"Get out of here!"
The frustration was suffocating, but all Kyoko could do was shout at her Master to flee.
Crimson thorn chains lashed through the air, blocking every path of approach.
'Of all times, I'm actually grateful for having my normal attacks sealed.'
Glancing at the hexagram still glowing on her arms, Kyoko felt an ironic sense of relief. Without it, in her current mind-controlled state, her Master might not have gotten the chance to run.
Bangbangbang!!
Sparks flew. Silver droplets of mercury shaped like a slime shielded the area around them, but the deepening dents across its surface spoke of dire consequences.
Volumen Hydragyrum.
Kayneth's personal Mystic Code, possessing formidable capabilities in both offense and defense. He'd brought it specifically to support Sola.
'Even without her spear, Lancer is still too much for us to endure long-term.'
Kayneth's brow crumpled as he shielded Sola, but the two of them couldn't break free.
Lancer being hijacked by Caster was completely unexpected. Or rather, such a blatant method of mind control was something none of them had ever witnessed.
"Sola, use a Command Spell!"
Having reached that conclusion, Kayneth saw no other option. Running was futile; they could never outpace a Servant.
Without knowing the mechanism behind Caster's control, the best countermeasure was to reclaim Lancer with a Command Spell.
"But... what do I order?"
Sola hesitated. While Command Spells were said to compel Servants absolutely, a vague order would yield diminished results.
"Just tell her to leave this area."
"As things stand, other Servants and Masters are likely converging on us. We need to get away from what might become the center of attention. We can't stay."
Caster's bizarre techniques had thoroughly cornered them. These Heroic Spirits always seemed to have abilities that defied all logic.
"By my Command Spell, I order you!"
"Leave this place, Lancer!"
Crimson light flared on the back of her hand. The thorn chains crisscrossing the air froze mid-motion, and the assault ceased.
Seizing the opening, Kayneth immediately escorted Sola away from the scene.
"Heh, smart move!"
Rooted to the spot, Kyoko exhaled in relief. She'd been terrified that her Master would try to fight back out of stubbornness. That would have only made things worse.
For now, she was exposed and alone, but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
"Tch, I can feel the magical energy binding me weakening."
"Looks like Caster's magecraft isn't all-powerful after all. And the mind-control effect conflicts with Command Spells."
The shackles on her will were already fading. Only the hexagram on her arms persisted stubbornly.
Mulling over methods to counter Caster, Kyoko stewed in frustration. One opponent had already proven this troublesome; she didn't want to imagine what the others were like.
Although her "Heroic Spirit" status had restored the innate skills she'd once possessed as a Magical Girl, those abilities were best used as surprise trump cards. If any of the more combat-savvy Servants caught wind of them, they might never work again.
"This war is way harder than fighting Witches!!"
"So the only ones yet to reveal themselves are Rider and Berserker?"
Tohsaka Tokiomi sat in his fortified workshop, deep in thought.
He'd observed the Caster-versus-Lancer clash through his familiar. Counting every Servant identified so far, only Rider and Berserker remained unknown.
"Last night's bombardment..."
"Was it really Caster's doing?"
Given the methods Caster displayed today, attributing last night's aerial strike to him was difficult. If anything, Rider or Berserker were the likelier culprits.
"The Matou family also has a participant in this war, yet they've made no moves whatsoever."
"That's... peculiar."
Recalling the nearly-forgotten faction, Tokiomi frowned. By all accounts, the Matou family shouldn't have had a contender this time. But word had reached him that someone on their side had been selected.
The identity, however, had never been disclosed.
Previously, Tokiomi had assumed it was simple ambition on the Matou family's part and paid it no mind. Now, their silence felt deeply unsettling.
Were they simply too quiet? And between Rider and Berserker, which was their Servant?
"Teacher?"
"How is Assassin's condition?"
"His injuries are severe. Movement is currently difficult."
"I see."
Greeting his disciple at the door, Tokiomi's first inquiry concerned their asset. Assassin would have been the ideal scout, but the wounds made that impossible. An unforeseen complication.
"Send a familiar to observe the Matou estate."
"Surveillance?"
"They should have a participant. We need to be on guard."
"Understood."
Following Tokiomi's directive without further comment, Kirei departed. His expression remained hollow throughout.
But beyond Tokiomi's pursuits, what occupied Kotomine Kirei now was something far more personal: the desire for "fulfillment."
Perhaps once he'd been the obedient "good child." But merely dreaming fragments of Assassin's life had flooded him with emotions he'd never known before.
Was it sorrow? Wonder? Or... pleasure?
That impulse to act, to reach for something. It stirred an awakening in a man who had lived his entire life devoid of want.
Beneath this foreign surge of feeling, Kirei had begun to abandon the stillness and emptiness of his former self.
"As I thought, the unknown possibilities between people are endless."
"The answer I seek grows clearer by the day."
Originally, he'd wanted to meet Emiya Kiritsugu in person. Now, it seemed that was no longer necessary.
"For it to stir this much curiosity in me... the Holy Grail War truly is extraordinary."
Brimming with intent to explore, the self-aware priest began his search.
"Assassin."
"Teacher's orders aside, sending a familiar won't suffice. Go yourself."
"Be careful."
He issued the order to the shadow lingering nearby, hands clasped behind his back, the picture of ease.
Whoosh!
The blurred silhouette vanished. Kirei couldn't help but marvel at the efficacy of Gilgamesh's medicine.
Wounds that grievous, healed in a single night.
The Dragon Ball he'd traded for it was irrelevant. Participation rights, eligibility, none of that mattered.
As long as he held his Servant, opportunities to seize a new Dragon Ball would come. And as for the one Gilgamesh had stored in the Gate of Babylon? That was even less of a concern.
As participating Masters, the knowledge imparted to them by the Dragon Balls far exceeded what the Heroic Spirits were told.
Empty-handed swindle... and deception of his teacher.
The thought of his own audacity filled him with an unfamiliar satisfaction.
'Gilgamesh is ultimately too naive.'
'Does he really believe that storing a Dragon Ball in his treasury puts it permanently beyond anyone's reach?'
The faintest curl of a smile touched his lips. Kotomine Kirei very much looked forward to witnessing the moment that "King" lost his composure.
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]