"Why?"
Even before the question could be voiced, the absolute binding of a Command Spell had already ensnared Bathory.
Though she belonged to the Lancer class—one of the Three Knight classes—and possessed inherent Magic Resistance, Bathory's parameters were otherwise unremarkable outside of her Noble Phantasm, hampered by her low renown. In an instant, her own hands moved against her will, piercing her own body.
"Unc…"
Almost at the exact moment Ritsuka turned toward me in shock, a massive fireball hurtled toward 'us.'
Gareth deflected the blaze with her shield. Simultaneously, I transformed my body using the Asura Path, eyes smoldering as I dealt a secondary blow to Bathory, who was already skewering her own Spiritual Core under the command to commit self-harm.
"Guh… Kh… AAAAGGGH!!!"
"Karma-san, what on earth is—?!"
"Wait, Mash. Something is wrong."
Surprisingly, it was Ritsuka, not Mash, who first sensed the abnormality.
The other Servants seemed to have grasped the situation to some extent. They were already busy—some charging their Noble Phantasms, others gathering Prana—to keep the still-functioning Kiyohime… no, the thing that looked like Kiyohime, in check. Meanwhile, I used the Asura Path's blades to methodically shred Bathory's magical pathways.
"Keo… Khah… Aa◼︎◼︎◼︎◼︎◼︎◼︎◼︎◼︎◼︎!!!!!!!"
The moment her pathways crumbled, Bathory—rather, the Demon God Pillar wearing Bathory's form—forced its Saint Graph to expand, swelling up as if it were about to detonate.
It was a type of overload, likely a forced Broken Phantasm intended to turn the Servant itself into a bomb, reminiscent of Arash's 'Stella' or Chen Gong's 'Sacrificial Strategist'…
"A Demon God Pillar wearing a Servant's skin—a Saint Graph vessel… yes, a Saint Graph overload is only natural."
Unlucky for them, using Servants as kamikaze bombs was a tactic I had already mastered. Though the concept of 'farming' didn't exist as a game mechanic in this reality, my primary strategy during such times had been to bring individuals like Chen Gong or Arash to blow up Servants for efficiency.
However, putting it differently… if a Servant were detonated in this 'reality,' the resulting destruction would be overwhelming, far eclipsing an Archer's ordinary Broken Phantasm. Furthermore, the enemy was backed by the overflowing resources of the Holy Grail. Predicting a suicide-bomb Servant was only logical.
[Magical energy levels rising… It looks like it intends to wipe out this entire area. Can you block that?]
"I can block even an Anti-Fortress Noble Phantasm two or three times over."
Joining my fingers to form a seal, dozens of massive boulders surged forward, encasing Bathory in a spherical formation, sealing her within.
Not long after, the seal began to tremble as if it were about to burst from the internal pressure.
"Despite appearances, this is a sealing art capable of restraining even an 'Evil of Humanity' for thirty minutes… forcing a Servant into a Broken Phantasm is definitely not a normal move."
"…How did you know?"
Kiyohime—no, the unidentified Demon God Pillar—finally spoke, discarding her polite tone and mimicry.
Unlike the Kyubey-esque charade played in Fuyuki, other Servants were present now. Moreover, they likely figured they would just respawn in the Temple of Time even if they died here, so they had decided to stop pretending.
"How did I know… huh?"
Truth be told, I had sensed it was a trap the moment I laid eyes on the two Servants.
A Berserker (Proper) and a Lancer (Berserker-leaning) who usually fight regardless of what happens to human history, simply standing there having a calm argument?
That alone was bizarre, but the behavior of the two Servants was even more suspicious.
Ignoring Bathory, who treats her Master more like a manager, Kiyohime is someone whose pure madness drives her to see her Master as the reincarnation of her beloved Anchin. Yet, she hadn't displayed even a hint of her 'Mad Enhancement.'
In a normal scenario, the moment Kiyohime saw Ritsuka, she should have lunged at her shouting 'Anchin!' and Bathory should have stepped in to keep her away while calling Ritsuka a 'little fox' or 'manager.' Unfortunately for them, the Demon God Pillar lacked the skill to mimic a Servant's psyche to that degree. Or perhaps, they simply didn't know better.
And decisively, their magical energy was visible to my eyes.
Unlike the refined Prana of a proper Servant, theirs was a sickening, mud-like magical energy derived from the 'Evils of Humanity.'
Just in case—on the off chance my eyes had suddenly failed me—I tested them by asking them to form a Path with me instead of Ritsuka. Without a second's hesitation, they established the link. Furthermore, as I falsely explained my strategy, Kiyohime didn't react at all.
Kiyohime, who possesses a lie-detection ability that arguably surpasses Artoria's Instinct, had remained silent.
To put it simply, the acting was amateurish.
...
"Hey, did you really think I'd tell a thing like you?"
"I see. So there is an effective method of distinguishing us. That will be useful information in many ways…"
The Demon God Pillar, still oblivious to the flaws in its performance, suddenly tilted its head back and began scattering magical energy orbs that looked undeniably dangerous.
The pattern was similar to what Lev Lainur had used before, but the circumstances were entirely different.
Unlike the previous encounter where we were cornered, Ritsuka had three Command Spells at the ready, and there were plenty of other Servants providing backup.
Mash blocked the Prana bursts with her shield, while Gareth and Siegfried closed in from both sides with sword and lance. The Demon God Pillar sprouted dragon-like wings from its back, attempting to flee into the sky.
"Bansho Ten'in!"
[I see, your abilities are troublesome in many respects. I would wish to eliminate you here, but that seems it would be problematic in its own way…]
"I can't just let you fly away. Letting a guy like you go would cause nothing but trouble down the line."
As the Demon God Pillar noted, the combined strength of several Servants, including two of the top-tier hero class, was a significant threat even to it.
Perhaps because the enemy was wearing Kiyohime's Saint Graph, Siegfried's 'Balmung'—with its anti-dragon legend—seemed ready to tear the Pillar apart if given even a moment's opening. Gareth's 'Ira Lupus' wasn't as destructive as Balmung, but she expertly poked at the gaps, providing excellent support for Siegfried.
If it tried to fly, the gravitational pull of Universal Pull brought it crashing down; if it targeted the Master, Mash was there to defend.
If it aimed for me, I used Marie Antoinette's Noble Phantasm to relocate, and when it tried to gain distance, I assisted the other two Servants with the Asura Path.
Under Ritsuka's command, the Servants moved with singular coordination, pressuring the Demon God Pillar, while I filled in any potential openings, quietly observing its next move.
After a prolonged engagement that left its body tattered, the Demon God Pillar finally realized what was happening.
[You intend to use me as a training dummy.]
"Hmm?"
[Do not feign ignorance. Your combat power is clearly superior to my current state. To refrain from killing your enemy can only mean one thing… Is this not the foundational stage of your plan to hunt the Evil Dragon and the Demon Marshal?]
"Ah, you caught us."
The one who answered was Ritsuka.
I had been wondering why she was dragging out a fight that could have been ended quickly by unleashing a single Noble Phantasm. It seemed she intended to use this opportunity to power-level Mash's combat experience.
'Better this way. The more experience Mash gains, the better for us.'
Besides, the Demon God Pillar and Fafnir shared several similarities.
Since the Pillar was clad in Kiyohime's Saint Graph, Siegfried's special traits applied perfectly. Its offensive pattern was limited to wild bursts of Prana instead of proper magecraft, and it didn't utilize any martial arts. In essence, it was a situation quite similar to fighting Fafnir, a Phantasmal Beast.
In any case, the tactical briefing I had given earlier was just misinformation, meant to be fed back to Gilles de Rais through these two Pillars. For Mash, who lacked combat experience, this level of practice was invaluable.
[Do you not feel fear? The Dragon Witch and the Demon Marshal may even now be summoning other Servants to strike you down.]
"You underestimate the Chaldea staff. We already know the Dragon Witch and Gilles de Rais are currently preoccupied with trying to repair the destruction caused by the Tsar Bomba."
Because Lev Lainur failed to properly detonate his explosives before revealing himself… Chaldea's facilities were almost entirely intact, excluding the primary Spiritron Summoning System: FATE and the Near-Future Observation Lens: SHEBA. And as for the staff side of things, it was hardly worth mentioning.
In the original timeline, communications were cut at every turn. But now, with a staff that was more than sufficient—to the point that even Team A was forcibly drafted into support roles—they had more than enough manpower to not only verify our existence but also brief us on enemy positions.
'Well, in truth, it's mostly thanks to the cooperation of Manaka Sajyou, Alice-san, and Aoko-nee.'
"Mash, Formation D!"
"Understood, Senpai!"
Not even bothering to hide the fact that she was letting Mash gain experience, Ritsuka openly directed the Servants while sending Mash to the front line.
As Mash moved forward, standing as firm as a stone Buddha, the Demon God Pillar seized the opening and launched a fireball—likely generated using Kiyohime's power—at Ritsuka. I stepped in front of Ritsuka, using the Preta Path's Seal Absorption to swallow the fireball whole, Prana and all. Taking advantage of the distraction, Siegfried swung his sword heavily at the Pillar. When the Pillar crouched to avoid the horizontal slash, Mash—having already closed the distance—slammed her shield into its face.
"That's it!"
"Fall back, Sir Mash, I'm moving in now!"
As it was launched into the air like dirt shoveled from the ground, Gareth acted instantly, gouging its side with her lance.
[AAAAAGGGH!!!!]
"So you do feel pain. How fascinating!"
My fingers elongated into tentacles, burying themselves into the Pillar's limbs.
With a crackling sound, a powerful current of Mystery-laden electricity coursed through its body. The Demon God Pillar screamed once more and began its now all-too-familiar desperation pattern: the rapid-fire Prana burst.
"Master, get behind me."
"Jeanne!"
"I can block this much. Please, leave it to me."
The simple projection of Prana—hardly a proper Noble Phantasm—was immediately neutralized by Jeanne d'Arc. Mash began to close in again for another assault.
"If the Master's wish is for your growth, then I shall assist, young warrior."
"Thank you for the support, Siegfried-san… Mash Kyrielight, engaging!"
I wasn't sure if the Heroic Spirit 'inside' Mash was cooperating because he saw Gareth, or if Mash was simply becoming acclimated to battle, but either way, she was adapting rapidly.
Compared to when we first fought Lev Lainur—where she was strictly focused on defense—she was now actively using her shield offensively. The title of 'Warrior' was starting to truly fit her.
Finally, the Demon God Pillar seemed to have reached its limit.
"Oh dear, another suicide explosion? Better fall back, Master. The magical energy I sense is far more potent than the sealing art from earlier."
Siegfried calmly broke off his attack and warned us as he watched the enemy's skin begin to crack and the Prana spike uncontrollably.
"So it has even greater destructive power because the Spiritual Core is intact… Marie, we should get out of here."
"Yes! I'll summon the carriage right away—"
"No, there's no need to run."
As I stepped forward, a loud voice erupted from the Chaldean comms that had been silently monitoring us.
[What are you saying?! The magical energy coming from that thing is at the level of an Anti-Fortress Noble Phantasm! In terms of pure output, it's equivalent to the King of Knights' Noble Phantasm from the Prologue!]
"Yeah, I know. It might even be stronger than that."
Forming a seal with both hands, I stood before the creature that was bloated to the point of imminent rupture.
"But in the end, that 'self-destruction' is just a rampage of Prana, isn't it?"
[You damned fool!!!!!!]
A crimson short-spear, shorter than a typical lance, appeared.
Gae Dearg—the same weapon that had finished off Dracula—pierced precisely through the Demon God Pillar's overcharged Spiritual Core.
The explosion that seemed a second away from occurring withered instantly. The surging magical energy vanished entirely, as if it had evaporated into thin air.
"Now then… how shall we cook this one?"
I'll be praying that your name is Barbatos.