"Did it succeed, Teacher?"
Standing atop a high-rise building with the aid of her Mystic Code, Fiore anxiously observed the battlefield hidden in the night, glancing at her Servant, Archer Chiron.
Chiron maintained his bow-drawing stance, his emerald eyes glinting in the dark. From the highest vantage point in Sighisoara, he had a clear view of everything transpiring on the battlefield below.
"No, it is not that simple," Chiron replied, a hint of surprise coloring his tone. "I suppose it is expected of the strongest Saber class. To completely block that strike using only Mana Burst... it is truly astonishing."
Fiore was surprised but quickly realized it made sense. This was the Servant lineup carefully curated by the Mage's Association. If their own Saber was so powerful, the enemy's certainly wouldn't be weak.
"What about Assassin?" Fiore asked nervously, worried that the physically weakest class might have been collateral damage in Chiron's strike.
Her uncle, Darnic, had specifically instructed her to bring the Black Assassin back alive. Although she didn't fully understand why her uncle was defying Lancer's explicit execution order, as a member of the Yggdmillennia clan, she had agreed to the task. If Assassin died prematurely because of their intervention, Darnic would be furious.
Fortunately, Chiron's next words relieved her anxiety.
"She survived as well. The moment my arrow struck, she likely used her Noble Phantasm to shield herself. Now... it seems she intends to use our interference as an opportunity to retreat."
Chiron turned to Fiore. "Shall I stop her, Master?"
Fiore thought for a moment before shaking her head. "No, let her go for now. With the Saber of Red there, trying to bypass her to capture Assassin is unrealistic."
Sensing Chiron's gaze flicker at the mention of letting Assassin go—likely out of concern for civilian casualties—Fiore smiled and explained.
"Do not worry, Teacher. Before we deployed, I asked Caules to bring several squads of homunculi and golems to secure Sighisoara. They will act as guards and scouts until we capture Assassin."
"That is reassuring."
A smile touched Chiron's lips. Over the past few days, he had grown increasingly fond of this kind and intelligent girl. If her paralyzed legs weren't intrinsically linked to her Magic Circuits, and if she weren't the heir to the clan, he would have loved to use his medical expertise to heal her. As the mentor to countless Greek heroes, he possessed the "Wisdom of Divine Gift," granting him mastery over medicine, arts, music, and craftsmanship.
"In that case, let us deal with the Saber of Red first."
Chiron drew his bow once more. This time, his target was not the space between Mordred and Carmilla, but locked entirely onto Mordred. The attribute of his arrow shifted from area-of-effect destruction to a concentrated, single-target snipe.
"Understood! I leave Saber to you, Teacher. I will handle her Master, Kairi Sisigou."
Seeing Chiron ready for battle, Fiore did not hesitate. With a sweet smile on her face, the four mechanical limbs attached to her back extended, carrying the girl swiftly into the night.
Chiron chuckled softly, focusing his full attention on the blonde knight below.
"Dammit! Is that the Black Archer?!"
Mordred swung her sword, clearing the dust kicked up by the explosive arrow. Infuriated by the interruption, she glared fiercely toward the clock tower.
Chiron's silhouette was perfectly exposed in her vision.
"I will settle the score with you later!"
Despite desperately wanting to charge up there and beat Chiron to a pulp, Mordred knew her priority was to eliminate the Anti-Hero Carmilla. But when she looked back to where Carmilla had been standing, she found nothing but a few drops of blood. The beautiful vampire had vanished into the night.
"...These Assassins are so annoying! Scurrying away like rats!"
Furious, Mordred slammed her sword into the ground, cratering the stone street.
At that exact moment, Chiron's arrows struck again.
Relying on her Instinct skill to dodge the incoming volley, Mordred finally lost her patience. With bloodshot eyes, she turned to Sisigou.
"Master!"
Sisigou, who had taken cover behind a parked car the moment Chiron's first arrow landed, knew exactly what was happening. The Black Faction had anticipated their move against Assassin and sent reinforcements.
Without hesitating, he reloaded his shotgun and yelled back. "Don't worry about me! The enemy Servant has switched out. You focus on him. I will handle the enemy Master!"
"Got it!"
Mordred grinned. Enveloped in crimson lightning, she shot toward the clock tower like a bolt of electricity.
"What a hot-headed brat," Sisigou sighed. He took a final drag of his cigarette and exhaled a ring of smoke.
Through his wind magecraft, he could already hear the metallic clatter of something scaling the nearby buildings, heading straight for him. Having fallen into traps set by the Black Assassin, the Black Archer, and now his Master, all within the first half of the night, Sisigou let out a long sigh.
"The Holy Grail War is truly fascinating."
Chambering a round, Sisigou locked eyes with the Mystic Code-equipped girl who had suddenly appeared at the edge of the street.
The Saber of Red faction versus the Archer of Black faction. The battle commenced.
Meanwhile, in an alley several streets away, accompanied by the squeaking of bats, Carmilla's figure slowly materialized from a blood-red shadow.
She collapsed to the ground, utterly exhausted. The magical mask obscuring her features dissipated, revealing her pale, bewitching face.
"Dammit... my plan fell short at the very end..."
Feeling her magical energy nearly depleted, Carmilla's beautiful face twisted in frustration.
Due to certain anomalies during her summoning, her Spirit Origin was flawed. After killing her summoner, Hyoma Sagara, out of sheer disgust, she should have faded back to the Throne of Heroes without a contract.
But to her surprise, the woman used as a catalyst, Reika Rikudou, had somehow survived despite massive blood loss. Driven by inexplicable emotions and a lingering desire for the Holy Grail, Carmilla temporarily claimed Reika as her Master to anchor herself to the world.
However, because Reika was an ordinary human, Carmilla had to sustain herself and her abilities by draining the blood of magi. As for the civilian girls... that was purely to satisfy her uncontrollable urges and fuel her Noble Phantasm.
Ultimately, her mana consumption far outweighed her intake. Realizing this, she devised a plan to capture a magus as her new Master. She had sought out the enforcers, intending to spare one, but their compatibility was atrocious, and they all arrogantly believed they could bind her with Command Spells.
Annoyed, she killed them all, using their blood to fuel her trap for the Red Faction. She never expected her flawless plan to be shattered by a single female knight.
She still couldn't believe her anti-female Noble Phantasm had failed against a woman.
But right now, she had no other options. She barely had enough magical energy to maintain her physical form. She needed to find ordinary humans to drain immediately.
Forcing herself to stand, Carmilla prepared to leave. But as she turned toward the alley exit, she froze. A figure stood blocking her path.
It was a handsome young man dressed as a priest. With medium-length black hair, a fitted cassock, and a golden cross around his neck, he looked like someone who belonged in a sunlit cathedral, not a dark, blood-stained alley.
And in front of him was a weak, beautiful female vampire.
Oh, what a perfect character setting... Ahem. Back to the topic.
Although Souya looked harmless, to Carmilla, he radiated the blinding brilliance of the sun. His holy magical energy and divine aura were overwhelming. She knew with absolute certainty that even a single touch from him would burn her to ash.
An existence like him was her absolute counter.
But what brought her to true despair was the six-winged Command Spell etched on the back of his right hand.
He is a Master too?!
At that moment, Carmilla completely despaired. Her desires, her hopes for the Holy Grail, shattered.
Noticing the unconcealed despair in Carmilla's eyes, Souya felt utterly speechless.
I haven't even said or done anything yet. Why are you looking at me like I'm about to defile you?I have a tsundere wife and a rebellious kid at home. Please dial it back...
Despite his internal complaints, Souya pondered how to handle the Black Assassin. He had bumped into her purely by chance while investigating the Servant battle, but this saved him the trouble of hunting her down.
Observing her appearance and attire, Souya quickly matched her to his memories.
Carmilla. True Name: Elizabeth Bathory. This was her adult form, representing the bloody legends that made her infamous worldwide. It was the manifestation of one of the Nasuverse's most tragic traits: "Innocent Monster."
The details could wait. The pressing issue was what to do with her.
Looking at the pale beauty leaning against the wall in despair, Souya decided to confirm some information first.
"You..."
But the moment Souya opened his mouth, a strange, familiar yet foreign aura washed over him.
Before he could react, an eerie sensation enveloped his entire body, making him momentarily dizzy. Immediately after, a distinct floral scent reached his nose.
Realizing something was wrong, Souya instinctively tried to retreat from the alley. But to his shock, Morgan's figure suddenly appeared beside him.
"Morgan, what are you doing here?" Souya asked, confused.
They had agreed to split up: Morgan would keep an eye on Mordred to prevent accidents, while he tracked the Black Assassin. Why had she suddenly appeared here?
Morgan did not answer. She merely smiled softly and reached out her hand toward his cheek, a gesture typical of lovers.
But just as her fingertips were about to graze his skin, Souya's confused expression morphed into a cold smirk.
"You can't escape."
A brilliant golden sword materialized in his grasp. Without a second of hesitation, Souya drove the blade straight into "Morgan's" heart.
"Argh!"
Accompanied by a cry that sounded simultaneously pained and amused, the seemingly normal surroundings twisted violently. As the distortion faded, the true appearance of the alley was revealed.
"Using illusions in front of me... you clearly have no idea what the 'Blessing of Morgan' entails."
Souya held Excalibur Galatine, sneering as the illusion dissolved. The moment that dizzying sensation hit him, having experienced Merlin's illusions countless times, he knew exactly what was happening.
The illusion was merely a trick to lure the caster close enough to grab.
But when Souya looked down to check on Carmilla and the person he had just stabbed, he found both had vanished.
The only things left behind were an unconscious pink-haired girl lying on the ground, and a faint, feminine giggle echoing in the air.
Smelling the sickeningly sweet floral scent, Souya's expression grew unprecedentedly serious. It was a level of focus he had not shown even when facing the great hero Siegfried.
"Merlin... or rather, Proto-Merlin?"