I pulled my hands back from M777 and took a step back, my bones still rattling from the aftereffects of firing such heavy artillery singlehandedly.
Trees and vegetation surrounding me were devastated by the mere shockwave of its launch alone. My arms would have genuinely been torn apart and pulverized if its tremendous recoil had not been redirected by its spade feet into the ground.
The ground beneath M777 was fractured and sunk downward.
"M-Master... was it required to use such a destructive weapon against other Masters and Servants?" Artoria asked, her tone shaken, still reeling from the destruction wrought by a magically modified howitzer.
"This is war, Artoria. I didn't take it seriously before, finding it mildly interesting at best. But our earlier fight against Gilgamesh showed me that we are short on power if we want to defeat him." I turned toward Medea, whose face had gone grave a moment ago.
"Master! Berserker and his Master are attacking our homebase!" She warned, looking through her Familiar's eyes as Heracles assaulted their home's boundary field again and again.
My thoughts fractured into countless streams.
Half a second. That was all I needed.
She was unconscious during the Gilgamesh fight.
And Heracles had been too focused on retreating with his Master to observe us. Even if he had noticed, he couldn't exactly tell her.
Meanwhile, they were teleported by Medea during our first encounter—she would naturally classify my Servant as a Caster.
So that Master thinks she's attacking a Caster.
I concluded and spoke.
"Medea, take Artoria and reach our homebase promptly. Remember, only have Artoria take action when you feel certain about taking Berserker out in one hit. Otherwise, keep her under wraps." I commanded, gesturing Artoria toward M777.
Artoria's face turned serious as she wordlessly walked up to M777 and gripped it with both hands.
A groan resounded across our surroundings as she hauled it up and moved it toward the truck's container, the ground trembling with her steps.
"Have Artoria drive and inform me through our connection if you need anything." I walked toward R1 parked nearby and vaulted over its seat, igniting its engine to life in moments.
"Master... where are you going?" Medea asked over the exhaust.
"Did you think our bombardment would be enough to defeat a Servant like Medusa?" She paused for a moment, her eyes widening slightly.
"You mean Rider could still be alive? After all of that?" Incredulity marred her voice.
"No... She is still alive." I twisted R1's throttle, already concluding that Medusa would indeed be injured, but not finished.
VROOOM!
"Won't other Servants and Masters be there, then?" A slight crease of worry marked her brow.
Intricate blue glyphs surfaced over my fingers around the handle, expanding toward my arms and shoulders.
"Master... I can't leave you to face other Servants alone." Artoria returned after settling the howitzer, her tone brooking no room for argument.
"Can Medea handle Heracles alone? Even with home advantage?" My crimson eyes had narrowed into slits by now.
Artoria felt her heart skip a beat—whether at my question or something else, I didn't feel the need to know.
"Besides, I still have three command seals. I'll summon you over if I'm truly in need." Onyx black scales materialized across my neck mid-conversation.
"Master..." Both said it at once, their voices overlapping in identical worry.
My response was flat as always.
"Why worry?"
VROOOM!
"It's boring."
R1's tires rolled forward, my surroundings blurring as I left behind a pair of shaken Heroic Spirits.
...
..
.
"Archer, we need to investigate... the Matou mansion is in that direction. I hope it's just my mind overthinking." Rin's voice was serious as she frantically put on new clothes to investigate the tremendous explosion.
Archer was unusually silent as he looked out the window. If Rin had paid more attention to him, she would have seen his grip was hard enough to leave cracks across the window frame.
"Let's go, Archer." Rin spoke after readying herself, walking toward the Tohsaka manor's exit and ignoring the cluttered ground.
Archer followed her wordlessly, his red cloak billowing more than normal.
...
..
.
Lancer sprinted across rooftops, his speed mounting with every stride, arms pumping in a blue blur.
His surroundings dissolved into mere shades as he vaulted over rooftop after rooftop, heading straight for the site of explosion—his path cutting directly toward the Matou manor, or rather, what remained of it.
Kirei's voice resounded in his mind mid-stride.
Lancer, I want you to find out who caused this explosion...
A pause.
We would be quite compatible, I feel.
Priest, don't spoil my mood. Lancer replied, distaste palpable in his tone.
...
..
.
Scenery tore apart as R1 surged down a slope. I wrenched the accelerator further, pushing it beyond what should have been possible.
Blue glyphs had crawled across my torso and legs by now, transforming me into a blur of blue and black. Onyx scales followed, emerging down my spine with every breath.
A boundary field materialized over my chest, expanding to engulf my entire body within its effect.
Time folded upon itself. Twice as fast, then twice again—four times the world's rhythm.
I didn't stop there.
[Structural Reinforcement] fortified the bike beneath me.
[Wind Blade] sheathed my arm in compressed air.
I seized that spell; In a single moment, I deconstructed it to its foundation, modified its purpose, and reassembled it without a fraction of error.
Wind peeled away from my arm, flowing over R1's frame until the bike was sealed within an aerodynamic shell.
BOOOM!
Sound barrier shattered as R1 hurtled toward a sharp U-turn ahead.
My hand lifted from the handle.
Distance. Torque. Angular velocity. Asphalt friction and drift angle—I processed these variables before even my thoughts fully formed.
[Gradation Air] hummed to life as a single stake-chain, similar to Rider's, materialized within my grip. I hurled it, wrapping it around a tree at the inner edge of the bend ahead.
Using the stake-chain as a pivot, I wrenched R1 into a sharp drift.
G-force slammed into my side, R1's rear tire screaming mere inches from the guardrail as I held that chain in a line with one hand.
Crack.
My shoulder broke from excessive force.
I ignored it.
The moment my drift completed, Rider's stake-chain dissipated from my grasp.
Crack.
Recoil force snapped my shoulder back into place.
I didn't care.
R1 raced straight toward the Matou manor.
At top speed.
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..
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***
[200 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter]
[5 chapters ahead on P@tr3on = [email protected]/Not_Aaryan]
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[Author's Thoughts]
Things are going to continue escalating from here. Oh and Archer looks super pissed, even Lancer seems to be heading in the same direction.
But the quintessential question is... What will happen now?
Don't worry... I'm cooking something quite interesting.
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PS: I wrote this chapter at least three times, scraping its draft again and again. Do tell me how it came out?
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And no chapters on Sunday... Hopefully XD.
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The chapter didn't upload on time... Wuu... Wuu. Manually did it.