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Chaldea Evil Incorporated! [An FGO/Phineas and Ferb Crossover]

Thread starter Underdog Emiya Start date Jan 20, 2024 Tags fate series (nasuverse) fate/grand order (nasuverse) phineas and ferb crossover

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Underdog Emiya

We're still gonna make a champ out of you

He

Mar 2, 2025

#2,476

Chapter 21: Mad Star

Although not a diplomat, Marie Antoinette was very well-versed in navigating complicated relationships.

It was almost second nature to her. The court of her time - and probably of many other times before her own - could only be described as a maze of complex relationships between nobles of all standings. Scandals, secret loves, promises, and so on. In modern days, such a setting could only be described as a social minefield. Walk one wrong step, and you could anger the wrong people and put yourself in a poor social situation. And, as she learned the hard way, even a seemingly innocent comment out of the court could cause quite some ripples.

Unconsciously, her hand moved to her neck.

Where was she? Right, relationships! Very complicated! And not the type that got easier to pass through with experience. Human relationships are almost as complex as snowflakes: some may look similar, but in truth, there are thousands of minuscule differences that make them quite different at the end of the day.

Still…she never had to handle such things in times of war - not that she lived long enough to do so.

Which is why the awkwardness on her chariot was so great that it could be cut with a knife.

Six hours ago

Chaldea reached the spot that the Command Room indicated on the map.

Marie thought her vehicle was a bit cramped with so many Servants around. At least Siegfried didn't seem bothered to be hanging outside, and Elizabeth ultimately let Kiyohime get in the seat when she pointed out that the duchess would have more than enough to relax in the seat while the Japanese girl would be walking around for hours to set the ambush for the Berserk…well, Berserker. They weren't sure if the black knight was a new Berserk Rider or some other class, so they chose to refer to him as how King Iskandar did.

She looked at Kiyohime, who was deeply staring at Ritsuka, before turning away with a blush. The girl had been doing this since they left Thiers…looked almost like a maiden in love.

Oh, how Marie wanted to go deep in that! Alas, there was no time for that.

They left her carriage behind, the Servants looking around for signs of wyverns - they had to stop to handle a few. Thankfully, there was no such beast in sight.

Meanwhile, Asclepius was providing the group with last-moment medical evaluations.

"...your fur seems fine and you had a nice night of sleep, I suppose," he finished evaluating Perry. "That said, restrain from going all-out unless explicitly needed and avoid using any unnecessary moves: the strain of handling two Servants simultaneously may be incredibly draining for you."

The secret agent gave a nod.

"As for you…" Asclepius turned to Siegfried. "Well, I suppose I don't need to say what happens when they hit your weak spot. Other than that, you are mostly good to go."

"...thank you," the Saber said, nodding.

Mash set her shield on the ground.

"Communications established with Chaldea," the magenta-haired girl called. "We are ready for the transport."

"Well then," the doctor commented. "Call me if anyone else gets hurt. As for you…" he looked at Jeanne calmly. "...please, be patient. She can be a stubborn one sometimes."

With that, the doctor disappeared in a flash of light…and in his place, a familiar huntress stood, her muscles tense.

Much to Marie's surprise, however, Atalanta's first reaction was not to Jeanne or her Master, but to Siegfried, her expression was one of surprise.

"Saber of Black?!"

The Dragon Slayer looked confused.

"Excuse me, but I do not recognize you," the knight replied. "Did we cross paths before?"

The huntress managed to recompose with a cough.

"Y-you could say that…" the huntress answered a bit awkwardly. "I don't remember if we properly introduced ourselves, and I mostly saw you from afar back then. The closest I remembered seeing you was when you and Saber of Red…ah, it doesn't matter," she shook her head. "I just didn't expect to see any more familiar faces."

Her eyes laid on Jeanne for a moment. Perry, on the other hand, grunted what seemed to be a question.

"What did he say?" Ritsuka asked.

"...something from a talk we had in private," Atalanta decided to answer, and the Master seemed satisfied.

"What are you carrying?" Kiyohime asked curiously.

The object was a large metal stake with a weird protrusion on its blunt top.

"This is for the Fight Team," Atalanta explained, passing it to Siegfried. "Da Vinci made it. I will skip over the technical parts and say it's supposed to be a magical flare. It will accumulate prana from the air and let out large pulses of energy in the sky. It should suffice to attract Berserker if he's still in the area. Just stake it into the ground and it will burn for around thirty minutes. She warned you to be wary of wyverns following the trail, though."

"Not that we weren't expecting this," Ritsuka nodded. "Alright. So…I guess this is the time to split. If everything goes right, we'll reconvene on Thiers. If something happens with it, we will try to return to our former camp spot in the river close to Lyon, and in case something else happens, we'll try to communicate with the Command Room to pass forward instructions to find a new meeting spot. Good luck, Agent P."

Perry nodded, making a small salute to Ritsuka. He then blinked and let out a small grunt.

"He said…" Jeanne began.

"...force of habit? Yeah, I figured," the boy smiled before his face became puzzled. "I swear, by the end of this I will be fluent in platypus language."

Soon, it became a festival of farewells.

"I would say it was a pleasure to be your partner," Kiyohime remarked. "But my ears say otherwise."

"Hmph!" Eli pointed her nose up. "I would say the same, except you keep spooking me by popping out of nowhere, you stalker! Just try not to look over Puppy like he's your lover!"

"D-don't say ridiculous things like that!" the dragon girl protested. "My heart is only for Anchin…"

Yet, she saw a blaze on that boy…

"You have a tough mission ahead, Ritsuka, Mash," Jeanne bowed her head with closed eyes. "May God be with you and everyone else."

"Thanks, Jeanne. May the same be true for you and everyone else," Mash smiled.

Marie and Amadeus were a bit further away, looking at the setting sun.

"And yet again, our paths split, wonderful queen," Amadeus commented with a sigh. "Ah, how I wish our meetings weren't in such bothersome situations."

The Rider giggled.

"I'll be sure to try and invite you for some tea these days…when this is over, naturally," she paused. "Hey, Amadeus."

"Yes, Maria?"

"When we get back…I would like to hear your piano once again. It's been so long."

"...is that so?"

The smile on his face disappeared for a brief second…before he put it back up.

"Alright. I shall prepare to give you an unforgettable play, Maria. I like more dramatic plays, but I suppose something more romantic would be more to your taste."

Marie's playful smile became warmer. "My taste is whatever you play, Amadeus. Any song that comes from your heart shall sound as if it came from angels."

"Ah, Maria…fine, so be it. I'll leave you floored, just wait." He nodded.

After this farewell, Marie went and recalled her chariot.

"Let us climb, friends. We have no time to waste."

As she caressed the platypus sitting in her lap, Marie wondered if she hadn't been too hasty in leaving. At least not without having some talks with Atalanta and Jeanne.

"Gyururu…"

At first, Perry had been pretty reluctant in letting the Queen of France have her way with him, the Master moving to sit on Elizabeth's lap instead. However, when the girl offered to let out a melody to "rouse his soul", he hastily snapped back to her.

Poor thing. He couldn't even sit with his Servants: the secret agent didn't want to risk any signs of favoritism to either side. On her part, Marie wanted to believe the poor thing was being too cautious and that his Servants were grown-up women but…

Well. She knew some grudges didn't come off easy, no matter what.

(Her hand went to her neck unconsciously, the feeling of metal still sometimes stinging there)

"Man, this is soooooooo boring!" Eli complained. "I would even take a wyvern showing up to shake things up a bit!"

"It's for the best," Atalanta said stoically. "We can't afford to make stops during this journey. It's almost fortunate, even."

"Yes…" Jeanne slowly nodded. "This is a case where haste makes no waste."

The huntress grumpily agreed, looking back at the outside.

'Oooh…I suppose this is a tough crowd there.'

Any other person would let bygones be bygones and let the two girls keep that silent agreement. Sure, it wouldn't solve the issue, but it wouldn't worsen it either.

Fortunately - or unfortunately, depending on who you ask - Marie was the type of girl who wouldn't let such things pass. So, the girl decided to…what was the term? Ah yes. Crack the ice.

"So…did any of you ever fall in love with someone?"

The girls - and platypus - turned to the queen.

"Erm…this is kinda a weird question to ask considering who is in this wagon," Elizabeth began. "I mean…" She pointed at Ruler, "Virgin," Then Archer, "virgin," Finally herself with a charming smile, "and dear old me, the eternal idol!"

"...forgive me if I'm mistaken, but weren't you married?" asked Jeanne, her brow raised.

The idol shrugged off.

"Eh. It was an arranged marriage, and that was more the no-fun older me. Eli-chan is an eternally young idol that is for everyone to have!" she paused. "Well, in the measure of reasonableness. I heard some stories about the idol industry and…"

"If you know my legend, you already know the answer," Atalanta cut out the Lancer, much to her annoyance. "I had a husband, a child - adopted, I admit - and a stable relationship. I never felt much love for anyone really…though there were a few men who admittedly won my respect in the past." She frowned softly to the side.

Her mind wandered to a time when she was cradled above the clouds by the son of Peleus, filled with compassion for his dreams…

"If that's the case, I suppose there isn't much I can say to myself either," the Queen smiled. "I had Louis, naturally, and Amadeus…oh," She blinked, "you weren't there for that story, Atalanta, were you? Ask Asclepius, he probably would tell you…"

'Unlikely,' the Archer thought dryly. 'If it's not related to medicine in some way, he would rather ignore it and focus on things he feels are more important. Not like I'm particularly interested either...but I guess it's better to avoid upsetting her with such comments.'

"I will try," the huntress gently considered. "I don't suppose you have much on the field of love either, do you, Perry?"

Much to the huntress' surprise…and Jeanne's, naturally, when they received the answer in their link with the animal agent.

"Oh…" Jeanne blinked a few times at the platypus, looking caught off-guard, "Wait, how did you get out with so many human women?" There was a small pause. "You didn't…oh, ok. Just to be sure. Hm." She pursed her lips, her eyes squinted a bit. "So there were some other animals. Master, you did get a lot of flings, didn't you…" Perry said nothing, his face remained blank even after rolling his eyes.

"What is he saying?" Elizabeth whispered, glancing at the animal on Marie's lap.

"I don't have the slightest idea," the Queen admitted with a smile. "Doesn't this make things all the more interesting?"

The Lancer gave a hum.

Jeanne and Atalanta finished the talk and turned to the other two.

"Well, you see, he said a bunch and…" the Saint started.

"It's quite a lot to translate, needs some time to…" the Archer began.

Both Servants turned to face each other. Atalanta was the first to look away, a bit embarrassed.

"...either way, it seems the Master has quite the romantic life," Jeanne continued before clearing her throat. "So…this leaves me."

"Surely the Maid of Orleans can't have been in love with anyone," Elizabeth scoffed. "She has all that idol aura around her…" Ruler blinked.

"I…don't get what this means, but thanks?" she said in confusion before nodding. "But yes, I never had anyone in life I loved romantically…but I had the most curious dream during my first night here."

"Oh?" Marie perked up. "Maybe a lost sweetheart from your youth?" the queen teased.

"Nothing like that," the Saint said coolly. Her face pondered, mixed with confusion…and longing. "But…well, the dream was weird. I remember being in some city I couldn't recognize. Now with some of the things the Masters explained to me, it seemed to be a place in the future, because there were light posts…and there was this castle pretty far away…"

Only Perry noticed that Atalanta did a double take at that last information.

"Again, I don't remember why the place seemed familiar, it didn't feel like France…then I heard a voice calling for me. I ran from the city and it began to fade away. At some point, my armor disappeared and I was only in a dress, running where the voice was. I was in a field of blue flowers and something big flew above in the skies, but I couldn't identify what it was. It kept going far and far away, it said something, and then…I woke up."

Marie and Elizabeth cooed.

"Oooh, alright, now you hooked me! A mysterious lover that speaks from the skies?!" Elizabeth had stars in her eyes. "Maybe you got the attention of an angel, which is so cool, what the hell!" The Saint jumped.

"L-let's not go too far," Jeanne shook her head. "This almost sounds like blasphemy…besides, what business would an angel have for falling with me, or any other human for that matter, especially after the times when such connections led to tragedy, such as the Nephilim?"

"I mean…romance books really seem to think otherwise," the Lancer said teasingly.

"Oooh, forget that, I'm more curious about what was said by that person." Marie eagerly clasped her hands. "What was it?"

Jeanne let out an embarrassed cough and mumbled something.

"...Perry, was what Jeanne said some variation of 'I love you'?" Marie asked hopefully, her smile getting wider.

The agent nodded and the queen cooed.

"Ah, it's so lovely!" the Frenchwoman clapped enthusiastically.

"Good to see you at least respect Jeanne's dignity enough to ask someone with better hearing to repeat it…" Archer snarked, before mumbling. "What happened after I died there…?"

Perry observed Marie's smile at Atalanta's snide comment. He had puzzled her intentions from the get-go and, if he could speak to others beyond Jeanne and Atalanta, without a doubt would have contributed a bit to soothe the tension in the air.

Still…despite Atalanta's best efforts, Perry knew well old wounds didn't close from one day to another - see Doofenshmirtz.

He only hoped they could get their heads straight if they had to fight.

"We're here," Ritsuka said to the communicator. "Fort seems to be empty."

"As expected," Olga voiced. "Our scans said the same thing, but it's good to have visuals. March from Marie Antoinette's chariot is also moving without issue."

"Good to know Perry-san is doing well," Mash nodded softly. "Hopefully he will have a safe travel."

"Same," Ritsuka agreed, looking at the fortress.

Iskandar unfortunately didn't have much advice to fight a jet other than the obvious:

"Do not stay in the open," the King instructed simply. "I know how powerful those jets are, and Berserker's Noble Phantasm likely enhanced it, so you have no hope of outrunning it when the battle begins. It's better to search for a defensive spot like a forest to hide your presence or a fortification to protect from the shots."

Unfortunately, the former wouldn't be possible without backtracking according to Kiyohime, the Berserker remarking that the wyvern's rampage burned out much of the vegetation in the area. However, she knew of one outpost that was still in relatively good condition and was far enough from Theirs so that it wouldn't have a chance of being harmed in the fight.

Going through these mountains was a bit harder on foot, but the presence of Servants helped Ritsuka as they traversed the land with little issue, eventually reaching the abandoned outpost at the start of the night.

"Hm. Should I already set the flame to go on?" the Master wondered, looking at the stake-like object he carried in his back.

Siegfried, however, shook his head.

"It's better to look through it first," the Saber advised. "This place was abandoned for some time now, so it could be filled with monsters that could distract us."

Mozart put a hand on his ear.

"Hm…from here, I got nothing," the musician shook his head. "But better to double-check in either case."

Siegfried nodded.

"I shall handle this," the knight volunteered calmly. "You stay back and warn if you hear anything odd."

The musician gave a nod.

"Lead the way, my knight in shining - er, dragon-scale armor," the Caster said lamely.

Both men entered the outpost while Mash, Ritsuka, and Kiyohime stood outside.

The teal-haired Servant opened her fan and looked at the sky.

"Ah…what a terrible night to have blood be shed," she frowned. "The stars are so bright tonight," her expression became sorrowfult. "Reminds me of that night…"

"That night?" Mash asked, curious.

"When we promised to meet in Kumano…me and Anchin," she answered simply.

Ritsuka's expression became a bit sympathetic at that.

During their time going to the castle, the boy took time to remember the tale of Kiyohime. Of a girl in love with the handsome monk, Anchin. In some stories, it was a mutual feeling, in others not, but the point was that Anchin decided to reject her advances, but made a promise to meet her on the way back of his journey…yet, he didn't do so, fearful of the girl, and made a move to escape her.

And this is where the tragedy began.

Outraged at that, Kiyohime pursued the target of her love with fierce passion, but he continuously evaded her advances, eventually passing over a river with the sole boat remaining. The girl, in her madness, jumped and tried to swim after him, her body changing into that of a vicious dragon that kept pursuit until the temple of Dōjō-ji, where the local monks attempted to help by hiding him beneath a ceremonial bell. Smelling his trail, the draconic beast banged the bell and then heated it until the lying monk died…and there the story ends.

Ritsuka remembered hearing the story as a kid when he and his family went on a vacation trip around Japan and saw a play retelling the story. He thought with his naive but genre-savvy mind, that it was merely a tale to teach people not to lie or bad things would happen to them - maybe not to the level of a girl turning in the dragon to burn you alive, but bad nonetheless.

Harder to say that when one half of the myth was standing beside him.

"...I'm sorry," Mash said considerately, her expression gentle. "I didn't want to…" But Kiyohime giggled.

"Teehee…don't worry, miss Kyrielight. We promised to meet again one day, and I'm sure we will."

"That seems…aren't you mad with Anchin?" Ritsuka asked, curious. "For lying?"

"I am," the Berserker confirmed. "Yet…true love is willing to forgive and forget. One day we will meet again…and have a completely honest relationship!"

…on the other hand, seeing that mad light in her eyes, it was easy to understand why the monk decided to escape the girl. There was something vicious beneath those eyes, maybe the inherent quality that let her transform into a dragon as the story told.

Still…

Ritsuka was not one to judge people's past. And Kiyohime seemed perfectly friendly otherwise. Still, he decided to drop the topic, if only to not distress her.

"So, you know how to fight?" Ritsuka asked. "Your story didn't tell much about you…"

"I'm not what could be called a fighter, indeed," she admitted. "I was taught the way of the spear as is tradition, but I wouldn't call myself a master in it. However…"

She looked up and breathed a small shower of red flames.

"Whoa…" Mash awed.

"Indeed," the Berserker grinned. "I obtained unique abilities due to my legend, the ability to manifest flames at a thought…though it feels improper for a lady to be able to do such things." She looked bashful.

"Really?" Ritsuka smiled. "I don't know why you think that: circumstances aside, this seems awesome!"

BA-BUMP!

"Y-you…really think so?" the girl asked weakly.

"Are you alright, Kiyohime-san?" Mash asked, frowning in concern. "You…look a bit paler."

She gave a strained smile.

"I-it's nothing…" she paused. "...nothing to worry over. Anc…Ritsuka's comment just caught me off-guard."

"Ah, Senpai has been like that since I knew him," the girl nodded, smiling in amusement and fondness. "I found him sleeping on the ground with our Privileged Lifeform, Fou, using him as a bed and…"

Mash's expression became worried for a moment. Now that Ritsuka thought about it, where was Fou? He decided, again, to keep silent for Mash's sake.

"Is that so?" Kiyohime nodded slowly. "Good to see the modern age has such kind people. Tell me…is it an age where deception remains in love?"

The boy hummed at the question.

"I…wish I could say with certainty that it is not," the boy admitted. "But there are still notices of couples keeping secrets from each other, engaging in romantic situations, breaking promises…"

Mash closed her eyes.

"Indeed. Even I was aware of such. The halls of Chaldea were the place for many broken hearts…"

"...how disappointing," the Berserker murmured, crestfallen.

Ritsuka, however, let out a small smile.

"...at the same time. Many social barriers that once stopped impossible loves fell as society grew and changed its social conventions. Bridges were connected that let people find their soulmates in places around the globe. Things are better, and, although not all love is eternal, it can last for long," he finished. "Love is a truly complicated thing but…if you ask me, I think it's easier than ever to find that ideal someone."

Kiyohime closed her fan.

"Do you truly think so?" she said, excited. "Ah, this seems so…!"

"Ah…I never thought of this matter that way, Senpai," the magenta-haired Shielder spoke, looking curious. "Did you have many loves?"

He shrugged. "Hm? Well, I don't know…well, I guess in Tokyo there were a few people…"

But Kiyohime wasn't listening, her heart filled with certainty.

He was Ritsuka Fujimaru. He was his reincarnation. Ritsuka Fujimaru was-

"All clear~" Mozart sang, arriving while twirling his small baton. He smiled easily. "Ah…this dreadful place had some small curses, but our knight friend didn't even have to swing his blade, I got them all myself."

Ritsuka raised an eyebrow.

"That seems…a lot more effort than what I've seen so far from you," Ritsuka remarked. "Is everything alright?"

The Caster gave a mocking bow.

"Ah, to call me lazy is such a hurtful offense…not all wrong if I am honest, though," he quipped. "I just thought there was no need for Saber to overexert himself when he's our main fighter, and I doubt I'll be able to contribute as meaningfully, so."

"This seems a bit defeatist," Mash commented.

"It's not if you aren't all that strong," Mozart added. "Face it, when there is a dragon slayer, a dragon turned human and what I suppose is a knight, a musician is not all that useful."

"You are still a better magi than me if it's any consolation…" Ritsuka said honestly. He made a nod. "Alright, now that it's all free, let's review the plan Iskandar gave us."

Ritsuka messed a bit with his communicator, until the hologram of what seemed like a board game popped ahead of them, a few pieces remarkably similar to each present person prepared. There was a small mark on the side of the image: Touko©, End of Humanity.

"It's a bit frightening how quickly Aozaki-san wiped this board…" Mash noted.

"I mean, she makes bodies for a living," Ritsuka shrugged. "I think a game board is simple in comparison."

Kiyohime seemed to snap out of her trance.

"W-what is this?" she asked, attempting to recompose herself.

"A recording from the strategy Iskandar suggested. Touko had the idea of putting it visually for us to follow better. Anyways…"

The piece with Siegfried was placed in the most frontal lane.

"As the most powerful Servant in your formation, Siegfried has the duty of staying as the vanguard. His ability to weather the assault of Berserker with his armor makes him ideal for this," next, Mash's piece was placed alongside him. "Likewise, Kyrielight is tough enough to take those shots and handle the projectiles thrown with her shield," meanwhile, the pieces of Ritsuka, Mozart and Kiyohime were all put together. "Lastly, Mozart and Kiyohime stay on the back, giving support and protecting Fujimaru. If things work well, it should be enough to get Berserker. But beware."

Now a small plane flew above the imaginary battlefield.

"With his machine, he can opt out of the fight at any point, but you don't have that luxury. Once you enter that fight, you must take his plane down before he can escape and start attempting hit-and-run tactics. I do not believe he would act like that under normal circumstances, but he's still under the command of a Master. Prepare for everything."

The clip ended.

"Those were nice pieces," Mozart praised. "Props to my fan in Chaldea."

"We will make sure to make them known," Ritsuka smiled. He then picked the signal. "Anyway…when I trigger this…we know what we must do. We know what we should do. Are we ready?"

He looked at the Servants, who nodded.

"...well then," the Master put the stake on the ground, narrowing his eyes. "Mash, give the push."

With a nod, the Shielder raised her arm and swung it, pushing the signal in the ground. Then both stepped back as energy slowly began to form on top of it, stretching into the sky.

"The extermination mission begins now."

Why can't all teenage girls be the same? At least Heinz knew how to deal with Vanessa.

On second thought, better not. In hindsight, it was more like Vanessa handled him than the other way around.

He stared at the kneeling knight in her cell, completely silent as the night came. There were so many things that were annoying Doofenshmirtz to no end at the moment - the grumble of his stomach asking for food, his dry throat wishing for some water, his head still aching slightly, the tiredness of his eyes wishing for sleep…

But he focused on the present issue. Artoria. And what he did.

He tried beginning with the classic argument: "It was for the greater good," but the savvy part of him knew that thing never glued for the older guys, what else in younger people. Besides, Olga Marie made sure to hammer home that the Masters were very important in the grand scheme of things, so going on that path would inevitably lead to her using that against him.

Maybe start with a direct apology? "I'm sorry for trying to send you away, forgive me?" Rip the band-aid off and start from there…no, that wouldn't do either.

Screw it. Heinz was always more of a spontaneous guy anyway.

"Artoria. Artoria. Can we…can we talk?" he called out, his voice a bit weak from the dry throat.

The knight didn't answer.

"Artoria…" the man repeated.

The Saber eyed her Master, attempting to hide her shame since their capture.

Was she livid by her Master's stunt? Naturally! The sheer recklessness of it would be already enough to piss even the calmest of Servants, what else to say of a knight in training like her. Such disregarding for his well-being…!

…but at the same time, she could see that her Master was not well.

Even in Chaldea, such a fact was visible to anyone, but then again, no one in that place could be fine after such a tragedy, and Artoria didn't know him well enough to conclude that.

But those dreams…

How long had he been having them? Taking it silently? Did anyone else know about it?

In some ways…it reminded her of Merlin, ever the playful sorcerer. Yet, despite almost constantly smiling…sometimes, there seemed to be some sadness in those eyes, despite his insistence he couldn't feel much of anything.

Thus, Artoria saw herself in the dilemma of how to approach such a delicate matter…

She couldn't just stay silent, right? A true knight would know what to say at this moment, no?

But could she even raise a word towards her Master? After such a humiliating defeat? It was so easy to speak in the heat of the moment back in the forest, yet now…

But she had to take a step forward too. Her Master was trying such.

So, she silently turned to him.

Heinz let out a tired sigh.

"Hey, Artoria…how are you feeling?" the man asked.

Silence. Then…

"These chains are not very comfy and the stone is too cold," she began hesitantly.

'Alright, that's a start,' the mad doctor thought in relief.

"You didn't feel the metal," he stated, sighing. "I never felt more sorry to have the ability to feel my arms than now. But I didn't want them to have them ripped away either, so…"

Silence.

"Listen, I-/Master, I-" the two began at the same time before shutting down their mouths.

"You first, sir," the Saber began gently.

"I am no sir," Heinz shook his head. "I think this would be an offense to all the sirs through the world…but sure."

He took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry about…" Heinz didn't even know where to start. Thus, he decided on the most straightforward answer. "Well, everything. Tricking you, hurting you, failing in letting us escape…"

"...you don't have to apologize for that last one," Artoria replied softly, looking down in sadness and guilt. "That is my failure. A knight and a Servant's biggest duty is to zeal over their lord's safety. Thus, in that regard, I failed in not managing to assure your escape."

"You're just…" Heinz began, only to falter at Artoria's mild glance.

"Please, we talked about this before, Master…I am no child. I am a knight, even if a young one. I can't be held by the standards you are putting. You matter more, as a Master. I would gladly give my life away if it meant you could-"

"To hell with that!" the man exclaimed vehemently. "Those who go out and fight with such messed up ideas never come back! If it's to go out and fight, fight to live! Only idiots fight waiting for death."

The girl opened her mouth and closed it again.

"I'll…keep that in mind," she considered, but her frown was unchanged. "Still…the point is that, in the grander picture…I'm not as important as you. If you had asked me to stay behind…to cover against Carmilla. To open a path for your escape. I would have understood, and done as asked. But letting me go away, when my bond is with you in the first place…it's foolhardy if you forgive my bluntness."

"...I'm not the most logical person, to be honest," the man tried to defend, weakly. "Hindsight is 20/20 and-"

Artoria stared at him silently.

"Master, I saw the dreams."

Silence.

"They are nothing," he tried to dismiss it.

"They don't sound like nothing," the knight insisted. "It seems you are hurt."

His eyes filled with grief.

"Of course, it hurts! Vanessa was my daughter, my treasure!" he cried. "If I had to choose between stopping making Inators forever and her life, I would pick her eleven out of ten times!"

"You are in pain," she stated, her face softened further. "You've been in pain for a while…haven't you?"

Silence.

"I…I managed to hide this even from Perry the Platypus, perceptive that he is," the scientist admitted, his head lowered despondently. "But I guess when you can look straight in my head…"

The knight looked down, embarrassed. If she wanted, she wished she hadn't violated his privacy but couldn't do anything to stop it.

"Master…we will get them back," Artoria declared gently, but with a taint of steel laced in her words. "It's alright to miss her. The people who fell. This journey is all about getting them back. You can't let this blind you to what you must do…"

"...ah. If only it were simply about missing Vanessa," he sighed heavily.

Artoria looked at the man, confused. He continued.

"Do you know what things I did back in the day? I could brainwash people to do like half a dozen specific functions. Steal all the gnomes in the Tri-State Area in a single day. Make people ugly. Atomize things. Combine things on a molecular level. Call upon a Hun army from the past. Loop time itself. All with enough pieces, some schemes, and some good old spite."

Silence. Half of the things Heinz said sounded so absurd it sounded hard to believe…yet, the look in his eyes was serious.

"Oh, sure, most of those things ended up detonated at the end of the day or ended up being used in some way I didn't plan for. But…well, I got introspective after formally retiring. I realized I could do so much, kinda like how you look down at a mountain and only now realize you are at the top of it. I…well, I realized I could do almost anything…or so I thought. Nothing I did ever stopped the kids from pranking me. But the things I figured I couldn't stop were death, taxes, and kids pranking me, and I had doubts about the former two."

His hands closed.

"This…this is the first time I can't do anything - even if it would be the wrong thing. I can't even err anymore. One bad wire, too many resources spent, so much danger - too many pilling things I…I can't even figure an analogy right now, so I will just say I feel overwhelmed."

"Master…" Her eyes softened with sympathy and concern.

"And the worst…all the time…" his expression became haunted. "...they were this close. This close to figuring something to save everyone. If I had been there…would I have made the difference? Would me…doing what I do…would that be enough to save her?"

At that moment, Heinz felt years older than he seemed, the dark circles in his eyes staring at Artoria's soul.

"I…I just don't want to see another kid die because of me…"

Artoria just stared at her Master, who seemed now unwilling to talk, exhausted. He closed his eyes, and prepared for another night filled with nightmares…

Meanwhile, Saber returned to her meditations.

The problem…the problem was worse than she thought. He blamed himself for not being able to see the future, to know such an issue would come.

How could she answer that? How could she, of all people, speak him out of such a mindset?

She felt so powerless…

No.

She rightened herself up.

Her Master was, in a way, defenseless emotionally. She couldn't afford to wallow in things like self-pity again.

While they still lived, there was always a chance to escape from that situation. And, by her honor as knight, she would do that, even if she got…

No. She wouldn't die here. She would live to keep fighting, just as he requested!

And right now…the battlefield was his mind.

"...he's sure taking his sweet time," Ritsuka mused from his hiding spot.

Mozart stopped the small melody he had his angel-esque summons chant, turning to Ritsuka.

"Indeed. For a knight, he doesn't seem to be rather fond of being punctual."

"Nothing to report from us, either," Mash voiced. "Siegfried-san is saying he's feeling the beacon, however."

After Ritsuka set up the signal, he and his two bodyguards rushed inside the castle while Mash and Siegfried stood in place, waiting for their enemy to approach…

But, for the last twenty minutes, there was no sign of his approach. Not even the roar of his jet's engines.

"Could it be that he retreated?" Kiyohime asked. Then an expression of dread appeared in her expression. "Or he could have gone and attacked Thiers while we were away…"

"We would see the signs," Ritsuka pointed out. "If he's packing so much power in that jet, then no way we wouldn't at least hear it. Thiers is far, but not that far. Besides…" his expression became grim. "We can't do much if that was the case. Without Marie's carriage, our only option is to stay here."

The dragon girl had a…Ritsuka shook his head, looking at her serious expression. He could swear it looked pretty…dreamy? Was his mind playing-

"We got a contact," Da Vinci announced. "Time until showdown is one minute, watch the northeast!"

This immediately caused the Master to focus back on the present.

"Mash, Siegfried! Prepare for combat from the northeast!"

The two Servants nodded at the warning.

"Follow me," the knight suggested. "Away from your Master."

"Aye!" the knight nodded firmly. "Mash Kyrielight, deploying to battle!"

The two Servants ran, putting some distance between the castle and them.

"Prepare for everything," Olga warned. "And don't stay in the open."

The roaring of the jets began to reach Ritsuka's ears, as the blackened machine flew above their heads. He noticed the Servants tensing up but…

"He's not attacking," Da Vinci said his thoughts exactly, sounding worried.

Indeed, the blackened knight flew above them, watching the two Servants from afar…or to be more precise, only one of them.

The knight stared from above at the shield. It had seen it earlier, in the city his Master ordered to attack. Yet…yet…!

"Gaaahhh…" it groaned. "GAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

"I think he was doing a threat assessment!" Da Vinci tsked through the radio. "Iskandar commented that he seemed smarter than most Berserkers!"

The jet turned midair and it launched missiles against the grounded Servants. Mash was the first to answer to the strike.

"Lord Chaldeas!"

The blue shield formed around them, the missiles bouncing against the magical wall. Most blew up, but some were redirected towards its launcher, which launched a set of lights in the sky. The missiles changed trajectories and homed onto the flares, blowing away from the knight who turned to attack with its Vulkan machine gun, which Mash defended by hiding behind her shield and Siegfried simply tanked head-on, the bullets bouncing against his tough hide.

"To the side!"

Mozart pulled the boy to the side as the bullets flew in his direction. The stone was pierced like Swiss cheese, stopping on the other wall.

"Crap, it's that strong?!" Ritsuka yelped. "The stone didn't do anything to stop those bullets!"

"Keep inside the castle!" Da Vinci's urgent voice came from the communicator. "Going out right now will just give an easy target! But move to the lower floors if the post seems about to collapse!"

The Master nodded as the jet turned for another attack. This time, however, Siegfried took the offensive.

"Hah!"

He began to launch a stream of waves of energy from Balmung that flew towards the aircraft, which spun wildly in the air to dodge each of them. All the while, the bullets hit the Armor of Fafnir and did little against the German knight.

"GAAAAAHHHHHH-!"

The missiles were launched, as Mash attempted to put herself on the way again, this time foregoing using her Noble Phantasm.

"HAH!"

The shield was hit by the missiles, the explosions pushing the girl a bit. However, out of her sight, one missile gave a sharp turn and aimed for her back.

"MASH!" Ritsuka shouted desperately.

The sole visible eye of the magenta-haired human widened-

But an armored hand caught the missile in midair, holding it in place.

"..."

Siegfried just analyzed it for a moment before throwing it back at the attacker, who gave a magnificent barrel (Or was it aileron? Ritsuka blamed the space animals for that confusion) roll, avoiding it as it exploded.

Siegfried put his sword in front of his face, clearly preparing for a stronger attack, but the knight's eyes narrowed as he instead used the blade's flat side to slap away a missile and take some shots that barely scratched his hide.

"He's so fast…" Kiyohime muttered warily. "Are we sure he's not a modern Servant to pilot such a contraption so naturally?"

"It's probably due to the jet being a weapon," Da Vinci explained. "I suppose a benefit from that Noble Phantasm is knowing how to fight with the weapons given. Either that, or he has a high Riding rank he can apply for this."

"Riding can do that?!" Ritsuka screeched, ducking as more bullets flew.

"Hey, if you could ride a dragon back in the day, a car in the modern days is no issue!" the Renaissance Man huffed.

"That seems pretty different for-" the Master began but then fell on his butt as an explosion shook the ground.

Siegfried continued his assault, launching more slashes, even managing to nail one on the right wing. However, Berserker continued roaring and firing more of the jet's weaponry.

"There's no end to it…" Mozart said uneasily. "A vehicle like that should have a limit to how much stuff it can throw out, right?"

"That type of logic flew out of the window the moment a medieval knight kept a fighter jet as part of a Noble Phantasm that turns other objects into Noble Phantasms!" Olga retorted heatedly.

"...we need to bring it down, fast," Ritsuka frowned. "I don't doubt Siegfried's ability to tank it for a long time, but I'm not sure if Mash can hold for that long, and we might get caught as collateral even if she does, and that plane is too fast for us to get a clean shot with Balmung. If only my Gandr could hit from afar…"

"Not only it can't, but the shot you are speaking is almost impossible!" Olga argued. "You are talking about shooting a guy on top of a plane flying at least twice the speed of sound, ten kilometers off the ground! Finding a needle in a haystack is easier than this! And that's not to say of other abilities he might have!"

Ritsuka licked his lips, uncertain of what to do.

Meanwhile…Kiyohime stared at that face. Even if there was uncertainty…there was determination. A fire in those eyes pushed him to figure out a solution, no matter how unorthodox it might be. To figure out a way for everyone to leave safely and succeed in their mission.

'...ah,' she thought to herself. 'He really reminds me of…'

"I might have an idea," the words left her lips before she could stop them.

Both Ritsuka and Mozart turned to her.

"You do?" the musician asked.

After a moment of hesitation, the Berserker nodded.

"...I don't like using it, but we might not have a choice. Set him in a course straight for me…and I should be able to take down the plane."

Ritsuka glanced at Kiyohime, straight in the eye. Her heart skipped a beat…then, he nodded.

"I will give the order to Siegfried to distract him. Mozart, do you think you could use your Noble Phantasm?"

The musician nodded.

"I will. He's still close enough that Requiem for Death should be able to immobilize him for the time needed."

"...alright then," Ritsuka turned on the communicator. "Mash, ask Siegfried to keep Berserker busy. We have a plan going on."

"What-?" the Shielder grunted, Ritsuka seeing from afar, some bullets hitting her shield. "Alright, senpai, I will relay the message!" she added, turning off the machine.

"Stage is yours, little miss," Mozart bowed. "I will provide the song."

"Thank you," she said politely. "Leave this place. I don't know if it will resist me using that."

The Japanese girl nodded and split from her companions to the top of the building. The more height she had, the better her odds of success.

It took a long thirty seconds to get there. She saw the dragon slayer swinging his blade madly, keeping the Berserker away while he tried to retaliate against him and Mash - mostly the second one. While Kiyohime didn't want to sound mean, she thought the knight figured the Demi-Servant was the weaker link when put against the famed slayer of Fafnir.

She glanced, seeing Anchin Ritsuka and Mozart leave the castle by the back. Taking a deep breath, the girl waited, knowing that once the melody began…it was her cue.

The battle in the skies continued, Siegfried launching his sword slashes and Mash defending and deflecting the projectiles. They succeeded in keeping him engrossed…so Kiyohime took the first step.

She felt the fire filling her being once again…her body turning into nothing but fire.

"I shall exterminate the runaway liars…"

The building began to tremble as the fire ravenously began to eat on its foundations.

"Requiem for Death!"

Mozart unleashed his Noble Phantasm and, far above in the sky, the jet that once was moving so nimbly now moved in a straight line.

'Now!'

"...Tenshin Kashou Zanmai!"

Transforming, Flame-Emitting Meditation.

With those words, the teal-haired Berserker took to the skies, the building she once stood collapsing from the impact of her using it as a platform for her launch. The sound of flames roared in her ears - for she was the flame, taking the shape of a massive dragon that roared as it charged toward its prey at high speeds.

The black Berserker noticed her presence but couldn't do anything to stop her…yet.

'I can't get much closer.'

The Berserker grimaced. She underestimated the aircraft's height: her wish was to crush it and its pilot under her blue flame and guarantee a kill. However, the alternative should still be effective at this range, and it's not like she had a better option. The effect of Requiem for Death should end soon.

Taking a deep breath, the blue flame dragon roared and launched a massive stream of blue flames, planning to end its foe with a fiery death.

'It's over!'

Yet, a shot that shouldn't miss…missed.

'...huh? What happened?'

The dragon turned its head to the blackened aircraft. She did, in fact, hit it, as it was partially burnt on the back. Yet, the front had no signs of burns.

'No! He managed to avoid it at the last moment! He must have overcome the negative effects of the Noble Phantasm at the last moment!' she dismayed, attempting to launch another fire blast…but it was already too late. She felt herself returning to the flesh, the body of a young maiden floating many meters above the air.

She stared forlornly to the sky. 'Ah…I never thought about how to get down either. Silly me, I don't even know if I could survive a fall from this height.' she thought calmly, noticing the jet turning to end her. 'Not that I have to worry about this.'

She closed her eyes.

'Ah…the only regret I have is not having succeeded in my mission…Anchin-sama.'

She waited for the pain of bullets tearing her body.

"-Change!"

Instead, she felt the soft grass through her robes.

"Kiyohime-san!"

The girl opened her eyes, confused. What…?

"-Balmung!"

A large explosion in the sky.

"Aaaaaarrrrr-!"

The jet went in a downward spiral midair, its left wing cut from it, while a grey-haired projectile began to obey the laws of gravity.

Kiyohime was helped to her feet by the Shielder, as she watched the falling figures.

"Move!" she heard her dear Anchin say, and she obeyed frantically, following the cue to leave as both objects crashed into the ground, exploding into a massive crater.

The Berserker nearly fell on her back, but a soft hand held her by the shoulders.

"You…saved me…" she whispered to her savior. "But…how…"

The black-haired boy smiled.

"Mozart noticed from far away that Berserker seemed to be resisting his song. I then asked Siegfried to charge an attack to follow up, but then I realized that you would be up in the air, so I used my Command Code to make a follow-up. My Order Change can switch the locations of things with magical energy, but you were out of range, so I decided to overload it to see if it would get to you and…well…"

The girl nodded.

"Ah…I see…" She didn't get it at all, lovestruck. "So lovely, Anchin…" She uttered quietly.

The boy looked at her, confused.

"Anchin?"

Before he could ask more, one of the objects that collapsed on the crater flew out of it, hopping close to the group.

"Herr Siegfried!" Mash exclaimed, relieved. "Are you alright?"

The knight had informed Ritsuka that he wouldn't have issues surviving the fall due to his Noble Phantasm, but Mash was still understandably worried considering the strength of the impact.

"I'm sorry for worrying you, miss Kyrielight," the dragonslayer apologized, but his stoic frown deepened as he glanced back at the crash sight. "But I fear further apologies must stay for later."

CREAK!

Everyone's eyes went to the wreckage of the black plane, a husk of its former self. And, standing above it…

Ritsuka knew he would have nightmares about it.

"No way-!" Mozart gawked in astonished disbelief.

"From that height, only with armor…?" Kiyohime asked in shock.

"I saw it, he used the ripped wing to control his fall," Siegfried said plainly. "It helped soften the impact enough for him to survive."

"..." Mash looked at the man with a curious expression.

But none of that came to Ritsuka. As he stared dead-eyed at a medieval knight carrying the biggest minigun he had ever seen, all its barrels turned against them.

A vision straight out of hell.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRTHHHHHHHHHHUUUUUUURRRRRRR!"

Atalanta was never much for small talk.

With rare exceptions, the huntress was usually alone in nature and didn't have much reason to communicate with other hunters, if she ever found them, unless they were trespassing dangerous territory - there were quite a few who would dare to hunt down beasts beyond their abilities and pay the price for their arrogance, despite her best warnings.

Either way, Atalanta was not a speaker by nature. So, for most of the trip, she kept silent as Marie hopped from topic to topic, sometimes adding one or two things, but only if asked. The Queen of France continued hopping from topic to topic, ranging from asking why Elizabeth had the idea of being an idol - something about a moon and a puppy? - to Perry commenting a bit about his adventures with Jeanne serving as a translator.

…she was unsure how to feel about the man after hearing how he wanted to blow up the moon to impress an old teacher. On one hand, lady Artemis was likely far gone in the modern era so wouldn't get offended, but on the other hand, even without accounting for the damage that would cause…

Either way, according to Marie, they were close to their destination: Marseille, where the dragon-slaying Saint, Georgios, currently resided. The huntress wondered how her allies were faring against that black-armored Berserker, or whoever answered their challenge.

"...and this is why D'Eon never again used violet dresses on their missions," Marie finished.

Perry nodded sympathetically, putting his hands together like a prayer. The Archer didn't pay attention to the story, but he seemed sympathetic to whatever plight the spy went through. Maybe something related to disguises?

Elizabeth's reaction seemed to sell it.

"Aaah…wardrobe malfunction is always terrible," the girl moaned. "I couldn't bring my idol outfit because the bird hack that is making it made it too big. It's almost something that fits Carmilla."

"Did you see in person to size your dress?" Marie asked.

"...touché," the pink-haired girl nodded before grumbling. "Now she's gonna take forever to get ready, or at least until my return to the Throne. Ah, if that crane wasn't so good on her job…at least she's a fan of idols!"

"I am glad I never had to deal with such things," Jeanne sighed with relief. "I feel I would look like a duck out of the water if I did half of the things Chevalier did. They seemed they were pretty good at what they did."

"They were, indeed," Marie sighed. "A shame what happened next to them, one of France's greatest soldiers being treated in such a manner…"

"Indeed…and now turned in a weapon against their country…" Jeanne muttered, looking out at the window. Atalanta felt she was likely thinking about her counterpart.

Focused on the saint, the huntress didn't notice the glint in the Rider's eyes before she continued to speak:

"I wonder…"

Perry let out a grunt that Atalanta didn't feel the need to translate.

"I wonder about the other Jeanne's reasoning to do what she did," the Rider asked suddenly.

Elizabeth snapped her tongue.

"Does it matter?" the Lancer huffed. "If she's hanging out with that nasty piece of work, Carmilla, then it doesn't matter why, only that they both have to go down. Besides, I hardly can think of a good reason to burn a whole country down…so many fans lost…" She made a sad frown.

"...no, I think it's an interesting topic," Atalanta insisted calmly, eyeing their saint. "What makes someone that claims to love her country so much want to burn it to the ground?"

In truth, the huntress couldn't help but still suspect the Ruler…because of the other her.

Despite the absurdity of her words…something about them resonated with the Huntress of Arcadia. And for as much disgust it brought her, it felt like something too important to simply dismiss it as mere rambling.

Could it be…could it be that it was the same with Ruler?

Perry gave a glance at his Servant, but before he could say something, Jeanne piped up:

"I suppose…I suppose part of me is curious as well, although not for the reasons you might think," she admitted before correcting.

Perry raised an eyebrow, inquisitively. The Maiden of Orléans shook her head.

"Sorry, but it's better if I don't reveal anything. It's all mere suspicion anyway, and I lack the proofs to explain what I want to say."

'Of course she does,' the Archer thought bitterly. 'Fearful that you might not be as perfect of a devotee and a soldier as you think?'

"I mean, what is there to be clear about it?" Elizabeth shrugged. "I heard what you guys said, about her speaking of a treason when she was left to burn. There, you got your motive."

"Hm…" Marie rubbed her chin. "I grew my entire life hearing tales about Jeanne. Of her bravery in combat, her being guided by His hand and representing all there's good about our nation, even when others would be quick to tarnish her good name."

"Really?" Elizabeth asked. "Wasn't she demonized for some time?"

"Gyuru…gyu?" Perry said, lifting a few fingers, to which Atalanta translated.

"He says that Jeanne was canonized around 90 years before, almost 100. Even before that, any crimes the English attempted to accuse her of were cleared a few years after the end of the war by her family. So she has been a folk hero for longer than her sainthood."

"Pretty much, although if you asked most people in my time, there wouldn't be much difference between either of them," the queen of France continued. "Thus, why do I find it so hard to believe such a legendary figure and a symbol of patriotism would bear so much hate against this country."

"Never meet your heroes, as some say," Atalanta frowned with a distasteful expression. "If you ever met Jason in person, you would get it. He's a bit less impressive than stories portray him as."

"Eh, when story ever gets all the details right?" the resident Lancer pointed out with an eye roll. "You guys met a female King Arthur, after all, which seems…a pretty big detail not to put on the books. But then again, she also hangs out with that mage guy…what's the name again? Marlin?"

"Merlin," Jeanne corrected, before frowning pensively. "And…it's difficult to explain, but the other me, there's something about her that is so against who I am that it's almost as if she was a different person. I suppose that's the best way I can describe it…" she sighed, looking outside. "But I will not lie and say her appearance didn't make me question if I bore a grudge against France. I still believe I don't but…few can say they truly know themselves."

"So I suppose a third opinion should settle it then," Marie replied. "Because…well, of all people here, I'm the only one who would be able to tell if you truly bore hatred against France." That caused everyone to look at her, caught off guard.

"What do you mean?" Lancer asked, the idol wearing an expression of her shock. "You seem like an ideal idol whenever you walk! An angelic type that conquers everyone with pure charm, contrasting my more impish and grounded approach!"

'Grounded?' thought Jeanne and Atalanta simultaneously with unimpressed looks, Perry sharing a similar expression. Marie meanwhile laughed.

"Your kind words warm my heart, lady Bathóry," she said warmly, her smile diminishing slightly. "But…yes. For but the faintest moments…I hated France," she touched her neck. "I suppose I don't need to say how my life ended."

Silence. No, there was no need. After all, Marie was one of the many victims of the famed guillotine during the French Revolution, an event that would lead to changes for the better…but was not a bloodless affair.

"...part of me would have accepted that death with no regrets," she continued wistfully. "For I wanted the best for France, this lovely country. I would have preferred to have lived to see the end of it…but it just wasn't to be. I couldn't see the shape of that nation, but I held no ill feelings towards them."

"...but?" Atalanta asked carefully.

"...I could also have accepted the death of Louis," she spoke calmly. "But…Charles. My poor, poor Charles…"

"Charles?" asked Eli, blinking.

"You could also call him Louis-Charles, or Louis XVII," the Rider elaborated. "He was such a lovely child. The joy of my life after Louis Joseph, his older brother, died of tuberculosis. We were split when we were imprisoned by the revolutionaries…my only consolation is that he never had to see my death…but it could be said that him living longer was torture…"

The eyes of the queen were steely.

"He was royalty, but he was a child. He liked to play around in the palace, was attentive to the staff, and had such bright eyes…and yet they crushed it. Mistreatment after mistreatment, no matter where he went. Raping. Beatdowns. Scarring. They didn't even bother to treat his tuberculosis. Robespierre in person visited him and yet, in spite of speaking of liberty, equity, and fraternity, they treated him like an animal."

Her voice still was soft, yet there was anger. Not blind anger, no: it was cold. The others were rather surprised by that change in personality.

"I love almost every person who was born in this nation and will be born…but those who contributed to the death of Louis," Marie murmured, her face growing darker and darker. "The only space for hate my heart bores. So, when I say I can see no malice in Jeanne…I mean it."

"...I'm sorry for your loss," Atalanta's frown softened with empathy and sadness. "I…I also had to face that pain. The pain of losing a child."

The queen looked at the archer, pressing her hands against hers.

"If so, the feeling is mutual on my part, Miss Atalanta," Marie stated softly and kindly. "If it helps…I try to not focus much only on the whole, to say. Those who harmed my boy were few compared to all the great men and women this nation had. All we can do is to be sure that we can see beyond the hate and see things in their whole. To forgive and never forget."

The huntress glanced at Jeanne, who stared back. Perry looked between them from his position, worried about what would happen now.

"I…" the huntress began…before her head perked up, her feline ears twitched. "I hear the flap of wings."

This brought everyone present on alert.

"How many?" asked Jeanne apprehensively.

The huntress paled.

"Quite a lot. I think there's at least as many wyverns flying now as there were around La Charité."

"No problem," Elizabeth grinned. "I will handle these critters. One use of my Noble Phantasm and they won't do squat!"

The girl opened the doors and left, opening her wings and taking to the skies.

"Wait…isn't it possible these dragons are not here to attack Marseille but to get the Servant?" Marie asked.

"But Saint Georgios is such a famed entity even here that even a pack of wyverns shouldn't be enough to kill him…" Jeanne followed, her expression slowly turning into one of horror. "Unless…they try to end handle him like they did Siegfried."

Atalanta was already out in the window.

"Lancer, don't, there are Servants-!"

However, the girl was already too far in the sky, the imaginary castle floating around her.

"LAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

The sonic breath left her lips, wiping the beasts flying in the air by punching a hole in their lines. Like she did earlier in the day, the attack proved to be effective in defending the city.

Unfortunately, it also worked like a large lure for anyone in a ten-kilometer radius.

"Prepare for com-!" Jeanne began…

And then the chariot exploded into trillions of small crystals, it's occupants being launched away.

Perry flipped midair, somewhat stunned by the sheer violence of the maneuver, before noticing he was seconds away from becoming a splat in the ground. He had no time to look in his hat for something to save himself-

His Mystic Code!

In the last second, he used the Dust of Osiris in himself and felt a protective shield rose on his skin. It shattered on the first impact, but this gave enough time for an armored hand to grab and stop him from further bouncing, sliding through the ground.

"Are you wounded?!" Jeanne worriedly asked him, and he shook his head, before looking around for the others.

Elizabeth was lowering to the ground, glaring at a vaguely familiar figure with white hair. With a yell, she drew her spear and charged toward it, avoiding the chains that flew at her.

He couldn't see Marie, which was even more worrying in his opinion but he didn't have time for a more throught search because, in front of them…

"GAH!"

Atalanta was bleeding heavily from the head and grasping her ribs, kneeling on the ground. Perry understood immediately what happened: whatever hit them didn't get a direct hit on Perry because the Archer sacrificed herself to protect him.

And the assailant…

The Archer glared silently at the person wearing her face. The bestial hunter that fell to madness.

"You…"

Marie was ashamed to admit she fell unconscious for a second, the shock of her vehicle being so suddenly destroyed causing her to short for a moment.

Then she returned to reality and saw herself flying backward.

The Queen of France did her best to roll to reduce the impact's damage. She felt her luxurious hat being ripped away from her head before she stopped.

She looked down at herself and took a moment to moan about the fate of her clothes, before focusing on feeling the damage.

Thankfully, she could still use Guillotine Breaker, but she wouldn't be summoning any chariots any time soon. Not that she thought her group would have time to escape, considering the fierce showdown she already heard in the distance.

Marie prepared to join her allies…when a presence suddenly popped behind her.

SWING!

One second too late, and the blade would have cut her nape cleanly.

The queen answered by summoning her crystalline ride and using it to hop away before falling into the ground again and turning to her aggressor. Her eyebrows widen in surprise.

"Oh my…this is a face I hadn't expected to see here," she remarked.

The queen stared at the familiar face. The white hair and dull green eyes betrayed the madness that took his spirit with its mad movement. He wore a black jacket with details in white -- two large appendages in his shoulders that could either look like horse heads or blades depending on whom you asked and drawings spread through the entirety of the coat. He brandished a curious blade that ended in a large oval blade that nonetheless seemed no less sharp. On his neck, he had a red cravat, that seemed all the more red, as if it had recently been colored…

"Hello, Charles," the queen greeted with a sad smile. "What could I help you with?"

The mad Servant and her executioner lowered his blade.

"You may start by offering your neck to execution."

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Underdog Emiya

Mar 2, 2025

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Underdog Emiya

We're still gonna make a champ out of you

He

Apr 5, 2025

#2,581

Chapter 22: Shadow Star

Her eyes saw no light. Her body couldn't move, her limbs restrained by strong chains, two binding her legs to the ground and two forcing her arms up. A wood gag was on her mouth, inserted when she tried to bite her tongue choke on her own blood. Her green clothes were colored red, of many attempts at using physical torture to break her.

Yet, the Archer didn't break. She felt the madness instilled in her Origin attempting to seize her mind, but she refused it again. No. She wouldn't give those bastards the satisfaction, she would rather die…

The others were already gone, transformed into vassals for the Witch - who seemed all familiar for reasons Atalanta couldn't figure out - and sent to cause havoc. Lancer and Assassin obeyed her orders from the get-go, while the others were dragged down there and slowly swore their allegiance to her. First, surprisingly, was the Saint - though the Archer had the suspicion she wanted to try and get on her Master's good graces to do something - followed by the phantom and then the ambiguously gendered knight, leaving her at the tender mercies of the Caster.

Hours passed since and she didn't budge. The man left to attend to some duty for his Master. The Archer let herself relax for a moment.

She knew she would die here. Good. So long as she didn't hurt anyone…especially kids…

There was a man in front of her.

The Archer grunted in shock. What?! She didn't hear anything from the door, and why he had that ridiculous top hat-

His hands clinched over her cheeks. He had a toothy grin.

"...yes. Yes, you shall serve."

The green-haired huntress glared at Berserk Archer, who was looking at her impassively.

There was a tense moment where the silence could be cut with a knife, the two staring at each other for a second. Then…

TWIP!

Both drew their bows and launched arrows, hitting each other midair and away from their targets - Atalanta's not hitting her target at all, and her Alter's cutting some strands of hair.

Growling, the Archer tried to give a shot with more pull, but grunted as she felt a pain coming from her chest. Those blasted ribs!

And she couldn't see straight either. The first shot was, much to her dismay, more a result of pure luck and instinct than her being in the proper conditions to throw a shot. Her counterpart hit hard enough to the point she would likely be crippled in combat until she could lick those wounds or get healed right now.

Unfortunately, Atalanta didn't have the time, and Perry had the one Code devoid of any sort of healing abilities, which meant she was out of luck even then…

And then she felt her wounds patch up, a message passing through her head: a command of healing.

Of course, how could she have forgotten the Command Seals! Sure, Perry had only one now, but she wouldn't blame him for taking such a decision in such a heated battle.

The huntress twisted her head to avoid the incoming projectile coming for her head and answered by knocking three arrows at the same time and trying to cover a larger area, but her Alter managed to slide over them all and charge ahead, her hands extending into claws to hop onto the green-haired huntress and slice her apart.

The Archer flipped midair and tried a kick into the side of her body, but that did nothing: the maddened beast took the hit and, almost with contempt, grabbed her counterpart's throat and chokeslammed her into the ground.

"Y-you…why are you…?!" Atalanta gasped between breaths.

"Enemy to kill, orders of my master," the huntress said, her voice cold as winter. "For the dream."

"For the…?" Atalanta uttered incredulously. "Don't come at me with such a bold-faced lie!!"

Summoning an arrow in her hand, she stabbed it at the hide of her other self, whose grip relaxed due to reeling from the wound. Then, summoning another arrow in her other hand, she tried to aim for the throat.

CLINK!

Except it now bounced harmlessly against it. The huntress rolled out of the way and gritted her teeth at being too slow to use the opportunity.

"You knew it wouldn't work," Berserk Archer rebuked. "The same trick never worked twice with the boar either."

The Calydonian Boar. When most people spoke of boars and Greek mythology, most would dedicate their thoughts to - who else? - Heracles and his subjugation of the Erymanthian Boar as one of his twelve labours. Yet, Atalanta felt the Calydonian Boar was the scarier beast.

The Erymanthian Boar? Strong. Big. A terrifying and brutal monster, a top-notch Phantasmal at the top of its health. Only a man like Heracles could have captured it by himself and lived to tell the tale, less an animal, more like a force of nature.

The Calydonian Boar was different, however. It was a divine punishment inflicted by Artemis herself due to the king of Calydon forgetting to honor her. And her lady made sure it was a tough beast to kill. The beast was also granted a blessing of adaptation: it passively adapted to the environment around it to always be in the best state possible for survival.

Too hot? It developed manners to cool itself down - more effective ways to sweat, its fur became thinner on the spot…

Trapped in a tight space? If it didn't decide to charge against its pursuers and overwhelm them with strength, it would develop a musculature more akin to that of a mountain goat and hop on the rocks to escape - maybe even drop on the unsuspecting hunters and eviscerate them.

A blade wounded him? It's skin would become rougher, harder to get an attack to stick.

In short, a beast perfect to kill in any environment, adapting to be at its best in any habitat. The apex of survival.

"..." Atalanta didn't answer, instead hopping away and starting to run. She needed time-

She slid under the attack, and answered by kicking the shin of her counterpart, and tried to jump again-

"Cease. The power of the boar makes me faster," the other huntress stated, attempting another lunge that this time ripped part of the green Archer's shirt. "You won't be able to escape me."

Atalanta managed to land a punch on the face of her opponent.

"Shut up! Now you decide to speak, you bastard?!" she snarled. "Trying to make me stop because of whatever lies they told you? Wake up! We are not saving any children like this!"

The Berserk Archer didn't budge, grabbing the arm of her counterpart and throwing her against the ground, letting her grasp for the beast.

"I don't need you to understand me. I only ask you to perish," the beastial huntress declared, raising her foot up in the air-

"HAH!"

Another figure slammed violently against the altered Archer, pushing it away from her. She felt the small hands of Perry helping her up, while Jeanne stared at Atalanta Alter.

"Are you alright?" the Ruler asked calmly.

"...yeah," she exhaled after a moment, pushing her Master away. "You should stay hidden, Perry, this battle is about to get too-"

THACK!

The other Archer recovered and launched an arrow from Tauropolos, which Jeanne had to intercept midair to stop it from hitting Perry.

"She knows he's our Master!" the Ruler exclaimed. "We need to work together to protect him!"

The huntress gave a sideways glance to the Ruler, but nodded.

"I will not let that aberration get away from here," the huntress vowed, growling like an animal. "Let's go!"

The beastial huntress charged ahead, while the two Servants prepared to receive the foe.

"Die in a ditch, you pain in the ass!"

Carmilla hopped away from the foolish dragon girl, madly swinging her spear, before summoning an iron maiden to act as a shield.

"I could say the same to you, pink-haired fool!" the countess growled, ordering chains to fly and attempt to snare the Lancer, who jumped over them and swung her large spear to try and decapitate her counterpart, only for the vampiress move the torture device and parry it, pushing the girl away. "Of all places for you to be, you just have to appear here!"

"I could say the same to you!" Her younger self yelled angrily. "No better time to clear the task that made me appear here: make you eat the dirt!"

The dragon girl summoned her wings to give a boost ahead, but once more the Berserk Assassin blocked it, opening the floating device and trying to trap the Lancer inside, who, with a twirl, avoided death.

"Naturally! As always, the child throws a tantrum when seeing me!" the vampire snarled, swinging more chains. One managed to ensnare the ankle of the Lancer, which Carmilla used to whip her younger self into the dirt repeatedly. "Do you think you can deny me? I am what we become: the Blood Countess who bathes in the blood of maidens!"

She summoned another iron maiden to crush the girl, but Elizabeth simply answered with a sonic roar that shattered it into pieces.

"I refuse to become an old and boring coot like you!" the draconic Lancer barked back. "Elizabeth Bathóry follows her own path!"

"Your future is already set ahead of your eyes," the vampire snarled. "Accept and make it easier for me!"

The two returned to their ferocious conflict, swinging their weapons at high-speeds.

The two Frenchmen stared at each other. The queen and her executioner stood on opposite sides.

"Oh, Sanson…" the woman said softly in a sad tone, staring at the Assassin…more specifically, at his bloody blade. "How many have you already killed to get here?"

He wiped the blood away dismissively.

"Irrelevant. Irrelevant when you stand in front of me," he had a wicked grin on his face. "I thought my summoning here must have been a whim on the part of my Master…but in truth, it must have been fate. Fate asks me to grant you another execution on you."

She closed her eyes and then opened them again.

"I'm sorry. But in the state you are, your blade shall never be able to cut my nape like the guillotine did, Sanson."

"...you didn't show such bold words back then," the white-haired man continued. "Even in death, you kept a dignity worthy of a queen beloved by all…ah. Ah!" His eyes gleamed.

He turned his blade against her.

"Marie! An executioner has to settle the debt of sinners. The pain we cause in those last moments is to surpass that burden of sin. In short, to make them feel the joy of death! Tell me, Maria! Had you reached this climax on my hands?!"

The Rider stared silently at her executioner…before sighing, summoning two crystal horses beside her, a third summoned for her to ride.

"You will have to defeat me to get those answers," she declared firmly. "And in exchange, I shall purify you."

This caused some bewilderment in the Assassin.

"Purify…me?"

Before he could question further, Marie charged ahead, her horses flanking the mad Servant.

"GRAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

"Senpai!"

Mash's hand threw him back as she put herself in the way of the gunfire, her shield expanding with her Noble Phantasm as the rapid fire from the machine bounced against it.

"HAH!"

She tried to send a few of the shots back, but the process was tremendously ineffective: most of the shots ended up only hitting his surroundings, and the few that did aim at him didn't hit true: the knight still was nimble enough to avoid these shots despite his presumably heavy armor.

"HOW MANY BULLETS DOES THIS STUPID THING HAVE?!" Ritsuka questioned with a scream, exasperated as the stream seemed never-ending.

"All he wants!" Mozart answered, summoning his familiars. "Come on, get him!"

The small angels flew around and tried to distract the warrior by striking against its helmet, but such motions were not strong enough to cause any impact.

"...well, I don't know what I expected," the musician admitted.

Kiyohime huffed.

"Stay put, Anchin-sama. That weapon is not going to scare you any further!"

Ritsuka was still confused about the whole Anchin thing, but Kiyohime leaped with all her strength, flying a good five meters in the air before taking a deep breath and blasting out a large blast of blue fire from her mouth.

The black Berserker noticed this and, realizing he couldn't dodge with his weapon weighing him, opted to throw it against the wave of blue fire going to him, detonating it before it could hit him and rolling away.

"Mash, Siegfried!"

"Aye, Senpai!"

"Understood."

The Saber and the Shielder leaped at the seemingly unarmed Berserker, but…

"Look out!"

The warning of Mozart was all they got as Berserker picked something behind him and swung against the two Servants, pushing them back and unveiling a massive wing from the wreckage, using it as an oversized blade that would make most anime swordsmen blush.

Siegfried was unimpressed, however, letting the wrecked part hit him, not even moving an inch, before swinging Balmung and destroying the improvised weapon.

What made him pause was when Berserker pulled out submachine guns out of nowhere and started firing.

"Who gave him these things?!" Ritsuka yelled incredulously, letting a yelp as Mozart tackled him to the ground to avoid the spray of bullets. Mash nimbly put herself in the way of further shots, while Siegfried boosted forward, Balmung emitting blue flames.

"Hah!"

The dragon-slayer hopped forward and sliced at Berserker, who sacrificed his weapons once more, letting them be destroyed to use as a shield, but then twisting his back, grabbing rocks and throwing them at the Saber's face.

The knight actually flinched at the impact, the special ability of Berserker turning the stones in Noble Phantasms, before being punched in the face by the mad knight, sending him stepping back.

"Herr Siegfried!" Mash shouted concernedly, charging ahead with a shield slam, but the knight turned quickly, grasping the borders of the shield. The Shielder's eyes widened as red lines began to pop on its surface-

BOOM! An explosion of mana blasted the knight away!

"Nice job, Mash!" she heard Ritsuka praise. "What was that?"

The girl blinked, looking confused at her weapon.

"I don't-"

"Heads up!" Kiyohime warned, sending another stream of flames against the black knight, who twirled a metal rod with its hands as an improvised shield.

Mash could swear he was eyeing her…appraisingly? She shook her head, focusing back on the fight as Kiyohime began to send waves of blue flame against the blackened knight. This time, he didn't grab any weapons, instead jumping towards the fire, much to his fellow Berserker's shock, punching her in the stomach and grabbing her fans midair, both of the weapons blackening on contact, and he tried a swing to hit her in the back of the head-

Then an orb of red light hit the knight, and he grumbled.

"Kiyohime, get out!" Ritsuka shouted as the knight slowly shrugged off the effects of the Gandr.

The girl obeyed, and the attack only hit the ground, causing a large crater to appear in it.

"Mister, those fans were not cheap!" the girl said, annoyed, letting out another flush of blue flames that the knight swept away with the fans, causing large winds. "Those fans were not made to be weapons!"

Siegfried charged ahead and collided with the knight, who used his improvised weapons to stop the blade's swing. He tried hitting him with the tips of the fans in the face, but the Saber easily dodged the maneuver and hit a shoulder tackle that made the knight let go of his weapons. Before Siegfried could finish him off, the knight kicked something at Siegfried-

"DOWN!"

The missile blew up and pushed the warrior back, but other than that, he was still unscathed.

"...hmph. A remnant from the airplane," the swordsman deduced, turning to face the black knight, his eyes narrowed. "But you are out of weapons, knight. Or at least weapons that might wound through my Armor."

Ritsuka looked around and realized Siegfried was right. While there were a few objects Berserker could convert into weapons - stones, a branch of wood, he was even considering some patches of dirt as possible tools - there wasn't anything lethal. That last effort with the missile scattered the other parts of the plane out of Berserker's reach…

…and it realized that.

Mash felt confused as she felt the knight's stare on her before he made his next move.

"...!"

Something seemed to change in the air. Ritsuka realized he could now see the shape of the warrior's armor.

"He…deactivated his Noble Phantasm?" Mozart asked in confusion.

The warrior's helmet lowered, and as it did, a cloud of shadows appeared in his empty hands. A pitch-black blade appeared from those shadows, a chain wrapping around its guard. The Master could tell it felt…wrong. As if it had once been something better, but-

He took notice of the reactions of his two Servants a moment after. Mash's body was all tensed up.

'What is this feeling?' the Shielder asked herself. 'That man…why does this feel so…'

Meanwhile, Siegfried's words were far more audible.

"That blade…there is no doubt," he said sternly, yet determined. "It has the authority of dragon-slaying. A knight hailed from France, said to have once slain a dragon in the name of a great king! Are you Lancelot du Lac, Knight of Camelot?"

The helmet was finally fully down. The unhealthy face of a pale man with shaggy hair and distorted teeth - someone who might once have been beautiful - stared at them, the fog of madness twirling in his eyes.

His answer to Saber's question was simply one:

"AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRTTTTTTTTHHHHHHHUUUUUURRRRRRR!"

The huntress stared as the mysterious man approached her.

"You…don't feel…Servant…" she grumbled, the words slurring out of her maddened mind.

Could it be a Master? Some cocky upstart who...no, his clothes seemed too sophisticated and different from the nobles of the time. Then who…?

"Lev Lainur Flauros," he introduced himself cheerfully. "My, what an honor to meet one of the Argonauts! Quite a famous bunch, they…"

The huntress could feel the pause in his voice.

"...and?"

"And some of the greatest fools this world has ever seen!" he laughed, his tone mocking. "A bunch of demi-gods and people blessed by god following a blonde fool whose only notable traits are a quick wit and a fast mouth! Don't you think it's comical, huntress?"

While Atalanta didn't mind the offenses towards Jason - those were thoughts she herself had sometimes - she still growled.

"I see…little…funny…"

"Comedy is subjective, as some say," the…magus(?) smiled. "And I was in dire need of some laughs after an unpleasant accident involving a scarecrow of a man, and you were the one closest to my playground. Speaking of funny things…do you wanna know a secret? You're gonna love this."

And then he spoke. Of the tragedy of a man who fell in love with the dreams of a maiden, who pushed himself to the brink of sanity to realize her dreams…only for the country to stab her in the back. Of his descent into madness and occultism, an obsession that would last for the rest of his life…

"And here's the trick: my brothers gave him the power for all he wanted," he finished, letting out a low chuckle. "A Grail, the bones of a beast, all the tools to bring hell to the country…and he summons a shade of his partner. A shallow shade that matches nothing with the real thing! A dream of his turned reality, him being the greatest betrayer of her hopes and dreams! Isn't there something delightful on that?"

"It's…horrible…!" Archer muttered with an appalled, angry face, straining against her bindings. "You…played…heart!"

"His heart was already rotten, huntress," Lev huffed. "I just gave it a push." He grinned sadistically. "Now, I can amuse myself seeing that kid roam around and think they are something greater than a hollow dream! You ought to follow someone like this, don't you? Protector of children and all that."

With a roar, Atalanta tried to bite his neck off - but his hand snapped and grasped her cheeks.

"Ah…you are just a wild animal at the end of the day. Then again, so is the remainder of humanity under their garbs of reason, society, and the like," Lev smirked, flashing her with his inhuman sharp teeth. "Now…seeing you don't want to entertain more of my talk…" he looked straight at her eyes, the world slowly beginning to spin. "Let us make you an obedient kitty, shall we?"

The first blow was by Jeanne. Not a stab from her flag, as both Atalantas expected, but rather a wild haymaker with her off-hand.

The beast, caught off-guard by the gesture, flew back, the tremendous power of the saint's fist pushing the animalistic hunter away.

Meanwhile, the green Archer readied her bow, her Tauropolos, and started quickly shooting at her Alter, who growled and gave several backflips to avoid every one of those projectiles. She reeled her bow into the small animal standing behind Atalanta…

"I will not let you do that!"

Only for Jeanne to seemingly teleport in front of her and deliver a vicious kick in the ribs! The Berserk Archer growled in anger and slashed at her foe's face, narrowly avoiding it by pushing herself backwards.

With a snarl, the beast charged ahead, turning into a massive boar in the middle of the way.

"What-!?"

Jeanne grunted at the impact, her feet sliding as the monster pushed her with all its might, and the saint struggled to stop the charge, grabbing its tusks in an attempt to avoid getting run over.

A green blur slammed on the beast's side, sending it flying and turning back into its original form. Both Atalantas stared at each other and, in unison, fired their bows, arrows intercepting midair and shattering into pieces. A certain secret agent observed the exchange silently.

"Gyu!" said Perry from Atalanta's back.

"What are you doing there, Master?!" the Ruler asked, looking worried. "It's too dangerous here!"

"It's more dangerous if he's alone," Atalanta grimaced. "One moment is all it takes for her to shoot him down, and in this state my senses are so sharpened there's no way Perry can hide. At least here she has to pass by me before hitting him."

Not that it gave the huntress much comfort, considering how strong her arrows were in this state, but Atalanta would take anything at this point.

The beastial huntress charged ahead, being intercepted midway by the saint, who proceeded to use her flag's sharp point as a spear to fend off the strikes from the Berserk Archer while the Ruler fought it off.

"Don't stab her anywhere that is not the heart or the head!" the Archer said loudly.

"Why?!" the Ruler asked.

"Because-!"

Jeanne managed to nail the beast with two consecutive hits, one going through her shoulder, then trying to go for the heart. However, while it did hit its target, the tip of the flag couldn't pierce the flesh.

"...of that," the huntress finished, while Perry winced as the Alter countered with a brutal fist to the stomach that sent the blonde sliding into the ground, the pieces of her armor failing all bent from the brutal hit.

Perry looked at Atalanta, confused about what had happened.

"It's the property of my Noble Phantasm, Agrius Metamorphosis," she explained, frowning gravely. "To sum up, it makes me take the adaptability the Calydonian Boar had in life, and it's causing to actively adapt to the current situation in order to get the best possible configuration for survival at the present moment!"

The huntress fired a few more arrows that intercepted the incoming barrage. She heard Perry let out an inquisitive grunt, probably something in the lines of "How do we beat it?"

"We won by constantly grinding him down with different weapons! New modifications keep overwriting the older ones, so we could keep damaging it, but it still took days to get him down due to how fast and clever he-!"

The huntress flipped midair, avoiding the incoming barrage of shots and loosening up her own salvo.

Perry grunted a few more times, pointing to Jeanne, then pointing to Atalanta.

"Yeah, I think I can get a kill shot, but only if she's not resistant to my shots," the Archer answered, tsking. "She seems to be able to hold her for long enough."

The platypus grunted, and Atalanta jumped further away. The darkened hunter attempted to pursue, but Jeanne tackled the beast to the ground and started hitting it with the blunt part of her weapon viciously. When the other Archer managed to grasp it, Jeanne switched to kicks that, while lacking in finesse, were powerful enough to take the air out of her lungs.

The darkened Archer's hand morphed into a vicious clawed paw that she began to use to lunge at her foe, who swiftly dodged it and grasped her head, slamming it into the ground once, twice, and trying a third time, but now her normal hand extended in size, stopping the final slam and then using it to throw sand at the Ruler's face, who backs down, temporarily stunned. The other hand turned into another paw that she tried to use to crush her foe's skull to a pulp by slamming both on Jeanne's head, but she ducked and proceeded to hit her foe with the side of her flag, then use the blunt end to stun her and put her arms around the beast's back, who struggled to get free.

"Do it!" the Ruler yelled with her teeth grinding, her face strained. "I can take the shot!"

The huntress quickly knocked an arrow into her bow, considering the distance. From that far, it could be very well be a point-blank shot for her, so she reeled her string the furthest she could, staring at her target. Ruler was quite tanky, and her other self's defenses were currently focused on handling blunt damage. A straight shot through the spirit core…

Then an ugly image went into her head. A straight shot…through both of them. Just pull the string a bit further, it could be denied as an accident…

And immediately her mind to the talk with Marie earlier, and she felt the shame leaking into her mind. What was she doing? Worrying over that grudge right-

One second. That line of thought took a singular second…but for a Heroic Spirit, it was an eternity.

"AAAAHHHHH-!"

Jeanne released the grip she had on the Alter, roaring in pain and grasping her chest, filled with holes.

Perry let out a confused screech, looking at the girl befuddled, then to Atalanta. What had just happened? It didn't take a moment for Atalanta to answer.

"Her back!" she realized, looking at the spiky back of her Alter, akin to that of a hedgehog. "She adapted to get released from the hold! She was holding her so tightly that many must have pierced her defenses even with the armor!"

The Alter roared and proceeded to hammer at Jeanne with an oversized arm, sending the Saint flying away, before turning to her sane counterpart, who launched an arrow aimed straight at the head that she dodged by nudging her head to the side.

Realizing the delicate situation she's in, Atalanta turned and began to run, hoping to win some time to think of a plan and inwardly cursing herself. Why?! Why did she have to-?!

"GYUUU!"

At the last moment, Atalanta threw her Master as far as possible from her as the black boar slammed into her, sending her flying into a tree that let out an audible crack at the hit. The huntress blacked out for a second at the intensity of the impact, futilely trying to reach for her bow, beyond her grasp, and her mind too clouded to summon it back. She felt the blood running from the wounds left by the violent tusks, trying to stop the bleeding with her hands to no avail.

She tried to feel the presence of her Master and got…something weird. She felt he was alive and conscious…but she couldn't-

Her reasoning was interrupted as her Alter slowly walked towards her, returning to her humanoid form in the process, silently staring at her.

The crystalline horse hopped from one side to the other, avoiding the lunges from its opponent as he madly tried to hack it's enemy away. With a roar, he charged forward and, with a clean cut, decapitated the final summon of the queen of France, who stared at the scene impassively from atop her ride.

Sanson's eyes turned to meet hers, ever the lovely blue that still held some strength.

"You call my blade dull, your highness?" he asked aggressively. "You couldn't be wronger than that! With my executioner's blade, I slashed away at the nape of many sinners in the short time I've been called upon this world! Yet, despite that, it never felt sharper, it's cuts cleaner! My technique…is nothing short of flawless!"

The woman stared at the man silently. There was no anger in those eyes. Only…

…pity?

"Oh, Henri…" she responded. "Your madness truly blinded you to the truth."

Truth?!

"I will give you some truths then, milady!" he roared, charging ahead with all his speed.

The Rider went ahead with the deed, her crystalline steed hopping over the Assassin and attempting to hit him, only for his nimble dodge to leave him in a prime position to hop onto the back of the horse and aim a slash at her!

CHINK!

The woman managed to twist her body in the last moment, avoiding having her head split in half, but her eyes widened in shock at her left arm, split from the rest of the body as it fell to the ground.

"You, of all people! Walking this land as a savior of this nation, who persecuted you! You should be the one to bear the most hatred of all! So why? Why fight for it?!" He yelled.

The queen's eyes steeled as she cast away a pink orb from her remaining arm, blasting herself away from the Assassin, who covered his eyes to avoid getting dust on them.

"...you are right, there are many reasons to hate the people who sent me to an early death. But I hold no resentment over them," despite the pain she was in, the laughter that came from Marie's voice was crystalline. "But I hold no hate towards them. Not an ounce of it. Poets say that hate and love are counterparts to each other…but, in the end. Even if people did horrible things here. Even if many atrocities were and will be committed…"

She had the sweetest of smiles on her face.

"I could never truly muster myself to hate this nation. And for that reason…I can't afford to be cut here by your dull blade, Sanson. A blade weighted by sins."

'A blade…weighted by sins?'

The Assassin stood there, dumbstruck. Then…anger simmered in his gut.

"How dare you…how dare you!"

From behind him, a machine emerged, its wicked blade held atop.

"I planned to execute you with my blade, sharpened by slaying the wicked…" the Berserk Assassin's eyes were roaring with the flames of madness. "But I shall instead dispatch you with this invention of mine: La Mort Espoir: Death is Hope For Tomorrow!"

Marie stared at the machine as shadowy hands emerged from it, homing in on her direction. With a whistle, she summoned a new crystal horse, which carried her away from them.

"You understood the nature of this instinctively, didn't you?!" he asked madly. "A Noble Phantasm that is the end of the line for all who sinned, an instrument that lives on the threshold of being the most human, and the most definitive tool of execution! You, famed for your death, have no hopes of surviving this fate!"

He knelt on the ground, suddenly feeling weak.

"So…why struggle? Why keep fighting? Why…why not leave me to redeem myself? Give you the perfect departure?"

The queen stared at the kneeling man, then at the cursed hands…then, without a second thought, switched tracks. Her heart beat fast, the instinctive fear brought on by the instrument of execution…but she still marched unwavering. Then, softly, she said:

"Guillotine Breaker: Glory to the Crown of Lilies."

The horse marched on at full speed, leaving a trail of crystals and flowers in it's wake. It hopped straight into the blade of the machine, which went down-

CRACK!

And immediately broke upon collision with the horse's head, moving ahead and piercing straight through Sanson's right arm, now a stump just like Marie's.

"I…don't understand…" the executioner whispered, shocked.

The expression of the queen was a sad one.

"Sanson…you, of all people, were the kindest executioner this world has ever seen. Even if your hands are stained with blood, your heart remained pure throughout, searching to absolve people of their sins at the end of their lives."

She gave a glance at the shattered remains of his blade.

"Upon summoning, you went slaying any person, regardless of whether they were virtuous or a sinner. Such a path is not that of the executioner, but of a murderer, a killer. Your so gentle blade became dull under the weight of senseless death. A sword unfit for such a gentle soul…"

At this statement…the only thing that the Berserk Assassin could do was roar to the skies in anger…

…or maybe in sadness, understanding finally the piece of himself he lost.

He was in front of Mash in an instant and swung his blade, the famed Arondight, with tremendous power.

"BLOCK!"

Her Master's hasty warning was what saved Mash from being decapitated, but even then, the girl was sent flying away in the air, before landing on her back, out of breath.

'...what did just-'

The knight roared once more, charging in the girl's direction, but Siegfried readily put himself in the way, the holy blades of Fae and Nibelungs clashing so hard that the land shattered under both men's feet.

"Hah!" "!"

The knights began a mad dance of swords clashing at speeds faster than the eye could see. Ritsuka blinked, shocked at the scene, almost like something out of an anime.

"Fujimaru, are you there?!" he heard Olga's voice coming from the communicator. "Answer us, what was that burst of energy?!"

He hastily picked up the device, turning it on.

"I-it's Berserker! I think he was hiding his true power and…he's Sir Lancelot!" the boy finished, staring at the scene, startled.

Ritsuka could swear he saw the woman pale in the hologram.

"S-sir Lancelot of the Knights of the Round Table? In his homeland? As a BERSERKER?!" she almost screeched. "You've got to get out of there, we are not managing to contact Perry, and we can't afford to-!"

CLANG!

The swords stopped their mad dance, now it was a contest of pure power - one that Siegfried was slowly losing.

"I…don't think this is an option anymore," Mozart sweated profusely. "If we run, we are screwed either way."

The only voice from the command room was Touko's. She said, dead-serious.

"So fuck'em up."

"...not like I would put it, but sure," Olga sighed. "Beat him."

He looked at the other two Servants.

"...try your best," he said, his throat a bit dry.

"Yes, Anchin," Kiyohime smiled before frowning, charging into the fray, while Mozart silently drew his tool and began to sing his melody.

"Requiem for Death!"

The melody impacted the Berserker, who grunted at the harmful melody while Siegfried continued his assault, swinging Balmung around to clash with Arondight at every pace.

Then Lancelot punched him in the face.

The sudden maneuver caught the Germanic knight off-guard, but he tried to quickly push it, only for Lancelot to retract his fist in a feint and swing the dragon-slaying blade, slicing the shoulder before being pushed away by a violent swing of the dragon-slayer.

Siegfried touched his wound, bypassing even the mighty defense given by the blood of Fafnir.

"Dangerous…" he grimaced, touching the wound. "Few attacks can cut through the Armor of Fafnir like this…"

The maddened Knight of the Lake roared and charged again, only to be intercepted by a stream of flames from Kiyohime, who breathed it from her mouth like a dragon would.

'...did that do the-'

As the girl would figure, when the armored hand grasped her neck and chokeslammed her into the ground, no, it did not do the trick.

Lancelot raised Arondight to strike at the immobilized Berserker, and Mash appeared and bashed against the knight on his side. His grip on the girl loosened as he was sent flying, but he soon touched back the ground and brutally swung his blade. More prepared, the Shielder was "only" sent sliding across the ground, carving a path where her boots touched it.

'So powerful!' the girl thought as the knight proceeded with his assault, swinging his blade skillfully. 'Yet he retains so much finesse! Even in this state where his mind is in disarray, it still feels he could match Herr Siegfried blow to blow!'

Only last-second reaction after last-second reaction stopped the magenta-haired girl from being skewered left and right, but even then, she felt hits in her body that were only not worse in no small part due to her Servant abilities being so focused on defense.

'I need to figure a way out of this situation, now! I can't take this for much-!'

The sword hit the top of the shield-

And, in a feat of fantastic strength, the Berserker used that as leverage to lift himself up and over Mash.

The eyes of the girl widened, as she tried to move her shield to block the attack, but realized she couldn't possibly block the attack in-

don'tthinkact

She swung her shield at inhuman speeds, slamming at the Berserker and sending him flying.

"Mash! That was-!" she heard the praise from Ritsuka, who she noticed had his seals ready.

The girl blinked. She was sure she wouldn't-

The knight roared and launched himself against Mash, only for the burly form of Siegfried to perform a shoulder tackle against him.

"Excuse me, but I'm also your foe. Brace yourself!"

The Knight of the Lake growled and began trading blows against Siegfried again, the knight now using bursts of energy from his blade to get the upper hand in the showdowns.

Yet, Ritsuka could tell it was not enough.

"He's too strong," the Master murmured nervously. "Even with Requiem affecting him."

The musician nodded.

"I can't keep this up for much longer. We have to finish this fast. But that guy is a tough nut…"

Ritsuka looked around, thinking on what they could do. Maybe if Siegfried could get a direct hit with Balmung…but the enemy knight was too fast for the burly warrior to avoid, and if they missed the shot-

An idea crawled into his head.

"Kiyohime, cover Siegfried! Mozart, forget the song and blast at him!"

The musician looked at the Master, surprised, before nodding and starting to pepper the warrior with energy orbs that did little against the Magic Resistance.

What did affect the knight was Kiyohime jumping out of nowhere onto his back and starting to breathe fire upon him. Siegfried kicked him away and jumped back, feeling the intent of the Master and, lifting his blade, began to chant.

The former Knight of the Round Table roared as Kiyohime's fire began to burn some of his face, before grasping her by the hair and attempting to throw her away, but the Berserker grasped at his manacles and let out a shower of sparks that blinded him.

"Step away from it!"

Like a snake, the girl slithered away from the scene, leaving Lancelot staring at the massive pillar of light coming from Balmung. Snarling, the knight grasped Arondight and charged ahead, ready to cut the warrior off before he could finish his attack.

By then, however, it was too late.

"Balmung!"

The stream of destruction was unleashed…but met no resistance. At the last possible moment, by what could only be described as a gesture involving as much luck as it did skill, Lancelot dodged the powerful slash.

"AAAAAHHHHH-!"

The Berserker attempted to exploit the opening that launching the Noble Phantasm created to decisively cut off the Saber's head.

…then the light came back. The Berserker's eyes widened and he tried to step away again, but Siegfried, having dropped his weapon of choice and realizing the scope of Ritsuka's plan a moment before, held the man from behind as the blue flame reached their position, using his body as a shield when the rebound Balmung hit them.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH-!"

The burst of energy continued for a few seconds until it finally went down, and Mash Kyrielight allowed herself to lower her shield, Lord Chaldeas shutting down in response.

'It…worked,' the Shielder thought, exhausted.

The true plan of Ritsuka was far more deceptive than it seemed: to have the others distract Berserker while she positioned herself far behind. Once Siegfried launched his Noble Phantasm, she used Lord Chaldeas to redirect it back, allowing a clean hit.

What was not part of the plan was Siegfried taking the brunt of the attack, but knowing the toughness of the Saber…

Indeed, as the dust lowered, the contrast between the men was noticeable. Siegfried stood, his body filled with wounds from the rebounded Balmung, and his hair partially burnt. His pauldrons were gone, as was most of his clothing, his skin peppered with burn marks and open gashes that would cause Asclepius to freak out when he saw them, yet he stood like an oak, having taken his attack with the dignity and strength expected of a hero renowned by his toughness.

Lancelot was not so lucky. While he breathed, his armor broke under the brunt of the powerful Noble Phantasm, his cherished blade useless on the ground as his arms were in no condition to wield it yet again. His pale face was half-burnt, showing some of his muscles. Once Siegfried released his grip, both men fell to the ground, exhausted - but only one began to disappear in golden energy, his spirit core pushed to the utter limits. His expression felt…oddly peaceful, as if he was satisfied with something.

Mash had the feeling he stared at her as he disappeared, his lips moving with a silent message:

'...pretty…good…'

The girl kept staring as he faded into nothing, until it seemed there had never have been a knight lying on that grass.

Mash slowly looked at Ritsuka.

"Presence…of Berserker Lancelot…confirmed to have disappeared…" she panted.

Ritsuka slowly moved his hand to the communicator, turning it on.

The first image he saw? Touko, giving a thumbs up.

"See? It was that simple."

"Give me space," Olga grumbled. "Fujimaru! Status report!"

The Master blinked, gagging a bit.

"A-ahem…Berserker is dead, but Siegfried got hurt! I still don't know how bad the wounds are-"

At this moment, Siegfried lifted from the ground, wincing.

"E-excuse me…for worrying you," he apologized before giving a reassuring nod. "But I can at least say…I will live."

Kiyohime helped the dragonslayer.

"Here…I will look over you in Anchin's stead while he handles these matters. We will find a comfy space for you to heal," she looked at Mozart, who lay on the ground, partially exhausted from the continuous usage of his Noble Phantasm. "Come on, maestro. Help me."

"...can't you carry me too?" he asked tiredly.

"... never mind," the Berserker reconsidered, unamused. "I will just do it on my own."

"We are calling Asclepius to the Command Room," Olga informed. "Should at least help keep him stable until we can get to Perry…"

The white-haired girl bit her lip.

Ritsuka silently gulped. "...director? Did Perry and his group meet enemies?"

The look on her face said it all.

Being deprived of the ability to see all of a sudden would frighten most people.

Thankfully, Perry was not like most people. He worked for years to sharpen his four other senses to the point that missing one or two would not hinder him in the slightest.

Still, it was a bit terrifying that he might have lost his ability to see forever. Slamming the head on the ground, even with grass to soften the blow…

Not good. Not good in the slightest.

Still, he forced himself to stay calm, using his link with Atalanta to see.

The huntress was facing her Altered self, slowly walking to her. The Archer gave a dry smile.

"Hello…me. Came here to put me out of misery?"

The huntress glared defiantly as the Altered self morphed her hand into a large claw.

"...yes. I will rip your heart out to be as painless as possible," the Berserk Archer answered coldly. "It's the sole mercy I can provide you and your Master."

The green-haired Atalanta scowled.

"Mercy…" she watched the city far away, as its defenders launched attack after attack against a new horde of wyverns orbiting them. Her vision let her see a man in bronze armor, mounted on a horse, easily slaying them. The Servant, too far away and busy to help them. "You call…any of this…mercy?"

The huntress bared her teeth.

"A destroyed world…a barren land where only ashes are allowed to remain…what part of this…is part of our ideal?!" she almost roared like a beast. "This world…is not a world where children can live happily! It's not a world where they are protected! In fact, when I look at what you did, look at what company…I feel my heart roar in anger!"

"...it's all for our dream," the other Atalanta replied, her face blank. "For I have realized it's folly."

Atalanta snarled.

"Folly? The only madness I see is you trying to justify mindless slaughter for a cause like this! A world with no children is a world where we utterly failed in our dreams!"

"...and a world that still has children in it is a failure either way."

The Archer blinked, bewildered.

"What?"

The Berserk Archer raised her claw.

"I resisted her calls. The torture of the mad sorcerer. I was resigned to keep fighting until my mind broke, or my body shattered, whatever of the two came first," her hand tightened. "And then…the man in the top hat came to me."

She was still stuck with her arms in the air by invisible chains, as she saw herself in a new environment. A city set aflame, the screams of soldiers gleefully howling as the city defenders fought a losing battle. Somehow, she knew where and when she was. The pillaging of Troy, an event that happened beyond her lifespan.

She looked at the top of a tower, as she heard the screams of women desperately attempting to stop a brutal end to no avail.

Her throat dried, as Astyanax, son of Hektor, was sent flying to his doom.

The image changed. Now the setting was different, of kids dressed in stripped clothes being forced into a large room by armed men.

She could hear their fight a few minutes after, as the gas filled the chambers-

Again. A man choked a child-

Again. A girl was pushed back by two burlier men-

Again. A boy in a soldier's clothes was mercilessly cut down-

"Stop…"

Atalanta begged, as the speed the images entered her mind began to increase more and more. Kids slain, abused, and molested in all shapes and forms.

"Not until you see my point, fool."

He loomed over her…all around her. Surrounded by golden eyes that observed her plight with amusement.

"Stop…this can't be…this can't be…"

"But it is. A glimpse of the truth you try to deny yourself. An impossible mad dream you futilely chase like a fly goes for light. Don't you just think this is wonderful?"

She tried to fight her chains, to no avail.

"In this state, ironically, you might have the mind the clearest it has ever been. As you recognize, a law that all animals have followed since the beginning of times. Only the strongest may live…and the only mercy granted to the weak is a swift end."

"SHUT UP! SHUT UP!" she roared like a lion, struggling further on her chains. "Kids deserve to live in this world! They don't deserve to live like-!"

Like me, she wanted to say, but her voice choked on anger, both from the words of the man…no, of the monster, and the images that kept bleeding in her head. She could barely see the eyes as her mind was overwhelmed by information.

"Oh…such a kind soul," Lev said mockingly. "But, you know…you forget that kids always eventually grow…and what happens with them?"

Suddenly, the images stopped. And only a scene passed in her head. Of a man fighting valiantly to the bitter end…Parthenopaeus, fighting at the doors of Thebes. She saw the lungs being pierced, the stones crushing his bones to dust.

She stood silent, her mind clear of more images, and only Lev's voice speaking to her. Her eyes…were hollow, devoid of any of her former fight.

"Archer…can't you see? No matter how well you treat kids. No matter how safe you make their world. At the end of the day…most of them will never reach old age. And most of these will not perish by illness, but by other means…natural disasters, hunger, the actions of fellow men. Your folly is to believe that to can turn a rotten world into something digestible. It has to be burnt down and rebuilt anew."

A pelt appeared over her shoulders. It slowly fused with her body, as she became less human and more…animal. As if she recognized the truth of the law that bound this rotten world, of its cruelty.

"All you can do…is to guarantee those burnt by the fire have a more merciful end."

Her expression became grim. Determined. A monster with only one mission was born at that moment.

To take people from this ill world to give space for a kinder one.

Atalanta stood still, shocked at what her counterpart said.

"4000 years of civilization, me," Atalanta Alter continued, her face brimmed with emptiness…but also madness. "4000 years of constant cruelty, before and after our time. Our efforts…moot. An impossible dream we chased despite its futility…when we were blinded to the truth that this world will never be good enough to reach our wishes."

"Do…do you even listen to yourself?" her green-haired counterpart questioned, coughing. "The absurdities you spew? To create…a kinder world? We…we are no gods to do such. He…he lied to you! He's just a-!"

"No, he's not just a man…" The Berserker shook her head. "Whatever he might have been before…the only thing I am certain is that he's no man. And…he made me see the blank canvas that is the future," she clenched her fist. "A clean canvas where a kinder world will be formed, where no child will ever have to worry about being hurt, be molested or ever have some deprive them of their freedom! To avoid tragedies like ours and that of Parthenophaeus!"

The huntress glared, between huffed breaths.

"A world…erected in the ashes of the tragedy of the old one…does not have space for such things! You call me mad, yet-!"

"Yet, I am the one willing to do what is needed for change!" the beastial huntress roared, baring her fangs in a roar of absolute might. "I am who's willing to take a bet to change things for the better rather than defending a system that does not work! A system where nothing people do can change it! Where even we have hands stained with the blood of those we swore to protect!"

Atalanta flinched at that. The Alter just scoffed.

"And your reaction just proves my point. Some part of you understands…understands that things will not change," she looked down at the Archer. "Join us. Turn coats on your friends, bring them with you, I don't care. This is your last chance of recognizing this twisted world."

"..."

Perry desperately wanted to be able to see, be able to comfort Atalanta. His eyes worked, so why couldn't he see anything?! Why?!

…he noticed it felt too hot. Far too hot.

His circuits?

He was so distracted by the talk between the Atalantas that the detail slipped out of his mind. The secret agent berated himself for it, taking a deep breath…and slowly, stopping to flow energy to his eyes.

And then, light passed again.

The platypus could see the grass. He could see the tree where Atalanta looked at her wounds, in an attempt to escape the stare of her counterpart. And…

He couldn't see himself.

Slowly raising a hand, he saw only grass, but could see its vague shape in the air. Slowly lifting from the ground and looking at himself, he still couldn't see himself…but he could see his Mystic Code, and a glance revealed his hat, thrown onto the ground.

He only realized his mistake when he noticed the Berserk Archer staring in his direction.

"What the…?"

Perry took a single moment to share his vision with Atalanta, and nearly gaped at the sight: his dirty Mystic Code, floating in the air alongside his eyeballs, blinking in shock.

Unfortunately, his second error was staying for so long, as the Alter regained her composure.

"I knew you were still around due to your breath, but this?" the Berserk Archer's lips thinned. "Hmph. Either way…All I can promise is a swift end."

Perry began to run, but the Alter was already knocking an arrow.

"NO!"

Atalanta tackled her counterpart viciously as her Master began to run for cover.

"You…stubborn…fool!" the Alter grunted, struggling for control of Tauropolos. "Every word I said went through your ears?!"

"It did not, but I chose not to care!" the Chaldean Archer barked, gritting her teeth. "My answer…! Is that, even if this world was not kind to kids, even if there was lots of suffering-!"

Her thoughts went to those images she saw, of a platypus and his owners, two kids with bright futures ahead of them, sharing a bond of love.

"-if it's a world where kids still can reach happiness and wish to witness the future, then it's a world it's worth fighting for!"

The two Atalantas struggled for control of the weapon for a moment, but the Alter soon overpowered her counterpart, kicking the green Atalanta away, too debilitated to escape.

"Then…go down with the rest of it," the Alter said coldly, releasing the fatal projectile.

Atalanta didn't have time to move from the projectile. All she had time for was to let out a silent apology…

'Forgive me, Perry…I promised to help you no matter what, yet I fail in the first step of this journey.'

She didn't feel the projectile piercing her flesh. And a shadow covered the moon that was illuminating Atalanta.

Opening her eyes, she saw Jeanne, having a projectile coming out of the left side of her body.

"Ah…I was expecting I could…intercept it with my Noble Phantasm…" the Ruler grunted, touching the wound, before coughing in pain. "You shoot…fast."

The Alter glared, preparing another shot, but at this point Jeanne slammed her banner on the ground:

"Luminosité Éternelle!"

Light surrounded them from all sides. A spirited Perry also rushed to their side at the moment Jeanne triggered her Noble Phantasm, being bathed in the golden light. The Alter just snarled, jumping back and firing arrows that bounced against the defenses of the Ruler.

"We need…a new…plan…" Jeanne gritted her teeth.

"Why…"

Master and Servant turned to their partner, struggling to put herself up.

"I…still considered killing you…you got hurt…" the huntress gasped. "Why…help me? Run with Perry…protect him…"

Jeanne gave a tired smile as the other huntress roared animalistically with her barrage of projectiles.

"I can't…" she looked at her wounds. "Those spikes…they got me good, I was too close…I can't move fast enough to protect us…" she coughed a bit. "Besides…I had a lot of time to reflect…to realize everyone has some part of themselves they fear…they are ashamed of…" she paused. "I…feel the other me is not me…because she lacks something fundamental…but there are things I feel ashamed of. I lived with little regrets…but part of me can't help but wonder…if I could have lived more…"

The light of the banner begins to fade, and the effects of the defense begin to falter.

"There are…things that we dislike about us…things we would rather not face…and it's alright to have them. Because…only facing such things…we can be better."

The saint gave a deep breath.

"And…most of all…even if you can't find yourself to forgive me…I will forgive you…because you are facing your demons too."

The light was now translucent, some of the arrows that once bounced on the invisible barrier now flying close to them.

'She…forgives me?'

Atalanta looked at the Saint, then at Perry, the platypus, she made the promise. Her expression of confusion slowly became one of determination, as she put herself up.

'...heh. I am pathetic,' she scoffed to herself, looking at Jeanne. 'Even with this grand speech of hers, I still look at her with rose-tinted lens. I still hate her for simply doing her job. And maybe I will never let it go.'

But…fundamentally, Jeanne d'Arc was a good person. Someone earnest, determined, and virtuous. All the things one would associate with a woman that served as a symbol for an entire faith.

…and her Master was there. She had one chance at making things right. To take a leap of faith and…

She felt the pelt on her shoulders.

"...and I apologize. For everything," the Archer murmured, moving her bow upwards and releasing an arrow. "Phoebus Catastrophe."

Right when the light of the banner stopped, an arrow storm fell upon Atalanta Alter, who moved away from the projectiles blessed by the twins of the sun and the moon.

"New plan," Atalanta continued, feeling the power of the pelt beginning to course through her. "We switch roles. I stay close, you give the finishing blow. Protect Master. Got it?"

The saint nodded. With that confirmation, Atalanta gave a deep breath…

"Agrius Metamorphosis."

Perry felt some added strain as the pelt seemingly consumed her entire being…

The Servant that came out was remarkably similar to their foe, only wearing a long-sleeved blackened version of her clothes.

"..." the Chaldean Atalanta looked at her allies for a moment before nodding and, with a war cry, charging ahead to face her enemy.

The Alter from the Dragon Witch faction growled.

"You…moron!"

The two beastial Archers launched arrows from their respective Tauropolos, clashing midair. They were being released so fast that each step the Chaldean Atalanta gave seemed to be followed by another shock of them.

Then she got close and let her claws up, slashing against her counterpart.

"Gh!"

The Alter with the boar clothing growled as she slashed back, beginning a furious war where both claws clashed midair and immediately healed due to their Self-Evolution, harder and stronger.

"Face it, you can't beat me!" the enemy Alter howled. "I had enough time in this fight to push my body to be better suited to handle your strikes, you can't-!"

The other Alter growled and then proceeded to break the claws of her enemy.

"What…?!" The maddened Atalanta's eyes widened. "They got harder faster?! How-?!"

(In the distance, she didn't notice Perry lowering his arm, having used his Mystic Code to boost his Servant's adaptability faster.)

The Chaldean Atalanta proceeded to push her mirror into the ground, snarling as she pushed the enemy Archer with her boot in an attempt to choke.

"Not so cocky now?" she mocked, putting more and more pressure, but feeling the strong opposition her foe was putting.

"Do not underestimate me!"

The Chaldean Servant snarled as her foe slashed at her leg, loosening the strength of the leg on her throat enough to push it away. The Atalanta of the Dragon Witch then tried to sweep her off her feet, but the other Atalanta was nimble enough to avoid it with a backflip and nail her foe's head with an axe kick.

"Attempting to overpower me?! Don't make me laugh!"

The Servant grasped that leg and slammed her foe on the ground with a resounding THUD! The Servant left an imprint at the point of impact, groaning in dizziness.

Berserk Archer flared her nose, steam coming from it. "Even if your Master was better, I am fed power by the Grail! In a match between the two of us, two Servants with the exact same abilities, the one that wins is defined by the quality of their Masters! And with me being bound to the Holy Grail-!"

She lifted her leg in the air, muscles reasserting to give the strongest kick power possible.

"You have no chance in Hades to beat me!"

Atalanta Alter slammed her foot on the ground, but the Chaldean Atalanta rolled away at the last moment, as the foot cracked the earth.

"We are not the same, that's the thing!" the other huntress shouted, grappling with her other self in a contest of strength. "You were driven mad by the weight of the mission we gave ourselves! I am fighting for it's sake! We couldn't be any more different if we wanted it!"

Both of them kicked each other away, sliding into the ground.

"...enough is enough," the Atalanta from the Dragon Witch hissed. "Let's put an end to this madness. Once and for all!" She roared.

The Chaldean Atalanta was breathing heavily, her dress ripped in some parts, but she nodded.

"We can agree with something for once."

It was as if there were only the two in the battlefield. The sonic screeches of Elizabeth faded away, as did the cries of sorrow and pain from afar and the roars of the beasts. Both Atalantas put their hands on the ground and became boars.

One stomp. Two stomps. And then…

BANG!

They charged at each other!

But one boar was bigger than the other, in no small part due to having a better energy source to feed into. The Berserk Archer was betting on a simple victory by sheer, raw power to do the trick. And under most circumstances, that would have been the correct move to take.

However…the Atalanta bonded with Perry had other plans.

Before they could collide, she stopped and hopped aside, letting the bigger boar pass in its charge! And, before it could recover, she charged ahead and, with all the strength granted by her form…

CRACK!

Sent the bigger boar flying!

'What?!'

The other Atalanta recovered her form, looking at the exhausted form of her Chaldean counterpart, lying on the ground nursing a nasty bruise on her head. The Alter bet that she tried to risk it all with that maneuver to win on the spot, likely trying to aim the teeth to hit a vital spot and win on the spot.

Well, too bad! All those beatings just made her more well-prepared to handle such an effort! Now she just had to get a clear shot with Tauropolos on the Master, now visible and…

And…

Where was Ruler?

And then she felt the presence, right below her. Twirling her sharp, piercing standard bearer for the final blow.

The eyes of the Berserk Archer widened as she tried to escape, forming wings-

Too late. The Ruler jumped and, with her weapon of choice-

SHINK!

Hit the vulnerable Archer midair, right through her heart.

And, for good measure, she made sure to use her weapon to rip the body in two halves, falling apart on the ground, the spirit core split apart.

The Ruler dropped to the ground, huffing as even that gesture already made her wounds hurt like hell.

The Berserk Archer had only time to utter one more phrase, as she faded into nothingness.

"...why? Why can't you accept a better world?"

And then she dissipated into golden dust, slain for good. Yet, Jeanne felt the need to answer.

"...a good world can't be formed from the ashes of the old one. It can only be formed from the actions in the present," she countered, putting her hands together in a silent prayer. "...may you find peace in your next life…" she looked at the Chaldean huntress. "Or your current one."

The Ruler grunted, feeling the pain of her battle wounds settling in again. It took quite some effort to move to a good position to ambush the Berserk Archer without being noticed by her, and even then she was sure that jump did some harm to her considering she was already pretty banged up.

She marched towards Atalanta at the same time that Perry did, looking at the skies still filled with wyverns who thankfully still focused on the city. They would have to handle that soon, but for now, she looked at the transformed Atalanta.

The two stared at each other for a moment, Perry looking at them with some expectancy…then the huntress launched her fist swiftly, stopping just short of the Ruler's face, with a grimace in the face.

"...how pathetic," the Archer said bitterly to herself. "Even after all of those words, I still can't let go of my anger…"

"...but you can recognize there's more important things too. Don't you?"

Silence. Slowly, the effect of the Noble Phantasm faded away. Atalanta lifted from the ground, devoid of wounds but dizzy.

"That took…a lot out of me," she admitted. "What about you, Master?"

Perry was about to say it was nothing, and then he felt the amount of sweat on his forehead and how every part of himself was aching. Seems the fight took a fair bit out of him.

"...come on," Jeanne sighed heavily. "We can still help the others…let's help Marie first-"

At this moment, however, something odd happened.

The wyverns began to retreat. Flying away from the city, clearing the night sky.

"Hey, get back here you-!" they heard the screeches of Elizabeth, as she tried to hit her opponent with her spear, as Carmilla faded in golden light. The Lancer had her hair scrambled and her dress stained with blood, though it was hard to say if it was hers or Carmilla's.

In the distance, Marie saw her opponent disappear as well, Sanson giving one last glance at the queen before fading into light.

Perry let out a confused grunt.

"That…the Dragon Witch recalled her Servants," Jeanne explained, frowning in confusion. "It is a property that most Master-Servant contracts possess to be able to recall Servants fast. But why…?"

"I saw this pattern once. The Dragon Witch is preparing to handle things personally."

They turned to the new figures, a brown-haired knight in bronze armor with an dragon-head shaped adornment in the left shoulder and brandishing a white blade with a gold hit and mounted on a white horse with black clothes atop him. Both rider and steed had red crosses incorporated on their clothing, also known as…

"The Saint George Cross," Jeanne greeted, respectfully bowing her head. "Are you the Heroic Spirit Georgios? And your steed the noble Bayard?"

The man gave a kind smile as his horse snorted.

"Indeed. And you look like the so-called Dragon Witch Jeanne D'arc, yet you fought like the saint that many praised, and two infamous she-beasts fighting, one for destruction and for salvation. Curious," the man then shook his head. "I would like to give a warmer welcome to Marseille…but I fear time is of the essence."

"Totally agree with you, mister!" commented Elizabeth as she and Marie arrived. Her voice was hoarse, which she coughed attempting to normalize it. She moaned. "Eugh. Need to practice more, an idol's voice should hold for longer…anyway, we came here for you."

Perry nodded, jumping in front of the Rider and showing his back with Command Seals.

"Ah…a Master?" the knight blinked in surprise, his horse stared at the fellow animal with intrigue. The saint's eyes studied the small creature up and down. "You are of different shape than I expected…yet, you stood bravely in the field." He smiled. "I am quite a good observer, you see."

The secret agent simply tipped his hat.

"Ah…but the time for further praise is another," he frowned. "Unfortunately, I saw this pattern a few times already - or better yet, heard from refugees. The Dragon Witch is a short-tempered tyrant: at times, when her forces are not doing their job quickly enough, she decides to handle matters personally. Considering the fact she also sent Servants here…I fear my presence may have attracted her eyes here. I tried to bid my time until I was able to help…"

"...which is why your time came, mister Georgios," Marie concluded, putting a hand over her stump.

Jeanne's eye widened.

"Marie, your wounds…"

"It's alright," the queen put a tired smile. "I will not bleed out yet. For now, I must ask: will you help us in our journey? We came from pretty far to ask you to join our numbers, and also have the slayer of Fafnir, Siegfried, under our banner. Alongside you, surely our victory is all the more closer."

The saint's smile disappeared.

"Unfortunately…I can't," he responded sadly.

"You can't?!" the draconic Lancer asked, incredulous. "I did not have my dress all ruined because you-!"

"Lancer, our clothes are made of mana, you don't need to stress over something like that," Atalanta deadpanned.

"It's the principle of the thing!"

The knight raised his hand.

"Young dragon Lancer. I ask you to understand. I swore on my honor as a knight to protect those people to the best of my ability. Fafnir is too much of a threat to the people. I plan to hold it until the Dragon Witch can't track them."

"So let us help!" Elizabeth insisted. "I still have enough fuel in the tank to keep that miserable hag distracted! You kill the dragon, everyone gets a happy ending!"

She felt the hand of Marie falling on her shoulder.

"You can't, Eli," she stated softly. "You are already at your limit, no? You already had to use your Noble Phantasm twice today, and I also saw you launching all of those sounds blasts…and your wings are also hurt."

At the stare the others gave her, Elizabeth grunted and revealed two large holes, one in each of her wings.

"That miserable Assassin…" the Lancer whined. "What kind of brute uses iron maidens as piercing projectiles?"

"I fear none of you can take my place either way," the dragon slayer continued. "The battle took all of your power, and I thank your efforts…but I fear I simply can't accept your-"

"What if I stay instead?"

The knight and the others looked at Marie.

"Gyu?!" Perry let out a surprised grunt.

"What is this about me not being able to fight? You are literally lacking one hand!" Elizabeth protested.

"This is not a good idea, Marie," Jeanne frowned with concern. "If you stay here…"

"...I'll die," the Rider admitted, but she smiled nonetheless. "But so is true if any other of us stood here…even you, monsieur Georgios. Am I incorrect?"

The wielder of Ascalon closed his eyes.

"Unfortunately, yes…had the Witch's ride be the dragon I slayed so long ago, there might have been a chance of survival, but Fafnir? Yes, I fear I will not live to see a next day."

"And of us, only Jeanne and I have protective Noble Phantasms," Marie added. "And Jeanne is too important to stay behind."

The saint raised her hand.

"But…"

However, the queen stopped the argument of the Saint with one of her own.

"I am tired, Jeanne." Marie suddenly seemed far older, tired. "For quite some time, I heard news of people from this wonderful nation of France falling victims to the fangs and claws of the wyverns of the Dragon Witch. The ache in my heart every time one of them fell…it felt like the guillotine all over again. The moment before it fell on me, ending my life. And…" she looked at her stump. "Even if I went with you, I am unsure we would have enough time for the God of Medicine to save me. And…I admired you. Your determination to fight on the battlefields with a certainty given by words of the divine. To protect everything."

She glanced at the moon, where, in a few minutes, the ominous shade of death would obscure it.

"My final battlefield is here, protecting those few people Georgios swore to protect. And yours…is to protect everyone."

The Saint seemed she wanted to cry, but instead, decided to hug the girl.

"...thank you for your kindness, milady," she whispered.

"...didn't I say you could just call me Marie?" the Rider corrected gently, before Eli joined the hug.

"You would have made a worthy opponent as an idol…" the Lancer sniffed. "Do not go gently."

"I didn't plan to do it in any other way."

After a few moments, Atalanta hesitantingly also joined the group, awkwardly trying to keep a distant hug.

"...your words helped me see the light," the huntress said softly, her expression grateful. "I…needed it."

"The existence of shadow only means there's a path to the light. I'm sure you can solve everything else from here onwards," the queen smiled with encouragement.

Perry didn't join the hug, being too small to reach the queen and the group hug already being too cramped for his tastes, but he took his hat and did a military salute, the best way he could figure to say "good luck" to someone going into a battle with certainty of death. Marie chuckled appreciatively.

"Thank you, Perry. I only have two requests for you: apologize in my stead to monsieur Doofenshmirtz for not being able to protect your group throughout all of this long journey, and to be sure to give Chevalier D'eon and Henri proper rest when time comes to end their lives."

The platypus eyebrow rose at the unknown name, but he nodded, agreeing to the terms.

"...I can feel his approach," Georgios turned to the city. "Our time is up. We must go and help the people leave."

One by one, each Servant let go of Marie, until Jeanne reluctantly stopped the hug.

"Onwards, Bayard!" Georgios exclaimed, asking his steed to move to the city. Atalanta followed suit, grabbing Perry and moving towards the city with reduced, but no less great, swiftness, Elizabeth following suit, trying to sing some of her idol songs in an attempt to cheer her allies - thankfully, her throat didn't allow her to sing very loudly - leaving Jeanne who, after a moment of hesitation, gave one final look at Marie before moving to the city.

Once out of sight, Marie sighed and sat on the ground, exhausted.

'Ah…so tired…' the queen thought. 'I don't feel grass so soft since my youth when I walked free…I could sleep a bit here…'

She shook her head. No. If she closed her eyes now, she wouldn't open them again. She didn't lie about the poor state of her health. Even if she had only lost her arm, losing so much blood did a number on her, alongside Sanson being such a poor match for her conceptually.

But she had to hold on. For her subjects.

It took all of five minutes for the beast to cover the moon with it's wide wings. Five minutes that almost felt like torture, yet Marie held on, flaring her power to attract the attention of the Dragon Witch.

Fafnir landed on the ground, growling at Marie.

"...and we meet again, decapitated queen," a dour voice answered her.

The queen's eyebrow rose slightly, before chuckling.

"Oh, my. Miss Dragon Witch, you feel all less energetic now," she remarked. "I expected a more colorful language from what I heard from my companions."

"...things can change a lot in little time," the Ruler stated simply. "So if you are close, then…Jeanne D'arc is nearby as well?"

"...curious choice of words," the queen nodded. "But yes. Behind me, stands an entire city evacuated by her and the dragon-slaying saint, Georgios."

"Just more two enemies to crush then," the altered Jeanne deduced, her eyes narrowed. "And a worm to crush."

Marie grinned. "Ah…but where is that hatred you had before, mademoiselle? It seems as if water doused your flames of wrath."

In the midst of their talk, Marie slowly began to gather power…

"...I just became aware of my place in this world," the darkened Jeanne frowned rather calmly, far tamer than her outbursts in the past. Why not say it here, for someone about to be killed? "Of a mere crutch for a desperate sorcerer trapped in a jail of grief. And of the role I was given: to burn away all. No ifs or buts."

"...what a woefully miserable life," Marie made a sad sigh. "A life where everything you do is destroy? It sounds so empty."

"It was not my choice," the Alter said simply, clutching her standard bearer. "It was simply the circumstances of my birth."

"Perhaps…but the circumstances of one's birth are irrelevant in the end," Marie gave her a soft, compassionate look. "People may have born in high class, but ended up being pulled towards poverty by their decisions or simply fate, as much as the inverse is true. Good and terrible men rose to power by their own hands. And monsters became heroes just as much as heroes became monsters." Then her face colored with resolution. "It's what you do with the gift of life that matters…and this is the treasure I stand to protect, with the last embers of mine!"

Crystalline walls rose from the ground, startling both the rider and dragon. When Jeanne Alter ordered Fafnir to fly over them, they seemed to keep going up.

"I was the queen who lost her head in the hands of revolutionaries, yes! The remnant of an old age eliminated to open the path for a new era! And even my sons suffered under those hands! Yet, a queen never can rule without her people! If it were to preserve those smiles…to ensure that people could look at tomorrow with optimism…I would have let the path for future march onwards all the same! Vive la France! The Stars have granted France it's Radiance…"

'She's…releasing a barrier Noble Phantasm? She was at death's door, but still-!'

She ordered for Fafnir to fire, but the crystal already protected her from damage.

Jeanne Alter glared. "Why?! Why put all on the line for a nation that hated you?! Wouldn't you want to destroy it all?!"

The queen interrupted the chant for a moment to ask:

"And if you are successful in razing this nation to ashes and all the others, what will you do?"

This question stunned the darkened saint, letting Marie finish her chant…

No, her prayer.

"...And all is as it should be. The Lovable Brilliance for Eternity…Crystal Palace."

The walls rose to full height. A replication of the Crystal Palace in all of it's glory…

The ultimate representation of Marie's life.

"YOU-!" the Alter roared. "Fafnir, fire!"

Ritsuka was caught off-guard by Caster suddenly lifting from the ground, and walking to the top of the hill.

"Mozart-san? Is everything alright?!" Mash asked, turning her attention away from the communicator and her talk with Chaldea. "Do we have enemies close?"

"...no," he answered quietly. "You could say…" he summoned a piano. "It's just some inspiration from my Muse…or something like that."

Before they could ask for more information, the musician began to play on the piano.

The people present would never forget that song for the rest of their lives - including those hearing in Chaldea - unfortunately lacking one certain Red magician that had to go to the bathroom at the moment.

The song was nothing short of…sad. Yet, not a sadness that brought the spirit down. A sadness of parting. Of people going into opposite paths in life - one towards death, one keeping alive. Uplifting, hopeful, heartwrenching, sobering.

Ritsuka didn't know such a song could exist. A divine melody on the hands of the world's finest musician, mixing such opposite feelings. When he asked later about the name of it, the Caster would shrug off the request at first, and then reflect on it, and say as such:

"Requiem of Parting. For I hope this melody may reach the departed."

Until the dawn of the day, the Dragon Witch struck against the crystalline palace, bit by bit diminishing it alongside Fafnir, until not a singular peck of it remained, dissolved into nothing…

Yet, the damage was done. The village, razed to the ground by the dragon's fierce attacks, also lacked any people other than those who had already fell in the first charge.

No sign of the band of Jeanne D'arc or the people of Marseille.

Once more, Jeanne Alter lost a battle. But she felt numb to such.

Not when the void she already had in her stomach grew more and more…

Perry had to slap himself silly at forgetting to update the Command Room from his status.

They were likely aware he was fine, but it was still unforgivable to take so long to do so.

As Georgios guided the people to a nearby city - one far more hidden and safer from dragon attacks - the platypus turned the communicators.

"Agent P!" Olga shouted before she let out a relieved, explosive breath. "Finally! We have been trying to call you for the longest time! We detected you entered in combat hours ago, give us a status report! Fujimaru and the others are alright, by the way," she added, anticipating the question of the agent.

"I lost a chance at hearing Mozart play…" There was Touko's voice, the woman out of his sight, moaning about something.

The platypus snapped his fingers, calling the attention of Jeanne, explaining the situation with a few grunts. She gave a serious nod.

"...I will do it," the saint explained, her expression still looking at the horizon, where the last remnants of a queen's final stand were finally out of sight. "But…sit tight. This is a long story to tell…"

89

Underdog Emiya

Apr 5, 2025

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