“Okay, I think we’re safe here.”

The group had managed to find a safe room as they bolted from the Satan cognition. Mona had pointed it out as they ran and, lacking any better options, all of them piled in without question. They heard the stomping and crashing of the cognition growing louder as it drew closer… and faded as it moved away. Everyone was panting, catching their breath, and at Mona’s announcement (who had his ear at the door), everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

“Good catch, Mona,” Joker panted. “That was too close.”

“Still, how did you know this place would be safe?” Siegfried asked, looking around with a frown. The room they were in was frosted over as opposed to frozen, with cruder wooden chairs and tables strewn about. Then the image of the room flickered, revealing a dilapidated ruin of a house, the furniture all burnt and broken, before flicking back to its frosted, ruined state. The dragonslayer blinked in surprise. “What on…?”

“This place is a safe room,” Mona explained. “It’s where the cognition of the Palace’s Ruler – in this case, the doppelganger Jeanne – is weaker than most. I wasn’t taking too close a look before, but there are actually a lot of safe rooms in the city. It makes sense – nobody’s going to remember every single room of every single building in a city. That’s just ridiculous.”

He turned to Joker. “But we have bigger concerns right now,” Mona muttered. “Joker, what the hell was that?! That was your Satan persona we just saw out there!”

Joker held up his hands in innocence. “Hey, I had nothing to do with that one this time!” he exclaimed. “I didn’t even summon him at all in this Palace!”

“Wait,” Georgios interjected. “You make it sound like this is Ren’s fault. How is that the case? And you called it… Satan? I wish to believe the names are a coincidence, but I doubt this. Can you explain, please?”

The two Masters looked over at Georgios from their argument and glanced at each other. Joker sighed. “It’s part of my… abilities,” Joker explained. “I can summon cognitive versions of certain beings from mythologies and religions and use their power. They’re not real – it’s basically the version that’s in the collective unconsciousness’s minds is probably the best way to put it. I pulled this out on the doppelganger a lot earlier, and I’m guessing I must’ve really scared her; this is the first time I’ve seen a persona like that as someone’s cognition.”

Georgios, Kiyohime, and Elizabeth could only blink, dumbfounded. “There was not a single lie in what you just said,” Kiyohime whispered. “Master of Chaldea… who – no, what are you?”

Joker could only give a tired smile as he sat down heavily on a nearby crate. “Honestly?” he replied bluntly. “Someone who’s been in far too many life-threatening situations than a teenager should ever have to go through.”

He looked up at the Berserker. “You’re asking me what I am, Kiyohime? I’m a guy from modern Japan fighting in medieval France alongside superhumans, including two saints, a fabled king, a dragonslayer, someone who can shoot exploding arrows and swords, and way more, against the doppelganger of one of said saints who can command dragons and zombies, trying to restore humanity that’s apparently been incinerated last week. Frankly, I’d like to think I’m the most ordinary guy here at this point.”

The Servants all looked at one another uncomfortably. This was the most forthright they had seen their Master. Morgana himself hopped up to the crate and sat beside Ren, placing a paw on his arm. Ren only smiled in return and gently patted his friend, getting quiet purrs in return. Mash twiddled her hands, wanting to approach but unsure how to do so.

Jeanne sighed. “He is telling the truth,” she confirmed. “The beings he conjures are not real, but because of what everyone believes them to be, we cannot help but perceive them as such. No doubt my doppelganger believes the same.”

“But how would it frighten your doppelganger?” Saber asked. “If your doppelganger has renounced God and her faith, then it shouldn’t have such a profound effect on her.”

Jeanne frowned, lowering her head in thought. Then she turned back to Joker. “Ren, could you perhaps summon Satan once more?”

Joker blinked in surprise. “Is that a good idea?” he asked warily.

“There is something I wish to check,” she explained. “If so, it shall be instrumental in knowing what frightened my doppelganger so. I do not wish to force you, but if you are able to, then please.”

The Master of Chaldea made no reply. He looked over to Mona for a suggestion. The catlike being frowned in thought, then sighed. “I don’t suppose it’ll hurt, but I’ll back you up if something happens,” he resignedly admitted. He glared at the Servants. “All of you get to the far side of the room, and no funny business, got it?!” he snapped.

The Servants blinked but immediately obeyed. They moved to the far side of the room, leaving Joker plenty of room to work with while Mona kept a wary eye. Joker noted that Archer was still close to the door and was paying more attention to it than him. He was probably keeping guard still. But the fact that Archer cared more about intruders than him meant one particular thing: He trusted him. That… was an odd feeling.

Pushing the feeling aside for now, he stood up from the crate and moved to the far side of the room. Moving Satan to the forefront of his mind, he moved his hand to his face, the mask burning off once more as he called forth the persona.

“Satan.”

With a burst of flame, the blue monstrosity appeared sprang into being. Though spectral and ethereal, it still took up a lot of space and barely fit within the safe room. The response was immediate: All the Servants instinctively started, lowering themselves into a combat stance at the presence of an aspect of the Devil.

However, none had as profound a reaction as Elizabeth. The Lancer immediately collapsed on her rear, staring up at the persona with naked fear, her teeth chattering as she trembled. Seeing her reaction, Joker immediately released his power, allowing it to fade away. The Servants collected themselves, shooting apprehensive looks at the Master. Joker, in turn, walked forward and offered a hand to Elizabeth. “Sorry about that,” he murmured. “You alright?”

Elizabeth blinked up at Ren, then blushed as she took his hand to help her stand up. “O-o-of course, p-p-puppy!” she stuttered, trying to reclaim her bravado (though her shaking legs very much undercut that notion). “A-a-an idol d-d-d-doesn’t give in t-t-t-to fear s-s-so easily, nope!”

Joker nodded with a smirk. “True enough,” he admitted. “You’re making good steps towards being a great idol at this rate, Elizabeth.” At the compliment, she turned even redder and looked away, unable to form any more words. The display helped defrost the tension that had been fostering among the Servants as it gave way to amusement or exasperation towards the antics of the two.

“Elizabeth, if you do not mind me asking,” Jeanne interjected. “Why did you collapse? We all had a reaction, of course, to the being Ren conjured, but none of us had as intense a reaction as you did.”

The Lancer gaped, then scowled and pointed to where the persona had been. “Because it was a big monster that looked exactly like the one we just saw!” she screeched. “I’m a brave idol, but I’m not brave enough for that! Excuse me, saint, for being scared to death of it!”

“I would be wary of your words, Elizabeth Bathory,” Kiyohime murmured, her eyes sharp and her voice tinged with anger. “You do not lie, but neither was that the whole truth. Speak plainly or not at all.”

Elizabeth gaped at the Berserker’s blunt words, then groaned in frustration. “Fine, fine!” she snapped. Then she lowered her head. “It felt like… I was being judged,” she murmured, her voice tiny. “For all my sins: Past, present, and future. Like I was going to be condemned and tormented for eternity. It… it felt like Judgment Day for me. It’s… it’s why I wanted to be an idol. I don’t wanna follow that road. Not again…” Her eyes were tearing up as she hugged herself, trying to suppress the tremors in her body.

Georgios strode forward and placed a comforting hand on Elizabeth’s shoulder. “To choose a new path away from your sins is one so few will follow,” he complimented kindly. “Your resolve is admirable, and I’ve no doubt you’ll see it through.”

The Lancer blinked up at Georgios in surprise, then wiped away the tears while flipping her hair. “N-naturally!” she boasted, her bravado returning despite the telltale tremor in her voice. “I’m gonna be Elizabeth Bathory, the number one idol! And I’ll let nothing stand in my way of that!”

The dragonslaying saint smiled at her newfound resolve, then turned back to Jeanne. “What do you think?” he asked the Ruler. “That was an aspect of the Devil that Ren has summoned, no doubt, but I didn’t feel… repulsed by it, overall.”

Jeanne nodded slowly, frowning in thought. “Yes,” she murmured. “Its countenance was extraordinarily stern, but… fair. It did not feel like a tempter or evil.” She lowered her head, thinking back to her lessons and sermons at church. “It is said that the Devil is one who torments the wicked and the cruel,” she mused. “Perhaps that is the aspect Ren has summoned? A punisher and tormentor of sinners? Er-“ She turned to Elizabeth. “Apologies for offending you, Elizabeth-“

The Lancer waved away the apology. “Yeah, I know I’m a sinner, and a monstrous one too,” she sighed. “That's why I want to be an idol nowadays. I don’t wanna do that anymore.”

“Um, right,” Jeanne stammered. Taking a breath to regain her composure, she continued. “Perhaps that is why we aren’t as adversely affected then?” she asked, looking around the room. “We are not considerable sinners in that regard and only reacted because of the fear of the Devil.” Everyone looked at each other. There seemed to be a solid argument, if only because there really wasn’t an explanation otherwise.

Joker looked at the deliberating Servants, then sighed. “There’s… one more aspect of the Devil I’m utilizing,” he hesitatingly called out, garnering the attention of the other Servants. “We probably could test that theory right now, if you guys want. I’m gonna warn you again though: It’s just a cognition, not the actual thing, so I’m trusting you guys not to kill me on the spot. Alright?”

The Servants all looked at each other. Jeanne nodded to the Master. “I swear, we shall not allow harm to come to you in this circumstance, Ren Amamiya,” she vowed. Joker looked at the other Servants who, while they seemed uneasy, didn’t dispute the argument or the decision. Mona still stood guard, ready in case someone tried something. Well, it was now or never. He switched to the most powerful persona he currently held in his mind and brought his hand once more to his face.

“Lucifer.”

In a flash of blue flame, another large figure appeared. Resembling a muscular yet emaciated man with dark gray skin, it had flowing blonde hair which contrasted with its powerful red eyes. Large, sharp horns jutted out from its forehead. Three great pairs of demonic wings were on its back, and his body was loosely wrapped by a flowing white cloth. While the figure was completely naked, its body had no discerning parts whatsoever, making it look far more inhuman despite its shape.

This time, the response from the Servants was far more drastic. Marie shrieked as Mozart quickly backpedaled into the wall. Saber, Archer, Siegfried, and Mash immediately summoned their weapons, facing the persona. Elizabeth followed suit albeit a bit haltingly, while Kiyohime glared daggers at it, the temperature around her rising quickly.

However, the most striking response came from the saints. Jeanne brandished her flag as Georgios immediately drew his sword. They both looked pale and fearful, horrified at the sight of Lucifer. Joker, seeing everyone’s reactions, immediately cut the connection, allowing the persona to fade away to nothing. A tense few seconds ticked by as everyone held their breaths before finally, their weapons were slowly lowered.

“That was… That was…” Jeanne panted, her hand to her chest. Her eyes were still wide as her skin started regaining their pallor.

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“Without a doubt, the Devil, albeit in the aspect he’s more known for,” Georgios concluded as he sheathed his blade, his breath shaky. “The malevolence and weight of the sin I felt from that being was unmistakable. Its nature is far too unstable to be relied upon.” He turned to Joker. “You said the name of that aspect was Lucifer?”

Joker nodded. As he recalled, Lucifer was the original name of the Devil, meaning ‘Lightbringer’. He only became the Devil after he rebelled against God and was cast down from Heaven as a result. After that, different religions had different takes on him, but in general he was either cast as a figure of true evil, or another figure under God’s command to tempt humanity as well as punish sinners.

Jeanne stood back up, collecting herself as her flagpole vanished once more. “At least that concludes my theory,” she murmured. “They are different aspects of the Devil, not the Devil himself.” She glanced over at the Master. “I advise you for your sake, Ren, to never summon that particular aspect,” she sternly warned him. “The evil I felt from it was unmistakable. Should you bring him to bear, I do not doubt you shall make many enemies from the misunderstanding.”

“Yep, already ahead of you on that,” Joker muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. He was thinking back of when he had that nervous breakdown back when the Servants first confronted him about Satan. He had been on the cusp of summoning Lucifer before Mona knocked him out. That had been an extremely close call. If he did summon Lucifer that time, it was all too likely that any future interactions with his Servants would be… tense, in the best-case scenario. He had seriously dodged a bullet there. He made a mental note to give Mona some of the finest curry he could make when they finally got back from this singularity.

“Right, now that that’s explained and taken care of, we should get to planning,” Archer drawled. He resumed leaning on the wall beside the door. He and Siegfried shared one glance before the dragonslayer took the other side. Meanwhile, the other Servants gathered around the table as Mona pulled out the map and laid it on the table.

“Right, there’s one guard outpost over here,” he stated, pointing to a corner of the map where the circular building was situated. “There’s another one a bit north of that one. It’s not on the map though – probably on the next map.” He tapped the empty spot where the guard outpost’s estimated spot would be. “Normally, I’d say we hit the next guard outpost together, get the map, then move on to the last one, but with that cognitive Satan outside, we might not be able to. A larger group might draw its attention again.”

“Still, it may be unwise to split our numbers,” Saber mused, quickly realizing Mona’s idea. “Having our combined strength together may allow us to fend off the creature, buying us time to reach the guard outposts. Not to mention, there might be other ambushes and traps within the city that we are not yet aware of.”

“Probably, but it’s a risk we’ll have to take,” Mona replied, frowning. “Palaces always have security, and if it gets too high, it means the subconscious will be aware of us and forcefully kick us out. We can’t afford that unless we want everything to be a massive waste of time. Not to mention, smaller groups have a better chance of sneaking past Satan’s attention.” He pointed to a midway point between the two guard outposts. “There should be a safe room or so here,” he said. “We can rendezvous once we have the maps, get a clear picture, and then proceed from there.”

It was a risky plan without a doubt, but there was little in terms of options at this point. They needed to move quickly before the subconscious could be fully aware of their presence and before the doppelganger could muster her forces for an all-out attack while they were still stuck here. With much deliberation, they split into two teams.

The first team would be heading to the eastern outpost. It consisted of Mona, Marie, Mozart, Elizabeth, Saber, and Jeanne. It was a mapped-out area, meaning they could find a clear path toward the tower or any detours as necessary. It was better to take the less capable combatants and use the safer, shorter path, with Saber being the proverbial muscle if push came to shove during the route.

The second team would be heading to the northeast outpost. Joker, Mash, Siegfried, Georgios, Kiyohime, and Archer would be heading there. The area was unmapped and relatively unknown. Archer’s scouting capabilities combined with support and foreknowledge from Joker would be essential. Mash would be needed to protect Joker, and Siegfried and Georgios provided a solid fighting force, with Kiyohime providing no small amount of backup. It would bring them perilously close to the castle but there wasn’t much option there either – detouring around the castle would simply take too much time.

Before they all left, Joker and Mona took out and distributed the flashbangs and smoke bombs they had received from Da Vinci between the two groups. Joker had been holding the majority but now wasn’t the time to be sparing with them. Each group had two flashbangs and two smoke bombs. The smoke bombs were to be used as either an escape or to ambush the enemy as needed. The flashbangs, however, had another purpose.

“If you guys need help or backup, toss this straight up,” Joker explained. “A Servant should be able to throw these pretty high, so we’ll all be able to see and hear it. It won’t leave a smoke trail, but I doubt that’ll be necessary with how fast everyone is.” Everyone nodded. Even a low ranked Servant’s agility was far faster than a normal human, and thanks to their Phantom Thief regalia and abilities, both Joker and Mona could also keep pace as well.

As they stepped outside, Mona pointed to the room they exited. “See the fuzziness around the edges of the doors?” he asked. The Servants looked and indeed, the door looked blurry and wavy to their eyes. “That, and the feel of it, is how you identify a safe room,” he stated. “If you guys need to take shelter, duck into the nearest one. Cognitions and shadows can’t follow you in there.”

Joker looked back at the group. “Alright, we have our missions and the plan,” he said. “Let’s get to it. It’s showtime.” With that, everyone broke up into their individual groups. The first team marched east with Mona in the lead while group two made quick progress towards the north before they would cut east as well. It was a straightforward, simple plan that would get them what they needed and allow them to figure out the next step.

So everyone knew something was going to go wrong.

----------

Mona led his group confidently through the winding frozen walkways of the Orleans back streets. The main roads would be a straight shot, but it was also wide open. The Satan cognition could easily spot them if they moved there. Thus, they maneuvered between alleys and narrow streets. Of course, that presented its own challenges: Demons lurked about, ready and waiting to ambush them. In the narrow streets with ruined buildings, open doors and windows, and tight corners, it was all too harrowing.

As such, the formation became Mona scouting ahead, Saber as the vanguard, Marie and Mozart in the middle, with Jeanne and Elizabeth taking up the rearguard. The catlike Master crouched down beside a wall as he peered around a corner. He moved back to the others. “Two demons,” he quickly reported. “One patrolling the streets, and one clinging onto the underside of a roof, probably to ambush anyone trying to take out the first demon.”

Saber nodded before darting ahead. The first demon only had time to turn its head toward the Servant before it was cleaved in two by her invisible sword. As the second demon detached from the ceiling to pounce on her, she turned around and with that momentum swung upward. Two halves of the demon fell on either side of her, landing on the icy road like a wet splat. The others quickly caught up, Mona giving a nod of appreciation to the Saber before once more scouting ahead.

Elizabeth glanced over at Jeanne. The saint was keeping watch but she seemed distracted. Following her eyes, she noticed that she was looking at the frozen crucified victims that lined the roads and smaller courtyards that dotted throughout their path.

She sighed, annoyed. “Saint or not, we’re not gonna stop at every victim to pray for them,” Elizabeth scoffed. “From what the puppy and kitty said, they’re not even real anyway. If you’re gonna pray, you’re better off doing it in the actual city, not the head of a crazy doppelganger.”

Jeanne blinked at the Lancer’s words, then shook her head. “N-no, that wasn’t why I was looking at them,” she replied. “I was trying to see if any of these victims were familiar to me or were someone I knew. If this is my doppelganger’s mind, then I should see someone I know here.”

Elizabeth stared, then sighed. “Look, I know how awesome your legend is – pretty sure everyone knows it at this point – but you can’t seriously expect to memorize every single fan or follower of yours,” she snapped. “Heck, as an idol, even I can barely remember my fans’ faces! There’s just too many of them for me to keep track of! Are you seriously expecting to find some random nobody from the masses among the bodies here? Come on, there’s limits to being a celebrity, you know.”

The saint shook her head as they marched forward. “No, not like that,” she replied, brushing off the countess’s attitude. “It’s just… if this is truly my doppelganger, I should know some faces here. There have been people in my life that I still remember clearly. The commanders as I argued with them over battle plans. My men as we ate dinner and talked about their days and lives. The Dauphin, who I helped raise as king of France. And…” She trailed off.

The Lancer raised an eyebrow in question. “And?” she prodded.

“My family,” Jeanne whispered. “My mama and papa. My brothers and sister. Even throughout my long campaign, following His will and command, they have never left my prayers. I missed them dearly.” She looked up at the victims once more. “Yet all these faces are unfamiliar to me. There is nobody here I recognize, despite passing by many victims of my doppelganger’s rampage.”

Elizabeth’s eyes widened. “Wait, then what are you saying?” she demanded.

Jeanne gulped. “Perhaps…” she mused. “Perhaps this doppelganger of mine isn’t my doppelganger at all.”

“While this is a most interesting conversation, ladies, perhaps it’d be better suited once we’ve reached safety?” Mozart interrupted, his eyes darting around as he nervously fiddled with his conductor’s baton. “I do not wish for my most recent piece to be a requiem, especially one centered around me. I've got far too much music to write!”

“That or whatever other nonsense you have in your mind, my dear Mozart,” Marie sighed, walking beside him. Despite the gentle smile on her face, the tension in her body was evident. “But not to fear, we’re coming up on the tower now. Once we have the map, then off we trot!”

“I fear it may not be so easy,” Saber muttered.

Before anyone could ask, Mona came running back almost on cue. “I didn’t see any more demons,” he reported. “We’ll have to cross the street and get to the tower. Normally it wouldn't be a problem, except I saw three frozen crucifixes in front of the door. I don’t like the looks of them.”

Saber frowned. “No doubt guards or sentries of some sort,” she quickly concluded. “We must be swift, whether in securing the map and fleeing or defeating them before we continue. Did you spot a way around them?”

Mona shook his head. “No easy path that I could see,” he replied. “There’s only one way in and one way out. Easy to guard.”

Jeanne nodded, her face grim. “Then we have no choice but to fight,” she replied. “Let us proceed and figure out our plan from there.” Everyone advanced. Turning one more corner, the alley opened to a street. Directly ahead of them was the guard outpost. In front of the door stood three pillars of ice, with crucifixes barely visible within. Most of the other crucifixes lined the streets and were often fully or partially exposed. Mona seemed to correct: They were guards of some sort.

As they stepped cautiously towards the guard outpost. A crack of ice issued through the dead air, stopping the group. More cracks appeared on the three ice pillars, then they shattered in an explosion of ice. The victims mounted on the crucifixes pulled themselves off their crosses and landed on the ground. Their hands and legs had bleeding holes in them where they had been nailed to the wood, but it didn’t seem to hinder them at all as a faint black fog surrounded them. The three victims each summoned their own weapons: a rapier, a scepter, and an executioner’s sword.

“You again?!” Mona cried in disbelief.

Chevalier d’Eon gave a friendly smile. “Bonjour, monsieur cat,” they greeted pleasantly. “I have strict orders not to let anyone pass us here – as well as to cut down all intruders. So I must ask that you-“

“YOU!”

The fencer blinked as Elizabeth stomped forward and glared hatefully at the berserk Assassin – Carmilla. “I finally found you!” she snarled. “You’re going around spoiling my name! As an idol, I’m not gonna let that pass! Come on you old hag, I’m taking you out!”

Carmilla scoffed. “Was I truly this uncouth and impetuous as a child?” she asked in disbelief. “How unsightly. But an idol? Utter nonsense. You cannot hide from what you are and what you’ve done, Elizabeth Bathory. I have at least learned to accept and relish it, as is my right as a countess. I have sought beauty everlasting and shall seek it evermore. And I shall carve that lesson into you, cut by bloody cut. You may be a young maiden, but I do not require your blood. Only your life.”

“Ah, Marie, most pleasant to see you again,” Sanson greeted, a serene smile across his lips. “We were interrupted last time. But now, we shall have this stage to ourselves. Please, come, allow me to show you bliss once more with the edge of my blade. My sword is finely honed for you, Marie.”

Then he scowled at the Caster. “Mozart, I must ask that you take your leave. I do not have the patience or mercy for you. Interfere and I shall make sure your end is gruesome and painful.”

Marie rolled her eyes. “Why must I always be surrounded by perverts?” she demanded, stomping her foot. “Sanson, non. I accepted my execution then and felt nothing when you felled me. Certainly not pleasure! I will rid you of that disgusting notion right now!”

“Indeed, Maria,” Mozart agreed. “Come! As it turns out, I do have to write a requiem - for the lot of you! I shall compose it at the speed of sound!”

Saber lifted her sword. “How did her Servants get in?” she demanded, not taking her eyes off their opponents.

Mona shook his head as he brought out his scimitar. “They’re not the actual Servants,” he pointed out. “They’re cognitions! We don’t know how strong they are, so everyone be careful!”

With that, the three cognitions charged forward, weapons ready to strike.

----------

Joker ran by himself through the icy streets, glancing behind him for his pursuer. The ambush happened almost immediately, and with such ferocity that none of them had seen it coming until it was too late. He didn’t know where everyone else was. He could only hope they were doing alright. For now, he knew they were in a bad situation – separated and without any clue to their surroundings, they were just ready to be picked off.

Turning a corner, he pressed his back flat against the wall, catching his breath. Hauntingly beautiful organ music echoed through the air. For some reason, he felt far weaker than he usually did, even in the real world. The feeling of weakness started when they all heard the organ. He needed to find the source, but the music was echoing through the icy buildings so much it was almost impossible to tell its direction. Getting to the rooftops would be the best way to do that, but that had been a mistake. Now he had a pursuer and lost track of everyone else.

Joker scowled. He would have to risk it again. If he didn’t take down that musician, they would all be in deep trouble. He could only hope everyone else was handling themselves okay. Raising a hand, he began aiming his grappling hook at the rooftops once more when he heard a cracking beside him. He only had time to glance over before a figure exploded through the wall. Barely raising his knife in time, Joker was shoved back further down the alley, colliding hard against a wall. And before him, wielding his tainted greatsword once more…

“AAAAAAARRRTHUUUUURRRRRR!!!!!!”