On a real battlefield, enemies don't just stand there waiting for their opponents to finish their "loading bar"—except, perhaps, during a magical girl transformation. Lancer always felt that magical girl transformations should come with a built-in "Charm" status effect. The only reason he hadn't made a move, and had even ordered the Dragon Tooth Warriors to stop, was because he chose to. Seeing the two girls psyching themselves up to come and jump him left him feeling quite conflicted.
The reason I'm always misunderstood must be that hidden title, 'Hero in the Dark.' It must have a built-in charisma penalty...
He comforted himself with the thought but couldn't help but shrug his right shoulder.
"Miss Director, I assume you're still awake?"
As Lancer moved, Olga Marie, draped over his shoulder, painfully lifted her head and shot him a murderous glare.
This guy's brain is definitely wired wrong!
She felt like her stomach was doing somersaults, but strangely, nothing came up. What annoyed her more was that while she hadn't liked being tucked under his arm earlier, being carried like a sack of potatoes was definitely worse!
To think she felt a tiny spark of attraction when he first saved her. Now she just wanted to blast him in the face with a Gandr shot. Her dignity as Chaldea's Director was officially dead! This guy!
Maybe because he had saved her, or maybe just because she knew she couldn't beat him, Olga Marie simply glared at Lancer, clutched her stomach, and walked toward Mash and Ritsuka. Lancer, standing there with his arms crossed, suddenly looked alert.
"Mash, you guys—"
Olga Marie got halfway through her sentence when she noticed a strange rune glowing on her waist.
Is it that man...
Before she could process it, the Rune was triggered. Massive spikes of ice instantly erupted, encasing her, Mash, and Ritsuka in a protective shell. Before she could panic, she heard it—
Ting! Ting! Ting!
After three distinct metallic clangs, they saw three arrows embedded in the crystal-clear ice. Then—
BOOM!!
A massive explosion shattered the ice spikes surrounding them. But in that same instant, the man in the kimono was already standing in front of them. With a flick of his hand, countless strange entities began appearing around them.
Before they could react, an even more massive explosion roared in the distance. A pillar of fire surged into the sky, covering the entire area in an instant.
But a figure burst out from the flames.
He wore a black sleeveless jacket with scorch marks from the fire. The masked figure saw Lancer and immediately drew his bow, but before he could loose an arrow, another burst of fire erupted beneath his feet.
"Mash! Protect the two behind you!"
Amidst the confusion, a voice suddenly rang in Mash ear. She blinked; she didn't recognize the voice at all. Then she realized the man standing in front of her was the one who had shouted.
She didn't answer, but she raised her shield, guarding Fujimaru Ritsuka and Olga Marie behind her.
Before anyone could ask a question, a terrifying, bloody aura began to radiate from Lancer.
The crimson energy thickened into a mist, obscuring their vision. As the mist spread, they finally saw the man's transformation.
His black kimono had turned a deep, dark red, soaked in the crimson mist. A single horn had sprouted from his forehead. The staff he had been holding was now tucked into his belt; in its place, he held a sake dish that was noticeably larger than a human palm.
The dish was filled to the brim with a shimmering liquid. He held it with an eerie grace, then suddenly flicked the sake toward the distance.
"Night Parade of a Hundred Demons. In the name of the 'Crimson Vow'—Manifest!"
The splashed sake turned into droplets that hung in the air like eerie rain. Instead of falling to the ground, they vanished mid-air. As the droplets disappeared, figures emerged—some tall, some small, but all with bizarre, otherworldly appearances.
"Are those... Yokai?"
Perhaps because she lacked a formal magecraft education, Fujimaru Ritsuka didn't think of complex magical terms. Instead, she thought of the folk tales she used to read. Olga Marie, by contrast, was just staring in total bewilderment.
But then, Lancer moved again. His sake dish had refilled itself somehow. He downed it in one gulp and tossed the dish behind him. There was no sound of it hitting the ground; a woman in a purple kimono appeared in mid-air and caught it.
"Everyone... let's raise some hell!!"
"OHHHHHHHH!!"
At Lancer command—or rather, his shout—the spectral figures cheered in unison. Simultaneously, a massive "Kasha" (fire chariot) appeared beneath Lancer feet. An older man in Heian-period robes sat atop the chariot. As the yokai cheered, the man snapped his folding fan shut and gestured forward.
The burning wheels of the Kasha spun wildly. The yokai surrounding Mash and the others followed suit, charging into the fray. The three girls were left behind, watching the spectacle in disbelief.
"That man... is he a Heroic Spirit too?"
The thought made Olga Marie sink into a pit of gloom. It wasn't that Lancer strength bothered her—if he was a Heroic Spirit, of course he was stronger than her. What really depressed her was the realization that she truly lacked the talent to be a Master; she hadn't even realized his true nature until now.
Lancer, however, had no time for Olga Marie feelings. His eyes were locked on Archer. On the other side of the field, seeing Lancer charging with his "army," a flash of excitement crossed Cu Chulainn face. For this very moment, they had been planning for a long time!