Chapter 349
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Chapter 349:
The fiery air immediately touched my throat as I took my first breath. The smoke and ash almost made my eyes water before I quickly pushed it all away.
Everything was burning.
I noticed that from what I saw when the others managed to make contact with Chaldea, but I couldn't understand the scope of it until I laid my eyes on the city itself.
Everything was literally burning. Fires ravaged across the city horizon to the point where the sky was completely blocked off and I couldn't see past the flames towards the ocean.
I could feel a pit form in my stomach as I took in my surroundings. I've been to this city on numerous occasions. The city where Rin was born, where she lived and went to school. A place that's not just special to her either, but to Medea and Artoria.
This was their home, and it was up in flames.
I liked this city, it was beautiful.
However, couldn't wallow in sentimentality for much longer.
I took a deep breath and jumped off the small building I had appeared on. I just needed to get my bearings and figure out where in the city I was.
A thought crossed my mind as I looked at a small fire covering what used to be a garden to the side. This place felt unpleasant to the extreme. Not specifically this location, but this Singularity, and I had an inkling of the cause. Ñøv€l-B1n was the first platform to present this chapter.
A small Spell Circle lit up on my hand as I tried to douse the fire. It simmered, started to die out, only for it flare back up back to its original state.
I frowned, basically confirming my suspicions. Instead, opted to throw a Talisman at it, holding my hand up and saying a small prayer. The Fire glowed and jerked about, almost like it was fighting against the effects before it turned to wisps of smoke and dissipated.
"Cursed." I muttered, sweeping my gaze across the horizon again. "This whole damn city is covered in curses."
And if the Fuyuki Grail War is involved, there is one probable cause.
Caster mentioned Black Mud, so I no longer had any doubt in my mind. The entity that corrupted the Grail from the Time-Line I consider my home, it seemed to have made another debut here. Angra Mainyu, the entity known as the God of Evil in the Zoroastrian Cosmology. The one who bears all the curses in the world, his Black Mud most likely spilled out from the Grail due to the Einzbern's failed attempt to summon an Avenger Class Extra Servant during a previous Grail War.
This was just going from bad to worse.
Now, where would they go? They were obviously in the middle of the city, but they weren't exactly familiar with the surroundings.
The Director was present, and most likely in charge, so where would she try to set up camp?
A leyline would be my first bet. Although that didn't narrow it down too much, it gave me a good point of reference to begin.
I could see the Bridge that separated the two halves of the city not far away. I suppose that would be the best place to start.
[***]
Olga Marie Animusphere POV
Great, just great!
I fired off another Gandr shot, blowing up a couple of those Skeleton things.
How many of these damn things were there! I couldn't keep this up forever, and the others here were completely useless.
A few members of B-Team, a Servant that doesn't know how to use her Noble Phantasm, and Caster who for some reason wasn't summoned as a Lancer even though that was his most popular legend!
Atleast most of the B-Team members had some experience under their belts already. Yet, this random Asian managed to form a contract with Mash, who wasn't even able to use her Servant abilities beforehand!
I....don't even know anymore.
The only saving grace was that Samuel from B-Team was able to form a contract with Caster. He seemed the most sensible of the lot that Shimoda managed to train for what little time they had available.
And they were sensible enough to actually grab something to fend off these skeletons with. That – what was his name – Ritsuka Fujimaru just stood there like an idiot!
"Gandr, Gandr, Gandr!" I growled as the Cursed shots of Magical Energy slammed into oncoming Skeletons. "Hurry up, there's too many of these things!" I shouted.
"Little busy here lass, but I'm willing to trade!" Caster shouted back.
"Don't ignore me, Caster!" Another servant hissed, swinging around a Scythe of all things as Caster tried to engage with her in melee combat for some reason I can't fathom. Purple hair with some sort of Mystic Eyes that he was complaining about, I could probably make a couple guesses about her true name, but I was understandably occupied keeping the others alive.
I huffed, turning towards Mash but I couldn't find the enemy Servant she was fighting anywhere.
"Director, watch out!" She shouted as I turned around, feeling a presence at my back.
My eyes widened as a weapon was about to piece me, only for Mash's shield to knock it away when she threw it as she came running towards me to kick the Servant away.
"Are you alright, Director?"
She did that on purpose.
I know she did.
"I'm fine." I grit my teeth. "Stop playing around and finish off that Servant!" I demanded as she nodded and reengaged with him.
Why did I allow this ridiculous plan? Caster suggested we go for the purple haired Servant now that we had two. Saying it would have been annoying by himself before, with the lack of Magical Energy he had and the fact that she had powerful Mystic Eyes.
I didn't see a problem with it at the time, and we needed to clear this Singularity as soon as possible to get back to Chaldea to assess the damage and figure out what happened.
No, with every plan having gone up in literal flames, was it any wonder that it happened again right now?
Not to mention I agreed with taking along everyone. As Director, I very well couldn't just leave the unexperienced B-Team members by themselves, even if they added nothing to being here. Two without a Servant contract, one missing an arm, and none of them knew basic Magecraft beyond a botched form of Reinforcement, which....was somehow working right now.
.....what I wouldn't give for any A-Team member to be here with us, or even Shimoda. The Systems were too damaged to attempt a proper summoning, so the others were utterly useless right now.
Perhaps not the best way to appear, but.....I didn't really put much thought into this.
"Y-you, Shimoda!" Olga quickly recovered from the shock and confusion. "Why are you here, how did you get here!?" She shakily held up her finger, jabbing it at me, mostly to see if I was actually here.
I think I saw a hint of relief in addition to everything else.
"Boss?" Samuel looked at me.
"You guys did good, let me take it from here." I smiled towards him. My eyes briefly landed on a face I didn't recognize, was it another member of B-Team that I hadn't met yet? He was wearing the Chaldean uniform, albeit not the Mystic Code variant, so that was my first assumption.
"Shimoda, I demand an explanation!" Olga glowered. "You were just with Roman! How are you here, don't you dare ignore me!'
"Would you believe me if I said I Rayshifted?" I smiled awkwardly.
"Absolutely not!"
She was actually pretty cute when she got flustered like this. I patted her head, making her give a really strange noise in response. A mixture of surprise and confusion once more before she again had to regain her composure. "W-what are you doing!?"
"Hold that thought, let's settle things here first."
She squawked in protest, but honestly, there was a more important matter to handle. I glanced at Caster – or rather Cu Chulainn. He also noticed my appearance out of the corner of his eye. It wouldn't be difficult for him to put two and two together in regards to spear.
"I'll be expecting that back later."
"You can try prying it from my hands." He chuckled, turning his attention fully back towards the Servant he was fighting.
I quirked a small grin myself, but looked at the other Servant. I recognized the young woman, Mash, fighting some sort of Assassin.
A Demi-Servant she said.
It was something I hadn't heard of before and the idea was honestly very intriguing, but I refused to allow myself to get lost in my own thoughts on the matter. The main point was, she was obviously a novice when it came to this kind of fighting. She was swinging that massive shield around without much prowess, but it also seemed like her physical attributes were far above the Assassin that she was able to keep him at bay with just that.
Mirage was already in my hand as I approached the little fight they were having.
"Senpai, stay back, this Servant is strong!" Mash warned me, a genuine look of alarm on her face as she saw me coming over.
Though, the Assassin took that moment of distraction, to push away from Mash's massive shield, instead opting to go for me. Did it consider me an easier target? Something was definitely wrong with this Servant, as with the one that Caster was fighting.
Cursed, they were definitely cursed by that damnable Avenger.
That Black Mud must have gotten to them as well.
They seemed much more hollow than a real Servant. It was no wonder that Mash was overpowering him and able to hold her ground as awkwardly as she was.
"Zun Haal Viik." The words were not very loud, but they were audible from far away. The weapon in the Assassin's hand was ripped away, flinging off to the side. Credit where it was due, the Servant didn't get thrown off for long, he immediately reached towards his back where he carried a plethora of other weapons.
Mash took the opportunity to attack him again, the bottom of her shield swinging down towards the Servant.
The nameless Servant brought his new weapon up to block her, and I took that chance to move. I didn't want to waste any time on this more than I have already. Magical Energy swirled around me and my sword glowed with a myriad of colors.
Myriad Slash.
The Technique I had created so long ago.
He reached behind him to grab another weapon with his free hand, but my blade didn't even register it before cutting right through his body and he slumped down. I was absolutely not in the mood right now to play around with this Servant.
Maybe in another place, and another time, I would want to take time to experiment with this thing and figure more about its capabilities. But it seemed to lack any kind of proper intellgience anymore, probably running more on instinct than anything.
Mash disengaged right before, letting the Assassin Servant fall to the ground, dissipating into motes of light and disappearing.
She had pretty good instincts. She called herself a Demi-Servant, did she inherent things from her Servant half?
Really need to know what that's about.
"Gaaah!?" A pained shriek sounded out that drew my attention.
Caster held up the other Servant, spear pierced through her heart as her body slid to the ground. She barely had time to utter words of disdain before also dissipating away.
Considering how hollow these Servants felt, I'm not surprised he was able to end it so quickly. He twirled my spear, showing off a rather cocky grin. Probably because he noticed my gaze as well.
"Senpai, that was incredible!" Mash looked at me, eyes practically sparkling.
.....adorable.
"You didn't do bad yourself." I think she deserved some praise after fighting a Servant for the first time. Though, she kind of slumped her shoulders in response.
Did I touch on a sore spot?
"Shimoda!" Olga shouted. "What's going on." She fumed, stomping up to me. ".....And don't you dare lie." She let out a huff that seemed.....sad. "Is that even your name? What else have you been hiding?" She was no longer shouting, her voice quieted down, but I could easily hear the undertone of hurt in her words.
In for a penny in for a pound.
There was no point in hiding anymore, and I felt like I owed it to her at this point.
I let out a sigh but acquiesced. I was really not at my best right now, and even any kind of joke died in my throat that I would try in a normal circumstance. "Allow me to reintroduce myself." I gave the most gentle smile I was capable of. "Wilhelm Henry Schweinorg, at your service."
[***]
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Chapter 349:
The fiery air immediately touched my throat as I took my first breath. The smoke and ash almost made my eyes water before I quickly pushed it all away.
Everything was burning.
I noticed that from what I saw when the others managed to make contact with Chaldea, but I couldn't understand the scope of it until I laid my eyes on the city itself.
Everything was literally burning. Fires ravaged across the city horizon to the point where the sky was completely blocked off and I couldn't see past the flames towards the ocean.
I could feel a pit form in my stomach as I took in my surroundings. I've been to this city on numerous occasions. The city where Rin was born, where she lived and went to school. A place that's not just special to her either, but to Medea and Artoria.
This was their home, and it was up in flames.
I liked this city, it was beautiful.
However, couldn't wallow in sentimentality for much longer.
I took a deep breath and jumped off the small building I had appeared on. I just needed to get my bearings and figure out where in the city I was.
A thought crossed my mind as I looked at a small fire covering what used to be a garden to the side. This place felt unpleasant to the extreme. Not specifically this location, but this Singularity, and I had an inkling of the cause. Ñøv€l-B1n was the first platform to present this chapter.
A small Spell Circle lit up on my hand as I tried to douse the fire. It simmered, started to die out, only for it flare back up back to its original state.
I frowned, basically confirming my suspicions. Instead, opted to throw a Talisman at it, holding my hand up and saying a small prayer. The Fire glowed and jerked about, almost like it was fighting against the effects before it turned to wisps of smoke and dissipated.
"Cursed." I muttered, sweeping my gaze across the horizon again. "This whole damn city is covered in curses."
And if the Fuyuki Grail War is involved, there is one probable cause.
Caster mentioned Black Mud, so I no longer had any doubt in my mind. The entity that corrupted the Grail from the Time-Line I consider my home, it seemed to have made another debut here. Angra Mainyu, the entity known as the God of Evil in the Zoroastrian Cosmology. The one who bears all the curses in the world, his Black Mud most likely spilled out from the Grail due to the Einzbern's failed attempt to summon an Avenger Class Extra Servant during a previous Grail War.
This was just going from bad to worse.
Now, where would they go? They were obviously in the middle of the city, but they weren't exactly familiar with the surroundings.
The Director was present, and most likely in charge, so where would she try to set up camp?
A leyline would be my first bet. Although that didn't narrow it down too much, it gave me a good point of reference to begin.
I could see the Bridge that separated the two halves of the city not far away. I suppose that would be the best place to start.
[***]
Olga Marie Animusphere POV
Great, just great!
I fired off another Gandr shot, blowing up a couple of those Skeleton things.
How many of these damn things were there! I couldn't keep this up forever, and the others here were completely useless.
A few members of B-Team, a Servant that doesn't know how to use her Noble Phantasm, and Caster who for some reason wasn't summoned as a Lancer even though that was his most popular legend!
Atleast most of the B-Team members had some experience under their belts already. Yet, this random Asian managed to form a contract with Mash, who wasn't even able to use her Servant abilities beforehand!
I....don't even know anymore.
The only saving grace was that Samuel from B-Team was able to form a contract with Caster. He seemed the most sensible of the lot that Shimoda managed to train for what little time they had available.
And they were sensible enough to actually grab something to fend off these skeletons with. That – what was his name – Ritsuka Fujimaru just stood there like an idiot!
"Gandr, Gandr, Gandr!" I growled as the Cursed shots of Magical Energy slammed into oncoming Skeletons. "Hurry up, there's too many of these things!" I shouted.
"Little busy here lass, but I'm willing to trade!" Caster shouted back.
"Don't ignore me, Caster!" Another servant hissed, swinging around a Scythe of all things as Caster tried to engage with her in melee combat for some reason I can't fathom. Purple hair with some sort of Mystic Eyes that he was complaining about, I could probably make a couple guesses about her true name, but I was understandably occupied keeping the others alive.
I huffed, turning towards Mash but I couldn't find the enemy Servant she was fighting anywhere.
"Director, watch out!" She shouted as I turned around, feeling a presence at my back.
My eyes widened as a weapon was about to piece me, only for Mash's shield to knock it away when she threw it as she came running towards me to kick the Servant away.
"Are you alright, Director?"
She did that on purpose.
I know she did.
"I'm fine." I grit my teeth. "Stop playing around and finish off that Servant!" I demanded as she nodded and reengaged with him.
Why did I allow this ridiculous plan? Caster suggested we go for the purple haired Servant now that we had two. Saying it would have been annoying by himself before, with the lack of Magical Energy he had and the fact that she had powerful Mystic Eyes.
I didn't see a problem with it at the time, and we needed to clear this Singularity as soon as possible to get back to Chaldea to assess the damage and figure out what happened.
No, with every plan having gone up in literal flames, was it any wonder that it happened again right now?
Not to mention I agreed with taking along everyone. As Director, I very well couldn't just leave the unexperienced B-Team members by themselves, even if they added nothing to being here. Two without a Servant contract, one missing an arm, and none of them knew basic Magecraft beyond a botched form of Reinforcement, which....was somehow working right now.
.....what I wouldn't give for any A-Team member to be here with us, or even Shimoda. The Systems were too damaged to attempt a proper summoning, so the others were utterly useless right now.
Perhaps not the best way to appear, but.....I didn't really put much thought into this.
"Y-you, Shimoda!" Olga quickly recovered from the shock and confusion. "Why are you here, how did you get here!?" She shakily held up her finger, jabbing it at me, mostly to see if I was actually here.
I think I saw a hint of relief in addition to everything else.
"Boss?" Samuel looked at me.
"You guys did good, let me take it from here." I smiled towards him. My eyes briefly landed on a face I didn't recognize, was it another member of B-Team that I hadn't met yet? He was wearing the Chaldean uniform, albeit not the Mystic Code variant, so that was my first assumption.
"Shimoda, I demand an explanation!" Olga glowered. "You were just with Roman! How are you here, don't you dare ignore me!'
"Would you believe me if I said I Rayshifted?" I smiled awkwardly.
"Absolutely not!"
She was actually pretty cute when she got flustered like this. I patted her head, making her give a really strange noise in response. A mixture of surprise and confusion once more before she again had to regain her composure. "W-what are you doing!?"
"Hold that thought, let's settle things here first."
She squawked in protest, but honestly, there was a more important matter to handle. I glanced at Caster – or rather Cu Chulainn. He also noticed my appearance out of the corner of his eye. It wouldn't be difficult for him to put two and two together in regards to spear.
"I'll be expecting that back later."
"You can try prying it from my hands." He chuckled, turning his attention fully back towards the Servant he was fighting.
I quirked a small grin myself, but looked at the other Servant. I recognized the young woman, Mash, fighting some sort of Assassin.
A Demi-Servant she said.
It was something I hadn't heard of before and the idea was honestly very intriguing, but I refused to allow myself to get lost in my own thoughts on the matter. The main point was, she was obviously a novice when it came to this kind of fighting. She was swinging that massive shield around without much prowess, but it also seemed like her physical attributes were far above the Assassin that she was able to keep him at bay with just that.
Mirage was already in my hand as I approached the little fight they were having.
"Senpai, stay back, this Servant is strong!" Mash warned me, a genuine look of alarm on her face as she saw me coming over.
Though, the Assassin took that moment of distraction, to push away from Mash's massive shield, instead opting to go for me. Did it consider me an easier target? Something was definitely wrong with this Servant, as with the one that Caster was fighting.
Cursed, they were definitely cursed by that damnable Avenger.
That Black Mud must have gotten to them as well.
They seemed much more hollow than a real Servant. It was no wonder that Mash was overpowering him and able to hold her ground as awkwardly as she was.
"Zun Haal Viik." The words were not very loud, but they were audible from far away. The weapon in the Assassin's hand was ripped away, flinging off to the side. Credit where it was due, the Servant didn't get thrown off for long, he immediately reached towards his back where he carried a plethora of other weapons.
Mash took the opportunity to attack him again, the bottom of her shield swinging down towards the Servant.
The nameless Servant brought his new weapon up to block her, and I took that chance to move. I didn't want to waste any time on this more than I have already. Magical Energy swirled around me and my sword glowed with a myriad of colors.
Myriad Slash.
The Technique I had created so long ago.
He reached behind him to grab another weapon with his free hand, but my blade didn't even register it before cutting right through his body and he slumped down. I was absolutely not in the mood right now to play around with this Servant.
Maybe in another place, and another time, I would want to take time to experiment with this thing and figure more about its capabilities. But it seemed to lack any kind of proper intellgience anymore, probably running more on instinct than anything.
Mash disengaged right before, letting the Assassin Servant fall to the ground, dissipating into motes of light and disappearing.
She had pretty good instincts. She called herself a Demi-Servant, did she inherent things from her Servant half?
Really need to know what that's about.
"Gaaah!?" A pained shriek sounded out that drew my attention.
Caster held up the other Servant, spear pierced through her heart as her body slid to the ground. She barely had time to utter words of disdain before also dissipating away.
Considering how hollow these Servants felt, I'm not surprised he was able to end it so quickly. He twirled my spear, showing off a rather cocky grin. Probably because he noticed my gaze as well.
"Senpai, that was incredible!" Mash looked at me, eyes practically sparkling.
.....adorable.
"You didn't do bad yourself." I think she deserved some praise after fighting a Servant for the first time. Though, she kind of slumped her shoulders in response.
Did I touch on a sore spot?
"Shimoda!" Olga shouted. "What's going on." She fumed, stomping up to me. ".....And don't you dare lie." She let out a huff that seemed.....sad. "Is that even your name? What else have you been hiding?" She was no longer shouting, her voice quieted down, but I could easily hear the undertone of hurt in her words.
In for a penny in for a pound.
There was no point in hiding anymore, and I felt like I owed it to her at this point.
I let out a sigh but acquiesced. I was really not at my best right now, and even any kind of joke died in my throat that I would try in a normal circumstance. "Allow me to reintroduce myself." I gave the most gentle smile I was capable of. "Wilhelm Henry Schweinorg, at your service."
[***]
If you want to read 7 chapter ahead or support me, visit my p.a.t.r.e.o.n.c.o.m / astoryforone
Chapter 349:The fiery air immediately touched my throat as I took my first breath. The smoke and ash almost made my eyes water before I quickly pushed it all away. Everything was burning. I noticed that from what I saw when the others managed to make contact with Chaldea, but I couldn't understand the scope of it until I laid my eyes on the city itself. Everything was literally burning. Fires ravaged across the city horizon to the point where the sky was completely blocked off and I couldn't see past the flames towards the ocean. I could feel a pit form in my stomach as I took in my surroundings. I've been to this city on numerous occasions. The city where Rin was born, where she lived and went to school. A place that's not just special to her either, but to Medea and Artoria. This was their home, and it was up in flames. I liked this city, it was beautiful. However, couldn't wallow in sentimentality for much longer. I took a deep breath and jumped off the small building I had appeared on. I just needed to get my bearings and figure out where in the city I was. A thought crossed my mind as I looked at a small fire covering what used to be a garden to the side. This place felt unpleasant to the extreme. Not specifically this location, but this Singularity, and I had an inkling of the cause. Nvl-B1n was the first platform to present this chapter.A small Spell Circle lit up on my hand as I tried to douse the fire. It simmered, started to die out, only for it flare back up back to its original state. I frowned, basically confirming my suspicions. Instead, opted to throw a Talisman at it, holding my hand up and saying a small prayer. The Fire glowed and jerked about, almost like it was fighting against the effects before it turned to wisps of smoke and dissipated. "Cursed." I muttered, sweeping my gaze across the horizon again. "This whole damn city is covered in curses." And if the Fuyuki Grail War is involved, there is one probable cause. Caster mentioned Black Mud, so I no longer had any doubt in my mind. The entity that corrupted the Grail from the Time-Line I consider my home, it seemed to have made another debut here. Angra Mainyu, the entity known as the God of Evil in the Zoroastrian Cosmology. The one who bears all the curses in the world, his Black Mud most likely spilled out from the Grail due to the Einzbern's failed attempt to summon an Avenger Class Extra Servant during a previous Grail War. This was just going from bad to worse. Now, where would they go? They were obviously in the middle of the city, but they weren't exactly familiar with the surroundings. The Director was present, and most likely in charge, so where would she try to set up camp? A leyline would be my first bet. Although that didn't narrow it down too much, it gave me a good point of reference to begin. I could see the Bridge that separated the two halves of the city not far away. I suppose that would be the best place to start. *** Olga Marie Animusphere POV Great, just great! I fired off another Gandr shot, blowing up a couple of those Skeleton things. How many of these damn things were there! I couldn't keep this up forever, and the others here were completely useless. A few members of B-Team, a Servant that doesn't know how to use her Noble Phantasm, and Caster who for some reason wasn't summoned as a Lancer even though that was his most popular legend! Atleast most of the B-Team members had some experience under their belts already. Yet, this random Asian managed to form a contract with Mash, who wasn't even able to use her Servant abilities beforehand! I....don't even know anymore. The only saving grace was that Samuel from B-Team was able to form a contract with Caster. He seemed the most sensible of the lot that Shimoda managed to train for what little time they had available. And they were sensible enough to actually grab something to fend off these skeletons with. That what was his name Ritsuka Fujimaru just stood there like an idiot! "Gandr, Gandr, Gandr!" I growled as the Cursed shots of Magical Energy slammed into oncoming Skeletons. "Hurry up, there's too many of these things!" I shouted. "Little busy here lass, but I'm willing to trade!" Caster shouted back. "Don't ignore me, Caster!" Another servant hissed, swinging around a Scythe of all things as Caster tried to engage with her in melee combat for some reason I can't fathom. Purple hair with some sort of Mystic Eyes that he was complaining about, I could probably make a couple guesses about her true name, but I was understandably occupied keeping the others alive. I huffed, turning towards Mash but I couldn't find the enemy Servant she was fighting anywhere. "Director, watch out!" She shouted as I turned around, feeling a presence at my back. My eyes widened as a weapon was about to piece me, only for Mash's shield to knock it away when she threw it as she came running towards me to kick the Servant away. "Are you alright, Director?" She did that on purpose. I know she did. "I'm fine." I grit my teeth. "Stop playing around and finish off that Servant!" I demanded as she nodded and reengaged with him. Why did I allow this ridiculous plan? Caster suggested we go for the purple haired Servant now that we had two. Saying it would have been annoying by himself before, with the lack of Magical Energy he had and the fact that she had powerful Mystic Eyes. I didn't see a problem with it at the time, and we needed to clear this Singularity as soon as possible to get back to Chaldea to assess the damage and figure out what happened. No, with every plan having gone up in literal flames, was it any wonder that it happened again right now? Not to mention I agreed with taking along everyone. As Director, I very well couldn't just leave the unexperienced B-Team members by themselves, even if they added nothing to being here. Two without a Servant contract, one missing an arm, and none of them knew basic Magecraft beyond a botched form of Reinforcement, which....was somehow working right now. .....what I wouldn't give for any A-Team member to be here with us, or even Shimoda. The Systems were too damaged to attempt a proper summoning, so the others were utterly useless right now. Perhaps not the best way to appear, but.....I didn't really put much thought into this. "Y-you, Shimoda!" Olga quickly recovered from the shock and confusion. "Why are you here, how did you get here!?" She shakily held up her finger, jabbing it at me, mostly to see if I was actually here. I think I saw a hint of relief in addition to everything else. "Boss?" Samuel looked at me. "You guys did good, let me take it from here." I smiled towards him. My eyes briefly landed on a face I didn't recognize, was it another member of B-Team that I hadn't met yet? He was wearing the Chaldean uniform, albeit not the Mystic Code variant, so that was my first assumption. "Shimoda, I demand an explanation!" Olga glowered. "You were just with Roman! How are you here, don't you dare ignore me!' "Would you believe me if I said I Rayshifted?" I smiled awkwardly. "Absolutely not!" She was actually pretty cute when she got flustered like this. I patted her head, making her give a really strange noise in response. A mixture of surprise and confusion once more before she again had to regain her composure. "W-what are you doing!?" "Hold that thought, let's settle things here first." She squawked in protest, but honestly, there was a more important matter to handle. I glanced at Caster or rather Cu Chulainn. He also noticed my appearance out of the corner of his eye. It wouldn't be difficult for him to put two and two together in regards to spear. "I'll be expecting that back later." "You can try prying it from my hands." He chuckled, turning his attention fully back towards the Servant he was fighting. I quirked a small grin myself, but looked at the other Servant. I recognized the young woman, Mash, fighting some sort of Assassin. A Demi-Servant she said. It was something I hadn't heard of before and the idea was honestly very intriguing, but I refused to allow myself to get lost in my own thoughts on the matter. The main point was, she was obviously a novice when it came to this kind of fighting. She was swinging that massive shield around without much prowess, but it also seemed like her physical attributes were far above the Assassin that she was able to keep him at bay with just that. Mirage was already in my hand as I approached the little fight they were having. "Senpai, stay back, this Servant is strong!" Mash warned me, a genuine look of alarm on her face as she saw me coming over. Though, the Assassin took that moment of distraction, to push away from Mash's massive shield, instead opting to go for me. Did it consider me an easier target? Something was definitely wrong with this Servant, as with the one that Caster was fighting. Cursed, they were definitely cursed by that damnable Avenger. That Black Mud must have gotten to them as well. They seemed much more hollow than a real Servant. It was no wonder that Mash was overpowering him and able to hold her ground as awkwardly as she was. "Zun Haal Viik." The words were not very loud, but they were audible from far away. The weapon in the Assassin's hand was ripped away, flinging off to the side. Credit where it was due, the Servant didn't get thrown off for long, he immediately reached towards his back where he carried a plethora of other weapons. Mash took the opportunity to attack him again, the bottom of her shield swinging down towards the Servant. The nameless Servant brought his new weapon up to block her, and I took that chance to move. I didn't want to waste any time on this more than I have already. Magical Energy swirled around me and my sword glowed with a myriad of colors. Myriad Slash. The Technique I had created so long ago. He reached behind him to grab another weapon with his free hand, but my blade didn't even register it before cutting right through his body and he slumped down. I was absolutely not in the mood right now to play around with this Servant. Maybe in another place, and another time, I would want to take time to experiment with this thing and figure more about its capabilities. But it seemed to lack any kind of proper intellgience anymore, probably running more on instinct than anything. Mash disengaged right before, letting the Assassin Servant fall to the ground, dissipating into motes of light and disappearing. She had pretty good instincts. She called herself a Demi-Servant, did she inherent things from her Servant half? Really need to know what that's about. "Gaaah!?" A pained shriek sounded out that drew my attention. Caster held up the other Servant, spear pierced through her heart as her body slid to the ground. She barely had time to utter words of disdain before also dissipating away. Considering how hollow these Servants felt, I'm not surprised he was able to end it so quickly. He twirled my spear, showing off a rather cocky grin. Probably because he noticed my gaze as well. "Senpai, that was incredible!" Mash looked at me, eyes practically sparkling. .....adorable. "You didn't do bad yourself." I think she deserved some praise after fighting a Servant for the first time. Though, she kind of slumped her shoulders in response. Did I touch on a sore spot? "Shimoda!" Olga shouted. "What's going on." She fumed, stomping up to me. ".....And don't you dare lie." She let out a huff that seemed.....sad. "Is that even your name? What else have you been hiding?" She was no longer shouting, her voice quieted down, but I could easily hear the undertone of hurt in her words. In for a penny in for a pound. There was no point in hiding anymore, and I felt like I owed it to her at this point. I let out a sigh but acquiesced. I was really not at my best right now, and even any kind of joke died in my throat that I would try in a normal circumstance. "Allow me to reintroduce myself." I gave the most gentle smile I was capable of. "Wilhelm Henry Schweinorg, at your service." *** If you want to read 7 chapter ahead or support me, visit my p.a.t.r.e.o.n.c.o.m / astoryforone
