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Chapter 354: Chapter 321

My little junior was lucky that I\'m so pissed at this Archer, otherwise I\'d want my own crack at Saber. But I guess I can be nice and give him that. Seemed he has history with her anyways, didn\'t feel right to try and butt in there.

Even if he \'extorted\' me for some stuff, it wasn\'t really malicious. Guess I\'ll just call it a gift on my part and let him deal with it.

The fuckin balls on him to do that knowing about Odin and myself. Might be why I\'d taken a liking to him as I did. Thought the sleeping God had a good impression of him too. Got a few things from when his blessing reacted, Odin seems to favor him quite a bit.

And he let me use Teacher\'s spear, really can\'t thank him enough for that. I was going to put that to good use.

"You done running, ya bastard?" I was itching to grab my spear. Hide it away, I wanted to surprise him, but he was really makin it hard to hold back.

"Would you prefer we fought closer to the mountain? Maybe close enough for her to give me new orders?" He said sarcastically. "Or maybe you\'d prefer I run over to where Berserker is still up and about? Maybe you wanna go a few rounds with him first."

.....It was a good point, but even so. "Bite me."

"Appropriate coming from the mutt."

"Says the leashed dog that keeps barking." I took a few steps forward, eyeing him as he stood up on the roof of the Temple.

Don\'t know why he chose this spot, but I guess it was as good as any. Decent terrain for an Archer like him, and it gave him a lot of maneuverability.

I thumbed the stones I held between my fingers, feeling the Runes carved on them.

It was always my favorite trick. Teacher always kicked my ass when I used it against her, but it was always funny when it worked.

"Well, you gonna Project those swords of yours or not? I wanna get back and see the kid fight Saber at some point." I was not going to let this end on such a shit note. I was going to get my fight from this Archer, even if I had to force him.

"....I\'m guessing he told you that as well." Archer scowled, making me grin happily. "He apparently knows that too. Knows a lot more than he really should, cause I\'ve never seen him before."

"If only you knew." I laughed.

Yeah, Odin\'s bits were starting to....wake up a little once the kid started interrogating me.

Not surprising he knows a lot of things, those Magicians are a strange bunch, even to the Great God.

Bit of a surprise that this Archer could use such a basic Magecraft like Gradation Air and turn it into something that\'s able to copy Noble Phantasms.

Kind of impressed, honestly.

Would have praised him if he weren\'t such a gigantic jackass.

Might not have believed him if I hadn\'t seen the Ass do just what the kid described. Made sense in hindsight, but who would have taken that as their first conclusion? It\'s not something rational to believe or guess at first.

"Answer me one question."

"What?" His hands opened up, those twin swords of his appearing easily.

"Can do you that other thing?" I asked, a little hopeful.

He blinked, then his eyes narrowed. "Of course he knows about that too." A deeper scowl emerged. "Why don\'t you come and find out?"

"Hah, sure! I guess it\'d spoil the fun just to be told!" I barked out a laugh. I really hope he did have it, I\'ve never fought someone with a Reality Marble before.

Archer clicked his tongue. "Annoying battle addicts."

"Annoying Archers." I corrected, with another smile.

"Hmph." He grumbled, jumping down from the roof of the temple. "By the way, here\'s a gift."

He quickly threw both his swords. They spun abnormally, like boomerangs as they seemed to be draw one another.

Interesting!

I swung my staff forward, deflecting one, and dodging the other.

"Come on, you can do better than that!" I roared, launching forward at him. My speed was no where near that of my Lancer self, but it was still about the same as him. He wasn\'t entirely cursed, but he was clearly bogged down by the effects.

It was enough that our physical stats weren\'t that different even if he was an Archer and I was a Caster.

That Black Bow of his appeared in his hand, and with a flick of his fingers, several swords twisted into the form of arrows and shot off at me.

I slammed the butt of my staff on the ground, a Shield forming infront of me. As soon as they connected, the Magics keeping the \'arrows\' together unraveled, and dissipated.

Well, thanks to the kid, I knew how easy it was to counter those annoying things now. Can\'t say the same for the stronger stuff he makes. But these simpler ones, they wouldn\'t be touching me anymore.

The Archer clicked his tongue, but his eyes darted to the side and I realized something was wrong.

I jerked my head around to see those two blades of his flying back towards me.

I quickly ducked out of the way, flicking one of the Rune Stones in my hand to the side. I followed it up with a few basic elemental Runes that ignited and fired towards the Bastard.

He jumped away, releasing another few of those sword arrows.

"Not gonna work!" I shouted with glee, ignoring them the same way. I took that moment to kick off the ground again.

He caught the swords of his, dismissing his bow. Just in time for him to block my staff as I was about to smack that annoying look off his face.

"What\'s wrong Caster." Archer gruffed, his swords pushing against my staff. "I thought the mighty Dog of Ulster was stronger than this."

"Its Hound." I scowled, igniting my Staff with a simple Runic application. The flames danced around it, causing him to hesitate, long enough for me to break his guard.

The flighty bastard just opted to completely disengage though, throwing his swords again.

Damn annoying.

Guiding the Runic Stones between my fingers, I tossed all of them at him.

His eyes widened, the Runes glowed brightly and exploded right in his face. At that moment, I took the opportunity to throw a few more in a few notable places around us.

"Come on, that was just a love tap~" I mocked, watching as the dust settled.

"Then allow me to return the favor." Archer\'s voice range out and I felt a sense of danger.

He took a kneeling position, clearly steadying himself. As much as I didn\'t like the guy, he clearly was skilled. Not many bowman I could recall in life that could match the level of skill he showed in our exchanges so far.

So the fact that he was taking aim, made my scalp tingle. Only when the dust finally settled completely, and I saw what was knocked back did I realized what he was holding.

"You\'re a right bastard, you know that? Using my adoptive father\'s sword like that." I growled out in annoyance.

How the hell did he manage to replicate Caladbolg!?

Damn it, what an annoyance.

I could recognize that twisted drill-like sword anywhere, even if he changed it the way he did to turn it into an arrow.

"Caladbolg!" Archer let loose the \'arrow\' like it was his own Noble Phantasm.

If the kid hadn\'t warned me, it may have given me a harder time. Archer really could replicate Noble Phantasms and activate them like they\'re his own.

Oh well, it didn\'t really change my plan.

I had one last Runic Stone in my hand and I dropped it to the ground.

Then, I stomped on it, letting it sink into the earth.

The twisting arrow, it bent time and space at the absurd rotational and magical might. However, once it was about to reach me, an invisible wave pulsed out, enveloping the Noble Phantasm.

The Arrow-Sword disappeared, like it had never existed.

Archer tried to jump back, to avoid the effect of the spell I just actualized, but he slammed into an invisible wall, falling to the ground.

"Nah, I\'m looking for a nice friendly fight. No Noble Phantasms, no running away, none of that fancy crap. I deserve something after all the crap you put me through. So, it\'s going to be just one on one, and neither of us can leave until the other dies." I explained as he picked himself up.

"Those stones...." He easily guessed the cause. "You cast Runes in the Air."

"Copied one of my Teacher\'s things." I spun my staff around before slamming it down into the ground. "She could summon the Gate to her Land of Shadows. Copied it a little bit, this is my territory now. You can guess the rules." I grinned.

He dismissed his bow again, and caught the flying swords that flew back towards him. "The Caster wants to fight me one on one? Alright then." He shrugged. "If you want to lose that bad, I can go help out Saber once I\'m done."

"Nah." I shook my head. "You\'re making one simple mistake."

"What\'s that?" He raised an eyebrow.

"You keep assuming I\'m a Caster." I took out the Spear. It wasn\'t hard to hide it away, but the look on his face was absolutely worth waiting until now. "So, ready for that round two?"

".....shit." He blurted out.

"Couldn\'t say it better myself." I took a familiar stance and he tensed up.

This was going to be good. And quick, unfortunately.

[***]

Olga Marie Animusphere POV

.....He had a Noble Phantasm.

Because of course he does!

We all hid behind Mash\'s shield, but it wasn\'t needed. Shimoda took out a sword and released it, managing to somehow keep Excalibur of all things at bay.

What did he call it, Dawnbreaker? I didn\'t recognize the name at all.

Hmph, what else was he hiding from me?

Still, it was hard to keep standing straight at the collision. Everyone else had to brace themselves as the energies collided.

I was able to Reinforce myself easily, allowing me to keep my footing. And I shielded the Rabbit I continued to hold in my arms. However, it appeared to not be disturbed in the slightest.

I\'m not surprised, considering that it\'s Shimoda\'s familiar. It was using Lightning in some capacity, so it\'s obviously a phantasmal beast. Who knew what this creature actually was.

It felt sort of reassuring to hold in my arms. I didn\'t even realize that I was petting it as I was watching.

He stood there, unmoving even under the intense gaze of that Saber Servant.

Even this far back, I could feel the sheer amount of power she radiated. It was.....intimidating, yet, having Shimoda there was reassuring.

.....ever since he came, he\'d been reliable.

I guess it\'s no wonder after knowing who he really was. And I know I couldn\'t fault him for hiding it. Despite the feeling of betrayal, I was unbelievably relieved to see him standing there.

"Amazing..." The newest addition to Chaldea staff seemed to speak what was on everyone\'s mind.

How he was able to form a contract with Mash, I still had no idea. We\'ll have to investigate that when we get back. Considering the circumstances though, we were extremely lucky that he did.

"Senpai has a Noble Phantasm!" Mash added, peeking over her shield.

"I thought only Servants could have them?" Samuel stated.

"Normally, that is the case." I replied. "Just another thing he hid." I scoffed.

The remnants of B-Team just looked at him with worship in their eyes. Frankly, he\'d already become something of an idol for them. They\'re lucky they ended up with him as their leader. Just his name alone would allow them an obscene amount of benefits in the future if they were inclined.

Saying they were taught by someone related to the Wizard Marshall.

....and now he\'s my subordinate.

I would have been happy if Chaldea wasn\'t up in literal flames. My subordinate was the self proclaimed grandson of the Wizard Marshall, I\'d like to see those vultures try and take a bite out of Chaldea now!

"Get down!" Mash yelled, breaking me from my thoughts.

Another wave of energy darted out. Mash moved her shield in front of us, the remnants of it barely splashing past as she guarded us from the worst of it.

Her shield was very sturdy. As expected from someone who said they were the \'Shielder\' class. Shimoda\'s lesson on Extra classes was handy information.

"....are all Magi like that, Director? Is this normal?" Samuel, whom I have discovered was the de facto leader of that little rag tag group when Shimoda was away, asked. Based on all their expressions, he seemed to be able to read their moods and decipher it.

"No, no it is not." I said evenly, even as I tried my best to keep my expression from showing the shock.

Shimoda and the Saber servant were fighting. He was crossing blades with King Arthur and not losing. Actually, I think he was winning.

It was hard to see, even with my Reinforced eyes. They were basically a blur, each strike of theirs kicked up a whirlwind, and sundered the ground beneath. Each step of theirs so quick that it almost seemed like a dance they practiced beforehand.

"A normal Magus would never be able to match a Servant like he is doing. At best, they can survive a Servant and possibly fight one, however winning is a completely different matter." I spoke up again to clarify. Another wave of power arced across the space above use, cleaving into the cavern\'s sides. "D-do not use common sense to judge a Magician!" I quickly moved out of the way of a falling rock.

"This whole place is going to cave in." The French man trembled with his broken English.

But....he wasn\'t wrong. However, running away wasn\'t a good idea either.

"Mash, get ready to assist Shimoda. We need to end this fight as soon as possible."

"R-right, director." Mash nodded.

....good, at least she listened to my orders.

"Hold your horses, missy." A bunch of vines burst out of the ground, forming a shelter above us. The falling debris landed on it without issue.

"Caster." Samuel smiled.

"Hey there, farm boy." Caster grinned.

"Caster!" I looked at the approaching Servant. "I assume you defeated Archer?"

"Yup, it was a good fight." He nodded, holding that Spear of his – of Shimoda\'s over his shoulder.

It was Shimoda\'s spear. Shimoda apparently trained with the same person as a literal Heroic Spirit!

I would give that the due consideration it needed later. As ridiculous as it was, it was honestly not the most ridiculous thing I\'ve heard or seen today.

Him fighting a literal Servant who was probably juiced up with a Holy Grail was right at the top of that list.

Along with him being a Magician!

"Wonderful then." With Caster here, we didn\'t need to lose our Shield. "Caster go help Shimoda."

"No can do, lass."

"What!?" I raised my voice.

"It\'s his fight." The Caster Servant just lazily plopped himself down on his lazy ass!

"What\'s that supposed to mean!?"

"It means that it\'s his fight. You heard him say it before, he has history with the girl. Let him resolve it himself. "

"That....that\'s absurd!" I stomped my foot. "He\'s fighting a Servant, he could die."

"First, I doubt that. Got a good look at my little junior over there. I don\'t think I have a chance as a Caster, honestly. Unless I cheat, but that\'s neither here nor there. Besides, he asked for it, he\'s clearly confident or it\'s worth risking his life. Do you not trust him?" Caster tilted his head up at me.

"....Fine, whatever." I huffed.

.....I suppose I trusted him.

He\'s one of the few people that\'s actually been...kind to me. He didn\'t have to keep any charade up after Chaldea blew up, yet he still called me Director.

I couldn\'t help but hug the Rabbit in my arms.

"....if it looks like he\'ll lose, will you help him?" I asked softly.

"Jeez." The Caster scratched his head. "If it\'ll make ya feel better, fine. But I won\'t need to lift a finger."

"You sure Boss will be okay, Caster?" The American asked too.

"Oh yeah, trust me, Farm Boy, your Boss is packing some power." Caster chuckled.

"Director, I\'m getting a call." Mash spoke up.

"It\'s Roman." I tapped my foot, looking at what was going on. "If Caster handles our surroundings –"

"I got it taken care of." He waved me off.

"Then put Roman on." I ordered.

Mash nodded, slamming her shield down to make it sturdy. The connection used her shield as a basis, we were able to receive his signal and Roman\'s face appeared through the Magically Created Screen.

"Director!" Roman exclaimed.

"Roman, what\'s the problem?"

"No problem, Director. I wanted to let you know that we have enough power to Ray Shift when you\'re ready." Roman stated.

"Good." I nodded in approval. At least something had gone our way thus far. "Roman, begin recordings from your end. I want you to capture the fight for future reference."

It would be good to get an idea of what Shimoda was capable of so we can create better plans. And I can show those idiots who keep hounding me and use it as a threat.

"Fight? Who\'s fight – " roman paused. "Is that Takao!?"

"It is." I confirmed, watching the same scene of him fighting a Servant head on. I didn\'t even bother to comment on his misuse of name.

I couldn\'t blame him for his reaction. It was one thing to hear him say he was going to fight a Servant, it was another to actually see it happen.

"Get down." Caster suddenly stood up, casting a spell as more roots shot up in front of us.

My entire vision was filled with that malevolent energy that Saber was producing. Apparently a stray shot was dodged by Shimoda and flew right at us.

Both Caster and Mash moved forward to intercept, dispersing the majority of it so we weren\'t harmed.

The roots in front of us withered and died quickly, and right away we were greeted by a roar that shook the cavern. And Shimoda had a Red Gauntlet on his arm that hadn\'t appeared before.

"Dragon." Caster breathed out.

"What!?" Roman blurted out.

"What!?" I unfortunately match Roman\'s response. "What\'s a dragon, where\'s a dragon!?"

"A dragon, Director?" Fujimaru asked. "They\'re real?"

"Yes they are! I mean, they aren\'t anymore. But they used to be, but –"

"They were, kid" Caster cut off Roman. "No way they exist anymore. But his Red Gauntlet over there definitely has something to do with one. Looks like it has one sealed inside."

I couldn\'t help but gape in Shimoda\'s direction.

A real Dragon, in this age?

"Wait, how would you know that!?"

"I\'m a Druid, girlie. Dragons are just masses of Mana, an aspect of nature given form. You think I can\'t recognize something like that?"

Fine, whatever!

Shimoda had a Dragon or something, because why not!

He will be writing up a report later and tell me everything he\'s been hiding!

Or else, hmph.

"Shield Girl, get ready." Caster said rather seriously, making me stiffen.

"Director, we\'re picking up a huge influx of Magical Energy!" Roman also shouted from his side.

Right as the words left his mouth, Saber erupted in a font of Magical Energy that dwarfed what she had been putting out before.

"Mash! Noble Phantasm, now!" I screamed.

Saber\'s voice carried across this empty cavern. "Excalibur Morgan!"

Mash held her shield up, slamming it onto the ground. "Lord Chaldeas!" That same white wall formed in front of us. I couldn\'t see what was going on, but the cavern completely shook and started to collapse. It was like an earthquake erupted right at this spot.

Mash visibly strained to hold the shield up under the pressure, and she wasn\'t even being directly attacked.

But it held.

Credit where it was due, she was earning her status as a Demi-Servant.

The pressure didn\'t last much longer. As quick as it came, it went away and Mash\'s shield also began to fade.

I had no words.

A massive hole appeared in the cavern. I could look out of it and see what remained of the city where the Noble Phantasm landed. The sheer destruction rendered by that attack made my heart skip a beat when I realized that Shimoda was on the other end.

I hesitantly turned my gaze to where he should be.

A golden shield enveloped him.

The spot he was standing looked to be a mound of grass, as if he was in a completely different world.

I could faintly feel something warm as I gazed upon it.

The lights and golden aura that surrounded him began to recede, taking the form of a sheath. I didn\'t know the name of it, but I knew for a fact that it was completely beyond reproach and I couldn\'t even bring myself to utter a word of distaste at it even by mistake.

The item – Noble Phantasm – whatever it was, immediately shot into his chest and disappeared as quickly as it seemingly appeared.

It blocked Excalibur.

.....Just another secret that Shimoda was carrying that I would demand an explanation from.

Before I could regain my composure, Shimoda moved. His sword pierced right through the Saber Servant, not leaving her an opportunity to respond.

I finally relaxed once she dropped her weapon, knowing it was actually over.

"Right..." I breathed out in relief, seeing that Shimoda was okay. "Shimoda won, let\'s go –" I took a single step forward, but I was suddenly jerked backwards. "What\'s the big idea!?" I glared at Caster who was holding my coller.

"Give him a moment." He said.

"Why does he need a moment!? He won, he –"

"Does that look like the face of someone who won?" Caster replied.

I wanted to retort, but then I saw it for myself.

....why was Shimoda looking at her like that?

[***]

Wilhelm POV

I pulled Mirage out of her in one swift motion. Her body shuddered and I quickly caught her before she fell. I slowly lowered her to the ground, her hollow yellow eyes stared back at me.

"Am I to be pitied now?" The corrupted form of Artoria spoke. "Do you not fear that I may have the strength yet to rend you apart? Even if my Spiritual Core was pierced, do you think I am without means?"

She closed her eyes slightly. "I could do many things even in this state. You are foolish for putting yourself in this situation. The Grail provides me a quantity of Magical Energy that I could be a danger to you as long as I draw breath."

"Are you?"

"...It is pointless, You possess Avalon and it answered your call." She looked at me weakly, eyes looking heavy. "Why do you have Avalon?"

"Someone very special gave it to me." I answered.

".....Why do you shed tears?" Her voice was very soft.

I could feel the cool liquid fall down my cheeks. "You weren\'t going to stop, were you?"

"I was not." She fully admitted. "It would have ended in my defeat or yours."

She wasn\'t going to stop. I knew her all too well. For whatever reason, she thought what she was doing was for the best, so she wouldn\'t have been talked out of her course of action.

"Too damn stubborn."

"You speak of familiarity with me once more." Artoria replied. "Do I truly remind you of someone else?"

"The resemblance is unmistakable."

"Tell me about this person." She closed her eyes again.

"Demanding for a loser aren\'t you? Isn\'t the loser supposed to listen to the winner in situations like this?"

"Hmph, I did not lose. I could have continued if I desired." She huffed cutely in the same way that my own Artoria did and it made my heart ache even more.

"Well, she\'s very competitive." I said immediately, earning a snort from her. "A glutton too. I don\'t think her stomach is capable of being full."

"Are you simply using this opportunity to insult me?" She opened her eyes, glaring cutely. "...I am used to such things, it will have no effect on me."

"She\'s also very kind." I decided to stop joking.

"I am a Tyrant. I ruled with an Iron Fist and forced submission if needed. It seems this resemblance is not as uncanny as you believe."

Was this Artoria that different than my own? I don\'t actually know what kind of life she lived.

"She also has the habit of thinking the worse about herself. Often requiring someone else to argue with her." I continued onwards.

"I find that unlikely."

"She\'s one of the most beautiful women I\'ve laid my eyes on." I could feel Artoria\'s presence start to waver. She didn\'t have much longer, the remaining Magical Energy was probably keeping her together right now due to the sheer amount she was channeling. "She has the most breathtaking smile...." The Servant shifted slightly, I didn\'t know if that was a good or bad sign. I took that moment to wipe away a few tears that were forming. "She is courageous and uncompromising when she thinks she\'s right. But I suppose I enjoy that stubbornness about her just as much as everything else."

"What is she to you, stranger?" This Artoria whispered.

"She is someone I love dearly." I said with full honesty.

"....how enviable." Her quiet words barely reached my ears as her body broke down and dissipated back into motes of Magical Energy.

I looked up, unwillingly, to see the Mana disperse back into the word.

For the second time in my life, I had a woman I love die in my arms, and I was the cause.

"A touching scene."

My eyes widened and I climbed to my feet. I clenched my fists tight as I saw the familiar face of that voice. That long curly hair, green suit and cane in hand. He wore a condescending smile, looking right at me.

"You." I growled out. "Lev Lainur."

"Me."

[***]

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