Chapter 15
The cutting winds tore through the air as a man dressed in red clothes slid at high speed. His heart raced, fueled by the adrenaline of the chase.
"I can feel the presence of the servants around here. Unfortunately, I'll need help," Emiya thought, aware that he was being relentlessly pursued by a relentless being, thirsty for his life. Emiya felt grateful for having diverted the being away from the city center, where he had already ordered people to stay away.
As he ran, propelled by unwavering determination, Emiya headed towards the place where he sensed the presence of the other servants. His body vibrated with intense energy, fueled by the powerful Counter Force that filled him. However, even with all that energy, he still couldn't defeat his pursuer.
"Is this guy invulnerable? No injury fazes him..." Emiya wondered, frustrated. He tried to fight the being with all the weapons at his disposal, but nothing seemed to affect it. His attacks were in vain, incapable of causing any damage whatsoever.
"I need to find a way. With help, maybe I can defeat him. It would be wonderful if the Counter Force sent more servants to assist me. But, no matter... I'll make do with what I have," Emiya muttered, hopeful for help that wasn't arriving. He knew he would have to find a solution on his own, perhaps relying on the servants summoned in this era.
His eyes scanned the chaotic scene around him until they settled on an imposing figure. It was a woman mounted on a majestic dragon, her expression seemingly irritated and full of authority. Emiya also noticed that there were other servants fleeing hastily from the woman, like rats fleeing from a cat.
"Run as much as you want, but I'll catch up to you," Jeanne Alter proclaimed with a cold smile, emanating an intimidating aura. However, suddenly, her attention abruptly shifted to where she spotted a servant.
"A servant... a guardian. Does that mean I am a threat to the world?" Jeanne Alter pondered, furrowing her pale golden eyebrows thoughtfully.
"Hey! I can't believe I'm doing this... but I need your help, as well as the help of the other servants who fled from you!" Emiya exclaimed, disbelieving of what he was about to do. It was the only option left to him to prevent the destruction of this era, there was no choice but to ask for help.
"Ah? Are you serious? You're not here to stop me? It seems I'm not so terrifying as to make comedians fear me!" Jeanne Alter reacted, her irritation manifesting in the face of the possibility of becoming a subject of ridicule. She couldn't accept that someone could pose a threat to this era other than herself.
"Comedian? What is this woman talking about? Is she going to attack me? What's happening?" Emiya wondered, starting to regret asking for help. Maybe it would be better to fight alone.
"What am I doing? Can't you see? I'm going to burn you!" Jeanne Alter threatened, displaying a sinister smile. Her eyebrows furrowed as she sensed the presence of another servant approaching.
Her eyes fixed on a bright red spot that was rapidly approaching. A sense of déjà vu hit her, as if she had witnessed that scarlet light before.
"Damn it! He's already here! Rho Aias!" Emiya shouted in desperation. In front of him, like a blooming flower, a shield in the shape of a flower appeared, ready to defend him.
Jeanne Alter saw Emiya use his shield to protect himself from the red light. The enemy servant's spear collided with Emiya's shield, triggering a devastating explosion. The blinding brightness filled the surroundings, forcing Jeanne Alter to shield her eyes from the intensity of the light.
"What was that? Ah!" exclaimed Fujimaru, stunned, before being thrown to the ground by the powerful shockwave.
"Senpai!" Mash shouted, being pushed to the ground by the impact of the explosion caused by the blow to Emiya's shield.
"Siegfried, hold on tight to me!" Jeanne exclaimed, concerned for the safety of the servant on her back.
"What just happened? Was it some kind of meteor? Are you all okay?" Dr. Roman asked, perplexed. However, upon catching a glimpse of the red light from the explosion, his memory was immediately transported back to the forest, where he had seen a similar red light from afar.
"We're fine, mage. It's all right," reassured Jeanne, gently stroking Dr. Roman's tense arm. In response, he let out a deep sigh, relieved to hear Jeanne's comforting voice.
With a look of concern, Jeanne turned her gaze to Siegfried and asked, "Are you hurt?" Her eyes scanned the warrior's body, picking up nuances of pain or discomfort.
"I'm fine. Thank you," Siegfried replied, trying to calm Jeanne, although his expression carried a whirlwind of emotions difficult to decipher. It was evident that something was deeply bothering him.
Confused, Maria broke the silence by inquiring, "What was that? Did the dragon attack us?"
Amadeus, looking in the direction where the attack had struck, shook his head. "I don't believe that was it. I have the impression it was something completely different," he said, his voice filled with perplexity.
"What do you mean 'something different'? It can't be anything else... Oh, wait, there's something else there," Maria interrupted herself as Amadeus gently turned her head toward the impact.
A sense of urgency took hold of Dr. Roman, who immediately proposed, "I think we should flee! It seems that the other Jeanne is busy dealing with this new threat."
While everyone pondered the direction of the imminent danger, Jeanne couldn't contain her curiosity and asked, with intertwined fascination and concern, "Where are they looking... What is that flying? A wyvern?" Her eyes fixed on a black object cutting through the skies, its shape resembling the imposing figure of a wyvern.
"Are you alive?" Emiya turned abruptly, fixing his gaze on the huddled figure of the dragon.
"Yes. What the hell was that? It seems like you know, so tell me!" Jeanne Alter emerged from the dragon's claws, her body exhibiting only a few scales burned by the flames. Emiya, on the other hand, had endured the attack in her place.
"There is a servant threatening this era. And unlike you, he won't hesitate to reduce everything to ashes. Not a single tree will remain standing if he doesn't get what he wants." Emiya explained, offering Jeanne Alter just a glimpse of what was to come.
"What exactly does he want? Just destruction? If that's the case, he might as well join forces with me." Jeanne Alter supposed that the servant by her side, given the immense power demonstrated in his attack, must be formidably strong.
"Yes, he's willing to join you. However, it's quite likely that you will be his first victim when he achieves his goal. I don't believe he has any intention of helping anyone." Emiya looked at the other servants, who were not far away, before turning his gaze to the imposing black wyvern approaching.
"We have the same objective, him and me. It would be foolish of him to refuse my offer." Jeanne Alter imagined that the servant would not resist the temptation to join her, considering the immense power she possesses.
"I don't think foolishness is on his side. Stop glaring at me with those furious eyes. It won't do any good. We need to fight together if we even want a chance." Emiya ignored Jeanne Alter's thoughts, aware that there was no time to waste.
"To significantly increase our chances of victory, it would be wonderful if these servants joined us in the fight against the enemy," expressed Emiya, expressing his conviction about what he considered the right path to take.
"Why are you involving me in this? I'm not on your side. These servants are just a bunch of weaklings," Jeanne Alter replied, clearly displeased with Emiya's suggestion of fighting together. She didn't miss the opportunity to mock the servants while expressing her disdain.
"Weaklings? Then explain to me why you haven't defeated them yet," retorted Emiya, throwing a challenging question. Deep down, he wanted to question if they were really the true weaklings in the situation.
"Are you insinuating that I'm a weakling?" Jeanne Alter retorted, gripping her flag in anger. Her eyes sparkled as she stared at Emiya, ready to engage in a heated argument.
"You finally stopped running. I was getting exhausted. Good thing I have my little friend here," said the figure mounted on the wyvern, affectionately stroking it. He cast an annoyed glance in Emiya's direction, frustrated at having to chase after the guardian for some time. Emiya, who was already about to respond to Jeanne Alter, had to redirect his attention to the newcomer. A look of disgust appeared on his face.
"What happened? Did you eat some kind of bug to have that expression? Hahaha," Jeanne Alter found it extremely hilarious when she saw Emiya's discontented face because of the presence of the figure. She looked at the figure's appearance with great appreciation, even though she couldn't see his face due to the covering of his hair.
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