In the throne room of the Fortress of Millennia, the Black faction observed the joint battle of Kairi Sisigou and the Red Saber through the flames burning atop a seven-branched candelabra. The images were projected onto a wall like a cinema screen, and the Masters of the Yggdmillennia clan, along with their Servants, watched the spectacle intently.
Except for Darnic, the other Masters seemed awestruck by the Red Saberâs ferocious combat. Amid crimson lightning, Saber charged at the golems like a bullet, her overwhelming force shattering roof tiles. The sturdy golems, forged from stone or bronze, were torn apart as if they were mere scraps of paper or wood.
One golem attempted to crush Saber with its massive frame. With a roar, Saber crouched low before leaping up and sending the stone puppet flying.
Her fighting style was far from the elegance of a knight or refined swordsmanshipâinstead, it resembled that of a Berserker or a wild beast. Wielding a massive two-handed sword with just one arm, she suddenly clenched her free hand into a fist and hurled the swordâwhat should have been a swordsmanâs very lifeâstraight through a golem descending from above.
Catching a heavy punch from another golem, Saber roared and hurled it away, sending it crashing violently into the impaled golem midair. Both shattered into pieces. As the sword fell amidst the debris, Saber caught it and resumed her charge.
Meanwhile, facing the homunculi, Kairi drew a large shotgun from his coat. It was a sawed-off, side-by-side double-barreled shotgun with no manufacturerâs mark. The stock and barrel had been shortened for easy concealment and indoor use, though its effective range was severely limited.
But for a necromancer like him, the gunâs original performance had no bearing on its use as a weapon.
"Now, devour."
With a casual pull of the trigger, cursed bullets sprayed forth.
Anyone who saw the ammunition he loaded would shudderâbullets crafted from human fingers went beyond mere bad taste.
In Nordic rune magecraft, there existed a spell known as Gandr (Cursed Bullet). It was said that simply pointing a finger at someone could inflict a curse, and if woven with potent magical energy, it could manifest physical force akin to a bullet.
These finger bullets, a fusion of Gandr and necromancy, could reach supersonic speeds and, like serpents, detect body heat to adjust their trajectoryâeffectively homing in on their targets.
The fired bullets traced graceful arcs, felling multiple homunculi in an instant. After two shots, the burly mercenary swiftly reloaded. Seizing the opportunity, the homunculi surged forward. Pausing his reload, Kairi pulled something strange from his coatâa shriveled, reddish-black... magusâs heart.
Kairi hurled the object in his hand toward the dense cluster of homunculi. With a wet plop, the heart landed among them. In the next instant, the object rapidly expanded and burst apart. The embedded teeth and nails of magi tore deep into the homunculiâs bodies. They writhed in agony as if poisoned, meeting immediate death.
Though necromancers were numerous, few specialized in combat to the extent of dangerously modifying both magi and beast corpses like Kairi. While the homunculi maintained some combat capability, they were mere appetizers in the eyes of bounty hunter Kairi Sisigou. The same seemed true for Saber.
"âAll done, Master."
"Good work."
Having crushed the last golem, Saber returned triumphantly. She surveyed the homunculi corpses and exhaled an impressed breath.
"More capable than I expected, necromancer."
"I barely scraped through that hellish battlefield myself," Kairi replied, glancing around. "Speaking of which, weâve learned something."
"Oh?"
"Whether itâs Caster or another class, one of the seven Servants is a heroic spirit skilled with golems."
This single piece of information significantly narrowed their search. While golems themselves werenât rare, heroic spirits closely associated with them could be counted on one hand.
Meanwhile, within the Fortress of Millennia, Vlad III listened to Kairiâs analysis and smiledâa knowing expression brimming with killing intent.
"I see. The Mageâs Association is indeed serious this time. That Red Saberâs Master is unexpectedly competent."
"Red Saber is no slouch either," Darnic remarked with a wry smile. "Like our Assassin, I canât discern her detailed skillsâonly generic information."
Hearing this, the group instinctively turned toward Reika Rikudou and the black-cloaked Servant standing motionless beside her.
A Servant concealing their information and true name was like an impenetrable fogâtroublesome regardless of which side they were on.
Unexpectedly, Reika seemed to sense Darnicâs implied meaning. She flashed a gently challenging smile and voluntarily disclosed the enemyâs Noble Phantasm:
"Thatâs the effect of Red Saberâs Noble PhantasmââSecret of Pedigree.â While it canât hide generic information like Status or class, it perfectly conceals crucial details such as true name, Noble Phantasms, and personal skills. Quite a convenient tool."
As Reika spoke, the black cloak beside her trembled faintly, rippling like water as its wearer silently chuckled.
Had Mr. Sakatsuki anticipated this scenario? Thatâs why heâd specifically sent Artoria away with money for snacks when briefing Reika about Red Saber earlier.
After all, who could have imagined that King Arthur and the âsonâ who rebelled against her, overturning everything she stood for, would appear in the same Holy Grail War?
"The Helmet of Hidden Infidelity... Hidden infidelity, hidden infidelity..." Upon hearing Reikaâs words, all the Masters lowered their heads, racking their brains to recall historical figures related to this concept. Meanwhile, Artoria, after experiencing an unseen moment of turmoil, stood motionless in her black cloak, like the calm before a storm.
"To think..."
"Hmm?" Reika tilted her head curiously upon hearing the murmur from beneath the black cloak.
"Miss Assassin, is something wrong?"
"Iâm talking about that one!" The cloak swayed, revealing an exquisite face beneath. The King of Knights raised her head, a stubborn golden strand of hair peeking out rebelliously as her saintly blue eyes flashed with cold light.
Ahead in her line of sight, Mordredânow dressed in casual attire resembling a delinquentâwas chatting animatedly with the similarly rough-looking Kairi Sisigou.
To others, it might have seemed like a harmonious master-servant relationship. But to Artoria, who was both a king and a âfatherâ figure...
"To wear such shameless clothing and fight so barbarically. It seems I must properly educate Sir Mordred on the etiquette befitting a knight."
Oh dear...
Never having heard Artoria speak so calmly yet lethally before, Reikaâs expression froze as she silently prayed for Mordredâs well-being in her heart.
Foolish child, your fatherâs coming to spank you. Better tuck your tail and behave.
Unfortunately, her warning was destined to go unheeded. In the projected image, Mordred remained blissfully unaware, wagging an invisible tail like a golden retriever while boasting to Kairi.
"Hey, Master, what do you think of me?"
"Huh?"
"Iâm asking how I looked in battle. Never mind, itâs not like I was fighting another Servant anywayâI wasnât even going all out."
"Oh, that... You were absolutely magnificent. I fully understand why youâre the Saber now."
Hearing this, Mordred puffed out her modest chest and nodded in satisfaction.
"But at the end, you just threw your sword? Really?"
"Donât be dumb, Master. Winning is what mattersâwinning. Swordplayâs just one option in battle. For victory, Iâll punch, kick, even bite if I have to."
"...I can relate."
Kairi couldnât bear to look at how closely her mentality mirrored his own.
***
Having finished analyzing intel on the Red Factionâs Saber team, Reika walked back to her room, continuously cross-referencing the information with what Sakatsuki had told her.
Strength B+, Endurance A, Agility B, Mana B... Mr. Sakatsuki said these lower stats compared to Miss Artoria were due to her homunculus limitations. Yes, the intel checks out.
Her Master is indeed Kairi Sisigou. As a battle-hardened mercenary, weâll need Jackâs help to deal with him...
"Hmm."
Reika stopped just one step away from her room.
Before her door lay an âobstacleââa barely breathing boy who bore striking resemblance to the homunculi of the Yggdmillennia.
...No, calling him a boy might be too hasty. After all, this homunculus had an androgynous appearance, possessing a delicate beauty like dewy grass by the roadside.
Little Jack, cloaked in black, was crouched by the doorway, curiously poking his cheek with the back of her knife, completely unconcerned about the shallow cuts the blade left on the homunculusâs face.
Hearing footsteps approach, the silver-haired loli looked up and beamed a radiant smile. With a cheerful cry, she abandoned her âtoyâ and threw herself into Reika Rikudouâs arms.
"Mommy!"
"Good girl, Jack~" Reika hugged the child, showering her with affection before turning her attention back to the homunculus at the door. "Can you tell Mommy who this person lying at our doorstep is?"
"Mmm~ Donât know... But his heart looks really yummy!"
"Mr. Sakatsuki has told you before, hasnât he? Little girls shouldnât eat strange things."
"Ugh, fine... Oh! Earlier there were people running up and down the hallway, but I hid both myself and this person so no one saw us!"
"Lady Reika Rikudou."
Jackâs chatter was interrupted as Reika turned calmly upon hearing her name.
Two homunculi stood staring at her with emotionless eyes.
"Caster is searching for escaped homunculi. Do you have any information?"
The words acted like a key, unlocking Reikaâs memory of Sakatsukiâs instructions.
"Not at all, I havenât seen anything."
After this false reply, though the homunculi cast a glance at the unconscious figure on the ground, they simply said "Is that so?" before turning to leave.
Only after watching the two homunculi depart did Reika finally relax, dispersing the black magic gathered in her hand. Using her seemingly delicate arms, she grabbed the homunculus and forcibly dragged him into the room.
With a click, the door closed and locked.
***
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