Hakuno was silent as Kiara spoke of her relation to Mary. Indeed, she didn't want to pry into private matters, especially when it probably wasn't too relevant to the situation at hand. In turn, the young enforcer didn't want to give out too many details for an incident in progress, but she didn't want to stonewall the kind young nun either. She deserved to at least be aware of their progress, right?

"...It looks like it is," Hakuno affirmed quietly, "Saber is already on her way to apprehend them. Then we can find out why she and her friend tried to... um."
Was that giving away too much? Aahhh, situations like this were too rare, it was hard to gauge how much was supposed to be confidential! Well, it wasn't a press statement or anything, so there wasn't an issue, right?! Still, Hakuno had fallen silent, and she stammered a forced continuation to try and smooth over the slip-up.

"A-anyway, she's probably draggin' the perp to the slammer right now!"

Yep, that should do it. Good job, me. She could feel her cheeks colour slightly at the strange statement. Her credibility as an enforcer was going to plummet at this rate!

@VitaVitaAR

She'd been about to react to the rather surprising gift and well, just in general the situation she found herself in. That was stopped when Serene's phone rang. Slowly, Serene sat upright, and reached over, grabbing the phone, nodding to Da Vinci as she did so, to indicate her gratefulness. A quick glance at the caller ID, and Serene knew who it was. Hitting the answer button then the speaker phone, she held the device up so Da Vinci could hear/speak into it as well if needed. "Drakos Manor, Serene Drakos speaking. I'm guessing this isn't a social call, Miss Einzbern?" A bit formal, but it was just incase that like on Serene's end, Alkyrieaza didn't have the privacy of herself, plus just being safe is better than being sorry. Serene could only imagine it was something serious, but at the same time...having a social call would always be welcome. But one digresses. Hopefully this wasn't anything dire, like end of the world type dire, that would ruin her day.

@1Charak2@Raineh Daze

"Hah! You talk a lot but in the end you can't handle the heat, right Horseface?" Mordred taunted in her usual coarse language as Chiron sidestepped her opening blow. Crimson lightning cracked within the dust cloud as Mordred eyed the Archer with fury.

"Why do I need to bother with technique if I turn my enemies into a bloody pulp with the first strike?" Mordred answered. "Anyone who challenges the Great Mordred is fate to lose, even if I'm defeated, I'll still take them down with me!" she shouted before lunging back at Chiron only to be met with a throw from the waiting Archer.

Even though she could not redirect her own momentum in this little space and stop his attack, Mordred still countered him with a headbut, using all the power she could muster to hit the Archer with her helmet as she was about to be sent flying.

Now that she could take a better look at the old man in front of them, Othis finally recognized him from the city's Servant database. While there wasn't much information regarding his identity and skills—perhaps it had been erased?—there was enough for her to formulate a deduction about his identity mainly because of the coat of arms he wore in one picture.

Seeing Holmes' reaction all but confirmed her guess but there was still a matter of making her deduction known to the pair of old archnemeses.

"I'm Othianne Phorensia Obberhausen, an envoy of the Atlas Institute. I would prefer if you called me Holmes' partner. I can't possibly be the Master of the World's Greatest Consultant Detective, after all," Othis said in her typical nonchalant monotone before extending a hand to the old man. "It's a pleasure to meet an influential mathematician like you, Professor. I'm a great admirer of your works," she added a moment later, testing if her theory was correct.

With both of the Sabers now occupied, Hijikata wasted no time in creating as much distance as possible between them and himself, with Jason still fully in tow. The effects of his Noble Phantasm still lingered about, and despite the various wounds he had sustained up until this point and the all-too-distinct trail of blood that he was leaving behind, the Berserker was still able to maintain his pace from before combat had begun. Jason himself, however, had found himself simply frozen in shock from trying to process the whole situation. There wasn't a way to bring up anything that had happened in the last few minutes, especially given that he had tried (and failed) to use two Command Seals, to no avail.

The young man was soon thrown out of that state—quite literally, in fact—once Hijikata had arrived at a dead end. The area, formed by a variety of buildings meeting in such a way to create a small hole-in-the-wall style area surrounded on all sides, went unused even as a back entrance by the looks of things; that, of course, made it a good enough location to mount a last stand.

With an involuntary cry of pain from tumbling across the ground for the second time today, Jason slowly pushed himself into a seated position and stared at Hijikata, who was simply staring back at him. At this point, the young man had reached his wit's end; it didn't seem reasonable to be wrapped up in this incident, and even less so to be dragged and thrown around like a ragdoll for the better half of the day. As far as he knew, Servants weren't like that; no, even those that were as unreasonable as this had a reason for this. The Berserker in front of him seemed to have enough control over himself to avoid such insanity for the most part, so why...?

"You're still trying to figure it out? I figured you a fool, but to take this long and still not come to the correct conclusion... Honestly, I don't know why I decided to drag you along."

The Berserker's comment caused Jason to pause, and he simply blinked in silence as the Berserker's strength finally began to give way.

"Kid, you're not cut out for this city if you can't figure something this simple out. Let me spell it out for you, then, since it's only going to take a minute for them to catch up: you were never in control to begin with."

"...Huh?"

"Yeah, you heard me. You should've realized it when you tried to Command Seal earlier; why the hell do you think I didn't give a damn? Go on, try me. Tell me to kill myself; those Seals have about as much power over me as a gust of wind."

The blatant declaration from Hijikata caused Jason to pause, and the suggestion of Command Seal-induced suicide only caused him to freeze up instead. When he thought about how the events thus far had transpired, it made sense—that didn't mean that he want to accept it, though. Despite everything, he was a Master now, so——

"...Fine. By my Command Seal, I order you: Berserker, kill yourself."

Almost as if trying to defy fate to some degree, Jason watched as the last Seal on his hand disappeared...

And Hijikata, still bleeding out in front of him, stood completely unfazed by the command.

"See? Now, just sit there and wait, you dumb kid who couldn't even tell he wasn't a Master—no, couldn't even tell he was just a puppet dancing to someone else's tune; your dream was no more than that, and you'll never be able to do anything as things are now. But at the very least, you'll see how the Shinsengumi fights when cornered," he said, turning to face the sole entryway to the area, his katana fully drawn as he waited for the enemy to arrive.

@VitaVitaAR


The brief moment of sadistic joy in Meltryllis' eyes after dragging her opponent out of the shadows was almost immediately proceeded by a long—and rather lengthy—sigh of disappointment. There was no look of fear or despair—or anything, really—on the Archer's face, given that he had none in the first place. There was the standard flailing about in some desperate attempt to get out of her grasp, yes, but the enthusiasm that she had held seconds prior was all but gone by now.

"Oh. A doppelganger of that green Archer BB likes to keep around. How boring," the Alter Ego sighed, her shoulders sagging as she dug her feet deeper into the Archer's torso and neck. "You're no fun. Fine, let's end this farce. You've ruined my mood; I hope you're happy."

The body beneath her legs quickly seized up as it was injected with copious amounts of venom, and it took only a second more for the entire figure to begin to dissolve into nothingness. Once the shadow Archer was no more, Meltryllis took a deep breath, as if to re-orient herself mentally, before walking back towards her Master.

"We're done here. Let's go back; you're far too much of a liability as you are now."


From such a close distance, taking the headbutt from Mordred was all but guaranteed, and Chiron knew as well as anyone else watching that such a blow couldn't be mitigated. Of course, without anything to guard his head from the metal of the helmet, the Archer couldn't help but grit his teeth and wince as he took the blow. The thin stream of blood trickling down from his forehead didn't seem to faze him as much as the concussive force of the blow, but jarred as he was, Chiron still managed to send Mordred into the air.

Without missing a beat, the Archer quickly drew his bow and fired off a volley of arrows at Mordred in an attempt to make the most of the momentary disorientation created by launching her away.

"If you wish to pit your own strength against other heroes of equal stature here, then it would be in your best interests to learn how to deal with opponents whose skill far outstrips your strength. Not that I have any room to talk; I am a mere teacher, after all," he said, strafing around the arena as he continued to fire off shot after shot. "This is not to say that a wild style like yours is by any means unviable, though; there are more than a few Servants who fight similarly to you who have had ample success in this arena, after all."

@KoL

Far too much of a liability...

That sure was right, wasn't it? She hadn't done much of anything here. All she'd done was slow Meltryllis down... she'd really just screwed everything up. She'd barely been able to defend herself at all.

Those poor construction workers... why had something like this even happened in the first place? What were those weird shadow facsimiles of Servants...? It had been so horrible.

Slowly, Nanako raised to her feet. She nearly stumbled and fell over once more, barely managing to catch herself. All she did, rather then say anything, was nod slowly. There wasn't much that she could say, after all, was there?

All she could really do was go home, just as she had been told.

... Maybe she could sleep...

@PKMNB0Y

---

The diminutive girl's geta clacked as she landed on the pavement.

Her first, immediate course of action was to ensure that the civilians were safe. How cruel... to put their lives in danger simply to secure an escape! Such an action was absolutely impossible to justify, had Benienma been unable to outpace the fire escape's fall... there was no telling how many of the bystanders would have perished from its fall. Threatening their lives simply as a distraction was completely unacceptable.

Thankfully, the enma's quick actions had paid off. Aside from some minor scraps and bruises from the falling fragments of the fire escape, the civilians were almost entirely unharmed.

"Worry not," she assured them, as many began to rise to their feet, some swiftly departing the scene, "Benienma will apprehend the culprit!"

With that, Benienma was off. The wind whipped past the sword-wielding girl as she erupted through the streets, feet quickly leaving the ground. Without even needing her command, her sparrows swiftly spread out from her location, filtering out above the nearby alleyways in order to do their best to discover the criminal's location.

Hijikata Toshizo. The man who had died in battle, dedicated to the Shinsengumi in the end. Was it this obsession that had caused him to be summoned as Berserker?

The reason, in the end, did not matter at the moment.

What mattered was that he was stopped, before anyone else could be placed in danger.

... There. The trail of blood left behind by the Berserker's injuries.

Benienma slowed, coming to a halt near an alleyway. This is where the trail lead. Soon enough, her platform geta met the concrete once more, one hand still remaining on her blade.

"... Hijikata Toshizo," she began as she entered the alleyway, "You are under arrest dechi. Surrender immediately."

There he stood. Both due to what she knew of the man, and due to his nature as a Berserker, Benienma doubted he would obey. But she had to give him the final opportunity.

Her eyes travelled to the boy. She had heard enough.

"Stay back, and do not worry," she began, addressing him now, "I heard enough to know that this situation is not your doing dechi."

@PKMNB0Y

---

"... Draggin' the perp to the slammer...?" Kiara tilted her head slightly, one hand to her cheek. Then, in spite of herself, she chuckled slightly. "You certainly have a way with words, Kishinami-san."

The moment of levity soon passed, as Kiara let out another sigh.

"Even so... I hope it wasn't anyone close to her," the nun said, after a few moments, eyes somewhat downcast, "Saikawa-san doesn't need that kind of pain... no-one does, but there's already a lot..."

She paused for a moment, and then took a deep breath.

"If there's anything you want to know, anything at all, I'll do whatever I can to help. For Saikawa-san's sake."

@RolePlayerRoxas

---

The moment the mana-lined blade collided with Bradamante's spear, the paladin was sent hurtling backwards, feet skidding across the ground. Lancelot's agility and skill were incredible. Truly, he was a legendary knight, just as Bradamante had thought! But she had to try and contain herself. She had to give such a powerful and skilled legend every ounce of her strength. It was what he deserved!

Thrusting her star-shaped shield forward, she took a deep breath before igniting magical energy across her spear. Using that as a propellant, she suddenly rocketed forward with a sound like a gunshot, intending to use her shield to deflect any incoming attack and then following up with a thrust from her spear!

@Raineh Daze

"The bar can handle itself while I'm gone, and besides, old 'friend,' as a concerned citizen of the city, it was only natural that I, being the genius that I am, investigate the matter." Moriarty's grin didn't waver, it remained the same, as he answered his rival's questions, careful to well, not give anything away. Not that there was it seemed. After all, he was just an "old man" looking into a matter. A matter that as a philosopher well versed in antiquity, most certainly would draw his attention. But now his attention turned to Holmes' "master," who, an Atlas mage? This didn't bode well, given it was well, Atlas'. He'd have to be careful, who knows what that mage had for Mystic Codes, and how he loathed the thought of magecraft spoiling his plans. But it didn't show, instead, he seemed to start at being told that the young mage had read his own texts. "Miss Obberhausen? Charmed." He took the hand, shaking lightly, before then lifting it to his lips to politely kiss, as in the old custom, his gaze lowered, but not his guard. Take that, Holmes. A moment later, he straightened up, now to answer, it would give his True Name away, but that mattered little in this day and age. Perhaps in a Grail War, but those were a thing of the past now. "Ah yes, which ones? I've written more than a few mathematical texts, and even a tome or two upon Greek Philosophy. But I am, first and foremost, a scholar of the mathematics. The language of the universe." Overblown perhaps, but he had his reasons for such. Probably...right?

Bradamante had chosen the wrong opponent for such an approach, the rapid propulsion familiar--too familiar--of his king and Sir Mordred. The speed bought no surprise, no panicked reaction; just a sliding deflection as the Saber allowed himself to be pushed back and prepare to try and finish the fight, regardless of any attempted blocking with the shield. Just keep deflecting, then leave a deliberate hole in his defence, almost negligible against anything but a Servant--but to strike it, with the length of Bradamante's spear and Arondight, would require overextension... and then he would go for the throat.

---

Altera gave no motion to follow as Benienma chased off in pursuit of Hijikata, seeming entirely annoyed with the whole affair... and somewhat confused as her Master's gesturing had an even-more-nervous stall owner handing over another crepe. But the young girl was seeming quite happy to simply buy more crepes, and in all the conflict he had scarcely had time to even consider running... it was probably best not to annoy the person whose Servant had helped make quite a mess of the street. Best to serve them before getting away.

"I need to speak to Da Vinci," Alkyrieaze stated, getting to the point, "Someone or something is tampering with command spells and there aren't many other people familiar with Makiri's work."

---

Da Vinci's face which had once been the shining example of joyful optimism suddenly gave out in a curt frown upon hearing the words of the Einzbern inheritor. "Tampering you say?" Her words were both one of curiosity and yet you could also her the tone of concern in her voice. "In what way are they being tampered? is someone hijacking the control of servants? If so that could completely disrupt the islands state of peace if someone exceptional was brought under the thrall of dark powers would it not? Or do you mean that someone is forcefully cancelling contracts, Equally worth merit but a lot less dangerous to everyones lively-hood? Perhaps they are using a caster servant? I need as much info as you can give Lady Einzbern" She said her mind focusing on the task portrayed. She was no detective but a mystery was always fun to solve.

"Did anyone ever tell you that being lectured around the clock gets old pretty fast, Horseface?" Mordred said as she quickly rolled back to her feet, after using her Mana Burst to soften her fall.

The arrows zooming through the cloud of dust lifted by her impact against the ground weren't a great concern either. From this distance, an bowman should have an intrinsic disadvantage against a swordsman. Of course, there were exceptions, but predicting where an arrow would land is far easier when you are close to the source, and... if you combine that with the Intuition Mordred inherited from her father...

"Hah!" the knight said as she caught one of the arrows and threw it back at the owner, using her Mana Burst to propel it like a rocket.

"Aaaalso!" Mordred yelled, dissipating the dust with a powerful gust of magical energy. She stabbed the still dormant Clarent on the ground and knocked her breastplate with a hand before continuing, "For someone so smart, it seems that you still haven't figured that you are barking up the wrong tree here. So, let me make it clear. Who the hell do you think you are talking to?"

Mordred let out a huge spark of crimson lightning as she finally blew up the last of her patience. Which lasted for a surprisingly long time considering how short her fuse normally is.

"I was saving this for after I won. But so be it," she shouted in an obviously furious voice. The air itself began to rumble as the amount of magic energy expelled by Mordred increased with every passing moment. It was almost as if she was about to unleash her Noble Phantasm. Which was exactly what she was about to do. "I'm the Great Mordred! The one and only Son of King Arthur, who sworn an oath to my new Master, Kobayashi Seria!" Mordred yelled at the top of her lungs as she pointed Clarent to her Seria's seat before finally removing her helmet, letting the whole world see the savage grin on her face, but more importantly, unsealing Clarent's true power.

"What kind of Knight of Treachery would I be if I just stood here and let a preachy old man lecture me about how I should fight or not? Now, shut up and come at me with everything you've got because now that you pissed me off. I... am not gonna hold back anymore!" Mordred followed her speech by bursting forward with all of her power and speed, aiming a pommel strike at Archer's throat.

The tension that hung in the air as the Berserker faced the sole exit to the alcove that he had stationed himself in was oppressive to the young man who was, by now, at a complete loss for words. It was not as if he had lost consciousness; no, nothing of the sort. But the fact that he had been lead to believe that he had finally managed to prove all of those naysayers wrong, that he could finally stop be treated as nothing more that a third-rate existence——

It all meant nothing when even a Servant declared him as unfit to be a Master on a fundamental level.

The words of the Saber as she confronted Hijikata fell on deaf ears, as did her reassurance towards the young man behind him. While the latter was still struggling to come to terms with the whole ordeal, the Servant in front of him simply scoffed and readied his katana.

"Surrender? So long as I live, the Shinsengumi will never surrender!" he declared. Despite the amount of blood dripping from his injuries, the Berserker seemed thoroughly unfazed as he rushed forward, katana drawn in an attempt to cut down the one in front of him.

Despite knowing full well, of course, that it was nothing more than a futile last attempt at survival on his own terms.

@VitaVitaAR


Given everything that had just transpired, the Alter Ego found it somewhat irritating that this was what BB had sent them out to handle. Meltryllis herself had no clue what the point of these things were in the first place, nor did she have any particular desire to remain as BB's errand girl...

But given the circumstances, that particular problem couldn't exactly be helped. Not like it was any easier with the half-conscious Master that she had at her side, though; ideally, this situation could have waited a day so that she could have an obedient helper and not a half-conscious human to escort around, but this was also a situation that she had brought on herself. All things considered, she couldn't exactly complain without being hypocritical, and that was more than unbecoming of someone of her stature.

So, as the only thing left to do was report back, Meltryllis quietly walked behind Nanako as they made their way back to the apartment, making sure to poke the girl with her heel every time she seemed to be on the cusp of falling over onto her face. If anything, the pain would keep her conscious until they reached a bed for her to sleep on instead.


Chiron let a sigh slip past his lips as he heard Mordred's rebuttal, though that was as short-lived as his leeway before one of the arrows that he had fired made their swift return. Though he was barely able to react in time, the Archer still found himself grazed by his own arrow, and a gash made itself prominently visible on his right arm despite his own attempts to avoid the attack outright.

"My, my, you really do live up to your name. Maybe I should ask Achilles to train with you one of these days; he's gotten far too lax without his usual practice," he remarked, dusting himself off as he watched the mana flare up around his opponent. By now, the centaur was far too used to seeing Sabers who fired beams, and so he promptly prepared himself for the usual countermeasures...

Only to find himself caught off guard by Mordred's alternative avenue of attack. Despite the situation he found himself in, though, Chiron could not help but smile.

"Well done!" the teacher responded, deliberately kicking the ground and forcing himself to fall as he attempted to deflect the attack with his left arm. His right, of course, had discarded the bow and was now aiming to strike Mordred's chin as she passed by overhead.

@KoL

It was the outcome she had expected, even if she had hoped for something else.

"... So be it," Benienma replied, simply, lowering her small frame as she squared her stance, grip tightening slightly on the hilt of her katana. Immediately the Berserker, body bloodied and injured, had lunged forward. His assault wasn't without skill... but she would demonstrate to him just what a Guardian and Judge of Hell was capable of.

The motion was smooth, and occurred in the blink of an eye. Indeed, were he watching, it was unlikely Jason would be able to understand just what had occurred. The diminutive redhead had drawn her blade and swung it in an arc, clashing with and deflecting Hijikata's own weapon in a shower of sparks. Using her own momentum, ponytail trailing behind her, Benienma rotated. Indeed, she was using her blade as leverage to push herself around and behind her opponent, between him and the boy he had effectively kidnapped.

Her platform geta skidded across the ground for a moment, and she smoothly sheathed her blade just as she had drawn it, hand still on the hilt.

"Behold, Hijikata Toshizo," she began, "This is the battoujutsu of Benienma dechi!"

There was a backdraft through the alley as she rocketed forward, launching herself directly towards her opponent at top speed, hand moving to draw her blade and cut through him in a single motion! She was not so arrogant to believe she had guaranteed success, but she had to attempt to make this strike deadly, to limit the danger to any nearby civilians!

@PKMNB0Y

---

Lancelot's performance was just as she had expected. Arturia knew that the skilled display was nothing more then what she always knew the knight to be capable of. During the days of the Knights of the Round table, he had time and time demonstrated his incredible capabilities in combat over and over. And so, the manner in which he countered Bradamante's assault was exactly what she had thought she was about to see. Lancelot was well-versed in such things, after all.

Mordred's assault was more wild and careless. In all honesty, that was just was Arturia had expected as well. However... even if it was crude, it seemed that the red Knight was not without some measure of thought in her assault. Using misdirection by empowering her weapon(for a moment, Arturia truly had worried that Mordred was about to lose her temper and try and use her Noble Phantasm, something she would have jumped in immediately to prevent) then instead using a strike from the pommel showed thought and strategy, rather than pure recklessness.

It wasn't as if Chiron's comments were untrue, however.

Seria could no longer contain herself. After that display, after the way in which Mordred had specifically addressed her, the manner in which the knight had declared how she would show her power for her sake... the pigtailed girl just couldn't stay quiet any longer. How could she, after all?

After having been silent all this time...

"GO GET HIM, MORDRED!" cried Seria, thrusting her fist into the air and leaping out of her seat as she did.

Bradamante, on the other hand, immediately noticed the small gape in Lancelot's defenses. Had he really left that there without realizing...? No, no there was no way she could ignore it! To do anything less would be disrespectful to the Knight of the Lake, wouldn't it!? Using her shield to keep a barrier between herself and her opponent, the unusual star-shape held up and at an angle, the paladin threw herself forward with a thrust of her spear!

@Raineh Daze@KoL

Hakuno was silent at Kiara's words, not wanting to pry any further. It sounded like Mary was having some difficulties even before this incident. She would love to help, but intruding on private matters was far over-reaching her position. All she could do was track down the rogue Servant and arrest them. Well, more like point Saber in said rogue's direction so she could do the arresting, but hey, Hakuno could wear the armband.

The young enforcer smiled at the kind woman, "if I need to know anything else, I'll let you know. For now, I'm sure my Servant is dealing with the Servant as we speak."

Ideally, that much would be resolved by the time Mary woke up.

With a bow of her head, Hakuno said, "I'll take my leave for now. Please contact our office if something comes up," and she made her way out of the hospital. She could wait nearby for Saber's return, and hope for some good news.
Once outside the main entrance, Hakuno made her way to a nearby bench, hoping she would be easy to spot from the skies. Once seated, Hakuno let out a long sigh. Then buried her burning face in her hands.

Who even says things like perp and slammer?! she berated herself, the embarrassment of such silliness slamming into her with great force.

@VitaVitaAR

"Hah, I knew you were going to do that! But this time I'm ready for it, Horseface!" Mordred said as she closed in on Chiron. The Archer's maneuver was far from unexpected now that she had a good grasp of his fighting style. However, he wasn't counting with one thing. Mordred is far crazier and tougher than she looks like.

She didn't even try to dodge his counter, instead driving her chin right into his fist with enough force that she probably got a few broken teeth, if not the jaw, or even a snap neck. However, nothing of this mattered for someone who could keep on fighting even after having the Holy Spear jammed into her guts.

Instead of being thrown backwards, Mordred concentrated all of her power in her back and feet, stomping one of Archer's feet to forbid him from dodging while she drove her Clarent's pommel towards his neck with enough force that probably would get his head to pop off either way and... stopped just one hair's breadth away from connecting letting all the force dissipate in a massive crackle of thunder.

"You wasn't half bad. But, admit it, this one is mine, Archer," Mordred said with a vicious, bloody smile stamped on her face.

Othis deadpan countenance didn't make it clear whether or not she was impressed by the Professor's display of dapper gentlemanliness. However, she didn't oppose it either, so both archrivals would have to draw their own conclusions of what kind of impression she got from his introduction.

"I've studied them all, but my favorite is A Treatise on the Binomial Theorem. It's a quite refreshing take on the subject, even if it came at such a late date on the evolution of mathematics," Othis said after being asked about which books she had read. "I have to say that the... applicability of some of them is dubious, them," she added.

"Holmes and I were on our way to investigate the recent reports of incidents in the waters close to the city but, since we run into a fortuitous encounter with such a well-informed person as you. Can I ask you something? You don't happen to know anything about those events, do you, Professor?" Othis asked in her usual blunt manner.

"This is my victory," Lancelot stated, adjusting smoothly to the anticipated attack and stopping only at the last instant, shining blade held gently against Bradamante's throat, but not quite cutting the skin, "Your ability is great, but your fighting style is almost the same as Sir Gareth's."

Or close enough. There were precious few people in the world who went in for rocket-propelled spears.

---

Continuing to watch Altera's somewhat awkward approach to the dessert--it really was a new thing to her, wasn't it?--Alkyrieaze continued, "A new Master, one that had summoned Berserker or something similar. When he commanded the Berserker to stand down, they didn't just not work--a weak Master or some skill would obviously cover that--but instead got turned into a simple power boost. Obviously, if the only insurance we have over mad Servants going out of control and destroying the city starts making it worse... well, the old grail wars will look like nothing."

The Berserker's own swing, having been cleanly deflected by the Saber he was facing off against, threw his arms into the air. Though he still held onto his blade, his body was now left wide open for the proceeding slash.

The fight itself was over in but an instant, and the result was self-evident. Though Hijikata's body had not been bisected, the gaping wound in his torso pouring blood out onto the ground was more than enough indication that his end was near.

"Damn... It..."

Despite those wounds, though, Hijikata, almost as if as a testament to his class, attempted one final swing towards his opponent before appearing to disappear into nothingness, with a mass of blue particles in his wake.

Jason, of course, simply remained motionless. Though he had enough sense about him to understand what had just occurred, the truth of the matter only made him want to just go home.

Given the situation, though, it was likely that his nightmare was nowhere near ending today.

@VitaVitaAR


At his Master's inordinately blunt inquiry, the detective could do naught but smile in turn. It was a false courtesy, as was par for the course when he was to deal with Moriarty and his machinations, but as far as things went this was particularly troublesome. Though he knew that his arch-nemesis was far less inclined to tamper with matters involving the arcane than he, in this city there were a number of troublesome things that he could apply that might cause incidents.

Though causing the spontaneous creation of an underwater structure overnight? Even he had to balk at such a thought.

"It is as Miss Obberhausen has said. Though I question the necessity of your direct aid, information, if you would be so kind as to provide it, would prove useful. Given our usual relationship, though, I doubt that you shall do so. Am I mistaken?"

The half-backhanded remark was made in a slightly sarcastic manner, as if goading the old man to prove them wrong. There was always the possibility of a lie or a half-truth, all things considered, but the Ruler himself did not expect this line of questioning to bear fruit.

@KoL@DocRock


The cloud of dust that had been momentarily kicked up by Mordred's decisive strike seemed to only give a bit of dramatic flair to the match, as by this point the Archer (whose countenance had hardened mid-fight) was now lying prone on the ground with his opponent's weapon aimed at his forehead. There was a moment of silence before Chiron smiled and raised his arms in defeat.

"This match is yours, Sir Mordred. I concede defeat."

Given that the other match had just about ended in a similarly decisive manner, those who had gathered to watch the spontaneous double exhibition match seemed to be charged with energy. The approval that the Knights had gathered from their victories... Well, that spoke for itself.

Once Mordred had relented and allowed Chiron to get off of the ground, the Archer brushed himself off and nodded towards his opponent, offering a handshake in turn.

"Of course, I cannot teach a person not willing to learn, but you certainly do seem like the type to refine your style in combat. I would recommend you continue to challenge yourself here; there are far better opponents than I suited for you."

"..."

Normally, there would be words for a fallen foe. But as Benienma flicked her blade clean of dissipating blood, she couldn't deny something felt somewhat... off. She couldn't detect if a Servant's spirit origin had vanished or not, she didn't have the capacity to do so beyond knowing that their presence had ceased. And that was most certainly a lethal injury to anyone who did not possess adequate self-recovery. But there was no denying the feeling within the diminutive enma's heart.

Something was wrong. She was certain that she had killed Hijikata Toshizo, and yet something was wrong.

But...

There was no further time that could be spent on such things. She could at least confirm the enemy was no longer present. Quietly, Benienma sheathed her sword, her attention now directed towards the boy.

It wasn't his fault. There was no telling what had truly happened at the moment, but the fact that he had attempted to use his command seals only to be met with failure, the words she had heard the Berserker speak...

Benienma's platform geta clicked against the concrete as she approached him, offering him her hand.

"... You aren't being arrested dechi," she began, "This is for your sake, and so that we can find out what happened here dechi. If your command seals didn't work, if he was summoned by someone else, we need to find out why. I'll be taking you in for questioning dechi."

---

And just like that, both battles had concluded. Arturia observed for a few moments... the second that Bradamante had lunged forward to try and strike the opening Lancelot had left, she knew that battle had concluded. Mordred's fight, however, had been considerably more... messy. Mordred's jaw definitely appeared to be injured. And yet her reckless gambit had paid off. It wasn't as if taking a hit to win was as bad thing, Arturia had certainly done so before. But Mordred's fighting style... It was exactly what she expected from the Red Knight, in the end.

The blonde girl, having finished her snacks long ago, rose to her feet to proceed down to the field.

"..."

Bradamante lowered her weapon, taking a deep breath.

"... Aaah... just as expected from the legendary Knight of the Lake..." she commented, "There was no way I was going to win from the start, huh?"

She stepped back, smiling slightly as she did. The chance to duel someone like Lancelot... well, she'd known how to would end from the start, but doing anything less then fighting as hard as she could was wrong. It would be a dishonor to him. And so she had tried her hardest to claim victory.

Seria wordlessly bolted out onto the field the moment she was able to.

"Y-you idiot! Grrr..."

Her enthusiasm for the moment, had faded.

"That was really cool but you're still an idiot!" she cried, even as she began to prepare a healing spell. It was basic, but it was all that was really necessary... still, seeing her Servant do something like that! It was amazing, but it looked like she'd lost teeth or even broken her jaw from that impact! She didn't want to see something like that! Her mana flowed through her limbs as she came to a halt beside the red knight, raising her hands to her face.

Given Mordred's nature as a Servant, collecting any lost teeth wasn't really necessary. The mana she was utilizing would do everything that was required.

@KoL@Raineh Daze@PKMNB0Y

If any buttons had been pressed by the "dubious" remark, it didn't show, if anything, Moriarty really did seem impressed. Internally, he did worry if the other had found a copy of his masterpiece, but it wasn't worth dwelling upon. But, he had been asked, and he couldn't help but smile. "I am most impressed, I wrote that work when I was a very young man. As for if I know anything..."

He paused for dramatic effect, before simply leaning forward in an almost conspiratorial manner. "Why of course, I know something about the affairs at hand." But before Holmes could interject, or jump upon what might have been an admission of guilt, Moriarty lifted a finger in the air. "But its all just hearsay, or what I've gathered from the people around. A few poor souls are in the hospital from being attacked by some sort of unknown beast. And some are claiming its some sort of divine act, given how swiftly it appeared. But I'm sure there's a perfectly reasonable, logical explanation to all this." And he said this all with a perfectly straight face. It was true, something had messed people up. It was an underwater structure that was probably infested with all sorts of nightmares. But one would have to well, investigate to determine such.

@Raineh Daze @PKMNB0Y

"The chance with your fighting style was a slim one, but there was always a chance," the other knight said, trying to be as consolatory as he could. Admittedly, if he wanted to be fully honest, the chance was verging on non-existent even before the rules of the arena. Even with all else considered and the possibility for Bradamante have kept a cooler head... he had still been holding back the greatest boost to his capabilities.

Turning around to survey the aftermath, he saw that both Mordred had gone for a more... brutal approach, and that the others were now descending from the stands, one with concern for her Servant and the king no doubt seeking to find her first opponent. Or admonish him for not ending his fight all the faster.

"Hey, nice job, didn't think such a big sword could be used like that," she said in passing, looking down again at the hungry suit-wearing Servant. Hmm, the sword she had was about the same size, did that mean that Arturia had a similar fighting style? Or was the tiny food destroyer actually as brute force as Lancelot wasn't? "I guess I don't need to get more snacks?"

"Pfft! Oh boy! I really shouldn't try to do that when I'm not wearing my helmet. Anyway, that was a nice strike, Archer. You really are much more fun when you aren't lecturing people around," Mordred said, after spitting a mouthful of blood, as she extended a hand to her opponent. Whether he accepted the offer or not, she wouldn't be holding it for too long. After all, a certain tsunderish Master who couldn't decide whether she was happy or worried would be clinging to her in a moment's notice.

"Ouch, ouch, Master! That's no way to treat your knight, is it?" Mordred joked as Seria clung to her and, while casting a healing spell, couldn't decide if she would praise, or scold the Knight of Treachery. However, Mordred would make it an easy choice—or rather, not leave much room for choices on Seria's part—when she pulled her Master close, holding her by the waist, and rose Clarent high over her head, declaring herself as the victor of this match, like in the good old times.

"Hear this all of you! This victory is a declaration that the greatest king of all time, Arthur Pendragon, has come back to this land with his Knights of the Round Table! After so long, we have finally come back together! If there's anyone else who dares challenge us, make yourself known!" the crimson knight shouted to the whole of the arena, and whoever else was watching the match's broadcast.

Meanwhile, Tristan would also come out of the gloom of the waiting area, following his King. His head was hung low and his eyes shut—just as ever—it would be hard to know whether or not the Child of Sadness was awake or sleepwalking until he said, "My King, forgive this Knight for his opinion. Even though this is a moment of celebration, I can't help but feel sad for those who got their dreams of victory crushed. Fair maiden, Lady Bradamante, and Chiron, the instructor of countless legendary heroes, I shall remember your gallantry and tenacity whenever I play my melodies," in the most melodramatic voice possible, following Mordred's declaration.


"I see," Othis replied after Moriarty explained what he knew about this mystery. In the end, it wasn't that different from the information Holmes and she knew but she didn't let this detail clear. If nothing else, having the dastardly good professor guess how much they knew or not would even the odds since they couldn't be completely sure that he wasn't plotting something either. Or better, knowing his fame, he certainly was plotting something. What it was, and whether or not it had something to do with this whole ordeal and with themselves, was the question left to be answered.

"If that's the case, I suppose we will have to continue with our original plan, or do you have anything else in mind, Holmes?" she asked her partner.

It took roughly half a minute after the Saber in front of him spoke that Jason responded. There was a slight nod of the young man's head as he slowly pushed himself off the ground, his eyes never actually meeting the eyes of the Servant who would be escorting him over. By this point, Hijikata had most definitely died, and despite everything that had transpired and the assurance that he would have no fault, the young man still found himself guilty of both leaving his friend behind and having thought that he could have done anything to change the situation in the first place.

"...Yeah. I'll go."

By this point, he neither was in a position nor did he have the mental strength to argue. Wherever the Saber took him, he would follow without a word.

@VitaVitaAR


At Moriarty's response, Holmes simply glanced at the old man of around fifty with an inquisitive look. The possibility that the Archer in front of him was either withholding information or outright lying to them did very well exist, but at this point further interrogation would only serve to be a further waste of time.

"No, Miss Obberhausen, I do not believe that this information changes our plans much, if at all. The only problem I can see in our immediate future is a lack of seafaring vessels available for usage, though; given that we are not the only ones curious enough to look into this matter, I doubt that we will be able to procure one with a simple request. It is the first day of spring break, after all, and I am sure there are many teenagers looking for a quick thrill with their Servants in this pleasant weather."

@KoL@DocRock


The firm handshake exchanged between Chiron and Mordred seemed to draw a few more cheers from the already hyper crowd, and the subsequent scene between the Knight of Treachery and her Master only seemed to raise the tension in the room. Tristan's subsequent entry and comment simply drew a laugh from Chiron.

"I do not mind the loss; though I cannot speak for Bradamante and her opinion her her match, I can say with certainty that I am a teacher before I am a fighter. Many of my students have surpassed me in their own ways, so it is not as if I am not wholly unused to this sort of ordeal," he responded, a smile on his face as he turned to face Arturia, Laetitia, and Tristan. "I do believe, though, that I am not in any state to fight any further right now. I have received word from my Master, though, that there are a pair of Servants willing to spar with you tomorrow, if you have the time. Would you be willing to return then, or should I arrange these matches for a later date?"

@Raineh Daze