and dove down spear first. The creature looked up at him with a scornful gaze, then just as the spearpoint reached its flesh, it burst into flames.

Ritsuka shielded her eyes as the Chimera set itself ablaze, trying to compile as much of its new tactics as she could in her head. 'Cu, you alright?' she asked in concern.

'Ouch, yeow, hot, hot!' the Irish Lancer yelped as he jumped away, hurriedly brushing off the flames off jumpsuit. 'Just one trick after another with this guy, huh?'

'Seems like,' Ritsuka agreed. If it could set itself ablaze, then that makes things even harder. The Servants here were all melee specialists. They had a few ranged options, but nothing consistent like an Archer Servant could provide. And considering the Chimera's intelligence, it would work around their options before long. They needed some way to deal with the heat and flames before it could… before…

A fact unbidden sprang into her mind. Would that work? It was worth a try at least. 'Elizabeth, where are you?' she asked.

'Almost there,' the idol grunted. 'You owe me leads for this, squirrel.'

'Well aware,' the Master agreed. 'But I need another thing – can you check how close we are to the sea?'

The surprise from Elizabeth was palpable. 'You're gonna dunk the Chimera into the water?' she inquired.

'Not gonna work,' Cu Chulainn shot down as the Servants and the Chimera stood, staring one another off. 'Water isn't gonna crap to its flames here – it's more likely it'll either pollute the water with its poison and set it on fire, or just skip the middleman entirely and light it all up.'

'… I was thinking more of a steam explosion,' Ritsuka muttered, trying to hide her embarrassment.

'While a sound plan, this creature will not be affected by such a thing,' Leonidas replied. 'At most it will be disorientated, but no more than that.'

Ritsuka cursed inwardly. Before she could decide on another tactic, the Chimera suddenly rushed forward. Its great body bowled aside the scattered Spartan soldiers as it rushed at Cu Chulainn. Mash and Leonidas moved in to intercept the beast, raising their shields. Its forepaws collided with them, stopping it in its tracks. Cu Chulainn smirked. "Nice!" he cheered as he rushed in, jumping between the two and aiming his spear at its neck-

Then Leonidas stumbled forward as the Chimera suddenly withdrew its paw to cover its wound. The creature's maw lit up with flame, and everything underneath it exploded in a conflagration. Mash and the Spartan king shouted in surprise as they were forced back, but the worst was Cu, had taken the blast full on and was hurtling through the air.

With the explosion, the Chimera had been lifted clear into the air. Spreading its wings, it hovered effortlessly as it surveyed the Servants. To it, the heat signatures and magical auras of its prey were clear as daylight. They were all threats, the blue one particularly, but nothing compared to it. However, there were trails of energy leaking off all of them. And they all seem to be leading and converging to one location. Its cruel eyes followed the threads of energy, tracing where they all led to. Then it suddenly turned around-

And Ritsuka found herself paralyzed with fear as it saw its glowing red eyes bearing down directly on her. As the creature roared, she raised her hand with the command seals etched on, but there was no time. She could see the flames emanating from its maw as it flew towards her. The shocked cries of the Servants barely reached her ears as her mind raced. She wouldn't be able to make the command in time. All she could do was wait as her doom soared straight for her-

"LAAAAAA~!"

A sonic wave burst in from above and slammed against the Chimera, who roared in pain and surprise as it assaulted its sensitive ears, forcing it to land hard. Elizabeth swooped in a moment later, her lance at the ready. "How dare you interfere with my concert planning!" she shrieked in outrage. Flipping in the air, her tail suddenly expanded and slammed on the creature's head, enraging even further as it snarled in reply.

Meanwhile, taking advantage of the opportunity, Ritsuka got up and ran. She gasped as pain arced through her already drained body but pushed through her exhaustion and fatigue, nevertheless. Anything to change her positioning and lose the beast. She didn't bother looking up or stopping until she could literally run no further, collapsing on her knees and retching as she gasped for air. Her heart and lungs felt like they were going to explode any moment and her limbs refused to move any further. The roars of the Chimera clutched her heart in an icy grip of fear, but they sounded distant. Or was that just her exhaustion?

'Oi, we're dealing with the Chimera!' Cu Chulainn called out. 'Seems it's lost track of you. You're not pushing yourself too hard, are you?'

Ritsuka forced a grin despite her exhaustion. 'Compared to how hard you guys are working, this is nothing,' she brushed off, wiping sweat from her brow. Her smile soon faded as she sat down and reconsidering her plans. The longer this battle dragged on, the worse the situation would get. There was no hope for a clean, decisive win now, not with her and everyone else exhausted like this and their opponent relatively fresh. It would be a battle of attrition now. But they were still in its home territory – any such battle would be to its advantage.

The Master weakly glanced back up at the forest. For a moment, the foliage and trees were all in flames in her eyes, like the forest after lobbing countless molotovs within. The acrid smoke and heat were suffocating, her eyes stinging both from the brightness and the smoke. A hell of her own making, one that she and the others created in desperation to escape. Then she blinked, and it was normal again. Massaging her eyes, she sighed quietly. She was definitely getting exhausted by-

Wait. Its home territory was its greatest advantage. If they could deprive it of that, then they might be able to turn the tables. But the only way to do so…

Her hands tightened into fists. This wasn't the way Ren or Morgana would do it, sure, but she wasn't them. She was Ritsuka Fujimaru. She would survive no matter what and eke out a win even if it was an ugly one if it came to it. They'd understand. Or maybe they wouldn't. But right now, none of that mattered.

'Everyone, prepare to fall back,' she ordered, garnering the surprise of everyone. 'We're retreating to the beach and making a stand there.'

'Are we proceeding with utilizing the sea?' Leonidas inquired.

'Nope,' the redhead denied shortly. 'Cu, I got a special job for you.'

In the distance, the Irish Lancer frowned. 'I'm not gonna like this, am I,' he bluntly asked..

'Almost as much as I don't,' Ritsuka agreed grimly. 'Here's what I want you to do.'

---

Mash panted as she ran through the forest again, making for the beach. Once again, Elizabeth had managed to locate the shoreline – which was some distance away – and they quickly charted a course. Checking behind her, there appeared to be no sign of the Chimera following them, be it through the forest or through the air. With that, she charged onward, with Leonidas and a large portion of the Spartan soldiers keeping pace. Twenty of them had been left behind to distract the beast, though who knew how long they'd last.

"Anything, Mash?"

The Shielder looked down at Ritsuka, who was being carried in her arms, and shook her head. "No sign of the Chimera yet, Master," she reported. "I did see some smoke rising in the distance though. Most likely Cu's work."

The Master nodded. While normally she'd be ecstatic about being carried by Mash, it was the furthest thing from her mind right now. "Good," she replied. "It's gonna get ugly soon, so prepare for the next step once we get to the beach." Her body felt almost completely unresponsive after all she had pushed herself through, necessitating Mash carrying her. Once more, she could only curse her own weakness, but that would come later.

Elizabeth had gone on ahead to scout out a path for them to the beach, making sure there weren't any threats or hazards they might come across both on the way and where they made their stand. She had roundly complained about ruining such a good concert location but had gone through with Ritsuka's commands nevertheless. She had managed to find a good location on the beach, which surprisingly was mostly untouched by the Chimera. Perhaps it didn't often wander close to the sea.

'How's progress, Cu?' the redhead asked, mentally reaching out.

A sigh of exhaustion was her reply. 'You're a real slave driver, you know that?' he grumbled. 'I've already set several locations on fire, helped by the damn thing leaving more pools of poison to set off. I'm gonna drop by the caves soon. You sure you need me to collapse those too? I don't think it'd fit anyway.'

Ritsuka nodded. They needed to take away any and all home advantages the Chimera might have. Even if it meant destroying literally everything on the island. 'Better safe than sorry,' Ritsuka answered simply. 'Thanks for doing this. Just play it safe for now and don't engage if you don't have to.'

'Yeah, yeah,' Cu muttered. 'Not gonna lie, was hoping for a real fun hunt, not all this.'

'We'll have one later on,' the Master replied impatiently. 'But right now, this thing has gone from just a regular creature to a flat-out menace. It needs to go.'

There was a sensation of surprise from the Lancer before a chuckle came through. 'Can't disagree there,' he acknowledged. 'Give me a couple more minutes and I'll have this island wrecked. Until then, you stay safe, Master.'

The Master breathed a small sigh of exhaustion and relief. 'I'll do my best,' she accepted. 'Thanks again, Cu.'

"Master, we've arrived," Leonidas announced.

Ritsuka looked up. The forest broke way to the beach once more. The white sands shone brightly in the afternoon sun, untainted by the violence of the Chimera or its conflicts. Beyond the shores, the sea glimmered uncaring like jewels, the bright blue waters gently lapping up against the beach. The entire expanse was open, allowing for clear vision for miles in either direction.

Elizabeth awaited them on the beach. She had her spear embedded in the sand and was perched on top of it, keeping a lookout. As they approached, she scowled. "This is the most harebrained scheme of yours yet, squirrel," she growled. "You have no idea what you're doing, do you?"

The Master smiled humorlessly from Mash's arms. "Nope," she readily admitted. "So I'm relying on you guys to make sure it all works out. Continue keeping an eye out, if you could. Mash, Leonidas, we're setting up a defensive position by the water."

The idol huffed as she resumed her sentry duties as the other two moved to follow her orders. Settling next to the water, Leonidas had the remaining Spartan soldiers settle into a phalanx formation. Ritsuka was in the center as Mash gently set her down on the sands, looking at her in concern. "Are you alright, Master?" she asked worriedly.

Ritsuka forced an uneasy smile, one that tremored with effort. "Eh, I've been better," she replied with a lightness she didn't feel. "Got some jerky and water?"

The Shielder blinked in surprise at the question, then dug behind her shield, quickly retrieving the items and handing them over. "Thanks, Mashumallow," she replied softly. Unscrewing the cap, she took a swig of water, feeling the cool liquid wash over her parched mouth and throat, before tearing open the packaging of the jerky and taking a bite. While she wasn't hungry, she forced herself to eat regardless, if only to distract herself. The seasoned meat tasted cloying in her mouth, and swallowing was an even harder task.

For now, there was nothing more they could do. Everyone held their positions: Leonidas and his Spartans in formation, Elizabeth keeping watch, Mash staying close to Ritsuka and guarding her, and finally Ritsuka herself sitting in the center of the formation in the sand, silent and resting while occasionally receiving reports from Cu about his progress. Occasionally, the enraged roars of the Chimera echoed through the air, causing everyone to tense up momentarily before settling back into a watchful peace.

Soon, the skies were blotted out by thick smoke as fire spread throughout the island. Then a deep, loud rumble echoed over the forest, with a quake rattling the ground beneath them. All the while, the enraged roars of the Chimera became more and more frequent. Leonidas's grip on his spear tightened and Mash looked up anxiously, yet Ritsuka simply continued sitting, impassively staring into the forest which was slowly being lit ablaze.

"Okay, Squirrel, what the hell are you planning?!" Elizabeth finally snapped, whirling on the Master. "You're just having us camp here like a fat deer waiting for wolves, while the blue Lancer is running around like a madman destroying what was going to be a good concert ground! What gives?!"

Ritsuka's eyes flicked up at the frustrated idol before staring back at the forest. "We're looking to flush the Chimera out," she stated. "By destroying its home, we're going to remove any of its home field advantages and traps it may set up. If we can't have a favorable battleground, then at the very least we can prevent it from having one in turn."

"Forcing it into the open in of itself is not a bad strategy," Leonidas commented. "But it will take more than that to defeat a beast of that caliber."

"Agreed," the Master replied. "You can hear its roars though, right? It's not taking the fact that its home is being destroyed well. Chances are good it's probably tiring itself trying to find and stop the cause or preserve its territory. Either it'll be forced to confront us, or we can march in while it's exhausted and pick it off. For now, we just wait here and preserve our energy."

The Spartan king glanced over in mild surprise. "A rather ruthless strategy," he remarked. "But whether it is effective remains to be seen."

Ritsuka said nothing. Her usual emotions and elation had been burned away from fatigue and concentration, leaving her feeling both light yet empty. Was this going too far? A possibility, but at least the collateral damage didn't include innocent lives or fauna. This was the lair of a dangerous creature, so it made sense to destroy it.

Artemis was right. It really was kill or be killed.

'SHIT!'

The sudden curse from Cu Chulainn startled Ritsuka, who immediately looked up and surprised Mash. 'Report,' she demanded. 'What's going on?'

'The big guy found me,' the Lancer reported, his voice strained as he was obviously fighting. 'And he's pissed. Don't think he's happy we're wrecking his home!'

'Can you lead it towards us?' the Master quickly asked, standing up and drawing the attention of the other Servants.

'Doing my best, but I got my hands full!' Cu replied. 'This thing really isn't letting me go this time!'

Ritsuka frowned as she quickly considered. 'What's your location?' she inquired.

'Around northwest of the island,' the Lancer quickly replied. 'Some distance away – fuck, that was close. You sending backup?'

Ritsuka nodded. 'I'll send someone your way,' she confirmed. 'Both of you lure the Chimera here. We'll work together to finish it off.' Cutting off the communication, she looked between Elizabeth and Mash, then made her decision. "Mash, Cu is to the northwest and being attacked by the Chimera. Can you back him up?"

Mash's eyes widened. "But what about you, Master?" she asked.

"I have Leonidas and his Spartans here," the Master justified. "And Elizabeth is keeping a lookout and can keep the poison away from us. I'll be fine. Plus, I have a last contingency."

The Shielder's mouth opened slightly to ask, then her eyes widened in understanding. Taking a breath, she nodded. "Alright," she acknowledged. "Moving out to reinforce Cu Chulainn!"

Ritsuka nodded. She, Leonidas, and Elizabeth watched Mash dash off, shield in hand, to back up the Irish Lancer. "You have a lot of faith in her," the Spartan king noted.

"Always do," the redhead replied promptly, crossing her arms. "She's already awesome and only going to grow from there, thanks to Ren. With her and Cu, they'll definitely give that beast the runaround."

Elizabeth snorted. "At least you know when to pass the spotlight, squirrel," she grumbled before turning again to keep a lookout.

The Master smiled humorlessly. Not like I ever had it in the first place, she thought to herself.

The flames became louder and louder as they grew, gradually turning from faint crackles into a constant roar. The air resounded with trees and wood popping and cracking as they were consumed, sending black smoke billowing into the air. Distant sounds became difficult to pick out as the roar of the flames muffled everything, while the murk of the smoke and the brightness of the conflagration made it difficult to see. With a small gesture, Leonidas and his Spartans moved up a bit to give more of a buffer distance for Ritsuka, who continued to stare impassively into the burning forest.

'Status?' Ritsuka called. There was no reply, which had her frowning in concern. 'Mash? Cu? What's going on?' she asked again.

Eventually, she could hear grunting, then Mash's voice came through. 'The Chimera broke past me and Cu Chulainn!' she cried. 'It's heading straight for you and the others, Master!'

The redhead's eyes widened, then she nodded. "Guys, heads u-!"

Before she could finish her sentence, the Chimera burst forth from the blazing forest in an explosive report, shattering trees and sending sparks and embers flying as it lunged at them, its mouth agape in a vicious snarl. One of the Spartans grabbed Ritsuka and threw her back into the surf just as the creature landed among them, sending the front row flying.

"SPARTANS!" Leonidas roared. The soldiers quickly formed up, their shields in front as they stabbed the Chimera, each spear drawing blood as they sank into the creature's flesh. The beast roared in pain as it unfurled its wings, scattering scales everywhere. A moment later, the air all around it exploded, sending Leonidas and his soldiers flying every which way as more of the latter dissipated back into magical energy.

"Hey, don't you dare ignore me!" Elizabeth shrieked as she dove toward the Chimera from behind. The two snake tails hissed angrily as she approached, rearing up. One of them began spraying a toxic mist as the other one breathed a jet of dark red flame, immediately bathing the area behind the beast in an inferno. The idol could only squeak in surprise before she was consumed by the flames, forced to back off with her dress smoldering and burning.

Finally, the Chimera turned and rested its hateful eyes on Ritsuka as she slowly stood up, spitting out seawater and brushing her soaked hair from her face. The beast snarled as the Master met its gaze. She could feel her muscles and bones turn to jelly, yet for some reason her mind felt clear and resolute. This beast, this thing was going to kill her here. At least, it would certainly try. But this wasn't where she would die. No, she refused.

She would not die here.

As the Chimera pounced with a deafening roar, Ritsuka lifted her hand as her command seals began glowing. "By my command seal," she intoned. "Mash Kyrielight, come to my aid and defend me!" The seals brightened and there was a bright red flash – and suddenly, the Shielder was in front of her once more. The Chimera's claws scraped harshly against her shield as Mash pushed against its wrath. With a roar, her heels sank into the sand as she held her ground as much as she could.

But the Master wasn't done. "By my command seal," she intoned as her seals began glowing again. "Cu Chulainn, use your Noble Phantasm and eliminate the Chimera!"

Her command seals flashed brightly. A moment later, a blur of blue shot forth from the burning forest like lightning and rapidly approached the Chimera. As it did, a bright red glow emanated from the Lancer's spear. Both beast and Master only saw the barest hint of a feral grin on Cu Chulainn's face before his red lance glowed even brighter, filled with magical power. Then the spear became a streak of crimson light, seemingly bending in space and time – a sign of unstoppable death.

"Gae Bolg!"

Ritsuka watched with fascination. The rubble earlier had blocked her view, but now she can view the Noble Phantasm's power in its entirety. It punched through the creature's hide and between its ribs, reaching all the way through flesh and sinew to its heart. No, that wasn't correct. It felt as though reality itself had yielded to one simple yet undeniable fact: The Chimera's heart was pierced by the spear.

And so it was. For a moment, the world was silent as reality caught up. The Gae Bolg, wielded by Cu Chulainn, had pierced through the Chimera's scales and punctured its heart for the second time. The Irish Lancer withdrew the lance, the barbs on the head tearing at its flesh and causing more blood to gush out. Its dark lifeblood steamed as it rushed out and splattered the sand before, hissing as it hit the tide. For a moment, the Chimera was still, swaying on its legs.

Then the beast suddenly roared. The sound was deafening, forcing Ritsuka to cover her ears as she cried in pain while Mash immediately moved to protect her. Cu Chulainn's eyes widened as he immediately leaped in, spear at the ready – and suddenly the Chimera whirled around with a snarl, swiping with its paws far faster than any of them had seen. Its claws raked his chest as he was knocked back, skidding along the sand and vanished into the burning forest.

Leonidas and Elizabeth quickly charged in as well, their weapons at the ready. The snakes hissed in pure wrath as they began spitting globs of poison everywhere, fountaining up and splattering on the formerly pristine sands and waters – and preventing both of them from approaching easily. The Spartan king tried to push onward, the snakes breathed out a combination of poison and flame, forcing him back as he shielded himself.

Ritsuka scowled. She raised her hand once more as her last seal began glowing. "By my command seal-" she intoned – only for the Chimera to roar again in response. It unfurled its wings, creating a blast of heat that turned the seawater immediately around it to steam as more of its scales and feathers scattered into the air. Mash gritted her teeth, holding her ground from both the blasts of heat and steam-

And suddenly she was hoisted into the air as the Chimera clamped its jaws around the top of her shield, then flung her like a ragdoll over the sea. The Shielder cried in surprise, quickly correcting herself in midair and tried to desperately leap back, but there was a considerable amount of distance to cover.

The Master could barely breathe. The Chimera was only a few feet away and it had turned its full attention on her. Whether it was the heat, the steam, or the sheer terror she felt gripping at her throat, she didn't know. The command seal still glowed in her hand, waiting for her orders, but there wasn't a point now. She would be obliterated before she could utter a single word. Was this it? After everything, after all she had done, was she going to just die to some monster like this?

Her hand clenched into a fist as flames started building up in its maw. She just needed to escape. Even if it's for a few seconds – no, even just one – that would buy enough time for one of the Servants to reach her. But which direction? Considering the flames and explosion, there was only one decent direction. Still, that wouldn't be enough. Unless…

Raising her arms to cover her face, she leaped back while accessing her command seal. There wasn't enough time to summon a Servant, but there was enough time to reinforce her mystic code uniform. Her clothes began glowing as they were fueled by the seal's power as she braced herself for the shock of explosion while the Chimera breathed a gout of flame. Her muscles tensed in preparation and-

Pain.

Ritsuka gritted her teeth as the fire wrapped around her. Her forearms especially felt like red hot metal was being pressed against them. Her eyes squeezed shut as she tried to withstand the torment. Did the flames burn through the sleeves of her uniform? She couldn't tell. But regardless of the torturous agony she felt, she knew the worst was yet to come. Tensing her muscles, she prepared herself for the thunder and shockwave of the explosion. Once she withstood it, her Servants would be able to take over once more. It was just one more thing she had to endure-

Then she found herself falling backward into the surf. The seawater washed up against the burns, causing her to hiss and almost scream from the mere contact. Tentatively opening her eyes and lowering her arms, she saw the Chimera. It was still glaring at her, but its eyes were dim as it stood unsteadily, blood streaming out of the stab wounds to the heart and darkening the water below.

As the Master struggled back up, the beast prepared to breathe fire again, just as Mash landed back in front of Ritsuka with her shield raised. The Chimera opened its maw – only for a stream of blood to pour out of its mouth instead. It gave one last hate-filled glare at both Mash and the Master with its dimming eyes, then ponderously tipped over. It crashed into the surf, splashing the two, gave one last rattling breath, then finally was still.

The only sounds now were of the burning forest and the waves of the unconcerned sea.

Ritsuka and Mash warily stared at its motionless body for a moment. "M-Mash," the redhead panted out through her pain. "Check the Chimera. M-Make sure it's dead."

Mash turned around and her eyes widened at the state of her arms. The sleeves of the Master's uniform had completely burned away, revealing her heavily scorched arms and undersides of her hands. "Master, we need to treat you immediately!" she exclaimed in alarm. "I have a few healing scrolls for this situation, if you could let me-"

The redhead shook her head, forcing a smile. "We don't need that th-thing getting up and ambushing us again," she declined. "It's stubborn a-as hell. I'll take the healing later, just… just make sure we're in the cl-clear, okay, Mashumallow?"

The Shielder stared at Ritsuka who easily met her gaze despite the pain. Finally, she hesitantly nodded. "Very well," she relented. "I won't take long, Master. Please sit at the beach and await medical attention. Keep your arms away from the sand and water to minimize infection or complications."

"Yes ma'am," the Master replied with a grin. Despite the agony, she felt a gigantic weight lift off her shoulders. As Mash turned to survey the body, Ritsuka waded back toward the beach, making sure to keep her arms away from the water and wet clothes. A gentle breeze swept through, causing her to wince as they brushed up against her burns and sending tendrils of pain through her body.

Looking up, she saw Elizabeth singing to clear the remaining poison off the beach as Leonidas walked toward her. The Spartan king looked down at her arms and nodded. "Wounds of battle," he noted. "You've shown great valor today, Master."

Ritsuka grinned. "Heh, well I learned valor can certainly be exhausting – and painful," she joked. Her head was spinning. Was that the effect of the adrenaline wearing off? "I have Mash making sure the body's dead. You mind backing her up just in case? I'm just… gonna take a seat, if it's all the same to you."

Leonidas nodded. "Of course," he agreed. "Rest – you have earned it, Master." He walked past Ritsuka toward the Chimera. Meanwhile, the redhead faintly noticed a tree trunk that had washed ashore, shambled toward it, and sat down with a huff as exhaustion washed over her. Did she already finish all her water earlier? She'd have to ask Mash for more later.

In the meantime, she slowly lifted her communicator and pressed the button. The image of Artemis and Orion flickered on. "Hey guys," she greeted tiredly. "Hunt's done. W-we got it."

Artemis beamed. "Indeed!" she chirped. "We saw its vital signs flatline! That was an excellent hunt! We'll prep the body and everyone back to Chaldea shortly. For now, do enjoy basking in my blessing, for you have earned it!" Ritsuka again forced a grin, doing her utmost to hide her exasperation and frustration. Pissing off a goddess after a hunt like this would be an incredibly dumb way to go out.

"You, uh, looked like you had a rough time of it though," Orion noted, looking past Ritsuka's shoulder at the still burning forest behind her.

Ritsuka followed his gaze, then laughed awkwardly in response. "I-it was a bit tricky, yeah," she admitted. "But we managed to g-get it done. Not up to going again anytime soon, though."

Orion chuckled. "Well, when it comes to hunts, you either love 'em or hate 'em," he replied with a grin. "Me and Artemis just happen to love 'em. But we can talk more about that later. For now, like Artemis said, good job, kid. We'll see you back here!"

The Master nodded as the screen flickered back out, then sat back with a long sigh.

"Long day, huh?"

"Yep," Ritsuka agreed without bothering to look up. "I'd ask if you're doing alright, Cu, but honestly, I've seen cockroaches less sturdy than you."

"And I was gonna ask if you're alright," the Irish Lancer retorted. "But if you can mouth off that much then that answers my question just fine."

"Screw you," the redhead deadpanned.

There was a moment of silence, then both of them burst out chuckling. "You're gonna get that healed up?" he asked, nodding at her burns.

Ritsuka shrugged. Now that everything had passed, they were definitely starting to sting, especially with the remaining seawater on it. "I asked Mash to ch-check on the Chimera first," she replied. "Just… once she's done, she'll heal. Just g-gotta be patient."

Cu raised an eyebrow, then shrugged. "If you say so," he replied. "Want me to dull the pain at least?"

The Master blinked a few times, then nodded. "If you could," she answered.

The Irish Lancer leaned over and drew a quick pattern right above her forearms. A glowing glyph appeared as he drew, which then flashed and vanished. Ritsuka breathed a sigh of relief as the pain faded into a dull ache. "Thanks, Cu," she said.

"Anytime," he replied with a grin before looking back over the sea.

The Master let out a breath as she watched the other Servants work. The hunt had been rough from start to finish. She had made a lot of mistakes and bad calls here. They had succeeded, but it felt more a product of sheer luck than anything she did. There was a lot she needed to learn and more to reflect on. This wouldn't be close to enough for the future. She needed to do better.

And yet, for some reason, she felt far lighter than during the Roman singularity, and it wasn't because she felt rather woozy and lightheaded. Victory here certainly wasn't as clean-cut as it had been during the singularity, so why did she feel like that? What was the difference here? She idly looked up at Cu, who had been looking over the sea in mild curiosity (if she had to guess, probably wondering what he could fish up), then at Elizabeth, who was loudly complaining about how the beach was ruined, then to Mash and Leonidas who were discussing by the Chimera.

Then the memory of her holding Astolfo as he faded away flashed in her mind and she realized. No one died. Wounded, perhaps, but they were all alive and they could fight another day. It wasn't the cleanest of victories considering the collateral damage but at the end of the day, they had achieved their objective and no one died.

And for now, as she watched Mash march up towards her, taking a small scroll out of her shield, that would be enough.