18 Nature of War

Unlike their previous encounter or perhaps exactly like it, Aston wasted no time in appearing right next to Kirei and smashing his armoured fist into the sadistic priest's chin.

An action that would have thrown the man into the air did he not actually succeed in reacting to the sudden attack, tilting his upper body backwards to avoid it entirely leaving his assailant a bit awed at his physical prowess.

"I see the flexibility in your taste extends to your physical body as well."

Aston drew his spear and swung upwards, meeting Kirei's elbow at a much faster speed than before.

"Hm."

The priest wasn't so lucky this time and the exchange ended with his arm being separated from his body, spraying fresh red blood everywhere as it flew through the air.

Of course the pain couldn't even make the trained Executor so much flinch, Kirei only jumped back to one of the front rows of pews arranged in the Church he'd called home for nearly a decade, "It appears that... the prowess of a knight is not to be underestimated at all." He spoke between troubled breaths, "I must say, you did a bit of a number in our last meeting."

The Lancer had shattered his ribs in such a manner that they were more like scattered dust inside him. The fact that Kirei could even stand up and face Aston as he was doing at the moment was a testament to his prowess as a magu- Executor.

"I must say, you tried to plop off my Master's arm in our last meeting." Aston repeated his own words, looking around as if trying to notice something, "Basement, you'll find what I was referring to there my Master." He addressed the audience he'd gathered with a small smile.

"What makes you certain a deathly trap doesn't await them down there?"

"There's about three servants all temporarily allied here, I do believe such worries would be unfounded." Aston nodded sagely, approaching the blank faced Kirei with slow, heavy steps accented by the dead silence of the night.

Kirei couldn't help the smile that crept it's way onto his face as he reached inside his black trench coat, pulling out three black keys held in the one hand that he had left, "Knights can be quite brutal." He wasn't naive enough to think the Lancer had taken off the arm with command seals without intending to do just that.

"I personally think this is more fortunate than losing to my Master in single combat." Aston shrugged, raising his hands to the sides ever so slightly.

It was the objective truth, the reject of a priest he faced now was substantially weaker than Bazett from what he'd seen so far from the two. Granted the man did manage to sneak in an attack that would have left her on death's door had Aston not intervened so he might be the superior in a battle of wits.

They exchanged no further words, at least Kirei didn't say anything further. He didn't exactly have the habit of conversing in a battle of life and death.

And the results,

Well, they were exactly what one would expect from such a match up.

Kirei had lost an arm and with it, access to the command seals that could, even if temporarily, boost his physical prowess significantly. He did not possess the element of surprise or even a secret weapon that could help him. The icing on the metaphorical shit cake was that his style of combat wasn't even suited for specialised individuals like Aston.

And so, not a moment after he'd moved, an entire side of the Church was blown away by a massive shockwave erupting from within, tearing him up in such a way that nothing but an unrecognisable bloody spray of guts and entrails was all that remained.

Aston simply stood in his original position, staring at the destruction with dull but solemn blue eyes. All he'd done was use but a fraction of his speed and swung his fist at the man.

"People really do tend to underestimate how powerful speed can be."

"'People' don't expect a man to swing nearly a hundred times faster than the speed of sound."

Archer sighed, leaning against what remained of the Church's walls with his arms crossed and eyes closed. This Lancer really was going to be a problem later down the line.

His gaze landed on the bloody mess around them, "A war huh?" He could see where the title came from and was reminded of just how brutal Grail Wars could be if allowed to.

"Indeed, my ally." Aston nodded down at him, appearing right in front of him without making the slightest of sounds. Wars were always like this, they were missing a lot of pained screaming and traumatised young men that had rode along for the glory but hey, the brutality part was accounted for, somewhat.

Archer opened his eyes, smirking, "Are you sure this isn't true for only the wars you're participating in? I think a barbarian maniac can do more grace than this." He was testing if the Knight could take insults thrown back at him.

"I think the one who attacks children and innocents is more of a maniac than someone who likes to be thorough." Aston answered politely, smiling at his grey haired companion before returning to his watch. He wanted to fight that Golden haired young man but at the same time, it would bring more trouble than it was worth.

Aston's reply only served to make Archer's smirk wider, "Look at the pot calling the kettle black." He knew of Aston's legend and as such, of the few that the knight had put to the torch to save the many.

"We all possess our quirks." The Knight of Atrocity shrugged again, not intending to deny the accusation.

But then he straightened up abruptly and walked away, Aston wouldn't be fighting the unidentified servant here, not when it could put both his Master and Artoria in danger. This Archer servant besides him was feeling way too familiar for him to think it was a coincidence, he didn't trust him to protect the two.

* * *

Bazett walked with her face paler than usual, even if she tried her best to maintain her usual professionalism, "I really... Kirei." She'd never expected him to do something like.. Like locking up orphans in his basement and using them as mana batteries!

He was an insane monster.

Bazett Fraga McRemitz learned, once again, the harsh truth that people weren't always what they seemed to be.

She could recite word for word the laws he'd broken with his actions but that didn't really matter anymore. The grey haired Lancer following her right now had already cut him down.

Bazett felt it was fortunate she'd been at the forefront going down into the basement and managed to stop the two teenagers following her from seeing the horrific 'less than dead' state the poor children had been in.

As an Enforcer, she was used to such sights but Bazett didn't want two young teenagers to suffer through the same thing she did. They didn't deserve it and she couldn't bring herself to let them through.

It was the right decision to simply scorch the basement entirely.

That was what Aston had been saying for a while through their connection, perhaps wanting to make her feel less bad about the sudden revelation that someone she believed a friend had done something so downright horrid.

"Kirei huh.." Rin bit her lower lip, walking a small distance behind Bazett, "For so long,.." In her territory, someone had used helpless children as mana batteries for years. It pained her that she'd never investigated the matter more thoroughly.

Shirou Emiya, was faced with a different sort of situation entirely, "You killed him." He muttered to himself, ignoring the ridiculing gaze of the invisible Archer. It felt strange but it wasn't like he didn't deserve it, "..." At the same time, that didn't exempt the heroes of legend from being murderers for killing him.

"I feel like we are to somehow say something that magically resolves the dilemma here." Aston rubbed his chin, having changed into a simple form fitting black shirt and grey trousers a moment earlier.

"I am of the belief this will make them stronger in the end." Or it could break them but Artoria doubted that possibility, they were magi were they not?

That said, they had a problem of their own.

Technically, as the situation would have it, they were supposed to be enemies?

"Shirou Emiya, My Master, what do the two of you say to an actual alliance?" Aston asked what was on his mind.

Rin Tohsaka's confidence wavered, "Wait a second, what?" They were going to have to face two servants if things went in the direction they seemed to be going in.

That and, the Lancer was a little TOO confident discussing such a thing in front of her.

Surprisingly however, "No." Bazett declined the proposition, perhaps affected by the recent turn of events or simply tired of having to carry an ignorant person on her back. Whatever it was, she was DONE for the day.

"Secret scandal time?"

"S-Scandal.." Artoria needed some time to get used to Aston being so blunt with her.

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