The sounds of swords clashing rang out through the empty streets. The clamor echoed through the icy streets of the Palace, garnering the attention and fear of prowling demons and wyverns. They stalked closer and closer, smelling blood, but their instincts told them to stay at the periphery at least. They kept to the corners and walls, avoiding the sight of the powerful beings that battled around the base of the tower. Wyverns flocked carefully to the rooftop edges, their powerful eyes watching for blood. There would be time for them yet for a meal.
Chevalier D’Eon was knocked back for the umpteenth time again. Saber raised her sword again. Though the other Saber made their boasts, she already knew that their opponents weren’t as much of an issue as Morgana fretted about. Sanson by trade was a doctor and an executioner. Carmilla was a countess – and judging by the screams of the enraged Elizabeth, was her older self. As far as she was aware, the actual Elizabeth Báthory had no experience in actual combat. And finally, D’Eon was a spy, not a warrior.
The Throne of Heroes was certainly helpful for providing knowledge on other Heroic Spirits.
In contrast, Elizabeth had considerably more martial prowess than Carmilla as her spear swatted aside the various iron maidens the Assassin sent her way while dodging spikes of blood shooting out of the ground. If it wasn’t for her temper, she would’ve easily taken care of her older counterpart by now. Not to mention, she had screamed for everyone to stay out of her way – Carmilla was her prey, and she would deal with her.
Marie and Mozart were facing Sanson, both of whom were keeping their distance and pelting him with energy blasts. Even then, he had been starting to gain ground on them – until Jeanne charged in, brandishing her flag. Though Jeanne didn’t have as much martial prowess as an experienced warrior, neither did Sanson, and their unorthodox weapons certainly didn’t help either of them either. Thus, Jeanne faced off against Sanson while Marie and Mozart provided cover fire. As such, Sanson was at a major disadvantage.
Finally, D’Eon was facing against her, the King of Knights. That was already a gigantic disparity in their combat ability, but Morgana was there as well. He hadn’t been supporting her quite as much as he was trying to keep an eye on the other two fights, but that was fine. She could understand his logic: her own fight was well in hand, and so it was with Sanson. If anything, the biggest danger was Carmilla, and Elizabeth was gaining on her.
Unfortunately for her, D’Eon wasn’t an idiot – they were fighting defensively, doing their best to keep their footing and trying to figure out a way around her. All it took was D’Eon getting past her and killing Morgana to secure victory. Thankfully Morgana already knew that and was keeping his distance as opposed to recklessly rushing in.
All in all, the group had every advantage against their opponents: They outnumbered the group two to one, their combat capability was higher, and they also had better teamwork – the other three weren’t even trying to cooperate with each other and more or less ignored one another. Frankly, securing victory was just a matter of time. “Morgana,” Saber called out behind her, snagging the feline Master’s attention. “Go in and grab the map! We’ll be finished here shortly!”
D'Eon smiled – though it looked far more like a grimace. “Really now, I must say you are underestimating us a fair bit, King of Knights,” they remarked. In response, Saber charged forward. The spy barely raised their rapier in time to block the attack, though the sheer force and ferocity of the blow knocked them back, clearing a path for Morgana. It was a bit of bravado to provoke their enemy, but it seemed to have worked not at all. Or a bit too well – depending on how one looked at it.
Mona took the opening, racing past the combating Servants. Neither Carmilla or Sanson noticed – they were too focused on their respective opponents to keep watch on the tower. He had to shake his head. The doppelganger had certainly assigned a poor group to lead the defense of this guard tower. Then again, perhaps it was a cumulative cognition that did so as well? The Servants opposing them seemed to have some direct connection to a person in the group. Marie with Sanson, Elizabeth with Carmilla, and D'Eon with himself.
That wasn’t relevant right now. He could ponder it later. Right now, he scrambled up the guard outpost, easily racing up the steps. The room at the top was identical to the guard outpost as before, with the map on the table at the center. He jumped up on the table and scanned it. As expected, the map had the location of the last guard outpost displayed, but Joker’s team was already on the way. He hoped that they would have as easy a time getting there as their group did.
Tucking the map into his little pack (which could hold a lot more than one could assume for such a tiny thing), he ran back down the stairs, stopping at the doorway and peeking out first to make sure it was safe. In the few seconds Morgana had been inside, things had changed a bit: D’Eon sported a heavily bleeding cut from their side, causing them to grimace with pain. Sanson’s hand was bleeding as his executioner’s sword lay aside as the Servant himself kept dodging the blows in an effort to recover his weapon.
The only one who wasn’t faring quite so well was Elizabeth – she had multiple gashes on her legs and was also bleeding from her head. She had also lost what ground she had gained on her older counterpart and was on the defensive, dodging and parrying the large number of attacks that were coming her way.
“Even now, you struggle uselessly,” Carmilla snorted. “Submit and capitulate. Struggling so is unbecoming of you. Your fate is already sealed – I am the proof of that, after all.” With a wave of her scepter, two more iron maidens appeared and darted towards the Lancer.
Scowling, Elizabeth raised her spear and swatted them aside once more – albeit with more difficulty. “Can you shut up, you old hag?!” she snarled. “Going on and on about ‘inevitability’ and ‘fate’ and ‘future’. Do you really think I give a single crap about any of that?!”
The berserk Assassin gaped for a second before matching her younger counterpart’s scowl. “You should!” she snarled. “I am your future and who you will become! The Countess of Blood, now and forever! So lay down and accept it – and bleed!” She sent a wave of spikes headed Elizabeth’s way. The Lancer dove out of the way to dodge them as Carmilla summoned more iron maidens – and staggered as a blast of hurricane winds sliced into her, knocking aside the torture devices.
Bleeding from various wounds, she whirled around to snarl at the catlike Master, who glared at her defiantly. “Sorry, but fate is something we take into our own hands,” he yelled, aiming his slingshot at the Servant. Scowling, she dodged to the side and avoided several shots, only to blink in surprise to see the blue skinned musketeer reappear right behind the Master once more. She raised her scepter in preparation for another blast of winds or whatever attack as the being traced a pattern with its rapier. Except, nothing happened…
Save for a green glow behind her.
Carmilla turned around, her eyes widening as she saw the Lancer standing back up, whirling her spear. Her wounds were gone, leaving her looking as good as new. Elizabeth’s scowl showed a different opinion of her healing, however. “Stay out of this, kitty!” she roared. “I have to be the one to take her down! I’m not gonna become this old hag! Never again!”
“Then why the heck are you fighting alone like she is?!” Mona snapped back. That immediately shut the Lancer up. “You wanna become an idol, right? So why are you fighting by yourself?! An idol doesn’t stand alone, does she?” Any further words were interrupted as a wave of blood spikes flowed in his direction, forcing him to dodge.
Elizabeth scoffed as she charged the Assassin, swinging her spear. Carmilla nimbly dodged aside, sending an iron maiden in her place. Eyes widening in surprise, she held her spear up to block off and redirect the torture device. “Of course an idol stands alone!” she barked back. “I’m gonna be a shining star, gleaming for everyone! There’s no room for anyone else!”
Mona rolled aside as an iron maiden flew over his head. “Is that you or the countess talking?!” he snapped. Once more, Elizabeth froze – and nearly got brained by an iron maiden flying at her head in turn.
“To think a talking cat would make more sense than you,” Carmilla growled, her eyes narrowing under her mask. “A countess stands alone on top of the masses, my foolish, younger self. The people live and die only for the nobility. Their strength is her strength, their riches her riches, and their youth her youth.” As Mona and Elizabeth tried to pincer her, she summoned more iron maidens that flew toward the two, forcing them back. “You speak of being a gleaming star above everyone else? Then I ask you, what is so different? Your ambition will simply lead you back to me.”
“Shut up, shut up, shut up, SHUT UP!” Elizabeth screamed as she swung her spear again. Her wild swing missed wide, however, and gave Carmilla the perfect opening: with a wave of her hand, a pool of blood spikes shot up and pierced Elizabeth multiple times, causing her to cough up blood.
“Elizabeth!” Mona cried. Diego appeared once more but before he could finish the healing spell, the Master had to dodge more attacks from the Assassin, leaving the Lancer still heavily wounded. The dragoness scowled as she slowly stood back up, using her spear to support her weight. Her wounds hurt – a lot. She was bleeding heavily and she was running low on prana. Was that it? Was she like what Carmilla said – fated to lose and become her? Were her dreams ultimately that shallow?
“Is that all your dream amounts to, Elizabeth?!"
Elizabeth’s eyes snapped up to Mona, who was still dodging Carmilla’s rapid-fire attacks. “Are you just gonna collapse from this?!” he demanded. “Idols are supposed to get up time and time again! If you wanna shine, then make yourself shine! And idols don’t stand by themselves – they’ve fans and other talents, don’t they?! So are you gonna just feel sorry for yourself like this?! That’s not what an idol does!”
“You talk far too much, cat,” Carmilla snarled. “I think I should silence you – all of you – right now.” She began gathering her prana, causing Morgana’s hair to rise on end. The other Servants sensed the gathering energy and glanced over, their eyes widening. “ All lies on a plate of illusion, yet the girl rests in this case… ” Carmilla intoned.
“ Phantom Maiden! ”
A gigantic iron maiden sprung up next to Morgana, wide open. Its spikes glistened malevolently in the unnatural light. Morgana’s eyes widened, but it was moving too fast and closing too quickly. He wouldn’t be able to get away in time before he was skewered –
A blur of motion moved in front of him. Elizabeth Bathory had raced in front of him, whirling her spear before thudding it against the ground. In a gleam of light, a miniature castle sprang up, wedging the gigantic iron maiden’s doors open. Stone scraped harshly against steel as it continued to rise, with Elizabeth herself mounted on the top. However, contrasting the stone architecture of the castle were sets of gigantic speakers mounted on the front.
“ Báthory Erzsébet!” Elizabeth roared.
The power radiating from the castle was unmistakable. Just as Carmilla had brought out her noble phantasm, Elizabeth brought out her own to counter it. The Assassin stared, her eyes bulging out from behind her mask. “What have you done to my castle, you complete, utter LUNATIC?!” she sputtered. “What kind of…. Abomination have you turned my home into?!? EXPLAIN YOURSELF!!”
The Lancer scoffed. “This isn’t your home, you old hag,” she retorted. “This is the stage for my showtime! Kitty’s right – I can’t go feeling sorry for myself! I have my fans! And with their support, I’m gonna shine! Kitty, as my new number one fan-“
“I did NOT say I was going to become your fan-!”
“I’ll allow you to help me this once!” she declared, completely ignoring Mona’s outburst. “Let’s show this old hag what an idol can truly do compared to a countess!” Mona scowled but Diego popped up again and quickly healed her. With a grin, Elizabeth took a deep breath, marveling that the pain from her wounds faded like it was merely an illusion, then let out a single clear note:
“LAAAAAAAA~!”
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The speakers amplified and echoed Elizabeth’s ear-shattering voice. The gigantic iron maiden began straining against the powerful noble phantasm before being blasted away. Carmilla could only gawp in shock, then a heavy scraping sound caught her attention. She turned to look – and came face to face with the mockery of her castle, the gigantic speakers aimed right at her. The Assassin slowly looked up and only saw the smirking face of her younger counterpart sneering down at her. “I despise you,” she growled. “So much.”
“Well, we finally have one thing we have in common,” the Lancer snarked back before taking yet another deep breath. She sang one more note and blasted Carmilla away. The cognitive Servant dissolved into black dust before even hitting the floor. Its job done, the castle sank back into the ground with a glow of pink light, lowering Elizabeth to the ground as she heaved a gentle breath. The prana cost has been steep but against that hag, it was entirely worth it.
She looked back and saw that the other Servants were finishing up – the Saber had cut down the French spy without too much of an issue while the executioner was impaled with the saint’s flag. All in all, it was a quick victory with… two casualties. Both the musician and the kitty had collapsed on the ground, their eyes rolled back into their heads as they foamed at the mouth, twitching. She frowned at them, confused. “The heck is wrong with you two?” she asked. “We won, didn’t we?”
Marie, Jeanne, and Saber looked at each other and simply sighed.
Then a distant roar quickly drew their attention. Mona and Mozart immediately recovered and shot up as everyone held their weapons up. The demons and wyverns that had been surrounding them quickly scurred or hopped away in a panic. Reverberating stomps and crunches of ice echoed through the air, reverberating off the frozen buildings, making it difficult to pinpoint the source of the sound. The group began bunching up together, back-to-back, glancing in every direction warily as it began getting louder and louder.
The noises stopped. Then Saber’s eyes widened. “Get away from the tower!” she commanded. They began running and moments later, the tower exploded as a claw burst through, scraping at the ground where they were literally just moments ago. Through the ice and rubble slithered out the gigantic Satan, its malevolent eyes bearing down on them. Saber scowled as she spun around, the winds around her blade whipping fiercely. “ Strike Air!” she roared, firing off a hurricane gale towards the being.
“Diego!” Mona cried. The blue musketeer appeared once more and drew another pattern with its rapier. A razor-sharp gust of wind joined with Saber’s Strike Air, amplifying it. The cognitive Satan raised an arm to block the gust, then swung its arm, dispelling the winds. Both Saber and Mona’s eyes widened. It was one thing for the winds to be resisted or blocked, but it seemed to have absolutely no effect whatsoever.
The cognitive Satan roared and lunged at them. All of them barely dodged in time, separating into two groups. Liz roared as she ran in, swinging her spear, while Mozart and Marie fired off energy blasts. The former’s polearm bounced off the demon while the latter’s blasts did literally nothing. Mona fired multiple shots at the cognitive Satan with his slingshot to much the same effect – or lack thereof.
Saber scowled. It was apparent that no matter what they did, it had no effect on this being: Archer’s arrows, her Strike Air, Morgana’s magecraft, Mozart or Marie’s energy blasts, or physical blows. Whatever they tried, this being was completely immune. So once more, they had to resort to their last plan. “Everyone, fall back!” she yelled. “To a safe room, go!”
No one was willing to argue that front. They quickly regrouped and began running to their designated rendezvous point. “Morgana, why can’t we harm this creature?” she demanded from the Phantom Thief as they ran. “At the least, your abilities should be effective against such a being, correct?”
“It’s not a hundred percent foolproof,” Mona snapped. He could hear – and feel – the cognitive Satan pawing at the ground with its claws to increase its speed as it chased after them. “Cognitive beings follow different rules than reality! Whatever the Palace ruler thinks of them is how it goes! So the fact that she thinks that Satan is invincible and unstoppable here means-!”
“She thinks the Devil is ultimately unstoppable and invincible as the sermons teach,” Jeanne concluded, panting as they ran. “And because she has turned her back on His light, there can be no salvation from the Devil.” She glanced behind them. The cognitive Satan was slowly but steadily gaining on them. “Do we have somewhere we can retreat to?”
Mona swiveled his head around. “Safe room, over there!” he pointed. There was a door on the side of a house that had the distinctive, hazy figure. They all began making their way towards it – when the house was obliterated by the cognitive Satan crashing right through it and cutting them off, roaring. They barely dodged a swipe as they continued running in a panic, the demon crawling after them. “Damnit, of course it wouldn’t be that easy!” Mona cursed.
“You said that we’d be safe in those safe rooms, kitty!” Elizabeth shrieked, eyes completely wide in fear.
“The safe rooms, yeah,” Mona affirmed. “But not the buildings! If that Satan can just demolish them then there’s no point in the safe rooms being there anymore!”
He racked his brain for a plan. There had to be some way they could get away! They were lucky enough the first time to have enough distance to get to a safe room before the Satan could fully track them, but right now it was far too close. He considered the smoke or flash bombs, but he doubted they’ll work with something as unstoppable as the cognitive Satan.
That was when Marie stopped and wheeled around, much to the shock of everyone else. “Marie?!” Jeanne gasped.
Marie smiled. “Orleans needs its saint, non ?” she asked as she stared down the approaching demon. “Then as queen, I should escort you to where you need to go. Do run ahead – I will be along shortly, mi amore. ” A claw slammed down again, this time directed at Marie who managed to jump out of the way.
“What?!” Jeanne screamed, flabbergasted. “Marie, no, we can-!” Whatever protestations she had were halted when Saber grabbed her upper arm. Their eyes met, Jeanne’s fearful purple ones meeting Saber’s steely though sympathetic gaze. The message was clear
Saber looked over to Marie. “We shall see you shortly, Marie Antoinette,” she called out to her solemnly before turning to run down the street. Mona, Jeanne, and Elizabeth hesitatingly followed her.
Marie giggled. “How noble, though I do hope we don’t meet too soon,” she tittered as she stared at the behemoth looming over her, who seemed to be watching her every move carefully now. “I wish to meet again in more hospital environs, after all.” She heard quiet footsteps beside her. Blinking, she glanced over and saw Mozart stepping up beside her. “Mozart?” she asked in surprise. “I thought you would’ve run with the others. You did profess yourself to be a coward, after all.”
Mozart chuckled in response. “You are not wrong, Maria,” he admitted easily, staring up at the monstrosity. “Even now I can feel my legs trembling. But I’ve been struck by inspiration, my dear Maria! Seeing the brave queen facing against the Devil himself! Ah, my heart and soul alights with music that springs out of my soul! It would be a tragedy to die, yes, but an even greater one would be to let this new composition within me wither away!” He raised his conductor’s baton. “I must make sure it shall be my greatest work yet!” he declared.
The Rider could only roll her eyes with a gentle smile. “Ever the obsessed fool you are,” she admonished gently. “If that is the case then, we best survive. I wish to hear this composition of yours, after all.” She began gathering prana to herself. She needed to buy time for all of them to escape and drag the Devil in a different direction. And she had just the perfect method to do it.
“ Wishing to blossom, visibly in the open ,” she intoned. Satan roared and breathed out a torrent of frost toward her. Mozart immediately intercepted it with a barrier of music. “ Dancing, to blossom in full glory! ” The sound of a horse whinnying echoed through the empty streets. “ Passing through – “
“ Guillotine Breaker! ”
A horse made of glass, imprinted with lilies raced forward out of nowhere. Marie hopped up and easily sat on the horse as it galloped by, drawing the attention of Satan once more. Large crystals of glass formed all around the cognitive demon, enveloping it as it struggled to get out. However, the glass was already cracking as it pulled. It wouldn’t hold the creature for long.
“ Please enjoy, it is time for a public performance! ” Mozart declared as he gathered his own strength. “ Prepare to listen! To the sound of a demon! ” As he spoke, faceless angels flocked from the sky, each wielding some form of instrument as they surrounded Satan. They began playing a hauntingly beautiful melody, contrasted only by the demon’s roars of rage as it struggled, albeit weaker than before.
“ Requiem for Death! ”
The beautiful composition wrapped and swarmed around the cognitive Satan, weakening it as it struggled. The glass was still breaking but not as quickly as before. Marie quickly wheeled around, her horse forming more glass to trap the demon. She picked up Mozart as she passed by and plucked the surprised Caster, plopping him behind her on the horse. “ Requiem for Death ?” she asked, amused. “We must improve your naming sense, Mozart. But the music is très bien! ”
Mozart laughed. “One should enjoy beautiful music even unto their deathbed,” he declared. “This fiend shall be no exception!” Then his eyes widened as the glass finally broke, allowing Satan to finally slither after them.
“Well, I trust you can provide a running concert for us then, Mozart!” Marie cried. With that, she began riding in the opposite direction of where her companions ran as Mozart bombarded Satan with magical blasts. They fully had the Devil’s attention now.
How fitting.
—------
By the time they found Georgios, his match was already over. He had been battling the tainted Saint Martha, struggling in a town square that had been devastated thanks to her Tarrasque. He had been on the ropes until the music stopped, whereupon he unleashed Ascalon on the duo. The famed dragonslayer against Tarrasque, who was a turtle-esque dragon… There was only one clear winner of such a match-up. Afterward, Georgios fought against Martha and won.
That being said though, he didn’t exactly come out unscathed.
“Does your armor… fix… itself?” Joker asked hesitantly.
Georgios glanced down. His breastplate was dented and even punctured in multiple places. The indents were imprinted with clear signs of fists. “Once I go into spiritual form and return, it should be fine,” he replied, smiling. “I had not expected Saint Martha to be such an experienced pugilist. It was my incaution that allowed her to wound me. Thank you once more for your healing, Ren Amamiya.”
Joker waved it off. “It’s nothing,” he replied with a grin. “We need you in good condition for the fight ahead. I doubt things are going to get any easier.”
The saint nodded. “Too true I fear,” he agreed. He looked over at the collected group. “It seems we are almost all accounted for,” he noted. “Except for Archer. I take it we still have no trace of him?”
Mash shook her head. “Unfortunately not, Sir Georgios,” she replied. “We’ve encountered a few areas where a battle took place, but no sign of him.”
“There is the possibility that Archer may have perished,” Siegfried murmured, frowning.
Joker chuckled, although it sounded a bit strained. He didn’t want to consider that possibility. He didn’t want to lose another person if he could help it. “I doubt it,” he replied easily. “He’s like a cockroach. He’s not the type to die from getting killed.”
Somewhere in Chaldea, Cu Chulainn sneezed.
“For now, we have numbers to work with,” Joker continued, looking over the group. “We can split up into two teams and search the area. Mash, Siegfried, and I will–“
Before Joker could finish, an explosion rang out through the district. Everyone immediately rushed through the streets toward the source of the noise, their weapons ready. They came upon the devastated runs of a church, a bell falling down and crashing to the ground with a loud, final clang. A figure in shadow appeared in the smoke. Everyone braced themselves for whoever their new opponent was… and blinked in surprise as Archer stepped out, nonchalantly brushing off his coat and sleeves.
The red-mantled Servant glanced up at the group, then smirked. “Didn’t expect you to come all this way for me,” he drawled. “Thanks for the welcoming committee.”
“As acerbic as always,” Georgios commented, smiling while shaking his head. “I trust you had no issues?”
Archer glanced behind him at the ruined church. “No issues,” he reported. “There was an enemy Archer that I took out, and an enemy Assassin who was in the church there. He was the one playing the organ music. He’s been taken care of.”
Joker leaned over to stare again at the ruins of the church. “You definitely work fast, Archer,” he commented with a grin. Archer just smirked. “Alright, looks like that’s everyone. Doesn’t seem like there’s anyone else around so we should be on our way once more. Archer, can you take the lead and scout ahead? Last thing we need is another ambush.” Archer nodded and quickly took to the rooftops. “Everyone else, formation. Let’s get a move on.”
With that, they were on their way again. However, they quickly noticed something: It was quiet. There were no demons or wyverns about. The silence made everyone on edge. Joker gulped as they traversed the empty alleyways and streets. They just needed to grab the map and rendezvous with Mona and the others. With any luck, there shouldn’t be any issues. After that, they can figure out a way to the Treasure. And with it, one step closer to ending this.
—-------
Marie drew ragged breaths. The claw that was gripping her was tight, barely allowing her to breathe. She was bloody and battered, her vision a haze. Her horse, her noble phantasm, had long since dissipated and she was out of prana to summon it once more. She had tried blasting the demon’s claw apart but as usual, her power had no effect. Nothing either of them had done ultimately did any damage or even so much as singe a single scale of the demon.
Her eyes wandered. Her gaze fell upon Mozart, who was slumped against a broken wall. His body was dissolving away into gold dust. Despite all the times she called him a coward and insulted him, she still cared for and loved him in the end, just a bit more than she loved everyone else.
She hoped she bought enough time for the others though. Especially Ren Amamiya. That dashing figure, those mischievous yet stern eyes, his capability and confidence, his vulnerability and pain… ah, any girl would fall for such a man.
Perhaps if she was summoned once more, she would try to get closer to him? That would certainly be fantastic. Oh, it wouldn’t be something a queen should do, but she wasn’t exactly a queen anymore, was she?
Ah, but a queen still had a duty to her people, and her duty was to France. The two of them had lured Satan away from the others and bought precious time. They knew this would be their fate and had fully accepted it.
As her gaze fell back down to the blue demon, she could see the maw of the creature approaching her. Large, gnarled, yellowed teeth, gums coated in blood. Its breath was utterly rank, causing her to wrinkle her nose in disgust. There would be no escape, no salvation here.
But that didn’t matter. The saint, Jeanne, would see things through. So would Ren and Morgana. They would save France and save humanity. Thus, despite everything, she smiled. As the jaws of Satan snapped closed on her as sure as the guillotine, her final words in this world were whispered.
“ Vive la France."
And then she knew no more.