On a dark country road, a single pickup truck rolled along, carrying two people: its driver and a teenaged blonde in the back of the trunk. She was dressed in a school uniform and had a suitcase next to her as she stared into the distance, contemplating her circumstances.
Jeanne d'Arc, Servant Class Ruler, was heading towards Trifas to mediate the Great Holy Grail War between the Yggdmillenias and the Mages' Association.
Her summoning circumstances were quite odd, though. Unable to manifest a physical form of her own, she had found a human host, Laeticia Delacroix, who was willing to let her possess her body. However, her skills were unchanged, so she didn't mind too much.
But… what is this uncertainty I feel? This Holy Grail War… is not normal.
Jeanne blinked as she felt a deep sense of danger settle on her. Reaching out with her senses, she felt a Servant a few hundred metres down the road. She quickly tapped the window in front of her. "Please go back. It's dangerous. I can walk the rest of the way."
The driver stopped the truck and stared at Jeanne. "Are you serious, young lady? I can't let a young girl like you go alone in this dark place. We're almost at Trifas, I'll drive the rest of the way."
"Please," Jeanne said firmly. "I'll be fine by myself."
"If you say so…" The driver was clearly hesitant, but he got out of the truck and helped Jeanne get her—Laeticia's—suitcase out of the back. "Please be careful, miss."
"I will. Please, go back. It'll be safer for you."
"You get to a safe place as well, miss." The male got back into his truck and sped off in the direction that they had just come from.
Taking a deep breath, Jeanne picked up the suitcase's handle and began walking down the road, tensing as the Servant's signature got closer and closer…
Karna and Ritsuka landed near a light post on an empty country road. "It was here, right?" Ritsuka asked as Karna set her on her feet.
"Yes," Karna replied. "Ruler is already heading in our direction."
"Well, do your thing then," Ritsuka said. "I'll just hide over there until Siegfried and his Master shows up." She pointed at a random area far, far away from Karna.
"Be safe, Master."
"I will. Don't worry about me."
"Do not be afraid to use your Command Seals, then."
"Yeah, yeah." Ritsuka pulled out a golden apple from her phone and quickly consumed it (in reality, the apples were quite, quite small), grinning as she felt the rush of mana. "Feel free to go all out." Giving her Servant one final smile, Ritsuka used the switching spell on her battlesuit to switch the locations of herself and a small rock in the far distance. She had recently found out that the spell could switch other things besides Servants, and she used it to her full advantage. She ended up around 100 metres away from Karna.
Karna leaped onto the light post, waiting for Ruler to show up. Ritsuka snapped a few photos of him, grinning at the almost uncaring expression on Karna's face. She briefly wondered if she could get Dr. Roman to dedicate a room in Chaldea for her photos of previous singularities and Servants in general. Since her phone only held FGO and a few other mandatory apps, she had plenty of space for photos.
Soon enough, Ritsuka saw Jeanne walking in their direction, and shielded her eyes as Karna stood up, sending a blast of flame from his lance towards the blond Ruler. The resulting explosion blew up the road, and Ritsuka saw Jeanne jump back, now in her armour.
While they exchanged words, Ritsuka saw a limo approaching them. "There's Siegfried's Master… I suppose I should head over?" She quickly snapped some more photos of Karna and Jeanne before she quickly jogged over. Maybe she was lucky or didn't notice it earlier, but there was a rather large bush next to the road. Hiding behind the bush, she waited for the car to stop.
A man quickly got out and yelled for Saber. Siegfried materialized and his sword clashed with Karna's spear, allowing Jeanne to quickly move out of range.
Ritsuka snickered as she watched Gordes try to get Jeanne to fight Karna with Siegfried. Pressing the film button on her phone, she aimed her camera at Karna.
"You want to make this a two-on-one fight? Not that I mind." Karna shifted back into his battle stance. "Come then… Ruler and Saber of Black."
Master, I will try to stay as far away from you as possible.
Go ahead.
Karna leapt backwards as Siegfried lunged at him, and their clash began. Jeanne stood off to the side, explaining her neutrality in the affair to Siegfried's agitated Master.
"Whoa, cool," Ritsuka breathed as she continued to film them. While she had seen much more on the battlefield with her Servants back at Chaldea, she had also been busy issuing orders and making sure no one got incapacitated too quickly, hence missing out most of the battles. Some of the more protective Servants also insisted on keeping her farther away from battles to keep her safe, so she couldn't see much. This was the first time in a while that she had seen a battle between two Servants up close.
Ritsuka heard a shuffling in front of her, and peeked out from behind the bush to see Siegfried's Master start yelling. "Come out, Lancer of Red's Master! I know you're out there! Come out and let us battle as befitting our status as proud magi!"
Ritsuka sighed. "Feeling useless, aren't you." However, she did want some action of her own. Standing up, she called out. "I'm right behind you, so you can stop yelling."
The pudgy blond man started and turned around, meeting Ritsuka's eyes. They widened in shock. " You're Lancer of Red's Master? You're just a girl!"
Ruler turned to observe their exchange, saying nothing as Ritsuka replied.
"Would these prove that I'm a Master at least?" Ritsuka asked as she held up her hand, displaying her Command Seals.
The man sputtered. "You are a dishonourable person then, girl! Sending your Servant to attack the mediator of this war!"
"You should have anticipated my actions if you came here with Siegfried, then, Gordes Musik Yggdmillenia." Grinning at Gordes' shocked face, Ritsuka continued. "Disregarding my age, I believe you wanted an fight with another magus?"
"You—how much do you know about us?!"
"Let's just say I'm well-informed about the Black Faction." Actually, I know a lot about you guys. Vlad and Astolfo told me a lot. "Prepare yourself."
In truth, Ritsuka would probably never match up to Gordes in terms of magical potential. She was a second-generation mage with very low potential, her only specialty being her high compatibility to Rayshift. However, after summoning multiple Servants and battling with them, she had sought out the friendlier ones and asked for their help to train her. The Casters mainly helped her with magecraft, while others gave her training in hand-to-hand combat and some instruction with a few weapons. No one really questioned her ambitions to grow stronger, and many of the Servants encouraged it, although they insisted on keeping her guarded in the battlefields.
Medea, her younger counterpart, and Lord El-Melloi II were the main ones to aid in her magecraft training. Since she had no elemental affinities or Sorcery Traits, they taught her advanced versions of spells she knew already. Emiya dropped in occasionally to help her hone her skills at projection and reinforcement (basic skills come in handy later, he said), and sometimes even Ishtar popped in a few of Ritsuka's training sessions to give her a few tips and gems, all knowledge from Rin Tohsaka's memories. Whether Emiya had asked her to or whether the goddess had decided to be kind to her Master, Ritsuka didn't know, but thanked her regardless.
Medea had also taught Ritsuka a useful spell that modern humans could use to store things in alternate spaces. While Ritsuka didn't really use it actively, it was nice to use as a secret weapon… but for what, she told no one. Ko-Gil knew since he had seen her use it, but the young king simply laughed and told her not to tell any of his older counterparts.
Amakusa was the one who taught Ritsuka how to actually use Black Keys. Usually when a summoning spree went wrong, Ritsuka would march over to Amakusa's room with a disgruntled look on her face and fling them all at his head. After the fifth incident, Amakusa finally told Ritsuka that she should learn to use Black Keys instead of just tossing them at him, and proceeded to teach her how. She still gave the majority of them to him, though, and stored the rest in her alternate space.
Strangely, Kiritsugu always gave her apprehensive looks whenever he saw her tossing around Black Keys during their combat lessons, but he quickly changed the subject whenever she asked.
Drawing 6 Black Keys with glowing green auras, Ritsuka reinforced her body and lunged at Gordes.
Gordes only had enough time to shout a one-count aria, reinforcing his arms so that Ritsuka's blades shattered upon contact. Ritsuka tched and jumped back. "Alchemist… transmuting your own body. I'll make up for my lack of magical potential with bigger guns, then!" She summoned 6 blue Black Keys, her eyes keeping careful watch on Gordes' actions.
Lord El-Melloi II's voice echoed through her head. Never take your eyes off your opponent. One look away and it can be fatal.
Gordes, however, didn't attack, staring at Ritsuka in shock. "You can't be one of the Church's exorcists, so how are you wielding Black Keys?!"
"Now why would I tell you anything?" Ritsuka asked honestly. "I make up for my low magical potential as a second-generation mage with weapons. You're a first-class mage, aren't you? We are enemy Masters in the war, our Servants are fighting, and Ruler is watching us right now. Didn't you want a fight?"
Gordes' expression filled with even more shock and hints of admiration. "Only a second-generation magus and you summoned a powerful Servant… I will fight you seriously, then."
"Come at me then!"
Darnic Prestone Yggdmillenia observed the fight between Gordes and the mysterious red-haired girl on a screen in the Millennium Castle, courtesy of one of Caster's golems who had been brought along with Gordes. She was very surprising.
"A second-generation magus who summoned one of the world's most powerful heroes… she does not wear the clothing of the church but she wields their weapons… interesting."
"She appears to know a lot about us," Lancer of Black, also known as Vlad III, said as he sipped on a goblet of fine red wine. "Darnic, what will you do with her? She may jeopardize your plans. Even from here, I can sense great potential in her."
"I will observe her for now, my liege," Darnic replied. "She has not shown her full skillset yet, and if she cannot hold her own against Gordes while providing mana for her Servant, then we have completely overestimated her and she would not be of any danger to us."
Lancer watched silently as the girl flung three red Black Keys at Gordes, two shattering against his reinforced arms but the third managing to pierce his hardened flesh. The blond shouted in pain, and countered with a spell that caused the ground to rise up and attempt to trap the girl, who reinforced her legs and backflipped out of the way, flinging 3 more Black Keys at her opponent. "How fares Saber?"
Darnic motioned with his hand, and the scene changed to the image of two Servants battling with their all. "Lancer of Red is matching Saber blow for blow. Unsurprising, considering Karna is a demigod and has a divine spear."
"It will be interesting to cross blades with him in the near future," Lancer stated, taking another sip of his wine. "Have them retreat when dawn comes. If Karna truly is descended from the sun, I do not think Saber will be able to defeat him then."
"Yes, my liege."
A few months before the current events…
Ritsuka's frustrated scream could be heard throughout Chaldea.
In the summoning chamber, Tesla and Edison had stopped arguing for once, instead laughing together at the pile of conceptual weapons that had appeared in the middle of the summoning circle. Realizing what they had done mere seconds later, they resumed their catfight. With Helena nowhere to be seen, no one stopped them.
Ritsuka was busy raging.
"10 SUMMONS AND ALL BLACK KEYS?! THIS IS INSANITY, I TELL YOU!" She turned to Tesla and Edison, eyes blazing. "TESLA! EDISON! STOP FIGHTING AND FIND A WAY TO CHANGE THE RATIOS OR WHATEVER! SHIROU AMAKUSA TOKISADA! GET OVER HERE THIS INSTANT!"
"Senpai…" Mashu called gently, but Ritsuka was beyond comfort at this point.
"THIS IS EVEN WORSE THAN THE MOBILE GAME! AT LEAST SOMETHING THAT WASN'T A BLACK KEY WAS GUARANTEED WITH EVERY MULTI SUMMON!"
Unfortunately, Amakusa chose that time to pop his head into the summoning chamber. "Master Ritsuka, did you call me—" He was rewarded with Ritsuka picking up a Black Key and hurling it at his head. He tilted his head to the side and saw the pile of Black Keys on the ground. "My, my, a whole pile of them this time? Shall I take them off your hands?"
Ritsuka had an angry glare on her face. "Did you steal Gilles' spellbook or something and curse the summoning circle? You're the only one who uses Black Keys!"
"I assure you, I did nothing of the sort," Amakusa raised his hands in a placating manner. "I still haven't gone through the 5 buckets of Black Keys you gave me, so why would I need more?"
Medea materialized at this moment, shaking her head. "Your luck appears to have fallen to E-rank, Ritsuka."
"Don't remind me," Ritsuka moaned. "I knew I was spending too much time around Cu and Siegfried, no offense to their E-rank luck."
Medea snapped her fingers and the Black Keys disappeared.
Ritsuka stared at the elfin beauty. "How…?"
"A simple spell to store objects in alternate spaces," Medea explained. "I don't need an incantation, but you do, and I can teach it to you. With this spell, you can store your extra Black Keys and any other things you don't need, and…" Making a gesture, a portal opened up behind her and fired a Black Key at Amakusa, who dodged it again with a sigh. "Fire them as weapons. The least you can do is use them against enemies."
Ritsuka had a strangely blank expression on her face. "You're right…" She said dreamily. "Just like how Gilgamesh fires his weapons…"
Amakusa suddenly sensed immediate danger at the serene expression on Ritsuka's face. He hurriedly dematerialized.
A few days later, Ritsuka was testing her limits in the training area. There were separate rooms sectioned off from the general area for private training, and she was busy perfecting her Black Key firing.
Muttering the aria, Ritsuka thrust her hand forward and 12 portals opened behind her, firing Black Keys into the opposite, reinforced wall. They shattered, but the wall was strong and remained unmarked. She had observed a while ago that the green Black Keys flew the quickest, the blue ones were the most accurate, and the red ones were extremely powerful. Working with different combinations, she could destroy weaker enemies and get rid of the things she hated the most at the same time.
Before she could fire again, a child's disembodied voice was heard. "Heh, so that's what you're working on, Master?"
Ritsuka stopped and smiled at the child Servant, who materialized in a burst of golden sparks. "Hello there, Gilgamesh."
Ko-Gil giggled slightly. "Copying me, aren't you? I don't care what my older counterparts say, I approve. Although your spell will never compare to the Gate of Babylon, it is sufficient for you. I suppose this is a secret from the majority of Chaldea, then?"
Ritsuka nodded. A thought then struck her mind. "I shouldn't tell your older counterparts about this, should I?"
Ko-Gil scratched his head, and then shook it. "Don't. They're annoyed enough with the faker copying our treasures. Caster might be more amused, but Archer will probably be very angered."
"Then I'll have to give it a name, then, to differentiate," Ritsuka mused. "I know… how about Black Key Hell?"
Ko-Gil grinned. "Good idea, Master."
Ritsuka let another barrage fly into the wall. "If I ever reach the Throne of Heroes, this is definitely going to be one of my Noble Phantasms. Sad."
"Black Key Hell… an almost-infinite stream of Black Keys. You're getting more interesting by the day, Master."
"I'll take that as a compliment, thank you."
The fight was going on longer than Ritsuka would have liked.
She could feel herself tiring: Karna and Siegfried were still battling, and it took her all just to avoid the spells Gordes had thrown at her. She was running out of mana, and Gordes' unrelenting spells ensured that she wouldn't have time to consume another apple or switch mystic codes. I have to end this soon… no way am I dying!
She mentally scolded herself as she dodged out of the way of another blast. You're up against a skilled magus who's probably had his fair share of mage fights. He can probably anticipate your attacks. Meanwhile, you have zero experience fighting mages. Ritsuka, you're an idiot.
Her one moment of distraction was a mistake. Gordes shouted an aria, and spears of earth shot up from the ground, circling around her before closing in. Ritsuka reinforced her body and smashed her way through a few with red Black Keys and rolled out of the way of a few others, but some pierced through her battlesuit and lodged there.
To her credit, Ritsuka didn't cry out, only wincing and ripping out the spears. It was a bad idea, as the wounds began bleeding badly. Cursing for not remembering any healing spells on hand, she jumped back, stumbling a bit as her leg had a nasty wound in it. "Not bad for a first-rate magus."
"I could say the same to you, girl," Gordes huffed. "And you say you're an amateur." He was bleeding from multiple cuts and scratches from Ritsuka's Black Keys, obviously tiring as well. However, he had managed to heal most of his major injuries and looked like he could still go on for a few more rounds.
Ritsuka looked out of the corner of her eye and smiled as she saw the faint glow of the sun light up the horizon. Just a little bit more… She reinforced her body once again, calling out to Karna. How are you doing?
You should worry over yourself first, Master Ritsuka.
Indeed, Karna and Siegfried had been tirelessly exchanging blows, razing most of the land but making sure to stay away from their Masters.
"No use… guess I'll use my ace for this." Ritsuka winced as her muscles protested when she raised her arm, her lips forming the familiar aria she had learned months ago. "Black Key Hell—activate!"
Gordes braced himself, but his jaw fell slack as multiple portals (around 20 in number, the most Ritsuka could summon) opened up behind the Chaldean Master, who at that point did look pretty terrifying: all bloodied up and injured but with a dangerous fire burning in her eyes. "A-alternate spaces?!" He stammered out. Each portal had a blade poking out of it—Black Keys, to be precise.
Ritsuka thrust her hand forward, and a rain of Black Keys shot from the portals. Gordes barely had time to throw up a shield before the blessed weapons slammed into the area around him. While the onslaught was going on, Ritsuka swiftly took out her phone and tossed two golden apples in her mouth, as well as switching into her standard Chaldea uniform, casting an Emergency Heal on herself. The worst of her cuts closed, and she sighed in relief, ending the spell as she sensed that her Black Key supply was dwindling.
(Surprisingly, she didn't have as many Black Keys as she thought she had. Maybe, just maybe, she'd have to ask for some of Amakusa's later.)
(In reality, she still had a few hundred left. She just didn't want to admit it.)
On the ground, a weak shield flickered out, and Gordes lay on the ground, unconscious. He had protected most of his body from the bombardment, but Black Keys were lodged into his arms and legs.
"Haa…" Ritsuka let out a breath she didn't know she was holding, and fell to her knees, utterly exhausted. Jeanne ran over to her, a concerned look on her face.
"Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, Ruler," Ritsuka said with a pained smile. "I'll retreat for now."
Karna and Siegfried had stopped their battle once they saw their Masters fall and had rushed to their sides. Siegfried watched on with a concerned look as the 2 homunculi carried Gordes into the car that he had come in, and turned to see Karna, who was helping Ritsuka stand up.
Ritsuka waved to Siegfried. "Sorry about taking your Master out. I'm guessing you and Karna want a rematch later when we're not interfering?"
"Master, you should really prioritize your own well-being over our desires first," Karna said reproachfully as he lifted Ritsuka into his arms. Turning to Siegfried, he spoke. "We will meet again, Saber of Black."
"I look forward to it, Lancer of Red," Siegfried replied, dematerializing. The car containing Gordes drove off.
"Anyways, Ruler, no, Jeanne d'Arc," Ritsuka said seriously. "We were under orders to attack you tonight. Stay on your guard." Karna, Mordred and her Master are hiding out in the largest Trifas graveyard. Take me to them.
Understood.
With Ritsuka in his arms, Karna disappeared into the distance, leaving Jeanne alone to think about the words Ritsuka had told her.
Master Ritsuka, are you sure you are alright? Karna asked as he landed in an empty part of the graveyard. Your injuries look quite severe.
I'm fine, Ritsuka said, wincing as pain flared up in her right arm. Luckily Raikou or Boudica aren't here or else they'd be fussing over me like there's no tomorrow. Nightingale would probably freak out. Well, for my first fight with a highly experienced mage, it didn't go too badly. He should be out of the fight for a while.
Are you really sure you can confront Mordred and her Master in this state?
Hm, no. But they should at least listen to us since we're on the same side. I'll just heal myself later. The boundary to Kairi Shishigo 's bounded field is just up ahead. Go and trip it; I know it's just a warning signal.
Karna sincerely wished his Master would stop running head-first into potentially dangerous situations.
His wish would not be granted.
"It's so boring here," Mordred whined as she watched Kairi work on a new bone tool.
"We'll go out tonight if that makes you happy," Kairi said gruffly. He hadn't expected Mordred, the Knight of Treachery, to act so childish when she was bored.
A wave of mana rolled over the place, and Kairi tensed. "Someone's tripped the bounded field."
Mordred sat up, her face now serious. "Who is it?"
Kairi activated his circuits and looked through the eyes of one of his familiars outside. "A Servant… and his injured Master. This is strange. Saber, go check it out. Do not engage them in battle."
"Fine," Mordred sighed as she stood up, summoning Clarent into her hand. "This better be interesting," she muttered.
"Saber is coming," Karna said.
"Good, just who I wanted to see," Ritsuka said. She shifted and accidentally banged her injured shoulder on Karna's armour. "Ow ow ow!"
"You two are either suicidal or have a plan up your sleeves if you deliberately tripped the bounded field," a familiar voice spoke. Mordred materialized, a bored look on her face. "Who're you two?"
"Lancer of Red and his Master. You're Saber of Red, right? I just want to talk to your Master. I'm not with Priest Kotomine, I swear."
Mordred tilted her head, communicating with her Master. After a few minutes, she lowered her sword. "We're only letting you in since you said you're not with that priest. Follow me."
Exchanging glances with Karna, Ritsuka motioned for Karna to follow the Saber deeper into the graveyard.
"Master, we're back," Mordred called as she entered the small antechamber she and Kairi stayed in.
Kairi looked up and saw a white-haired Servant carrying an injured red-haired girl in his arms. "Lancer of Red and his Master. How did you even know we were here?"
"I know a lot of things, Shishigo-san," Ritsuka said. "I came here just to talk."
Kairi appraised Ritsuka with a sharp glance. "Where did you get all these injuries?"
"Ran into Saber of Black and his Master. I incapacitated the latter, but I got some nasty injuries. Do you know any healing spells? I don't. I can give you some information in exchange for your help."
"Hm… fine. Lancer, can you set her down on that mat over there?"
Karna complied, and Kairi moved over to Ritsuka's side and examined her cuts. "These look like spear wounds."
"I got stabbed by a few of them—ow!" Ritsuka yelped as Kairi gingerly poked at her lower leg, which had a barely-closed stab wound.
"You say you don't know any healing spells, but some of them have healed. Only a bit, though." Kairi muttered an aria, and Ritsuka's flesh slowly started knitting itself back together.
"My uniform is a mystic code that can cast 3 spells. One of them is an emergency heal usually meant for a Servant, but they can be cast on the user if needed. But usually I'd need some more healing done before I'm completely fine."
"Interesting…" was the only thing Kairi said before he moved on to a deeper cut on Ritsuka's arm, having completely healed the injuries on Ritsuka's lower body.
"So? What information can you give us?" Mordred asked.
"Saber of Black's identity is Siegfried, for starters. I also know the identities of all the other Servants in this war. It's kind of a long story, but I know you two are trustworthy enough."
"You can start with it, then. I'm done over here. You might need a bit of rest to make sure you're completely fine, but I've stopped all the bleeding and repaired your blood vessels." Kairi moved away from Ritsuka and resumed his position near the fire.
Ritsuka slowly lifted an arm, surprise as she realized there was no more pain. "Wow, you're good. Thanks. I'll tell you my story, then. Karna, make sure Mordred doesn't attack me, okay?"
Kairi's mouth dropped at the casual reveal. Meanwhile, Mordred leveled a scathing glare at Ritsuka, a dangerous aura rising off her. "How do you know my True Name?!"
Karna moved in between Mordred and Ritsuka, spear ready, but Ritsuka waved him down. "The same way I know the other Servants' True Names and the way this war is going to turn out… because I'm from the future."
"So you're essentially saying in the future, humanity is going to be wiped out and you've been tasked with fixing incidents in the past that never happened to reset the timeline?" Kairi asked in disbelief.
"Basically, yeah. The entire scheme's by the Grand Caster Solomon. With seven Holy Grails, he gave them to a Servant or a human of the past and let them wreak havoc with their wish. The results of that wish usually mess up the past we know of and as a result, also incinerates our future. I travel to the past with a bunch of Servants, find the reason why the past is messed up, and destroy it, recovering the Holy Grail and taking it back to Chaldea. We've defeated seven singularities so far, and the final one is supposed to be our last battle with Solomon—if we can find him, of course."
"That doesn't explain how you know my identity, though," Mordred said.
"I'm getting there," Ritsuka said. "With each singularity, I met various Servants and obtained suitable catalysts to summon them in Chaldea. Chaldea's system allows me to summon multiple Servants, and sustain them without my own mana. I don't understand how it works, but there's around 100 Servants in Chaldea right now. You included, Mordred."
"100?!" Kairi gaped.
"Mhm. I know all of them by name and appearance, considering I summoned them myself. Mordred's a case where I met her in a singularity, though. You helped me out greatly in 1800s London, so thanks for that." Ritsuka grinned at Mordred.
"You're… welcome?" Mordred sounded confused, but Ritsuka laughed.
"Sorry, sorry, I forgot that you're not the Mordred that I know. Karna's the same case. I summoned him after the American singularity, where I encountered him and bunch of others."
Karna simply nodded.
"So, who have you summoned so far?" Kairi asked, interested.
"There's a lot… we'll be stuck here all day if I tell you. However, I will tell you that there are cases of Servants with the same identity, although under different classes or even at different ages. An example's Gilgamesh. His main class is his adult Archer form, but there's also Caster Gilgamesh and a child Archer version. Cu Chulainn's another example. He has two Lancer forms, one Caster, and one Berserker."
"That's… insane. How do you even tell them apart?"
"They look different, of course. They also act really different. If I have to talk to them, I usually call out to them telepathically."
"Hey, Ritsuka… is my father in Chaldea?" Mordred asked.
Ritsuka tilted her head. "Which one?"
Mordred gaped. "What do you mean, 'which one'?!"
"Uh… your father is Arthur Pendragon, who has 3 Saber identities, 2 Lancer identities, 1 Assassin identity, and 1 Berserker identity. There's also a Saber identity that said he came from a completely different world."
It was Mordred's turn to fall slack-jawed, although Kairi copied her actions.
"Actually, to clarify, besides the one Saber-class, they're all different versions of the father you know, Arturia Pendragon. And then there's the male King Arthur who came from a completely different timeline."
"Wait, wait, wait," Kairi interrupted. "Arthur Pendragon was a female?"
"Technically a pseudo-male thanks to Merlin's magic, but she is female. The male Arthur Pendragon I'm talking about isn't Mordred's father. Arturia Pendragon, on the other hand, is Mordred's real father."
"You know what, I'm getting confused by all this," Kairi groaned. "Can you just tell me about this war since Saber's all shell-shocked over there?"
"Sure. Priest Kotomine's real identity is the Ruler-class Servant, Shirou Amakusa Tokisada. He wants the Grail for his wish to save humanity. Which, by the way, is a bad idea, so I'm stopping him."
"Wha—how?!"
"The Einzberns screwed the rules and summoned him in the Third Holy Grail War. He survived and decided to carry out his plans in this war. He's pretty nice in Chaldea, but right now, he's still a jerk. I'm currently letting him think I'll stay on his side, but when the time's right, I'm either going to defect to the Black Faction or become a third party."
"…"
"Wanna join me? You guys can have the Grail once we take down everyone. I don't want it."
"This… is a lot to take in…" Kairi finally said. "I can tell that you're telling the truth, though. I'll have to think about this."
"Sure," Ritsuka said. "Mordred told me back in Chaldea that you were a really great person and Master overall, so I know you'll make the right decision."
"Wait, she remembers me? Even though you summoned a different version?"
"The Servants I've summoned have memories of previous Grail Wars. Karna was the original Lancer of Red in this war so he knows what happens, and I summoned him here straight from Chaldea so he's the one I originally summoned and bonded with. Makes things easier, you know?"
"I see…"
"Anyways, I have another favour to ask for you. Can you create a Servant summoning circle?
"… you're going to summon another Servant?"
"Master, please reconsider. We've already had this conversation," Karna said firmly, speaking up for the first time in a while. "You will not be able to provide enough mana for two Servants since we are no longer tied to Chaldea."
"And I said I'd be fine. This is also for Mordred's benefit as well, you know."
"Huh?" Mordred had finally snapped out of her shock. "Are you summoning Father?"
"Yes and no," Ritsuka said with a mysterious smile. "Can you do it?" She asked Kairi.
"Sure. Give me some time, though."
"Master, you do not even have a catalyst," Karna reminded Ritsuka as they stood in front of the summoning circle. "With you summoning directly from Chaldea, you might end up with more Black Keys."
"Please don't remind me about my Black Key summoning hell," Ritsuka groaned. "These should work as a catalyst, right?" She pulled two Craft Essences out of her phone. "One conceptualized piece of Excalibur and a nice photo of Arthur with Paracelsus and Ozymandias. Luckily I have multiples of both so losing those won't do any harm. Excalibur's concept will guarantee Arthur's arrival."
"So you're really going to summon King Arthur," Kairi commented.
"Mhm. He's on really good terms with Mordred back in Chaldea, plus I kinda want to Excaliblast some enemies here while I'm at it."
"A male Father…" Mordred muttered. She still appeared to be quite shocked.
Ritsuka placed the two cards into the middle of the circle and pulled out 3 Saint Quartz from her phone. "That reminds me, I should do a few summons later." Activating her circuits, she sent a burst of mana into the circle, and it glowed, rainbow orbs spinning around and finally converging into a blast of bright light.
When the light died down, a handsome blond male clad in armour stood in the circle, a confused look on his face. Looking around, his eyes settled on Ritsuka and Karna. The former grinned at him, and his confusion melted into relief. "Master Ritsuka! Karna!"
"Hi there, Arthur! Glad to see you're fine."
"Where are we…" Arthur trailed off as he saw Mordred gaping at him, and a grin spread across his face. "Mordred! So this is the war you were in… you're cute as always."
Mordred's face turned redder than a tomato as she spluttered incoherently, and Ritsuka could have sworn she saw steam come out of the embarrassed Saber's ears.
"Well, that's a first…" Kairi muttered.
A few minutes earlier in Chaldea
"I hope Master returns safely," Arthur commented. He was talking with his female Saber counterpart, Arturia Pendragon. "I don't know how much longer we can restrain the more troublesome Servants."
"I'm ashamed to say my altered counterparts may cause some trouble," Arturia said with a frown. "I saw Saber and Lancer conversing with Berserker earlier—they might be planning something."
"It's hard when there's so many different versions of you," Arthur said sympathetically. "I know I'm one of them, but I believe I'm the easiest to tell apart."
Arturia laughed slightly. "We are both versions of the concept of 'Arthur Pendragon', but our genders make it easier to differentiate. I suppose that;s why we agreed on the earlier proposal, brother."
"I could say the same, sister ."
The two shared a laugh before Arturia developed a pensive look on her face. "Have you seen Mordred around, by the way? I don't want the Alters harassing her while Master is gone."
"Look at you, finally concerned for your cute daughter. I think she's with Jekyll, though. The last time I saw them I believe they were playing with the children."
"You make a better parent to her even though you've declared yourself as her uncle. It's all thanks to you and Master that we finally settled our differences though."
"Now if only she'd get along with Lancelot and the others, it would be perfect," Arthur said.
The two were walking down one of the corridors in Chaldea. Up ahead, they could hear voices, and stretching out their senses, they could tell that it was Gilgamesh's Caster form conversing with Enkidu.
"…"
Noticing the slight frown on Arturia's face, Arthur spoke up. "You don't wish to encounter Gilgamesh and Enkidu?"
"Caster is easier to deal with as he is not obsessed with me, but he is still the same person…" Arturia trailed off.
"Well, you could always—" Arthur cut himself off as a summoning circle suddenly formed under him, and he felt his body forcibly dematerialize.
"Arthur?!" Arturia cried out in shock.
Gilgamesh and Enkidu heard Arturia's shout and came running, only to stare in disbelief as Arthur's body disappeared along with the summoning circle.
"… I believe he disappeared the same way as Karna," Enkidu observed calmly, but there was a hidden shock to his tone.
"So Ritsuka has summoned him to her side?" Gilgamesh asked. "She must be having trouble if she's calling for more of us." Not many Servants knew about the true situation with Ritsuka, but Caster Gilgamesh was among the few who knew she was in another timeline.
"… I believe I will go explain the situation to Dr. Roman and Da Vinci then," Arturia sighed.