Rhodes Island Facility, Sealed Training Ground
The sealed training ground existed in a section of the facility that most operators didn't even know about, accessible only through hidden corridors and security checkpoints that required authorization from the highest levels of command. I followed the Doctor through the final checkpoint, feeling the air pressure change as we entered the chamber itself.
The space was massive, easily large enough to accommodate a city block. Walls, floor, and ceiling were constructed from materials that didn't match anything else in Rhodes Island's inventory, reinforced composite that could supposedly withstand Arts attacks powerful enough to level buildings. Observation equipment lined one wall, monitoring systems designed to record and analyze everything that happened within the chamber.
"This is impressive."
I commented, my voice echoing slightly despite the room's size.
"Where did Rhodes Island acquire facilities like this?"
"We didn't acquire them. We built them specifically for this purpose."
The Doctor moved to the observation station and began activating systems.
"After the Lion King appeared and I realized we would need countermeasures against Noble Phantasms, I used the Holy Grail to accelerate construction. What should have taken months was completed in three days."
Lights illuminated throughout the chamber, revealing the true extent of the space. Target ranges at various distances, defensive barriers that could be raised or lowered, environmental controls that could simulate different conditions. Everything necessary for comprehensive combat testing.
"The materials are reinforced through Arts that Kal'tsit helped develop. They can theoretically withstand Noble Phantasm level attacks without catastrophic failure. Theoretically."
The Doctor emphasized the word with dry amusement.
"We haven't actually tested them against full power Noble Phantasms yet. That's what today is for."
I moved to the center of the chamber, feeling the space around me. My Mystic Eyes activated automatically, tracing death lines across the reinforced walls. The lines were there, faint but visible, confirming that even this impressive construction could be ended with sufficient precision.
"So we're cataloging everything I can do. All the Noble Phantasms I've pulled from the gacha system, their capabilities, limitations, practical applications."
"Exactly. I need to understand what assets we have available, how they can be deployed strategically, what combinations might prove particularly effective."
The Doctor pulled up displays showing extensive documentation templates.
"We'll test each Noble Phantasm individually, record performance data, assess resource consumption and recovery time. Then we'll explore combinations and see if multiple Noble Phantasms can be used synergistically."
They looked at me directly.
"This will be exhausting. Testing everything thoroughly will take hours, possibly the entire day. Are you prepared for that?"
"I've fought for hours before. Testing should be easier than actual combat."
"Don't be so certain. Combat has adrenaline and survival instinct to sustain you. Testing is methodical repetition, which creates different kind of fatigue."
Fair point. But I had committed to this partnership, which meant sharing information completely.
"Let's start with the basics then work toward more complex abilities."
I pulled up my system interface, reviewing the complete list of Noble Phantasms I had acquired through gacha pulls. The Doctor couldn't see the interface itself, but I could share the information verbally.
"Gáe Bolg, the cursed spear. Kanshou and Bakuya, the married twin swords. Rho Aias, the seven layered shield. Rule Breaker, the anti magic dagger. Avalon, King Arthur's scabbard. Knight of Owner, Lancelot's ability. And Unlimited Blade Works in degraded form."
"That's seven distinct Noble Phantasms, eight if we count your Mystic Eyes of Death Perception separately."
The Doctor made notes.
"More than I anticipated you'd have accumulated in such a short time. The gacha system is generous."
"Or the god providing it wants me to grow powerful quickly for better entertainment."
"Probably both."
I started with Gáe Bolg, summoning the cursed spear and explaining its primary function. The reversal of causality, striking the heart before the throw actually occurred, making dodging theoretically impossible.
"Demonstrate on the target at maximum range."
The Doctor instructed, raising a reinforced barrier at the far end of the chamber.
I raised the spear, focused on the target's center point, and activated the Noble Phantasm's true power.
"Gáe Bolg."
The spear flew, reality bending around it as cause and effect reversed. The target's destruction was determined before the spear left my hand, fate itself twisted to ensure the attack succeeded.
The spear punched through the reinforced barrier like it was paper, the causality reversal making conventional defense irrelevant. The barrier shattered, fragments scattering across the chamber floor.
"Interesting."
The Doctor examined the damage through monitoring equipment.
"The attack bypassed the barrier's defensive Arts completely. It didn't overcome them through superior force, it simply ignored them as if they weren't relevant to the outcome."
"That's the nature of causality manipulation. The result is predetermined, so anything that would prevent that result becomes retroactively irrelevant."
I retrieved Gáe Bolg, the spear returning to my hand across the distance.
"The limitation is that I need clear line of sight to the target and sufficient focus to activate the effect. In chaotic combat with multiple enemies and obscured visibility, accuracy decreases significantly."
"What about the resource cost? How many times can you use that attack before exhaustion prevents further deployment?"
I considered the question, drawing on the knowledge that came with the Noble Phantasm.
"Maybe five times in rapid succession before I need to recover. Ten if I space them out over the course of a battle. The causality manipulation draws on something deeper than just physical stamina."
The Doctor made extensive notes while technicians replaced the destroyed barrier with a fresh one.
We moved to Kanshou and Bakuya next, the married twin swords that could be thrown and recalled infinitely. I demonstrated their basic function, the blades flying from my hands and curving back through aerial paths that defied conventional ballistics.
"The attraction and repulsion between them creates interesting tactical options."
I explained while the swords orbited my position.
"I can throw one to create a distraction, then have the second curve around obstacles by using the first as an anchor point. Or throw both and have them spiral around each other to create a cutting pattern that's nearly impossible to dodge."
"Show me the spiral pattern."
I complied, sending both blades in coordinated throws that made them rotate around a central axis. They carved through multiple targets simultaneously, the married blades working in perfect harmony to maximize coverage.
"Effective for crowd control or engaging multiple opponents."
The Doctor observed.
"Resource cost?"
"Minimal. I can throw and recall them indefinitely as long as I maintain concentration. The real limitation is keeping track of their positions in chaotic environments."
Rho Aias came next, the seven layered shield. I summoned it, the massive bronze flower blooming before me with each petal representing a layer of defense.
"This blocked Talulah's flames during the Sal Viento battle. Three petals were destroyed before the attack was fully absorbed."
The Doctor activated the chamber's offensive systems, automated turrets that could launch Arts based attacks of varying intensity.
"Let's test its defensive threshold systematically."
The turrets fired, energy blasts striking Rho Aias with escalating power. The first petal held easily, absorbing impacts that would have shattered normal barriers. The second petal cracked under sustained assault but didn't break. The third petal shattered completely when the turrets reached maximum output.
"Three petals to stop maximum facility firepower. That's impressive defensive capability."
The Doctor increased the assault further, pushing beyond safe testing parameters.
The fourth petal cracked but held. The fifth showed strain. The sixth remained pristine.
"Stop."
I called out, feeling the drain on my resources as Rho Aias maintained itself under impossible stress.
The turrets powered down and I dismissed the shield, breathing slightly harder from the effort.
"Sustained maximum assault can eventually break through all seven petals, but it requires more firepower than most enemies can generate. The real advantage is that each petal absorbs damage completely before breaking, so even devastating attacks get weakened progressively."
"What about recovery? If petals are destroyed, how long before Rho Aias can be summoned again at full strength?"
"About ten minutes per petal. If all seven are destroyed, I need over an hour before I can summon it again."
We continued through the catalog. Rule Breaker's ability to dispel magical effects and sever contracts. Avalon's healing properties and defensive capabilities when properly activated. Knight of Owner's capacity to treat any object as a weapon with master level skill.
Each Noble Phantasm was tested thoroughly, limitations explored, tactical applications documented. The Doctor recorded everything with meticulous precision, building a comprehensive database of my capabilities.
Finally, we reached Unlimited Blade Works.
"This one is complicated."
I explained.
"The full Noble Phantasm creates a Reality Marble, an entire dimension filled with infinite blades. But my version is degraded. I can only project individual weapons I've witnessed, not deploy the complete marble."
"Demonstrate projection."
I focused on a sword I had seen during my brief time in Terra, a standard issue blade carried by Reunion soldiers. The image crystallized in my mind, every detail from the chipped edge to the worn grip.
"Trace on."
The sword materialized in my hand, a perfect copy down to the molecular level. I could feel the weight, the balance, the history of the original weapon somehow preserved in the projection.
"How long does the projection last?"
"Until I dismiss it or until it sustains enough damage to break down. Projected weapons are slightly weaker than their originals, maybe eighty percent strength."
"Can you project Noble Phantasms?"
The critical question. The one that would determine whether Unlimited Blade Works became my most versatile tool or remained a minor utility.
"Theoretically yes. But I haven't tried yet because projecting something as complex as a Noble Phantasm might be beyond my degraded version's capability."
"Let's test it. Try projecting Kanshou and Bakuya since you already possess the originals."
I focused on the married swords, their forms already intimately familiar from earlier testing. The projection process was more difficult than standard weapons, the complexity of Noble Phantasms creating resistance that normal blades didn't have.
"I am the bone of my sword."
The aria came automatically, words that helped focus the projection process.
Kanshou and Bakuya materialized, perfect copies of the originals. But I could feel the strain immediately, the degraded Unlimited Blade Works struggling to maintain Noble Phantasm projections.
"They're unstable. I can hold them for maybe thirty seconds before they break down."
The projected swords dissolved back into energy after twenty seconds, confirming the limitation.
"So you can project Noble Phantasms but only briefly. That's still tactically useful. Being able to summon any weapon you've witnessed for even thirty seconds creates tremendous versatility."
The Doctor made more notes.
"What about projection quantity? Can you create multiple weapons simultaneously?"
I experimented, projecting several standard swords at once. Five appeared easily. Ten required concentration. Fifteen pushed my limits. At twenty, I felt the strain becoming unsustainable.
"About twenty standard weapons or three Noble Phantasms simultaneously before I hit my ceiling."
We had been testing for six hours straight. My stamina was holding due to the ageless nature of my existence, but mental fatigue was accumulating from the constant focus required.
"Let's take a break."
The Doctor suggested, apparently noticing my deteriorating precision.
"We've gathered sufficient data for initial analysis. The rest can wait for future sessions."
We moved to the observation area where the Doctor had prepared tea and light refreshments. I collapsed into a chair gratefully, my body not physically exhausted but my mind definitely ready for rest.
The Doctor poured tea with practiced efficiency, their movements suggesting this was a ritual they performed often. I accepted the cup and sipped, finding the blend surprisingly pleasant despite not recognizing the specific variety.
"So."
I said after a moment of comfortable silence.
"Six hours of throwing legendary weapons at reinforced walls. How was your day?"
The Doctor laughed, the sound genuine and unexpected.
"Productive. We've confirmed you possess firepower comparable to elite operators and defensive capabilities that exceed most of Rhodes Island's assets. Combined with your Mystic Eyes and tactical adaptability, you're easily one of our most valuable combatants."
"Valuable enough to justify partnership?"
"Absolutely. Though I would have maintained the partnership regardless. Having someone from Earth to talk to is worth more than combat capability."
That brought up something I had been curious about since arriving in Terra.
"Speaking of Earth and things from other worlds. I've noticed that people here seem to accept the concept of Noble Phantasms surprisingly easily. Talulah recognized Gáe Bolg by name. Reunion intelligence includes references to legendary weapons. Even Kal'tsit didn't seem shocked when you explained the Fate series to her."
I set my tea down.
"That seems unusual for a world that shouldn't have any context for these artifacts. How do people know about Noble Phantasms?"
The Doctor was quiet for a moment, their hooded face revealing nothing.
"Because I've been deliberately spreading that knowledge since the Lion King appeared."
"You what?"
"Think about it strategically. Artoria Pendragon conquers Victoria using Rhongomyniad, a weapon from Fate mythology. People witness her power but have no framework to understand it. They see divine authority but can't contextualize what that means or how to oppose it."
The Doctor pulled up files on their tablet.
"I began disseminating information through Rhodes Island's intelligence networks. Academic papers about legendary weapons from Earth mythology. Analysis of how those weapons might manifest in Terra. Theoretical frameworks for understanding divine armaments."
They showed me documents carefully crafted to present Noble Phantasms as historical artifacts rather than fictional constructs.
"I framed it as research into ancient legends that might have basis in reality. The Lion King's appearance gave credibility to the concept, proved that legendary weapons could exist in physical form."
"So when people encounter Noble Phantasms now, they have context. They've heard theories about Gáe Bolg and Excalibur and other legendary armaments. It's not completely alien, just confirmation of information they'd been exposed to previously."
"Exactly. It reduces the shock factor and prevents panic. People can process 'legendary weapon from mythology' much more easily than 'impossible artifact from fictional universe that shouldn't exist.'"
I had to admit the strategy was brilliant. By seeding knowledge before it became relevant, the Doctor had prepared Terra's population to accept impossible things with relative calm.
"Did you consider using the Holy Grail to spread this information more efficiently? A wish could have implanted the knowledge directly rather than requiring manual dissemination."
"I considered it."
The Doctor admitted.
"But using the Grail for that purpose worried me. The Grail grants wishes, yes, but wishes can be interpreted in unexpected ways. If I wished for everyone to know about Noble Phantasms, the Grail might alter reality itself to make that knowledge retroactively true. Change history so that Noble Phantasms always existed in Terra's mythology."
They set their tablet aside.
"That kind of fundamental reality alteration could have cascading effects I can't predict. Better to spread information through conventional means, slower but more controlled."
"You're worried the Grail might be literal genie rules. Grants the wish but not necessarily in the way you intended."
"Exactly. The Holy Grail is powerful but also dangerous if used carelessly. I've been extremely conservative with it, only using it for things where the intent is absolutely clear and the outcome is limited in scope."
We continued discussing various topics, conversation drifting from tactical considerations to more casual subjects. Favorite anime moments, memorable gacha pulls, games we had played on Earth. The kind of discussion that reminded us both of our origins despite how far we'd traveled.
"You know what I miss most about Earth?"
I said eventually.
"Instant ramen. Just being able to make cheap noodles in three minutes when you didn't want to cook properly."
"I miss streaming services. Being able to watch whatever show I wanted whenever I felt like it. Terra's entertainment options are limited by comparison."
"Though Terra does have the advantage of magic and mobile cities and actual adventure."
"True. Hard to complain about limited streaming when you're literally living in an anime style world with superpowers."
We both laughed at the absurdity of our situation. Two people from Earth, transported to a fictional world, discussing missing conveniences while possessing cosmic artifacts and planning opposition against divine authority.
The conversation was winding down naturally when I felt my danger sense pulse. Not threat exactly, more like presence. Someone approaching who registered as significant but not hostile.
The Doctor noticed my reaction immediately, their posture shifting to alert attention.
"What is it?"
Before I could answer, a voice spoke from behind us. Casual, slightly amused, carrying the distinctive tone of someone who knew they had just pulled off an impressive entrance.
"So why are you leaving messages about meeting me in secret?"
I turned to see Silver Wolf standing there, her distinctive gray hair with blueish purple ends unmistakable even in the training ground's lighting. She held a gaming console in one hand while blowing a bubble with gum, her expression mixing curiosity with the confidence of someone who had just hacked through security systems that should have been impenetrable.
My throat went dry. I swallowed reflexively, the sound embarrassingly loud in the suddenly silent training ground.
The Doctor and I had been planning to make contact with Silver Wolf eventually, to explain the situation and potentially recruit her as an ally. But we had expected to control the circumstances, to approach her rather than having her appear unexpectedly during private conversation.
Now she was here, having apparently intercepted messages we hadn't even sent yet, demonstrating hacking capabilities that exceeded our security measures completely.
Silver Wolf's bubble popped with a sharp sound that made me flinch slightly.
"Well? I'm waiting. You two were talking about me, about Noble Phantasms, about multiple realities converging. Pretty interesting stuff."
Her eyes gleamed with the predatory interest of someone who had discovered a puzzle worth solving.
"So let's talk about why someone from Earth is working with Rhodes Island, why another someone has Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, and what exactly is happening in this world that's worth my attention."
She moved closer, her console displaying data that suggested she had been monitoring our entire testing session. Information about every Noble Phantasm I had demonstrated, tactical analysis of my capabilities, even speculation about the system that granted me these abilities.
"Because I've been investigating the Stellaron signature in this world. But what I've found is way more interesting than just a space anomaly. You've got crossover events happening, multiple fictional universes bleeding into reality, and at least two people who know way more than they should about things that shouldn't exist."
She looked between the Doctor and me with expression that demanded answers.
"So start explaining. And don't bother lying. I've already hacked enough of your systems to know when you're being dishonest."
"I'm listening."