The Ones That Lurk In The Shadows

"Saber!" Many shouted her name, or in this case, her Class. The explosion shook not only the buildings on the side but also the ground they stood on. Berserker, who was the one nearest to Mordred at the moment of the attack, was launched against a wall as if he were a bullet fired from a gun.

The impact was nothing life-threatening, yet it still left a couple of bruises as well as some blood that Vlad couldn't keep in his mouth after the crash.

Mostly dust covered the rest's vision from the aftermath. The only thing they were able to recognize was Mephistopheles' deranged laugh echoing throughout the dark streets.

Then, all of a sudden, that laugh stopped, and Caster's expression transformed into something that resembled annoyance with a bare hint of surprise. It all coincided with a shadow getting out of the dust covering the epicenter of the explosion.

'I will at least admit that much; despite looking and acting like a savage, she has good instincts.' Contrary to his outward way of speaking, Mephistopheles was capable of rationalized thinking in his mind when he wanted to.

The reason for his thoughts was made apparent instantly as the figure shooting out of the dust cloud became clearer than before. Mordred was revealed to the world once again, but this time, her cocky smirk had disappeared.

Replacing it was silent rage that couldn't wait to be unleashed. It wasn't until the dust completely dispersed that they knew the reason why. Fujimaru, despite having experienced gruesome deaths on his small journey, still cringed at the state of the Saber Servant.

While it was nothing that could be considered life-threatening for their kind, it was still unpleasant to look at. From her waist up she was relatively unharmed save for some spots in her face that were dripping blood.

The problem was her legs.

One had a scrap metal stabbing her flesh on the side right below the knee. The other one, though. That was where things looked as messy as they could. For lack of a better word, it was a mess. Fujimaru even could have sworn that he saw her bones in the brief intervals where the torrent of blood shooting out of her leg allowed for him to do just that.

At this point, he wondered if having it still attached to her body was doing more harm than good. He was not a medical expert, but in his opinion, it looked more like a liability than anything. Of course, he would not, under any circumstances, voice out loud his thoughts.

She looked so pissed right now that he feared she would start attacking them all of a sudden just because they were on the same site as the one who had caused her injuries.

Unfortunately for them, they had to put her situation on hold as the endless wave of enemies kept reaching out for them. If they didn't do something quick, then they would be swallowed in more explosions like the one Mordred went through.

The Servant in question absolutely did not care for their predicament, though. No, she was way too angry for that. So much so that she didn't mind the consequences of her actions if she were to act a little more 'rowdy'. In fact, she was never a person to fight with restrains. The opposite, she was as wild as a beast, and it seemed the clown in front of her was being brave enough to poke the sleeping animal with a stick.

Close calls like that were things that she would welcome and even encourage had this been a battlefield. However, in a circus like this one, where she couldn't even feel the intent to fight from her enemy, she could only say that she hated it.

If she were honest, the only reason she still had her legs attached was pure luck. The moment she saw those stupid metallic insects she immediately shot lightning from her sword all over to her leg in an attempt to destroy them before they could do any damage. It worked, partially. She destroyed some, incapacitated others, yet still at least one was able to explode evidently.

The lightning was also numbing the pain, along with the mobility of her leg. It still hurt like being stabbed in the ass, though. That's why she had some payback to do with the stupid jester with the seagull shit in his face She would make it hella painful, of that she would make sure.

For a moment, the world stilled, and in the next, the wrath of thunder echoed. A sonic boom was all the warning Mordred gave when she activated her Mana Burst. That and the hole she left in the streets at her wake.

Mephistopheles' eyes widened momentarily at her display, absolutely not expecting her to be able to move like that after receiving his Noble Phantasm literally with her own body. Hence, the timing of his reaction was slower than he would have liked.

His giant pair of scissors were lifted up, yes, but not quickly enough to apply force in his parry. That caused him to be flown away brutally by Mordred's sword, Clarent. Mephistopheles crashed against the Automata he modified as he kept spiraling in mid-air. Rather fortunate for him, his Noble Phantasm had a number limit regarding his explosive insects, so his last works had only been made to look like the ones that could detonate as to confuse the other party, and were actually weaker than a non-modified one.

This prevented friendly fire, but not a mad knight with a desire for vengeance. Saber didn't stop once she hit Caster. Instead, once she hit the ground after sending him flying, she, for a second time, dashed at him; her sword filled with red lightning.

A small grimace formed on her face before disappearing as quickly as it came. As much as she could handle the pain, it certainly didn't make it easier. This only motivated her, even more, to get back at the weird-haired clown, though.

As she advanced, she hacked everything that was in her way without mercy with the sole intent of reaching Mephistopheles who seemed to be getting farther away thanks to her powerful blow.

Eventually, however, Caster's momentum started to diminish, and that only brought Mordred closer to him. In time, Saber was able to close the distance, enough for her to bring her sword down, trying to cleave him in two.

The Homunculus — in a brief moment of clarity — saw this and quickly threw a mechanical bomb at her that he had hidden in his sleeve. It was a double-edged sword as it would harm both of them... had Mordred not pulverized it with her powerful lightning.

He put up the little resistance that he could by, once again, rising his giant scissors, but sadly for him, his Class wasn't known for having the best physical strength among the bunch. His D Rank strength paled in comparison with Mordred's B+.

An obvious outcome happened. The Treacherous Knight slammed her sword down without mercy, crushing his meager attempt of defense. Clarent's tip collided with the ground, creating a deep hole and a resounding noise accompanying it, which also prevent Saber from completely dividing him into two equal parts.

Still, while it was true that he had avoided getting killed, that didn't mean he got scot-free. When the smoke that had risen from the impact dissipated, the sorry state of Mephistopheles was shown to Mordred.

His right arm had become useless and limp, barely hanging from his torso. It was only luck that prevented it from being completely removed, although the Servant wasn't sure if he would have preferred that with how painful the 'half-finished' work was.

"Not so funny now, is it?" She removed her sword from his body in an agonizingly slow manner, painting the scene even more bloody than it already was.

Mephistopheles coughed some blood, and despite his pain, he gave her a smile that seemed more tetric with his levels of injuries. "Hehe! But...cough... it... still is!"

His creepy and unnerving laugh reached her ears loud and clear despite all the fighting in the background. All of a sudden, Mordred's eyes widened slightly as she turned around to notice several Automata jumping at her.

Wasting no time, she clad her sword in more lightning and slashed at the air. Red-colored electricity shot out like hungry snakes at her enemies; stopping some in their tracks, and powdering others.

Instead of sneak attacking her, Mephistopheles used the chance to escape from the hole and retreat to a safe enough distance while Saber was distracted with the creations he had sent to stall her.

As he did, he noticed how some red sparks floated around in the mist from time to time. That caused him to grin. 'The plan is coming along nicely. A little more set up and we will have a raging Divine Spirit wreaking havoc. Ah! Marvelous!'

Soon, however, her grin disappeared to a more neutral look. 'Though... I wonder why there is a need for having several Gods fighting for supremacy. The prize isn't appetizing for all of them, after all. That sorcerer sure has strange ideas. Still, two are already here, he will summon another two, and I, if things go smoothly here, should trigger the other. With any luck, another one will appear just to join the fray—oh. So that's how it was. Brilliant indeed. Well, as long as there is enough chaos and suffering I am fine with it all the same.'

While he was nonchalantly alone with his inner thoughts, Mordred had finished the small distraction he had set up. Saber looked a little exhausted from the effort she had exerted while in her terrible condition, but the fierce glare she was sending his way was enough to make him sweat — if doing so wouldn't ruin his make-up, of course —.

However, he still knew this wasn't far from enough. She needed to reach a boiling point where she saw nothing but, ironically, red. And the best part of it was, he knew how to do it.

With that in mind, he moved his gaze from her to the unsuspecting Master in the background, who was focused on aiding his Servants with his Mystic Code as much as he could. Not surprising since, by this point, he should be affected too much to only rely on giving proper commands.

His introduction might have been silly, but his laugh was one of his Skills, actually. A Curse to reduce one's luck as if they had stumbled upon a black cat on the road after accidentally breaking a mirror and squashing a cricket while you were at it. Simply put, everything that relied on luck was going to go against them.

It wasn't the effect as much as it was the stress that caused having such bad luck. Eventually, the strain in his Magic Circuits would make him waste more Magical Energy than necessary, and when nothing was left; no matter the Servant, they would become fangless beasts.

Smirking slightly at the concept, Mephistopheles started moving his only usable hand in some weird, erratic manner. Mordred's instincts picked this, and following his gaze, her pupils shrunk.

Out of reflex more than anything, she used another Mana Burst, despite the clear discomfort this caused on her injured leg.

It was nothing visible, but even so, she felt it when it struck.

"GAAAHHH!" A blood-curling scream escaped her mouth out of nowhere. Like something straight out of a science-fiction film, her right arm started detaching little by little from her torso, and her armor started denting in her chest area.

Caster watched the turn of events a little thunderstruck. While the happenings themselves were nothing he didn't know they would happen as it was his own skill, he didn't expect Saber to just get in the way. He had used his Curse Arts to either kill the Master or leave him gravely injured, but Mordred getting in the way was not in his calculations.

This was fine either way, although he hoped he wouldn't have to do some on-the-spot planning thanks to the girls' actions.

Her screams, though, attracted the others' attention. The moment they saw Mordred's condition, Fujimaru and Mash released a gasp of shock.

Before his mind could process it, his body was already moving in her direction. "Sab—"

"DON'T COME HERE!" However, he was stopped in his tracks by her shout. She was kneeling, and her sword had fallen to the ground due to her hand not being able to hold it properly, but she was not defeated, not yet.

Even if she was missing a leg... Even if she was missing an arm... Even if her body hurt so much she just wanted to fall... She was still Mordred, the Knight of Treachery; the one that put an end to King Arthur's kingdom, and the only one that deserved his throne more than anyone else.

A 'zzz' sound began to echo around her figure, and soon, that sound took physical form in the shape of red lightning that danced around her armor and sword.

Saber grabbed Clarent with her left hand — the weight a little foreign since it wasn't her dominant arm — and stood up with some difficulty.

With the same challenging effort, she lifted her sword until its tip was pointing to the sky. Despite the initial awkwardness, her grip was firm. As if there were clouds just meters above them, lightning started shooting out from the seemingly empty space to her weapon.

It seemed to work like a battery, charging it more and more until it couldn't hold anymore.

Although elated inside, Mephistopheles acted fearful on the outside, practically screaming 'Hit me, I'm defenseless!'

This went better than he expected, so much so that he wanted to laugh out loud. Caster could see how the mist was acting up to trigger a summoning. A shame that he had to hold himself back or he would ruin everything.

Others, however, didn't share his mindset.

"Quickly stop her! Her lightning is mixing with the mist! At this rate, we don't know what could end up being summoned!" Romani's voice was sudden as always, but this time it had a sense of urgency rarely found in it.

Medea, already suspecting something from before, and as the only one who could use ranged attacks, quickly conjured an icy wind in hopes of cooling her down, figuratively and literally. She could release a more powerful attack, naturally, but that would probably kill Saber with how weak she was.

In this mysterious place, they didn't need one less ally to rely upon. Although considering the alternative if Mordred wasn't stopped, Caster wondered if she was making the right choice.

To her relief, her magic managed to make Mordred's movements stiffer. However, her relief was short-lived as her rage fueled her Noble Phantasm further. In fact, Saber's anger only shot up at being "attacked" by her allies. The only reason she didn't aim at them was that the clown took priority.

Knowing that it was too late to go back as the mist was already in the process of summoning something; whatever it was, Mephistopheles stopped his act and started laughing. "Hehehe—cough—ahaha! That's it, that is how it has to—cough—be!"

Though still pained by her earlier attacks, Caster still was able to enjoy the moment. Even more so when his laugh was seemingly enraging her to unprecedented levels. It was so comic he wanted to cry.

However, that laugh was gone as soon as it came. Just as Mordred was about to unleash her Noble Phantasm, and just as Medea was prepared to kill her on the spot, an unbelievable thing happened in front of their eyes.

A gust of wind—no. A powerful gale suddenly picked up, lifting the tiny droplets of water suspended just above the ground. As if controlled by an unknown force, the mist that surrounded them and the near streets shot up to the sky, leaving the dark environment free of any white.

"Wha..." Mephistopheles could not believe it, and his face certainly reflected that. What... What in the nine hells was that? Something... something some random had no way of being unintentional, right? But a wind powerful enough to make him stumble was not a thing they were capable of, he was sure of that.

Unfortunately for him, that was not the thing he should be worrying about now. The sound of lightning brought his attention back to reality, back to his impending doom. 'Curses. Without the mist, there is nothing I can do anymore. This is a failure, but there is always a next ti—'

"I am afraid you are forgetting someone." Mephistopheles could only widen his eyes as multiple stakes impaled his body from the ground, keeping him in place and taking the idea of escape out of his head.

"Kah!" More blood escaped his mouth as he looked to the side, where Berserker seemed to be camouflaged with the dark streets. 'That sneaky little...!' It was true that when his plan was close to completion, he had let his guard down, and forgotten that there was someone else fighting him aside from Saber.

Vlad merely dusted himself off as he watched Mephistopheles struggle against his stakes. He made sure to branch them inside his body to cause even more pain. It could not be said that he enjoyed the look of his enemy, but it would be a lie to say he was not satisfied. After all, he had seen what he had tried to do with his Vassal. And an offense to someone under a King was an offense against the King himself, especially with the type of partnership they had.

Berserker then moved his gaze to Saber. Although he had attacked Caster first, had not the strange event happened, he would have attacked her first. With her one-track mind attitude, she would not have reacted even when his stakes had pierced her Spirit Core. It would be wise to talk about her behavior in the future, even if he knew this was a hopeless endeavor.

Nevertheless, now it was the time to witness the end of the first Servant they faced in this Singularity.

« "This is the wicked blade that destroyed my father..." Though slightly difficult to maintain with one hand, her sword remained steady.

"Experience it and be turned to dust!" She swung down with all the strength remaining in her body.

『Clarent Blood Arthur!』»

A powerful and unstoppable red beam of lightning shot out of Clarent before the helpless gaze of Mephistopheles. He couldn't even utter a scream before he was engulfed by the light. A light that remained for a few seconds, but when it disappeared, Caster was no more.

Breathing heavily, Mordred dropped her sword on the ground. "That's... what you get... for messing... with m...e..." And soon, unable to handle all the strain, she fainted.

'It was to be expected. Still, her power is as unreasonable as always.' Vlad watched the scorched streets that seemed to have gone down a dozen centimeters in height. Certainly to the naked eye, her attack seemed to have expanded infinitely. It was rather fortunate that the direction she unleashed her Noble Phantasm didn't include any housing. The inhabitants already had it hard with all the mechanical monsters and Homunculus running around.

It was also fortunate that once Mephistopheles was gone, the Automata had stopped acting and were all falling apart. Something strange, for sure, but he would not be the one to question it. He then watched the girl with the shield picking up Saber from the ground, while Caster used one of her Dragon Tooth Warriors to lift her sword. He had to wonder why she didn't use them before, but he supposed they weren't infinite, and not as nearly useful as he thought.

Berserker felt a gaze on him, and when he followed the feeling to see who it was, he found Carmilla narrowing her eyes at him, seemingly trying to communicate something with her eyes alone.

Understanding the meaning, Vlad calmly shook his head. Assassin rolled her eyes and clicked her tongue before turning away. 'Honestly, what an unruly woman. Would it kill her to treat me with an ounce of respect?'

Shaking his head again, this time out of exasperation, Berserker closely followed behind them, ready to act in case of an ambush.

It was a long day, but they were finally going back to their base.

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So close... It was so close! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!

He couldn't believe it. Everything was going almost perfectly, and then it was all ruined!

Mephistopheles crawled through the alleys. Yes, that right, the Great Demon Mephistopheles was reduced to a crawling mess! Who would have thought! It was so funny he wanted to tear everything apart and then blow the pieces away with one of his bombs!

'I can't believe it. If my luck wasn't this high I would surely have died. Shit. Why do I consider myself lucky when the alternative isn't any better?!' Surely missing an arm and having only half a leg left wasn't something to be happy about. Even with his upbeat personality, this was beyond a laughing point!

'Still. I said it before and I will say it again; there is always another chance. And I swear that I would plant a bomb in their soup and blow them from the inside out! First, it's going to be the Master, then that stupid King, and finally, when everything is done with those two, he would kill that woman for su—!'

"Oho? It seems the cat found a wounded mouse running away." A deep but suave voice behind him stopped Mephistopheles' crawling.

Ah, so this was it. His grimace transformed into a sick smile.

"Why... Hello, sir S—"

*Bang*

Dead with a bullet in the head, Caster failed to keep speaking. As he observed how Mephistopheles began to disappear, the mysterious person adjusted his suit in no hurry. "Let's keep the introductions for later, shall we?"

"The night is still young, after all."