AN: I'M FINALLY BACK TO WRITING! It's been months since I wrote more than a few hundred words, and god and I glad to be doing it again. I know some of you will be disappointed that I'm working on this rather AtB, but this is easier for me to get into, and so close to being done that I just need to finish it.

All that's left for this story, by the way, are two chapters, and a short epilogue. I'm planning to finish by the end of February, but don't be surprised if I'm not done until early March. Once that's done I'll be focusing my full attention on AtB and M&M, I might even pick up a third story once I've done some work on those two.

As for this chapter, it's the last fight before the final battle, with the next day being the last before the end of the war. I've got some very powerful Servants presents and I hope I did them justice, though you have to remember Lancer is much weaker without his fame bonus.

Anyway, I won't say too much about the chapter. Final words before going, I am sorry about how long it's been since I posted, I have a lot of trouble keeping up my good habits, though I've gotten better and hope to continue to improve. Let's try for a full year of updates this time.

As ever, thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy.

I did my best to suppress a shiver that ran down my back as I lightly stepped over a root, following closely in Kirito's shadow as I did, and grit my teeth lightly when I failed to stop the unconscious action. I didn't believe in premonitions, but this was more than one, it was a feeling in my gut, and I'd learned to listen to my gut.

And right now my gut said we were walking into a trap.

To be fair it's not like I didn't know that already, Kirito and I had discussed it at length during the day. The only reason the Einzbern would've brazenly challenged us all like that was if they were sure they could win. And if they believed they could dominate us in a direct battle then they wouldn't have bothered luring us out here, it meant their Servant had a significant advantage on the defensive, we just had to hope our own preparations would be enough to overcome that advantage.

I skirted around a tree, keeping my head low to avoid rustling any low hanging branches, and I thought to our temporary ally. Assassin and her Master had gone ahead of us and once the fighting kicked off they'd infiltrated the castle to try and hunt down and kill the Einzbern Master. If the Master showed themselves to me and Kirito I'd have to send out a signal for the other pair so they'd know the castle was a dead end.

I followed Kirito across a small creek, taking care to avoid jostling the metal weaponry I had on me and grimaced at just how little I was carrying. This was the first night I'd be going out with the intention of taking part in a fight personally, ideally I'd be fully kitted out, throwing knives, picks, a few pair of daggers, my claws, at least on longer blade, a short bow along with arrows, and the few mystic codes my family had made for combat.

But Emiya had done a number on my supply with his bombing the night before, the armory that my family had built up to prepare for one of us becoming a Pseudo-Servant had been almost entirely lost, and my mystic codes damaged enough that I wouldn't risk using them in case they failed spectacularly at the worst moment. So I'd had to scavenge together whatever weapons I could.

I'd managed to fill a belt with a handful of throwing knives, a few picks, and some daggers that weren't meant for throwing but could suffice. Fortunately I'd had my claws on hand when my house was destroyed so they were spared, but beyond that my options were limited. A collapsible staff in one pocket and a chain and dagger hanging from the small of my back.

The hiss of steel as Kirito drew his blades was the first hint of battle. Between one step and the next he was bearing steel, turning as he slid to a stop, a swing of Elucidator parried a massive halberd, and a swipe of his second sword, the pure black one from the night before, took the head of the homunculus that had tried to ambush us.

Night Sky Sword, he'd said it was called. He hadn't told me much of the story behind it, not a surprise since he probably couldn't remember it, but he'd told me a good deal of its effects. A sword that could draw mana from the atmosphere to enhance itself, and potentially to grow longer and more powerful at Kirito's command. It was crafted from the peak of enormous tree, and because of this it could gain more prana from specific sources that it had aptitude for, light, and the sun especially, being the most efficient, but beyond that the more nature in the area the better the sword would perform.

Here, surrounded by ancient forests and towering trees, it was as close to its peak as we could hope for in a war fought in the darkness of night.

Three more homunculus came out of the darkness and brush to charge us, the two on the flanks carrying axes larger than themselves, with the lead holding a thick kite shield and a large lance. I drew a throwing knife with each hand, one of the axe wielders was hit in the throat, stumbling as they drowned in their own blood, the other leaned to the side to avoid it, slowing as their heavy weapon resisted the change in momentum.

At the same time Kirito took a half step back, raising his right arm in preparation for a thrust, the shield bearer raising their guard in response. The attack came earlier than they expect however, Night Sky Sword doubling in length and impaling the enemy through their shield. With a twist of his wrist and a turn of his body Kirito dragged his sword out of the impaled foe and through the survivor, bisecting the third member of the group.

It was a gruesome scene, though one I'd been prepared for, raised as a magus and trained to fight in the Grail War I knew death and I'd been prepared for bloody scenes like this. Kirito though was raised as an ordinary boy and though he'd seen plenty of death in Aincrad it was never this gruesome.

I spared a glance in worry at him, but he seemed unaffected by the scene, simply flicking the blood off of his weapon before carrying it at the ready. I had to resort to using my hood to conceal the look of worry on my face, I wasn't sure if this was the result of the integration of his Heroic Spirit, or if the war so far had desensitized him but I was responsible either way.

'I'm fine, we have to focus on the fight right now.' I felt myself flinch at the thought that entered my head, sent through the Servant Master bond. I'd been so concerned with controlling my physical reactions I hadn't kept my thoughts in order, and it seemed some of them leaked over to KIrito.

'You're right.' I let a slow breath out of my nose as I sent the thought. 'We can worry about that later, for now we need to survive.' With one last pause we moved onwards, ready for the next group of enemies.

But not before I retrieved my knives, I was low enough as is.

I followed closely behind Shirou, one hand on his shoulder, so that the effects of Carnwennan would expand to cover me, and the other hovering near the pocket I'd left a few gems in, just in case.

I wasn't supposed to get into combat tonight, we had a plan for that, but that didn't mean I wouldn't. Besides, a few of the gems I carried could be useful anyway.

'Archer,' I spoke with my mind, casting my thoughts through the bond with my Servant. 'Seeing anything from up there?' We'd left Archer behind while Shirou and I had gone to infiltrate, and the huntress had taken up position on the school roof. It was the nearest she could get to the Einzbern Castle while maintaining a good vantage point.

There'd been the option of setting up within the forest itself, outside of the Einzbern's bounded field, Atalanta could've found a suitable tree and there was no way she'd be at a disadvantage, but it worked better if she was a bit further from the action. The chances of another Servant stumbling on her in the woods were too high, especially when it was almost certain everyone would be here tonight

'I've seen motion a few times, I believe a Servant has started fighting, but the bounded field cuts off most of my other senses.' There was the smallest hint of frustration in my Servant's voice, I wasn't sure if she was worried about me and Shirou, the childlike pair of Gikas and Saber, or both.

Though, I did know one concern she shared with me, one which her statement had brought up. 'The Bounded Field worries me, or rather the damage done to it.' Originally it was a powerful defensive barrier, capable of empowering allies, weakening foes, perfect scrying within its area, directly attacking those within, and obstructing surveillance from outside, on top of dissuading the uninitiated from entering.

Now though, only the last two remained intact, whatever change had occurred in the Ley Lines had distrubed the foundation of the bounded field too much. Some repairs had been managed since then however, only the most basic features had been recovered. To sacrifice all of that for whatever Noble Phantasm the Einzbern's Servant had, there was good reason behind our caution.

'Your worries are well founded, but don't let them blind you Master. You have a good plan and reliable allies, depend on them.' I had to hold back a snort at that, a plan and allies sounded good but we were dealing in unknowns here, and charging headfirst into the enemy's attack, we'd need luck more than anything and I knew better than to rely on that.

"Get ready." Shirou paused for a second, to speak up at barely above a whisper. "We're almost there." I paused at the suddenness of the announcement before taking a single calming breath and nodding. Shirou couldn't see me but he somehow knew I was ready regardless, we began moving again, and though I was fairly certain it was even slower than before I felt like we were going much, much faster.

I took a step forward, using Night Sky Sword to draw a halberd out of position, using the polearm and its wielder to block two homunculus from approaching on my left, while Elucidator stabbed forwards, burying itself in between my targets ribs, forcing their suddenly limp body back as the warhammer they were preparing to swing fell back.

A dagger flew past me, burying its tip in the neck of the halberd user I'd forced open, before the chain attached to it drew taught and it was pulled back, drawing a spray of blood. The pair that was previously blocked off by their comrade pushed the warm corpse aside. The one in the lead carried a zweihander, and seemed intent on using the massive two handed sword to cave my head in.

A scissor strike with both of my swords cut their sword short, and the sudden loss of weight left my opponent staggering and vulnerable. I ignored my open opponent in favor of rushing the second homunculus, the whistling of Argo's dagger as it flew through the air, guided by her hands and the chain linked to it, assured me this one wouldn't be a problem much longer.

The final opponent from this wave held a hefty mace and a small round shield. While the defensive armament was well made, against the strength of a Servant and the power of a Noble Phantasm it'd do little more than slow down my attacks. This foe seemed to have learned at least that much from those that came before it, choosing to forgo any attempt at using it defensively and throw the shield at me like a frisbee, before rushing me with their mace.

I didn't even bother blocking the projectile, side stepping it before turning that momentum into a spin, putting two parallel cuts through the homunculus' side, shredding its lungs even as I completely avoided the blunt weapon. I paused and let out a breath to calm myself down.

I turned to look at Argo, my swords still bare to see her panting as her chest heaved. This was the sixth group of homunculus we'd faced, and while it hadn't taken me much it was starting to take its toll on Argo. She was only human after all, and we'd been fighting night after night on little sleep, this was the third night in a row she'd personally gotten involved in the fighting, and the fifth night of the war where she'd had to go with little sleep. The toll was starting to add up and with the worst timing.

"We can't keep this up, you need to rest." Argo shot me a dirty look, though the fact she had to catch her breath before responding proved my point.

"We can't stop right now. We still haven't flushed out the Servant, and we have no idea how many of these homunculus there are." She paused, her breathing more controlled as Argo rested, before continuing in the privacy of my mind, where there was no concern of being spied on. 'We need the Servant's attention so that Assassin can target the Master, until then we can't afford to slow down.' I wrinkled my nose, not pleased with her point but unable to refute it.

We really did need to force the enemy to act, and these half hearted assaults, attempts to either scout our abilities or tire us out, weren't enough. We needed the Servant out.

Actually, I might have something that could work for that.

It wouldn't have worked at the start of the night, but after half a dozen of these small skirmishes on our enemy's doorstep there was no doubt the enemy was 'hiding' from us. And that meant I could use my Noble Phantasm.

"I've got something, it'll take a minute though, so use that time to catch your breath." Argo gave me a raised eye but said nothing as I sheathed Night Sky Sword and turned to face towards the manor, the tips of its roof barely visible through the treetops from how close we'd gotten.

"After this the Servant is almost certain to come at us, so be ready." I gave Argo one last warning before pulling on the prana reserves I'd gotten from her, pushing them into the weapon I held. Elucidator was the sword I'd held the longest, obtained as a drop from a boss on the fiftieth floor of Aincrad I'd used it until the game ended on the seventy fifth. It was one of only two Noble Phantasms I owned that I knew the full legend behind, it and Dark Repulser.

I'd lost the sword Lisbeth had forged for me last night, triggering its effect and destroying the sword as a cost, it was then that I'd realized the effect of Elucidator, after all the two swords were both linked to the same battle, my duel with Heathcliff and the final battle of Sword Art Online.

Dark Repulser was the end of the fight, the destruction of the blade, the sacrifice of both the sword and Asuna that allowed me the final strike to claim victory. It only made sense that Elucidator was the beginning of that same battle.

Elucidate was an english word, that means to make something clear, to make it known. And it was this same sword that I'd attacked Heathcliff with, following my revelation that he was Kayaba, and making this known to everyone present.

Contrary to its nature as a sword it is this act that defines Elucidator as a Noble Phantasm, allowing it to reveal the identity of my foe so long as they are hiding from me. This requires more than a Servant not announcing themselves or facing me head on, it had to run deeper than that.

Concealing themselves in some obscure corner while throwing waves of disposable minions at me certainly counted.

I felt something click into place and knew that it would work. With an ordinary Servant and a normal Noble Phantasm it would be much easier to trigger it, but my connection to the Throne and my own legend was weaker due to my status as a Demi-Servant, and Elucidator's conditional activation meant it needed to be coaxed into activating.

But it was ready now.

"Elucidator!" I swung the sword as I announced its name, dragging it through the air in front of me. As I did a change came on the air around us, as if some unseen fog had been lifted and the whole world was exposed for all to see.

The true effect of Elucidator would only be felt by myself and its target though. My target would know of Elucidator's activation, and the effect it was having. As a Servant this meant the exposure of my identity, even if no one living knew the Black Swordsman of Aincrad a Servant would know me through their connection to the Throne of Heroes.

I would get more, I knew the enemy Servant was Lancer, I knew their True Name, their Noble Phantasms, and effects of said weapons of legend. I knew where Lancer was, and until he chose to face me I would continue to even as he moved.

And right now, I knew that after a short pause upon noticing the activation, he was approaching, and that we were in danger.

"Shit!" I couldn't keep myself from cursing as I spun around to face Argo. "Argo! We need to get out of here!" The shock on her face was understandable, but it was also something we didn't have time for, and I didn't have time for her to walk either.

"What? What's going on?!" I didn't even pause to explain, cradling her in my left arm, as my right held Night Sky Sword. I turned to escape when I saw three homunculus barring my way, I grit my teeth as I faced them, I didn't have time to go through them, but if I tried to go around Lancer would cut me off.

"Hold on tight." It was the only warning I gave Argo before rushing, forwards. A Vorpal Strike brought me close, biting into the tower shield the front enemy carried. I was able to skewer the carrier, but the shield was over two inches thick, and it had diverted my thrust enough that I'd only pierced their shoulder. It wouldn't be lethal but I didn't have time to worry about that now.

I was down to one arm from carrying Argo so I couldn't use a second blade. Instead I pivoted and brought up my foot, planting it on the shield and giving a kick, launching the homunculus carrying it into a tree.

I turned to the other two, both wielding long lances with wicked barbed points. A swing of my blade from the side was blocked by one, the angle of the lance causing my blade to slide up and get caught on the tip. With gritted teeth and a yell I pushed more strength through my blade, cutting the tip off and planting Night Sky in the side of the wielder's skull.

Then I had to duck, barely moving my head out of the way of a thrust, a few stray hairs getting caught by the barbs. My sword was wrenched free of the dead foe's head with a spray of bloody gore, before slamming into the shaft of my enemy's lance. There was a moment during the impact where the homunculus buckled, and I used that chance to slip inside of their guard and knee them in the gut.

I was sure I'd broken at least one rib, and possibly ruptured a lung, but I brought Night Sky around and struck their chin with the pommel, destroying their jaw and if not killing them knocking them unconscious long enough that we could get away.

Unfortunately, that was when the third one, the one carrying the tower shield returned. They walked with a bit of a limp, from whatever damage the crash had caused them, but they moved quickly despite that. The homunculus threw themselves at me, less of a true attack and simply a full body check, meant not to harm or beat me, but simply slow me down through the weight of their own body.

I felt myself snarl as I realized what they were doing. They were never meant to beat me or kill my Master, just keep me from escaping from the much larger threat as Lancer drew nearer. I let loose a roar as I lunged forwards, a Vorpal Strike landing near the top of the shield and checking the carrier's forward momentum as they stumbled back, the force making the shield angle up, towards the sky.

I rushed forwards, planting one foot, then the next, on the shield before using it as a platform to leap past my opponent. With Argo on my shoulder I wasn't able to roll to preserve the momentum my stunt had earned me, but I used every bit of my enhanced abilities to run, trying to put as much distance between myself and a confrontation that was almost certain death.

It wasn't enough.

Every instinct I'd developed in Aincrad and a few I knew I'd earned elsewhere flared, and I immediately halted my momentum by planting Night Sky Sword in the earth, I could feel it drain prana from the dirt, and though that would be useful later I had bigger concerns now. I barely avoided becoming a shish kebab as dozens of wooden stakes emerged from the ground in front of me, blocking my path.

My ears perked as I heard the drumming of horse hooves and I spun around in a panic, my sword coming free in the process. I didn't bother fleeing now, he was here already and facing him directly wouldn't make my attempts to escape his territory any harder. He burst through the foliage like the reaper himself, his dark steed's shaggy appearance, with skeletal armor and flowing black and red cloth reinforcing the image.

In contrast to his steed's mangy and cruel appearance Lancer was perfectly groomed, his long white blonde hair flowing at the ends and his beard perfectly trimmed. His dark suit was immaculate and the only hint he was entering a battlefield rather than a ballroom was the wicked lance he carried.

He paused as he regarded us, his calm demeanor likely at odds with my own panicked and frenzied attitude. But I could hardly be blamed for it, this was Vlad the Impaler, the man who slaughtered hordes of Turkish invaders in the defense of his country, and right now, we were invaders in his land.

"So you would be Saber then, Black Swordsman of Aincrad?" He sat straight and rigid in the saddle as he spoke, yet somehow gave off an air of being perfectly casual in the current situation. "I find myself surprised to face a Heroic Spirit as young as yourself, your legend even now being written." I felt Argo gasp in my arms as she realized that he knew my identity, and I couldn't help a mithful thought from crossing our bond.

'It gets worse.' I took a calming breath, standing a bit straighter despite carrying Argo before I spoke. "And you're Lancer, Vlad the Impaler, he who slaughters invaders." Argo somehow tensed even further in my grip, suddenly understanding my fear.

'Kii-bou, just how fucked are we?'

'On a scale from Illfang to Gleam Eyes? Kayaba.'

I paused, an idle thought crossing my mind. "You wouldn't be willing to let us retreat would you? I wasn't aware it was your territory we were invading." The enemy Servant chuckled at my question before shaking his head.

"I'm afraid the only way either of you leave alive is if your Master turns over her Command Seals, you were warned that the Einzbern were ending this Grail War." I grimaced a bit, but refused to stop speaking just yet. There was still a chance that I could gain an advantage from dialogue, or at least earn time for Assassin to use, or even delay for if one of the other Servants, the unknown Rider or Tohsaka's group, chose to attack the Einzbern as well.

"And who would she hand it over to? Would your Master be willing to show themselves?" Lancer leaned back in the saddle, an amused expression on his face.

"No, my Master will not be revealing himself until you are dead or your Master lacks her seals. Though it is admirable to lead from the front, I cannot help but agree with his caution is hiding himself." He gestured widely with his lance tip. "If you wish to surrender your Master can give her seals to one of the homunculus, they will be sufficient as a temporary Master for you." I grimaced as I looked at the growing mob of enemies, even as we spoke more and more of them were arriving, it was enough to have me honestly startled.

He paused for a second before a fierce grin split his face. "Though I would be most disappointed if you chose such a way out, I find myself eager to test the newest generation of Heroic Spirits." I drew in another breath, preparing myself for battle, when I saw one last avenue to try for an advantage, or at least to level the field a bit.

"Then how about a real test?" Vlad raised a brow, before gesturing with his off hand for me to continue. "As it is now if we fight I'll be at a massive disadvantage, between your stakes, these homunculi, and having to protect my Master you might be able to win without lifting a finger, wouldn't it be a far greater test if we agree to have the extras stand aside for a bit?"

Vlad let out a deep laugh, not mocking, but rather truly entertained by my words. "Your offer reeks of cunning and desperation, but I cannot say I find it wholey unappealing." He paused for a moment, the butt of his lance tapping against his steeds flank before nodding. "I cannot promise that these soldiers won't act, but I swear that they won't interfere with our battle, and that I will take no action against your Master as long as our duel continues."

I grimaced a bit, he was essentially agreeing to divide our fight into two parts, Servant against Servant, and Master against Homunculus. I had faith that Argo could take on five, ten, and if she used the terrain to avoid a direct conflict, perhaps as many as twenty of these enemies. But there were over thirty here already and I had no idea how many more might be coming. The Einzbern had truly decided to invest everything in this war.

'Do it.' Argo's words in my mind cut through my indecisive thoughts. 'If we fight him as is we will lose, but if we can divide the fight between us, well. I think I can hold on long enough for Assassin and her Master to do their part.' I grit my teeth for a second, trying to think of a better way, a more optimal path to victory, but I realized there wasn't one. So I nodded.

"Wonderful, then release your Master and prepare yourself. You are about to face the might of Vlad, bloody tyrant of Romania." I let down Argo, sharing a nod as she dashed off into the night, enemies already on her tail, before I took a step towards Lancer. My biggest issue in this fight would be those stakes of his, Kazikli Bey was one of his two Noble Phantasms, which allowed him to manifest those stakes anywhere within his territory. Blocking and even destroying those stakes will be of the utmost importance, especially since I couldn't give him the chance to utilize the Noble Phantasm's true effect.

If I was stabbed even once, it could be the end of the fight. Instinct, Eye of the Mind, and Protection from Arrows would be invaluable, but there was one more advantage I could give myself. I had already used Elucidator's effect, whether I continued to wield it or a different sword wouldn't change that, and beyond its quality as a blade it held no other advantages in this fight.

None of my other blades from Aincrad would be as powerful as Elucidator, nor did any of them hold any mystical effects I could take advantage of, the Black Iron Greatsword was large enough that I could use it as a shield but that same size could be cumbersome, and it was of lesser quality than the sword I was already wielding. There was one good option though.

With a flash of light Elucidator and its accompanying sheath vanished, replaced with a much flashier sword on my back that I soon drew. A Noble Phantasm in name alone, it was a weapon that possessed no true legend and simply drew its power from sharing a name with a true sword of legend. It was almost solid gold, with only a small patch of deep blue on the cross guard, containing three small gems of equal size. In life the gems were green, but now the sword had come closer to its original, the green fading and being replaced by the blue it currently held.

The Holy Sword Excalibur, despite its name it held no holy attribute, it was a C rank Noble Phantasm that held only one passive effect, the destruction of weapons it clashes with. Lesser weapons, mundane blades and the like, could be shattered with a single swing, and even quality mystic codes could be destroyed in short order.

It was possible to destroy a lower ranked Noble Phantasm with this blade, but it would take precise blows and prolonged combat. What I wanted it for was to obliterate Lancer's stakes as quickly and thoroughly as possible. I could only hope it'd be enough.

"Oho? An interesting choice of weapon." Lancer's visage split into a fierce, predatory smile as he twirled his lance, his steed rearing back in preparation for battle. "Let us see if it was the right one!" I dashed forwards as he spoke, already twisting to avoid the stakes that had only begun to shift dirt as materialized in the earth. This would not be easy.

"Hold up." I spoke up, stopping in my tracks as I did, with Rin halting almost immediately after. My ears perked as I strained my reinforced hearing to the limits. I'd been able to hear the clash of blades for a bit now, however it had grown louder, and more than that it had started coming from two different directions.

I strained my other senses trying to figure out what was happening, I doubted I'd be able to spot anything, but my nose twitched as I started sensing prana more carefully. After a moment I spoke up, alerting Rin to my findings.

"The battle has split into two parts." I pointed off towards my left with the hand not holding Carnwennan. "Over there someone is fighting a large number of Homunculi." I paused as my hand drifted to the right, before it stopped, pointing somewhere ahead and a little to the right. "Over there Saber is facing an enemy Servant." Even without looking at her I knew what Rin's response would be, pursed lips as she glanced between the two directions, considering the best avenue of approach.

I had my own ideas, but I'd remain silent until Rin made a decision, it wouldn't take long and odds were she'd have a better plan than I.

"It's probably Saber's Master fighting the homunculi. I hate to say it but you should go to support Saber, and I'll make contact with Gikas." I nodded, a slow and purposeful movement, before glancing at the hand grasping my shoulder.

"Make sure you're ready, once you let go of my shoulder you'll lose the concealment of Carnwennan." Rin gave a sharp nod, her other hand dipping into her pocket before pulling out a few gems. She thumbed between them, studying them for a moment before taking one between two fingers and stowing the rest back in her pockets.

She looked up to me and gave a final nod, a gesture I returned promptly. The gem she still held, a dark onyx, glowed brightly before settling into a more dim glow that quickly spread to Rin's own body. It was a form of concealment, one weaker than the Noble Phantasm I held but better than nothing. After quickly checking herself over she let go of me and began jogging into the night, ducking and twisting around trees and brush as she moved.

I took a moment to adjust my grip on the dagger, before releasing a sharp breath. It was time for battle once again. With a burst of movement I dashed forwards, my empty hand out and ready to Trace as I reinforced my body.

I bit off a curse as I ducked, the blade of a halberd cutting through my cloak and leaving a shallow cut on my shoulder. My left hand lashed out, a throwing pick planting itself in the enemy's neck as I used my staff to block a greatsword, my legs buckling as the blade slid across my guard.

It hadn't been long since I'd separated from Kirito, a few minutes at most, but I was already tiring significantly. It'd been days now since I'd gotten a full night's sleep, and combined with the stress and action of the War it was taking its toll.

Two more homunculi took the place of the one I'd killed, and the lead brought their axe down in a massive overhand strike. I grunted as I set my defense, holding my staff above my head and praying it'd hold.

It didn't.

After a moment's resistance the hollow weapon snapped in half, and in a panicked move I threw aside the right half, using the time the guard had bought me to throw my body to the side. I came out of my controlled tumble in a roll and threw the other half of my weapon at the second attacker, though a flourish of their lance knocked the improvised projectile aside.

My actions gained me space from these two but three more had approached while I was dealing with them, and I now found myself facing down five all within the immediate vicinity, with many more still filtering in from between the trees that would be a concern if I managed to survive the next thirty seconds. I quickly pulled out my chain and dagger, hopefully I'd be able to use it to force my pale foes to keep distance, and at worst I could resort to climbing trees to avoid them. That should buy me a bit more time.

I was ready to burst into action yet again when a torrent of green wind burst through the foliage, catching all five of my enemies by surprise. Despite their power the gales weren't inherently fatal, however add in several heavy, bladed, metal weapons, that the homunculi quickly lost control of, flying around randomly. Well, you got a good impression of a blender for a few seconds.

I looked to see just who the attacker had been, fully prepared to have to start a sudden three way fight between myself, the Einzbern and this interloper, only to recognize my savior, and I wasn't sure whether to be aggravated or relieved.

On one hand, in the last twenty four hours, she'd been at least partly responsible for an attempt on my and Kirito's lives, the complete decimation of my home and workshop, and had thrown me out when I sought reconciliation and an alliance upon realizing the nature of the Grail.

On the other she may have just saved my life.

"It had to be you." The aggravation won out.

"Trust me, I'd rather not deal with you either." Tohsaka casually flipped her hair as she walked closer, seemingly disregarding the Einzbern who had stalled their assault for the moment. "Still, I told Shirou and Archer that I'd give you a chance, so if you're going to double cross me I'd prefer you do it quickly." I felt an eyebrow twitch and I had to cut off a retort. As much as this pissed me off now really wasn't the time for it.

"We need to get out of here, Saber is fighting Lancer, and we're not safe until we get out of this forest." Tohsaka had gotten close by this point and turned to look towards the homunculi before speaking.

"Oh? That scared of a few grunts? Or do you think your Servant will lose?" One of the homunculus took a half step forwards and my fellow Master's hand shot up, held in a facsimile of handgun. A black curse shot out and impacted the ground in front of the enemy that had moved, causing them to pause. The tense standoff wouldn't hold much longer.

"The problem is Lancer." I spoke up, fingering the chain I held as tried really hard not to rise to Tohsaka's banter. "He's Vlad the Impaler." That seemed to give her pause.

"I see." She spoke softly, that seemed to give her pause. "And we're in his territory aren't we? Is that what happened to the Bounded Field?" What was that supposed to mean? I almost voiced the question, but shook it off. There'd be time for questions later, if there was a later. "Whatever, that's your problem. I'm done here."

"What?!" Even our enemies seemed confused by that, and even as I turned to the twin-tailed magus she just gave me a superior smirk before holding out her right hand.

"By the power of this Command Seal, I order you, switch locations with me." I barely had time to widen my eyes as I realized her plan before she disappeared in a flash of red. The same moment Archer appeared, bow at the ready, and an arrow already held to the string. Her eyes snapped to the nearest homunculus with an intensity I'd rarely if ever seen, even amongst the most veteran front liners, and, more shockingly, the Servants of this war.

"Servant Archer." She announced herself, and despite lacking any mystical weight there was a power to her words. "If you wish to harm this child you must go through me."

I shivered for a brief second as the wind hit me. The school roof was much more exposed than the Einzbern forest and I grabbed my arms in an instinctive response. I let out a steady breath before bending over, grabbing the coat off the top of a duffle bag that Atalanta had brought here for me.

I threw the garment on quickly, before unzipping the bag and taking out a few supplies. Chalk quickly went to use as I started on my Formalcraft, it was only a precaution to set up an area for healing here at this point, hopefully one that would go unneeded. Once Archer had Gikas out of the area she could join Shirou and Saber, and the three of them should be enough for Lancer.

That was the plan, and we'd agreed it was a solid one. But the revelation of Lancer's identity had made it's foundation much shakier. Outside of his territory I had faith it would be a one sided match, but to face the Impaling Prince in his own lands, even among the Servants from the previous war there weren't many who could win.

I dipped to the side, avoiding a stake that hadn't appeared yet, as I rushed forwards, my left hand lashed out with Excalibur, shattering a couple of stakes that appeared in front of me, before I pushed off the ground.

My boots impacted a tree with enough force to crack the bark and I used it as a platform to get higher, avoiding several stakes that planted themselves in the tree, felling it as the combined force proved too much.

I entered the interwoven canopy above, moving quickly. I weighed too much with my blades and armor to be stealthy so I opted for raw speed instead, barely touching the few thicker branches that could hold me before kicking off. After a few jumps I landed on a particularly thick limb with both feet, allowing my momentum to carry me forwards, pushing off just as I started to fall.

Lancer saw me coming, turning in his saddle with an amused grin. Excalibur lashed out, but was blocked by Vlad's lance, there was a crack of wood as the stake he held caved in, he'd be able to summon another given time, but I didn't intend to give him the chance. Night Sky Sword followed my first blade, taking the opening Excalibur had created. Lancer's steed lept back, taking him out of range of the blade and I growled for a second before yelling, pumping prana into the blade it quickly doubled in size, opening a thin gash along Lancer's side.

In the next moment my momentum carried me past his position and back to the earth. I hit the ground and rolled, keeping myself small enough to avoid the stakes that tried to skewer me from the sides before springing to my feet, skidding in a half circle as my momentum carried me further and I turned to face Lancer.

He was casually inspecting the wound on his side, I didn't bother attacking while he did, all it would take was a thought for more stakes to leap at me, and despite appearances I wasn't naive enough to believe he had let his guard down.

The wound in question was just below his ribs, not particularly deep but it was bleeding enough to stain the torn edges of his suit. I would've felt better about taking first blood but I knew the first wound I took might be the last one I could endure. It wasn't like my endurance stat was low, but Kazikli Bey could be fatal with a single scratch.

"You've certainly proven yourself as a Servant at this point, even holding back as I am there are few Servants that could survive in my territory." I would've cursed at the revelation that he was going easy on me, except I already knew he wasn't going all out. Part of it would be concealing some of his tricks, but at the same time he was still testing me.

I took a deep calming breath, using the lull to rest myself. As much as I was using my instincts in this fight I couldn't simply let loose and trust them, I needed to think. I couldn't win by outlasting Vlad or besting his Noble Phantasm. If he went all out I'd be hard pressed to survive, getting close enough to strike a killing blow would be a pipe dream. I needed to catch him by surprise, hit him harder than he could counter while he was still holding back.

Unfortunately my first attempt at that had failed, and that meant it'd be even harder now.

My body tensed as Lancer summoned a new stake to his hands, replacing the one he'd lost, but when he made no further move I relaxed minutely. He seemed to be considering me for a moment, and it came as a surprise when he spoke up. "Your master, she is rather young for a participant in this war." I couldn't suppress the confused look at the sudden non-sequitur.

"And?" The one word question was the only response I could possibly give.

"I was wondering, she's certainly the right age for it, and I know they were freed recently, was she there?" It took me a moment to realize what he was, but when I did my guard tensed.

"Why should I answer that?" My reply seemed to amuse him further and it was with a small chuckle that he spoke.

"Just entertain this old man." I almost snorted when he called himself old, but let it go.

"She was, like me, my Master is a survivor of Aincrad." Vlad seemed pleased to know his guess was correct, and leaned back in his saddle, the wound I dealt not even bothering him.

"So, when saved from that game by you, then finding herself faced with a war beyond most mortals, she went to her savior again?" I let out a derisive laugh at that. The image of Argo as some fangirl was too amusing even for this situation, it sounded a bit like Silica, but Argo? Never, she had too much pride.

"I suppose one of those helmets would've been sufficient as catalyst, if these magus weren't so dismissive of it you might have been facing down your captor again." My amusement was crushed by the thought of facing Heathcliff again, this time as a Servant.

Or worse, of fighting Kayaba.

"No." I shook my head, dismissing the thought. "Even then Argo was a friend." Lancer's amusement seemed to fade, though his smile stayed strong.

"I see, so you fight to protect your loved ones then?" He closed his eyes for a moment, and once he opened then again all joking was gone and his gaze was hard. "Then it seems I cannot afford to underestimate you any further." I felt my own body tense, the pressure Vlad was emitting, the intensity of it was on a whole new level. It seemed I'd have to focus on surviving again.

My body tensed and my senses were stretched to limits as I waited for an attack, and it wasn't long before I heard the whistle of blades cutting through the air.

A familiar whistle, and for once not targeted at me.

Black and white discs flew through the air, converging on Vlad. Black was knocked aside by the stake he held while white was intercepted by several emerging from the earth. Two more blades followed again, one coming high while the other flew low. With a gesture of Lancer's left hand stakes erupted from the earth behind him, sailing through the air and intercepting the blades. A third pair came from behind, and almost looked like they'd reach before in an impressive display Vlad batted one blade into the other with his lance.

I heard the crunch of dead leaves as Emiya appeared, coming to a stop a few meters to my right, a fourth set of blades already in his hands. "We'll talk after this one is dead. Archer is extracting your Master, once Gikas is safe she'll help us here." The news startled me a bit, but a quick check of my bond with Argo confirmed Emiya's words. After a moment of deliberation I nodded.

"Don't get hit. One stake is all takes to for him to kill you." I lifted my swords a little higher as I spoke, readying myself for action. Emiya didn't respond verbally but nodded, and Lancer looked between the two of us for a moment.

"Hmm, the youngest Servant and a modern magus, the two of you seek to match me then?" There was no need to speak to answer his question, the time for words was over, battle would be our response. "I see. Then come! You face Vlad III, The Lord Impaler! Let the massacre begin!"

Lung, kidney, neck, heart. I knocked aside stakes that sought each of these locations, carefully managing the gaps in my guard to ensure I could predict the next target. Kanshou and Bakuya moved quickly, intercepting each attack as I slowly moved back. Saber on the other hand, charged forward, using his twin blades, one pitch black blade and yet another new sword, this one a brilliant gold, to splinter and shatter the wooden weapons and an impressive display of acrobatics to avoid those he didn't simply destroy.

We'd fallen into a our roles easily enough, Saber would try to close, forcing Lancer onto the back foot and hopefully distracting him enough for one of my attacks to land. I'd keep some distance and act as a mid-range fighter, Kanshou and Bakuya and Trace Bullet would be my main weapons, if I could get a Triple Linked Crane Wings through those stakes of his I may be able to cripple him, alternatively there were other Noble Phantasms I could trace, but the prana cost of even one would put us at a disadvantage so I had to be sure it would work before tracing it.

Once Atalanta had ensured Gikas' safety she would take up position as long range support. Her arrows were smaller than the swords I shot from my own bow, and less apt to friendly fire. Plus, here, in the forest the huntress may as well be a ghost. She could easily vanish from one sniping position and appear at another, attacking from angles that Lancer couldn't easily predict.

It was a powerful formation, one that would keep any foe at bay, struggling to hold off the Berserker-like fury of Saber, unable to slip past my web of blades and unprepared for the various Noble Phantasms I could Trace. And all the while forced to defend against arrows they couldn't predict from every direction.

It also wasn't enough.

I shifted my stance to the side, avoiding a stake that had sought to pierce my leg from behind, Kanshou and Bakuya flung out but were intercepted by stakes rising from the forest's shadows. And my latest wave of mundane steel countered by an equal number of flying stakes.

Saber wasn't faring much better, his push interrupted again and again as he had to avoid the wooden weapons. There were multiple tears and cuts on his coat and pants, he'd avoided drawing blood this far, but I wasn't sure how long that would last. A wooden shaft flew past my head, impacting Lancer's horse in the side with a pained whinney, and I realized at least one of us was doing well.

A growl tore its way out of Vlad's throat and he made a gesture in my direction. I tensed, ready to move but soon realized no attack was coming my way. The next moment there were numerous small thumps, the cracking of branches and even the creak and bang as a tree fell. I realized that he'd simply bombarded the area that the arrow had come from with a mass of stakes.

A moment later a new arrow came from another direction, off to the left, and struck the horse in one of its hind legs, causing the animal to stumble, an opening that Saber used to shatter Vlad's personal stake before my latest wave of steel hit, one slipped through, leaving a cut on the Servant's arm.

We were winning, slowly attritioning Lancer until he couldn't continue, and that would work eventually. But all he needed to do to reverse the situation was to take any one of us out and the pressure would ease. I leapt to the side, avoiding a stake that had sought my knee as I reviewed Noble Phantasms in my head, looking for the right blade to use and the right time to use it.

"Thank you." I gave my earnest gratitude to Archer as she set me down on the roof, receiving a terse nod in reply before the Servant turned to return to the forest, ready to fight again. I watched her go for a moment before turning to look at the roof's other occupant. I would've been happier anywhere else, but I wouldn't go any further until Kirito was safe too, and despite my preferences staying with Tohsaka was the safest place I could be for now.

Speaking of the other magus she seemed to hard at work, bent over a circle with a plethora of symbols and geometry held within, carefully placing gemstones around its circumference.

"I'm creating a circle to stabilize and monitor the condition of those within, just in case some idiot needs healing before this is over." She answered the unvoiced question before looking at me, contempt in her eyes. "You can stand there and be useless, or you can help." I snorted, not rising to the bait. I turned to my bond with Kirito, checking the battle, and once I was sure he was okay for now and that there was nothing I could do, I took a few steps towards Tohsaka.

"Do you have chalk, lead paint, and mercury?" Tohsaka laughed at my question, as if the answer was obvious, before gesturing to a corner of the roof. I looked over to see a duffle bag, split open with its contents half out and a few random objects lying on the ground near it.

I knelt in front of the bag, quickly finding a box of chalk and pocketing a few sticks, I grabbed one of two buckets of lead paint before finding a water bottle filled with a silvery liquid. I moved to a spot about a dozen meters from Tohsaka, setting down the paint and pulling a dagger from my waist.

I used the blade to pop the lid off the paint, only now realizing the can I'd grabbed was filled with white fluid, pausing as I looked over it. I stuck a single finger in it before opening one of my circuits, structural analysis told me all I needed to know about its contents and I immediately knew it was satisfactory for my purposes. I weighed the bottle in my hand before dumping about a third of it into the can and screwing the top back on. Lastly I dragged the blade of my dagger across my palm and squeezed, letting my blood drip into the mixture.

After a moment I opened my hand and cast a weak healing mystery, watching the cut slowly close. I looked back to the can, almost overflowing with liquid at this point, before turning to Tohsaka. "Do you have anything to mix this with?" She turned to me, looking towards the can with narrowed eyes before speaking.

"Figure something out yourself." I felt my annoyance rise up before ignoring her, turning back to the can, before making a sudden pause. I held out an empty hand and after a second a long wooden spoon appeared, the projection wouldn't last long, and wasn't durable, but it'd be enough to mix this all up. I got started and had only managed a few rotations before Tohsaka spoke up.

"What are you making anyway?" There was temptation to say something snarky or sarcastic, tell her to figure it out herself or say it was obvious. But in the end I chose to answer frankly.

"Some Formalcraft to use as a base and aid for a mystery. It senses hostile intent based on the prana of the source. So if you have a mundane mugger it won't react at all, but it'll tell us if some of those homunculi get close, or if an enemy Master or Servant appear. It'll glow stronger the more powerful the prana source is." I looked over to Tohsaka, considering something. "That's assuming you don't trigger it." She scoffed at my comment and turned away, eyes growing unfocused for a moment, she was probably checking on her own Servant.

I turned back to my own project, noticing the pink color of the mixture. One more second of stirring was it took before I nodded to myself content. Dismissing the projected spoon I reached into my pockets and withdrew the chalk I'd grabbed, crushing it over the paint mix, the larger chunks fell with a splash before the dust floated down behind it.

I dusted my hands off before holding one above the mixture, thumb and pointer finger held together. After a moment of concentration and a trickle of prana I started to raise my hand, a thick stick of pink chalk coming behind it, held in my fingers. I managed to get a fairly long piece out of the paint mixture and nodded to myself, it'd be enough for my purposes.

"Hmm, Archer, Saber, and Lancer are all in Einzbern territory right now, and Caster and Berserker are both dead. That leaves only two Servants unaccounted for tonight. What're the odds they show up before the night is over?" I raised an eyebrow at the idle comment from the other side of the roof. I wasn't sure if she was thinking aloud or if it was actually directed towards me.

I hesitated over the advantages of revealing this piece of information, but eventually decided that keeping Tohsaka aware of the situation and trying to earn some trust by being up front were worth it.

"Assassin is in there too. She and her Master were going to try and find and eliminate the Einzbern Master." I drew my circle as I spoke, one quick, sure movement. A well practiced maneuver that any magus could do easily enough. With that done it was time to start on the inner geometry.

"You forged an alliance with Assassin then?" There was an edge to the other magus' tone, and it took a second for me to realize it was caution. Understandable, since I'd just revealed the Servant of Stealth and Murder was in the area and allied to a Master other than her. Understandable, but unnecessary.

"More like a coalition than a true alliance. We both wanted to eliminate the Einzbern, and it would be easier for both of us if Saber and I attacked the Servant while they hunted the Master." I paused to assess the shapes I'd drawn, double checking them all and finding them satisfactory. It was then time to start on the runes. "I'm surprised they haven't killed the Master yet, actually, I wonder if the homunculi are slowing them down."

"It was something of that sort." I jerked up, turning quickly and reaching for my claws, before recognizing the voice. The older man who was Assassin's Master stepped forwards, his Servant leaping onto the rooftop behind him. He gave a dirty look towards the formalcraft I'd been working on before ignoring it. "There were complications with our objective. We did what we could, which should have some impact, but there was little else to gain from staying."

"Complications?" I asked for an explanation as I looked back to my work. The rune I'd been working on would need to be erased and redone, but that was the only damage my hasty reaction had caused.

"This." As explanation the man pulled something out of his sleeve, throwing it to the ground between Tohsaka and I. It was, I realized when it landed, a severed hand. Tohsaka flinched back a bit, disgusted, before striding forwards and picking it up. I'd just finished erasing the failed rune with a mystery and so turned my own attention to continuing my work.

I did my best not to think too hard about what I was handling, keeping the bloody wrist pointed away from me. I grimaced as I saw the flecks of blood on the back of the hand, and used my palm to wipe them away. I wiped again, a bit harder when I saw I didn't get them all, then started to get frustrated when I saw a single dot of red still present.

I was ready to give up and ask Assassin's Master why the hell he was carrying something like this around when I realized the final spot wasn't blood. On a whim I shifted the body part to my left hand and held my right next to it. Though one was dim and faded, the color of the speck perfectly matched the color of the other two seals.

"A command seal?" I let out a quiet voice as I considered what I held in a new light, not quiet enough to go unheard though.

"Something of the like. We killed a few dozen with a similar mark on them, not all of them on the hand." I looked to the older man as he spoke. Eyes closed, and leaning back slightly, he continued. "I am unsure of what it means, however we searched the castle and found no one with a larger mark than that."

"It must be a fragment of a command seal then." My eyes drifted to Gikas as she spoke, still knelt over the mystery she was assembling. "Broken into tiny pieces, and spread across as many homunculi as possible, there's not much there but it must still be enough for them to give Lancer prana." I looked back to the hand I held, and the small mark upon it.

"Probably not enough of a connection to enforce a command either, you're trading three commands for ensuring the enemy can't kill the Master." I paused, tilting my head as I thought about the hand I held. "Well, not all of the Masters."

"If there are more homunculi with those marks, not just in the castle and the forest, but spread out across town simply hiding, hunting them all down could take days." I suppressed a shudder at the claim that Assassin and her Master could eliminate an unknown number of targets across all of Fuyuki in mere days, but brushed it off for the sake of continuing the conversation.

"I'd assume no more than fifty, based on the size of the mark. If you killed a few dozen in the castle then Lancer should be feeling the prana loss." I checked in on Archer using our bond for a moment, wincing as she ducked and dipped around a storm of wooden shafts and pointed tips, escaping to a new sniping position. "It doesn't seem like it though."

"I will kill Lancer then." They were the first words Assassin had spoken since arriving on the rooftop, and it took me a moment to realize it was her that said them.

"If you get the chance make sure to end it in one strike." I turned towards Gikas as she spoke, standing as she did. "Lancer's Noble Phantasm means that even a single scratch of those stakes can take you out." She paused and looked back down towards the Formalcraft she'd been constructing and I realized that while we were talking she'd finished drawing it out.

A greasy feeling spread across my skin as the other magus drew on her prana, triggering her mystery. I was already turning away, noting that Assassin had yet to leave, when I caught the bright red glow of the circle, lighting most of the rooftop in a wash that would be visible even in the forest, and I remembered the girl's earlier words.

It sensed hostile intent, and the more powerful the source's prana the brighter the glow.

"Oho? I wasn't particularly trying, but to break my concealment is impressive." I whipped my head around, there, standing atop the small outcropping that housed the stairs back to the building interior, a distortion in the air. After a moment it faded revealing two figures.

"You say that Rider, but I was putting in my best effort." One spoke, standing just behind the other, he was tall and slim, wearing black robes with his hands tucked in their pockets. His well trimmed blonde hair was at odds with his unkempt beard. He drew one hand from his pocket and began scratching his chin. "Still, I suppose that's all I can manage against the mysteries of the Gikas. I wonder if I could study them later?"

I took half a step back, reaching for my gems as I did. If they were the seventh Master and Servant, as they seemed to imply than they had every reason to attack, they were staring down an alliance of three Masters with only one Servant present. It was their best chance to wipe out the competition.

"Haven't I told you Arthur? Call me by my proper name! Let all know my glory!" My eyes locked onto the Servant, and despite the advantages it would give me, I was a little afraid to know their identity.

"Even in front of enemy Masters eh?" The hand on his chin shifted to his forehead, rubbing it for a second to appease a headache. "Very well. King Ozymandias, could I get the chance to study the mysteries of Saber's Master? In the modern era there is no family better at detection magecraft than the Gikas."

I felt a lump in my throat. Ozymandias, one of Egypts legendary Pharaohs, Ramessess II, the Pharaoh of the Bible, who drove Moses and the Hebrews out of Egypt. I didn't know what his abilities would be, but his fame wouldn't lose to Herakles or King Arthur.

"No, I'm not done with Saber just yet. That boy has been more amusing than I thought he would." The Servant spoke again, running a hand through his short black hair as he did. His skin was a light dark tan, befitting of a man who had lived in the desert, and despite his status as an ancient king he wore modern clothing. Black leather pants and a similar jacket, worn open to show his chest and belly with no shirt underneath.

"You could busy yourself with the Einzbern instead. Their homunculi are impressive for this time, and even in my era they would've been worth keeping. Lancer showed such promise but I think tonight will be his final battle." Rider's gaze shifted, flickering to the forest for a moment, before going back to the rooftop. "Only three Servants will remain at the end of the night it seems, tomorrow may be the finale." I tensed at the implication, and despite the precarious balance of the fight in the forest I readied myself to use my second command seal of the night.

"We shall see if those two, no, three." Ozymadias began speaking only to pause and shake his head before continuing. "Even if he's a simple magus he has proven he can stand against Servants. We shall see how they can stand against my own might." The Servant cracked a small grin, and after a second a golden barrier surrounded him.

A heartbeat later Assassin struck, impacting the spherical barrier from the side, twin daggers pushing on the edge of it. She hung there for a moment, her robes and hair fluttering in the wind and spoke.

"Zabaniya: Raving Shadow Flash." Suddenly her black locks flew into a frenzy. They reached forwards, grasping and clawing at the golden sphere, a screeching sound as they cut across it but failed to pierce. In the middle of this madness her target has a superior smirk on his face.

"A follower of those old men then. I recognize this, it is one of those nineteen angels, but you are no Hassan. With that being the case just who are you to wield their techniques?" Assassin gave no reply, her hair slowing as she fell to the ground.

"Zabaniya: Ichor of Reverie." Following those soft words I felt my ears protest in response to what I could only call a high pitched whine, Rider's barrier shuddered in response to the attack but held firm.

With a wave of his hand the barrier erupted outwards, launching Assassin off the roof and to the courtyard below as she landed lightly. "No matter, this one should be more than a match for you. Come, The Lion-Bodied Beast of the Hot Sand." Prana erupted in from the Servant in a tidal force as he triggered what could only be a Noble Phantasm.

It appeared on the far end of the roof, its claws creating massive gashes in the roof, as it moved forwards, I could barely see its body before it was suddenly wreathed in flame, the damaged roof melting as it strutted forwards and leapt to the ground. It turned to face Assassin, tail languidly shifting, igniting the ground as it moved, and with a single great flex its wings burst open, scattering embers in the air.

"One of my more powerful Sphinxes, and one befitting of the Sun King. It would take a truly powerful Servant to best it, and against those lesser it would take no less than three to claim victory." My eyes locked with the Servant's as he spoke, still standing casually above us three Masters. "This should be enough for that nameless Assassin, but not so overwhelming as to claim victory without some entertainment."

I ducked under one stake, used Excalibur to shatter another while Night Sky made a cut in the tree I'd just passed, draining prana from it as it did. A wave of stakes approached from the air next, and I had to remember to watch out for more from the ground even as I dealt with these. I ran towards them, both blades at work as I smashed my way through the projectiles.

I couldn't simply dodge the weapons, even in the air like this Lancer had a surprising amount of control over them. The process would've been easier if I simply enlarged Night Sky Sword until I could take them all out at once but I was trying to save the prana, the Life, it had built up for a decisive strike.

I made a false step forwards, before kicking back and going to the right, avoiding the wall of stakes that had appeared. I caught a glimpse of Vlad as he moved, his horse galloping through the woods, the low branches and brush the only thing allowing me to catch him before he ran down Emiya. The mounted Servant's eyes widened as he spotted me flying towards him, and he threw up a hand, four stakes coming from the ground between us to strike me.

I brought Excalibur down on them, cleaving through all four with a single strike, before leaping to cut off Vlad as he tried to reclaim distance. Several arrows flew in from the underbrush, one was avoided as Lancer leaned back, the second and third were knocked aside by the stake he carried, but the fourth impacted his steed in the neck. To a normal horse such a wound would be fatal, but the mount of a Heroic Spirit was apparently more sturdy than that.

With a yell and a raised hand from Vlad a wall of stakes erupted, completely obscuring the direction the arrow had come from. He turned to face me, and I noted Emiya approaching from behind him at a steady pace. Lancer's horse reared back before charging towards me, and I was suddenly faced with trampling hooves and flying stakes.

Then it was a mad rush of blades, left then right, again and again I swung, standing my ground as I shifted side to side, shattering stakes and setting myself to interrupt the charge. At the last minute I dove aside, Night Sky Sword out to the side to cut the steed's leg while Excalibur shattered a stake from the saddle.

The mad rush stalled as Vlad's horse limped and in a fit of desperation a wave of stakes came out, thrown in mass in all directions. I didn't have time to be stunned, prana flowed into Night Sky Sword as I brought it around in a Slant, the blade more than doubling in size as it shattered the weapons.

I spared a glance to see how Emiya had done, a wall of steel blades he'd conjured in front of him still fading, and I was almost ready to look away when I spotted it. A single stake, skewering his right foot from the ground, reaching only a few centimeters above the surface of his foot.

My eyes snapped back to Lancer to see his fierce grin as he waved his left hand. "Bleed!" With the single proclamation I heard the tearing of flesh and splash of blood, erupting from Emiya's back and chest were over a dozen pointed sticks, blood scattered on the dirt around him and more flowing from the wounds.

It was with a growl that I turned back to Lancer. I needed to act now, with one of our fighters down he'd be able to push the advantage he'd suddenly gained, I needed to act immediately or we'd suffer a slow but inevitable loss.

Night Sky Sword was held down and to my right as I pumped prana into it. Excalibur went to work immediately as a new wave of stakes came forth, and I kept preparing Night Sky Sword. I didn't chant, not only would that tell him what I was doing I didn't need to activate my sword as Noble Phantasm, this would be enough.

I felt the wooden sword twitch in my grip, and I knew it was ready. I took a step forwards with my left foot, cleaving through the latest wave of stakes with Excalibur. Night Sky Sword was held to my side, parallel to the ground as it glowed with power.

"Vorpal Strike!" I shouted the words as I took another step, Night Sky Sword jabbing forwards, growing longer, and longer, and longer, tearing through the wooden stakes that Lancer manifested first as an attack and then to try and stop my own blade. Then I hit him, even dulled by his wooden weapons the attack was enough to launch him clear of the saddle. As he flew through the air three arrows impacted his now riderless steed, two in the chest and one dead in the eye. It faded into prana before it hit the ground.

I turned my focus to Lancer, steed or no steed he was still a threat, and he'd already armed himself with a new stake, with four more floating around him as he prepared to face me on foot.

My chest heaved and I coughed out blood as I tried to speak despite the stakes skewering my lungs. I grit my teeth, using reinforcement and sheer will to force the words out.

"My body... is made of swords." I hit the ground as the stakes that had been supporting me broke off, unable to pierce through the web of steel that now coated my body just under my skin. It took a few attempts but I was able to rise to my feet, using a traced sword as support. Between the body of swords and Avalon I'd be able to fight again soon, but the problem was that if Lancer realized I wasn't dead he could simply skewer me again. Any attack I made had to be absolutely final.

Fortunately, it seemed while I was down Saber and Archer had managed to dismount the enemy Servant, and with that I could make a decisive strike. The sword I was using as support faded, and I stumbled for a moment without the support before steadying myself. "Trace on." I reached out with the same hand. Filling it with a blood red spear, covered in wicked barbs and oozing bloodlust. If I had tried this earlier it would've been too easy for Lancer to escape, simply having his steed carry him beyond the spear's effective range.

Now though, he was a sitting duck.

I took one shambling step forwards, forcing my body to carry me forwards even as I bled and the web of blades in my body scratched and screeched at the movement. The next step was easier, and after that I was moving through sheer momentum.

Saber was engaged with Lancer, his dual blades breaking stake after stake as he pushed Vlad. At the same time however Lancer could manifest his weapons far easier than Saber could break them, and all it took to go down was one wound, as I could well attest.

I poured prana into the lance I held, getting ready to trigger it. The flux of power seemed to alert Lancer to my presence but it was too late already. "Gae Bolg!"

I thrust the lance forwards, the cursed spear of Cu Chulainn seeking the heart of its target. A dense web of stakes erupted from the earth, and with a dull thump the red lance halte-

Wrong.

The lance shattered through the stakes like they weren't there, and continued onwards, but as a final defense Vlad used his own arm, diverting the blow-

Wrong!

The tip sought his heart, but in a desperate move the Servant dove to the side, putting Saber between the weapon and-

WRONG!

The lance bent, time and space asserting what it knew to be true. The tip digging deep into the Lord Impaler's chest, digging out his very heart. The next second I tore the lance out with a flourish, the weapon abruptly snapping back to original length and size as Lancer fell to the ground, already fading into motes of prana.

Six throwing knives, eight picks, two daggers, a chain and dagger, and my claws. I knew I was fooling myself, counting out my supplies like I could fight Rider with them, but it helped keep me calm while I watched Assassin fight the Sphinx.

Assassin ducked in and out of the Sphinx's range, going under or around swipes of its paws, though even getting that close had caused her robes to smolder on more than one occasion. She leapt back, holding distance for a moment as she drew a dagger, turning it not on her enemy but on her own wrist.

Assassin might not be the best class for direct combat, but that didn't change the fact that she wasn't fighting an enemy Servant, but just one of their Noble Phantasms. Though, Ozymandias had implied earlier he could summon more, when he called this one of his stronger Sphinxes. Which, come to think of it, also implied he had others as strong as this, and at least one that was more powerful.

I don't think my throwing knives are gonna do anything to that, no matter how many I have.

Assassin's blood came forth in spurts from her wrist, but rather than falling to the earth it lingered in the air, building up. "Zabaniya: Delusional Poison Body." Then it lunged forwards, shifting from a red liquid into a purple mist as it approached the Sphinx.

The beast shifted as the fog of poison approached, before roaring, its flames bursting forth and burning the poison away, the fire didn't stop there however, and rushed towards Assassin.

"I see." My eyes snapped to Rider as he spoke. "She has mimicked the miracles of the Hassan's, the ultimate techniques of the greatest Assassins in one person. I do not know how many she possesses, but it is rather impressive, even to mimic one."

"Zabaniya: Febrile Inspiration." The flames blew Assassin back, even as they struck her skin shifted, crystals erupting from it and protecting her, both from the fires and the impact as she struck the ground, rolling to regain her footing.

"It is unfortunate that it will not be enough though." Rider continued to speak, a disappointed look crossing his face. "After all, this is as far as one who cannot innovate will go."

Assassin paused, crouched on the ground, and after a moment spoke. "Zabaniya: Delusional Heartbeat." An arm, elongated, deformed, and tainted red, stretched out from under her robes, reaching towards the Sphinx. The hand was quickly lost in the flames of the Sphinx. After a moment the arm pulled back, whipping back around to rest in front of Assassin. There was a moment of confusion, as if something wasn't going right, before I saw the charred stump in place of a hand.

"No! I'll not allow her to fall here!" I looked over to Assassin's Master, his arm out and command seals glowing, and I wondered what sort of order he could possibly give to turn this around.

"You're annoying." The casual words were dismissive, and followed by an equally dismissive gesture, one that precluded a pillar of light striking the Master of Assassin, he barely had time to scream before it was over, falling to the ground as a charred corpse, even as the Sphinx pounced, like a cat capturing a mouse I quickly lost sight of the Servant.

Rider then turned fully, and looked at Tohsaka and I. "And now there is only one battle left. We will fight tomorrow night, we only need a suitable place." He leaned back a bit, a wry grin on his face as he thought.

"Pharaoh, one of the locations the Grail can materialize is the city's temple." His Master spoke up from behind the Servant, his own gaze still firmly watching the Sphinx at it clawed at the ground underneath it, it's movements becoming scarcer as time went.

"Ah! Perfect, you will meet us there next night, a few hours after dusk. Make sure to prepare yourselves for it is the King of Kings you must face!"