Copenhagen.
"So… What are we going to do now?" Kariya asked tersely while he sat there with an empty coffee mug.
The three of them sat inside the small coffeehouse. Surprisingly, despite the bustling time of the weekday, the place was still almost empty in the early morning. Save for the staff and a brown-haired teenager girl who was chatting with her, they had no other company. Both would occasionally glance at them, but Lelouch would politely acknowledge them with a wave, embarrassing them enough to avoid eye contact. Kariya, on the other hand, would automatically hide his face behind the hood in an attempt to spare them the gruesome sight.
"We should have gone somewhere else," he commented. "We draw too much attention like this."
"It'll happen no matter where we go," casually stated the only Servant who insisted on remaining materialized. "It's easy to stand out when I'm as charming as I am." That Avenger had no qualms claiming as such was pretty much in line with her haughty attitude so far. Yet her smug expression wavered slightly went it met her Master's gaze. "Oh, that's not to say you're bad-looking, Master. You would definitely catch my eye no matter the time of day."
"Well, aren't you humble…" Her partner simply gave her a fake smile and snorted behind his own mug of warm coffee. He took a sip before turning to Kariya. "Don't worry about it. Right now, our main concern isn't hiding but who to go after next."
Urging that they end it as fast as possible, Kariya wouldn't object as much if Lelouch was going to push that topic. "The only Servants left are… Saber and Rider. Didn't you say you have the address of Rider's master?"
Lelouch nodded. "Indeed, Waver Velvet is hiding among the regular folk. From what Kayneth's hypnotized police told us, he's staying with a foreigner family, an elderly couple."
"Elderly?" Nobu asked as she took another sip of tea. "You saying he's brought his magi family with him?"
"No. The police dug up more info on them. Kayneth said they're locals who've naturalized themselves here after a few decades. Their own family, however, hasn't contacted them in years. Our former compatriot surmised that young Waver must be using magecraft to blend in with them."
That… seems like an unnecessary risk, Kariya thought. To involve the regular people. But perhaps that Waver boy didn't care. He was a magus after all.
"Shame. Can't use them as hostages then." Nobu sighed coolly, earning the widening of Kariya's working eye as he looked around alarmed. "Do not worry, Matou. No one will hear us."
It didn't reassure the man if she was even trying. While he did murder his old enemy and a couple of others last night, it was more that they deserved it that he was able to calmly accept that fact. But the open proclamation of a crime was still a bit too much for he who'd grown used to living a normal life for almost two decades now.
Regardless, Avenger continued. "Lelouch, the location of that Magus Killer. Can we be sure Saber and her Master must be there too?"
"Yes. Their absence in most of our fights recently confirms their collusion with that man. But before heading there, it might be best to send someone as a scout, preferably someone outside our group, in order to check if this Kiritsugu Emiya prepared any traps."
The boy may have added that to make him feel less threatened, but Kariya was not a fool to think Lelouch would mean for him to go. Berserker was still necessary to keep this a two-versus-two in the worst case scenario.
Still, even if that wasn't the case, neither Kariya nor Lelouch had met the man yet. They had no idea what to expect of their opponent apart from his apparent cooperation with the Einzbern camp. But from the way others had described him already, this Magus Killer was an extremely dangerous opponent.
"I checked the map." Lelouch drew a small one out and laid it down for Kariya to see. "Their new base is located in the northern part of Miyama Town. The area is a sleeping district, not suitable for fighting. Seems that, after how many fights happened in the forest near their castle, Saber and her Master decided to hide here, biding time until the rest of us whittle each other down."
Avenger spared the map the briefest of glances before giving them each one. "But it doesn't mean the place isn't full of traps. This mercenary isn't like the pompous baldie you blew up yesterday or the one you did in. He uses modern technology, a firearm like I do. Wouldn't the civilians in the area be acting more as his living shields, making others think twice before starting an open fight near them?"
"That may be true… But… there is no one left to supervise the rules of the war."
Kariya didn't like pointing it out. Without the Church, there was no monitoring the Grail War or keeping its participants in line. It was only due to the Church that Caster's demise was made a priority in the first place. Without the priest, cheating as they may have, it wasn't likely that the remaining masters would enforce the rules.
Kariya cared little about the Grail War in general. With the boy's objective of keeping anyone from winning, he was sure Lelouch was the same. That being said, this Magus Killer had already blown up a hotel in an attempt to cripple Lancer by killing Kayneth before. Keeping a low profile may not be enforced as much as before, but it wouldn't stop him if he targeted them next. The Velvet kid was at least trying to stay low, but the police were able to find him after momentary magical coercion.
"It is true, we could be looking at an all-out guerilla defensive from Saber's Master. No doubt our remaining adversaries already learned about the fight in Church, but there is no one to tell them what exactly went down. It will take some time for them to learn about the deaths of three Masters even if they can sense the loss of one Servant. The police also wouldn't go reporting on the details of the crime scene if they haven't solidly concluded their findings either. This is the opening we can use." Lelouch took a sip of his tea before settling down the mug.
"What do we do?" Kariya asked hopefully. Seeing the boy remain as calm as can be, it subconsciously told him Lelouch already had an idea in mind.
"We still don't know what Saber's noble phantasm is. We do know her identity and her legend, but the King of Knights hasn't used her trump card yet. To what form that takes, we'll need a guinea pig to tank it before we tackle her ourselves." Refolding the map, Lelouch tucked it away in his pocket. "Not to mention, her Master has someone like the Magus Killer under their command. He's an unpredictable wild card we shouldn't underestimate. If we send either Avenger or Berserker, they might be wiped out by Saber one-on-one. But send both… Well."
They'd be dead. And, being a child and a husk of an amateur of a magus, neither of them would be able to last against a professional killer.
"It would be better if another Servant went there and lured out Saber." Lelouch continued. "Luckily, the noble phantasm of Iskandar is known to us. His mobility and powers make Rider a priority target against the two of us who can't survive without or Servants. But why not kill two birds with one stone?" Lelouch smirked.
"You'd have Saber and Rider duke it out?"
"Yes. After the banquet, Rider and Saber started to dislike each other. This is our window of opportunity. If the two were already volatile enough to disagree with one another, why not give them a chance to, heh, 'settle their differences?"
Kariya thought about it. It wasn't a bad idea. Certainly not when they'd be spared the risk to themselves. He nodded in understanding. "Okay. But how will we go about it?"
"We know where their bases are, Kariya. We're both aware of the homes either one stays in. Giving one party this information should be enough. They might do half of the job for us should one prove a challenge to put down. Yet, one Servant dying will still be weakening any opposition we have. It's still to our advantage."
"Goading them into self-destruction." Kariya was still unsure about this idea of pitting one against another, but in a state where he couldn't fight the weakest of the Masters himself, he had no choice but to agree with the plan. "So, who is it gonna be?"
Avenger quickly chuckled. "I say let's give the kid the advantage."
"Ho? I thought you were looking forward to killing Iskandar yourself?" Lelouch said with a raised eyebrow. "Are you willingly giving Saber this honour?"
"Don't be foolish, Lelouch. That brute will die by my hand." The woman's eager expression was not lost on Kariya. Surprisingly, it turned thoughtful not a second later. "But Saber's master has a mercenary under her command. One who's apparently skilled in killing the most experienced magi. That oaf's Master wouldn't stand a chance should Rider be preoccupied even for a moment."
Kariya had to agree on that one. Even a man as departed from the moonlit world as he was aware of the dangers professional killers had on the normal folk. One magus boy against a trained assassin who was also aware of the tricks of magi, it was no contest. But…
"I see your point. Alright, we'll go with Waver Velvet and Rider then, Avenger." Lelouch agreed. He did so very easily that the maimed adult could only sigh. "Something is wrong, Kariya?"
"N-not really, no…" Just… was it really right for them… to pit the kid against a professional hitman and Saber? Kariya didn't dare voice it out. Not when he'd already had blood on his own hands. That he would feel a bit reluctant about using others shouldn't be in his conscience anymore.
After all, he himself was using Lelouch to save Sakura, no? And besides, Waver Velvet was just another of their kind. A magus. In his head, that designation made the boy just the same breed as Zouken, if not younger and less experienced than the old crone.
In the end, they were all the same. Even the Mage Killer. He'd heard that the man was responsible for the Hyatt Hotel explosion in an attempt to knock out Saber's first foe, Lancer and his Master Kayneth. Sure, there were no civilian casualties, but without the arbiters to enforce the rules, who was to say it wouldn't happen again? Only this time, casualties be damned.
Emiya Kiritsugu would likely try to repeat his trick with the hotel and destroy a whole city district just to get to them. The same would be said of the boy that was Rider's Master. The same would be especially said of Zouken who'd already taken the lives of many just to survive who knows how long now.
It was only because Lelouch believed in his cause that Kariya didn't include the boy in his mental simile.
Kariya's grip on his cupped hand tightened as he sighed once more. "Ok. Does that mean we're going to a kid's place now?"
Taking a sip of coffee, Lelouch paused before replying. "No. Not just yet."
"What?"
Lelouch started. "As I said at the moment, we have a window of opportunity. But instead of simply charging into the next fight, it will be best to slow down and prepare. After last night's events, my partner used too much of her powers. Avenger needs time before she will be battle-ready again."
"You got that right. Ng!" Kariya spared a glance at the woman who stretched with her arms forward like a lazy cat. "Using my noble phantasm is exhausting, I need at least a day to gather my strength. I can fight, but not enough to end Rider." Snagging Lelouch's hand with her own, she gently tugged at his sleeve while giving an apologizing look. "Sorry for being a liability in the state like this."
The boy, to his credit, merely waved away whilst petting the top of her crimson head. "Don't be foolish. You aren't a liability. Even in your state, you still have the highest kill count in this war so far."
That was indeed true. While Kariya had been so laser-focused on Tokiomi, and Archer by proxy, Lelouch and Avenger had been cutting down their foes methodically. Caster was one thing, but Archer was a beast even Berserker had trouble ending permanently.
Not to mention the boy's cunning use of having Kayneth lose Lancer before removing the man, Assassin's former Master and Archer all in a single night. Killing two Servants was an accomplishment on its own, that Kariya would concede.
But having a Master who not only neutralized Kariya himself as a threat and managed to convince him to win this war in a different sense… It spoke volumes of their overall power in this fight. Lelouch and Avenger, both unknowns in general, were quite the powerful combo.
Still, Kariya's viewpoint was not one of fear. Mere awe. Why? Well… one was a boy giving a deadly Servant woman what was effectively a head pat and the other was a would-be historic figure acting like a tuckered yet coquettish young woman. That they were the pair who'd done the lion's share of the fighting… the current image was… odd to say the least.
Considering Kariya had been mostly privy to her maddened and battle-hardened side, the image of the redhead then snuggling up on Lelouch's arm caused Kariya to question whether his good eye was seeing things. When the boy himself continued to accept the snuggles whilst drinking coffee, Kariya felt more than out of place.
It felt like he was third-wheeling but minus the actual envy associated with it.
"Ahem." Regardless, the Master of Berserker coughed to garner their attention. "Wouldn't Berserker be able to help in this regard then… that is until Avenger is up to the task again?"
"Of course, Berserker could." Lelouch nodded and yet added. "But unless it's Avenger, I can't be certain of a win in any fight.
"You don't have faith in my Servant?" Kariya didn't understand why the words left his mouth, only that they did and he felt a bit odd competing with a child. "Even Archer was forced back by him."
"And yet, I was the one who dealt the killing blow." The smug smile on Avenger's face was fitting of a crown. "I've been on the scoreboard since Caster. Any kills to your name, besides the cripple?"
"If we're going by killing blow as a score, didn't Rider kill like… a hundred of Assassins?" Kariya snapped but immediately flinched when he felt the death glare.
"Doesn't count! That shadow was still only one Servant!" Instead of a veiled threat, what came out of the woman's mouth was a cute pout and harrumph. She even stated proudly whilst looking away, "Besides, I could have killed them all as well!"
Had this been any normal person, Kariya might've found her reaction adorable. Not so when she apparently had the armoury of a Warring States Period Shogun. Not as impressive as Gilgamesh, but it wasn't inferior, considering it managed to rend the once arrogant king down to shreds. Kariya's brow above his working eye twitched uncomfortably. No, it wasn't the worms.
"Of course, you could have, but that's beside the point, Avenger." With a hand to her shoulder, Lelouch managed to console the pouting Servant who kept glaring away from the man. The boy however gave him a pleading look, seemingly apologizing for the woman's behaviour. Kariya felt a little ashamed of losing his temper. Even the worms inside him must be cringing.
"Then, if we aren't going for the kid, what now?" In an attempt to save face, he asked quietly.
"I think we should return to our base. Mine and Avengers, to be exact. We stowed away a couple of helpful tools before we started collaborating with Kayneth. Retrieving them will be helpful for us when we face Rider and Saber."
Then it was a stockpile measure. To regroup and resupply. Granted, they'd already had a long night's rest. But they also lost Kayneth's and his fiancé's assets when they ended their alliance with the man. The magus woman would likely have already left by now. Kariya noted with a quiet nod.
"However my main objective for today was taking care of another business." Violet eyes focused on Kariya. "I think it is time to save Sakura."