"... Annoying bug. Vanish!"
Streams of light slashed through the phantoms that had gathered around the warrior princess, her sword never relenting and never wavering. Rather than blood or watch as the phantoms began to break away into particles of ephemeral light, they simply warped and faded away from existence. Proof that all they were was simply illusions.
To a bystander, it would look as if Altera was dancing yet at the same time performing a massacre. There were hundreds of phantom copies of Assassin, but they were pitifully weak. She didn't know if it was because they weren't real or if this was Assassin's true strength. Regardless, however, they were pitifully weak. And weak opponents were cut down without resistance by her blade. One by one, the phantoms were slain and cut apart. She would not stop moving. She was like a machine, acting methodically and with pinpoint precision.
The ultimate killing machine.
What else was there to say about one who brought destruction?
"Hiii~ You're not bad, Saber-chan!" Assassin's voice called out from his hiding place. "You destroyed over two hundred of my phantoms! You must be strong! You don't even look tired!"
Two phantoms came up from behind, scissors ready to lop off her head. With a spin, her foot slammed straight into their heads and threw them to the ground where they soon disappeared. "I grow tired of this farce." she spat. "Reveal yourself so I can take your head from your shoulders, coward."
"So tempting. But I think I like taking your head better!"
A presence suddenly manifested behind her. She caught the gleam of sharp blades from the corner of her eye.
Her body moved clockwise, her sword leaving behind a trail of light that seemingly bended and curved like a whip, burning through air and cutting down another illusion of Assassin. Her eyes narrowed with annoyance, half-tempted to unleash her Noble Phantasm here. However, that was unwise. More importantly, foolish. Especially when her Master was so close in the vicinity. She also believed he wouldn't want innocent people dying in the crossfire as well.
Instead, she settled for something else. Sucking in a breath, her eyes seemingly began to burn with intensity. Her sword's brilliant light grew. A defined shape suddenly became sporadic and furious. Around her, the very air began to burn from the power her sword was unleashing. At this range, no one should be harmed. Well, except for the local plant life and the trees. But those could easily be replaced by human hands. Or perhaps not.
After all, they've never been scarred by the power of Mars.
"Don't think so!" Assassin's cheer rang as his illusions leaped into the air together, scissors primed to cut her to ribbons. Purple mist shrouded their forms, warping them and becoming more demonic. The true power of the Servant in question. However, it was futile opposition.
Saber stared at her opponent and found him wanting.
"... Begone."
Then she swung.
A burst of blazing energy erupted forth and tore into the crazed Assassin in midair. The Servant screamed in agony and… what was presumed to be slight pleasure, as the blast burned him.
In seconds, the light from the slash consumed everything. In another second, it faded and showed its devastation. Trees were scorched, leaves incinerated and reduced to nothing, not even ash. The ground was scarred beyond all recognition. Even the sky seemed to burn for a moment.
And Altera stood alone, not a single illusion to be found.
"... He got away." she said after a moment, lips curved into a small scowl. "How annoying. Even though he is a Servant of the Knife, he acts more of a Caster. Who could he be?" She paused for a moment, as if debating this before she softly shook her head. "No. It doesn't matter. Even if he knows magecraft, he will fall by my hand. I will destroy him."
She then turned her attention back to the Church. Hopefully, her Master and that girl had successfully housed themselves within and eluded Assassin's Master. She rushed to the building and reached the front door in a matter of seconds. She broke the door down and looked for Haru.
"Master, are you alright?!"
"Ah. The Saber is here."
Altera tensed. Moments later, she summoned her sword to her side again, aimed directly at the Servant standing next to her Master and the white-haired woman beside her. Once she did, Haru panicked and got between them. "Whoa, h-hold on a second! Saber, stop!"
"Master, that woman is—"
"Archer! I Know! And if it wasn't for her, me and Asia would be dead!"
"Even so, she is still a potential threat." Altera stated, never wavering in her stance.
"Saber, it's okay! Yes, she is a master, but that woman is also the Overseer!"
Altera faltered for a moment. "What?"
"Your Master is correct." the white-haired woman stated. "I am Caren Hortensia. The Overseer of the Sixth Holy Grail War. If you don't like it, then that's your problem."
Altera's eyes narrowed. "You—"
"Intending on disobeying your Master? He's already wasted one Command Seal just to force you out of Astral form and increase your power by a small margin. It would have taken you exactly 4.23 seconds to emerge out of Astral form in that scenario. By then, Namikaze Haru would have been dead on the spot." A small smirk formed on Caren's lips as she stepped forward, practically begging for Altera to take a swing at her. "I would have thought the Sabers would defend and listen to their master's wishes. You could kill me here, but such an act will label both you and by extension your Master as targets by the Church and be targeted. Alternatively, he could use a Command Spell to stop you, but doing so would leave him with only one more Seal. Do you wish to take that risk, Saber?"
No response. Then, Altera frowned. "... You have a sharp tongue for a priest."
"It just so happens to run in the family." Caren shrugged nonchalantly. "I've been told my father was the same."
Altera clucked her tongue and dismissed the blade, stepping away from the woman. She then turned to Haru and breathed a sigh of relief. There were a few tears in his outfit, slightly stained in blood, but any wounds he might have had were nowhere to be found. They looked to be healed. Perhaps there was some truth to this?
"So..." Haru started rather sheepishly. "Is the clown dead?"
"Sadly, no. He escaped before I had the chance."
"A shame." Caren remarked. "All Masters have been given orders to eliminate Freed Sellzan and his Servant. He's becoming quite the danger."
"So I've noticed..." Haru murmured, rubbing his shoulder. Then he paused. "Wait… when you say eliminate, do you mean...?"
"Kill? Yes. I do." Caren said casually.
"But… why? I mean, can't you just arrest him or take his command seals, or something?!"
"You naive boy… it is impossible. To take part in this Grail War is to risk your life in battle. Furthermore, the actions Freed Zelzan has committed put the exposure of the supernatural at risk. As such, he is a threat that must be eliminated." Her golden eyes sharpened, causing Haru to shudder beneath his gaze. "Additionally, Freed Sellzan has murdered innocents. Bystanders, civilians. People who've never had anything to do with our world. His actions will inevitably draw attention toward the Clock Tower and Magi in general due to his affiliation with the Grail War. As such, he must be put down like the crazed dog he is."
Haru wanted to argue. He was fine fighting someone, even if it scared him. He would fight if it meant he could possibly protect his family and his friends, however idiotic and annoying they could be. But… to kill someone? To actually kill a man? That was… god, what could he possibly say to that?! There was no way he could do that! Even if what Caren said was true and Freed was a madman that needed to be stopped, he didn't think he would be able to follow through. Yes, Freed was insane. Yes, he was a madman. Yes, he needed to be killed. But could he actually do that? Take someone's life? In words, yes it might sound easy.
But in the reality of things? No. It wasn't easy.
"If you're content with stopping things here, then be my guest." Caren said as she noticed his hesitation. "After all, four other Masters in this town, including myself, are willing to end that man's life."
Altera's eyes narrowed. "I thought you were the Overseer."
"Yes, but the Holy Grail War is suspended because of its nature, yes?" she retorted with a smirk. "Therefore, there is a loophole to be abused."
Archer giggled as she and her Master took their leave, taking the time to bow before the duo before joining Caren. Just as they were to vanish into the back of the Church, Haru called out. "W-Wait! What about Asia? What will happen to her?"
"She will be in our care." she answered without missing a beat. "Miss Argento was excommunicated by the Vatican Church for having healed a Devil in their territory. However, such an action was due to corruption in the ranks. If she was treated unfairly, it is only fair we investigate the matter." There was a brief pause as she stopped, as if contemplating something. "There is another reason, of course."
"And what's that?"
"None of your business, I'm afraid."
Altera glowered. "Why you—"
"H-Hey! Saber!" Haru quickly stopped her before she could attempt anything. While he wasn't the least bit happy about Caren's vague explanation… he would accept it. Asia was safe, at least.
Still… excommunicated? For healing a Devil?
From what he understood by what he heard, Caren had more or less told him that Asia, a servant of the church, had chosen to heal a Devil. An enemy of Heaven. Was it voluntary? Or did she do it against her will?
He was curious...but for now, he'd settle for her safety.
For now.