Beta read by Opal and Darklord331
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-The Saint's Cradle-
'What a foolish man.'
It was not the first time that such thoughts crossed Quattro's mind.
From the very beginning, he had merely been dancing in the palm of the Doctor's hand, tangled up in his plans, nothing more than a visitor from another dimension who had somehow stumbled into this world by accident, only to be discovered by the Time-Space Administrative Bureau — unfortunately for him. In many ways, she found him both foolish and pitiful.
There was no hope of returning home. The higher-ups at the TSAB would never let someone like him slip through their fingers, not once they understood his abilities the way the Doctor already did… the latter experienced their greed firsthand along with their hypocrisy. They had already stationed him as one of their soldiers with a few familiar faces around to keep him loyal, a pawn to be used indefinitely, all while dangling the promise of "home" just out of reach. No one knew how long that lie would be kept alive.
And yet, the Doctor, despite having numerous plans that involved the boy, at least made an effort to keep his word, for she knew that her creator would genuinely try to find a way back for him. Had the boy simply listened instead of resisting so stubbornly… then again, letting go of such a unique magic so easily did not sit well with her.
"Where is Jail and everyone else on board? How many of you are there?" the redheaded boy asked a couple of questions. His voice cut through the silence as they walked down the hallway, one of the black and white swords pressed firmly against her neck, never once lowered. Though it was a bit weird to feel he whispered so closely to her ears, the action involuntarily sent a shiver down her spine.
Frustration formed at the uncertainty of whether or not it was intentional. Even as an android, the girl was not immune to certain physical stimuli. Then again, the same applied to the boy; her previous little provocation did bring out a reaction from him which she found to be funny.
"How should I know?" Quattro replied coolly. "The Saint's Cradle is an artifact from ancient times far beyond your imagination. It's no different from a floating fortress in many ways, heavily guarded from both outside threats and inside. You could wander around here for days and not see a single soul."
It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the full truth either. The place was enormous, yes, but most of the habitable zones were scattered and sparse across the several kilometers-long warship. A place that was once used to house kings born within and even died within, serving all of the needs and wants of the past royal family, had along with housing enough space to fit an army.
The doctor himself admitted that there were many places he had never set foot in and even more, some abandoned areas. The crew quarters and command center were located toward the front. The rest? Reserved exclusively for the Doctor and his experiments, most of the numbers were not allowed anywhere near those areas.
Other than herself and Uno.
"Not that I particularly care," she added, her tone bored, "but are you sure you want to do this? Becoming the enemy here in our base won't end well for you."
With some time on hand, perhaps starting a conversation with her captor was not such a bad idea.
"Ugh!" Her words were abruptly cut off as the blade pressed harder against her skin, drawing a thin line of blood that trickled slowly down her neck. Even so, she couldn't help but smirk.
"Do it," she whispered. "If you truly had the will to go this far, you would've done it from the beginning. Kill me, and you'll be stuck here forever."
A smug smile graced her face when she saw the conflict flickering in the boy's eyes. He wasn't, at the end of the day, a cold-blooded killer. Unlike many of the Numbers, killing someone without a second thought didn't suit his character, just as she had figured out earlier.
"Just keep walking."
That answer was as good as a confession, and it made her chuckle softly.
As they moved through the hallway, she couldn't help but notice how he kept pressing his hand against the wall every now and then, closing his eyes briefly in concentration. She couldn't sense any magic spells being used or Mana, nor could she see a circle or spell-forming glyph, but she wasn't a fool. He was using some kind of spell… one from his own world, most likely.
Was it some kind of scanning spell?
The first time he used it, his expression had shifted in surprise. He had clearly seen something unexpected upon finding a way to escape and must have seen a small fraction of the Saint's Cradle. Someone in his position would only use such a spell if he were planning an escape, and that had obviously been his goal.
So, he must be trying to map the place as they walked.
'Troublesome,' she mused. 'At this rate, he'll find his way out eventually. This place wasn't built to be immune to every foreign spell from another dimension.'
Still, he wouldn't reach the Doctor so easily. The forward sector was not only heavily fortified with automated drones but also patrolled regularly by other Numbers.
'Cinque is probably still somewhere nearby, along with Tre, or having out with Nove again. If I use my comms now, though, he might catch on. Better to wait until his guard drops.'
It was a simple plan, nothing complicated or clever, but effective. Her priority was to ensure her creator would not get caught in the crossfire at any cost — even if it meant sacrificing herself when all options were exhausted. Ideally, the boy would be brought back to his cell without too much trouble and make sure he would no longer be hostile towards them with a few… upgrades.
"You know," she began with a light tone once more, continuing to keep him talking, "even though you've already had that conversation with the Doctor, why are you still doing all this just to run back to the TSAB? Or maybe that other group, what was it? Riot Force 6, I believe."
He didn't answer, but she continued anyway.
"You say it's because you trust them. That's sweet. But let's be honest, they won't make any real progress without someone like the Doctor on their side. They probably haven't even started yet. Traveling across dimensions or other realities is one thing, but finding yours, specifically, is something else entirely. How long do you think it'll take for them to get anywhere? Months? Years? Decades? You'll become a pile of bones until then, though they would have long since abandoned trying to pretend as if they cared."
"..."
She looked at him with an arched brow, voice dipping into something more knowing. "When enough time has passed... do you really think you won't start regretting your choices?"
Golden brown eyes met hers. She saw a flicker of helplessness flash across them before it vanished, replaced once again by calm resolve.
Finally, he started talking.
"I want to go back. To see my friends and the people close to me, more than anything. I've accepted the fact that it might not happen tomorrow, or next month, or even anytime soon, for that matter. But I'm willing to wait that long instead of teaming up with Jail. After what he's done... I'd rather forfeit my life than take that path. And I want to keep both Lutecia and Vivio safe from whatever he has planned."
The urge to roll her eyes was immense. She had to remake her entire judgment of him. Not only was he a fool, but severely naive about the reality of the situation.
"Besides," Shirou added with a wistful look, "I don't think Rin would be proud of me if I used such a method to go back. Worst case scenario? She's probably trying to get here first… no, I know she's not just sitting in our apartment doing nothing. That's not like her to do so, and she knows I can hold on for a while."
Rin?
Quattro had no clue who that was. But it didn't take an expert to guess after what he mentioned, this Rin was clearly someone from his world. The way he spoke about her, so certain she'd reach this world instead, made her question whether Rin was the reason he arrived in the first place. And if this girl really had the power to travel across worlds… well, that would catch the doctor's interest far more than anything this redhead had done.
"You have this power the doctor treasures," she said, narrowing her eyes. "You could've accomplished so much in such a short time. Made actual progress toward going back. But all I'm hearing from you is that you're gambling everything on a mere possibility. You're an idiot."
The last part was said without any sarcasm or venom, just quiet, genuine disbelief. And to her surprise, the boy didn't get angry or offended. He simply chuckled.
"I know. A lot of people have told me that before. But that's just how I am."
Great. So changing his mind was officially out of the question. That left her with two options: either find a way to subdue him and lock him down tighter than before, or — if it came to it — take him out herself. The doctor would be disappointed with the second option, sure, but it would prevent further risk. They couldn't have some blind, foolish wildcard with strange powers roaming the Saint's Cradle.
"By the way, is Quattro really your name or just a code name?"
The question caught her slightly off guard. She glanced down at him, tilting her head with a raised brow.
"Are you seriously asking me that right now?"
"It's kinda awkward talking to you this entire time," he admitted with a small shrug. "I calmed down from earlier. The talk with Jail and what I learned from him got to me, and I wasn't really thinking about your name."
This guy…
Shirou scratched the back of his head, giving her an awkward smile.
She let out a sigh, considering whether or not to answer. In the end, it wouldn't hurt.
"My actual name really is Quattro, by the way. Nice to meet you again… I guess. You would've made a much better first impression if you hadn't had a sword against my neck."
"Quattro, really? Like... four?"
"Yep. The blue-haired girl you nearly killed is my older sister, Tre. The one with the eyepatch is Cinque, and the one who nearly took your head off with boomerangs is Sette." She gave him their names, this not being a piece of particularly sensitive information, putting her sisters in danger or anything like that. Just that their existence was still mostly unknown to many people, other than those directly involved with cases related to the doctor.
"That's... an interesting naming scheme. Why do you all have numbers instead of, you know, actual names?"
Good. The boy was getting more comfortable, his guard slowly dropping like the last piece on a chessboard, and Quattro kept up her innocent smile.
"Well," she said lightly, "we're cyborgs. Created by the Doctor. He named us in sequence, the oldest is Uno, the youngest... someone like Nove. Pretty simple, hard to mess that up."
She noticed the shift in his eyes. That flicker of discomfort when a bad thought crossed his mind.
"He didn't even bother to give you a proper name… something is not right with that guy." His expression showed as if he was recalling the past. "People like him tend to use others around them as tools."
Her smile faltered. Only for a moment. When it returned, it was tight, a bit brittle, and her tone came out colder than before.
"We're weapons of war to our creator. Like it or not, he made us for a purpose, and he cherishes us enough for us to see that. We don't need the kind of names you're used to just to feel valued." For the first time since they started to speak with one another, Quattro's voice dropped one level and sounded genuine.
A quiet pause settled between them. He didn't respond. Instead, he turned back to the walls, pressing his palms along the surface as if trying to read something hidden beneath it. His focus shifted entirely, and she let him, observing quietly. She should have just ignored that comment, but just as she was about to say something — Shirou roughly grabbed her wrist and pulled her arms before pushing the girl against a wall.
"Ah—mmph!" Before any loud sound could escape from her mouth, her eyes widened at the sudden action. Especially when his face was near hers, and gestured to the cyborg to keep her silence. Realizing that he was not about to kill her out of the blue, Quattro let her momentarily turbulent thoughts settle down before listening carefully.
Step
Step
Step
Footsteps echoed from the hallway ahead. She didn't need to look to know who it was. The footsteps, their weight and rhythm, were familiar.
'Finally. Nove's not slacking off today. She probably got a warning from Uno.'
Neither of them moved. Not a breath out of place. Shirou's hand stayed raised, his expression warning her not to try anything dumb, which just ended up making the woman roll her eyes and stare back at him challengingly.
A faint hum drifted closer, "Hm~", a casual sound from one of the younger Numbers, Nove. Quattro raised an eyebrow at how the girl did not seem to be frowning as she usually would. The girl with hair nearly the same colour as his walked right past their hiding spot, completely unaware. Not checking the corners and not noticing anything unusual.
Quattro's brows twitched slightly. How the hell did she not see them?
Then she noticed it.
Shirou was holding a dagger, one she hadn't seen before. A strange pulse of magic radiated from it, subtle and smooth. Their bodies almost looked translucent, like the air itself was trying to forget they were there.
'Invisibility cloak? Does it have abilities similar to my silver curtain?'
No wonder the Doctor was obsessed with this boy. Even she was beginning to understand why.
Nove passed by and vanished down the corridor. The dagger shimmered one last time before the magic dissolved. Their forms returned to normal, and the man moved on without a word, like nothing had happened.
Quattro followed, her gaze lingering for just a second on where her sister had disappeared. Unbeknownst to her captor, a small, practically unnoticeable light flashed on her finger for a second.
A smirk tugged at the corner of her mouth.
{Break}
(A few seconds later)
Something didn't feel right. Shirou wasn't sure how to explain it, but the longer this went on, the heavier the unease in his chest became. Even though they'd managed to avoid being caught by any drones or other Numbers along the way, there was something about his so-called hostage that left him unsettled. She was far too calm for comfort, almost like she was certain about something he couldn't see coming.
"What are you planning?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.
The girl only gave him a cheeky smile and shrugged her shoulders like it was the most casual thing in the world.
"Why do you look so worried? I'm just your hostage, right? And I'm cooperating with you. You said you won't hurt me, and you won't kill me either… so I don't really have much of a choice other than to comply."
He expected some kind of answer, maybe a hint of nervousness, but she offered none. Still, now wasn't the time to press the issue. He focused instead on his surroundings. His irregular use of structural analysis gave him a brief, fragmented understanding of the layout — a rough map in his head. Calling this place big would've been an understatement. It was bigger than any skyscraper he'd seen in Fuyuki and Midchilda, for that matter, sprawling and complex, riddled with so many mazes, corridors, and endless rooms that just the sheer number of them, along with the complex machinery hidden behind every wall, gave him a dull, growing headache.
But he could tell they were getting closer. Every path seemed to be funneling toward one main area. When they reached it, he planned to knock the girl out and make a run for it, rather than risk a direct confrontation with Jail. As much as he wanted to eliminate that threat, he was not confident enough in his chances, and there was no telling what kind of disaster might follow if he failed. No, he needed to get back, warn the others, and most importantly, make sure neither Lutecia nor Vivio was hurt.
Before he could demand more details from Quattro about the nearest exit, a sudden shiver crawled up his spine. Goosebumps prickled across his skin as his eyes widened. Instinct kicked in. Without thinking, he shoved the girl aside and ducked his head just in time to avoid a sharp shadow passing right above him with her legs denting the nearby wall.
"Tch, missed!"
The one from before had found them.
Another attack ensued, with the girl jumping above him with both her feet aimed at his head. "Break Liner!"
His body moved on reflex, twisting his torso as his legs swept out in a sharp kick, connecting with a solid thud and managing to deflect it. His gaze snapped up, it was the same Number from earlier, the one who'd failed to notice them before. She managed to block his attack with a hastily raised energy shield, but still went flying several meters back.
The brief confrontation alone forced him to jump back, no longer capable of keeping hold of Quattro, who slipped away with impressive flexibility.
"Hehehe… you should've followed my advice," the Number sneered, her voice low and taunting as she looked back at Nove. "What took you so long? How did you not notice your entire arm becoming invisible?"
"S-Shut up, Quattro!" Nove shouted back. "Rather than yelling, I should be the one asking you to explain how this guy escaped in the first place when you were there!"
"We'll discuss that later, then, just focus on him!"
Realizing too late that Quattro was no longer within his grasp, Shirou's eyes darted to the side. The girl had already gotten back to her feet and summoned a small, floating keyboard around her wrist. Her fingers danced across the keys, fast and practiced, and a sharp alarm blared through the base a second later.
"Not only will you never get out of this place," she said with a smug grin, "but I'll make sure no little accident like this ever happens again."
He cursed under his breath.
Not loud, not theatrical, just a tight whisper of frustration as his heels scraped the smooth floor and he spun around, sprinting back the way he came. Facing them head-on had already proven to be a mistake. He wasn't about to repeat it.
The hallways pulsed red with alarm lights, sirens wailing in a constant, mocking chorus that echoed through the walls. Ahead of him, from the corner of his vision, came the buzz of movement. A swarm of drones, descending like vultures with flashing lights and steel limbs.
"Again with those things," Shirou muttered, irritation seeping into his voice.
How many did this madman even have? It felt like an entire factory was tucked away in the bowels of the ship, spitting them out in endless waves. He pushed the thought aside and focused, his circuits flaring as he projected a bow into existence. Arrows formed with a shimmer and a hiss.
He let them fly.
One. Two. Three. The first row of drones exploded in a sharp blast, taking several of their companions with them. The flames danced across the floor tiles, black smoke spiraling upward, but more machines emerged through the haze, undeterred and swarming faster.
Shirou's arms moved without pause, drawing and firing with mechanical rhythm. Arrow after arrow streaked through the air, until only a handful of the machines remained. For those, he summoned Kanshou and Bakuya, his twin blades singing through metal and sparks.
"Tch."
He paused, breathing heavily, eyes flicking down each side of the corridor. Still alone. No shadows creeping behind him. For now.
Pushing forward, he cleaved through the next cluster of drones that rounded the corner, moving with brutal efficiency. The hallway gradually opened into a massive chamber, wider and colder, its ceiling lined with thick cables that pulsed with dim blue light.
Then came the glow of screens.
One by one, they flickered on, lining the walls with grinning images of the same man, each display showing the doctor's face in varying shades of smug amusement. His voice followed, oozing confidence and condescension.
"Well, colour me surprised. You actually managed to escape, Emiya Shirou. I hadn't anticipated you brute-forcing your way through the restraints and still casting magic. I suppose I should have cut off your limbs after all."
Shirou said nothing.
"Next time, I'll be more decisive. Perhaps a few amputations. A chip in your brain. Permanent sedation. So many choices, don't you think? The possibilities are endless when you stop caring about the human bits."
A cold sweat broke across Shirou's back.
This was just like them. The worst of the mages from the Clocktower. Men and women who saw people not as lives, but as resources. Clay that is to be shaped and discarded. He had seen too many of them. Let Rin handle them now.
He didn't look at the screens as he kept moving, his voice low.
"And then you wonder why I never joined your side. You really are a genius when it comes to establishing potential allies." He said loudly, a heavy amount of sarcasm bleeding through his voice. "Maybe next time, try a different approach if you want to see results, something other than kidnapping me!"
Turning a sharp corner, he found another corridor stretching out before him, identical to the last. More screens. More corridors. What was supposed to be the shortest path to the main room had turned into a nightmare of endless passages, as if the ship itself was trying to confuse and trap him.
And still, he ran.
Because stopping meant being eventually overwhelmed by the sheer number.
His hand slammed against the wall again, another pulse of magical energy rippling outward through the steel and wires, feeding his structural analysis. Even now, he was not able to sense any exit points, with more and more hallway rooms and other giant, spacious areas appearing one after the other.
"You made a mistake," Jail muttered, seemingly unbothered by what Shirou said previously, though his eyes continued to frown the more damage the man kept doing to the ship. "I only treat my allies with care and respect. If you had accepted the deal, you would have stood beside me as an equal. I would have given you my strength. I would have helped you. Every way I could."
He paused, eyes narrowing.
"But you chose the other path. You became my enemy. And I do not hold back against my enemies."
Without waiting for a reply, he traced his married blades again. He slashed the wall, carving through the dense plating with a shriek of tearing metal before leaping through the fresh breach.
He dropped fast, landing hard on a lower platform, boots skidding on the smooth surface. Sparks scattered. The doctor flinched from his side for the briefest of seconds, but the smug smile soon returned to his lips.
"Do not try anything foolish. This structure is my domain. As long as I command it, you will never leave. Not unless I allow it."
"We'll see about that," Shirou muttered under his breath. "Just keep talking."
If there was no path out, then he would carve one himself. The moment he found solid footing, he moved forward again, both swords flashing in wide arcs, slicing through thick walls and mechanical ribs of the ship. Room after room, hallway after hallway. The layout shifted like a labyrinth with no end.
But he wasn't wandering blindly. With each step, structural analysis mapped the ship's insides in his mind, guiding him toward the seams, saving him time and effort, skipping areas most likely filled with drones and other numbers waiting to ambush him.
Without it, this place would have been a maze of endless frustration. He would have wasted hours or collapsed from exhaustion. Worse, he could have been caught again.
Jail's voice now thundered from every speaker, laced with venom.
"Cease this madness at once! I gave you a chance, Emiya Shirou. You will regret throwing it away." Shirou didn't answer, raising an eyebrow at how suddenly the man got angered after acting all calm not a few seconds ago. It did not take long for him to figure out the reason behind that change; a ship like this would be a treasure to anyone who owned it, damaging it only invited more ire on him. The steel beneath his feet groaned as he jumped from several platforms to another.
A shrill alarm rang out. From above, below, and all around, the drones came.
Hundreds of them.
Clouded by multiple layers of type one and a few anti-magic ones from before—glowing red eyes, converging on him like a metal storm. Their unnerving sound grew deafening, enclosing him from every direction.
"Ugh!" A pained grunt tore from his throat as the swarm pressed in. There was no time to think. He tightened his hold on Kanshou, his hands a blur, blades slicing down drones by the dozen. At the same time, a circle of swords formed around him. Dozens. Projected at once.
He fired them all at once.
The hallway lit up with a flash of fire, and a number of them detonated at once. He did not need to draw any precautions on how many he fired or Traced, unlike before his capture, the Numbers ambushed him near a residential area where innocent lives could have been caught in the crossfire. He didn't need to hold back.
His breaths grew the materiales of light and ringing metal, explosions chaining through the swarm as blades pierced one drone after another, burying themselves in walls or detonating in midair.
He kept moving.
This wasn't like before. There were no civilians here. No heavier, each one dragging in fire. But he wasn't finished. Not yet.
Without his barrier jacket, Shirou did not have the luxury to rely solely on offense this time. But with so many drones firing at him, sooner or later, one of them would eventually pass through his defense and possibly incapacitate him. So, he chose to rely on something else in its place. Particles of light coalesced around his upper torso before a black armor wrapped around his body, shaped tightly to his frame, similar in appearance to the armour worn by a certain Archer.
It lacked the full coverage and layered defense the jacket provided, but the material was dense enough to absorb a couple of shots without breaking. It wasn't perfect, but it was better than nothing.
He leapt from one staircase to the next, dropping several meters at a time through the open shaft, each step barely holding before it crumbled behind him, with several shots fired by the machines. Just as he turned to scan the next platform, a sharp glint flickered in the distance.
"—!?"
His eyes snapped toward it, and in that instant, instinct took over. He brought both blades up to guard, the flat sides meeting something that struck faster than even some of the Numbers.
"Argh!"
A spear, radiating with condensed magical power, collided against his guard with enough force to launch him backward. The blow hammered into him directly, throwing him down like a stone dropped from the sky. His back slammed into a steel wall with a loud crash, the vibration rattling his ribs and knocking every breath out of his lungs. One sword held firm under the impact without showing any signs of breaking. Still, pain flooded his body as blood filled his throat, but he kept from falling unconscious.
Dizzy and pinned to the wall for a moment, Shirou blinked through the haze.
Then he saw him.
A tall man stepped out of the far hallway, holding another flaming spear in one hand. The fire around him didn't fade but pulsed with each breath. Shirou's jaw tightened.
"You," he spat, pushing himself up despite the strain in his legs. The man's face was exactly as he remembered.
One of the ones who had been with Lutecia during the attack at the auction house. The one whom at some point he had completely forgotten about after everything that happened in the following days. "You shouldn't have come here, Emiya Shirou."
"Not like I had much of a choice in the first place, Zest," Shirou answered, recovering from the impact and slowly getting back on his feet. Zest acknowledged his words and jumped back, he noted how the spear seemed to have gotten some modification allowing the blade to be coated with a layer of fire. But it was not the same as the unison form from last time without Agito's presence. "I am not here to fight you."
"I know," Zest answered with little emotion in his tone, pulling his spear back and thrusting it once more, only for it to miss its target with Shirou rolling away in time. "I don't have a choice as well."
With a twirl of the guan dao-like weapon, a magic circle formed in front of its spearhead before he fired multiple waves of fire attacks. Each one of them blasting the spot where their opponent was before the latter would dodge continuously, forced backwards but still on the harmed. Some of the fireballs that were aimed at his face would get cut in half, an outcome that both of them were not so surprised to see, given their past experience. "Ah!"
Zest stepped forward without hesitation, his spear spinning once overhead before he brought it down with speed and weight that sent a gust through the hallway. The sharp point struck with a force that rattled the floor, meeting the twin married blades head-on. Metal clashed hard. Shirou held firm, but the impact made his knees give slightly under the pressure, boots scraping back a few inches on the steel plating.
He gritted his teeth and shifted his stance, pushing upward to deflect the spear just enough to the side. Without a pause, his left blade came in at a diagonal, followed by a swift upward arc from the right. The flurry of slashes forced Zest to pull back his weapon, using the shaft defensively as he stepped back and parried the strikes with controlled movements.
Clang. Clang. Clang.
The sound of steel-on-steel echoed in sharp bursts as they exchanged blow after blow. Zest kept his form tight, deflecting and responding with short jabs meant to open Shirou's guard. But Shirou kept moving, slipping around the wider strikes, answering with fast cuts and feints, the married blades working in tandem like extensions of his arms.
Neither one gave ground. It was clear they were evenly matched, at least for the moment.
Zest narrowed his eyes, suspicion growing with every second the fight dragged on.
"Did they capture her?"
"No, it's just me," Shirou replied as he stepped into a rising slash, nearly catching Zest off balance. "Now they're after someone else. I'm trying to get out of here and make sure he doesn't get there before I do. So let me leave."
His tone was firm but not hostile. Even now, in the middle of a fight, Shirou could tell this man was not exactly after his throat like everyone else on this ship, despite his current actions stating otherwise. Zest's strikes didn't carry the same mindless aggression as the drones or the same kind of killing intent like the other Numbers—most likely, he was just following orders. There was a hint of hesitation. "Is she… is she doing okay?"
"A bit reserved at times," he replied with a smirk. "But she smiles more often than not, she even started to throw sarcastic comments at me. She tends to sleep all day if no one wakes her up. I try not to have her sit in front of the TV all day, and… well, she misses you. So just come see her."
He hoped that meant the man could be reasoned with. But the latter didn't lower his spear.
"I can't do that," he said, voice calm and steady. Shirou exhaled and reset his footing.
"Were she here, I can only imagine the kind of face she would make knowing about your decision. You have let her down."
Those words made the man freeze up for a brief moment.
This time, Shirou charged first. The blades came in low, forcing Zest to adjust. One struck the knee, the other swept upward toward the shoulder. The brown haired man blocked with the haft and spun out, swinging his spear in a wide arc that forced Shirou to duck under it. A second thrust came in straight at his side, grazing his armor as he turned just in time. "—!"
His senses spiked again, flaring in warning as he picked up on another presence nearby. Without pausing to retrieve Kanshou and Bakuya, Shirou quickly traced a large great sword into existence, a weapon that looked no different from a slab of steel with a small handle at the bottom. The weapon dropped and covered his side just in time, its wide blade catching several incoming energy rounds from a new group of drones swarming the air.
"Tch," he muttered, eyes scanning quickly. With them in the air, there was no way he could focus solely on Zest. Splitting his attention like this was dangerous—any lapse could give the man an opening.
Raising his focus, he sent out a mental command. A series of swords shimmered into existence above his head. A second later, they launched in unison, streaking past him and tearing through the air as they homed in on the drones. Explosions lit up the upper platforms as targets were struck down.
Seizing the moment, Shirou forced his way forward and broke through the stalemate. Instead of attempting another slash or thrust, he lowered his stance and slammed shoulder-first into Zest's side. The older man grunted from the impact, both of them thrown off balance as they tumbled from the platform edge.
They dropped.
Shirou adjusted mid-air, twisting his body until his feet were angled toward a nearby support wall. With Kanshou still in hand, he stabbed the blade into the metal, sparks erupting as it carved a jagged path down, slowing his descent.
"Stop destroying the ship!" a voice shouted from above.
He recognized it immediately. His ears twitched, and he looked up. Nove had caught up, leaping down toward him with others close behind. She came in fast, boot aimed squarely at his chest. Shirou barely raised his arms in time to block, the impact jarring his forearms and forcing him to release his grip on the embedded blade.
The moment he landed, another figure dropped in, a flash of white hair and a dagger aimed for his neck.
"You just never give up," he grunted, twisting his body sideways. He grabbed Nove mid-motion and spun them both. Her body hit the ground first, breaking his fall and causing her to yelp in pain. Despite that, she still glared at him and began to rise, grimacing through it.
He rolled away quickly, pushing himself back to his feet. As he turned toward the other attacker, likely one of the other numbered enforcers, he noticed the lighting in the area had changed. The space had opened up.
Bright panels in the ceiling flickered on, illuminating a vast chamber. His eyes squinted, adjusting to the sudden flash of light where he did his best to survey his surroundings. The redhead narrowed his eyes upon noticing a figure standing several levels above with his hands shoved inside the lab coat… no longer hiding behind a screen. The man clapped mockingly, an infuriating smirk plastered on his face.
Another speech.
Shirou didn't let him get a word out.
In a blink, a bow and arrow formed in his hand. The arrow's tip gleamed briefly as it was drawn back, then loosed in one fluid motion. The projectile screamed through the air, aimed directly at the doctor's smug expression.
But it never reached him.
A blur of movement cut in from the side a familiar figure appeared between them. Blue hair. Cold eyes. The same woman he had fought before. She intercepted the arrow mid-flight, using her vambraces to intercept its trajectory, grabbing what remained and crushing it down before it could reach its mark. She landed beside him, where another woman he had not seen before approached, this one not wearing the same kind of gear as the rest and resembling a business woman more than anything else.
"It was worth a try," Shirou muttered, looking around to see more and more of the rest of the Numbers appearing one after the other. A familiar situation he found himself once more, the first time was when Lutecia was about to be taken, and the second time was when they captured him.
Overall, he had gotten a good feel of their powers and strength. Knowing which one packed the strongest punch and which one moved the fastest. His eyes landed on Quattro, the brunette sitting on a ledge, waving at him with a smile on her face, acting all cute with Nove next to her, glaring at him.
"I know you had a small tour of the place," Jail added, gesturing to the area around them. "Hopefully, you're starting to understand just how unlikely it is for you to escape. On top of that, I am afraid I will no longer grant you any second chances, Emiya Shirou."
With a snap of his fingers, Shirou's eyes widened when all of the Numbers rushed at him at once.
At that moment, Shirou's mind raced, cycling through possibilities in the span of seconds. Around him, time felt like it crawled; every step, every breath, every shift of movement became clearer. He counted the ones closing in, quickly picking out the three closest. The rest hung back, no doubt preparing to open fire or support with ranged cover once he was engaged.
His first instinct was to summon several Black Keys to stall half of them while dealing with the other half first. But that plan was immediately ignored when he discovered the several powerful sources of light all around them. Making it impossible for him to spot any shadows for those mystic codes to be useful.
'The one with the number three on her suit… should be Tre then? She's the fastest, the blue-haired one. Speed-enhancement, dagger user. She's not leading with a killing blow, just aiming to stall me. Distract long enough for one of the others to strike while I'm exposed.'
The hum of her energy wings on her boots intensified as she darted toward him, heels cracking against the ground before pushing off again. Making her the first one to get this close to him before anyone else. The dagger gleamed in her hand, angled low as she advanced with rapid, controlled steps. Shirou had seen her technique once before, capable with her fists, but more precise with the blade. She wasn't channeling full power into this. That meant finesse over force. The aim wasn't the torso.
'Blade's too low. She's targeting my legs.'
He adjusted instantly. Kanshou extended forward, intercepting the angle of her blade. Sparks danced in the narrow space between them as the edge of his weapon caught hers, grinding against it as he deflected it to the side. Her balance shifted. Her guard opened. A clear opportunity presented itself.
But he didn't follow through.
The faint whirring from behind him broke through the clash, familiar, sharp, and rapid rotation. Another projectile was coming in.
'Same tactic again. Distraction followed by a strike from the rear. Last time it was the one with the eyepatch. If their pattern hasn't changed then—!'
Shirou dismissed Kanshou in the same motion and grabbed the girl's wrist with one hand. Without stopping, he twisted his body, pulling her forward and spinning her around. Her feet left the ground, arms flailing as she was flung directly behind his shoulder.
Two twin-blade boomerangs came into view only for a blink, then collided against her instead of him. One struck her clean in the stomach, the other cutting across her side. The force knocked the wind from her lungs as she cried out, limbs folding around the wound.
He let her fall to the ground and took half a step back.
'She's aiming for my head. They either assumed I'd survive... or they've changed priorities.'
He reached out with his will, summoning several longswords into existence in a slow orbit above him. The polished blades reflected the overhead lights as they hovered, then fired upward all at once.
A startled scream rang out from above. One of the Numbers with energy wings reeled as a blade drove clean through her thigh. Blood streaked the air as she flailed, trying to fly higher, but more swords followed. She twisted in midair, avoiding one, but a second clipped her shoulder, forcing her into a dive.
Shirou's gaze swept the field again.
Something didn't add up.
His mind ticked off every opponent he had seen, two on the ground, one in the air. Quattro remained behind watching the scene with interest, and the rest were still running up to him—but the count didn't match. One was missing.
A cold sensation crept down his spine.
'Where is she?'
Without waiting to confirm, Shirou poured magical energy into his legs, reinforcement spreading through muscle and bone. He jumped.
The floor below rippled a moment later, shifting unnaturally like disturbed water. A pair of pale hands shot upward from the distorted metal, reaching for the space where his legs had been just moments ago. Fingers snapped shut on empty air.
He landed on a nearby ledge, body crouched low, eyes darting back to the ground. The surface began to settle, but the glimmer of movement just beneath the floor's reflective plating told him the missing Number hadn't retreated; she was hiding in the structure itself.
'Phasing or tunneling magic? That's new.'
Shirou's thoughts moved fast, his eyes narrowed at the floor still rippling from her retreat. She had disappeared again into the solid plating of the ship's structure. A trick like that would normally make her intangible, yet she had tried to grab him a moment ago.
'If she could fully phase through matter, she wouldn't be able to touch me. So maybe... she controls which parts of her body can interact with the physical world. If that's the case, my attacks might not connect at all. Would they just pass through her?'
Not waiting to test theories passively, he hurled Bakuya downward toward the floor where she had vanished. The white blade spun in a tight spiral, striking the ground with force and sending sparks scattering on impact. But it hit nothing but steel. A subtle movement on the far end of the hall told him she had already slipped away.
Frustration crept into his eyes.
'I can't stay still. She'll try to grab me again. But I can't devote all my focus to her either. The others won't give me that chance.'
Shirou's gaze shifted sharply toward the girl who had thrown the bladed boomerangs earlier. She was already moving, now rearmed and closing the gap. Her steps were more direct, more reckless than before.
'So she gets bolder when I let go of my weapons. Makes sense.'
There was no pretense of stealth this time. She launched the boomerangs again, twin blades curving toward him. With a sharp breath, he summoned two swords midair beside him, directing them with a thought. Both projectiles met the curved weapons mid-flight, clashing in a sharp metallic burst that altered their trajectory. He didn't stop there. Before she could recover, a third sword shimmered to life and fired toward her chest.
But before he could assess the outcome, pain exploded in his back.
"Ug—w-what!?"
His body jerked forward from the impact, his eyes wide in disbelief as something sharp struck against his black armour — the latter managing to resist and dispel most of the force. Turning quickly, he saw it, one of the very same boomerangs he had just deflected earlier, having at some point returned for an attack.
'That should have been knocked off-course. They don't possess abilities like Kanshou and Bakuya, they are not even devices but just reinforced steel weapons. Unless…'
His eyes darted back to the source. The girl had taken the sword strike, but not fatally. Instead of dodging, she had let the weapon pierce through her forearm. Blood trailed down her sleeve, but she didn't flinch. Her focus had been elsewhere, on the weapons she had thrown. The slight wobble to them as they started to move back towards her.
'She's controlling them... at a distance.'
It clicked.
'She sacrificed her arm just to keep her ability active. It's not enchantment… must be a different kind of ability similar to the one who can phase through objects, she's directing them manually, like a form of localized telekinesis. If she can guide them after they've been thrown… I can't risk underestimating her.'
There wasn't enough time to test if she could manipulate other weapons, too. Whether or not she could redirect his own blades didn't matter; he wouldn't let her stay in the battle long enough to try.
Gritting his teeth, he ignored the ache from the wound on his back. Blue waves of light flared from his palm, condensing into shape. The light warped and curved, forming a pair of bladed boomerangs practically identical to the ones she had used against him.
The girl's eyes widened in disbelief the moment she saw them.
He threw them without hesitation.
In her panic, instincts betrayed her. Rather than attempt to catch them, she immediately reached out with her power, focusing on redirecting their path. The boomerangs spun wildly, then veered off just before reaching her.
She exhaled in visible relief.
Only for the breath to catch in her throat as a spear emerged from the shadows of those weapons, piercing clean through her stomach and slamming her into the wall with brutal force. The weapon pinned her there, her feet just barely touching the ground, eyes wide and stunned as blood seeped from the wound.
At the other end of the spear's shaft stood Shirou, arm extended, grip unwavering.
"Sette!"
The shout came from one of the others, sharp and furious. Her name, echoed in a voice filled with rage, was enough to confirm what his actions had just ignited.
Around him, their formation wavered, and then the tension snapped. Shouts of anger erupted in all directions as the remaining numbers surged toward him, blades drawn and powers flaring.
Their aggression rose with intensity. This time, two of them came at once from opposite flanks.
On his left was the girl with the eyepatch; he remembered her. She had been the one who tried to sneak attack him back in Midchilda. She moved with the same silent sharpness, gripping a dagger identical to the blue-haired woman from before. Her aim was clear: waist-level. 'I can't remember her ability, she did not use it last time… is it related to stealth? That can't be, she would have used it otherwise.'
On his right, another figure dropped from above, twin laser blades igniting mid-air. The brilliant red edges hummed through the air as she twisted her body in a precise arc, both weapons positioned to form a clean X meant to carve through his neck on the landing.
Shirou's pulse spiked. Sweat trickled down the side of his face, but his eyes remained locked forward. He couldn't succumb to his exhaustion even for a brief moment or let himself lose focus. Not now. He couldn't afford it.
With a sharp breath, he yanked the spear free from the pinned body of Sette and swung the blunt end hard. The metal shaft collided against Cinque's wrist just as she lunged in. The impact forced her blade downward, and with a loud snap, the dagger's edge cracked cleanly apart.
Boom!
Much to his shock, the broken blade detonated, with Cinque throwing most daggers at him. All of which acted as bombs.
'Blocking them will just leave me open for an attack from number twelve. Those daggers are normal, with no signs of any enchantments leading to the explosion. That should be her ability then, she's storing a large amount of energy within the metal, forcing it to detonate similar to a Broken Phantasm.'
The explosion from the first dagger sent a few shards of metal at him, most of which failed to get past the armour, but others left cuts on his face. Not taking the chance to even deflect them, Shirou summoned a wall of greatswords acting as a shield against the explosion that ensued.
He pivoted on his heel immediately, the head of the spear now facing the airborne attacker, the one marked with a bold number twelve etched into the side of her bodysuit. She wasn't caught off guard. Even mid-air, she adjusted her trajectory using a short burst of magic, lowering her body to realign for a second strike aimed at his torso. 'Damn it!'
The blades shimmered with searing red light as she came in for a cross-slash.
"Guh!"
Pain burst across his chest, but before her landing was complete, Shirou brought his knee up in a brutal motion, slamming it into her chin. Her head snapped back violently. In the same moment, he rotated the spear and smashed its shaft into the side of her temple. The girl went limp, her body collapsing to the ground without resistance.
Shirou stumbled slightly, steadying his breath. His eyes dropped to inspect the damage.
Two scorched, intersecting lines now marred his armor across the chestplate, an unmistakable X-shaped scorch pattern left by the energy blades. The armor held. Reinforcement magic layered through its structure had done its job, barely keeping the material from giving out completely. Still, the metal had warped under the heat, its surface half-melted where her weapons had struck.
'It held up… . That was too close.'
The armor was designed to absorb high-impact projectiles, magic blasts, even repeated hits from Gandr curses when he sparred with Rin. But this had pushed it to the brink.
'What the hell are those blades made of? Is it just the tech or is she enhancing them somehow with another ability?'
Even with his ability to analyze the properties of weapons, the exact powers of each Number remained unclear. Unlike physical weapons, abilities were harder to read.
"Guh!"
His thoughts were cut short as multiple beams of energy tore into him from behind.
Searing pain lanced across his limbs and back, several blasts striking the armor, others glancing off his shoulder and leg. He stumbled forward, heat clinging to his skin, with most of the damage thankfully only being surface level.
Whipping around, he saw the source, another Number floating in mid-air, this one androgynous in figure, with short-cut hair and a sharp expression. Her hand was extended forward, palm open, generating a radiant field of concentrated energy.
A dozen light beams formed and shot toward him in quick succession.
Shirou reacted instantly, dodging to the side, weaving through the barrage. The spear spun in his hands, intercepting several blasts with well-timed swipes that sent streaks of white light scattering on impact. He clenched his jaw, his focus narrowed. The girl wasn't letting up. She fired another volley, and Shirou rushed toward her and summoned the married blades before throwing them at her.
She flew around them, continuing her attack with a blank expression only until Cinque screamed loudly. "Idiot, don't take your eyes off those swords, Otto!"
As if she recalled something important, Otto stopped her assault and turned around with some level of panic flashing across her eyes. Barely managing to bring up a thin film barrier… a form of protection that immediately failed when the swords easily cleaved through them and sliced across her front and pierced her chest.
Unfortunately, Shirou had no time to catch his breath. 'Cinque and the one who can phase through materials created some distance between us. Nove has not attacked yet… behind me!'
A loud sound reached his ears coming from the other side of the room, bright light coming into view, where a figure, which he had not noticed the entire time, came into view with the invisibility spell on her disappearing. Upon seeing the giant gun held within her arms and aimed right at him, Shirou's eyes widened when he recalled what happened last time, and realised something. 'All of them were buying them for her this entire time!'
As the barrel released a beam of pure condensed destructive energy at him, he wasted no time raising his hand while shouting. "Rho Aias!" Feeling a big chunk of his reserves diminishing, the flower-shaped petal bloomed into existence with several layers of barriers getting stacked one on top of the other.
The impact shattered the first layer within the first second. "Hnnn!" His feet tried to stay in the same spot, but he was getting pushed backwards from the sheer force. His arms shaking, as what little amount of clothes remained on him on his arm immediately burned into ashes. Cracks appeared on the second sheet layer, but thankfully, the beam did not manage to break through it and soon dissipated.
"Hah… hah… hah…"
Breathing harshly, more sweat streamed down Shirou's face, with exhaustion once again starting to creep in. Not wanting to show this, he gritted his teeth and calmed his heart, only to realise the gun was emitting the same sound again with a dense amount of energy gathering at the barrel. 'She can fire it a second time!?'
Rather than sacrifice another chunk of his little remaining magical energy, Shirou intended to simply jump out of the way, only for a pair of arms to emerge from below and grab onto his heels. "Now, Dieci!"
The girls shouted, making him realise that she was willingly either sacrificing herself or her hands to keep him from dodging the attack. Just as he had no other choice but to reuse his last noble phantasm once again, a figure appeared behind the girl and slashed the gun. Creating a large explosion that shocked not only Shirou but also the doctor who watched the entire battle with his usual smirk. Only now showing anger. "What is the meaning of this, Zest?"
"Dieci!"
The cry rang out as the girl who had been holding Shirou in place abruptly vanished, her body phasing from view in a flicker of movement. In the same instant, she reappeared beside the gun-wielding Number—Dieci—her arms wrapping around her comrade before both of them disappeared once more, slipping into the surrounding walls like shadows fading into stone.
Shirou's breath caught. His eyes shifted sharply, only to find himself no longer the target.
Standing between him and the remaining Numbers was a tall, broad-shouldered man clad in dark, battle-worn armor. His back was turned to Shirou, but the intent radiating from him was unmistakable. A spear was already in his hand, its gleaming point aimed directly at the doctor standing several paces away.
"I have had enough of this," the man said flatly. No shout. No anger. Just calm, final resolve.
Jail looked mildly disappointed, sighing as he adjusted the cuff of his coat. "Very well," he replied. "And here I thought you'd be smart enough to understand your position." He didn't seem fazed, even in the face of such open defiance.
"It's alright, girls," he said, flicking his hand with a casual wave. "Let me handle this."
At his command, the Numbers began to retreat, pulling back from the frontline. Some took a defensive stance, while others vanished into side corridors, their figures quickly swallowed by the sprawling facility. Novi appeared shortly after, descending from above in silence to retrieve the fallen comrades left scattered across the battlefield.
But Jail wasn't done.
A deep mechanical groan rumbled overhead, followed by the sharp hiss of metal panels opening up along the ceilings above them. One by one, rows of reinforced doors slid open, revealing massive deployment chambers. From these emerged drones—dozens at first, then hundreds, pouring out with eerie coordination. Their movements were silent, almost unnatural, their dark frames glowing faintly with blue energy. Some of them were familiar: Type-1 models, the standard humanoid drones Shirou had already faced.
But many others… were not.
Larger models, bulkier with shielded frames and reinforced cores, stepped into the light. Their exteriors gleamed with polished plating, and strange arcane markings glowed from beneath their joints. Several even hovered, held aloft by anti-gravity engines humming beneath them.
"I have learned from my past mistakes," Jail said, watching with a smug expression as the wave of drones filled the chamber. "The Type-1 units are simply not effective against you. Even in overwhelming numbers, I couldn't secure a victory. So I improved them."
He gestured proudly at the new models as they fanned out across the room, forming precise formation lines.
"These are custom-built with a focus on defense, not offense. I don't need to kill you, Shirou. I just need to wear you down. Piece by piece, hit by hit. By the time you destroy even a hundred of them, neither of you will be able to stand."
Jail's voice dropped, a hint of genuine disappointment slipping in.
"It's a shame. Truly. Both of you would have made excellent subordinates."
Shirou's grip on his weapon tightened. He narrowed his eyes at the incoming mass of machines. Destroying one, even two, would be simple. Their armor, their movement—he could read it. He could adapt. But there were too many. Hundreds, maybe more. He could already feel the tension rising in his muscles, his reserves dwindling.
'I still have enough left to activate it… Maybe just for a few seconds. But that might be all I need. Yes, a couple of seconds should be more than enough to—'
"Leave while you can, Emiya Shirou."
The voice cut through his thoughts.
Zest stepped forward, spear braced, his body angled toward the incoming drones. He didn't look back. His eyes remained on the battlefield ahead.
"I will hold them off. The exit is on the eighteenth level of the ship. Take the path to your right and follow the hallway marked with red lines. It will lead you out. Your weapons should be strong enough to cut through the doors, even if they seal them shut."
Shirou blinked in disbelief. He stared at the man's back, as if waiting for him to retract the words.
"What are you saying?" he asked, voice low with disbelief. "You're coming with me. You'll meet Lutecia again. What nonsense are you spouting?"
But Zest didn't waver. He gave a slow shake of his head, the motion deliberate, final.
"There is no path for me beyond this," he said quietly. "Now that I have betrayed Jail, there's no way I can claim my revenge on Regius and get justice for all those whose deaths were because of him. I cannot forgive him along with the TSAB. And returning to Luticia… would only bring more trouble to her doorstep. I can't allow that."
His voice cracked slightly, though he forced himself to continue.
"Even if I can't kill Regius with my own hands… I can rest knowing that you're by her side. That you'll stop people like him from ever getting close."
He shifted his stance, spear lifted once more. His presence hardened.
"So leave. I will not repeat myself again."
Jail let out a deranged cackle, throwing his head back as he covered his face with both hands, his expression twisted into a maniacal grin.
"Oh, this is rich!" he howled. "You never fail to disappoint me!"
His laughter echoed through the chamber, sharp and mad. The doctor's eyes burned with insulted pride, his voice laced with venom as he stepped forward.
"Even after all I did for you... Even after I dragged you back from the brink of death, gave you life again, you repay me like this?" His voice dipped, low and cold. "Fine. You're of no use to me anymore."
He snapped his fingers with complete disinterest.
"Any last words?"
The drones responded immediately. Dozens of them lit up in unison, energy gathering at their cores. Harsh light began to fill the room as their weapons charged in perfect synchronization, crackling with an uncomfortable sensation. The air grew heavy.
But Zest didn't flinch.
He stood his ground, unmoved. His eyes stayed locked on Jail, a searing glare burning into the doctor's twisted expression.
"What the hell are you waiting for!?" Zest barked over his shoulder. "Go!"
But Shirou didn't hear him.
Zest's words were drowned out, not by the noise, but by the storm inside Shirou's mind.
That feeling again.
That suffocating, infuriating familiarity.
Someone was throwing their life away for him, again.
He clenched his fists, teeth grinding together, a snarl tugging at the edge of his lips. He had lived through this once. He had promised himself he would never let it happen again. He didn't need saving. Not like this. Not at the cost of another.
That fury, that helplessness, it twisted into resolve. The scowl on his face vanished, replaced by something colder, calmer… he should have done this from the beginning.
"I am the bone of my sword."
The air around him pulsed.
His circuits surged, a torrent of Magical Energy rushing through him like a flood released from its dam. The world around him flickered as his Reality Marble stirred in response, and from deep within it, a particular sword answered his call, not just any weapon, but one that rejoiced at the promise of overwhelming destruction.
It tore its way into the world not with elegance, but with raw, jubilant force.
It was no graceful blade, not even its appearance could one call it a sword.
It was a spiral of devastation, a massive, drill-shaped weapon far too big to wield easily by anyone not possessing superhuman strength, its twisted form almost grotesque. Its presence alone distorted the air around it, a weapon forged not for finesse, but for annihilation.
Normally, Shirou would've used the projectile version and fired it with pinpoint precision to pierce distant targets. But this time... he had something else in mind.
The spiral rainbow blade came into full view, its body shimmering with unnatural color, as if light itself couldn't decide what hue to cling to. Shirou gripped the handle with both hands and slammed the tip into the floor beneath him. Metal screamed as the weapon pierced it, anchoring itself in the deck.
The spiral began to turn. Sparks burst outward. Raw magical energy bled from its core-dense, heavy, and volatile. Light fractured around it, breaking into distorted hues that danced across the chamber.
Energy gushed from its core like a tidal wave. The very air screamed under the pressure. The floor cracked, groaned as if begging for mercy beneath the strain.
Jail's triumphant smirk faltered.
"…What are you—"
Then his eyes widened in horror.
"FIRE! Fire now, fire at once!!"
But it was too late.
Shirou's eyes snapped open, wide with determination, and his fingers clenched around the hilt.
Multiple colors burst outward, red, gold, blue, green, violet, blending into a storm of light that drenched the entire chamber in radiant brilliance. The world itself seemed to fracture under the prismatic storm, shadows split by every hue.
"Prepare the spiral…" Shirou's voice echoed across the room with every eye focused on him. "…and witness the rainbow — Caladbolg!!"
A tremor unlike any before erupted from the point of contact.
The floor shattered in an instant, rainbow-hued cracks racing across the room like lightning on dry earth. Waves of magical pressure detonated outward, shaking every level of the Saint's Cradle. Walls buckled. Steel shattered into pieces as if it were made of wood. The very structure of the ship screamed under the strain.
The drones never got to fire.
Crushed by the very ceiling falling upon them, forcing even the Numbers to retreat hastily. The expanding force tore through the decks above and below, shattering reinforcements, ripping entire floors away like paper in a storm. From the crater beneath Shirou, the energy surged downward, slicing through metal, magic, and machinery alike.
Then, the ground gave way.
Both Shirou and Zest fell.
Through a storm of crumbling wreckage and spiraling rainbow energy, they plunged, the chamber collapsing behind them. Far below, beyond level after level of devastation, sunlight broke through—piercing into the ship for the first time like a divine spear.
Zest stared upward in stunned awe.
That attack. It was like watching a divine retribution, a myth made real.
Above, far behind them, Jail's enraged scream echoed through the ruin.
"NOOOOO!!"
Zest looked over at Shirou mid-fall. The man was silent. His eyes, still narrowed, were locked ahead. The height alone should've turned them into crimson stains on the earth. But Shirou didn't even blink.
"…Don't try that again with me," he muttered tiredly. "I promised Lutecia she'll get to see you again, and I intend to keep that promise."
"..."
Zest… Zest found himself at a loss for words for the first time in a long while.
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