"Fran's slacking off 'cause of me…!? I ain't the bad guy here!"
"The dice did it! Yeah, the dice fumbled! Nobody told me it'd turn out like this! I ain't bad! I ain't bad!!"
"Let's head to Soho, Master. Staying here's exhausting with all this nonsense."
"What's this skit…?"
Moonlit Recollections – The Rebellious Fairy Tale Writer
"Kiritsuguaaaa!!"
Wielding twin holy swords, Artoria slashed freely, shattering Helter Skelters left and right.
"What's with her, Artoria!? She's more unhinged than ever!"
"It's that knife-like thing they've got! He had a knife too!! → Heavy firearms! Pistols! Gunpowder! Cigarettes! It reminds me of that communication-deficient Master who barely spoke three words! That mere human pushing himself to be a robot drives me to Caliburn!!"
With ferocious roars and sheer presence, Artoria mass-produced scrap in seconds.
"I suddenly remembered! I didn't want to, but I did!! What's with that!? Even if it's a spinoff from my Stay Night past, only three Command Spell conversations!? Isn't that a forced setup!? Don't hide behind parallel worlds or pruned timelines, Kinoko! Once a story's born, no one can erase it!!"
Blasting Mana Burst, she tore through, piling up mountains of mechanical wreckage—!
"Do that to any other Heroic Spirit, and you're done! Absolutely done!! Even in that dice-rolling dimension, you didn't speak to me once!! Who do you think saved you from a fatal Magical☆Bajiquan blow with her scabbard, you kindest, saddest man—!!"
"She's more incomprehensible than ever, Artoria."
Ritsuka muttered, crushing an Automaton's head with a flying knee, splitting its torso with a roundhouse, pummeling Helter Skelters into dents, and snapping joints.
"She's got a lot on her mind, huh?"
"She was interrupted mid-wedding ceremony or some such nonsense. Must've bottled up quite a grudge."
—What were they doing, and where were they headed?
Per Jekyll's network, something strange appeared in the Soho area.
A book-sized anomaly infiltrating indoors, attacking people, and putting them to sleep—Jekyll dubbed it a "Demonic Book." They were en route to Soho to deal with these, trampling enemies along the way.
"I'm a clunky artificial human, so I'm sitting this out. Honorary bench, chilling."
"Senpai! Don't overdo it!"
"Of course! Just what I can handle!"
Grabbing an Automaton's leg, Ritsuka twisted it off instantly. Spinning her body, she hurled it mid-air, smashing it into enemy reinforcements.
The Automaton shattered with a crash of impact and recoil.
"There!"
With a powerful shot from her moon goddess bow, Artemis pierced the Helter Skelters' power cores, triggering a chain explosion.
"…Unbelievable. A Master mowing down enemies alongside Servants is too rare…"
"Ritsuka, be careful. You're only at enemy-trampling level. Leave Servants to Mash."
"Sure. That's why I want Mash to take it easy when it's just enemies."
Ritsuka snapped an Automaton's neck, slamming its torso into another, crushing both.
"Mash, I'm catching up bit by bit! Let's fight together!"
"Y-Yes!"
"Alright, finisher! 'Jeanne Alter'!"
Ritsuka's right hand glowed, summoning her exclusive Avenger.
"This… you did all this!?"
"Yup! It's endless, so wrap it up!"
"Got it! —Burn!!"
Jeanne Alter ignited the piled-up dozens of Automata and Helter Skelter wreckage, incinerating reinforcements in a blaze.
"Amazing! You're almost in top form!"
"Close enough. …Master."
"?"
"…Want to boost your femininity? Come to me. I'll teach you cute decorations."
"—Yeah! Thanks, Alter! You're so kind!"
Ritsuka's oil-splattered face broke into a grin, beaming gratitude.
"Ugh! Wipe your face, it's scary!"
"Wabubu."
"You lose femininity doing Pankration nonsense! Have some restraint!"
"No Pankration, No Master."
"You like it that much!?"
Alter wiped Ritsuka's face with her cape.
"Phew. Mass-producing scrap feels good. …Oh? Gil?"
"…"
—The vessel was lost in thought, oblivious to nearby words.
"What's wrong?"
"—Demonic Books… those who fall asleep… Ah, I see, that's it."
"Gil?"
"What a fool. How many horrors must that phantom endure to learn? —Hm? You're here?"
"'You're here'!? What've you been muttering about?"
"My business. …Master."
"Hm? You called?"
"The next enemy might be handled by one Servant and me. Keep that in mind."
"???"
"That's enough for now. To Soho we go."
"Hey! Don't leave me behind—!!"
Mordred raised her sword in the distance.
"Go ahead. I've someone to talk to."
"Okay!"
"Not like you. What's up?"
"Don't worry. Just a concern. Go on."
"…Understood."
The group ran off.
"…Nursery."
The vessel called to Nursery Rhyme, a story for someone.
"You know something about this anomaly."
"…Yes. The scent of a trick shown too many times, a fleeting stubbornness."
"—It's likely you manifesting here."
"Yes, probably, kind king. What answer do you seek?"
"Well… Just—"
"?"
"…That phantom never learns. Once, her soul's tail was severed by a barrier. Twice, her body was dismantled. …And now this."
—Was the vessel seeing events from another world?
"If it comes to it, I may need your power. Remember that."
"Got it, king. I believe you won't close the book barbarically or rashly."
"We'll see if that faith pays off. Luck decides."
"?"
"Never mind. My business. Let's go. Soho's close."
—The vessel seemed to know this enemy.
…Then, I should stay observant this time.
I trust the king's decision won't bring a merciless or easy end.
At the antiquarian bookstore Jekyll specified—
"Finally. I'm tired of waiting, fools."
A blue-haired boy, slouched arrogantly in a chair, snapped a book shut.
"Uh… a kid…?"
"Whoa, that voice is too cool! What's with this shota?"
—Was he the contact…?
"—Ho. A rare face, and a double-take reveals you here. The cold-blooded, ruthless Editor King?"
"Your tactless tongue's the same, Rebellious Fairy Tale Writer. Curbed that disruptive mouth interfering with assessments?"
—The Golden King and the Blue Fairy Tale Writer.
A bond from another place crossed paths again—
—In distant moonlit memories.
"Your voice… I've heard it somewhere…"
"No pyramids, no bombs, no sadistic glasses, no gremlin. My body's not wooden, I'm no ninja, and I don't wipe tears under masks, fool!"
"Ah! I kinda get it!!"
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