Right now, everyone is in the school's infirmary. Following that "minor" collision earlier, both Masters are currently being treated for their injuries.
Mavus's burn is small, but if left untreated, it will become very painful, so it needs immediate care. As for Robert, there's no major issue thanks to his fire resistance.
That said, it doesn't mean he has no burns at all — after all, Robert was the one standing closest to the flames.
"Why did you say you wanted a collaborator? For what reason?" Robert asked, looking at Mavus.
At the moment, Robert holds the upper hand. Even if Mavus were to order Assassin to attack, she would be instantly suppressed by Saber. After all, Saber is the most perfect Servant to summon (except for Gilles) — possessing both excellent reflexes and overwhelming strength. Assassin's petty tricks are nothing in front of her.
"There's nothing special about it. Assassin and I are falling behind. Her power isn't strong enough to take on the Singularity alone," Mavus replied.
"Singularity? You want to go in there too?"
"Why not? That place is the best spot to gather top-tier upgrade materials," Mavus answered as if it were obvious.
Assassin handed some medical supplies to Mavus. Though she appeared indifferent, her intentions were quite easy to guess.
'Master, she's watching us very closely — especially me. I don't know where she gets the confidence to think that way,' Saber's voice echoed in Robert's mind.
'So she's the loyal type too… But how do you even know she's watching us? That bone mask completely covers her face.'
'It's just instinct,' Saber replied bluntly.
What a cute watchdog— ahem, I shouldn't say that.
'Also, don't give orders like that again,' Saber said, glaring at Robert.
No truly loyal Servant wants to kill their own Master with their own hands… unless the Servant has changed Masters and is prepared for a deathmatch (Sparks Liner High).
Robert stayed silent, which was his way of dodging Saber's words.
Truly a champion of justice. No one can match his stubbornness!
"Assassin…" Robert thought to himself about that class.
According to what Saber had told him that morning, Assassins are Servants with extremely poor overall stats. They aren't particularly strong in any area except speed, so they almost never engage in direct combat.
Targeting the enemy Master is the standard fighting style of an Assassin, unless that Assassin happens to enjoy cutting swallowtails or is an old man living on a mountain.
…Even worse is when it's an individual who bears the name of an angel but possesses a terrifying aura. That one will definitely make you work overtime or else chop your head off!
And even worse than that, he has a voice eerily similar to that glasses-wearing guy who cut his girlfriend into seventeen pieces!!!
And the absolute worst part is that he also shares the same voice as that glasses-wearing dinosaur from LB and that Lostbelt is currently tormenting me! (Yes, I'm stuck there. ORT is ridiculously hard.)
…Alright, I got a bit carried away there.
In short, defeating the current Assassin with Saber has never been difficult… The real problem is Robert himself.
Well, she is a Servant after all. Killing a normal human isn't an issue for her, let alone someone from a class literally designed for taking shortcuts.
'Master, please never trust Assassin. Don't even get close to her. Their assassination techniques are countless, and we still don't fully understand how she fights. Better safe than sorry,' Saber said, doing her best to protect Robert.
'Thank you,' Robert replied.
Meanwhile, on Mavus and Assassin's side:
'She could kill us easily, Master. I advise against acting too rashly.'
'I know. Just the size of the flames she released earlier, combined with that guy's recklessness, already put us at a huge disadvantage.'
Daring to waste a Command Spell just to escape the threat of those two — Tohsaka would definitely be proud.
The two pairs stared at each other for a while until someone finally spoke first.
"…"
"…"
Come on, say something already. Even though they had just threatened each other's lives, they were still supposed to make peace for the sake of cooperation, right?
"I was the first opponent you faced directly, wasn't I?" Robert asked, his gaze extremely scrutinizing.
"Yeah, you were the first person I faced head-on," Mavus replied casually.
'Looking at those narrowed eyes of his, he really doesn't seem trustworthy at all,' Robert thought, narrowing his own eyes.
Once again, both sides fell silent. The atmosphere was… indescribably awkward.
Both Servants also remained still, staying extremely vigilant.
"…Are those two just going to keep sitting there in silence? They really suit each other, huh?" Angra blinked as he watched the two Masters through the screen.
"If we leave them like this, it won't be good… Should I step in?" Vincent muttered, resting his hand on his chin in thought.
Then he glanced at the other Masters and paused.
"…Wait, I have an idea. And I'm going to love this!"
"…Is it something bad?"
"Kind of?"
"Look, you're my Master. I know that summoning me required you to be as wicked as I am, but no one said you had to be even worse than me."
After that short exchange, Vincent began to take action.
***
"AGHHHHHH!"
"Stay still, Mester~ I'm trying… to repair… your body~"
Down in the sewers, Donan John was experiencing what it felt like to be "human" again.
His body, which had been torn apart to the point it seemed he should have died, was now being crudely stitched back together with messy sutures and bizarre, colorful toy-like parts.
Needless to say, this method of "repair" was excruciating. The sensation of each piece of flesh being pierced and forcibly pressed together was unbearable.
"STOP!! STOP IT!!!! IT HURTS SO MUCH!!!!"
"Come on, Mester, I'm almost done. Soon you won't even need to move by yourself — you can just rely on me. Doesn't that sound much better than walking on your own? Right?!"
Truly a Caster. Saving someone from the brink of death has never been hard for them. The only question is how they do it.
"This and this and THIS! The bomb is a bonus. You're not complaining, are you?"
"DON'T ATTACH ANY MORE!!"
"You have such a great sense of humor! Bombs are essential in life! How could we live without them?"
Then Caster lifted Donan up like a mother carrying a child.
The only problem was that this "child" had no limbs — just crudely stitched pieces and BOMBS!
"OH!! A MASTERPIECE!! A TRUE MASTERPIECE!!"
"Uah…. uhah… ugh…" Donan was now struggling to breathe, looking like someone on a ventilator desperately gasping for his final breaths.
This was his karma… And this still wasn't the end.
Because retribution must run its course. It wasn't yet time for him to die.
"Don't worry, Mester… After my modifications, you've become an excellent source of mana. You'll still be able to obtain your wish from the Holy Grail if we win!"
"So, dear Mester… You'll have to trust me. HEHEHEHEHE!"
A black cloth was wrapped over Donan's eyes. Caster then attached himself to his back, his "threads" merging with his skin to serve as straps.
Tubes were inserted into Donan's flesh to circulate blood back and forth with Caster — a method to sustain his life while continuously supplying him with mana.
Truly a Caster. These beings have countless ways to obtain mana. The only question is how far their sense of morality will allow them to go.
"Heheh, we need to head back there. The Singularity and bombs, the two most important things I cannot afford to miss."