"...Guh!"
As I exhaled the oppressive energy that seemed to have filled my lungs and heart to the point of suffocation, my surroundings finally began to come into focus.
The city streets were, quite literally, obliterated. Whether she was reeling from the aftermath of her Noble Phantasm's release or simply wounded, Mordred stood there, gasping for breath...
And then there was the Artoria Lancer Alter—the King of Storms—preparing to fire her Noble Phantasm once more, her expression an icy void.
"Dammit... Hey, Master! I need support with a Command Spell! One shot wasn't enough!"
"No, we have to run. As I thought, your compatibility with her is the worst!"
"I know that! But since I'm the one who finished off the King of Knights, she's technically my nemesis too!"
"You idiot, that's not the King of Knights. That's the 'King Arthur who became a God' who transformed into a Servant right before reaching that state! That's neither the King of Knights nor the Goddess Rhongomyniad—it's a distinct King of Knights known as the 'Wild Hunt.' You aren't her natural enemy, but because she possesses Rhongomyniad, she is definitely yours!"
"...Shit, then I guess running is the only option."
While Mordred usually loses her cool at the mere sight of the King of Knights, perhaps the 'person' who sent her here had given her a prior warning, or maybe this Mordred retained her memories from Apocrypha—either way, she followed my instructions faithfully.
The problem was...
"Woah! That thing is coming after us!"
"Dammit, if we take that head-on, we're history... Why the hell is this crazy woman releasing a Noble Phantasm in the middle of the city?!"
"Hey, who are you calling a crazy woman—"
"What, you think that person's a man? She's a crazy woman! Regrettably, I don't hold much respect for the Round Table. Except for the King of Knights!"
"You brat! Though... you're not wrong! I'll give you credit for that!"
It wasn't even a Noble Phantasm or a mana-burst projectile; it was a simple discharge of Prana, yet Mordred and I had to flee with everything we had. In truth, fleeing was our only option.
Mordred's compatibility against Rhongomyniad was disastrously low, and I had no means of dealing with that simple yet absurdly powerful Prana bombardment.
At that exact moment, the same eerie sound from the previous day echoed through the air, followed by a voice that spoke in disjointed, mechanical syllables.
[The. Sun. Has. Set.]
In that instant, the Wild Hunt—the King of Storms—who had been fiercely pursuing us atop Llamrei, seemed to undergo a change of heart. She pulled her reins and galloped off in the opposite direction.
"Phew... I thought we were dead. Hey, are you okay?"
"Somehow... regardless, it's night now. We need to maintain a perimeter. There's no telling when Jack the Ripper might strike... Oh, while we're at it, hold onto these."
"What are these... Mystic Codes? They feel similar to the ones that Incubus bastard made."
"They're similar, but the quality is much lower. That crazy guy even has the Item Construction skill... Anyway, these will prevent fatal wounds, so keep a few on you."
I handed her various Mystic Codes—Red Sea, The Ship Sets Sail, 500 Years of Obsession—items that provided defense and Guts effects. The moment I did, that crackling voice rang out again.
[Mafias. Please. Open. Your. Eyes. And. Choose. Someone. To. Kill.]
And then, the citizens who had been hiding in their homes, waiting for the storm to pass, began to crawl out into the streets one after another.
Knives, guns, axes, and anything else that could be brandished as a weapon were in their hands.
"...What's the play?"
"The plan is simple. From now on, we look only forward. We run straight for Paracelsus's hideout. Move out!"
Fortunately, the civilians wandering the streets couldn't match the speed of Mordred and me, and the Magi mixed among them lacked the skill to penetrate Mordred's Magic Resistance.
However...
"Have! A! Bomb! Hyahahaha!!!"
"That damn mongrel!"
"Ignore him! That's just a puppet!"
While we navigated the labyrinthine backstreets of London, Mephistopheles popped up at every corner, throwing bombs made from building facades and bricks, as if finally deciding to show his true colors.
Mordred was clearly annoyed enough that she eventually released her Prana to level the entire alleyway and charge through, but Mephistopheles was clever. He never showed his true self, instead sending puppet clones to relentlessly mock and harass us.
To face him directly would waste precious time and compromise our position, yet ignoring him was an exercise in frustration. It was a truly demonic method of warfare.
"Dammit, how much further? You said it was a 30-minute walk!"
"We have to account for the skirmish with the King of Storms! Fighting that bastard also delayed us!"
I shouted back, having already planted a magical receiver in Mephistopheles's heart during a previous encounter.
Moreover, we had to remain hyper-vigilant for Jack the Ripper, the troublesome murderer who was undoubtedly lurking somewhere. This slowed our movement speed even further.
Mordred was a high-priority target due to Jack's Anti-Female special attack, but there was also the possibility I would be the target. Vigilance was paramount.
"Tick~ Tock~ BOOM!!!"
"Shinra Tensei: Diffusion!"
Dozens of egg-shaped bombs were scattered by the massive shockwave, and as they were repelled, Mordred swung her fist, smashing the demon's puppets to bits.
Crush, advance, repel, and crush again.
Pushing through this localized warfare, we were about to enter the final alleyway leading to Paracelsus's hideout when a crowd of about twenty people blocked our path.
"...Do they look like Magi to you?"
"Heh, standard Clock Tower Magi are no problem. If their skill isn't even a fraction of that Incubus bastard's... then we just force our way through, kid!"
"Wait, the presence feels off..."
Swirling with dark magical energy, the citizens—who should have been acting like Berserkers—didn't charge at us. Instead, they stood in a rigid phalanx, completely sealing off the passage without making a single move.
Mordred tilted her head, sensing the abnormality, and soon, a communication from Chaldea arrived to solve our confusion.
[Those people are in a state of possession. It's a type of evil spirit... I've seen similar familiars when dealing with the predation operation of Stunrobe Killhain. It's nothing serious though, so you should be able to just break through.]
Arcueid spoke cheerfully, and Mordred, seemingly waiting for those words, prepared to release her violent Prana.
"Wait a second!"
"Gah! What now?!"
"There's an Assassin in this Singularity who can control evil spirits. Jack the Ripper is likely nearby... Her Presence Concealment will only drop right before the attack, so don't let your guard down!"
"What, wait. You said I was the target!"
"I don't intend to let it happen...!"
I formed a seal and struck the ground, summoning a beast from the Animal Path.
It was the Nue, the Phantasmal Beast that commands rain, clouds, and wind.
"Nue, blow away the fog!"
With a mythic shriek, the Nue's power billowed outward.
"...Right, that should satisfy the conditions!"
Even if it was 'Demonic Fog,' it still shared the attributes of mist. Sacrificing the advantage of being hidden, I cleared the air. Mordred and I were finally able to get a rough grasp of the situation that had been veiled in white.
A young girl holding a knife, hiding behind a gas lamp with her presence suppressed; the 'real' Mephistopheles giggling while cutting off our escape route along with a horde of fake puppets; and floating like a celestial obstruction, a massive sphere of water elementals looked ready to collapse upon them all...
"...Eh? Eeeeeh? Water elementals... If it isn't Mr. Shut-in Hikikomori, finally making an appearance! Have you finally gathered the courage to witness Mephistopheles's wonderful and elegant murder-dissection show?!!!"
"...A battle with you is tedious and futile in many ways. However, for the safety and respite of those who have come to restore the Human Order... I must prepare for combat. If you are truly a demon with showmanship, you won't shy away from a challenge, will you?"
Paracelsus gripped his sword—a photonic crystal blade and the prototype for the Azoth Sword—and spoke to the demon in a threatening tone. Mephistopheles tilted his head and laughed.
"Heh."
"Hahaha!"
"Hahahahahaha!"
"Kuhahaha, kuha, kuhahakhahaha!!!"
The sight of dozens of demons laughing in unison was repulsive enough to make even Mordred, who had seen all manner of horrors, frown. Suddenly, the laughter stopped, and Mephistopheles's expression turned blank. He pulled out a pair of scissors, snapped them shut a few times, and spoke in a low, resonant voice.
"Fufu... fine. If that's how it is, I'll deal with you my way."
"Is that so? Then..."
"Planetary Devastation: Chibaku Tensei!"
In that instant, a black sphere manifested in the center of the Mephistopheles clones, beginning to suck in the demon alongside the surrounding masonry.
"Gueeeek! T-this is cheating, isn't it?!"
"Hey, there's no such thing as cheating when fighting a Servant. Right, Mordred?"
"Damn right! As a Knight of the Round Table, I say that was a top-tier strategy!"
"What about you... uh, Paracelsus?"
"It was an excellent ploy. However, the sealing might be a bit lacking. Allow me to assist."
Paracelsus swung his sword several times, creating a massive earthen elemental that broke into fragments, hammering into the faces of the Mephistopheles puppets trying to escape the suction and forming a solid sealing circle.
"Hear that? The w~onderful Caster here agrees. Your defense is overruled, Mephistopheles. Now hurry up and die, you damn bastard."
The sealing of Chibaku Tensei reached its limit and froze in place. Mordred caught my eye and, with a knowing grin, unleashed her Noble Phantasm.
Like a true demon, like a moron calling himself a show host... his end was utterly ordinary, with no plot twists to save him.
"Whew, that demon was an absolute pain... Did Jack the Ripper run off?"
"At the very least, she is no longer within the detection range of my elementals and homunculi."
"That's a relief... You're Paracelsus, right? I've already heard the gist from Zolgen."
"Ah, I'm glad you met him first. Zolgen spoke much of you. I... also wished to meet you, for various reasons."
"Since we're on the same page, this'll be quick. First, we need to get to your hideout... If Nikola Tesla shows up now, that'll be four Mafia Servants in one day."
"You can rest easy; Tesla isn't scheduled to appear tonight."
"...Huh?"
Paracelsus spoke with a thin smile.
"An advisory private detective has predicted every area where Tesla might appear, and we are currently engaging him in guerrilla warfare using elementals and homunculi. While the attrition rate required to pin him down is extreme, it's a necessary sacrifice."
"...I heard that Tesla Servant is roughly on par with my Father... I mean, the King of Storms. Is it really possible to just 'pin him down'?"
"As I said, the attrition is severe. We'll have to let him run loose after about a week, but he certainly won't be moving today. A fairy tale author and a playwright are also providing support."
Having said that, Paracelsus guided us to the hideout, moving with theatrical gestures and a stage-like tone—perhaps having learned a thing or two from Shakespeare.
"Allow me to introduce myself once more. My name is Paracelsus von Hohenheim... the 'P' of the London Resistance, P.M.B."
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