While Fujimaru, Mash, and Jeanne were being cornered by multiple Berserker Servants, Ritsu and Jalter had just finished killing more people in another village.
"And that's the last one. That makes it the fourth village… I didn't expect there to be so many people involved in your death, nee-san," Ritsu said as she brushed her palms together, looking at her masterpiece in front of her.
By masterpiece, she meant the sight of people desperately running away after she removed the barrier that had trapped them, their faces filled with fear.
"Hah… That's a lot. Even I didn't expect there to be this many villages. It feels like we've been doing this for a year or something," Jalter said as she dismissed her corrupted flag after using another Noble Phantasm.
"What do you mean, nee-san? We've only been doing this for fourteen minutes," Ritsu replied with a giggle.
"Really? It felt like a year to me, but whatever," Jalter said, looking around at the destruction she had caused.
She didn't feel even a hint of guilt watching the survivors flee from her. Instead, she felt satisfied seeing the lifeless bodies of those responsible for burning her alive lying on the ground.
It was a shame she couldn't torture them personally, but Ritsu had already told her what would happen to their souls under the Scales of Dominion.
"Thank you, both of you," Ritsu said softly to her weapons before putting them back into her pocket.
"Now let's fly again with the wyvern!" Ritsu exclaimed excitedly.
Jalter let out a quiet sigh at the girl's enthusiasm, but she still prepared to summon her wyvern to carry her again.
"Huh?"
She suddenly stopped and turned her gaze toward a specific direction.
"This feeling… another Servant is being summoned?" Jalter murmured.
"Another Servant? Is it going to be like the ones in your place with Madness Enhancement?" Ritsu asked.
"No. This one feels normal—probably summoned by the Singularity itself… Hmm, I see. So it's him," Draco's voice echoed inside Ritsu's mind.
"Who?" Ritsu asked.
"The Tenacious Dragon Slayer."
"Dragon Slayer?" Ritsu repeated in confusion. Based on the history she had read, she had a few guesses—but there were only wyverns around. There wasn't a true dragon anywhere.
"Nee-san," Ritsu said as she tugged on the hem of Jalter's clothes. "Are there any dragons around here?"
"Eh?"
Now back with Fujimaru and the others.
BOOOM! CLANG!
Mash staggered as Berserker Lancer's strike slammed into her shield once more. The sheer force sent her skidding backward, her boots carving deep lines into the shattered ground.
Vlad III was already a monster even without Madness Enhancement—but with it, every blow carried overwhelming pressure, as if the land itself bent to his will. Dark mana seeped from his body like mist, his spear roaring through the air with murderous intent.
"!!!" Mash gritted her teeth, barely managing to hold her stance. Her arms trembled as she raised her shield again.
Meanwhile, Jeanne was faring no better.
Carmilla moved like a shadow drenched in blood, her presence flickering in and out of existence. Even as an Assassin—normally unsuited for direct combat—she dominated the fight through sheer cruelty and experience.
Jeanne's breathing grew ragged.
Her Saint Graph was unstable. Without a Master supplying mana, every movement drained her further. A shallow cut appeared along her arm, then another across her shoulder—blood staining her white armor.
"Seeing your blood makes me excited," Carmilla purred, her voice echoing from everywhere at once. "How about you give up and let me flay your skin and bathe in your blood~?"
"Hah… hah…" Jeanne ignored the taunt, tightening her grip on her flag.
She forced herself forward, summoning what little strength she had left, and swung—
—but her attack met nothing.
"Wha—?"
In an instant, Carmilla vanished.
The ground beneath Carmilla feet burst.
Blood erupted upward like a living tide, wrapping around Jeanne's body as Carmilla dissolved into the crimson flow. Jeanne's flag cleaved through empty air as the blood swallowed Carmilla whole, leaving nothing behind.
"Jeanne!" Fujimaru shouted.
The blood scattered, reforming several meters away as Carmilla emerged gracefully, licking a smear of blood from her finger.
"So predictable," she said with a cruel smile. "Your movements are slowing down."
At the same time, Vlad III raised his spear high.
"IMPALER—"
Dark stakes began to tear through the earth around Mash, erupting violently as they aimed for her position.
"Senpai, get back!" Mash shouted, planting her shield firmly into the ground.
She braced herself, magic circuits screaming as she poured everything she had into defense.
"Lord Chaldeas!"
The battlefield shook.
Surrounded, outmatched, and running out of time—the three of them were being pushed steadily toward defeat.
Not just Mash but Jeanne also having her own problem with Carmilla.
Carmilla's left arm currently pierced straight through Jeanne's back, emerging from her right shoulder in a spray of blood.
"Ugh—!" Jeanne gasped, her body stiffening as pain exploded through her nerves.
She looked down in disbelief, seeing a pale hand protruding from her shoulder—slick with her own blood. At the last moment, she had twisted her body just enough to avoid a fatal strike, but even so, the damage was severe.
"Seems like you're running out of juice there, Holy Maiden," Carmilla whispered mockingly from behind her ear. "You barely managed to dodge."
Jeanne forced herself forward, teeth clenched, dragging Carmilla's arm free from her body as she stumbled ahead. In the same motion, she swung her flag backward in a desperate counterattack.
But it hit nothing.
Carmilla dissolved into a fog of blood, scattering into the air before reforming several meters away, her laugh echoing softly.
"Jeanne!" Fujimaru shouted, panic clear in his voice.
Without hesitation, he raised his right arm and activated his Mystic Code.
"First Aid!"
A soft green light enveloped Jeanne's body. The wound on her shoulder began to close slowly, flesh knitting together—but the glow faded too quickly. The injury didn't manage to close properly.
"It's not enough…" Fujimaru clenched his fist, frustration and fear twisting in his chest.
Their situation was getting worse by the second.
"…You two should get away from here," Jeanne said suddenly, her voice strained but firm. "Let me handle them."
"What? No way!" Fujimaru immediately protested. "We're not leaving you alone!.
After saying that suddenly they can hear Mash voice and loud sound of something being hit.
"Arghh!"
A massive impact sent her flying.
Vlad III's spear struck her shield at full force, shattering her stance and launching her backward like a rag doll. Mash crashed into the ground and slid across the rubble before coming to a stop right beside Fujimaru, her body covered in wounds.
"Mash!" Fujimaru rushed to her side.
"Fujimaru! Mash! You need to retreat now!" Romani's voice shouted through the comms, thick with panic.
"Damn it…" Romani muttered on the other end, fingers flying across his console. "I need to find a way to get them out of there safely… Let's see—ah! There it is."
A few frantic keystrokes later, he posted on a certain idol forum.
Thread title: How to survive being attacked by two Servants while your Servant is exhausted
Not even two seconds passed before a reply popped up.
Magi☆Mari:
Nothing you can do. Just die.
"…Wow," Romani said flatly. "Idols these days are really harsh, huh."
But before he could return his focus to the battlefield, another reply appeared beneath it.
Anonymous User:
With your little girl's help, she can do something.
Romani froze.
"…Little girl" he murmured, eyes widening slightly.
Back on the battlefield, Vlad III lifted his spear once more, dark stakes beginning to writhe beneath the ground as Carmilla smiled, licking blood from her lips.
Fujimaru helped Mash back to her feet while Jeanne stood beside him, her body already stained with blood.
Jeanne regretted not forming a contract with Fujimaru before this battle. At the very least, it would have stabilized her Saint Graph—but now it was far too late.
Vlad III and Carmilla began to move again, their killing intent unmistakable as they prepared to attack once more, clearly aiming to finish the fight after seeing Mash and Jeanne in such a weakened state.
Before either of them could make a move, a blinding light suddenly enveloped the landscape, shining from the direction of the mountains.
The horizon distorted as a colossal explosion bloomed in the distance, rising into the sky like a towering mushroom cloud.
"What is that?" Fujimaru said in confusion.
"What—!? Fujimaru, Mash, we're detecting an enormous spike in energy from that direction!" Olga shouted, alarms flaring across the monitors in Chaldea. "The output is absurd—this isn't a Servant's Noble Phantasm!"
A moment later, the shockwave finally reached their position.
A split second later, the shockwave reached them.
"Master!" Mash instantly stepped in front of Fujimaru and Jeanne, slamming her shield into the ground as the blast wind roared through the battlefield. Debris, dust, and shattered earth were thrown violently into the air, the pressure forcing everyone to brace themselves.
Even Vlad and Carmilla were driven back several steps, their cloaks and mana flaring wildly as they resisted the overwhelming force.
"…That direction," Vlad growled, narrowing his eyes. "That wasn't ours."
Carmilla clicked her tongue, crimson mist dispersing around her. "Tch. Someone else is playing executioner."
As the wind slowly died down, the battlefield fell into an eerie silence.
Even after the blast subsided, a massive pillar of smoke still rose high into the sky in the distance.
The mountains that had once stood there were now completely gone, leaving everyone wondering what on earth had just happened.
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Meanwhile, in that direction a few minutes earlier—
"Woahhh, that's a really big dragon!" Ritsu exclaimed in awe as she stared at the gigantic dark dragon sleeping among the mountains, surrounded by many other dragons—though none of them were anywhere near as large as this one.
"That's right. That's Fafnir—the real dragon I was using to destroy Orléans!" Jalter said with a proud expression on her face. "Well… before everything changed."
That change was the appearance of a little girl who came out of nowhere and started meddling with her Saint Graph, altering it drastically.
After that, her vengeance and hatred began to fade—though not completely, at least not until they had finished burning several villages.
That alone was enough to leave her feeling satisfied.
But if Ritsu had never tampered with her Saint Graph, simply burning villages would never have been enough for her—she wouldn't have stopped until all of Orléans had been completely destroyed.
As the wyvern Ritsu and Jalter were riding landed, Ritsu immediately hopped off and began running toward the giant dragon.
She was minuscule compared to Fafnir— even a single scale on his body was almost the same size as her.
"So his name is Fafnir? That's a cute name, and it really suits him," Ritsu said as she gently touched one of the massive scales on the sleeping dragon's head.
"Not exactly," Jalter replied. "Fafnir can be called a name, but he isn't just a single being. Fafnir is more like a phenomenon—an embodiment of an evil dragon, rather than one physical existence."
"Wow, so there are multiple Fafnirs?" Ritsu's eyes sparkled with excitement. She turned toward Jalter. "Hey, hey, nee-san! Let's fly with Fafnir now!"
Hearing that, Jalter nodded and used her Dragon Witch (EX) ability, ordering the dragon to awaken.
With a loud, rumbling grunt, the dragon opened his eyes and slowly rose from his slumber, pushing himself up from the ground.
"Woahhh, he reminds me of Bahamut," Ritsu said in amazement.
The smaller dragons, sensing their commander awakening, began to move away, some of them even taking flight to clear the area.
Before long, Fafnir stood there in his full glory—his massive dragon body towering over everything as he looked down at the two of them.
"Go on, then," Jalter said, waiting for Fafnir to act.
Hearing his master's order, Fafnir extended his massive claw and gently picked Ritsu up, leaving her dangling in the air as she laughed happily.
He placed her carefully on his back, and Jalter jumped up after her, sitting down behind Ritsu.
Spreading his enormous wings, Fafnir braced himself—then launched into the sky.
Fafnir began flying around the mountain area, avoiding any places where people might be, making sure not to cause a scene.
"This is awesome! The wind is so strong up here!" Ritsu shouted, looking around as she enjoyed the scenery.
Behind her, Jalter didn't say anything, simply letting her have her fun.
For some reason, seeing the little girl so happy made Jalter's chest feel warm, and without realizing it, a small smile formed on her face.
After a few minutes of roaming through the sky, Ritsu suddenly asked something rather bizarre.
"Nee-san, can Fafnir use a dragon breath attack?"
"D–dragon breath attack!? Why so sudden!?"
"Well, most dragons in my world can do that, so I'm curious whether dragons in this world can do it too or not."
"Your world has dragons too? Hmm… let's see. Yes, Fafnir does have one."
"Really!? Can I see it?"
Hearing that, Jalter gave a small nod and crossed her arms.
"Alright. Fafnir—use your breath."
The massive dragon obediently stopped midair, wings beating slowly as he hovered above the mountains. He lowered his head, opened his jaws wide, and began gathering Mana.
…And gathering.
…and gathering.
The air started to swirl, faint light collecting in his mouth as magical energy was drawn in from the surroundings. The wind picked up slightly. The glow grew… very slowly.
Ritsu leaned forward, eyes sparkling at first.
"Ooooh~ it's charging!"
Ten seconds passed.
Twenty.
Thirty.
The light was brighter now, but still nowhere near impressive.
"…Nee-san," Ritsu asked, tilting her head, "is it supposed to take this long?"
Jalter frowned, staring at Fafnir's mouth.
"…Huh. It shouldn't."
Another few seconds passed. The glow flickered, then dimmed slightly before stabilizing again.
"Oh." Jalter clicked her tongue. "Right. He's pulling Mana from the surroundings."
"…From Orleans?"
"Yeah. The land here is already drained and unstable. Not much Mana left to work with."
Ritsu blinked.
"…So that's why it's slow?"
Fafnir let out a low, awkward rumble, still charging, clearly struggling.
Ritsu stared at him for a moment.
Then her face lit up.
"Oh! Then I can help!"
"—Wait, what?"
Before Jalter could stop her, Ritsu placed both hands on Fafnir's neck, right below his head.
"Here you go! Use mine!"
A surge of Mana poured out of Ritsu's body.
Not a trickle.
Not a stream.
A flood.
The air screamed.
The glow inside Fafnir's mouth instantly swelled, expanding at an alarming rate. The light went from bright to blinding in a split second, dense Mana compressing so violently that cracks of lightning erupted outward.
Fafnir's eyes widened.
The energy was too much.
Way too much.
His entire head was forced backward as the gathered power spiraled out of control, the beam inside his mouth swelling until it barely fit.
"WAIT—!" Jalter shouted.
Inside Ritsu, Draco reacted instantly.
Barrier deployed.
A thick, crimson barrier snapped into existence around Ritsu, Jalter, and Fafnir's body just as the dragon panicked.
Unable to contain it any longer, Fafnir snapped his head downward and fired.
The breath attack erupted wildly, no longer a focused beam but an overwhelming blast of condensed Mana that slammed straight into the distant mountain range.
The impact was catastrophic.
A blinding flash consumed the horizon.
A massive explosion followed, the mountain instantly vanishing beneath a towering mushroom cloud of smoke and debris that shot straight into the sky.
The shockwave ripped outward.
Even from the air, the force slammed into the barrier, rattling it violently as deafening thunder rolled across the land.
Ritsu pressed her face against the barrier, eyes shining.
"Woaaah…"
The light faded. The explosion continued to echo.
Fafnir let out a confused, slightly distressed roar, smoke leaking from his mouth.
Jalter stared at the distant mushroom cloud in silence.
"…You helped a little too much."
Ritsu smiled innocently.
"…Oops?"
Far away, that explosion was exactly the one Fujimaru and the others would soon witness.